Chapter 165: Dragging Out the Law Suits

William White had no time for any of those issues. Speed was a tough shoot, especially the scene where the bus was out of control, quite challenging to film.

Filming was nearing completion and costs were climbing. A movie with a budget of thirty million now looked like even forty million wouldn't be enough.

"Lucas, aren't you going to the set today?"

"That kid's burning money like crazy, better not go and watch."

"Haha, trust the guy's vision. I mean, he said Raiders would bottom at a hundred million. Look at it now?"

"Sigh, alright, I owed him one there, so can't really quibble over filming costs."

"Buddy, you've got a sure thing here, why make a fuss? Not very nice."

Spielberg was thrilled; Raiders broke this year's weekend box office record, and conservatively, it was estimated at 150 million.

...

The drama of two women fighting over a man was already public knowledge, along with the constant intense incidents on set -- hardly unnoticed.

Alright, perhaps William White thought it wasn't enough. So, he picked up a beauty from Broadway.

Even before the movie was wrapped, its soundtrack was already gaining popularity.

Seems like the guy's planning a real showdown, with one dazzling stint after another.

Some folks said William White was a bit over the line. Well, that's overthinking it. There's no love in Hollywood, only vested interests.

William White's situation didn't even count as a formal relationship, just fulfilling some basic needs, no need to talk about being a scumbag.

...

New owner or not, changing a TV station's character was unbelievable.

NBC used to be so serious. Now NBC is much more fun, even during news events. It was nowhere near as serious as before.

If you say all the audience loved it, nah, that'd be nonsense. Some of the older folks were quite unhappy, not wanting NBC to turn into an entertainment channel.

NBC simply ignored such complaints.

Anyway, plenty of TV stations in America, you could always switch.

Some hated it and others loved it. NBC's shift in style was well-received among younger viewers.

To be honest, who liked or disliked it didn't matter to William White. What was certain was that NBC, previously not favored by advertisers, suddenly gained attention, significantly boosting ad revenue.

It was a baffling shift. Generally, viewership ratings were the most crucial index, yet with no drastic changes in ratings, this surge was bizarre.

A bewildered Wall Street, through some means, finally got to the root of it.

Today's advertisers were already quite professional. Their viewership reports were more detailed, revealing a clear youthful trend in NBC's audience. This change left them quite perplexed. Just got a new boss, and suddenly?

In such a short time, if it went on for three to five years, who knows what it'd turn into. General Electric had some regrets; NBC's valuation had evidently risen, and crucially, they were backed by Citigroup.

...

Well, the biggest winner was Morgan Stanley. The annoyed Citibank planned to stir things up, possibly hoping to gain more benefits.

Unfortunately for them, they misjudged the situation. Their provocation didn't yield the expected benefits and only worsened their own situation.

The most annoying thing was, no investment bank planned to step in. Everyone was just watching the spectacle from the sidelines.

"Ha ha, old-timer! You really thought he cared about those loans?"

"Boss, it was foolish! Citibank has had disputes with William White and Australia for a long time, why get involved in this mess?"

"Yeah! They are asking us to apply pressure. He could just repay the loans anytime. What pressure are they even talking about?"

"Boss, he doesn't have that much money, right?"

"Hmph, he might not, but the Japanese and the British do. If those video games sell well, the gaming company will IPO soon. If you don't believe me, go ask around. They're definitely planning to go public next year."

The inquiry result was just that. March next year for the IPO, listed in both London and the US. The exact funds raised would depend on the sales during the Christmas season.

"Boss, that's exactly what they're saying."

"See, after raising funds, what's the pressure gonna be? If we got involved, don't you think the underwriting rights would definitely change hands?"

"NBC's not much of a problem, but Disney seems under quite some pressure. Temporarily, there's no sign of profitability. If they lose the lawsuit with the French, it could mean billions of dollars in losses."

"Ha ha, billions? Just drag it out, haven't you seen his lawyer team? They're not planning to win or lose."

William White's plan was clear as day to Morgan Stanley. If you wanted a quick resolution, the lawyer team should be big. But now, he has only a few small cats, clearly just there to pass time.

The French were furious; they had never seen such shameless behavior. If you want to sue, just do it. Why apply for extensions all day?

If it were just that, it would have been fine. But they were also trying their best to smear.

Alright, they were mostly stating facts, but wasn't the frequency a bit high? Being on the headlines every day doesn't make sense.

...

All this fuss over a Disney project. The French didn't expect this damned William White to be so shameless.

Actually, their newspapers weren't much better, calling it cultural invasion and urging a collective boycott.

"Filson, cool things down. That's enough. If we keep going, it'll be hard to wrap it up."

"Okay, boss, I'll let them know."

After months of arguing, the Americans suddenly went silent.

Arguing can't happen as a monologue. Since they're ignoring you now, continuing would be too much.

If there's blame, the French naturally have a lot of it. But your contract doesn't specify time limits, so it's not our problem. What's wrong with taking it slow?

Looking at the contract, William White did feel the urge to kill. This is incredibly deceitful.

Now if they cancel the contract, the French would nearly suffer no loss.

Alright then, let's continue. Change the lawsuit's focus; our goal is to finish the project quickly.

William White's change of direction drove the French crazy. Now everyone knew he never planned to continue this project.

The French weren't afraid of a lawsuit, but restarting the project would be disastrous.

The most likely scenario was, you sorted the land issues, but they kept fighting suits with you. Even if you lost in the end, who knows if the money would cover the losses?

"Boss, you can really pull stunts like this?"

"What choice do I have? A billion dollars -- think how many films we could make."

"But do you have to make it so obvious?"

"Ha, Jason, you don't get it. Let me teach you something. This is an open strategy; knowing it doesn't help you."

The two were engrossed in their chat, and the assistant was speechless -- this guy was too devious. The French were definitely in trouble.

William White actually didn't want to fight with them. His offer was decent. Two billion, and it'll be over.

Since that bunch didn't appreciate it, let them run around like headless chickens. Anyway, in a few years, there'll be new folks. What's the harm in ticking you off, money-grubbing bastards.

The Disneyland Paris debacle sure was infuriating. If it were successful, it would likely lose a lot.

Honestly, whose foolish idea was this? You could have set up an action park in Paris, but not Disneyland.

This wasn't nonsense. The French genuinely didn't like American culture. When you tour France, speaking English doesn't help. To the proud French, English is the language of pirates.

...

"Shouldn't have given up NBC? Ha ha, those Citibank fools are really dreaming. Why don't they say anything about Disney? They know it's a mess. You think William White doesn't know?"

"Boss, they probably saw advantages."

"Giving it to GE? They'd probably lose everything."

Morgan Stanley wouldn't listen to Citibank, as they were supposed to be serving them, not the other way around.

It's obvious NBC would be worth more if sold separately, but what about Disney? Sell it to the French?

"Mark, how's their lawsuit with Paris going?"

"They're saying they're continuing the collaboration but want the demolition done on time."

"Ha, you watch, once they clear everything, this guy will still break the contract."

*****

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