The conference room.
"Hi, Zucker, my friend. It's good to see you again." A middle-aged man warmly embraced Zucker.
"Jordan, it's great to see you again, too."
The man sitting across from Zucker was none other than Jordan Dervelman, Paramount's distribution representative. They had worked together before on the overseas distribution of Run Lola Run.
Looking at Zucker, Jordan smiled. "Zucker, I have to congratulate you. You did a great job in London—you made £20 million from ITV!"
"Not bad, but it's nothing compared to what you make from a single movie." Zucker's words carried a pointed meaning.
He was talking about Run Lola Run, of course.
Paramount had paid just $2 million for the overseas rights, then made $100 million at the box office.
Jordan gave an awkward smile. It was obvious he hadn't expected Zucker to bring up the past. "Zucker, as far as I know, you still own the North American rights to Got Talent."
"That's right."
Zucker nodded. There was no point hiding it.
At that, Jordan said, "Then you could consider selling the North American rights to Got Talent to our parent company, Viacom Group. After all, we own the third-largest television network in North America."
Sell them to you?
Zucker nodded. "Sure. Since we're friends, I'll sell them to you for $70 million."
$70 million?
Jordan nearly spat blood on the spot!
Clearly, Zucker was asking for the moon.
Jordan teased him, "Zucker, don't joke around. We're talking business."
"Hahaha. All right, Jordan, let's talk about the overseas rights to Hard Candy. You know you can't make the decision to buy the rights to Got Talent on your own." Zucker laughed.
Jordan was awkward all over again.
It was true. A deal worth tens of millions of dollars wasn't something a minor distribution department manager like Jordan could decide on his own. He'd only brought it up to test Zucker. Even the awkwardness he showed was mostly an act.
They were all seasoned old hands. Did either of them still have a thin skin?
As if anyone would believe that!
I have no intention of selling the North American rights to Got Talent yet. Once the British version airs, I'll definitely be able to sell the North American rights for a high price, Zucker thought.
A price far higher than £20 million!
Hard Candy had performed much worse at the North American box office than Run Lola Run, so Zucker couldn't expect much for its overseas rights, either.
But...
Whenever Zucker thought of Run Lola Run's $100 million overseas box office, he couldn't help feeling dissatisfied. Of course he wanted to get a little more money this time.
"Jordan, you damned bloodsucker!"
"$1 million?"
"You think you can get my Hard Candy for a mere million? Not a chance. Don't even dream about it!"
Negotiations between companies were all about profit.
As for friendship?
Come on. Don't kid yourself.
Paramount had indeed gotten a great deal from Wald Pictures in the overseas market for Run Lola Run, but Zucker couldn't expect them to remember that favor.
Take Hard Candy, which they were negotiating over now. Would a big company remember the previous film?
Obviously not!
They had their own distinct rules for doing business. They would never offer special treatment because of personal feelings or private friendships.
Zucker was no different.
In the end, the first negotiation over the overseas rights to Hard Candy failed.
"Victor, aside from Paramount, are any other big companies interested in our overseas rights?"
After Jordan from Paramount left, Zucker turned directly to Victor.
"Yes."
Victor said, "As for the overseas rights to Hard Candy, the big companies that have contacted us so far are Paramount and Time Warner Group."
Warner?!
Now that was a big company!
Well, Time Warner was even more powerful than Paramount.
Its parent company, Time Inc., was thriving. In particular, its subsidiary Time Magazine was a household name. At the moment, Warner Group was clearly vying with Disney for the title of industry leader.
Zucker was taken aback for a moment, then realized what was going on. "Looks like Run Lola Run's performance overseas didn't make us any money, but it did make our company famous."
Victor smiled. His meaning was clear.
Meanwhile, in an office at Warner Bros. Pictures, two people were discussing Hard Candy.
Richard Kidman, a 45-year-old man, was in charge of Warner Bros. Pictures' overseas distribution department. He was a powerful figure within the company.
"Reed, I just heard that Wald Pictures and Paramount have started negotiating over Hard Candy. Keep an eye on it in the coming days. As long as it doesn't exceed $2 million, make sure you secure the overseas distribution rights," Richard Kidman said gravely.
"Understood. I'll look into it right away."
The young man standing before Richard Kidman was his trusted assistant, Reed.
