Chapter 103

Seeing Martin read the script so quickly didn't seem unusual to Jeff. He had long been accustomed to his boss's incredible reading speed.

He opened his mouth and asked, "How do you feel, Martin?"

"Great. Tell Peter I've invested the money. He wants $130 million, right? Give it to him, and let's shoot the trilogy together!"

Far away in New Zealand...

Peter Jackson was passionately speaking to several friends.

"I've been waiting for this opportunity for three years, and now it's finally possible to make this dream come true. Guys, come and help me. I need special effects, photography, props, and scenery. I need all of you."

"Don't you need to discuss this with Martin?" Richard Taylor asked, surprised.

"Hehe, Martin has authorized all these things to me. I won't betray his trust!" Peter Jackson puffed out his belly and said proudly.

"Hey, Peter, isn't $130 million enough? After all, this is The Lord of the Rings we're talking about, and we need to create another Middle-earth."

"It should be enough. I'll shoot this movie in New Zealand and try to use real locations as much as possible, which will save a lot of money. Moreover, Martin allowed me to shoot back-to-back (that is, three consecutive films), which further saves costs. We'll only use special effects if we can't find anything to replace with real scenes."

"Maybe after this movie is released, it will boost tourism in New Zealand. The government should give me a medal."

Peter Jackson joked happily, but little did he know that his joke would come true later. The Lord of the Rings would bring not just a little traffic to New Zealand, but nearly 10 million tourists every year.

"By the way, I heard that Harvey isn't investing in this movie anymore?" Richard asked curiously. "What happened?"

As soon as Peter Jackson heard the name Harvey, his mood soured. After all, anyone who had been manipulated for three years would not be in a good mood.

He snorted coldly and explained, "Warner Bros. bought Harvey's share. That's a good thing. I don't have to see that fat pig's face anymore."

Richard wanted to remind his friend that calling someone a "fat pig" was a bit of an insult—especially since it could be interpreted as self-deprecation—but after hesitating for a moment, he chose to stay quiet.

Peter was angry, so it was probably best not to make things worse.

Yes, Warner Bros. had indeed bought out Harvey's share, but it was New Line Cinema, a subsidiary of Warner Bros., that actually made the purchase.

As for why?

Alan Horn didn't have absolute confidence in the film. Big-budget productions come with huge risks, and if the movie fails, it could hurt the stock price significantly. To avoid that, Alan Horn decided to invest through New Line Cinema. This way, if the movie flopped, the impact on Warner Bros. would be much smaller.

This was, in fact, a smart move.

Miramax Pictures...

Harvey was in his office, bragging about the investment to those around him.

"You can see how right my investment was. I've already made money before the movie was even released. Haha!"

"Harvey, congratulations!" Ben Affleck toasted to Harvey.

Bob frowned. "What if this movie is a big hit…?"

"Impossible!" Harvey waved his hand dismissively. "I know that fat man, Peter Jackson, very well. He's just a B-level film director and can't handle such a large-scale production."

Matt Damon frowned. "But why did Warner invest, then?"

"It's New Line's investment. Haven't you noticed? This is just Warner Bros. showing goodwill to Martin. They have no confidence in the movie. Otherwise, why didn't they fund it themselves? Humph, it's just a little trick!"

"So, if we withdraw, will it affect our relationship with Martin?" Matt Damon, ever perceptive, raised the concern.

Harvey hesitated. "It doesn't matter. I'll wait until this movie fails, then I'll ask for help. Maybe then I can buy the rights to his books at a lower price."

Bob glanced at his brother. He felt that Harvey was distracted and didn't fully understand the situation. Didn't he see that Warner Bros. was willing to invest in Martin?

If the movie failed, many people would be rushing to express their condolences. Could they still have a relationship with Martin then?

But Bob didn't say anything. Harvey had been rather stubborn lately and wasn't listening to others, so Bob decided to stay silent for now.

Next to them, Tedamon, who had been sitting quietly, was rubbing his chin and deep in thought. He had a hunch that if Martin succeeded again, he would no longer be just a pawn for capital, but capital itself. After all, he had the family background for it. If it were me…

He glanced at the triumphant Harvey and decided it wasn't time to act yet. Not yet.

Warner Bros. Headquarters...

Alan Horn was speaking with the board members.

"On this movie, we have to collaborate with Martin. If he wants to invest more, we'll invest more. He wants to delegate power to Peter Jackson? We'll agree to that too. As long as we maintain a good relationship with Martin, even if the movie loses, we will still profit in the future. You'll all earn more!"

"But doesn't that mean Martin will be the producer of this trilogy? Isn't that a bit inappropriate? He's just a child."

"Wrong. He's a genius."

"No matter how talented he is, he's still just a child under fourteen years old!"

This director was being quite serious, especially since it involved his money.

"Trust me, Martin is definitely no ordinary child. His brain and his thinking are more mature than many adults'."

As Alan Horn spoke, he recalled his face-to-face conversation with Martin about the investment. The young man's mature conversation and quick thinking had left a deep impression on him.

Since that meeting, Alan had found himself trusting Martin more and more, willing to follow his judgment. He attributed this to Martin's eloquence and charisma, which only made him believe more strongly that Martin was someone destined for success.

Isn't Hollywood all about following successful people? In the end, it was no different from Wall Street!

Alan Horn was able to successfully convince the board members.

When Jeff hung up the phone with Alan Horn, his face showed shock.

"Martin, Alan Horn just told me that Warner Bros. is willing to be your strategic partner! The contract will be faxed over shortly!"

"Seriously? That's incredible! How on earth did you convince him? You've only met once!" Jeff asked in disbelief.

Martin smiled without saying a word.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