Seven Hundred and Twelve - Preparations for Multiple Projects Begin

"Boss, it seems that even if I leave your team, there is still a tacit understanding between us."

Zack Snyder ignored the surprise of the two executives at all, as if he was suddenly relieved and had a smile on his face.

"Shit, don't look at me with that ambiguous look of yours." As if he knew Zack Snyder would agree, Wayne shrugged and joked with a teasing tone. "Damn the tacit understanding. I don't know whether you are normal or not, but my orientation is very normal and I have no interest in you at all."

In fact, in Zack Snyder's eyes, some things were more or less clear early on. Although after watching several "The Matrix" films, Warner Bros.'s Bruce Rosenblum believed that he could directly take over the opening of Superman's series, and he was sparing no effort to help him win.

But there are some things that he can't change at all if he wants to and with the support of a Warner Bros. executive. He thinks very clearly that with his current status, there is absolutely no way to convince more senior executives at Warner Bros. He needs more success to establish his status.

Directing "Superman" is indeed tempting, but the risks are also extremely high. Zack Snyder believes that Wayne's promise to fully support him will definitely help him get the director's position, but what about the follow-up?

Once any uncontrollable accident occurs in the project, all the success he accumulated from filming "The Matrix" will be thrown into the stinking ditch. It is an obvious objective fact that with his current identity and status, he can lose everything if he fails. Now he has no capital to take risks.

"Wayne, listen to me, you're not a robot."

Silently blowing out a large cloud of smoke, Jeff Robinoff and Bruce Rosenblum looked at each other. After calming down a little, they still advised: "There is no shortage of highly productive directors in Hollywood, and there is no shortage of those who Directors who direct two or even three films at the same time, but you have to know what kind of films those directors are directing!

This kind of big-ticket production requires long preparations. Even one project, not to mention two, will still overdraw all your energy within a few months. Wayne, I'd rather you take your time filming one film after another than see some unfortunate outcome. "

"Jeff's right."

Before Wayne could say anything, Bruce Rosenblum immediately spoke up and said, "You must still remember "Garden" and "Schindler's List," right? Back then, Steven Spielberg was almost killed by this The two videos tortured me crazy!

I want to remind you that even so, Steven Spielberg shot one film after another. At best, they were seamlessly connected, and there was not much crossover work. Moreover, there is a very important point. If George Lucas hadn't joined him on the set and in the post-production studio, both of these films would most likely have died! "

Speaking of which, people only saw the great success of Zilberg, but they all ignored the role of George Lucas.

As Jeff Robinoff said, people are not robots. The modern film system has a complete and precise set of operating rules. There are some things that you can't just speed up if you want.

Especially for such commercial films with large investment and production, there is no room to speed up the tedious preparatory work or the production of various special effects models.

For a director who has directed and produced large-scale commercial films for a long time, if he can consistently produce one film a year, he is considered a fast shooter in Hollywood. And as long as you observe carefully, you will find that even directors who produce one commercial film a year are very rare in the industry.

The reason why we were able to produce two huge projects, "Jurassic Park" and "Schindler's List" within one year, was largely due to Steven Spielberg's mature team. One thing that is even more important is George Lucas' full support at all costs.

Don't look at the column of movie directors. Steven Spielberg's name is written there. In fact, the father of Star Wars' contribution is not small, especially "Jurassic Park". That's true. Plunging into the post-production studio was just to free up some time for my friends to focus on preparing "Schindler's List".

"It will happen one day, Jeff."

After hearing the persuasion of the two executives, Wayne smiled and shook his head, put out the cigarette into the ashtray, glanced at the faces of the two executives, and whispered: "Justice League" After that, the DC series will inevitably speed up production to pave the way for the second phase of the high nest. By then, do you think it will be possible for me to personally participate in every movie?"

His words silenced the three men present. At least at this point in time, the two executives and Zack Snyder had not thought that far ahead.

