Bab 216: Chapter 216 - Collaboration
Almost mistaking the famous "Mr. Fantastic" Stan Lee for an actor, Eckles knew he had made an unforgivable mistake, but it was not too late to remedy the situation. He immediately asked Cord to use his office phone to inform the receptionist to invite Stan Lee to the VIP room.
Lin Ming Yang and Ecks immediately got up and rushed over there, on the way Ecks straightened his tie while asking in disbelief, "How is it that Stan Lee would have played a drag queen role in the New Spider-Man series?"
"That's probably a special fetish of celebrities!" Lin Mingyang shrugged, "This old man, like movie master Hitchcock, likes to make cameo appearances as minor characters in his works. He played a hotdog-eating customer in X-Men, an old man with a drink in Hulk...he's always been happy about it."
"So that's what he's here for this time, too?" Ecks trailed off in disbelief.
Lin Mingyang, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped and turned around so violently that Ecks was caught off guard and nearly collided with him.
Ecks complained in dissatisfaction, "What are you doing?"
"You suddenly reminded me!" Lin Ming Yang clasped his hands over his chin, "Just now I've been thinking, I'm familiar with that old man Stan Lee, but what's he doing here at this time looking for me?"
"So you already have an answer?"
"That's right!" Lin Ming Yang turned around and walked side by side with Ecks, "Just dozed off and a pillow was sent to me, looks like I'm in luck!"
Ecks looked at Lin Ming Yang in confusion, then Lin Ming Yang explained, "Weren't we worried about the new movie just now, if I guessed correctly, this old man Stan Lee will bring us a big surprise!"
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"Wow, Felix, I didn't expect us to meet again so soon...I went to Sony Pictures before I came here, and I can't believe that the post-production of The New Spider-Man II is only halfway done!" After exchanging hugs and greetings, Stan Lee, a fit old man, started shaking his head and complaining, "I don't know what's wrong with Sam Raimi... this is so disappointing... how can he make the fans who are looking forward to the release of this movie wait for such a long time..."
As soon as this old man opened his mouth, it made Ecks feel that he was very uncomplicated, don't look at the fact that his words seemed to be exchanging pleasantries with Lin Ming Yang, in fact, his words revealed quite a lot of important information, his seemingly unintentional mentioning of Sony Pictures seemed to hide some kind of special meaning in it.
Ecks winked at Lin Ming Yang, and a knowing smile appeared at the corner of Lin Ming Yang's mouth.
"Mr. Stan, this is my former agent and current president of MGM studios, Eckles!"
Stan Lee held up his glasses, "Mr. Eckes, nice to meet you!"
"It should be an honor to know you...I won't hide it from you, I also grew up watching your comics!" Ecks took the initiative to step forward and politely shook Stan Lee's hand.
After taking his seat, Stan Lee asked with a big grin, "Felix, how did you come up with the idea of dropping out of Harvard and buying MGM?"
Lin Mingyang smiled and spread his hands, "Everyone thinks that I must have some complicated purpose for acquiring MGM, but I actually just wanted to get hold of a movie company and make some of my favorite movies."
"There aren't many people in Hollywood who think like you nowadays!" Stan Lee finally stated his intentions after raking in the corners:
"Felix, in fact, I came here this time because I want you and to join forces to release a new movie!"
Lin Ming Yang and Eckles glanced at each other, the "meat show" had finally arrived, they didn't say anything, quietly waiting for Stan Lee's next words.
"Many years ago, one day I had a whim to create an insect super comic book hero, at that time I considered many insects, Mosquito Man, Ladybug Man, I didn't think of any of these, in short it was a neurotic, slightly OCD, and at times introspective wonky young man, who got super powers after being bitten by an alien insect, not infallible, but iron shouldered story."
"The idea was deeply distasteful to my boss, and my cousin-in-law, Goodman, founder of Marvel Comics, who believed that a flawed, Woody Allen-esque superhero was not going to be popular, but considering that I was his relative for goodness sake, he grudgingly made room for the most unimportant little spot in the company's comics periodicals. It was 1962, when the American comics industry was like a big, toddling baby who'd just had his diaper changed, and there was only one toy he cared about, and that was the suspiciously perfect Superman!"
"As you might guess, this insect super comic book hero was Spider-Man. Even though he wasn't made into a movie as early as Superman, Spider-Man held a dazzling place in comic book history, and many years later, when Marvel Comics went public on the New York Stock Exchange, the cover of the company's profile featured a picture of me standing in the doorway of the stock exchange holding a Spider-Man doll."
Stan Lee began to recall bits and pieces of the past, but Lin Mingyang and Ecks had the distinct feeling that he had strayed from the topic, but Stan Lee himself did not realize this.
"Spider-Man surpassed the box office record of Batman that year, while Bob, the creator of Batman, has passed away and won't see this day. He was a former colleague of mine, a dining companion, and a friendly competitor, and I feel very sad. The two of us used to be great friends and used to poke fun at each other all the time...I think if he were still alive, he'd be very happy to see Spider-Man succeed!"
