Chương 128: A small issue
The conference room at EuropaCorp was as spacious as ever, but the atmosphere seemed a bit off.
Lyman pushed open the large doors and walked in, only to find that there were more people inside than he had imagined, and they seemed to be... big shots?
He had thought it was a relatively normal meeting, but now it seemed far from simple.
"Sorry, I'm late," Lyman said.
Luc Besson welcomed him with a smile. "No worries, we just arrived as well."
Luc skillfully gave Lyman a hug and then turned to look at several people on the other side of the conference table. "Let me introduce you. These are VIPs from Paramount Pictures, and they will be joining our discussion today."
With Luc's words, the four people sitting on the right side of the conference table stood up one by one, wearing polite smiles, and their eyes met Lyman's.
"Mrs. Lansing, it's an honor for you to come all the way here," Lyman greeted the CEO of Paramount Pictures.
"You don't welcome those who are good, and those who are good don't come," Lyman greeted the CEO of Paramount Pictures.
"This is Anthony Joseph. He is in charge of the marketing department at Paramount Pictures."
"Hello..."
"This is Ellen Braden from the distribution department..."
"Hello..."
"This is Charles Lewis from the publicity department..."
...
Wasn't today's meeting supposed to be about finalizing the preparations for the project? If all went well, they could proceed with the crew setup, actor selection, location arrangements, and other work.
But with such a grand setup, it seemed a bit too extravagant? After shaking hands with everyone, Lyman pondered this, especially Sherry Lansing's presence – what was the meaning behind it?
The last time they collaborated on "Fury", there wasn't such a meeting.
Lyman glanced at Luc, who looked calm as if everything was perfectly normal.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, everyone took their seats.
"Lyman, we've all reviewed your project proposal, and we're on board with operating this project, but..." Sherry was the first to speak, "I have a few questions that I'd like to understand."
"Please go ahead."
The preparation and approval of the project were still the main topics of today's meeting, and they were what everyone was most concerned about, including Lyman.
"You want $10M as your base salary, plus a 15% share of the box office revenue, and an investment budget of $12M. Is this... a bit excessive? We approached this cooperation with sincerity, but we haven't seen the same level of sincerity from your side."
"Regarding this matter, please discuss it with my agent, John," Lyman smiled, completely sidestepping Sherry's question.
The day before, John had called Lyman to inform him that the negotiation had reached a deadlock. He hadn't expected that Paramount's representatives would bring up the same issue today.
Sherry smiled and also decided to leave this matter aside for now. After all, nothing had been finalized yet, and there was still room for negotiation. "I also want to ask about your choices for actors. Do you have any specific candidates in mind?"
This sentence immediately alerted Lyman. What did she mean by that?
"What do you mean?" Lyman pretended to be puzzled.
Sherry lifted her gaze and glanced at Luc, lightly brushing it off, then turned her attention to Lyman. Her back straightened imperceptibly, and the polite smile on her face became even more radiant. "I have a candidate in mind, Tom Cruise."
What? Tom Cruise?
To make sense of it, one would need to rewind three days back when news of EuropaCorp's intention to collaborate with Paramount Pictures had already spread among industry insiders. After all, Lyman's past directing achievements were there for all to see, and there were always people interested in his moves. Once the new project was confirmed, CAA also took action internally.
...
Inside Tom Cruise's mansion, Pat Kingsley sipped her coffee slowly, looking at the pensive man across from her. "Tom, what do you think?"
"This is Lyman Lattes' new work, and the investment is even $100M. Naturally, I'm very interested," Tom replied.
At the premiere of "Fury", he had purposefully shown goodwill towards Lyman. Now, in retrospect, it seemed that perhaps he should be even more proactive.
But who would have thought that this director was so efficient and productive? Less than two months after "Fury" finished its theatrical run, he had already come up with another film project.
"But do I have a chance? And the three roles in it have slightly more scenes, but the character images seem a bit mismatched with me."
"Don't worry, CAA will support you, and besides, on Paramount's side..." Pat had been Tom's agent for several years, and she knew his interpersonal relationships very well. She immediately suggested, "You can try to get in touch with Sherry Lansing. Doesn't she admire you? Now that both sides are negotiating, we can take this opportunity to get involved. As for the character images, they can be adjusted. It's not difficult."