However, this is a fact. Warner Bros.’s internal executives all know that the first phase of the DC movie universe is entirely about building roads in the desert. After the finale of the first phase, "Justice League," the DC movie universe will enter the second phase. stage, the difficulty is far less than it is now.

For example, the work to be done later is more like continuing the avenue built by Wayne and quickly shooting movies such as "The Flash 2", "Superman 2", "Batman 3", and "Wonder Woman 2". Based on the previous work and "Justice League", the probability of failure will be far less than success.

Even in the second major stage, it is enough to repeat what Wayne is doing now and gradually introduce more DC characters. The only troublesome part is the opening of the new important characters, but this kind of work can just be directed by Wayne.

Therefore, once the DC Universe enters its second major stage, the speed will inevitably accelerate significantly. By that time, Wayne's identity has become more like a chief producer and chief planner. Even asking him to do actual work on unimportant sequel films is a complete waste of his work energy.

"Yes, there will always be a day." Jeff Robinov nodded and repeated in a low voice.

"There's no problem with Zach's ability."

At least it wouldn't be a problem when he was staring in the general direction. Wayne didn't say this directly. He narrowed his eyes and whispered the best solution he could think of. "The opening of "Superman" and the opening of "Wonder Woman" are being prepared together, but the focus in the early stage is on "Wonder Woman."

Jeff, Bruce, this will ensure that "Wonder Woman" will be officially released in the theater market next May. After the post-production work on "Wonder Woman" is completed, we will shift the focus back to "Superman". It is not as complicated as you think. In fact, there is still a sequence between the two films. "

The situation we are encountering now is actually a bit embarrassing. That is Warner Bros. and Wayne, who have no time to train Zack Snyder.

If Director Zack was allowed to initiate the "Superman" project alone, Wayne would be worried in his heart. After all, the importance of this project is too high. He was worried about the details. He was afraid that the director would not be able to resist abusing high-speed slow motion, and he was also afraid that the final film would turn into a carnival for DC fans.

Therefore, this is the best way he can think of to deal with it, but it will only make him very tired for several months.

In fact, in Wayne's original idea, there was another solution, that is, to find a way to bring back Tim Burton and let the dark gothic director partner with Zack Snyder. The two people's styles influence and complement each other. More importantly, the films produced by these two people will never be divorced from the overall DC environment.

But there were also a lot of troubles in doing so. Not to mention the difficulty of bringing back Tim Burton, the collision of two powerful directors on the crew would also cause a lot of disputes. In the end, he gave up the idea. .

"Okay, Wayne."

Jeff Robinoff shrugged helplessly, looked into Wayne's eyes, and said seriously: "The project plans for "Wonder Woman" and "Superman" will be submitted to the film and television production department for review as soon as possible. Warner Bros. will do its best to Support your work."

Wayne nodded. It was now early September. In his plan, extensive preparations for "Wonder Woman" would have to begin in early October at the latest. On the other hand, for the "Superman" project, less energy can be invested and Zack Snyder can take the lead in the early stage.

"Jeff, the project plan has already been produced. I will modify some details when I go back. Jimmy will submit it to Warner Bros. by this Friday at the latest. You try your best to speed up the review. We don't have much time to waste. "

"no problem."

"Okay, that's it." Without any nonsense, Wayne stood up directly, adjusting his suit jacket, and nodded to the people present, preparing to leave. "You know, I'm definitely going to be super busy this year, and there's a lot of things waiting for me."

Seeing that he was about to leave immediately after talking about business, Jeff Robinov quickly put down the cigar in his hand and said quickly: "Wayne, Greenberg Studio and Warner Brothers, this year's joint investment project... "

"Jimmy will come over later to talk to the film and television production department."

After leaving these words and waving to several people, Wayne turned around and left the office with you.

After several people watched him leave, it took several minutes before Jeff Robinov turned his attention to Zack Snyder, who had been quiet all this time.

