Chapter 89: Chapter 89 - Spider-Man's New Trouble
"That supercar of yours is out of this world this time!" Ecks tsked as he sat on the sofa in the living room of Lin Ming Yang's house, holding a copy of the morning newspaper:
"It's more famous than me now!" Lin Mingyang, who had just gotten up, took a carton of milk from the kitchen and drank it to himself, "So you guys are going to get married soon?"
"Martha asked me to say thank you on her behalf, that house she loves it."
Lin Ming Yang gulped down the carton of milk and poured it all into his stomach, he let out a long sigh of relief when he was done, "It's a small thing, a show of hands!"
Ecks heard something strange and asked, "That's a house of over a million dollars!"
"But I didn't spend a dime, the investor paid for that house and then turned around and gave it to me!" Lin Mingyang's breakfast was hearty every day, in addition to the milk he had just eaten, he had to eat a box of pies. Chewing in his mouth, his speech was also a bit slurred, "What's the point of me wanting a house in Arkansas?"
Eckles asked, "Not going to move out after college?"
"No plans for that yet, in recent times my parents are talking about bringing my grandfather who lives in Canada over and we'll all live together. You know that my father and grandfather are both of Chinese descent, and Oriental families pay a lot of attention to the concept of 'reunion'." Lin Mingyang pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth.
"Originally, I was planning to give you a house as a bar mitzvah on your birthday next year, but now it seems there's no longer that need!" Ecks sighed with feigned regret.
Lin Mingyang asked curiously, "Is it Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, or Manhattan Island in New York?"
"My entire current belongings would only be enough to buy a bathroom in those two places!" Ecks gave him an unfavorable look, "You might as well sell me!"
"Well, as Felix Lin's agent, you're going to own a house in those two places one day, so have faith in yourself!" Lin Ming Yang laughed, he felt that he was becoming more and more of a "leader" now.
"Then I'll be waiting to soar with you!" Exfon put down the newspaper in his hand, "I heard that you scared off your own tutor?"
"I merely asked him for advice on a few more esoteric mathematical models." Lin Ming Yang looked at his agent innocently, "Then he quit on his own!"
Ecks knew that Lin Ming Yang had asked those questions, and it was hard to say that even the average university professor wouldn't necessarily be able to answer them. But Lin Ming Yang's talent in learning was indeed smacking people's lips, this time I'm afraid that even his mother, Catherine, couldn't do anything about her son.
"How have you been in school these past few days?"
"Don't mention it!" Lin Ming Yang pressed his head with a distressed face, "You know everything the classroom teacher says, and you have to act like you're listening attentively. On campus everyone likes to stare at me like they're watching an ape at the zoo!"
"You know Spider-Man, right?" Ecks put away the paper, he seemed ready to get down to business.
"I've seen it in the comics and movies, is Sony getting ready for a sequel?" The movie Spider-Man was ready for a sequel, Lin Mingyang wouldn't be surprised. The first movie grossed more than 400 million dollars in the United States, and after making a fortune, it is impossible for this fashionable "money printing machine" not to continue to work.
"Our superhero may have run into a bit of trouble recently." Echolls always likes to keep things on the back burner.
Lin Mingyang didn't understand too much, "Spider-Man encounters a different kind of trouble in every episode of the comic."
"I'm talking about the real-life Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire!" Ecks didn't beat around the bush with Lin Ming Yang any more, "Even though he starred in the inspirational movie 'The Running Years' which was only just nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, Maguire has never been able to curry favor with the producers of 'Spider-Man 2'. I'm not sure why Tobey, who is neither overly handsome nor tall, was chosen by Sony in the first place to play the comic book hero of 'Spider-Man,' but the actor has been more of a nuisance than a contributor to Sony."
"I think it's his simple civilian demeanor that makes his portrayal of the character more human and relatable."
"Plain?" Eckles seemed to take issue with such a comment, "He's plain in his performance, but he's anything but plain in his thoughts in reality. For the sequel to Spider-Man, he offered Sony 20 million dollars, which is about what Johnny Depp is worth now. Sony executives privately complained to me that if it weren't for 'Spider-Man,' Toby would still be a second-tier actor."
"Sony is preparing to replace him?" Lin Mingyang shook his head, "That's not a wise idea!"
