Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 317 Disney's Choice
At the end of September, Bellman called to say that the talks with Disney were almost complete, and they had agreed in principle to the tiered revenue-sharing model.

It was also said that Disney CEO Robert Iger wanted to speak with Cao Yang in person.

Cao Yang thought about it for a moment and then agreed.

After getting off the plane in Los Angeles, Bellman was already waiting for him.

What's going on with Warner Bros.?

Cao Yang got into Bellman's car and, instead of asking about Disney, asked about Warner Bros.

It wasn't that Cao Yang wanted to collaborate with Warner Bros., but rather that he was simply curious about Warner Bros.

At first glance, Warner Bros. seemed very interested in Gravity, which had a production cost of over $100 million, and even suggested increasing the production cost to $150 million.

Furthermore, their offer of 10% of the total box office revenue for "Gravity" is quite generous.

What Cao Yang found strange was that after so much talk with Behrman, there was some progress on Warner Bros.' "Batman," but not much progress on "Gravity."

"I learned from Warner Bros. insiders that the person who wanted to finance 'Gravity' was their Vice President Ian Howard, who also oversees Warner Bros.' production work and has a lot of power."

Jeff Robinoff was instrumental in the production of "The Batman," overseeing Warner Bros.' distribution and some production work; he was Warner Bros.' second-in-command.

Berman briefly explained the situation at Warner Bros., and then added, "It is said that Time Warner has questions about the production costs of 'Superman Returns' and is investigating the matter."

Ian Howard, as the vice president in charge of production, was the first to be affected. He was extremely busy lately, so he wasn't as focused on "Gravity."

It turned out to be the case.

Cao Yang nodded. No wonder there was no news about "Gravity," which was previously considered the most promising project for collaboration.

Ian Howard is truly amazing. With a production cost of $2.7 million, Superman Returns is something that would leave anyone with doubts after watching it.

Cao Yang had some expectations for the $1.5 million film "Gravity," but it seems unlikely to turn out that way.

Americans can be incredibly ruthless when they get dirty.

Will Ian Howard get into trouble?

Cao Yang asked curiously.

"How can it be."

As he drove, Bellman laughed and said:

"Warner Bros. isn't just ruled by Ian Howard alone. He has Barry Mayer, the CEO, above him. Jeff Robinoff might even side with Ian Howard in this matter."

The investigation will undoubtedly conclude that everything was legal and legitimate, and every sum of money had a source. However, this serves as a warning; Warner Bros.' leadership won't be so reckless for some time to come.

"Oh."

Cao Yang nodded; it turned out to be a "gang" crime.

That's true. In a company, no matter how much power someone has, they certainly can't act so blatantly. To put it bluntly, these people are just senior employees. Even the CEO doesn't have unlimited power.

But once these upper-level managers collude, things change; there are just too many things they can do "legally and legally."

Well, Cao Yang didn't know the purpose of Warner Bros.' executives doing this; perhaps it was for the better development of the company.

After departing from Los Angeles International Airport, it took more than forty minutes for Bellman to drive Cao Yang to his house in Arcadia, east of Los Angeles.

Cao Yang rested for a day, and the next day, at the agreed location, he met with Disney CEO Robert Iger.

According to information provided by Bellman, Robert Iger is considered a "homegrown" Disney person.

After graduating from college, he joined ABC, a subsidiary of Walt Disney, where he worked for more than 20 years.

Until last year, in 2005, Disney CEO Michael Eisner was ousted, and Robert Iger took over as the new CEO.

Robert Iger made some big moves after taking office. In January of this year, he oversaw the acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios, a famous Hollywood studio, for approximately $7 billion.

However, Disney is not yet the Hollywood behemoth it will become in the future; they do not have that much cash flow, and the acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios was achieved through an equity swap.

Disney acquired Pixar Animation Studios with a 13% stake.

This also made Steve Jobs, the actual controller of Pixar Animation Studios and the founder of Apple, the largest individual shareholder of Disney, owning a little over 6% of Disney's shares.

Before acquiring Marvel, Disney's live-action movies were generally lackluster; they were more famous for their animated films.

Therefore, the acquisition of Pixar Animation, a rising star in the animated film industry, can be considered a powerful alliance.

However, in Robert Iger's plan, live-action films are also an important part of the development, especially films with Disney's distinctive characteristics, which are even more symbolic.

