China Entertainment started from Nortel 2002

Chapter 662 Control of the Crew
As we all know, there are two big comic book companies in the United States with fans all over the world: Marvel and DC.

The two companies love and hate each other, check and balance each other, and over the years have formed a good competitive relationship that promotes each other's growth.

When Marvel's father Stan Lee passed away, DC also published a message to mourn this "excellence-seeking" old man.

However, although Marvel and DC are evenly matched, with the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in recent years, DC movies have failed many times, with their reputation and box office suffering one setback after another.

Even now, the only few works that can be produced are the Batman trilogy and so on.

Warner CEO Jeff Bueckers is also very anxious at the moment. Whether "Justice League" is worth looking forward to has become a suspense.

The only thing we can rely on is "Wonder Woman" which will be released next year.

Therefore, up to now, DC has inevitably pales in comparison to Marvel.

If there is no blockbuster that can save the DC movie universe, in the eyes of global audiences, DC will be completely swallowed up by Marvel.

Warner is very concerned about the adaptation of the remaining DC heroes at the moment. For this purpose, Jeff Bueckers specially found Li Mu, one of the highest-paid directors in the world, hoping that he could save the DC superheroes that are not making any progress.

After all, "Jurassic", which had been shelved for more than 20 years, was given a brand new look in Li Mu's hands.

"Lee, I actually suggest you choose the Joker. This character is very charming and has a lot of die-hard fans around the world. With your appeal, we have a chance to create a phenomenal superhero movie."

Warner CEO Jeff Bueckers saw that Li Mu was silent for a while, as if he was thinking, and couldn't help but give a suggestion, "Of course, if you have your eyes on other DC heroes, we can also help, like the Flash."

Jeff Bueckers was not too enthusiastic about the role of Aquaman either.

Because the character of Aquaman is not really a prominent hero in the vast DC superhero universe.

Although he appeared in DC comics as early as 1941, the original works have never given him much attention, and the scenes in which he appeared are not very important. In short, he is just a marginal hero.

"I can direct a DC superhero, but in addition to the normal salary and Crystal Pictures' participation in the investment, I have one request."

Li Mu made his choice and raised a finger. He had to get this request, otherwise he would definitely not accept Warner's superhero movie.

"you say!"

Jeff Bueckers was not surprised. He was well prepared for this when he came. After all, if he wanted to impress Li Mu to shoot a superhero, he must provide sufficient conditions.

"I need control over the crew, this is a must." Li Mu said lightly. He didn't want to be like Zack Snyder, who had very little power.

This "Kevin Feige" of DCEU did not get even half of the power that Kevin Feige had, which ultimately led to the failure of both films.

Warner cares too much about superheroes, but precisely because of this, they are unwilling to completely give up power. But now that DC has reached this point, if Warner is unwilling to burn its boats, Li Mu will not shoot a movie that will lead to no results. The worst that can happen is that he can shoot one less movie and enjoy life.

Jeff Vieques took a deep breath and then said, "Yes!"

"No, Jeff, I not only need your consent, I need your signature"

Li Mu would never believe in any verbal agreement. It was too unreliable. There were a lot of nice words when inviting him, but when it came to actual implementation, there were shackles everywhere.

"Of course, but which superhero are you going to choose?"

Jeff Bueckers did not dwell on this point any further. If DC wanted to perform well in this war, its superheroes must have a leading figure, and this was also what Warner was pursuing.

"Neptune!"

Li Mu said calmly. This answer surprised both Jeff Bueckers and David.

"Lee, are you sure? This guy doesn't have as many fans as the Joker, the Flash and other characters."

Jeff Bueckers even thought he had heard it wrong. Aquaman was indeed a second- or third-rate character.

"Of course!" Li Mu said without denying, "Jeff, do you know why DC heroes can't beat Marvel?"

Although Jeff Bueckers was reluctant to hear this, he had to admit at this moment that at present, there is a gap between DC and Marvel, and it is not very big.

The first "Avengers" film grossed $15.14 billion worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of the year and receiving rave reviews.

However, the box office of DC Universe's "Batman v Superman" is not so bad, with a global total box office of 8.73 million US dollars, but in comparison, there is a world of difference, and the word of mouth has collapsed, with a Rotten Tomatoes rating of only 27%, which is terrible.

“Although the DC Universe has many loyal fans, there are still obstacles for most ordinary audiences. These obstacles come more from its style setting and entertainment level.

