"Gilbert how was your journey in China?" Robert Iger greeted Gilbert like a seasoned Hokage welcoming a promising young ninja back from a mission.
"It was great," Gilbert replied, pouring Robert Iger some tea, "Taste this, it's tea I brought back from China."
Having been used to coffee, drinking tea steeped in hot water was a strange new experience, and the taste was a bit odd. Robert Iger didn't find it particularly good, but he was here to talk about a new project with Gilbert so he complimented against his will, "Delicious, truly delicious."
Gilbert didn't expose him, saying instead, "Bob, the truth is, the idea for this new project has been lingering in my mind for a long time. This time, it's probably going to need a lot of investment."
Given Gilbert's streak of three successful films, Robert Iger's confidence in him exploded, "I believe no matter what film you make, you'll succeed."
"I hope so!" Gilbert pulled out the script he had prepared earlier and handed it to Robert Iger. As Iger flipped through it, Gilbert added, "Warner also received my script. We had a great collaboration last time, and I hope we can work together again."
Before coming, Robert Iger already knew that Gilbert had submitted the script to Warner, which was why he rushed over. He actually wanted to kick Warner out of the picture, but it was impossible. Jeff Robinov was like a desperate follower, making him sick with his eagerness. But if the other guy had no shame, neither could he; he had to join in the flattery. Now, if Gilbert wanted to see a tap dance, he'd even learn from Michael Ovitz and climb on the table to perform a ridiculous tap dance. There was no other way; Gilbert simply held that much value now.
The new script was a sci-fi action film titled "Real Steel," adapted from Richard Matheson's short story "Steel." Many people aren't familiar with this author, but his other novel, "I Am Legend," is widely known and has been adapted into a film twice. However, the most famous version of that film hadn't been released yet. Even Spielberg's first feature film was adapted from a Richard Matheson novel.
With Spielberg's introduction, Gilbert successfully secured the copyright for "Steel." The script was quickly handed over to Disney and Warner executives for discussion. The story of this film was quite interesting, about robot boxing. This premise sparked much discussion among the executives; a human boxing story had appeal, but robot boxing? What's that? The executives were unsure, but thinking of Gilbert as the director and screenwriter, they weren't too surprised. It wasn't strange for a young, imaginative mind to want to film such a peculiar story.
Even with his past successes as a foundation, Gilbert's requested investment of at least $80 million was enough to make film companies hesitate for a while. Facing tens of millions of dollars in investment, any film company's hesitation and caution were inevitable.
Gilbert wasn't in a hurry. He leisurely summoned his team members, who were on vacation, back to begin the preliminary preparations.
"Sophia, help me recruit people from the Writers Guild. Ask if any screenwriters are interested in working at the studio," Gilbert instructed, like a jounin giving orders to his squad.
"Isn't your script already finished?" Sophia Coppola asked curiously.
"Not for this project. I have several other scripts on hand, and I need a few screenwriters to help me complete them." Gilbert was extremely busy himself, and his energy was limited, so finding screenwriters to help was essential.
"Alright," Sophia understood and went to contact the Writers Guild.
Gilbert then spoke to art director Serena Heffey, "I need you to design different robot appearances, preferably tall and mighty, with an industrial aesthetic. We'll discuss the specific design requirements later."
"Should we make physical models, or use only computer-generated effects?" Serena Heffey asked.
"Let's make one or two physical models to see the effect. If we use them for promotion later, they'll also be a selling point," Gilbert said. According to his requirements, Serena Heffey immediately began the design work.
At the same time, Gilbert told associate director Anne Burton, "I need a young male lead, around twelve or thirteen years old. Help me look for someone in the Actors Guild. If that doesn't work, we'll hold an audition to select a suitable lead actor."
Sophia returned after her phone call and suggested, "Can't Scarlett play the role?"
Gilbert hesitated for a moment, then ultimately rejected the idea, "Let Scarlett make a cameo appearance. We'll find another child actor."
As time passed, Touchstone Pictures and Warner Bros. quickly approved the "Real Steel" project. Next came Gilbert's personal compensation. With three consecutive blockbuster films, Gilbert had the leverage to demand a hefty price. His agent, Sheena Boone, asked for a $15 million base salary, plus a 20% cut of the North American box office, capped at the top tier.
However, this director's contract was naturally unacceptable to Touchstone Pictures and Warner Bros. Yet, both parties reached a consensus; it was merely a matter of differing contract details.
Finally, at the end of July, both sides concluded discussions on the contract details. Touchstone Pictures and Warner Bros., along with Melon Studio and several smaller investors, jointly invested $80 million. After his share from "Speed" came in, Gilbert naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to invest in his own film, requesting this investment opportunity. Warner and Touchstone, eager to sign with Gilbert didn't think much of it and readily agreed to Melon Studio's $10 million investment. Touchstone Pictures and Warner each contributed $30 million and were responsible for the film's North American and international distribution. The remaining $10 million was split among seven or eight smaller investors.
Gilbert's combined remuneration as director, screenwriter, and producer included a base salary of $8.5 million, plus a tiered box office percentage, capped at a maximum of 10%. To secure the investment opportunity, Gilbert made concessions regarding his personal compensation. Of course, directors generally don't command as high a salary as celebrity actors, which was another reason. This director's contract officially solidified Gilbert's position among Hollywood's A-list directors.
To celebrate this good news, Warner Bros. and Touchstone Pictures specially held a project launch press conference, attended by many media reporters. When asked by reporters, Gilbert calmly replied, "The new work is an action sci-fi film with elements of warmth and passion."
When asked why he continued to collaborate with Touchstone Pictures and Warner Bros., Gilbert casually made up an answer: "Both companies are my steadfast partners. When I have new ideas, they are the first ones I think of collaborating with."
Gilbert's films were finally no longer ignored, attracting considerable attention from media reporters. After signing the director's contract, Touchstone Pictures and Warner began their promotional work. Rumors spread that Keanu Reeves would play the male lead, and actresses like Julia Roberts and Jodie Foster were candidates for the female lead, and so on. These messages were, of course, false. Their main purpose was to inform moviegoers that Gilbert's latest work was entering the project development stage and to encourage them to pay attention. If anyone interested in entertainment and film noticed that a movie called "Real Steel" was about to start shooting, that was considered a success. As for hyping up the main cast, that was a common tactic. For the "Real Steel" project specifically, Keanu Reeves was not suitable for the male lead role.
The signing was actually completed yesterday, and Gilbert's team also passed the relevant reviews by Touchstone Pictures and Warner Bros., officially joining the crew. Anne Burton served as the First Assistant Director, Sophia Coppola as the Second Assistant Director, and Durrell Randolph as the Director of Photography. Gilbert's collaborating producers remained Charles Roven and Cain Waxman. Soon, the team members concluded their vacations and returned to Los Angeles to officially begin preparations for the film "Real Steel."
_Readers might wonder how "Real Steel" could be filmed with the special effects technology of that era. To understand this, look at "Jurassic Park," released in 1993, which had a production budget of $63 million. In reality, "Jurassic Park"'s special effects seem quite outdated by today's standards. However, in that era, they appeared incredibly realistic. We only need to make the audience of the nineties feel that it's real. The protagonist, who came from directing online big movies, lacks experience with large-scale projects like the upcoming string of blockbusters, especially "The Lord of the Rings." Therefore, it's essential to give the protagonist an A-list commercial film with a large budget but not overly complex to shoot. The protagonist doesn't have a golden finger, so there must be a growth process._