Chapter 152 Birthday Party, Greetings from Murdoch

The last script in Eric's hand was the famous "Million Dollar Baby".

A very exciting drama that tells the story of a female boxer chasing her dreams.

But it does not talk about how to succeed, but how to fail. The plot is very touching and worth reading carefully.

Unlike "The Passion of the Christ", Eric watched "Million Dollar Baby" seriously and still remembers many of the plots clearly.

Because this movie is about sports, it was not well received when it was released. Even with the support of Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, it was still not enough.

When it was released, it was on a small scale, with only dozens of cinemas, and the box office in the first week was less than 200,000 US dollars.

However, the film managed to break through the siege thanks to its excellent quality, and eventually earned more than 200 million US dollars in box office worldwide.

The high box office is secondary. The film also won four major awards at the 77th Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Director.

It was also nominated for Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing.

All 7 are important awards, and there is not a single technical award, which shows how impressive it is.

"What's the status of this script? Pitch? Buyout? Financing? Or something else?"

Judy walked over to Eric and took a look. "It's a script agent promoting Paul Haggis's script. He's quite famous in the industry."

“But I guess I didn’t have much confidence in the sports theme, so the agent offered a way to buy it out, and the $1.2 million belonged to us.”

Hearing this, Eric made a decisive decision: "Then buy it out. This script is wonderful, but a wonderful script must be paired with a capable director."

"After the deal is done, I will invite Clint Eastwood to direct, and Hilary Swank to play the female lead. I don't have any other requirements."

"For Mean Girls, send the two heroines to the Olsen sisters. They have been filming campus idol dramas for so many years, and they are very good at this kind of subject matter."

"By the way, although the male lead is not very important, I have invited Chris Evans. He also started out in campus youth dramas, so he is very capable in playing this kind of role."

Judy took note of Eric's request and nodded: "It's been three months since the Transformers was finished filming. I don't know what Chris Evans' schedule is like now. Let's give it a try first."

"Well, there is one more thing. Evans has not signed a contract with MGM yet. Give him a movie contract. At least he can't run away with the Transformers trilogy."

"Okay, I'll communicate with the marketing and production departments."

After finishing the rest of her coffee, Judy put the cup down: "If nothing else, I'll be out."

"Wait, didn't I say to Gadot a while ago that MGM was planning to start a new drama, and there was a role of a female reporter in it, which was more suitable for Lefaeli."

“You mean House of Cards?”

"Yes, the character of Zoe is a novice reporter. Rafaeli's acting skills are still relatively immature, so the effect of her performance will not be bad."

"Give her the script and let her get familiar with the role first. Filming will start soon. I guess Refaeli hasn't taken on any new roles."

"No, the scripts and roles that come to her are not very good. Now she is mainly a part-time model and shoots commercials."

"That would mean we're just going back to our old ways," Eric chuckled.

"Almost. I have nothing to do anyway, so shooting some commercials can help increase my fame."

"Then do as I say. The second season of The Walking Dead won't start shooting until at least winter. Let's shoot House of Cards first."

"knew!"

Judy left the office and Eric was smiling. Judy was indeed lucky and had brought him three good projects at once.

According to conservative estimates, when the film is released next year, it will bring MGM more than $200 million in direct box office revenue, and the subsequent revenue from copyright-related derivative products will also be considerable.

I picked up the phone and called Julio, the head of the production department. It had been half a month since the script was sent to Kevin Spacey, but there was still no final news.

The call was quickly connected, and Eric asked, "Julio, has Kevin Spacey not responded yet about House of Cards?"

"He replied and said the script was good and he was interested in acting, but he still had objections to the remuneration. We are currently negotiating with his agent."

"$350,000 an episode is not enough? How much does he want?"

"Kevin Spacey's agent asked for $400,000 an episode, which is the minimum salary they would accept."

Eric took a deep breath. His father had said that $400,000 was the lowest price. It seemed that his judgment was accurate. After all, he was an Oscar winner, so it couldn't be that cheap.

But Eric also has his own considerations. For a show like "House of Cards" that is destined to be a big hit, the actors' pay will definitely increase.

The first season was paid $400,000 per episode, so the second season should at least increase a little, but the question is what will happen in the future? If the price goes up to a sky-high level in the end, it will be troublesome. He is a core actor and cannot be replaced, so Eric still hopes to keep his salary down.

But looking at the situation, it can’t be suppressed anymore, and the $400,000 still has to be paid out.

"Okay, just give him $400,000 per episode and sign the contract as soon as possible."

