I am Hollywood

Chapter 575: Chapter 576: If I Were to Choose



[Chapter 576: If I Were to Choose]

The next day, Eric arrived personally at the office that Drew had leased for Flower Films in Venice Beach.

In the distance, the three-story building overlooking the beach and the sea was fully rented by Drew, with most of the rooms undergoing renovations. Eric specifically rushed over to personally chat with Amy Pascal about the matters concerning Flower Films.

Last night, during a discussion with Drew, they had quickly shifted focus due to her insistence, and they hadn't managed to reach any conclusions on many topics. Since Drew had brought Amy Pascal, who was originally the chairwoman of Sony Pictures in that timeline, into the fold, it seemed logical to discuss things with someone more professional.

In Eric's view, Drew's ability to hire people far exceeded her other talents. For instance, Eric had always been puzzled about how she got those Russian twins to be so obedient; they definitely had combat skills on an elite level. Yet, even when Drew was scolding them, the twins hung their heads in silence like a pair of docile kittens.

During the first few days the twins appeared next to Drew, while they maintained their cool demeanor with no hint of a fighter's edge, Eric, out of curiosity, had sparred with one of the twins in the mansion's gym. Or rather, it couldn't really be called a "match", as Eric had surrendered within a minute and consequently ended up with a black eye, which Drew laughed at him about for several days.

And now, surprisingly, the girl had successfully convinced Amy Pascal to join her at Flower Films, which felt to Eric like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

"Amy, what made you decide to team up with Drew?" Eric asked as soon as he saw Amy Pascal in the office.

Amy, sporting a wavy hairstyle and looking cheerful, smiled at Eric's question and said, "Eric, you should understand, I came here because of you. Drew knows that too."

"In that case, you could have joined Firefly. Firefly is in an expansion phase, and if you came over, I'd definitely be all for it."

"I considered it when I decided to leave Columbia, but Firefly's management system is already quite established. It would be hard for me to fully utilize my abilities there. Here, it's different," Amy waved her hand lightly. "It's like a blank slate. I can showcase my talents freely, and no one will care that I'm a woman since the owner of the company is also a woman."

Eric looked at Amy Pascal's determined expression and asked, "So, do you have a complete plan in mind already?"

"Of course," Amy replied, actually pulling out a document from the file cabinet next to her and handing it to Eric. "This is what I have prepared over the past few days. I gave Drew a copy, but I figured you just got back yesterday, so she probably hasn't had a chance to pass it on to you."

As Eric flipped through the pages, it became clear why he had wanted to discuss Flower Films' development strategy seriously the previous night, but Drew seemed half-hearted about it; she apparently already had a comprehensive plan in place.

Looking at the document, which consisted of over ten pages, Eric closed the blue plastic folder casually. "Amy, why don't you summarize it for us?"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Amy didn't object and said, "I've researched Flower Films' intellectual properties, and I think two rights suitable for development at this stage are Mission: Impossible and The Bourne Identity."

Mission: Impossible and The Bourne Identity referred to the TV series version of the movie franchise and the original novel title, respectively. In Eric's plan, he felt that The Bourne Identity wouldn't be ready for development for another few years; it was a bit too early. However, he didn't interrupt Amy Pascal and allowed her to continue.

"...If Flower Films could successfully produce several lucrative blockbuster movies over the next few years and establish its own profitable movie franchise, it could expand through going public or issuing bonds. My personal suggestion is to first work towards a merger between Flower Films and MGM. Considering the state of Sony Columbia, I believe they'll last at most five years before being forced out of Hollywood."

When Amy Pascal said this, she shot a knowing look at Eric. When she saw no change in Eric's expression -- just a slight shrug -- she continued, "At that point, we could further acquire Columbia Pictures on top of MGM, but all of this hinges on the success of the films developed by Flower Films. First, in terms of movie production financing, with you backing us, I believe we can easily secure funding from Wall Street or European capital. Alternatively, Firefly could invest directly, but I suspect you wouldn't want Firefly too involved with Flower Films, at least for now, am I right?"

Amy Pascal's strategy was evidently more meticulous than Eric had originally thought. While in that timeline both Columbia and MGM had become subsidiaries of Sony, Eric had never considered having Flower Films gradually absorb both companies. But this method was definitely more viable than simply using massive funds for an acquisition.

While Eric had originally planned for Firefly to absorb MGM's film library in a few years, the fact that MGM fell into Drew's hands instead of Firefly's didn't make a significant difference. Hearing Amy's proposal, Eric nodded. "Before the antitrust laws loosen further, I indeed wouldn't want Firefly overly involved with Flower Films. Everyone knows how this works, but as law-abiding citizens, we need to give the SEC a reason not to bother us. Additionally, I'd prefer other film companies to handle the distribution of Flower Films' movies since Firefly's projects already consume a lot of our marketing resources. Of course, you can rest assured that under any circumstances, Firefly will always be the strongest support for Flower Films. I just wish things never had to get that complicated."

Amy Pascal nodded and said, "Before I left Columbia, I spoke directly to Mr. Guber." Mentioning Peter Guber, a clear distaste appeared in Amy Pascal's eyes, but she went on, "Columbia will handle the distribution of Flower Films' productions, and Mr. Guber promised to offer the best possible profit-sharing terms."

