Chapter 321: Settled
Chapter 321: Settled
“Eric, what you just said is almost exactly what I’ve always believed myself. However, I know you’ve only ever made drama films. Although this time’s Ghost uses some special effects, what about afterward? Do you have any concrete plans for this company? I don’t want to join only to end up with nothing to do.”
Eric immediately shook his head.
“Of course not. I can tell you very clearly, Stan, my goal is to surpass Industrial Light & Magic. You know about my novel Jurassic Park, right? That project definitely won’t be delayed too long. There’s also Resident Evil. Recently, I also handed another manuscript to my literary agent, another science fiction novel called The Matrix. All three of these novels will eventually become at least trilogy-level special effects film series. So for the next ten years, the effects company won’t lack projects.”
“Industrial Light & Magic reached its current scale relying on just one Star Wars series. In the future, Firefly’s special effects films will definitely far exceed Lucasfilm’s output. As long as this effects company can handle it, I don’t mind giving all of it to our own effects company.”
Stan Winston had never read Resident Evil, nor could he infer anything from the title The Matrix.
But he did know about Jurassic Park.
Many film companies had shown interest in that novel before, yet Eric had never sold the film rights. The reason was obvious.
Just imagining gigantic prehistoric dinosaurs resurrected on the big screen was already enough to make Stan Winston’s blood boil.
However, he did not lose his composure.
“Then, Eric, what are the conditions for me joining? You should know that although my studio is currently small in scale, I’m still my own boss, and I’m not lacking projects.”
Eric replied, “I’ll give you 10% equity. The effects company will be entirely under your management. The company won’t go public within the next ten years. I’ll continuously provide sufficient funding for the company, and I guarantee that before the company goes public, no matter how much capital I invest, I absolutely will not dilute the shares you personally hold.”
“Eric, I don’t have any objections regarding the 10% equity. However, although I know you have sufficient funds, I still need a concrete investment amount rather than vague promises. You know how things are in Hollywood. Many investment promises are never fulfilled.”
Eric thought for a moment before saying, “An initial investment of 20 million dollars. I want that money used for equipment procurement, computer CG technology research and development, and preliminary special effects preparation for Jurassic Park. Therefore, you can also regard this as pre-production investment for Jurassic Park.”
“Oh, right. Pixar can provide some technical support for the effects company, while the company itself should also establish its own CG technology research team.”
Stan Winston nodded with satisfaction before saying, “It seems you really think very highly of computer CG effects?”
“Yes.”
Eric smiled.
“That’s why I’ve already chosen a name for this effects company. It’ll be called Digital Domain.”
“Digital Domain…”
Stan Winston repeated the name softly.
Meanwhile, James Cameron, who had been silently listening, could not help but say, “Eric, in that case, this company would be perfect for producing Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Most of the liquid metal robot scenes will use CG. So I hope you’ll reconsider. As long as you agree to invest part of the budget into Terminator 2: Judgment Day, even just ten million dollars, I can raise the rest of the funding myself.”
Eric smiled.
“Jim, I know exactly what you’re thinking. Because several of my previous films were successful, many people in Hollywood now trust my judgment. But I can’t risk my own reputation like that. Otherwise, if this movie fails, nobody will blame you. Instead, I—the culprit who misled them into investing—would become the target of everyone’s criticism.”
Having his thoughts exposed, Cameron could not help blushing awkwardly.
At that moment, Stan Winston asked, “Eric, could it be that you truly don’t think highly of Jim’s sequel?”
Hearing that question, Eric hesitated.
Not optimistic?
That was impossible.
Originally, he merely wanted to leave Cameron hanging for a while, but now he found himself stuck in an awkward position.
After thinking briefly, Eric finally said:
“It’s not that I’m pessimistic about it. It’s just that the risk is too high. A 60 million dollar investment, plus marketing costs afterward… without considering overseas revenue, the North American box office would probably need to hit 150 million dollars just to break even.”
“The first The Terminator made less than 80 million dollars worldwide, while Jim’s previous film The Abyss also only made around 80 million globally. So you should understand my concerns.”
Stan Winston nodded in understanding while James Cameron looked somewhat disappointed.
