Whether Disney is in chaos or stable, it has nothing to do with Dunn.
His partnership with Michael Eisner is strictly business—there's no personal friendship there. He's not interested in doing any free favors.
Michael Eisner clearly knows this too. After a brief pause, he asks, "What do you want?"
Dunn chuckles, "How about you sell me ESPN?"
Michael Eisner is so stunned he can't even respond. ESPN is Disney's biggest revenue driver—would they ever sell it?
"Just kidding," Dunn says with a laugh to brush it off. "Here's the deal: you've probably heard the rumors. I've got my eye on acquiring Universal Pictures, along with some related assets from Vivendi's entertainment division."
Michael Eisner nods. "Yeah, those rumors have been floating around for over a year now."
Dunn continues, "You know how Vivendi's doing—total mess inside. Unstable situation, drowning in debt, and the shareholders and management are at each other's throats way worse than Disney. I'm planning to make an offer for Universal this summer."
Michael Eisner frowns. "And how does that involve me?"
"Of course it does! Come on, I need a little help here—we're partners, right?" Dunn grins. "Look, you've seen Comcast's ambitions. They're moving into the content industry. If Vivendi puts its U.S. entertainment assets up for sale, I'm worried Comcast might stick their nose in."
In his past life, when Vivendi was desperate to sell assets to pay off debt, several big U.S. companies scoped out Universal Pictures' finances for a potential buyout: General Electric, Comcast, and Lionsgate.
Lionsgate didn't stand a chance, obviously.
Comcast's bid was too low, so Vivendi turned them down.
In the end, Universal merged with General Electric's NBC division, forming NBCUniversal.
But things are different now. With Dunn in the picture, the content industry's value has skyrocketed, and Comcast has started eyeing it much earlier.
Dunn's terrified that Comcast might up their offer and snatch Universal Pictures, Universal Music, Blizzard Entertainment, and other assets right out from under him.
Michael Eisner looks puzzled. "So what do you want me to do?"
Dunn lowers his voice. "You know Comcast has their sights on acquiring Disney. Your old buddy Steve Burke? He's their president now."
Michael Eisner snorts. "Wishful thinking!"
Dunn says slowly, "Michael, I get your situation. Roy Disney's rallying opposition against you because they think there's no hope, that Disney's got no potential under your leadership. But if Comcast makes a move to buy Disney right now…"
"Huh?" Eisner's expression shifts, a flicker of contemplation crossing his face.
Exactly. If Comcast shows interest in acquiring Disney, it'd prove Disney's got serious growth potential—Comcast sees value in it! That directly contradicts everything Roy Disney and Stanley Gold have been saying.
It'd be a slap in their face.
Plus, Disney and Dunn Films are actively working together right now. On the surface, at least, it looks like there's huge room for performance growth.
"So you're saying I should play along with Comcast, keep them distracted with talks of a Disney merger, so they don't mess with your Universal acquisition?" Michael Eisner catches on quick after a moment's thought.
Dunn doesn't hide it. He laughs, "In my view, Vivendi's got no choice but to sell assets to cover their debt. One less bidder driving up the price means I pay less."
Michael Eisner says coolly, "Even if Comcast stays out, other companies will step in. General Electric's been itching to offload the NBC network for ages."
Dunn waves it off casually. "Don't worry about that. I'll handle General Electric!"
Dunn's got a solid connection with GE's big shot, Jack Welch—the guy's even an advisor for Dunn Films. Besides, NBC's been tanking lately. CBS and ABC are duking it out for the top spot, and NBC's not even in the running. They're lucky if FOX doesn't steal third place from them.
With American Idol and the upcoming Fear Factor, NBC's numbers are only going to get worse—way worse than in Dunn's past life.
It's simple: if NBC and Universal merge like they did before, General Electric will have to pay a steeper price.
That's Dunn's edge.
Michael Eisner hesitates. "Doing this might piss off Comcast."
Dunn bursts out laughing, brushing it off. "Comcast? Who cares? They're just some upstart! They're delusional if they think they can buy Disney. Giving them a little lesson seems only fair, right? Plus, it's in your interest too."
"Maybe," Michael Eisner replies, sounding resigned.
Dunn's pleased. "Great, then it's settled. Oh, and have your animation department send me the materials for those cartoons we talked about. I'll personally keep an eye on the joint movie projects!"
"You should direct them yourself," Michael Eisner tosses out randomly.
Dunn rolls his eyes. "You think that's happening?"
Michael Eisner just gives an awkward chuckle.
Dunn adds, "Alright, we're set then. Oh, and one more thing—Natalie and I recorded that duet, right? The MV's done, but I'm not putting it on Viacom's MTV channel. Have ABC follow up on it instead."
Michael Eisner's eyes light up. "That's awesome! No problem!"
All I Ever Wanted is the hottest song right now—over 25 million albums sold in North America, with overseas releases still rolling out.
The MV's bound to feature Dunn and Natalie, right?
The buzz will be insane!
---
On May 14th, the 25th episode of American Idol aired. By now, it's down to the elimination rounds, and the tension's through the roof. Pretty much every teenager in America has secretly voted with their phone at least once.
During a break in the show, a four-minute MV aired—and it sent the show's viewership skyrocketing to 48 million households!
It was the music video for Dunn Walker and Natalie Portman's duet, All I Ever Wanted!
The familiar melody kicked in, and the MV's visuals… they were jaw-dropping!
"I've read old books, tales of legends and boundless mystery
Like Odin and his spoils of war
Like Thor with his thunder's roar
And Spider-Man's control
And Daredevil's fists unstoppable
Clearly, I can't compare to them…"
The screen showed "Spider-Man" swinging between Manhattan skyscrapers on his webs, "Daredevil" brooding in the dark, "Iron Man" soaring through the sky in his armored suit, "Ghost Rider" roaring in on his flaming motorcycle with a fiery skull, and "Ant-Man" shrinking down to the size of a speck…
Viewers in front of their TVs were floored.
An MV shot like this?
MVs used to be all about the singer dancing and performing—Michael Jackson set the standard, with the artist as the main draw.
But this MV?
It's all superheroes!
Spider-Man's one thing, but what's with these other insanely cool heroes?
Especially "Ghost Rider," with his flaming skull, golden eyes, chains in hand, and that blazing motorcycle—sure, it's just a few seconds, but it's so badass, so thrilling!
This doesn't even feel like an MV—it's straight-up blockbuster movie visuals!
Mind-blowing!
"Just someone I can hold on to
Someone I can kiss and embrace
That's all I want
That's everything I need
That's all I ever wanted
Just that…"
The song flies by in a flash, and viewers are wide-eyed, glued to the stunning visuals. It's incredible!
They're left wanting more.
Sadly, Dunn Walker and Natalie Portman never show up.
But as the singing wraps up, there's still a final outro.
The MV keeps rolling—and finally, the singers appear!
Dunn and Natalie are in a recording studio, wearing big headphones, eyes closed, lost in the music.
Then, the wall behind them explodes.
A massive, muscular green monster bursts in, smacks Dunn and Natalie with two giant swings—sending them flying—and glares with red eyes, muttering, "It's over, and you're still singing? Lip-syncing, huh?"
The dazzling effects earlier had everyone holding their breath in excitement.
This final scene? It gets a laugh out of everyone watching.
"Ha!"
"Who's that green monster?"
"The Hulk!"