Seeing an opportunity, Lin Ming Yang spoke up and interrupted Stan Lee, "I heard that you were in a lawsuit with Marvel Comics over Spider-Man being made into a movie?"
"The movie Spider-Man was such a success, but I didn't get a penny from it. Marvel Comics and I signed an agreement that every character I helped create that was made into a movie or a TV show would get 10% of the company's profits from it... That lawsuit ended back in '05. I'm still on good terms with them. This time I am here to negotiate with you on behalf of Marvel Comics."
Stan Lee accidentally let his mouth slip ahead of time, which made the expressions of Lin Ming Yang and Ecks, who were sitting across from him, both become playful.
At this time Stan Lee began to become cautious, he carefully explained, "Marvel Comics is preparing to invest in the filming of 'Iron Man', we need to find a movie company that can be called a connoisseur in terms of film production, distribution and other aspects as the brand spokesperson for 'Iron Man', today's MGM just meets Marvel's requirements. "
Standing as president of MGM, Eckles said nonchalantly, "At the beginning of the conversation, I noticed that you kept bringing up Sony Pictures, and it seems to me that MGM was not the first choice for Marvel Comics."
Before Ecks could finish his words, he was stopped by Lin Mingyang, but the implication of his words was clear, Marvel did not have Sony to talk to, that's why they chose MGM as a partner, after all was said and done, MGM was just a replacement in their eyes.
Stan Lee for a moment some speech, because Marvel company at the beginning to determine the cooperation object is indeed Sony Pictures, but Sony on the Marvel cooperation offer is not interested. Finally, at Stan Lee's suggestion, Marvel Comics set its sights on MGM.
"Ecks, regardless of what Marvel thinks, the fact that Mr. Stan was able to come in person is enough to show his sincerity." Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Lin Mingyang had to step forward to round things off.
Lin Mingyang's stance made Stan Lee's mind lighten up. Ecks was only the president of MGM, to put it bluntly, he was a senior manager, while Lin Mingyang was the actual controller of MGM, and since he showed interest in this cooperation, then this matter was in play.
Stan Lee nodded his head and explained in a smooth manner, "In fact, I went to Sony Pictures this time to talk to them about another business, we previously gave the movie rights of The Punisher to Lionsgate, but the company's executives were worried that this company was not strong enough, so they specifically invited the experienced Sony to escort them in the production and distribution. "
Lin Ming Yang curiously asked, "So how is Marvel going to cooperate with us this time?"
Stan Lee replied bluntly, "Marvel will invest in the movie, and MGM will be responsible for production and distribution."
This time it was Eckles' turn to ask, "I would like to know, under this cooperation model, which side of the movie rights belong to?"
"The movie rights belong to the producer, of course, but the peripheral products of the movie are operated and sold by Marvel."
Although Stan Lee was answering Eckles' question, the corner of his eye kept an eye on Lin Ming Yang's expression, movie peripherals were the biggest source of profit outside of the box office of the movie. The average Hollywood film distributor could only get 40% of a film's box office revenue, and a big company like MGM, which owned its own theaters, would probably be able to get around 50%. But a film's box office only needs to reach more than twice the production costs for a producer to realize a profit through movie peripherals.
During the release of the live-action Transformers, the Transformers model toys were sold out of U.S. supermarkets, and Hasbro made a huge profit. The more box office hits the movie, the more money the peripheral products will make.
Eckles did not say anything, Lin Mingyang considered. He knew that Stan Lee was so "eager" to bring "Iron Man" to the big screen, and his old boss Marvel Comics own development strategy is inextricably linked, it can also be said that the movie version of the "Iron Man" blew Marvel's trumpet to enter the Hollywood movie market.
There is nothing wrong with Marvel's strategy, but for more comic book fans around the world, and even movie fans, the breakthrough they chose was that the cold, steel-covered comic book character wasn't as familiar as Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man, who were as familiar as Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man. If only Marvel would have had this in mind a few years earlier, either Spider-Man or the X-Men would have been better suited as a springboard into Hollywood than Iron Man.
As one of the two major American comic book giants, Marvel Comics has watched its old rival DC's main "stars" - Superman and Batman - in the hands of Hollywood filmmakers have become big money in the movie market in recent years and the money tree and anxious. At the same time, their own banner is not the "hero" Spider-Man, in the Sony Pictures full package, in just six years, raked in more than 2.5 billion U.S. dollars.
Marvel Comics finally made up its mind to stand on its own two feet, and although it was a bit late in the game, they still wanted to make a big push for Iron Man, a "big screen newbie" that still had plenty of room to grow.
The price of Marvel Comics' cooperation was not low, and it was clear that their determination to enter Hollywood was not small. For MGM, they also need such a "safe" title to open up the situation, and the cooperation is favorable to both sides.