Eric pondered for a moment, as though making a major decision, before saying:
“Alright then. Since that’s the case, I’ll gamble once.”
“Fifty million dollars. Jim, I can provide fifty million dollars. So I hope you’ll bring out the same cautious attitude you had when filming the first The Terminator and try your best to complete this movie within that budget.”
James Cameron only hesitated slightly before shamelessly nodding immediately.
First secure the project.
Fifty million was fifty million.
If the movie couldn’t be finished, he refused to believe Eric would just let the project collapse halfway and allow that fifty million to vanish into thin air.
“Alright, Eric. I’ll definitely do my best.”
The two unscrupulous men, each harboring their own schemes, exchanged smiles like close friends who had known each other for years.
“Oh right, James. Since I’m putting up this money, the rights to The Terminator must belong to me. There’s no room for negotiation on this matter.”
James Cameron froze briefly before nodding.
“That… naturally won’t be a problem. However, Eric, the film rights are still currently held by Hemdale Productions, the company that made the first film. That company has already gone bankrupt, so the rights can be bought back with a sum of money. Also, in my plan, I don’t intend to make any more sequels after this one.”
“How much would it cost approximately?” Eric asked calmly, while inwardly feeling delighted.
Another super franchise was about to fall into his hands.
In his memory, one of the later Terminator installments had spent thirty million dollars merely to reacquire the rights from a previous holder.
Once Eric got them, he definitely would not let go.
“Two million. I already negotiated it with the original producer beforehand,” Cameron said.
Eric took out his checkbook, quickly wrote a two-million-dollar check, and handed it to James Cameron.
“Jim, I want complete rights. The kind without any future legal disputes whatsoever.”
“That’s guaranteed,” James Cameron said as he accepted the check.
The three men discussed many more matters.
By the time they parted ways, it was already three in the afternoon.
Since the male lead of Ghost had already been finalized, the auditions originally scheduled for that day had been canceled. Therefore, Eric did not need to return to Firefly.
After glancing at the woman beside him, Eric said:
“Jennie, I’ll take you home.”
Throughout the entire lunch, Jennifer Connelly had quietly listened to the three men’s conversation.
Her salary for her previous film Swan Song had only been fifty thousand dollars.
As for the film ruined by Eric the previous night, Tony Brandt had only offered her one hundred thousand dollars.
Therefore, hearing people casually discuss tens of millions of dollars throughout lunch gave her a faint sense of unreality.
At that moment, she even felt somewhat dispirited.
No matter how hard she worked, the money she earned was not even one-tenth of the amount this man casually wrote on a check.
Just thinking about it felt depressing.
When he received no response from her, Eric—who had just opened the car door—studied Jennifer Connelly’s face briefly.
From her faintly disappointed expression, he quickly understood what she was thinking.
It seemed that losing that role the previous year, combined with all the emotions accumulated over the past year and everything that happened last night and today, had dealt Jennifer Connelly quite a blow.
Since that was the case, Eric quickly decided to push things a bit further.
The more severely she was shaken, the easier it would become to firmly grasp this woman who still harbored a few lingering fantasies.
When dreams collided with reality, the scene truly was unbearable.
Thinking that, Eric waited for Jennifer Connelly to sit in the passenger seat before driving directly toward Malibu instead of asking for her address.
After driving for more than ten minutes, Jennifer Connelly finally reacted.
“You… you said you were taking me home.”
Although she said that, her tone lacked conviction.
Eric nodded.
“Yes. But it’s only a little after three. You probably have nothing to do if you go home this early anyway. How about coming to my place for a while?”
The woman pinched the edge of her skirt, lowered her head, and said nothing more.
The corner of Eric’s mouth curled upward in satisfaction.
He drove all the way to Point Manor.
After passing through the estate gates, instead of driving straight into the garage like usual, Eric stopped at the entrance, handed the keys to a security guard, and pulled the woman along on foot toward the villa.
With more than twenty million dollars invested into it, Point Manor was even more luxurious than the Coppola residence from the previous night.
While walking, Eric casually introduced the surroundings, and soon the two entered the villa.
“What do you think of this place?”
Eric did not lead her around the villa.
