Chapter Five Hundred and Forty Seventh

"Let's talk about the future."

Eric shook his head and smiled, but he was not too worried about this issue. The fundamental problem of MGM is still in the business philosophy.

Until now, MGM still maintains the vertical management concept handed down from the era of large studios, but since the 1980s, several other major Hollywood film companies have begun to try to diversify development, and strive to open up film-related audio-visual, books, etc. The surrounding industrial chains such as records, toys and theme parks maximize the 'locomotive effect' of the film business, and increase the ability of film companies to resist risks through the development of profit channels.

But at the same time, MGM fell into the hands of the casino tycoon Kirk Kerkorian, who prefers to play capital operations because of his unkindness. The casino tycoon is obviously more interested in transforming MGM into a hotel than a hotel. Making movies is so much bigger that the old movie giant misses out on its best time for a turnaround.

Now, Hollywood film companies that have opened up the industry chain have started a new round of integration with media groups. Once this trend is completed, MGM will be completely abandoned, and there is no chance to catch up with those who are integrated with media groups. the pace of his peers.

In this case, Eric provides some high-quality film projects for MGM, which will only make this film company prosperous for a while. In the future, when everyone is busy dividing up the interests, MGM will still be that declining rice. Gaomei.

After saying goodbye to Chris, Eric went back to his room and changed into a suit, then drove to a restaurant in New York on the Seine. What he wants to meet tonight is Marcel Noire, a vice president of the investment department of the Lyon Credit Bank, and John Cali, the current president of MGM Pictures.

Kirk Kerkorian sold MGM to Italian investor Giancarlo Parretti for $1.3 billion in 1990, but it didn't take long. The SEC found significant problems with the deal. Giancarlo Parretti, the Italian investor's company, is just an empty shell. The entire transaction process is completely through the fraudulent method of empty-handed white wolf to defraud funds to acquire MGM.

Giancarlo Parretti was eventually imprisoned for this fraud case, but the biggest bitter fruit was swallowed by Lyon Credit, because the French bank Credit Lyon was the financier of the transaction. At the end of last year, the fraud case was finally Sentencing, Giancarlo got the punishment he deserved, but the deal was still declared valid, and Giancarlo Parretti's 75% stake in MGM from Kerkorian was transferred to Credit Lyon, France under the name. In order to get rid of MGM, the Lyon Credit Bank organized an auction, but no one dared to take over this mess. The Lyon Credit Bank had to restructure the management of MGM, and poached Frank Macasso and John Cali. Form a new management team, hoping to improve MGM's performance, and then successfully find a successor.

But now the result is that the two new helms are not good, and the two films "Break Peak" and "The Last Action Hero", which were released heavily in the summer, all ended in failure.

All the way, Eric was thinking about a plan to bring together European film companies and MGM, after the hotel car stopped. As soon as Eric got out of the car, he saw two white men warmly greeted him.

Eric recognized John Carley, who was about sixty years old with gray hair, at a glance. Eric had met each other at some events in Los Angeles before, but until the celebration reception of "Fang Fang", the two did not have any intersection. John Carley was originally an executive of the production department of Warner Films. He started working at Warner in the late 1900s. He was an old man in the era of Steve Ross. After the death of Steve Ross, the infighting between the two co-presidents of Warner over the position they were fighting for gradually intensified, plus the invitation of the Lyon Credit Bank. , John. Carley left the old club where he worked for many years to serve as the president of MGM Pictures.

Eric blamed the unlucky guy from Carlock Pictures for the hype that "Bear Peak" was attached to "Jurassic Park" last time, so he didn't know that it was actually the two helms at MGM. The moth that came out. However, even if he knew, Eric wouldn't care too much now. Anyway, both MGM's films ended in misery now, which did not have any impact on "Jurassic Park".

Seeing John Carley welcoming another French guy with a big nose in his 40s and 50s to greet him enthusiastically, Eric also walked up quickly with a smile on his face.

