The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 130 The plan to acquire Legendary Pictures: Making Nolan a lackey!

……

"Brother Kun, you should call Nazha right away."

They came together as a group of three, but when they left, they left Nazha alone in this unfamiliar hotel. What's going on?

At least, Su Lun wouldn't do such a thing.

"Why are you making a call? Her phone is in my pocket."

Xin Yukun chuckled and took out two cell phones from his suit pocket.

Cell phones in this era are small and exquisite, unlike the brick-like phones of ten years later. Nazha's pink cell phone is not much bigger than an orange.

"Brother Kun, you..."

Su Lun wasn't stupid; he immediately realized what was going on and guessed what had happened.

Kun was setting a trap for Yuan.

They left such a delicate and beautiful girl like Nazha in the hotel.

At this moment, only Lu Zhiyuan and Nazha remained in the huge banquet hall, a lone man and a lone woman.

Naza had no phone, no wallet, nothing on her, and was wearing a rented dress that revealed a small shoulder... It was below zero outside.

Xin Yukun essentially created an isolated island for Nazha!
If Lu Zhiyuan doesn't offer help, Nazha will probably have to spend the night in this hotel.

The cheapest suite at this hotel costs 12000 per night!

"On the night Avatar was released, at the Summer Palace Aman Hotel, he met a woman who was beautiful and had endless admiration for him."

"With just a nod from him, a single encounter would surpass countless others in the mortal world."

"What a wonderful start to the story."

Xin Yukun softly recited a line of poetry while casually hanging up the phone call from Lu Zhiyuan.

……

Inside the banquet hall of Aman Summer Palace Hotel.

Lu Zhiyuan called Xin Yukun several times, but the old man just wouldn't answer, clearly trying to trick him.

Putting his phone in his pocket, Lu Zhiyuan glanced at the bewildered Nazha in front of him and felt a little helpless.

"You saw it, he didn't answer, he deliberately left you here. Such an irresponsible person, don't listen to him again."

Mmmmmmm!
Naza nodded repeatedly; she knew exactly what Kun was thinking.

But this was all so sudden.

This caught her completely unprepared.

Tonight's celebration banquet is so high-class, there are all kinds of people, including her idol Liu Yifei.

Liu Yifei's idol is the handsome young man in front of her.

Before parting, Liu Yifei wanted to ask the young man for a painting, which completely astonished Nazha.

Naza had no idea how beautiful Lu Zhiyuan's paintings were, that Liu Yifei was so captivated by them.

All she knew was that tonight's grand celebration banquet was for Lu Zhiyuan's movie "Upgrade".

So cool!

If she could hold such a large-scale banquet and invite so many celebrities in her lifetime, she would die without regrets!
"Reba, come here for a moment."

"Brother, give me two minutes, I'll be right up. I knew you'd be looking for me, that's why I deliberately stayed in the underground parking lot!"

Unable to find Xin Yukun, Lu Zhiyuan could only turn to Reba.

Although he knows a lot of people, none of them are trustworthy to him.

In less than two minutes, Dilraba, wearing high heels, flew up like a butterfly.

Soon, Reba saw Lu Zhiyuan standing at the entrance of the banquet hall, his hands in his pockets.

At this moment, Lu Zhiyuan, dressed in a black suit, stood sideways at the door. His handsome face was divided into two dark sides by the light inside the banquet hall and the shadows outside.

Half of his face exudes an extraordinary artistic flair, as free and unrestrained as the wind.

The other half is hidden in the shadows, like a demon, with an indescribable roguish charm, a wickedness that is simply addictive.

"Brother, so your wife Tian Tian doesn't want you anymore? Come with me! I'll take care of you!"

"What nonsense are you spouting, you little brat?"

Dilraba's smile is always so cheerful and bright; she's Lu Zhiyuan's little darling. After jokingly scolding her a few times, he pulled Dilraba inside.

At that moment, Dilraba's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to explode.