Instead, he brought her directly to the open-air swimming pool on the southwest side.
Today happened to be windy, and the waves crashing against the rocks below produced continuous rushing sounds.
“It’s very nice,” Jennifer Connelly said softly as she sat beside a lounge chair next to Eric and gathered the skirt fluttering in the wind around herself.
Because of the sea breeze, the woman’s thin dress clung tightly against her body, fully outlining her exquisite curves.
Eric leisurely admired her for a while before suddenly pointing toward a small building behind them.
“That’s the changing room. There are spare swimsuits inside. Want to go swimming?”
“But… there’s no water in it,” Jennifer Connelly pointed at the previously dry swimming pool, producing an extremely weak excuse.
“It’ll fill up in five minutes. Go change.”
Having trapped herself with her own words, Jennifer Connelly lightly bit her lower lip before ultimately rising and walking toward the changing room.
Several minutes later, she emerged wrapped in a large bath towel and discovered the pool had indeed already been filled.
“The temperature’s just right.”
Eric tested the water with his hand at the edge of the pool.
“And… you?” the woman asked while looking at Eric, who was still dressed in formal clothes.
“I’ll watch you swim.”
Eric smiled before returning to the lounge chair beside the pool and sitting down.
Somehow, he had also produced a pack of cigarettes and lit one, looking extremely interested, like some unscrupulous middle-aged man eagerly waiting to enjoy a performance.
Jennifer Connelly stood there hesitating for quite some time before finally removing the bath towel awkwardly and quickly diving into the water.
A beautiful mermaid in a pink bikini swiftly swam toward the far side of the pool.
The pool was not especially large, so she quickly reached the end.
Leaning against the southwest corner, she glanced back toward Eric and discovered the man was still enthusiastically watching her.
Feeling embarrassed, the woman shrank deeper into the water before hesitating briefly and swimming back toward him.
For some reason, after only swimming a few meters, Jennifer suddenly felt a slight pain in her right leg before it immediately went numb.
After flailing twice, she quickly began sinking.
During her struggle, she saw the figure beside the pool leap into the water and arrive beside her almost instantly.
Soon, she was lifted into his arms and brought back above the surface.
The water in the pool only reached Eric’s abdomen, so it was not especially deep.
“Don’t move. You probably got a cramp.”
Eric comforted the woman in his arms while walking toward the poolside steps.
Just as he was about to set her down, his footing suddenly slipped.
His entire body fell backward.
Jennifer Connelly fell with him, landing directly on top of Eric’s chest as the two sprawled together awkwardly.
“Damn that unlucky Frank Gehry. Spending tens of millions and still not making the poolside slip-resistant. I’m making him redo it.”
Jennifer Connelly, whose heart had been pounding in fright moments earlier, burst into laughter upon hearing that.
Then her pert backside received a slap.
“Stop lying there already. Get up. Is it that comfortable?”
The woman cried out softly before realizing she was currently sprawled across Eric’s body.
Bracing herself against the ground, she tried moving, but soon collapsed back down helplessly.
“My… my leg still won’t move.”
Eric exhaled heavily.
“Then don’t move.”
“Mhm.”
The woman nodded lightly before raising her head and meeting Eric’s gaze directly.
After hesitating briefly, she shifted slightly upward, parted her lips, and proactively lowered her head to kiss him.
Eric paused momentarily before quickly wrapping his arms around her waist and passionately returning the kiss.
Several minutes later, Jennifer Connelly finally broke free from the entanglement of Eric’s lips and tongue, panting softly as she buried her head against his neck.
“Now you should be satisfied, right?”
Eric, whose hand had been gently caressing the woman’s smooth back, paused briefly before tightening his arms around her firmly.
Feeling the two soft, full mounds pressed against his chest, he said in an unquestionable tone:
“Remember this. From now on, you’re mine.”
The woman’s body trembled faintly before she hesitantly asked:
“Does this… count as us dating?”
“No.”
“You’re too domineering,” the woman murmured weakly.
“This time, I’m not letting you escape again.”
Eric turned her face toward him and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
“From now on, obediently be my woman.”
The woman struggled faintly before asking:
“What if… what if I refuse?”
“Then you’ll be my pet.”
“You… you really are a devil. You won’t leave anyone even the slightest hope.”
The woman muttered absentmindedly, but her lips parted slightly as she once more took the initiative to kiss Eric.
After massaging the cramped calf for her and indulging in some simple intimacy, Eric still had someone send the woman home.
After all, the meat was already cooking in the pot. There was no need to rush.
At the same time, he also wanted Jennifer Connelly to properly digest everything she had experienced over the past two days.
If Jennifer Connelly truly had the courage to immediately pack her things and flee Hollywood in order to avoid becoming someone’s appendage, Eric would accept it.
Of course, he was one hundred percent certain the woman could not bear abandoning the vanity and glamour of the world of fame and fortune.
Over the next several days, Eric once again threw himself into busy work.
Because of his dispute with Robert Shaye, Eric established yet another film company.
Since the first company had been named Firefly, Eric conveniently chose the name “Black Ant” for this one.
Originally, he had wanted to call it “Black Widow,” but Jeffrey firmly opposed it. The name was too unconventional.
If it were merely a tiny independent production company, it would have been fine, but although this company would not grow into a giant like Firefly, it definitely would not remain insignificant either.
After much discussion, Eric finally named it Black Ant Pictures.
Soon afterward, the Basic Instinct project was transferred to this company.
At the same time, because of the film’s content, and to avoid receiving an NC-17 rating in the future, Eric chose to cooperate with Universal Pictures among the Seven Major Studios.
Compared to the other studios, Universal had no major film projects that year, allowing them to devote most of their resources to this movie.
Furthermore, the terms they offered were relatively fair.
The two parties would jointly own the rights and split the investment equally, while Eric himself would still maintain complete control over the project.
Actually, the initiative for this project originally lay with the Seven Major Studios.
Anyone could tell Eric chose cooperation only to avoid certain complications.
However, after the previous controversy, the Seven Major Studios found it difficult to unite as one front again.
None of them trusted the others anymore.
As a result, each company submitted its own offer independently.
Universal managed to provide the best terms largely because Japan’s Panasonic, like Sony before it, had launched an acquisition of MCA, Universal’s parent company.
Naturally, Universal hoped to stimulate stock prices through a hit movie the same way Columbia had done previously.
Over the following days, James Cameron also successfully reacquired the rights to The Terminator and transferred them to Eric.
Naturally, the originally agreed fifty million dollar investment was nowhere near enough.
Although Cameron had fully intended to “trick” Eric into increasing the budget later by forcing him into a situation where he could not allow the project to collapse midway, Cameron still felt slightly guilty inside.
As a result, he made a small modification to the rights contract.
The change itself was simple.
In the original contract James Cameron signed with the production company, there had been a clause stating that the film rights to The Terminator would automatically revert to him after 2018.
However, due to his slight feelings of guilt, Cameron very straightforwardly removed that clause.
After all, he had already decided that Terminator 2: Judgment Day would be his personal conclusion to the series.
Therefore, the rights themselves held little value for him.
At least, that was what he believed.
Cameron was not Eric, so naturally he had no idea how valuable those franchise rights would become in the future.
Eric, of course, was delighted.
However, he did not place the rights under Firefly, but instead transferred them into the newly established Black Ant Pictures.
This was because when discussing the Terminator 2: Judgment Day project with Robert Shaye, Shaye once again conservatively expressed opposition.
His concerns were basically identical to those of the Seven Major Studios.
Therefore, Eric no longer felt any psychological burden in doing so.
Thus, like Basic Instinct, Terminator 2: Judgment Day became the second project under Black Ant after the company’s establishment.
As for whether future distribution would encounter problems, Eric had not considered it yet.
After all, Cameron’s filming speed was not fast.
If the movie could make the summer release schedule next year, that would already be impressive.
While settling matters concerning Basic Instinct and The Terminator, Digital Domain was also quickly established.
After Eric straightforwardly allocated twenty million dollars in startup funds, Stan Winston rapidly began recruiting talent while establishing headquarters in Venice, Los Angeles.
This Venice naturally was not the Venice in Italy, but a district of Los Angeles near Santa Monica.
Eric remembered that more than ten years later, due to the concentration of high-tech companies there, the place would become known as “Silicon Beach,” echoing Silicon Valley in San Francisco.
Amid all the complicated affairs, after Eric personally visited and persuaded her, Julia quickly agreed to star in the Robert Shaye-led Sleeping with the Enemy.
After two consecutive hit films, the woman demanded an eight million dollar salary.
Surprisingly, Robert Shaye actually agreed.
Eric merely shrugged at the woman’s lion-sized asking price.
After all, Julia was definitely worth it.
Soon afterward, the female lead of Ghost was also finalized.
Among a large number of auditioning actresses, Eric ultimately selected Bridget Fonda, the niece personally introduced by Jane Fonda earlier.
The reason for choosing her was not only because her image perfectly matched the role, but also because gathering descendants from two major Hollywood families into one of his films would become an excellent promotional gimmick later on.
From Henry Fonda in the silent film era, to Peter Fonda, then Jane Fonda, and finally fourth-generation Bridget Fonda, the Fonda family had already stood firmly in Hollywood for over half a century.
Although the Coppola family had risen later, their influence and connections were not inferior in the slightest.
Maintaining good relations with both families simultaneously would certainly prove extremely useful in the future.
For example, the Oscars.
Although Eric was still very young, the Oscars were something impossible to avoid.
Nobody in Hollywood could avoid them.
In his previous life, even someone as rebellious as Leonardo DiCaprio had eventually been tormented by the Oscars to the point of near madness.
After reaching cooperation with Stan Winston, Eric also consulted him regarding the special effects for Ghost.
Although Stan Winston had primarily specialized in practical model effects before, he quickly provided solutions for the wall-passing scenes and the grim reaper-style digital effects required for Ghost.
Even though Eric demanded more refined effects than the previous life’s version, there was no major difficulty.
It was merely a matter of money.
Finally, release schedules were also arranged for four films:
Basic Instinct, Sleeping with the Enemy, Ghost, and The Silence of the Lambs, which was being produced by the TG Film Company established by Elizabeth and the others.
According to the plan, The Silence of the Lambs had already been filming for some time, so it was scheduled for early June, distributed directly by Firefly.
Next came Sleeping with the Enemy.
Although preparation began relatively late, it was a simple drama film with no major action scenes and no special effects, so two months of production would suffice.
Its release was scheduled for late June.
Mid-June was the hottest period of the summer season.
Robert Shaye clearly had selfish motives in choosing that schedule, though Eric did not object.
After that came Ghost in early July.
The production pace for this movie was almost identical to last year’s Running Out of Time, and even its release timing imitated that film’s strategy.
Disney and Firefly would jointly distribute it.
Meanwhile, Basic Instinct was scheduled for mid-July.
This was not only because the production cycle was relatively longer, but also because due to the film’s subject matter, they intended to rely on a long theatrical run near the end of the summer season.
By mid-April, all preparations for Ghost had been completed.
Eric also planned to first film several scenes requiring special effects and hand them over to Digital Domain for processing.
According to schedule, he would soon depart for New York for filming.
However, the reason he still had not left by April 13 was because of Basic Instinct.
The film’s lead actors and director all required his personal approval.
From the very beginning, Eric had already anticipated that American actresses tended to be relatively conservative.
For already famous actresses, appearing in such a highly explicit film would definitely not be an easy decision.
Moreover, Catherine, the female lead of Basic Instinct, was not merely a decorative role. The acting requirements were also quite demanding.
In Eric’s memory, although Basic Instinct was considered a major production, many already-famous actresses rejected it.
Ultimately, the producers ended up casting the relatively unknown Sharon Stone.
Therefore, Eric shifted his attention toward European actresses.
Compared to Hollywood, European actresses were far bolder.
This was simply a matter of differing cultural attitudes.
After all, in most European films, even when it seemed completely unnecessary, actors still had to strip or expose themselves somehow, as though directors believed a film without nudity did not count as real cinema.
Within that environment, actresses naturally had no choice but to adapt.
As a result, the level of explicitness in Basic Instinct was nothing unusual for many European actresses.