Chapter 425

A few days later, Adriaan returned to Los Angeles again. Although there was no definite news from Kubrick, it was basically a tacit agreement. The next step was naturally to start the promotional work that had been prepared for a long time.

Warner moved quickly, and by the end of January, "Eyes Wide, Warning" had passed the MPAA's review. As expected, it was rated R. To be honest, based on the grand sex party in the middle, if it were Bosworth, Miramax, or New Line, it would be rated NC-17, and it might even be rated X. In that case, it could only be shown in a few designated theaters, and whether it was reputation or box office, it would be greatly affected.

But Warner, one of the seven major film companies, had a seat in the MPAA. Although it took a lot of effort, in the end, it was rated R. This was why Adriaan had always insisted on finding a way to get overseas distribution rights. With overseas distribution rights, he would be qualified to enter the MPAA to fight for his own interests. This was not an easy task. DreamWorks had spent several years trying to get into the MPAA, but now he had a better plan. As long as the funds were in place this year, it should not be a problem.

Soon, the trailer for "Eyes Wide, Warning" began to be broadcast, and various promotional advertisements began to appear on major media outlets. Suddenly, a heavy bomb was thrown into the entertainment industry, which had gradually returned to peace after the Christmas and New Year period.

As early as the rumor that Director Miracle might take over the new work of the legendary director, the media showed great interest, trying to dig out some valuable information from it. When Adriaan was filming in New York, many reporters tried to enter the set, and they even took a few blurry photos from afar. However, because Adriaan was strict from the beginning and warned everyone that if anyone leaked the news to the outside world, not only would they be fired, but they would also be sued. Therefore, the specific shooting of the film was never known, and they could only guess based on the original novel.

As a result, in the absence of new information, the attention of the media dropped a lot, but this did not mean that they really gave up on the search for "Eyes Wide, Warning." Since Warner officially began to promote the film, all kinds of comments emerged like mushrooms after a rain. In particular, the news that "Kubrick originally requested that if the film directed by Adriaan did not meet his requirements, then the film must not be distributed through any channels" was deliberately leaked, and the media became even more excited.

"If the rumor is true, it is tantamount to saying that Adriaan's" Eyes Wide, Warning "is no different from Kubrick's. After all, everyone knows how harsh Kubrick is to his work," a reporter from "Seattle" wrote.

"Judging from Kubrick's consistent style, it is indeed possible, but I don't think Adriaan can be as unique as Kubrick, although he also has good works," someone said so.

Even a well-known female film critic named Marsaline Maggie wrote sharply, "It is more likely that Warner and Adriaan want to use this method to create a fait accompli, so that Kubrick will yield. After all, publicity and distribution are two different things. Even if there is a signed contract, it is not very difficult to find loopholes in it. Neither Warner nor Adriaan will give up this opportunity to earn reputation. "

Some of Kubrick's die-hard fans even said that they would never watch the film after it was released: "He can't make a film like Kubrick!"

Even in a talk show to promote "Mr. Sweet" for the Oscars, Tom Cruise was asked about his views on Adriaan's "Eyes Wide, Warning."

"There is no denying that he is an excellent director, and he has a good eye. In fact, he recommended me for the role in" Mr. Sweet. " I didn't know which of the two directors was better. After all, I had only met Stanley a few times. Of course, I liked the movies he directed. But I have done my best to play this role, and I also think I did a good job, "Cruise answered.

It was a good answer. Not only did he avoid the main question, but he also praised the two directors and promoted himself at the same time. It showed that his agent, Pat Patterson, was very good. It could be seen that his agent, Pat Kingsley, had a good communication with the TV station. The reason why this was said was that Cruise did not look very good at the internal screening held by Warner.

This was naturally because of the three sexual fantasies. Cruise did not see who the naval officer was, and Adriaan only edited a little of it. The three scenes added up to a total of less than ten seconds, and the naval uniform was not taken off, let alone the actual shooting. In addition, the angle chosen was also very good. The face of the naval officer was not exposed, and it was slightly altered during post-production. Only someone like Charlie, who was very familiar with his body and could accurately tell the size down to the three digits after the decimal point, would be able to tell who it was from the back and body shape.

But Nicole was different. Whether she was lying down and taking off her underwear, or lying on the bed and letting the other party kiss her back, she was extremely engrossed, as if she was not acting, even if it was only a total of more than ten seconds. If the previous undressing scenes were all at home and in front of Cruise, he could still accept it. But this scene was a little more exciting.

In addition, the tabloids had all kinds of hype about Nicole's naked appearance, as well as the "shocking party scenes" mentioned before, and intentionally or unintentionally linked the two. With Tom Cruise's character, it would be strange if he was in a good mood after hearing and seeing these things, let alone saying those words. This was undoubtedly the credit of Kingsley, which showed that having an outstanding agent was really important.

