American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 113 Unaccustomed to Being a Player for the First Time

Any serious Harry Potter fan should know that there are many differences in plot between the Harry Potter movies and the Harry Potter novels.

The first two are the best recreations.

Later on, those were basically fan works where people really let their imaginations run wild.

The reason for this situation is simple: J.K. Rowling's novels are getting thicker and thicker, and each new novel contains more stories than the previous one. How can a movie possibly capture the content of a novel?

Even if you brought Ethan Hunt over, he still couldn't fulfill your wish!

Because this is an impossible task!
For this reason, in Isabella's previous life, there were rumors that, starting with "The Goblet of Fire," the producers of Harry Potter suggested to Warner Bros. that the content of the novel be split into two movies.

but--

Warner Bros. did not accept.

Isabella had heard of all of the above.

So, at this moment, the suggestion of 'book dismantling' appeared before her?

She wasn't surprised at all.

However, not being surprised doesn't mean not being curious.

Isabella is now wondering why Warner Bros. won't accept the suggestion to 'disassemble' the film?

While Chris Columbus was launching his attack, Isabella had already turned her attention to Warner Bros. President Alan Horn and HP series producer David Heyman. After Columbus finished giving his advice, the two of them pursed their lips.

They exchanged a glance.

Then David Heyman said, "Chris, don't get excited. The reason we're sitting here talking is because we all know that starting with 'Goblet of Fire' was a fantastic decision."

"However, having a good idea doesn't mean you can execute it."

“If we choose to ‘split up’ the filming, then we will face many problems, the most realistic one being film contracts.”

“The contracts we have with everyone right now are all for a single-part ‘Goblet of Fire’, including yours. So, if we were to split ‘Goblet of Fire’ into two parts, it would mean we would have to sign new contracts with everyone, which means… the cost would double.”

"Admittedly, this matter seems reasonable no matter how you look at it. We can't pay someone the salary for one movie to make two movies. But if we really do sign a new contract, we won't pay for two movies."

"I think you understand what I mean, right?"

Columbus remained silent.

Isabella also fell silent.

Or rather, everyone in the meeting room fell silent.

Everyone understood what David Heyman meant.

He meant 'increase one's value'.

At present, any normal person can see that HP's prospects are extremely good; and anyone with a bit of intelligence can understand that with the huge success of the two movies, Warner Bros. has no chance to replace the director.

Therefore, even with normal contract renewals, Warner Bros. faces the issue of all key creators seeing their market value rise.

So now, Warner Bros. wants to sign supplementary contracts with the creative team during the film's production?
What's the difference between that and sticking your neck out to the enemy's knife and asking them to do as they please?

Right?

However, wanting to make money is only natural.

As long as the price isn't too exorbitant, everyone can understand, including Warner.

But, besides that, there is another problem, which is—

"Chris, although the increase in the main cast's salary is a big deal, we are confident that we can solve it."

Not long after David Heyman finished speaking, Warner Bros. President Alan Horn spoke up again, saying, "Money is negotiable, but there's one thing that's not negotiable, and that's the future of the 'split' project."

"Chris, you just said that Goblet of Fire can be 'split up' like The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions?"

“If you had told me this before November of last year, I would have said, ‘Yeah, Chris, your idea is great!’”

"But I can't say those things anymore after November."

"Because the box office performance of 'The Matrix Revolutions'... fell short of expectations..."

When "Reloaded" was released in North America, it grossed over 100 million in 3 days and over 200 million in 11 days.

When "The Matrix Revolutions" was released in North America, it only grossed $51 million in 3 days, and it took a full 10 days for the box office to barely reach $100 million.

This gap can't be described as a precipitous drop; it's more like an avalanche.

It was precisely because "The Matrix" flopped at the box office that, although "The Matrix Revolutions" was still profitable, the profit and loss in the eyes of capital is just the subtraction between cost and revenue, which also includes a bunch of things such as expectations and multipliers.

Therefore, Warner Music dared not replicate such an operation.

Yes.

If a two-part game like "The Matrix" could be successfully made, related practices would immediately become popular in Warner Bros. or, more accurately, in the financial world. This is because, on a superficial level, this model simply means making more money, and on a deeper level...
That's just manipulating their own company's stock price!

When real-life examples appeared, Columbus immediately lost his temper.

Isabella, who witnessed all of this, sighed inwardly.

If Harry Potter couldn't make a sequel because of the failure of The Matrix, then all she can say is that Harry Potter was a bit unlucky.

