Backtracking to the Age of Literature and Art

Chapter 802
Richard Taylor originally wanted to persuade Peter Jackson a few more words, let him bear with it, so that they can get more in the follow-up negotiations.

But hearing Peter Jackson's anxious voice, Richard Taylor gave up this idea with a slight sigh.

He knew that Peter Jackson had been under tremendous pressure recently, and if no one was willing to take over "Lord of the Rings", the more than 2000 million US dollars owed to Miramax would definitely not be paid by themselves.

Now in their company account, let alone 2000 million US dollars, even 20 US dollars can't be paid out. The money they got from Miramax has long been spent. For "Lord of the Rings", they have spent too much money. Much effort.

The money is still not paid, and the result is that they can only be at the mercy of Miramax. They can make as many films as they want, and they can change whoever they want to direct.

"Okay, I want to give you the phone, do you have a pen and paper at hand, write it down."

……

Yu Dong hadn't chatted with Jimmy for a long time when the phone on the desk rang. Jimmy walked over to answer the phone, and then heard an anxious voice, "Hello, is this Mr. James? I'm Peter Mike Well, I hear you're interested in The Lord of the Rings?"

Hearing what Peter Max said, Jimmy showed a smile.

Yu Dong didn't hear what was on the phone, but when he saw Jimmy's smile, he raised his eyebrows unexpectedly and made a mouth shape, "Peter Jackson?"

Jimmy nodded and turned on the speakerphone at the same time, "Hello, Mr. Jackson, are you not in the United States now?"

"I'm in New York," Peter Jackson replied.

"New York... New York is late at the moment."

"It's really late, but I've been sleeping late, Mr. James, when Richard told me that you called him, I couldn't believe it, because I know your company is preparing to shoot "Harry Potter" "I thought you wouldn't be interested in The Lord of the Rings any more."

Jimmy said with a smile, "Our company won't have too many good movies, Mr. Jackson, since you called me, does it mean that you haven't found a home for "Lord of the Rings" yet?"

Peter Jackson said very crisply, "Of course, in fact, I was just rejected by Universal Pictures during the day."

Being rejected by Universal Pictures made Peter Jackson feel very disappointed, because Universal Pictures can also be regarded as his bole. A few years ago, Universal Pictures dug him over and asked him to write, direct and produce "Spooky".In Peter Jackson's view, Universal Pictures should support him.

Jimmy was not interested in who rejected Peter Jackson, "Mr. Jackson, we are very interested in you and your plan. If possible, I hope you can show us the short film and script you made."

"But, you are in China now."

"It's okay, our company is in New York, you can bring your scripts and short films to the company, and they will help you send them to us." Jimmy said.

"Okay, I'll go there after dawn... Who should I call after I'm gone?"

"Don't worry, I'll call and tell them to contact you."

"Okay, then I'll wait for your people to contact me... However, there is one thing I want to ask before that. If you want to make this movie, are you willing to make two? This is the basis of our cooperation. If you If you don’t want to, I don’t think there is any need to continue the discussion, there are many things I want to film, if it is compressed into one, I can’t accept it.”

At this time, Yu Dong suddenly said, "Mr. Jackson, if your script and short film are satisfactory to us, we can even promise you to make the film into three parts, so that you don't have to compress the plot."

Peter Jackson asked unexpectedly, "This is?"

Jimmy smiled and introduced, "This is YU, and he is also interested in "Lord of the Rings", that's why I contacted you. Everything he said can represent our company."

Peter Jackson said excitedly, "YU, hello, I also like your works very much, and my favorite is "The Last City."

Yu Dong raised the corner of his mouth, "The Last City" is the unremarkable kind among all his works, and the sales volume is also low. Most people will say that they like "Second World", "Old Books", "Resident Evil" and other popular works. Wide range of works.

"Thank you for your support. I also like your movies very much. Your "Creation of Heaven" also left a very deep impression on me, especially the idea of ​​the fourth world. When I watched the movie, I was thinking , This may be more like a fantasy movie. Although it is adapted from a real story, it has a fantasy that transcends reality. Generally speaking, when showing the inner world of boys and girls, directors or screenwriters tend to use more delicate techniques. But the way the film does it is so open and closed, it’s refreshing.”

Peter Jackson didn't expect Yu Dong to have watched "The Creation of Heaven" and gave such a high evaluation.

Nobody doesn't like to wear high hats, and Peter Jackson is also a donkey. Yu Dong's words of praise made him very ironic.

"YU, thank you for your appreciation, I now have one more person who chooses deep space... Hehe, in fact, I don't have a choice now, I can only hope that you will take a fancy to my plan."

Yu Dong and Jimmy looked at each other. They didn't expect Peter Jackson to be so honest. From the time the phone was connected to the present, every word he said was not conducive to the subsequent negotiations. He put his position too low.

The two also understood why the "Lord of the Rings" plan had come to this point.

The right to adapt "The Lord of the Rings" is in the hands of Peter Jackson, and he also wrote the script. It stands to reason that he should have the leading right in this shooting plan.

But the current situation is that Miramax can change the director at any time and change two films into one, and Peter Jackson has no other solution except to return the money.

He should have signed the agreement before cooperating with Miramax, and written the agreement between them, so as to avoid the current situation.

Jimmy touched his nose. Peter Jackson was so honest that he felt a little embarrassed. Making money is money, and bullying honest people is always a psychological burden.

"Ahem, Mr. Jackson, how about it, it's getting late, you go to bed early, and I'll have someone contact you tomorrow, and I can find you by dialing this number, right?"

"That's right, just dial this number," Peter responded.

"Well, after the short film and the script are passed on, YU and I will read it as soon as possible. If there is no accident, I will give you an answer within two days. What do you think?"

