Chapter 740： accidental

With a series of positive news, MGM's share price has risen from $10.5 before the summer file to $13.7 after the media conference. ¥f,

After the integration of the three companies, the new MGM's total share capital reached 365 million shares. When the stock price reached 13.7 US dollars, MGM's market value successfully exceeded 5 billion US dollars. Therefore, the next 70 million additional issuance plan will bring about 1 billion US dollars of cash to MGM. With this fund, MGM will also completely get rid of the debt shadow that has been entangled in the body and embark on a benign development. the way.

The stock issuance will be completed by the MGM executives in the next few months. After the press conference, Eric has given up some energy and started planning for the MGM movie universe.

Zhai Jiaowa and Dianzi Imposing are the special agent movies that have risen in the last two years. Although they are all adapted from the old TV series, they have not received much opposition from the movie universe. Instead, they have aroused the expectation in the fans. .

However, Eric let the 007 series join the plan, causing some controversy. The focus of most of the controversy is that this program may dilute the brand effect of the 007 series. The media also specially interviewed the actor who played the 007. The first 007 actor, Sean Connery, publicly expressed his opposition to the plan, claiming that MGM is in chaos.

Eric’s voice of these oppositions is just a smile.

So far, the original novels of the 007 series, except for a royal casino, have all been filmed before 1987.

Moreover, even those series of works before 1987, many of them have little to do with Ian Fleming's novels, just to prove their bloodlines. Almost every episode of the 007 series is accustomed to connecting with Ian Fleming, or Ian Fleming's pet name. Or the name of a holiday cottage in Ian Fleming, or a sentence in Ian Fleming's novel.

Some irony is. The only one in the 007 series got the world's over $10 box office. The title of this sequel was completely unrelated to Ian Fleming. Instead, the MGM writers team got their name.

In Eric's view, this kind of far-fetched attachment is almost completely unnecessary. The biggest advantage of the 007 series is actually the popularity it has produced on a global scale for decades. As for the box office appeal, the last 007 murder license in North America is only $34 million. The box office appeal of the 007 series is actually not that high. If you can't take a story well, even if the reputation is big, the audience will not buy it.

The idea that Eric produced the special movie universe was actually influenced by the original 1987 Daniel Craig version of the 007.

In the original time and space, the 007 series around the new century, the Royal Casino is undoubtedly a very good word of mouth and box office.

Although the 007 series likes to advertise its own lineage, most of the time, it is accustomed to creating a new story in each episode, and often discards the popularity accumulated by some previous characters. This has to be said to be a very regrettable waste.

The Daniel Craig version of 007 has gone a different way. In Eric's view, the appearance of this road is also very accidental.

After the Royal Casino was a great success. MGM couldn't wait to start the sequel production, but what's worse is that in the process of sequel production, just in time for the 2008 Hollywood screenwriter strike, there is no way to convene a big screenwriter to create a brand new story. Set, in desperation, the production team can only be pieced together on the basis of the Royal Casino. Created a plot followed by a sequel to the Royal Casino, the quantum crisis.

Have not seen the audience of the Royal Casino. I will not even understand the plot of this sequel. Therefore, it is conceivable that MGM had no expectations for this sequel. Surprisingly, this sequel, which has made many viewers feel a little confused, has created a global box office close to the $600 million that is comparable to the previous one.

Thus, from the beginning of the quantum crisis, MGM seems to have opened up. They no longer completely get rid of the story of the episode in each episode, and they no longer rack their brains to find a big villain for each episode of Bond, and no longer forcibly tell the story with Ian Fleming for the so-called bloodlines. Linked up, but to get rid of the various constraints of the past, to create a hidden story line through several sequels.

Under this change, the subsequent murder of the sky has created a peak in the history of 007, with a global box office of $1.1 billion. Although the Ghost Party later had a bad review, it also got a box office with a global value of nearly 900 million US dollars.

Inspired by the Daniel Craig 007 series, Eric planned to cut down some of the films that followed the death of Pierce Brosnan and the empire of tomorrow, and set aside the world to find a villain routine, with the organization of the Ghost Party. For the ultimate wave ss, Charlie's Angel and Ethan Hunt are all drawn into this big background story setting to create a complete agent movie universe.

At the beginning of this story, Eric set it up as the only novel by Ian Fleming that was not on the big screen, the Royal Casino. The golden eye that is being released will also become the film that 007 has contact with the last enemy of the Soviet Union.

Of course, while conceiving the main line of the story, MGM must also solve another problem, that is, a lawsuit that has entangled the 007 series for decades.

More than 30 years ago, the villain of the Ghost Party that appeared in Ian Fleming’s novels was actually based on the setting of another novelist, Kevin McGrawy’s novel, after a long lawsuit. The copyright of the Ghost Party was awarded to Kevin McGrawy.

To set the Ghost Party as the ultimate villain of the MGM movie universe, MGM must address this copyright issue.

Of course, perhaps in the past, MGM was not willing to pay millions of dollars in copyright fees. But at this time, the issue of money is not a big problem for the current MGM. Kevin McGrawley is still alive. The $2 million copyright fee issued by the other party is also completely acceptable to Eric, after all. The Ghost Party has appeared in the six films of the previous 007 series, although after the original judgment. MGM has not been used for many years, but the reputation of the Ghost Party is also worth the price.

