The Best Entertainment Era

Unlike most film foundations in Hollywood, which are commercial investments, George Lucas’s film foundation is more charitable and rarely invests in commercial films. Instead, it actively supports film education and will give some experimental film projects With financial support, to explore the possible future of the film industry.

Many of the funding objects of the George Lucas Film Foundation are mainly graduates of the USC Film School.

The event was held in Los Angeles, in the grand ballroom of a hotel near USC's film school.

On the day Ronan rushed back to Los Angeles, he showed up at the event on time. In fact, his personal foundation funded quite a few projects, such as the latest practice base of USC Film Academy.

Last year, Ronan's personal foundation donated 42 million US dollars to the USC Film Academy, and then established the USC Film Academy Practice Base, which was named Anderson Film and Television Production Center by the school.

Ronan is not the only one. Spielberg, who is the only alumni member of the University of Southern California Film Academy, has also donated nearly 40 million US dollars. Currently, a brand new building called the Spielberg Building is under construction at the Academy of Film.

Ronan also knows that George Lucas intends to donate more than 100 million US dollars to the USC Film Academy at one time to strengthen the software and hardware conditions of the academy's teaching.

This donation will not be realized until George Lucas sells Lucasfilm.

George Lucas is currently the focus of Hollywood. He has officially announced his retirement this year, that is, in 2009, and plans to sell Lucasfilm. Many companies are eyeing Lucasfilm.

After all, Relativity Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox are not the only ones who realize the value of Lucasfilm.

However, the severe economic situation, the temporary withdrawal of capital from Wall Street, and the inevitable shortage of money in Hollywood for a period of time have left most companies with more than enough energy.

Even if Warner Bros., the leading Hollywood company in the past ten years, faced Lucasfilm's asking price of more than three billion U.S. dollars, and did not accept the requirement of exchange, and had to trade in cash, they had to think twice.

In this special time period, once a problem occurs in a certain link of the capital chain, it may cause the entire capital chain to break.

Even so, in the banquet hall, the top executives of the six major Hollywood companies all showed up. If Lucasfilm can accept the three-year or five-year installment payment, wouldn't their chance come?

Ronan had a brief chat with Kevin Tsuhara of Warner Bros.

Seeing James Murdoch also entered the banquet hall, after thinking about it, he found George Lucas directly.

Hi, George. Ronan shook hands with George Lucas.

George Lucas said with a smile: I heard you went to England, I thought you wouldn't come.

Ronan shrugged slightly, and said, I just rushed back today. He glanced at the rest area in the banquet hall where there were few people: Let's talk alone.

The two had known each other for many years, and George Lucas had no intention of refusing, so he agreed and came to the resting place together.

Ronan didn't go around in circles, and asked directly: George, haven't you made a decision yet?

The acquisition negotiations have been going on for several months, and it has been difficult to actually reach an agreement.

When it comes to huge deals, George Lucas is a qualified businessman. Together with Lucasfilm's executives and shareholders, they have been taking advantage of the current attention of major companies to increase Lucasfilm's bargaining chips.

Someone who had been paying attention to Ronan and George Lucas walked over quickly and interjected, George, why don't you focus on 20th Century Fox?

Ronan had already seen James Murdoch, and James Murdoch nodded slightly to him with a smile, and said: Twentieth Century Fox has always been the closest partner of Lucasfilm. We have been working together since 1977. Up to now, with more than 30 years of cooperation history, no company knows Lucasfilm better than 20th Century Fox.

He emphasized his tone: There is no company that is more suitable for Lucasfilm than Twentieth Century Fox!

This is where 20th Century Fox's strength lies.

George Lucas didn't answer, and seemed to be thinking.

James Murdoch glanced at Ronan and said: Ronan, as far as I know, your Relativity Entertainment only cooperated with Lucasfilm in the production of special effects, and the cooperation time is only a few years. .”

Ronan smiled and said, Indeed, Relativity Entertainment is not as good as Twentieth Century Fox's profound heritage.

James Murdoch opened the chair, sat opposite Ronan, and said to George Lucas: You leave it to Hollywood, to the entire world film industry, the greatest wealth is the Star Wars series, twenty Century Fox still holds part of the rights to this series. George, you are retired, you can't let the Star Wars series completely split up?

George Lucas turned to James Murdoch: You have the same style as your father.

