America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM.

Chapter 335 333. Night Talk
"How is the connection between Tianjin and Shenzhen going?"

"Everything went smoothly. They visited our factory in Yanjing several times and were very satisfied and interested in the treatment we offered and the tax revenue it brought to Yanjing."

"I have also visited both sides and had in-depth exchanges with their leaders."

"how do you feel?"

"Very enthusiastic. The business environment is generally better than here, mainly in terms of labor, water, electricity, taxation, land and other aspects of the cost and policy. The local government is willing to give greater concessions."

"Both sides hope to invite you over and hope that we can settle down as soon as possible."

"But boss, you didn't inform them about your coming this time. If you want to go over and take a look, you can contact them now."

"Sure. I plan to stay in Yanjing for two days, then go to Tianjin, then to Shenzhen, and finally return to the United States from there."

The factory in Yanjing is still too small after all. Even though the new plant has been partially built and put into production, the production capacity is still insufficient.

The reason why the first stop was chosen here was due to political factors far more than economic factors.

Especially after Eric took over Hasbro, many orders that were originally assigned to domestic factories in the United States are ready to change their environment.

The cost of producing one toy there is enough to produce more than three in China. The price gap between labor and raw materials is too big. If you were the boss, what would you choose?
Coupled with the rise of Marvel, now only a few superhero peripherals such as Iron Man, Captain America, and Spider-Man are selling well.

But in two years at most, it will be a period of blossoming everywhere.

Just the entire Avengers alliance has a lot of heroes, and Eric also plans to develop a new trilogy of "X-Men First Class", "Days of Future Past" and "Apocalypse".

These will all bring about terrifying peripheral sales.

Another thing is the acquisition of Warner. Once successful, all major DC projects will naturally be launched.

Popular characters such as Superman, Mr. Right, Lady Knight, and Flash will also generate huge peripheral benefits.

A factory in Yanjing cannot meet such a huge demand. If it were not for the inconvenient transportation and other infrastructure, he would really like to learn from Foxconn and move the factory directly to Zhengzhou.

Unfortunately, China has not yet experienced the subprime mortgage crisis and has not entered the era of large-scale infrastructure. The conditions are still insufficient and coastal cities are still popular.

As they were talking, the car stopped at a private manor. When they got inside, the waiter pushed open the door.

When they saw Eric, everyone in the room stood up immediately.

"Welcome, welcome! I haven't seen you for a long time. I miss you so much."

Old Han took the lead and walked over. The two of them were old friends, so they hugged each other immediately.

In addition to Han Sanping, Zhou Xiaopeng and Chen Ou, what surprised Eric was that Jackie Chan was also present.

He can be said to be the number one Chinese movie star in the world today, or it is not an exaggeration to say that he is the number one movie star in the world with yellow skin and yellow face.

However, since the two had never worked together before, they were just acquaintances.

"Eric, you must know Jackie Chan, but I still have to introduce him. His real name is Fang Shilong, or of course, Chen Gangsheng."

Jackie Chan laughed and said in a familiar voice, "No need for you to introduce us. We have known each other for a long time. We even met at the Oscars not long ago."

"I was filming The Myth in China and was originally going to Yanjing for work. I heard that the famous director Eric Cooper was coming over, so I thought of joining him."

Jackie Chan positioned Eric's title as director, especially with a big word on it, which made it sound comfortable. Everyone in Hollywood knew that he wanted the Best Director trophy.

The two men smiled and shook hands, and Jackie Chan asked Eric to sit next to Lao Han.

"Jackie, why do you have two names? And different last names?" Chen Xing asked curiously.

Knowing that he is Eric's confidant and is now in charge of MGM's overall business in China, Jackie Chan dare not neglect him.

"It's a complicated matter. It happened in the last century, when the country was not yet established."

"Anyway, my family name is indeed Fang, and I am from Anhui. My father's real name is Fang Daolong."

"Later, due to work reasons, he changed his name to Chen Ping'an and moved from the mainland to Hong Kong, where he lived under the pseudonym."

"So I was naturally given the surname Chen when I was born. At that time, I was called Chen Gangsheng, which means I was born in Hong Kong."

"I chose this name so that I could get along better in Hong Kong. Mainlanders are discriminated against there. When I grew up, I realized that my name was Fang Shilong in my family tree."