Brother, don't stand at the door.

Although I don't mind, it's not good for you.

"Reba, take that little girl inside and take good care of her. Sister Shanshan will come to pick me up in 5 minutes. I have something important to discuss. I'm leaving now."

Lu Zhiyuan left a message and exchanged a glance with Reba.

Dilraba glanced inside and saw the pitiful-looking Gulnazar, instantly understanding.

Good grief, not only did Brother Kun betray Sister-in-law Tian Tian, ​​but he also betrayed me? Did he find me a competitor?
At this moment, Dilraba was absolutely furious.

Both are Uyghur girls, both are 17 years old, both graduated from the same art school, and perhaps even taught by the same teacher.

Just now in the banquet hall, Dilraba wanted to drag Kun Ge out and get to the bottom of things: what exactly do you mean by this? Are you playing me for a fool?

Besides, isn't that brat Nazha working as a model in Shanghai?

When did you get to be around Brother Kun?

Dilraba is very familiar with Gulnazar; she's her junior from the same art school, and the two have even performed together on stage before.

Naza also won the Uyghur Flower beauty pageant.

Naza became a model because of her older sister, who used to be in the modeling industry but didn't make it big and went back to her hometown, where she reportedly became a flight attendant.

Later, they introduced Nazha, their younger sister, to them.

"Senior."

Nazha, being naturally shorter than Dilraba, respectfully greeted her.

Reba is now a glamorous superstar, a model of overnight fame, and the pride of her entire Uyghur community.

At the celebration banquet just now, Dilraba stood beside Lu Zhiyuan like a little princess, receiving compliments from everyone.

Even Liu Yifei was very polite to Dilraba.

Who is she?
An ordinary little model!

"My brother told me to take good care of you. Don't worry, I'll make sure you feel right at home!"

If Dilraba hadn't said those words through gritted teeth, Gulnazar would have definitely felt happy and warm.

And now, Nazha is really about to cry.

what's the situation?
In the blink of an eye, am I going to be sold to someone else from Brother Kun again?

"follow me."

"Stop looking. Kun-ge doesn't have the guts to come back to you. I know exactly what he's thinking. If he dares to come back, I'll report him to Sister-in-law Tian Tian right away."

"He most likely won't live past tomorrow!"

Dilraba was just angry that Kun Ge had betrayed her; she didn't have any issues with Gulnazar herself.

After all, they went to the same school before, and Nazha is known for being a bit absent-minded, so she wouldn't hold a grudge against Nazha.

"Reba, what's going on? You went up there, why did you bring someone back?"

Zhang Tianai was driving a BMW 5 Series and waiting for Dilraba in the parking lot.

The game "Upgrade" made a fortune. Yuankun Media Company did a quick calculation and estimated that it brought in at least 1 million RMB.

With a wave of his hand, Brother Kun improved the treatment of everyone in the company, and they were all equipped with luxury cars.

Although the luxury cars are registered under the company's name, there are only a few people in the company, and they are all family members, so everyone can drive them whenever they want.

Dilraba gently nudged Gulnazar's arm: "Gulnazar, greet her, this is Sister Xiao Ai."

As if waking from a dream, Nazha quickly greeted her sweetly, "Sister Xiao Ai, my name is Nazha. I'm counting on you from now on."

"Oh."

Zhang Tianai didn't think much of it, guessing that Brother Kun had found another promising star from somewhere.

Given Reba's current condition, she no longer needs to wear it.

If you can't keep up with all the announcements, then you can use the "buy one get one free" tactic.

If the other party wants Dilraba to take on a gig, then they'll include a minor celebrity.

Naza is nice, she's pretty and seems well-behaved, so I probably won't have to put in much effort.

"Nazha, why don't you live with us? The three of us will be roommates. Together, wouldn't we be the three most beautiful sisters in the entire entertainment industry?"