Peter Jackson wished that Jimmy and Yu Dong would give him an answer now, but he also knew that it was impossible so soon.

However, no matter what, Deep Space did show interest, and YU's appreciation for him didn't look like a lie. He felt that this time there was a good chance of success.

"Okay, then I'll wait for your good news."

……

After hanging up the phone, Jimmy finally laughed out loud, "This Peter Jackson is really too simple. He is also a director, and his performance in business is much worse than Steven's."

Yu Dong nodded. If Peter Jackson is a better filmmaker than Steven Spielberg, some people may have different opinions, but there is absolutely no second answer to who is more business-minded.

Compared with Peter Jackson, who was obsessed with special effects and fantasy novels since he was a child, Spielberg was born with business talent. When he was 16 years old, he successfully organized and released his own independent film. The cost was more than 400 US dollars, and the final profit was 100. Many dollars.

Moreover, Spielberg buys financial newspapers every day, studies business methods, and tries to figure out the psychology of the public.

If it is Spielberg who is cooperating with Miramax this time, perhaps it is Spielberg who is taking the initiative now instead of Miramax.

"Steven and him have their own strengths. He can't make the movies that Steven makes, but Steven may not be able to make the movies he makes."

"If you really decide to take over the "Lord of the Rings" project, let's also take down Weta Digital by the way." Jimmy said.

Hearing what Jimmy said, Yu Dong smiled and said, "Didn't you think it was not worthwhile to acquire Weta Digital? You also said that it would be more cost-effective to acquire Industrial Light & Magic."

"If you really want this company, and we are going to make "The Lord of the Rings", it is a good deal to buy it at this time. In this way, we are taking money to cultivate our own company. But even if we buy it, we still have to give it to Peter. Jackson and the others keep more shares, the most important thing in this company is their bosses.”

Yu Dong nodded and agreed with Jimmy's words: "That's true. When Peter Jackson's short film and script are delivered, we will take some time to meet again and give him an answer earlier so that he can feel at ease earlier."

"Okay, otherwise, he won't be able to sleep until three o'clock in the middle of the night." Jimmy stood up straight away, "Let's go, have a meal first, I'll work overtime at night to sort out things related to Peter Jackson and The Lord of the Rings" In addition, I want to see what adjustments our company can make in the near future, whether it can make way for the filming of "The Lord of the Rings", after all, this is not a small project, and we can't fight unprepared."

The matter has not yet been settled, but Jimmy has already started to think about it. Yu Dong admired his effort in planning for a rainy day. He said sincerely, "It will be hard work for you, but I believe that there will be a good result."

Jimmy shook his head indifferently, "Whether the result will be good or not is actually not that important, and our company can't do everything successfully. On the contrary, what a company wants to go in the long run requires the ability to withstand failure."

Hearing Jimmy's words, Yu Dong couldn't help but twitched the corners of his mouth, "Why do these words make me feel that you are not very optimistic about this plan? I was so moved when I saw you being so active just now."

Jimmy shrugged, "I didn't say that."

……

The next morning, Yu Dong saw Peter Jackson's short film and script.

The short film is only 25 minutes long, but the script looks particularly troublesome. Yu Dong has already spent nearly an hour just picking out some key points in it.

Closing the script, Yu Dong nodded at Jimmy, "No problem, I think we can take over this plan, and we can completely follow Peter Jackson's original plan to make the movie into three parts. If it is compressed into two parts, it will Let the presentation of the movie be greatly reduced. Let’s do it, according to the top, middle and bottom three, the production cost of each film is controlled at about 30.00 million U.S. dollars, and the promotional cost is controlled between 50.00% and [-]%.”

Jimmy knew it was going to be like this, so he wasn't surprised at all, "Well, I'll...forget it tomorrow, I'll contact Peter Jackson now and tell him the news earlier."

He originally wanted to say that he would be able to whet Peter Jackson's appetite by calling back tomorrow, but he changed his mind when he thought of Peter Jackson's sincerity.

The phone was connected quickly, and before Peter Jackson could speak, Jimmy said, "Mr. Jackson, congratulations, your plan has passed our review. We have decided to take over this project and are willing to follow your original plan. Divide the film into three parts. Next, we need to talk about specific details, such as your salary and dividends. I will draw up a simple contract for you to read. If you agree, we will sign a formal contract. "

"no problem."

Yu Dong asked from the side, "Mr. Jackson, let me ask, if the handover is completed within half a month, when will the first part be filmed?"

Peter Jackson pondered: "Part of the preliminary work has already been completed. If the handover is completed within half a month, we should be able to complete all the shooting work within ten to fifteen months. If there is no accident, the movie It should be released at the end of 2001 or early 2002. In fact, a lot of preparatory work has been completed, if there is no sudden accident at Miramax, this movie should be able to meet fans sooner."

Knowing the approximate production time, Yu Dong nodded, "Okay, I see."

Because the shooting time is relatively tight, after taking over this project, there is no time to raise funds for Deep Space Corporation, so they can only pay for the entire film by themselves.

This is also a test for Jimmy. Although Deep Space Corporation has a lot of cash in hand, the cash is useful. He needs to squeeze at least 6000 million US dollars out of his daily plan.They will start to acquire BenQ Dentsu in the next year, and the money in their hands cannot be transferred at will.

The filming of "The Lord of the Rings" and the acquisition of Weta Digital will cost more than 2000 million U.S. dollars, but Deep Space only needs to spend 7000 million U.S. dollars within half a year.

In the next few days, Yu Dong was busy preparing for the new year, and Jimmy was busy taking over the work of "Lord of the Rings".

One day before New Year's Eve, Deep Space Company signed a formal contract with Peter Jackson. Deep Space Company will invest a total of 500 million production funds to film the first part of the "Lord of the Rings" series.

(End of this chapter)