"Eric, I'm glad you can come over tonight," John Carley hugged Eric very familiarly, and then introduced: "This is Mr. Marcel Noire from Credit Bank Lyon. ."

"Hello, Mr. Noire," Eric extended his hand to him.

Marcel Noire and Eric exchanged some goodwill, and the three of them walked towards the restaurant. The waiter guided the three of them into a quiet corner, and after ordering, Marcel Noire couldn't wait to get straight to the point.

Although MGM ranks last among Hollywood's Big Seven, MGM is arguably the largest relative to any film company in Europe.

To Eric's surprise but reasonableness, the Lyon Credit Bank actually hoped that Firefly would take over MGM.

After Marcel Novare made this suggestion, he noticed Eric's slightly surprised look and continued: "Eric, as long as you agree to take over MGM, Credit Lyon is willing to give a very reasonable price. Also, we will be responsible for lobbying the SEC to pass this transaction request."

Firefly Pictures has now reached a peak in Hollywood. If it continues to expand in the film business, it will definitely involve the issue of monopoly. It is conceivable that if Firefly Pictures once again acquires several other major Hollywood film companies, it will definitely receive feedback from various companies. Fang’s pressure, however, Eric is very clear that among film companies other than Firefly Pictures, other goals are difficult to achieve at present, but if the acquisition of MGM alone is launched, the resistance will be much smaller. , and even someone secretly facilitated this.

The Federal Securities and Exchange Commission's ruling is also greatly influenced by capital forces, and Firefly's acquisition of MGM at this time is equivalent to taking a big burden into its arms. This big burden will definitely drag down the pace of Firefly's expansion. It will also affect the evaluation of Firefly Pictures by investment institutions.

If it is another time. In the face of MGM's rich film library resources, Eric doesn't mind taking over MGM to slowly adjust and teach, but in the next few years, Firefly will continue to increase the pace of expansion. It is absolutely impossible to take over this mess of MGM.

Since Marcel Novare was so direct, Eric refused to be blunt and refused: "Marcel, I'm so sorry, I can't agree to your request. Because I can't think of any successor to MGM right now. reason."

Of course, it was impossible for Lyon Credit to guess Eric's strong interest in MGM's film library. Therefore, Eric's reaction did not exceed Marcel Noire's expectations. He had already agreed to Eric. I don't have high expectations for this matter, and making this suggestion to Eric is more out of an idea of ​​​​going to the doctor in a hurry.

Crédit Lyon is one of the three major banks in France. It not only operates traditional banking business, but also involves investment banking and insurance. Due to the European economic recession caused by the turmoil in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, Crédit Lyon has made several consecutive years. fell into huge losses. This year's losses are expected to be as high as 11 billion francs (equivalent to $2.2 billion), of which MGM, which was affected by the fraud, accounted for a large part. Crédit Lyon can't wait to cash out this hot potato.

Because he didn't have any expectations in his heart, after hearing Eric's rejection, Marcel Novare didn't bother any more. When the waiters in the restaurant served dishes one after another, Marcel Novare gently turned to John Carr. Li winked.

John Carley nodded slightly, put down his knife and fork, turned his head to Eric and said, "Eric, I wonder if you are interested in the 007 series?"

Eric smiled slightly, thinking that it is still the case, but MGM really can't come up with any bargaining chips to cooperate with him, and the only thing that the Lyon Credit Bank wants to do now is to put MGM After getting rid of it, he did not want to invest in the Firefly film business like other film companies in Europe.

For MGM, the 007 series is like a dying ginseng. Whenever it is terminally ill, it will be cut into a slice, and then it will be able to survive for a few years.

Before the sixteenth 007, whether it was the United States period or the MGM era, the production cycle of 007 was every two years. The reason why this long-lasting series was suddenly terminated four years ago, except for MGM In addition to the continuous turmoil and copyright disputes, the main reason is that the box office and word of mouth of the sixteenth "007: License to Kill" were too high. It only gained more than 33 million box office. If it hadn't made up for the losses on a global scale, "Murder Made" almost became the first loss-making sequel of the 007 series.

