The city of Richmond in the northeastern part of San Francisco Bay.
Pixar's office at this time was located in an inconspicuous office building in this city.
Simon arrived at Pixar headquarters at two o'clock in the afternoon, but Jobs did not show up. The person responsible for receiving him was Pixar President Ed Catmull. This middle-aged man with glasses and a beard is the director of Pixar animation production software and rendering tools. Main developer.
Before arriving in San Francisco, Simon had actually heard that due to financial constraints, Jobs had just laid off Pixar employees after the New Year. At this time, there were less than 20 Pixar employees living in this office building.
The real owner didn't show up, and Simon didn't mind. He spent the entire afternoon carefully visiting a series of Pixar's technical achievements, including "Tin Soldiers", which John Lasseter had just started to prepare. This 3D animated short not only won the Oscar It won the Best Animated Short Film Award and was the inspiration for the later "Toy Story".
So it wasn't until after get off work, when Simon was about to say goodbye, that he said to Ed Catmull: "Ed, I made a suggestion to Steve Jobs to buy this company last year. This offer is still valid. You can tell him that any If he ever wants to sell Pixar, he can contact me."
We had a great time getting along with each other in the afternoon. Ed Catmull also felt that Simon was really interested in Pixar's technology. Hearing this, he said: "Simon, do you have to buy our company? If it's just a shareholding, Steve My husband should be very happy, and we can help convince him."
"This has to do with the issue of control," Simon shook his head and said, "I think Jobs definitely doesn't want to repeat his experience at Apple, and I personally feel the same way. Ed, you should have realized that I'm interested. His purpose was to use Pixar's technology to produce 3D animations and develop CG special effects technology related to movies, but Jobs' purpose was to produce professional computers for animation production. Our two business philosophies were completely conflicting."
After chatting for a while, Simon shook hands with Ed Catmull and others again, and left Pixar headquarters with Jennifer.
The main filming of "Basic Instinct" will take place in San Francisco. On Tuesday, several of the main creators of the "Basic Instinct" crew came here and spent two days confirming the location of the film. Brian De Palma and others have already returned. Los Angeles.
Simon visited the Silicon Graphics headquarters in Silicon Valley in the morning, visited Pixar in the afternoon, and will fly to Park City, Utah tomorrow to attend the opening ceremony of this year's Sundance Film Festival.
"Run Lola Run" only became a blockbuster through the Sundance Film Festival last year with the strong support of Robert Redford. Redford even specially greeted him a few days ago. Whether it was a promotion or a personal friendship, Simon said It’s impossible not to cheer.
Hilton Hotel in downtown San Francisco.
Jennifer returned to the living room with a pot of coffee, and Neil Bennett had already conducted an eavesdropping check on the suite.
After enthusiastically helping Neil Bennett put various instruments into boxes, Jennifer poured Simon a cup of coffee, sat down on the sofa next to him, and said, "This is very much like obsessive-compulsive disorder. "
"Obsessive-compulsive disorder is better than being bugged. I feel uncomfortable when I think of those little things in the Plaza Hotel suite," Simon said, putting down the documents in his hands, clapped his hands towards the female assistant, and said, "Come here."
Jennifer's face turned red and she refused: "No, I'm not a kitten. Besides, it's time for you to call my dad."
Simon didn't force himself, he picked up the phone with a smile and dialed Raybould's home number.
It was already past eight o'clock in the evening in New York, and the call was quickly connected. Simon and James chatted about New World Entertainment.
New World Entertainment's stock price rose again today compared to yesterday's high of $15. It closed at $16.75 in the afternoon, and its total market value has exceeded $400 million. Simon could no longer afford it now. After another discussion with James on the phone, Simon made a decisive decision to liquidate all New World Entertainment stocks in Westeros Company's hands.
The fundamental purpose of Simon's acquisition of New World Entertainment is Marvel, and the company's film and television entertainment assets are secondary.
Since a group of people have come together to slaughter the fat sheep, Simon's wisest choice now is to get out immediately. If you keep holding the 7% shares of New World Entertainment, the company's stock price will only continue to be strong, and it may even allow New World Entertainment to survive the most difficult period in the future.
Once this happens, it will be even more difficult for Simon to get Marvel.
All New World Entertainment shares held by Westeros are unrestricted tradable shares. Therefore, although the shareholding ratio exceeds 5%, it is not subject to the SEC's share reduction restrictions.
Early the next morning.
After the Westeros Company publicly announced the reduction of its holdings in accordance with SEC regulations, it immediately began to sell its shares.
