Actor: My Entertainment Era

Hollywood has a "script blacklist", which was created by Franklin Leonard, a senior Hollywood screenwriter and reviewer. The original intention of creating this list was to kill time by exchanging good scripts among friends.

But over time, this list has gained a reputation in the industry. The scripts on the list have a high probability of being favored by production companies, and the films produced have a good reputation.

The famous "Juno", "Escape from Tehran", "The Hangover" and "The King's Speech" are all from this blacklist.

The blacklist is released on the second Friday of December every year. The industry pays close attention to this list. Zhang Yuanjun pays attention to the new scripts on the list every year, as well as those scripts bought by production companies.

This year's blacklist has not yet been announced. Zhang Yuanjun was bored at home and looked through the blacklist released at the end of last year on the Screenwriters Association's website.

The first one is a suspense film called "Holland, Michigan". The screenwriter is signed by Andrew Sodlowski. The blacklist notes that this film was purchased by Nicole Kidman's company, but to what extent the production has reached Not sure.

The second-ranked movie is called "MI6". Just by looking at the name, you can tell that it is a spy film. Notes indicate that the script comes from Universal, but there is no news about this film in the industry.

Zhang Yuanjun looked through the blacklist and found that most of the scripts had unfamiliar names. It seemed that even if they were on the blacklist and the rights were purchased by a film company, they might not be able to be made into a movie.

The risks of making a movie are just too high.

Zhang Yuanjun found a script called "Manchester by the sea" at the end of the blacklist. The screenwriter was signed by Kenneth Lonergan, and the copyright owner was a film and television company called Pearl Street.

Zhang Yuanjun was familiar with this movie, but did not recognize the Pearl Street Film and Television Company.

I just don’t know if this company has started filming this script.

Zhang Yuanjun searched for Pearl Street Film and Television Company on the Internet and found that it was Matt Damon's company.

Zhang Yuanjun immediately called his manager: "Eddie, can you contact Matt Damon?"

Although he didn't know what his boss wanted to do, Eddie still said: "You can contact me."

"Okay, help me make an appointment with him tomorrow."

"Come on boss, it's hard to find time for such a superstar."

"I don't care what method you use, I want to see him tomorrow, and I want at least an hour of meeting time."

"I'll try my best to do it for you. Zhang, what are you looking for Matt Damon for?"

"He had a script that I was very interested in, and I wanted to see if I could get him to forward it to me."

Eddie was relieved when his boss said this: "It is much easier to arrange a business meeting than a private meeting. I think I can do it."

At 10 a.m. the next day, Zhang Yuanjun, Eddie, their respective assistants, and a copyright lawyer landed in San Francisco.

After a night of research, Zhang Yuanjun now knows that Matt Damon has not started filming "Manchester by the Sea". After he bought the rights, he originally wanted to direct and star in it, but he couldn't adjust his schedule, so he had to I put down this film and chose to step back behind the scenes and become a producer, taking the opportunity to choose a suitable director and actors for the film.

It would be easier to handle without taking pictures.

Matt Damon was recently in San Francisco doing the final action training for his new movie "The Martian" which will be released next month. There is nothing else to do except exercise every day, which makes Matt Damon's time very easy to make appointments. .

Matt Damon knows Zhang Yuanjun, the 24-year-old Cannes Best Actor, and it’s hard not to know.

Since Matt Damon is willing to meet and talk, he must also have an idea to sell the copyright.

This created good preconditions for the meeting between the two parties. The two parties made an appointment to meet at the hotel where Matt Damon was staying.

Matt Damon just celebrated his 44th birthday in training camp, and Zhang Yuanjun gave him a belated gift, a can of fine tea.

He actually doesn't know if Matt Damon drinks tea.

Zhang Yuanjun enthusiastically introduced to him that this was tea produced in Min Province, China: "Even the leaders of our country drink this."

Just blow the big red robe with your eyes closed. Zhang Yuanjun would also say the same thing if he gave Maotai wine and Chinese cigarettes.

Matt Damon happily accepted the jar of tea leaves and asked everyone to sit down: "I want to put this jar of tea leaves away to prevent you from hitting me on the head with this jar if the conversation doesn't go well later."

Everyone laughed.

Matt Damon said that Zhang Yuanjun was the first person to come to buy "Manchester by the Sea".

"Many scripts on the blacklist will not be made into movies," Zhang Yuanjun stated a fact. "More than half of the scripts approved will be stopped during the preparation period for various reasons."

Matt Damon nodded and even added mischievously: "7%, more than 7% of scripts will not be made into movies."

Hollywood earns more than 5 scripts every year. How many projects can be approved every year? Once the project is approved, how many of them can actually be photographed?

The domestic market is no less generous.

After chatting for a while, everyone finally brought the topic back to "Manchester by the Sea". Zhang Yuanjun expressed his love for this script very frankly and hoped that Matt Damon would part with it: "I think I can definitely play the role of Lee. good."

Lee is a melancholy and frowning person, and this kind of character is exactly what Zhang Yuanjun is best at.

Matt Damon smiled and said: "I have watched "Transcendence", and I have no doubts about your acting skills." The lawyer around Matt Damon was worried that his boss would be led to continue negotiations as an actor. It was hard to give the script to Zhang Yuanjun for free, so he immediately took over:

"If it weren't for the fact that we couldn't adjust the schedule, we wouldn't have sold the copyright."

Next is the negotiation between the copyright lawyers of both parties.

One wants to buy, the other wants to sell, let's talk about the terms.

But when he learned that Zhang Yuanjun wanted to take the script back to China for filming, Matt Damon was a little surprised, but the negotiating lawyer didn't care. After selling the goods, they still care where the goods go.

Zhang Yuanjun noticed Matt Damon's hesitation and explained: "'Manchester by the Sea' is a Western story. I must adapt it to have more Eastern qualities, otherwise the film will be ruined in my hands."

Of course Matt Damon understands what Zhang Yuanjun means. He is now faced with a very difficult choice, either to sell the script to Zhang Yuanjun and let him take it back to China, or to keep the script in his own hands and not know when it will be filmed, because he During the copyright period of the script, there was no time to direct or star in the film, and he didn't know when he would be able to find a suitable director and actors for "Manchester by the Sea."

Matt Damon's lawyer says to think about it. The first day of negotiations ended like this. Zhang Yuanjun will stay until tomorrow at most, and he will fly back to China to film the day after tomorrow.

Time is really running out.

The next day, Zhang Yuanjun did not see Matt Damon, and his team was entirely responsible for the negotiation process.

On the third day, Zhang Yuanjun decisively got on the plane and left in accordance with his previous itinerary.

It was not until Zhang Yuanjun had been filming on the set for two days that he received news from Eddie that night. Matt Damon agreed to transfer "Manchester by the Sea" to Zhang Yuanjun. (End of chapter)