After making this decision, Eric was considering the candidate for the female lead when the phone rang again. He looked down and saw it was Peter Jackson.

The call from this bearded guy is most likely about Transformers.

"Hi, Peter!"

Peter Jackson's hearty laughter came from the other side: "Eric, good news, the special effects of "Transformers" have been preliminarily completed."

"Now you can use it to do something, and I also made a rendered version for you in the trailer."

"Really? I've got to pay you a salary for taking such great trouble as this director." Eric joked.

"Hahahaha. Mainly because I'm itching to see what your Transformers movie will look like. I have to say, it's pretty impressive."

"The robots' battle will definitely make the fans scream like crazy, which will prove that I made the right decision."

"What?" Eric asked.

"Of course, we have to avoid the Autobots. If our schedules conflict, both The Lord of the Rings and Transformers will suffer."

"MGM, please release the trailer soon. I really want to see the market's response, especially the unfortunate look of Harvey Weinstein."

"Miramax has two movies during that time period: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World will be released on November 14, and Kill Bill will be released on November 27."

"Your Transformers will be released on November 16, blocking the head of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and kicking the ass of Kill Bill from behind."

"Coupled with the impact of other movies, Miramax is in trouble."

As he spoke, Peter Jackson laughed happily again, and the reason why he was so happy was, of course, because he had a grudge against Harvey Weinstein.

The source of the hatred is the filming of "The Lord of the Rings". At that time, Miramax Films won the film and television adaptation rights of "The Lord of the Rings".

Peter Jackson begged for help from everyone and finally got the right to direct the film, just when he was working hard to write the script and ambitiously planning to make a trilogy.

Harvey Weinstein told him, what do you want, man?

Do you know how much money is needed to make a trilogy of this epic movie? Can an independent film company like Miramax afford it? Trilogy is bullshit, just shoot me one trilogy, and don't ask for too much budget, preferably no more than 50 million US dollars, it's time to test your ability.

Peter Jackson was so angry that this was a waste of talent.

He went to Harvey Weinstein to argue his case, but the initiative was not in his hands, so he could only make a humbly request.

I'll shoot one at a time, but I want to shoot a 4-hour version, otherwise the plot really won't be connected.

Harvey Weinstein scolded him again, "What the hell are you dreaming about, brother? Is a 4-hour movie for the audience? Is it a competition to see who can hold their pee the longest?" You should quickly give up this unrealistic idea and limit the length to 2 hours.

If you can shoot, shoot. If you can’t, get out. I have a backup director here.

Peter Jackson was so angry and anxious that he could only beg for help again, and finally Harvey Weinstein gave in.

Promise him three weeks to raise investment on your own. If you succeed, you can shoot the film. If you fail, you can get out.

Fortunately, New Line was very optimistic about this project and allocated a budget of nearly 300 million US dollars. I, Wang Duoyu, invested in this project.

Finally, audiences can see the classic "Lord of the Rings" series on the big screen.

And it was because of this experience that Peter Jackson and Harvey Weinstein became enemies.

He even spoofed Harvey Weinstein in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, by modeling an Orc commander after Harvey Weinstein.

Any Hollywood actor can recognize who that thing looks like at a glance.

Now that the rough cut of "Transformers" has been released, it's time to hold an internal preview, not for MGM, but because it still has to pass the review of the Department of Defense.

After pressing the doorbell, Chen Xing walked in.

"Contact Lieutenant Colonel Freeman and set a time to hold an internal screening of Transformers."

"Also go to Weta Digital and copy the Transformers trailer. Today is Friday, so let's release it next Monday."

"Okay boss."

Today is Friday, June 20th, and it’s Neeko’s birthday.

She was having a birthday party at her house, and Eric had only just received the invitation this morning.

Needless to say, this little girl must have done it on purpose. She told him at the last minute to see if Eric had any preparation in advance.

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If you are prepared, it means you have me in your heart. If you are not prepared, then it’s just a joke.

Before getting off work, Eric drove alone to Nicole's villa in Beverly Hills.

He arrived early, and when he arrived, he did not see any luxury cars parked here.

There were paparazzi openly filming from a distance, but they were not allowed to enter.

This time Eric walked in through the main entrance with confidence. This was the second time he walked in through the main entrance except for the night with Oscar among all the times he came here.

The door was open, and from a distance I could see many servants cleaning and arranging the place.

As I walked in, I saw Nicole directing the servants to place the customized decorations.

