Chapter 483

In early May, the sun in Los Angeles was bright, and at dusk, the evening sun gradually drew down the city's eyelids as night slowly fell.

On Santa Monica Beach, the weary waves repeatedly washed the sand, and barefoot couples strolled along, occasionally bending down to pick up shells.

Henry Winster, the head of production at Capet Pictures, met with the president, Donna Langley, at a cafe near the Dome Theater on Sunset Boulevard after work.

Donna Langley, fresh from a trip to General Electric's headquarters in Fairfield, Connecticut, listened to Henry Winster's work report.

"Leonardo DiCaprio wants Martin Scorsese to direct The Wolf of Wall Street. Because they lack enough funds, they joined a Paramount and Warner Brothers co-production, Shutter Island."

Donna Langley asked, "Is Shutter Island filming now?"

"Yes, it's being filmed near Boston, Massachusetts, set for release next year," Henry Winster nodded.

"The Wolf of Wall Street has a budget of $100 million, and we at Capet Pictures can provide $50 million in funding. The rest Leo will need to raise himself! Back when we handed The Wolf of Wall Street to Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way Productions, he was busy preparing to shoot Christopher Nolan's new movie, Inception," Donna Langley shook her head. "Take it slow. We have enough projects at Capet right now!"

Henry Winster understood and then discussed other ongoing productions:

"Captain America will be filmed in Manchester, UK;

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon just went to Italy for some scenes;

"The post-production progress on The Incredible Hulk..."

Many things were not that important, though Donna Langley listened intently, then asked about the adaptation of the Hudson River plane landing incident story earlier this year.

"Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger said he'd consider writing a memoir to capture his internal experiences and actions during the emergency landing."

"We can't rush this. To adapt a great script from this, we need Sully's psychological insights and specific actions at the time," Donna Langley wasn't in a hurry and could wait.

However, Donna Langley was somewhat surprised by the cooperation plans between Paramount and Warner Brothers.

Since Brad Grey replaced Sherry Lansing at Paramount, not only did he expand film investment, but also withdrew from the overseas distribution joint venture with Universal Pictures, United International Pictures (UIP).

Of course, UIP still existed in some countries and regions in Europe, like Switzerland and Argentina.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Watchmen, and Shutter Island were all co-productions by Paramount and Warner Brothers, with the North American and overseas markets handled separately by the two companies.

After leaving UIP, Paramount formed Paramount International Pictures, and Universal Pictures did the same, forming Universal Pictures International based on the original foundation.

Furthermore, the abbreviations for United International Pictures (UIP) and Universal Pictures International (UPI) were also quite similar.

After meeting with Henry Winster, Donna Langley headed home. The trip to Fairfield, Connecticut, didn't yield any substantial results with GE Chairman Jeff Immelt.

...

At that moment, on the other side of the Atlantic in London, it was already midnight. London was seven hours ahead of the US West Coast due to daylight saving time. Compared to the sunny US West Coast, London was still a bit chilly.

In Mayfair, London, at the Annabel Club, Charles Capet sat on the sofa with Eva Green, who had come to the UK for a screening of Cracks, and across from them sat Manchester City Club Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.

Sheikh Mansour, a member of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Board, managed numerous assets and was the son of the former president and the brother of the current president, so who could remember the Manchester City Club?

Mubarak managed the Manchester City Club on behalf of Sheikh Mansour.

"Congratulations. Arsenal just needs to beat Manchester United or draw 0-0 at home in two days to reach the Champions League final. And with three rounds left in the Premier League, Arsenal can secure the title one round early with two more wins!"

Mubarak looked envious. After purchasing Arsenal, they won the Premier League in the first year and reached the Champions League semi-finals. In the second year, they might defend their Premier League title and even win the Champions League.

Look at Manchester City; they didn't even qualify for European competition the next season!

"Haha, Mubarak, don't rush. I know you'll make moves this summer, and the Premier League will be buzzing again," Charles hinted, glancing at Mubarak, who was also just 30 years old.

"Two days ago, Chelsea went to Barcelona and returned with a 0-0 draw. Winning at home in three days is not surprising. We, Arsenal, were blocked by Chelsea in the semi-finals last year."

"But now, Arsenal's forward, midfield, and defense are all strong. That David Sanchez..." Before Mubarak could finish, Charles moved his hand from Eva Green's thigh.

"He's the foundation of the team. I've already sold many champion players to you," Charles thought for a moment and said, "But Eduardo Silva might be available for sale!"

"Eduardo Silva? The Croatian forward who broke his leg last year? He just recovered in February after a year-long break!" Mubarak frowned.

"Eduardo is young, only 26. He joined Arsenal in the summer of '07 and scored 12 goals with 9 assists in 31 appearances before his injury in February '08; He was a key player in Arsenal's title last season, and since his return this year, he's scored several goals in the FA Cup. His ability is unquestionable!" Charles wasn't harsh on Eduardo, but with David Sanchez, Luis Suarez, Navas, Van Persie, and Walcott, the forward line was already full.

There was no place for Eduardo Silva, although some teams were interested in him. After all, Arsenal spent 13.5 million euros signing him in summer '07!

*****

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