บท 250: Chapter 250: Double Standards
Los Angeles, Burbank, in Charles Capet's office at Capet Pictures.
"Isn't Warner Bros. developing a remake of I Am Legend, the solo film starring Will Smith? I thought they dropped the script for Tonight, He Comes."
"Why is producer Akiva Goldsman working with Sony now? Didn't Capet Pictures plan to take over once Warner Bros. dropped it?"
Charles was puzzled. The script for Tonight, He Comes - which also had another name, Hancock - had been floating around Hollywood for years.
At that time, Warner Bros. had it but abandoned it during development. How did Akiva Goldsman end up working with Sony?
Donna Langley laments, "Charles, haven't you noticed? Not only did Sony get the script for Tonight, He Comes, but Warner Bros also got the screenplay for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It seems like Capet Pictures is being targeted in the competition for big films."
The producer of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button chose Warner Bros., and the producer of Tonight, He Comes picked Sony Columbia after Warner Bros. abandoned it.
"What do you mean? The big six studios always have at least a hundred scripts ready to develop at any given time..." Charles still didn't quite get it.
"Big productions, high-concept movie projects favored by established producers, there are only so many each year. When independent producers' projects go up for auction, Capet Pictures can't compete..."
Donna Langley's explanation finally made things clear to Charles. "So you mean the big six are now focusing on us!"
Charles frowned, tapping the table. This was indeed a headache. After all, the big six are wealthy and have global distribution networks.
In this competition, Capet Pictures indeed lacked major advantages. However, Charles Capet's film production skills were formidable, and the big six were willing to collaborate with Capet Pictures on big productions.
But, like DreamWorks before them, they would have to give up overseas rights, with Capet Pictures handling distribution in the North American market.
Donna Langley was resigned, as this was a necessary growth phase. In recent years, Capet Pictures had only stored less than thirty scripts.
The big six were different. They had many independent producers and production companies to collaborate with, easily selecting from hundreds of vetted projects.
"Haha, that's interesting. I thought they'd suppress us directly through film distribution or apply pressure through the MPAA ratings!" Charles was prepared for this, recognizing it was just competition, no right or wrong.
Donna Langley chuckled, "It's all possible. But in terms of distribution, it's mainly about financial power. Capet Pictures not only has high-quality films but also spends generously on marketing, so it doesn't affect us much.
But it's the film ratings I worry most about. The difference between PG-13 and R is significant. For the MPAA members, it's the cheapest way to strike at independent movie companies."
Independent distributors had many R-rated films, largely because they were not MPAA members.
In the past, Basic Instinct with such explicit content would've certainly been rated NC-17 if released by an independent distributor.
"Currently, most of our films are R-rated, and even those are edited. Without cuts, Matrix Pictures' films would all be NC-17," said Charles, familiar with the MPAA's double standards for members and independent films.
Movies like Hostel and Saw wouldn't have gotten an R-rating without certain scenes being cut.
"Last month, the documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated was released. It humorously investigates the MPAA, pretty much revealing the true nature of the MPAA!"
Listening to Donna Langley talk about the documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Charles laughed, since this documentary itself was rated NC-17 by the MPAA.
"For big films, we have Marvel Studios handling comic adaptations and have high confidence in the live-action Transformers. It's okay if we have fewer original blockbusters!"
Charles held onto the ace of Marvel and the Transformers series firmly. If they couldn't get original scripts, so be it.
"At least in comedy, romance, and drama medium and small productions, we have plenty of choices," Charles said with a raised eyebrow. "Let's see if the big six dare to outbid us with money!"
Scripts and production costs - if you pay more, people will work with you. Charles didn't mind. Thousands of scripts appear in Hollywood each year; how many can you even pick?
Hollywood was crazed, and the subprime mortgage crisis leading to a global financial meltdown was just around the corner.
Investment from Wall Street and hedge funds into Hollywood would reduce, and large media groups would see lower profits.
Film production costs would certainly be cut back. Could anything like the $4.5 million original script of Deja Vu still happen?
After Donna Langley left, Charles called in his assistant, Phyllis Jones.
"Boss, what's up?"
"Paramount's deal with the author of Twilight, Stephenie Meyer, hit a snag! Stephenie Meyer's agent is seeking new production partners. Inform the production department to directly acquire the film adaptation rights for the entire Twilight series. No need to sign an option agreement," Charles had been eyeing the Twilight series rights and wasn't about to hesitate now that the opportunity arose.
Phyllis Jones nodded, knowing that Twilight and New Moon were both already published.
Last year, Paramount had an option agreement with Stephenie Meyer but didn't prioritize this fantasy romance novel, and the adapted script didn't impress Paramount.
Mainly, this genre wasn't of much interest to many film companies. Seeing it as discarded, Capet Pictures taking over wouldn't attract much attention.
*****
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