On New Year's Day, 2008, reporters packed the Disney studio in Burbank to witness the birth of another Hollywood ga-production with a budget of $250 million—the first non-sequel to boast such a figure.
A budget of $250 million was a headline in its own right.
Moreover, the project was a co-production between Disney and Plan B Studios, produced and directed by Andrew Stanton of the renowned Pixar Studios, and featured a star-studded cast that included Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman.
"For over eighty years, there have been many attempts to adapt this story for the screen in a fresh and vibrant way. Andrew himself has waited ten long years to bring this project to the big screen."
In David Ellison's office at Skydance, Matthew watched on television as Brad Pitt, seated before hundreds of reporters, declared, "Mr. Stanton and I are going to tell the audience a wonderful new story and create an unprecedented, fantastical world."
A thunderous round of applause erupted from the crowd of Disney executives, Andrew Stanton, Natalie Portman, and the press, accompanied by the constant flash of caras.
Matthew and David sat in silence, watching the press conference unfold on the screen.
Later, a representative from Disney Pictures and Natalie Portman, the film's star, also spoke to the caras, although the Disney representative's remarks were brief, seemingly in proportion to their investnt in the film.
Andrew Stanton's speech was also concise.
Brad Pitt, however, concluded the event with a long, confident speech.
"I'm incredibly excited to be making this film, because what we're offering with this project is not only brilliantly crafted source material, but a journey into uncharted cinematic territory."
Hollywood stars always know how to talk the talk, and Pitt was no exception: "This is sothing I've believed in and dread of since I was a child. My ultimate goal for the film is to leave audiences with a tangible sense of wonder, to make them believe that this world is possible and eagerly anticipate it. It's like the feeling of total imrsion you get from a great science fiction novel, when you let yourself get completely lost in its world."
The audience erupted in applause once more as Pitt, flashing a brilliant smile, reclaid his seat at the center of the dais.
As the press conference concluded, David picked up the remote and turned off the television.
"We did it. They both took the bait," David said, though a hint of worry colored his voice. "But if 'John Carter' grosses over a billion dollars worldwide, we'll be the ones forced to jump into the Pacific."
"That won't happen," Matthew replied, picking up his glass of water.
"I hope so." David sighed and added, "Now that the trap is set and Brad Pitt has walked right into it, all we can do is wait for the outco."
Matthew took a sip of water and nodded. "Let's hope there's no miracle for him."
David also took a drink from his glass. "'Cloud Atlas' is set to start filming in February for a release next sumr, and it has a number of well-known actors attached."
"I know." Matthew had been aware of this for so ti.
"'John Carter' is on a slightly longer tiline." David had a reliable source at Plan B. "Pixar is still finishing up 'WALL-E'. Once Andrew Stanton is free, they'll start full pre-production on 'John Carter,' but filming won't actually begin until after 'WALL-E' has been released."
Matthew slowly tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair. "Once filming starts, the chances of Brad Pitt backing out will be slim."
"I've got so more news I think you'll find interesting," David said, a grin suddenly spreading across his face. "Most of the interior scenes for both 'Cloud Atlas' and 'John Carter' will be fild on the Disney lot. They've already approved the soundstages, and they're not far from ours."
Matthew smiled too. "Right under our noses."
Thanks to their deal with Walt Disney, both 'Twilight' and 'Fast & Furious 4' would be fild at Disney Studios. Since the distribution agreent was signed, so of the crew had already settled into the studio lot and were busy designing and constructing the sets.
The upcoming casting for both productions would also take place at the Disney studio.
A key question occurred to Matthew. "Do you know the exact financial breakdown?" he asked.
David nodded. "The production budget for the project is $250 million, and the main reason Disney was able to green-light it for Andrew Stanton is that they didn't have to cover most of the investnt."
He cleared his throat and continued, "Disney is currently tied up with two projects from your good friend Johnny Depp—'Pirates of the Caribbean 4' and 'Alice in Wonderland'—and their capital is limited, so they're only putting $30 million of their own money into the 'John Carter' project."
Matthew picked up the thought. "The big six are clever. If this project succeeds, they stand to gain a lot as producers and distributors. If it fails, well, it's mostly soone else's money they're losing."
"Yeah." David sighed and returned to the previous topic. "In the case of 'John Carter,' aside from the $30 million from Disney, another $70 million was covered by pre-sales, product placent, and promotional sponsorships. The remaining $150 million was covered by Brad Pitt and Plan B, which is exactly why Andrew Stanton ditched us for Brad."
"Pitt was able to solve his most critical problem: financing."
Matthew knew this well. "And we couldn't."
David added, "I still don't know how Brad is going to pull it all off, managing both 'Cloud Atlas' and 'John Carter.' Even if he could finance part of it himself, I'm afraid he'll have to take on a lot of debt."
Matthew chuckled. "Apparently, he wasn't as lucky as I was to et you."
David shrugged. "I'm the lucky one who t you. If it weren't for you, I'd still be throwing money around just to get a foot in the door in Hollywood."
Matthew didn't take him at his word. Truth be told, he couldn't have afforded to launch both 'Twilight' and 'Fast & Furious 4' without David's money and the top-tier professionals Skydance had already hired.
The financing alone would have put him under imnse pressure.
As a relatively cautious person, he couldn't bring himself to pour all his liquid assets into the project.
They then discussed the 'Twilight' and
'Fast & Furious 4' projects for a while longer. The screenplays for both films were complete, the directors and behind-the-scenes teams were hired, studio prep and location scouting were underway, and the next phase of work would undoubtedly be casting.
The main cast for 'Fast & Furious 4' was almost finalized, while all the main characters for 'Twilight' would be cast through the upcoming auditions.
It was nearly noon, and Matthew was getting ready to leave when David stopped him.
He pulled a stack of comics from his drawer and said, "A little while ago, so people from Warner approached . They're working on a 'Batman' series. They're interested in capitalizing on the buzz from the movies to create a TV show about Gotham City."
Matthew took one of the comics and quickly flipped through it. "When does it start shooting?"
David shook his head. "It's just an idea for now."
David asked, "Should we invest in this series?"
Matthew, who didn't really watch many Arican TV shows, thought for a mont and replied, "I don't know much about television series. But I'll take the comic."
He stood up to say goodbye. "I have a lunch eting, so I'd better get going."
David was curious. "A date with another beauty?
What's her na?"
Matthew said as he opened the door, "Lily Collins."
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