Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 502 Pros and Cons
Susan Downey and her husband Robert Downey Jr. arrived at an office at CAA headquarters, which is the office of Robert Downey Jr.'s agent, Jimmy Richie.

"Hi, Jimmy."

Susan Downey greeted Jimmy Ricky.

Robert Downey Jr. nodded to Jimmy Ricky and sat down on his own.

He is considered a well-known second-generation star in Hollywood. His father, Robert Downey Jr., is not only a famous actor in Hollywood, but also a renowned director.

His privileged upbringing gave him many of the common traits of celebrity offspring; playboy was simply his most basic label.

In the words of the media, their emotional lives are extremely rich, and their emotional relationships are characterized by short duration and large number.

However, this was before I met Susan Downey.

After meeting and marrying Susan Downey, Robert Downey Jr. changed his former playboy image, and at least on the surface, he and his wife have a good relationship.

What many people don't know is that Susan Downey is an extremely capable woman. She graduated with honors from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, majoring in film production.

He worked at Dark Castle Entertainment early in his career, eventually rising to the position of vice president. By the time he met Robert Downey Jr., he was already the executive vice president of Silver Films, the parent company of Dark Castle Entertainment.

Silver Films is a film production company that has a long-standing partnership with Warner Bros. Many people may not be familiar with this company, but it is one of the top production companies in Hollywood.

It may not be well-known because it is not involved in the distribution business, but it is very famous in the industry.

Just look at the owner of Silver Films to see how powerful this company is.

The owner of Silver Films is Joe Silver, a very famous producer.

In its early years, Silver Films was involved in the production of many famous action films such as "The Duel" and "Lethal Weapon".

If you don't know these, you must have heard of the Die Hard series, The Matrix series, V for Vendetta, Sherlock Holmes, and so on.

Joe Silver was the producer of these films, Silver Pictures was involved in their production, and Susan Downey was the person who actually managed Silver Pictures.

Susan Downey's ability to become the executive vice president of Silver Films and gain Joe Silver's trust speaks volumes about her capabilities.

Robert Downey Jr.'s successful comeback was largely due to the planning and support of Susan Downey.

Despite being represented by CAA, Robert Downey Jr.'s decision-making regarding film selection and production has always been made by Susan Downey.

CAA primarily acts as a liaison and handles Robert Downey Jr.'s business matters.

Robert Downey Jr. knows his own strengths and weaknesses; he is intelligent and self-aware. Therefore, in terms of film resources, he has always prioritized Susan Downey.

To be frank, he's still just a gigolo. Susan Downey's resources far surpass his and his father's.

“Susan, I’ve called you here today because there’s something extremely important I need to discuss with you. It concerns Robert’s future.”

Jimmy Ricky knew that Robert Downey Jr. was just a "figurehead," so he spoke directly to Susan Downey.

Susan Downey's eyes lit up. Combining the news circulating in the industry lately, she asked impatiently, "It's settled? Director Cao Yang has agreed to produce the sequel to 'Iron Man'?"

Jimmy Ricky chuckled and nodded emphatically.

"It has been confirmed that director Cao Yang will take over the sequel to Iron Man. Not only that, he will also create a series of interconnected movies around several key Marvel 'heroes'."

Jimmy Ricky sighed and continued, "This is an unprecedentedly big project. If it succeeds, there might be a dozen or so superhero movies released, which could potentially generate billions of dollars in box office revenue."

After Jimmy Ricky finished speaking, the office fell silent instantly.

Jimmy Ricky and Susan Downey both had the same question on their minds: Will it be successful?
Director Cao Yang is indeed very talented; he is one of the most capable directors in Hollywood, or even in the world.

But this is Marvel, and apart from Spider-Man, the other "superheroes" haven't been very successful in comic book movie adaptations.

With a global box office of over $5 million, Iron Man is currently the highest-grossing Marvel superhero film besides Spider-Man.

To this day, many industry insiders believe that the success of "Iron Man" had a large element of chance.

They all believe that the success of "Iron Man" is due to "The Dark Knight," a collaboration between Cao Yang and Nolan. This film heated up the market and successfully aroused audience interest in comic book adaptations.

As is widely known, Marvel's "Iron Man" is modeled after DC's "Batman".

Both are the epitome of ordinary heroes, both are ordinary people without superpowers, both are super-rich, and both are involved in "black technology".

Or rather, both "Iron Man" and "Batman" possess extremely strong "money power".

In a superhero world where gods fight, they enhance the story's immersion by presenting it from a "mortal" perspective.

While audiences and movie fans were eagerly anticipating the release of "The Dark Knight," a collaboration between Cao Yang and Christopher Nolan, "Iron Man" was released two months earlier, precisely because of its similar positioning, without even daring to wait until the summer season.

The promotional materials also aimed to evoke comparisons with "Batman".

