Chapter 191: The Biggest Trouble

After getting off the plane and leaving the Milwaukee airport, Murphy saw Bill Roscis. Since the headquarters of Dark Horse Comics was located in Milwaukee, Roscis had arrived earlier to engage in several rounds of formal negotiations with the Weinstein brothers and Dark Horse Comics.

"Frank Miller has agreed," Bill Roscis instructed the driver to start the car after boarding, and then turned to Murphy, "Dark Horse Comics is also willing to negotiate. As long as the price and conditions are right, acquiring the adaptation rights won't be a problem."

"What's Miramax's current offer?" Murphy asked with interest.

"Five million dollars," Bill Roscis mentioned the price with a bit of a headache, "and they want a one-time buyout."

Murphy frowned slightly, "What's Dark Horse Comics' reaction?"

The five million dollars buyout meant paying the copyright fee in full upfront, and any future profits from the movie adaptation would have nothing to do with Dark Horse Comics or Frank Miller, a term very favorable to the buyer but rarely agreed upon by the seller.

As expected, Bill Roscis said, "The conditions offered by both sides are quite far apart. Dark Horse Comics is asking for a base copyright fee of eight million dollars, plus a fifteen percent share of the total revenue from the film."

Hearing this, Murphy's frown deepened; this was a huge ask.

But they did have the leverage to make such demands, given the current environment in Hollywood.

In the last five years, especially since the turn of the century, the proportion of blockbuster movies based on literature or other works has increased sharply, with last year's box office champions "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" being adaptations, and this year's anticipated champion "Spider-Man" also coming from a comic book.

It's no exaggeration to say that Hollywood's forte has never been originality. Those works with significant influence are the prime targets of Hollywood production companies.

For instance, after the success of "X-Men" and "Spider-Man," all of Marvel Comics' superheroes became hot properties, and Marvel Comics itself became savvy, not easily selling the comic rights of its famous heroes.

DC Comics is also in the news, with Warner Brothers and DC Comics reportedly considering rebooting the Superman series.

Although "Sin City" isn't as renowned as the Superman and Batman series, or even Wonder Woman, it still has a considerable fan base. Describing it as a hot IP is by no means an exaggeration.

Negotiations like these are never straightforward; from the basic buyout fee to box office revenue sharing and even merchandise revenue sharing, every inch is contested.

Murphy was directly taken to a hotel in the business district by the car, and after checking into his reserved suite, he made a call to Harvey Weinstein, just as Bill Roscis had said, the negotiations were not going smoothly.

The main issue boiled down to one point: the price.

Even after Murphy submitted the budget and project plan, and Miramax, after research and estimation, saw the project's profitable prospects, they still did not want to commit too much cost.

On the other hand, Dark Horse Comics and Frank Miller also wanted to secure more potential income.

And besides income, they had more demands.

In an office building in Milwaukee, Frank Miller, sitting in his chair deep in thought, was reminded by a white-haired chubby man, "Sin City means a lot to you, Frank! Are you really okay entrusting it to Murphy Stanton, a director not even twenty-three years old?"

Recalling the name, the chubby man envisioned the face of the young man he had once mocked and rejected, who had unexpectedly become a rapidly rising director...

He shook his head, clearing the image from his mind, and continued, "I admit, that film short was indeed shot excellently, almost a reincarnation of the comic scenes, but Frank, aren't you worried?"

Frank Miller took off his cowboy hat, curiously asking, "Worried about what?"

"That Murphy Stanton won't follow the style of this short film in his shooting and production!" The chubby man emphasized, reminding him, "He's only giving you the position of assistant director. Once you're in his crew, you won't have much say!"

After rubbing his hair flattened by the hat, Frank Miller's face showed a thoughtful expression. Bruce Berman's words weren't without merit.

"Frank, an assistant director can't guarantee the adaptation style you want!" Bruce Berman seemed genuinely concerned for his old friend, "You know what Hollywood is like, filled with lies and deceit. You must demand more power!"

After a long thought, Frank Miller agreed with his friend's viewpoint, slowly nodding his head.

On the second day in Manhattan, Murphy, as the project initiator and future director, joined the negotiations. However, like the "Planet Terror" negotiations with international distributors, he was mostly an observer, not directly involved in directorial matters, and had no say.

