Chapter 568: Pushing the envelope
After Neal finished speaking, Andy didn't respond immediately. He maintained a calm smile on his face, his pupils slightly contracting as he attentively observed Neal. But Neal's words had already come to an end. He just smiled back, and for a moment, the office fell into an eerie and awkward silence.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock.
After a few seconds, Andy finally broke the awkwardness. He raised his eyebrows high, his expression filled with surprise, and he smiled broadly as he said, "Are you serious? Jesus Christ, I thought you were joking. Three projects, each with $3.5M? This can't be real."
Although Andy's tone was light-hearted and even carried a hint of mockery, the underlying sarcasm was unmistakable. He collected his lowered jaw and shook his head, saying, "This can't be real."
Michael looked at Neal, seemingly waiting for Neal's response. However, Neal remained tight-lipped, wearing an expression of helplessness, which forced Michael to continue the conversation. "Why can't it be real? This is much better than the contracts Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans signed."
Michael raised his right hand, placing it near his mouth, as if he was revealing a secret known only to him and Andy. It was unclear who he was trying to shield with this gesture. "If my information is correct, Evans signed for six films with a payment of $300,000 each. Disney's move was quite ruthless."
The implication was that Renly should be content. Such an agreement was already quite favorable.
Andy, instead of getting angry, laughed again. The muffled laughter rolled in his throat as he asked casually, "And what about revenue-sharing?"
Michael displayed a surprised expression and glanced at Neal, then back at Andy. Finally, his gaze settled on Neal, and he said with astonishment, "I thought you guys had discussed this. The payment already includes revenue-sharing."
On the surface, everything seemed calm, but the tempestuous emotions simmered beneath Michael's demeanor. This was one of the key reasons why major film studios were reluctant to easily concede on revenue-sharing. It was a Hollywood rule. Once an actor won the right to share in the profits, although they might not receive it every time, the actor's agents could request it with each new project. This would lead to a tug-of-war, negotiation, and compromise with the production company. More importantly, it was about the recognition of status.
Renly's revenue-sharing from "Fast 5" was only 0.5%, which equated to $1.5M based on a $300M North American box office. For Universal Pictures, it was a drop in the bucket and hardly worth mentioning. However, the current situation was that Renly had obtained the right to revenue-sharing, and the film's box office success made him indispensable in the eyes of the media. All of this became Renly's bargaining chips for continuing to demand revenue-sharing.
But for Universal Pictures, they didn't want Renly to make excessive demands. All the previous buildup had been leading to this crucial point. It could be imagined that if they continued to concede, would Renly's revenue-sharing increase to 2%? 3%? Or even 5%? Furthermore, if Renly's revenue-sharing increased, what about Vin Diesel? What about Paul Walker? What about the other veteran actors?
Michael's attitude, to some extent, represented Universal Pictures' attitude: they were blaming Neal for conceding during the initial negotiations, allowing Renly the right to revenue-sharing! It seemed they had forgotten that Neal could only agree if Universal Pictures agreed as well.
Without further ado, Neal had to speak up. He chuckled and said, "It seems I didn't explain it clearly; my mistake. For the next three projects, Universal hopes to complete the signing in a bundled manner."
"Don't worry; we will ensure Renly's leading role. It's clear in the spin-off that Renly is the only male lead, and we hope to create a style similar to "The Bourne Identity", with the story revolving around Renly." Neal leaned forward slightly, showing a hint of enthusiasm, and added, "In the two sequels, Renly's role will remain at the highest level, and his position in the promotion won't change."
In simple terms, there would be no revenue-sharing; the payment would be $3.5M. However, Universal Pictures would guarantee Renly's significance and position. But, this was also vague. When Neal talked about the roles in the sequels, he didn't say "on par with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker" but used ambiguous wording.
A laughter, surging from deep within his chest, lightly spilled out. Andy's thick eyebrows arched high, and he wore a surprised expression. "I thought Renly deserved better treatment."
Andy didn't continue with pleasantries. He directly laid out the core issue. Seeing that Neal intended to speak up, Andy smiled, shook his head, and cut off Neal's defense, saying, "Emmy Awards, Oscar nominations, consecutive profits from two projects, especially the success of this summer release—I believe Renly deserves more respect."
$3.5M was practically charity.
