Chapter 267: Extraordinary Measures

[Chapter 267: Extraordinary Measures]

Immediately afterward, Eric left the group, and Bruce chased after him, briefing Eric on the script outline. Once Eric heard it, he simply handed Bruce a business card, indicating he could come to the company for a detailed discussion the next day.

It was clear that Eric was interested in the script, but he had too many projects that caught his eye. Bruce was aware that Drew Barrymore was busy acquiring rights everywhere, though she believed she was doing so quietly. Still, everyone who needed to know was already aware. However, scripts were not particularly valuable; Hollywood produced about 8,000 to 10,000 scripts every year, yet only a few hundred made it to the big screen.

Hence, Michael Eisner needed to ascertain whether Eric would direct this script personally.

By this point, three of Eric's films had already been released, each surpassing $200 million at the North American box office. With Home Alone 2 raking in $46 million in its first week, crossing the $200 million mark seemed inevitable.

Under these circumstances, the next film choice by Eric was likely to succeed unless the other party opted for an art film aiming for the Oscars. Otherwise, the box office wouldn't dip below $100 million, and perhaps it would turn out to be another film with the potential to gross $200 million.

Michael Eisner had personally reviewed the script for Ghost, and it certainly bore no resemblance to an art film.

"Bruce, can you confirm that during your discussions with Eric, he expressed an intention to direct the script himself?"

Bruce felt a bit annoyed by Michael Eisner's prolonged thinking, but he still nodded. "Yes. Williams has consistently stated that he wishes to direct this script himself."

Of course, Bruce skipped over the part where Eric emphasized how his direction would yield vastly different results from that of someone else.

Because bringing that up would undermine his negotiation position with other film companies. In fact, Bruce had another plan in mind; as long as other studios offered him a satisfactory price, he wasn't bound to sell the script to Eric. As long as the contract specified that Eric must be the director, how they chose to secure his involvement was not his concern.

After much deliberation, Michael Eisner finally reached a decision: "One million dollars, plus a 3% share of North American profits. Mr. Rubin, this is Disney's final offer, and there's no room for negotiation. I doubt any other studio would offer more. So, if you agree, we can draft the contract immediately. If not, you can leave now."

Bruce Joel Rubin briefly grimaced, quickly calculating in his mind. This price had indeed met his expectations. Just a few weeks before, he had been desperate to get the script sold. Now, $1 million plus a 3% profit share exceeded his initial expectations by a long shot. The earlier condition he proposed in Eric's office at $3 million with a share of the box office was merely a bargaining tactic. Moreover, sitting across from him, Michael Eisner seemed more formidable than he had imagined; it was clear he wasn't joking, and there wasn't much room left for bargaining.

Given that, Bruce soon made his decision: "Mr. Eisner, I can sell the script to Disney for the price you mentioned, but I have one condition."

"Please go ahead," Michael Eisner gestured for him to continue.

Bruce Joel Rubin stated, "I want Eric Williams to direct this movie."

Michael Eisner's expression shifted slightly. He well understood that a film directed by different people would yield vastly different outcomes. He had already entertained the thought of buying the script to make this film with Eric. If that weren't the case, he wouldn't have offered such a high price.

"I can agree to that condition," Michael Eisner feigned a moment of thought before nodding.

"No, I'm not done," Bruce said with a sly smile. "I will sell the script to Disney for the price you just quoted, but Disney must pay me $1 million upfront. After that, you have three months; if Disney cannot confirm that Eric will direct this film in that time, the contract is void. As for the $1 million deposit, the most I can refund Disney is 50%."

Michael Eisner frowned. "Don't you think that's a bit outrageous?"

Bruce shook his head. "Not at all. I'm taking a significant risk here. If you cannot secure Eric Williams as the director, then once the contract is voided, outsiders would surely guess our conditions. It wouldn't be much benefit for me to try to get Eric back on board for directing this film."

"How can I be sure you won't leak this information to Eric Williams?" Michael Eisner asked.

Bruce replied with surprise, "How could that be? Mr. Eisner, if the information leaks, it's far more likely it came from your side of Disney. If I leaked it myself, I'd lose at least a million dollars, which is trivial for Disney but a fortune for me."

Michael thought about the possible next moves and responded, "Three months is too short; it needs to be at least a year."

"Six months at most; a year is too long."

"That's not long at all. As a Hollywood screenwriter, you must know that many scripts take ten years or more to get made into a film, so one year should be acceptable. Even if Disney fails, the value of this script won't depreciate after a year."

Bruce lowered his head in contemplation. "Fine, a year it is."

"Then I'll have someone draft the contract." Michael Eisner stood up and picked up the office intercom, speaking a few words.

...

Several hours later, the script contract was signed. After seeing Bruce Joel Rubin off, Michael Eisner drove to a prearranged villa in Malibu. By then, it was already afternoon, and a few people had arrived early at the villa. Anyone familiar with Hollywood would recognize that these individuals were heads of the major studios.

