Chapter 321: One Step Ahead

Chapter 321: Chapter 321: One Step Ahead

In the executive office area of Universal Pictures headquarters, sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a warm glow over mahogany desks and project approval reports.

Vice President Alan Gray was flipping through documents with a furrowed brow, his fingertips rhythmically tapping the tabletop.

Universal’s project pipeline had been somewhat weak lately. Aside from a few sequels, there was a lack of original IPs capable of igniting the market, putting him under immense pressure for the board’s quarterly report.

Just then, the intercom on his desk rang. It was a call from Richard White, the head of the Marketing Department.

"Alan, I have urgent intelligence regarding Echo Pictures to report to you." Richard’s voice carried an ill-concealed urgency and excitement.

Alan told him to come in immediately.

A few minutes later, Richard walked briskly into the office holding the "intelligence" recorded by Maddy Hansen along with supplementary information. He laid the documents neatly before Alan: "Alan, we’ve obtained core information on Irene Coppola’s new project. She’s planning a monster universe movie featuring vampires, werewolves, and Frankenstein’s monster. The target lead is Leonardo DiCaprio, and the inspiration comes from her father’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula."

Alan picked up the documents and flipped through them casually, a dismissive smile playing on his lips: "Richard, do you think this news is credible? Irene Coppola has always been cautious. Would her core project leak so easily? And from a low-level employee at Future World, no less?"

"I didn’t believe it at first either, but I verified several details afterward," Richard explained quickly. "First, regarding the source’s credibility, that Future World employee has indeed been there for five years and participated in the post-acquisition integration meetings. Second, rumors have started circulating in the industry. A reporter even photographed a vampire sketch Irene dropped during a Pirates of the Caribbean 2 meeting that looks remarkably like Leonardo. Most importantly, our people found that Future World has indeed been conducting market research on monster themes recently, claiming it’s ’routine genre analysis,’ but the timing aligns perfectly with the rumors."

Alan’s gaze gradually grew serious. He set the documents down and leaned forward slightly: "You mean to say there’s a high probability this project is real?"

"At least an eighty percent certainty," Richard said confidently. "Irene Coppola’s vision has never failed. From Legally Blonde at the beginning to Million Dollar Baby now, almost every subject she picks becomes a massive hit. If she truly intends to make a monster universe, this niche definitely has potential."

Alan fell silent for a moment, his finger tracing the words "monster universe" on the document. He mused, "Have your subordinates continue following up and keep a close eye on Echo Pictures’ movements. Report any new information immediately. Also, verify Leonardo’s schedule to see if he’s actually in contact with Echo."

"Understood!" Richard withdrew, though he secretly anticipated that if this intelligence proved true, it would undoubtedly be a grand gift to Universal.

Alan picked up the project approval reports again, intending to continue his review, but his gaze was suddenly caught by one file.

It was a new project application submitted by director Stephen Sommers, with the title boldly reading: Dark Legend: War of the Three Tribes.

He frowned and instinctively flipped it open. The more he read, the faster his heart beat, and the laziness on his face was gradually replaced by shock.

The core premise of this project proposal overlapped significantly with the new Irene Coppola project Richard had just reported!

Alan immediately pressed the intercom: "Richard, come back immediately! Something important!"

Richard had just returned to his own office when he received the call and rushed back to the Vice President’s office. Pushing the door open, he saw Alan holding two documents, his eyes shining: "Look at this!"

He pushed Stephen Sommers’ Dark Legend: War of the Three Tribes toward Richard, pointing at the core premise: "Stephen’s project also features vampires, werewolves, and Frankenstein’s monster together. The setting is 19th-century Europe, and the core conflict is tribes fighting for survival resources. This is almost identical to Irene Coppola’s ’monster universe’!"

Richard quickly grabbed the document and compared them word for word. He grew more excited as he read, his breathing becoming rapid: "My god, it’s so similar! Not just the monster setup, but even the target audience and genre positioning are highly aligned! Stephen has even written a complete script outline and attached preliminary special effects plans and budget estimates. The total investment is $120 million—lower than what we estimated for Irene’s project!"

Alan tapped his finger heavily on the overlapping sections of the two documents, unable to suppress a smirk of delight: "Do you know what this means?"

Richard’s eyes flashed with excitement as he immediately followed up: "It means that Stephen Sommers has already laid the groundwork in the very niche Irene Coppola is eyeing! Irene’s vision has never been wrong. Her choosing a monster universe is proof enough of the market potential. And we already have a mature project proposal in our hands. We can completely take the lead, start production first, and release it before Echo Pictures to claim this blockbuster for ourselves!"

"Exactly!" Alan stood up abruptly and paced back and forth in the office, his voice trembling with excitement. "Irene Coppola can turn small-budget films into hits and make Oscar-contenders into box office smashes. Any project she favors is a market ’bellwether.’ Now that Stephen’s project clashes with her theme, it’s not a coincidence—it’s a godsend!"

He picked up Stephen’s project proposal and flipped to the director’s profile. Stephen Sommers had directed The Mummy series. He excelled at fantasy-action themes and had a stellar reputation for monster design and handling large-scale spectacles. He was the perfect choice for this project.

"Stephen has mature production experience, and the project proposal is comprehensive enough. We don’t need to polish it from scratch. We just need to fast-track the approval, increase the investment, and aim to start filming within three months to finish post-production this year. We’ll seize the market before Echo! It just so happens she’s busy filming the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels and can’t spare any time."

The more Richard thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He added, "And we can use Universal’s distribution advantages to lock in global theatrical resources and streaming platforms in advance. By the time Irene’s project announces its start, our movie will already be in the promotion phase. Then, she’ll either have to give up or settle for the leftovers, because audiences won’t pay for two nearly identical themes in a short period!"

"That’s the logic!" Alan slapped the table, the gloom on his face swept away and replaced by a look of determined triumph. "Go arrange this immediately: First, notify Stephen Sommers that his project has priority approval, the budget can be increased by 20%, and tell him to assemble a team as soon as possible. Second, keep Maddy Hansen following Echo’s movements. Report any substantive actions immediately. Third, keep this strictly confidential. We cannot let the outside world know our plan to jump the gun, especially not Echo Pictures!"

"Understood! I’ll get right on it!" Richard’s voice trembled with excitement as he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Alan called him back, his gaze turning serious. "Tell Stephen the movie title needs to change—this one doesn’t sound right. The script can be optimized further. Draw more from the success of The Mummy. Strengthen the action scenes and visual effects. It must be ’cooler’ and more to the public’s taste than whatever version Irene might film!"

"Don’t worry, Alan. We’ll definitely snatch this blockbuster!" Richard nodded vigorously and walked out of the office, already imagining how he and Maddy Hansen could rise through the ranks thanks to this "foresight."

In the office, Alan picked up the two documents again, his smile widening.

He could almost see the scenes of the movie’s box office success, the satisfied smiles of the board of directors, and the grand occasion of Universal leading the Hollywood fantasy genre once again.

He was completely unaware that the "godsend" in his eyes was merely a trap carefully woven by Irene Coppola, and Universal Pictures had already jumped in with impatience.