Rebirth of America, this is my era

Chapter 160 Steve Ross

"Oh, Michael - you misunderstood. I don't look down on Paramount, nor do I look down on Star Trek. This project is just a spur-of-the-moment idea. If you have inquired about its details, you should know that Dan O'Bannon contacted you a long time ago, but the project was stalled due to some personal reasons. Now his partner has found me, and George has convinced him. It's that simple..."

"Hi Tang En, yes, yes, I'm in Los Angeles again... Oh, my trip this time is just a wonderful accident... No, No, No, I really like you Disney. You know, I grew up watching Mickey Mouse. When I was little, the thing I looked forward to most was for my aunt and uncle to take me to Disneyland in Anaheim... Ah - this project is still a live-action science fiction movie, and the script comes from Lucasfilm... I also want to cooperate with you Disney, but if I remember correctly, we at Disney don't seem to have any live-action movie business? Oh - this is really a pity -"

"Hello, Mr. Sheenberg. I heard your story from Steven a long time ago. Your training and care for him is really a legend in Hollywood... Yes, yes, yes! I am in Los Angeles now, working on a film project. Steven should have told you everything, right? Okay, okay, after the project budget is out, if we are short of funds, we will definitely come to you, Universal... What? Distribution? Oh - I don't understand this - Steven and George are the producers of this film, and I have entrusted the film project to them... Oh! I understand. When Steven comes back, I will definitely ask him how the film industry works..."

"Roy? Oh my good friend, why are you here--"

That's right!

The so-called "put the six big on the belt and move forward" and "smash the six big's head" are just Ethan's empty talk in front of Xiao Si, to satisfy his desire to talk and to show off.
As for really ignoring the six tough Hollywood figures?
Ethan Jones is indeed handsome, but his handsomeness is not earned by his intelligence!

When the Hollywood giants were notorious and Fox had even stated that it was the Big Six that joined together to force North American theaters to ban the purchase of video arcade machines in order to prevent their box office revenues from being diluted by emerging entertainment, no matter how confident Ethan Jones was, he would not be foolish enough to declare war on the Big Six.

That's right. When Lucasfilm convinced Dan O'Bannon that as long as he sold the script of "Star Monsters", Lucasfilm and Ethan's Destiny Game would support him in making his own movies in the future when his directing skills improved, the first thing Ethan did was to set up a wholly-owned subsidiary called Destiny Pictures in Los Angeles in the name of Destiny Game. Then, he completed the delivery of the "Alien" script in broad daylight for US$50,000 and a 0.05% commission on the box office, videotapes, TV station licensing fees, novel publishing licensing fees, and movie character-related toys of a single movie, as well as the right to sign the sequel.

Although it seems like a lot, it is actually not much, because Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett can only draw $50,000 when the five incomes reach $100 million.

And this price is actually the industry price in Hollywood.

no way……

No matter which circle you are in, being a newcomer means you will be exploited.

If you want to make a lot of money, you either have to be lucky like George Lucas and give up the income from a single movie in exchange for the copyright of a super IP, or become a son of the plane like Steven Spielberg, and make every movie a hit, and keep it popular for decades.

As the news spread, the film company executives who had visited earlier used various tricks to get the phone number of Ethan's new company, and called without hesitation, followed by a round of complaints and attempts to win him over.

Paramount's president Michael Eisner bluntly stated on the phone that Ethan looked down on Paramount, otherwise why would he choose to make a movie alone?

Disney CEO Dwayne Tatum said sadly that the children at Disneyland were actually looking forward to the characters on the screen jumping around on the screen.

MCA CEO and President Sidney Sheinberg was surprised by Ethan's choice, but because he had a good relationship with Steven Spielberg, when he called, he directly invited Ethan to co-produce the film, expressing his willingness to invest and work with Ethan to create a science fiction thriller. He was also willing to take on the distribution work so that Ethan could concentrate on making games.

Yes, even if Ethan has not made any public statement, the whole world knows that he will make games for the new movie. There is no reason, just belief.

