Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 411: Candidate Issue

Whether Jeff Robinov will listen to him or not, Cao Yang doesn't know.

Someone who reaches the position of president of Warner Bros. might act impulsively for short-term gains, but after calming down, they will most likely be able to see things clearly.

People in this position have some understanding of American and Jewish capital, including some shady practices and methods that ordinary people are unaware of.

Jeff Robinoff remained silent for a while before sighing and dropping the subject. Instead, he asked Cao Yang:
"Cao, to be honest, after reading the script, if... it really happens, Joker will be the strongest contender for Best Picture and Best Director at next year's Oscars."

Therefore, even if it doesn't necessarily perform well at the box office, we must take this film seriously for the sake of the Oscars.

"So, Jeff, what do you mean?"

Jeff Robinoff waved his hand and said generously, "The best! I want the production of this movie to be the best, the actors, the crew, the equipment, the locations, and so on, all the best."

He then laughed and said, "Of course, we already have the best producers, directors, and screenwriters, which is the most important thing."

In addition, I plan to allocate an additional $10 million in separate budget, and from this moment on, this money will be used for the prize pool.

To hell with the Oscars! A new war, a new battle for awards, has begun, starting now.

Well, at this moment, Cao Yang was a little unsure what to say.

I've seen people aiming for the prize eight months in advance, six months in advance, and even three or four months in advance.

But have you ever seen someone aiming for the lottery a year in advance?
He finally saw it.

From Jeff Robinoff's words, Cao Yang could also tell that the president of Warner Bros. seemed determined to win the Oscar.

However, the box office prospects seem less promising.

That's true. Even Batman, a superhero with a huge fan base, didn't sell well. And the Joker, a villain with not much popularity, doesn't seem like a likely box office hit if made into a movie on his own.

Moreover, it is evident from the script that this film is an art film with satirical elements, exploring human nature and reflecting reality.

"What a pity, Heath Ledger is dead."

Jeff Robinoff shook his head with a sigh and said to Cao Yang:

"Cao, I know you initially wanted to link Joker with the sequel to Batman, and Heath Ledger was also one of your choices for the lead role, but he died from an overdose a month ago, which is a great pity."

I know his death may have disrupted your plans, but things still need to be resolved. Do you have a backup plan?

Cao Yang could tell that Jeff Robinoff's words contained regret, but not for Heath Ledger's death, but for the trouble that his death had caused for "Joker".

He misunderstood.

He thought that after Cao Yang collaborated with Nolan to produce the Batman sequel, his Joker film would definitely feature Heath Ledger, who played the Joker in Batman, thus creating a synergy effect.

After all, if the Batman sequel is a huge hit, this kind of collaboration is essentially a super-luxurious promotional video for Joker. Having the same person play the Joker in both movies makes it easier for viewers to connect with the film.

Cao Yang certainly had backup options.

It's not really fair to call him a backup option; from the very beginning, he never intended to use Heath Ledger.

Cao Yang was considering keeping the original cast, with Joaquin Phoenix still playing the male lead.

Although it was a decade or so earlier than expected, Joaquin Phoenix has been working in the art-house film industry for years, and his acting skills are still quite good.

This is evident from the fact that he has been nominated for Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor, as well as Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor, for different films.

Of course, Cao Yang doesn't have high requirements for acting skills; the main thing is that the character must fit the image.

To be honest, Cao Yang was very impressed with Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of the Joker, especially his dance scenes. The twisted release after repression was a very good portrayal and interpretation of the Joker's personality.

Cao Yang's only concern was whether Joaquin Phoenix, who was ten years younger, fit the image of the Joker.

Do you have any candidates in mind?

Cao Yang asked Jeff Robinoff.

Since the other party brought up the issue of the lead actor, they must have been prepared.

Of course, with Cao Yang's "New Pirates of the Caribbean" about to break the $10 billion mark, even the president of Warner Bros. cannot interfere with his personnel decisions for a film with an investment of "only" seventy or eighty million dollars.

At most, I can only offer Cao Yang some advice.

Jeff Robinoff laughed and said, "What do you think of Nicolas Cage? His recent 'National Treasure' series did quite well at the box office, and his acting is good too. After all, he won an Oscar for Best Actor. I think he should be able to play the Joker well."

“I heard he’s not doing so well lately; apparently, his finances are on the verge of bankruptcy.”

