Chapter 261 Negotiation

After entering the new century, the influence of a single original movie cannot be compared with that of a series of movies. It has indeed given birth to many successful movie series, such as "Harry Potter", "Lord of the Rings", "Fast and Furious" and the Marvel series.

But among so many series of movies, there are actually not many choices left for Wu Yuchen. "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" are no longer available. "Fast and Furious" is a complete popcorn movie. Not to mention that it has already been released, and the previous movies did not achieve much at the box office. To be honest, he If we really try to make something like "Fast and Furious", it will only disappoint the audience. It’s not that it’s not good, it’s that he failed to meet the expectations of the audience and the market.

On the other hand, the "Transformers" series, shooting one or two movies, is a better choice than "Fast and Furious".

But now, Wu Yuchen looked at the two Warner executives looking at him expectantly, and they actually gave him an almost best choice!

Wu Yuchen put down his tea cup, and then said slowly: "I don't have time this year, and it may be full next year."

After hearing Wu Yuchen's words, instead of being disappointed, the two Warner executives looked happy. The other party did not refuse, which meant that this matter could be discussed!

"Oh, Wu, we know that your schedule is very full right now. But we at Warner are very sincere and patient, and we are not in a hurry!"

"Wu, do you have any ideas or requests? It doesn't matter, you can put forward anything we can do!"

Seeing the eager attitude of the two people in front of him, Wu Yuchen smiled:

"Indeed, in the process of writing the "Spider-Man" trilogy, I actually sorted out and understood the history of American superheroes. Among them, I had some interesting ideas about Batman~"

That's right, if Wu Yuchen were asked to choose among these series of movies, he would definitely choose to shoot the "Batman" trilogy.

In his previous life, Nolan's fans regarded him as the world's number one director, but it was the "Batman" trilogy that truly promoted Nolan to a major Hollywood director.

The "Batman" trilogy not only achieved dazzling box office results, but also gained a high reputation. It is hailed as the "masterpiece" of superhero movies and the existence of a ceiling for superhero movies, bringing superhero movies to a whole new level.

Even though the Marvel world later gave birth to so many series of movies, such as "Iron Man" and "Avengers", they still cannot compare with the "Batman" trilogy in terms of reputation and status in film history. Especially "Batman 2: The Dark Knight" can be said to be a masterpiece. 20 years later, it is still recognized by many fans as the No. 1 superhero movie!

For Wu Yuchen, if he wants to make a series of movies, the "Batman" trilogy, which has achieved both box office and reputation, is naturally the best choice.

Mag and the other two were overjoyed. They were already prepared to be rejected this time. After all, several major studios came to visit Wu Yuchen before but there was no news. Unexpectedly, Wu Yuchen actually expressed his interest in "Batman". 》Will be interested!

"Oh! Wu, this is great! You, "Batman" and Warner Bros. are definitely a match made in heaven!"

However, Wu Yuchen shook his head again and said: "Don't worry, I haven't finished speaking yet. I have a lot of conditions. If Warner cannot agree, this cooperation may not be possible."

"Wu, please tell me!" Mag quickly stretched out his hand and said.

Wu Yuchen stretched out a finger: "First of all, I want absolute autonomy and freedom."

"Batman" is different from "Pirate King" and "Spider-Man". The script of "Pirate King" was his original work. For "Spider-Man", he got 30% of the copyright from Marvel and worked part-time as a producer, so he is in There is a lot of power in the project. But the copyright of "Batman" is in the hands of Warner, and he must first obtain a guarantee.

Mag did not agree immediately, but asked: "Wu, I would like to ask, how much autonomy and freedom are you talking about?"

Wu Yuchen smiled softly: "This involves my understanding of Batman. I will not simply repeat how powerful Batman is, and blindly exaggerate Batman's extraordinary skills. I don't want to limit it to the stereotype of a superhero. , I want to subvert Batman, explore more of human nature, and expand the connotation and extension of the film as much as possible.”