Admittedly, you can't say that Rowling's world is perfect, and some of her descriptions don't stand up to scrutiny, but most people's favorite wonderful stories are torn apart due to the limitations of film length.

That's a bit of a pity.

However, just when Isabella thought the debate might be over and everyone would seriously look at the script of "The Goblet of Fire" and try to turn the 700-plus-page novel into a movie, Warner Bros. president Alan Horn suddenly looked at Rowling.

"Joe, what are you thinking?"

Ok.

Rowling only lets people she's close to call her Anne.

Those who are not close to her can only call her 'Joe' or 'Lowling'.

"Oh, I'm not a professional when it comes to making movies."

"so……"

Rowling drew out her voice, then instantly turned her head.

She looked at Miss Beaver beside her, who was cosplaying as the mascot, and asked, "Issa, what do you think about this?"

"Shh-"

Rowling hadn't even finished speaking.

The other four people present immediately turned their attention to Isabella.

This situation left Miss Beaver somewhat bewildered.

If she's not mistaken, she should be the least important member of the production team among everyone present, right?
Although she vaguely remembered that at the beginning of last year, when she was reading the script for "Azkaban," she told her older sister Catherine that her position in the HP project team was already extraordinary because the director and screenwriter would show her the script first after discussing it, and only if she thought it was okay could it be presented to Rowling, that was just a joke! It was a joke! She was just being cheeky!

She knows her own limitations!
You asked her to revise some minor plot points in HP? Okay, no problem.

But what if you asked her to write the entire book based on the original work?
To put it bluntly, how could she possibly do something that even Columbus couldn't?
She is indeed a time traveler, but she doesn't have Deep Blue!

So, Rowling is now asking her what she thinks about dismantling the film?
This……

Miss Beaver is having a hard time keeping her composure.

However, since Rowling asked, she had no choice but to respond.

Rowling has already given her face, so she can't let Rowling down.

So, the little beaver pursed her lips and said, "Personally, I think..."

However, before she could even begin practicing Tai Chi...

As soon as she said it, Miss Beaver felt that something was wrong with everything around her.

Because she discovered that Columbus, David Heyman, and even Alan Horn and Steve Crowes...

Everyone was listening attentively to her, eager to understand her thoughts.

And this scene...

This should not happen.

This isn't her being self-deprecating!
They feel that their remarks are not getting the attention they deserve.

However, she is not a proper screenwriter, nor has she ever actually produced a film. When her experience in the film production field is like child's play, others may listen to her seriously because of her status, but they should not expect to understand her thoughts.

therefore……

'Status?'

Sensing something amiss, Miss Beaver cut herself off.

He turned to look at Rowling.

He tilted his head slightly and raised his hand to cover his mouth.

This situation amused Rowling.

Understanding what the little girl meant, she immediately turned her head away.

Then, she heard the little girl mutter openly.

"Aunt Anne, what do you want me to say?"

Rowling also raised her hand to cover her mouth and whispered to Isabella in front of everyone.

"Darling, I love you."

"How much love?"

I hope you grow up healthy.

"..."

The little girl understood Rowling's words.

Rowling supported Columbus.

But she found it difficult to speak up.

The logic here is very simple—

Rowling was the person most in need of ensuring the film faithfully adapted from the original story. Therefore, when Columbus's ideas aligned with her personal desires, supporting him was her most pressing concern.

So, the reason Isabella felt it was difficult for Rowling to bring up the topic wasn't because Rowling and Columbus had a conflict. When their interests were aligned, bringing up a conflict from years ago would be like being stubborn and suffering for the sake of saving face, right?
However, during the development of HP's projects, Rowling could only decide the direction of the story.

She cannot decide the direction of the film's production.

How many movies will "The Goblet of Fire" be made into?

That's the investor's right!

Therefore, even if Rowling wanted to voice her support for Columbus, her words would not be able to directly sway Warner Bros.'s will!

Of course, this doesn't mean she won't speak up.

In order to protect their own interests, people often have to speak even if they know that their words are a waste of breath.

but--

Before wasting time arguing, could Rowling find someone with the power to make a final decision and influence Warner Bros.' will?

If this person, who can make the final decision and sway Warner's will, still keeps calling her "Auntie"?

When the game difficulty could clearly be reduced from Hell to Easy, why did Rowling choose to take a roundabout approach and first support Columbus?
"Oh, Aunt Anne, so this is what you meant by discussing the script?" Miss Beaver, having figured it out, was both amused and exasperated.

She suddenly felt as if she had discovered the real reason why Rowling had asked her to discuss the script.

