American Peanuts

Chapter 193 A Special Treat, Classic Tough Guy Action Movie
The vehicle slowly entered the most upscale community in Beverly, surrounded by flat grass and overlooking the entire Los Angeles on the east side.

"Look, this is the residence of Denzel Washington. He and Stallone are neighbors." Bob pointed to the left side of the luxurious courtyard where cars passed by.

The vehicle finally stopped outside the manor halfway up the mountain. The two got out of the car and saw a Mediterranean-style white building in the manor. From the outside, it looked like a two-story villa building complex. On one side of the house was a huge In the swimming pool, the blue waves are like the blue sky, and several gardeners are trimming the vegetation in the courtyard not far away.On one side of the swimming pool, there stood a black metal sculpture. A man bowed his body forward and raised his right hand in a victory gesture.

"The sculpture imitates a classic shot in "Rocky". In fact, the whole house is filled with Rocky elements." Bob beside him explained quietly.

"This is very Stallone's style." Charlie stepped forward and walked towards the building with Bob.

The gardeners also saw the two of them and took off their hats to greet them. As soon as they arrived at the door, they heard a rich male voice coming from inside the house.

"Welcome, I didn't expect you two to come so early."

As soon as he finished speaking, the 62-year-old Stallone came into view. He was wearing an exquisite suit. His broad shoulders completely lifted up the suit. His swollen chest could clearly feel his muscular figure, and his outstretched arms were smaller than Charlie expected it to be thicker.

His strong hands gave Charlie a big hug, with a pleasant smile on his face.

"Long admired, boy Rosie, the man who will dominate Hollywood in the future."

"If people from other studios hear this, they won't be too happy." Bob said from the side.

"They won't hear it. This is my territory." Stallone shook hands with Bob, and it was obvious that the two of them knew each other.

"I was here ten years ago when Stallone first moved here."

"Yeah, at that time you had just left Universal and founded Summit Entertainment. In the blink of an eye, you started working for Italians?" Stallone teased.

"No one has trouble with money. As long as the money is enough, it's not impossible for you to make me Italian." Bob responded with a smile.

"Let's go, Flavin has prepared a lot of traditional Italian-style dishes. He was busy late into the night learning the recipes. If it's not authentic enough, don't tell me in person, otherwise she will complain to me after you leave." Stallone He affectionately embraced Charlie's shoulders and led the two of them into the building.

The sudden visitor caught the Stallone family off guard. While his wife was changing clothes, Stallone took the two of them on a tour of the house.

The entire house has an area of ​​up to 21000 square feet and eight bedrooms. "Rocky"-related memorabilia can be seen everywhere in the display room, ranging from peripherals to art sculptures. There are items including the Golden Globe Award and the Venice Film Festival placed above the fireplace. Including seven or eight trophies.On the wall behind, a bust of him hangs, with the American Stars and Stripes in the background.

After a while, Stallone's family finally came downstairs, including his third wife, Jennifer Flavin, and three daughters.

"I'm honored that you two can take time out of your busy schedule to come to our home." Flavin said with a smile, but the smile was a little stiff due to excessive plastic surgery.

After a brief exchange of greetings, I heard shouting from upstairs.

"Mom, where did you put my clothes?"

"Scarlett is secretly using my lipstick again!"

The couple downstairs couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

"Please allow me to excuse you for a moment." Flavin said sheepishly, and immediately turned around and went upstairs.

"We can continue shopping. There are many rare items in my wine room that you two will definitely be interested in." Stallone followed.

Charlie didn't see Stallone's three famous daughters until before the meal.

The eldest daughter Sophia Rose Stallone, who was born in 86, has perfectly inherited the good genes of her movie star father and model mother. She has a sweet smile, delicate facial features, and a star-like appearance. Her hair is dyed golden, and her hair is kept as it is. The dark brown color adds a touch of mature charm.

"Hello, Mr. Rossi, nice to meet you." She waved slightly to Charlie with a hearty smile.

"You can call me Charlie."

The two of them kissed each other, and when they got closer, Charlie could smell the refreshing perfume on her body.

Following her is her second daughter Sistine, who is less than 20 years old. Compared with her sister, her lips are thicker, her face is more narrow, and her temperament is slightly quieter.