For a legendary agent classic series, the loss of an investment is of course nothing, but MGM is more afraid that the reputation of this series will be completely destroyed. If the seventeenth or even the eighteenth series still cannot be obtained Fans' approval, then this series is likely to be completely discontinued. Therefore, MGM has hesitated for several years in the process of starting the production of the seventeenth 007, and so far has not achieved any results.

"Speaking of the last "License to Kill", although the reputation of this sequel is very bad, I think one of the settings is still very interesting," Eric replied, and he couldn't help thinking of the "Sleepless in Seattle". "Carrie Lowe, who played Sam's deceased wife in "License to Kill", is the Bond girl in "License to Kill". Eric and Carrie Lowe had a happy night in Seattle, but that After the night, the girl left, and Eric never saw each other again.

When John Carley heard Eric say this, he asked naturally, "What setting?"

"The setting of two Bond girls, "License to Kill" is the only 007 movie in which two Bond girls were jealous because of Bond's rivalry, and they cried because of it. It's a pity that the plot conceived by the screenwriter of the last one was more focused on revenge films. Instead, it lost the essence of Bond movies, so it didn't highlight the two Bond girls, and, I also think, there is something wrong with the setting of the two Bond girls."

John Carley hesitated, but chose the first focus in Eric's words and asked, "Eric, what do you think is the essence of the 007 movie?"

Eric smiled wickedly. Said: "Of course it is to save the world."

John Cali and Marcel Novare on the other side were stunned. Then he laughed along with Eric. But after laughing. John Carley realized that although Eric's remarks were somewhat sarcastic, they hit the core of the 007 series, so he immediately asked again: "Then the two Bond girls you just said set the There is a problem, what do you mean?"

Eric was also interested, put down the tableware and said: "In the traditional production idea, the Bond girl has always served as Bond's assistant or lover. Even if there are two Bond girl protagonists in the sixteenth film, it is still the same. There's no escape from this mindset. But why don't we do the opposite and set up two Bond girls, one good and one evil, one to support Bond and the other to be Bond's enemy. Like Warner's two recent " Like Batman, although Michael Keaton, who played Batman, is very popular, the villains in the first and second films have attracted more attention from the audience. The Joker played by Jack Nicholson Needless to say, it will definitely become a classic imitated by latecomers, and the Catwoman and Penguin played by Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny DeVito also left a deep impression on the audience. This shows a problem, I have seen a lot of the protagonists with a strong sense of justice in the movie. The audience is still very much looking forward to the screen characters of the villains with distinct characters, which gives the 007 series a big breakthrough point. "

Marcel Novare listened to Eric's words, but subconsciously felt that it made sense, but he didn't feel too deep, but John Carley, who had worked as a producer for more than 20 years, was a bright spot. John Carley, a former executive of Warner's production department, also experienced the joy of the first "Batman" film, but Warner's internal more just credits the achievements of "Batman" series to decades The popularity accumulated by the manga serialization of Time has not been thought in a very profound direction.

Eric's chatty words at this time made John Carley feel a sense of relief. Perhaps Warner's payment of more than 50 million US dollars for the role of the clown Jack Nicholson was not too wrong. At the same time, John Carley couldn't help but admire Eric's keen thinking and vision, and sighed that it was not unreasonable for this young man to achieve such a dazzling success at such a young age.

Although he sighed in his heart, John Carley did not forget to strike while the iron was hot: "Eric, since you have such an idea, why don't you just serve as the director of the seventeenth 007 film? MGM will definitely give you one that will satisfy you. Offered?"

Eric took a sip of the red wine next to him, but did not directly answer John Carley's invitation, but said, "John, is MGM willing to maintain its strong commitment to the 007 series?"

