Chapter 146: Disney’s Attitude

Chapter 146: Chapter 146: Disney’s Attitude

"Irene, this is Mr. Robert Iger, the current President and COO of Disney."

Baird Fergus introduced them, "Mr. Iger, this is our director, Irene Coppola."

Before Irene could respond, Robert Iger reached out his right hand first, saying with a sincere tone, "I’ve heard so much about you, Ms. Coppola. Your film, The Italian Job, is a huge hit in Hollywood right now and has a good chance of entering the top ten at the box office this year."

Irene quickly reached out her right hand to shake his.

So this was the legendary Robert Iger. He had already ascended to the position of Disney’s president so early on. When she was planning her own company, she had even thought about poaching him to work for her, but now it seemed it was too late.

One had to know that his resume was extraordinary. He not only helped Disney acquire ABC, Pixar, Marvel Entertainment, and Lucasfilm, but even brought the top of the three, 21st Century Fox, into the fold, completely changing the Hollywood landscape and driving the company’s market value to increase more than tenfold.

Even Irene, with her prophetic abilities, couldn’t achieve this level, but she could definitely follow his footsteps. At the very least, regarding Lucasfilm, with her connection to The Godfather, she had a higher chance of getting involved under equal conditions.

Pixar and Marvel Entertainment wouldn’t be as easy to fool, but if she wanted to continuously obtain film resources over the next 20 years, Marvel was truly a good bridge.

But thinking about this now was too far ahead.

Before the negotiations officially began, Robert Iger took the initiative to bring up Michael Bay’s remarks, his tone carrying just the right amount of reassurance. "Director Irene, regarding Director Michael Bay’s comments, I want to clearly state here that those were entirely his personal opinions and do not represent Disney’s stance."

He raised his hand to signal his assistant to distribute the latest market research data and continued, "The box office and reputation of The Italian Job have already said it all. The audience voted with their hard-earned money, proving your creative philosophy and narrative ability. We believe the core of a commercial film is to move the audience, and you have clearly achieved that."

Shelly gently nudged Irene’s arm under the table, a knowing smile in his eyes.

No wonder he was able to build such a massive empire. He did things flawlessly and covered all bases. Disney’s statement at this moment was both an indirect response to Michael Bay and a gesture of goodwill towards Irene.

After all, Pearl Harbor was a film distributed by Disney, and Michael Bay’s remarks had a bit of a "clashing with one’s own people" vibe. Meanwhile, the continued massive success of The Italian Job forced Disney to pay more attention to this young director.

Robert Iger’s gaze fell on Irene, his tone becoming a bit more sincere. "We greatly appreciate your control over the story. Mean Girls showed us your screenwriting talent, and The Italian Job proved your ability to handle large-scale action films. This is also the reason why we are willing to entrust a key project like Pirates of the Caribbean to you."

Irene picked up the water glass on the table and took a light sip. "Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Iger. I believe that with the backing of Disney, we will definitely push Pirates of the Caribbean to even greater heights."

As the pleasantries ended, the negotiations moved to the main topic.

Fox’s CFO first put forward the investment plan. "According to preliminary estimates, the production cost of Pirates of the Caribbean is expected to be 150 million USD. Fox, Disney, and Echo Pictures will contribute in a ratio of 5:3.5:1.5. Marketing and distribution costs will be calculated separately and shared by both sides."

Robert Iger nodded in approval, then immediately changed the subject. "Regarding the creative team, we agree to Jerry serving as the executive producer, and Director Irene being responsible for directing and script adaptation. However, there is a detail that needs to be confirmed: regarding final cut rights, we hope to establish a tripartite review mechanism to ensure the film meets Disney’s distribution standards."

This proposal was expected.

Irene put down her water glass, leaned forward slightly, and looked directly at Robert Iger. "Mr. Robert, I understand Disney’s considerations regarding distribution standards, but for me, final cut rights are the core of ensuring the story’s integrity."

She raised her hand to signal Shelly to distribute the behind-the-scenes editing materials for The Italian Job. "The success of The Italian Job largely stemmed from the precise control of the narrative rhythm during editing. Many decisions on key shots were based on an understanding of the story’s thread."

She paused, her tone carrying unquestionable confidence. "I have been polishing the script for Pirates of the Caribbean for two years. I know every plot point and every character’s emotional turn by heart. I can promise that the film will meet Disney’s distribution requirements and will not contain any non-compliant content, but the final cut rights must be in my hands."

Baird Fergus spoke up at the right moment, breaking the brief silence. "I support Irene’s idea. The Italian Job was completed under Irene’s direct guidance, and furthermore, the box office of The Italian Job has already proven that Irene’s editing style and narrative rhythm are recognized by the market. Of course, I also fully understand your concerns. A tripartite review mechanism is indeed necessary. In case Irene gets hot-headed and cuts a movie into 3 hours, we can stop it in time, right?"

Adelaide Griffin, who was on the side, also chimed in, "Fox completely trusts Irene’s ability. We believe that giving the director enough creative freedom is the only way to shoot truly excellent works."

Irene didn’t say anything more. Even if she possessed the final cut rights, it was impossible to completely disregard the attitudes of Fox and Disney. But as long as her work was brilliant, they wouldn’t have anything to say. After all, directors still speak through their ability.

Robert Iger frowned, did not respond immediately, but instead exchanged a few words in a low voice with the Disney executives beside him.

The conference room fell into a brief silence, with only the slight sound of the projector running.

Irene knew this was an inevitable game in negotiations. Disney wanted to control risks, while she wanted to hold onto her creative rights. The balance point between the two sides needed to be found above each other’s bottom lines.

Robert Iger also hadn’t expected this young director to be so persistent about final cut rights. Even Michael Bay, whom they had worked with before, wouldn’t be this unyielding in this regard.

He looked up at Jerry Bruckheimer. There was no obvious impatience or opposition on the other’s face. One had to know that a director demanding final cut rights was actually challenging the producer’s authority, and for Jerry not to show obvious rejection was already a very incredible thing.