Five Hundred and Eighty-Nine - Preparation for "The Lord of the Rings"

Of course, Warner Bros. has never been a welfare institution. In fact, when the project plan for "Lord of the Rings" and the accompanying detailed script were submitted, there were no less than three high-level meetings filled with fierce arguments within Warner Bros.

No one can tell how many fans this epic book "Lord of the Rings" has around the world. Even in Hollywood, there is no shortage of fans of this book, and there are also countless fans. The Laiwu movie borrowed its setting from this masterpiece.

To put it simply, as long as the legendary elves are mentioned, the first thing that comes to people's minds is their handsome face, slender body, and long ears. And this image of an elf that everyone will subconsciously think of comes from this masterpiece.

But after so many years, the reason why this epic has not been put on the big screen by Hollywood is because it is too difficult. In the circle, this book is called the most difficult film and television adaptation in history. .

But in the end, Jeff Robinov's speech played a decisive role in the internal review of this project by Warner Bros.

"Wayne has said that if Warner Bros. were not involved in the project, Greenberg Studios would independently raise the funds to produce this epic independently!"

No one would be stupid enough to ask whether Greenberg Studio has this ability. Just with the name Wayne Greenberg, there will be countless film funds, film investors, and even other giants among the six majors inside and outside the circle. Participate with money.

Countless successes in the film industry in the past are Wayne's greatest source of confidence for Warner Bros. shareholders. Failure, that kind of thing never seems to come to him. And this time, since he can invest real money, it means that he is very optimistic about this project.

Coupled with the fact that "Batman: The Dark Knight" currently ranks first in the box office of film history, there are naturally some people who would rather choose to follow Wayne's investment choices without thinking. There are many such people, and Warner Bros. has never No shortage.

Don't think they are superstitious. Los Angeles, or Hollywood, has always been the most superstitious North American circle, and the most superstitious people in this circle are always the winners.

So, how to ensure that Greenberg Studio will invest real money in the "Lord of the Rings" project? After all, this is the confidence of many shareholders in favor of Warner Bros.' investment. Give money, yes, just give money, pay a little bit in advance to Greenberg Studio for what he will pay sooner or later, as well as a large share of the share that Wayne himself should receive.

Once a decision was made, Warner Bros. acted very quickly. After the "Lord of the Rings" project passed the review, it immediately contacted Wayne's accountant Colin Howard to reconcile the accounts. At an extremely fast speed, Warner Bros.'s financial department The money was transferred into the Greenberg Studio account.

"The final production fund for "Charlie's Angels" is US$30 million. After you sign, it will be transferred to the account of Merrill Lynch Insurance Company. Apart from this, there are no other big expenses in the near future."

"Five Dynasties Rivers, Mountains and Winds"

When a large amount of money entered the Greenberg Studio account, Nina immediately checked the financial statements, but Wayne's signature was required for the various uses and directions of the money. "The preliminary preparation funds for "Lord of the Rings" are US$150 million. According to the investment ratio, we and Warner Bros. will each receive US$75 million."

Glancing at Wayne who was flipping through the documents, the assistant paused for a moment, then continued after waiting for him to sign: "Even if this part of the funds is deducted, there is still US$130 million in the studio's account, and the subsequent investment in "The Lord of the Rings" , at least one year later, so this money..."

Anyone who is a qualified rich man knows clearly that holding large sums of cash in hand is the stupidest way to manage money. Considering the current depreciation rate of the US dollar, the interest rate stored in the bank may not be able to keep up with the depreciation of money. speed.

Therefore, investment will always be a topic that North American wealthy people cannot avoid. In this regard, as Wayne's net worth is getting higher and higher, and he has no large spending habits, investment is also an unavoidable topic.

"Don't touch the money yet, you should know what I think." Putting down the folder, Wayne smiled and pointed at Nina's glasses, shook his head and said: "Pay attention to tax issues, I don't want to be punished by the IRS. A group of vampires are following you!"

"You don't have to worry about this. I will keep an eye on every tax avoidance plan of the accountant team led by Colin." The assistant lady pushed up the glasses on her face, picked up the folder he had just signed, and stuffed it into herself in his briefcase.

"Okay, what time is the press conference?"

"At 6 o'clock, Peter Jackson has already passed. We can leave from the studio in time now." Nina neatly tidied up her desk, packed up Wayne's personal belongings, then raised her head and said, "Warner Bros. A lot of media were invited this time, and they made a gimmick of a production cost of 350 million US dollars. After the media reception, there was a cocktail party."

