That evening, at Gadot's apartment.
It had been several days since he had slept at her place, and if he didn't come soon, the girl would start complaining.
Eric and Gadot, Judy and Bar Refaeli, three women and one man, each sat on a sofa, cuddling, with snacks, fruit, and beer on the table.
"Hmmph!"
"Hahaha, okay, that tickles a bit, stop scratching."
Gadot swatted away Eric's restless, wandering hand: "That's enough, the last episode is about to start, stop messing around!"
Eric finally moved his head from her neck, his gaze falling on the TV. HBO was doing its final warm-up; the walking dead Season 1 finale was about to begin in a few minutes.
After three months, this groundbreaking zombie TV series was about to conclude.
The reason it aired for so long was because the first season, spearheaded by Eric, was actually a fusion of the original first and second seasons' content, but with boring, verbose emotional scenes meticulously edited out.
The original 19 episodes were condensed into 13, coupled with Darabont's superb directorial skill.
The plot was extremely effective at pulling the audience's emotions, with climaxes coming one after another.
From its premiere until now, the pilot episode garnered 8 million viewers, and by last week's 12th episode, the viewership had already surpassed 13 million.
HBO was also very excited. For this final episode, they launched a full-throttle promotional campaign, aiming to break the 14 million mark tonight.
It's worth noting that band of brothers' peak was only 10 million, and HBO's long-standing pillar, the sopranos, had yet to break 9 million peak viewers.
This clearly showed the high viewership of the walking dead, especially its influence among young audiences, which far surpassed other dramas.
According to the data MGM had received so far, HBO had already gained nearly 4 million new subscribers thanks to the walking dead.
Once tonight's episode concluded, as per the contract, the TV station would pay MGM an additional 10 million dollars.
"Judy, get me a beer."
The two women's lips parted, and Judy glared at him: "Can't you see what I'm doing? You have hands and feet, get it yourself."
"Be careful, tomorrow you'll be fired for stepping into the company with your left foot first."
"Hehehe, darling, I'll get it for you."
Gadot sat on Eric's lap with a plate, her vanilla-scented hair invigorating him, as she pinched pieces of fruit and fed them to him.
"Tsk tsk. Look at the two of you, you're just like a foolish king and his doting concubine," Judy scoffed.
The two ignored her. Gadot bit off half an Apple and leaned against Eric.
"Darling, happy death day has finished filming. Do you plan to arrange any new work for me recently?"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, if there's no new work, I plan to go home and visit. You've tricked me into staying here for almost a year, and I can only contact my family by phone. I miss them."
Bar Refaeli looked over: "Gadot, however long you haven't been home, I haven't either. My mom also hopes I go back to visit."
Looking at the two homesick women, Eric also felt it was time to give them a break, a period of rest and adjustment. A spring couldn't be wound tight forever.
He nodded gently: "Then go back. I'll give you a month's leave. happy death day will be released at the end of August, so you can come back before then. You'll still need to cooperate with the promotions."
"What about me?" Refaeli quickly asked.
"You can't. house of cards starts filming on Monday, and your role is very demanding. You must participate throughout. We can't have Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright waiting for you."
Bar Refaeli choked a bit. Having an Oscar-winning actor and actress wait for her? Only if she was out of her mind.
Even though the walking dead had made her stand out, earning her the label of a rising star and dark horse from some media, it still depended on who she was being compared to.
Hollywood also emphasized hierarchy, a universally accepted rule.
Judy patted her back to comfort her: "Refaeli, Eric films very quickly, much faster than Darabont. A TV series will definitely not take more than two months."
"Moreover, house of cards is a key project for MGM, with Oscar-winning actors and actresses, which will definitely elevate your popularity to another level."
"Think about it, when the walking dead Season 2 starts filming, Maggie's popularity ranking could surpass Daryl and Rick to become number one. Isn't that motivating?"
Bar Refaeli thought about it, a smile appearing on her face.
On the TV screen, the walking dead's BGM began, and the final episode started.
The opening was a grand scene, with countless zombies rapidly moving towards the farm in the darkness.
Meanwhile, Rick, who had just killed his good brother Shane, was desperately fleeing with his son Carl, narrowly avoiding being tackled by zombies several times.
These zombies moved as fast as a human jog and had fierce attacking power. This was also the zombie rule Eric and Darabont had set: they must not be slow.
Subsequently, the farm's defense battle unfolded, with team members continuously dying at the hands of zombies, making for a cruel and thrilling scene.
Gadot's eyes widened nervously: "Why are so many people dying! If this continues, there will be no one left in the main group."
Eric stroked her little head: "It's the last episode, of course, they have to weed out the irrelevant minor characters. Once they're filtered out, that's when the main group officially forms, and then they'll embark on a new dungeon for Season 2."
A major zombie battle lasted for more than ten minutes, finally ending with the farm engulfed in fire.
Hundreds of flaming zombies suddenly lunged at the car. At the last minute, the main group finally escaped in separate directions, leaving only the unlucky Andrea behind.
"OMG! Andrea didn't get in the car, Rick didn't notice her, she's going to die too!"