One more person means one more pair of chopsticks. Zhang Tianai has been particularly bored lately. She hasn't been doing her modeling work and has been accompanying Dilraba to various events every day.

Dilraba was working upstairs, while she was playing mobile games downstairs. It's nice to have Gulnazar around too, as she can chat with her.

Zhang Tianai was very friendly to her, which made Nazha breathe a sigh of relief.

She chuckled, "Sister Xiao Ai, I think it's definitely true! I get 90 points, you get 95 points, and Senior Dilraba gets 100 points! Our average score is 95 points. We'll sweep the entire entertainment industry."

You're quite the smooth talker.

When she heard Nazha give herself a score of 100, Dilraba sneered a few times, not buying into the sweet talk at all.

"Sister Ai, let's drive home, I'm a little tired!"

Zhang Tianai's inability to distinguish friend from foe almost made Dilraba laugh in exasperation.

You have no idea what Kun Ge wanted to do by bringing Nazha over; he just wanted to get close to her.

……

"Sister Shanshan, why did you come back?"

At the hotel entrance, Lu Zhiyuan got into Zhao Shanshan's Mercedes-Maybach.

Jing Tian was not in the car.

Zhao Shanshan had the driver take the nanny van back home.

"In just a few hours during today's celebration banquet, I received more than a dozen phone calls, all from people wanting to invest in the movie 'Real Steel'."

"There are some people I just can't refuse."

"So, I came here specifically to talk to you and see what your thoughts are?"

Chen Hong wanted to invest in this movie, but Zhao Shanshan managed to persuade her.

However, Zhao Shanshan couldn't refuse other people who wanted to invest in the film.

Because all her resources and connections come from these people.

"I personally have no objection."

Someone offered him money to make a movie, and Lu Zhiyuan welcomed it with open arms. How could he possibly refuse?
But he also understood that this money wasn't so easy to get.

Unlike other investors, who simply accept losses as losses.

If we lose this money, it will be hard to explain.

Lu Zhiyuan thought for a moment and said, "Of course, the more funding we have for making a movie, the better. However, based on my prediction of the movie's prospects, the investment should ideally not exceed 1 million US dollars."

A $1 million investment, or more conservatively, a $3 million investment, would be needed to break even.

Simply recovering costs is far from enough.

People invest in it hoping to get a high return, not just a meager interest.

The film industry is actually high-risk, high-reward; losses can be severe, and it's even possible to lose everything.

Zhao Shanshan nodded: "I understand. These people only give money, but it's not very useful for us to increase our influence. Most of the investment share should still be reserved for Universal Pictures. Otherwise, we can't make money in overseas markets on our own."

No director wants their films to be box office hits and sweep overseas markets.

Many of these problems stem from a lack of distribution channels and reliable partners.

Of course, some directors have too much personal agenda, which is not accepted by some overseas markets.

Just like Americans pursue political correctness, making some messy, dark mermaid movies in an attempt to rake in box office revenue in overseas markets.

Others aren't stupid either.

It won't kill you to not watch these terrible movies.

There are also some, like "District 9," which is clearly a science fiction film and doesn't involve politics or anything, but it couldn't pass China's censorship because it was too bloody.

For no reason at all, they lost tens of millions of dollars in box office revenue.

Normally, a sci-fi film of this caliber, if shown in China, would easily rake in $2000 million at the box office.

Therefore, it is extremely difficult to make a movie that is a global bestseller.

Why is Cameron so amazing?
Because he is good at creating a completely new world.

Movies like "The Terminator" and "Titanic" rarely involve political factors.

It won't cause too much controversy.

In addition, he excels at creating highly industrialized films, emphasizing the stunning audiovisual effects.

These combined strengths are what made him a historically great director. And there aren't many paths to becoming such a historically great director.

They could make fantasy movies, like "Pirates of the Caribbean" or "The Lord of the Rings," which touch on history but not much, focusing on grand, epic scenes.

Or they could make a science fiction movie, creating a completely new worldview.