Strictly speaking, the total production budget of "Lord of the Rings" is indeed US$350 million. Warner Bros. will definitely not give up this publicity stunt. Although the relevant contract has been signed in advance, they still invited the media to hold a press conference to announce the news.

You know, the book "The Lord of the Rings" has a massive fan base, and they are all potential audiences for the movie. The reason why Warner Bros. announced the project preparations through the media is to remind this huge group of people that your favorite literary epic is It's about to be put on the big screen.

Regardless of the total investment budget of this project of 350 million U.S. dollars, this is a trilogy series after all, so looking at it separately, the funds are not abundant at all. The only good news is that most of the investment in this project will definitely be For film production, the proportion of personnel salary will not be too high.

As a director, Peter Jackson actually received a salary of only US$2 million as director and screenwriter. Wayne, the nominal producer, also received a nominal salary of only US$200,000. After all, he was really nominal this time. I also have no energy to focus on film preparations.

It is definitely impossible for the power of the production team to be in the hands of Peter Jackson. Whether it is in terms of qualifications or trust, this matter is completely impossible. For this reason, the preparation period of "Lord of the Rings" lasted for more than a year. For a project, there must be a producer that both parties can trust.

Therefore, John Gray, who has worked with Wayne and is now a senior executive of Warner Bros.'s film and television production department, once again stepped into the role of project production manager. He will partner with Peter Jackson to work on "The Lord of the Rings". Emotional preparation work.

At 6 o'clock in the evening, Wayne quietly walked into the press hall of the Beverly Four Seasons Hotel. His arrival immediately attracted the attention of all the media. The reporters simply ignored Peter Jackson and John Gray sitting in the middle. et al.

"Mr. Greenberg, there is news that you are the copyright owner of "The Lord of the Rings" and have also participated in investment in this project..."

"Wayne, Wayne, have you ever considered directing this project yourself?"

"Can you talk about your thoughts on the film and television version of "The Lord of the Rings"?"

Before the host could announce the start, all kinds of questions were thrown in front of him. Facing the flashing camera flashes and a large group of media reporters, Wayne raised his hands and pressed them down, and did not choose to answer any questions. , instead with a smile he signaled the host to start as planned.

"The total investment in "The Lord of the Rings" will reach US$350 million. It will be jointly invested and produced by Greenberg Studio and Warner Bros., and the film will be directed by Peter Jackson..."

Following the host's narration, the media at the scene were also surprised.

"$350 million! my god!"

"What the f**k! Are Warner Bros. kidding? Such a big investment for a novice director..."

Faced with the low comments from the reporters at the scene, the host did not stop his work. After introducing the film information step by step, he immediately announced that it would be time for media questions.

Throughout the press conference, Wayne was like a mascot, sitting relatively close to the side with a smile on his face. No matter how many questions reporters asked him, the audience hardly answered any questions, completely giving the stage to Peter. -Jackson and John Gray.

To put it bluntly, he is only an investor in this film. Even though he has the title of producer, he will not personally interfere in the specific work of the project. The bearded New Zealander sitting in the middle had already paid enough for this day. He certainly knew that this guy could do well enough.

After the press conference, Wayne exited the press hall early and still kept a low profile. After meeting the assistant lady, he took the elevator to the banquet hall on the fourth floor where the reception was held.

"That guy shows up again."

Nina took advantage of the fact that they were alone in the elevator and whispered: "This is the ninth high-end party in the industry that that guy has attended this year."

Nodding silently, Wayne said nothing else, just silently thinking about the time to take action. With a "ding" sound, he had just left the elevator when two unexpected greetings interrupted his thoughts.

"Hello, Director Greenberg."

"Hi, Wayne."

Not far from the elevator, there were two men holding wine glasses. One of them was Twentieth Century Fox CEO Townsend Rothman, and the other was a gray-haired old man. They had met each other more than once, but had never said hello formally.

"Hi, Townsend."

With a smile on his face, Wayne moved a few steps forward and came to the two of them. First, he nodded to Townsend Roseman. Then he slightly squinted his eyes and looked at the gray-haired old man, and took the initiative to extend his right hand. "Good evening, Mr. Murdoch, long time no see."

At the same time, I was also wondering in my heart that this guy should not appear on such an occasion. Although this was a relatively high-end cocktail party, it was basically held in the name of Warner Bros. for "The Lord of the Rings".