Unlike the original timeline, where Disney spent a huge amount of money and still had to struggle to acquire Marvel, Xu Can felt that his own acquisition had gone almost too smoothly.
Fortunately, he had completed it at lightning speed before Iron Man officially began filming.
Otherwise, once Iron Man was released, even two billion dollars might not have been enough to stop Marvel's rise.
"I'll give you one piece of advice, Mr. Xu," Perlmutter said at the acquisition signing ceremony.
"They say you are a gambler. You have won many times, but if you keep gambling long enough, you will eventually lose."
As the former chairman of Marvel, Perlmutter spoke with an experienced, almost lecturing attitude.
On the surface, he sounded as if he was giving Xu Can sincere advice, but the arrogance in his tone could not be hidden.
Xu Can had already completed the acquisition, so he was not angry. Instead, he looked at the other party with a faint smile.
Perlmutter was not optimistic about Robert Downey Jr. He was even less optimistic about the Marvel Cinematic Universe Xu Can had planned.
That was his loss.
"Mr. Perlmutter," Xu Can said calmly, "we could have had a good result together. Marvel could have become a force that no one in Hollywood dared to underestimate. It's a pity that you gave up too early."
"Huh? Is that a joke?" Perlmutter sneered. "Are you kidding me? Since you're so stubborn, I'd love to see you go bankrupt."
After saying that, Perlmutter left with several former Marvel board members.
In their eyes, they had escaped from a dilapidated boat before it sank to the bottom of the sea.
They had simply left the mess to a boy who did not know the height of the sky.
"Hahaha, a loan of more than 700 million. I really don't know what he's thinking."
Their arrogant laughter gradually faded into the distance.
Xu Can watched those stubborn old men leave as if he were watching clowns walk offstage.
These people had nearly ruined Marvel in the original timeline.
First, Perlmutter and Kevin Feige had never dealt with each other properly.
There had even been a time when the higher-ups nearly tried to push Feige out, almost destroying the future of the MCU before it truly began.
Later, when the MCU became more and more popular, Perlmutter and the so-called Marvel Creative Committee kept trying to interfere with the films.
For example, in Captain America: Civil War, the ending arranged by the Russo brothers, where Captain America and Iron Man broke apart, was thought-provoking and powerful.
But Perlmutter and others wanted to forcefully change the plot into a traditional Hollywood happy ending.
Captain America and Iron Man would reconcile, join hands, and happily defeat the villain together.
If that change had gone through, Captain America 3 would have been reduced from a strong film into a vulgar popcorn movie.
Yes, Perlmutter had business experience.
But this was still Perlmutter.
Fortunately, he had now been bought out with 700 million dollars and had left Marvel completely.
From this day onward, Marvel Entertainment changed its surname to Xu.
"Xu, should I call you boss from now on?"
In the chairman's office, Xu Can was ordering people to clear out the former owner's office supplies and replace everything with his own.
Kevin Feige stood near the door with his arms crossed, smiling.
"Yes, I am your boss now, Kevin," Xu Can said seriously. "Remember to be respectful in the future."
"Huh?"
Kevin Feige froze for a moment.
"Just kidding." Xu Can smiled. "Let's talk business. How are the early preparations for Iron Man? We need to start shooting as soon as possible."
"No problem. In fact, I've been preparing during this period. The casting we planned before has already been finalized, and filming can start next week."
"Good. Then let's move."
The news from Warner and Marvel caused huge waves throughout Hollywood.
Had the spring of comic-book movies finally arrived?
Several live-action comic-book films would be released within the next two years.
After the success of Spider-Man, it seemed that other superheroes were about to be pushed onto the big screen as well.
However, many media outlets were still not optimistic about the field.
The success of Spider-Man was too unique.
Whether it was Xu Can's outstanding acting, the bold use of first-person shots, or the strong emotional core of the story, none of it could be easily copied.
If handled carelessly, a comic-book movie could easily become awkward.
The failure of the previous Batman series was still fresh in everyone's minds, and Iron Man had cast Robert Downey Jr., an actor whose troubled past had been repeatedly dragged into public discussion.
From an outsider's perspective, the futures of both DC and Marvel were still covered in shadow.
Soon, as summer blockbusters such as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Transformers were released one after another, media attention was drawn away again.
Xu Can could finally continue filming in a low-key manner.
"Cut. Robert, the marks in your performance are still too heavy. The force is a little too strong."
At Marvel Studios, Xu Can and the crew of Iron Man had already been filming for some time.
He had not expected Marvel to actually have its own studio.
In the past, he had always cooperated with other companies, but had never been able to use Marvel's own resources himself.
Now that he had acquired the company, this advantage naturally belonged to him.
Robert Downey Jr. had completely stopped using drugs and looked much better recently.
But his performance still felt strange and unnatural.
"I'm sorry, Xu." Downey looked genuinely apologetic. "Maybe I haven't acted for too long. I still haven't found the feeling."
