Chương 343: Chapter 343: The Silence of the Lambs
At the Daenerys Entertainment Division in Burbank.
After two weeks of protracted negotiations, the president of New World Cinema, Danny Morris, finally secured the film rights to a thriller novel called "The Silence of the Lambs."
Published two years prior, "The Silence of the Lambs" was a sequel to another novel called "Red Dragon," both written by author and screenwriter Thomas Harris.
"Red Dragon" was published in 1981 and was adapted into a film titled "Manhunter" in 1986.
However, "Manhunter" had a budget of $15 million but only grossed just over $8 million, making it a considerable flop. Consequently, while "The Silence of the Lambs" was a bestseller, Hollywood was lukewarm about adapting it into a film. Over the past couple of years, the project bounced around various filmmakers without getting off the ground.
Interest piqued when Daenerys Entertainment came on board.
Prior to this, only Orion Pictures, which had recently received a $200 million bailout from the Canadian Seagram Company to avert bankruptcy, had sporadically engaged with the project.
As the news spread, various studios quickly expressed interest, tentatively making offers.
Daenerys Entertainment typically withdrew from a bidding war when there was heavy competition, but "The Silence of the Lambs" proved to be an exception.
This was because Simon insisted on securing the rights.
And so, he did.
The final deal was for $1 million plus a 5% share of global net box office receipts.
The base price of $1 million for the rights alone was much higher than the initial offers for the adaptation rights.
According to Hollywood accounting, sharing in net profits is nearly unheard of.
Nevertheless, Thomas Harris's agent was no novice and stipulated a project budget cap of $30 million in the contract. Thus, regardless of Daenerys's actual spending on the project, costs would be calculated based on a fixed $30 million budget.
This budget cap was actually quite high.
To qualify for profit-sharing, global ticket sales for "The Silence of the Lambs" would need to reach at least $70 million.
However, even if they didn't receive profits, the $1 million advance far exceeded Thomas Harris's expectations.
Moreover, Danny Morris felt that if "The Silence of the Lambs" held the value that Simon saw in it, it should at least garner around $200 million worldwide.
With $200 million in box office sales and a fixed cost of $30 million, Thomas Harris could earn an additional $3 million from the profit share.
Certainly, if the global box office reached $200 million, Daenerys Entertainment would stand to make a substantial profit, making the expenditure worthwhile.
Still, Danny Morris couldn't quite grasp why Simon had taken such a strong interest in this project, breaking from their usual practice. Such a precedent could lead to future rights holders demanding more from Daenerys Entertainment once they showed interest.
Santa Monica.
After ending the call with Danny Morris, Simon felt a sense of inevitability.
His exception for "The Silence of the Lambs" wasn't just because it was a blockbuster in another timeline but also to counter Orion.
In hindsight, he should have remembered this project sooner.
"The Exorcist," the second horror film after to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, featured a mere 15 minutes of performance that made an actor a star, and its box office was equally impressive. These factors alone made it impossible for Simon to overlook.
Yet, he had overlooked this movie until he saw a batch of rights information sent by New World Cinema.
Had another Hollywood studio secured or tried to secure the rights, Simon might have collaborated with them, including "The Silence of the Lambs" as part of his initial ten-film plan.
However, Orion was a different story.
In the original timeline, "The Silence of the Lambs" was perhaps the last box-office hit for Orion.
Now, due to Simon's intervention, much had changed.
Impacted by Simon's string of major successes in Hollywood, more capital now favored the North American film industry.
Thus, Australia's Qintex successfully acquired MGM, and Canada's Seagram Group also tested the waters in Hollywood, injecting $200 million into the ailing Orion at the beginning of the year, securing 25% of the company from its former major shareholder, John Kluge.
With financial backing, Orion overcame its difficulties, poised for a revival.
Originally, "The Silence of the Lambs" was not a focus for Orion; after all, its predecessor "Manhunter" had been a box-office disaster, greatly influencing the production team's expectations. In memory, the film was released in the unpopular month of February, practically abandoned.
Yet, it succeeded immensely.
Had Daenerys Entertainment withdrawn from the project due to competition as usual, Orion might have still ended up with it.
To secure Orion's film library and reduce competition in
Hollywood, Simon could not allow Orion to repeat such success.
Having already taken "Dances with Wolves," now securing "The Silence of the Lambs" meant that the last two box-office successes he remembered from Orion were now in his hands.
The Seagram Group was merely testing the waters; the Canadian Bronfman family had ambitions beyond such a small investment in Orion.
Once the $200 million was spent without reviving Orion's fortunes, the company would likely reach its end in Hollywood.
With "The Silence of the Lambs" now in hand, the next step was naturally to begin production.
This time, Simon decisively chose not to cast Anthony Hopkins as the lead male.
As the actor playing Alfred the butler in the "Batman" series, if Hopkins suddenly became an Oscar winner, it would only complicate the project. Thus, Simon preferred that "The Silence of the Lambs" risk a reduced box office or even failure rather than disrupt Daenerys Entertainment's planned DC movie universe.
Speaking of which, if the actors involved in the DC movie universe could reliably fulfill their contracts, Simon had no issue promoting them. However, after the incidents following the release of "Batman: The Beginning," Simon had abandoned this idea.
People are fickle.
And Simon was never one to place too much faith in human nature.
In the midst of busyness, the first week of the 1990 Easter season quietly passed.
This year, Easter fell on April 15.
From April 13 to April 19, Hollywood released two films during Easter week: Daenerys Entertainment's "Children of the Corn II" and Paramount's family comedy "Crazy People" starring Daryl Hannah, each opening on approximately 1,300 screens.
