Chapter 447: Seven or Six Major Studios

"Emily, when did you get to Los Angeles?" In a small meeting room at the Roosevelt Hotel, Charles held Emily Blunt and looked out at Hollywood Boulevard below.

"I just got here two days ago, my lord. After finishing the shooting of Sherlock Holmes, we started filming The Wolfman. Recently, we've had to reshoot some scenes for Universal's The Wolfman to match the movie's special effects," Emily Blunt said, kissing Charles on the cheek.

"Oh, my lord?" Charles chuckled. Was Emily Blunt still hooked on their British royalty role-playing from last time?

"Nothing much, just missed you a lot," Charles said as he kissed her neck while holding her.

"Really, you miss me? You have plenty of women around you," Emily Blunt teasingly stroked Charles.

"Hey, I'm just busy with work. With the global financial crisis, I have to be responsible for the livelihood of thousands of employees," Charles smiled, then looked out at the Hollywood nightscape. The shining Hollywood sign on the hill was as prominent as ever.

Emily Blunt hugged Charles's waist and reminded him, "Your Arsenal club is doing really well; you should go check it out!"

"In the winter transfer window in January, I will go to London," Charles replied, also planning to form a soccer team, Miami FC, in Miami, with Arsenal's assistance.

Emily Blunt nodded, "I'll find you in a couple of days; I have some work to handle."

"Of course. Let's go back to the banquet hall; this is also a chance to expand your connections!" Charles said, preparing to lead Emily Blunt back to the reception.

...

At this moment, in the banquet hall, Donna Langley was talking to Ronald Meyer about the ongoing situation at Universal.

"Capet's new membership brings Hollywood back to the seven major studios model!" Ronald Meyer noted, seeing Donna Langley's impressive position. Originally considered the next president of Universal, she had chosen Capet instead.

Listening to Ronald Meyer, Donna Langley hinted, "Maybe soon, Hollywood will be back to six major studios again!"

Ronald Meyer understood what Donna Langley implied. General Electric was preparing to sell NBC Universal Entertainment, and Capet was definitely a contender. Unless any of the other six Hollywood media groups stepped in to buy it, Hollywood would once again have six major studios.

Ronald Meyer smiled, "Maybe we will be colleagues again soon."

After chatting briefly, Donna Langley ran into her old friend Adam Ferguson.

"Adam, Universal seems to have quite a few new movie projects. There's the Iraq War film Green Zone with Matt Damon, a $100 million blockbuster; the medieval European epic Robin Hood featuring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett with a $200 million budget. Ambitious!"

Donna Langley and Adam Ferguson, having worked together for many years, spoke candidly.

Adam Ferguson smiled, "I'm quite excited about the big-budget, special effects-laden remake of The Wolfman; Capet's Sherlock Holmes also has a Victorian flair and is set for next fall!"

Donna Langley smiled and shook her head, "Sherlock Holmes's release has been delayed to the first quarter of the year after next."

Capet postponed the release of Sherlock Holmes due to tight timelines, and they had a packed movie schedule for the following year. Unlike Universal's The Wolfman, which began preparation in 2007 and initially set for release this year but was delayed due to various reasons like the writer's strike, Universal had pushed it to February next year. Now, because of more reshoots, Donna Langley doubted it would meet the November deadline.

Adam Ferguson quickly thought of Capet's next year's projects: sequels like Iron Man 2, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and The Twilight Saga: New Moon, not to mention Marvel's new The Incredible Hulk.

"Wow," Adam Ferguson let out a sigh. "Capet's films are no joke!"

In 2007, Capet Pictures grossed over $1 billion in the North American market, and this year was set to be over 1.5 billion dollars. Meanwhile, Universal was struggling to reach $800 million. Looking at just these films, Capet was poised to hit another 1.5 billion at the box office next year.

"Donna, Capet is leaving other studios in the dust. Maybe Warner Bros. is the only one that can compete," Adam Ferguson mused. Universal and Capet seemed to be pulling further apart each year.

Donna Langley chuckled and glanced at Nicolas Cage nearby, "Capet stopped adapting Dan Brown's novels; does Universal have any plans?"

Adam Ferguson shook his head, "We'll decide after seeing the performance of Angels & Demons."

Disney adapted C.S. Lewis's two Narnia books, The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, and then announced they would halt further adaptations, similar to Capet's approach.

...

Elsewhere, Charles talked to Nicolas Cage about National Treasure 3, since last Christmas's National Treasure: Book of Secrets had grossed 450 million dollars worldwide. Disney already announced plans for the third film.

"Jerry Bruckheimer is busy, and the script for the third one isn't easy to write. I'm still waiting for updates from Disney!" Despite recent bankruptcy woes, Cage was confident about Angels & Demons, especially since The Da Vinci Code had netted him at least $45 million.

"I agree. The first two National Treasure films had tight plots. The third definitely needs more historical depth, making it hard to write," Charles agreed. Original scripts are challenging.

"Alright, looking forward to your performance," Charles said as he hugged Nicolas Cage and prepared to leave the hotel.

"See you, Charles!"

*****

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