Seeing him, Nicole opened her mouth in surprise: "Eric, why are you here so early? The meeting will not start for another two hours."

"Of course I'm here to see you. How can I help you?"

Nicole smiled charmingly: "How dare I trouble you, the big boss? It's too messy here. Come on, come upstairs with me to have some coffee. I have some questions about the script of "La Vie en Rose" that I want to consult you."

"no problem."

The two men looked serious and walked up the stairs at a distance from each other.

They closed the door gently. After not seeing each other for a week, the two hungry people hugged each other instantly.

After a set of passionate kisses, Eric's lips slowly moved over the snow-white neck.

"You look so beautiful today, Nicole!"

"Only today? Isn't she beautiful usually?"

"In my heart, you are the most beautiful at every moment, especially in bed."

"Hate!"

"Come on, before you change your clothes."

Eric picked up Nicole and walked to the bed.

"Wait, there are people down there. After the party is over, you can enjoy me as you like, okay?"

Eric shook his head: "Most people would definitely say it's good, but I won't. I will say it's bad."

"Of course, I am a very reasonable person. If you agree to one condition of mine, I will let you go for the time being."

Nicole put her arms around his neck and asked softly, "What are the conditions?"

Eric took out the gift box: "Open it and take a look."

"Is this your birthday present to me?"

Nicole took it with a smile, and opened it impatiently, and then saw the belly button ring, anklet and bracelet inside.

Her face suddenly turned red, and she gently hit Eric's shoulder with her pink fist: "Pervert, you just gave me something like this?"

Eric laughed and said, "Of course not. This is the condition you have to agree to. This is the gift."

As he said this, he took out another exquisite box, inside of which was the valuable brooch worth a million dollars.

The first time she saw the brooch, Nicole's eyes could not move away. The exquisite shape declared its value, and the shining brilliance of the jewelry made the woman intoxicated.

Suddenly, the beauty turned around and pressed Eric down on the bed, and a surge of emotion aroused between the two.

Two hours later, Eric was standing in the living room on the first floor, with many people gathered around him.

Hugh Jackman, Jude Law, Julianne Moore, Renée Zellweger, Meryl Streep, Robbie Williams, Naomi Watts, Natalie Portman, Russell Crowe and many more.

It was just like a Vanity Fair party. In addition to the people he knew, there were many people whose names Eric couldn't remember.

Amid the applause and laughter of the crowd, Nicole walked down the stairs wearing a white gauze dress with the orchid brooch hanging on her chest.

"My friends, welcome to my birthday party. Let's enjoy ourselves today and not leave until we are drunk."

"OH"

Everyone cheered immediately, the music started, and the party atmosphere suddenly became ignited.

Then Robbie Williams stepped up and sang as a professional singer, which again drew applause.

Everyone knows each other privately in groups of three or four, and there is no need to maintain appearance in front of friends. Everyone can show off their talents.

Nicole was surrounded by a group of sisters, and the group of women laughed from time to time.

Eric touched his shriveled stomach. Just now upstairs, the two of them couldn't help but work hard and consumed a lot of energy.

He looked at Uncle Wolf beside him and said, "Jack, I need to eat something. How about a piece of Filipino-style barbecue?"

Hugh Jackman looked at his abdomen with some embarrassment, and said hesitantly: "Forget it, I have to maintain my figure, and I can't touch food with too high calories."

"It's okay to eat a little once in a while. Look, everyone is eating. Don't you feel lonely?"

Eric persuaded, just as men like to persuade people who can't drink to drink.

Uncle Wolf swallowed his saliva, his taste buds were struggling: "Maybe, a piece would be nice."

"That's right. Being an actor is like being an ascetic. Aren't you miserable?"

She pulled Hugh Jackman to the table, ignored his request to eat only one piece, picked up the plate and put a bunch of meat and dessert on him, and stuffed him a glass of champagne.

"Eat it, eat it. It doesn't matter if you eat one piece or a whole plate. Let go of your psychological pressure."

As Eric spoke, he began to eat heartily. Seeing how enjoyable he was eating, Uncle Wolf simply let go and picked up a piece of dessert and put it in his mouth.

"OMG! This is the taste of God!" he said with a satisfied look on his face.

While the two were eating meat and drinking wine, a man suddenly stood next to Eric.

The man looked to be around 30 years old, with short hair and glasses, and he looked like a scholar.

"Want a drink?" Eric asked casually.

The man took the champagne and smiled, then extended his hand and said, "Hello Eric, James Murdoch, nice to meet you."

(End of this chapter)