Chapter 170： Original character

? This cocktail party in the German film circle really attracts Ronan, which is what Tony Koch said. Now that people are drawn to a reception room of the hotel, there is no need to attend the cocktail party again.

"Do you really want to cooperate with them?" Puyaka-Chopra's voice was low.

She was a little excited. Although she didn't know what "Resident Evil" was or knew two people, she always thought Ronan was interested in this project for her future.

Ronan knew that Payaka-Chopra would be wrong, so he didn't explain at all. He patted her hand gently and reminded: "Watch more and talk less."

In this kind of business situation, it is natural that Payaka Chopra has no turn to speak.

Payaka Chopra nodded and sat down beside Ronan without saying a word.

Ronan asked Paul Anderson and Samuel Hadida: "Do you have a script and project plan?"

The two people know very well that Shahai Entertainment is a better choice than Constantine Pictures. The strength of this Hollywood company is proved by the two successful films "Human Removal Project" and "Death Is Coming".

In contrast, Konstantin Pictures, which is limited to Germany, is far behind.

Shahai Entertainment is indeed not as long as Constantine Pictures, and there may even be a gap in company size, but the option of Hollywood movies and German movies has too much influence on the future of the film.

Samuel Hadida said: "Since 1997, I have been preparing the script. This year Paul joined the project. He called in the staff to revise the script, but the script and plan were not brought with him today."

Ronan could understand, after all, they came to the reception.

Tony Koch did not speak. Since "Blair the Witch" hit the box office, he knew that Ronan's eyesight was far short of watching the film.

Ronan thought for a while and said, "Tell me about your specific ideas."

At the very least, we must first understand the basic situation before making a decision.

Paul Anderson said at this time: "Our hotel is not far away, I will go back to get the script and plan."

All fools know that cooperating with Hollywood film companies is the first choice, and Shahai Entertainment is not a small company unknown to Hollywood. Such an opportunity cannot be missed.

"Alright." Samuel Hadida agreed.

Tony Koch said: "My car and driver are right below, let him see you off."

While talking, he took out his cell phone and started the call.

Paul Anderson left, and several people continued the topic.

Of course, cooperation must show sincerity. Samuel Hadida first talked about the basic situation of the project: "About mid-1997, during the production of "Avenging Warlord", I found that someone was playing computer games in my office. "Resident Evil", this game was quite popular at the time, I immediately realized its film potential. It is not bloody, nor too violent. I think if we can put it on the big screen, it is very likely to be successful, so I contacted Capcom and bought the film rights from them."

Ronan also appropriately expressed his intention to cooperate: "Actually, I also contacted Capcom, but the copyright was no longer in Capcom's hands."

Having said that, he always thought that Capcom had sold "Resident Evil" to Sony Columbia, and he did not go further.

Because of the later sequels of "Resident Evil" he can remember, the film started with Sony titles.

Obviously, he had a wrong memory. Sony Columbia should be the publisher, not the producer.

The producer of the previous life might be Constantine Pictures.

Ronan asked: "Does this game sell well?"

To be honest, he is relatively new to the game industry, the most familiar is Blizzard’s "World of Warcraft", but he also learned some background information and watched some CG videos, and never played it personally.

Samuel Hadida clearly understood the specific situation and said: "Now, the "Resident Evil" series of games consist of 1996's "Resident Evil", 1998's "Resident Evil 2" and "Resident Evil: Nemesis". Capcom will also release "Resident Evil Code: Veronica" this year. Up to now, this series of games has sold 1.6 million sets worldwide, with a total revenue of more than 100 million US dollars, and a series of character dolls and comic books. "

Ronan frowned slightly, not as expected: "There are only 1.6 million sets, and the audience for the game is not very large."

"It's already very big." Samuel Hadida saw that Ronan was a game layman: "This achievement is quite remarkable."

Ronan smiled and said, "I don't know much about the game industry." He pondered a little, and then said: "For the film industry, this can only be said to be a niche group."

The audience of movies is much larger than games, especially in this era.

Maybe there will be games for all in the future, but movies are already entertainment for all.

