America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM

Chapter 348 346. Who can carry the banner of the DC universe?

Hilton Hotel, entertainment media from all over the United States gathered here.

A press conference will be held here today, which is also the first press conference after Eric acquired Warner.

Last time I had a party, I talked to Paris Hilton about this.

But this girl looked resentful for some reason and made a weird request.

She can convince her family not to charge any fees, whether it is venue fees or event planning fees, not a penny.

The only condition is that Eric accompanies her once, not all night, just once.

But after thinking about it, Eric felt that he was at a disadvantage, so he still rejected her righteously.

Do I need this little money? Don't look down on me!

What's more, milk is so expensive. Since he became the richest man in the world, the price of his milk has soared on the black market. I heard that the price has been raised to 100,000 US dollars.

Don't complain about it. There is no market for it. Countless people want to make an appointment for one milliliter but have no chance.

The most precious animals in the world are not as precious as him.

Click!

Click!

The camera shutters rose and fell quickly, and the flashes kept flashing.

In the expectation of the media reporters, Eric walked out from the backstage with a group of people.

Judy, Avi Arad, Kevin Feige, the Russo brothers, Ervin Schwimmer, James Wan, Zack Snyder and others followed him to the stage.

After everyone sat down, the host looked at Eric, nodded and said after getting permission.

"Dear friends from the media, welcome to this joint press conference."

"The theme of today's press conference is to explain Warner's future development strategy and the layout of Marvel and DC."

"First, please let Mr. Eric Cooper, Chairman of MGM Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Marvel Pictures Group, speak."

The following shots instantly focused on Eric's face, and the photographers adjusted the focus to ensure that they could take a clear close-up shot.

Even though this behavior has been done many times, everyone still feels: handsome, he is so handsome!

Eric turned on the microphone: "Today is the 18th day since I became the chairman of the board of directors of Warner Bros. This press conference seems a little late."

"Because I have been adjusting all aspects of the company during this period, it takes a process."

The reporters nodded secretly, because during this period, many former Warner executives such as Bob Mayer were swept out.

After Eric Cooper took office, he launched a high-level purge, which is indeed in line with his personality.

At the same time, some movies also announced that they would stop shooting or give up, and even the projects that had already started were stopped halfway, such as the big production of "Poseidon".

The estimated cost is 160 million US dollars, and tens of millions have been invested. Just give up if you say give up.

Actors, directors, and producers want an explanation?

My order is to explain. If you dare to force it, I will ban you. Now even if the union comes, it will not work, not to mention that the money has not been given to you.

Anyway, everything is just like the situation when he took over MGM.

"Now I would like to introduce to you the new CEO of Warner Bros., Ms. Judy Castlero Infitewald Newhouse!"

Papapapa.

Amid the applause, Judy nodded to the camera.

"Erwin Hume, the former head of DC Film and Television, is still in charge of the overall business of DC Film and Television."

"James Wan, you are very familiar with him. He is good at layout guidance and is a very outstanding talent. He will be the specific person in charge of DC Comics Film and Television in the future."

"Zack Snyder, he is a very thoughtful and creative director. He will serve as the creative director of DC Film and Television to assist James."

"Everyone knows the person on my right. Avi Arad will continue to be responsible for the overall business of Marvel Film and Television Group."

"Then there is Kevin Feige, who is the producer of "Iron Man" and "Captain America". He will be specifically responsible for the Marvel Film and Television map in the future."

"And the Russo brothers, young directors who are also good at innovation, will serve as Marvel Creative Director to assist Kevin's work."

"Felicity Marr."

"Quinn Lorraine."

Every time Eric read a name, someone on the podium stood up and gestured to the camera.

Insiders already knew this information, but the reporters were very surprised.

Because whether it was Judy, James Wan, or the Russo brothers, half of the senior executives looked very young, and almost all of them were only around 30 years old.

Some people even knew Judy Newhouse, Eric's college classmate, who was about the same age as Eric.

25 years old, for the CEO of a large group, seems too childish.