In the scene opposite Pepper Potts just now, his performance had been too stiff, making it difficult for Gwyneth Paltrow to respond naturally.
The actress playing Pepper Potts was still the original Gwyneth Paltrow.
Xu Can had thought about it carefully and decided not to change the original casting unnecessarily. Otherwise, it might cause unpredictable butterfly effects.
As for Colonel Rhodey, Xu Can directly chose Don Cheadle, who had played the role later, instead of Terrence Howard from the original Iron Man.
Although Terrence Howard had award-season prestige and a high reputation, his salary was as high as 4.5 million dollars.
For a supporting role in Iron Man, that cost-performance ratio was not very good.
Don Cheadle, on the other hand, performed very well as Rhodey later. His serious complaints and dry reactions became a useful counterbalance to Tony Stark.
Everyone else's performance was relatively professional.
Only the most important protagonist, Robert Downey Jr., still seemed to have something wrong with him.
"Take a five-minute break, Robert. Try to find some form."
"No problem. By the way, Xu…"
Downey had already turned halfway around when he suddenly looked back.
"Does the crew have cheeseburgers? I want to eat a burger."
Xu Can pressed his forehead.
"Vanessa, ask someone to buy him a burger."
Robert Downey Jr. had indeed caused him a lot of trouble.
Xu Can had privately heard some cast members complain about Downey's temper. Yes, he could be difficult.
However, Downey also often joked with people and even took the initiative to buy coffee for everyone. The crew did not truly hate him.
"I see."
Combining some behind-the-scenes memories from his previous life with Downey's current state, Xu Can suddenly had an epiphany.
Jon Favreau, the director and screenwriter of the original Iron Man, was unable to direct the film in this timeline due to scheduling conflicts.
In order to meet the deadline and control the film's quality, Xu Can had personally taken over as director.
This was his first time independently directing a film.
Compared with his previous experience as a co-director, the problems and challenges this time had risen to an entirely new level.
During the early stage of filming, progress had been delayed a lot.
But just now, his mind seemed to be pierced by a flash of spiritual light.
It was just like when he awakened character fusion and god-level acting skills.
In an instant, he gained a clear understanding of actor handling, lens language, studio scheduling, scene control, pacing, emotional rhythm, and countless other details.
Before, he had been like a director walking through fog.
Now, he had risen to a higher dimension.
Every detail suddenly became clear.
It was like Mikasa in Attack on Titan suddenly awakening and gaining complete control over her body.
From this moment on, Xu Can had fully mastered the abilities of a director.
God-level director, awakened.
"Robert," Xu Can said, "try to forget about acting and character design completely. You are Stark. Tony Stark is you."
"What?"
"You can add your own reactions to the original lines. Improvise, change a few lines, adjust the rhythm. It doesn't matter."
"Is that really okay?" Downey hesitated. "Xu, isn't that a bit excessive?"
"If you don't go too far, you won't become Tony Stark. That's it. I'll take responsibility for everything."
Robert Downey Jr. subconsciously felt something was wrong, but Xu Can was not only the director. He was also the producer and company chairman.
If someone wanted to invest 100 million dollars, burn it, and play with the ashes, he was free to do so.
In that case, Downey simply lifted the seal completely.
"Scene 4, shot 3, take 7."
"Action."
In the underground garage, Tony Stark was tinkering with a stylish classic car.
Pepper Potts stepped forward to report on the work.
"Why are you always in such a hurry to drive me away?"
"Your plane should have taken off an hour and a half ago."
"What's interesting is that this is my plane, and I should decide the takeoff time."
"Tony, there are still a few things you need to decide on, and then you really do have to catch a plane."
"I thought to myself, if the plane takes off before I arrive, then what's the point of buying a private jet?"
"Why do you always want to drive me away? Do you have other arrangements?"
"There is indeed an arrangement."
"I don't like your arrangements."
The camera followed Robert Downey Jr.'s movements without cutting.
Xu Can did not shout "cut," so the camera continued to roll.
In this nearly one-minute shot, Downey finally portrayed the arrogance, looseness, charm, and casual confidence of a billionaire playboy.
The other members of the set were inevitably surprised when they saw it.
Xu Can had only chatted with Robert for a few words.
Had the change really been that big?
"Cut."
When Xu Can's voice finally sounded, Gwyneth and Downey both looked at him uneasily.
This scene had already been filmed many times, and they were worried it would fail again.
"Passed. Very good. Let's move on to the next one."
Robert Downey Jr. finally breathed a sigh of relief and gradually found the feeling of Iron Man.
After that, under Xu Can's guidance, filming became much smoother.
The actors' conditions seemed to improve one after another. Their tacit understanding and performance instincts became sharper, which made Xu Can very satisfied.
'Why does it feel like after awakening the state of a god-level director, other people's performances have improved a lot too?'
Xu Can vaguely sensed that something was strange.
Was this some kind of halo buff?
Could it improve the acting skills of the entire crew?