Simon arrived in Park City at around 11 a.m. local time in Utah. Janet had also arrived and rented an apartment at the resort last time. The woman had been busy decorating the Fifth Avenue apartment in New York some time ago. At this time Returning to the West Coast is mainly to attend the 45th Golden Globe Awards ceremony to be held next Saturday with Simon.
The opening ceremony of the Sundance Film Festival still starts at 1 p.m.
After Simon arrived in Park City, he simply settled in and rushed to the Park City Egyptian Theater where the opening ceremony was held.
Due to the great success of "Run Lola Run" which started at the Sundance Film Festival last year, Park City was obviously much more lively this year. If Robert Redford had not made arrangements in advance, Simon and the others might not even be able to squeeze into the packed Egypt. theater.
During some early chats, Simon also learned from Redford that compared to last year, the number of films submitted to the Sundance Film Festival this year has doubled.
Thanks to the generosity of sponsors, the number of screening halls used for the screening of participating films in the next ten days will no longer be just 3 last year, but will be increased to 10. Park City does not have so many theaters, and many of them are temporary conversions. It is said that some films that were not shortlisted have built their own screening halls, and they hope to attract the attention of the media and film producers during the film festival.
After the opening ceremony, the opening video this time is also quite important.
"Love in Prague" is an adaptation of Milan Kundera's novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" and stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Juliette Binoche. Because Saul Zaenz, the producer of "Love in Prague", holds the rights to "Lord of the Rings", Simon had noticed this movie some time ago.
"Love in Prague" is confirmed to be released on February 5 and will be distributed by Orion.
To promote the film, Saul Zaenz and other main creators also came to Park City.
After the opening ceremony of the film festival, everyone rushed to the Sundance Institute headquarters located at the foot of the ski resort to attend the official opening party of the film festival. Simon met Saul Zaenz under the introduction of Robert Redford.
Saul Zaenz is in his sixties, has a thick white beard, and habitually purses his lips, looking a little unsmiling.
This well-known Hollywood producer started out as a record company in his early years. In 1975, he participated in the production of the first movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", which won many Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. In 1984 "Mozart" once again attracted the attention of Hollywood with its outstanding results of 8 out of 11 Oscar nominations.
For a Hollywood filmmaker, being able to produce two Oscar-winning films in his career is an honor that can last a lifetime.
at the party.
After introducing each other, Saul Zaenz said: "Simon, I know you are very interested in "The Lord of the Rings", and I also heard that you have obtained the copyright of "The Hobbit". However, unless you can provide A practical production plan. Otherwise, I will not hand over the copyright of "Lord of the Rings" to you."
Simon and Saul Zaenz stood in the corner of the hall together. Hearing this, he shook his head and said, "Saul, if I can't get the copyright, I definitely can't invest in developing this project in advance."
Saul Zaenz shrewdly said: "You could make The Hobbit first."
"But I prefer to make the "Lord of the Rings" series first," Simon said. He hesitated for a moment, looked at Saul Zaenz and said seriously: "Saul, I know you may not be short of money, and I also know It may be a bit abrupt to say this. But to show my sincerity, what do you think of $10 million?"
Although the party was a little noisy, Saul Zaenz fully heard Simon’s quote.
$10 million? !
Subconsciously, he wanted to ask a question, but Saul Zaenz knew that he had heard correctly.
but.
How can this be.
The current price of the top novel or screenplay copyright in Hollywood is only around US$1 million. Simon Westeros has directly increased the market price tenfold.
However, sensing that this young man was throwing money at himself, although Saul Zaenz wanted to show an angry expression, his face was mostly filled with surprise and disbelief.
No one in Hollywood would pay $10 million for the rights to a novel, and few people in the world would. After all, $10 million is enough to make a very good movie in this day and age.
In fact, Saul Zaenz also heard the news that Simon had previously purchased the rights to the TV series "Charlie's Angels" with a huge amount of money. Although the specific transaction price was not disclosed, it certainly could not be the rumored US$10 million. Moreover, that transaction also included the rights to more than a hundred episodes of the TV series, which was a real asset, while "The Lord of the Rings" was just a film and television adaptation right with an uncertain future.
After hesitating for a while, Saul Zaenz still couldn't bring himself to refuse directly: "Simon, I need to think about it."
"Of course," Simon nodded and said, "But, Thor, I hope to get your reply before the end of this weekend."
Saul Zaenz shook his head and said, "This is too urgent."
"I don't want to wait too long," Simon insisted.