That's why so many industry insiders believe that the huge success of "Iron Man" was purely accidental, and that it benefited from the success of "The Dark Knight".

"What if the sequel to Iron Man doesn't meet expectations?"

Robert Downey Jr. chimed in, then realized his wife and agent were glaring at him. He shrank back and raised his hands to indicate that it was his fault for interrupting.

But undoubtedly, Robert Downey Jr.'s problems are also problems for Jimmy Ricky and Susan Downey.

"Jimmy, you asked us to come here, there must be more to it than just this news, right? Is there something else important?"

Susan Downey changed the subject and asked.

At this point, Jimmy Ricky got excited. He laughed a few times before exaggerating slightly, saying, "The news I'm about to tell you is absolutely fantastic news for Robert."

He first gave Robert Downey Jr., who was sitting with his legs crossed and seemingly lost in thought, a look that said, "You're about to strike it rich," before eagerly saying:
"Director Cao Yang's go-to executive producer sent me a message, wanting to sign a contract with Robert for ten 'Iron Man' movies!"

In other words, director Cao Yang plans to make ten Marvel movies that require Iron Man's appearance, and our Mr. Robert will be the permanent cast as Iron Man in the future!

"Really? Director Cao Yang wants to sign me to a contract for ten films?"

Upon hearing his agent's words, Robert Downey Jr. excitedly stood up, looking intently at his agent, and asked again to confirm, "Director Cao Yang really wants to sign me for ten movies?"

Ten film contracts! And that's for director Cao Yang!
Susan Downey was initially delighted, but unlike Robert Downey Jr. who was overwhelmed with excitement, she quickly calmed down and asked the crucial question:
"How are the ten-film contract guaranteed? If the Iron Man sequel doesn't meet expectations, will there be nine more? If not, what compensation will Robert receive?"

If the film performs well and production continues, what are the regulations regarding actor salaries and profit sharing?
Furthermore, if unforeseen circumstances arise, such as the film not performing as expected, the investment falling short of expectations, or Robert not wanting to continue making the remaining films for other reasons, are there specific clauses triggering contract termination?

"Susan, don't rush, there are many things we can talk about."

Jimmy Ricky pressed his hands down and said, "Everything else is negotiable, but one thing will not change."

At this point, he glanced at Susan Downey before continuing:

"Director Cao Yang's executive producer told me that in these ten films, as long as Robert is the main actor, his salary will increase by 20% every year on the basis of 1000 million, but the upper limit is 5000 million US dollars, and this cannot be changed."

"What? $5000 million?"

Robert Downey Jr. stood up again, pointed to his face, and asked incredulously, "Me, $5000 million salary? For one movie?"

Jimmy Ricky nodded.

"Yes, buddy, a $5000 million salary, but that's the limit, and it's conditional on you getting the lead role in a movie. You might not even get that."

Ignoring what his agent was saying, Robert Downey Jr. turned to his wife and asked, "With a base of 1000 million, and each movie increasing by 20%, how many movies would that be?"

Susan Downey ignored Robert Downey Jr.

"6191 million!"

Jimmy Ricky replied.

He had already calculated it on the calculator.

"So it's possible that I could get a $5000 million salary." Robert Downey Jr. laughed and asked his agent, "Leo is the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, how much does he get? He can't possibly get $5000 million, right?"

And then there's Depp, that sissy, he…

"Shut up!"

Susan Downey glared at her husband, who was already getting a little carried away, and said without any politeness.

Robert Downey Jr. opened his mouth as if to retort, but in the end he just shrugged and sat down again.

"What about profit sharing? How do you explain profit sharing?"

Susan Downey remained calm and didn't react much to the so-called $5000 million, but instead asked another crucial question.

"If the North American box office reaches certain conditions, you can receive up to 5% of the North American box office revenue."

"Not incrementing?"

"There is no increment."

Susan Downey started to frown.

Clearly, with a long-term contract, this amount of bonuses simply doesn't meet Susan Downey's expectations.

This one point alone greatly disappointed her.

"Is there any way to negotiate? I mean, profit sharing."

Susan Downey looked at Jimmy Richie and said, "Robert's Iron Man was great, and audiences and fans accepted his Iron Man. You can emphasize that to them."

Alternatively, you could tell them that a ten-film contract would definitely limit Robert's diverse development. He's destined to be "Iron Man" for life. If the movies are successful, that's fine, but what if they fail?

Robert is gambling with his future.

Then, Susan Downey looked at Jimmy Richie very seriously and said in a very calm tone, "Starting with 5% of the North American box office, the share must also increase. My goal is 30% of the North American box office."

Jimmy Ricky gasped. He knew Susan Downey; she was a very rational person, shrewd in calculating gains and losses, but 30%... that was just wishful thinking.

Who do you think Robert Downey Jr. is?
He is neither Leonardo DiCaprio nor Johnny Depp, nor Jim Carrey nor Tom Cruise; he is Robert Downey Jr., the playboy who has just experienced a resurgence in popularity!