He could not understand it for the time being, so he did not think too deeply about it. Time was tight, and he immediately began filming the next scene.
"What? Wouldn't that work in armor?"
"It's not ideal. The movements are too difficult, and the effect is far from what the storyboard requires."
At the Marvel Studios soundstage, Xu Can's production team encountered another problem.
They had originally planned to arrange a real suit of armor for Robert Downey Jr. to wear in order to give the film a more authentic texture.
But when Downey put on the Iron Man armor, his movements became extremely limited. He could not move naturally like the character needed to in the film.
Moreover, the armor was far too heavy. He could not wear the full set for long.
Later, they reduced the weight piece by piece, but the filming still failed to achieve the desired effect.
The plan to actually wear the full armor was temporarily abandoned.
They could only seek help from digital special effects.
The actors would wear motion-capture equipment over their bodies, and computer-generated effects would be used to attach virtual armor to the characters.
If they did not want the audience to be disappointed, and if they did not want the special effects to look cheap, they needed experienced professionals.
At present, the most powerful special effects studio in Hollywood is Industrial Light & Magic, founded by George Lucas and famous throughout the world.
Others included Weta Digital, the team behind The Lord of the Rings, Digital Domain, Pixar, and DreamWorks.
Behind these special-effects companies were major directors and major capital. They already had stable service targets.
Their external quotations were usually not cheap.
Industrial Light & Magic could produce a 7-to-15-second shot, but the minimum price was around 120,000 dollars, and the maximum could reach 300,000 dollars.
Iron Man's later battle scenes, flying into the sky and escaping from the earth, required a huge increase in the proportion of special effects.
A conservative estimate was that the Iron Man armor effects alone would cost 70 million dollars.
That did not even include other special-effects scenes.
Industrial Light & Magic was excellent, but it was too expensive.
In the future, the Iron Man trilogy, Hulk, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and other MCU projects would all require special effects.
The amount of money needed for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe would be astronomical.
It seemed necessary to create his own special-effects team.
Fortunately, special effects belonged to the post-production stage. A special-effects company could still be built quickly during the filming process.
As for top experts and industry talent, that problem was easy to solve.
Any problem that could be solved with money was not a real problem.
With Ivanka's capital injection, Xu Can could spend heavily and poach people from Industrial Light & Magic and Weta Digital with high salaries.
In Ivanka's own words:
"Xu, you don't have to save money for me, and you don't have to feel burdened. I'm giving it to you freely. It doesn't matter even if it goes to waste."
She smiled and added, "I just want to see the movie empire you described before I get old."
Sure enough, a rich woman worked best.
However, Xu Can also knew that her father doted on his daughter, so there seemed to be no problem with her spending such a large amount of money.
Xu Can was too lazy to think about Ivanka's family affairs.
As long as he had money, that was enough.
That afternoon, he sent Happy directly to the capital of China to find a start-up studio called MOREVFX.
This studio would become the special-effects team behind the future Wandering Earth series.
The special effects of The Wandering Earth 2 were already comparable to Hollywood's top level.
It could be seen from that achievement that they had persisted in this field for many years with genuine belief and dedication.
With them as the backbone, supported by Hollywood professionals, Xu Can could create a special-effects team that would not be inferior to Industrial Light & Magic.
Moreover, the leaders of this special-effects company were all compatriots with ideals and ambition, so Xu Can could feel more at ease leaving the work to them.
Xu Jian, the founder of MOREVFX, was stunned when he heard the news.
Spider-Man Xu Can had actually acquired Marvel in Hollywood.
And now, he wanted to acquire them too.
At this time, many domestic entertainment stars were still busy breaking up, cheating, competing on red carpets, and finding ways to evade taxes.
Yet Xu Can had already been steadily building his own entertainment empire in Hollywood.
He was less than twenty-five years old.
What kind of monster was he?
After a long-distance phone conversation, Xu Can shared his vision with Xu Jian and painted a grand future for him.
Xu Jian decisively chose to accept the offer.
He took the cake Xu Can handed over, accepted the acquisition, and came to Los Angeles to be responsible for operating the special-effects company.
All of this happened during the filming of Iron Man, in less than a week.
A subsidiary of Galaxy Entertainment, Galaxy Digital, was quietly established.
At the same time, many teams such as Industrial Light & Magic, DreamWorks, Pixar, and Disney noticed the departure of several senior technical elites.
What shocked them was that these outstanding talents had actually chosen to join an unknown start-up company.
However, Galaxy Digital's recruitment did not attract too much alarm from the Hollywood giants.
Their first task was to create special effects for Iron Man.
For a movie that many people believed was destined to fail, how good could the special effects possibly be?
What everyone cared about more was whether Warner's two-part Batman series, produced with an investment of 320 million dollars, would succeed.
Batman Begins was coming to theaters in one week.
Christopher Nolan.
Christian Bale.
And Xu Can, who would appear as the Joker in the second high-profile film.
What kind of result would such a strong lineup bring?
The attention of all of North America gradually focused on this.
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