For Tobey Maguire, Lin Ming Yang actually only remembered his performance in the movie Spider-Man. Of course there was one more thing, this actor was close to Chinese director Ang Lee. He played in two of Ang Lee's films, The Ice Storm and Ride with the Devil, neither of which went viral. But in 2000, he was lucky enough to land the role of Peter Parker in Spider-Man, which made him ten times more expensive and instantly made him a sought-after actor by film makers and fans alike.
"Let Sony have their own headache with that one!" Eckles was not interested in the topic of "Tobey Maguire", "Now you have a chance, if the negotiation of the high price of the movie breaks down, Sony may give up Tobey Maguire. Their executives are very interested in you and are interested in having you replace Tobey Maguire as the new Spider-Man!"
"Why?" What made Lin Ming Yang feel puzzled was Sony's decision, because in his memory, Tobey Maguire had participated in all three Spider-Man movies in their entirety, could it be that history had changed because of his own appearance?
Ecks joked, "It's probably because Sony's major shareholders feel that you have half oriental blood in you, which makes you more relatable in their eyes!"
"If it's because of that, then I'd rather give up the role!" Lin Ming Yang looked at his agent seriously, "I hate RB people!"
"Just because RB once waged a war of aggression against China?" Ecks was a bit puzzled, "But don't forget, they also bombed Pearl Harbor in the US, but all of that is history now."
"German Chancellor Brandt can kneel in front of the monument to the Jewish martyrs in Warsaw, while RB's Prime Minister visits the Yasukuni Shrine, where war criminals are enshrined." Lin Mingyang said expressionlessly, "A nation that doesn't know how to repent makes me unable to find any reason to like it."
"Whether it's the former Brandt or the current Junichiro Koizumi, their moves are essentially a political necessity. In the 1970s, Federal Germany, which was rapidly recovering its economic strength, was in dire need of cooperation with the countries of Western Europe; while the RB economy, which was stepping into the beginning of the new century, had yet to fully emerge from the depression of the Asian financial crisis, and the national confidence needed to find a spiritual sustenance." Ecks very patiently explained to Lin Mingyang:
"I appreciate that national sentiment in your bones, but real Chinese people didn't stop buying Sony products just because of this incident, and you're just a mixed-race Chinese who refuses to cooperate with Sony Pictures because the RB Prime Minister visited the Yasukuni Shrine? I think it's more likely that you're confusing the most crucial connection here. Not to mention whether Sony Pictures agrees with the RB government's stance or not, it's only a joint venture film company in Hollywood, it's predecessor was Columbia Pictures, and the vast majority of the company's employees, from the president to the most ordinary staff, are Americans, and it's based in the European and American markets, and the films it produces have nothing to do with RB. If you refuse on such grounds, I don't think it's fair to Sony Pictures."
Lin Mingyang was able to understand all of the reasoning that Ecks had said, it was just that he was still a little twisted emotionally.
"So what do you mean?"
"Why don't you accept it? This is a great opportunity for you to be the unique lead in a big production movie. If the performance can win the audience's approval, then you'll have taken a big step towards your goal of being among the top movie stars in Hollywood." Standing in Ecks' position, he was thinking more about Lin Ming Yang's future development, "And you can try to raise your pay, in the last Spider-Man movie, Tobey Maguire's pay was 12 million dollars, while your previous highest pay only went up to 8 million. As far as fame and acting skills go, I think you're much better than Tobey Maguire, so we can ask for a $15 million paycheck from Sony this time."
"You think Sony will accept this price?" Lin Mingyang felt that Ecks' offer was a bit of a lion's share.
"Compared to Tobey Maguire, you've already saved Sony Pictures 5 million dollars, it's a very cost-effective deal, if they don't agree, then you have nothing to lose, there's plenty of good movie roles in the future, there's just such a benefit to being young!" Ecks smiled badly and nodded towards Lin Ming Yang: "This time Sony Pictures has encountered a tough problem, and to be honest I'm not really those like RB people, so you can also think of this as an honorable and justified legal extortion!"
----
Eckles gave Sony Pictures a tough choice question, on this side of the Spider-Man director Sam Raimi insisted on using the original cast for the sequel, while star Tobey Maguire bit the bullet and refused to let go of his 20 million dollar paycheck. Lin Mingyang offered a lower salary than Tobey Maguire, and in terms of current fame in Hollywood, he is better than Tobey Maguire.
