HWI 109

[Shout out to Nikkolas!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 109

The two old men laughed after a few conversations, then realized that someone was actually standing at the door.

"Ah, Kazir Grey, nice to meet you. I believe this is our first meeting."

Michael Ovitz was the first to stand and greet Kazir. Michael Ovitz was the founder of CAA. Perhaps that was why he had such a high opinion of Kazir. Even though he was out of CAA after selling all his shares, Michael Ovitz felt that CAA was still his child.

Then Michael Eisner stood up and shook hands with Kazir. There was a reason he invited the director, because of the success he has had over the past three years. For someone like Michael Eisner, he knew that Kazir's talent was still blossoming.

He wanted to grab a piece of the cake before Kazir reached his expiration date. Michael Eisner watched the movement of Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox. Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover had planned sequels.

Napoleon Dynamite II was a box office hit and The Hangover Part 2 was scheduled for release the following year. The money they were making from these two franchises was huge.

Michael Eisner wanted at least one or two of Kazir's scripts.

It's not bad if Walt Disney can have a comedy franchise.

"Kazir, congratulations on Napoleon Dynamite II. Even though you didn't direct it, I think your presence is the reason it was a success."

"Thank you, Chairman Eisner."

Kazir could not tell if Michael Eisner was lying or not. However, Kazir could sense the meaning of his words.

'As expected, he is interested in my projects.'

"Let's sit down."

The three sat down and began to talk. Unlike Michael Eisner, who was serious, Michael Ovitz had a friendly expression.

Now, Michael Ovitz was a famous agent, and his face was thicker than a concrete wall. He would not hesitate to praise a literal shit just to make money.

He could easily keep his smiling face as long as the money was on the table.

"Kazir, I heard that you're looking for a company to distribute your movie. How about Walt Disney? I can assure you that you will not lose if you work with us."

"Thank you, Chairman Eisner, but I must decline."

"Why is that?"

Michael Eisner raised his eyebrows. A little curious and offended.

"The filming of Taken is not yet finished, and I cannot sign a contract with an unfinished film."

"That's a very good answer. Well then, I guess we will have another meeting when Taken is finished."

"That is correct. I will contact Walt Disney again, hopefully Chairman Eisner will be able to watch it at that time."

"Very well. Since I can see that you are sincere, I must be sincere as well. I can promise you that Walt Disney will never take more than 40% of the box office as a fee. If you want, we can sign a contract right now."

"Thank you, Chairman Eisner, but I believe someone as great as you will keep his promise."

Michael Eisner's condition may seem simple, but Kazir sensed his sincerity.

There are movie companies that demand 60% of the box office for a fee.

To be fair, more film companies would actually buy the entire copyrights of a film before releasing it.

Kazir's position was too weak in the past, so he signed a contract with Fox Searchlight Pictures and got a small share of the box office. But now that he had a strong reputation, he was able to negotiate a better deal.

So 40% of the box office was not bad, but not good either.

'If Walt Disney takes 40%, then the Cinema Alliance will take another 40%. Grey Pictures will only get 20% of the box office. That's not bad, but it's not good. At least Michael Eisner has promised that the deal will not exceed 40%. That means there is room to make it lower. The terms are...'

"Kazir, I hear you have dozens of scripts registered in the Writers Guild. I wonder if you would be interested in selling some of them."

'As expected, it was all about scripts.'

It was understandable, since 20th Century Fox got another movie franchise because of Kazir.

In fact, not only Walt Disney, but also Paramount and Sony-Columbia were eager to buy his script. As for Universal Pictures... Kazir didn't want to hear their terms.

"I want to know what scripts you are interested in, Chairman Eisner."

Browsing the general plot and titles of scripts was not illegal. The Writers Guild could show that much.

Some writers would visit the Writers Guild to make sure that the scripts they were writing didn't bear a strong resemblance to any of the registered scripts. Otherwise there would be a lawsuit.

"I want to buy the Meet The Parents script."

"..."

Kazir was speechless. He realized that Michael Eisner had the eyes to pick the movies. As expected, Michael Eisner became chairman of Walt Disney for obvious reasons. He knew how to choose movies.

It was known that Michael Eisner preferred live action movies than animated movies. He felt that hand-drawn animation was losing its vitality.

'Meet The Parents is actually a movie that has two sequels. They are Meet The Fockers and Little Fockers.'

If Michael Eisner wanted to find a movie that could produce sequels, Meet The Parents was the best choice.

"Walt Disney will buy the script for $3 million. I think that amount is very sincere."

"Indeed."

Kazir nodded. He could not deny it.

As the two talked, Michael Ovitz kept his mouth shut. He knew his friend didn't like it someone involved in negotiations.

"What do you think? I can send you the money right now, cash or cheque."

"I'm touched that someone like you would be interested in my script. However, Chairman Eisner, I must decline."

"Kazir Grey, do you understand what you're saying?"

Michael Eisner held his expression, but he was clearly dissapointed.

Kazir shook his head.

"You misunderstand, I'm not saying I'm rejecting your offer. I'm saying your offer is too high for me."

[Author's Note: Okay hold up, let me cook.]