Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 503 Long Contract
Robert Downey Jr. is a very contradictory person.

When he was less than ten years old, his parents' divorce left a significant shadow on his childhood. Coupled with Robert Downey Sr.'s chaotic private life afterward, his deep-seated insecurity and sensitivity became even more severe.

As a result, after he grew up, his privileged life as a second-generation star made him want to try everything, and he changed girlfriends as frequently as he changed clothes.

On the other hand, deep down, he also longed for a stable family life.

Despite external reports that he has an extremely rich emotional life, with numerous short-lived romantic relationships, he remains unaffected.

But this is all just the surface; it's merely selective reporting by the media.

The media will not report on his relationship with actress Sarah Jessica Parker in 1984, which lasted until 1991, when the two broke up, after a seven-year relationship.

The media also did not report that he married Deborah Fao Connor in 1992, and that the two divorced in 2004, after a 12-year marriage.

The media also doesn't report on his marriage to Susan Downey in 2005, which is still ongoing.

As for why he broke up and divorced his long-term girlfriend during this period... he longed for a stable relationship and family, but he didn't want to be bound by a relationship and family, which would restrict his yearning for freedom...

It's very contradictory.

Now, he is older and more mature.

Although he still seems somewhat cynical, he is very grateful to Susan Downey for pulling him out of the "abyss" after his previous career slump.

Even though Susan Downey is very controlling, he always tells himself deep down: You have to understand Susan. She is a senior executive at a major studio, a famous producer, a strong woman, and it's normal for her to like to control everything.

As a result, he became less and less concerned about anything.

He takes whatever movies Susan Downey tells him to take, and he follows Susan Downey's plans for him...

As a result, his agency CAA and agent Jimmy Richie seem to have become mere figureheads.

Before Cao Yang took over Iron Man 2.

Susan Downey once told him that if his "Sherlock Holmes" movie did well at the box office after its September release, and if "Iron Man 2" was also a big hit as planned for release next year, then...

She will resign from the company.

The two of them will register a new company together.

Robert Downey Jr. certainly understood what Susan meant.

With Sherlock Holmes doing well at the box office, and Iron Man 2 being a huge success, plus Iron Man 1, that makes three high-grossing movies.

With these three films as a foundation, the industry will see Robert Downey Jr.'s box office prowess.

If three movies in three years become bestsellers, that would be incredibly popular, and becoming a top Hollywood star would be no problem at all.

A-list celebrities are already qualified to participate in the production of many films in which they play leading roles.

That's exactly what Susan Downey was planning.

Robert Downey Jr. was initially indifferent. He felt he had come to terms with it and that there was nothing wrong with his wife being a bit assertive, at least she could bring him resources and connections, right?
But things didn't go as planned.

To be honest, Robert Downey Jr. was very surprised when he learned that Cao Yang had taken over the production of "Iron Man 2".

In Hollywood, which actor, whether aiming for box office success or awards, wouldn't want to work with director Cao Yang?

The offer of ten films is a huge surprise.

That's a ten-film contract related to Cao Yang!

If all ten films are successful, even if Robert Downey Jr. cannot become a Hollywood superstar due to limitations in his acting roles, the compensation he receives according to his contract will definitely not be lower than that of a superstar.

Even if he fails, it's not a big deal. Robert Downey Jr. will build a good relationship with director Cao Yang because of this. You know, director Cao Yang loves to work with actors he has worked with before, so this is a great gain!

Therefore, regardless of whether these ten films are successful or not, Robert Downey Jr. believes that he has made a profit.

Of course, he knew in his heart why his wife objected to the ten-film contract with director Cao Yang.

Simply put, Susan Downey was unwilling to give up, but also dared not gamble.

She was unwilling to accept that Robert Downey Jr. was associated with "Tony Stark".

She was unwilling to let her husband, whom she had painstakingly "cultivated" and who was about to become a top star, be confined to "character" movies.

She was unwilling to accept that after signing a contract for ten films, the company she was about to establish with her husband would not be able to participate in those ten films due to contractual restrictions, which would result in a significant loss of income.

What she was even more unwilling to accept was that if Robert Downey Jr. succeeded with these ten film offers, he would no longer rely on her resources and connections!

In other words, with ten film contracts in hand, Robert Downey Jr. can completely break free from her ties and control!
Therefore, she dared not gamble if she couldn't negotiate a price that satisfied her with Cao Yang.

