Chapter 211 Pirate King

Wu Yuchen is not a holy mother. Please put yourself in someone else’s shoes and understand, and get out of here!

Others have already violated his interests, why should he change his position!

We are so close to winning the Best Director this time. If it weren't for Eisner's willful order or Disney's sudden backstab, the Oscar for Best Director would have already been awarded!

This kind of double nomination opportunity is very rare. And for a movie like "Love" that can impress a bunch of old men, it can only be used once at most. How can it be such a stunning effect if it is played in the same way again?

And this time the winner of the Best Director award was "Love," a Chinese-language film starring a Chinese actor, not a story about white people.

Before the Oscar jury expansion, it was a no-brainer for an Asian film to win the Best Picture. In its previous life, "Parasite" was able to win the Oscar for Best Picture because the Oscars had already implemented a diversity policy for many years and the judges were more competitive. Now it’s nearly doubled, and most of the extra judges are people of color. Because of this condition, "Parasite" has the possibility to win the best picture.

Best Director is different. In his previous life, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" helped Li An win the Guild Director Award, and he was infinitely close to the Oscar for Best Director. If it hadn't been for the double-nominated Soderbergh, he would have basically locked up the small gold. people.

Therefore, the Best Director Award is the highest award that Wu Yuchen can win for Chinese-language films in as short as 10 years or as long as 15 years. As a result, such a rare opportunity was wasted because of such ridiculous looking internal strife!

He now wants to kill Eisner!

What kind of emperor is Disney? You have this power because of Disney. Without this position, you are a piece of shit emperor!

Wu Yuchen did not hide his thoughts and asked directly: "Steven, how do you make Eisner step down?"

Spielberg smiled when he heard this:

"If it were someone else, I would advise him to forget about it and forget about the unpleasant things that happened. But, Wu, you are constantly creating miracles. I won't think that you are talking nonsense or acting out of will. You are qualified.

Eisner is only responsible to the board of directors. The simplest and most direct way is to damage Disney's profits and cause its stock price to plummet. "

Because Wu Yuchen had invested in U.S. stocks before, he really knew something about Disney’s stock price. In the past few years, Disney’s operations have actually been declining compared to previous years. However, because it caught up with a wave of technology stocks, it led to With U.S. stocks rising across the board, Disney's stock price is also rising. Therefore, Eisner's position has always been secure.

Eisner had many enemies, and the board naturally supported him when the stock price soared. But now that the Internet bubble has collapsed, U.S. stock prices will plummet. Disney's stock price cannot remain high and will continue to decline. At this time, its enemies will also jump out. Although Eisner can rely on his previous qualifications to hold on, the trust of the board of directors will be exhausted over time.

What Wu Yuchen has to do is to speed up this process.

Just as Wu Yuchen's thoughts were racing, Spielberg asked: "Wu, how about joining DreamWorks? As far as driving Eisner out, I think you and Katzenberg will have a lot in common." !”

Wu Yuchen retracted his thoughts after hearing this, pondered for a moment, and then asked: "Steven, is it 20% of the full copyright?"

"Of course, the conditions promised to you will not change."

Wu Yuchen smiled and then said: "I don't have much problem, but the production cost of my new movie is expected to be a bit high."

"How many?"

"At least hundreds of millions."

Spielberg frowned slightly when he heard this. Wu Yuchen's previous three movies were all classic examples of using small things to make big things happen. The production cost of the two movies "Black Hole Frequency" and "Sniper Phone Booth" did not exceed 40 million, and the global box office was ten times the cost. Even the highest "The Sixth Sense" only cost 60 million, and the final return was also more than ten times. Very rich.

Their DreamWorks is not as strong as Big Seven. The reason why they are willing to give Wu Yuchen 20% of the full copyright is because of his ability to make big things out of small things.

But now, Wu Yuchen said that the investment in the next movie will be as high as hundreds of millions of dollars, which made Spielberg cautious. He thought for a while and asked: "Wu, your new movie is going to be a big production." Is there a route? What is the theme?"

Wu Yuchen nodded: "Yes, the previous three movies were actually not complicated. I saw some people said that I did not have the ability to control large-scale productions. I want to try it. As for the theme, pirates, how about it? "

Spielberg couldn't help but sigh when he heard this. Pirate theme? It's not like he hasn't taken pictures before.

In 1991, Spielberg shot the fantasy adventure movie "Captain Hook", so he is also very familiar with pirate movies. It cost 70 million and had a global box office of 300 million. It is considered a success in terms of returns, and this is considered so far. The most successful pirate-themed movie.