Star Wars, Alien, Transformers, and The Avengers all belong to this type of narrative.

As some people believe, making Chinese fantasy films and exporting ancient mythological stories like the Investiture of the Gods... hoping to bombard the world with this kind of narrative language is simply unrealistic.

Even in Southeast Asia, the market may not be very large.

After all, Chinese people know it's a myth, but foreigners see it as a religious narrative that might conflict with their beliefs.

The reverse is also true.

"The Passion of the Christ," with a budget of $3000 million, grossed over $6 million worldwide, yielding a return of more than 20 times, and it was made in 2004.

Is that exaggerated enough?
However, this kind of film simply has no market in China.

Because Chinese audiences are simply not interested in the core narrative of Christianity.

The sci-fi robot movie series that Lu Zhiyuan chose belongs to the sci-fi genre that James Cameron has already proven.

A cyber world where humanity and technology merge, accessible to everyone worldwide and understandable to all.

"Universal Pictures, although they are quite supportive of us, is ultimately not the same as relying on them for our livelihood."

"We'd better have our own global distribution channels."

Lu Zhiyuan was also unhappy. He was working hard in front of Universal Pictures, but Universal Pictures was making the lion's share of the profits.

But there's nothing we can do; that's just how things are.

Even if he didn't make it, following the normal trajectory, someone else would have made "Real Steel".

The filming didn't satisfy him.

In another time and space, when he watched this movie, he often thought that if he were to make it himself, it would definitely be more wonderful.

What a boring father-son relationship! Who wants to watch this?
I just want to see robots fight!
As a result, there were only a few scenes of robots fighting throughout the entire movie.

That's so disappointing.

Seeing that Lu Zhiyuan seemed quite dissatisfied with Universal Pictures making the lion's share of the profits, Zhao Shanshan smiled mysteriously and said, "Yuan, let me tell you a little secret. Wanda is preparing to acquire AMC Theatres. It's the second largest theatre chain in the United States."

"Once Wanda's acquisition is successful, we will immediately open a branch in North America."

"By then, with theater chains, production companies, and a great director like you... how could we possibly fail to achieve something great?"

Wanda started acquiring AMC Theatres so early?
Lu Zhiyuan was somewhat surprised to hear this news.

In another timeline, this acquisition took place in 2012, a time when American cinemas were in a slump and AMC Theatres was experiencing continuous losses.

Even so, Wanda's premium is still a bit too much.

This raises questions, and some even speculate about whether they are in a hurry to transfer assets.

"This is just the beginning."

Seeing Lu Zhiyuan's calm expression, Zhao Shanshan secretly gave him a thumbs up. As expected of our robot, he remained so calm even after hearing such big news.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Shanshan dropped another bombshell.

"After AMC Theatres, Legendary Pictures is also one of Wanda's targets."

Legendary Pictures is not currently an independent production company, but rather a joint venture under Warner Bros.

After 2014, it will become an independent production company, which will bring greater costs and risks.

It will only be sold to Wanda after two consecutive years of losses.

The Batman series, Pacific Rim, Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island... even Jing Tian's Great Wall were all produced by this company.

This company is a huge fan of monster movies.

The films he filmed were basically all on Lu Zhiyuan's menu.

However, in another timeline, Wanda faced a liquidity crisis because some of its films failed to meet box office expectations.

In the end, they had no choice but to sell both companies at a loss.

"If I can help Legendary Pictures produce a few blockbuster movies... could that help Wanda gain a foothold in Hollywood?"

"With Wanda's cash flow improving and its decision not to sell Legendary Pictures and AMC Theatres, will it be easier for films made by Chinese directors to enter the North American market in the future?"

Lu Zhiyuan is unsure whether films directed by Chinese directors are more likely to be imported into Hollywood.

However, his film will definitely receive full support from Wanda and the powerful figures behind Jing Tian.

This will make it easier for him to pursue the title of the greatest director in history!

