Chapter 137: Competitors

Dean and Paul Green Glass haven't been contacted yet. Producer Andrew and James Huang's agent Edward's initial contact has been summarized to me.

"Edward refused the $1 million fee," Andrew said to me. "He believes it severely undervalues James Huang."

I knew that with two consecutive hit films, James Huang was in a different league now. So, I raised the fee from $300,000 to $1 million directly. But it's clear that $1 million didn't impress Edward and James Huang.

"What are their terms?" I asked.

Andrew briefly recalled, saying, "Edward requests the fee to be split into two parts: base pay and backend points." He glanced at me before continuing, "He also insists that the base pay be staggered like mainstream commercial film projects."

I remained silent, patiently listening to Andrew.

"If we ask James Huang to be involved in the pre-production stage, we have to pay him a $500,000 development service fee. The main filming labor costs from formal preparation to the end of shooting amount to $2 million. Post-production costs are $500,000," Andrew listed one by one.

I frowned slightly. Independent films aren't as meticulous, which is why things seem a bit chaotic. Commercial production projects have generally fixed operational models, with higher budget allocations and diverse directorial fees.

As long as there's box office support, commercial directors demand much higher fees compared to art-house directors.

For example, in the early planning and pre-production stages, the indie film circle assumes this falls within the director's job description, and the director's involvement from the start doesn't usually merit extra compensation from the production side.

But successful commercial directors operate differently. Their agents carve out separate fees for the development and post-production stages.

Edward seemed straightforward but tactful.

Andrew continued, "Edward also requests power in post-production, not final editing rights, but he wants James Huang to have the authority to decide on the film's length."

I didn't even consider it. "That's a direct veto. There's no room for negotiation."

In the hands of directors, films tend to be longer, allowing clearer expression of their intentions. Without limitations in this aspect, most directors could go overboard. Just think about Peter Jackson in a past life – how long was the director's cut of 'Return of the King'? Even then, the New Zealand fatty wasn't satisfied with the length and content integrity.

"And there's backend points," Andrew continued. "Edward requests a 15% share of total profits."

This isn't particularly unreasonable. I could roughly guess that Edward also knew demanding upfront box office points for someone like James Huang would be absurd.

After a brief thought, I said, "Profit sharing is acceptable, but it must be capped at 5%. Base pay... let's try to keep it low, preferably not exceeding $2 million. These conditions come with a premise – James Huang must sign two directorial contracts with Sand Ocean Entertainment at least, one for the sequel to 'Human Purge' and the other for 'Final Destination 2', with the fee and profit sharing for the latter being negotiable."

Even though James Huang's fame is closely tied to me, 'Human Purge' sequel and 'Final Destination 2' won't bring him artistic achievements or prestigious film projects.

In this situation, a famous director wouldn't easily forego personal gain.

Hiring well-known and successful directors inevitably means high fees.

I added, "You continue negotiating with Edward. I'll release news inviting several other directors as candidates and apply appropriate pressure. Negotiate their accommodations, as long as they're not too excessive."

"Got it." Andrew understood where the bottom line was. "I understand."

After Andrew left, I initially thought of calling Edward but decided against it.

Let Andrew handle negotiations during this period.

As the decision-maker, I needed to show an attitude that the director's position wasn't exclusive to James Huang.

And that's the reality.

I wanted to continue working with James Huang, considering the risk avoidance aspect.

After handling the current tasks briefly, I called Paul Green Glass. He wasn't in Los Angeles but had returned to England.

...

Surrey, England. Paul Green Glass received my call while working on his lawn.

"Why did you stop?" Margaret, Paul Green Glass's wife, shouted loudly from the doorstep of their house. "Continue, we have to finish today!"

Ignoring his wife's loud shout, Paul Green Glass pulled out his phone, silenced the lawnmower, and answered the call. Hearing the familiar American English on the other end, he completely stopped the lawnmower.

Margaret felt a bit strange. Why wasn't her shout effective anymore? She walked over, intending to scold the guy who seemed to want to change everything. However, she saw her husband, who had been downcast since returning from the United States, suddenly come alive.

His previously gloomy face instantly became ruddy, and the drooping corners of his mouth perked up. The lifeless eyes now sparkled.

As if a lifeless corpse suddenly gained a soul!

But Margaret had a somewhat uneasy feeling. Did this jerk, after returning from the United States, find someone else?

Otherwise, why would he return so dejected, still glued to his phone all day, as if afraid of missing a call...

"All right! No problem! I'll head to Los Angeles right away!" Paul Green Glass's voice suddenly became loud. "Mr. Anderson, I have no issues on my end. I'll accept any action film that fits my style!"

Margaret breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that it was work-related.

Paul Green Glass put away his phone without minding the lawnmower, turned to his wife, and shouted, "Quickly pack my bags, I'm going to book a flight now! I'll be back in half an hour, then I'll go to London and fly directly to Los Angeles!"

Margaret, unused to Paul Green Glass's loud voice, stood there motionless.

Paul Green Glass raised his voice again, "Hurry up! What are you staring at! This concerns my future!"

Though somewhat dissatisfied with Paul Green Glass, Margaret, upon hearing that it concerned his future, suppressed all her discontent and hurried back home to fetch Paul Green Glass's suitcase and pack his bags.

In less than twenty minutes, Paul Green Glass rushed back, grabbed his suitcase without a word, and left. Margaret hurriedly escorted him to the door, seeing him already calling for a taxi.

All her dissatisfaction couldn't stand up against her worries. Just before Paul Green Glass got into the taxi, Margaret loudly reminded him, "Don't rush, be careful on the road!"

Paul Green Glass waved his hand and got into the car, driving away.

Arriving at London Heathrow Airport, Paul Green Glass got his boarding pass, entered the waiting hall, and his restless mood finally calmed down a bit.

He took a few sips of bottled water and chuckled silently. He was almost fifty years old, yet he was acting like an inexperienced kid.

But when he thought of the action film Mr. Anderson mentioned, he couldn't help but feel anxious again.

Paul Green Glass was well aware that his stylistic plans of many years could only be realized in Hollywood. Even if it was a top-notch British film company, without support from Hollywood, it wouldn't be possible to make high-budget action films.

Only someone who has failed once knows how important opportunities are.

Paul Greengrass thought of Ronan Anderson again. Could he find a producer like Ronan Anderson in other Hollywood companies, who not only recognized his style but also supported him vigorously?

It's hard to say no. However, it's too difficult.

Only Ronan Anderson, with his youth and vigor, would dare to give directors authority among those older producers.

After much thought, Paul Greengrass felt that this was the best opportunity. For him, proving himself again from where he fell was the best way.

Finally, he boarded the plane and arrived in Los Angeles smoothly.

Paul Greengrass didn't notify anyone, not even his agent Dean. He went straight to Burbank, to the office of Sand Sea Entertainment, and met the young producer and the boss of the film company he had been missing all the way.

"Mr. Anderson." Paul Greengrass looked a bit nervous as he glanced at Ronan.

"So soon?" Ronan pressed the concealed button on the edge of the desk first, prepared outside, then looked at Paul Greengrass's face full of fatigue from the journey and said, "You should rest first..."

Paul Greengrass was in a hurry, "I'm not tired. Let's talk about work first."

Ronan was in no rush. He took out the original novel of "The Bourne Identity" and the first third of the script, handing them to Paul Greengrass, saying, "Let's talk tomorrow. You go back and take a look at the original and the adapted script. If you find it suitable, we'll talk again."

Seeing Ronan's not-so-enthusiastic attitude, Paul Greengrass couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. Maybe he wasn't the only candidate?

Sure enough, before leaving the company, someone hurried over and was escorted to Ronan's office by the front desk.

"Director Greengrass." Suddenly someone called out to Paul Greengrass. It was George Clint, who had worked with him before. "Why did you come today?"

Paul Greengrass smiled and said, "Mr. Anderson has something to discuss with me."

George Clint chatted with him for a while. Paul Greengrass's eyes occasionally glanced at Ronan's office. After a while, the person who went in before came out, also holding a copy of "The Bourne Identity"!

That was a competitor.

When that person left, Paul Greengrass also timely bid farewell. After leaving the company, he found a place to read the script. The more he read, the more spirited he became.

This was also a spy-themed story, but much better than the previous one, and completely suitable for his style.