Mag and his companions looked at each other and frowned slightly. To be honest, Wu Yuchen's words made him have some doubts. Why did Warner ask John Woo to restart "Batman"? Of course it’s to make money!

In McG's view, what are audiences watching when they watch superhero movies? What we see is how powerful the superhero is, how cool he is, how extraordinary his skills are, and how he defeats criminals in various pretentious ways.

But now Wu Yuchen told him that he wanted to subvert this approach and explore more human nature and connotation in superhero movies. Are you making a superhero movie or an art movie?

At this time, Wu Yuchen added with a smile: "By the way, if I were to shoot, the style of the "Batman" series would be more dark."

This makes Mag even more worried. Movies with a darker style are not so friendly to many viewers!

Mag asked: "Wu, will you direct it yourself?"

This point must be made clear, whether Wu Yuchen will only serve as a producer, or whether he will do it himself.

Wu Yuchen nodded: "Yes, I will be the director."

If it were another director who said this, McGonagall might have basically dismissed it by now, but this was said by Wu Yuchen, who made "Pirate King" and initiated "Spider-Man", then It's different again.

Wu Yuchen is a director who can achieve super high box office even if he makes the horror thriller "The Sixth Sense". Taking a detailed look at Wu Yuchen's Hollywood experience so far, there is no movie that failed at the box office. Mag believes that Justin Wu has the ability to control it, explore human nature and give "Batman" more connotations, while ensuring its commercial box office.

Therefore, without much hesitation, he agreed directly: "Wu, you are the leading expert in film creation and shooting. The entire Warner will give you absolute trust, and you will have absolute power in the entire project!"

Wu Yuchen asked with a smile: "Including the final editing rights?"

Mag thought for a moment and replied directly: "Including the final editing rights!"

Wu Yuchen nodded with satisfaction. Being able to give him the final editing rights showed that Warner was indeed quite sincere this time.

But his request is not that simple: "There is also my personal remuneration, 20% of all copyright income."

"Oh no! Wu, this is impossible!" Compared to before, Mag's reaction was very intense.

Both Wu Yuchen and McGonagall know how huge the revenue from movie peripheral copyrights can be. Wu Yuchen has already earned 110 million by relying on 12% of the total copyright income of "Pirate King", and he will earn more every year in the future.

Mag is even more aware that if "Batman" succeeds, the various merchandise and copyright income it will generate will be a huge piece of cake, and it is absolutely impossible for the company to give up this piece of cake.

"Hey, Wu, full copyright of "Batman" is impossible. This is the company's ban and the bottom line. I would rather not start it than let others touch it!" Mag said immediately and seriously.

However, Wu Yuchen did not give up easily: "McG, as far as I know, Spielberg got 20% of the full copyright income of "Jurassic Park" from Universal."

McGonagall immediately retorted: "This is different. Before "Jurassic Park" was released, the novel was only a little famous. When the movie was shot, it didn't have such a high value at all. That's why Universal was willing to give Spielber 20% full copyright.

But "Batman" is different. "Batman" is already a world-renowned super IP. It is absolutely impossible for Warner to give up this piece! Even if James Cameron comes along! "

Looking at Mag's firm attitude, Wu Yuchen also sighed in his heart. It seems that the copyright income of "Batman" is really hard for him to come across!

When Mag saw Wu Yuchen's silence, in order to prevent the atmosphere from getting too tense, he slowed down and said:

"Wu, we can give you the top treatment in Hollywood, 20+20!"

20+20, that is, 20 million US dollars + 20% of the box office share, is indeed a treatment that can only be received by the top few in Hollywood. However, the box office share here refers to the North American box office share. And Wu Yuchen feels that he is now qualified to strive for higher treatment.

"20+20, but I want 20% of the global box office share."

Wu Yuchen began to bargain. The copyright aspect was untouchable, and he could only make demands for the box office share.