"You've also seen the market performance of "Fury". Moreover, from what I know, Lyman always focuses on character-driven films. Tom, that's exactly what you need right now. In any case, pay some price and try to be as involved in this project as possible," Pat continued with her advice.
Tom naturally understood his agent's intentions. In recent years, he hadn't had any notable roles, but the market revenue of his works had always been good. However, for an actor like him, being unfamiliar with screen images was a terrifying prospect.
Playing charming and cool roles all the time, how long could he do that?
He also had ambitions.
While Tom was contemplating his path of transformation, Lyman in the conference room fell into silence.
Was this grand setup today all about increasing Paramount Pictures' dominant power in the project?
Otherwise, why was Paramount interfering here and there? Luc Besson, or EuropaCorp, had also shown interesting reactions. Although they were in their own conference room, they remained silent throughout, allowing the guests to lead the meeting.
"Oh, will this really be a good choice? To recommend Tom Cruise for a role in this project, from what I know, he hasn't played a similar antagonist before."
In "Miscreant", there was not a single good character, which really didn't match with Tom's temperament. Besides, would he be willing to destroy his own image?
This was really a problem, and it all depended on Sherry's answer.
"Just adjust the character setting. I've read the script, and as long as the undercover ending is changed to him returning to the police force, everything will fall into place."
"No," Lyman replied without hesitation.
"Why? In my opinion, this ending would be more marketable than the one you originally set."
"Why insist on using Tom Cruise then? What can he bring? A hefty paycheck?" Lyman's mind was working, raising these questions.
Why? Sherry smiled.
Because Tom Cruise found her and said he was willing to reduce his appearance fee. Because he hinted that he could cooperate with Paramount Pictures on "Mission: Impossible III" and even voluntarily reduced his share.
All of this was more than enough for her to do everything in her power to get Tom on board.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have traveled all the way to Paris just for this project. Couldn't she have sent a supervisor to keep an eye on things? After all, their main concern should be the distribution work in North America. Did EuropaCorp think she was a fool?
Now was a time for taking extra measures. If she could lend a helping hand, she naturally had to find a way to seize the opportunity.
In Hollywood's six major film studios' performance comparison this year, Paramount Pictures ranked last. Moreover, they hadn't had any films enter the top ten at the North American box office for three consecutive years. This was a terrifying omen, and the decline in their film projects was becoming increasingly apparent.
Although their distribution business had been decent enough to shut up the board members, if they continued like this, it was only a matter of time before she stepped down.
Sherry shook her head, casting aside these distractions.
Tom Cruise was a valuable piece she needed. Not only did he possess the dominant voice of the "Mission: Impossible" film series, which Paramount Pictures desperately needed, but his market appeal was undeniable, and his overseas reputation was astonishing.
She needed to win him over.
"If Tom Cruise only asks for $10M as a basic fee, his market performance would more than justify that price."
This...
Lyman was well aware that even reporting fifteen million dollars for Tom's fee wasn't unreasonable. Now that he had voluntarily asked for ten million, it was already giving face, and it showed his determination for the project.
However, the problem was that he didn't want to adjust the character setting. His reasons for opposing it were merely an excuse, but now it seemed that Paramount Pictures had already discussed it with Tom in advance.
It was a bit tricky.
Chaotic thoughts continued to swirl in his mind, and Lyman subconsciously glanced at Luc Besson.
Luc noticed Lyman's gaze and also looked back, offering a polite smile.
It was just a simple response, but considering the situation of today's meeting, no matter how you looked at it, something felt off.
Lyman had never expected such silence from #, nor had he anticipated the dominance of Paramount Pictures.
Obviously, something was happening that Lyman didn't know about, such as Tom's intentions and whether EuropaCorp had reached some private agreement with Paramount Pictures.
Starting off like this, Lyman immediately felt the pressure.
Everyone's attitude on the scene seemed to like playing games, making it difficult for him to grasp the situation.
It even made him feel as if he was the one being isolated.
"Tom is so enthusiastic because he has seen the project. He truly has the sincerity and really wants to cooperate with Mr. Lyman," Sherry, wearing a black professional suit, looked exceptionally stylish, exuding a stronger aura. "Both Tom and I agree that the character portrayal in your script is truly eye-catching. But..."
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