"The previous conditions are acceptable to MGM, but we have to take 50% of the box office profits... And I heard that Marvel only signed a contract with 20th Century Fox to adapt 3 episodes of X-Men, about the subsequent episodes of the filming, can't it be given to us to film?"
Lin Mingyang naturally not willing to play a supporting role, only share the dividends, he wanted to use the "Iron Man" as a bargaining chip, in one fell swoop, Marvel's "Ant-Man", "X-Men" and "Captain America" distribution rights "package" to take all of them.
This kind of "big mouth" cooperation requirements, not to mention the Stan Lee, is Eckles also sat there in a stupefied speech. In the eyes of the two surprised, Lin Mingyang did not change his face, do not feel that he is such a request what is wrong.
In the face of such a request, Stan Lee directly is "speechless", who did not say anything, the atmosphere in the conference room immediately became awkward, and finally Eckles coughed twice, "Felix, about the other films, can we not come slowly? "
Lin Ming Yang smiled at Stan Lee, "I know that my request like this sounds a bit 'extortionate' at first, but if I guarantee that each of these films will gross more than $500 million, can't Marvel seriously consider it?"
Stan Lee's eyes were wide open, if it wasn't for the glasses blocking them, it was probably directly able to pop out, if Lin Ming Yang's words just now gave him the impression of being whimsical, then Lin Ming Yang's promise at this moment could be directly described as arrogant and cocky.
Seeing that the negotiations were about to reach a stalemate, at this time, the door to the VIP reception room was gently pushed open, and Ecks' assistant, Cord, stood in the doorway with a folder in hand, "Mr. Felix, I've already done the stats you asked for!"
"I know that a promise alone isn't enough to convince you, so I've also prepared this for you!" Lin Ming Yang took the folder from Cord's hand and pushed it directly in front of Stan Lee without even looking at it himself, "This lists a comparison table of the investment returns of several movies, most of these movies were directed by me personally, and of course some of them were either provided with scripts or invested in directly by me...I'm very responsible to tell you that these movies finally box office receipts are all more than five times the original investment."
Stan Lee looked over this information given by Lin Ming Yang without saying a word, among all of Lin Ming Yang's directorial works, the top two box office earners at the moment are The King of Kung Fu and District 9, both of which have grossed more than 600 million dollars at the global box office, and The Social Network, which was only released not long ago, also grossed 460 million dollars, and some of Lin Ming Yang's earlier works, which were all small-budgeted films. But each movie's box office all exceeded 100 million dollars, "Three Idiots" is a low cost of 500,000 U.S. dollars, gained nearly 200 million U.S. dollars, earnings are more than 40 times the cost of the box office.
Lin Mingyang's words just now are certainly arrogant, but this information is an indisputable fact, and finally Stan Lee faltered.
He closed the information in his hand, lowered his head and pondered for a moment, and when he raised his head, he already had a decision in his heart, "I'll agree to your request, but in light of this information of yours, I still have one more request!"
From Stan Lee's expression, Lin Ming Yang had already guessed what the other party was thinking, he asked with a bitter smile, "You don't want me to be the star of this movie, do you?"
"How do you know?" Stan Lee visibly froze for a moment, an expression of surprise flickered in his eyes before he immediately regained his composure, "So we coincide once again?"
"I just guessed!" Lin Ming Yang shrugged helplessly, "What part of me do you think looks like Iron Man in the comics?"
"It's similar in many ways, I'm serious!" Stan Lee didn't look like he was joking with Lin Ming Yang, "I created the character of Iron Man based on Howard Hughes, Howard is the richest character of our time, he is an inventor, adventurer, millionaire, playboy, and ultimately a madman, and that's exactly what Iron Man, Tony Stark, is all about. "
Lin Mingyang was about to retort, but Stan Lee stopped him with a gesture, "Felix, I know you're trying to say that you're not in the same category as Howard Hughes, but it seems to me that you and he do resemble each other to a great extent. Howard Hughes had attended many fine schools in his life, but was never able to get a degree; and you have just dropped out of Harvard, so how similar you are in your life experiences."
Lin Mingyang explained with some tears and laughter, "It's just a coincidence!"
Stan Lee waved his hand, signaling him not to be anxious: "I know, I know... Being able to enter Harvard is a symbol of strength in itself, and being able to give up the honor of being a Harvard graduate, such a person is even more remarkable, and in fact whether it's you, or Bill Gates and the kid who founded Facebook, they are all very thoughtful guys, which again is similar to Howard Hughes."
"And Howard Hughes was involved in the movie business, made some good movies, and was a famous playboy, with famous women he had affairs with including Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Gene Tierney, and many others."
The more Stan Lee spoke, the more he went off topic, and finally he winked at Lin Ming Yang: "Your fame in Hollywood is a legend in itself, and the most crucial thing is that there are as many rumors about you as there are about Howard Hughes, which fits my characterization of Iron Man." "
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