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Simon didn't pay much attention to it at first, but after hearing the reporters' rush of questions, he realized that the target of these people was himself.

It turned out that this morning, the WGA announced the nominations for the new American Screenwriters Guild Awards.Three of Simon's films last year, "Run Lola Run," "The Butterfly Effect" and "Death Comes," were all dismissed and received no nominations.

Among the three films, "The Butterfly Effect" has a very novel plot concept, but the film's reputation among film critics last year was very low, and it is only natural that it was ignored by the awards. As for "Death Comes", this plasma thriller is even more impossible Get nominated.

Therefore, "Run Lola Run" can be said to be Simon's main force for this year's awards season.

Prior to this, due to age factors, the media generally predicted that the most important award that Simon could easily get at the most important Oscar of the awards season was the best screenplay.The three films that Simon wrote last year all broke into the top ten of the annual box office list, and he deserves this award.

The main voting members of the Academy Award for Screenplay are concentrated in the Writers Guild of America.

Now, the WGA has completely ignored "Run Lola Run", and it is impossible for Simon to win the screenwriting award in the next Oscar, and even nominations are hard to count on.

Back at the resort apartment in the afternoon, Simon also got more detailed information from Los Angeles.

At the nomination press conference, in the face of media questioning, WGA West Branch Chairman George Cogo explained that "Run Lola Run" was too focused on form and lacked connotation, so it failed to meet the award nomination criteria.

Simon just laughed it off, and he didn't expect that because he refused to join the WGA, the opponent's 'killing stick' would be so obvious.

However, after a brief discussion, Simon just let Pat Kingsley express respect for the WGA's decision.

Simon himself doesn't care about awards, but it's impossible for him not to think about the films produced by Daenerys Pictures.

At the end of the day, the entire award season is a game, everyone is in the game, and if you want to get rewarded, you have to play by the rules.

Therefore, although some sensitive media have noticed the fact that Simon is not a WGA member and questioned the fairness of the WGA nomination, Simon has not responded to this.

The tumultuous day is over.

In the evening, by the fireplace of the resort apartment, Simon, Janet and Jennifer sat on the sofa together, each holding a script in their hands.

Robert Redford sent two full boxes of scripts today. Simon plans to return to Los Angeles tomorrow afternoon, and will attend the premiere of another movie tomorrow morning, so he can only read these scripts in the evening .

After the premiere of "Land of Dreams," Simon has agreed to invest in another Michael Hoffman film called "Sisters," about a college student who travels to Canada to visit his girlfriend in an eerie family. kind of fun.

Janet was holding the script at this time, leaning on Simon and reading it with gusto.

Jennifer was a little absent-minded. There was nothing to do last night. Everyone rested soon after returning from the party.But tonight, in this strange small town among the mountains, surrounded by ice, snow and cold, in a peaceful resort hut, there is a man and two women.

This atmosphere is really weird.

The weirdest thing is that the other two guys are completely unaware.

I don't know how long it took before the phone rang suddenly, finally breaking the atmosphere that made Jennifer feel a little uncomfortable. She raised her head, and Simon had already picked up the phone, said a few words to the other side, and then hung up again. Telephone.

Janet was a little dissatisfied that the quiet atmosphere had been broken, she squeezed on Simon, and asked, "What's the matter?"

Simon picked up the script just now and said with a smile, "The Lord of the Rings is ours now."

Janet curled her lips: "It's 1000 million US dollars, it would be abnormal if Zanz refused."

Jennifer didn't know about the communication between Simon and Saul Zaentz last night, and she couldn't believe it when she heard the words: "1000 million US dollars, to buy the copyright of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy?"

"Yeah, as long as you know it, don't say it."

Still surprised, Jennifer just nodded.

Janet smiled and stretched out her little hand to grab Simon's body, saying, "This sheep is very fat, Jenny, do you want to touch it too?"

Jennifer blushed slightly, pretending not to hear what Janet said.

Janet rolled her eyes, stood up and walked over, pulled Jennifer who hadn't reacted yet, stood up and returned, and pressed her to the position she had just been in. The woman ran to the other side of the sofa and squeezed Simon towards the middle , sit down again.

This is a couch facing the fireplace, it's not too big, and it seems a bit crowded when three people sit on it.

I don't know if it was because of the fire in the fireplace, but Jennifer felt the breath of the man next to her, and her face felt a little hot.Not knowing how she was feeling, she hesitated for a while, but she still didn't run away, and stood next to the man cautiously, pretending to be calm and focusing on the script again.

Simon was still thinking about winning the copyright of "The Silmarillion" in one go. He didn't expect Janet to do so suddenly, but he just smiled and said, "There are only two, which is a bit small."

", How many more do you want?"

"Of course, the more the better... Ah, don't pinch."