Just as McGonagall was about to refute, Wu Yuchen said again: "It's not just one, I will make a trilogy for "Batman". If a brand new trilogy is successful, how much profit will it bring to Warner? I think You know better than me."

Mag was silent for a moment, and then said to Wu Yuchen: "Wu, this is no longer my decision. We need to go back to Warner to discuss it again."

Then, his companion added: "Wu, your conditions have exceeded our expectations. No matter what, I think you need to come up with a complete planning plan for "Batman", otherwise it will be difficult for Warner to agree to your request. ”

Wu Yuchen showed a confident smile: "Of course, since I dare to propose this condition, I will not say it in vain. If Warner is dissatisfied with my "Batman" trilogy plan, then just pretend that I did not say it Pass."

"Wu, anyway, it was a very pleasant exchange today! Besides, your tea is very good~"

After sending away the Warner duo, Wu Yuchen sighed. It seems that it is already difficult to get the full copyright share from the seven major studios.

Ever since Spielberg made a whopping $250 million from "Jurassic Park" with full royalties, major studios have taken this area very seriously. After all, watching so much money continue to flow out is also very painful for big studios.

As for the copyright sharing of big IPs like "Batman", it is even more difficult to touch. They are so tightly held that it is impossible to separate them. That is to say, DreamWorks is weaker than Big Seven, so it agreed to give him the full copyright share from the beginning.

But then he smiled again and took down Marvel in advance, and also received 30% of the profits from "Spider-Man", which was enough money.

There is no rush in the planning and script of the "Batman" trilogy, just write it bit by bit. After all, even if he took it out in a hurry, he wouldn't have time to take pictures in a short period of time.

In the evening, when Wu Yuchen returned to the hotel room, a graceful figure jumped into his arms, hugged his arm and said: "Dear, are you and Warner negotiating for "Batman"?"

Wu Yuchen glanced at Anne Hathaway: "Where did you know that?"

Anne Hathaway didn't hide it either: "My agent told me, and Warner released the news."

Wu Yuchen chuckled. He and Warner had just come into contact. It was not yet certain whether the two parties could reach an agreement. Warner spread the news first. Was it to interest people? Or is it to indicate to other studios that Wu Yuchen has been booked by Warner?

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head: "It's just that the people from Warner came over to have a little chat, and they haven't even mentioned their horoscope yet~"

Anne Hathaway immediately asked: "Honey, is there a role suitable for me?"

Wu Yuchen patted her buttocks and said with a smile: "You are now famous all over the United States, do you still need movies?"

Anne Hathaway plays the heroine in "Spider-Man". There is a very classic scene in the movie, where Spider-Man hangs upside down on a rainy night and kisses the heroine passionately, which instantly became the most romantic screen scene of the year.

This scene was specifically explained by Wu Yuchen before filming, and the effect was also very good. Anne Hathaway immediately left an indelible impression on the public's mind.

Although Anne Hathaway became more popular after this episode, she is not the kind of person who is confused. She knows who really made her famous, and she also knows that major studios are taking turns to visit Wu Yu during this episode. Chen. Therefore, after running a period of promotion for "Spider-Man", he quickly returned to Wu Yuchen, just to see if he could get good resources.

Anne Hathaway said softly: "My dear, how can those other invitations compare with you?"

Wu Yuchen laughed, then hugged her and said: ""Batman" will not be launched in a short time, so don't think about it for the time being."

Anne Hathaway made no secret of her disappointment. But Wu Yuchen didn't pay attention to it. He couldn't give it to him whenever he asked. It would be hard to fill up his appetite once he developed it. Anne Hathaway got off to such a smooth start that she asked him to give her "The Princess Diaries" after she suffered some setbacks in other movies.

If she behaves obediently enough in the next few years, Catwoman in "Batman 3" will naturally be in her hands. This is the way to last!

The next morning, when Wu Yuchen was still sleeping soundly with Anne Hathaway's body in his arms, the ringing of his cell phone woke him up.

"Wu, come on! Roy Disney is going to make a big move!"