Chapter 200: Setting Out Anew

Chapter 200: Chapter 200: Setting Out Anew

The head of the distribution department added, "Moreover, Echo Pictures is a ’rising star,’ so such a move is a ’plus factor.’ We at Disney are already the industry benchmark, and if we don’t do it well, we’ll instead be accused of ’putting on a show’ or being ’perfunctory.’

It’s better to change the approach, such as increasing donations to the Red Cross Society or sponsoring post-disaster psychological counseling projects for children. This is both safe and demonstrates responsibility."

Michael Eisner pondered for a moment and nodded.

"That makes sense. Do as you say: donate $5 million to post-disaster reconstruction projects and have the creators of Monsters, Inc. record a public service short film. Don’t follow Irene’s line of thinking. We need to do things that fit our own scale."

The meeting at Paramount, meanwhile, fell into a heated debate.

The supporting side argued, "Public demand for corporate social responsibility is growing higher and higher, and Irene’s approach caters exactly to this demand. We could launch ’charity ticket packages,’ donating a portion of the proceeds. This way, we don’t have to bear the massive costs of free screenings like they did, yet we can still respond to public opinion."

The opposing side immediately countered, "Echo Pictures operates with ’light assets’ and doesn’t have much historical baggage, so it doesn’t matter how they toss things around.

We at Paramount have many big productions this year, with several films budgeted at over $100 million in preparation. No decision can be risky. What if charity ticket packages trigger a chain reaction where audiences demand discounts for all groups? What do we do then?"

Ultimately, CEO Sherry Lansing made the final call: "Stay put for now. Observe the follow-up effects of Echo Pictures first to see if there’s any negative public sentiment before deciding whether to adjust our strategy.

We can’t be led by the nose by a small company, but we also can’t ignore public emotion. The PR department should closely monitor the direction of public opinion and report any changes at any time."

In Universal Pictures’ conference room, the discussion was more pragmatic. "Irene’s core is ’low cost, high return,’ using a small number of movie tickets to gain media exposure and public goodwill that far exceeded expectations."

The marketing director analyzed, "We can learn from her ’thinking,’ but we can’t copy her ’methods.’ For example, we could launch exclusive screening days for rescue workers, or partner with theaters to donate $1 for every ticket sold. This way, the cost is controllable, and we can achieve the same effect."

CEO Ron Meyer nodded in agreement. "This plan is feasible. It avoids the losses of large-scale free ticket giveaways while demonstrating corporate responsibility, and we won’t be accused of plagiarism. It’s settled. Have the PR and marketing departments come up with a specific plan quickly."

Besides the Big Six, many other film companies were also discussing Irene’s approach, and there were even quite a few imitating it. However, the first to eat the crab gets the meat, while those who follow the trend can only have the soup.

Irene didn’t pay attention to what others were doing, nor did she have the time to care, because she had returned to Port Royal Bay with her team.

This time she brought Nicolas Cage along, because Irene had finally thought of a cameo role where he could be effective.

After all, as a good friend of the male lead Johnny Depp, having some scenes between the two of them would be a nice Easter egg for the fans.

Excluding supporting roles with too many scenes and background extras with no lines at all, there weren’t many choices left for a character who also needed to interact with Captain Jack.

Irene ultimately chose to have Nicolas play a soldier guarding Captain Jack.

He had a few lines, but not many scenes, which fit the status of a cameo perfectly. After all, if he had any more scenes, Nicolas would be shouting for a salary.

Initially, Nicolas was a bit unhappy knowing he wouldn’t be a pirate. He had even thought of a unique look for himself and a completely different pronunciation habit to ensure people wouldn’t recognize him.

But when Irene told him that the pirates in the movie were either Jack’s subordinates or Jack’s defeated foes and asked which he wanted to choose, Nicolas fell silent for a second and quickly accepted Irene’s arrangement. At least this character could "make things difficult" for Captain Jack.

The sea breeze at the film set carried a salty, damp chill, making the red flags of the Royal Navy camp flutter loudly.

A temporary iron cage stood in the middle of the beach. The rusty bars, rough wooden planks, and scattered gravel on the ground—every detail was restored to extreme realism.

Irene sat behind the monitor, surrounded by a circle of onlookers: Keira Knightley, Henry Cavill, the props team, the lighting team, and the director of photography. Almost all the actors and staff who weren’t in the scene gathered around, as no one wanted to miss this old friends’ Easter egg scene between Johnny Depp and Nicolas Cage.

Nicolas was dressed in a crisp Royal Navy red uniform, with sharp epaulets and a perfectly placed tricorn hat. His back was ramrod straight, and he held a wooden baton in his hand, his expression as serious as a real British soldier guarding a port.

He deliberately clenched his jawline, completely reining in his usual casual and unrestrained temperament, leaving only a stiff, arrogant, and somewhat cold majesty.

Irene specifically gave him only a side profile shot so that fans wouldn’t discover him the moment he appeared.

And inside the cage, Johnny Depp had already fully entered the state of Captain Jack.

His dreadlocks were tangled with colorful beads, his eyeliner flicked slightly upward, and a roguish half-smile hung on his lips. One hand rested casually on the bars, his fingertips lightly tapping the iron railing in a lazy, languid rhythm.

He tilted his head slightly, his eyes filled with Jack’s unique cunning and disdain. Even though he was a prisoner, he looked more like the one in control than the soldier guarding him.

The clapboard snapped sharply.

"Action!"

Nicolas’s eyes sharpened as he took a step forward, his baton hitting the cage bars with a ’thud.’ His voice was low and cold, carrying a soldier’s stiffness:

"Stand up straight, pirate. Don’t make me repeat myself."

His tone wasn’t a shout, yet it radiated an unquestionable sense of pressure.

Johnny didn’t even lift an eyelid, still leaning lazily against the bars. A playful smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he whispered in Jack’s signature slurred and peculiar tone:

"Soldier, are you talking to me? I am Jack Sparrow. Are you sure you can keep me locked up?"

He looked up slightly, his gaze sweeping over Nicolas with a hint of provocation.

Nicolas’s brow pressed down almost imperceptibly as he took a half-step forward, leaning in slightly. He lowered his voice, speaking with a threat:

"In here, I’m the one in charge. Behave, or I wouldn’t mind making things a bit more ’comfortable’ for you."

This segment had no intense conflict. It relied entirely on eyes, tone, and micro-expressions.

One was stiff and majestic, the other wild and unyielding.

One was a Best Actor in reality, and the other was a genius on the screen.

The two hadn’t rehearsed the full details in advance, yet they caught each other’s performance with a single glance, the rhythm as smooth as if they had practiced a hundred times.

The footage on the monitor was incredibly fluid.

#Note, we reach 200 Chapters, thank you everyone who read, leave comments or give power stones so far. Appreciate it