Chapter 218 Taking Turns to Visit

Wu Yuchen was greatly relieved that the Spider-Man matter was settled. If he can help Marvel redeem 30%, he has already done his best. The most difficult thing to get is Spider-Man, but other copyrights such as Black Widow are easy to negotiate.

Of course, not everything went smoothly. For example, the Hulk, a super popular hero, Universal did not let go. Universal is nicknamed the Monster Movie Company and has always been fond of the monster genre. But Wu Yuchen doesn’t care too much. The movie version of “The Incredible Hulk” in his previous life was not a success. Now that he has the time to make the “Spider-Man” trilogy, it’s great, and he doesn’t have the energy to do it again. Go get the Hulk.

"X-Men" was released on July 14, and it took in a box office of 54.47 million in its first three days, attracting the attention of several major Hollywood companies. Suddenly, Marvel's superheroes received attention again, which naturally caused Marvel to open champagne to celebrate.

Although the copyright of "X-Men" is not in their own hands now, the success of the movie also proves that their superheroes are attractive, and their subsequent superhero movie development will be much smoother.

At the same time, people from Sony also personally went to the set of "Pirate King" to visit Wu Yuchen.

"Wu, you really made a good deal."

Sony is a little depressed. If they knew that "X-Men" was so good at the box office, they might not necessarily be willing to agree to Marvel's request to redeem Spider-Man's copyright. At least they wouldn't let them redeem as much as 30%.

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head: "Hey, this is good news for us, isn't it? It means that our Spider-Man has a high chance of success!"

"That's why we came to you now. The company has decided to start the "Spider-Man" project as soon as possible. We are all waiting for your script. You didn't say you would wait until "Pirate King" is released before you start writing, right? "

Sony was not in a hurry before, but now that it was stimulated by "X-Men", it immediately accelerated its actions.

When Wu Yuchen saw Sony's attitude of sending people to the door in person to urge them, he also knew that they really couldn't wait. Fortunately, he had already finished the script for the first part of "Spider-Man" during this period of time while filming.

People from Sony couldn't help but look happy when they saw Wu Yuchen's completed script: "Wu, the industry now says that you are a creative master, and you are indeed well-deserved!"

In the past two months, Wu Yuchen registered scripts for multiple movies in a row, which immediately alarmed the Screenwriters Guild. This incident also spread, surprising many people, and gave Wu Yuchen another "creative master". "The name.

Wu Yuchen smiled: "You can take the script back and take a look at it first. If you have no objections, then you can find a suitable director. I suggest that it is best to find a director who loves Spider-Man himself, and at the same time he The style must fit the style of the script.”

"Wu, are you really not considering directing it yourself?"

Wu Yuchen waved his hand: "My energy is really limited. Isn't this something we have discussed in advance?"

"Okay, one more thing, what is your approximate estimated budget for this project?"

Wu Yuchen raised a finger:

"Superhero movies must have special effects and big scenes, so the production cost cannot be lowered. If "Spider-Man" wants to be a blockbuster, the production cost cannot be less than 100 million, preferably more than 130 million."

After hearing this number, everyone at Sony couldn't help but take a breath, and then said to Wu Yuchen:

"Wu, this is not a small number. We have to evaluate it carefully based on your script when we go back. However, are you sure Marvel can have the money to invest?"

Wu Yuchen chuckled: "Don't worry, Marvel will definitely invest 30% of the share."

After finally fighting for 30%, he would not let Marvel miss it because of money. But this time he doesn't plan to provide any interest-free loans to Marvel. It's enough to win people's hearts once when this kind of thing first comes in. Being a good guy all the time may not necessarily lead to good rewards.

This time he will ask Marvel to find a bank loan, using Marvel's income in the next five years as collateral, and he will be the guarantor. In other words, if the movie loses money and Marvel's income in the next five years is not enough to repay the money, then Wu Yuchen, the guarantor, will have to repay the money.

But this will not happen. He is full of confidence in "Spider-Man". This is Spider-Man, which has a global box office of over 800 million and has completely doubled the value of Marvel superheroes!

On July 29, public opinion in Hollywood was dominated by a wedding. The super popular American sweetheart Jennifer Aniston married Brad Pitt with a flower crown, 50,000 flowers, 4 bands, and hundreds of celebrity guests. Just in time for the millennium, this wedding was called a blessing from the whole world. wedding of the century.

Wu Yuchen also received the invitation, but he was busy filming a movie, so it was naturally impossible to attend. After seeing various news reports in newspapers and TV, he just laughed it off. To be honest, Brad Pitt must have the ability, but he can't Denies that he benefited greatly from both marriages.