“I was planning to tell you about this after you finished reading the script, but…” Rowling sighed.

"But Chris didn't give you that chance?" Little Beaver chimed in.

“Yeah~ He didn’t give me a chance~” Rowling nodded.

"And then Steve was still egging everyone on?" Little Beaver continued to accuse others of wrongdoing.

“Yes! He’s perfectly fine as long as he doesn’t say anything!” Rowling thought there was nothing wrong with her words.

"David understands, but he changed the subject?" the little beaver continued.

“That’s right! I was disgusted when he opened his mouth!” Rowling’s tone was full of disdain for David Heyman.

“Then Allen…” the little beaver drawled.

“If you slap him now, he’ll just say you did a good job.” Rowling winked at Isabella.

"..."

The two covered their mouths and made fun of the other four people present.

Although their voices were very low, but...

The meeting room was very quiet.

Therefore, all four people present heard the two's nonsense.

This……

"Isha—are you going to tell me your thoughts or not—"

Columbus sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "We're all waiting for you—"

Yes~~~
Does Rowling not have the production rights for the HP series?

It's alright!

Because Isabella can influence Warner's will right now!

Or rather, when the three things happened in the same year—the movie "The Voice" selling like hotcakes, Isabella's personal mini-disc selling like hotcakes, and "The Voice" show selling like hotcakes—Isabella was able to influence the will of all the Hollywood giants!

These days, if she were to say to anyone outside that she likes Fox, it would be considered a bad omen.

Okay!

All previous grudges between the two families have vanished!
She announced this morning that Rupert Murdoch would be inviting her to dinner that evening!
What? American Idol is gone?
Does it matter?

Isabella succeeded in three different industries in one year!

With this kind of performance, what Fox and she do is all the same, isn't it?
American Idol is gone, so be it! We can just make another one, right? Like I said, the high risk in the entertainment industry makes every investment seem like gambling, and gamblers are the most superstitious. Now that Isabella has shown enough magic, all she has to do is say, "I think Goblet of Fire could be made into two movies," and all the discussion will immediately end! Warner Bros. will invest blindly!

If I had to describe her, Isabella now is like Lucas and Spielberg over the past thirty years—

The world doesn't understand why they keep winning!
But the world knows they can keep winning!
Since that's the case, shut up and embrace each other wholeheartedly—that's the only thing we can do and the thing we most want to do!
When this fact came to light, Isabella immediately burst into laughter—

"I'm sorry, this is my first time having this kind of power, and I'm not used to it."

"hahahahaha~~~~"

His honest words elicited a burst of laughter in the conference room.

This is a wonderful experience only winners can enjoy.

The little girl tapped her fingers on the table, first looking at Rowling, then at Columbus.

Finally, his gaze swept over Alan Horn, David Heyman, and Steve Klover.

"Since my advice is so important, I can't give any random advice now, because I don't want to lose."

The honest words brought laughter back into Warner's meeting room.

"How about we look at the script?" Alan Horn suggested.

How could Warner not want to make money?
The reason why people dare not gamble is simply that the cost of failure is too high.

So we need to incorporate some metaphysics.

“Let’s look at the script,” Isabella nodded.

To be honest, when Isabella realized that she had grown to the point where she could influence the development of HP with her will, her first reaction was joy. Nobody dislikes being fawned over, right?
They are especially fawned over by people with high social status.

What it feels like to teach a tycoon how to do things...

That's really great!
But her second reaction was actually that she was a little nervous.

Because all she has to do right now is to stick to making Harry Potter films, and she'll have the best series ever made.

Any intervention would be like dancing on the edge of a cliff.

If she fails, she will have ruined her own cheat code.

This kind of thing...

That's idiotic to even think about!
However, Isabella still wanted to give it a try.

Firstly, because she genuinely liked HP.

This is also why she was happy that Columbus kept Quidditch in Azkaban.

Gryffindor winning the cup is a big event, and Professor McGonagall's joy is the kind of scene Harry Potter fans want to see.

Secondly, if the intervention succeeds, her cheat code can be upgraded.

Starting with "The Goblet of Fire," every novel has been adapted into two films?

So from "The Goblet of Fire" to "The Deathly Hallows," there would be eight movies?
Even if we don't count one movie and only calculate 10 billion in box office revenue, 8 movies would amount to 80 billion.

In addition to *The Philosopher's Stone*, *The Chamber of Secrets*, *Azkaban*...

