Chapter 275: Pressuring
Chapter 275: Pressuring
“Cooperation?”
Hearing the question, Eric thought for a moment before ultimately shaking his head.
Although another soul lived inside him, he did not feel any obligation to help Hong Kong cinema break into Hollywood.
Moreover, there were not many successful examples of cooperation between Hollywood and Hong Kong cinema. In his memories, only the Rush Hour series could truly be considered successful, but that movie was obviously unsuitable to bring out now.
In his previous life, Jackie Chan had only launched the Rush Hour series after several prior films had built up his reputation in Hollywood, and because it had luckily matched Western tastes perfectly, it became a huge success.
Although Jackie Chan was currently at the height of his fame in Asia, he still had little recognition in Hollywood. Casting him in Rush Hour right now would not differ much from hiring any random Chinese-American Hollywood action actor. Yet his salary, converted into US dollars, was already nearly on par with Hollywood A-list stars.
“Mr. Chow, I don’t think this is a good time for cooperation. I also know a little about your company’s history. Your studio’s flagship star, Mr. Jackie Chan, already attempted to break into Hollywood in the early eighties, but several attempts failed. I imagine he probably wouldn’t lightly abandon his status and career in Hong Kong to rashly come develop in Hollywood again, right?”
Mr. Chow pondered Eric’s words. Disappointment and helplessness appeared in his eyes.
What Eric said was indeed correct.
Hong Kong cinema was currently in the midst of an explosive boom. Having learned from his previous failures, Jackie Chan would never lightly agree to come to Hollywood again.
And aside from Jackie Chan, he had no other actors to offer.
After all, the only thing capable of attracting Hollywood’s interest was Chinese kung fu. Even this large-scale investment in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had essentially used martial arts as a gimmick. The four ninja turtles in the film were all portrayed by Hong Kong stunt performers.
“What a pity,” Mr. Chow said, shaking his head.
Although he had also entertained the idea of participating in investments for Eric’s films, the young man before him was the director behind Hollywood’s highest-grossing films of the year. Countless people in Hollywood wanted to invest in his projects. An outsider like Golden Harvest had no chance of squeezing in for a share.
After finishing the food before him, Eric bid Mr. Chow farewell and stood up to leave.
After only a few steps, a tall woman in a black evening dress approached Eric holding a glass of red wine. Judging by her appearance, it was the same old routine again.
No creativity at all.
Eric smiled helplessly, slightly shifted his body, quickly reached out to grab the woman’s wrist, then used his other hand to take the red wine from her.
He raised the glass toward her flushed face.
“Miss, thank you for the wine.”
Seeing her intentions exposed, the woman became somewhat embarrassed, but immediately seized the opportunity.
“Y-you’re welcome, Mr. Williams. My name is—”
Before she could introduce herself, Eric raised a finger and pressed it lightly against her red lips, staring directly into her slightly widened eyes.
“Miss, I once heard a very philosophical saying: ‘Why should people who meet necessarily know each other before?’ So don’t tell me your name, alright?”
After Eric withdrew his finger, the woman nodded.
“Th-then… alright. Mr. Williams, may I have the honor of dancing with you?”
Eric shook his head.
“Sorry, miss.”
The woman did not dare persist. She turned and walked away disappointed.
Eric was also about to leave when a teasing voice sounded beside him.
“‘Why should people who meet necessarily know each other before?’ Eric, then why was it that when we first met, you kept me in your office?”
Eric turned around and smiled at Nicole beside him.
“Because we were ‘destined lovers brought together across a thousand miles.’”
At that moment, the woman wore an aloof and glamorous expression that kept strangers at bay, completely unlike the disheveled state she had been in earlier inside the study.
Seeing Eric glance toward her face, Nicole glared at him and said resentfully in a low voice, “Next time, don’t even think about… about making me do that again.”
Eric shrugged indifferently.
“As you wish, Nicole. You should know I’m someone who cherishes women dearly. I never force women to do anything.”
Nicole bit her lip angrily.
Remembering how Eric had firmly held her face in place in the study earlier, refusing to let her dodge away, she nearly could not resist splashing the wine in her hand onto his face.
“You’re absolutely shameless.”
“I love hearing women praise me like that,” Eric grinned. “Miss Kidman, may I have this dance?”
Nicole hesitated briefly before ultimately placing her hand in Eric’s.
As the man led her toward the dance floor, Nicole could not help asking, “Why reject that ‘nameless’ lady? That doesn’t seem like your style.”
“Because I don’t like her eyebrows. Do you accept that reason?” Eric said as he wrapped an arm around the woman’s waist on the dance floor.