What was Adrian, one of the parties involved, doing in the midst of all these debates?

"What do you think of this contract, Mr. Yuan?" Adriaan looked at the old man in front of him with a smile.

The other party hesitated for a moment. After listening to the translation and talking with his lawyer for a while, he carefully asked, "I have no objection, but Mr. Adriaan, don't you think this contract is a little too generous?"

"It's very simple." Adriaan had already expected the other party's reaction. Moreover, he spoke Cantonese slowly, so he could guess the meaning of it even if he guessed it. So, before the translation finished, Adriaan laughed. "Mr. Yuan is a Chinese, so of course you should know the story of 'buying a horse's bones with a thousand pieces of gold.'"

The sentence "buying a horse's bones with a thousand pieces of gold" was said in Chinese, and the pronunciation was perfect. Yuan Heping's eyes suddenly widened. "You can speak Chinese?!"

Then he lowered his head and muttered something, as if he was complaining. His voice was very soft, and it was Cantonese, so Adriaan couldn't hear it very clearly. However, he seemed to have mentioned Wu Baige's name.

But this wasn't important, so he smiled again. "Basic communication should be fine — let's not talk about this first. If Mr. Yuan is willing, I can introduce you to a few good agents and let them take care of your business in Hollywood. Don't worry, they are all very honest people."

After hearing this, the hesitation on Yuan Heping's face became even more obvious.

"I know you definitely don't understand why. It's very simple. I'm optimistic about your prospects, or rather, your prospects as an action director." Adriaan didn't hide anything. "This is also why I prepared such a contract, and why I agreed without hesitation when you jokingly asked for a salary of 880,000 US dollars."

When mentioning the 880,000 US dollars salary, Yuan Heping's face turned red. He seemed to be a little embarrassed and unhappy. Although he immediately calmed down, he probably complained in his heart, "This foreigner speaks Chinese well, but he doesn't know what it means to be tactful." Of course, Adriaan would understand how to be tactful. What a joke, these things were all engraved in his soul — even if it was only two-thirds of it — but there was no need for that now.

"I understand Hong Kong action movies. Those famous movie stars, such as Jack Cheng, all have their own 'martial arts' team — that's the word, right? So, action directors like you are very common in Hong Kong. " Adriaan continued, "But it's different here. I believe that after these two movies are released, there will be a wave of Oriental Kung Fu in Hollywood. Those 'martial arts' in Hong Kong belong to private organizations, and they can't be hired just because they want to. So, as someone with representative works in Hollywood, you will inevitably become the target of cooperation for various film companies."

After hearing this, Yuan Heping, his translator, and his lawyer all stared at each other. There was no need to explain such straightforward words. It was just that it was hard to imagine the pie falling from the sky.

He couldn't help but ask, "What do you get by doing this?"

"It's very simple. In the future, if I need to make action movies with Oriental Kung Fu, I need you to give me priority." Adriaan spread his hands.

"Aren't you afraid that I'll agree on the surface, but when the time comes... I'll really demand an exorbitant price?" Yuan Heping couldn't help but ask again.

Adriaan suddenly laughed. "Don't Chinese people want to be trustworthy? If my honesty still can't exchange for your friendship and commitment, then I'll just take it that I've misjudged you. "

"I admire you!" Yuan Heping took a deep breath and unexpectedly made a fist and palm salute. "Then it's a deal."

In fact, both of them knew in their hearts that if something like that really happened, as long as Adriaan maintained his power in Hollywood, it would not be difficult to drive Yuan Heping out of this place. Although Kung Fu movies had a large market in North America, they were not mainstream after all. Since cooperation was beneficial, and Adriaan could be considered to be "courteous," Yuan Heping naturally knew what to choose.

After the negotiations and sending Yuan Heping away, Adriaan immediately called Michael Ovitz. Although he only mentioned a few words, he would naturally know what to do after the detailed information was faxed over. To be honest, Ovitz did have a way of running a management company. After taking office, he carried out drastic reforms, and in just a few weeks, the company was completely revamped.

In addition to Tom Hanks, many A-list actors were also roped in under the company. If it weren't for some problems midway, Dustin Hoffman might have come over too. One had to know that Ovitz and Hoffman had a good relationship. Back when he was at CAA, the first client he fought for was Hoffman.

"I can do anything for you, even kill for you." That was what he said when they first met, and he immediately won Hoffman's favor.