"Jenny, pinch him too."

Jennifer raised her arm eagerly, and seeing Simon just looking over, shrank back shyly, and waited for the two of them to frolick for a while before finding a topic at random, and asked Simon, "Did you pick any script? "

Simon shook the script in his hand and said, "This one is good."

Jennifer looked sideways curiously, and found a string of numbers written on the cover of the script, 3000.

"3000", what does this mean?

Simon sensed her curiosity and took the initiative to explain: "This is a dark drama about a street girl in Los Angeles, Vivienne, who agrees to accompany a rich man for a week for $3000. However, I plan to change her to a A romance movie."

Jennifer frowned slightly when she heard the term 'Street Girl', and quickly said, "A romance movie, like, um, "La Traviata"?"

Simon nodded and said, "That's right."

Janet also said at this time: "If this is the case, it must be a tragedy. If it is Dumas's work, maybe some people will be interested. In modern times, who would be interested in a love tragedy about a street girl?"

"I didn't say to change it into a tragedy. Of course, the ending is that the prince and the princess lived happily together." Simon shook his head, glanced at the script in his hand, and said with a smile: "I also thought of another story for this story. The name is "Pretty Woman."

The "Pretty Woman" in my memory happened to be adapted from a black drama called "3000".

Simon did not expect to see this story in the script recommended by Radford. Whether it is the name of the screenwriter J. F. Lawton or the content of the story, it fits very well with "Pretty Woman".But if you think about it carefully, the Sundance Institute happens to be a platform for training and development for new directors and screenwriters, and the noir-dramatic script of "3000" also echoes the style of the Sundance Film Festival.After straightening out these, it is not too coincidental to get this script at this time.

After "Run Lola Run", if "Pretty Woman" comes out of Sundance again, Park City will definitely be more lively in the future.

On the sofa in front of the fireplace, Simon felt the two women beside him, thinking about the good fortune of getting "Lord of the Rings" and "Pretty Woman" consecutively tonight.

perhaps.

Park City is truly its own paradise.

Chapter 146 Can't Slow Down

After a short two-day break in Park City, Simon returned to Los Angeles, surrounded by busy work again.

Santa Monica.

Simon, Amy, and CAA President Michael Ovitz sit around a conference table in a conference room at Daenerys Films headquarters to discuss Daenerys Films' upcoming "Rain Man" " and "Steel Magnolias" two movies.

The main production plan of "Rain Man" has been finalized, only some details are left, and the two parties did not waste too much time on this.

When it was the turn of "Steel Magnolia", the atmosphere became tense.

Daenerys Films wanted to invite CAA director Herbert Ross and actress Sally Field, who also worked on the original steel magnolia, to participate in the film.However, the conditions offered by Michael Ovitz made Simon unacceptable.

"Michael, Herbert Roth and Sally Field put together $1000 million, which is too much. "Steel Magnolia" is an ensemble show, and if I pay Roth and Field a lot of money, the rest of the actors will too. Ask for more, and Daenerys Pictures can hardly afford the project anymore. So, we can offer Ross $500 million, and Ms. Field, only $150 million."

Herbert Ross is not only the director of the original "Steel Magnolia", he is also the director of Michael Fox's "Prosperous Road" with a North American box office of more than 6000 million US dollars last year. Going forward, Herbert Ross 1984 The song and dance film "Freedom" directed by the film won a North American box office of 800 million US dollars at a cost of 8000 million US dollars, which also made the film company a lot of money.

A Hollywood director's worth depends on the box office after all, so Herbert Ross is totally worth $500 million.

However, although Sally Field won two Oscars for Best Actress in 1979 and 1984, this actress basically has no box office appeal. In the 80s, not many Hollywood actresses were worth more than US$200 million. Since "Steel Magnolia" is a group play, Simon can only offer US$150 million.

When Michael Ovitz heard this, he fixed his eyes on Simon, which was his habitual gesture during the negotiation process, and said in a dissatisfied tone: "Sally is a two-time Oscar queen, Simon, do you think $150 million is possible? "

Simon was not affected by Ovitz's eyes at all, and said: "This is already a few years ago, Michael, we all understand that no one in Hollywood can get a first-line salary for a lifetime with one or two statuettes, compared to Ms. Field At the box office, $150 million is already high."

"It's impossible," Michael Ovitz shook his head, paused, and then he slowed down a little, and said, "Well, Simon, considering the specific circumstances of this film, I can make a little Some concessions, Herbert 600 million US dollars, Sally 300 million US dollars, but you must promise me two other conditions, first, all other supporting roles in the film must be selected from CAA. Dead Poets Society" is very interested, I hope you can give her the male lead."

