Capítulo 337: Chapter 337: Abu's Party
At the villa on Bishop's Avenue in Hampstead, London, Charles Capet sat on the sofa, with his arms around Eva Green and Scarlett Johansson.
Eva Green and Scarlett Johansson had shaken off their initial awkwardness. After watching the news on TV for a while, Eva Green said, "I gotta go with the crew to promote the movie!"
"The Golden Compass?" Charles asked directly.
"Yeah, you know it," Eva Green explained. "This is a high-budget fantasy children's film developed by New Line. The production cost is huge, around 180 million dollars, and the promotion costs are over 50 million dollars!"
"They want to recreate the success of The Lord of the Rings and create their own Harry Potter!" Scarlett Johansson chimed in earnestly.
Charles smiled, "We'll see how it does when it hits the theaters."
Capet's Matrix Pictures also just released a horror thriller called The Mist. Capet Television hired The Mist's director, Frank Darabont, to develop a series based on the comic book The Walking Dead.
The first season was expected to air no earlier than 2009.
In the afternoon, after Eva Green left, Charles took Scarlett Johansson to a party hosted by Chelsea Club owner Roman Abramovich.
At only 41 years old, Roman Abramovich had assets worth over 12 billion pounds, thanks to the lucrative Siberian oil.
"Welcome, Charles!" Roman Abramovich greeted Charles warmly, eager to befriend such a Hollywood tycoon.
"Roman, good evening. This is Scarlett!" Charles introduced.
"Of course I know, Scarlett's movies are excellent," Roman Abramovich said. Though he had recently divorced his second wife, he wasn't lacking a girlfriend and was getting married again soon.
With London's weather a bit cold and gloomy, Charles wore a turtleneck sweater paired with a suit, looking handsome and outstanding.
Soon, many people came over to meet Charles, while Scarlett Johansson and some female guests went off to chat.
Roman Abramovich introduced Charles to another Russian billionaire, Alexandre Gaydamak, who currently owned the Portsmouth Football Club.
"Charles, you've had quite a bit of trouble trying to acquire Arsenal, haven't you? Let us know if you need any help!" Alexandre Gaydamak spoke very directly.
"Thanks, the acquisition of Arsenal will take time and can't be rushed," Charles smiled and clinked glasses with the two men.
In three years, Roman Abramovich had significantly transformed Chelsea, investing real money, regardless of his motives.
As for Alexandre Gaydamak's acquisition of Portsmouth last year, which had just been promoted to the Premier League in 2004, it was still just a team trying to avoid relegation.
Charles didn't take it seriously at all. Besides, Alexandre Gaydamak's financial resources couldn't compare to Roman Abramovich's.
"Arsenal is also one of our main competitors at Chelsea, both being in London," Roman Abramovich said with a smile.
"If you can become the owner of Arsenal, I'd welcome it. More external funding in the Premier League will help it grow even better!"
As one of Russia's oligarchs, Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea to break into London's high society and increase his influence, primarily for political reasons.
After all, Russian billionaires were most densely gathered in London. To protect his vast wealth, he needed to be influential, not just obedient.
Reputation and prestige, in a way, acted as his shield.
"As fellow London teams, Chelsea and Arsenal are arch-rivals. If I control Arsenal, it will be even more formidable," Charles said with a smile.
"The stronger the opponent, the more excited Chelsea will be. Our goal is to defeat stronger adversaries!" Roman Abramovich keenly wanted to befriend this young Hollywood tycoon, as he was eager to connect with Hollywood elites.
Although Roman Abramovich had some interactions with Rupert Murdoch's wife, Wendi Deng, it was mainly through his ex-wife's connections.
"Don't worry, it'll happen. Peter Hill-Wood is getting old, and Arsenal needs a new management team," Charles said calmly. He had communicated with David Dein and the team's head coach, Arsene Wenger. As the coach who led Arsenal's rise, Wenger's opinion carried considerable weight for the moment.
Many Arsenal fans highly appreciated Wenger, with a strong support rate.
However, Charles was determined to acquire Arsenal. If Wenger didn't cooperate, he wouldn't hesitate to fire him.
Roman Abramovich clinked glasses with Charles again and said, "The Premier League is currently the most commercially prosperous league. England is the birthplace of modern football, with a deep-rooted football culture almost ingrained in their bones."
"Many people are against foreign ownership of clubs, especially significant teams like Arsenal. They care more!" Roman Abramovich, as a Russian, deeply understood the ideological conflicts between the West led by the US and UK and Russia.
However, Charles Capet had deep-rooted American capital ties and was considered the Son of Hollywood, with considerable influence and prestige.
*****
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