"I can see everyone's reaction is very enthusiastic, that kind of excitement you feel after watching a great movie."
Gilbert said, "I'm sure everyone also knows that Marvel is about to carry out a grand plan: connecting one film after another to form the Avengers, in order to face unprecedented crises."
At this moment, a member of the audience couldn't help asking, "Director Gilbert, may I ask what Marvel's next production will be?"
The highly popular Spider-Man was in the hands of Sony Columbia Pictures, while the X-Men series was with 20th Century Fox. This year's release of X-Men 3: The Last Stand could also be considered a success.
So the choices left for Marvel weren't many, essentially just The Hulk and Captain America.
Gilbert had also discussed this issue with Marvel executives, and so he replied, "Next, we will tell the stories of Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner, connecting the entire Avengers storyline."
Regarding the production of Captain America, Marvel had long planned to recount the hero's World War II story from Natasha Romanoff's perspective.
Captain America could be considered the first superhero in history, and honestly, a bit outdated. To integrate this hero into a modern context and the S.H.I.E.L.D. narrative, Black Widow became a crucial character.
According to the setting, Black Widow had once fought alongside Captain America, so the script begins with her recalling past events.
The biggest challenge for Captain America was its historical setting, but as the Avengers' commanding officer, his origin had to be clearly explained.
Otherwise, suddenly introducing a commander would confuse the fans.
In comparison, The Hulk was an even more difficult adaptation. Ang Lee's Hulk had failed miserably, partly because Ang Lee's artistic style made the film feel less like a commercial blockbuster.
More importantly, the Hulk, as a superhero with immense destructive power and uncontrollable rage, seemed acceptable in comics, but placing him in a live-action film might not appeal to many viewers.
However, as the Avengers' early powerhouse, Marvel couldn't simply abandon him, so they had to produce a Hulk movie to link him to the Marvel Universe.
Although Marvel analyzed that The Hulk would likely lose money, considering the bigger picture, they still planned to make the film.
Since Ang Lee's Hulk had flopped, Universal relinquished the rights, and they returned to Marvel.
Gilbert had made it clear to Marvel that whoever played the Hulk must be willing to sign a long-term contract. Anyone like Edward Norton, with his quirks and artistic temperament, would be immediately passed over.
Currently, the final choice was Mark Ruffalo, recommended by Gilbert. The issue was that he wasn't an A-list actor and hadn't appeared much in commercial blockbusters.
In this regard, Robert Downey Jr. was different—at least he had glimpsed the A-list level back in the 1990s.
Casting Steve Rogers was simpler: Chris Evans immediately caught Marvel's attention, and negotiations were ongoing.
After the screening, there would be media interviews, which Gilbert did not participate in. He went into the VIP lounge with James Cameron, while Ivanka stationed a few bodyguards at the door to prevent interruptions.
"This May, I submitted the Avatar script to 20th Century Fox's executives, but they weren't very satisfied," James Cameron said, looking somewhat worried.
"So you want me to help convince Fox executives?" Gilbert asked with a smile.
"Francis, I think their concerns aren't really about the script itself—they fear Avatar might become a bottomless pit like Titanic. I saw the 37-second sample you provided, and honestly, burning ten million dollars on a sample like that would make any investor hesitant."
"But I was actually testing the technology, as you've seen," James Cameron defended himself.
"Indeed," Gilbert agreed, "since Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, motion capture performance has advanced again."
Last year, Gilbert had visited Digital Domain, which revolutionized motion capture performance with what could be called black-tech innovation.
Digital Domain had performers wear motion capture suits with a head rig equipped with cameras, then shoot through virtual cameras.
Through this camera's viewfinder, you saw not the actors themselves, but the characters they were portraying.
Most importantly, during post-production, the performance could be replayed and captured from any angle without having to bring the actors back.
Digital Domain used this technology for three months to produce a 37-second sample, which was the first glimpse of Avatar.
The sample was handed to 20th Century Fox, and the executives praised its effect, but upon learning it took three months for just 37 seconds, they began to doubt.
Three months for this, they asked—how long would a full-length film take? And how much would it cost?
Fox executives asked James Cameron to continue refining the script, submitting the first draft in May this year.
Seeing the executives' hesitation, James Cameron came to Gilbert seeking a solution.
It was indeed a challenge. Cameron had collaborated with Fox for years, and the relationship was relatively smooth.
For this Avatar investment, Gilbert was investing independently through a fruit company, outside of Disney and Warner, essentially earning some extra money.
So Gilbert suggested, "Francis, I recommend you take the script to Bob; he'll surely agree to invest."
"You mean you want me to switch to Disney?"
"No, no, no. I don't want Disney to have another ace director besides me," Gilbert shook his finger and said, "You approach Disney and leak the news a bit. Given your achievements with Titanic, the Fox executives won't let you slip away."
"Hahaha," James Cameron laughed heartily, "Great idea, Gilbert, let's settle it that way."
"Don't forget my investment share, fifty million dollars," Gilbert held up five fingers.
James Cameron then held up the other five fingers: "Buddy, that's not enough. I need at least a hundred million from you."
"OK," Gilbert agreed to such a good deal without hesitation, "Then a hundred million it is."
James Cameron felt that Gilbert knew his value; both were confident and believed the film would succeed. Yet to outsiders, this scene would only make them look like fools, even with the success of Titanic as precedent.
During the years James Cameron was working on underwater filming and 3D technology, Gilbert had basically sponsored him, and a series of patents bore Gilbert's name.
Later, Gilbert might even use these in his own films, although compared to a fully technical innovator like James Cameron, Gilbert was considered a conservative director.
....
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