Now that Pitt is able to marry Jennifer Aniston, this sweetheart loved by everyone in the United States, the outside world thinks that Pitt is a bit high-spirited, and his fame and celebrity status have indeed risen to a higher level. Five years later, Pitt cheated on Angelina Jolie while filming "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", and the subsequent marriage of the two sparked another wave of speculation. It is not easy for Brad Pitt to climb from a restaurant waiter and handyman to the top of Hollywood!

But this has nothing to do with Wu Yuchen, just watch the excitement. At this time, a pair of jade arms hugged him from behind, revealing a beautiful face. Wu Yuchen turned around and gently held him in his arms. It was Jiang Qinqin.

Wu Yuchen said with a smile: "Why don't you sleep more? I just got here to get over the jet lag."

Jiang Qinqin shook her head: "I am your assistant now, so of course I have to follow you, Director Wu~"

Jiang Qinqin had just finished filming "The Life Show" directed by Huo Jianqi, and wanted to relax, so she came to the United States to find Wu Yuchen. Wu Yuchen is very confident and welcomes her to come. Not to mention other things about the movie "Pirate King", the filming locations are very beautiful. Jiang Qinqin can go sightseeing with him, but Wu Yuchen cannot accompany him. Played with her.

As a little assistant, it would be nice not to cause any trouble to Wu Yuchen. However, Jiang Qinqin's arrival can relieve Wu Yuchen's lovesickness. After several months of filming, he also needs comfort and nourishment!

What? Actress Keira Knightley?

Not to mention that Kayla is only 15 years old and would not make such a mistake. Wu Yuchen is not very interested in Kayla's airport.

Jiang Qinqin held Wu Yuchen's arm and chatted while walking: "Hey, is it true that Jiang Wen was banned?"

Just two months ago, Jiang Wen secretly took "The Devil Is Coming" to participate in this year's Cannes Film Festival without approval, and won the Grand Jury Prize.

Because of Wu Yuchen, many people are now paying a lot of attention to film awards, so this Cannes Film Festival has also attracted a lot of attention.

In fact, this year's Cannes Film Festival can be regarded as a great victory for Chinese-language films. Jiang Wen's "The Devils Are Coming" from mainland China won the Jury Prize, Hong Kong's "In the Mood for Love" Tony Leung Chiu-wai won the Best Actor at Cannes, and "One to One" directed by Edward Yang of Wanwan Won the Best Director, and received major awards from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the three places. It can be said that everyone is happy. But as soon as Jiang Wen came back, it was reported that he had been banned, and there was a big fuss.

"It's both true and false." Wu Yuchen sighed after hearing this.

"What's true and what's false, don't tell me~" Jiang Qinqin asked curiously.

"It is true that he was banned from directing for five years, but there is no clear document."

In the past, when someone was banned by Big Scissors, a clear document would be issued and given to the relevant person, but this time Jiang Wen did not.

It is said that many influential people felt that the censorship standards were too strict. This incident also triggered a discussion on the reform of the film censorship system, but it later fell into disuse.

Although there is no document, it is certain that I will not be able to make films within 5 years.

Jiang Qinqin sighed after hearing this, and then said to Wu Yuchen beside him: "Then you have to pay attention~"

Wu Yuchen rubbed her shoulders: "Don't worry, I'm not that easy to restrain."

Now Wu Yuchen has become a banner figure in Chinese cinema. His films are not something that ordinary people dare to ban. They have to ask the higher authorities for permission.

Let's just say that Li An in his previous life made "Lust, Caution". If this was an ordinary director, he would definitely not be able to get into the film. As a result, "Lust, Caution" was released. In the final analysis, the influence of great directors is different.

The beaches of St. Vincent are extremely beautiful. For filming, the crew built three piers here to shoot the exterior scenes of Port Royal and Tortuga Island. At this time, the three most important ships in the movie, the Black Pearl, the Intrepid and the Interceptor, have all stopped here. The crew also invited professionals to teach the crew how to operate these large ships, because it will be necessary to actually sail them. Taken.

Jiang Qinqin watched Wu Yuchen directing the crew of hundreds of people to operate in an orderly manner, and watching him giving orders to this group of foreigners, she couldn't help but feel deep admiration, admiration and pride in her heart.

In fact, Jiang Qinqin came here specially this time, naturally intending to keep an eye on Wu Yuchen intentionally or unintentionally. What happened to Gao Yuanyuan at Xiangshan Film and Television City last year made her think deeply. When walking the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Tony Leung held the hands of Maggie Cheung and Maggie Lau. At that time, there were widespread rumors in the media that Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung had fallen in love because of the drama. Lau Jialin was worried about their relationship and insisted on following them. To retain Liang Chaowei.

Seeing Liu Jialin's actions, Jiang Qinqin felt the same way for some reason. She felt a sense of crisis in her heart, and thought of running over to stay with Wu Yuchen.