"It doesn't matter anyway, I'm the one you call me."

Eric nodded. "That's right. With Jackie's face, everyone will recognize her no matter where she goes in the world. Her name is not important."

Old Han looked at him and said, "You are all big stars and busy people. I thought you would bring those four singers from The Voice of China with you during the Spring Festival, just like Michael Jackson did that time."

"I didn't expect you to not show up. It's been more than a year since we last met."

Eric thought about it and it seemed that the last time he came to China was indeed last year’s Spring Festival Gala.

He sighed: "Things are too busy. Don't you know what's going on in Hollywood?"

"I know. The more I know, the more I admire him. He fought against all six families by himself and won. How did he do it?"

"To be honest, I was particularly worried this year because I was worried that MGM would be defeated."

"If you fail, MGM Oriental will suffer as well."

"Especially since the incident between you and Gal Gadot was so serious, you will be held criminally responsible."

"I was worried whether The Meg could be filmed? Even if it was filmed, could it be released? Now I am completely relieved."

"Come on, we've been talking for quite some time, let's raise our glasses together. The first three glasses must be toasted to Eric, to celebrate his great victory!"

Except for Jackie Chan, everyone present has more or less conflicting interests with Eric, so this glass of wine must be drunk.

"By the way, how far have you progressed in filming "The Meg"? " asked Chen Ou.

"The filming has been completed a long time ago, and we have been working on post-production. It is basically ready to be released."

"One of the purposes of Eric's visit this time is to review the film. Why don't you come along tomorrow?"

Chen Ou nodded: "Anyway, it will be put on the table of the Optoelectronics Bureau sooner or later. This project is the focus, so it's better to intervene in advance."

"You should have informed me of such a good project at the time," Jackie Chan said half-jokingly and half-complainingly.

"Jackie, a co-production will definitely be a mix of actors from both sides. The male lead has been decided from the beginning. We can't just let you play a supporting role."

"It doesn't matter if I play a cameo role as a supporting character. In fact, I have played many supporting roles."

"You played supporting roles before you became famous. You never acted after you became famous. I remember that you played the leading role in several Hollywood movies, while Jet Li started out as a villain."

"No, I just played a supporting role last year."

Zhou Xiaopeng knocked on the table and said, "I've seen it. Is it the movie 'The Matrix'? Your son should be the male lead."

"Yes, to help that brat."

Eric suddenly understood a little bit, Brother, you don’t want your son to go to Hollywood, do you?

If this is really the idea, then stop joking.

Not to mention his bad habits, even if you just look at his appearance and physique, with his pointed face and monkey cheeks like a tuberculosis patient, he is nothing. He should at least be like Daniel Wu.

If it weren't for your son, based on his basic conditions, he wouldn't even be qualified to enter this circle.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Eric drank less, and each of them had drunk more than half a pound.

"Eric, The Meg was filmed completely according to your script and requirements. Your vision must be correct."

“But after this project is completed, what should we shoot next?” “The movie hasn’t been released yet, don’t worry.”

"Of course he thinks a lot. Those are all real political achievements. Only with achievements can one move to a higher level and make progress."

"Bullshit, this is called passion, do you understand?"

"Passion and progress are not in conflict. You should love your work, right?"

Hahahaha
A light suddenly flashed in Eric's mind, and he pointed at Jackie Chan and said, "The next one is easy to say. If Jackie wants to participate, let him be the lead."

"I?"

"Yes, but you can't be the only one. Pull Jet Li over here. I don't think you two have ever worked together."

"You are the most famous Kung Fu masters in the world of film. Once the news of your collaboration is released, it will definitely be a big hit. Countless fans are looking forward to this day."

Frankly speaking, Eric must be worried about Jackie Chan carrying the box office alone.

Eric didn't know how much his last movie, Around the World in 80 Days, did at the box office, but he knew it caused Disney to lose a lot of money, although it was also a contribution to MGM in some ways.

It was also after "Around the World in 80 Days" that Jackie Chan could no longer get high-quality resources from Hollywood, except for his guaranteed work "Rush Hour 3".

Although his subsequent film "The Karate Kid" grossed over 3 million US dollars worldwide and made a fortune, Hollywood still did not trust his ability to carry the box office.

Because this movie is a remake of an old work, it has a certain base in North America, and the North American box office alone accounts for half of the total box office.

