Bab 505: Chapter 505
Sony Pictures Entertainment Headquarters, Culver City, Los Angeles
Michael Lynton, the CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, laughed, "Well, have you come up with any strategies this time?"
Amy Pascal shook her head. As the chairwoman of Columbia Pictures and co-CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Amy Pascal was well aware that the idea of a united front was nothing more than a joke.
"Capet has already set the trend. The only ones who can compete with his spectacular CGI blockbusters are Warner Bros' DC Entertainment. And Charles Capet's vision isn't limited to just big stunt flicks. He handles teenage dramas like the Twilight series, gory thrillers like the Saw series, and comedies like The Hangover with equal finesse. Don't forget, Capet has won three Oscars for Best Picture!"
Amy Pascal shook her head again. "Defeating Capet with movies isn't going to be easy. Next up, Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides or Warner Bros' The Dark Knight Rises may face him head-on without worrying about competition.
But Capet isn't foolish enough to pit his Transformers series or Iron Man series against their flagship titles. Avoiding head-on competition by spacing releases one to three weeks apart is the unwritten rule. Nobody wants to maliciously compete with their top films against Capet's!"
Michael Lynton put down his pen and continued, "Capet's fearsome indeed. He doesn't rely on quantity. Although all companies have reduced the number of movies released each year, compared to Capet's ten or so films a year, we still produce many more.
In terms of promotion, Capet has allocated the right amount of resources and time to push his releases. While we have to promote three films at the same time, Capet only has to focus on one. We're at a disadvantage in competing for theatrical releases!"
"Let Warner Bros worry. After acquiring New Line Cinema, Warner Bros was dethroned by Capet," Michael Lynton clearly saw through these old tricks.
"Marvel's ace, Spider-Man, is still in our hands at Sony. We can't sever all ties with Capet in some areas!"
"Special effects blockbusters," Amy Pascal sighed, "Companies are all pouring limited funds into big films nowadays. Our Spider-Man 4 is still stuck with script issues."
"Take a look at this," Michael Lynton handed Amy Pascal a printed email, "It came from Capet!"
Amy Pascal looked and widened her eyes. "The Green Hornet, Charles Capet has an interest in this script. Moreover, Capet wants us to authorize him to produce a sequel to the kung-fu movie, Kung Fu Hustle!"
Amy Pascal laughed, "Looks like it's true. He's eyeing Kung Fu Hustle's director, Stephen Chow."
Michael Lynton nodded, "Yes, Stephen Chow has just had conflicts with The Green Hornet crew and gave up the director position, and doesn't plan to take on the role of Kato either. Now, Charles Capet is willing to co-develop The Green Hornet with us, and Relativity Media, as the largest investor, wants this to happen."
"Who can refuse Charles Capet? His name is box office gold," Amy Pascal had no objections, especially since Relativity Media is a joint investment partner of Sony and Universal.
Capet is almost done merging with NBC Universal, and this movie can be considered a joint development by Sony, Universal, and Relativity Media.
"Alright, let's give the script for The Green Hornet to Capet, and let him handle the production!" Michael Lynton, after all, wouldn't refuse Charles Capet.
As for the current producer and lead actor of The Green Hornet, Seth Rogen, they weren't in Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton's considerations.
He was just a Hollywood actor, a pawn that could be dismissed at any time. Charles Capet could use him or not as he wished.
...
Capet Company, Greenwich Street, Lower Manhattan, New York
Charles was leaning back in his chair while listening to Phyllis Jones' work report. "Sony agreed. They hope to collaborate with Capet for both Kung Fu Hustle 2 and The Green Hornet!"
Charles nodded. After returning to New York for a week, he incidentally learned that Sony was shooting the remake of the 80s classic, The Karate Kid, produced by Will Smith's family.
Jackie Chan, after finishing Lionsgate's action-comedy The Spy Next Door, had joined Columbia Pictures' new film The Karate Kid.
Charles immediately thought of Sony's other Sino-US co-production The Green Hornet and, knowing Stephen Chow had exited the project, decided to contact Sony to let Capet handle it.
"Alright, notify Xu Xiaoling to connect with Stephen Chow regarding The Green Hornet project. He will still be the director, and his opinions on the script are approved. If he wants to play Kato, that's fine too. Recast the lead role. How can Seth Rogen play The Green Hornet? I'm not ready to lose money on this film. Let's aim to release the movie version of The Green Hornet in 2011!"
Phyllis Jones nodded. These requirements would be relayed. Script adaptation, casting, and so on would take time to prepare.
The early TV series, The Green Hornet, although Kato was played by Bruce Lee, his first Hollywood role, the show didn't make much of an impact.
People mostly remember The Green Hornet because Bruce Lee later became famous.
"By the way, how's General Electric's asset evaluation team progressing on us?" Charles asked, a bit annoyed.
"Ah, still early. They're primarily evaluating Capet Pictures now. There's still Capet Music, Pacific Theaters, Netflix, Capet Investment's film tech companies, TV station shares, newspaper news, and all other aspects. These all require bilateral evaluation, comparison, and negotiations!"
Charles nodded and remembered something. "Hey, isn't it the VMAs tonight?"
"Yeah, it's at Radio City Music Hall on 50th Street, Sixth Avenue. Our Capet artists are all attending!" Phyllis Jones replied.
*****
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