Tobey Maguire on this side also has his own advantages, first of all, his role as Spider-Man in the eyes of the audience has a preconceived notion, and the director of the film is also on his side. In the first round of the fight, the two sides were evenly matched and there was no winner.
However, Lin Mingyang so "cross a foot", also let Tobey Maguire feel a lot of pressure. Although in the pay issue, Tobey Maguire to Sony Pictures opened a sky-high price, but he did not really want to lose the role, he has actively in front of the media, he said, he will give the role of more space for development. Privately, he has also promised director Sam Raimi that he will definitely return to the team as soon as possible.
Lin Mingyang became the biggest variable in his plan, Tobey Maguire began to get a little anxious, but his agent Kevin told him to calm down, this is just Sony threw there is a smoke bomb. As early as Tobey Maguire in the beginning of the price hike, Sony had considered starting with Jake Gyllenhaal to replace him, but that was finally proved to be just the other side of the other side to force Tobey Maguire "on the side of" a means.
"But Kevin, Felix Lin is not Jake Gyllenhaal, I think Sony Pictures is serious this time, the possibility of them replacing me with Felix Lin is very high!" Tobey Maguire was not in a good mood these days, he always had a not so good feeling, as if he was losing something soon.
"Toby, you're too nervous!" Agent Kevin didn't agree with his judgment, "I admit that Felix Lim is out in a big way right now, but let's not forget that there's still a whole lot of faults in that guy, picking scripts, picking actors, and even the director he likes to dictate, I think he's like a spoiled child right now, Sam Raimi wouldn't like An actor like that!"
"Without enough capital on hand, a fool would do those things!" Tobey Maguire covered his head uneasily, "Do you think Felix Lim would be such a fool?"
"Maybe he's really as good as you say he is, but you shouldn't forget your own strengths, you're the first actor to successfully portray Spider-Man in a movie, the audience recognizes you, the director appreciates you. To make a good sequel, Sony Pictures simply can't do without you, because you're the Spider-Man that everyone thinks of!" After saying this Kevin still felt that it was not enough, then he added a little more.
"Felix Lin is merely and only testing Sony Pictures, his attitude is not positive, according to my investigation, he has been staying in school all this time, and has not had any contact with the Sony side at all."
Kevin's information wasn't wrong, but he had left out a very important person, he was Tobey Maguire's agent, but he had forgotten that Lin Ming Yang also had his own agent. Little did he know that a conversation that could decide Tobey Maguire's fate was taking place in the parlor of Sony Pictures' headquarters.
"Director Sam Raimi is being stubborn, we can throw Tobey Maguire towards the side, but we can't afford to lose the most dynamic and creative director in Hollywood." Sony Pictures president Joel reluctantly told Eckles of his woes.
Director Sam Raimi has made a name for himself with his rapid, exaggerated camera movements, and his work has the wit and comic book-like pacing of early comedies, yet is allowed to be filled with dark humor. The success of Spider-Man is arguably inextricably linked to the director's outstanding talent, and it was his support of Tobey Maguire that made it so difficult for Sony.
"Allowing actors to set their own salaries is not a good start for the company!" Eckles had been in frequent contact with the executives of Sony Pictures during this time, so he was well aware of the other party's weaknesses. Lin Mingyang's offer of 15 million dollars for the movie appeared to have not been discussed with the other party either, but Eckles spoke naturally and gave the other party the feeling that he was standing in their shoes and looking out for them.
Joel was silent, Eckles further developed his own hypothesis: "When Tobey Maguire did Spider-Man 1, his salary was $12 million, and when he did Spider-Man 2, his salary went up to $20 million, so if you're going to do Spider-Man 3, aren't you going to have to pay him $40 million? It's not unusual for an actor's value to go up, the point is is is Tobey Maguire really worth $40 million for a movie?"
"I'll have to have another serious talk with Sam, and as long as he gives the nod, Felix is more than welcome to be the new Spider-Man!"
Ecks took a folder out of his briefcase, "Maybe this will help you convince Sam Raimi!"
"What's this?"
"Felix's new script for the Spider-Man sequel!"
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