After a two-day break in Park City, Simon returned to Los Angeles and was once again surrounded by busy work.

Santa Monica.

In the conference room of Daenerys Film Headquarters, Simon, Amy and CAA President Michael Ovitz sat around the conference table. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss Daenerys Film's upcoming "Rain Man"

” and “Steel Magnolias”.

The main production plan of "Rain Man" has been finalized, leaving only some details, and both parties did not waste much time on this.

When it was the turn of "Steel Magnolias", the atmosphere became tense.

Daenerys Pictures wants to invite CAA-owned director Herbert Ross and actress Sally Field, who are also the original creators of "Steel Magnolias" to participate in the film. However, Michael Ovitz

The conditions offered were unacceptable to Simon.

"Michael, Herbert Ross and Sally Field were packaged for $10 million, which was too high a price. Steel Magnolias was an ensemble drama, and if I paid Ross and Field a lot, so would the rest of the cast.

If you ask for more, it will be difficult for Daenerys Films to afford this project. So, we can offer Ross a salary of $5 million, and Ms. Field, only $1.5 million."

Herbert Ross is not only the director of the original "Steel Magnolias", he is also the director of last year's Michael Fox's "The Road to Prosperity" which grossed more than 60 million US dollars in North American box office. Going back further, Herbert Ross's 1984

The musical film "Footloose" directed by him earned a box office of 80 million US dollars in North America at a cost of 8 million US dollars, which also made the film company a lot of money.

The net worth of a Hollywood director ultimately depends on the box office, so Herbert Ross is totally worth $5 million.

However, although Sally Field won two Oscars for Best Actress in 1979 and 1984, the actress basically had no box office appeal. In the 1980s, Hollywood actresses were worth more than 2 million US dollars.

It's not much. Since "Steel Magnolias" is an ensemble drama, Simon can only offer $1.5 million.

When Michael Ovitz heard this, he stared at Simon, which was his habitual gesture during the negotiation process, and said in a dissatisfied tone: "Sally is a two-time Oscar winner. Simon, do you think $1.5 million is possible?

"

Simon was not affected by Ovitz's eyes at all, and said: "This was a few years ago, Michael, we all understand that no one in Hollywood can earn a lifetime first-line salary with just one or two statuettes. Compared to Ms. Field

With a box office appeal of $1.5 million, it’s already very high.”

"This is impossible," Michael Ovitz shook his head, paused, and then he softened his tone slightly and said, "Okay, Simon, considering the specific circumstances of this film, I can make a slightly

Some concessions, Herbert gets 6 million US dollars and Sally gets 3 million US dollars. However, you must agree to two other conditions. First, all other supporting actors in the film must be selected from CAA. Second, Robin is still interested in "

"Dead Poets Society" is very interesting, and I hope you can give her the leading role."

"If you insist on this request, Michael, my answer is the same as yours, it is impossible. First of all, I do not intend to make "Steel Magnolias" a package project for CAA. Secondly, Bob has agreed to star in "Death"

"Poetry Society", there is no way I would give the role to Robin Williams again."

After three weeks of small-scale screenings, it has accumulated enough reputation. "Good Morning Vietnam" officially opened on a large scale last Friday, with a box office of 11.75 million US dollars in three days over the weekend. The media predicts that the film's box office in the fourth week will exceed

16 million U.S. dollars. As a popular film destined to be a long-term success, "Good Morning Vietnam" is expected to exceed 100 million US dollars at the North American box office.

As the leading actor, Robin Williams has also been successfully promoted from a second-tier actor to a first-tier superstar.

At the end of last year, CAA changed its mind on the signing day, and Daenerys Pictures failed to succeed. Although Simon was a little regretful about this, he did not intend to be led by CAA. At present, the company has reached an agreement with De Niro on "Death"

"Poetry Club" and "The Sixth Sense" have two film contracts. Although the contract has not been officially signed, Simon is unlikely to change his mind at the last minute like CAA.

