Chapter 546: Chapter 546: Jeffrey Katzenberg
Los Angeles, Burbank, Capet Headquarters.
"Boss, good news! The Council of Orange County in Florida has passed the proposal to expand the Universal Orlando Resort," Phyllis Jones said excitedly as she entered Charles's office. "The county council granted us a nearby swamp and hill area, 2100 acres of land!"
Charles calmly nodded, "I already knew about this. Ms. Huffington informed me in advance."
Regardless, neither party in Florida was going to offend Capet. It was no surprise that a beneficial proposal for Florida could pass.
2100 acres were roughly 8.5 square kilometers in size, nearly four times the current area of Universal Orlando Resort, but unfortunately, it was mountainous and swampy land.
"Tom Williams has reached China, right?" Charles asked, already aware that Disney and Universal Studios were both negotiating with the Chinese government to build new theme parks in Shanghai, with Disney taking the lead.
Obama hadn't shown his value, so Charles had directly sent Tom Williams, Chairman of Universal Parks & Resorts and Consumer Products Group, to China.
Charles's specific words were, "Defeat Disney at all cost to secure the project for building Universal Studios Resort in Shanghai!"
Phyllis Jones nodded, "Yes, he has arrived and started negotiations with the Chinese government."
"Got it!"
...
In the afternoon, Charles met Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chairman of DreamWorks Animation, at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in West Hollywood.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, with his shiny bald head, and Charles sat in the coffee lounge.
"Building DreamWorks Animation's area inside Universal Studios?" Jeffrey Katzenberg was undoubtedly interested in Charles's proposal but hoped for the development of his own DreamWorks movie theme park.
"Charles, I need to think it over," Jeffrey Katzenberg didn't want to become a subsidiary of the media conglomerate; he wanted to build his own entertainment empire.
Charles nodded, "Sure, take your time. Contact us anytime when you're ready; Universal Studios will be our key development focus, and DreamWorks Animation is an IP we value very much. Jeffrey, to beat Disney, not even DreamWorks alone can do it, even if we team up I can't be entirely confident!"
Everyone knew about Jeffrey Katzenberg's feud with Disney, and the obstacle to bringing DreamWorks Animation under Charles's control was Jeffrey Katzenberg himself.
Jeffrey Katzenberg nodded, "I'll thoroughly consider your proposal. If DreamWorks Animation is ever for sale, Capet will be my first choice!"
Watching Jeffrey Katzenberg leave, Charles sighed inwardly. DreamWorks Animation was doing quite well now, giving Jeffrey the confidence.
Next year, DreamWorks Animation would release Shrek Forever After and How to Train Your Dragon; it might be when DreamWorks Animation starts declining that Jeffrey Katzenberg would consider selling.
Not long after, Gal Gadot sat next to Charles with a questioning look, "Done talking?"
Charles nodded, put his hand on her thigh, and asked, "Is Captain America finished shooting?"
"All done, and Fast & Furious 5 is also planned, shooting will start next year!" Gal Gadot said, kissing Charles on the cheek.
"Let's go, let's grab a drink," Charles said, wrapping his arm around her waist and heading to the bar.
"Charles, look," Gal Gadot pointed at two people not far away.
"Oh, that's Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams," Charles also looked over.
"I just played a role in Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz's action comedy Knight and Day," explained Gal Gadot.
Charles thought about something else, the connection between J.J. Abrams and Tom Cruise, which was the Mission Impossible series.
J.J. Abrams had directed Mission Impossible III a few years ago, though it didn't achieve great acclaim or box office success.
But now, with J.J. Abrams proving his directing capabilities through the Transformers series and Star Trek, Paramount and Tom Cruise had reconciled last year and started preparing Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, with J.J. Abrams as one of the producers!
"Let's go say hi," Charles felt they were surely discussing Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.
"Hey, Charles," J.J. Abrams spotted Charles coming over, got up, and greeted him.
Tom Cruise stood up, smiling, "Charles, oh, and Gal!"
Charles smiled and shook hands with them, "I just saw Jeffrey Katzenberg from DreamWorks Animation and then ran into Gal. I wanted to check on Captain America with her, but she spotted Tom. It seems Hollywood's heartthrob charm is still intact!"
Tom Cruise chuckled, "I just collaborated with Gal in Knight and Day," and then called for two glasses of champagne, inviting Charles and Gal to sit down.
*****
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