"Sister Shan, my advice is that if Wanda is interested in Legendary Pictures, they should act now. Based on my understanding of Hollywood, the valuation of this kind of co-operated production company will not exceed 10 billion US dollars at most."

"If we find an industry insider to negotiate, like a cunning old fox like James... it's very possible that we could acquire Legendary Pictures for $7-8 million!"

In early 2010, Legendary Pictures had nothing of value.

The most valuable thing is the close cooperation with Warner Bros.

However, things changed a year later.

Inception made Legendary Pictures a fortune.

Conservative estimates suggest that Legendary Pictures earned over $4.5 million in net profit from this film!
In addition, there is immense prestige and subsequent copyright value.

It was after Inception that Legendary Pictures developed the ambition to become an independent production company, rather than being affiliated with Warner Bros.

If Wanda can acquire Legendary Pictures for $10 billion, or even at a slightly higher price.

Six months later, after the release of "Inception," the profits and prestige it brings will bring Wanda huge returns.

At this stage, thanks to the recovery of the domestic real estate market—no, it should be said that it has skyrocketed—Wanda is not short of money at all; on the contrary, it has more money than it can spend.

What Wanda lacks is reputation!
Imagine the returns a historic film like "Inception" would generate in the capital market if it were displayed on Wanda's honor pillar.

Are you sure you want to acquire Legendary Pictures now?

Zhao Shanshan hesitated for a moment.

Wanda can definitely afford to spend 7-8 million US dollars to acquire Legendary Pictures.

The question is, is it worth it?

"If Wanda is going to acquire Legendary Pictures, I can take out all the money I have earned now and gamble with Wanda."

Lu Zhiyuan will probably earn 20 to 30 million US dollars from the movie "Upgrade," but it's impossible for him to use that money to speculate in stocks.

But if it's used to acquire Legendary Pictures, it could help him ascend to the position of the greatest director of all time.

Lu Zhiyuan was willing to take the gamble!
Anyway, he still owns a 10% stake in DJI drones, so he'll definitely have no worries about food and drink in the future.

"This is the first time I've seen you so dedicated to something."

Zhao Shanshan was somewhat surprised by Lu Zhiyuan's sudden outburst of enthusiasm.

This guy only ever showed these human-like emotional fluctuations when discussing art styles.

In most cases, Lu Zhiyuan remained incredibly calm, looking like a robot.

"This matter is very important; the opportunity is fleeting."

Lu Zhiyuan also knew that he couldn't change Wanda's strategic plan with just a few words.

He could only mention it briefly: "Christopher Nolan, he made Inception for Legendary Pictures, believe me, this movie will definitely shock the world!"

"He prepared for this movie for a full 10 years; it's impossible for it to fail. I know him very well; he's a madman!"

Christopher Nolan?
The director of the Batman series?

Upon hearing the name, Zhao Shanshan immediately smiled knowingly.

According to Jing Tian, ​​Lu Zhiyuan has three names in his notebook, and he takes it out to look at it from time to time.

One is Christopher Nolan.

One is Peter Jackson.

One is James Cameron.

Both of them are top-tier directors, and for Lu Zhiyuan, catching up with them at this stage is still a long way off.

Christopher Nolan is currently the only target he can pursue.

Moreover, like Lu Zhiyuan, Christopher Nolan also prefers to blend live-action footage with special effects rather than simply using CGI shooting mode!

Both of them pursued the ultimate visual effects.

Christopher Nolan is a renowned "scientific poet" in the film industry.

He once famously said: "Film is a dream, and dreams need to be taken seriously!"

The high-concept + hardcore technology approach in Nolan's films clearly influenced Lu Zhiyuan, leading him to create AI-narrative films like "Upgrade".

No need to ask.

Christopher Nolan, if not Lu Zhiyuan's idol, is definitely his lifelong rival!
Zhao Shanshan understood that Lu Zhiyuan's serious discussion of this matter meant it must be very important.