In 1995, Carolco, a medium-sized Hollywood film company, invested in the production of "Cutthroat Island". The budget of 60 million yuan increased to almost 100 million yuan. Then after the release, it went bankrupt and directly bankrupted the company and liquidated it.

Since then, few people in Hollywood have been willing to touch on the pirate theme in recent years, saying it is a box-office poison theme.

As a result, Wu Yuchen now said that he would make a pirate theme, and the production cost would be hundreds of millions. How could this not make Spielberg frown?

However, since he was here to win over Wu Yuchen, Spielberg refused without even coming forward. After thinking about it, he asked: "Wu, is this just an idea, or does he already have a script?"

"The script has been written, Steven, do you want to read it?"

Spielberg adjusted his glasses: "I'm free these two days. You can come to me at any time with the script. Let's talk about your project first."

Afterwards, the two clinked their glasses again and walked out of the room. There was still a commotion outside, but Wu Yuchen's mood was completely different at this time.

Returning to the crew of "Love", Wu Yuchen met Richard who appeared at an unknown time.

Richard's expression was very calm. When he saw Wu Yuchen coming back, he said directly: "Sorry, Wu."

When he saw Wu Yuchen and Spielberg leaving together, he knew that Wu Yuchen would probably learn the truth, and this kind of thing couldn't be hidden if someone wanted to investigate.

Wu Yuchen chuckled: "You are a good employee. I understand you, but I will not accept your apology."

After speaking, Wu Yuchen walked around him and left a message as he walked past him: "Eisner will get off the stage."

Justin Wu did not stay long at the "Vanity Fair" party, even Jennifer Connelly who wanted to accompany him to party was pushed away. He was serious about dealing with Eisner. He couldn't accommodate other things in his mind without making a plan.

Wu Yuchen made a chart to analyze Disney’s asset sectors.

Disney's current largest asset is ABC TV station. In 1995, when Disney was at its peak, it acquired ABC TV station with a market value of US$19 billion.

Wu Yuchen wrote ABC, and then crossed it out. On the one hand, he had no good way to target ABC TV station, and on the other hand, he was not needed to target it. Because ABC TV station's operating conditions were not very good after the acquisition. In the past two years, there have been losses, which forced Disney to pay for blood transfusions.

Therefore, ABC TV station does not need Wu Yuchen to pay attention.

Then I wrote the second piece, Disneyland. In fact, the several Disney parks built by Disney since the 1990s have not been very successful. The most typical example is Disneyland Paris, which cost a huge amount of money to build. As a result, it was not welcomed by the European people at all, and there was even a risk of bankruptcy. The company injects capital every year to maintain operations. There is no need for Wu Yuchen to target this area.

This third piece is Disney animation. This is the foundation of Disney, and it is also their greatest advantage. However, after Eisner forced Katzenberg out, Disney's own animation has been declining since "The Lion King". In the past few years, Disney's animation has all been supported by its partner Pixar Studio. The two "Toy Story" and "A Bug's Life" have given Disney animation a facade.

Wu Yuchen drew a circle at Pixar. Jobs and Eisner had a very bad relationship, so they were a viable partner. As for how to fight for it, he remembered a crisis that Steve Jobs had in the second half of the year, and he could take action at that time.

Then came the fourth piece, the live-action movie. In fact, Disney's live-action films have always been ranked low among the seven, and they only caught up after acquiring Miramax, the company owned by Harvey Weinstein's brother, a few years ago.

The first two areas, ABC TV station and Disneyland, Wu Yuchen does not need to control, or even if he wants to, he is unable to do so. But with these last two pieces, he can operate them!

Although he has registered many scripts before, he only registered those that he felt were suitable for his personal shooting. But it's different now. Wu Yuchen plans to spend all his time and forget all about food and sleep, using his magic method to cut off all the scripts of future Disney movies!

In animation, Disney's only successful success in the next few years was "Lilo and Stitch", so we copied the script. As for Pixar, "Finding Nemo 1" is already in production. If you can't copy it, then copy "Finding Nemo 2" and "The Incredibles" first. No matter what your relationship with Pixar will be in the future, first control the potential threats. In your own hands.

In live-action movies, such as the "Princess Diaries" series, "National Treasure", "Pitcher", "Hot Girl", "Diary of a Single", "Love from Another World" and other profitable project scripts, he will cut off all the scripts that can be cut off. Even if he doesn't shoot it, he won't let Disney shoot it!

And one of the pillars of Disney in the future, Marvel, spend money to occupy it now. Even if it is sold later, it will not be given to Disney!

Then Wu Yuchen took out a script that had been registered before: "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl."