And whether it was Avi Arad or Erwin Hume, although Eric said that they were responsible for the overall business of Marvel and DC.

But they gave people the feeling of two mascots.

The real power was controlled by Kevin Feige, the Russo brothers, James Wan, and Zack Snyder.

It was a bit like the feeling of Charlie Cooper and Eric Cooper.

Is it really possible to let such a group of young people take the stage?

Eric naturally considered the issues that the reporters considered a long time ago.

Especially the general manager of DC, he considered it for the longest time.

A party was held more than half a month ago, and Nolan was specially invited. One of the purposes was to hope that he could take up this position.

But Nolan refused without a second thought, saying that he just wanted to create and make movies with peace of mind.

Once he got involved in the management, there would be too many trivial matters and he would no longer be able to concentrate.

The most feared thing is that both the movie and the management are not done well, and then it will not be as simple as a few scoldings.

However, although he refused the invitation to be the person in charge, he said that he would seriously consider Heath Ledger recommended by Eric.

If the other party is really amazing enough, he will give priority to him.

After hitting a wall with Nolan, Eric turned his attention to the second target James Wan.

James Wan is famous for his strong ability. Not only is he strong, but he is also very responsible. He is the kind of person who will do his best to do the best as long as he takes the job.

At the same time, he is particularly able to withstand pressure, is good at playing against the wind, and will never waste in the wind. He also has a certain level in planning and layout.

Just look at what major things he did in the original time and space.

The horror movie universes that have been formed, such as "The Conjuring", "Annabelle", "Insidious" and "The Witch", have proved his layout ability.

When filming "Fast and Furious", the male lead Paul Walker suddenly died.

The crew urgently formulated a plan, temporarily changed the script, found Paul Walker's brother, and added special effects to complete the movie. The final breakup scene has become a classic.

You must know that Hollywood is not Hong Kong. A movie takes a long time, and the major changes in the script are very torturous.

This situation would be a failure in the hands of ordinary directors, but James Wan withstood it and sold well at the box office.

If "Fast and Furious 7" proved his ability to withstand pressure, then "Aquaman 2" completely carried forward his style of being good at playing against the wind.

The first one was very successful, and the filming of the sequel was very smooth.

Even during the mask crisis, the progress of the movie was not weak, and the basic main body was completed in 2021.

But then an accident happened, and the century battle between Depp and Amber kicked off.

Teacup dogs, poop, broken fingers, funny court trials...

Amber's image completely collapsed, and millions of people boycotted her and demanded that she be kicked out of the crew.

But Amber was the heroine, and finally James Wan made a series of post-editing.

Amber's role was compressed and supplemented with other abandoned shots, and the story was rounded off.

But then a bigger difficulty than Amber appeared. Warner executives had accumulated their strength and were ready to abuse the director.

They were not satisfied with the finished film and hoped to add more connections with other movies, such as The Flash, so the film was reshot for the first time.

But unexpectedly, after James Wan finished the reshoot, Warner merged with the Discovery Channel and the top management changed.

After watching the finished film, the new executives thought it was a piece of shit and reshot it again.

So James Wan could only modify the script according to the opinions and started the second round of reshoots.

When James Wan finished shooting again, Warner executives ushered in changes again, and James Gunn took over.

He was very dissatisfied with the layout of DCEU and wanted to open his own universe, so he gave his opinion and asked for the third reshoot of "Aquaman 2".

James Wan could only revise the script again and again, and then reassemble the actors.

But the actors can't just come when you say so, they all have their own things to do, and the process is a complete mess.

James Wan was hospitalized during the period, and it was rumored that he was furious.

But how did Xiao Wen respond in the interview?

He smiled and said, it doesn't matter, I understand, my mission is to serve the client.

From beginning to end, he never said a bad word about Warner, and he never made Wen popular. His patience and stress resistance were full, which can be called a gentleman like jade.