John Carley's heart moved slightly, but he was calm on the surface. He sighed softly and said, "Eric, you know, we don't have many choices."

"There is a very good opportunity right now," Eric put down his glass and glanced at Marcel Noire again. "However, this requires the Lyon Credit Bank to bridge the gap."

Although Marcel Noiret doesn't know much about movies, he is sensitively aware that Eric's next words will definitely have a great impact on MGM's current situation: "Eric, if Lyon credits If we can help, we will do our best, let us know what you think."

Eric said: "Recently, several film companies and film foundations want to invest in Hollywood, but most of Firefly's production plans within two years have been determined, and it will be very inconvenient to adjust, and it will not maximize the benefits. , so I think maybe everyone can cooperate. I am responsible for selecting suitable projects and participating in the production appropriately. European film companies and foundations are responsible for investment, and MGM is responsible for production and distribution. This can not only solve the current operating dilemma of MGM , can also make full use of the European capital advantage.”

Marcel Noire kept nodding throughout the whole process. He listened carefully to Eric's words and turned to look at John Cali. John Cali also had a moving look in his eyes, but compared to Ma Ser Noiret and John Cali were more aware of the difficulty of implementing Eric's suggestion. Although Eric's personal contribution seems to be the least in this cooperation proposal, in fact, his personal participation is the part with the highest gold content, just like the original time and space, because of Steven Spielberg's powerful call Li, DreamWorks has just announced its establishment not long ago. Investors from all over the world rushed forward to send more than one billion US dollars of start-up capital. And this time. If it wasn't for Eric to come forward. Perhaps those European film companies will not consider working with MGM at all, after all, the two blockbusters in the summer have already terrified them.

But at the same time, MGM's current situation is the most clear to the major European film forces. Even with Eric taking the lead, the possibility of them agreeing is still very slim.

"Eric, personally, I'm very much looking forward to this kind of cooperation, but..." John Carley was about to continue. Noticing that Marcel Novare winked at him, he stopped his words. After all, his identity is only a professional manager of MGM. Seeing that Marcel Novare seems to be very enthusiastic about this plan, John. It's not good for Cali to pour cold water immediately, so he can only change his tone: "But we still have to negotiate with all parties."

Marcel Novare also immediately interjected: "Eric, we will give you an answer as soon as possible. In addition, Lyon Credit will do its best to facilitate this."

"Then I'll wait for your good news," Eric nodded.

The next topic is much easier. John Carley curiously continued to ask Eric's opinion about the villain's screen role, and Eric was not stingy. I shared some theories I saw in my past life with John Carley. It was not until half past nine that the three people finished the dinner.

After paying the bill, John Cali and Marcel Novare sent Eric out of the restaurant and left the restaurant. Eric was standing on the side of the road saying goodbye to the two when he saw the bright restaurant hall walking out. Another beautiful figure is Sophie Marceau, whom she hadn't seen in a few days. At this time, the girl was accompanied by a tall middle-aged man in his forties, with a typical French appearance. The middle-aged man was with Sophie Xiang Going out, chattering about something.

John Carley and Marcel Noiret followed Eric's gaze almost at the same time. That night, John Carley also attended the "Fang Fang" celebration at the Seydoux family, and knew a little about the inside story. Winking at Marcel Novare, John Carley said to Eric, "Eric, since that's the case, we'll leave first."

Eric didn't mind the ridicule and ambiguity that appeared at the same time between John Carley and Marcel Novare. After saying goodbye, he took the initiative to walk over to Sophie.

Approaching the two of them, although Eric could not understand French, he could clearly recognize Sophie's impatient look. After getting used to the dim light outdoors, Sophie also saw Eric at a glance. The girl's expression was a little surprised at first, then she winked mischievously at Eric, and then gave a little effort to the middle-aged man beside her. Mouth, obviously signaling to Eric to make a clearance for her.

