Seven Hundred and Fifty-Nine - Oscar Is Coming

Time slowly advanced to March. After attending an internal preview of "Star Wars", Wayne simply said hello to George Lucas and simply rejected the invitation from Twentieth Century Fox executives. Once again, he plunged into Warner Studios and continued the unfinished work at hand.

The discussion about Oscars in the outside world has become more and more intense. With the successive awards of several "outpost" awards, the most popular films at this Oscars have generally become the subject of discussion by the media and the public.

Since entering awards season, Harvey Weinstein has been busy jumping up and down, and the effect is very significant. "Shakespeare in Love" and its outstanding performance have continuously become big winners at the British Academy Film Awards, the North American Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the North American Critics' Choice Awards.

However, "Saving Private Ryan", which has been plagued by various rumors and slanders throughout the awards season, successfully moved back to the just-concluded North American TV and Movie Golden Globe Awards. Successfully won the two most important awards: Best Picture and Best Director.

Looking back at the entire awards season, their rival "Shakespeare in Love" only won one acting award and one screenwriting award this time.

A rather comedic situation occurred after the Golden Globe Awards. Steven Spielberg, who successfully won the Best Director award, looked quite ugly when being interviewed by reporters. Harvey Weinstein, who was completely suppressed at the Golden Globe Awards, was still in high spirits before leaving the stage.

Yes, in the eyes of the public, the North American TV and Movie Golden Globe Awards are the proper frontline awards for the Oscars. But in fact, people in many circles understand very well that there is basically no relationship between the two. Even the people participating in the selection are completely two different groups.

The Golden Globe Awards are hosted and selected by the Hollywood Peripheral Journalists Association. To put it bluntly, the people behind the scenes who participate in the voting are just that group of reporters.

But for the Academy Awards, the members who participate in the voting are thousands of official members of the Academy throughout North America. Whether it's influence or the perspective of viewing the film, they are completely different from the former.

However, due to the growing influence of the Golden Globe Awards in recent years, coupled with media propaganda and long-term public misunderstanding, the Golden Globe Awards have successfully ranked among the British Academy Film Awards, North American Screen Actors Guild Awards, Critics' Choice Awards, etc. Among the three major awards, it has become one of the "four major trends" of the Oscars.

It's because he is so aware of what's going on here that Steven Spielberg doesn't seem very happy. "Shakespeare in Love" can be said to have achieved overwhelming victory in the other three benchmark awards. This has to cast a layer of fog that cannot be seen clearly on his upcoming Oscar journey.

The reason is simple. Whether it is the North American Screen Actors Guild Awards or the Critics' Choice Awards, the judges behind the selection of these two awards almost all have another identity: members of the Academy.

Most people have overlapping identities, which means that when these people vote for Oscar, they are likely to continue their previous choices. It has to be said that it is impossible to feel happy just thinking about this.

"The film you invested in looks to be in pretty good shape."

In a small pull-out room in the post-production studio of Warner Studio, a beam of light from an old-fashioned projector shines on a small piece of curtain in the front. Warner Bros. CEO Jeff Robinoff withdrew his attention from the sample film that was being shown and cooed pointedly at the young man next to him.

"Hmm?"

After hearing what the other party said, Wayne also withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Jeff Robinov. "What news did you hear?"

Jeff Robinov crossed his legs, leaned on the back of the chair and nodded slightly. "I was at a party with a group of old guys yesterday, and the name they mentioned most frequently was "Shakespeare in Love," which made Harvey jump up and down."

"Great news." Wayne whistled softly and joked with a smile: "It seems that I am about to make a lot of money, but, Jeff, I don't have much money now..." p>

"Before May, the end of May at the latest." Jeff Robinov frowned slightly. Of course he heard Wayne's subtext, so after a little thought, he made a guarantee. "I guarantee that Warner Bros. and your series of divisions and remuneration will be settled before this time comes."

Shrugging, Wayne smiled and nodded. "Look, this is another piece of good news that people can't be unhappy about."

After saying that, he moved his mouth slightly toward the sample film that was being shown. "What do you think?"

"It's not what I think, it's what you think, Wayne."

As if he had no interest in the 200 million US dollar giant film, Jeff Robinov just glanced at the big screen and turned his attention back to the opponent again. "Wayne, you know, today's preview is just a formality to be precise."

