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Chapter 137: Conception
🕑 Added 2024-10-24 17:31:02 +0000 UTCAccording to the director's compensation agreement, when the North American box office of the film reaches $100 million, Duke will receive a basic bonus of $500,000, starting with a 5% share from $150 million, with his box office share increasing by 5% for every additional $50 million, capping at a maximum share of 20%.
Now, the North American box office for "Independence Day" has reached $310.93 million, allowing Duke to enjoy the maximum box office share of 20%.
"I promise, Duke."
Thompson Rossman said solemnly, "Not a single cent of your share will be missed."
Duke knew that getting his share would take time, but he wanted to remind 20th Century Fox, the North American distributor, not to delay too long.
His value was evident now, with a professional team overseeing his work; he was no longer the obscure small director of the past. Duke believed that 20th Century Fox would not make any foolish decisions.
After a brief meeting, Thompson Rossman clearly understood that words alone wouldn't persuade Duke. He soon left, having arranged to have lunch with Nancy Josephson the next day.
"Let's find a place to relax for a bit."
Duke gestured to Sophia and Nancy, leading the way to the resting area at the far left of the banquet hall. He casually found a table and ordered three fruit juices from a waiter. Just as he was about to discuss the overseas box office of "Independence Day," someone approached him.
However, this time it was not a representative from a major Hollywood studio but old acquaintances, the Cruise couple.
"Long time no see, Duke."
Before getting close, Tom Cruise greeted him with a radiant smile. Out of politeness, Duke stood up. "Yeah, it's been a while, Tom, and Mary, feel free to sit down."
Once they were seated, Sophia called over a waiter and ordered two sodas.
"Duke, I think there might have been some misunderstanding between us," Tom Cruise said, breaking the ice.
"Nothing at all, Tom." Duke shook his head, seemingly unfazed, and casually replied, "Just some trivial matters."
In a place where neither Duke nor Tom Cruise noticed, Sophia Coppola rolled her eyes, seemingly mocking some insincere words.
"As I was coming over…" Tom Cruise quickly shifted the topic to movies, "I heard many companies are interested in investing in your new film?"
"It's just an intention," Duke replied with a faint smile. "You know, Tom, Hollywood companies have cumbersome review processes."
"Can you tell me the genre?"
Hearing Tom Cruise's question, Duke realized he understood. "It's a story adapted from the experiences of the 101st Airborne Division soldiers during the Normandy landing; it's a war theme."
"Does that mean you plan to release it next year?" Tom Cruise immediately thought about next year being the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II.
"That's assuming we can find a company to invest in it." Duke did not give a direct answer.
"Will your film lack investment?" Tom Cruise pondered for a moment before suggesting, "I have a sum of money on hand; how about…"
"Thanks, Tom." Duke slowly shook his head, casually coming up with an excuse. "I have an agreement with Warner Brothers; they have priority investment rights. If they back out, I think we'll have a chance to collaborate."
Duke's gaze swept over Tom Cruise's face, and he sighed inwardly. The huge success of "Independence Day" had a terrifying chain reaction, even prompting someone like Tom Cruise to temporarily set aside past conflicts and directly come over to smooth things over, even proposing investment suggestions.
Of course, Duke would not accept the investment; that would require casting Tom as the lead role. Compared to the current Tom, he preferred to invite someone else.
As always, if Tom Cruise were willing to take a pay cut and didn't mind playing a minor role, Duke would welcome him with open arms. The problem was, would Tom Cruise be willing to play a subordinate role to Tom Hanks? Or would he be just a supporting character to highlight the latter?
As for the true lead, Captain Miller, Duke would definitely not choose Cruise; his acting skills were…
After chatting for a while, Cruise excused himself. Watching the two depart, Duke showed no special reaction. Hollywood had too many back-and-forth events; as long as the other party didn't infringe on his interests, he didn't have the time or energy to get entangled with an actor.
With Tom Cruise pushed to the back of his mind, Duke's thoughts returned to the new movie. Perhaps due to preconceived notions or the deep impression left by Hanks's acting, Tom Hanks was his first choice.
Indeed, his new film was "Saving Private Ryan"!