Under such circumstances, there would naturally be no shortage of greetings from other companies. The most interesting one was from Roy Disney. After learning that Ethan had established his own film company at the speed of light, he rushed directly to the office building that Destiny Pictures had just rented in Century City. Looking at the office area that had not yet been set up, he said with great sorrow: "Oh Ethan - why are you making your own movies?"

"And it's a science fiction movie?"

“Although science fiction is booming right now, fairy tales are eternal!”

"Because in this world, children's money is the easiest to make!"

"Those who like science fiction are all adult men, and most of them have their own worldview. If you produce content they like, they will definitely chase you crazily and worship you as a god. But if one day in the future, your views are not accepted by them, they will definitely leave you without mercy! So, even if you want to make a movie, you should make an animation!"

When Roy Disney held Ethan's hand and advised him not to go astray, those sincere words almost made Ethan cry! Then... he called Gary Kurtz, the general manager of Destiny Pictures, and asked him to accompany Roy Disney, and he ran away.

If he didn't know about the internal fighting in the Disney family, Ethan Jones might have listened carefully to Roy Disney's advice, but now...

You want to use me as a gun?
Ah--

There are no doors!

The windows are blocked for you too!
Speaking of Gary Kurtz, the general manager of Destiny Pictures, he was the first employee after the film company was officially established. He was born in 1940 and is exactly 47 years old this year.

He entered the industry in 1965, and his first job was to be an assistant director for Monte Hellman, helping him shoot the movie "The Frightened Lady". Although the movie was not well-known, it brought him a lot of connections because the starring role was the young Jack Nicholson.

Later, he produced many films as a producer, and in the early 1970s, he collaborated with Francis Coppola and became the producer of "American Graffiti". Because the cooperation was very comfortable, George Lucas invited him to take charge of the "Star Wars" crew.

In the future, if there is a "Star Wars 2", the two will definitely work together again.

When Ethan saw this resume, he knew that this guy would definitely be a good steward, because this guy not only has rich production experience, but also has a good master. Gary Kurtz studied under Roger Corman, the king of Hollywood B-movies, and did a lot of work for him. When Roger Corman can let him go and push him out, then this guy will definitely be able to control the budget of the company's projects.

no way……

Who made Roger Corman the most famous stingy person in Hollywood?
When the company has been established, the script has been obtained, the general manager is in place, and the lineup of producers is unprecedented, and it is estimated that only they can replicate it. Then the film project will move forward naturally. They are waiting for everyone to sit down and study whether the script needs to be revised by the script doctor, and then come up with a budget based on the script, and then try to invite directors in the evaluation circle...

Ethan said nothing and crossed out his name on the script first.

Then I wrote Alien.

This situation attracted everyone's puzzled looks. He shrugged and said, "I think the name Alien is enough. Just like Jaws, you can't let the audience see the horror in the title. That will only make them mentally prepared."

Everyone was stunned by this explanation, and then nodded.

Since the boss who paid for the show doesn't like the original title, then just change it.

After staring at the script for a while, Xiao Lu smiled and said, "Ethan, do you have any other ideas? For example, actors? Director? And the plot?"

"Do you need us to design any plot for the game?"

At the same time, he also said bluntly: "Although Steven and I can accept your intervention in the project, we both hope that your intervention will be completed now."

"Because when the project is officially launched, if you interfere with it, it may affect the production of the film. After all, people in our industry have more or less artistic pursuits. Steven doesn't like others to edit his film, and I... at most I can tolerate him editing my film. As for other people... even if I am more civilized, I will say Go out."

"Oh - no more -" Ethan liked Lucas' serious attitude.

"You have the final say from now on." He smiled and clapped his hands.

Although Ethan could decide who would direct the film, he didn't want to do so.

The reason is very simple, that is, Steven Spielberg is listed as the producer.

As the most successful director in the commercial field, the cumulative box office record that only James Cameron can break has proved his talent in movies. In this case, changing the name is enough, and the rest is to make a game based on the prototype of the monster in the movie.