If it were another commercial film produced by Warner Bros., let alone investing 200 million US dollars, even if the production cost was only 50 million US dollars, Jeff Robinov would not take it lightly after previewing the sample after editing.

However, the young man beside him has proven his ability to control movies with countless successes. Even the CEO of Warner Brothers believes from the bottom of his heart that he, a producer who has been in the industry for more than 30 years, may not have as accurate a vision as Wayne in today's market.

"Okay."

"Wonder Woman" is being shown on the big screen. It can be said that from shooting to editing, everything was planned and produced by Wayne himself. He did not show off any more. Facing the leader of Warner Bros. beside him, he said directly: "Basically The final film is the current version.

Jeff, within a week at the latest, I will add a soundtrack and some dubbing to the film as soon as possible. After you go back, prepare for an internal preview meeting within the company as soon as possible. ”

The post-production work for "Wonder Woman" is basically at its end. On the demo footage they are watching now, Wayne will only add some key soundtracks. Unless something unexpected happens, he will not make any further changes to the main body of the film.

Just as Jeff Robinov said, whether it is the preview of the editing sample this time or the preview meeting with the company's internal executives that will be held later, it tends to be a process.

To put it bluntly, even if some executives and shareholders had some questions about the film during the preview session, it would be difficult for them to find a sufficient reason for Wayne to modify it according to their wishes.

DC comic book superheroes are the most important movie series of Warner Bros. in the past ten years. Many development plans in the next few years are centered around this movie series. Except for Wayne, the leader of the series, even Warner Bros. Brother's executives will be very cautious if they have opinions about the film.

At least now no one dares to pat their own chest and say that it would be better to listen to their own opinions than to listen to Wayne's opinions.

Let’s not talk about whether they can pass it through the high-level management and Wayne’s side even if they have objections. Even if it can pass, it will be fine if the movie achieves the planned results afterwards. If any unexpected situation occurs, no one can bear such a big blame. rise.

After a simple preview session, Wayne found Angelina Jolie in the next week to add some dubbing, plus background music, and the complete version of "Wonder Woman" was copied For two, one was sent to Warner Bros.'s vault, and the other was deposited in the underground vault of a bank in Los Angeles.

In mid-March, without any rest, "Wonder Woman" here had just completed all the work. Wayne led his core team and plunged into the crew of "Superman" again. Official filming of "Superman" will begin after the Oscars at the latest.

"In the past two months, I have visited all the locations you mentioned, and each one has passed my rigorous inspection."

Standing in a corner of the "Superman" preparation studio, Wayne folded his arms across his chest and stared closely at Ben Affleck, who was training not far away. Producer Charles Rowan stood beside him, chatting and reporting on the preparations in recent months.

"The filming locations of Clark's boyhood, the small town of Plano, Illinois, and then Chicago..." Seeing that the man beside him didn't say anything, Charles Rowan continued.

"The glaciers of British Columbia, Vancouver Island, and the Mojave Desert in California. Every location where the crew will stay for filming has signed a filming contract with the local municipal government. Once the "Superman" project officially starts filming, these locations will I will never hold back the crew, I promise."

Nodding with satisfaction, Wayne finally showed a satisfied smile on his slightly tired face. However, no one knows whether his satisfied smile is because of Ben Affleck, who is getting stronger and stronger not far away, or because of the producer's proper preparations.

One thing no one can deny is that due to the ample preparation time, Zack Snyder and Charles Rowan have almost made all the preparations and are waiting for Wayne to enter the crew and announce the official filming.

Looking at Ben Affleck in training again, Wayne turned and walked towards his office. In fact, he also wants to start filming as soon as possible, but there is one thing that he has to and cannot not attend in person, and that is the upcoming 71st Academy Awards ceremony.

"Charles, I heard that Guillermo del Toro, the Mexican assistant director, has obtained the director commitment of "Resident Evil" from Wayne. I heard that the investment for "Resident Evil" is expected to exceed 80 million. U.S. dollars..."

Looking at Wayne's leaving back, Zack Snyder slowly came to Charles Rowan's side, shook his head gently, and said in a tone full of bitter self-mockery:

"He gave me the opportunity to pick up the guide tube of "Superman," but I gave up like a fool because I was concerned about some of the looks from within Warner Bros. and the overwhelming pressure."

