Six Hundred and Nine - Yacht Party

Similar to Wayne's close cooperation with Warner Bros., Roland Emmerich's entire directorial career has been mainly working with Sony, Columbia Pictures and 20th Century Fox.

This director is good at and loves making disaster films. If you put aside the disaster attributes of his works, many people can actually find that his consistent style is one of idealism and romanticism.

Starting from his debut feature film "Noah's Ark" in 1984, this Hollywood director who was born in Stuttgart, Germany, has deeply planted the seeds of making disaster films. When Sony Columbia put the "Godzilla" project on the agenda, he was also the first to be identified as the core creator.

There is a very interesting phenomenon in Hollywood. Those who are actually involved in film production, the so-called elite filmmakers, actually have a small circle. Especially among the talented filmmakers behind the scenes, they are not strangers to each other. Of course, actors or big stars are not included in this category.

This has resulted in almost every behind-the-scenes elite working on multiple crews, including Roland Emmerich. This is the biggest difference between him and Wayne.

If we expand the circle a little further and include the department heads who are in the middle and upper levels of the crew, there will be even more faces that are familiar with each other. Everyone has similar working habits and environment. They gather together for a film project, and after a few months to a year of collaborative preparation and shooting, they then disperse to continue participating in the next film project.

This is especially true for large-scale productions. Any large-investment film project in Hollywood will put huge profit pressure on the film company, so they will be more cautious in selecting behind-the-scenes technical personnel.

Up to the core creative team led by the producer and director, which includes the heads of various departments of the crew. Down to the bottom-level participants on the crew, including temporary assistants, electricians, drivers, temporary handymen, etc., a movie cannot be successfully produced without these people.

For a top-notch production like "Godzilla", a budget of US$130 million means that the crew is destined to be large, and it is normal for hundreds of people to gather together to work.

It is very difficult to get these hundreds of people to cooperate with each other and produce a film according to the shooting plan in a short period of time. So people see that the production cycle of Hollywood's big-budget movies almost always takes more than a year.

And those film directors who are called fast shooters, such as Wayne, Steven Spielberg and other directors who make one movie a year, all have a very stable core team behind the scenes. Usually, the projects directed by these fast shooters, You can skip or reduce the running-in time in the early stages of shooting and get into a stable shooting rhythm as soon as possible.

But Roland Emmerich is different. He is not a fast-shooting director, so wanting to shoot and produce "Godzilla" in less than eight months is very difficult in itself. Challenging work.

For him, whether it is the tight production time or Sony Columbia's next plan, it is a battle that is not easy to win, and the opponent is extremely powerful.

However, Wayne, who was regarded as the enemy by both Roland Emmerich and Sony Columbia at this time, did not get busy with work as soon as he got off the plane as they imagined.

The sun is still scorching hot in Los Angeles in September, and waves of heat are accompanied by the air, pouring into people's nostrils as if they are risking their lives. Sunshine, beaches, yachts, swimsuits, hot girls, hot weather and hot music, one.asxs. ignited the high nest of the yacht party.

"How about this big guy?"

The music on the yacht decreased. Tom Cruise was shirtless, wearing a pair of colorful beach shorts, carrying a bottle of beer, and sat down on the sofa on the second floor. "Three years ago, I did this for everyone. Man, it cost 19 million U.S. dollars and was not officially delivered to me until this year. How about it? Do you want to place an order as well, and I’ll ask Pat to contact you later?”

You can still vaguely see the shadow of Malibu Beach in the distance, and the surrounding sea is also very lively. A group of seagulls hover in the sky and chirp from time to time.

Wayne was similarly dressed, sitting on the sofa on the second floor of the yacht, listening to dynamic music with strong rhythm and looking at the seagulls on the sea. Hearing Tom Cruise's teasing, he smiled, raised the beer bottle in his hand, touched it with him, and drank most of the bottle.

The cold liquid flowed down the throat, as if it temporarily suppressed the heat caused by the sun. He shook his head slightly at Tom Cruise next to him and patted the sofa beneath him. "Forget it, I rarely find time to go to sea. If I have plans in the future, I can borrow this big boat of yours."

"It's free, just call me anytime."