"Zach, we all know that there is no problem with your ability, but..." At this point, the CEO of Warner Bros. spread his hands. "When this year is over, Warner Bros. will definitely give you the treatment you deserve."

"Hey, don't worry, Jeff."

Zack Snyder smiled and shook his head, and said generously: "Believe me, the current results are not bad for me, and I have no other ideas in my heart."

What's clear is that, no matter how nice it sounds, he's going to be the real director for most of the time on Superman. But in name, he is not the project director. For an ambitious director, it is difficult not to have some ideas.

Perhaps the only advantage is that he will have the full support of Wayne and Warner Bros. producers in all his work, and he will not have to bear the pressure of a director.

After sending Zack Snyder off politely, there were only three people left in the entire office. It was only then that the two Warner Bros. executives looked at John Gray sitting in the corner.

"The preparations for "The Lord of the Rings" are almost halfway through, especially the shooting scenes that were built in advance." John Gray saw the two looking at him, and without any hesitation, he began to talk about his work quickly. "Including the production of special effects models, the ordering of more than two thousand props and costumes, and various weapons and armors..."

"John."

Hearing him talk about the preparation progress of "Lord of the Rings", Bruce Rosenblum frowned slightly, raised his arm and waved twice, interrupting him. "I heard that the company called Weta Special Effects Studio accepted Wayne's capital injection?"

This is what they are interested in. As for the preparation progress of "The Lord of the Rings" and the production progress of props and special effects, the two executives don't care at all.

"I Have a Picture Book of Ghosts and Gods"

Hearing Bruce Rosenblum's question, John Gray was stunned for a moment, then looked at the two executives and nodded. "As far as I know, that's the case."

"Is it possible that Weta special effects company will accept investment from Warner Bros.?"

After getting the answer he wanted, Jeff Robinov held his cigar between his fingers, scratched his head twice, and asked directly.

"I don't know, but Peter Jackson will arrive in Los Angeles tomorrow at the latest. I can test his attitude."

The two executives looked at each other and nodded. "Don't worry yet, the production time of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy will not be too short anyway."

Yes, what interests them more is actually Weta Special Effects Studio. They did not believe the so-called investigation report, and were not interested in going to New Zealand to learn about this small company, but the important basis was that Wayne invested in it!

The two executives present were definitely the people who knew Wayne best. They still remember that Wayne was already using IMDB a few years ago. But he had never even thought of investing in such an Internet company with unlimited potential.

It happened that such a small special effects company would make him invest money without hesitation, which was enough to arouse the curiosity of Warner Brothers. If nothing else, Warner Bros. really doesn’t lack the money to invest in it.

As soon as the conversation with Warner Brothers ended, the first thing Wayne did when he returned to the manor was to revise the details of the project plans for "Wonder Woman" and "Superman" in order to submit them to Warner Brothers for review as soon as possible.

The next day was morning. Peter Jackson, a fat man from New Zealand, just like John Gray, the producer of "Lord of the Rings", got in his car and rushed to Greenberg Manor as soon as the plane landed.

After a brief exchange with Wayne, he contacted his producer. At the same time, news that "Lord of the Rings" was about to undergo large-scale auditions at Warner Studios began to spread in the circle.

After obtaining Wayne's consent, Warner Bros. used its relationships to simultaneously provide services to CAA (Innovative Elite Agency), WME (William Morris Endeavor Agency), UTA (United Elite Agency) and Iers (International Creative Management Partners). Company) and other major Hollywood agencies have sent out a large number of audition invitations for cast and crew members.

The project "Lord of the Rings" naturally attracted a lot of attention. In less than a week, agents from major Hollywood agencies lined up with their clients in a studio at Warner Studios. There was a long queue.

Of course, selecting suitable actors is by no means an easy task. What is currently being done is just a large-scale screening. After the final list of actors is released, multiple rounds of auditions will be conducted. It wasn't until the final round of auditions that Wayne showed up.

