Chapter 364

The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum were thrillers written by Robert Ludlum in the 1980s and formed the Bourne trilogy.

These novels topped the bestseller list in America, becoming incredibly popular across the country. However, the adaptation rights were still held by Warner Bros.

In the late 1980s, Warner Bros. Television produced two mini-series based on these novels. The content adhered closely to the books, but the viewership ratings were mediocre, leading to the cancellation of the third part.

If Arthur wanted the adaptation rights, it would be best to wait until the contract between the author and Warner Bros. expired and then buy the audiovisual adaptation rights from Robert Ludlum.

Otherwise, if Arthur showed interest in the series now, Warner Bros. would certainly become alert. They would either develop the series themselves or extend the contract term.

As for Mission: Impossible, it was even less hopeful with MGM. The television series was a popular hit.

After airing on CBS and ABC in the 1960s, it had great ratings. More importantly, the series was produced by Paramount Television, and they held the rights!

"Would Paramount sell the rights to their hit TV show to another movie company?" Arthur didn't even consider this possibility.

Moreover, Tom Cruise and his partner Paula Wagner formed Cruise/Wagner Productions and convinced Paramount to transfer the production rights for Mission: Impossible to their company.

Paramount retained the distribution rights, as Tom Cruise now had enough influence to secure the rights and status he deserved.

In a club near Universal Studios in East Hollywood, Arthur leaned against Jennifer Connelly, grumbling, "None of these black rappers are sane; they're all just a bunch of scumbags!"

"Hmm, who upset you this time?" Jennifer Connelly cuddled Arthur, her ample chest pressing against his face.

"Isn't it just the same old Death Row Records? They've been collaborating with many black rappers over the past couple of years, and recently, someone got involved in a gang shootout in Los Angeles," Arthur said with distaste. Death Row Records, as a gangsta rap label under Galaxy Records, had gathered a lot of West Coast black rappers.

These scumbags going to jail was routine, but it could tarnish Galaxy's reputation, even though the records were released under Death Row's label!

Arthur really didn't care about this group's life or death, as long as they could make money for Death Row.

Moreover, Galaxy had acquired a somewhat famous hip-hop label, Jive Records, this year, and was now shifting towards teen pop music, which was the main focus for Galaxy's growth!

Barry Weiss, the head of Jive Records, was now managing Galaxy Records for them. Galaxy had also acquired several independent music production companies to strengthen itself.

"They grew up in the slums and are gang members. Drug dealing, violence, robbery - those things are inevitable," Jennifer Connelly kissed Arthur lightly on the lips.

"It's none of our business anyway. Galaxy is just helping them release records!"

Arthur sat up, poured himself a drink, and gulped it down. The record company matters were trivial to him.

What he was pondering now was the proposal from Phillip Anschutz and Clark Hunt to jointly establish Major League Soccer (MLS).

This idea was likely inspired by the World Cup being held in the United States that year. After all, the audience turnout during the World Cup matches was substantial.

Additionally, the promise to establish an MLS was part of the U.S. Soccer Federation President Alan Rothenberg's promise to FIFA when the U.S. was awarded the World Cup. Rothenberg had started the preparations for MLS the previous year.

Finding wealthy individuals like Clark Hunt and Phillip Anschutz interested in forming the MLS was truly serendipitous.

Clark Hunt, like Phillip Anschutz, came from an oil family and grew wealthier. The Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL were currently owned by the Hunt family!

However, Arthur wasn't interested in wasting time on the establishment of MLS. If anything, he might form a soccer team in Los Angeles. Although the Rose Bowl stadium was primarily for football, it had no issues hosting soccer matches.

It should be noted that many World Cup matches that year were held at the Rose Bowl. Considering Arthur's current status, establishing a soccer team with the Rose Bowl as the home ground wouldn't be difficult at all.

Moreover, Phillip Anschutz informed Arthur about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' situation in the NFL; their owner, Hugh Culverhouse, had passed away earlier that year. His son didn't want to manage the team and was looking to sell it.

Many showed interest in purchasing an NFL team, making the competition fierce. The Buccaneers were considered a weak team in the league, with an outdated stadium and poor management.

Back when Arthur was filming Edward Scissorhands in Florida, he frequently dated Winona Ryder in Tampa!

Phillip Anschutz, reminding Arthur about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, perhaps was concerned about competing with him for shares in the Los Angeles Rams.

Stan Kroenke, a wealthy individual from Missouri, also expressed interest in the Rams. The competition for the Buccaneers was fierce, probably beyond the ambitions of both Phillip Anschutz and Stan Kroenke.

However, Arthur insisted on having a major share and control over any sports club he owned. The Rams' owner was only willing to sell a small part of the team and retaining control.

Just this aspect made Arthur uninterested in wasting time on the Rams!

"Connelly, what do you think about me buying an NFL team now?" Arthur was quite keen on owning a football club.

Football, after all, was the number one commercial sport in the U.S.

"An NFL club?" Jennifer Connelly was taken aback. "I've never heard that the Los Angeles Rams or Los Angeles Raiders are up for sale."

Arthur shook his head. "It's the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the west coast of Florida."

"Oh, it's a Florida team. Tampa is the third-largest city in Florida after Jacksonville and Miami. The market isn't bad. If you like it, then of course, you should invest."

Jennifer Connelly supported Arthur's interest in sports investments. Galaxy Sports already had the NBA Los Angeles Galaxy and held a controlling stake in the NHL Los Angeles Kings.

Owning an NFL football club wouldn't be a big deal!

"Let's see who the competitors are first," Arthur considered if acquiring the team was worth the price.

*****

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