Finally, there is the youngest daughter Scarlett Rose Stallone. She has a completely different style from her two sisters. Her eyes are narrow and long, and she has the temperament of a Western classical beauty. I don’t know if it’s because she doesn’t have long eyes.The makeup looked a little rushed, and it was obvious that she hadn't fully learned how to dress herself up, after all, she was only 16 years old.

"Sage is filming. He is really busy, so there is no need to wait for him. Now that everyone is here, let's raise a glass and invite two friends."

Charlie also raised his glass.Sofia beat her father to it, slightly clinking with Charlie's wine glass.

Charlie looked over and saw her smiling at him, and their eyes met.

Stallone felt that his daughter was a little impolite, but because Charlie and Charlie were present, he didn't say anything, and let the two of them taste the traditional Italian dishes that had just been baked.

Bob had known Stallone before, and this time he played a role in adjusting the atmosphere, and the atmosphere soon became lively.

"Indeed, although I have never been to Italy, I can feel that these dishes are very authentic." Bob nodded repeatedly, unusually cooperative.

"Citvez, I clearly said that what I cook today is Spanish style."

Seeing his wife looking at him seriously, Stallone looked embarrassed and scratched his head in embarrassment: "Really? Maybe I remembered it wrong."

They didn't expect that the handsome man on screen would be so embarrassed by his wife, and everyone laughed.

Charlie looked at Sophia, who was sitting next to her mother, and found that she was also looking this way. Their eyes met again. She slightly restrained her smile and nodded slightly towards Charlie.

"Three daughters are so beautiful. It would be a pity not to join Hollywood. Do you have such plans in the future?" Charlie looked at Stallone and mentioned her three daughters.

Before Stallone could say anything, Sofia said first, "I'm not interested in making movies."

"Yes, the child's mother has had many communications with the three of them about this matter. Sophia doesn't like the busy work of traveling back and forth. She is currently studying fashion design at the University of Southern California."

"No, it's my father who is about to graduate." Sophia immediately corrected her father.

"Have you decided where to work?" Charlie asked again.

Stallone's voice came to my ears: "I want to engage in a fashionable new career, to be a host of online radio."

"This is called a podcast, an online radio program. It's just for fun at best, and it can't be considered a serious job. As for where to do an internship after graduation, I have no idea." Sophia shook her head.

"Daughter, last time you wanted to go to Paris or Milan to work." Mother Flavin thought of something.

"Don't you think it's too far to go to Europe?"

"How about interning in my company? As an intern fashion editor of a magazine." Charlie suddenly said.

"This is too much trouble for you." Flavin, the child's mother, said immediately.

"Besides, I don't want her to leave home too far." Stallone also said.

"It's closer than Europe anyway." Sofia showed enthusiasm for Charlie's proposal.

"There are many fashion magazines in Los Angeles, why do they have to go thousands of miles away?" Stallone expressed confusion.

"That's because I wanted to go outside."

Stallone and Charlie looked at each other. The two men, who were both fathers, felt somewhat the same way at this time.

"I spend a lot of time filming outside, but I don't educate my children well enough to make you laugh."

"Young people want to get away from the family greenhouse and see the outside world. This is not a bad thing." Charlie said, then changed his style and looked at Sophia.

"But you have to get your parents' permission."

Putting Sophia's matter aside for the time being, Bob began to ask about the project.

"This starts with your Iron Man." Si Tevis suddenly looked at Charlie.

"With the development of digital technology, grand scenes in comics have been put on the big screen. In the past, we often spent a lot of manpower and material resources to set up scenes and make props. Now we can do it with just a few computers. This is a new times, but for some people, it’s also a bad thing.”

"Like a traditional action movie?" Charlie heard what he meant.

"Yes, traditional action movies have gradually declined. Now that Hollywood studios have begun to focus on visual effects blockbusters, no one cares about action movies anymore."

"Is that why you are seeking cooperation with the Weinstein Films?" Charlie asked again.

"That's right, at least Westin Films provided investment, and most of the projects were independent films and would not interfere with the filming. That's why there was First Blood 4. To be honest, the final box office results far exceeded My expectations. You know what I’m thinking now?”

He looked at Charlie and slowly clenched his palm into a fist.

