American Peanuts

Chapter 237 The Bifurcation of History, Entering the "Death Star"

"Sorry, dear, it's not the time to launch a solo movie for Black Widow, given our previous contract." Charlie shook his head.

Although the memory of Marvel obviously does not involve these inside stories, Charlie feels that the situation has changed because of the popularity of Marvel movies.

Maybe her agent is playing a role behind the scenes?I hope Scarlett can get more roles in the Marvel Universe.

Although as a rare bright spot in the entire series of movies, Black Widow will still have many opportunities to appear in the future, but Charlie is not ready to start her solo movie now. It is better to let her play soy sauce in other movies.

Scarlett wanted to say something, but was stopped by Charlie.

"Okay, then let's talk about the next topic, about the follow-up contract."

Considering that the Marvel universe is a whole series of movies, many subsequent movies were included when signing the contract.

As for the fixed remuneration part of the follow-up film, there are also detailed intervals, in order to ensure the minimum income of the actors.

Robert Downey Jr. is like this, Megan Fox is like this, and of course several of the main actors in Thor are like this.

Liv Tyler has not signed a multi-film contract, but considering his current relationship with her, I believe this is not a difficult matter.

As for Edward Norton, of course, that's not included, so Charlie isn't planning on letting him appear in subsequent movies.

Mark Ruffalo is filming "Now You See Me" at the moment, so it's necessary to talk to him about his views on the Hulk.

It can be said that among all the actors, only Scarlett Johansson's contract is quite special.

Charlie had sent Kevin Feige to talk to her about this issue before, but the other team's team gave the reason that "the prospects of Marvel movies are not yet clear" and only chose to sign a film contract.

"That's right, there is also the signing of the contract in the follow-up. Natalie left here just now, you should have met, right?"

"Of course, don't worry, I won't open my mouth like a lion. If you can't even agree to my conditions, then find someone else." Scarlett made it clear.

In a series of movies, it is a big taboo to change the role of actors. "Speed" was a great success in 1994, but I am afraid not many people know that there is a second part of Speed. The most important reason is that Keanu Reeves read the script After that, I wasn't interested, so I had to cast Jason Statham, who was not very famous at the time. As a result, it failed miserably at the box office.

Or maybe the script of "Hannibal" has been revised fifteen times, but it still failed to win the favor of Jodie Foster. Although Hopkins is still there, the level of discussion is not as good as before.

Therefore, instead of replacing the actor in many sequel movies in Hollywood, they will choose not to let the character appear.

It was precisely because of this that Scarlett had room to negotiate with herself.

As for the solo movie, it's just a cover, the contract is the real thing.

"The fixed salary for each of the subsequent six films will be no less than US$6 million. This is an income of at least US$800 million. You will become one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood."

"Charlie, I heard that everyone gets a share based on the box office." Scarlett was not satisfied with this number.

"How many superheroes are there in the Avengers? It's impossible for me to give you all a share of the box office. This will only be given to the core creators."

"I'm the only female superhero."

"Yes now, but not necessarily in the future. Female Thor? Female Iron Man? Scarlet Witch? Captain Marvel. I can even form an alliance of women-haters, as long as the audience likes to watch it. In fact, I think you reminded me that this is true It's a good idea." Charlie nodded and decided to share this idea with Kevin Feige later.

"The minimum fixed salary is 1000 million, plus the seventh independent film, this is my bottom line, with additional terms."

"If each of you has a bottom line, then the movie may not be able to be filmed normally. Do you know how many actresses are competing for Marvel's female roles?"

In the final analysis, the reason is still to compete to see who is stronger between the two sides. Charlie has enough confidence in this.

"These are my conditions. Whether you accept it or not is up to you." Charlie shook his head, not looking anxious at all.

After a long period of wrangling, Charlie finally reached an agreement with her and signed a long-term contract for seven movies. The next time Black Widow appears in "The Avengers", the fixed salary will be no less than 900 million US dollars.

In her previous life, Scarlett Johansson's fixed salary for her previous movies was not disclosed, but by the time of The Avengers and Black Widow, her fixed salary had reached 1500 million US dollars, which was the same as that of many male superheroes. It was already considered a high level. Maximum salary for actresses.