Nicole leaned her body closer along with his pull and retorted, “Nonsense. I think you’re just worried because Jennie’s here.”
“And what about you? Standing this close, aren’t you afraid Jennie might see us and start getting suspicious?”
“Of course not, because Jennie went outside.”
Even as she said that, Nicole still instinctively glanced around.
Seeing her reaction, Eric smirked mischievously again.
“Nicole, don’t you think our conversation sounds exactly like that of an adulterous couple?”
“You’re so vulgar.”
“Sigh, you’re complimenting me again. That’s not good. Men can’t handle too much praise. How about we go back to my study again?”
Nicole leaned close to Eric’s ear and threatened softly, “As long as you’re not afraid of being seen, I have no objections. But if this gets exposed, I’ll openly fight Jennie for you.”
“Wow, then forget it,” Eric said, pretending to shiver as though imagining something terrifying, and did not bring it up again.
The lively party continued until midnight.
Using the top-floor master bedroom—with its three-hundred-sixty-degree unobstructed panoramic view of Malibu—as temptation, Eric successfully lured the young woman into staying overnight after only a token bit of resistance.
The next morning, Eric went with Robert Shaye and Mr. Chow from Hong Kong to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
To be honest, after experiencing countless special-effects blockbusters in his previous life, Eric felt the urge several times to stand up and walk out while watching the “cheap five-cent special effects” in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
But because he already knew the film’s eventual box office results, finding the movie’s strengths in hindsight became extremely easy.
So after the screening ended, Eric suppressed the discomfort in his heart and lavishly praised the film, reassuring Robert to confidently go all out on distribution.
After all, nobody held grudges against US dollars.
With Eric’s approval, Robert Shaye confidently scheduled the film’s release during the Easter season.
Although that slot was not as good as the summer blockbuster season, it was still quite decent.
Besides, the summer schedule naturally had to be reserved for New Line’s own films. Even though New Line had invested in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it still was not considered one of their “own children.”
After discussing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Eric had only just stepped out of the screening room when he saw Allen waiting outside.
Seeing Eric emerge, Allen walked over and said, “Eric, Disney president Frank Wells and Fox Television president William Bell are waiting for you.”
“Did they come together? Did they mention what they wanted?” Eric asked curiously.
Allen shook his head.
“They didn’t come together, and they didn’t say why they wanted to see you.”
Eric glanced at his watch.
“Then let’s head over.”
Arriving at his office, Eric saw the two middle-aged men seated in the lounge chatting casually. He stepped forward to greet them and, after some pleasantries, intended to invite them into his office together.
However, Frank Wells and William Bell exchanged a glance, clearly showing no intention of going in together.
Eric realized their purposes for seeking him out were different.
After glancing around, he suggested, “How about this, Mr. Bell? Why don’t you rest here for a while first?”
“No problem, Eric. I didn’t have much going on this morning anyway,” William Bell said with a smile before sitting back down on the sofa.
After leading Frank Wells into the office, Eric finally asked the man’s purpose.
“It’s like this, Eric. Didn’t you previously promise Disney the distribution rights to one of your films? Mr. Eisner sent me to discuss the matter and sign a contract while we’re at it, so Disney can incorporate the distribution plan into next year’s work schedule.”
Eric thought for a moment before replying, “Sorry, Mr. Wells. I still haven’t decided what film I’ll shoot next year. So how about after the New Year? Don’t worry, I guarantee Disney will receive the distribution rights to one film.”
Remembering Michael Eisner’s instructions before he came, Frank Wells said, “Eric, actually, this can still work. Could we first sign a memorandum of intent? You wouldn’t need to provide a specific film plan. You’d only need to guarantee that you’ll deliver one movie to Disney next year. Just like… just like the contract you signed with Fox last year for those three films. As I recall, aside from Home Alone 2, you didn’t discuss the contents of the other two films with Fox in advance either, right?”
Eric spread his hands.
“Frank, you should understand that Firefly isn’t the little workshop it was a year ago, so I can’t make such casual promises anymore. Many things need proper planning now. Since you brought up my contract with Fox last year, then you surely know about some of the conflicts that arose during that process. So let me spend this period organizing next year’s plans in detail first. I guarantee I’ll sign with Disney afterward.”
Frank Wells tried persuading him several more times, but seeing Eric refuse to budge, he ultimately left disappointed.
At this point, very few people knew about the matter the six CEOs had discussed in Malibu. To ensure secrecy, aside from the six CEOs themselves, only a small number of people directly responsible for carrying out the plan knew anything.
And Michael Eisner had not informed Frank Wells about the matter either.
Thus, Frank Wells also felt that the reasons Eric provided were sufficient for him to take back and report to Michael Eisner.