章節 83: Chapter 82: Arrogant CAA
Previously, Gilbert instructed the assistant director, Anne, to visit the Actors Guild to find suitable young actors.
After some selection and introductions, Anne presented a few profiles and explained, "These young actors are mostly between ten and fourteen years old, with experience in both movies and TV shows."
Flipping through the profiles, Gilbert asked, "Anne, which one do you think is good?"
"Ryan Reynolds, has been in several shows and films." Anne pulled out a profile and handed it to Gilbert.
"Seventeen?" Gilbert frowned and immediately dismissed it, "Too old, not suitable."
"Then let's hold auditions and see which young actor fits best," suggested Charles Roven.
Gilbert thought for a moment and agreed.
Afterward, Gilbert discussed a few other details with the team and made general arrangements before wrapping up.
In the movie preparation phase, Gilbert ensured he was involved in every detail, knowing the crew's pre-production work thoroughly. This way, he could monitor every stage accurately once production began.
After the preparation meeting, producer Kane Wexman promptly sent an invitation to Sylvester Stallone, receiving a quick response from CAA.
Stallone, as a CAA artist, had previously been embroiled in the summer box office clash between Cliffhanger and Speed, largely due to CAA's push.
However, having been in Hollywood for so long, Stallone didn't let personal feelings cloud his judgment. The fact that Gilbert, an up-and-coming director, was willing to set aside previous issues and offer him a role took him by surprise, prompting him to consider the offer.
Yet, he forgot that CAA, especially Michael Ovitz and Martin Bob, was eager to bring their package deal service into Gilbert's crew.
The massive success of Speed had already made Ovitz and Bob green with envy. Since Gilbert wanted Stallone to play the male lead, why not seize this opportunity to get package service into the mix?
Thus, after Stallone expressed interest, Martin Bob took the initiative to negotiate with the crew on Stallone's behalf. Charles Roven and Kane Wexman handled the discussion, with Gilbert also present.
However, the initial meeting didn't go smoothly.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the real negotiation began.
"We sincerely invite Mr. Stallone to play the male lead. Could Mr. Stallone…"
Naturally, Stallone was interested; otherwise, they wouldn't have this meeting. But before Kane could finish, Martin Bob interrupted, "Mr. Stallone is very interested in the role of Charlie, and CAA is also very keen on this project."
It was clear that CAA had terms to discuss. Kane Wexman, not one to beat around the bush, asked, "Let's get straight to the point, Martin. What does CAA want?"
Martin Bob replied confidently, "It's simple. Besides Gilbert as the director, the project should be handed over to CAA for package handling."
He added, "CAA sees great profit potential in this project, and we believe it will be a huge success with our operations."
His assertiveness reminded Gilbert of Disney's chairman, Michael Eisner.
The reason for CAA's dominance in the face of film companies is their hold over Hollywood's scarce resources. Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Stallone, Julia Roberts, Jodie Foster, Tom Hanks… Each of these names represents box office success and is indispensable in Hollywood.
That's why CAA can be so forceful. With so many prominent directors and actors under their wing, the studios have little choice but to meet CAA's demands.
However, Gilbert understood that CAA, despite its strong presence, wasn't well-liked in Hollywood. Their package service not only drove up film production costs but also intruded into revenue-sharing areas previously untouched by agencies.
This was only temporary, though. Hollywood studios were notoriously frugal and wouldn't tolerate such greed indefinitely. For now, package services were tolerated because they did bring in revenue for some films.
When the day comes that package services no longer work, a reckoning with the Hollywood studios is inevitable. Ovitz and Bob saw this, and after their package service failed on Alien 3, they desperately needed a new representative.
And Gilbert seemed like the perfect candidate.
But, contrary to Bob's expectations, Gilbert quickly said, "Martin, I reject CAA's terms. I can't accept the package service."
Martin Bob was momentarily stunned, then threatened, "Gilbert, don't forget that Mr. Stallone has played a boxer. There's no one more suitable for this role than him."
It was true; Rocky had created an iconic boxer character. When people think of boxers, they think of Stallone.
But Gilbert firmly refused, "Martin, this is Hollywood. No one is irreplaceable."
Charles Roven stepped in to ease the tension, saying, "Martin, we need to discuss this further. We'll let you know as soon as there's any progress."
"Fine, but be quick. Mr. Stallone's schedule is tight, and he won't have much time," Martin replied, shooting Gilbert a glance before leaving without shaking hands.
After Bob left, a brief silence fell over the room.
Charles Roven asked, "What should we do now?"
"What should we do?" Gilbert clapped his hands and said, "Replace him. Let's go with Bruce Willis; he's not with CAA, so this will be easy to negotiate."
Even a clay figure has some anger. Bob's attitude had frustrated Gilbert.
Gilbert didn't believe he couldn't move forward without Stallone.
Kane Wexman expressed concern, "If CAA stirs things up with this, how will we respond?"
"Do you think Warner and Disney would fear CAA when it comes to media resources?" Gilbert retorted.
"Of course not…"
"Exactly. If CAA dares to stir things up outside, Warner and Disney's media could drown them with spit alone."
Gilbert's words brought Kane and Charles back to their senses.
Yes, no matter how powerful an agency is, it's still just an agency. It can't compare to large media corporations like Warner or Disney.
Indeed, CAA's dominance had given Hollywood studios a sense of fear. But Gilbert's insight made that feeling disappear instantly.
On the other side, Bob returned to CAA, where Stallone was waiting.
"How did it go?" Stallone asked, concerned.
Bob shook his head, saying, "Not good. Gilbert rejected our proposal."
"How could this happen?" Stallone looked disappointed, frowning.
Bob exaggerated the meeting's events to Stallone, leaving out many details while adding others. He portrayed Gilbert as arrogant and insulting, saying Stallone was just lucky and that he shouldn't even think about negotiating for more.
After Bob's embellished story, Stallone's dislike for Gilbert intensified, and he immediately wanted to take revenge.
But Bob stopped Stallone's impulsive reaction, suggesting, "Instead, let's find a rival for Real Steel and curb Gilbert's momentum."
Stallone thought it was a good idea and asked, "Which movie do you have in mind?"
Bob replied, "How about True Lies?"
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