45 Chapter 45: Joint Investment by Three Companies

With a lack of interest, Kevin repeated in English, and the cheongsam-clad woman led him and headed to the third floor.

It was a uniquely decorated hotel in classical Chinese style, with only three floors.

As soon as they arrived at the Heaven Room, Kevin saw MGM's President Reed and Jeff Robinov, deep in conversation.

As presidents of major companies in the industry, their positions were equal. It wouldn't be surprising if their roles were exchanged in a few years.

Naturally, they wouldn't have any conflicts on the surface.

"Kevin!"

Seeing Kevin's arrival, Reed stood up and welcomed him with a smile on his face.

This attitude made Kevin aware of his predicament within MGM.

He nodded, took a seat, and handed a rough Mission: Impossible adaptation script to both of them. Similarly, he personally selected suitable actors for the respective main roles.

Then Kevin called the waiter and ordered several delicious dishes.

"Peking duck, steamed lamb, stir-fried prawns, stuffed duck with sticky rice, braised wild chicken, braised quail..."

They seemed simple, but most of them were famous dishes from the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast. In his previous life, as a third-rate director, Kevin couldn't afford to eat such delicacies.

But now it was different. With his abundant wealth, he could eat as much of these dishes as he wanted.

As the two carefully read his script and production proposal, Kevin took this opportunity to enjoy his meal with great delight.

He even had the thought of hiring a personal chef.

After browsing through the plan, Jeff Robinov couldn't help but sigh. It was indeed a very well-developed movie plan.

But could he, as a producer, handle this kind of spy action film well?

"Kevin, are you sure about the $80 million investment for this project?" Jeff Robinov couldn't help but confirm again. Going from $3 million to $80 million in one go was quite a frightening investment amount.

If it weren't for Kevin having already proven himself through two successful films, Jeff Robinov would have kicked him out long ago if it were any other director.

Upon hearing Jeff Robinov's question, Kevin put down the roasted duck in his mouth and said, "That's right. Based on my calculations, we need a minimum of $80 million. I have confidence that it will break even at the North American box office, and we will definitely make a substantial profit."

"But the biggest problem is that this is an adaptation of the American TV series Mission: Impossible, and the rights are in the hands of Paramount Pictures."

"If we want to maximize our benefits, we must negotiate with Paramount and find a way to obtain the rights from them, or at the very least, secure the rights authorization. However, if we do that, the amount of money we can make will be significantly reduced."

Kevin's words immediately plunged the two into contemplation.

However, they quickly came up with an idea.

Since no one dared to bear this investment alone, they could leverage the power of MGM and Warner Bros. and collaborate directly with Paramount.

Securing the rights to the sequel was out of the question; Paramount would definitely not give it to them. But they could negotiate for the profit sharing from the first Mission: Impossible film.

With Kevin's previous two successes, although Jeff Robinov and Reed Winchestein hesitated for a moment, once they learned that it was an adaptation of a classic American TV series with an existing fan base and that the spy action genre had enduring popularity, combined with multiple investments to share the risk, it seemed more acceptable.

At least the chances of success would greatly increase.

"Kevin, in that case, I'll go with Reed to discuss the situation with Paramount regarding Mission: Impossible."

"You continue to refine the production proposal..."

Kevin nodded.

In the following time, after enjoying a taste of authentic Chinese cuisine with the two, Kevin bid them farewell when they left.

Then, Kevin got into a car and headed to CAA.

…..

The CAA building.

Inside Michael Ovitz's office, Michael Ovitz and Dawson were discussing something.

"Dawson, next, you need to persuade Kevin to accept our comprehensive packaging service. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for you to reach the level of a top partner at CAA," Michael Ovitz said with a slightly threatening tone.

Seeing Kevin's two consecutive blockbuster films, CAA also wanted to gain more benefits from him.

At the moment, Kevin's acceptance of the packaging service was not complete, so CAA only had decision-making power over behind-the-scenes personnel, some supporting roles, and minor actors.

In order to gain more benefits for CAA, Michael Ovitz was trying to persuade Dawson to find a way to make Kevin fully accept his packaging service.

In other words, apart from Kevin himself, everything else would be handled by CAA, and the director would just be a tool.

"Kevin won't accept it," Dawson said calmly.

"Doing this will only ruin our relationship with Kevin."

Ovitz responded coldly, "That's your problem. If you can't do it, then let Kevin go and hand him over to someone else."

"I'm giving you one month. If you can't do it, someone else will take charge of Kevin."

"Come on, work hard. You can do it."

…..

Dawson's eyes flashed with disappointment as he silently left the office.

CAA, in the end, was too focused on its own interests rather than the client experience.

For superstars and directors who had no shortage of opportunities, CAA seemed more like a vampire, and the scariest part was that CAA itself was unaware of this.

They believed their packaging service was perfect, and anyone should accept it.

However, in reality, the packaging system had the greatest impact on directors.

Stars were just a part of it; they only needed to consider the film itself, and the director and other actors were not something the stars could decide.

But directors were different. Different individuals brought different shooting techniques and other elements.

Directors were the least likely to accept a complete packaging service, and Dawson was very aware of this.

With a sense of disappointment, Dawson walked out of the CAA building.

He happened to run into Kevin, who was coming to CAA.

"Dawson, what's wrong?" Kevin asked directly as he looked at Dawson's expression.

He had never seen Dawson with such a face before, so there must have been something unpleasant.

Dawson walked with Kevin for a few minutes and then sat down on a bench in the park before speaking.

"Ovitz asked me to make you fully accept the packaging service, or else he'll replace me, who's in charge of your business."

A sense of weariness showed on Dawson's face, making him appear mentally exhausted.

Kevin remained silent for a moment, acknowledging how Ovitz's greed left him speechless.

But capital is known to devour people; in that regard, it seemed unsurprising.

Unlike in China, where personal relationships hold more weight, the United States is more driven by self-interest.

When it comes to conflicting interests, personal relationships are not very effective.

His way of thinking was still heavily influenced by his past life, which led him to consider problems in terms of personal relationships.

(Can you guys recommend other Hollywood type fics, I'm nearly finish this one and I need another one to read. I'll try to post my translation of it if I can.)