I originally thought that if this cooperation was good, I could produce Disney's most successful and most profitable live-action series with Disney in the next two years. Now, don’t even think about it!

Wu Yuchen picked up his pen, crossed out a few words on his name, and then changed it to "Pirate King: The Curse of the Black Pearl."

There is an attraction in Disneyland called "Pirates of the Caribbean". Wu Yuchen didn't want the movie to be made to attract traffic to their project, so he just removed the name "Pirates of the Caribbean". What is it called Caribbean? From now on it will be called the "Pirate King" series!

The next day, at DreamWorks, Spielberg was reading "Pirate King: The Curse of the Black Pearl" carefully. In the next room, Wu Yuchen and Katzenberg had a great conversation, and the two overturned Eisner's point. A friendly consensus was reached.

Katzenberg is also a bald man. He handed a newspaper to Wu Yuchen and said with a smile: "Look, Wu, Disney is still helping you with publicity~"

"Oscar injustice! Justin Wu's "The Sixth Sense" lost the best director! The Academy owes him a statuette!"

Wu Yuchen glanced at the headline in the newspaper and couldn't help but smile sarcastically: "Then I have to say thank you to them!"

It is obvious that Disney is still using all topics to expand the subsequent profits of "The Sixth Sense" and squeeze out all the value as much as possible.

Katzenberg comforted him: "Wu, this year's Oscars are just about accumulating points. You failed to win the double nomination and the Directors Guild Award this year, so you will be remembered by the outside world and the judges."

Wu Yuchen also nodded when he heard this. He also planned to take advantage of the trend and establish an image of himself as a sad loser, gain some sympathy points, and leave a deep impression on these judges. You have already lost this time, so you can’t get nothing, right? At least some capital should be saved for future competition.

Then Katzenberg smiled at Wu Yuchen and said:

"Wu, if I have the opportunity, I will introduce you to Roy Disney. He is a descendant of Walt Disney, the founder of Disney. He has a lot of influence within Disney. He is like-minded with us and has always wanted to oust Eisner."

Wu Yuchen's eyes lit up when he heard this: "That's great, I really hope to meet such a respected senior!"

At this time, Spielberg leaned over, raised the script in his hand and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt your pleasant conversation, but I think I have to talk to Wu~"

Wu Yuchen nodded to Katzenberg and then followed Spielberg away.

The reason why they are called the Big Three of DreamWorks is because these three people are all top figures in their respective fields. David Geffen was in charge of music and records, Katzenberg was in charge of the animation studio, and Spielberg was in charge of film production. Everyone had a clear division of labor.

Although there are advantages to doing this, as professional people are responsible for professional matters, Wu Yuchen feels that there are also big disadvantages. The simple point is that the interests are inconsistent. He had just been stabbed in the back and remembered this truth.

As far as the current cooperation between these three people is concerned, it seems that they are advancing with the same goal, which is to make DreamWorks an existence that can compete with the Big Seven. But over time, the benefits brought to the company by their respective fields are not necessarily the same. For example, the recording industry is now at its golden end, but with the rise of the Internet, physical records will definitely be greatly impacted. In a few years, the other two Will you still be satisfied with David Geffen?

Wu Yuchen shook his head. He didn't care what happened to DreamWorks in the future, but they could cooperate in the short term.

Entering the room, Spielberg pointed to the script in his hand and asked Wu Yuchen:

"Wu, are you sure you want to set the protagonist in the movie to be that pirate? And a sissy pirate?"

Pirate-themed movies are not popular in the market. As a result, Wu Yuchen's "Pirate King" also created an image that is very different from traditional pirates, which made Spielberg a little nervous after reading the script.

Wu Yuchen smiled and then asked: "Steven, what do you think of this story?"

Spielberg pondered for a moment, and then said: "It's interesting."

Spielberg, who has read many scripts, is actually immune to various routines. He can only imagine whether the audience will find it interesting if he is himself. It must be admitted that the script of "Pirate King" will indeed make people feel Refreshing.

"So, the traditional pirate theme is destined to be outdated, so I have to come up with something different. This is Captain Sparrow. He is a bit effeminate and a bit mean, but he will make the audience find it interesting, little Kids will love him too.”

"Wu, can investment be compressed any further?"

Spielberg still chose to believe in Wu Yuchen's ability. After all, three consecutive films have proven his keen grasp of commercial films and the market.

However, the production cost was a bit high. Spielberg felt that if it could be reduced to 80 million, he gritted his teeth and invested.

Wu Yuchen immediately shook his hand:

"Well, Steven, not only will it not be low, in fact, I went back and did a careful calculation, and it is likely to be much higher than 100 million. It is estimated to cost 140 million."