"Traditional action movies have not completely died out. There is still a sufficient market, so I thought of a brand new project."

"'Rabo 5', or a new film in the 'Rocky' series?" Bob next to Charlie asked.

"This is a brand new film project, not a continuation of other series. It is a tribute to the classic action movies of the 80s in the last century. It is a reunion of old friends about feelings." After drinking a few glasses of wine, Stallone's cheeks were a little rosy.

Stallone was born into a poor family. When he was young, he had no choice but to make a living by filming real action movies. Later, he suddenly became famous with Rocky. He is very smart, relied on business negotiations, and holds the two IPs of Rocky and First Blood. He is no longer just a movie star. It's an actor.

The 60-year-old man is like the carefully trimmed beard around his mouth, which tells a story when he twists it casually.He also sounds like a New York gang boss from the middle of the last century, and the years have given him a special kind of majesty.But at this moment, his eyes contained the passionate light that only young people can have.

"I have already written the first version of the script, tentatively titled "Blood Mission", a very muscular title. I will direct it. I will invite many old friends to come out, including Arnold, and he will give me this face. . Just inviting these people to come back may be a bit expensive."

He is like an excellent product manager, taking care of project establishment, scripts, and selling points. Now only the most critical issue remains—investment.

"Have you done any rough cost accounting?" Bob asked.

"The actors' remuneration is the bulk of the film, and the total production cost is about US$5000 million, which may be higher." When it came to the cost issue, Stallone seemed a little unsure.

"$5000 million, there are a lot of risks." Bob shook his head, frowning.

It is said that US$5000 million is less than half of the investment in Iron Man, but today's action movies can only be regarded as B-level productions. Even the top projects in B-level productions only have a production cost of US$3000 million. Stallone raised it by almost The investment is doubled, and it is still an early estimate. It is inevitable that the value will be exceeded. No matter how you look at it, it is a high-risk project.

"I think this matter can be discussed." Bob looked at Charlie with a hesitant expression.

Only now do I realize that Stallone’s grand preparations obviously made sense.

"Of course, this is not a small amount, you can consider it." Stallone looked at Charlie and said quite understandingly.

Originally, he was planning to wait until the meal was over before discussing the matter in detail with the two of them. Now that he said it like this, it would be difficult for the other party to understand it.

Looking at Bob's solemn expression, Stallone felt even more uncertain, expecting that this cooperation would probably be terminated.

But I heard Charlie speak unhurriedly.

"PB Magazine has sold a collection of historical albums before, and the sales were pretty good. It made me understand that feelings may be the most expensive thing in the world."

“So, it’s understandable that this movie, which is about the sentiment of old-time action movies, is a little more expensive.”

Stallone couldn't even believe his ears and asked again: "Are you sure you want to invest?"

Charlie nodded: "Yes, I think your idea is not bad. I can even increase the investment amount. So, I will give you a cost budget of [-] million US dollars."

Stallone shook his head in disbelief and said, "You are so generous."

Bob on the side was about to say something, but seeing Charlie's determined expression, he thought for a while and finally didn't say anything.

"In addition, the name "Blood Mission" is a bit too old-fashioned. We should add a bit of contemporary relevance to make the audience feel that this is a new film. How about calling it "The Expendables"?" Charlie suggested.

The name can be literally translated as "consumables", and there is also a more well-known name "Suicide Squad".

"There is no retreat, no turning back, only the bloody battle in front of you, which is very consistent with the sense of urgency in the plot." Stallone frowned, he thought this name was great.

"If the final box office is good, as long as the money can be recovered, I am willing to continue to support this sentiment and make it into a series of movies."

"People like you are very rare in Hollywood." Stallone sighed.

Although he has also contacted other producers, thinking about it, no one can give more investment than Charlie.

In fact, it can be seen from the furnishings in his room that he still retains great enthusiasm for action movies that have declined. Otherwise, at his age, he should have retired long ago.

Now I meet Charlie who is willing to fully support him. Although the age difference between the two is quite a bit, Stallone still feels sympathetic to each other.

After living a lifetime, he deeply understands the truth that the most difficult thing to find in this world is a confidant.

"Dad, shouldn't it be time to talk about the internship?" Sophia urged aside...

(End of this chapter)