hollywood melon man

Chapter 610 James Cameron's Dilemma

"I saw that everyone's reaction was very enthusiastic, the kind of excitement that comes from watching a movie."

Gilbert Jr. said: "I think everyone knows that Marvel will implement a grand plan next, using one movie after another to form an Avengers Alliance to deal with unprecedented crises."

At this time, an audience member couldn't help but ask: "Then, Director Gilbert, what is the next work of Marvel Studios?"

The popular "Spider-Man" is in the hands of Sony Columbia Pictures, and "X-Men" is in the hands of 3th Century Fox. "X-Men : The Last Stand" released this year was also considered a success.

So there are not many options left for Marvel, namely "The Hulk" and "Captain America".

Gilbert Jr. also discussed this issue with Marvel executives, so he replied: "Next we will tell the story of Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner, which is the story that connects the entire Avengers."

Marvel had planned the production of "Captain America" ​​very early on, intending to use Natasha Romanoff's perspective to review the story of Captain America during World War II.

Captain America can be said to be the first superhero in history, and to be honest, he is a bit outdated. So if we want to integrate this hero into the modern rhythm and join S.H.I.E.L.D., then Black Widow is an important role.

According to the setting, Black Widow once fought alongside Captain America, so the beginning of the script starts with Black Widow's memories to tell a story of the past.

The biggest problem with "Captain America" ​​is that it is set a long time ago, but as the commander of the Avengers, his origins must be explained clearly.

Otherwise, a commander suddenly appears and fans won’t be able to tell who is who.

In comparison, the Hulk is a very difficult point to adapt. Ang Lee's "The Hulk" was a disastrous failure, although because of Ang Lee's literary and artistic attributes, the film does not look like a commercial film.

But the main reason is that a superhero like the Hulk, who has great destructive power and cannot control himself, looks okay in comics.

If it were to be shown in a live-action movie, I guess not many audiences would like such a barbaric superhero.

But as the most powerful superhero in the early days of the Avengers, Marvel cannot give up on it, so they have to make a "Hulk" movie to connect it to the Marvel Universe.

So even though Marvel Studios analysis believes that "The Hulk" is likely to lose money, considering the overall situation, it still plans to make a "The Hulk" movie.

Because Ang Lee's version of "The Hulk" suffered heavy losses, Universal Pictures let go and the copyright has returned to Marvel Studios.

Gilbert Jr. has clearly instructed Marvel that actors who want to play the Hulk must be willing to sign a long-term contract. Edward Norton, who is a literary youth who can't be stopped when he gets angry and has various weird problems, was immediately abandoned.

The actor who has entered the final selection stage is Mark Ruffalo, who was recommended by Gilbert Jr. His problem is that he is not a first-line actor and has not appeared in many commercial blockbusters.

Robert Downey Jr. is different from him in this respect. Robert Downey Jr. at least touched the threshold of first-line stars in the 1990s.

The casting of Steve Rogers was much simpler. Chris Evans immediately caught the attention of Marvel Studios, and the two sides are currently in negotiations.

After the movie viewing session, there was a media interview session, which Gilbert Jr. did not participate in. He and James Cameron walked into the VIP lounge, and Ivanka asked several bodyguards to guard the door to prevent anyone from disturbing them.

"In May this year, I submitted the script of Avatar to the senior executives of 20th Century Fox, but they were not very satisfied." James Cameron looked a little sad.

"So you want me to help you convince Fox executives?" Little Gilbert said with a smile:
“Francis, I think they don’t have doubts about the script, but they are afraid that Avatar will be like Titanic, a bottomless pit of investment.

I have seen the 37-second sample you provided. To be honest, any investor would have doubts about spending million US dollars on such a sample." "But I am actually verifying the technology, and you have seen it." James Cameron defended himself.

"Indeed," agrees Gilbert Jr. "Motion capture has advanced again since Gollum in Lord of the Rings."

Last year, Gilbert Jr. visited Digital Domain, which has revolutionized the way motion capture is performed today, using what can be described as black technology.

Digital Domain had the actors wear motion capture suits and a head mount with a camera, and then filmed with a virtual camera.

In this way, what is seen in the viewfinder of this camera is not the actor, but the object played by the motion capture actor.

The most important thing is that during post-production, the actor’s performance can be replayed and then filmed at any angle without having to bring the actor back.

Digital Domain then used this technology to produce a 37-second sample film for three months, which was the original appearance of "Avatar".

Finally, the 37-second sample was given to 37th Century Fox, and the executives praised the effect of the sample. However, when they heard that it would take three months to produce a -second sample, the executives questioned it.

This took three months. How long does it take you to make a feature film? And most importantly, how much does it cost you?
The top management of 20th Century Fox asked James Cameron to continue to refine the script until the first version was handed in in May this year.

It was because of the hesitation of the senior executives that James Cameron came to Gilbert Jr. to find a solution.

This is indeed a problem. James Cameron and 20th Century Fox have been working together for many years and both parties are quite happy.

This time, Gilbert Jr. invested in "Avatar" through a fruit company, which was independent of Disney and Warner, so he could make some extra money.

So Gilbert Jr. suggested: "Francis, I suggest you take the script to Bob, he will definitely agree to invest."

"You want me to switch to Disney?"

"No, no, no, I don't want Disney to have another ace director besides me." Little Gilbert shook his finger and said, "You go contact Disney and spread the word.
Given your success with Titanic, the top executives at Fox won’t let you get away with it.”

"Hahahaha," James Cameron laughed after hearing this. "Not a bad idea, little Gilbert. It's settled."

"Don't forget my investment share, 50 million US dollars." Little Gilbert held up five fingers.

James Cameron held out Gilbert's other five fingers and said, "Dude, that's not enough. I need at least $100 million from you."

"OK," Gilbert Jr. agreed to this good thing, "Then $100 million."

James Cameron thought that Gilbert Jr. was very knowledgeable, and both of them were very confident that the film would be a success. But if outsiders saw this scene, they would only think that both of them were fools, even though they had the example of Titanic.

During the years when James Cameron was playing with underwater photography and 3D technology, Gilbert Jr. basically provided sponsorship, and his name was on a series of patents.

Gilbert Jr. might also use it in his own movies later, although he is considered a conservative director compared to James Cameron, a thorough technological innovative director.

(End of this chapter)