Chapter 1878: Chapter 1878

From "L.A. Confidential" to "As Good as It Gets" and then to "The Truman Show", the interests behind the Hollywood film industry are truly revealed in front of Hugo bit by bit.

Although Hugo knew clearly before that this is a society where interests are paramount, and he has experienced it many times before and after, but the world he sees from different positions is very different. In the eyes of these large production companies, anything can be linked to interests. They are used to measuring everything with numbers, even relatives and friends. This reminds Hugo of Jeffrey Card Senberg and Michael Eisner.

The only thing to be thankful for is that Hugo is still at the top, and the initiative is still in his hands. But behind the joy is a sigh: If "As Good as It Gets" or "The Truman World" fails, then what answer will this extremely realistic and cruel world give Hugo?

Hugo took a deep breath. He knew that now was not the time to be sad, so he quickly dialed Rick's cell phone number. Rick didn't answer the phone as usual, which made Hugo nervous, and couldn't help but feel nervous. Biting the dead skin on her lips lightly, every beeping sound was like a heavy hammer hitting the eardrum, and her emotions were stretched bit by bit like a steel wire rope.

"Hugo..." Rick's tired voice came from the other end of the phone. Just now, he had been thinking about which part of "The Truman Show" went wrong. Failure is not terrible, what is terrible is not knowing the reason for failure. But Rick still couldn't figure out a clear idea. He had to go to the bathroom to wash his face to calm himself down, and it was long overdue.

"Rick, Shirley called me just now." Hugo's first sentence made Rick stunned, and then with Hugo's simple explanation, Rick's thoughts gradually became clearer. Unlike Hugo, Rick knows the big picture as well as the details, and he understands the ins and outs in an instant.

Why do the three major Hollywood agencies currently have such a detached status? It is because of their contacts that ensure the well-informed news—and the truth; and their resources, which cover almost every aspect of the entertainment industry; and their trump cards, which give them enough confidence to bargain with the production company.

During the period of "LA Confidential", Rick realized that the current Endeavor Elite Agency still has many shortcomings, and it has been walking on eggshells in the past few months. But this time "The Truman Show" made things clearer. Endeavor Elite Brokerage Company has the ability to challenge the three major brokerage companies, but its real strength is still more than one level behind.

If the same situation happened to the three major brokerage companies, Rick would definitely not be so passive-even if there was an error in the news, there would be no clues.

Rick closed his eyes, rubbed his sore and sore eyes, pulled himself together, and said solemnly, "Hugo, I know you don't mind, but I still have to express my apology again, sorry, My negligence and mistakes this time were all too obvious."

Hugo twitched the corner of his mouth, showing a slight smile, "Rick, I know what you mean." In fact, this really can't be blamed on Rick. If the eight major production companies in Hollywood want to set up a situation, they should strive to be an elite agent. The company is the same as the United Elite Brokerage Company, they have the ability to fight back, but it is difficult to clear and see through the whole game. "The most important thing now is that Shirley has made an offer and I've given my nod."

"Fifteen million dollars in salary, 5% box office dividend?" Rick heard Hugo mention it just now, although he just mentioned it in passing, but he still clearly remembered it.

Hugo gave an affirmative response, "Sorry, I gave up the rights of the producer. I know this is very important to the company." Rick and Shirley had a tense atmosphere before, and the core focus was actually the producer , Rick is unwilling to back down, and Shirley is unwilling to let go. The result is clear at a glance-the experienced Shirley is still superior.

Rick shook his head, "No, I'm just being greedy." Even Steven Spielberg can't tightly control the production rights of all his works now, not to mention that now Hollywood has nothing but Rain Outside of Goo and Tom Cruise, no actor, not even Tom Hanks, can get his hands on a producer job. So, this time it was Rick who pushed too hard and his ambition got out of control.

"Let's talk about the specifics later. Fortunately, I have a chance to redeem it now, and I will deal with it." Rick also quickly cut through the mess, and directly came to a conclusion, "You go to work first. , I need to sort out my thoughts now and take the initiative to attack."

After hanging up the phone, Rick stood on the spot and thought about it quietly. Hugo sent too much information just now, and he needs to sort it out carefully. But Shirley obviously didn't intend to give Rick time to catch his breath. Jim Snow knocked on the door and walked in, "Rick, Shirley's call. This is her second call." Jim's expression was a little embarrassed, "When you went to the bathroom just now, she already called one."

