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Chapter 80: A New Beginning
🕑 Added 2024-10-08 20:42:29 +0000 UTC"Gilbert, how was your trip to China?" Robert Iger greeted Gilbert warmly.
"It was great," Gilbert replied, pouring Robert a cup of tea. "Try this; it's tea I brought back from China."
Having been used to drinking coffee, the tea tasted a bit strange to Robert. He didn't find it particularly enjoyable, but since he was here to discuss a new project with Gilbert, he politely said, "It's good, really good."
Gilbert didn't bother to expose his insincerity and simply said, "Bob, I've been thinking about a new project for quite some time. It's going to need a fair amount of investment."
Considering Gilbert's last three films had been big successes, Robert's confidence in him had significantly increased. "I believe whatever you decide to make will be a success," he replied.
"Let's hope so!" Gilbert handed Robert the script he had prepared in advance. While Robert leafed through it, Gilbert added, "Warner has also received a copy of this script. We had a pleasant collaboration last time, so I hope we can work together again."
Robert was aware that Gilbert had sent his script to Warner, which was why he had rushed over. He would have preferred to keep Warner out of it, but that wasn't possible. Jeff Robinov's eagerness made him sick, but if Warner was willing to compromise, so was he. He was willing to do anything Gilbert wanted.
The new script was for a sci-fi action film called Real Steel, based on Richard Matheson's short story Steel. Although many people were unfamiliar with Matheson, his novel I Am Legend, which was adapted into a movie twice, was well-known. Spielberg's first feature film was also based on a Matheson story, and through Spielberg's introduction, Gilbert had secured the rights to Steel.
Both Disney and Warner executives quickly began discussing the story, which centered around robot boxing. While some were skeptical, given that it was Gilbert, they were willing to give it a chance.
Despite Gilbert's track record, the $80 million budget he requested was enough to make any studio cautious. Nevertheless, he calmly started bringing his team together for pre-production. "Sophia," he instructed, "reach out to the Writers Guild and see if any writers are interested in joining our studio as writers."
"Didn't you finish the script?" Sophia Coppola asked, curious.
"Not for this project. I have a few others in the pipeline, and I need some writers to help me with them," Gilbert explained.
"Alright," Sophia replied, heading off to make the necessary calls.
Gilbert then spoke to Art Director Selena, "I need you to design several robot models, as big and intimidating as possible, with an industrial aesthetic. We'll discuss the specifics later."
"Are we making actual models, or will it all be CGI?" Selena asked.
"Let's build a few practical models. They'll be good for marketing," Gilbert replied. Selena began working on the designs, and Gilbert turned to Assistant Director Annie Burton. "We need a young male lead, around twelve or thirteen. Can you check with the casting guild? If needed, we can hold auditions."
Sophia suggested, "What about letting Scarlett make a cameo appearance?"
Gilbert considered it briefly but declined. "She can have a small cameo, but we'll find someone else for the lead."
In the meantime, Warner Bros. and Touchstone Pictures soon approved the project. With three hit movies under his belt, Gilbert now had the leverage to negotiate a significant deal. His agent, Sheena Boone, demanded a base salary of $15 million and a North American box office share capped at 20 percent. Although the studios initially balked at the terms, they eventually came to an agreement.
By the end of July, the deal was finalized, with Warner Bros., Touchstone, Melon Studios, and a few smaller investors collectively investing $80 million. Gilbert himself invested $10 million through Melon Studios. In exchange, he agreed to an $8.5 million base salary with a tiered profit-sharing model, capped at 10 percent. This deal cemented Gilbert's status as an A-list director in Hollywood.
To celebrate the news, Warner Bros. and Touchstone held a press conference, which attracted a large number of media outlets. When asked why he chose to continue working with Warner and Touchstone, Gilbert casually replied, "They're reliable partners, and they were my first thought when I had this new idea."
Rumors started circulating about potential casting, with names like Keanu Reeves, Julia Roberts, and Jodie Foster being mentioned, though none of these were accurate. Gilbert's film had finally moved beyond the obscure, garnering media attention and interest.
The team quickly returned from their break to begin work. Annie Burton was the first assistant director, Sophia Coppola was the second, and Randolph was the director of photography. The production team included producers Charles Roven and Kane Wexman, who had worked with Gilbert before. The team settled back in Los Angeles and officially began preparing for the flim
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Hi i don't if it's possible to do Real steel which was made in 2011 in 1994,but Jurassic park was done well,so i don't think it's impossible
