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Chapter 115: 20th Century Fox Joins
🕑 Added 2024-11-23 09:32:56 +0000 UTCRoger Moore's decision to join The Rock left Sean Connery feeling awkward. He'd originally thought that the production team had limited choices and would eventually compromise and agree to his demands. Unexpectedly, after just a brief interaction and upon hearing his conditions, they immediately gave up on him and chose someone else.
The key point was that this "someone else" was none other than Roger Moore, the third actor to play James Bond. This infuriated Sean Connery. Enraged, he stormed around his house, shouting and venting his anger on his wife and children.
"That bastard! How dare he? How dare he?" Sean Connery couldn't contain his anger toward Gilbert. If Gilbert were in front of him, he would have torn him apart. But it was nothing more than impotent rage. Gilbert held all the power, deeply trusted by Warner and Disney, and wasn't intimidated by an old, washed-up 007 like him.
What made Sean Connery even angrier was that the production would rather choose an even more outdated Roger Moore than himself. What would people think of that when it got out? The James Bond image wasn't something he owned, and Sean Connery couldn't exactly accuse the production of making the wrong casting choice, could he?
Fueled by anger, Sean Connery immediately called Martin Bob on the phone: "Martin, do you have any way to target Gilbert's new project?"
Martin Bob, on the other end, was stunned: "Target Gilbert's new project? Sean, what do you have in mind?"
"That damned bastard dared to mess with me. I want him to pay the price," Sean Connery said through gritted teeth, his fury palpable even over the phone.
Martin tried to calm him down: "Sean, don't let anger cloud your judgment. Anger won't help us. The most important thing right now is to focus on what we're doing and wait for Gilbert to slip up. That will be our moment to strike."
Sean Connery settled a bit but was still unsatisfied. "Are we just supposed to sit back and watch Gilbert succeed again and again?"
Martin Bob replied, "No one can succeed forever—not even Spielberg or George Lucas could manage that."
Even as he said this, Martin Bob felt a little unsure. He couldn't shake the feeling that Gilbert was unusual; nothing good ever seemed to come from crossing him. And when would they ever get that "right moment" they were waiting for?
It wasn't just Martin Bob and his team at CAA who had a grudge against Gilbert; there were plenty of people in Hollywood jealous of his rapid success at such a young age. Universal Pictures, in particular, was one of those who resented him. Although it was a natural business move for Gilbert to go to Disney, his continued success was hard for Universal to swallow. After all, those achievements should have been theirs.
However, parent company Panasonic no longer had to worry. After running into obstacles in Hollywood, Panasonic finally realized its brand was no asset there; rather, it had become a reason for others to target them. So, this year, Panasonic sold Universal Pictures to a Canadian liquor company and exited the Hollywood market, leaving Sony-Columbia as their only remaining foothold.
Filmmaking and electronics manufacturing truly were worlds apart, and the Japanese found themselves bleeding money. Akio Tanii, someone Gilbert knew well, had also returned to Japan. Before leaving, he paid Gilbert a visit and invited him to visit Tokyo, which Gilbert agreed to.
And so, Roger Moore became the second confirmed cast member in The Rock after Nicolas Cage. Not casting Sean Connery had another advantage: it kept the salary costs down.
Roger Moore only received a fee of $500,000 with no box office bonuses. Despite not having any recent work, even for Roger Moore, this salary was on the low side. His agent, Dawes, wanted to negotiate better terms, but Moore didn't bother discussing it. When Charles Roven brought it up, he accepted immediately, to the point where Roven almost doubted his own ears.
This way, Nicolas Cage ended up being the highest-paid actor on the cast, receiving only $3 million with no additional clauses.
Following this, Ed Harris, John Spencer, and other actors passed auditions and signed contracts with the production. Gilbert's team members also gradually joined the crew, having passed checks from Warner and Touchstone Pictures.
After securing these contracts, the production spent another $8 million, leaving Gilbert with $48.5 million in the budget. If they managed the funds carefully, it would be enough.
But at that moment, someone unexpected showed up.
In the middle of The Rock's preparations, Gilbert received a call from George Lucas.
"Gilbert, are you free? I've got a fantastic French chef here—come over for dinner at my place," George Lucas invited Gilbert over.
Gilbert guessed the dinner invitation was an excuse and there was likely another agenda. Since he still needed the help of Industrial Light & Magic, he didn't feel right declining, so he accepted the invitation.
"Sure, when?"
"Tonight! You haven't left Los Angeles yet, have you?" George Lucas, knowing Gilbert would soon take the crew to San Francisco, had checked in advance.