Ronan asked: "It's 2000. Are there 3 million people who have played this series of games?"

Samuel Hadida replied: "I haven't done statistics specifically, there should not be so many."

Ronan said bluntly: "That is to say that the game does not bring too much audience base for the movie. If you make a movie from the perspective of the audience of the game, it is likely to become a niche movie with a limited audience."

Hearing this, Samuel Hadida suddenly felt like meeting a confidant. In fact, he and Paul Anderson also thought the same way. Unexpectedly, the young filmmaker could keenly discover the most important of them. problem lies in.

With such insights, no wonder they succeeded one after another.

This is really not luck.

Samuel Hadida said: "Paul and I did not intend to copy the plot and setting of the game."

Ronan nodded: "This is a wise decision."

Although such a game-adapted movie will be reviled by **** game fans, proper adaptation can make the movie more friendly to passersby. The audience for the game is really limited and cannot attract non-game fans. The movie has only one way to go.

Several people discussed more related topics, and Paul Anderson hurried back.

He gave the script and plan to Ronan. Ronan put the script aside, opened the plan and read it, and asked, "The estimated production cost is so high?"

Samuel Hadida tells the truth: "It can be done for $20 million, but the visual effects may be compromised."

Ronan didn't care about this issue. The US$25 million in funding was within an affordable range, and Tony Koch alone had US$20 million in financing.

Since the project is still in the planning stage, the plan is very simple. Ronan read it roughly, opened the script and read it. When he saw the name Alice, he nodded slightly.

Ronan doesn't care who the protagonist of the game is. Having Alice means that the planning of the project is at least on the right path.

"Is this Alice an original character?" Ronan asked.

"Yes." The person who answered was Paul Anderson: "This character has nothing to do with the game, and belongs to an adapted character."

Ronan has always believed that creating a character that is not in the game and adapting the game drastically is precisely the important reason for the success of "Resident Evil". He asked: "Why do you want to create a character?"

Paul Anderson took a look at Samuel Hadida, and he replied: "Actually, I am also a fan of the game. I have played the entire game that has been produced. I hope the film reflects the respect for the game. Set it up and stay true to its promise, that is unpredictable panic."

He is serious: "So, I want to use a new set of characters. For example, we can't let Jill Valentine from the first game appear in the film, because fans know that she will not die in the end, so she will There is no suspense. The new characters will bring enough suspense to the audience about the unknowable fate. In fact, this is the same as the game. The new game always expands with new characters and scenes to create novelty and suspense."

Ronan nodded: "It makes sense, I agree with this idea."

Paul Anderson breathed a sigh of relief, most afraid of encountering a producer with completely opposite ideas, so the two sides have no basis for cooperation.

Samuel Hadida said: “Paul and I agree that the biggest problem facing this project is how to make movie viewers experience the horror of this interactive computer game. The movie cannot imitate every detail in the game, but The original sense of horror must be followed. Paul’s script incorporates game elements in a novel way to maximize the horror and suspense."

Paul Anderson added: "I think it's very important for game fans and audiences who have never heard of this game to be attracted by the film."

Ronan flipped through the script and said, "I agree with your point of view."

He browsed very fast, and the script in the first hundred pages was quickly completed. Alice, the Red Queen, Matt, the umbrella company team, the licker, etc., all appeared in the script.

The specific scenes may be different but the main plot is very close to the movie I have seen.

Even, the script also stated that Alice's name came from the book "Alice in Wonderland".

It is estimated that Paul Anderson likes this series very much.

Ronan closed the script, and Paul Anderson and Samuel Hadida both watched it with concern. They need to invest money to complete the movie.

"Fundamentally speaking, this is a horror thriller movie with a soft science fiction nature." Ronan will not regard "Resident Evil" as a game movie, which will naturally limit the film's future market width, even for horror thrillers. There is also a market than game movies. He said: "My company's three most successful films, "Human Removal Project", "Reaper is Coming" and "Blair Witch", are all horror and thriller types. We have a natural foundation for cooperation.

Paul Anderson and Samuel Hadida breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

Ronan said directly: "I want to cooperate with the two on this project."