Chapter 695 Capital has never had a conscience
As the last part of the series, even a fool knows that the first and second parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will inevitably push the little wizard to an unprecedented climax, and will also bring unimaginable box office and peripheral income .
At this point, the actors who are dominated by the Gryffindor Golden Triangle have become synonymous with their respective roles. There are only the last two films left in the entire series, and the producer will not easily replace the actors anyway.
And that's true, even someone like Duke wouldn't dare to change the main cast at the end of the series.
This also provides actors and their agents with the opportunity to ask for sky-high prices. Even if the crew raised the Gryffindor Golden Triangle's single film salary to 15 million US dollars, they still refused to sign the actor's contract-they demanded a high amount. The box office and surrounding revenue share!
And the British actors in the crew are quite supportive of them.
On the afternoon of Irene Lauder's arrival in Los Angeles, Duke hurriedly left Los Angeles and flew to London with Doug Walter, the CEO of Warner Bros., to solve the problem of actors.
How are the negotiations going?
Walking into the studio office, Duke first asked Robin Grande, Still no one is willing to sign?
Robin Grande shook his head, All the British actors in the crew refused to sign the actor's contract.
He looked at Doug Walter again, We will definitely compromise on the share this time.
Duke and Doug Walter glanced at each other. They had already reached an agreement on the plane when they arrived. Concession is inevitable, but the income from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is directly related to Duke's interests. As well as Doug Walter's performance and bonuses, the two will not let those actors take away what belongs to them easily.
Doug Walter asked Robin Grande. Which step have they lowered their requirements now?
The basic salary of 15 million US dollars, plus 8% of the total profit of the film. Robin Grande said with a serious face, This is the condition of the three actors of Emma Watson.
Eight percent? Duke raised his brows, They should just rob the bank.
Doug Walter's complexion is also not good-looking, this is the Harry Potter series that has created a production value of nearly 100 billion US dollars, and those three people are indeed crucial. But they left the series as nothing.
Of course, he also understands that at this stage, it is unrealistic to change actors.
Changing actors is definitely the last option, and Duke is also aware of this, he is sitting here. Looking at the posters of the Harry Potter series on the office wall, the Gryffindor golden triangle on it is extremely eye-catching.
Even he couldn't deny that the three of them, Emma Watson, had the qualifications and rights to share. The problem was that he didn't want to give it.
8% profit sharing, how big a figure would this be?
If Emma Watson and the three are still useful in the future. Then he can still consider it, but after the end of the Harry Potter series, the value of the three to him is infinitely close to zero...
If it is another well-known actor, he can still star in him or a movie he invests in. Bring some appeal, with the acting skills and solidified image of these three people. I am afraid that not only will it fail to help, but it will also cause some negative effects.
This has nothing to do with personal conflicts and opinions. Since Duke is one of the main investors in the film, Duke will definitely consider the issue from the perspective of his own investment income.
In fact, from the day when this series of projects was established. He just considered that today, dealing with these three actors who have almost no influence in Hollywood and are also agents of British brokerage companies, there are not no ways to deal with them.
Doug Walter and Robin Grande were still discussing countermeasures, Duke filtered the initial thoughts in his mind, and then interrupted them.
I have an idea.
Hearing his words, Doug Walter and Robin Grande stopped discussing and turned their heads to look over. Duke said directly, Put Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on hold for now, Robin, Delay the negotiation first.
The two didn't quite understand what Duke meant, and they still looked at him.
Duke speeded up his speech, and said in as simple a way as possible, We will separate the Harry Potter studio from Warner and the Duke studio, and establish it as a company that is solely responsible for profit and loss and financial accounting...
Doug Walter couldn't help laughing, and nodded slightly. After all, he is the CEO of Warner Bros. Although he didn't think about it, he was reminded by Duke and realized what he was going to say.
Harry Potter Studios is still an empty shell, it has no money to start Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows...
Hearing this, Doug Walter took Duke's words, Then the Harry Potter studio raised money from Warner Bros. or your foundation with high interest. , and corresponding interest.”