As for the question of whether to be greedy or not, Charlie cannot blame anyone on this point. Business is all about business, and everyone wants to gain as much benefit as possible. This is understandable.

After seeing off Scarlett Johansson, Charlie Rossi called Kevin Feige.

"Don't have this problem again when signing a contract with a Captain America character."

"Of course, sir, Scarlett was a complete accident. At that time, the filming time was greatly compressed, and we didn't have a choice."

"I just got her done, now let's talk about a new idea, a platter of female superheroes, what do you think?"

"I think... it's not that great. You know, many of the superheroes in the Avengers have a rich history. For example, Captain America, his first appearance was in 1941, which was a full time before the emergence of Marvel. In 20, it was the Second World War, and although we had not participated in the war at that time, a hard-line and hard-line public opinion trend emerged among the people."

"Simon and Kirby were keenly aware of this trend, so they followed patriotism and designed such a superhero. It was a huge success as soon as it was launched. People liked to see Captain America beating Hitler on the European battlefield. , it was able to sell 100 million copies in a week, surpassing Time Magazine in sales.”

"As I said, these superheroes all have historical backgrounds. Many viewers' fathers started reading related comics. On the other hand, those female characters... they are actually just vases." Kevin Feige considered the words.

"But you have overlooked an important issue. This is true for American audiences, but what about foreign audiences? Most of them pay attention to the previous stories of these heroes because of Marvel movies, and the movies are not relevant to these audiences. This is the 'original' Marvel." Charlie said from another perspective.

I have experienced this in my previous life. Without this series of Marvel movies as promotion, how many "20-year-old Marvel fans" would there be?

As long as they can contribute to the box office, they can repay the comics and open up more stories and even single books for them.

"This is a completely new angle. I have never considered it before. However, similar organizations have indeed appeared in the history of Marvel. In 1970, the 83rd issue of "Avengers" featured an organization of female saviors. In a In the latest issue of "Invincible Hulk" a month ago, they just completed the reorganization."

"Very well, then continue to dig deeper into this subject," Charlie said.

"I will discuss it in detail with the screenwriter and then give several detailed plans. In addition, the plot of subsequent films may need to be changed accordingly."

"How is the casting work for the American team going?" Charlie then asked.

"It's not ideal. Chris Evans has turned down the role for the third time. I think we can try to change the candidate. After all, he played the Human Torch in the [-]th Century Fox version of the Fantastic Four. If we can take back the magic in the future." The copyright of the Four Heroes..."

"Forget the Fantastic Four, you may never see them again in this life." Charlie directly sentenced the Fantastic Four to death.

The Black Swan that I just snatched from [-]th Century Fox, plus the three superhero movies have all achieved good results. Counting new and old grudges together, the other party has absolutely no reason to cooperate with me.

Moreover, according to the New Millennium Copyright Act, the copyright of new comics launched based on the Fantastic Four will automatically belong to [-]th Century Fox. It can be said that the Fantastic Four will not be able to appear in comics in the future.

"At least we still have the theoretical possibility that we can acquire Fox in the future." Kevin Feige said suddenly.

It's like becoming attached to the useless garbage at home, even if it's useless, you still don't want to throw it away.

Charlie feels that even if he wants to acquire it, his first target is Warner...Who doesn't want to watch the Justice League vs. the Avengers?

"We continue to keep an eye on Chris Evans and don't give up on other options like John Krasinski."

John Krasinski is currently mainly active in the low-cost comedy series "The Office". He has the same "upright" appearance and is suitable for playing such a great and upright role.

In a sense, the two actors are in the same situation. They have acting experience but lack fame. In other words, both of them are "cheap".

It’s so cheap that the first film’s salary can be reduced to less than $50.

"What about the heroine? Our No. 1 choice is Emily Blunt, and the communication with her went very smoothly. The only problem is the schedule conflict."

"Then change the person. It's impossible for us to change the shooting schedule for an actress."

"When considering alternatives, the director and I felt that Keira Knightley was very suitable for this role. She has the British temperament of the Victorian era. Considering the historical background of the film, this would be a good choice."