"What? 140 million!" Spielberg's body shook and his glasses almost fell off.

Let's just say that Spielberg has been in the industry for so long and is definitely a world-renowned director. However, his most expensive film to date, "Saving Private Ryan," only cost 70 million, which is less than the cost of "Jurassic Park." It was less than 70 million, but now Wu Yuchen gave him double it!

Even the Big Seven still hesitates for a long time when investing in a large production costing hundreds of millions of dollars. This is especially true for DreamWorks, which is not as strong as the Big Seven, let alone 140 million which is far more than 100 million!

Spielberg took off his glasses, then rubbed his eyebrows and showed a wry smile: "Wu, you really gave me a problem!"

If they invest 140 million, DreamWorks will not be able to make other movies this year, but this is impossible. Moreover, 140 million was invested in one project, which was too risky for their DreamWorks. If something like "Cutthroat Island" happened again, bankruptcy would not happen, but it would be a thorn in the side!

Their DreamWorks doesn't have the channels of the Seven Big Companies to slowly replenish their blood, so they can't afford to go through such trouble!

Spielberg sighed, and then said to Wu Yuchen: "Wu, our DreamWorks can only offer 80 million at most."

In fact, Wu Yuchen had already expected this. He could think of it with his brain. DreamWorks, which is weak and weak, would not dare to take a big gamble. Spielberg's offer of 80 million is already considered to be courageous.

"Steven, can I ask, is DreamWorks' current distribution channel reliable?"

Spielberg smiled: "You don't have to worry about this. Universal Pictures, Paramount, and 20th Century Fox are all cooperating with us."

In fact, Universal Pictures and Spielberg have a very deep relationship. He has experienced various departments of Universal through his father's relationship since he was 12 years old. "Jaws", "ET", "Back to the Future" and "Jurassic Park" were all collaborations between Spielberg and Universal. The Big Seven are suppressing DreamWorks and making money from it at the same time.

When Wu Yuchen heard that there was no problem with the distribution channels, he felt relieved and said with a smile:

"Steven, since DreamWorks doesn't have enough money, how about my own Miracle Pictures filling the gap? How about we each invest 70 million?"

Spielberg couldn't help but be a little surprised when he heard this. You must know that this is 70 million, not 7 million. Although he knows that Wu Yuchen has made a lot of money, it is rare that he is willing to invest a lot of money in his own movies, because movies The risk is great.

"Wu, are you sure?"

Wu Yuchen nodded: "I am confident in my movie!"

Spielberg stared at Wu Yuchen for several seconds, perhaps moved by his confidence: "Our DreamWorks will provide 80 million, and Miracle Pictures will invest the remaining 60 million."

Wu Yuchen made an OK gesture. But then Spielberg said:

"Wu, regarding your director's remuneration, I think we need to renegotiate."

Wu Yuchen frowned: "Isn't it the agreed 20% full copyright?"

Spielberg spread his hands: "Wu, if you reduce the cost to less than 70 million, I can give you 20% of the full copyright. But now it is a large-scale production with a cost of 140 million, and no studio will give you such a High pay.”

Subsequently, the two discussed Wu Yuchen's remuneration for a long time, and finally settled on 12% of the full copyright, plus US$8 million in cash.

Of course, Wu Yuchen has additional conditions here. If he wants to shoot a sequel, his director's remuneration will increase to 20% of the full copyright. At the same time, regarding the investment in the sequel of "Pirate King", Miracle Pictures will enjoy at least 40% of the investment amount and copyright.

Don't think this condition is too much. Spielberg won't care if the first part hasn't been released yet. If a sequel is made, it will definitely mean that DreamWorks made money from this "Pirate King". Therefore, he is eager to release a sequel!

Wu Yuchen is quite satisfied with this condition. At present, cooperating with DreamWorks is the best condition he can get. When cooperating with a large manufacturer, the other party may not be willing to give him a large share. Moreover, he has just experienced a backstab from Disney, and for the time being, he does not want to cooperate with a major company.

Spielberg sighed, and then lamented to Wu Yuchen: "If I didn't have my own movie to shoot, I would really be the producer of this "Pirate King", 140 million!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and said: "Steven, don't worry, I want to use this movie to teach Disney a lesson next year. How can I let someone hit me in the face?"

Spielberg shook his head slightly: "I really don't know now whether I should advise you not to act out of emotion, or encourage you to move forward..."

The risk of a 140-million-yuan big production is too high. Spielberg even wants Wu Yuchen to put aside his grudge with Disney first, but maybe the desire for revenge can inspire young people's work efficiency.