So he advised, "Susan, I know you have high expectations for Robert, but have you thought about it? Robert only became popular again because of 'Iron Man,' and I don't think leaving 'Iron Man' is a good choice."

“Jimmy, that’s ten movies! Do you know what that means? It means that from now on, Robert will be tied to that damn ‘Iron Man’.”

From now on, no matter what he acts in, people will be pulled out of the story and will just say, "Look, 'Iron Man' is playing someone else again."

A ten-movie contract sounds tempting, but Jimmy, have you considered what if the movies don't turn out to be hits? Like Fantastic Four and X-Men, those are still considered good.

But if that were the case, Robert would never achieve great fame because of the ten-film contract. The ten-film contract would mean that even if he had other good opportunities, he would miss them due to scheduling conflicts.

"But this is Cao Yang's movie."

Jimmy Ricky countered.

"But apart from that damn Spider-Man movie, what other successful Marvel movies have there been? They've been failing, failing, and failing again."

Susan Downey countered.

"But Cao Yang's productions, 'Batman 6' and 'Joker,' were both huge hits."

Jimmy Ricky countered again.

"But that's DC Comics, that's America's hero 'Batman,' that's the Batman that was successful decades ago! Not the ridiculous Marvel that keeps failing."

Susan Downey countered again.

Seeing his wife and agent arguing, Robert Downey Jr. opened his mouth and weakly said, "Honey, I think..."

"you shut up!"

Susan Downey knows her husband well and knows what he wants to say.

However, if I hadn't made the decision to let him get the role in Iron Man for a very low salary, and hadn't used my connections, how could he have become Tony Stark?
If he hadn't used his connections to secure Warner Bros.' "Sherlock Holmes," how could he have become a co-lead with Jude Law, and even the lead role?

It's worth noting that when Jude Law starred in "Sherlock Holmes," he was a much bigger star than him.

"Robert, there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding Marvel movies, and the outcome of a partnership is unpredictable, but I have very clear plans for your future."

Have you forgotten about Sherlock Holmes, which is set to be released in September?
Once this movie is released, the box office won't be too bad. Then you'll have both 'Iron Man' and 'Sherlock Holmes'. Two blockbuster movies will guarantee you become a top star.

But if you sign a contract for ten films now, even if "Sherlock Holmes" is a huge hit and you become a top star, your salary and profit sharing will not change. So what is the point of ten uncertain film contracts?
On the contrary, it will limit your acting roles and render your status as a 'top star' meaningless.

Will "Sherlock Holmes" be a big seller?

Jimmy Ricky couldn't help but ask.

Robert Downey Jr.'s decision to take on this film had nothing to do with CAA, and his agent did not help at all; it was entirely due to Susan Downey's connections.

After all, Susan Downey is the executive vice president of Silver Films, which has been working with Warner Bros. since its founding in 85. This has never changed, and some even believe that Silver Films is a subsidiary of Warner Bros.

"Sherlock Holmes is already a very well-known film, the director is the very talented Guy Ritchie, Jude Law is already quite famous, and he has accumulated a lot of fans because of Pirates of the Caribbean. Plus, the sequel to this film is about to be made... There are too many factors that make Sherlock Holmes a big hit."

After listening to Susan Downey's analysis, Jimmy Ricky also hesitated.

As Susan Downey said, if Sherlock Holmes does well at the box office, Robert Downey Jr. will have two box office hits: Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes.

With a little hype, plus Susan Downey's connections and CAA's help, Robert Downey Jr. could actually become a new A-list superstar.

If A-list celebrities were tied down by "Tony Stark," and given Marvel's low success rate, it would indeed be a bit of a loss.

"Susan, I'll try to negotiate a revenue-sharing agreement again. If we can't reach an agreement, then we might as well not do Iron Man!"

"But that's 5000 million!"

Robert Downey Jr. protested quietly.

It's just that nobody paid any attention to him.

……

"Director Cao, Robert Downey Jr.'s agent has proposed a new revenue-sharing agreement. If we follow their agreement, they could take up to 30% of the North American box office."

In addition, they have many supplementary clauses, including the right to raise objections if dissatisfied with the script and the right to request modifications to the script.

Furthermore, they added a clause to terminate the contracts for ten films, which, if implemented according to their wishes, would allow them to terminate the contracts without incurring significant costs.

besides……"

Cao Yang frowned more and more as he listened to Cheng Jianye's words.

"Pause."

Cao Yang said, "In other words, they added a lot of restrictions and profit-sharing clauses on top of the conditions we offered?"

"That's it."

Cao Yang thought for a moment and then instructed, "Then stop negotiating. Give them a final notice: if they still insist, we'll select new actors."

Cao Yang felt that he would most likely have to consider other candidates for "Tony Stark".

(End of this chapter)