"I think you are used to watching Pirates of the Caribbean." Charlie said with a smile.

Marvel did approach Keira Nutley in her previous life, but unfortunately, she was about to film "A Dangerous Method" at the time.

But now, the shooting time of the American team has been moved forward by a full year, and she has successfully vacated the schedule.

"In addition, we have another candidate, Hayley Atwell, who has just been nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for "Brideshead"."

"She can't do it. She looks too old-fashioned and her figure is not good enough."

On the contrary, Charlie has a deep memory of Kai Lan Knightley's magically modified explosive costume in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Although Hayley Atwell played Agent Carter in her previous life, and her salary was definitely much cheaper than Keira Knightley.But considering the possible emergence of the Avengers, it is necessary to hire actors who are more popular with the audience.

"This time, in addition to multiple film contracts, it will also include a spin-off series "Agent Carter", a retro-style beauty era detective drama. I don't know which TV station will be willing to take over." Charlie tried to say.

"Of course, Keira Knightley is better than other actresses in every aspect. The problem is that her asking price may not be low. Our budget..."

Marvel Studios paid actors a stingy salary at the beginning, and Keira was obviously an overspending option.

"Okay, let me talk to her."

Bargaining can actually be done by someone like Elmo, but Charlie likes to do it in person.

He also wanted to meet this British rose for a while

That afternoon, Kevin Feige agreed on a time for the meeting between the two parties.

The location of the meeting surprised Charlie.

The next day, Charlie came to the office building that CAA had just completed last year. Its post-modern appearance and layered design gave it a rather alternative nickname of "Death Star".

Just like the weapons of destruction built in Star Wars, in a sense, this nickname also represents the gold content of CAA in Hollywood.

The interior of the building has a luxurious interior decoration, and Charlie thinks that if the conversation goes well, he would like to take a tour inside CAA.

Along the way, except for Michael Ovitz, it was this legendary founder who gave the company its current status. In the "Hollywood Power List" selected by Premiere magazine, Ovitz was once in He topped the list for three consecutive years from 1991 to 1994. Later, he went to Disney as CEO.

In a small, secluded conference room, Charlie saw Keira Knightley and his agent Alex Randall waiting for him.

"Welcome guests from afar. I admire your unique vision very much. There is a saying in private that if anyone can have the same vision as Charlie Rossi, he can become the highest-paid agent in Hollywood." Rick Srandall immediately stepped forward, his attitude could even be called respectful.

Of course, in this case, Charlie listened and passed.

The person in front of me is one of the partners of CAA, with big names including Emma Watson, Jennifer Connelly, Amy Adams, etc.

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity." Keira Knightley also stepped forward at this time and took the initiative to shake hands with Charlie.

"Opportunities are always for those who are prepared." Charlie said to her.

"Yes, Keira's efforts have won the recognition of the audience." Alex Randall said immediately. His words reflected Keira's value, which was obviously to pave the way for subsequent bargaining.

"I also want to thank Disney, thank them for being willing to give up Cara Knightley, so that such an excellent actress has the opportunity to join the crew." Charlie said with a smile, obviously wanting to remind the two of Keira's current value.

"In fact, Kayla voluntarily turned down the series, and Disney offered her $1000-two million. I tried to dissuade her, but she was tired of tights and wigs and running around on boats." Go." Agent Alex Randall quickly made up for Keira Knightley.

"Elizabeth's story has a complete ending. In addition, I also want to try other styles, instead of being trapped in one character or one series, so that after a few years, the audience may have other memories of me." Keira He also followed suit.

I'm afraid this is the most important reason. As for what the agent says, just listen to it.

"Two million for 1000? That's not low. If I remember correctly, the third Keira's salary is only 500 million." Charlie said again.

"That also includes additional back-end revenue. Due to commercial confidentiality, we cannot share the details of the contract. Please forgive me." Alex Randall fired back again.

It can be said that from the time Charlie came in, not a single sentence involved the negotiation of salary, but every sentence was related to the negotiation of salary.

"Anyway, we are face to face now, so let's talk about specific issues." Charlie chose to get to the point...

(End of this chapter)