Nodding his head slightly, Duke raised the corner of his mouth, That's it.
He turned to Robin Grande, and said, Harry Potter Studios also has no distribution capabilities, and the film can only be distributed by Warner Bros. We can raise the distribution cost and publicity expenses to the highest level in the industry-although Not so much money, but...
Duke shrugged, Loan costs, high publicity costs, and costs for transportation and labor, from an accounting point of view, it is legal to make Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows a low box office profit. Even a film that lost money at the box office must not be difficult.
It's a bit difficult. The seriousness on Robin Grande's face has disappeared, he looked at Doug Walter and said, But it shouldn't be too much trouble for Warner Bros.
Back to Los Angeles... Doug Walter fully agreed, I will call the company's professionals to discuss the feasibility.
Robin, remember, the third-party guarantee agreement only guarantees their basic remuneration! Duke reminded, Sign a sharing agreement with them, and limit it to the box office profit as much as possible. The ratio can be increased appropriately!
I understand what to do. Robin Grande nodded.
Under Hollywood's cunning accounting system, an otherwise blockbuster movie is legally counted as a box office loss, which is a common tactic that producers use to deal with actors who always talk like lions.
Just as actors always use various methods to fight for their own rights, producers also use various methods to protect their own interests.
Hollywood is not a peaceful circle, it is always full of various battles.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows can only be said to be the epitome of a film crew designing actors.
Duke's purpose is simple, to prevent the actors from sharing the cake brought by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as little as possible, so that they can share more of it.
It is simply unrealistic for actors, directors and other types of work to expect investors like Duke to find out with a conscience, so as to give up the profit share, because capital has never had a conscience.
Besides, the three of Emma Watson are neither members of his team nor have the top status in the industry like Charlize Theron or Tom Cruise. Why should Duke make concessions?
It is in his interest to try his best to suppress and exploit them.
Duke, Doug Walter, and Robin Grande discussed for a long time afterwards, and apart from this proposal, several other alternative plans were finalized.
In short, it is by no means an easy task for the young actors of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to get their share.
To be precise, they are no longer young actors.
However, compared to their childhood, the actors represented by Emma Watson have attracted overwhelming criticism in terms of acting skills.
This is also a normal phenomenon. The industry and supporters have high hopes for them, but these actors have basically made no progress after becoming famous, and their acting skills are terrible. This kind of role is their inherent concept, I am afraid that the wave of criticism has already drowned them.
Last year, Duke watched the latest Harry Potter series. At that time, he really wanted to find some teachers to come to London to teach Emma Watson how to act.
It's just that he quickly abandoned the idea.
One is that there is absolutely no need for this. After the series ends, those young actors will have no cooperative relationship with him.
Secondly, Emma Watson doesn't have time.
Like other child stars in Hollywood, these young actors, represented by Emma Watson, have inevitably become money-making tools in the hands of film companies, brokerage companies and their parents.
In fact, the poor acting skills cannot be completely attributed to the talent and hard work of these people, and are inseparable from the outside world and time.
Among the Hollywood child stars, how many of them can move forward firmly towards their goals like Jodie Foster or Natalie Portman after becoming famous?
And Harry Potter's promotional activities are one after another, these young actors need to keep running notices, like Emma Watson, the lawyer mother who also serves as her agent, and also accepted Chanel's endorsement for her , Advertising campaigns are also coming one after another, where is the time to hone your acting skills?
Also, although Emma Watson does not touch drugs like the young and famous Drew Barrymore and River Phoenix, but the speed of changing contacts is not slower than them. In order to suppress her scandal, the crew, It took a lot of effort to maintain a good image of Hermione Grande.
Doug Walter rushed back to Los Angeles before Duke. In just a few days, good news came to London. Professionals from Warner Bros. have already begun to make rigorous related plans. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Project approval is temporarily delayed, and Harry Potter Studio will become a financially independent company as quickly as possible.
As long as the company is established, the company responsible for the Harry Potter series will separately loan Duke's foundation and Warner Bros. to make Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (to be continued ^)
PS: Ask for monthly and recommendation tickets!