This is also why Robert Iger saw the current trend of comic book adaptations becoming increasingly popular. He wondered if Disney, with its many classic animations and attractions, could also adapt them into live-action movies.
After careful consideration, he felt that the Pirates of the Caribbean project, launched by his predecessor Michael Eisner in collaboration with renowned producer Bruckheimer, was a prime example. The Pirates of the Caribbean adventure game project was perfectly suited for adaptation into a live-action film, instantly recognizable as a Disney production.

Unfortunately, the project was a disaster.

Since even a top-notch producer like Bruckheimer isn't enough, let's find an even more successful filmmaker.

Robert Iger decided to revive the project and set his sights on "more" successful filmmakers in Hollywood.

After going through layers of screening, he even eliminated top Hollywood figures like Spielberg.

The reason is that Spielberg was very successful in the past, but in recent years, the quality of his films has been somewhat unsatisfactory, and the decline in quality has been quite serious.

More importantly, Spielberg is one of the owners of DreamWorks Animation, which is a competitor of Disney and Pixar, so a collaboration is unrealistic.

Then, Cao Yang became Disney's best choice.

"Hello, Director Cao Yang."

"Hello, Mr. Robert."

Robert Iger did not meet with Cao Yang in his office, but instead chose a small conference room that looked quite upscale.

"Just call me Robert, that's what my friends call me. I think we'll become friends, good friends."

After shaking hands with Cao Yang, Robert Iger gestured for Cao Yang to sit down.

"Okay, Robert, you can also call me Cao Yang, or just Cao."

This was Cao Yang's first meeting with the new head of Disney. His first impression of Robert Iger was that he was down-to-earth and had a very cheerful personality.

“I know the surname Cao. There was a great politician in ancient China named Cao Cao. He was an extraordinary person. I think you will also become the most outstanding director in the world.”

Robert Iger knows how to compliment people.

"Robert, believe me, you will become the most successful CEO in Disney's history. Your successful acquisition of Pixar Animation early in your tenure was a very correct decision and has great strategic significance for Disney."

Well, Cao Yang isn't incapable of giving compliments.

Robert Iger laughed heartily, seemingly pleased with Cao Yang's words.

"Cao, do you know what? I want to reboot 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' and I was originally planning to hire Bruckheimer as the producer."

However, he was somewhat resistant to rebooting the film adaptation, saying that even if it were remade, even with Cao Yang as the director, it would be difficult to succeed. So, I gave up on him without hesitation.

I've given this matter considerable thought, and of course I won't change my mind because of his words. So, Cao, as a successful filmmaker and a young, accomplished director, what's your opinion on this?

Beneath his cheerful exterior lies a very aggressive person.

This was Cao Yang's second impression of Robert Iger.

"Robert, to be honest, before a movie is released, no matter how much research you do, you can't guarantee that the movie will be a complete success."

Cao Yang glanced at Robert Iger and then said:

"Pirates of the Caribbean was a failure, but it still had some impact. If I were to take over this film, I would definitely make major changes."

My plan is to abandon traditional narratives and focus on the characters, creating a pirate with a strong personal charisma.

But precisely because of the previous impact, I can't guarantee that these changes will be successful. To be honest, this is the only film I've ever made that I'm not entirely confident about; there are just too many uncertainties.

Robert Iger nodded. He understood what Cao Yang meant. This wasn't an excuse, especially for a director like Cao Yang who had never failed before.

Bruckheimer, the original producer of "Pirates of the Caribbean," is a renowned Hollywood producer. He said something similar when Robert Iger approached him about rebooting "Pirates of the Caribbean."

Remaking a failed film is more difficult than making an original film.

However, on the other hand, if it weren't difficult, who would be willing to spend a lot of money to hire you as a mature IP?

"How sure are you?"

Robert Iger asked.

He believed Cao Yang wouldn't speak carelessly. As he said before, as a director who had never failed, this reputation was very "valuable" in Hollywood.

For example, you might normally get 8% of the box office revenue, but because you're a director who hasn't failed before, you might get 10%.

This reputation is worth at least two percentage points.

It's not that Hollywood is obsessed with this; if it were you, and you were directing an unknown film directed by someone who hasn't failed before, wouldn't you feel more at ease? Wouldn't you have more anticipation for the film?
Robert Iger believes that if Cao Yang takes over, he will definitely value this reboot of "Pirates of the Caribbean" as much as he does.

(End of this chapter)