She thought for a moment and said, "I believe Wanda understands how important an excellent director is to a production company."

"However, Legendary Pictures understands this principle as well."

"You think Nolan won't fail with Inception. I reckon Nolan is just as confident, and he'll give Legendary Pictures executives enough confidence."

"Even if the owner of Legendary Pictures is an idiot, he probably won't sell the company easily at this critical juncture."

"However, you're right, this is the best time for Wanda to acquire Legendary Pictures!"

"Once Inception becomes a global phenomenon as you say, how could Legendary Pictures possibly sell the company?"

"Therefore, we must be quick!"

"If Wanda doesn't want to do this, don't worry, we have other partners. 10 billion US dollars, we can pool our resources together, it's not a problem!"

Thanks to the real estate boom, these nouveau riche bosses are now rolling in money.

What is 10 billion US dollars?
These real estate companies can easily generate this amount of cash by simply selling a few properties in major cities.

"Sister Shanshan, I won't lie to you or harm you. However, 10 billion US dollars is a huge sum of money. You need to make it clear to all investors that once they buy, they are responsible for their own profits and losses."

"Otherwise, all the pressure will be on you, which is bad for your health."

Lu Zhiyuan didn't say that this money would be lost; in his view, this deal was definitely profitable and guaranteed to make a profit.

However, Zhao Shanshan is not him, and does not have the perspective of a reborn person.

The pressure will definitely be immense.

"Don't worry. I'm just a financial broker; I won't get involved myself."

Zhao Shanshan was somewhat surprised and touched that Lu Zhiyuan, this robot, actually cared about her.

She wasn't unable to come up with the money, but there was no need for her to expose herself. She could still remotely control those people from behind the scenes.

However, it feels really good to be cared for.

"Sister Shanshan, why haven't you arrived yet? Our soup is almost overcooked."

At this moment, Miss Jing Tian called Zhao Shanshan, drawing out the last syllable, clearly impatient.

"What? We're going to your house? You didn't tell me. I've already brought A-Yuan to my house! You should go to sleep early, don't wait up for me."

Zhao Shanshan made a joke on purpose and then hung up the phone.

Ah!
Miss Jing Tian was furious and launched a deadly barrage of attacks at Zhao Shanshan.

You stole my man away, and now you want me to go to bed early? How am I supposed to sleep? This is outrageous!
……

Twenty minutes later, Zhao Shanshan took Lu Zhiyuan home.

Miss Jing Tian was already preparing to leave, heading straight for Zhao Shanshan's house to have a bloody showdown with her.

"Look how nervous you are."

Zhao Shanshan made a few jokes, waved to Lu Zhiyuan, made a gesture to make a phone call, and deliberately teased Jing Tian.

Seeing that Jing Tian was indeed very angry, she laughed and left, her fragrance lingering in the air.

"That wicked woman, Sister Shanshan, all she does is make me angry every day."

Jing Tian knew Zhao Shanshan was joking, but she was still unhappy.

She pulled Lu Zhiyuan into the house, quickly put on a smiling face, and said with a chuckle, "A-Yuan, have some soup... sea cucumber and mutton soup, it's very effective."

Why is it sea cucumber again? How much have you eaten this month?

I'm so sick of eating this!

But under Miss Jing Tian's expectant gaze, Lu Zhiyuan felt embarrassed to refuse, after all, the young lady had been preparing this since the afternoon.

If he doesn't drink it, the young lady will really cry in front of him.

It will probably take two hours to coax him.

After a second of weighing the pros and cons, Lu Zhiyuan drank the soup in one gulp.

"So you're being so decisive today? Looks like the sea cucumber and mutton soup is delicious. Okay then, I'll cook that for you from now on."

Miss Jing Tian was indeed very happy, and then pulled Lu Zhiyuan to sit on the sofa for a while.

"Take a moment to digest and replenish your energy. You know what will happen in half an hour."

(End of this chapter)