Shrugging, Tom Cruise put the bottle on the table, opened a wooden box, took out two cigars and handed him one. "Learn to enjoy it, Wayne. Damn it, what are you doing with so much money? More than two hundred million dollars, you can buy many, many big guys like this!"

"Greenberg Studio will start many projects in the next two years. Money is always not enough, isn't it?" Wayne chatted casually while picking up a cigar cutter and trimming his cigar.

Suddenly, he felt something was wrong. He tilted his head and looked at Tom Cruise and asked, "Wait a minute, how do you know that I have recently made more than 200 million US dollars? Warner Bros. probably hasn't publicized this matter?"

"I saw it in a magazine." The Hollywood superstar lit his cigar, blew out a large cloud of smoke, and tapped his head lightly with the fingers holding the cigar, frowning, with a look of reminiscence on his face. "Which magazine is it in? Wait, it should be down there. I'll get it."

After finishing speaking, without waiting for his reaction, he put the cigar in his mouth and walked towards the first floor of the yacht.

Even on the endless sea, the weather was still very hot. Wayne picked up the beer and took another big sip, shaking his head vigorously.

As soon as he got off the plane, he received a call from Tom Cruise. He was taken to Malibu and then boarded the big toy ship directly. Even now, he still feels a little dizzy due to jet lag.

In fact, he is also a little curious about big toys like luxury yachts, otherwise he would not come directly to this so-called yacht party. Just like the ship under him, the total length is more than 400 feet, and it looks like a white hill from a distance.

At this time, more than thirty bikini girls of different colors were dancing and screaming to the music on the deck, bar and poolside. Most of them have similar identities, that is, models.

If you put aside the fame and aura of Hollywood female stars, these young female models are likely to be better in terms of figure, temperament or face. They all come from a unique public relations company in Los Angeles and must sign a confidentiality agreement before participating in every similar event. Therefore, there will never be a shortage of these beautiful female models at the parties of Hollywood celebrities.

"Will's playing crazy."

Nina, who had been sitting in the corner with a fashion magazine in her hand, suddenly interrupted Wayne's thoughts, pointed at Will Smith by the pool, and reminded in a low voice: "Boss, he is smoking with those women. Leaf tobacco, or maybe something else, but it’s not a good thing.”

The assistant lady knew very well that what her boss hated most was the most common "contraband" in these circles, so she pointed it out immediately.

"Shit!"

Wayne put the cigar in the ashtray and took a closer look at the men and women by the pool. Several Latina female models with body-like bodies were twisting around Will Smith. A hand-rolled cigarette was passed back and forth between the hands of several women and Hollywood stars, mixed with the cigarettes in their hands. Strong drinks, several people burst into laughter from time to time.

"Will's tastes are quite different, aren't they."

There was a sound of footsteps, and Tom Cruise walked up with a cigar between his teeth and a magazine and a few newspapers in his hand. When he saw the direction he was looking in, he curled his lips and teased. "He and you are like two extremes. Damn it, forget it if you like someone with this kind of figure, why does it have to be dark?"

"Is the safety here guaranteed?"

Looking back, Wayne asked immediately: "I don't want the news that we were arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department to appear in the headlines of entertainment news tomorrow."

"Don't worry, smoke some leaf cigarettes, it'll be fine."

Tom Cruise threw the newspapers and magazines on the table, smiled and shook his head, with a proud look on his face. "Believe me, no fool will come to my yacht for a surprise inspection! My foundation is a major donor to the Los Angeles Police Department, unless they don't want to buy a new police car in the future..."

Nodding, Wayne smiled bitterly himself, feeling that he might be too nervous. Almost all Hollywood parties are indispensable for similar things. Alcohol, contraband, various drugs, and beauties of different colors are the main components of a party.

If you want to catch this thing, the Los Angeles Police Department doesn't need any information. They can just surround wherever there is a party. You can definitely catch them immediately.

"When are you going to start joining the group?"

Putting his feet on the table with a comfortable look on his face, Tom Cruise asked casually.

"Tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow." Wayne picked up the magazine on the table without raising his head.

"You workaholic..."