Although this time, due to an accident, Adriaan didn't care. He still fully supported him with Claude. Although it could not be compared to a few big management companies, it was basically at the top of the second-tier list. Therefore, even though they knew that Ovitz was quite extravagant in private, the two people in charge of the company did not take it to heart. The more capable one was, the more benefits one could enjoy.

Of course, there were still some things that had to be paid attention to. Although there was no legal problem with the management company, it was not a good thing if people found out about it. Ovitz leaving Disneyland to join MCM Management Company was also quite eye-catching last year. Ordinary people might not know what was going on, but a few tycoons could more or less smell something fishy. Eisner was naturally even more displeased. In order to send Ovitz away from Disneyland, he had spent tens of millions.

There were still many things to deal with next, such as the investment in Furious Dolls, preparing to officially start filming The Matrix, and so on. However, before that, he picked up the phone and made a call.

"Hi, baby, how have you been recently? Yes, I know, but... well, 'dear' is all right then, right? Oh, it's nothing, I just wanted to give you a call. It's almost Valentine's Day, I hope you'll like my gift then … Of course, it's express delivery. I don't mind delivering it to you personally, but … hehe … I do have that plan, but you have to know that if I sing outside your house with my guitar, the most I'll get is a 0.35-inch bullet. But if it's like Christmas, will you find it interesting when you've already lost the novelty? I won't tell you, you'll know when the time comes … "

The person who could make Adriaan so happy was naturally Lorita, who was far away in New York. Due to various reasons, although the two of them met often, most of the time, they still used the phone and letters to communicate. Oh, they also used email now, but Natalie seemed to like this method very much.

"Because distance makes the heart grow fonder. If we spend too much time together, you'll lose the sense of mystery and I won't like you anymore. What should I do then?" The petite Natalie said as she laid on his chest after the passion.

Of course, there were other reasons as well. Although Natalie did not say it, Adriaan could guess some of it. No matter what, she was born in a strict and conservative Jewish family. Although the seeds of rebellion were planted in her heart because of her early maturity, coupled with her ambition and the temptation of Adriaan, it did not mean that Natalie could face herself without shame. No matter how smart she was now, she was still a young girl.

Furthermore, she was the one who took the initiative to push Adriaan down. Even now, it would not be a good thing in the eyes of others. Therefore, she could not help but feel a little guilty. Although she was very happy and sweet when she was with Adriaan, and his thoughtfulness made her indulge in the indescribable joy, it was inevitable that she would feel troubled after waking up. Not to mention …

Therefore, they separated far away from each other. They usually chatted on the phone, discussed various issues in letters and emails. It was good to get together occasionally. How could Adriaan refuse? He had more patience and tolerance for Natalie, who pushed him down. In addition, he thought of many ways to make her happy. For example, he mentioned what happened during Christmas on the phone.

When he was in New York, he mainly took Kate and Lily to visit his uncle. However, he still took time to come to Long Island on the second night of Christmas. He stood under the big tree opposite Natalie's house, looked at the light in her room, and called her. Jews didn't celebrate Christmas, but they never missed a day of vacation. So, Natalie, who was at home, came to the window as soon as she received the call. The two of them were across the street, staring at each other while chatting on the phone. Adriaan even read her a short poem he wrote.

"You're like a young boy in love." Natalie teased him later, but she was very happy in her heart. Which girl didn't like the romantic feeling of being held in the palm of his hand?

And this time, of course, it was the chocolate he made himself. What else could he give her on Valentine's Day if not flowers and chocolates? Anyway, it was anonymous. It didn't matter if he gave it to Natalie's parents in front of them.

"The information you asked for, Eide." Charlize walked in with two folders.

"Thank you, Charley." Adriaan took it and skimmed through it. It was about Killing Moment, Double Conspiracy, and Men in Black.

Unlike the three films like Prison in the Sky, which were produced by AC Media's film company, they were given to other companies for the purpose of sharing. AC Media was only responsible for part of the investment. For example, Double Conspiracy was given to Columbia to return a favor to Sony. Men in Black was given to Columbia after a long consideration, but due to some considerations, DreamWorks got involved. Killing Moment was originally intended to be given to Universal, but in the end, it was given to Fox.

Although the production rights were handed over, Adriaan still paid close attention to the specific process. After all, Killing Moment was prepared for Kate, and Monica played a supporting role in Men in Black and the female lead in Double Conspiracy.

Seeing that he had nothing else to say, Charlize turned around and walked out.

"Charley." Adriaan stopped her with a faint smile.

That day in London, Charlize confirmed that he had personally filmed with Nicole, so his tone became more and more businesslike.

"What's wrong?" Charlize asked in a cold tone, as if his expression didn't exist.

"After Valentine's Day, See Gallery will premiere. Would you like to attend it with me?" Adriaan asked with a smile.