Hollywood What If Chapter 172
Sony-Columbia was the weakest of the Big Six, no one could deny that. What they needed was a bunch of movies that would make them relevant.
For the next few decades, the only movie that made them relevant was Spider-Man, anything related to Spider-Man like Venom, Spider-Verse, and um, Morbius? Maybe? Men In Black is great, but its influence was weaker compared to Spider-Man.
If this negotiation ended in cooperation with Sony-Columbia, one thing was for sure, Sony-Columbia would gain the power to fight the other movie companies.
In the first place, the reason for the company's weakness was the lack of good movies in their library. They were different from Warner Bros that could film Batman every decade. They didn't have the strength in animation that Walt Disney had.
'In short, my decision can change the balance of power in this industry...'
Such a thought made Kazir smile. He could not believe that a director like him could do such a thing. Was it even possible? Or perhaps Kazir was just being arrogant.
The scripts he wanted to sell were all comedies with one or two sequels in them. That meant Sony-Columbia could make a profit for at least a decade if they did it right.
These movies were: Bruce Almighty, Anchorman and Horrible Bosses. These movies did well at the box office, grossing at least $200 million worldwide.
In fact, Kazir was interested in selling the romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Although he decided to wait a few years before making a decision.
'20% box office fee is not bad. No, it's a steal. Almost no company would make that deal unless they are crazy.'
Well, given the situation, Sony-Columbia was crazy to offer that kind of deal.
"How many films does Sony-Columbia want to distribute?"
If Sony-Columbia only wanted to distribute The Bourne Identity, then this negotiation was over. It would be detrimental to sell three of his scripts for one movie distribution. It should be at least 3 movies.
"Four to five movies."
Kazir nodded. He could sense the sincerity. Maybe Sony-Columbia was getting desperate because their competitors were getting better while they were stagnating.
"I'll be honest, of all the producers who contact me, you from Sony-Columbia is the most sincere."
"I'm glad to hear that." Lee Himura smiled. However, he didn't feel good about this negotiation. Obviously, Sony-Columbia was the loser in this transaction.
If it weren't for his boss' nagging, Lee Himura wouldn't be doing this. If there was one good thing, it was that the responsibility for negotiating a 20% box office share with Grey Pictures was not his. It came from higher up.
If that negotiation leads to disaster, he is innocent... Although he could be fired if that happened. So his mood was not good. He only hoped that Kazir Grey would not ask for a lower distribution fee.
"Still, I have to think about it. Just like I said before, I need three days to think about it."
'If another movie company offered me a better deal, of course I would sign with them.'
Kazir smiled. There was nothing wrong with his decision.
'Even if I upset one or two of the Big Six, I still have other companies to work with. Of course, let's pray they don't work together to destroy me like they did with DreamWorks. Splitting the company in two.'
"I understand."
Lee Himura bowed. He had already done his best. Anything less than 20% would be detrimental. This was the lowest they could offer. If Kazir Grey still said no, so be it.
The Sony-Columbia producer shook Kazir's hand before leaving.
...
...
...
While the negotiations were going on, 20th Century Fox invited him to participate in the pre-production of Napoleon Dynamite III, which was to be released in the summer or later this year.
Kazir was no fool, he knew this was just a way for Tom Rothman to talk to Kazir personally.
He had already done his job and turned most of the work over to the writers. In fact, Kazir didn't touch the Napoleon Dynamite III script that much. He just made some suggestions.
He knew he was no genius. It would be better for the writers to build the plot.
'If I'm not mistaken, this could be the last movie. Completion of the trilogy. The actors' salaries are getting higher and higher and Fox Searchlight Pictures can't afford them anymore. Before the salary got bigger, they decided to finish the trilogy and get as much money as possible.'
As for the outcome of the final installment of Napoleon Dynamite, Kazir Grey had no idea. That movie never happened in the original timeline.
As he expected, when Kazir visited the filming studio, he saw some people he recognized.
The director, Hugo Lameire, looked at Kazir and nodded. There was no handshake or greeting. The director just walked by.
'... I have no idea why he's like that, but who cares.'
He shrugged. Kazir then found Ed Helms, Pedro Pascal and even Reese Witherspoon. The actors greeted him, but none stayed long.
As for Kazir, he was mature enough to understand the situation. He kept his smile and talked to the writers of the film.
But a minute after he talked to them, Tom Rothman appeared out of nowhere like a fucking mushroom.
"Kazir! Haha, nice to meet you! How's your day going? By the way, congratulations on John Wick and The Hangover 2! Damn, I still regret not signing a contract with you!"
"Tom, my day is going well..."
'Until you showed up.'
He swallowed the last part of the sentence. It seemed that even the big shot of 20th Century Fox was interested in his scripts to show such enthusiasm.
'So who am I meeting with tomorrow, Michael Eisner, Michael Ovitz? Or maybe Brad Grey.'
He shook his head. Such was the life of the most sought-after director of the era.