"Don't worry, Andrea has her own destiny. Someone will save her."
On TV, Daniel Wu, playing Glenn, and Refaeli, playing Maggie, were acting opposite each other.
Eric couldn't help but ask: "Refaeli, how was Daniel Wu's performance on set?"
"Very good! He's an experienced actor. He taught me some things when we acted together, and he's very gentlemanly."
"Later, I found out that he was already a big star in Hong Kong and very popular there."
"Do you know? After his scenes were wrapped, he rushed back to his country. Darabont originally didn't want to let him go, but Daniel said he had joined Jackie Chan's crew and was about to film a new Jackie Chan movie, so Darabont finally let him go."
"A Jackie Chan movie, New Police Story?"
"I don't know the exact title, but it seemed to be police-related. That day, we realized that Daniel was a big star in Hong Kong and that he only filmed movies, not TV series."
Judy chuckled: "So you still don't understand? Movie stars from other countries, when they come to Hollywood, must start from small roles. Only in Hollywood can you potentially become a global superstar."
Eric added: "Daniel Wu is actually American, but due to his yellow skin, he went to China for development. Once the market on the other side grows, he will get more opportunities."
Finally, after escaping the farm, the main group reunited. At this point, only Rick, Daryl, Carol, Glenn, Maggie, Carl, and other members remained.
Rick finally became the leader of the team through his persuasive speech and abilities.
After 13 episodes of buildup, the core of the team was established in the finale, and they needed to find a new sanctuary.
The camera pulled back, revealing a prison standing there, symbolizing the main stage for Season 2.
Meanwhile, Andrea escaped from the farm but couldn't shake off the pursuing zombies.
She finally collapsed from exhaustion, about to be eaten by zombies, when a whooshing sound was heard.
A cold light flashed, and the zombie's head was already severed.
Andrea looked in surprise at her rescuer, a person shrouded in a black robe, holding a katana that gleamed with cold light.
Behind the black-robed person, two zombies were chained, and everything looked very eerie.
At this point, the walking dead Season 1 officially ended.
"Huh? That's it?" Gadot's eyes widened as she looked at the credits.
"Yes, it's over. Didn't you see this episode was already sixty minutes long, an extended version?"
"But things haven't been made clear yet. Who is that black-robed person? Why isn't he showing his face?"
"Alright, baby, that's a cliffhanger for Season 2. They need them to attract viewers."
"No, no, you quickly tell me what happens next, and what is the identity of the black-robed person?" Gadot clung to him persistently.
Judy chuckled: "Don't ask, Gadot. Eric probably doesn't know either. He probably hasn't even decided if the black-robed person is male or female, which is why they're completely covered."
Eric nodded: "Yes, I only wrote the script for the first season. Darabont is in charge of the second season; I'm not involved anymore."
"If you want to know the plot, you'll have to ask that bald guy, but he's probably still figuring it out."
Left with no choice, Gadot could only suppress her curiosity.
And Eric indeed hadn't lied to her; for the second season, he only gave Darabont a few suggestions.
For example, he suggested adding an external boss to pressure the main group, allowing some characters to gradually grow to enhance the group's strength, and appropriately writing out some characters that audiences dislike.
He didn't make specific demands, not even providing a story framework.
Eric believed that with Darabont's ability, the quality of the walking dead wouldn't plummet for at least five seasons.
As for after five seasons, it's normal for writers and directors to run out of inspiration; a change of blood and personnel would suffice.
Eric was now somewhat looking forward to the Emmy Awards in September, wondering how many awards the walking dead might win and if he could get a Best Screenplay for a Drama Series.
With only a wall separating them, both sides could hear each other's sounds, and Eric and Judy began a competition.
From the Hundred Grass Garden to the Three Flavors Study, and then from the Three Flavors Study back to the Hundred Grass Garden.
To see who had better stamina, and who could make more noise.
Finally, after hearing two high-pitched cries from the other side, Eric also released on the already exhausted Gadot.
The next day, after dropping Gadot off at the airport, Eric went to the office as usual.
Chen Xing was waiting outside the door, holding a document as he followed in: "Boss, I've investigated and organized what you asked me to. The general outline has been sorted out, and it's all here."
Eric nodded: "Good, you can go out. I'll take a look first."
The content of this document concerned Marvel's development history, and it was also MGM's next key target.
It was now 2003, and time was already quite pressing; if they waited another two years...
Once Marvel successfully secured funding and the iron man project was launched, they would have missed the best opportunity.
He remembered Mickey Mouse spent over 4 billion US dollars to acquire Marvel in 2009. If it was before the iron man project was approved, this value could be several times smaller.
Eric opened the document. Many people knew the early history, so he quickly skimmed through it.
captain america's comic sales surged during World War II as he beat up the 'Little Moustache,' and Marvel began to make a name for itself in the industry.
After World War II, especially in the 1950s and 60s, juvenile delinquency rates in the US soared. Comics, due to a lack of regulation and containing a lot of explicit and violent content, naturally became the target of public criticism.
What followed was legal and societal judgment. For a time, comics became the source of all evil, even being directly listed as contraband in cities like Detroit and Salt Lake City.