"Zach, don't think too much."

As a producer who had worked with Wayne once before, Charles Rowan saw some things very clearly. Of course he heard a hint of sourness in Zack Snyder's tone, but he knew better that even if he could go back a hundred times, the director, who was born in the New York advertising industry, would make the same choice.

"Don't forget Wayne's care for you, our own people. Believe me, your choice this time is the right one."

Reaching out and patting Zach Snyder deeply on the shoulder, Charles Rowan thought about it for a moment before continuing:

"Zach, there are only two of us here, and I can tell you clearly that now that we have been preparing for several months for this "Superman" and the next highlight "Justice League", the director and producer positions, in addition to Except for Wayne Greenberg, Warner Bros. will directly reject it.

Let me tell you what is reality. The reality is that even if Wayne uses his influence at Warner Bros. to support you as the director of "Superman", the final result may not be what you want. Zach, your shoulders are still too young and narrow. They won't believe that you can withstand such great pressure. ”

Seeing that there was still a hint of stubbornness on Zack Snyder's face, Charles Rowan shook his head and sighed secretly. Considering the happy cooperation between the two in the past few months, he still couldn't help it. Said a few words.

"Look, Zach, I can tell you something right now, but I would never admit to saying it outside of this studio.

In fact, when you finished filming the "Matrix" trilogy, CEO Jeff Robinoff and powerful executive Bruce Rosenblum intentionally made an exception and let you be the director of "Superman". The reason is very simple. Think about the way you created Neo in "The Matrix". That sense of invincibility is a perfect fit for Superman Clark Kent.

But, please note, within Warner Bros., no matter how powerful Jeff Robinoff and Bruce Rosenblum are, they are just two executives after all, do you understand? Just because they thought about this clearly, they decisively gave up their ideas when shareholders expressed distrust.

I can also tell you that even with Wayne's support, you still can't get the director's seat of "Superman". The board of directors of Warner Bros. has even discussed how to deal with it. They would rather postpone the "Superman" project for a year and wait for Wayne to have free hands! ”

After speaking, he patted Zack Snyder on the shoulder again, turned and walked towards his office. In fact, Charles Rowan sees very clearly that humans are complex animals, and he also came from the Wayne team. In the past, the entire circle praised Zack Snyder, but in the future, this may not necessarily be the case.

Especially when the Mexican director Gilmour stepped forward and got the director's commitment for Wayne's project "Resident Evil".

In Charles Rowan's view, the reason why Zack Snyder has some hypocritical ideas is simply because the road to Hollywood is going too smoothly. Compared with those directors who struggled for many years to try every means to direct their first feature film, he has never experienced the real and cruel Hollywood.

While filming commercials in New York, he had already gained some fame in a short period of time. Later, when he came to Wayne's team, he received what could be called the best learning environment in the industry.

Think about the filming of films such as "The Return of the Clown". For many of the footage, Wayne was completely delegating power deliberately, allowing Zack Snyder to learn how to control a large crew of hundreds of people and learn how to coordinate the work of various departments.

I am afraid that except for Zack Snyder himself, many people have already seen that Wayne is deliberately cultivating his directorial ability. The purpose is not difficult to guess. When the first phase of the DC movie universe comes to an end, a large number of projects will inevitably burst out in the second phase. Of course, Wayne hopes that those who direct these projects will not deviate from his own production philosophy.

In fact, Charles Roven really wants to remind Zack Snyder that all he has to do now is wait with peace of mind, and there is no need to be anxious when seeing another director coming out of Wayne's team.

After at most one or two years, Zack Snyder will definitely have a stage where he can show off his talents. By then, with Wayne’s support in the DC Comics universe, Zack Snyder’s shooting style will be the same as Wayne’s. Directors who are very similar, are they still afraid that they will not have the chance to take center stage?

"Zach! Zach."

Wayne's shout rang out, and Zack Snyder shook his head vigorously, put all the messy thoughts to the back of his mind, and trotted towards the director's office. "I'm here, boss."

"Leave some of the daily work of the crew to Charles, and the day after tomorrow you go with me to attend that shitty Oscar!"

"No problem, boss."