Ethan's letting go allowed the discussion of the project to continue. While Stoudemire and Luke took over the reins of producer, the calm outside world was undercurrent.

In Burbank, at Warner's headquarters, Chairman and CEO Steve Ross was leaning back in his high-backed boss chair, his eyes slightly closed, his face solemn, listening attentively to the reports of his subordinates in a row in front of him.

"According to our latest survey results, the cumulative sales of the video game Star Wars launched by Destiny this year have exceeded 30,000 units. Judging from the sensation Star Wars caused in our country, the total sales of this game in our country may exceed 50,000 units, bringing Destiny at least 100 million in cash revenue."

"At the same time, Destiny's products have also caused a sensation in the comics market. Snake brought Ethan Jones at least 20 million US dollars in revenue, and Pac-Man is expected to reach 50 million. According to the information we got from Fox, they have reached a consensus with Ethan Jones and are preparing to launch the Star Wars movie in the comics market next summer. With the cooperation between the two parties, the guaranteed revenue of the Star Wars game in the comics market should exceed 100 million."

"Although these expected revenues cannot be realized immediately, the current value of the Destiny Game should be more than one billion US dollars, and their cash reserves should be more than 30 million US dollars."

"Since they are a private company, we cannot get a share allocation, but..."

"The company should be under the full control of Ethan Jones, as his sister has not had any financial disputes with him so far."

A white man with a buzz cut carefully read the document in his hand.

His words made Warner's chairman Steve Ross nod slightly, "Yeah."

Steve Ross used the tip of his nose to make a sound to indicate knowledge.

Then he waved his hand and said, "Next."

As soon as he finished speaking, another white man in a suit immediately raised the document in his hand and reported: "Chairman, according to your request, we have carefully investigated Apple Computer Company."

"So far, Apple Computer's main product is the APPLE 2 personal computer developed by Steve Wozniak, which has the second largest market share in the industry, about percent."

"The performance of this computer is not the best in the industry, and its price is not competitive. Its real selling point is the color image display created by Steve Wozniak and the supporting electronic game function. So far, there are more than 30 electronic game cards in circulation on the market. Users only need to enter the corresponding code into the machine according to the instructions on the electronic game card, and they can play games on the computer. This way of combining education with entertainment has been welcomed by many people."

"Moreover, as far as we know, Steve Jobs, the current CEO of Apple Computer, is interested in negotiating procurement cooperation with major schools in our country. The selling point is that their computers can teach programming."

"Although we did not analyze whether the cooperation they were seeking was feasible before we came here, we have already calculated their expected revenue this year. Based on their current shipment volume, their main business revenue this year should exceed 100 million yuan."

“The total value of the company should also exceed one billion US dollars.”

"And Ethan Jones owns 30% of the shares, and his estimated net worth is over... 300 million."

When talking about the figure of 300 million, the white man's voice trembled.

Although it returned to normal quickly, everyone present noticed the subtle change.

Such a situation made Warner chairman Steve Ross, who was resting with his eyes closed, chuckle.

He waved again and said, "Next."

As he called, the third white man appeared.

"Chairman, according to your request, we have carefully investigated Chuck Pete Chip Company. Chuck Pete Chip Company is a subsidiary of MOS, established to avoid the legal issues of MOS 6502. So far, they have sold more than 6502 chips."

"Although their chip shipments beat those of Intel and Motorola, their operating income was not good because of their low prices. Perhaps because their products sold well but they did not make money, when MOS started to develop 16-bit chips, some people in the chip team were dissatisfied with the product pricing and chose to leave, which led to the 16-bit chip being difficult to produce."

"This situation has made MOS very anxious. According to the information we have received, the shareholders of this company are also very dissatisfied with the difficult birth. Among all their shareholders, the most dissatisfied is Allen Bradley, an automation equipment manufacturing company located in Milwaukee."

When the name Allen Bradley appeared, Steve Ross suddenly opened his eyes.

