Originally, Matthew wanted to invite Justin Lin for dinner, but Justin had to work overtime today. So, Matthew left the post-production studio alone and headed toward the entrance of the Disney Studios. As he passed by the soundstage where John Carter was being filmed, he unexpectedly ran into Andrew Stanton.
The two were somewhat familiar with each other, so they exchanged greetings and walked together toward the studio gate.
"I'm really sorry about John Carter," Andrew Stanton said sincerely. "I hope you understand, Matthew."
"No problem," Matthew replied with a smile and a shake of his head.
He truly didn't mind that they hadn't reached a deal.
Andrew Stanton, who had recently ventured into live-action films, knew well enough—even with Disney backing him—that it was unwise to alienate one of the hottest stars in the commercial film industry.
"Disney's support wasn't sufficient, especially in terms of funding," Andrew Stanton further explained. "I've had my eye on the John Carter project for many years, and now that there's a chance to adapt it into a film, it's a rare opportunity."
He sighed and added, "It's really tough for an animation director to break into big-budget live-action commercial films."
"I understand," Matthew said once more.
What was there not to understand? He had never seriously considered collaborating with Andrew Stanton.
Why jump into a pit when you know it's there? He wasn't lacking opportunities or projects, so why take unnecessary risks?
Seeing that Matthew didn't seem to be lying, Andrew Stanton visibly relaxed and added, "I hope we can work together in the future."
Matthew responded casually.
Live-action films weren't really his interest, but he might consider an animated movie, like a sequel to Finding Nemo.
Of course, this was just a passing thought. Animated feature films were Disney's core business, and Pixar Studios was the key to their success. Disney would never accept outside funding for such projects.
When an animated film succeeds, the revenue from related merchandise is astounding. But animation is too reliant on technology.
After some thought, Matthew realized there might not be an opportunity for him to get involved. His experience with animated films was limited to those made by Disney and Pixar.
At the entrance of the Disney Studios, Matthew and Andrew Stanton parted ways politely. Matthew then got into his car, as usual, with a security vehicle following behind.
Through the car window, he watched as Andrew Stanton also got into his car. Matthew remained calm—he truly didn't mind this key figure from Pixar Studios.
He had no personal grudge against Andrew Stanton. In fact, it was Matthew who had engineered the situation where Stanton chose to collaborate with Brad Pitt instead of him.
If things went as Matthew envisioned, it was likely that Andrew Stanton would have no further opportunities in live-action films.
As the car left South Buena Vista Street and headed toward Beverly Hills, Matthew pulled out James Wan's script and project plan. He set aside the script and began reading the plan carefully.
Even though he was only a semi-experienced producer, Matthew knew that a director's plan was just as important as the script.
A script is just a story, and there are many writers who can create a decent one. But directors who can turn a script into a successful commercial film are rare.
As Matthew reviewed the plan, a thought struck him. If James Wan succeeded and could create a cinematic universe, Matthew would have two major franchises: a racing universe and a horror universe.
That would be fantastic.
Universes like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Universe were beyond his reach. Warner Bros. had a tight grip on DC, and Marvel was soon to become a Disney subsidiary.
To build a cinematic universe, he would have to start from scratch.
Given the current situation, he was already on the path to potentially owning two successful cinematic universes.
The mere thought of it was exhilarating. Who wouldn't want to be rich?
With the idea of cinematic universes in mind, Matthew pulled out his phone and, despite it being after work hours, called Helen Herman to inquire about Disney's acquisition of Marvel Comics.
The acquisition was in its final stages. Disney had reached a preliminary agreement with Marvel's management, including Avi Arad, at the end of last year. However, such a large acquisition involved many complexities. It wasn't just about one side offering money and the other agreeing.
The deal involved personnel, finances, shares, and management rights—all extremely complicated. The acquisition wouldn't be completed until at least later this year.
Additionally, Disney's negotiations to acquire Lucasfilm were progressing smoothly. George Lucas was serious about retiring this time and planned to sell Lucasfilm to pursue experimental filmmaking.