If Cao Yang can accept her conditions, then it doesn't matter—if the movie is a huge success, she will earn a very, very large sum of money, so much so that she won't even need to consider being tied to Robert Downey Jr.

If a film does not achieve the success she expects, her terms include a termination clause that would allow her to terminate the contract for ten films with just a small sum of money.

She had a good plan and a good calculation, but she overlooked one thing: her seemingly incompetent husband who didn't seem to care about anything.

Robert Downey Jr. is a sensitive and contradictory person.

He longed for a stable family, but didn't want to be bound by his yearning for "freedom".

He had no choice in the past, but various setbacks and his advanced age—he's 44 this year—have made him resign himself to his fate.

However, Cao Yang's offer of ten films gave him another possibility, a hope of breaking free from "control".

He didn't want to leave Susan Downey; he just didn't want to be a "vassal."

"Jimmy, I hope you can support me."

Robert Downey Jr. spoke privately with his agent, Jimmy Richie, and contrary to his usual carefree and irresponsible image, he spoke quite seriously to his agent.

Jimmy Ricky was stunned for a moment, then said with some realization, "You know? Yes, Director Cao Yang didn't give us a chance to negotiate, but instead gave us a final notice."

You know, that's Director Cao Yang, one of Hollywood's biggest directors. So, CAA's senior partners argued about this for a long time, and their idea was for me to try my best to persuade you and Susan to agree.

After saying that, Jimmy Ricky shrugged with a wry smile and sighed.

“Robert, I know what Susan means, and those senior partners also know what Susan means. They are afraid that Susan will buy out your agency contract in a fit of anger. Those who know Susan know that she is capable of doing such a thing.”

Therefore, the difficult problem was passed on to me.

Sigh, to be honest, I really wanted to persuade you to agree. That's a ten-film contract with Director Cao Yang. If it goes through, you can imagine the benefits and the chain reaction it will bring..."

After saying all that, Jimmy Ricky sighed again.

Robert Downey Jr. only signed with CAA in 05. Due to some well-known reasons, as a relatively unknown actor, and also because of his relationship with Susan Boyle, his contract with CAA was quite lenient.

In other words, Robert Downey Jr. could buy out his agency contract without paying too much.

Therefore, CAA's constraints on him are not strong.

This is something that several senior partners at CAA particularly regret. They knew it was an opportunity to get closer to director Cao Yang, but they didn't have much of a way to influence Robert Downey Jr.

"Robert, don't worry, I won't force you. I will also try my best to explain to Director Cao Yang. You can rest assured about that."

Jimmy Ricky's words left Robert Downey Jr. bewildered. "Wait, Jimmy, what did you just say? What final notice?"

“If we cannot accept Director Cao Yang’s contract, we will have to recast for Iron Man 2. Producer Cheng gave me the final notice.”

"Jimmy, you...you haven't already rejected me, have you?"

At that moment, Robert Downey Jr. was extremely nervous. He looked up at his agent, his mouth slightly open, afraid of hearing the cruel answer.

I had already made up my mind.

Am I destined to live this kind of life?

"Not yet. My superiors asked me to try to persuade you and Susan again, but I know it's impossible. That Susan..."

Robert Downey Jr. no longer cared what Jimmy Ricky said next. He breathed a sigh of relief, plopped down on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

"Jimmy, listen to me, Jimmy."

He interrupted his agent's long-winded explanation.

"You can go and report back to your boss. Tell him that through your tireless efforts, you successfully persuaded me. This is all thanks to you, Jimmy. You can also try to get him to give you a raise; you deserve it."

Robert Downey Jr. relaxed and couldn't help but joke with his agent.

"Robert, wait, did I hear that right? You... you agreed?"

Jimmy Richie was somewhat incredulous. He stared at Robert Downey Jr. for a moment, then asked, "Was this Susan's decision? Did Director Cao Yang put pressure on her through Warner Bros.?"

This is also very possible.

Warner Bros. now practically worships Cao Yang so that he can produce the Batman series and the Hangover sequel in time.

In order to "please" Cao Yang, what does a vice president of a subsidiary production company that depends on Warner for survival mean to Warner?

“Jimmy, you need to understand one thing first. I am the artist signed with CAA, and Susan is just my wife. Even if it's a contract with the production team, it's only legally binding with my signature, do you understand?”

Robert Downey Jr. looked at his agent with utmost seriousness and spoke in an extremely solemn tone.

