Capítulo 241: Chapter 241: Preparing a BlockBuster
"Superman Returns" will fail?"
Bruce Berman's tone was somewhat unfriendly. This was a project he had personally promoted, with a significant investment. Despite facing a series of difficulties, it was finally back on track. Now, to have someone comment on its inevitable failure was naturally upsetting.
"Did I ever say that?" Murphy shook his head. "I know nothing about the 'Superman Returns' project. Even if I wanted to comment, would you believe me?"
This statement instantly eased the atmosphere in the meeting room. Murphy continued, "What I was referring to was Christopher Reeve's 'Superman IV'."
"Hmm..." Bruce Berman nodded, no longer dwelling on that topic, and turned to "Batman." "I understand your concept is to shatter the towering image of Batman that we and DC Comics have built over decades, bringing him crashing to rock bottom?"
"You could say that," Murphy admitted without any need to deny. If their visions couldn't align, more issues would arise. "Stripped of his Batman persona, Bruce Wayne is first and foremost a human being, a mortal with the flaws of any ordinary person."
Bruce Berman didn't want to listen anymore. This was completely contrary to Warner Brothers' and DC Comics' vision of Batman, and vastly different from the previous four films. This high-risk approach was something neither Warner Brothers nor the Batman franchise could afford.
There had never been a successful superhero movie like what Murphy Stanton was proposing, nor had any superhero movie ever had such a style. Unless he was insane, adopting such a radically absurd method was out of the question.
His gaze shifted to Diego Harris, who was also looking his way, and they both shook their heads in unison.
Murphy wanted to say more. After all, landing the Batman series would undoubtedly make his future smoother.
But Bruce Berman didn't give him a chance, cutting him off. "Director Stanton, we have a general understanding of your vision. Let's leave it here for today. Warner Brothers and DC Comics will discuss and give you a response."
With the conversation going this far, Murphy had no choice but to nod, gather his briefcase, and prepare to leave with Bill Roscis.
Unexpectedly, Bruce Berman instructed an employee to collect the distributed materials and hand them to Murphy. "Take these with you."
This was a clear, resolute signal from Warner Brothers and DC Comics that they had no intention of collaborating with him.
With such a fundamental disagreement on production philosophy, there was no point in further discussion.
"Alright, Mr. Berman." After gathering the materials and stuffing them into his briefcase, Murphy stood up and extended his hand to Bruce Berman. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye." Bruce Berman shook his hand and then added, "I wish you success in your future endeavors."
Murphy, once rejected by him, sensed an unusual tone in his words.
"Thank you." He smiled calmly and added, "I hope your 'Superman Returns' will be a big hit."
After speaking, Murphy nodded to Bill Roscis, and they both left the meeting room directly.
It was clear to Murphy that the disagreement wasn't just about creative vision; Bruce Berman seemed to have a personal issue with him. The chances of working with Warner Brothers and DC Comics were virtually nonexistent.
Once Murphy and Bill Roscis had left, the conference room remained silent for a moment, then someone at the edge of the table said, "Are we really not considering it? I just looked at the plan, and it seems quite good."
"Is there a need to consider it?" Bruce Berman replied, looking in their direction. "Not to mention his take on Bruce Wayne, which is utterly unacceptable, his own directorial style is problematic!"
He seemed to be speaking to everyone. "Have you seen the four films he's directed? They're heavily stylized! Does a superhero movie need such personal flair? With production costs never below a hundred million dollars in this era of special effects, a strong personal style will only narrow the audience."
"Bruce has a point," Diego Harris of DC Comics agreed. "This is the Batman series, not 'Sin City.' Such movies need to appeal to a wide audience, not just a niche cult following!"
"Murphy Stanton is indeed a unique director," Bruce Berman added, "but his style is too niche. He would only bring disaster to Batman. If it fails, how many years would we have to shelve the series before the audience forgets? Ten or twenty?"
The others nodded in agreement; the arguments of Bruce Berman and Diego Harris were not unfounded.
