Chapter 685: The Avengers Universe

Capet Universal was finally listed as the last major media conglomerate in Hollywood. In just under a week, the stock price of Capet hit $103 per share, thanks to Charles Capet's reputation over the years.

Charles Capet himself still owned 39% of Capet Media's shares!

After returning to Los Angeles from New York, the first thing he did was go see his son.

"Did everything go smoothly?" Britney Spears asked as she put Dashiell in his crib.

"Yeah, it went pretty well," Charles replied, holding Britney as they sat on the couch. "You're getting ready for a new album and concert, right?"

Britney nodded. "Yeah, someone's taking care of Dashiell, so I'll do a gig at the Barclays Center in New York first. Then just a few cities here at home. I don't want to travel far, so I'll record the album in a studio here in LA."

"No big deal. My mom's usually in Los Angeles most of the time. We can take Dashiell to the Holmby Hills mansion," Charles said.

The Holmby Hills mansion, which Charles had bought for over $40 million, was big and private enough, a perfect place for a little one to grow.

"By the way, next week, I have to accompany my mom to Hong Kong!"

Britney nodded again. "I know, Prada's going public in Hong Kong at the end of the month. Their clothes, bags, and perfumes are all in collaboration with EDR's artists."

"Seems like Mom really wants to push Prada in the U.S.," Charles laughed.

...

After spending two days at the ranch in San Luis Obispo, Charles returned directly to Los Angeles!

On July 20th, Marvel Studios held a grand premiere of The Avengers at Universal Studios Hollywood.

The main cast, including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Kate Beckinsale, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jeremy Renner, all attended in grand style!

Crowds of fans and reporters gathered by the red carpet outside the Universal Theater. Charles also made a special appearance with his mother.

"So the big villain in Iron Man 3 is a woman?" Evelyn asked.

Charles nodded. "Yeah, British actress Rebecca Hall is playing Maya Hansen. Capet is all about supporting women's rights, some feminist ideas in the movie are good!"

She was the scientist who developed the Extremis virus and had a one-night stand with Iron Man in the first film!

"What about Odette Yustman as the female lead in Ant-Man, is that okay?" Evelyn continued.

Charles shook his head. "No problem. The Gossip Girl series gave her some fame, and she has Native American blood, which fits our diversity route at Marvel. It's good to include some Latino, Native American, and Asian characters too. When the time comes, both Ant-Man and Wasp will join the Avengers. Paul Rudd paired with Odette Yustman is no issue!"

Kidding or not, his mother directly recommended Odette Yustman for the Wasp role, and Charles wasn't going to argue.

In Marvel movies, adapting characters based on actors was normal. Plus, Odette Yustman, being the next Megan Fox, fits perfectly into the Marvel series!

"In The Avengers, just Nick Fury and War Machine are Black, right?" Evelyn suddenly pointed out.

"That's enough, aren't they main characters?" Charles grinned. What's the problem?

The heads of the biggest media group and top talent agency in Hollywood were there. So what if they limit Black roles? Using Asians, Latinos, and Native Americans is cultural integration too!

Evelyn had no objections; it's not a big deal.

She added, "Marvel is not only working on Iron Man 3 and Ant-Man but also preparing Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Aquaman. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is getting more successful. Do you have any candidates for Aquaman?"

"We haven't decided yet. Lots of people are auditioning. Does EDR have any promising newcomers?" Charles asked.

"There are some, but they also have to go through your assessment. EDR recommended quite a few. Once you decide, we can proceed," Evelyn said. With support from Capet Universal, the Marvel series dominated in launching new actors!

"The Transformers trilogy is wrapping up. The next one might need new directors and actors," Charles added. "J.J. Abrams doesn't want to direct Transformers anymore!"

Evelyn was surprised. "But hasn't Capet worked well with him? His Bad Robot production company's TV shows and movies are all aired on NBC or distributed by Universal."

"Well, he said directing the Transformers trilogy drained all his creativity, and he has no ideas for sequels," Charles laughed.

J.J. Abrams was involved in writing the scripts for the Transformers trilogy and directing and producing. It seemed Abrams really didn't want to continue with the Transformers series!

Evelyn frowned. "But the Transformers IP is so popular; we can surely make more movies. Are you planning to develop the Transformers series the same way as Marvel?"

Charles sighed, "I don't know. We first have to see what the writers come up with. If the plot has no logic and it's just Autobots fighting all the time, the audiences will get bored."

"Next year, Warner Bros. has The Dark Knight Rises competing with Iron Man 3. Are you confident?" Evelyn said as she patted her son on the shoulder.

"Of course, who can challenge the Marvel Cinematic Universe now?" Charles boasted.

"Iron Man 3 builds on The Avengers. We're not just setting up one or two movies. From the first Iron Man in 2007, the first Thor in 2008, to two Marvel movies every year since 2009. A complete Marvel Universe, one Batman can't hold us back."

*****

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