"It's true, but not entirely," Mr. Eisen replied.
"We need to sort out two things first: Who are our friends, and who are our enemies? Who can we team up with, and who do we have to fight to the end?" Luke said.
"You nailed the heart of the issue right away," Eisen said.
"Just borrowing some wisdom from a great Eastern thinker," Luke said modestly.
Eisen smiled and nodded, not diving deeper into that topic.
He got serious. "Among the big eight Hollywood studios, Universal Pictures and Disney are pretty friendly toward us. They're likely to welcome our rise in the film industry."
Luke wasn't surprised. Over the past two years, he'd worked closely with those two studios, building solid relationships.
Fast & Furious and Jurassic Park 3 were both Universal projects.
And the Pirates of the Caribbean series with Disney? That went without saying.
In fact, those were the last two studios Luke wanted as enemies.
Over the next twenty years, both were set to dominate, with Universal even reclaiming the top spot at times. Crossing them now would cost Luke dearly.
That's why he'd been so careful to wrap up his work on the Pirates series with Disney on good terms, aiming to leave no bad blood.
"And our enemies?" Luke asked.
"Columbia Pictures and MGM," Eisen said. "Those two studios have some serious beef with us."
Luke nodded at Eisen's answer.
Both were old-school Hollywood giants—Columbia with its torch-bearing goddess logo, MGM with its roaring lion.
Even casual moviegoers who couldn't name the studios would recognize those iconic opening logos, a testament to their massive output.
Since Eisen had confirmed their hostility, Luke knew it was time to gear up for a fight.
He wasn't scared of them. In the coming years, both studios were headed for a decline, teetering on the edge of bankruptcy and acquisition.
In his past life, Luke had seen MGM get scooped up by Amazon.
Columbia? Snagged by Sony.
Maybe their shaky performance was exactly why they were so hostile toward Luke's upstart studio. We're already starving, and you're trying to steal our food?
Sure, they were on the ropes, but a wounded giant could still pack a punch. If they teamed up to trip him up, Luke would feel the pain.
So, before the battle kicked off, he and Eisen had to prep thoroughly.
"What about the other studios?" Luke asked.
Eisen had a clear read on four of the eight studios—two allies, two enemies. What about the rest?
"They're neutral for now but could swing either way," Eisen replied. "There's one we need to keep a close eye on and try to win over."
"Which one?"
"Warner Bros."
"…"
The name hit Luke hard, and he fell silent.
Warner Bros. had a heavy-hitting parent: Time Warner.
The magazine Time, which had featured Luke on its cover? Time Warner.
The Sports Illustrated that interviewed him after his football game with the New England Patriots? Also Time Warner.
Add in Fortune magazine, DC Comics… all those familiar names were under Time Warner's umbrella.
Point is, Time Warner was a media titan, far stronger than Columbia or MGM.
Right now, they seemed neutral toward Luke—neither suppressing nor supporting him.
But if they turned against him, things could get dicey.
The problem? Luke couldn't help but poke the bear.
The Harry Potter series, shot and distributed by Warner Bros., had been overshadowed this year by Pirates of the Caribbean.
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And the Lord of the Rings trilogy? That was produced by New Line Cinema, which Time Warner had already acquired.
Not only was Luke planning to crush The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King at the box office, but he was also gearing up to compete head-to-head with their release schedule.
With moves like that, would Time Warner stay neutral?
The thought gave Luke a headache.
Looked like he had a new mission: How to slap Time Warner in the face while keeping them from hating him?
"Alright, alright. If we're dealing with all this mess, we can't just take hits without getting something out of it," Luke said, rubbing his temples.
"Exactly. Once King of Espionage hits theaters, we need to take bigger steps. Besides your starring roles in our own films, we'll need to produce more successful movies," Eisen said.
Up until now, Luke's studio had revolved around him, focusing on films where he was the lead. But to operate as a full-fledged studio, they'd need to expand their slate.
Relying solely on Luke's films for profit? That'd limit them to a handful of movies a year.
Before, they'd stayed under the radar as a "studio," quietly building strength.
Now, with their profile rising, it was time to step into the spotlight and start planning a broader lineup.
"I'll put together a list of potential film projects and handle the scripts. If all goes well, let's aim to shoot ten of our own movies next year," Luke said.
"Sounds good. You've got a sharp eye and a perfect track record. I trust you completely on this," Eisen replied.
Every movie Luke had picked had been a massive hit, so Eisen was confident that any project Luke greenlit would at least break even, if not rake in huge profits.
"But that'll stretch our team thin," Eisen added.
"I'll talk to Director Cohen, Ang Lee, and Johnston, try to lock them in for their next few films with our studio. I'd also appreciate it if you could scout some other talented directors to collaborate with."
Cohen was a no-brainer. Ang Lee was an old friend.
And Johnston, who Luke worked with on Jurassic Park 3, was practically family.
Handing projects to directors he trusted gave Luke confidence they'd stay on track.
"I'll also reach out to Vin Diesel, Johnny Depp, Paul Walker, and Anne, get them to star in more of our upcoming films," Luke continued.
"Nice. You've quietly built quite the network," Eisen said, a hint of pride in his voice.