"If you insist on this request, Michael, my answer is the same as yours. It is impossible. First, I do not intend to make "Steel Magnolia" a package project for CAA. Second, Bob has agreed to star in "Death" Poetry Society, and I would never give the role to Robin Williams again."

Three weeks of small-scale screenings have accumulated enough word-of-mouth. "Good Morning Vietnam" officially opened on a large scale last Friday, and won a box office of 1175 million US dollars in three days on the weekend. With a gross of US$1600 million, as a popular film destined to go on for a long time, "Good Morning Vietnam" is expected to exceed [-] million at the North American box office.

As the leading actor, Robin Williams has also been successfully promoted from the original second-tier actor to the ranks of first-tier superstars.

At the end of last year, CAA temporarily changed its mind on the day of the signing, and Daenerys Pictures failed to catch the leak.Although Simon felt a little regretful about this, he did not intend to be led by the nose by CAA.At present, the company has negotiated two film contracts with De Niro, "Dead Poets Society" and "The Sixth Sense of Spirituality". Although the contract has not been formally signed, it is impossible for Simon to temporarily change his mind like CAA.

After the two finished speaking, neither of them spoke again. After a moment of stalemate, Ovitz relaxed and leaned back on the chair, and said, "Perhaps, our meeting today can only end here."

Simon stood up and stretched out his hand to Ovitz across the desk: "Then, Michael, I hope we have the opportunity to cooperate again next time."

Michael Ovitz was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Simon to be more decisive than himself. The young man's words obviously meant that Daenerys Pictures would not contact CAA about "Steel Magnolias" in the future. There is even less room for change in the matter of "Dead Poets Society".

Standing up and shaking hands with Simon, Michael Ovitz persuaded: "Simon, you can't be impulsive when doing business. You can reconsider and call me at any time."

"I think I've thought about it."

"Well, I can only wish you luck."

After sending Ovitz away, Simon sat back at the conference table, raised his wrist and looked at his watch, and said to Amy Pascal next to him: "Give up Herbert Ross and Sally Field, we will start from WMA and Several ICMs are picking people."

Daenerys' budget for Steel Magnolia was $1500 million, based on Herbert Roth and Sally Field.But if Ovitz's quotation is followed, the film budget will definitely expand to 2000 million or even 2500 million US dollars.

The North American box office of "Steel Magnolia" in the original time and space was 8000 million U.S. dollars. Even with a production budget of 2500 million U.S. dollars, Daenerys Pictures can still make a profit. It can be expected that the subsequent distribution of other channels will bring profits, which will greatly extend the payment cycle.

Although Amy Pascal likes "Steel Magnolia", a story about the lives of women in a small town in the southern United States, her box office expectations for the film are far lower than Simon.Due to commercial considerations, Amy actually wanted to make this movie a low-cost movie with a budget of less than 1000 million US dollars.

Therefore, upon hearing Simon's decision, Amy did not refute, but talked about something else: "Simon, we have to talk about the company."

Simon regained his energy and said, "What's wrong?"

Amy handed over a folder and said, "Look at it first. Simply put, the company's funds are no longer enough."

Simon took the folder and opened it. Inside were the budget sheets for a series of film projects of Daenerys Films and other various expenditure reports.

Not counting "When Harry Met Sally" and "Pulp Fiction", which have basically completed post-production, Daenerys Pictures has officially approved films such as "Basic Instinct", "Scream", "Steel Magnolia" ", "Thunderbolt Blue Angel", "Rain Man" and "Dead Poets Society".

Among them, except for "Instinct" with a budget of 2000 million, which was co-produced by Daenerys Films and Fox Films, the other five films were all independently invested by Daenerys Films.

五部电影的预算规模从1000万美元到2500万美元不等，累计需要资金7500万美元。预留这笔资金后，丹妮莉丝影业从富国银行获得的那笔1亿美元贷款就只剩下2500万美元。

But of the $2500 million, just buying out the copyright of "Girls in the Thunderbolt" cost $700 million. In the deal with United Artists, the two scripts of "The Hobbit" and "Rain Man" cost $200 million. The copyright purchase expenses of "Spider-Man" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" have also spent millions of dollars. Counting the company's various operating expenses, the working capital that Daenerys Pictures can use now is only 1000. Tens of thousands of dollars.

Amy looked at Simon who was reading the document, and added next to him: ""The God of Death" was released last week, and the cumulative box office in North America was 7261 million U.S. dollars. According to the contract, we can get 10% of the box office share next month. This is $726 million. However, if we were to buy the rights to the Lord of the Rings series as you offered Saul Zaentz, or the Silmarillion in the hands of the Tolkien Heritage Foundation, we must have the funds in our hands That's not enough. Those few scripts you picked up in Park City, the planned TV shows, and the promotional costs of future Scream movies, it's going to take a lot of money. I can feel it, Simon. I see your urgency for a lot of things, but I think you should slow down. You're only 20 next month, and you have plenty of time compared to most people in Hollywood."