He looked at his subordinates and said, "If I remember correctly, this is a military company?"

"Yes." The white subordinate said quickly.

“Why do they own a majority stake in MOS?”

"Because they provided chips to Texas Instruments during the calculator wars, so they bought shares in MOS. But who knew that those calculator manufacturers were crushed by HP overnight."

This reason made Steve Ross's face clear.

Then he closed his eyes again and said, "Next."

When the fourth white man came forward, he reported on the situation of Jones and Johnson Agricultural Production Company. "According to our latest information, Ethan Jones and his family currently own more than 6,000 acres of agricultural land in Santa Clara County, making them a major farmer in the area."

"Ethan Jones' uncle, Thomas Johnson, the father of his sister Evelyn Johnson, has been invited by a local agricultural cooperative. If nothing goes wrong, he will be given a position in the next term of the organization." As the report ended, Warner Chairman Steve Ross, who was leaning there, moved his index finger slightly and knocked on the armrest. When the tapping sound appeared, everyone present felt a pain in their hearts.

The inexplicable pressure made them want to escape from here.

As soon as this thought came up, Steve Ross laughed.

"Ethan Jones was born in 1955, right?"

"Twenty-two years old this year?"

"A 22-year-old kid already has control over such a huge fortune?"

"Wow - this speed is faster than digging for oil -"

Although he sighed, there was no smile on his face.

When he opened his eyes again, his cloudy eyes were full of sharpness.

"A guy like this coming to Hollywood is an accident? Do you believe it?"

His eyes swept over several of his subordinates one by one.

Those guys just hung their heads and no one answered.

Because, just two months ago! Warner was still fighting the Fate Game head-on!

So far, their defamation lawsuit against Warner and Destiny Game has remained at a standstill!
This result made Steve Ross raise his eyebrows and said, "You don't believe it, right?"

"very good--"

"Then tell me, what should we do when facing Ethan Jones's proactive punch?"

"Ok?"

That's right!

While several other companies were openly asking Ethan about the situation, the Warner headquarters was freezing cold!
If Ethan Jones's behavior is difficult to understand for the other companies, then for Warner, this blatant establishment of a company and launching a project is a demonstration!
Ethan Jones just defeated their subsidiary Atari in the video game industry, and then went straight into the film industry, which is what Warner Bros. is best at?
The fucking fist was swinging towards their faces!

Other film and television companies may be able to wait and see, but they can’t!
The silence of his subordinates also made Steve Ross turn away.

He folded his arms and laughed.

"what happened?"

"Afraid?"

"If you're scared by something as small as this, then you should leave Warner as soon as possible!"

"You are not welcome in this company with more than 50 years of history!"

Such words made the faces of the Warner executives standing in a row grim.

After looking at the company chairman for a moment, the white man who was responsible for collecting detailed information about the Destiny game spoke up, "Boss, after two months of rest, Atari's current situation is far better than expected. The current CEO Redmond Casa has officially approved the Superman project. If nothing goes wrong, the Superman arcade game will be released together with the movie."

"When we promote Superman, a character with market influence, to the public, it will definitely attract more public attention. We have tentatively scheduled the release date for Christmas next year, because the popularity of Star Wars will surely decline by then, and Ethan Jones actually likes to squeeze out the market value of a product, so according to our estimate..."

"His next game will be released in 1979 at the earliest."

“We can regain some lost ground before then.”

"Very good." This report made Warner head Steve Ross very satisfied.

He smiled and nodded, then turned his gaze to the second person.

This situation prompted the guy who reported to Apple to step forward and say, "Chairman, although our company may not be able to snipe them in the computer business, when I was collecting intelligence on Apple, I found another piece of news. Commodore International, the company ranked third in the personal computer market share, once cooperated with Allen Bradley, the parent company of MOS, in the calculator field. They also supplied Texas Instruments."

"Although they have not shown any cooperation so far, ... for Commodore International, acquiring MOS may be the best way to regain market position, and we think they may be waiting for the advent of 16-bit chips."

