2062 Chapter 2062 Two Projects
Hugo showed a surprised expression, and looked up and down Barry. At this time, Hugo was standing on top of the stairs, while Barry was standing three steps below. This difference in the sense of commanding position caused some changes in Hugo's view of Barry. As a result, there is an illusion that he seems to be gradually taking the initiative.
This is indeed the case, with Hugo's achievements one after another, the undefeated record in the past seven years has almost made Hugo itself a myth, especially the three non-fiction films he participated in after "Independence Day". Commercial films ushered in a bumper harvest, which brought subtle changes to Hugo and the big guys headed by Barry Meyer.
Even a wily man like Robert Iger is no exception. At the beginning, holding such an excellent script of "The Sixth Sense of Spirituality", it had a huge advantage, and it also went through careful planning, just to be afraid of Hugo's influence, but in the end, DreamWorks and Endeavor Elite Brokerage Company pulled their teeth out of their mouths , causing Robert's original plan to deviate.
This is a direct reflection of Hugo's influence today.
When Barry chatted with Kevin Pence again, he joked that if Hugo raised his arms and said that he wanted to run for president at this time, it is estimated that Hugo might actually succeed in taking office. This may be a joke, but it is the best proof of Hugo's influence.
Hugo could clearly see all the subtle changes in Barry's expression at a glance, and he finally understood why many people aspire to stand at the top. The lofty ambition of seeing everything in his eyes really made people excited, "I believe Barry -Mr. Meyer wouldn't be a stalker, but... my whereabouts are worth fifty dollars? You should have called me directly."
Hugo seemed to be still thinking about the "fifty dollars" thing seriously, which made Barry smile slightly, "Well, do I have the honor to invite you for a cup of coffee? Or...you have homework to do ?” Barry's eyes fell on the two books in Hugo's arms, the top one was "Macroeconomics".
Hugo was amused by the word "homework" used by Barry, "Yes, there are some homework. However, I think a cup of coffee can save my messy brain." Hugo took the initiative to walk down the stairs, leading the way, "I know there is a coffee shop not far ahead, we can take a rest there."
The scenery around the University of California, Los Angeles is beautiful, and the lush boulevards make the changes of the four seasons have a style of oil painting. It is already December, and the bleak winter makes the whole world become extremely empty and profound. Walking in On the avenue with trees on both sides, people can't help but feel that they have returned to their school days. It is simple and has no worries. Homework is the biggest trouble all day.
"So, you made a special trip to find me, what's the matter?" Barry's directness just now made Hugo go straight to the point without any disguise.
Barry put his hands behind his back, considered his words, and asked tentatively, "Actually, I have two script projects in my hand. I want to ask if you are interested."
Hugo raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes paused for a moment on Barry's face, and then he smiled, "I'm already curious about the project that Mr. Barry-Meyer found for me personally." Hugo naturally didn't believe it. Barry's remarks, if it's just two script projects, Barry can find him through Rick, or call him directly, there is no need to come here to block him, obviously Barry has other plans in mind.
Barry didn't mind Hugo's meaningful sight either. He came to the door today, obviously he was fully prepared. He did prepare two projects, and both of them had the absolute possibility of impressing Hugo.
Warner Bros. has earned more than $200 million in profits from "LA Confidential," and that's just box office profits, without counting the boom in the videotape market over the past year. Therefore, Barry will never miss the cash cow of Hugo, and he will not be like Shirley Lansing, who worked so hard to calculate "The Truman Show", but let Paramount Future and Hugo's Collaboration has become incredibly difficult. Now Barry is very fortunate. He chose to back down in the competition for the producer of "LA Confidential".
"I know you have done a lot of research on the script of 'The Truman Show', but have you thought further about the Zen contained in it?" Barry's opening chapter successfully attracted Hugo's attention, which made Hugo quite excited. He looked at Barry with interest, but Barry was not complacent, but continued in an orderly manner, "We always wonder if there is a puppet thread behind us, and someone is manipulating our lives behind us. Destiny is nothing more than some people above—for example, aliens—arranged for us.”
