In the headline article of the "Hollywood Reporter", the media's narrative of the WMA package project even went into many specific details.
The whole report started with Jonathan Friedman's launch of the packaging project, including the process of several major Hollywood studios who were afraid of WMA's shift to packaging operations, and tried to resist, until Jonathan Friedman was dissatisfied with the promise. Man Broca's compromise and uneven distribution of project benefits, a complete fallout with his immediate boss, and so on, are just like having experienced the whole thing in person.
In fact, apart from internal disclosure, this article is obviously impossible to come from other sources.
The factions within WMA are almost well known.
Stabbing out this infighting scandal will have an immeasurable negative impact on WMA, but at the same time, if President Norman Broca and Vice President Jonathan Friedman are unlucky, many people can benefit from it. Beneficial.
After all, even between Norman Broca and Jonathan Friedman, there are still seven vice presidents waiting to go further. There are countless other WMA agents who are still struggling to climb up.
Any one of these people has sufficient reasons to do this.
In the face of the "Hollywood Reporter" sudden news article, it was too late to investigate who leaked the dispute, and WMA management had to start dealing with the influx of media inquiries.
On the morning of the publication of the "Hollywood Reporter" article, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times reporter in New York, WMA Chairman Lu Weis firmly denied all the content of the "Hollywood Reporter" revelations and also revealed WMA has reached a preliminary agreement with Fox Pictures, the company's first package project did not fail, and high-level internal fighting naturally did not exist.
However, when the media turned to Fox Pictures to verify, the response of Fox Pictures President Ronald Goldberg was ambiguous, neither admitting nor denying it, but told reporters that the company was still in contact with WMA and it was not convenient to disclose Detailed details.
This is actually the result of urgent consultations between WMA and Fox executives.
Fox Pictures violated the tacit agreement reached with several other major film companies and privately tried to win the "Butterfly Effect". After this incident was provoked, it made the Fox management look very embarrassed in front of its peers. But Ronald Goldberg knows better that if this time completely denies the whole thing so that WMA can't get off the stage, WMA will not make Fox too much better next.
In addition to persuading Fox to cooperate with his double acting, WMA executives also privately contacted Taiqi Kassel, the major shareholder behind the "Hollywood Reporter". You came to me and I got to know that the other party will not release it rashly and make WMA caught off guard. The promise of the news.
After tossing for a whole day, WMA originally thought it had successfully dragged the whole thing back to a place where it could be turned.
The next day, another revelation was published again.
The whistleblower apparently did enough homework, because the article actually shifted the ground, bypassing the "Hollywood Reporter" that was managed by WMA, and published it in another Hollywood newspaper "Daily Variety".
"Daily Variety Show" belongs to the daily newspaper of Variety Show Company, and it forms the two major paper media platforms of Variety Show together with the weekly "Variety" magazine. In fact, the "Hollywood Reporter" also distinguishes between daily newspapers and weekly magazines, but it does not name it separately like variety shows.
The revelation of "Daily Variety" appears to be more detailed, and even involves the content of the package plan after WMA President Norman Broca 'compromised' with Fox.
Among them, Matthew Broderick's $5 million remuneration contract and the stingy buyout agreement obtained by the screenwriter of the project script "Butterfly Effect" were highlighted, and it was pointed out that these two agreements led to Norman. Broca and Jonathan Friedman are the fuse of the conflict.
With the revelation of "Daily Variety" again, many daily newspapers and media including the "Los Angeles Times" have also begun to pay attention to this matter, and the situation has a faint tendency to continue to expand.
Faced with this situation, WMA and Fox had to bite the bullet and continue to deny many news in the media.
However, everyone is also aware that in order to avoid greater setbacks, it is imminent to adopt strong measures to quickly and completely resolve the storm.
This continues until July 21.
on Monday.
After the hectic weekend, WMA Chairman Lou Weiss and CEO Lee Stevens followed Norman Broca, who returned to Los Angeles early to stabilize the situation, and also rushed to the West Coast.
At nine o'clock in the morning, at the WMA headquarters on Camino Street, there were only four people sitting in the spacious conference room. They were the two big bosses from the east coast and the two parties involved in the whole thing.
"Yesterday in New York, I personally communicated with Mr. Murdoch, Chairman of News Corporation." Sitting at the top of the conference table, Lou Weis, who is 75 years old this year, looked a little tired, but his eyes were still sharp. Looking at the three subordinates around him, he said: "Mr. Murdoch has agreed that Fox will try to cooperate with us to complete the "Butterfly Effect" project. However, this matter must be adjusted. Moreover, I declare in advance that I What follows is the final decision. The two of you cannot object, you just need to implement it. If it fails, you can pack your things and leave."
With that said, Lou Weis looked down at his memo, looked up again, glanced at Norman Broca and Jonathan Friedman, and said: "Since we have denied a lot of the media The news broke, so the original plan must be adjusted. First of all, the actor needs to be replaced and can no longer be Matthew. Moreover, Norman, I have agreed to Fox, and Matthew will appear in one of their movies called " Project X. They said they had already passed the script to you before, right?"
Norman Broca nodded, but then asked: "Lu, where's Matthew's pay?"
Lu Weis stared at Norman Broca and said, "3 million dollars."
Hearing the number reported by Lou Weiss, Norman Broca immediately stood up and said: "This is too low!"
"Only $3 million," Lou Weis said with no doubt in his tone: "Or, you can leave."
The corners of Norman Broca's mouth moved, but after all he nodded, sitting down again with a reluctant expression.
Jonathan Friedman can also choose to switch from WMA if he has to. Norman Broca can't do that. He is the vice president of the largest talent agency in North America and even the world. , It is impossible to find your own position in any other brokerage company.
But if he chooses to stand on his own, even if he can pull away a group of top stars, Norman Broca will no longer have the power at this time in the future.
Lou Weis saw Norman Broca sitting down, nodded in satisfaction, and then looked at Jonathan Friedman.