Saul Zaenz hesitated for a moment and said: "Simon, since you have obtained "The Hobbit", you must know that this copyright actually also includes a fixed share clause, and the production company will need to pay for movies, TV shows, etc. in the future. 7.5% of net profits from all aspects go to the Tolkien Legacy Foundation."
Simon nodded and said, "I know."
Saul Zaenz said: "Then, if you want to get the copyright, I also need a sharing contract, at least 5%."
Simon refused without hesitation and said: "Thor, I have already paid 10 million US dollars, and it is impossible to give you another share. Maybe you will think that since Simon Westeros is willing to offer the sky-high price of 10 million US dollars, he must Wouldn't mind paying a little more. But I can definitely guarantee that it's only $10 million, and only for this weekend. After the weekend, I'll calm down and start this thing from scratch. Also, if you agree to the deal, We also had to sign a confidentiality agreement and never disclose the price of our transaction.”
After listening to Simon's words, Saul Zaenz couldn't help but make calculations in his heart.
If he cooperates with other film companies, Saul Zaenz understands that he will probably only get a copyright transfer price of about one million US dollars, and perhaps the sharing terms will be easy to negotiate. However, even if the film company earns more than 200 million U.S. dollars based on a 5% net profit share, he can obtain an income comparable to Simon Westeros's offer at this time.
What's more, the Tolkien Heritage Foundation only took 7.5% of the net profit share. He just changed hands, so it is impossible to talk about 5%, maybe only one or two percentage points at most. Taking into account the factors of "Hollywood Ledger", the chance that the future profit sharing will reach Simon Westeros' current offer of US$10 million is even slimmer.
After a moment of silence, Saul Zaenz raised the wine glass in his hand to Simon and said, "Simon, before I leave Park City, I will give you an answer."
Simon took out a business card from his suit pocket, and asked for a pen from Janet's handbag beside him to write down the address of the resort where he was staying. He handed it to Saul Zaenz and said, "Saul, I'm looking forward to it." To be able to hear good news.”
Janet had been quietly listening to the conversation between Simon and Sol Zaenz. When Sol Zaenz walked away almost in a trance, the woman took Simon's arm and said with a smile: "10 million US dollars, This is the price of one of the most luxurious houses on Fifth Avenue.”
In memory, due to the malicious default of New Line Cinema, a famous Hollywood "old man", Peter Jackson, Saul Zaenz, the Tolkien Legacy Foundation and other parties have lost money due to the profits from the "Lord of the Rings" series. When litigated in court, the amount involved in each lawsuit reaches more than 10 million US dollars.
Although we don’t know the exact amount of Saul Zaenz’s share of the original time and space, it would definitely be a very cost-effective deal if we could outright buy the rights to adapt “The Lord of the Rings” for $10 million.
Simon thought about this, stretched out his hand and gently hugged the woman, and said: "A lot of things don't seem to be going well recently. Everyone regards Simon Westeros as a fat sheep. I suddenly want to try it. If I also regard myself as a Fat Sheep, will some things become a little easier?"
Janet felt the faint frustration in Simon's tone. She came over and gently pressed her cheek against the man's face and said: "You are not a fat sheep, Simon. Those guys who treat you as a fat sheep will definitely become a fat sheep in the future." I found out that I was the fool.”
Simon smiled and said: "This is also what I am worried about."
Janet was a little confused: "Why?"
Just as Simon was about to explain, Robert Redford walked over from the crowd, said hello, and asked, "How was the conversation?"
Word travels fast in Hollywood, and it's no secret that Simon is interested in the rights to The Lord of the Rings.
Hearing Redford's question, Simon shook his head and said, "Saul promised to think about it."
"The rights to adapt many classic novels in Hollywood need to be sharpened. There is no point in rushing," Robert Redford consoled him, stroking the wine glass in his hand, and said: "Simon, there is actually one thing. During this period, we are collecting There are many scripts, some of which are very good. I am wondering if you can invest in a few, even just one. They are all very talented directors or screenwriters, like you, but they just lack opportunities. Moreover, these The project cost will not be too high, about two to three million."
Simon is actually very interested in producing some interesting independent films. Daenerys Pictures can also support some direct filmmakers through this kind of project. Before Redford could continue, he nodded readily and said: "This I'll be in Park City on the weekends, Bob, just have people send scripts to me, and I'll pick a few to invest in."
Although he was already confident, Robert Redford still didn't expect Simon to agree so simply. However, he did not hesitate and said with a smile: "I will have someone send you the script tomorrow. In addition, if you need it, I can help you with the distribution."