It was only when he was asked by the reporter of "Entertainment Weekly" at the end: "Do you still want to shoot "Aquaman 3"? "

He finally said tactfully: "I just want to give myself a long vacation and find a place without sea water."

Such a movie that has gone through hardships, has a bad fate, and is full of negative news.

All the institutions predicted that it would definitely fail, but what was unexpected was that the score exceeded 6 points and it sold more than 400 million US dollars worldwide.

Not only did it pass the word of mouth, but Warner did not lose money and even made a small profit.

And people who have experienced the internal first version of the movie said that the effect of James Wan's initial version was much better than the broadcast version.

After understanding these, let me ask you again, is James Wan a god?

As for Zack Snyder, his style is very good, and Eric appreciates it.

However, the shortcomings are also obvious. The commercial elements are not well integrated, and the word of mouth is often good but the box office is not good.

So it is absolutely impossible for him to control the overall situation alone. He can only play a supporting role, not a main player.

But let James Wan and Zack Snyder cooperate, and Eric finally make the final decision, I believe the effect will be very good.

As for the existence of Avi Arad and Erwin Hume, it is indeed as the media speculated.

If the young people can't control the situation in the early stage, they need to come forward to coordinate.

After a year or so, after proving themselves, they can let the two step down.

"Next, please let Ms. Judy Newhouse introduce Warner's future development model."

As the host spoke, Judy's eyes swept across the audience sharply. In the United States, it is not popular to hide one's shortcomings, and it is better to be more domineering.

"I know some friends don't know me, so let me introduce myself formally now."

"I used to work at MGM Films, mainly responsible for the two areas of marketing and production."

"I discovered and participated in the production of movies such as Blue Is Blue, Million Dollar Baby, Mean Girls, The Passion of the Christ, and Drive."

As soon as this was said, there was a burst of exclamations at the scene.

All of them were hit movies, and none of them lost money.

At this time, some people realized that MGM was not just Eric Cooper, but his personal halo was too dazzling to ignore others.

"In addition, I was also responsible for leading the acquisition of Lucasfilm."

The exclamation was louder than before. A $3 billion business is not something that ordinary people can do. This young girl is not simple.

After receiving satisfactory results, Judy's voice became louder: "Although this new job is more difficult, I think I can do it."

"I will apply my experience to it, make the company's operations smoother and more powerful, and produce more high-quality film and television dramas to feedback to fans."

"Among them, "Harry Potter" will still be the company's key project, and the "Matrix" series will be further developed."

"At the same time, we will further cooperate with New Line Company to jointly develop the "Lord of the Rings" series of movies."

"Cooperate with Lucasfilm to shoot sequels and spin-offs of "Indiana Jones" and "Star Wars."

"There are also classic IPs such as "Tom and Jerry", and we will also insist on exploring original movies."

"Then there is the DC movie universe, which will be the focus of the next ten years. James can talk about it."

Wan Ziren took over the conversation: "I am honored to be able to get this position. . "

"We have discussed the layout of the DC movie universe many times, and even Kevin Feige, the Russo brothers and I have studied it. "

"The model will be similar to Marvel, focusing on the hero's personal movie first, and linking other heroes in the plot. "

"When the time is right, it may lead to a big event. "

"But don't worry about being the same, because the styles of DC and Marvel are different, and they will definitely give the audience a different viewing experience. "

"The personal movies that have been finalized are "Superman", and "Batman" is directed by Nolan, as everyone knows. "

"Then there are "Wonder Woman", "Green Lantern", "Aquaman", "The Flash" and "Constantine". "

"This will be a great story. Zack and I will do our best to do it well. Within three years, everyone will be able to see many superheroes on the big screen. "

After speaking, James Wan looked at Zack Snyder and motioned him to say a few words.

But before Zack Snyder spoke, many reporters raised their hands.

Some people simply asked directly: "James, why is there no Martian Manhunter or Cyborg?"

"Why is there one less person in the Justice League?"

"You have been researching for so long, have you chosen the actors?"

"Who is Superman? Who is Wonder Woman?"