In a conference room...
"Hello, Zane, my friend. We meet again." A middle-aged man gave Zane a warm hug.
"Jordan! I'm glad to see you, too," Zane replied with a smile.
The man was Jordan Davelman, the boss from Paramount's distribution department. He was the one who had worked with Zane on his first movie, Static.
Jordan looked at Zane and smiled. "Zane, I have to congratulate you. You did a brilliant job in London. I heard you got 20 million pounds from ITV!"
"Ah, it's alright, I suppose," Zane said, his eyes twinkling. "It's nothing compared to the profit your company makes from just one of my films."
He was, of course, talking about static.
That darn Paramount had paid him only $2 million for the overseas rights, and then they had made over $100 million at the box office.
Jordan smiled an awkward, guilty smile. He clearly wasn't expecting Zane to bring up that old story. He quickly changed the subject.
"Zane," he said, "I hear the U.S. rights for Got Talent are still in your hands, right?"
"That's correct," Zane nodded.
"Then," Jordan said, "you should think about selling them to our parent company. We own the third-biggest TV network in North America, you know."
Sell it to you? Zane thought.
"Sure," Zane said with a big, friendly smile. "Since we're such good friends, I'll sell it to you... for $70 million."
Seventy million dollars?!
Jordan almost spit out a mouthful of blood. He knew Zane was just making a crazy demand to mess with him.
Jordan forced a laugh. "Zane, come on, don't joke around. We're talking business here."
"Hahaha! You're right, Jordan," Zane laughed. "Let's talk about the overseas rights for Hard Candy instead. You and I both know that a big $70 million deal isn't something you have the power to decide."
Jordan was embarrassed again. Zane was right. A deal that big was way above his pay grade. He was just "testing the waters."
They were both smart guys. They knew how this game was played.
"I don't plan to sell the Got Talent rights in America right now, anyway," Zane said, thinking out loud. "After the show is a huge hit in the UK, I'll be able to sell the American rights for a much higher price."
He knew Hard Candy wouldn't make as much money as Static. But he still remembered how he'd lost out on $100 million. He was not going to let Paramount rip him off again.
"Jordan, you're a vampire!" Zane said, but he was laughing. "A million dollars? You think you can buy Hard Candy for just a million? Don't even think about it! Go dream some more!"
...
In the end, the talks didn't work out.
"Victor," Zane asked after Jordan left, "did any other big companies call about the rights?"
"Yes," Victor replied. "Time Warner has also contacted us."
Warner?!
Now that was a major player. Warner was even bigger than Paramount.
Zane was stunned for a second. "Wow," he realized, "it seems that even though static didn't make us a lot of money overseas, it sure put our company on the map. The big guys are finally noticing us."
Victor just smiled. He knew it was true.
...
Meanwhile, at a Time Warner office...
"Rhett," a big boss named Richard Kidman said, "I just heard that Wald Pictures (Zane's company) and Paramount are talking about Hard Candy. I want you to follow up on that. As long as the price doesn't go over $2 million, I want you to get those rights for us."
"Understood, sir," said his young assistant, Rhett.
A little while later, Rhett came back. "Boss, the rights are still available. But... are we sure we want to do this? It's a weird, dark little movie. I don't think it will make much money overseas."
Richard Kidman just nodded, like a wise old teacher. "Rhett, I understand why you're worried. You're right, the movie itself probably won't make us a ton of money. But you have to look at the long-term picture."
"Sir?" Rhett was confused.
"Think about it," Richard explained. "Wald Pictures is a new company. But look at Static. Look at Teletubbies, which is a giant hit in the UK. Look at that Got Talent idea they just sold for 20 million pounds. Do you still think Wald Pictures is just a 'small' company?"
Rhett's eyes went wide. "I understand! They're going to be a huge player. You're right, boss! We need to make friends with them now!"
"That's the right way to think," Richard said, pleased. "So what if we spend one or two million? If we succeed, we gain a relationship with a powerful new company. Why wouldn't we do it?"
...
Zane was happy to make friends with the big studios. He knew his company was still weak and needed to grow. As for the risk of being bullied or taken over by these giants? Zane wasn't worried.
"Give me three years," he thought. "Just three more years. Then I'll have enough money and power to stand on my own. And if I have to turn against a big studio then... I won't be helpless."
...
The next morning, Zane drove to the movie set for Juno.
Filming had already started half a month ago, but Zane had been so busy he hadn't had a chance to visit.
"Hi, Richard!" Zane said, walking right up to the director, Richard Linklater, with a big, friendly smile. "You've been working hard!"
Zane had a lot of respect for the famous director.
When Richard saw Zane, he laughed and pretended to be mad. "Mr. Blackwood! You're the producer of Juno, and the movie has been shooting for half a month! It's a rare sight to finally see you on your own set!"
"Hahaha, my apologies, my apologies! I've been so swamped!" Zane replied, laughing with him. He was so charming, you couldn't stay mad at him. "So, are you about to start shooting?"
"Yes, the actors are in makeup. We'll start in a minute," Richard said.
Zane nodded and watched as the two lead actors came out of the makeup room.
"Huh?" Zane muttered to himself, surprised. "Those two look... familiar."
He recognized both of them from his past life.
Jessica Chastain.Ryan Reynolds.
The actress playing Juno was Jessica Chastain. She wasn't a big star yet, just a 19-year-old kid. But Zane knew that one day she would be a huge, award-winning actress.
And the guy? Zane knew him even better. It was Ryan Reynolds... the future Deadpool!
He was also famous for another reason: he was the ex-husband of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).
Zane just smiled to himself, amazed at all the talent he was gathering.
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