Rick was only slightly taken aback, and then realized that he wanted to take the initiative to disrupt Shirley's plan; but in fact, Shirley also had the same idea, and made a quick decision before all the uncertainties surfaced. , the final word.

Rick took a deep breath, "I see, come in." Jim nodded and backed out again. Rick walked to the desk and let out a long breath, with a confident smile on the corner of his mouth, "Hey , Shirley, this is Rick, sorry, I was too tired from the meeting just now, so I missed your call."

"It seems that everyone has been busy recently." Shirley's voice seemed to be at ease, "I just had a few meetings in a row, this year's summer schedule is not normal, obviously we are all starting to be busy. Next year's summer schedule everyone has some plans No more."

"Batman and Robin" and "Speed ​​2", which were expected to achieve good box office results, hit the street collectively, and the low-cost production "My Best Friend's Wedding" actually achieved a counterattack at the box office; "Jurassic Park 2 "The Lost World" box office was good, but it failed to break the record, but "Men in Black" quietly showed a more ferocious momentum, and it looked like it would win the annual championship.

"Hehe, why don't you call me and tell me about Paramount's summer vacation plans for next year?" Rick pretended not to know anything, and said happily.

"Don't you know?" Shirley showed just the right surprise, expressing her surprise, "Didn't Hugo call you?"

"Is there anything I need to know?" Rick's voice was completely puzzled, showing no flaws at all.

Such an attitude made Shirley a little uncertain, but she didn't need to change her plan, anyway, Hugo had already nodded in agreement, "We decided at the last moment to hand over 'The Truman World' to Hugo... "

"What!" Rick raised his voice and interrupted Shirley's words in great surprise, "Wow, this is really good news, great news, God, you don't know how much Hugo attaches importance to this project , believe me, you will never regret this decision." Rick laughed a little smugly, "Of course, this is Jim Carrey's loss, and I am very sorry."

Listening to Rick's exaggerated voice, Shirley pursed her lips slightly, her eyes kept rolling, "Of course, we all believe that this is a wise decision. So, I have talked to Hugo just now, The general direction of the contract has been determined, and then we only need to find a suitable time, everyone sit down and sign, and these procedures will be considered complete.”

Rick laughed, "Of course, there is no problem, there must be no problem. Hugo nodded and agreed, that would be the best." Rick's voice was extremely smooth and sounded completely normal, which made Shirley's The doubts were suppressed a little, "However, what are the specific terms of the contract? What conditions did Hugo agree to?"

Shirley bit the tip of her tongue lightly, "15 million dollars, 2% box office dividend." She lied, just to test Rick's reaction.

Rick frowned slightly, and secretly cursed the old fox. In fact, Shirley's condition is very in line with Hugo's style-Hugo has never asked for high remuneration. However, Rick was fully prepared at this time, so he shook his head with a smile, "Shirley, you know that this condition is impossible, and it is impossible for us to sign."

Shirley thought she had regained the initiative, and her voice relaxed again, "Oh? Why?"

"Inviting Hugo to star in 'The Truman Show', you must not only expect a 'Liar', but a 'Men in Black'." Rick's words made Shirley chuckle, but Didn't say anything, "So, two choices, either a 10 million dollar salary, but 15% of the box office dividend, we can slowly discuss the bottom line of the box office; or a 20 million dollar salary, 6% of the box office dividend, no bottom line .”

In short: Topics maximized! Increasing the dividend ratio is to connect the box office and Hugo more closely. Even if Hugo is not the producer, he will definitely do his best, especially during the promotion period; increasing the salary is to ensure that Hugo's "20 million club" The gesture, while creating a topic, also caused Paramount to bleed once.

From Rick's point of view, Shirley is absolutely unwilling to delegate power, so he is sure that Shirley will choose the latter, which can be regarded as revenge for the previous one, and for Hugo and himself. tone.

Shirley also saw the trickiness in this in a blink of an eye, and she chuckled, "This is not the condition I negotiated with Hugo. I refuse."

"Then I refuse on Hugo's behalf, too," Rick said simply, leaving little room for it. Everyone in Hollywood knew that Hugo didn't care about the pay, and at the same time they all knew that Hugo left the issue of pay to Rick. Rick has absolute right to speak.

As for whether Hugo is willing to give up "The Truman Show", this is a gamble. It depends on whether Hugo is more eager or Paramount is more eager.

Shirley bit her lower lip lightly, "Twenty million dollars, six percent."

A smile formed on the corner of Rick's mouth, "Twenty million dollars, six percent."

The final word!