"And don't forget our financial constraints," Berman easily found a plethora of reasonable arguments to cover his bias against one person. "'Catwoman,' 'Superman Returns,' 'Troy' have already drained a lot of our liquid assets. We can't afford another big-budget film."
Hearing this, the person who had spoken earlier nodded, "It's indeed not the best time to reboot the Batman series."
However, the glint in his eyes, hidden behind his tinted glasses, suggested disagreement with Bruce Berman's statement. Yet, as a high-ranking and influential executive, he wasn't someone to be easily contested.
"Our focus should be on 'Superman Returns'!" Bruce Berman confidently said. "As long as we can revive this series, our superhero movies can overshadow Marvel. Don't forget, Superman is a superhero with unparalleled influence in America and around the world!"
Murphy Stanton's words had somehow cast doubt on his pet project, which was absurd. How could a cult film director understand the crafting of mainstream commercial films? Warner Brothers had invested over $200 million in production costs, and he had specifically hired Bryan Singer, an expert in superhero movies...
Even if they decided to reboot Batman in the future, they would need a director like Bryan Singer, with a successful superhero film track record, not a niche cult filmmaker like Murphy Stanton.
"That's enough on this matter," Bruce Berman concluded and stood up. "If CAA and Bryan Lourd call, tell them there was a philosophical difference with Warner Brothers, and Stanton's style doesn't fit the Batman series."
He then left the meeting room.
Outside the Warner building, Murphy and Bill Roscis got into the same car.
"I didn't expect things to go this badly," Bill Roscis said as he started the car and drove onto the main road. "Warner Brothers didn't leave us any room for further contact."
Murphy threw his briefcase onto the back seat and fastened his seatbelt. "I had a bad feeling when I saw Bruce Berman in the meeting room."
Hearing this, Bill Roscis recalled and asked, "You've met Bruce Berman before, right? It seemed like he had something against you."
"When I first got out of jail, I applied for a job on 'The Matrix' crew," Murphy said candidly. "Bruce Berman seemed to have a lot of power and rejected me."
He briefly explained the situation to Bill Roscis.
"So that's it," Bill Roscis nodded in understanding. "It's no surprise then. Your success now might make some people question his judgment. For a CEO in charge of major movie company decisions, the ability to judge talent is sometimes very important."
"Of course," he added with a laugh, "Bruce Berman might just dislike you. But, I think you accidentally mentioning Superman might have triggered his resentment."
Everyone in the industry knew Bruce Berman's ambitious plans to restore DC Comics' film glory, focusing on Superman, the world's most iconic superhero.
"I didn't mean to allude to 'Superman Returns,'" Murphy insisted.
He wasn't foolish enough to unwittingly reference this major work in progress; he was actually talking about 'Superman IV,' which had interrupted the Superman series.
"Warner Brothers and DC Comics' rejection was even more firm than Marvel's," Bill Roscis said as they drove towards Beverly Hills. "Do you have a backup plan?"
"Of course!" Murphy replied without hesitation. "We'll turn back to Marvel Comics."
"Back to Marvel?" Bill Roscis shook his head. "They won't talk to us, nor will they sell the rights to their famous superheroes."
"I know, so we won't talk to Marvel," Murphy replied, loosening his seatbelt. "Bill, you seem to forget that Marvel has sold many superhero rights they now want to buy back but can't. Our new target's rights are with 20th Century Fox."
This was only a backup plan. Murphy would have preferred Batman, but rights were not his decision to make.
"Let's go to the Fox Tower," Murphy said. "To meet Kara Fess."
As they arrived in Century City, Murphy called Kara Fess and then went straight to her office.
"Rejected?" Kara Fess offered them coffee. "Looks like your plan has to change again."
Murphy leaned back on the sofa, noticing some documents on the coffee table in front of him, seemingly related to the Crusades.
"Do you mind?" he asked, gesturing at them.
"Not at all," Kara Fess sat opposite him. "These are the major works 20th Century Fox is preparing."
___________________
(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)
If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters
Read Ahead
Patreon.com/INNIT
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder