novellhall Chapter 332 Warner's Face
Chapter 332 Warner's Face
Chapter 331 Warner's Face (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
"The talks with Todd Phillips are going even better than I expected!"
Rob's voice came through the receiver, brimming with barely suppressed excitement: "I landed in New York last night, and this morning I spent three whole hours talking to him at his studio, breaking down the script into its most detailed parts, even discussing the core of each character's role in every scene!"
Chen Xun leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window of the apartment, his fingertips tracing the cold glass as he listened to Robert's report, a knowing glint in his eyes.
He knew all too well how obsessed Todd Phillips was with this project.
This is a masterpiece that the director poured his heart and soul into, risking his entire career.
Despite the general lack of confidence in him within Hollywood, what he needed was never a popular celebrity, but a true actor who could bring the Joker to life.
"He's seen almost all the roles you've played!"
Rob's tone was full of pride: "You can portray Star-Lord's roguishness and brokenness to this extent. There is no other actor in Hollywood who can bring the Joker's extreme contrast to life."
"He told me on the spot that I had to be the male lead."
"As long as you're willing to take the role, he's willing to work with you to refine the script, and even give you complete creative rights to the character."
Chen Xun nodded slightly; everything was as he had expected.
With the system's accurate predictions, the absolute boost from the Joker character card, and his current acting skills and industry standing, gaining the director's approval was a natural outcome.
"but----"
Rob's tone suddenly changed, becoming serious: "There's been a bit of a problem with Warner."
Chen Xun raised an eyebrow, not surprised: "Is there opposition from Warner's upper management?"
"There's quite a bit of opposition!"
Rob's tone turned serious: "After talking with Todd, I went to meet with the Vice President of Production at Warner Bros. headquarters in the afternoon, who is in charge of low-budget films."
"The conversation was going well. The other party was very interested in our plan to bring in investment and secure the male lead. But when the news reached a high-level meeting at Warner's headquarters, it caused an uproar."
He paused, then recounted the internal situation at Warner in detail: "Warner is now divided into two factions, arguing fiercely."
"The opposition is a group of old-school executives led by Kevin, the group's content director. These are the key figures who orchestrated the casting change for Interstellar."
One sentence instantly pulled Chen Xun back to the turmoil of a few years ago.
When casting for Interstellar, Nolan personally selected him to play the male lead, Cooper.
Just before filming was about to begin, large-scale protests erupted in North America by extreme racists, who besieged Warner Bros. headquarters and called for a boycott of the film's release.
Faced with public pressure, Warner Bros. executives did not hesitate for a moment and unilaterally issued a statement announcing that "the filming of Chen Xun's scenes will be temporarily suspended." They then replaced the male lead with Matthew McConaughey, completely kicking him out of the picture.
What's even more outrageous is that these people also issued an internal, implicit ban.
Any DC project or Warner-controlled A-level production that wants to contact Chen Xun must report to headquarters.
Essentially, this completely shut down all possibilities of cooperation between him and Warner.
But to their utter surprise, this compromise not only failed to bring peace, but instead triggered an even fiercer backlash from public opinion.
Chinese audiences worldwide are boycotting Warner Bros. films.
Domestic cinemas have directly reduced the screening rate of all Warner Bros. films.
Less than a week after the incident broke out, the stock price of Warner Bros.' parent company, Time Warner, plummeted, wiping out billions of dollars in market value.
Subsequent developments proved these high-ranking officials utterly humiliated.
Michael Jackson, the Warner Bros. CEO who spearheaded the replacement and ban, was soon imprisoned for financial fraud and insider trading, triggering a major earthquake within Warner Bros. The group's stock price plummeted by 18% in a single day, marking the biggest drop in ten years.
Their gamble on "Collapse" was marred by box office fraud and critical failure, leading to a boycott by North American theaters and losses exceeding $2 million.
This made matters worse for Warner, which was already suffering heavy losses.
In just a few years, a large portion of Warner Bros.' executives, who were once full of vigor and could arbitrarily control the fate of actors, have been replaced.
Only Kevin and his old-fashioned group remained, clinging to their ingrained prejudices and the last vestiges of their former pride, refusing to back down.
"Kevin and his gang are now adamant about not using you."
Rob's tone was disdainful: "It's the same old argument over and over again, saying that casting a Chinese male lead as the Joker, an American national villain, will once again spark racist protests, repeat the mistakes of Interstellar, and bring uncontrollable risks to the project."
"They even said that there's no market for R-rated villain solo movies, and if they use a Chinese actor, the North American box office will be wiped out."
"To put it bluntly, what happened back then made them lose face, and now they're too ashamed to cooperate with you for fear of being laughed at in the industry. The person they kicked out back then, they now have to beg back on their knees."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xun simply smiled faintly.
Back then, he didn't have much say and could only be manipulated by others.
But things are different now. He has landed leading roles in Marvel's A-list productions and Disney's top animated films, boasts a massive global fanbase, and his commercial value and industry standing are far beyond what they used to be.
The current situation is not that he begged Warner Bros. for a role, but that Warner Bros.' projects on the verge of being canceled need him to save the day.
"And what about the other side?"
Chen Xun asked casually.
"The other faction is the pragmatists, led by the president of Warner's production division and the chief financial officer. They are all senior executives who have been promoted in recent years, and they wholeheartedly support your entry into the game."
Rob's tone instantly lightened: "These people only care about interests, they don't care about those empty prejudices."
"I immediately did the math for them: you're willing to bring in $500 million, plus your salary deduction, which will directly fill the project's budget gap. Warner Bros. won't have to spend a single extra penny to revive the project."
"Moreover, your current global popularity can bring this R-rated movie, which nobody has high hopes for, its own publicity and box office base."
"As everyone knows, even before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has been released, the number of pre-orders worldwide has already broken the record for Marvel solo films, and your combined followers on Instagram and Weibo have exceeded 100 million. Your fans alone can bring in a guaranteed box office revenue for the film."
Rob became increasingly excited as he spoke: "They were convinced on the spot!"
"The CFO believes that using you for this project is a sure-fire way to make money, with almost zero risk."
"Moreover, these people know very well that none of the people who opposed you back then, from Michael to the production team of 'San Andreas,' had a good ending, and they don't want to repeat the same mistakes."
"And the most crucial point is that Todd Phillips directly made some harsh remarks to Warner."
Rob added with a laugh, "He told Warner executives that you had to be the male lead in this project, otherwise he wouldn't make it. The final version of the script was locked up, and Warner wanted to find other directors and actors to take over, but they couldn't even get the complete script."
That's the most fatal thing.
Warner Bros. only had the IP concept of a Joker solo film; the truly valuable, complete script that could bring the project to fruition was in the hands of Todd Phillips.
Without him, this project would be nothing but a piece of waste paper.
Even if Warner Bros. changes directors and rewrites the script, it won't be able to keep up with the subsequent IP planning, let alone whether it can be filmed well.
"Warner has been arguing internally for two days now, with neither side willing to back down. Tomorrow, a special high-level meeting will be held to vote on the final plan for this project, as well as whether or not to cast you as the male lead."
Rob's tone was full of confidence: "Brother, don't worry, the odds are definitely on our side."
"Warner's cash flow is already tight. Among the six major studios, only Warner's market share has been declining in the past two years. They desperately need a project that can make money and build a good reputation."
"And we are their only option."
Chen Xun leaned against the window, looking at the dazzling night view of Los Angeles. The evening breeze from the Pacific Ocean, carrying moisture, blew in and ruffled the hem of his clothes.
"Tell Todd that the script doesn't need to be changed; just stick to his original ideas."
"Also, send a message to Warner Music—"
Chen Xun smiled faintly, his tone full of confidence: "The $500 million investment remains unchanged, and the male lead must be me, the only one, there are no alternatives."
"A co-producer title, veto power over the project, and 15% of the global net profits—none of these conditions can be omitted."
"Give them three days to consider. If they don't give me a definite answer within three days, I'm not taking this project!"
Robert on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and couldn't help but whistle.
This isn't asking for cooperation; it's clearly Party A giving Party B an ultimatum.
But he knew all too well that Chen Xun had the confidence to say those words.
In Hollywood today, Chen Xun is the only actor willing to invest in this R-rated Joker project that nobody believes in, who also has a global box office base, and whose acting skills are good enough to carry this legendary role.
Once you miss this opportunity, it's gone forever.
"Don't worry! I'll deliver the message first thing tomorrow morning!"
Rob's tone was full of excitement: "I want to see how long Kevin and his old fogies can keep up their stubbornness."
The atmosphere at Warner headquarters was clearly not so relaxed at that moment.
At either end of the long conference table, two groups of people were arguing heatedly.
The ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.
This special meeting on the Joker project and the casting of the male lead has been going on for three hours, but not a single point of consensus has been reached.
Kevin, the group's content director, sitting to the left of the head of the table, slammed the documents in his hand on the table. His face was ashen, and his voice was filled with barely suppressed anger: "A three-day ultimatum?"
"Who does Chen Xun think he is?"
"A Chinese actor dares to issue an ultimatum to Warner Bros.?"
"If we could kick him out of 'Interstellar' back then, we can make sure he can't even get his foot in the door of Hollywood now!"
"He still dares to make demands?"
"Co-producer, veto power, 15% global revenue share—he's insane!"
Several old-school executives around him echoed his sentiments, their tone full of arrogance: "Kevin is right! Casting a Chinese actor as the Joker, a national villain in the United States, is an act of utter defiance!"
It's only been a few years since the protests against "Interstellar" happened. Are we really going to have to go through that again?
"An R-rated villain solo movie is a sure-fire way to lose money, and now we're letting him ride roughshod over us and make demands?"
'
"When did Warner Bros. stoop so low as to have to cater to the whims of a Chinese actor?"
"I strongly object! Even if this project is completely canceled, we cannot let Chen Xun star in it!"
"This is a matter of Warner's reputation!"