Chapter 46: Allocating Investments

Looking at the disheartened Dawson, Kevin spoke directly, "In that case, let's leave CAA together. My film company is still in need of a president, and you're capable of taking on that role."

"Kevin..." Dawson felt somewhat touched. If Kevin insisted, at most, he would be replaced, and it wouldn't be a loss for Kevin to leave CAA.

But Kevin was willing to support him, which made him very happy.

Since that's the case, there's no need to hesitate. Dawson gathered his courage and said, "Then I'll work with you. I'll submit my resignation later."

Kevin smiled and put his hand on Dawson's shoulder. "Great. Also, help me terminate the agency contract with CAA, and after you resign, find me an assistant and a driver. It would be best if the assistant is female, and the driver can also serve as a bodyguard. Money is not an issue."

"I'll take care of it, Kevin."

The two exchanged smiles.

Kevin had only signed a basic contract with CAA before, and although his status had since risen, the contract remained unchanged.

It would cost only a few thousand dollars to terminate the agency contract.

...

Back at the villa, Kevin resumed his creative work.

The selling point of Mission: Impossible 1 was clear: the action scenes.

There were three iconic scenes in particular: the train jump, the fish tank explosion, and the infiltration of the intelligence agency to steal files.

Speaking of which, Kevin couldn't help but think of Jackie Chan.

It seemed that Jackie Chan had also done his fair share of train jump scenes.

But at this time, Jackie Chan was still making a name for himself in Hong Kong and hadn't ventured into Hollywood yet.

Of course, that wasn't important. What mattered was that Kevin wanted to invite the legendary Yuan Ba Ye to be in charge of directing the action scenes in Mission: Impossible.

When it came to action scenes, Western films always fell short.

They didn't look as spectacular or as realistic.

However, after The Matrix, Hollywood understood how advanced China's research on action scenes was. Since then, many Hollywood blockbusters had incorporated the expertise of these behind-the-scenes personnel.

But compared to Hong Kong, only a few film companies seemed familiar...

New Line Cinema seemed to be more acquainted.

Thinking about the future, Kevin speculated that New Line Cinema would produce Jackie Chan's Rumble in the Bronx.

If that's the case, there's nothing more to say. After finalizing the negotiations with Paramount, Kevin would then contact the members of the production team one by one.

...

Suddenly, half a month had passed.

After extremely complex business negotiations, Paramount, MGM, and Warner Bros. finally reached a concrete cooperation plan.

Firstly, the total investment amount for Mission: Impossible was $80 million, with the investment amount divided into four parts, contributed by Kevin, MGM, Paramount, and Warner Bros.

The specific investment percentages were as follows: MGM 30%, Paramount 10%, Warner Bros. 30%, Kevin 30%.

The distribution of copyright revenue for Mission: Impossible was also allocated in the same manner. However, the subsequent sequels of Mission: Impossible would be solely owned by Paramount, with no involvement from the other parties.

In simple terms, Paramount relied on Kevin's team to turn Mission: Impossible into a hot IP.

They only wanted to make the minimal investment.

In any case, if the Mission: Impossible film failed, Paramount wouldn't suffer much loss.

But if it succeeded, the subsequent sequels would bring Paramount astonishing profits.

Faced with these terms, everyone agreed.

The most important aspect of this film was to prove that Kevin had the ability to direct high-investment movies. As for the sequels, if Kevin had the capability, finding other IPs wouldn't be difficult.

...

The news was relayed to Kevin by MGM.

In the face of this news, Kevin immediately began assembling his directing team.

Without the help of CAA, he naturally had to take matters into his own hands.

Kevin's loyal team from the University of Southern California, once again chose to join his Sunrise Films company, abandoning their contracts with CAA.

Compared to CAA, being able to work alongside a renowned director like Kevin offered them greater benefits.

With part of the team in place, Kevin was still lacking an experienced assistant director. He directly approached the Directors Guild of America about this.

Anyone interested in the position could contact him through the Directors Guild of America.

Finally, an experienced assistant director, Bill Wright, was selected. He had a solid track record as an assistant director, but Kevin didn't delve into the details.

The assistant director's role was more about filling in the gaps and supporting the main director. The focus of the film still relied on the primary director.

Meanwhile, Kevin approached various guilds to gather the remaining personnel one by one.

Except for the action director.

Kevin picked up the phone and called Dean.

On the other end of the line, Dean was regretting not being able to participate in Kevin's new film investment. When he saw Kevin's call, he quickly answered.

"Hello, Kevin."

"Dean, I heard that you're familiar with the people from Hong Kong. Can you help me contact someone named Yuan Heping? I need an excellent action director for my new film."

Kevin got straight to the point.

"No problem, but Kevin, it's not very considerate of you to not involve our New Line Cinema in the investment for your new film!"

Dean jokingly remarked.

"For the first time directing a major investment, I'm looking out for your best interests and helping you mitigate risks. If there's an opportunity to collaborate on the next film, I will definitely work with you."

Kevin replied politely.

With that said, Dean had nothing more to say. After hanging up the phone, he immediately contacted the action director from Hong Kong, Yuan Heping, and his stunt team.

In 1993, Hong Kong was booming with films, so theoretically, Yuan Heping wouldn't have time to come to the United States.

However, in the United States, he was irreplaceable as an exceptional action director. In Hong Kong, finding someone to temporarily take his place wouldn't be a big problem.

Therefore, with the promise of favorable conditions from New Line Cinema, Yuan Heping and his stunt team eventually boarded a flight to Los Angeles, USA.

At this point, Kevin's production team was completely assembled. Aside from requiring some investment in special effects, everything else had been taken care of.

...

Meanwhile, news about Kevin's Mission: Impossible film was spreading like wildfire within Hollywood circles.

An action film with an $80 million investment was bound to attract numerous interested parties.

Countless individuals, through various connections, attempted to secure a role in Kevin's new film.

After parting ways with CAA, these roles no longer needed to go through the agency.

Kevin's decision was to let the film studio decide most of the supporting roles.

As for the female lead, it was predetermined by him as an investor and director—Angelina Jolie.