MGM Building.
Eric silently drank his coffee, waiting for the other party to finish reading the script.
Sitting opposite him was the director Frank Darabont, twice nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and once for Best Picture, known for "the shawshank redemption" and "The Green Mile."
He was currently reading the script for "the walking dead."
This script had been polished for over two months, back and forth, ever since Eric provided the outline. It took longer to refine than the "transformers" script.
Finally, it was deemed ready, and the company contacted Darabont. Today, the bald director arrived as scheduled.
Taking a long breath, Darabont first took a large gulp of coffee. He didn't like sugar, and the bitter taste made the bald man look even more conflicted.
"This is a good script. I like the struggle of human nature in the apocalypse, but it still seems incomplete."
"Frank, what do you want to do?"
"Are there any filming plans? What's the scheduled start date? I want to know if MGM is in a hurry to film."
"The sooner the better. This project has been delayed for a long time, and I don't want to miss next year's Emmy Awards."
If the Oscar is the highest award for film, then the Emmy Awards is the highest award for television series.
Although the Emmy Awards ceremony is usually held in September, the eligible works are selected from June 1st of the previous year to May 31st of the current year.
In other words, if "the walking dead" wants to be considered for the Emmy Awards, it must at least premiere before May 31st of next year.
It is now early November, leaving MGM with only a full seven months. During this time, they still need to go through casting, filming, post-production, and most importantly, selling it to a TV station, so time is very tight.
Darabont pondered for a moment: "Then give me another week. I need to revise the script! No, to enrich the script! It's already great; all I can do is polish it."
Eric nodded: "Alright."
"Also, how much say do I have in casting?"
"Aside from the character of Maggie Greene, you have the final say on all other roles. I trust your judgment."
Trust people when you use them; don't use them if you don't trust them!
A smile appeared on Darabont's face. Which investor and producer wouldn't like this? It's simply perfect!
The two shook hands, and looking at Eric's young face, Darabont couldn't help but exclaim, "What a courageous young man!"
In contrast, last year he invited Jim Carrey to film "The Majestic," and he had originally intended to use it to compete for an Oscar. Jim Carrey also hoped to transition to serious dramas with this film.
But unfortunately, Jim Carrey certainly had his fill of acting, but the film's reputation and box office both tanked. Forget about the Oscar, his face was almost covered in criticism from film critics.
This failure also cast a shadow over Darabont's resume, and some jobs were canceled. Hollywood is such a realistic place.
"Perhaps trying a TV series isn't bad. I hope it can open up a new world for me!"
As the end of November arrived, "red dragon" had finished its theatrical run, with a final global box office of just under $310 million.
The "the silence of the lambs" trilogy concluded, with all three films grossing $950 million worldwide. Although it didn't reach $1 billion, which was a bit regrettable, it was still a perfect ending.
The crew held a celebration banquet, and Eric also attended. During the event, he tried to invite Anthony Hopkins to play the Secretary of the Department of Defense in "transformers."
However, the elderly gentleman worried that transitioning from a cannibal to the Secretary of the Department of Defense might be difficult for audiences to accept, so he declined.
Eric genuinely wanted to collaborate with him, but Hopkins stuck to his opinion.
There was nothing to be done; he would just have to find another opportunity later. After all, the elderly gentleman was an evergreen, still in great shape in 2023, so there was plenty of time.
"barbershop" had been released for a week. A film starring an all-black cast naturally had no worries about the box office. Although the politically correct trend wasn't as fierce now as it would be more than a decade later, not as exaggerated as during "Black Panther 2," black folks still flocked to theaters with friends, as black films were rare.
With the help of the black community, "barbershop" grossed nearly $30 million in its opening weekend, against a production cost of just over $8 million, meaning it had already made a profit.
Furthermore, this film was minimally affected by the impact of blockbusters. Following this trend, it wouldn't be difficult to achieve a global box office of seventy or eighty million, making it a classic example of a small investment yielding big returns.
"die another day" also completed its opening weekend. Eric represented MGM at the premiere.
This was the twentieth film in the 007 series and Pierce Brosnan's last. Halle Berry, the 'Black Pearl,' and Rosamund Pike, known to Chinese audiences for "Gone Girl," were also involved.
Eric got acquainted with these three, especially Rosamund Pike, who was only 23 years old at the time, at the prime age of a freshly ripened Apple.
Eric exchanged contact information with them, agreeing to collaborate if the opportunity arose.
Regarding "transformers," the Department of Defense was very satisfied with the proposal from MGM. Coupled with his father's considerable contributions, the military gave the green light after only one discussion meeting.
MGM was allowed to enter military bases for live-action filming and could borrow necessary weaponry and equipment such as active US main battle tanks, fighter jets, and gunboats to assist with filming.
At the same time, internal military training videos would be provided to MGM to facilitate post-production compositing, as it's impossible to actually fight a war just for a movie.
MGM only needed to pay $10 million for this, a price that could be said to be incredibly cheap, not even enough to buy a few parts for an F22.
The Department of Defense's only requirement was that they needed to review the final cut to ensure the positive image of the US military, with no blemishes whatsoever.
Several sponsors had already signed contracts. For example, Nokia secured the mobile phone product placement. MGM promised to specially create a Transformer for Nokia, which would appear on screen for no less than 5 minutes.
Nokia, in turn, would pay $7.5 million in advertising fees. It seemed expensive, but this was because Nokia was launching new smartphones next year, and the two would combine to create a blockbuster.
Weta Digital's price was also settled. Peter Jackson agreed to a $50,000 per second price reduction, on the condition that "transformers"' release date would not conflict with "the lord of the rings: the return of the king," with at least a three-week gap between them.
At the same time, the special effects for subsequent films in the "transformers" series would also be handled by Weta Digital. Everyone would benefit mutually and make money together.
Peter Jackson's request was not excessive, and Eric had no desire to directly compete with the monster that was "the lord of the rings: the return of the king." After the groundwork laid by the first two films, everyone knew "the lord of the rings: the return of the king" was going to dominate.
Facing the hobbits, to be honest, Eric wasn't very confident in the Autobots.
While various preparatory works were rapidly underway, the long-anticipated open casting call for the male lead also began.
Inside the MGM Building, the receptionist was already dizzy. Countless handsome men, familiar and unfamiliar, passed before her eyes. All types imaginable fulfilled her every fantasy.
She looked at the registration board: James Franco, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Chris Evans, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Foster, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Tom Hardy.