"Children of the Corn II" did not receive favorable reviews and showed no signs of being a dark horse. In its opening week, it grossed only $7.13 million, barely clinching the weekly box office crown in a slow period, with a projected total North American gross around $25 million.
Compared to its $3 million budget, a $25 million box office was certainly a success.
Paramount's "Crazy People" opened to $5.76 million. If it could manage its declines well, it might surpass $15 million domestically, which wasn't bad. However, with a production budget of $15 million, Paramount needed international and ancillary sales to recoup costs.
The releases from the end of last year—"Batman: The Beginning," "Driving Miss Daisy," and February's Valentine's Day release "Pretty Woman"—were all winding down.
With the Easter week box office champion's opening below $10 million, this Easter seemed rather subdued.
By the end of April, Hollywood was generally gearing up for the summer season a month later.
Daenerys Entertainment had already begun airing TV spots for "Ghost" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," its major summer releases scheduled for June 1 and July 6, respectively. There was also "Ghostbusters II," set for the tail end of the summer season on August 10, though its promotional campaign couldn't compare with the earlier films.
In collaboration with Fox, "Sleeping with the Enemy" was set for June 15, and with Disney, "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" for July 27; neither required much effort from Daenerys Entertainment.
However, with five projects linked to Daenerys Entertainment this summer, they had more on their slate than any other Hollywood studio.
Although Simon subconsciously wanted to lay low, it was hard to avoid standing out.
On April 21, a Saturday, despite being busy, the weekend still meant overtime.
At just past two in the afternoon, while on a call with Terry Semel from Warner Bros. discussing preparations for "The Fugitive," Jennifer burst in, Sandra trailing behind. Seeing Simon on the phone, Sandra nonchalantly walked in and sat across from him.
After a few more words with Terry Semel, Simon put down the phone and marked a document on an actress being considered for a minor role in "The Fugitive"—the murdered wife originally played by Sela Ward.
Sela Ward had submitted her resume again.
Given their history and her being the original actress, Simon decided to offer her the role without an audition.
Setting the document aside and catching Sandra peeking, Simon put down his pencil and said with a smile, "Don't snoop; this is confidential."
Sandra pouted, "I'm not interested. Tell me, what did you call me here for? I'm busy. I have plans to go to Palm Springs for the weekend and I'm leaving soon."
Simon passed the "The Silence of the Lambs" script to her, saying, "Take a look, see if you're interested. I've already sent a copy to Bob; if you're interested too, you and your fellow apprentice could star in this film together."
Simon referred to Robert Duvall as Bob, who
, like Sandra, was a client of Jonathan and had studied under the same acting teacher. Despite a thirty-year age difference, Duvall had helped Sandra when she first entered Hollywood.
Since he had decided against casting Anthony Hopkins, Simon was open to altering the original casting for "The Silence of the Lambs." He wasn't very familiar with the original lead actress, Jodie Foster, and thought Sandra might be a good fit. Aside from lacking an Oscar, Sandra's recent fame and box office draw were actually stronger than Jodie Foster's.
Moreover, if the project succeeded, it could potentially earn Sandra an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
If it failed, then it failed.
Sandra flipped through the script briefly before stuffing it into her bag, saying, "I'll look at it over the weekend. Anything else?"
Simon feigned sadness, "You're in such a hurry to leave? Am I that unlikable now?"
Sandra rolled her eyes, "You're a married man now, Mr. Westeros. I don't want any more rumors about us."
"I understand, you're worried about Jenny coming after you."
"Think what you will."
With that, Sandra stood as if to leave but suddenly leaned across the desk, grabbed Simon's collar, and pulled him toward her.
Simon thought she might kiss him, but instead, Sandra flashed a playful bite towards his nose, startling him. By the time he realized what was happening, she was already laughing on her way out of the office.
Touching his nearly bitten nose, Simon shook his head in resignation.
The assistant re-entered, reminding Simon of his schedule, prompting him to leave the office for a meeting room within the building.
James Lebrecht and Apollo Management's Leon Black had come to Los Angeles for the weekend to discuss the acquisition of MCA, focusing on financing post-official offer.
Although preparations had started early, and Simon knew that Panasonic was also quietly planning to acquire MCA, he decided to wait until September of the latter half of the year to formally launch his offer.
From memory, although Panasonic's negotiations with MCA began early, the North American stock market crash triggered by the outbreak of the Iraq-Kuwait conflict delayed their deal until early 1991. Simon still had ample time.
Following the war outbreak, MCA's stock price dropped due to the market downturn, providing an ideal entry point for Daenerys Entertainment.
However, early preparations were always beneficial.
The better prepared they were, the greater their chances of success later.
After discussions with domestic and international banks, James Lebrecht had nearly resolved the funding issues. Banks from Europe, Australia, and even Japan showed great interest in Daenerys Entertainment's financing plans.
Thanks to Daenerys Entertainment's impressive public financials and the substantial assets accumulated by the entire Westeros system in recent years, these banks had little concern about Simon's ability to repay the massive loans.
While Simon could potentially secure over $3 billion in funding from a single bank, spreading the loans across multiple institutions was akin to gathering allies for Daenerys Entertainment.
In this world, borrowing a significant amount always provided a stronger position.
Continuously weaving a network of interests for Daenerys Entertainment and the entire Westeros system was among Simon's key focuses in recent years.
___________________
(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)
If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters
Read Ahead
Patreon.com/INNIT
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực