Chapter 91: The Transfer of Rights

At the Warner Bros. studio, inside the rented office of the "Final Destination" crew, Michael Davenport received a thick set of documents from George Clinton, who had just entered the room.

Michael took one look at the thickness of the file and smiled, "Just tell me directly."

George took a seat and began, "I recently contacted the original author of 'The Bourne Identity,' Robert Ludlum, and his publisher. The film rights were sold back in 1986."

Michael nodded lightly, which aligned with what he had already learned.

Since the 1970s, starting with "The Scarlatti Inheritance," Robert Ludlum had become synonymous with thrilling spy novels, earning the title of the father of modern international thrillers in North America. He excelled in depicting the turbulent international political forces, the daring intelligence agents, and the ingenious spy operations, with rigorous research backing his narratives.

"The Bourne Identity" had caused a sensation in the book market, staying on the New York Times bestseller list for several weeks.

Such a novel would naturally catch Hollywood's eye early on.

George continued, "In 1988, Warner Bros. Television and Alan Sharpe Productions teamed up to produce a TV series version of 'The Bourne Identity.' Due to its lukewarm reception, plans for 'The Bourne Supremacy' were shelved."

"Warner Bros. Television?" Michael frowned.

If Warner Bros. held the rights, it would be challenging, as major studios typically don't sell off their rights easily. Extracting it from them would require substantial funds.

But then, he remembered that Universal Pictures was the producer and distributor for the series.

"It's not with Warner Bros. Television," George said, unaware of Michael's train of thought. "Alan Sharpe Productions acquired a twenty-year option on the film rights for 'The Bourne Identity' in 1986. Following the TV series' failure, the novel was shelved in their library, and they've held onto the transfer rights."

Michael knew Robert Ludlum had written a trilogy and asked, "What about 'The Bourne Supremacy' and 'The Bourne Ultimatum'?"

George responded, "Those books were published in 1986 and 1988, respectively. The rights are still with Robert Ludlum. He's currently very ill and can barely speak. I couldn't meet him in person, and he isn't discussing rights at the moment. I talked to his lawyer, but they haven't been authorized to negotiate."

Michael made a quick decision, "Let's focus on 'The Bourne Identity' for now. Once we secure the rights to this one, we'll pursue the other two."

He added, "Keep in touch with Ludlum's lawyer. If an opportunity arises, secure the rights to 'The Bourne Supremacy' and 'The Bourne Ultimatum' as quickly as possible."

"I'll have someone monitor Robert Ludlum's situation," George had anticipated this. "Are you planning to adapt it into a movie?"

Michael nodded, "An espionage action film. Once 'Final Destination' is released, I'll start working on this project."

George felt relieved, "That's good."

"Worried I was being too reckless?" Michael asked with a smile.

"Yes," George admitted. "We're simultaneously producing 'Final Destination' and 'Kingsman: The Secret Service,' and now we're allocating funds for the film we bought at Sundance. The company's resources are stretched to the limit. Increasing the pressure might cause problems."

Michael agreed, "I understand. This is preparation for the future."

Given Seashore Entertainment's size and capacity, it wasn't feasible to simultaneously launch another multi-million dollar project.

Funding alone would be an issue.

Despite the successful financing in Abu Dhabi and securing substantial funds from Germany, operating three projects concurrently would still strain finances.

Michael asked, "What's the situation with Alan Sharpe Productions? I haven't heard of them."

George replied, "Alan Sharpe owns the company. It was a mid-sized production company in the '80s, mainly producing TV shows and occasionally movies. However, after several failed projects in the late '80s, their business dwindled. Now, they mostly co-invest in other companies' TV productions and are smaller than us."

Michael quickly decided, "Contact Alan Sharpe as soon as possible. I want to discuss acquiring the rights with him."

George reminded him, "Buying rights from a production company will be more expensive."

Even with successful financing, operating three projects meant there would still be funding gaps.

Michael was aware of this and said, "Reach out to Alan Sharpe. I'll handle the rest."

Since arriving here, he has been studying related laws and project cases, uncovering not only the tax loopholes in Germany but also other opportunities.

After George left, Michael took out his notebook and wrote down Paul Greengrass and "The Bourne Identity."

He recalled that Paul Greengrass wasn't the director of the first "Bourne" film, though his style suited the series better.

If the rights were secured, he could continue working with Paul Greengrass.

And Matt Damon...

At this time, Matt Damon's asking price wasn't too high.

It's not an exaggeration to say that the "Bourne" series catapulted Matt Damon to A-list status.

Maybe he could cast Ben Affleck as a villain? The love-hate relationship between the two would be compelling.

Can a film be considered good without such drama?

With "Final Destination" and "Kingsman: The Secret Service" progressing smoothly and moving into the shooting phase, Michael began planning the next steps. Like "The Purge" and "Final Destination," movies that could be serialized were the priority.

Given the limited funds and company constraints, series films with relatively low investment and high returns were at the top of the list.

Michael jotted down some notes in his notebook. These were future plans, and there was no rush.

There's also the sequel to "The Purge."

No need to hurry on that. Once the funds were sufficient, he could outline a plan and hire a team of writers to develop it, which was a familiar script production method in Hollywood.

Before leaving work, Michael visited the post-production studio in the same building to check on Jessica Felton.

Since both "Final Destination" and "Kingsman: The Secret Service" crews were based at Warner Bros. studio, Michael rented the post-production room there for Jessica, the same one that almost turned into a dump last time.

Jessica didn't use Daniel Malick's footage; instead, she opted for a complete re-edit. Her work efficiency was high, with only the final scene left for the first cut.

Michael didn't stay long. Jessica's oily hair made him retreat quickly.

He'd return once the first cut was completed.

George acted swiftly, securing a meeting with Alan Sharpe a few days later. Michael made a memorable trip to Venice, another satellite city of Los Angeles, to discuss the rights transfer with him.

Before going, Michael had gathered relevant information to understand his negotiation opponent.