Cao Yang thought for a moment and then said.

Cage's acting skills are quite good; he's the type who can handle both art-house and commercial films, and his age matches the Joker, but his appearance is a bit lacking.

Cao Yang simply couldn't imagine him playing the Joker Arthur.

"Because his condition is not very good, there will be a significant reduction in his salary, so the cost performance is still quite good."

Jeff Robinoff explained.

Cao Yang thought about Cage's image as the Joker again... but decided against it; it wasn't suitable.

Starting this year, Nicolas Cage first went bankrupt, and then, in order to pay off his debts, gradually became known as the "King of Bad Movies".

Cao Yang is confident that if Cage stars in his own "Joker," it could make him popular again, which would likely prevent him from becoming the "King of Bad Movies."

But Cage's image just doesn't fit.

He can portray decadence, but his decadence carries a touch of toughness and roguishness.

This is different from the Joker's decadence.

"Never mind, he's not the right image for this."

Cao Yang refused outright.

Jeff Robinoff nodded. Since Cao Yang said that his image was not suitable, then it was not suitable. He did not think that he could compare with Cao Yang in terms of casting.

"What about Depp? We can invite Depp too."

Although Johnny Depp is now one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, his acting skills are beyond question, as evidenced by his two Academy Awards for Best Actor.

In terms of box office appeal, "Inception" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" are two consecutive films that have grossed over $9 million worldwide. Need I say more?
Cao Yang shook his head and said with a smile, "His image isn't suitable either."

Johnny Depp's image is not only suitable for playing "weirdos," but he also exudes a certain "nobility" and "aloofness" when playing other roles, which is one of the reasons why he was named the sexiest man in the world by Hollywood media.

He's not suited to play a lowly, underdog character like the Joker.

Even though he played a "small man" in "Sweeney Todd," there's no denying that his "small man" was sexy and had an air of nobility.

In other words, it's somewhat detached from reality. Arthur in "Joker" is a truly ordinary person, someone who looks like a regular person at first glance—not sexy, lacking charisma, and appearing very mediocre.

The more mediocre a character is in all aspects, the more vivid and three-dimensional they become when they erupt and create a strong contrast.

Jeff Robinoff has been considering this issue since Heath Ledger's death, and these days he has prepared three alternatives by taking into account various factors.

He wasn't entirely satisfied with this last option.

But at this moment, since Cao Yang had rejected the first two options, he could only mention the third one.

What do you think of Jim Carrey?

Jeff Robinoff paused for a moment before continuing, "I didn't know how you were going to portray the Joker, so I just put myself in his image from Batman. I think Jim Carrey's image is fine."

He then shook his head and said with a wry smile, "But compared to Nicholas and Depp, his disadvantages are too obvious."

Perhaps before 04, he was the all-powerful super Jim Carrey, but since he wanted to change his image in 04, he has no longer been Hollywood's most box office draw superstar.

The 04 film "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" was only so-so, but it did receive two Oscar nominations.

But his subsequent films, *The Unfortunate Adventures of Raymond Snicket*, *The New Money-Grubbers*, and *Number 23*, failed to make money. For a star of his caliber, using him was simply not cost-effective.

It's not just that it's poor value for money.

Jeff Robin Novton was being too mild-mannered.

Jim Carrey is a member of the $20 million club, and one of the earliest members.

Back in 1996, he earned $2000 million for his role in "The Hitman's Secret Service," the highest salary ever paid to any actor at the time.

Of course, this refers to pure remuneration, excluding profit sharing and bonuses.

It's important to know that Jim Carrey not only received a $2000 million salary, but also a share of the profits.

After a less-than-successful transition with "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," Jim Carrey returned to his forte: comedy films.

but.

Released in 04, "The Unfortunate Adventures of Lemon Snicket" had a budget of $1.2 million, grossed $1.19 million in North America and $0.9 million overseas, for a total box office of just over $2 million.

Released in 05, "The New Money Couple" had a budget of $1 million, grossed $1.1 million in North America and $0.92 million overseas, for a total box office of just over $2 million.

Then Jim Carrey transitioned again, taking on the role in the suspense thriller "The Number 23".

Perhaps due to the fact that three consecutive films were not profitable, or perhaps because his transition to comedy was not his forte, the producers and Jim Carrey negotiated and did not adopt the traditional model of a $2000 million salary plus profit sharing.