After the words fell, neither of them spoke anymore. After a moment of stalemate, Ovitz relaxed his body and leaned on the back of the chair, saying: "Perhaps, our meeting today can only end here."

Simon stood up and reached out to Ovitz across the desk: "Well, Michael, I hope we have a chance to work together again next time."

Michael Ovitz was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Simon to be more decisive than him. What the young man said obviously meant that Daenerys Pictures would no longer contact CAA about "Steel Magnolias". "Death"

There is no room for change in the matter of "Poetry Club".

After standing up and shaking hands with Simon, Michael Ovitz advised: "Simon, you can't do business on impulse. You can reconsider and call me at any time."

"I think I've thought about it."

"Then I can only wish you good luck."

After sending Ovitz away, Simon sat back at the conference table, raised his wrist and looked at his watch, and said to Amy Pascal next to him: "Give up Herbert Ross and Sally Field, let's start with WMA and

ICM selects people from several companies.”

According to the roles of Herbert Ross and Sally Field, Daenerys Pictures' budget for "Steel Magnolias" is US$15 million. But if Ovitz's quotation is followed, the film's budget will definitely swell.

to 20 million or even 25 million US dollars.

The North American box office of "Steel Magnolias" in the original time and space is 80 million U.S. dollars. Even based on the production budget of 25 million U.S. dollars, Daenerys Pictures can still make a profit, but compared to the total investment of the company's planned independent distribution, Simon only

We can expect that subsequent issuance through other channels will bring profits, which will greatly extend the payment cycle.

Although Amy Pascal likes "Steel Magnolias", a story about the lives of women in a small southern town in the United States, her expectations for the film's box office are far lower than Simon. For commercial reasons, Amy actually prefers

Make this movie a low-budget film with a budget of less than $10 million.

Therefore, after hearing Simon's decision, Amy did not refute, but said something else: "Simon, we have to talk about the company."

Simon regained his energy and said, "What's wrong?"

Amy handed over a folder and said, "Take a look first. To put it simply, the company's funds are no longer sufficient."

Simon took the folder and opened it. Inside were budget sheets for a series of Daenerys Films film projects and various other expenditure reports.

Not counting "When Harry Met Sally" and "Pulp Fiction," which have basically completed post-production, Daenerys Pictures has officially approved films including "Basic Instinct," "Scream," and "Steel Magnolias."

", "Blue Angel", "Rain Man" and "Dead Poets Society" six parts.

Among them, except for "Basic Instinct" with a budget of 20 million, which was jointly produced by Daenerys Pictures and Fox Pictures, the other five films were all invested solely by Daenerys Pictures.

The budgets of the five films range from US$10 million to US$25 million, and the cumulative funding required is US$75 million. After setting aside this capital, the US$100 million loan Daenerys Pictures received from Wells Fargo was only

That leaves $25 million.

However, of the US$25 million, US$7 million was spent just to buy out the copyright of "Charlie's Angels". In the deal with United Artists, the expenditure for the two scripts of "The Hobbit" and "Rain Man" was US$2 million. Recent projects such as

Millions of dollars have been spent on copyright purchases such as "Spider-Man" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". Counting all aspects of the company's operating expenses, Daenerys Pictures currently has only 1,000 remaining working capital.

Over ten thousand dollars.

Amy looked at Simon who was reading the document, and added next to him: ""Death Comes" was released last week, with a cumulative box office of 72.61 million US dollars in North America. According to the contract, we can get 10% of the box office share next month. This is

7.26 million US dollars. However, if we want to buy the rights to the "Lord of the Rings" series according to your offer to Saul Zaenz, or "The Silmarillion" from the Tolkien Heritage Foundation, we will definitely have the funds in hand.

Not enough. Those few scripts you picked up in Park City, as well as the planned TV show and the marketing expenses for the future "Scream" movies, these will require a large investment. Simon, I can feel it

I know that you are anxious about many things, but I think you should slow down. You are only twenty years old next month, and compared to most people in Hollywood, you have enough time."