Lucasfilm's most valuable assets were threefold: the top-notch visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic and two major film franchises—Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
It was clear that once Disney completed the acquisition of Lucasfilm, sequels to Star Wars and Indiana Jones would be inevitable.
Matthew couldn't help but think of Robert Iger. This smiling "Mickey Mouse" was probably the one who truly had a golden finger, right?
He remembered Iger joking in a previous interview: If he were to write a book about his career, he would title it Bought and Sold.
The "sold" part referred to the tough times in his early career, such as when Capital Cities bought ABC, and later when Disney bought Capital Cities.
"If he writes another book about his career in a few years," Matthew mused, "the title might be Buying Others."
Matthew could see that Disney's acquisition of Marvel would fill the biggest gap in its entertainment empire: the teenage boy market.
Everyone knew that Disney had been incredibly successful in the girls' market. Its "Princess" brand had massive appeal to young girls worldwide. Disney was also a leader in the family market. However, it had become increasingly marginalized in the boys' market, one of its biggest challenges.
Acquiring Marvel could address this issue perfectly—half of the comic book heroes American boys loved came from Marvel.
Given his limited resources, Matthew couldn't compete with these giants. However, he could use his modest advantages to follow Disney's lead, gaining significant benefits in the process.
The contract Matthew signed with Disney at the end of last year was now in effect, making him one of Disney's many minor shareholders. Although his Disney shares were small, he had the right of first refusal if Disney expanded its stock.
Walt Disney was still far from becoming the behemoth it would eventually be, but holding onto some Disney stock would undoubtedly be profitable in the future.
Then there was the new opportunity to invest in Marvel superhero movies.
With Disney's enormous platform pushing Marvel superhero movies, they would no longer be minor productions but would yield much greater returns.
Suddenly, Matthew felt that achieving a net worth of over a billion, maybe even two billion dollars, might not be so difficult.
With this realization, he felt even better and had the driver head to the Four Seasons Hotel to spend some quality time with Karolina Kurkova.
While Matthew was entering Karolina Kurkova's room at the Four Seasons, James Wan was arriving at a location where he had arranged to meet with Leigh Whannell.
"James, this is Steve Stabler," Leigh Whannell introduced a middle-aged man to him. "He's the founder and COO of Dimension Films."
Hearing this introduction, James Wan was a bit surprised, but he shook hands with the man.
Steve Stabler noticed James Wan's reaction, a brief look of surprise flashed across his face, but he quickly concealed it and said politely, "I didn't expect the director of Saw to be so young."
There was a hint of arrogance in his voice, but Dimension Films was a well-known medium-sized Hollywood studio specializing in horror and thriller films. Its parent company, The Weinstein Company, was also a major player. As one of the founders of such a company, Steve Stabler had every reason to be proud.
Leigh Whannell might not have noticed the brief change in Steve Stabler's expression, but James Wan did. Having seen this kind of reaction many times in Hollywood, he was sensitive to it.
"I'm not that young anymore," James Wan replied politely. "I'm in my thirties and still haven't accomplished much."
Steve Stabler, however, dismissed this casually, "That doesn't matter. As long as you collaborate with Dimension Films, you'll soon become a well-known director in Hollywood."
Horror films were a niche genre. Even with the success of Saw, James Wan was still considered a minor director.
This wasn't just Steve Stabler's assessment but the general perception within the industry.
At this point, Leigh Whannell chimed in, "The executives at Dimension Films and The Weinstein Company have reviewed our script. They see potential and are interested in working with us."
James Wan looked from Leigh Whannell to Steve Stabler.
"Your paranormal horror project looks promising," Steve Stabler said earnestly, his earlier unusual expression gone. "Dimension Films is currently in the process of reviewing it. Once it's approved, I'll notify you to come to Dimension Films to discuss the production details."
It seemed the decision had already been made.
From Steve Stabler's perspective, this wasn't a problem. He had done some background research on James Wan before coming over and knew that he was just a struggling director looking for an opportunity.
If not a major company like Dimension Films, even a small company extending an olive branch would be enough to make these non-mainstream directors jump at the chance.
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