The middle-aged man noticed the change in Sophie's expression and looked forward. Only then did he find a young man in his twenties walking towards him. The young man was dressed in a decent black suit, his face was angular and his temperament was indifferent and calm. It also gave people a faint sense of oppression that was hard to ignore. Although the appearance of the young man felt a little familiar, the middle-aged man could not recognize Eric's identity for a while, but instinctively produced a hint of vigilance.

Seeing Eric walking in front of the two of them, the middle-aged man took a slight step forward, reached out to Eric, and said in French, "Hello, my name is Frederick Bloom, may I ask who you are?"

To the surprise of the middle-aged man, a confused look appeared in the eyes of the young man in front of him. He looked at his outstretched hand, but did not intend to respond, but turned his eyes to Sophie.

Knowing that Eric couldn't understand a few words of French, Sophie smiled narrowly, but now she had to make a clearance for Eric, so Sophie had to quickly say to the middle-aged man: "He doesn't understand French, you can use English. ."

When Frederick Bloom heard Sophie's words, a trace of contempt flashed in his eyes, but he introduced himself again in English.

Eric reached out to him and shook it: "Hello, I'm Eric Williams."

If it was just a little familiar just now, after Eric said his name, Frederick Bloom immediately remembered his identity. He is also a person in the film industry. Of course, he could not not know the short story of Eric. Thinking of this, the young Hollywood tycoon who created the Firefly Films miracle in just a few years, Frederick Bloom immediately put away a trace of contempt that had just emerged, and said eagerly, "Mr. Williams, it's a pleasure to meet you. You, I'm a producer at tf1 Film Studios."

"Oh, tf1, I know," Eric nodded, just about to blurt out names like "Paddington Bear," "Air Rescue," "Superbody," but immediately realized that these were more than a dozen In the movie after the year, I felt a little embarrassed when my thinking was stagnant. I looked at Sophie and said, "Well, Sophie's "The Feeling of the Heart" is from your company, right?"

Sophie noticed that Eric was a little embarrassed, and burst out laughing. Frederick Blom did not dare to be so reckless with Sophie, nodded and said, "Yes, that was jointly invested by us and Gao Meng Company."

"Oh," Eric nodded, without any intention of ripping him off, he pointed at Sophie, who was still grinning in an unimpressive manner: "It's been a long time since Sophie and I, I don't mind leaving us alone. Let's talk?"

What do you mean long time no see, am I familiar with you?

The girl thought so in her heart and rolled her eyes at Eric, but did not deny it.

"Of course, since that's the case, then I'll say goodbye first," Frederick Bloom said to Sophie again, said goodbye, and walked towards the parking lot.

"Hey, luckily I met you, otherwise I still don't know how to get rid of this annoying guy," Sophie said relaxedly after the middle-aged man disappeared in a white BMW sedan.

Eric gestured to the hotel driver not far away, and pointed to the Seine River on the other side of the road: "Let's walk over there."

"Ah, that, okay," Sophie realized what it was, but did not refuse Eric's invitation, and followed him across the road to the Seine River, and the two walked down the steps to the On the embankment of the Seine, the night was thick, and there were many couples walking on the embankment, but no one paid attention to the two of them.

Looking at Sophie, who seemed to be shrinking her neck slightly because of the coolness of the night, Eric asked, "Since you hate that guy, why would you eat with him?"

"My agent just picked up a movie for me," Sophie seemed to recall the unpleasant experience just now, and said angrily, "I suddenly received an invitation tonight, saying that she wanted to talk about the script, but the director The screenwriter and I both left early, leaving the annoying guy who just kept pestering me, and if I knew I would not come, I took the script for the sake of Alexandre Dumas."

Listening to Sophie's arrogant tone, Eric smiled lightly and said, "Which one is Alexandre Dumas' work?"

Sophie said: "The sequel to "The Three Musketeers" tells the story of D'Artagnan's daughter. Well, if he pesters me again, I won't pick it up. It's not that I can't find a movie to shoot." (To be continued...)

reading net