Throughout August, Eric’s colleagues in the MGM movie universe took time to travel to San Francisco’s Silicon Valley.

After preparation, the Firefly Electronics Company, which is responsible for the development of 3 players and e-readers, was formally established. At the same time, Firefly Electronics also signed a secret agreement with the hard disk manufacturer Seagate to commission the development of micro hard disk.

Because the company does not have a formal product, Firefly Electronics has only established an electronic product R&D center in Silicon Valley. Simultaneously. Yahoo's equity incentive program was fully implemented. In addition to Jeff Rock and other retired executives, Yahoo's management remained basically intact. At the same time that p3 and the E-paper R&D Center were established, Yahoo also launched a plan to build an online music store and an online e-book store.

The development of micro-hard drives will take at least a year. Eric’s biggest expectation for the R&D center in Silicon Valley is not that they take out the finished products as soon as possible, but instead take the opportunity to register a complete patent covering all the technologies of the 3 players in the US and overseas. copyright. The technical content of the p3 player is actually not high, but as long as most of the patents are obtained in advance, then no one wants to produce them in the future, and Eric can take advantage of this. Master the absolute initiative in the era of online music.

Returning to Los Angeles from San Francisco, there was news from the fireflies, and the Wachowskis completed their production of the directors who used them to practice.

Eric heard a call from Kasenberg on the plane. So after getting off at Santa Monica Airport, he rushed directly to the Prea Vista Firefly Studios, and went into the screening room with Kasenberg and the Wachowski brothers.

Amazingly, a pair of **** girls who want to get rid of their current life, designed to swindle $2 million from the Mafia boss and thus provoke the mafia infighting story.

If you strip off the cloak of **** and female film, this is actually a typical black list. Of course, it is also officially because of the female equivalent, which makes the film more interesting.

In the screening room, Eric watched the film. Satisfied with a nod, to the side of Kasenberg said: "According to the quality of this film. Let go of the new line to operate, perhaps only $5,000 million in production costs can be recovered at the box office. You will not always I doubt the strength of both of them."

After doing so many years of film, Kasenberger certainly did not lack vision, nodded and smiled: "Of course, I have already looked forward to both of them."

The two whispered a few words, the subtitles on the screen were finished, the indoor lights were on, and Eric got up and said to the Wachowski brothers who were stunned. "You are ready, I hope you can As soon as I rushed to Sydney with the crew, most of the preparations have already been completed. You only need to start shooting as soon as possible."

The Wachowski brothers stunned, and this was reflected. Andy Wachowski said: "Eric, let's say, we passed."

"Yeah," Eric nodded and said again: "However, I will pay attention to the production of the Matrix, so I hope that you will not let me down."

"Of course, definitely not," Andy Wachowski shook hands with excitement.

After chatting for a while, the Wachowski brothers left in a hurry. Kasenberg came to the office with Eric and talked about another thing: "Eric, according to the current scale of the digital field, even if it only supports The film production of Firefly and MGM has been a bit difficult, and we have orders from many other film companies. Stan also discussed with me yesterday, hoping to continue to expand the number of employees in the digital field."

After MGM is on the right track, the two companies will produce no less than 5 special effects movies per year. According to each special film team of 500 people, it will need 2,500 people. At the same time, the application of g special effects is more and more extensive. Even if it is not a movie with special effects, special effects companies need to deal with many lenses. Therefore, these years can be said to be the golden age of special effects companies. As long as you have enough technology, there will be no shortage of projects at all, and like the industry in the digital field, the life is even more moist.

However, Eric knows that the good days of special effects companies will be a few years left. When the new century comes, with the further development of computer technology and other software giants joining the ranks of special effects software development, special effects companies will soon From the aristocratic industry to the civilian class, at this time with a high-paying special effects division, will also be reduced to technical migrant workers.

Eric has plans to roll out the digital realm in the next few years at the peak of special effects movies. At this time, considering the future, he is unlikely to continue to expand investment in the digital field.

Thinking of the hacking empire that will be filmed in Australia, Eric said: "If you continue to expand in the United States, if possible, we would like to create a branch overseas. The special effects company will not consume a lot of social resources, but it can create very The huge tax, I think Canada, Australia or New Zealand will be very welcome, we can set up branches in these countries and ask them for tax benefits."

"This is a good idea," Kasenberger nodded. "That, you think it is more appropriate to set up a branch in which country."

Eric immediately thought of New Zealand, and Vita Digital, which had the same name in the past and digital fields, came from this country.

However, the Vita Studio has been established at this time. Peter Jackson was founded in the past few years to film his own film and several small partners. Although the scale is small, it is also well-organized. Although Eric will safely hand over the Lord of the Rings series to Peter Jackson, it will not foster a special effects company that has nothing to do with fireflies.

Considering a moment, Eric said: "On the two countries of Australia and New Zealand, the Matrix, The Lord of the Rings and other films will be filmed in these two countries, so you can save a lot of energy on the spot. Well, I will Fox communicated that after all, News Corp. is based in Australia, and we can get more discounts from the Australian capital through them."

Said, Eric looked at his watch, and it was more than two hours from work, so he said to Kasenberg: "In this case, I will go to Fox now and look at it. You must be busy first." Continued.