As for Renly's current salary, Andy had his own calculations. His target was $8M. Riding the recent wave of success, breaking into the $10M range would be excellent, but he understood the difficulty. Renly still lacked further self-proving. Relatively speaking, $8M was a more reasonable goal.
As for the bottom line, $6M for a commercial film was non-negotiable. This figure was consistent with the average payment for second-tier actors, and it was entirely reasonable given Renly's current status and his rapid rise in the past year.
But $3.5M? Even when Dwayne Johnson initially joined "Fast 5" as the third lead, this figure was what they expected. Moreover, Universal Pictures was currently discussing a bundled agreement for three projects, including a standalone film where Renly would carry the weight. So, this figure wasn't just a joke; it was an insult.
As Andy stated, Renly today was not the same as Dwayne back then. Perhaps the $8M or even $10M salary could be subject to negotiation. Maybe the bottom line of $6M could be adjusted through negotiation. However, the issue was that Universal Pictures hadn't shown enough respect, forcing Andy to take a firm stance.
"After all, regarding what happened during the filming of "Fast 5" and the performance Renly delivered, I believe nobody knows it better than Universal Pictures," Andy maintained his composed expression, speaking at a deliberate pace without leaving any gaps for interruptions. "After the accolades received this summer, I firmly believe that Universal Pictures will show adequate sincerity."
"We understand," Neal nodded in agreement, but he didn't finish his sentence. Michael interjected, "There's no doubt about Renly's excellence. But even for someone like The Rock, this figure already shows sufficient respect. You must realize that Renly isn't a typical action star or a typical commercial actor."
"The Rock" referred to Dwayne Johnson.
Andy shrugged. "Well then, you can invite Dwayne. I believe he'd be more than willing to sit down and talk with you."
"Andy, you must realize that in the two sequel projects, Renly isn't the absolute lead. Beyond him, there are Vin and Paul," Michael's tone turned more assertive. "Indeed, Renly has had a remarkable year, but he still needs to prove himself. We're discussing a bundled agreement for three projects. You can look at Chris Evans's situation as a reference. I don't think Renly has a better advantage than him. So, this figure should indicate our sincerity."
Before Chris Evans took on the role of Captain America, he had already proven his box office potential with the "Fantastic Four" films. Yet, he signed a bundled agreement for six films, with a salary of only $300,000 per film and no revenue-sharing. Disney ensured that Chris Evans held a prominent position, even in the "Avengers" series, his status was second only to Robert Downey Jr., more significant than Chris Hemsworth.
Comparatively, Renly hadn't starred in any major box office hits. Although Michael didn't continue his sentence, the implication was clear.
After speaking, Michael spread his hands, wearing an expression of helplessness, as if saying: This is the reality. It's harsh, but it's the unchanging truth. Then, he raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a friendly smile. "Of course, we've noticed Renly's efforts. Frankly, we're looking forward to Renly's performance in the sequels. For the spin-off film, we have full confidence."
Michael paused for a moment, furrowing his brow as if he had hesitated for a while before making a decision. "Today's meeting, we also hope to hear your opinions. Do you have any special ideas for the upcoming collaboration? We'd like to know your thoughts."
That reluctant expression seemed to say: Originally, we had no intention of compromising, and we didn't even leave room for negotiations. However, this time, considering Renly's face, we're willing to make some concessions. You can express your opinions, and we'll take them into consideration.
It wasn't a condescending or pitying attitude but rather an overflowing self-assuredness, firmly believing that Renly couldn't possibly refuse.
Andy's smile grew even brighter. His small eyes nearly disappeared, and a muffled laughter rumbled in his throat. The more he thought about it, the funnier it became. Today, he treated it as though he had watched a circus performance, quite a comical one at that. "This is actually quite good. You can go find Chris, any Chris will do. I'm not entirely sure if Disney has signed an exclusive agreement, but I believe you'll receive a response that exceeds your expectations."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Shallowman
Shallowman If I'm not wrong, Chris Evan's salary was indeed $300,000 for the first movie, but then it started to quickly increase, though not as exaggeratedly as R.D.J., but still. Maybe it was indeed $300,000 for each movie, but then the producers realized that it wouldn't be good optics if they kept the same condition, and maybe Chris' agent put pressure, so the contract was adjusted. I'm mostly inclined to believe that the author misunderstood something or just did very shallow research. I guess we have to bite the bullet and just keep on reading as such
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