"What?" Emma was instantly shocked.
Nolan was also completely bewildered.
He never expected that, having just arrived in Hollywood and before his first film had even been released, someone would ask him to make a big IP like "Batman".
This is like someone who has just joined a company and hasn't yet achieved anything, but someone asks him to take charge of a business deal worth hundreds of millions.
Anyone would be confused in that situation.
After a long while, Emma asked, "Mr. Cao, did I hear you wrong? Did you just say 'Baxter'?"
Cao Kun: "You heard me right, it's Baxter Slow."
Nolan and Emma exchanged a glance and found that they both looked at each other with disbelief.
It feels like a dream, so unreal.
But the facts are undeniable, leaving them no choice but to believe them.
Emma: "Mr. Cao, why?"
Cao Kun: "I think Nolan's style is very suitable for my idea of Batman."
This reason left them with no grounds for complaint.
Emma then remembered something else: "Mr. Cao, do you own the copyright to Batman?"
Cao Kun: "I have already signed licensing agreements with Warner and DC."
Emma wanted to ask something else, but found she couldn't think of any more questions for the moment.
She looked at her husband and noticed that Nolan seemed agitated.
This is a feeling of being recognized and thrilled.
She could tell her husband was somewhat tempted, but Nolan was a composed man and didn't immediately agree.
Cao Kun added, "The Batman in my mind is different from other superheroes. He is not a god, but a human being."
He simply possesses a strong will that ordinary people lack, and he is always able to overcome difficulties that would have ruined ordinary people.
My vision of Batman is that it should have an overall dark tone, but within that darkness, one should also be able to see the light.
To the average viewer, this is an inspiring superhero story.
A discerning viewer can see the exploration of human nature within this work.
Emma noticed that her husband was getting more and more excited as he listened, his face even turning red, as if he was about to make a decision and agree at any moment.
She quickly said, "Mr. Cao, this matter is too big; we need to think about it carefully."
Excuse me, we'll be going now.
Regardless of whether we ultimately agree or not, we will give you an answer as soon as possible.
Cao Kun: "Please go ahead."
Cao Kun smiled as he watched the two figures walk away.
Nolan's Batman trilogy remains unsurpassed to this day.
It has even made it into the top 10 of many movie lists with its superhero movies.
Not only did it receive rave reviews, but it also became a box office smash.
The three Batman films grossed over $2.4 billion worldwide.
This only includes box office revenue, not other revenue streams.
If Cao Kun doesn't want someone like that, he must be crazy to go looking for other directors.
Cao Kun knew that they hesitated because they were afraid of messing up the film.
A large IP address is a double-edged sword.
If they win, they will naturally become famous overnight and gain both fame and fortune.
If it crashes, the fortunes plummet, all opportunities are lost, and there's no chance of recovery.
Many actors and directors get the opportunity to star in or direct big-budget productions, but then the film fails, and they're out of the picture.
Take Ryan Reynolds, for example; he ruined the big-budget film "Green Lantern".
For the next ten years, his career did not improve.
Then there's John Woo, who botched "Windtalkers" and subsequently failed in Hollywood.
There are far too many examples like this in Hollywood.
Now, Nolan and Emma also share this concern.
But Cao Kun believed Nolan would agree.
The world's corrective power is immeasurable.
Unless, of course, another force intervenes and causes trouble.
Now that Cao Kun is not only not causing trouble, but is also helping the world get back on track, he is unlikely to go off track.
Sure enough, three days later, Nolan contacted Cao Kun and expressed his willingness to direct "The Batman".
When signing the contract, Nolan asked, "Mr. Cao, who would you like to play Batman?"
Cao Kun: "I haven't thought about it yet. There's no rush. You need a lot of time to prepare the script."
Cao Kun, the director of "Batman," is really not in a hurry.
It's fine if this is released after that incident.
Because at that time, the people of the United States needed heroes even more.
Upon hearing this, Nolan and Emma both breathed a sigh of relief.
In the past few days, they made inquiries within the industry and obtained a considerable amount of information.
First, Cao Kun is an excellent collaborator. He dares to delegate authority to the director, does not interfere in on-set affairs, gives the director ample room to maneuver, and is very prompt in settling accounts, never delaying payment.
Moreover, the probability of success in collaborating with him is very high, making it easy to produce works, gain fame, and greatly benefit future development.
The second point is its drawbacks.
Cao Kun is stingy and shrewd; it's almost impossible to make a lot of money by working with him.
Moreover, he enjoys playing the lead role in his own films.
Therefore, they were really afraid that Cao Kun might impulsively say that he wanted to play the role of Batman himself.
What's the point of playing then?
No matter how accepting Westerners are, they would never accept an Asian actor playing Batman or Superman.
It's like casting a foreigner as the Chinese version of Sun Wukong; the Chinese people would definitely not accept that.
Now that they heard Cao Kun didn't mean it that way, they were relieved.
Nolan asked, "Can I specify the protagonist?"
Cao Kun: "You have the right to make recommendations, but if you can ultimately convince me to choose the protagonist you designate, no problem."
At that time, Nolan was cheaper than Doug Liman.
However, since it's a big-budget production like "The Batman," the salary wouldn't be too low.
Cao Kun also signed a three-part contract with him.
His salary for the first film was $300,000.
If it makes money, the second part will be $800,000.
The third installment cost $1.5 million.
As for dividends...
What is dividend?
On the day the contract was signed, Cao Kun signed it with Nolan and his family of three.
Nolan is the director and producer, Emma is the producer, and Nolan's brother Jonathan is the screenwriter.
Cao Kun put the contract away with a smile, in a very good mood.
They've managed to produce two big-budget films in a row.
He really doesn't plan to act in "Batman". Firstly, foreigners would never accept him playing the role, and secondly, the role is too righteous.
Batman never kills; he only wants to do good deeds, which makes him even more righteous than Brian from "Fast & Furious."
He simply cannot act.
More importantly, Cao Kun had his eye on a different role.
One month after its release, Fast & Furious grossed $210 million at the North American box office.
It grossed $380 million worldwide.
It's a foregone conclusion that the global box office will surpass $400 million during the remaining screening time.
This far surpassed the original version in another world, grossing a full double.
This represents an upgraded production, far surpassing the action and racing scenes of the current era.
Secondly, there's the added boost from various promotional efforts, plus the Super Bowl.
The direct benefit of this is that this IP instantly becomes a major IP.
Secondly, all the actors in the film became famous.
During this period, Cao Kun has frequently appeared in the headlines of major media outlets.
He refused to be interviewed by many media outlets.
And the more this happens, the more people want to interview him.
On the other side of the Pacific Ocean, even more people were reporting on him.
After all, this is the highest-grossing Hollywood film ever made by a Chinese actor.
The media on the other side of the strait immediately hailed him as the first Chinese American in Hollywood.
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