He didn't say the rest. James Murdoch is indeed Rupert Murdoch's favorite son, and his overbearing demeanor is exactly the same.

James Murdoch understood what George Lucas was saying, but 20th Century Fox was in a bad situation. George Lucas' personal opinion was biased towards relativity entertainment, and 20th Century Fox wanted to win it. To take the opportunity of Lucasfilm, something must be done.

He smiled and said, Don't get me wrong, George. I'm just stating an objective fact.

George Lucas said calmly, I understand.

Ronan said at this time: James, 20th Century Fox really has the sincerity to buy Lucasfilm?

James Murdoch first smiled at Ronan, then looked at George Lucas: That's right, as long as Lucasfilm is willing to sell, 20th Century Fox will buy.

Ronan asked slowly: Buy? Acquire? What method does 20th Century Fox plan to use? Equity exchange? Installment payment?

Twentieth Century Fox was short of funds. Due to the failure of successive large-scale production projects, bank loans and investors forced debts. It is not a secret in Hollywood at all, and news has spread out a long time ago.

Ronan and George Lucas have a pretty good personal relationship. These relationships, in transactions involving billions of dollars, at most allow George Lucas, a businessman, to Will prioritize relativity entertainment.

But this level of personal relationship and relatively close contacts allowed Ronan to accurately grasp the mentality of George Lucas selling Lucasfilm.

A group of shareholders of Lucasfilm, headed by George Lucas, who occupy an absolute advantage, are not interested in equity swaps and installment payments at all. What they want is a cash transaction.

Especially George Lucas himself, Ronan once revealed that he wanted to use the equity of Netflix Network as a redemption condition.

But George Lucas, who only cares about film and its related technology industries, refused.

George Lucas has considered the Hollywood film industry, experimental films, philanthropy, his alma mater USC School of Film, and the future of his new girlfriend. In his plan, these require a large sum of money. cash.

As the second richest man in Hollywood, one of the purposes of George Lucas's sale of Lucasfilm is to realize cash.

Everyone has their own ideas, and Ronan has already grasped George Lucas's ideas.

Therefore, Ronan did not need James Murdoch to answer, and said directly: James, even if I and Relativity Entertainment take a step back, will 20th Century Fox pay in installments? Three years or five years? It’s the same as the copyright revenue sharing dispute between them, dragging on indefinitely?”

James Murdoch retorts: Twentieth Century Fox has roots...

Ronan laughed: I don't know which part of 20th Century Fox plans to sell off? Who will take over? He no longer cares about James Murdoch: George, let's talk in another place.

George Lucas stood up first and said, Come with me.

Ronan walked out of the banquet hall with him.

James Murdoch watched the two leave, George Lucas's attitude has already explained a lot of problems.

Do you really want to sell some assets and continue to bid for Lucasfilm?

To be honest, James Murdoch has not made up his mind. The failure of consecutive big projects has made him questioned by shareholders and Rupert Murdoch.

If Lucasfilm could accept a stock exchange or installment payment...

James Murdoch frowned slightly, recalling George Lucas' attitude, and gradually understood.

He immediately thought of a backhand. If 20th Century Fox were to be eliminated, it would not be a complete failure. The rights to the Star Wars series, and any company that acquired Lucasfilm, would not be able to bypass the threshold of 20th Century Fox.

Even if Relativity Entertainment succeeds in acquiring Lucasfilm, if they want to recoup their investment, they must start with the idea of ​​the Star Wars series. At that time, whether it is shooting sequels or other aspects of operation, it will turn into a protracted copyright dispute.

Unless, 20th Century Fox can get more cakes in this series.

In a hotel lounge, George Lucas asked: Ronan, although I'm not leaning towards 20th Century Fox, but what James Murdoch said makes sense, 20th Century Fox has always been the Star Wars The publisher of the series, the copyright of the first A New Hope is always in their hands, other aspects...

I've already considered this issue. Ronan has done careful consideration, and the plan has developed to the present. It doesn't matter if some things are leaked, and said: About this, Relativity Entertainment has a comprehensive plan. If everything goes well , Relativity Entertainment can integrate all the copyrights and related benefits of the Star Wars series.

George Lucas asked, Can you tell me?

Ronan said directly: Relativity Entertainment is preparing to acquire 20th Century Fox!

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