To his great surprise, this magazine had nothing to do with entertainment. Instead, it was a financial magazine, the famous "Business Weekly".

There is a photo of Wayne on the cover. He is wearing a black suit, with his hands folded on his chest and looking at the camera. Appearing on the cover of a financial magazine is full of business atmosphere. Wayne did not turn a few pages before he found the revelations about more than 200 million dollars that Tom had seen. What was even more surprising was that he was only one of the protagonists of this article.

"On August 30, the media "pro publice" low-key released a bombshell. The famous Hollywood director Wayne Greenberg only relied on part of the share of "The Dark Knight" to... took over $200 million in cash from Warner Bros.

According to our investigation, since the 1990s, Wayne Greenberg has been conservatively estimated to have a net worth of over one billion U.S. dollars, relying on his income from filmmaking, as well as his shares in Warner Bros. and some shares in Internet companies! Note that the basis of our calculation is his income that can be found on the surface, and does not calculate his personal re-investment income.

Just like the more than $200 million in cash received from Warner Bros., Wayne Greenberg has received large sums of cash almost every year for many years. Similar to him, rich people from different fields, including Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison, Bill Gates, the head of Carnegie Steel, etc., have all made large amounts of income in recent years.

After our extensive investigation, we found that 25 North American rich people in different fields such as Wayne Greenberg did not pay much tax! Take Warren Buffett, for example, the wealthy man who always shouts that the rich should pay more taxes. In the five years from 1992 to 1997, he only paid a total of US$11.75 million in taxes.

Perhaps for most ordinary people, this is already an astronomical figure, but this money is nothing to the above 25 rich people in various fields. Similar to the taxes paid by Warren Buffett, the amount of taxes paid by the 25 wealthy people in various fields we surveyed in the past five years is surprisingly similar to the proportion of their income in the past five years.

Less than one percent, to be precise, between 7.9 and 9 thousandths, not even one percent of their total income! This is just the proportion of income paid by the 25 rich people we surveyed. Compared with other fields, where taxes range from 30% to 60% of income, depending on the state, their tax payment ratio is significantly lower than normal.

According to the information analysis we have learned, none of these rich people have illegal tax evasion, tax evasion, or tax evasion. If we put aside morality and subjective feelings, let us just analyze their professional accountants team from the perspective of reasonable and legal tax avoidance. How does it work..."

Wayne's brows were furrowed. This magazine article, which was more than ten pages long, basically analyzed in detail the tax avoidance methods of 25 wealthy people in different fields in North America, including him.

It is not uncommon for financial magazines to publish these analytical articles. Even the original intention of publishing the article in this magazine was to praise the investment methods and smart tax avoidance methods of wealthy people including him. Showing wealth is equivalent to showing power in this land. This can be regarded as an old tradition.

"It only took you seven years, Wayne."

Tom Cruise on the side saw him raise his head, clapped his hands vigorously, and said with a smile: "In seven years, you have made wealth that 90% of the people in the industry will never make in a lifetime. I have to say , when it comes to making money from movies, you are definitely at the top of the list in the industry."

Although his tone of voice was teasing, there was no teasing in Tom Cruise's eyes, which were full of respect.

He still remembered that when he read this article yesterday, his first thought was to open a film company in partnership with the other party. Unprecedented business vision, excellent film market sensitivity, perfect control over film shooting and production, etc. make people feel that Wayne should be the CEO of a film company. Being a director is really a waste of his business talents.

"Come on, Tom, no one succeeds all the time."

Smiling and waving, Wayne threw the magazine back on the table, took a sip of his beer. "Don't be blinded by the flattery of the media. Maybe my next movie "The Flash" will fail. It's also possible that the movie I invested in will fail anytime."

"Yes, no one in this circle can succeed forever."

Nodding in deep understanding, Tom Cruise certainly knew that this was basically an iron law in the film industry. Not to mention a film director or producer, even the six powerful Hollywood giants, every movie they make is like a gamble.

"But at least you haven't made a mistake in these years! By the way, I heard that you invested in the production of that all-female perspective film. It's almost finished?"

"It should be soon." He had nothing to hide about this movie and said cheerfully: "If nothing else happens, we should be able to see the finished film before January."