Simon looked through the documents in his hand, and immediately realized more deeply why Canon Pictures, De Laurentiis Entertainment and now New World Entertainment suddenly fell into trouble in the midst of a boom.

The entertainment industry is too money-burning, and the payback cycle for film and television projects is incredibly slow. Once the revenue from the project cannot cover the expenses, and there is no additional funding from the outside world, a company will immediately collapse.

If he hadn't already owned a large amount of assets, and if he hadn't had the prophetic advantage in selecting projects, Simon is sure that Daenerys Pictures would definitely follow in the footsteps of companies such as Canon Pictures in the next few years.

Simon actually understood the admonition in Amy's tone very well.

But, can I slow down?

After finishing his work here, he was about to meet with Warner Bros. Pictures CEO Terry Semel to discuss "Batman."

If he slows down, if he abandons "Batman," according to the original timeline, the film will be directed by Tim Burton and will start shooting at the end of this year, be released in the summer of next year, and become the annual box office champion next year.

By then, "Batman", "Superman" and even DC as a whole will have nothing to do with Simon Westeros.

Due to the failure of last year's "Superman 4", Warner's confidence in the adaptation of "Batman" is at its lowest stage. This is also the last opportunity for Simon to seize the opportunity to intervene in this top superhero copyright. How could he slow down?

same.

The films that Daenerys Pictures is developing and the copyrights that it has purchased are basically projects that are bound to be huge hits in the next few years.

Once these projects become a big success, Simon's interest in other novels or scripts will definitely trigger a rush. It will be even more difficult for Daenerys Pictures to continue to hoard more copyrights. Simon must take advantage of the fact that many people are still

Treat him as a 'fat sheep' opportunity and win as many IPs as possible at a low cost.

Even with many things outside of Hollywood, it is impossible for him to slow down.

I can't slow down.

After flipping through the information in his hand, Simon had already made a decision and said: "Amy, the expenses for buying "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Silmarillion" will go directly to the account of the Westeros Company. I will let George

Responsible for negotiating these matters with the rights holder. The company continues to advance according to the original plan. The three scripts I brought back from Park City, Michael Hoffman's "Sisters" and Whit Stillman's "Metropolis"

"People" project will be launched as soon as possible. The cost of these two films is very low. Together, they may not cost more than 6 million US dollars. They will not affect the overall situation. The script of "3000" is temporarily shelved. I have other plans. Moreover, these are only budget expenditures.

All the money in the account will not be spent immediately, which leaves a lot of room for maneuver. "When Harry Met Sally" will be released at the end of March, and we will definitely still have income in the future. If it doesn't work, I will start from West

Luo Company will transfer some funds, or we can continue to apply for a loan here."

Amy sensed Simon's firm attitude and knew that persuasion was useless, so she had to say: "Add two more movies, that's eight movies, and I'm completely overwhelmed."

Simon thought for a while and said: "After completing "Pulp Fiction", I will focus on the company's projects for the rest of this year. It will definitely be enough to sign a few more producers."

For example, projects such as "Steel Magnolias" and "Dead Poets Society" have given up on using the original cast. In order to maintain the original style and level of the film, Simon himself must invest more energy in it.

Simon actually wants to try to see if these movies can be as successful as The Originals without using the original creators.

After all, there will be many movies in the future, and Simon may not be able to gather the original team. He also doesn't like this invisible feeling of being constrained, and he doesn't want to be pinched by agencies such as CAA because of a certain actor issue.

After continuing to discuss with Amy for more than half an hour, worried about being late due to traffic jams at noon, Simon set off from Santa Monica towards 11 o'clock and rushed to Burbank in the San Fernando Valley in the north of the city.

Simon and Terry Semel agreed to lunch at a restaurant near Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

Arriving at the appointed restaurant, Terry Semel was already waiting for Simon.
To be continued...