After spending half an hour explaining her plan, Amy Pascal finally said, "So, Eric, now you can share your thoughts. Although you haven't disagreed with me so far, I sense there are points you don't support?"

"I certainly can't compete with you professionals on operational matters," Eric chuckled. "What I want to stress is film production. Even though big-budget films have become Hollywood's main revenue trend, I hope Flower Films can still engage in producing mid to low-budget independent films."

The 1990s would be the golden decade for Hollywood's independent films. Though many independent films turned out to be expensive visual flops, every year saw many quality films emerge, with high-grossing independent films being quite common.

Amy Pascal seemed to grasp some of this situation and nodded. "Anything else?"

"I looked over the rights library of Flower Films last night. Mission: Impossible, The Bourne Identity, and Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series are among the most valuable rights, all with potential for franchise development. However, the latter two aren't suitable for development right now. What you should focus on is Mission: Impossible. I'll personally provide a concept for

the adaptation."

Amy Pascal looked a bit disappointed. "Eric, is that the only one?"

Actually, there was also Forrest Gump, but if they chose to produce it now, it would only be ready for release the following year. In that case, Fox's Braveheart would certainly suffer at the Oscars facing off against Forrest Gump. Moreover, Tom Hanks was still in Ireland filming Saving Private Ryan, making it impossible for him to take on other projects in the near term. So Eric planned to push Forrest Gump back for filming next year, aiming for a 1995 release. As for the potential competition at the Oscars, that wasn't his concern.

Just as Eric was about to nod, he hesitated and said, "While I was in Berlin last time, I came up with a great idea for a fantasy film called Night at the Museum. The script is already registered, and I can hand that over to you as well."

Amy Pascal's eyes sparkled with excitement, then she asked, "Eric, don't your scripts usually get developed by Firefly directly?"

Eric replied, "Firefly's major releases for the next three years are mostly decided." Amy Pascal suddenly recalled the project information that Firefly had already divulged. Films like Saving Private Ryan, True Lies, The Lion King, Jurassic Park II, Independence Day, Toy Story 2, and a series of films in collaboration with Columbia and DreamWorks were all confirmed for Firefly in the next three years, which led her to feel a bit envious. Presumably, the mindset of other Hollywood film companies was similar.

Though other companies had ramped up their production of big-budget films over the past two years, success was rare since they lacked the special effects technology supported by Digital Domain under Firefly. Moreover, there was no Eric-like figure around; even the most glamorous Steven Spielberg of the '80s was now left far behind by Eric.

Seeing that Amy had no further questions, Eric said, "So, let's proceed. You two can start preparing for Mission: Impossible and Night at the Museum. You can also select some well- known directors for small-budget independent films to invest in."

"Eric, do you have any suggestions for the main characters in these two projects?" Amy

inquired.

Eric hesitated for a moment before saying, "For the lead in Mission: Impossible, I recommend Tom Cruise. However, the condition is that Tom can only participate as an actor in this project and needs to sign a contract for at least three films. As for Night at the Museum..." Eric thought for a moment, realizing that Ben Stiller wasn't famous yet. The only other person that came to mind was Jim Carrey. While Jim was very suitable for the lead role in Night at the Museum, Eric wasn't highly enthusiastic about collaborating with him. "Let's pick from the currently famous comedic actors. The specifics can be determined based on their availability and audition results. The film's main focus is on the miraculous creatures that come to life in the museum, so the lead character isn't the most critical part."

Amy Pascal nodded and then suddenly shook her head. "Eric, although Cruise's career has

been a bit rocky these past two years, signing a three-film deal in one go might not be so easy. I worked with him during the production of Running Out of Time: Prequel, and he isn't so easy to work with. He might demand that his production company gets involved in this project."

"I understand. You can give it a try. Engaging with him won't cost us anything. If he agrees, that would be fantastic, and we can make some concessions on his fee. But if he is insistent on excessive participation, Hollywood isn't short of stars who can replace him."

"I'll talk to him," Amy Pascal nodded, noting all these things down in her memo.

Eric waited for her to finish writing before continuing, "Now let's discuss another very

important matter."

"Hmm?" Amy Pascal raised her head immediately when she saw Eric's serious expression.

"This is something I thought of last night. Recently, I had someone investigate the superhero licenses held by Marvel Comics."

"Eric, are you planning to develop superhero films like Warner does?"

"Not at the moment," Eric replied. "What I mean is, I had someone look into which secondary and tertiary companies hold the rights to some of Marvel's leading superheroes, including Spider-Man, Captain America, and the Fantastic Four. I need you to help me acquire them

back."

Amy Pascal considered the data on Marvel's superheroes before saying, "Eric, Marvel has quite a few superheroes. It's not going to be easy to get them all back."

"Well, at least try to secure Spider-Man. Honestly, I'm most interested in that superhero."

Amy Pascal smiled and said, "Spider-Man is one of Marvel's most popular superheroes. If I

were to pick, it would definitely be Spider-Man."

*****

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