A single series grossing 100 billion at the box office isn't unreasonable, is it?
As long as intervention can achieve—

Isabella is bound to join the billionaire club before she turns 20!

This record is unprecedented, and even more so...

There was no one like him after that.

Because anyone who wants to break this record first needs to obtain HP, and then they also need to ensure that the main creative team doesn't fall apart.

too difficult!
Perhaps it's because they know that every decision they make is making history?
So when Isabella was reading the script for "The Goblet of Fire," her fingers trembled slightly as she turned the pages.

"Are you that nervous?" Rowling asked as she looked at the script with the young girl.

As she spoke, she reached out and took the little girl's hand.

"Aunt Anne, didn't I tell you? I don't want to fail."

The little girl smiled and said, "Now all of you are waiting for my answer, which puts a lot of pressure on me."

"Oh, shall we go out first?"

Alan Horn pointed to the door, "It just so happens that we men... all want to have a smoke..."

The president of Warner is very busy, but he has no intention of leaving at the moment.

There's nothing we can do; everyone's playing Game of Thrones now.
"You're free to do as you please. I'll have someone call you back after I've finished reading the script."

Isabella waved her hand.

To be honest, she felt more at ease reading the script when these people were further away.

As everyone left, Isabella continued flipping through the stories in her hands.

At this moment, the script she was reading was a standalone piece.

In other words, it condensed the more than 700-page "Goblet of Fire" into a movie script.

It took her more than an hour to finish reading the two hundred-plus pages of content.

Yes, in Columbus's mind, "The Goblet of Fire" was to be at least 180 minutes long.

In Isabella's previous life, while "The Goblet of Fire" wasn't the shortest film in the series, it probably wasn't this long either.
Then, even though the Columbus version of "Goblet of Fire" is three hours long.

The content inside is less than half of the original work.

For example:

Sparky, the house-pokémon, is gone;
The storyline in the Quidditch World Cup was also shortened;
Rita Skeeter, the Daily Prophet reporter who had a significant role in the latter half of the HP series, was also only briefly mentioned...

To be honest, the little girl was a bit disappointed when Isabella noticed all the cuts.

Because these plot points are quite important in the series.

Her silence prompted Rowling to purse her lips and quietly speak, "Isa, I know it's a difficult decision for you right now."

"Because once you choose to support us, support me and Chris, then if the movie fails, you will definitely have to take responsibility for the failure. That's actually... playing with your career."

"So, even though I really hope you can support me."

"Or rather, I hope you can help me."

I don't want to force you to make a decision.

"Because... let me put it this way..."

“In the summer of 2000, when I introduced you to Sir Maggie Smith and asked her to teach you how to act, she actually asked me why I chose you. Then I told her, I am a mother.”

"If my child had to go out to work at the age of 10 because of me, I would be so ashamed that I would commit suicide."

Rowling looked at Isabella, who had already raised her head, with a serious expression.

His eyes gleamed with...seriousness?
The little girl, understanding her meaning, smiled and closed the script. "Oh—Aunt Anne—I know you're a good person—"

"At least you're good to me."

"And in this matter..."

Isabella patted the script in her hand and said, "I personally support you, and I even have two reasons for it."

"First of all, you have helped me many times, so it is only right that I help you this time."

"Then, even if I fail to help, the impact of failure is not significant to me, because I have 'The Voice of China'. The immense popularity of 'The Voice of China' has given me countless opportunities to try and fail."

"Secondly, I really like Harry Potter, and I want to do a good job with this series."

"Or rather, the better Harry Potter is, the better my life will be, because I may never meet another Hermione Granger in my lifetime. This is probably my only chance to break film history records, isn't it?"

“Oh~~~Isa~~~” Rowling’s face lit up with a smile.

His voice was filled with emotion.

Without saying much, he leaned forward.

Their foreheads touched, rubbing gently against each other.

Isabella readily accepted the warm thanks. After they parted, Isabella added, "But, Aunt Anne, we can't proceed haphazardly. If the dismantling of the film doesn't work well for the general public, then..."

"Personally, I still recommend making it into a movie."

"At least the notebook looks pretty complete now, doesn't it?"

“Yeah~~~~” Rowling understood Isabella’s meaning, “So let’s leave this troublesome matter to them?”

Isabella smiled and nodded, "Of course, after all, we don't understand movies..."

As soon as their tacit understanding of shifting blame emerged, the two immediately suppressed their laughter.

After a two-second pause—

"hahahaha~"

Having finished reading the script, Isabella had her staff summon the four missing people.

