Chapter 333: Utilizing "Waste"

Chapter 333: Chapter 333: Utilizing "Waste"

At this time, Ang Lee was at his home in Los Angeles, having declined all interview invitations from the media.

According to insiders, he did not fly into a rage upon learning of Bana’s remarks. He simply told those around him calmly, "Every creator has their own expression, and every actor has their own understanding. I respect his choice, but I do not agree with his statement."

He remained steadfast in his belief that his interpretation of the Hulk was based on an exploration of the character’s human depth. Even if he were to do it all over again, he would stick to this creative direction.

This "neither humble nor arrogant" attitude earned him the silent admiration of many industry peers. Renowned directors like Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese privately expressed their support, believing that Ang Lee had "held the line of artistic creation."

A movie that isn’t liked by the audience isn’t necessarily a bad movie. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be enough to just let the audience vote for the Oscar every year?

Far away in Puerto Rico, Irene Coppola closely monitored every detail of this public relations storm.

When she saw Bana’s distancing remarks, she was beyond furious. Who would dare to cooperate with such an actor in the future? However, thinking back, she realized she hadn’t heard his name in her past life’s memories, so he would likely pay the price for his words in the future.

Afterward, Irene Coppola called Ang Lee and invited him to Puerto Rico for a vacation. It was currently the time of year when the local seascapes were at their most beautiful, and he could come to relax.

But after careful consideration, Ang Lee declined.

Irene Coppola then comforted him: "Perhaps you can take this opportunity to have a good rest. Everyone has things they are good at. With Hulk this time, you just happened to encounter a subject matter you aren’t suited for. When you find a good project next time, you will surely be able to redeem yourself."

This wasn’t just Irene Coppola making things up. When Ang Lee made his comeback with Brokeback Mountain, a trend of same-sex themes would sweep across North America because of this man.

It’s important to know that before Brokeback Mountain appeared, American film and television were quite secretive about the LGBT community. One could say Ang Lee influenced the development of American cinema.

But now was not the time to start that project. For one, Irene Coppola didn’t have the time. All the maritime scenes for Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 had to be filmed before November, which was a heavy task.

Secondly, although Ang Lee was facing many negative reviews now, as long as he didn’t look at them, it wouldn’t have a huge impact on his life. After all, he wasn’t a star who needed to live under the spotlight.

Therefore, if she suddenly recommended that project to him at this time, he might not necessarily accept it. That subject matter was even more daunting than the pirate theme, and Ang Lee would also worry about whether his career would be affected.

Only a year later, when Ang Lee’s work in Hollywood wasn’t going well, when he was being suppressed, couldn’t find projects, and no one was inviting him to direct, would he have the courage to burn his bridges.

After Ang Lee’s matter was temporarily settled, Irene Coppola continued her filming work at sea.

One day, after finishing work early, Irene Coppola held a video conference in her room with Robert Smith and Lisa Evelyn.

The main content of the meeting was about Universal’s recent developments.

"Universal’s shareholders are very dissatisfied with the major failure of Hulk. They believe management spent money to buy this hero back but failed to realize its value at all. The North American box office will likely only cover half of the production costs. It’s one thing for the film project to lose money, but the commercial value of the Hulk has also been significantly impacted."

"Not only have merchandise licensees collectively requested to terminate their contracts, but some toy manufacturers even believe this IP has lost its commercial appeal and have begun destroying inventory. Marvel’s side is being even less polite, even deploying their legal department to hold Universal accountable for violating the spirit of the contract. After all, when the agreement was signed, Universal promised to build the Hulk into a super IP on par with X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

"Now the Universal executives are in a total mess. Although they’ve shifted the blame to Ang Lee externally, someone within the company still needs to take responsibility. Ron Meyer directly fired a project VP at a public meeting and then said the IP would be shelved indefinitely."

Irene Coppola curled her lip and casually tucked a strand of hair blown by the sea breeze behind her ear. "Ron Meyer firing a project VP and shelving the IP is just a gesture for the shareholders. If we make a move rashly now, it will definitely attract their attention."

Robert Smith suddenly spoke up: "I have internal information that Universal is evaluating the possibility of partnerships for non-core IPs, especially projects like Hulk that have already consumed a lot of resources but show no immediate returns. However, asking for the IP license directly definitely won’t work. Universal can’t afford to lose that kind of face."

Irene Coppola’s finger tapped unconsciously on the table: "So theoretically, there’s no problem with us getting the filming rights for the Hulk, but..."

But she wasn’t satisfied with just getting the filming rights.

Suddenly, a sharp glint flashed in Irene Coppola’s eyes.

"I’ve thought of a way. Have Future World Pictures step forward in the name of ’expanding the film library and deepening industry cooperation’ to apply to become a co-producer for Universal’s future core projects. We can proactively offer to cover 30% of the production costs while paying a reasonable licensing fee. This model is very common in Hollywood. Many small and medium-sized companies rely on this to get a ticket into big productions. Thus, it won’t attract the attention of their high-level management. Universal won’t have to bear the risk alone and can even sit back and collect a share of the profits. They have no reason to refuse."

Robert Smith immediately understood her intention and slapped his thigh: "Brilliant! We can first target Universal’s key future projects like The Bourne Identity. They certainly won’t want us to share the profits of a sequel where they can make money just by sitting there, and they might even want to bundle in some projects they look down on or don’t want. In that case..."

"In that case, with the idea of utilizing waste, the ’trash’ project Hulk, which recently caused an internal earthquake at Universal and was frozen, is very likely to be bundled and given to us. We will then act reluctant and show a more sincere attitude. After some back-and-forth, you can say that after consulting me, we can take over the Hulk. But if it’s just the filming rights, the operability is too low. Demand that they open up all rights. They might not refuse."

Lisa Evelyn couldn’t help but applaud: "The boss is indeed the boss. I will mobilize the legal team to design the cooperation agreement we want as soon as possible, so Universal can see our ’sincerity’."

Irene Coppola nodded: "I’ll leave this matter to you two. There’s a high probability we won’t get a partnership on The Bourne Identity, so just let that be, but Fast & Furious and the Hulk must be secured. Any problems?"

The two across the video said in unison: "No problem."