With the deals for Charlize and James settled, Zane and Victor turned their attention to the surprising phone call from the United Kingdom.
"The contact's name is Smith, Head of the Content Department for the BBC," Victor began, still looking slightly incredulous. "Their position was very clear. They want us in London as soon as possible to discuss a development deal for the Teletubbies copyright."
Victor was mystified. Wald Pictures' first film, Static, hadn't even been released, yet somehow his boss had managed to get on the radar of a global media behemoth like the BBC.
"Hold on," Zane said, a shrewd glint in his eye. "You said they seemed anxious?"
"That's the thing," Victor confirmed. "Smith's tone was calm, but for the head of a major department to make the call himself is significant. And there's more..." Victor leaned forward, his voice dropping conspiratorially. "I have a friend who works in the IT department at the BBC. After the call, I asked him to do some discreet digging. He told me the BBC and a production company called Ragdoll were already in development on a new children's educational series. The strange part? The content is almost identical to the Teletubbies copyright we registered. In fact, their working title wasTeletubbies."
Victor saw it as a bizarre coincidence. Zane knew it was a declaration of victory.
The original creators of the show had been developing it in good faith, only to find out at the eleventh hour that a savvy, unknown American had legally claimed their intellectual property right out from under them. Zane imagined the looks on their faces when the Copyright Office had rejected their application.
Checkmate, he thought with the thrill of a predator.
The BBC and Ragdoll had already invested a significant amount of money and were convinced they had a hit on their hands. Giving up now was not an option. They had no choice but to come to him, the legal owner.
"Victor, have our team make initial contact," Zane ordered, a predatory grin spreading across his face. "Probe them, explore their bottom line. Let them sweat a little. In a week or two, you and I will fly to London personally to close the deal."
This wasn't just business. It was a heist, executed perfectly.
Just as one fire was being stoked, another erupted. The release of Static had hit a major snag.
"You're telling me MGM is pressuring the theaters to drop us?" Zane asked, his good mood evaporating instantly, replaced by a cold fury.
"Yes, boss," Victor said, his own anger palpable. "We had verbal agreements for 315 screens for the premiere. This morning, the calls started coming in. Theaters are backing out left and right. We're down to 120 screens, and that number is still falling. It's sabotage, pure and simple."
This was Victor's first major film release as CEO, and it was being strangled in the cradle. He had only found out who was behind it because a friendly theater manager had discreetly tipped him off.
Damn MGM, Zane thought. It was retaliation for the Spider-Man deal. He had expected it, but the brazenness of the attack was still infuriating.
He tapped his fingers on his desk, his mind racing. "Alright. Don't panic. You keep working your contacts at the theater chains. I'm going to call in some favors."
His first call was to John Lasseter. As the director of the previous year's box office champion, Lasseter's name carried significant weight in the industry. As predicted, his friend was immediately on board.
"MGM is playing dirty?" Lasseter said, his voice full of loyalty. "Don't worry, Zane. Your business is my business. I'll make some calls."
Zane's next call was to Utah, to the cantankerous but honorable retailer, Billy Jarder.
"Zane, my boy, you called the right person," Billy boomed over the phone after hearing the situation. "I have my own history with those snakes at MGM. They cheated me on a deal years ago. Don't you worry about a thing. In Utah, my word still means something. I'll get you your screens."
A day later, the tide had turned. Through Victor's relentless efforts and the considerable influence of Lasseter and Billy Jarder, they hadn't just recovered their lost screens; they had gained more.
The final count was 355 screens.
"They wanted to play hardball," Zane said to Victor, a grimly satisfied smile on his face. "So we'll play harder. Move the release date up. Instead of the 12th, we're opening this Friday, April 5th."
The first battle in Zane's war with old Hollywood was about to begin, and he had just fired his first counter shot.
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