As everyone arrived, Isabella shared her thoughts: "I can support splitting up the film, but there's a condition: the resulting film must be two independent stories."

"This doesn't mean they have to be completely independent, but rather that they shouldn't obstruct the viewing experience for casual viewers..."

That's right!

Although Isabella also wanted to make history, history isn't something you can just create on a whim!
She would only accept the two-part plan if the novel "Goblet of Fire" could actually be adapted into two films!
How should the scope of 'can be disassembled and photographed' be defined?
Very simple.

Why not just use the most successful film adaptation of a dismantled movie as a template and then judge it accordingly?
What is the most successful film adaptation of a dismantled movie in history?
Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame!
The reason why "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame" were able to break records is not only because of the sentimentality of ten years of operation, but also because Marvel treats its audience as a person and tries its best to make movies accessible to everyone.

In terms of structure, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame are actually complete episodic series.

Each film follows a complete narrative flow: the emergence of a crisis, the confrontation with the crisis, and the resolution of the crisis.

The only difference is that both games feature the same boss.

After doing this, you can pull out 3 or 4 orders and see them without any problems.

Let's start with 3—

In Avengers: Infinity War, the very first scene is Thanos's arrival.

Viewers who have watched Marvel movies know this, because there were Easter eggs in previous films.

But the Avengers members didn't know that the news was brought by the Hulk.

With this design, the movie must include Avengers members who understand Thanos's backstory. Then, even if casual viewers haven't seen previous films, they can still get a general understanding of the universe from Doctor Strange's explanation of the Infinity Stones.

Frankly speaking, this design truly respects the audience.

They tried their best to tell the story clearly.

Then, with the introductions over, the confrontation began.

That was a very smooth process.

The ending was also very clean, because if you only look at part 3, it's just a bad ending.

Faced with Thanos's invasion, did everyone fail to resist?

The hook left by 3 for 4 is simply that Tony Stark asks Doctor Strange, "Didn't you say you saw a way to defeat Thanos? Why did they still fail?" Then Doctor Strange says that he had no other choice.

Over.

The ending of "Infinity War" is not an abrupt break, nor is it a story where the first part rambles on and on about a bunch of grand principles, and then they realize they don't have enough time, so the director and producer have an idea and say, "Let's cut it into two parts."

Let's talk about point 4 again.

The very beginning of Avengers: Endgame features the appearance of Captain Marvel.

Since Captain Marvel didn't experience Thanos's arrival, everyone had to explain to her what happened on Earth.

When the recap of events from a TV series appears in a movie, its effect becomes very obvious.

Firstly, it helps those who have seen the previous work recall the plot.

Because there was a year between the release of 3 and 4.

Secondly, it tells viewers who haven't seen the previous work but are just following the trend what kind of crisis the main characters encountered before, what kind of crisis they will encounter now, and introduces the opportunity for everyone to solve such a crisis.

Once this complete process is revealed, even casual viewers who haven't seen a single Marvel movie can still enjoy the spectacle.

Ok.

Marvel's operations are very sophisticated.

Marvel is indeed using "The Avengers" to sell nostalgia, but they're not just blindly pushing it.

To put it more bluntly...

Even though Marvel was already invincible at the time, it didn't arrogantly assume that audiences all over the world had seen its movies!
The counterexample is DC.

The DC Extended Universe doesn't assume that everyone has seen its movies; it assumes that the whole world reads its comics!

After Man of Steel, he followed up with Dawn of Justice?
Can you even connect, honey?
Isabella clearly remembered that in her previous life, the release of *Dawn of Justice* was a huge sensation. The media were saying that DC accomplished in one movie what Marvel took five years to achieve, while Marvel used four movies—*Iron Man*, *The Incredible Hulk*, *Iron Man 2*, and *Thor*—to create *The Avengers*, while *Dawn of Justice* created the Justice League in just one movie.

The results of it?
DC's ideas are a complete mess!
When they assume the whole world knows their IP, they're doomed!

The chaos in DC is even more fucking terrifying than Superman's invincibility!
Of course, due to internal strife within Marvel, they eventually fell apart.

It is precisely because Isabella was able to learn from history that...

"Personally, I think that movies are meant to serve the public. You can only earn the audience's respect if you respect them. So, the key to whether a story can be adapted into a film lies in whether the adapted film can be understood by people who haven't seen the original."

“If we can do it, okay, I’m all for it.”

"If we can't do it..."

"Then I don't recommend it."

"I've finished speaking."

"Which of you is in favor? Who is against?"

(End of this chapter)