Chapter 359: Planning

Chapter 359: Chapter 359: Planning

Hollywood Queen, Started Directing at 17

As her thoughts drifted, she began to sort out the company’s future plans.

Next year’s schedule was already packed. The adaptation plans for Twilight and Taken had to be put on the agenda.

These two novels had sparked a sales frenzy as soon as they hit the market this year. Twilight, with its core of a forbidden romance between a vampire and a human, precisely hit the preferences of the teenage audience, with first-month sales exceeding 500,000 copies, and discussions about "Edward and Bella" on social media remained at a high heat.

Taken, with its tight plot and strong theme of fatherly love, had become a darling of adult readers, with sales steadily climbing to 300,000 copies.

The adaptation potential of these two works was huge, and the market outlook was bright. They were key projects for Future World Pictures to expand its audience and consolidate its commercial position, so sufficient energy had to be invested in polishing the scripts, selecting actors, and controlling production quality.

In addition to this, the post-production of Saw 2, the script refinement for Final Destination, and the pre-production preparation for Transformers — every single project required her personal oversight.

The scale of Future World was not yet sufficient to handle both film and television business lines simultaneously. The existing team’s manpower, material resources, and financial resources were all limited. If they forcibly pursued both lines in parallel, they would likely be unable to attend to everything, leading to neither sector being done well.

Therefore, the plan for the television business could only be officially launched the year after next. By then, the filming of Twilight and Taken would be completed, Transformers would have entered the post-production stage, and the team would have more leeway, as well as time to recruit professional television production talent and build a writers’ room, making full preparations for the launch of the television business.

Thinking of this, Irene sighed softly, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the texture of the bedsheets.

The blueprint for her film and television empire was becoming clearer, but every step needed careful planning. She could not be impatient for success.

Just then, a magnificent scene flashed through her mind: towering castles, knights in armor, skies burning with dragon fire, and intricate family feuds — it was A Song of Ice and Fire! How could she have forgotten this book!

This fantasy novel by George R. R. Martin would be adapted into the TV series Game of Thrones by the American HBO network in a few years, and in her previous life, this TV series had shone brilliantly, essentially the The Lord of the Rings of the television world.

The characters within it tugged at everyone’s heartstrings. Irene’s favorite was still the Mother of Dragons, Daenerys. She had been unable to let go of the death of the Mother of Dragons in the final season for a long time, even staying up all night to use a VPN to leave comments on Facebook, harshly criticizing HBO for not acting like humans.

But when it came to her turn to be the producer, considering the narrative logic and thematic direction, the death of Daenerys Targaryen was not accidental, but an inevitable result of the plot progression, thematic expression, and the completion of her character arc.

Daenerys’s initial ideal was to "break the wheel," and build a more just world.

However, as the plot progressed, she gradually discovered that the path to an ideal world was filled with bloodshed and conquest.

When she still chose to slaughter the city after the surrender of King’s Landing, it marked that she had transformed from a "liberator" into a "tyrant."

Her death symbolized the bankruptcy of radical idealism in real-world politics and also revealed that "fighting violence with violence" would ultimately only lead to new enslavement and fear.

Only by ending a ruler who possessed absolute force and was out of control could the continent of Westeros truly be able to break free from the old cycle of power.

How could this not be considered political correctness?

Irene’s sleepiness instantly dissipated, and a strong urge surged in her heart to immediately understand the copyright situation of this book.

She sat up abruptly from the bed, groping to pick up the phone on the nightstand. The moment the screen lit up, the blinding light made her narrow her eyes slightly.

Taking a closer look, the time was already 1:30 AM. At this hour, Lisa Evelyn had most likely already rested.

Irene’s finger hovered over the dial button. She hesitated for a moment, but ultimately put the phone down.

Forget it, she had better not be an annoying boss.

Lisa was helping her follow up on Marvel’s work in the future and was already busy enough on a daily basis. Disturbing her rest late at night was truly inappropriate. Moreover, copyright acquisition was not something that could be completed overnight. One night’s time would not change anything.

She lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes, but snippets of the plot of A Song of Ice and Fire still surfaced in her mind: the honor of the Stark family, the ambition of the Lannister family, the rise of the Mother of Dragons, and the threat of the White Walkers.

The potential of this work was too great. Once the copyright was secured, it would surely become the trump card project for Future World’s television business.

Even if it couldn’t be filmed now, purchasing the copyright was imperative.

She silently calculated in her heart that when she woke up tomorrow morning, she would call Lisa at the first opportunity to ask if the copyright for A Song of Ice and Fire had already been taken by another company. If not, she must spare no cost to acquire it.

The morning sunlight shone gently through the gaps in the curtains onto Irene’s face, waking her from a sweet dream.

She blinked, as if she hadn’t yet realized that she had returned to her parents’ home in Malibu.

In an instant, she became fully awake. She grabbed the phone from the nightstand and saw it was already 8:00 AM. She dialed Lisa Evelyn’s number without hesitation.

"Irene? Calling so early, is there an urgent project?" Lisa’s voice maintained its professional sharpness.

She knew that Irene had finished filming, and normally, she would never easily disturb her subordinates during their rest time. Once she called, it must be an important matter.

"Lisa, I want to ask about the copyright situation of A Song of Ice and Fire, that fantasy novel by George R. R. Martin. Have you received any news about it being bought by other companies?"

Lisa on the other end of the line was silent for a few seconds, seemingly searching through the copyright archives in her memory.

"A Song of Ice and Fire... I have a bit of an impression. I paid attention to this novel when The Lord of the Rings became a hit, but at that time, its audience was relatively niche and it hadn’t entered the mainstream field of copyright competition.

I have no records here indicating it has been taken by any studio or television station. However, to ensure accuracy, I need to contact Martin’s agent and the copyright agency to verify it again. After all, there might be private negotiations."

Hearing the four words "no record," the heart Irene had been holding in her throat instantly settled by more than half, and her tone became much lighter.

"That’s great! Lisa, I’ll leave this matter to you. Please verify it as soon as possible. If the copyright is still available, no matter what the cost, we must acquire it. This work is crucial to our company’s future television business."

"Don’t worry, Irene." Lisa’s voice carried her consistent efficiency. "I will go and connect with the relevant channels in a moment, and I will send you a detailed copyright report before noon."

"Thank you for your hard work." Irene thanked her sincerely. After hanging up the phone, a long-lost relaxed smile appeared on her face.

The copyright to A Song of Ice and Fire was highly likely still available, which meant her television business would at least not lack a blockbuster. This morning surprise made her happier than any birthday gift.