Simon flipped through the documents in his hand, and immediately realized more deeply why Canon Pictures, De Laurentiis Entertainment, and now New World Entertainment suddenly fell into trouble amidst the 'booming fire'.

The entertainment industry burns too much money, and the repayment cycle of film and television projects is ridiculously slow. Once the income brought by the project cannot cover the expenses, and there is no supplementary funds from the outside world, a company will immediately collapse.

If it weren't for the fact that he already owns a large amount of assets, and if it wasn't for the prophetic advantage in the selected projects, Simon is sure that Daenerys Pictures will definitely follow in the footsteps of companies such as Canon Pictures in the next few years.

Simon actually understood the exhortation in Amy's tone very well.

But can you slow down?

After finishing his work here, he will soon go to meet with Warner Bros. Pictures CEO Terry Semel to discuss "Batman".

If he slows down, if he gives up "Batman", according to the original timeline, the film will be directed by Tim Burton at the end of this year and will be released next summer, and it will become the annual box office champion next year.

At that time, "Batman", "Superman" and even the entire DC will no longer have any relationship with Simon Westeros.

Due to the failure of "Superman 4" last year, Warner's confidence in the adaptation of "Batman" is at its lowest point. This is also the last opportunity for Simon to take the opportunity to intervene in the copyright of this top superhero. How could he slow down.

same.

The films that Daenerys Films is developing and the copyrights that have been purchased are basically projects that are bound to explode in the next few years.

Once these projects are successful one after another, and Simon will read other novels or scripts, it will definitely cause looting, and it will be even more difficult for Daenerys Pictures to continue hoarding more copyrights.Simon must take advantage of the opportunity when many people still regard him as a 'fat sheep', and get as many IPs as possible at a lower price.

Even, it is impossible for him to slow down many things outside of Hollywood.

Can't slow down.

After looking through the information in his hand, Simon had already made a decision, saying: "Amy, the purchase of "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Silmarillion" will go directly to the account of Westeros Company, and I will let George Responsible for negotiating these matters with the copyright party. The company continues to advance according to the original plan. The three scripts I brought back from Park City, Michael Hoffman's "Sisters" and Whit Stillman's "Metropolis" "People" project as soon as possible. The cost of these two films is very low, and they may not cost 600 million dollars together, which will not affect the overall situation. The script of "3000" is temporarily on hold, and I have other arrangements. Moreover, these are just budget expenditures. The money in the account will not be spent immediately, so there is a lot of room for manipulation. "When Harry Met Sally" will be released at the end of March, and we will definitely make money in the future. If it doesn't work, I will start from West The Luo company transferred a certain amount of funds, or this side can continue to apply for loans."

Feeling Simon's firm attitude, Amy knew that persuasion was useless, so she said: "Add two more movies, that's eight movies, and I'm completely overwhelmed."

Simon thought for a while and said, "After finishing "Pulp Fiction", I will focus on the company's projects for the rest of this year, and signing a few more producers will definitely be enough."

For example, projects such as "Steel Magnolia" and "Dead Poets Society", since they gave up using the original crew, in order to maintain the original style and standard of the film, Simon himself had to put more energy into it.

In fact, Simon also wants to try to see if these films can still be as successful as the original time and space without using the original creators.

After all, there are many movies to come, and Simon may not be able to gather the original team. He also doesn't like this invisible sense of restraint, and he doesn't want to be caught by agencies such as CAA because of a certain actor.

He continued to discuss with Amy for more than half an hour, worried that the traffic jam at noon would cause him to be late. Near eleven o'clock, Simon set off from Santa Monica to Burbank in the San Fernando Valley in the north of the city.

Simon and Terry Semel agreed to lunch at a restaurant near the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

Arriving at the appointed restaurant, Terry Semel was already waiting for Simon.

After the two sat down and ordered food, Terry Semel asked Simon with a smile, "I heard that you gave up the acquisition of New World Entertainment?"

Simon nodded with a helpless expression, and said with a wry smile: "Yes, fat sheep are all being slaughtered. A group of people have fired up the stock price until I can't afford it at all, so I can only let it go."

Today is January 1th, Wednesday.

In New York, Westeros had already liquidated the shares of New World Entertainment yesterday. However, perhaps investors on Wall Street still expected that Simon would come back, so when the market closed yesterday, New World Entertainment’s stock price remained at The high of 11.5 US dollars, far exceeding the 7.5 US dollars before the news was made public.

After a short period of half a month of operation, after selling all the stocks, Westeros earned more than 1100 million U.S. dollars, which is not a waste of time.