"Hey, Barry, long time no see!" Michael Eisner approached Barry Diller first and greeted him warmly.

"Yeah, everyone's busy. I can't remember the last time we met," Barry Diller laughed.

Michael Eisner also exchanged greetings with Warner's Steve Ross and Universal's Sid Sheinberg before taking a seat beside Barry Diller.

Soon after, Peter Guber, the CEO of Columbia Pictures, which had recently been acquired by Sony, joined them at the villa.

Next came Paramount's CEO Frank Mancuso, making it six of the seven major studio heads present.

The heads of the major film companies recognized each other; most had previously worked together. Therefore, even amidst current competitive relationships, they maintained a friendly front. After chatting for a while, one of Michael Eisner's assistants rushed in and whispered a few words in his ear.

Once the assistant left, Barry Diller asked, "Is that MGM not coming?"

Michael Eisner nodded.

"Honestly, whether he comes or not doesn't matter. He can't make any decisions anyway -- everything is still up to Kirk Kerkorian, that bastard. It would be a waste if he came," Paramount's CEO Frank Mancuso remarked. "A few months ago, that jerk wanted to invite me to run MGM, but anyone who takes over that mess is in for trouble."

As heads of major film companies, each person felt attached to the film industry. Hearing Frank Mancuso's comment prompted them to reflect on MGM's glorious past.

"Well then, let's get started," Michael Eisner said; he had driven this gathering.

Hearing this, the other five individuals stood and walked towards a prepared conference room.

...

As they sat down at the conference table, an assistant entered, distributing the prepared materials to those seated before quietly closing the door behind him and leaving.

"Take a look everyone; we can't let Firefly keep going like this," Michael Eisner stated, introducing the gathered intel on Firefly. The other studios had similar data, but he couldn't expect them to come with their own research.

Silence filled the room for a while until Steve Ross, CEO of Time Warner, was the first to close his materials. The others followed suit, and soon they exchanged glances.

They all knew Firefly was a significant threat to the seven majors. They may have had the documents in hand, but none had pulled them together until now.

Now the achievements of Firefly from the past year were laid out in front of them, and the impact on these executives was palpable.

"I can't believe that Firefly's profits this year have already surpassed half of our combined profits," Steve Ross remarked.

Frank Mancuso from Paramount shrugged, casting a meaningful look at his former boss, Barry Diller, and bluntly stated, "Martin Davis meddles in everything, yet he knows nothing about the business. Paramount's profits are negligible; we might face losses next year."

Universal's Sid Sheinberg fiddled with the plastic cover of his folder, glancing at Michael Eisner. "If The Others and that Steel Magnolias movie combined, they probably grossed over $200 million at the box office. Disney also stands to gain from that. Michael, what's your plan?"

Michael Eisner detected the sour tone in Sid Sheinberg's words. "Disney didn't make much from that; Williams only granted us simple distribution rights. We don't have the rights to the video or TV broadcast."

"But you'll at least make $40 to $50 million, right?" Steve Ross chimed in.

"Let's not argue; remember what we're here to discuss today," Barry Diller interjected, breaking the conversation.

Then, all five pairs of eyes shifted toward Barry Diller. Everyone knew that Fox was Firefly's closest collaborator, holding the distribution rights to the three films directed by Eric and the video rights to Friends.

Barry Diller understood the implications of their gazes and said firmly, "If you think my presence here is inappropriate, I can leave. But if I do, then this meeting would strip itself of meaning."

After a cold scan of the room, Barry Diller continued, "We shouldn't dwell on the past. You must have seen the box office data for this week. From November 17 to November 23, North America's total box office was around $130 million, but the three films connected to Firefly pulled in over $70 million -- more than half the total. If we continue to allow Firefly to expand unchecked, you can imagine what's in store for the seven majors."

Sid Sheinberg from Universal spoke up, "Before Firefly acquired New Line, I specifically warned you that this acquisition couldn't go through. But the fact remains, it was completed with zero resistance, and none of you intervened. Now that Firefly has New Line, they've got a distribution channel. While their overseas sales are still weak, it's only a matter of time before Firefly starts reaping massive profits domestically and develops overseas."

The group fell into another moment of silence. Barry Diller turned to Michael Eisner, the driving force behind the gathering. "Michael, since this meeting is your initiative, you must have some ideas already, right?"

Michael Eisner nodded. "Now, it seems unlikely that we can stop Firefly's growth, so we'll have to seek shares instead; since we can't destroy it, we should exert some level of control."

"Oh, if it were that easy," Peter Guber, the usually quiet CEO of Columbia, remarked. "I'm sure all of you have tried negotiating with Firefly."

"Of course. So, normal tactics won't suffice, which means we'll have to resort to some unorthodox methods," Michael Eisner stated somberly. "We'll need to unite among us to succeed."

"What about MGM?" Frank Mancuso inquired with concern.

"Kirk Kerkorian isn't a fool. Once we apply pressure, MGM will follow suit."

*****

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