The overly dark tone and lack of fun and watchability make most viewers feel invisible depression while watching the movie, and they are unable to fully immerse themselves in the shocking viewing experience brought by superhero movies.

This also proves that the reason why DC has failed repeatedly and cannot have the same popularity as Marvel is because there are problems in the establishment of its style that cannot be ignored.

So if Aquaman is handed over to me, it will be a completely new style, which is why I want absolute control over the crew."

Li Mu made a special explanation that he had been cooperating with Warner from the beginning and still hoped that the other party would abandon this stubbornness, otherwise sticking to the old ways would only lead to self-destruction.

"Lee, I understand what you mean!" Jeff Bueckers nodded. "Okay, we can completely hand over the crew to you. We also hope that you can come to Hollywood and officially announce this project."

Jeff Bux now plans to use Li Mu, a director who has never failed, to restore the confidence of DC fans. The official announcement is of great significance. It also means that DC attaches great importance to its heroes.

"Of course!" Li Mu agreed. If he wanted to do it next, he would have to go to Hollywood to finalize the remaining details and terms.

"Lee, when are you going to start filming?"

Jeff Bueckers seemed particularly anxious. Now that it had been confirmed, the only thing left was the shooting.

"I have another movie on hand, which is expected to be released around the middle of next year. Should that be okay?"

"Okay, based on your time."

Jeff Vieux thought about it and felt it was okay. After all, DC had two movies released next year, so he was not particularly anxious about "Aquaman".

Moreover, they could also prepare well for the early stages of the film, after all, Li Mu was hired at a high price.

"Okay, it's a deal, I'm going to Hollywood next week."

Li Mu shook hands with Jeff Bueckers.

Afterwards, the three of them had a simple dinner, and Jeff Bueckers rushed back to Warner overnight. He had to report the matter and prepare for the next press conference.

David was much more relaxed and brought a few limited edition dolls for the little Baozi.

"Wow, this is already so big."

When David's slightly fat face appeared in front of the little bun, it caught the little bun's attention. He stretched out his little hand and gently pulled David's beard.

“Oh, that hurts!”

David felt that he had lost a few hairs from his beard and his charm was reduced by half. He looked sad and miserable, but this made the little kid laugh happily.

"By the way, Boss, why don't you choose a character like the Joker? It's obviously more charming."

David still didn't quite understand why Li Mu chose Aquaman yesterday.

"I personally like clowns, but your country allows guns, you know?"

Li Mu spread his hands. He didn't want a premiere to turn into a gunfight. That would be too horrible.

It would be more practical to reward yourself with a commercial blockbuster. Compared with "Joker", "Aquaman" is less brain-wracking and much safer.

"."

David was speechless. This was a very practical question. Thinking of the cases caused by the Joker in the past, he couldn't help but shudder.

"Boss, Aquaman is more attractive. The cool and mysterious underwater world is absolutely attractive."

David changed his words immediately.

"goose"

This made Liu Yifei, who was listening nearby, laugh out loud.

In the evening, Li Mu also logged in through his Amazon account to read the current DC comics online. After all, he had taken the job, so he naturally had to study more.

"I thought this Aquaman was an elegant type, but his muscles are quite explosive."

Liu Yifei was also very interested and accompanied Li Mu to watch it for a while, but she lost interest after just a glance.

In her imagination, the prince of the ocean should be an elegant man like a nobleman, but in this comic he seems to be a muscular man.

"Isn't that how you choose your actors?"

Liu Yifei asked suddenly, as if asking Li Mu who to choose to play in this movie.

“Adaptation is not making up stories. First, the plot cannot deviate too much from the original work, and second, the character images should be as close to the original work as possible.

It’s just like no matter how much a Jin Yong play is modified, it can’t be modified into a Gu Long play, and no matter how much Journey to the West is edited, it can’t be edited into Water Margin.”

Li Mu smiled as he browsed through the New 52 series of Aquaman comics.

"Then your adaptation is quite difficult, it's an underwater world, and the protagonist is of this type."

Liu Yifei couldn't imagine how Li Mu would adapt this kind of comic, especially since the protagonist didn't quite conform to the aesthetic tastes of most people.

"Just wait and see."

Li Mu was not worried at all. This time he was going to lead DC to make a comeback. With only Marvel doing the big things, how could he not feel some pressure?

At the same time, Jeff Bueckers has returned to Warner and held a meeting to discuss the matter of Li Mu's choice of the superhero Aquaman.
(End of this chapter)