"However, what if it's not a program producer like Christopher who is hiding behind the scenes, and it's not just Truman who is being manipulated, but what if we are all alien puppets?" Barry only used three simple sentences The words made Hugo stop, and narrowed his eyes slightly to look at Barry.
In Barry's view, his strategy succeeded, because when he was watching the promotion of "The Truman Show", he heard Hugo mention this idea, and now, he used this method to mobilize Hugo's Interest; but in Hugo's view, he thought of a project, a project that occupies an irreplaceable position in the history of science fiction films.
"The Matrix".
The greatness of this movie is not only that it has shot a wonderful trilogy of science fiction movies, making obscure science fiction movies successfully rank among the huge box office; The world has transformed the fears and speculations of countless people into reality, which makes the status of "The Matrix" in film history comparable to that of "Star Wars".
"The Matrix" has made Keanu Reeves and the Wachowski brothers and sisters, allowing them to reach the top of the world in one fell swoop, but it has also limited Keanu and the Wachowski brothers and sisters. In his career, he has never been able to surpass the height of this series.
If Hugo guessed correctly, the project proposed by Barry is "The Matrix"-this work that has made countless sci-fi fans cheer and worship, just like this appeared in front of Hugo. First the "Star Wars prequels" and now "The Matrix," Hugo thinks things are getting more and more interesting.
The two stood there like this, silent without speaking, with their own thoughts in their minds. Barry didn't deliberately say more, but maintained a sense of mystery to arouse Hugo's curiosity. The next thing he needs to do is to let the script impress Hugo. After a while, the two of them took another step, silent and silent, as if they were both trapped in their own world.
Barry understood the interest in Hugo's eyes, which made him slightly relieved. This at least proved that his strategy was correct. The two walked to the coffee shop at this time, and Barry also temporarily stopped the topic. . The two walked in, ordered a cup of coffee each, and then sat down.
Hugo took the lead to start the topic again, "You said just now that there are two projects, so what about another one?"
Barry was a little surprised. He thought that Hugo would talk about the project just now, but he didn't expect Hugo to change the topic directly. However, the battle-tested Barry didn't waver at all, and he just joked, "It seems that I have aroused your interest. This is not an easy task." This joke made Hugo smile , Barry did not go any further, and took the initiative to answer, "There is another project that is an old acquaintance. Do you remember Frank Darabont?"
Hugo was stunned, as if his brain hadn't turned the corner for a while. Barry also knew Hugo's poor memory of names, and then explained, "Frank Darabont from 'The Shawshank Redemption'."
Of course Hugo remembers that his first screenwriting nomination came from "The Shawshank Redemption", although he never admitted it himself, because his contribution to the script was minimal.
Since "The Shawshank Redemption", Frank has basically disappeared. In the past four years, there has been only one screenwriting work, and it has suffered a disastrous failure, and there has been no directorial work. Although "The Shawshank Redemption" has done very well in the video market, people have almost forgotten Frank as the creator.
Barry nodded his chin slightly, "This time Frank plans to adapt another Stephen King novel, 'The Green Mile', and he hopes to cooperate with you. After all, it is really a pity to miss it last time. I hope this It can fill the vacancy once, I wonder if you are interested?"
Different from the first project, in the second project, Barry changed another strategy and showed his cards directly. Whether it is Frank Darabont or Stephen King, they are actually enough to impress Hugo.
As expected, a surprised expression appeared on Hugo's face, "Wow, I can see now that you took the initiative to come to me today. Although I haven't read the scripts for the two projects, I can already feel There are sparks in the work." This is the truth, Hugo really did not expect that Warner Bros. is so sincere this time, it can almost be said that he has come up with two scripts that he cannot refuse.
Barry laughed when he heard Hugo's words, but the smile didn't go deep into his heart, because he realized that Hugo still hadn't finished speaking, and it was still not a happy moment. Sure enough, Hugo went on to say, "But... I'm not sure, maybe this time I still have to say sorry to Frank. Because I'm currently preparing a project, I must ensure my concentration."
After speaking, Barry's eyes followed Hugo's right hand, watching Hugo's right hand land on the two books on the table.