While this film also had many explosive scenes, it demanded a higher narrative ability. After honing his craft through three films, especially following the super success of "Independence Day," "Saving Private Ryan" was the most suitable choice he could find.
If the next film were just a purely sensory stimulation, even if he chose some relatively successful explosive or visual effects films from the past, Duke felt the chances of it flopping far outweighed the chances of success.
Movies are definitely not simple commodities that can succeed through mere replication. The factors influencing them are too numerous. "Independence Day" had brought Duke to a peak in explosions and sensory stimulation, but after the peak comes the decline. A director with a fixed style for too long will inevitably lead to audience fatigue. The clear examples of this are Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich.
After the massive success of "Independence Day," some films may succeed under other directors but could fail in his hands.
As long as the style is similar to the previous three films, the audience will immediately compare it to "Independence Day." The current visual effects won't see a qualitative leap in a short time, and preconceived comparisons can easily lead to many biases that affect audience reviews, even resulting in poor box office performance or failure.
"Saving Private Ryan," while having many explosive scenes, fundamentally differs from pure sensory stimulation films.
Transitioning sounds simple, but in practice, it is not easy. Duke was not worried about controlling the war scenes; instead, he was somewhat concerned about his dramatic scenes. Fortunately, having filmed three movies over three years and accumulated experience, he was confident that he would bring considerable help to producing this film.
And then there was Tom Hanks. Although "Forrest Gump" had not yet broken the $300 million mark at the North American box office, its immense success was a given. This was not like "Philadelphia," a film that received critical acclaim but failed commercially, so Hanks's salary would inevitably rise, and asking for a base salary plus a share was not unreasonable.
However, these were considerations for the production team; Duke did not intend to invest in the film himself. With the super success of "Independence Day," he planned to have Nancy Josephson negotiate for the best director share agreement in Hollywood for this project.
Would there be a conflict with Tom Hanks?
Suddenly, Duke realized this point. It was no longer the post-new century era, where studios would typically relinquish a maximum of 25% of total film revenue. If both he and Tom Hanks demanded high fees, one party would inevitably have to compromise.
After a moment's thought, Duke set that matter aside for now. If a conflict arose, he would not hesitate to protect his interests. If Tom Hanks also refused to budge, he would not hesitate to choose his own benefits over Hanks.
The probability of such a situation occurring was very high. Tom Hanks was indeed a widely acclaimed nice guy in the industry, but when it comes to interests, he would not easily back down. This was not just about him; it also involved his PR team, assistants, and agents—many members surrounding him. Would these people stay silent?
Everyone would be influenced by their surroundings.
The film had not yet been established; these concerns were still distant. Duke shifted his focus back to the party. The new film project would require Nancy Josephson to negotiate with various companies, and it would come down to who could offer the better conditions.
After chatting with Mario Casa, who came over to say hello, Sophia curiously asked Duke, "Are you planning to take a vacation?"
"Yeah," Duke nodded. "I'll leave the work to Nancy for now. I'm thinking of traveling to Europe; would you be interested? We could go together."
"I'd rather find your temporary lover," Sophia said without hesitation.
"I'd prefer to go alone."
Although he really wanted to travel to Europe, Duke's plans were destined to fall through. The afternoon after the party ended, Nancy Josephson notified him that the film adaptation rights for that British epic novel were nearly finalized. Duke needed to represent Duke Studios at the final round of negotiations and sign the transfer agreement afterward, making a trip to Europe impossible.
As long as the transfer price was basically agreed upon, negotiations on other aspects would be much smoother. After agreeing to pay a total of $8 million in three installments to the copyright owner Saul Zaentz and that the agency representing Tolkien's heirs would take 7.5% of the film's net profits, the three parties formally signed the copyright agreement and memorandum.
Duke also obtained the film adaptation rights to his favorite work.
As September rolled in, while Nancy Josephson was negotiating with numerous Hollywood companies, she did not neglect her other responsibilities. The joint production of "Friends" by ICM and Warner Brothers debuted on NBC this month and sparked considerable reactions after just two episodes...
At the same time, the North American screening of "Independence Day" was coming to an end, and the growth rate of the North American box office has completely become a snail's crawl