"Okay!" This news made Warner head Steve Ross's eyes light up.

"I see what you mean." He nodded.

Then, he turned his gaze to the third subordinate.

Although his colleague had already told him about his business, the Warner executive who was investigating the Chuck Pete chip company did not show any fear. Instead, he smiled and said, "Boss, the acquisition of MOS can be carried out because as far as we know, another company is also eyeing them. That company is called Rockwell."

"Because they have announced that they will launch a personal computer based on 6502 to the market next year. If this product is good, they will definitely acquire MOS. Or, they will definitely acquire Allen Bradley who holds most of the shares of MOS. Because as long as they acquire them, they can become the largest defense contractor in our country. At the same time, they can also obtain all the power of 6502."

"Hmm--" This information made Steve Ross give a thumbs up.

When he turned his attention to the fourth person, the guy who was investigating the land issue started talking about something else. "Boss, they are too clean on the land issue."

“There may be nothing we can do.”

"But we have sent people to monitor their factory. So far, they have no intention of expanding production. In other words, as of yesterday, they have not yet made a home console."

"The reason why I said they haven't done it is because we firmly believe that they must be doing it. According to the information we have received, they seem to want to cooperate with the Stanford research team to do research on optical storage. If nothing goes wrong, this thing may be used in home consoles."

"So, my suggestion is to spread the news--"

"For Philips."

The fourth person looked at his boss seriously.

“Pa pa pa—” His behavior caused Steve Ross to applaud and said happily: “Brothers! You are awesome!”

"Although Ethan is very powerful now, if it is a sniper attack in a single industry, it may not pose much threat to him, but we at Warner never do those boring things, right?"

"And while you're working so hard, I've got a surprise for you!"

"Now--"

"You'll hear better news!"

Before he finished speaking, Steve Ross picked up the phone on the table and dialed the company's short number.

A moment later, someone knocked on the office door from outside.

He tilted his head slightly, signaling his subordinates to open the door, and as the visitor appeared, everyone present widened their eyes!

"Nolan?" they exclaimed.

"Why are you here?" they wondered.

The bearded Nolan Bushnell came up to Steve Ross with a smile and saluted him respectfully. After the other party nodded, he turned around with a smile and looked at his former colleague.

“Guys—” he said, “Steve is a great leader, and he knows that Atari NextGen’s failure had nothing to do with me.”

"The reason why he fired me in such a hurry was that he hoped I could get more information, more information about Ethan Jones."

"And now, I have results, and I can share it with everyone."

"First, Ethan Jones and his book partner Nintendo fell out."

"I shouldn't go into detail about the details, but I've already reported it to Steve."

"This news is absolutely true."

"Second, a strong ally of Ethan Jones is in trouble. His sister's teacher, Professor Vinton Cerf, who went to the DoD, is being harassed by a private company."

"This message comes from my former partner Don Valentine. He is now paying attention to this company. If there is a chance, I think you can also learn about it, because if nothing unexpected happens, it will be our ally. It is also in California. Its name is Software Development Labs, and its founder is Larry Ellison——"

The words were filled with so much information that Warner executives frowned!

As they cast doubtful glances at their boss, the gray-haired Steve Ross laughed heartily.

"Hahaha--"

"Ethan Jones might think that the battle between businesses is a battle of products."

"But in reality, the quality of the product is only the most basic and least important point, isn't it?"

"Even if he doesn't come to Hollywood, we at Warner won't let him go!"

"And now that he's here——"

"Then let's have fun!"

"Our film and game project will be released next year, right?"

"Then we will fight a protracted war with him!"

"And the horn..."

Steve Ross grinned and said to the leading subordinate, "Go, issue an announcement in the name of our Warner. From today on, all Warner studios will not accept any rentals related to Destiny Pictures. All employees of Warner are not allowed to participate in Destiny Pictures' project invitations. Warner's audio reserves will not be open to Destiny Pictures."

"Didn't Ethan Jones want to make a movie?"

"I let him do it!"

(End of this chapter)