Chapter 513

In Burbank, at Capet Theater, the media screening of The Incredible Hulk was taking place. With the Marvel series of movies grossing more and more at the box office, the importance of Marvel Studios had also increased significantly.

Returning from spending the weekend at Big Bear Lake, Charles Capet started his work. In his office, Donna Langley and Michael Lynn were reporting to Charles.

"Can we speed up negotiations on that General Electric deal?" Charles asked. The earlier NBC Universal was merged, the sooner they could integrate resources.

Michael Lynn shook his head, "Charles, it's a nearly $40 billion acquisition. Every detail in the negotiations is worth billions of dollars; we can't be careless!"

Donna Langley smiled and added, "Don't worry, it's progressing. Right now, Capet's productions are unbeatable in Hollywood. Plus, Universal Studios Resort Group is eager to introduce our Marvel series and Transformers series to add new entertainment elements!"

Charles nodded. It made sense. He then asked, "What's your opinion on MGM?"

"MGM?" Donna Langley was stunned. "Charles, don't tell me you're interested in MGM again?"

"A bit," Charles admitted.

"But we're currently merging NBC Universal, we might not have the energy to also get involved with MGM," Donna Langley reminded him.

Charles laughed, "Don't worry, it's just an idea. After all, MGM's film library is quite tempting!"

"MGM is okay, but their internal management is chaotic, and their debt is too high. It's hard to acquire control of MGM cheaply," Donna Langley said, shaking her head.

"Last time, Sony pulled in Comcast, Verizon, and TPG Capital from Wall Street, causing significant losses for these investment firms. Now, Wall Street is very cautious about opportunistic speculations in Hollywood."

What Donna Langley meant was clear: Sony's previous attempt to pull in Wall Street to hold MGM caused significant losses for those Wall Street firms. Now, Wall Street was wary.

Trying to fool Wall Street again would not be so easy. Even for companies interested in Hollywood film companies, like Comcast, they preferred managing their own Hollywood company.

Comcast didn't want to join forces with Capet to acquire NBC Universal because Capet insisted on having the management rights over Universal. Comcast wasn't interested in just being an investor. 

"Alright, we'll focus on NBC Universal," Charles didn't press further since Donna Langley clearly didn't support getting involved with MGM at the moment.

Donna Langley and Michael Lynn then left Charles' office.

"Michael, why didn't you share your opinion on MGM earlier?" Donna Langley asked, as Michael Lynn held the position of Chief Operating Officer at Capet Pictures.

Michael Lynn smiled, "Because I'm not sure if MGM is worth acquiring. If I were still at New Line Cinema, I would definitely oppose acquiring MGM. But now, Capet makes me feel differently. Capet's projects are too impressive, and Charles' vision for movies is scary precise. MGM's high debt would be a burden for anyone, but their vast film library is a quality resource. Maybe, those resources would have unexpected results in Capet's hands!"

Donna Langley frowned, "But we have to prioritize NBC Universal. Diverting our energy to MGM would affect our integration of NBC Universal."

Michael Lynn nodded in agreement, "I agree. My thought is that once we finish integrating NBC Universal, if we still have the energy, we could evaluate MGM based on Charles' idea."

Donna Langley sighed, "That would at least be next year."

After Donna Langley and Michael Lynn left, Charles called in Phyllis Jones.

"The male lead for The Hunt will be Adrian Brody, who once won an Oscar for Best Actor!"

"Adrian Brody, the lead in Roman Polanski's The Pianist and Peter Jackson's King Kong, right?" Charles, of course, remembered him.

Phyllis Jones nodded and began, "Adrian Brody just released a thriller horror drama called The Experiment this year. He liked the script of The Hunt, finding it very challenging."

The Hunt was a low-budget art film, small investment but requiring high acting skills.

Adrian Brody's performance in The Pianist won him the Oscar for Best Actor; he's quite a good actor!

"Also, Michael Jackson is very interested in The Hunt and is willing to help with promotions," Phyllis Jones reminded.

"Of course, he's interested; the story resonates with his experiences," Charles said, putting down his pen.

"Start filming as soon as possible. Our commercial films are doing well, but there are criticisms that we don't value art films. These folks must have memory issues! Who won the Best Picture at the Oscars earlier this year? Capet had two films nominated for Best Picture!"

The Reader and Slumdog Millionaire were nominated for Best Picture, with Slumdog Millionaire winning. Yet, the papers claimed Capet didn't value art films?

"Ugh," Phyllis Jones chuckled, "It must be the high box office of Transformers 2 and Iron Man 2 making them jealous!"

"Yeah, like I don't know the reason? It's just that the reviews for Transformers 2 and Iron Man 2 dropped a bit, while their box office soared. The media loves to nitpick," Charles dismissed it.

"The Blind Side received high praise and box office success; these folks just chose to ignore it!"

Capet's own promotional power wasn't strong enough yet. Once they merged with NBC Universal and gained NBC News and CNBC, things would change.

"Boss, do you want to check out The Incredible Hulk's screening?" Phyllis Jones asked.

Charles shook his head, "Leave it to Kevin Feige and the creative team."

*****

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