Chapter 421: The $20 Million Club

The small office was filled with tension, as if even the air had thickened. Helen Herman sat alone on a chair, facing David Heyman and Akiva Goldsman with a calm expression.

The negotiation had been ongoing for over an hour, and after several rounds, both sides were edging closer to an agreement.

"We cannot accept $18 million," Helen Herman said calmly. "To show our sincerity, we have already reduced the post-release share from 10% to 5%, and limited it to the North American box office."

She emphasized, "We are very sincere about this collaboration!"

Akiva Goldsman disagreed. "Is $20 million plus 5% of the North American box office considered sincere?"

Helen Herman's tone remained indifferent. "An actor whose last five films were all box office hits isn't worth that? Look at the box office figures of Murphy's movies in the last three years; they outshine Will Smith's!"

Akiva Goldsman couldn't deny this, as the data was clear.

David Heyman had been silently observing. Representing Warner Bros. interests in the crew, he knew Warner Bros. valued Murphy Horner's commercial appeal and market draw but was dissatisfied with the high salary demands.

He knew Warner Bros.' bottom line.

He had agreed to the open casting call to push down the price, and now that goal was nearly achieved.

Seeing the negotiations about to stall again, David Heyman spoke up. "Can we all calm down a bit?"

Helen Herman and Akiva Goldsman both looked at David Heyman.

David Heyman continued, "Can I say a few words?"

"Of course," Helen Herman nodded.

"Go ahead, David," Akiva Goldsman said.

"The project has already begun preparation, and the lead actor is crucial. We can't afford too much delay here," David Heyman said, looking at both Helen Herman and Akiva Goldsman. "How about we both make some concessions?"

Helen Herman remained silent, looking at Akiva Goldsman, who also didn't speak.

David Heyman continued, "I have a proposal for you to consider."

He first addressed Helen Herman. "Helen, we are well aware of Murphy's box office appeal. He is an excellent commercial star. But the post-release share involves many interests and is hard to measure. Let's remove the box office share and increase the base salary instead."

Then he turned to Akiva Goldsman. "Let's add another $2 million to the base salary, bringing Murphy into the $20 million club. How about that?"

After several rounds of negotiations, Akiva Goldsman's bottom line had also risen to $20 million.

Helen Herman and Murphy had agreed to aim for a $20 million salary to join the $20 million club.

Although the $20 million club was still far from the superstars' $20+20 standard, actors who made it into this club were among the most popular and sought-after in the industry.

Akiva Goldsman knew not to give Helen Herman a chance to raise the price again, so he waited a while before saying, "I can arrange for the crew to squeeze out another $2 million from other areas for Murphy's salary."

His tone became quite firm. "Twenty million dollars is the final offer! Helen, if you still disagree, I'll have to consider Will Smith. His screen test was outstanding, and he is very interested in the role."

Helen Herman remained silent. Although Akiva Goldsman's offer met their expectations, she wasn't in a hurry to agree since Murphy had other demands.

The office fell silent. David Heyman frowned slightly. Twenty million dollars was definitely a matching salary for Murphy Horner at this stage.

Akiva Goldsman patiently waited.

Helen Herman stayed silent for about two minutes before slowly speaking, her voice still calm, "Agreed."

David Heyman and Akiva Goldsman both sighed in relief. As long as they reached an agreement on the biggest point of contention, the other smaller conditions would be easier to handle.

Helen Herman's gaze quickly swept over David Heyman and Akiva Goldsman before she said, "Murphy and I can accept the $20 million salary and give up the post-release box office share, but we have two small conditions."

Akiva Goldsman, an experienced producer, knew that top stars often had many personal preferences in their contracts. He said, "Go ahead, Helen."

"First," Helen Herman smiled, "Murphy wants to have a say in casting for a female supporting role in the script."

Francis Lawrence had previously discussed this actor's role. Akiva Goldsman considered it and slowly nodded. "Murphy can recommend suitable actors to the crew. If they aren't suitable, I will reject them."

Murphy could recommend, and so could Francis Lawrence. The final decision would be based on the screen test results.

Akiva Goldsman had enough experience to handle such issues.

Helen Herman nodded in satisfaction and then stated the second condition. "Murphy wants to be credited as an associate producer."

Francis Lawrence was completely biased towards CAA and Will Smith, and there was a conflict of interest in the supporting roles. The best way was to sideline him, but even top stars needed the right opportunity to do so.

Hollywood was producer-centric, not star-centric. The real decision-maker in the crew was Akiva Goldsman.

"Murphy won't interfere with the project's operations," Helen Herman knew the producers might be concerned and added, "Recently, there have been rampant rumors about Murphy being dropped by the crew. We hope the crew can use a way to show Murphy's status and importance to 'I Am Legend.'"

David Heyman nodded slightly. Being credited as an associate producer would more reflect Murphy's core status and importance in the crew.

Helen Herman continued, "As an associate producer, Murphy can take a symbolic one-dollar salary."

This reassured Akiva Goldsman somewhat. Although the position of associate producer in Hollywood was somewhat ambiguous, it was more of a status symbol.

For example, if someone partially invested in a film, the crew might give them an associate producer position.

Helen Herman noticed that David Heyman and Akiva Goldsman were silent but did not hurry. She patiently sat on the sofa and waited.

David Heyman and Akiva Goldsman exchanged a glance, and Akiva Goldsman said, "Helen, we need to consider this carefully and consult with Warner Bros. We'll get back to you in a few days."

Helen Herman nodded, "Okay."

She could tell that David Heyman and Akiva Goldsman probably wouldn't object.

The negotiations paused, and Helen Herman used the break to call Murphy.

Murphy was also taking a break. After listening to Helen Herman's concise recount of the negotiations, he nodded in satisfaction and said, "Thank you, Helen."

Facing a producer like Akiva Goldsman, securing a $20 million salary was not easy, not to mention the associate producer title.

In the Hollywood system, the commercial nature of films meant that producers were the masters of a film, deciding everything from what scripts to shoot, hiring directors, cinematographers, actors, and supervising the film's budget and production process.

While directors were the soul of a movie, producers were its parents.

Producers completely controlled the movie's funding, leading the entire production team, and were the ones who turned a film from an idea into reality. In Hollywood's studio system, producers were often the project leaders.

Akiva Goldsman was the overall head of "I Am Legend," the traditional movie producer.

For large, big-budget projects, the producer role was often filled by a team.

For example, David Heyman was the executive producer of "I Am Legend," directly employed by the production company and often responsible for the daily management of the crew.

There were also executive producers and associate producers. The former were the direct subordinates of the movie producer, and each crew could have several or even dozens, each responsible for managing a part of the crew's daily affairs. The latter role was more complex, including investors, big-name stars wanting to highlight their status, or friends of the producer who helped in some way, all possibly getting an associate producer title.

Additionally, there were positions like co-producer.

In Hollywood, having that final "producer" title made a significant difference.

Akiva Goldsman didn't keep Murphy and Helen Herman waiting long. Two days later, he formally notified Angel Agency that he agreed to credit Murphy as an associate producer.

With this condition met, Helen Herman could now negotiate the contract details with the crew.

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