In the evening, after returning to the room, I saw Jiang Qinqin, whom Wu Yuchen had taken in a day, and couldn’t help but ask:

"I think the heroine of your crew is quite young~"

Wu Yuchen glanced at her: "Of course she is young, she is only 15 years old."

"15 years old?! People in Europe and America develop so early!"

"Don't girls mature earlier? If their nutrition keeps up, it's not surprising that they will mature at the age of fourteen or fifteen. It will be the same when the average living standard in China goes up in a few years."

Jiang Qinqin was completely relieved after hearing this. Apart from the heroine Kayla, there were no beauties in this crew, and Wu Yuchen would not attack such a young girl.

Then she asked: "Hey, how much is her salary?"

"$200,000."

"200,000 US dollars? This is higher than my salary for making movies in China!" Jiang Qinqin was speechless.

"My dear Qinqin, this is Hollywood, and units are calculated in US dollars, which is of course high!"

Jiang Qinqin wrinkled her nose and complained: "When I was 15 years old, I couldn't earn even a few hundred yuan. It's really annoying to compare people to each other!"

Wu Yuchen hugged her when he heard this: "Just be content, I don't know how many actresses in the country envy you~"

"I just suddenly felt a bit unfair. We are all actors filming, and the gap is so big..."

"Why is Hollywood a place where actors from all over the world go to pursue their dreams? Isn't it essentially about making money?

If you want to break into Hollywood, I will give you a piece of advice: practice martial arts and shoot fighting scenes, otherwise it will be difficult for yellow actors to get along in Hollywood. "

Whether it is Cheng Long or Jet Li, or the actress Yang Ziqiong, they actually rely on action scenes to gain a foothold in Hollywood. As for Chow Yun-fat, without "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in this life, Wu Yuchen estimates that it will be difficult for him to survive in Hollywood.

Jiang Qinqin made a bitter face when she heard this: "Forget it, I can't beat a girl, so I'd better be your dear and good wife~"

When Wu Yuchen heard this, he smiled and kissed his dear wife on the face.

Jiang Qinqin stayed with the crew for more than half a month and then left. Seeing that Wu Yuchen was distracted and caring about her while filming, she also didn't want to be a dragster all the time and affect Wu Yuchen's $140 million project.

That's how the crew is, it's normal for people to come and go. Just a few days after Jiang Qinqin left, the crew welcomed Spielberg again.

"Wu, did the filming go well? I heard that when you were filming a night scene, the boat on the way back ran aground on the rocks?"

Wu Yuchen nodded: "Some minor situations will occur from time to time, but they are still under control."

Spielberg smiled when he heard this and said: "With such a big crew, it is normal for some minor troubles to arise. I believe you can handle it properly. As for the actors, are they still obedient?"

Wu Yuchen knew as soon as he heard that Spielberg was asking about Johnny Depp, who is a famous weirdo after all.

"It's not bad. His daughter came to see him a few days ago, which made him very happy."

"Haha, as expected, having children will make people mature." Spielberg felt relieved now.

Wu Yuchen understands Spielberg's thoughts. After all, it is a 140-million-dollar production. He would not be at ease if he didn't come and see it in person. At present, Depp's 8 million paid for it is relatively cost-effective. But when it comes to the sequels and the third film, Depp's salary will probably be a bit of a headache.

In fact, Wu Yuchen originally wanted to sign a three-part contract with Depp, but he didn't sign it at all. He and his agent were not stupid.

Some people may talk about Robert Downey Jr.'s 5-movie contract with Marvel. The reason why Downey was willing to sign it from the beginning was because he had ruined his future, caused many troubles by taking drugs for several years, and even went to jail. He was already in dire straits at that time, and he could only seize the opportunity to rise again by signing, so he had to sign. Johnny Depp was in a completely different situation than Downey was at that time.

Although Depp is a weirdo and often plays some non-mainstream roles, his reputation has always been good. He is not as good as a Hollywood first-tier star, but he can be regarded as one of the top second-tier stars. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is first-tier. Therefore, it is basically impossible for him to sign a contract that greatly limits the salary for the sequel.

Wu Yuchen shook his head. Let's wait until the filming is finished. Thinking about it now will only increase worries.

At this time, Spielberg introduced the strange middle-aged man next to him to Wu Yuchen: "Wu, this is Brian Grazer, a great producer. He wants to talk to you."

"Hello Wu, I have admired your name for a long time!"

"Hello, Glazer, nice to meet you~" Wu Yuchen was a little strange, how could Spielberg introduce this person to him.

Glazer smiled and said to Wu Yuchen:

"Wu, actually I have dealt with you before."

