Throughout the morning, Eric received several calls, all congratulating him on the box office success of "red dragon."
Gadot and Bar Refaeli also called, showing that they weren't completely clueless or unconcerned underage girls.
What surprised Eric was that Elena, the female manager from JPMorgan Chase, also called.
However, besides their debt relationship, they didn't seem to have much in common. After a few sentences and a promise to have dinner sometime, they hung up.
Just before noon, Judy walked in, carrying a thick stack of folders.
"Boss, this is what you wanted. We've screened the script library, and after discussion, these should align with current market positioning needs."
Indeed, what Judy was holding were scripts, specifically horror and thriller film scripts.
Since returning to Los Angeles from Israel, besides helping the two women with some work and life arrangements, Eric's new assignment for Judy was as the assistant manager of the script library.
When he first took over MGM, Eric had arranged for the collection of horror film scripts on the market, but soon after, the manager in charge resigned due to family reasons.
Other matters became too busy, and this task was continuously delayed, leaving the position vacant.
He had initially wanted Billy to take over, but he was currently fully focused on tracking George Martin and Thomas Harris, and was also in contact with Neil Gaiman. His "American Gods" had garnered widespread attention since its release last year, ranking high on novel best-seller lists, and the rights had not yet been sold.
However, Eric wasn't optimistic about "American Gods," or rather, he wasn't optimistic about Neil Gaiman.
It's not that Neil Gaiman's novel wasn't good; in fact, the work was highly readable, otherwise, it wouldn't have made it to the best-seller list. The problem was that the stories he described were only suitable for print media; filmed as a TV series, it would turn into a mess.
He remembered that HBO had acquired the rights to "American Gods" but held onto it for four years, hiring numerous screenwriters and directors. The final conclusion was that the book was truly unsuitable for the screen, and they resold the rights to Starz.
Starz happily paid a hefty price to take over, and then the average production cost per episode soared to over $8 million, but the ratings were far from satisfactory. It was a complete loss, a pure sucker's deal.
So, while Eric wasn't optimistic about "American Gods," if the price was right, he'd still buy it, because someone would eventually take it off his hands.
Besides this, Billy had unearthed several other excellent works, barely returning to Los Angeles a few times a month. Moreover, compared to sitting in an office, he seemed to prefer flying around outside.
Seeing how much he enjoyed flying, Eric gave him another task: to go to the UK to find Michael Dobbs and acquire the rights to "house of cards."
Warren was holding down the fort at AK Films, monitoring the "sharknado" crew daily, terrified of budget overruns. When they met last week, he happily reported that he had already lost 7 pounds.
Bordeaux was following up on the contract with Hasbro, with three rounds of negotiations about to begin. He had already been in New York for over half a month.
Counting everyone, only Judy hadn't been assigned specific work, so this task naturally fell to her.
"Besides what's in the script library, two people came to pitch scripts earlier. They haven't found an agency, probably too poor to afford one, but they're about our age, so I met with them. I think their script is quite interesting, are you interested?"
Eric didn't answer directly, because there were too many young people like that in Hollywood. Every day, countless newcomers wanted to persuade major companies to buy their works, but few succeeded.
Eric flipped through the script and casually asked, "What genre? How much are they asking? You know the Screen Actors Guild system; you can decide on your own for anything under $50,000, and discuss with other departments for anything under $100,000. For such minor matters, you don't need to consult me in the future; just use the special script fund account."
The two prices Eric mentioned were considered market prices in Hollywood in 2002, or at least close to the lowest prices.
For a new screenwriter, unless they are exceptionally brilliant, a talent so bright that no mountain can block their shine, the price of their script would not exceed $100,000. Usually, it would be bought outright for under $50,000, with no profit-sharing.
You talk about the Screen Actors Guild protecting rights? What rights can a newcomer protect? If you don't accept, go find the next buyer. We're a buyer's market, not a seller's market.
Compared to the Screen Actors Guild, the Screen Actors Guild has much less say. Otherwise, why do Hollywood screenwriters go on strike every few years? Are they just idle? People are pushed to their limits!
But of course, even at its weakest, it's still much stronger than in China, where screenwriters are truly not treated as human beings.
Judy hesitated: "It's a horror film, but their demands are a bit unusual. The script can be free, but the screenwriter wants to be the male lead, and he also recommends his good friend as the director, who can also forgo a fee and only take a share of the box office."
"I think the script is quite creative, and I wanted to buy it outright for a high price, but this young screenwriter is very stubborn, insisting on tying himself to his director friend. I really wonder if they're gay."
Eric's hand, which was turning the page, stopped. He looked up, feeling that Judy's description of the demands sounded familiar.
A horror film, a director-screenwriter duo, the screenwriter wants to be the male lead, and he's tied to the director, insisting it must be him.
"What are these two young men's names?"
Judy thought for a moment: "The screenwriter is named Leigh Whannell, and the director kid seems to be named Wan, I don't remember clearly. An Asian kid, with a pretty unique hairstyle."
As she spoke, Judy seemed to remember something funny, grinning and chuckling a few times.
Eric stood up: "Let me confirm, Leigh Whannell and James Wan, correct?"
Judy quickly nodded: "Yes, yes, yes, that's the name. But how did you know?"
Eric checked the time: "Are they still at the company?"
"They've already left, probably off to pitch to the next company. Newcomers, you know, without money for an agency, they just have to wear out their own legs."
"Alright, stop complaining. Help me arrange a meeting with them. Tell them I want to have lunch together, that I'm very optimistic about the script, and I want both of them."
He hadn't expected "saw" to come knocking on his door. Eric then realized that the film was released in 2004, and James Wan and Leigh Whannell were currently in the very difficult stage of seeking investment. It was time for him, the angel investor, to descend.
"saw" is also considered an evergreen in Hollywood horror films, already having reached its 10th installment. Even if one hasn't seen it, they've heard of its fame. It's definitely a goose that lays golden eggs.
Well then, sorry Lionsgate, MGM is going to poach it.