Before long, Reed returned to Richard Kidman's office. "Boss, I checked. The overseas rights to Hard Candy are still with Wald Pictures. But I'd like to confirm one more time: are we making a move?"
Clearly, Reed didn't think much of Hard Candy's prospects overseas.
Richard Kidman nodded. "Reed, I understand your concerns, and I trust your professional judgment. You're right. As a film, Hard Candy is a niche title, and its overseas box office potential doesn't justify a $2 million offer. But you need to take a longer view."
"Oh?" Reed was puzzled.
Richard Kidman wasn't annoyed with his young assistant.
Instead, he patiently explained, "Wald Pictures is a new company, but look at the films they've made: Run Lola Run, and Teletubbies, which became a hit in Britain after it started airing there. Then there's the Got Talent rights deal that's been making headlines these past few days. Do you still think Wald Pictures is just a small movie company?"
Run Lola Run, with $100 million at the overseas box office;
Teletubbies, which broke the ratings record for British children's channels as soon as it premiered;
Got Talent, whose rights sold for the staggering sum of £20 million;
Thinking of all this, the young Reed suddenly jolted with realization.
"I understand!"
"Thank you, boss. Now I see that Wald Pictures is no longer a bottom-tier Hollywood film company. It's absolutely worth cultivating a relationship with!"
Reed launched into an enthusiastic explanation.
Hearing this, Richard Kidman nodded with satisfaction. "That's exactly the right way to think about it. It's only a matter of a million or two. If we succeed, we'll gain a promising film company as an ally. Why wouldn't we?"
If Zucker had been there, he would have been stunned.
They were all crafty old foxes!
Still, Zucker was happy to cultivate ties with a few more big companies.
With Zucker's heavy investment, Wald Pictures had already left behind its status as a bottom-tier Hollywood film company and risen to the third tier. But it was still very small and needed to keep growing under the protection of big companies.
As for whether the big companies might turn on them and swallow them up, Zucker wasn't worried in the slightest.
"Three years. Give me three more years, and I'll have enough capital to make my move. Then, even if I fall out with the big companies, I won't be completely powerless," Zucker thought.
The next day.
Zucker got up early, washed up, then drove to the set of Juno.
That's right. Filming had begun on Juno.
They had already been shooting for half a month, but Zucker, the film's producer, had been too busy to visit. Now that he had some free time, he naturally wanted to take a look.
After all, this was Juno!
With more than $200 million in global box office receipts, it was well worth Zucker's attention!
As the boss and producer, Zucker had a 3% share of Juno's North American box office net profits. It was only natural for him to keep an eye on the production, lest the people below him start talking.
"Hi, Richard. You've worked hard these past few days."
As soon as Zucker arrived on set, he went straight to the film's director, Richard Linklater.
If nothing else, the fact that Richard had won the Berlin International Film Festival's Best Director award was enough to earn him a basic level of respect from Zucker.
The moment Richard saw Zucker, he teased him, "Mr. Wald, you're Juno's producer, yet filming has been underway for half a month and you still managed to remember you're the producer. That's quite a surprise."
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry. I've been busy."
Who was Zucker?
He had thick skin. There was no way he'd feel embarrassed. Instead, he asked, "Richard, are you about to start filming?"
"Yeah. The lead actor and actress are getting their makeup done. We'll start shooting soon," Richard said.
Zucker nodded and didn't say anything more.
Before long, the male and female leads came out of the makeup room, and the film was ready to shoot.
"Huh? They look kind of familiar."
The moment he saw the actors playing the leads, Zucker froze. He actually knew these two from his previous life.
Jessica Chastain;
Ryan Reynolds.
Jessica Chastain played Juno, the female lead in the film Juno.
She wasn't yet the well-known actress who would later earn the nickname "Working Girl" and win a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. For now, she was just starting out. After all, she was only 19.
Zucker was even more familiar with the actor playing the male lead.
He was none other than Ryan Reynolds, who played Deadpool in the movie Deadpool!
He'd starred in flops like Green Lantern, but films such as Buried, R.I.P.D., and The Hitman's Bodyguard had also made him famous.
Of course, he also had one enviable claim to fame.
—He was Scarlett Johansson's ex-husband, the Black Widow!
After all, the famous Durant had failed to get a taste of Black Widow's bathwater, while Ryan Reynolds had been unwilling to drink that damned bathwater.
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