The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1107 Dare to Take Action
Edgar hung up the phone, sat there, and thought about it carefully.

Of course, it is impossible to get to the point directly in a conversation, but it is to grasp the fragments in the casual daily life, look for clues from seemingly ordinary events, and finally find signs of the coming storm.

Kitcher and Mangold had just shown up at Sony Columbia, and although no one knew the purpose of their visit, they had walked out of the conference room within five minutes of entering.

The atmosphere is a little weird.

Then Mangold hung up on Edgar.

If - just a hypothesis, if Sony Columbia CEO Michael Lynton sees Anson as an important bargaining chip, holding Anson back would be equivalent to holding Amy Pascal back.

So, is it possible to use "Walking with the Song" as a tool?

After all, "Singing with You" is not a project that attracts much attention.

Even further, maybe Michael Lynton is not optimistic about the "Sing Along" project at all. He does not think the project is worth investing in. He tries to cut the project and further reduce the bargaining chips in Amy Pascal's hands; and Anson is just an excuse to launch it?

If you think about it carefully, the "Sing Along" project has been going around in circles for ten years but has never entered the real production stage. It is reasonable for Michael to choose this place to make a move, in order to create a situation where Amy "repeatedly makes wrong decisions"; and to trick Anson in passing and get a little revenge.

Things are a little bit interesting.

Edgar thought he would agree with Michael, so he went with the flow and persuaded Anson to get out of this uncertain project.

However, after speculating on this possibility, Edgar sided with Anson.

The fundamental reason is that Michael is a businessman. His consideration of movies is completely in the project manager mode. He analyzes some objective conditions on paper and judges success or failure in a numerical way, but he does not know much about the movie itself.

The advantage of Michael Lynton is that he can discuss issues objectively and rationally. Running a top company requires such calmness and professionalism.

The disadvantage is that they know nothing about movies. Movies are not numbers. There are countless cases where movies that should have been successful based on paper analysis turned out to be so flops that even their own mothers could not recognize them. There are indeed certain rules in the film market, but the soil that roots these rules is still the movies themselves.

The key is to strike a balance between the two.

Edgar believes in Michael's judgment, after all, he himself tends to this side; but Edgar trusts Anson's intuition more, especially after experiencing the "Princess Diaries 2" incident, he thinks he should trust Anson.

So, what should they do?
despair. despair. despair.

Edgar tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his brain working at high speed, quickly reviewing different possibilities and plans.

Then Edgar picked up the phone and began to get busy.

After a series of calls, Edgar finally dialed the number.

Everything is as expected——

No answer.

Edgar was not surprised, but his guess was further confirmed.

Edgar called a second time, and this time the call went to voicemail.

Edgar left no message, hung up, and called a third time.

Finally, the call was connected.

"Hey, Edgar, sorry, I'm driving." Mangold's voice trembled slightly, with hesitation and panic. He obviously didn't know how to deal with such a situation. He tried his best to smile but still revealed a hint of uneasiness in the slightly trembling ending of his voice.

Edgar, on the other hand, seemed particularly relaxed. "Still in that tunnel?" Where in Los Angeles is there such a long tunnel that you can't find the exit in thirty minutes?
In fact, Mangold and Kitcher were still in the underground parking lot of Sony Columbia, and the two of them scratched their hair for a long time without any idea.

Mangold chuckled twice, "No, no. He came out a long time ago."

Edgar did not intend to expose Mangold, and went straight to the point, "Director, if I remember correctly, you have discussed cooperation with the production company, but have not signed an agreement yet, is that right?"

This sentence seems to be very meaningful.

First, Edgar did not mention Sony Columbia by name directly.

Second, the key point of Edgar’s words is that “no agreement was signed”.

Mangold was a smart man. Although he was panicked, he sensed some of the subtext and immediately nodded in affirmation of Edgar's words.

“Yes, it’s still under discussion.”

Edgar seemed to be completely unaware of the tug-of-war between the two James and Sony Columbia. "That's great. You know, Anson really likes this project and really looks forward to completing this role."

"If necessary, Anson is willing to act as a matchmaker and find some investment for the crew."

Mangold's eyes lit up and he turned sharply to look at Kitcher.

Kitcher didn't hear what Edgar said and didn't understand.

Mangold quickly turned on the speakerphone and Edgar's voice came from the receiver.

"...Anson himself has worked as a producer. He knows the tug-of-war between directors, producers and film companies. It's obviously not that simple."

"We just wanted to make a good movie, but the only thing the film company cared about was the production cost and the box office revenue."

"Anson knew very well that a script like 'Walk the Walk' would be a problem in the eyes of the film studios. They didn't care about Johnny Cash or June Carter, that was history. The only thing they cared about was that the movie didn't look like a hit."

“It’s a disaster.”

After just these few words, Ji Che had already thought of dying for his country without hesitation. Tears welled up in his eyes and all kinds of thoughts surged in his chest.

"Of course, we can always seek cooperation with Focus Features or Searchlight Pictures. Biographical films are completely in line with their market positioning; but obviously they are more troublesome than film companies. They need the script to be created completely according to the Oscar template during the awards season, which is also a disaster."

Kitch nodded frantically on the other end of the phone. He finally found a soulmate who understood the frustration and pain he had been experiencing over the years. He was the only one who knew the bitterness.

"If it is Anson, Anson is willing to respect the characteristics of each project, each script, each director, and each actor. They do not need to evolve into another template in the Hollywood formula, but develop according to their own personality and edges."

"So, Anson is very happy to recommend you to a brand new production company with funding from Silicon Valley. They lack experience, or even have none at all. But precisely because they have no experience, they are willing to trust the producer and director and leave professional matters to professionals."

"If you are interested, I can give you the contact information of their person in charge."

From beginning to end, Edgar did not mention the struggles at the top of Sony Columbia, nor did he mention that Sony Columbia might be oppressing the two Jameses; instead, he quietly completed the recommendation in another way, providing a possibility for Mangold and Kitcher.

While respecting the pride of the two James, a solution was provided:

Everything is perfect.

(End of this chapter)