"The Foreigner" is very exciting, but it came too late as Jackie Chan is already in his twilight years.

If the time of these two films were moved back to the beginning of the century, Jackie Chan's status in Hollywood would definitely be top-tier.

A real front line, not a front line in name only.

So Eric didn't dare to take the risk of investing an A-level production in him.

But if we add Jet Li and make a "The Forbidden Kingdom", it will be different.

The original version of "The Forbidden Kingdom" is definitely not good. The story is fragmented and is completely a plot imagined by an American screenwriter. It was a complete waste of the only collaboration between the two.

The global box office was only around 1.2 million US dollars, which is definitely a loss-making product compared to the 7000 million US dollars cost announced for external publicity.

Moreover, DVDs were almost on the verge of being phased out at that time, resulting in not much gain in the optical disc market.

If a good story is written instead of mechanically copying Western games, legends of the Eight Immortals, etc., and avoiding the pitfalls of failure, this project can actually be very promising.

After listening to Eric's suggestion, Lao Han slapped his forehead and said, "That's right. How could I ignore the two Kung Fu Emperors in front of me?"

Jackie Chan naturally wanted to regain his position, and he immediately patted his chest and guaranteed: "As long as you can find Jet Li, I have no problem."

After more than two hours, everyone had drunk a little too much.

In the United States, Eric can control it, but here the drinking culture is different and they can really persuade.

Seeing that Jackie Chan seemed to be hesitant to talk, Eric thought that the other party might really want to recommend his disappointing son, so he quickly said goodbye and returned to the hotel.

When I got back into the house, I saw Judy lying on the bed watching TV.

Eric took a few steps back and looked at the house number. Yes, it was his room.

"Why are you in my room? No, how did you get in?"

"I'm with you, so the waiter opened the door for me. You reek of alcohol and it's drifting into my nose. Go take a shower!"

"Huh? Wait, I still don't understand, why are you in my room?"

Judy pointed to the screen: "I'm watching TV, are you blind?"

"Why don't you watch it in your room?"

"It's bad! Go take a shower. I can't stand the smell of your alcohol."

Eric shook his head and felt much more sober after taking a shower.

"If the TV is broken, why don't you just change rooms? Why?"

"You talk too much nonsense! I can be wherever I want, do you have any objection?"

Eric spread his hands: "You have been in the hotel since you woke up?"

"No, I went out for a walk. By the way, Jiaduo said there are many fun places in Yanjing. Please come with me."

"I'm a big sister who's here to work. I'm going to the company and the factory tomorrow and will be leaving in the evening. I'll find a local to take you out to play."

"No, just you accompany me. How can we communicate with the locals if we don't speak their language?"

"Besides, it's not easy to come to China. I may not have the chance again for several years or even decades. What's wrong with playing for a few more days?"

“But there are really many things waiting for me to deal with.”

"Is it okay? In one word, is it okay?"

Seeing Judy suddenly put her hands on her hips and glared at him, Eric sighed: "Okay, okay, I'm afraid of you."

"But it's only two days. I have a lot of things to do in the United States. Don't forget that you have a lot of work to do too."

Haw!

Judy kissed Eric on the cheek: "Thank you! I'll work overtime when I get back, don't worry."

"Oh! I should have brought Gadot so that you two could play together."

"Both of us? Aren't you afraid of what I might do to her?"

Eric chuckled: "She told me everything. That time you went on vacation, you just chatted and did nothing else."

Judy sneered: "Does she dare to tell you if she did it? Are you sure Gadot didn't lie to you?"

"Well, there are only two of us here anyway, why not chat."

"You've been acting weird lately, a little abnormal."

"What's wrong?"

"Girl, it was very unnatural that you kissed me just now! What happened? Is it because of Bar Refaeli? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

Judy shook her head: "I don't want to talk about that bitch anymore, and we are boyfriend and girlfriend, have you forgotten?"

Eric was stunned for a moment. It seemed to be true. On Christmas Eve, he even accompanied Judy home.

"So what's wrong with me kissing my boyfriend? Let alone kissing you, even if I want to sleep with you, that's normal, isn't it?"

"Come on brother, I'm a little scared."

"What are you afraid of! You chased me when we were in college, have you forgotten?"

"That's because I didn't know you were a lesbian."

"What if it's not now?"

"what?"

(End of this chapter)