Chapter 151: David Geffen

The discord among Disney's top executives mainly stemmed from Jeffrey Katzenberg's ambition and the recognition he garnered, which made Disney's leader Michael Eisner feel a strong sense of threat. 

If Jeffrey Katzenberg, like Frank Wells, had no great ambitions, Michael Eisner would probably have continued their years-long friendship. However, Jeffrey Katzenberg was not content with just overseeing Disney's film and television entertainment. He knew he couldn't replace Michael Eisner, but he had strong intentions of succeeding Frank Wells as the company's president.

In this context, Disney wasn't paying much attention to Galaxy's acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios. Even Jeffrey Katzenberg, with his keen eye for animation, merely asked casually whether Galaxy intended to continue their partnership and didn't care much about an animation studio that had been losing money year after year.

With the success of Galaxy's horror film Scream, Arthur Smith's reputation continued to grow, and he was being hailed in the newspapers as the "Golden Boy of Hollywood."

In the evening, at the Hollywood Celebrity Hotel, Arthur met Steven Spielberg at a party. Spielberg updated Arthur on the progress of Schindler's List. The set in Krakow, Poland was almost ready, and the crew would soon move in. The shooting was expected to take 17 weeks.

"Steven, are you finding the budget a bit tight?" Arthur guessed after hearing Spielberg talk.

"Arthur, the conditions over there are a bit tough, and with the current situation in Eastern Europe, you understand. Perhaps the budget needs to be increased a little," Steven Spielberg explained with a smile.

Arthur sighed and said helplessly, "Then increase the budget by 10%. I think this should ensure Schindler's List gets completed."

The budget for Schindler's List was $20 million. With a 10% increase, it would now be $22 million. Steven Spielberg nodded, "Thank you, Arthur. I think all Jews will remember your contribution!"

"It's my duty," Arthur smiled, but internally, he couldn't help but gripe. What good does it do me if you remember me? How about some tangible benefits? There are so many wealthy Jews in Hollywood, yet none willing to invest in Schindler's List!

"Hey, Steven," a bald man with a grinning face walked over and greeted Steven Spielberg. "Wow, Arthur, isn't this our Hollywood Golden Boy?" The newcomer made a funny face at Arthur.

David Geffen, who sold Geffen Records to MCA Universal last year for a billion dollars, was now 48 and had achieved complete financial freedom.

"Why, haven't you started enjoying your wonderful retirement life yet?" Arthur sneered, then glanced at Steven Spielberg. Wasn't this another Jewish mogul? This guy was always looking to expand into the film business, and Geffen Pictures had invested in a few movies!

"Retirement? It's still too early," David Geffen shook his head. "If your Galaxy company could cooperate with Geffen Pictures, I think my new life would be much more exciting."

"Arthur, David, you two chat. I need to head over there," Steven Spielberg said. David Geffen was notorious for being unreasonable, often targeting current Time Warner CEO Steve Ross. Although Spielberg had known Geffen for a long time, they didn't have much interaction.

Arthur nodded, "Go ahead," while feeling puzzled. In the future, Spielberg, Geffen, and Katzenberg would establish DreamWorks together. But now, Spielberg and Geffen seemed unfamiliar with each other.

After Spielberg left, Arthur looked at the bald man, who was rumored to be gay but had not come out publicly yet. "Cooperation?" Arthur smiled. "Galaxy recently signed with Marvel to adapt several superhero characters into movies. Does Geffen Pictures want to get involved? Superhero movies require substantial investment!"

Arthur couldn't understand why MCA Universal would spend a billion dollars to acquire Geffen Records. Even with negotiations ongoing with Panasonic, Geffen Records wasn't worth that much.

"Superhero movies?" David Geffen's face fell. "Arthur, Disney's Dick Tracy and The Rocketeer in the past year were both comic book adaptations. You know how well they did."

Geffen glanced at Arthur's companion, Jennifer Connelly, who starred in The Rocketeer this year. Then he looked over to Warren Beatty, who was with Madonna. Last year's Dick Tracy had them as the leads.

Arthur also noticed Warren Beatty and Madonna, who got together during the filming of Dick Tracy. Beatty was 21 years older than Madonna. Arthur had heard they had broken up, but in Hollywood, such things didn't matter, especially with two people known for their rich romantic histories.

"David, Warner Bros.' Batman is also a comic book adaptation, as are the earlier Superman films," Arthur reminded him.

In Hollywood, movies were always the center of power in the entertainment industry, unlike music, television, or theater. David Geffen started as an agent and later succeeded in the music industry, but he was very eager to enter the film industry. 

Early on, through Steve Ross, he became vice chairman of Warner Bros. but was sidelined after a year due to poor decisions, almost causing Warner Bros. to lose their star collaborator, Clint Eastwood. After leaving Warner Bros., he founded Geffen Pictures but hadn't released any notable films, except for the early Tom Cruise film Risky Business, which had Geffen Pictures' investment. 

Last year's merger between Time Inc. and Warner Communications left Geffen unsatisfied, often publicly targeting Steve Ross. 

David Geffen spread his hands, "But Marvel doesn't have Batman or Superman...

Arthur, cooperation between Galaxy and Geffen Films is beneficial for both. You should know I have many connections in Hollywood. Singers recording theme songs, actors from the agencies, investors, and more."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Would Geffen Films be willing to invest at least $60 million to make a live-action Spider-Man movie? Although Spider-Man's popularity isn't on par with DC's Superman and Batman, he still has a huge fan base."

"Arthur, given your strengths, wouldn't horror thrillers and romantic comedies be more suitable?" David Geffen asked. Investing in superhero adaptations? And $60 million? Geffen Films hadn't invested that much in total so far.

Arthur spread his hands and smiled. "Does Galaxy need external investment for those kinds of movies? Taking out $20 or $30 million for a budget isn't difficult at all. Even if I pre-sell the overseas distribution rights, I could raise funds. Or if Geffen Films has good scripts to develop, Galaxy could participate."

Of course, this was assuming Geffen Films had projects that met Arthur's standards. Otherwise, why would Geffen Films want to cooperate with Galaxy? Because they could provide a little capital? Would Galaxy lack investment now? Many banks and funds on Wall Street were willing to invest, not to mention the six major studios with their established international distribution networks.

David Geffen looked at Arthur and understood his meaning. He said, "Ha, youth is good, but no one can be successful all the time. If Galaxy always develops projects independently, it will suffer when it encounters significant losses."

With that, David Geffen stood up, patted Arthur on the shoulder, and left.

*****

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