Chapter 299: Top Director Salary

Chapter 299: Chapter 299: Top Director Salary

Sherry Lansing watched the conflict and hesitation in Irene’s eyes. She didn’t press her, only waited quietly.

The office fell into a brief silence, broken by the occasional chirping of birds outside the window.

After a long moment, Irene Coppola drew a deep breath, and her gaze steadied.

"Ms. Lansing, thank you for your trust and candor. This invitation is too important for me to decide lightly. I need to discuss it thoroughly with my team. I can’t give you an answer now."

"Of course." Sherry Lansing smiled, her tone full of understanding.

"This is a decision that deserves careful thought. I’ll give you three days. We’ll talk after that. Whatever you decide, Paramount respects your talent, and we hope we’ll have a chance to collaborate in the future."

"Thank you." Irene stood and extended her hand. "Regardless of the outcome, I appreciate your candor today."

"I should be thanking you for hearing me out." Sherry also stood and shook her hand. "I look forward to your reply, Irene."

When Irene walked out of the CEO’s office, the cool imprint of the leather sofa still lingered on her fingertips.

As the elevator descended, she turned over Sherry Lansing’s words in her mind.

Echo Pictures simply couldn’t produce the hundreds of millions needed for Transformers at this stage, and the awards film she’d spent half a year preparing was stuck at a critical juncture—one that couldn’t be solved with a few industry dinners.

By the time she left the Paramount building, the sun was setting. Golden light spilled across the marble facade, stretching long shadows over the lot.

In the car, Irene watched the streetscape blur past the window, her thoughts tangled.

Paramount’s offer felt like a crossroads: on one side, her original intentions and principles; on the other, opportunity and leverage. She had to choose what was best for both herself and Echo Pictures.

Back in Echo Pictures’ small office, Robert sat on the sofa and smiled. "So? I told you Sherry Lansing wasn’t that simple."

Irene set the letter of intent on the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Her fingertips drummed lightly against the desk.

"Paramount’s probably had their eye on me for years."

Robert said, "But she told the truth. Echo Pictures can’t carry the scale of Transformers. Think about it—the effects team, the rights fees, the global distribution channels. Which of those can we handle right now?"

He paused, his voice softening.

"Even if you’d charmed Hasbro into a deal back then, the licensing fees alone would’ve drained our liquid capital. It might have killed your plans to acquire a distributor. Sometimes letting go is strategy, and besides..."

He pointed to the crumpled proposal at the corner of Irene’s desk. "The resources Paramount can unlock for you might amount to more than the success of one film."

Irene stared out the window in silence. The Los Angeles skyline shone with a metallic luster in the sunlight.

Robert started to say more, but Irene raised a hand to stop him. "Head out. I want to be alone for a bit."

Robert nodded. Before leaving, he added, "Boss, in Hollywood there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. Working with Paramount is better than watching this IP land with someone else and end up competing against us."

Irene didn’t answer. She walked to her desk and sat down. She understood what Robert meant. Echo Pictures couldn’t independently carry a $150 million super-project right now.

Even without Paramount, partnering with Fox or Disney would still mean borrowing strength.

If that was the case, working with Paramount was no different—and it would let her use their distribution network and capital to maximize the IP’s value.

She picked up her phone and dialed Shelly Ovitz. "Shelly, are you free? Come to the studio. There’s something important I want to discuss."

Half an hour later, Shelly Ovitz pushed the door open, bringing the evening air with him.

He sat in the chair across from Irene. His eyes flicked to the Paramount letter of intent on the table, and he raised an eyebrow. "Looks like Paramount extended an olive branch?"

Irene laid out the entire story—from Sherry Lansing’s sincere pitch to the lure of awards-season resources—holding nothing back.

When she finished, Shelly tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. A moment later, a knowing smile crossed his face. "Take it. You have to take it."

He leaned forward, his tone firm.

"Irene, this is a win either way. First, your director fee will reach the top tier in Hollywood.

That’s not just money—it’s recognition of your standing. Directing an IP the size of Transformers changes your leverage completely.

You won’t be negotiating the same way on future projects. You can’t spend your whole career only directing what you finance yourself. Even Steven Spielberg doesn’t do that."

"Second, Paramount’s awards resources are critical. Million Dollar Baby is strong, and we’ve pushed hard for it, but if Paramount helps you with critics and Academy outreach, your odds of winning Best Director go up at least thirty percent."

He paused. "As for the awkwardness you feel, I get it. But in the face of real interests, sentiment doesn’t count for much.

They already have the rights. Instead of dwelling on the past, you should take this chance to get involved and extract the maximum value from this IP. That’s the smart move."

Irene leaned back in her chair, rubbing her chin with her fingertips.

Shelly’s words hit the mark. Setting aside the sting of being outmaneuvered, reason told her that accepting the invitation was beneficial and harmless.

Since the rights had changed hands, falling out with Paramount wouldn’t help. It made more sense to go with the flow and become a core part of the project.

That would get her a top-tier director salary and let her leverage Transformers’ profile to raise Echo Pictures’ visibility and lay groundwork for future acquisitions.

"I’ve made up my mind," Irene said suddenly, her eyes clear and resolute.

"I’ll accept Paramount’s invitation. Shelly, I want you to handle negotiations. Get me a top Hollywood director’s package—no less than what Michael Bay or James Cameron would command."

"Leave it to me," Shelly’s eyes lit with excitement. "I’ll negotiate a top-tier base salary plus a box office percentage. If it goes well, we should land 20 and 10."

"I want a percentage of box office gross. Don’t let them push net profits on me," Irene said firmly.

Shelly nodded. "Of course."

He shifted gears.

"By the way, have you thought about investment? If you want to co-finance like you did with Pirates of the Caribbean, I can talk to Paramount.

With your position as director, securing a 20% investment share should be doable, though Paramount will likely require priority recoupment, so the terms will be a bit tighter than a pure financing partner."