"No, I haven't. I'll come over tonight."
"Great, I've got a good bottle of wine waiting for you."
After hanging up, Gilbert told Naomi Watts, "Naomi, join me tonight for a visit."
"Where to?" she asked.
"To George Lucas' house. He called specifically to invite me."
"Should I bring anything?" Naomi asked.
"No need," Gilbert replied, waving it off. "Just be casual. This is a private gathering. We can bring a small gift. Oh, and bring along that packet of Chinese tea I have."
Following his instructions, Naomi applied light makeup, grabbed the tea, and joined Gilbert. They also picked up a few other things on the way. Gilbert typically brought Naomi to such occasions; Cameron Diaz was too playful, and Charlize Theron was still young, so Naomi's composure was more fitting for such events.
Arriving at George Lucas' Beverly Hills home, Gilbert met another guest: Townsend Rothman, the CEO of 20th Century Fox.
"Gilbert, let me introduce you to Townsend Rothman, CEO of Fox Studios. Townsend, this is Director Gilbert," George Lucas introduced them.
They'd seen each other briefly at a previous celebration but hadn't exchanged many words, so this was their formal introduction. They greeted each other and shook hands.
"Gentlemen, dinner is ready. Let's eat first; the French chef is truly impressive," George Lucas' girlfriend soon came to call them for dinner.
George Lucas gestured politely, "Let's enjoy our meal…"
"Of course, please…"
They shared an enjoyable meal, complemented by French cuisine and an expensive Bordeaux, creating a delightful atmosphere.
After dinner, Naomi Watts, Lucas' girlfriend, and Rothman's wife went to chat in the living room, while the three men headed to Lucas' study for a private discussion.
George Lucas acted as a mediator. In reality, the one who wanted to speak to Gilbert was Townsend Rothman.
American business discussions usually skip the pleasantries typical of Chinese business culture. Rothman got straight to the point: "To be frank, Gilbert, 20th Century Fox wants to join and invest in your new project."
Gilbert was slightly surprised but quickly realized it wasn't unexpected. Major studios had spies everywhere, so it didn't take long for information to spread. A big project like The Rock, directed by Gilbert, was under heavy scrutiny in Hollywood due to his track record of success. It wasn't unusual for other companies to want to get involved. However, Warner and Disney had secured the investment opportunities, leaving no room for others.
Fox was now trying to bypass Warner and Disney and negotiate directly with Gilbert. He replied, "Mr. Rothman, you understand Warner and Disney won't allow other companies to participate. They highly value this project."
"Yes, I understand," Rothman nodded. "But if you're on board, I can speak to Jeff Robinov and Robert Iger. I'm sure they won't refuse."
Having worked in Hollywood, Gilbert understood Rothman's strategy—it was a resource swap. Fox had attractive projects on hand, some on par with Gilbert's project. If they offered the Star Wars series, Warner and Disney might even agree. But such a popular series was unlikely to be traded.
Still, building a relationship with Fox wasn't a bad idea. At the very least, it could give him a foothold in James Cameron's Titanic. So he said, "In principle, I don't oppose Fox investing in this project. But Mr. Rothman, I don't want anyone interfering with my control over the crew."
Rothman assured, "Don't worry. Our investment is based on trust. We won't interfere with your creative freedom."
After reaching an initial agreement, George Lucas clapped his hands, "Gentlemen, congratulations on your partnership. I think we should celebrate."
He opened a bottle of champagne, and the three men toasted to their new alliance.
On the way home, Naomi Watts was driving, and she asked, "What did you discuss with Lucas and Rothman?"
Gilbert had nothing to hide. "Fox wants a piece of the project, so Lucas introduced Rothman to get my support."
"Did you agree?"
"Why not? It's no loss for me," Gilbert said with a shrug.
With Gilbert's support, Fox quickly arranged a resource swap with Warner and Disney, gaining a spot in The Rock.
This decision gave Townsend Rossman significant support from Fox's executives, and he readily contributed $10 million.
Warner and Disney each ceded $5 million to make space for 20th Century Fox in the investment.
Thus, The Rock became a four-party investment project.
The film's total budget was $70 million. Disney contributed $25 million and assigned its subsidiary, Touchstone Pictures, to handle North American distribution.
Warner held a $25 million stake, taking charge of international distribution.
Cantaloupe Studios had a $10 million stake as the film's producer.
20th Century Fox acquired a $10 million share, solely investing for a return without engaging in production or other aspects of the project.