Jimmy Ricky and Robert Downey Jr. stared at each other for about ten seconds, then Ricky nodded and said seriously, "Got it!"

He understood.

It seems our artist has had a falling out with his wife!

In the past, he would definitely have advised Robert Downey Jr., since Susan has excellent connections and resources, which can ensure that her artists have no shortage of roles, and even, under certain conditions, have the opportunity to obtain A-list resources.

However, Cao Yang's ten-film contract rendered all of this meaningless.

Can Jimmy Ricky accept that his artists are being typecast as "Tony Stark" and may never become Hollywood superstars again?

The answer is undoubtedly yes.

If director Cao Yang's Marvel movie is successful, "Tony Stark" will likely be the central character.

According to the agreement, even if Robert Downey Jr. is limited by this role and never becomes a Hollywood superstar again, his income will definitely not be less than that of superstars in the $20 million club!
Besides, Robert Downey Jr. is already 44 years old. It's already quite an achievement that he has been able to make a comeback. At this age, the path to becoming a superstar is almost over.

"I'll ask you one more time, Robert, have you made up your mind?"

Yes, this is my decision.

"Can you accept a contract for ten films and what conditions?"

"Ha, for me, that's practically a 'gift'!"

"Robert, I hope you've made the right decision. I wish you success."

"No, Jimmy, it's wishing us success."

"Then wish us success!"

……

When Cheng Jianye told Cao Yang that Robert Downey Jr. and his agency CAA had accepted the contract in its entirety, Cao Yang was only slightly surprised and didn't think much of it.

Whether Robert Downey Jr. can accept those terms doesn't really have much impact on Cao Yang. It would be best if he could accept them, after all, his "Tony Stark" is still quite popular, which can reduce some potential risks.

If you can't accept it, then choose someone else. There are many actors of the same type in Hollywood, so it's not that difficult to find a suitable one.

It's just that because Robert Downey Jr. starred in the first Iron Man movie, audiences were more accepting of him.

In terms of risk, it's actually not that big.

Just look at "The Hulk" and you'll know.

The 2008 version of "The Incredible Hulk" starred Eric Bana, the 2008 version starred Edward Norton, and the Avengers version starred Mark Ruffalo.

If Robert Downey Jr. couldn't accept a ten-film contract, Cao Yang would only have replaced him starting from the second Iron Man movie. The replacement actor would definitely have to sign a long-term contract, and after several films, the image of the new actor would be fixed.

"Then let's start preparing, and try to use the actors from the first Iron Man movie."

Cao Yang gave instructions to Cheng Jianye.

Cao Yang made many changes to the plot of Iron Man 2.

The original plot had many flaws, such as the villains being too one-dimensional and lacking presence.

The disjointedness of the subplots is too severe. It seems that the reason for bringing in Black Widow was just to find a decorative character, which is a common practice in Hollywood. I guess they weren't even thinking about making a Marvel Cinematic Universe at that time.

Furthermore, the technological logic was handled terribly. The physiological crisis of palladium poisoning could have deepened Tony's existential anxiety, but the discovery and synthesis of the new element was just a deus ex machina, which was too childish.

Even if you spend two minutes filming a few more shots of Tony researching in the lab, it would still be better than the original storyline!
These logical flaws definitely need to be addressed.

However, Cao Yang didn't need to do it himself. He only needed to give instructions to the studio's screenwriters to fill in the details and make these things as reasonable as possible.

As before, Cao Yang appointed Cheng Jianye as the executive producer of "Iron Man 2".

The director was also the same; Jon Favreau was still in the role.

However, for the new character "Black Widow," since she is also a character who appears throughout the Marvel Universe, Cao Yang will personally select the actress.

Scarlett Johansson was quite good when she was younger, but it's unclear whether she'd be willing to sign a long-term contract.

The casting of Black Widow requires a long-term contract, which is also Cao Yang's requirement for the "superheroes" who will mainly appear in "The Avengers".

Cao Yang's criteria for choosing the "Black Widow" were twofold: she had to be sexy, and she had to be a skilled fighter.

Scarlett Johansson met these requirements at the time, the only regret being her short legs.

However, there's no rush. The preparation for "Iron Man 2" will take at least several months.

On August 1, filming officially began for the sequel to "Pirates of the Caribbean," directed by Cao Yang.

During the pre-production phase, he had already made preparations to film the sequels 2 and 3 of "Pirates of the Caribbean" together, in order to ensure the continuity of the storyline.

(End of this chapter)