As time went by, the North American summer season gradually became quieter. After Wayne submitted the project plans for "Wonder Woman" and "Superman" to Warner Bros. for review, he began to arrange some work for Greenberg Studio as soon as possible. .

In mid-September, even "The Matrix: Revolutions", which had always performed well before, slowly fell into decline after four weeks of release. Because of its R-rated nature, the North American box office in the latest week only took in US$18.5 million, bringing the film's total North American box office to US$183 million.

In this era, basically as long as a film performs well in North America, the overseas box office will always be the same. "The Matrix: Revolution" has been on the overseas theater market for two weeks, with a box office of US$123 million. The film's global box office has successfully exceeded US$300 million. Subsequent growth can only rely on screen time to slowly grow.

However, for Warner Bros. this year, although the summer season is coming to an end, the films they produce and distribute continue to dominate the North American theater market.

Just when the box office of "The Matrix 3: Revolution" was showing its decline, I released an action comedy with a special starring cast in two theaters in North America.

Once "Rush Hour" was released, its results shocked the attention of most film companies in the industry. Ja, the Hong Kong action star, entered the eyes of mainstream audiences in North America for the first time, and also stood in the mainstream of Hollywood for the first time. The stage for action movies.

Before the release of "Rush Hour", even the distributor Warner Bros. had no idea that such a film starring a Hong Kong kung fu star and a black man responsible for comedy could once again arouse movie fans after the summer movie season cooled down. Widely sought after.

It can be said that Ja's unique action style instantly attracted all the attention on the big screen, allowing North American movie fans to experience the freshness of kung fu comedy for the first time.

"The total investment was 33 million U.S. dollars, and the North American box office grossed 55 million U.S. dollars in the first week."

In a lounge at DreamWorks headquarters in Glendale, George Lucas was holding a glass of red wine, looking away from a newspaper on the bar, turning to his old friend and saying: "I can guarantee that Warner Bros. The publicity investment on "The Moment" is definitely less than 10 million US dollars! Tsk tsk, all the investment was recouped in one weekend, it would be difficult for Warner Bros. not to make money."

Steven Spielberg shrugged and joked with a smile: "The most profitable person this year is Wayne."

"Speaking of this, I have special news here that will definitely interest you." Taking a sip of red wine, George Lucas glanced at Jeffrey Katzenberg, who was standing aside, and looked at his old friend He said mysteriously.

"what news?"

"I just learned about it." Without further pretense, George Lucas said while drinking under the gaze of the two DreamWorks giants: "You should have heard about the audition at Warner Studio. According to I understand that Wayne's total investment in the "Lord of the Rings" project will never be less than $150 million.

This is not the point. The point is that two days ago, Greenberg Studio signed a starring contract with the Chinese star of "The Matrix" for a new project. I heard that it is a project about dogs and an action film. Now this project has begun preparations, but it has not attracted much media attention. "

Steven Spielberg curled his lips and raised his glass to signal. "What exactly do you want to say, George?"

The father of Star Wars stretched out his finger and tapped it lightly on the bar in front of him. "The action movie stars the star of the hit movie "The Matrix". Believe me, the investment in this project will be at least a medium-sized film project.

Don’t worry, just listen to me. After the preparations for this action film project began, a paparazzi photographed Wayne meeting David Lynch for coffee..."

"David Lynch? It seems like another project with a relatively small investment." Steven Spielberg nodded. "I've long heard that Wayne's studio will launch multiple projects in succession, but I didn't expect him to move so quickly!"

Seeing that his old friend still didn't understand, George Lucas hinted seemingly unintentionally: "Hey, man, tell me, if this continues, no matter how much cash flow Wayne has, there will be huge financial pressure, right?" ?”

"You mean..."

Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg looked at each other and immediately understood what their old friend meant. "I will find an opportunity to have a chat with Wayne and see if he is willing to accept financing from DreamWorks."