It was somewhat like the turn of the century when everything was blamed on games, games were the culprit destroying children, and games were like electronic drugs.
Even more ridiculous, to salvage their reputation, publishers jointly established new industry rules, demanding that justice must triumph over evil, and prohibiting the appearance of creatures like werewolves, vampires, and Frankenstein's monster in comics.
It was similar to the restrictions over there on not having'spirits' or 'becoming ghosts.'
And when this trend faded, comic sales once again entered a period of growth, and Marvel gradually began to surpass DC to become the new industry leader.
Then, in 1989, Marvel finally met its destined person, and was about to embark on its tragic decade of upheaval.
This person was certainly not Stan Lee, but the capital magnate Ronald Perelman, who had his eyes on the booming comic market.
As is well known, once targeted by capital, most situations do not end well.
Perelman spent 82.5 million US dollars to bring Marvel under his wing, and then used his connections to swiftly go public and raise funds.
Marvel's stock price surged to over 30 US dollars, and its market value exceeded 4 billion US dollars, then it entered a mad spending spree, constantly expanding and acquiring.
Among the stocks purchased was a very important toy company, Toy Biz, and Toy Biz's two shareholders also entered Marvel's board of directors, namely Isaac Perlmutter and Avi Arad.
But this glorious period lasted only two years, as the comic market once again experienced a major collapse, the reason being that the 'leeks' were harvested too aggressively.
While a typical market emphasizes sustainability, avoiding overfishing, the comic market at the time completely disregarded this, going straight for the roots.
Major companies continuously launched collector's editions, limited editions, and special editions, hyping comic books as works of art and collectibles.
The price of a limited edition comic book could soar to several thousand US dollars, more expensive than gold.
The question is, do you have that value? Do the public recognize your artistic value?
You don't have that ability, you know!
It was just a self-indulgent niche for a small circle of true fans.
And this chaotic situation, even the most fervent fans couldn't afford. It was like trash games forcing players to spend, ultimately leading to players abandoning the game and the market completely collapsing.
Both Marvel and DC's sales couldn't be described as merely halved; they were on the verge of total collapse.
At its lowest point, Marvel laid off staff until only 6 writers remained, and a large number of comics ceased publication. It was from then on that it embarked on the path of selling copyrights to survive.
If the industry leader was so miserable, smaller companies were even worse off. Statistics show that at least over 300 companies went out of business.
However, even at this critical juncture of life and death, Perelman still felt that Marvel had more oil to extract.
This old man wanted to continue with expansion and mergers, which, in plain terms, meant creating false appearances and blowing bubbles to facilitate his continued harvesting of 'leeks' in the stock market.
But this time, he was not successful. He encountered opposition and sniping from Isaac Perlmutter and Avi Arad.
After a series of events, the lawsuit eventually went to court, and Perelman was ousted.
Marvel and Toy Biz merged, or more accurately, the latter acquired the former.
It's worth noting that when Marvel was flourishing two years prior, it had bought 46% of Toy Biz's shares, but unexpectedly, it declined within a few years and was counter-acquired.
After several more years of struggles, Marvel has now somewhat recovered, but it has been impacted by the internet and video games.
People's enthusiasm for comics has long since greatly diminished, making it difficult for it to regain its past glory.
Now it barely survives by selling merchandise, and the relatively well-known film and television copyrights it holds are only a few, such as Thor and Captain America.
In the stock market, Marvel's current share price is 3.21 US dollars per share. While it can't be called a junk stock, it is quite a distance from the average, typically barely surviving.
Its market value is also very low, relying mainly on selling toy merchandise as its primary profit point.
Hasbro's stock price has now surged to 39.2 US dollars per share, especially after the transformers trailer was released, it directly rose by 11%, and the company's market value is nearly 7 billion US dollars.
Marvel's market value is only a meager 1.2 billion US dollars, a difference of 6 times. So, although now is not the absolute best time to buy Marvel at a low price, it is the last opportunity.
To acquire Marvel or take the first step to become Marvel's controlling shareholder, one must negotiate with Toy Biz.
Because the current CEO of Marvel is Avi Arad, and Avi Arad actually takes orders from the true big boss, Isaac Perlmutter.
As for Stan Lee, whom many fans consider the father of Marvel, he only receives a fixed salary and movie bonuses.
This movie bonus, of course, only applies to movies Marvel itself produces; sold copyrights do not count, so it's essentially nothing.
Stan Lee is merely a senior employee; he has no say in company decisions, only a high status in the hearts of fans.
"Isaac Perlmutter and Avi Arad, it seems I need to pay them a visit."
"But what reason should I use? Help you sell toys? It seems they don't need that."
"At least the channels Dual Star Entertainment has, Marvel also has. Before controlling Hasbro, the strategy of toy merchandise isn't attractive enough."
"Invest to help you make movies? Turn Marvel into my employee, and then complete the acquisition after MGM goes public. That's a feasible path."
Ring.
As Eric was pondering, his phone suddenly rang. It was Fitz Heisenburg.
"Fitz, what's up?"
"Boss, MySpace is online!"