Instead, they abandoned the traditional upfront payment model and adopted a revenue-sharing model of "zero upfront payment + 35% global box office revenue sharing".

His global box office revenue sharing is not a share of the total box office revenue, but rather a 35% share of the money that ends up in the hands of the producer after deducting various expenses such as theater fees.

This suspense film, which had a budget of only $3300 million and no high actor salaries, grossed $07 million in North America and $0.35 million overseas after its release in 0.42, for a total box office of $0.78 million.

These films also demonstrate that his box office performance is truly stable.

Given Jim Carrey's star power, if one or two of his movies don't make money, as long as the word-of-mouth is good, it won't have a big impact.

However, it's a bit awkward considering his high salary and profit sharing, with four consecutive films failing to make a profit at the box office.

You think his movie will lose money? To be honest, it really won't.

Over a longer timeframe, revenue can be generated through offline DVD rentals and new media streaming, along with potential for developing related merchandise, potentially leading to further profits.

But considering Jim Carrey's status, it's a bit unreasonable for him to make money over time if the box office doesn't pay off.

In short, his box office performance shows that he is frighteningly "stable" and also embarrassingly indecisive.

If Lao Jin wants to get good resources in the future, he may only be able to adopt a revenue-sharing model like "Zero upfront payment + global box office revenue sharing" like "The Number 23".

In this way, the producers will not bear the risk of upfront payment for his high salary, but will transfer the risk to the box office – how much money they can get depends on the box office performance of your movie.

If the box office is high, you get a bigger share.

If the box office is low, you'll get a smaller share.

However, given Jim Carrey's current mediocre situation, if he doesn't make concessions on his salary, he shouldn't even think about working with big directors in the future, as they don't need his "stable" box office returns.

However, given Jim Carrey's "stable" situation, he really won't lack resources. Many Hollywood film companies actually lack his kind of "stable" box office performance.

After all, this can be considered a kind of alternative box office guarantee – you may not make money at the box office, but you won't lose much either, and you will definitely make money through subsequent offline accumulation.

Cao Yang did give Jim Carrey a serious consideration.

Jim Carrey's portrayal of a "little guy" is very fitting for the Joker character.

This can also be seen from his most classic film, The Truman Show.

In addition, Joaquin Phoenix, who played the original Joker, once said in an interview that his portrayal of Arthur the Joker, especially his smile, was an imitation of Jim Carrey's "The Mask".

Cao Yang suddenly felt that Jim Carrey could also play the role of Joker well.

However, Jim Carrey's $2000 million salary and profit sharing are a bit inappropriate, as he is not exactly a box office draw anymore.

For a director of Cao Yang's stature, Jim Carrey's value for money is too low.

Most importantly, as the film's main producer, the revenue-sharing terms agreed upon with Warner Bros. included the entire production team.

In other words, if he were to find a big star who would take a cut, Warner might symbolically contribute a portion due to the star's status and influence, but the majority of the revenue would still be taken from him.

Warner Bros. certainly wouldn't be a sucker and take on all of Jim Carrey's box office revenue.

"Jeff, you could try contacting Jim Carrey's agency. Our film is, after all, an art film. Ask them how much of a discount they're willing to accept on his salary."

By the way, there will definitely be no box office revenue sharing, so this needs to be made clear to them beforehand. Ideally, the actor's salary should be around 40% of the box office revenue; anything higher will not be considered.

Additionally, you can tell Jim Carrey and his agency that the camera and focus are almost entirely on the male lead in this film; I think they'll understand what I mean.

Jeff Robinoff laughed. He understood. Of course he understood. Wasn't this just a way of telling them that this movie was aiming for an Oscar or a Best Actor award from one of the three major European film festivals?

"Jeff, do you know Joaquin Phoenix? He starred in Gladiator, which earned him Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor."

And then there's "Walking with the Song," which he starred in two years ago, earning him Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for Best Actor.

Jeff Robinoff nodded and said, "I know him. He starred in 'Walk the Line,' which was released by Warner Bros."

"Contact him and have him come over for an audition. I want to see what he looks like."

Once the lead actor for "Joker" is confirmed, Cao Yang will definitely not personally audition for the other less important roles; he will simply leave it to a professional company.

(End of this chapter)