Chapter 523: Greedy

After the pleasantries, Diego-Harris prepared himself fully. He was well aware of Bill-Rossis's reputation as a tough agent, known for demanding the most advantageous deals for his clients. When there's profit to be made, CAA's lion-like mouth will open wide to bite off the biggest possible chunk.

However, he also understood that for such a major superhero movie project, convincing Murphy-Stanton would require Warner Bros. and DC Comics to pay a considerable price.

He had already offered 25% of the film's total revenue as Murphy-Stanton's personal bonus, which was one of the highest revenue-sharing agreements in Hollywood.

This was also Warner Bros. and DC Comics' bottom line.

Diego-Harris's mind was racing. Now that they had agreed to Murphy-Stanton's original revenue-sharing condition, the other side's attitude had softened. The revenue-sharing shouldn't be a problem, and even if Murphy-Stanton's appetite was large, it would probably only affect the base remuneration.

For most seasoned directors, producers prefer to offer more in terms of backend deals rather than increasing the base pay. A significant increase in base pay would considerably raise upfront costs and increase the project's risk, whereas backend deals wouldn't and would better bind the director and other key crew members to the project.

But Murphy-Stanton was not an ordinary director.

Everyone in Hollywood knew that Murphy-Stanton's films were more of a box office guarantee than those of superstars like Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio. Looking at his last five films, his works were practically synonymous with box office hits.

In this situation, paying a massive backend deal was much less favorable than increasing the base pay.

Bruce Rosenblum hadn't set a firm limit on increasing the base pay, leaving some room for maneuver.

In a split second, countless thoughts flashed through Diego-Harris's mind, and he set his bottom line.

To successfully secure Murphy-Stanton, he was willing to accept a "20 plus 25" remuneration package: $20 million base pay plus 25% of the film's total revenue.

In Diego-Harris's view, such compensation was not unprecedented in Hollywood, but it was a very rare and substantial contract.

Of course, he couldn't just say this outright, or it would be a negotiation, but an invitation for Bill-Rossis to exploit.

Diego-Harris believed the conditions offered by Warner Bros. and DC Comics were already very generous.

After the pleasantries, Bill-Rossis got straight to the point, "Let's discuss Murphy's remuneration."

"Please, go ahead," Diego-Harris gestured.

Everything else was secondary; the pay was the key to their cooperation.

Bill-Rossis extended his index and middle fingers, "A $20 million base pay."

Hearing this, Diego-Harris didn't react outwardly but internally sighed with relief. However, Bill-Rossis continued, "Additionally, 30% of the future film's total revenue as Murphy's personal share!"

Thirty percent? Diego-Harris's eyes widened instantly, "That's impossible!"

Bill-Rossis spread his hands and shrugged.

"I've said before," Diego-Harris emphasized again, "25% of the total revenue share!"

"That was Murphy's old rate," Bill-Rossis smiled. "Diego, do you think Murphy is the same as before? He has a higher status in the industry now and a stronger influence, so he deserves higher pay!"

Diego-Harris shook his head firmly, "Warner Bros. has no such precedent."

"Someone has to be the first," Bill-Rossis said.

"Sorry," Diego-Harris sighed inwardly. Murphy-Stanton was even greedier than he had imagined, "I can't agree to such terms."

"Alright then," Bill-Rossis stood up, "it seems we can't work together again."

Seeing Bill-Rossis unwilling to continue the talks, Diego-Harris instinctively wanted to stop him but held back, knowing it would make their side even more passive.

As Bill-Rossis prepared to leave, he said, "Diego, you know my number. If Warner Bros. agrees to our terms, you can call me anytime. Murphy is still very sincere about working together."

Sincere about working together? Diego-Harris wanted to lash out at Bill-Rossis but instead said, "I'll report this to the company."

"Goodbye."

Bill-Rossis walked out of the meeting room.

The conditions were not his arbitrary decision but what Murphy had set. Murphy had his plans, and unless there were major unforeseen circumstances or an irresistible offer, he didn't want to interrupt his ongoing preparations. Since Warner Bros. had approached him at this time, he naturally demanded a high price.

If Warner Bros. and DC Comics agreed, the price might bring huge returns, and he could slightly interrupt his plans.

If they refused, he wouldn't lose anything.

Diego-Harris immediately reported the negotiation process to Bruce Rosenblum by phone.

Sitting in his office, Bruce Rosenblum, holding the phone, didn't know why but felt a sense of relief, even a slight sense of joy. Murphy-Stanton's high demands gave him a perfect excuse to refuse.

Recently, at a board meeting, many had criticized his decision to abandon cooperation with Murphy-Stanton, arguing that Murphy should be brought back to continue directing the DC superhero series. These were influential figures, like Diego-Harris, who had put a lot of pressure on him as CEO.

Now, with such high demands, Warner Bros. couldn't possibly agree, having no such precedent.

"Diego, keep in touch with Murphy-Stanton's side," Bruce Rosenblum wanted to show a positive attitude. "Wonder Woman still needs some time; take it slow, no rush."

Given Murphy-Stanton's current status, reducing the pay for a big-budget commercial film was nearly impossible. Restarting cooperation between Warner Bros. and him seemed unlikely.

Although 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' had indeed flopped critically, Murphy-Stanton had brought unprecedented glory to the DC superhero series. But with so many directors in Hollywood, he didn't believe that DC's superhero movies had to rely solely on Murphy-Stanton to succeed.

Who knows, maybe the upcoming 'Suicide Squad' would be both a box office and critical hit?

Bruce Rosenblum thought this possibility wasn't impossible. Warner Bros. could wait; DC's superhero movies wouldn't always be unlucky.

On his way to James Franco's house, Murphy received a call from Bill-Rossis. He was more patient than Warner Bros., telling Bill-Rossis to take his time negotiating, even if it didn't work out.

If the deal didn't go through, the only regret would be Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman. Fortunately, their shared passion for those shameful games could largely compensate for this regret.

On his way to Santa Monica, Murphy met up with Jonah Hill, and they headed to James Franco's house together to visit Lily Collins. James Franco's proposal had forced Lily Collins to undergo gastric lavage. It wasn't a big problem, but her strict diet to maintain her figure over the years had caused gastrointestinal issues, leading to her current poor health.

"If I had known, I wouldn't have made such a fancy proposal," James Franco said, looking remorseful.

Jonah Hill patted his shoulder heavily, "You are always so unreliable."

James Franco uncharacteristically didn't retort, just glanced at Lily Collins, who was sitting on the sofa.

"Murphy," Lily Collins asked, "When is Gal coming back?"

"In April," Murphy had asked Gal Gadot last night, "Their family business encountered some trouble."

"Is it serious?" Lily Collins asked with concern.

"A minor issue," Murphy smiled, "It's almost resolved."

"With Gal not around..." Lily Collins hit the pillow she was holding, "Susan is busy with work, and I have no one to go shopping with."

She suddenly turned to Jonah Hill, "You wanted to pursue Emma Roberts, right? How's that going?"

"Well..." Jonah Hill scratched his head, "She's been avoiding me since that time."

Thinking of Jonah Hill's antics, Murphy and James Franco laughed, probably leaving Emma Roberts with a shadow.

Murphy suddenly had an idea, "Jonah, Seth's script plans to have Hollywood stars play themselves, right? Why don't you invite Emma Roberts? I'm sure she'll consider the opportunity."

Due to her connection with Julia Roberts, Emma Roberts had some fame and was often in the media spotlight. However, her situation in Hollywood wasn't great, even worse than Lily Collins', with no representative works to her name. She was a typical case of a famous person with no standout roles.

"Good idea." Jonah Hill nodded, "I'll give it a try."

After staying at James Franco's house for a while, Murphy and Jonah Hill left together. On the way back, Murphy received another call from Bill-Rossis. Warner Bros. had just announced the director for 'Suicide Squad' on social media, seemingly to show him that the DC superhero series wouldn't be affected without him.

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