Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 318 Press Conference

How confident is Cao Yang about remaking "Pirates of the Caribbean"?

If it weren't for Bruckheimer's failed version, he would certainly have been very confident of success.

Johnny Depp's portrayal of the eccentric captain once drew countless people to the theaters.

But given the stereotypes in the first version, who knows if turning a former supporting actor into the male lead will be criticized by viewers who have already seen it?
Besides, the protagonist is so cheeky and abnormal.

Cao Yang had considered starting filming from the second installment if he took over, but that would have made the sense of disconnect even more pronounced.

Since we're going to remake it, let's start from scratch, slightly change the plot of the first movie, and reshoot it from the very first one.

In this way, the first installment can use two male leads to minimize the audience's "hostility" towards a neurotic male protagonist.

Furthermore, there is an advantage to the fact that the first version of "Pirates of the Caribbean" was released in 03. If Cao Yang were to remake it, the earliest it could be released would be next summer, and it might not even be released during the summer season.

This period lasted four years.

Four years is a long time; for an unsuccessful film, it's almost forgotten.

This can reduce a lot of stereotypes.

Furthermore, if Depp were to reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow, his fame would be far greater now; being a two-time Oscar winner is no joke, which is an advantage.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Cao Yang provided the answer.

"I'm probably about 70% sure."

Cao Yang replied that this was a film he felt relatively uncertain about.

"What? How much?"

Robert Iger thought he was hallucinating, or that Cao Yang was joking.

70% certainty?

Are you kidding me?

If an original film undergoes extensive market research and you're 60% confident in its success, then you're definitely ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work.

Moreover, this is a reboot film that is even more difficult to make than an original film.

70% certain? If you really are 70% certain, then I, Robert Iger, the current CEO of Disney, am definitely going to be your friend!
Are you serious?

Robert Iger wanted to ask that question, but looking at Cao Yang's expression, he didn't seem to be joking, so he suppressed the thought and didn't ask it.

Are you interested in any male actors?

Robert Iger asked a question.

Cao Yang nodded and said, "I plan to use two main characters. One main character will still be the blacksmith, and the other main character will be Captain Jack Sparrow. Captain Jack Sparrow will have a more prominent role."

"Dual protagonists?"

Robert Iger thought about it and didn't raise any objections. It wouldn't be a problem to have a pirate as the main character in the Pirates of the Caribbean project, although it might be a bit too much for the audience to take seriously.

"I plan to cast Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow."

Cao Yang continued.

"Depp?"

Robert Iger nodded. He is now a top Hollywood star in terms of both fame and influence, but his personality is a bit eccentric. Many people can't handle him and secretly call him "Weird Depp".

However, he believed that Cao Yang could definitely handle it, after all, Depp was Cao Yang's go-to actor and was promoted by Cao Yang. He had heard that Depp listened to Cao Yang.

Then there's no problem. Depp is expensive, and he might ask for a share of the box office revenue, but a reboot movie needs to be successful. If it succeeds, the future profits will far outweigh any small share.

Undoubtedly, Depp's presence will greatly increase the film's success rate.

Cao Yang and Depp made for a truly successful golden combination.

Hmm, there might actually be a 70% chance!

Robert Iger was overjoyed. If the Pirates of the Caribbean reboot could be successful, Disney would have a successful live-action adaptation, which would be very beneficial to Disney's development.

Before Cao Yang met with Robert Iger, Bellman had already finalized his talks with Disney, otherwise this meeting wouldn't have happened.

Another week later, Cao Yang and Disney had finalized the specific details of their cooperation, even mentioning the series.

This is something Cao Yang insisted on discussing.

Robert Iger didn't seem to care. He had considered a sequel, but his main focus was on making a good reboot of the film.

Therefore, they were not so concerned about Cao Yang's various priorities regarding the sequel.

He only added one condition: the prerequisite for a sequel, which is the various priority rights added by Cao Yang, is that the new "Pirates of the Caribbean" must have a global box office of no less than $400 million.

In Robert Iger's view, $400 million is an exorbitant sum for the reboot of a failed film, and $400 million undoubtedly signifies a very successful reboot.

In this film, Cao Yang received a tiered box office revenue share.

His base share of the box office is 6% of the total global box office, which is a bit low for his current status.

No problem, as long as the global box office reaches $2 million, the tiered revenue sharing agreement will be automatically activated.

With a global box office of $2 million, Cao Yang will receive 8% of the total box office revenue.

With a global box office of $3 million, Cao Yang will receive 10% of the total box office revenue.

With a global box office of $4 million, Cao Yang will receive 13% of the total box office revenue, which equals his share of the box office revenue from "Inception".

With a global box office of $6 million, Cao Yang will receive 15% of the total box office revenue.

With a global box office exceeding $8 million, Cao Yang will receive 18% of the total box office revenue. As a reboot of a failed film, achieving this level of box office success is extremely difficult.

What if the box office is even higher? For example, over 10 billion.

Ha, that's impossible.

Cao Yang himself didn't believe it could have a global box office of over 10 billion.

Don't say Cao Yang doesn't believe it; even Robert Iger didn't expect it to have a huge box office. His goal was very realistic: $4 million. That was his biggest expectation for the film.

So, at the $4 million mark, he increased Cao Yang's share to 13%, the same as that of "Inception".

However, as Cao Yang's negotiator and the head of the team, Bellman insisted on adding a box office revenue sharing agreement for a total global box office of over $10 billion, and even gave an astronomical figure, directly raising it to 25%.

Robert Iger laughed heartily for a while, but did not refute the clause. Instead, he said to Cao Yang very seriously:
"Cao, if 'New Pirates of the Caribbean' can gross a billion dollars worldwide, I'm willing to give up 25% of the box office revenue."

To be honest, I'm really looking forward to that day.

October 7th is the last day of the National Day holiday in China.

On this day, Disney CEO Robert Iger and Cao Yang held a press conference together.

At the press conference, Robert Iger announced that Disney will invest $1.6 million to remake the live-action film based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

Furthermore, Cao Yang was hired as producer, screenwriter, and director to jointly create "New Pirates of the Caribbean".

(End of this chapter)