"Please tell me about Disney Pictures' Oscar campaign events."
In the office of Angel Agency, Helen Herman said to Matthew seriously, "You must attend these; we have an agreement with Disney Pictures."
Matthew nodded, "Yes, I know."
Helen Herman continued, "On December 2nd, which is tomorrow night, Disney Pictures is holding a thank-you reception, inviting many film critics and veteran figures in the industry. On December 4th, Johnny Depp is having a canvassing party in Beverly Hills. On December 6th, Disney Pictures is holding a screening of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and a sequel discussion at the La Caldera Theatre in Santa Monica. On December 9th, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards will announce the winners, and you and Depp need to attend…"
The events arranged by Disney Pictures were very intensive, clearly preparing for the Oscar campaign in full swing.
Listening to the long list of events, Matthew didn't say anything. Having received the crew's salary, he had to serve a series of promotional activities for the film. Hollywood film salaries were never just for filming.
Ring ring ring—
Helen Herman hadn't finished the long list of events when the office phone on her desk suddenly rang. She quickly picked it up, and after hearing a few words, her face, hidden behind black-rimmed glasses, showed a hint of surprise and astonishment.
"What?" Her voice clearly reflected this emotion. "James Franco's agent terminated negotiations with Jerry Bruckheimer? Why?"
Matthew immediately thought that there must have been another unexpected situation with "National Treasure."
From the moment Jerry Bruckheimer conceived the idea, this film had encountered various problems, including script and funding issues. Especially the script, according to what Anderson Martinez revealed to them after the audition, it had been overturned multiple times in the nine months from when the script started being written until his audition. Jerry Bruckheimer kept wavering between middle-aged and young types for the male lead alone. If there was news now that the project was canceled tomorrow, he wouldn't be surprised.
Among other things, just regarding the male lead, Anderson Martinez told Helen Herman that Jerry Bruckheimer had initially considered him, then favored Nicolas Cage, then thought he was suitable again after a period, but ultimately rejected him during the audition and chose James Franco. Now it seemed James Franco also had an unexpected situation... Matthew was certain that this was absolutely the most repetitive and drawn-out project he had encountered since entering Hollywood.
Of course,
At Disney Pictures, this film, which had been delayed for a year and was still undecided on many aspects, was not considered a long delay.
After these past few years, Matthew understood very clearly that most Hollywood A-list blockbusters typically had a three-year cycle: the first year involved various preliminary preparations, including scriptwriting; the second year involved casting, filming, and post-production; and the third year involved promotion and release.
Actors usually only started participating in the second year, with preparations lasting a few months for longer projects or a few weeks for shorter ones before filming began.
Therefore, actors were often very prolific; it was common for some actors to star in two or three films a year. Film directors, however, had far fewer works; directors who made one film every two years could be classified as prolific, and those who made one film a year could be described as crazy.
Producers generally weren't much different from directors, but there were always exceptions, such as Jerry Bruckheimer, who had maintained a rhythm of one film a year, sometimes even two, since the mid-nineties. Such high-intensity production over such a long period was unique in Hollywood.
In some ways, Jerry Bruckheimer was very similar to Steven Spielberg in the directing world, with projects he spearheaded being swift, accurate, and highly successful.
They were both representatives of Hollywood's industrialized production.
The delay of "National Treasure" for so long could be considered a very normal situation.
As for abnormal situations, Matthew had heard someone mention an antique-level project within Disney Pictures.
Edgar Rice Burroughs's famous science fiction novel "A Princess of Mars" had been an early filmmaking target for Disney Pictures since the 1930s and 1940s. Disney planned to adapt it into an animated film like "Snow White," but due to various reasons, it was delayed.
This delay lasted for decades. By the late 1970s, Disney Pictures decided to restart the film project and found Robert Zemeckis, who had just debuted at the time. The film entered the substantive planning stage, but something unexpected happened, Robert Zemeckis resigned as director, and the project was shelved once again.
In the mid-1980s, Michael Eisner, who had just taken charge of Disney, also took an interest in this project. He brought in John McTiernan as director and began formal actor negotiations with the then-popular Tom Cruise. However, conflicts arose during negotiations, Tom Cruise refused to play the male lead, and the project was halted again.
Then, in the 21st century, Robert Iger remembered this decades-old antique and also wanted to restart the film adaptation of "A Princess of Mars." He brought in Joe Ham to write the script and serve as director. The script underwent six revisions, and finally, Joe Ham voluntarily withdrew from the project, citing that "the most brilliant sci-fi elements in the original were preemptively 'borrowed' by George Lucas in 'Star Wars.'"
Finally, even now, the adaptation of "A Princess of Mars" remains in Disney Pictures' plans.
The reason Matthew heard about this old antique was because Andrew Stanton of Pixar Animation Studios reportedly took an interest in the project, but unfortunately, Pixar Animation Studios was at odds with Disney, resisting Disney's acquisition, and temporarily couldn't get the adaptation rights.
Helen Herman finished her call and then made several more. After she finished these calls, Matthew asked, "Did something happen with Jerry Bruckheimer's side?"
"From passing the audition in early November until now, James Franco's team has been negotiating with Jerry Bruckheimer for nearly a month, but they haven't been able to reach an agreement," Helen Herman said directly. "Then, James Franco rejected the project."
Matthew was curious but didn't speak; he knew Helen Herman would provide a detailed explanation.
Helen Herman didn't make him wait and said, "James Franco's team asked for a $10 million salary, and Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer thought he wasn't worth that price. The two sides have been in a tug-of-war."
"That shouldn't lead to a complete breakdown, right?" Matthew asked.
It was common in Hollywood for salary negotiations to last several months.
"It can only be said that James Franco has a lot of ideas," Helen Herman suddenly smiled. "He wrote a script himself and always wanted to direct, but he couldn't find investment. Before Thanksgiving, he reportedly met with David Ellison, Larry Ellison's son. David Ellison is preparing to enter Hollywood and decided to invest in James Franco's project called 'Monkey King,' on the condition that James Franco star in another aerial combat film he was investing in."
"Larry Ellison?" Matthew had seen this name in newspapers since he arrived. "is that the one who's always verbally sparring with Bill Gates?"
Helen Herman nodded, "Exactly. David Ellison is his son, a super rich second generation. Money is just a numbers game to them." She continued, "After James Franco received David Ellison's investment, he voluntarily terminated the negotiations."
Matthew understood. "The Green Goblin wants to be a director, huh."
"The news I got…" Helen Herman had just made calls, clearly gathering a lot of related information. "James Franco is preparing to direct and star in it himself."
Matthew nodded slightly, thought for a moment, and asked, "Do I still have a chance?"
"You could say that," Helen Herman slowly tapped her fingers on the table and said, "The person who called was Anderson Martinez. After the audition, the crew has already started preparations. The film needs to be released during next year's holiday season, and Jerry Bruckheimer needs to confirm the male lead as soon as possible."
She looked at Matthew, "You are now one of the backup options for Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney Pictures."
Matthew had a question. "During the last audition, didn't Jerry Bruckheimer say that my personal temperament didn't match the character's setting?"
"Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney Pictures are preparing to change the main character's setting again," Helen Herman shrugged slightly. "In the past nine months, they have already changed the script and character settings nearly ten times. Changing it one more time is not a big deal."
She stopped tapping her fingers and said, "I just called a senior executive at Disney Pictures. He said that Disney Pictures' review committee was originally somewhat dissatisfied with the script submitted by Jerry Bruckheimer, believing that the film had too many tedious deciphering scenes and too few action-adventure scenes, which would affect the audience's viewing experience. If he weren't Jerry Bruckheimer, the previous script would have been sent back for a redo long ago."
Matthew suddenly thought of Anderson Martinez, who had called. Knowing him, if Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney Pictures hadn't intended to adjust the script again, he wouldn't have proactively called Helen Herman.
Helen Herman stood up and paced back and forth in front of the window a few times. Combining all the information, Matthew, who had been out of the running, now had a chance to get back in.
She turned around, looked at Matthew, and said, "Alright, tomorrow night I'll accompany you to Disney Pictures' Oscar campaign reception."
"What do I need to do?" Matthew understood Helen Herman's meaning.
"You just need to fully cooperate with Disney Pictures' work! Continue to show them that you are a serious, dedicated, and good actor who still wants to work with them," Helen Herman said calmly. "As for the rest, let me talk to Robert Iger and Jerry Bruckheimer."
She knew that as Matthew became famous, his thoughts also became more complex, and she, as his agent, also needed to demonstrate her capabilities accordingly.