"Huh?" Wu Yuchen cast a doubtful look.

"With your agent, to be precise."

"Karl?"

"Yes. He contacted me and wanted to buy the copyright of a novel, but I refused."

Wu Yuchen had asked his agent to buy the copyrights of some novels before, and naturally some of them failed, but he kept asking people to follow up.

"Oh? I don't know what the novel you are talking about is..."

"The Biography of Steve Nash."

Wu Yuchen narrowed his eyes when he heard this, and asked again: "The one by Sylvia Nasa?"

"That's right, "A Beautiful Mind: The Biography of John Nash," a biographical novel about John Nash, the founder of game theory and a mathematician who won the Nobel Prize in Economics."

When he heard that it was the goal in his heart, Wu Yuchen immediately smiled: "Glazer, I didn't expect that the copyright of this novel is in your hands."

"A Beautiful Mind" is the next film he plans to shoot to compete for Oscars again. There are several categories of subjects that are easy to win Oscars, such as the Passion of the Jews in recent years, such as equal rights for blacks in the future, racial discrimination, female equality, etc. But Wu Yuchen did not want to shoot anything about Jews or blacks.

However, there is one subject that has always been favored by the academy, and that is celebrity biographies. Of course, you have to shoot well and achieve a certain level. And "Beautiful Mind" is very high-quality. In its previous life, it won many awards such as Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actress. It is a very good award-winning movie for Wu Yuchen, and it is also The target he was interested in was just that the copyright of the novel had already been bought when he asked his agent to contact him.

Glazer said with a smile: "After the novel was published the year before last, I was deeply moved after reading the ups and downs of Nash's life experience, and then bought the film adaptation rights of the novel from the author."

Wu Yuchen sighed. In fact, "A Beautiful Mind: The Biography of Nash" was not a best-selling novel at all. He originally thought that buying it would be trouble-free, but even this kind of novel was published first.

Wu Yuchen asked in a sincere tone:

"Glazer, I was also shocked by Nash's experience, which gave me a lot of inspiration. I even made a shooting plan for it. I wonder if you can part with it and transfer the adaptation rights to me. I will be very grateful to you. !”

"Of course, but I would like to change the way. How about we cooperate?"

After Glazer finished speaking, he then pointed to Spielberg: "We have a three-way cooperation."

Wu Yuchen looked at Spielberg and asked: "Steven, what's your opinion?"

"I heard Glazer say that you wanted to buy the copyright of this novel, and I knew that you wanted to film him, so I brought him here specially. I am very willing to promote this cooperation~"

In fact, movies like "A Beautiful Mind" are what Spielberg most wants Wu Yuchen to make. Because no matter how high the cost of this kind of movie is, it won't be much higher. It will definitely not exceed 100 million. Even if a big-name star is invited to come, 60 to 70 million will be enough. Looking at the few movies Wu Yuchen has shot in the past, they are suitable for movies that are not too expensive and have characters as the core.

Wu Yuchen looked at Spielberg, who was smiling at him, and roughly understood that the two people should have discussed it before coming. At the same time, he mentally guessed that the Glazer in front of him was probably a Jew.

Then he looked at Glazer: "Okay, how do you want to cooperate?"

Glazer was overjoyed when he heard this, and then asked: "Wu, you just said that you have made a shooting plan. If you are the director, how much money do you plan to spend on shooting?"

"Six to seventy million."

"I can offer 10 million, plus the rights to adapt the novel, and my producer's remuneration, accounting for 20%. How about it?"

Wu Yuchen did not answer immediately after hearing this, but looked at Spielberg.

Spielberg said to Wu Yuchen: "Wu, if you can control the cost to 60 million, as you said at the beginning, you will get 20% of the full copyright director's salary."

Hearing the director's salary, Wu Yuchen nodded with satisfaction, but still said: "Hey, Steven, how about giving me some investment share in this movie?"

"Wu, isn't 20% of the full copyright remuneration enough to satisfy you?"

"Steven, didn't you complain that DreamWorks' finances were a little tight before? I just want to help you share some of the pressure~"

Spielberg smiled and shook his head: "'Gladiator' is currently doing very well at the box office, and there is no financial pressure on DreamWorks. And this movie has to be shot next year anyway, right?"

Wu Yuchen sighed inwardly after hearing this. He actually wanted to get more investment. The box office of this movie was also super profitable. In his previous life, the global box office was 480 million, which can be said to be a good harvest in terms of box office and reputation.

However, the copyright is not in my hands now, and the two opposite parties have obviously already agreed, so earning 20% ​​of the director's full copyright remuneration is not bad. But thinking about it from another perspective, he actually made this movie mainly for the awards. Now that the project is in his hands, it can be considered that he has achieved his initial goal.

"make a deal."