The negotiations were still centered around the price, with both sides showing some sincerity and making appropriate concessions. Miramax's offer increased to six million dollars, and Dark Horse Comics' asking price also dropped to eight million dollars. The two million dollar gap was not insurmountable, but significant disagreements remained on the added revenue-sharing clauses.

"A fifteen percent share of all revenues is something Miramax cannot accept," Harvey Weinstein stood up in the meeting room when Dark Horse Comics reiterated this condition, "There's no precedent for this in Hollywood! At most, three percent!"

"Three percent?" Neil K., the copyright department director negotiating on behalf of Dark Horse Comics, looked at Harvey Weinstein and shook his head, "You have no intention of negotiating! This negotiation can end here!"

The negotiations hit an immediate deadlock.

Murphy wanted to say something, but it was not appropriate for him to speak at this moment.

He gave Bill Roscis a look; as the middleman facilitating this collaboration and a mediator in negotiations, he was best positioned to ease the atmosphere.

Indeed, Bill Roscis was about to speak. In previous contacts and negotiations, whenever there was a deadlock, it was he who mediated.

"Negotiations, well, the conditions have to be discussed," he was one of the most eager to see the project succeed, "A fifteen percent revenue share is indeed a bit high."

Before Neil K. could respond, Bill Roscis interjected, "And a three percent share is indeed a bit low."

"How about this," he suggested, "A fifteen percent profit share?"

"Too low!" Neil K. said.

"Too high!" Harvey Weinstein glanced at Neil K., "The atmosphere, however, became more relaxed, and negotiations continued.

Gaining a share of future film profits was agreed upon by both sides.

Despite finding common ground for negotiation, Miramax and Dark Horse Comics still couldn't agree on the percentage of revenue sharing, and there was no trend towards reaching a consensus in this negotiation.

As today's negotiations were about to end, and the parties were preparing to battle another day, Frank Miller, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.

"I need to make something clear," he looked at Murphy, "If the collaboration can be reached, I need to join the crew and participate in the filming and production throughout."

Murphy and Harvey Weinstein exchanged glances and then spoke, "No problem, Frank, I made that promise to you from the beginning."

Frank Miller smiled, recalling his old friend's suggestion that could ensure the project followed the comic's style, and spoke again, "I request to be one of the directors and to be credited on the title!"

Harvey Weinstein immediately asked, "A credited director?"

Frank Miller nodded, "That's one way to put it, but I demand..."

He turned to look at Murphy, knowing that this wasn't about making comics and some things couldn't be too excessive, "In terms of directing, I demand authority second only to Murphy."

Hearing this, Harvey Weinstein and Bill Roscis both turned to look at Murphy. Frank Miller was a prerequisite for collaboration. If he backed out, there was no point in continuing the negotiations.

Although it was extremely rare for the original author to demand a directorial credit, it wasn't uncommon for them to demand certain powers within the adaptation crew. Harvey Weinstein didn't see it as an issue; even if they agreed to Frank Miller's demands, the shooting would undoubtedly be led by Murphy, and his producer could limit Frank Miller. The crew had a lot of flexibility in actual operation.

The one most affected was Murphy, as the other party was demanding directorial credit.

Bill Roscis frowned deeply, Frank Miller's request was completely unexpected. Murphy had already agreed to make him an assistant director, and now he was demanding directorial credit...

Murphy didn't say anything, just pondering. From his perspective and for the final style of the film, granting Frank Miller greater authority wasn't an issue. His request was most likely due to concerns about changing the film's style.

He looked at Bill Roscis, who was subtly shaking his head.

"Frank," Murphy then looked at Harvey Weinstein, before saying, "We need to discuss this and will give you an answer in a few days."

The negotiation ended for the day, and on the ride back to the hotel, Murphy and Bill Roscis shared a car.

"His requested authority is actually easy to resolve, Harvey fundamentally doesn't oppose it," Bill Roscis said, "With your capability, it wouldn't be hard to accommodate him, especially since you initially planned to shoot a movie close to the comic's style. The biggest trouble is his demand for directorial credit!"

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