Robert Iger said he wanted to acquire Marvel, but saying it was one thing—actually making it happen was not that simple.
To begin with, some people on the board already did not want Gilbert to continue expanding his influence within Disney. If Marvel Studios were acquired as well, it would be impossible for Gilbert not to further increase his power.
By then, Disney might practically have to change its surname to Landrini. Even though both names ended with "ni," one "ni" was still very different from the other.
But just as Robert Iger had said, if they did not take Marvel Studios, were they supposed to just watch helplessly as it was acquired by another company?
After all, Paramount, Universal Pictures, MGM, and others had been in frequent contact with Gilbert.
Once they learned that Disney merely held Marvel Studios' distribution rights, they immediately saw an opportunity. Since it was only distribution rights, why couldn't another company handle distribution?
Did they really have fewer distribution channels and resources than Disney?
Faced with this kind of poaching attempt, Robert Iger had no particularly good solution. He could only make concessions in the distribution contracts and, by relying on his relationship with Gilbert, stabilize Marvel Studios.
After finishing discussions about Marvel Studios, the focus of the meeting shifted to the new film that Gilbert was preparing.
"I've already read the new script. It's very good—there's a feeling reminiscent of The Matrix," Robert Iger said. "Disney will fully support this film, with no upper limit."
Although he said "no upper limit," there would still be a practical ceiling. And Gilbert was not like James Cameron, an endless money pit—he generally did not overspend.
An executive from the Disney family faction raised a concern.
"Bob, isn't this a bit too risky?
This is an original science-fiction action film, and from what I see, the budget Gilbert proposed is 185 million dollars. Such a high production cost for an original sci-fi film—it's too risky."
Before Robert Iger could speak, Vice President Pedro Field spoke first.
"Vassel, I think you don't really understand Gilbert," Pedro Field said.
He emphasized his point. "I think everyone here has forgotten what Director Gilbert is most famous for—his creative ability.
Haven't his past films already proven what he's capable of?"
"But still, an investment of 185 million dollars—isn't that too risky?"
Pedro Field did not think so. He said, "Everyone, don't forget, we're not the only ones who can afford this amount."
This immediately brought the discussion back to the earlier topic. If Gilbert wanted to leave Disney, he could continue increasing his value through Marvel Studios alone.
No matter which studio he went to, he would be treated as an honored guest.
Pedro Field continued, "Other than Kelly Ross, who in Hollywood wouldn't want the famous Gilbert?"
The unspoken message was clear: don't cause trouble. Gilbert was not a director that studio executives could casually manipulate.
He did not lack alternatives. Once he became unhappy, Disney's losses would be enormous.
With that, the Disney family faction executives fell silent. Indeed, the name "Gilbert" itself was value.
At the very least, if news spread that Gilbert intended to leave Disney, the stock market would react immediately.
You could afford to clash with Gilbert personally—but don't drag everyone's share prices down with you.
And just like that, without even a ripple, Disney's top management unanimously approved the project for Inception.
Since Warner Bros. had withdrawn from investing in Melon Studio films, Disney alone invested the full 185 million dollars. With ample cash on hand, they did not even seek financing from Wall Street or set up a film slate package.
Gilbert naturally knew about the situation at Disney's executive meetings. Although he did not attend in person, he had representatives there.
Moreover, after the meetings, both Robert Iger and Pedro Field would brief him, so even without being present, he was fully informed.
After learning that Disney had approved the project, Gilbert did not pursue the matter against those executives who had targeted him.
His strong position within Disney was bound to affect some people, and it was normal for them to cause him a little trouble.
Internal competition within large corporations was extremely intense, but as long as it did not affect normal operations and development, people generally did not tear things apart completely.
After all, everyone had been competing without breaking apart for many years, and things had run smoothly.
At this moment, Gilbert was visiting the set of Source Code to see how Guo Fan was doing.
"Jake Gyllenhaal's performance is very good. He's a rare kind of actor," Gilbert said to Guo Fan after watching a scene, giving his evaluation of the male lead.
Guo Fan smiled and replied, "Yes, because of his outstanding performance, our crew has been able to keep the shoot on schedule."
Gilbert patted Guo Fan on the shoulder and said, "You're doing very well too. Wilson told me you've been doing an excellent job.
Although there were some bumps at the beginning, being able to adjust in time is also why the production has been running smoothly."
Guo Fan responded modestly. "That's all thanks to your guidance. Being able to learn by your side, I naturally wouldn't dare embarrass you."
"Hahaha, no need to be so modest," Gilbert laughed. "If this film performs well, do you have the confidence to take on a bigger project?"
"A bigger project?"
"An A-level production. A true blockbuster."
Making a Chinese science-fiction blockbuster had always been Guo Fan's dream. But before that, he needed real experience with major productions.
In fact, China Film Group had recently been working on plans to support young directors.
Beyond that, they also wanted to enter the science-fiction field and make Chinese sci-fi films of their own. But this dream was not easy to realize—even now, very few people believed that Chinese-language cinema truly had fertile ground for science fiction.
Gilbert was essentially giving Guo Fan more responsibility, helping him out.
There was no need to worry about Source Code. Guo Fan's performance had exceeded expectations, and maintaining this level of quality would make profitability no problem.
After paying a bit of attention, Gilbert shifted his full focus back to Inception.
At the end of June, on the eve of his thirty-ninth birthday, Disney officially held a project launch press conference, with both Gilbert and Leonardo DiCaprio attending the event.
Gilbert's father, Old Gilbert, also appeared at the press conference.
"I've always dreamed of working with Gilbert again, and now that wish has finally come true."
DiCaprio said he was extremely excited and thrilled.
"I've already read the script. To be honest, it's a bit hard to understand and requires a very high level of intelligence to fully grasp. But I'm extremely excited to take part in a film like this. There are a lot of action scenes, and I can't wait."
A reporter below asked curiously, "Leo, can you give us a rough idea of what kind of story it is?"
"Uh, you'll have to ask Gilbert about that."
DiCaprio passed the question to Gilbert, who replied, "This is a story about dreams."
"Dreams?"
"Yes, dreams," Gilbert said. "I think many of you have experienced this when dreaming—during the process, you can remain consciously aware."
Quite a few reporters present nodded in agreement, clearly having had similar experiences.
Gilbert continued, "When I have dreams like that, I try to control the dream, and that's how this story was born.
"This is a story that takes place within lucid dreaming."
Seeing how mysteriously Gilbert was speaking, the reporters continued to press him. "Gilbert, can you reveal a bit more?"
Gilbert refused. "Sorry, because of confidentiality, if you want to know more, you'll have to look forward to seeing it in theaters next year!"
...
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