Tom Cruise's meaning is obvious. If Wayne will make a mistake, there is no doubt that this film purely from a female perspective is the most likely. In the past decades of experience in Hollywood, countless producers and film companies have stumbled upon this, but so far, no movie with a female perspective has been a great success.

"You seem to have a lot of confidence."

After taking a closer look at his face, Tom Cruise shook his head. "I hope this movie won't make you lose too much money."

Including Tom Cruise, many friends around him, and even Warner Bros. executives, after seeing the lineup of "Charlie's Angels", the first thought was that Wayne was spending money to play games with women, and also Or spend money to fulfill a promise to a woman.

His credibility in this area is well known in the industry. It is difficult for people not to think this way when he arranges to bring in three women with whom he has no clear relationship. As for making money from this movie, even if he is the screenwriter and producer of the movie, no one is willing to believe it. This involves the general industry perception of most people in Hollywood.

"Speak directly, Tom."

The two of them had been casually chatting about various gossips in the industry during this time, but Wayne could tell from the moment he stepped on the yacht that the other party had something to say. After waiting for so long, and because of the jet lag, he was a little groggy. In his head, he still chose to ask directly.

"I am a director, but you are a good actor. Your eyes tell me that you want to talk to me about something."

"ok, ok."

Shaking his head helplessly, Tom Cruise took a big puff of his cigar and turned his head just in time to see Will Smith, who was stumbling towards the yacht guest room with three girls in his arms. Obviously those three girls were not in line with his taste. Tom Cruise and Wayne looked at each other, and the corners of their mouths twitched twice.

"I have told Pat that we will terminate the negotiations with Jimmy on "Iron Man" tomorrow..."

Upon hearing this, Wayne's eyes narrowed. In his heart, the most suitable person to play Tony Stark in this era is undoubtedly Tom Cruise.

Among all the male stars in Hollywood, his box office appeal, audience popularity, and reputation among movie fans are among the best in this era. Of course, Big Tom, Uncle Ford and others have equally strong appeal, but for "Iron Man", he can't think of anyone more suitable for this role than Tom Cruise.

As long as the other party can be persuaded to invest together, the salary issue can be properly discussed. If nothing else, with the face of Tom Cruise, he can add hundreds of millions in box office to the movie out of thin air. This is something that little stars will never be able to match. .

Wayne tapped his hand on the table slowly and asked seriously: "What happened?"

"Some unexpected situations have arisen between me and Paramount." Tom Cruise didn't hide it. He chose what he could say and said directly: "Conflict and cooperation have almost become the relationship between me and Paramount in the past two years." A few days ago, Summer Redstone asked me to talk about the topic between Mongolia and Mongolia. Well, the result was very bad."

After thinking about it carefully, Wayne roughly guessed something. After Viacom acquired Paramount, Shirley Lansing, a powerful woman, led the six giants through a turbulent period in a few years. , now even the head of Viacom, the legendary media industry tycoon Summer Redstone, has spoken out, which shows how complicated the interest dispute between Tom Cruise and Paramount is.

Unlike other Hollywood superstars, Tom Cruise and Paramount signed a close cooperation agreement very early. The specific content is unclear, but there have been rumors circulating in the circle about some of the terms. Coupled with the "Mission: Impossible" copyright disputes, division disputes, and investment disputes, it can be said that there is no possibility of a happy breakup between the two parties.

Moreover, this is the 1990s when superstars have the strongest appeal. Paramount or Summer Redstone are not willing to let go of Tom Cruise. Now he is a top-notch male star. The most scarce resource in the circle, this face, represents countless potential benefits.

"I can't say the specifics. There are some confidentiality clauses involved, but I think you should be able to guess some." Tom Cruise breathed a sigh of relief and drank a few swigs of beer. When it came to this, it was obvious that He was not in a good mood. "In the past two years, I probably won't be able to spare time to work on other films, so..."

"I understand that there will always be opportunities for cooperation." Wayne stretched out a hand to Tom Cruise and said seriously: "If you need help, please call me at any time."

"Snapped."

The two men high-fived each other and smiled at the same time. Tom Cruise took back his hand and nodded gratefully.