Chapter 553

"But what?" After being stared at by Adriaan for about five or six seconds, Cruise finally couldn't help but ask. He frowned slightly, and a trace of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes. Although his movement was very small, it couldn't escape the eyes of Adriaan, who had been staring at him.

Damn it, I don't think I've had any contact with him except for the Cannes Film Festival. Adriaan thought inexplicably. Forget it, let's not care about this for the time being. There are still two movies that need his cooperation, and …

Glancing quickly at the woman next to Cruise, Adriaan continued to say with a smile, "I think there is a role that is very suitable for you, Tommy, a contradictory and evil character."

"There is a role that is suitable for me?" Cruise suddenly became spirited, and his previous displeasure was instantly forgotten.

Not only him, but the others also pricked up their ears. Since Adriaan said so, he must have his reasons. After tonight, Adriaan's prestige had been initially established.

"Yes, although the author of the novel may not agree, I think you are absolutely suitable." Adriaan nodded seriously.

"May I … may I know what kind of character this is?" Cruise's hand on the armrest unconsciously clenched into a fist, but there was a trace of excitement in his tone. It was obvious that he was somewhat resistant, but he didn't want to let go of this opportunity.

"Sorry, I can't disclose the details now. We are still discussing and preparing, and the director will not be me." Adriaan said frankly, "However, among the actors I have considered so far, no one is more suitable than you."

"Thank you!" Cruise said somewhat perfunctorily, looking a little disappointed.

It was no wonder that the three films that occupied most of the Oscar nominations were written by Adriaan. If Adriaan did not direct it, then the appeal of the film would be reduced by more than half.

Cruise then added, "Maybe we can find a chance to talk about it in detail."

"No problem, we will start preparing for the film in mid-May at the latest. We have enough time before that." Adrian nodded his head in agreement, and then looked at Nicole Kidman, who was beside Cruise, with interest.

The reason why Cruise added just now was that Nicole had secretly given him a hint. Others might not have seen it, but Adriaan, who had been paying attention to them, saw it clearly. And before that, when Adriaan said that there was a role suitable for Cruise, Nicole moved the corner of her mouth as if she wanted to ask something, but she quickly suppressed it. Obviously, this woman was smarter than Cruise.

"Is there a problem, Eide?" Nicole asked with a smile. This was the first time she had spoken tonight. Most of the time, she was more like Cruise's accessory.

"What a pity. I've read a few scripts, and none of them are suitable for a beautiful woman like you. So, we can only work together next time," Adrian said in a regretful tone.

A trace of disappointment flashed in Nicole's eyes, but she still had a smile on her face. "It's okay, there will be opportunities in the future, right?"

"Yeah, there will be more opportunities in the future," Cruise interrupted at this time.

Adriaan shrugged, and after saying a few more words to the others, he got up and left. Passing through the lively crowd, he greeted Emma Thompson and Al Pacino, who were chatting and laughing, and congratulated them again. After exchanging greetings with many people, he came to the side of a person sitting at the bar, drinking alone.

"Martini, with ice." After instructing the bartender, Adriaan looked at Laffern. "Are you okay, Laffer?"

"Of course, what's wrong?" Laffern turned his head, his face glowing. He did not look depressed at all, as he had expected.

Therefore, Adriaan was stunned for a few minutes. It was not until the bartender brought his martini to him that he reacted.

"You surprised me, Laffer," he said with a smile.

"Because I didn't cry in my arms or feel sorry for myself?" Laffern asked with a smile.

"It's not that exaggerated, but I thought you would at least be depressed for a while." Adriaan did not hide it.

"I was indeed depressed, but it was short. I was fine after I walked out of the music center. It was useless, and — I believe you won't just let it go, right? "Laffern looked at him without blinking.

Adriaan looked at him in surprise for a while, and then spread his hands. "It seems that all the words I thought of before are useless. This … should be considered lucky, right?"

Laffern smiled. "I've made a lot of wrong judgments, and I've been wrong many times, but not this time."

"Okay …" Adriaan smacked his lips. He knew that there was no need to say too much, so he raised his glass to Laffern. "Then, to the Oscars."

"To the Oscars." Laffern also raised the glass in his hand, and then the two glasses touched together, making a clinking sound.

Since Laffern did not need his comfort, what should he do? Adriaan, who had finished his martini, was about to look for another target when Claude's voice rang in his ear. "Hey, Eide, so you are here."

"Don't tell me that you have been looking for me for a long time." Adriaan immediately turned his head and pointed at his nose. "I have been sitting with that old man Shiyi. Unless you suddenly go blind, there is no way you can't see me."

"Okay." Claude rolled his eyes and said, "I just walked around."

"Walked around? Then why didn't I see you? Did you go upstairs with someone? "Adriaan asked deliberately.

"I'm not like you. I don't like to do this kind of thing at a party." Claude shrugged.

"I don't think there is any difference between bringing a woman to a hotel and a room at a party." Adriaan snorted, but immediately changed the subject and said, "It just so happens that I have something to talk to you about. Let's find a secluded corner first."

"Find a secluded corner? Can't we do it here? "

"If you want someone to disturb you every three minutes, I have no problem with that."

The two found a relatively quiet place to sit down. Claude looked around and suddenly asked, "Where is your lover?"

"Monica knows when to be by my side." Adriaan smiled, seemingly very proud, but immediately changed his expression. "My proposal, what do you think about it?"

"I know what you think. Overseas distribution rights are indeed very important, but if this acquisition is successful, we will also have overseas distribution rights, right?" Claude said with a faint smile.

Overseas distribution rights were indeed very important. This was one of the criteria for entering the MPAA. If Hollywood was a big company, then the MPAA was the company's board of directors, and the seven major film companies that controlled the MPAA's rating standards were the members of the board of directors. Although the MPAA was only a private organization, it had one of the best rights. No movie could be released without a rating — oh, it could be released without a rating, but once it was labeled as unrated, it could only be shown in a few cinemas. It would have neither box office nor much influence. No matter what kind of movie producer, it was impossible to choose not to have a rating, unless they planned to use this method to hype up the movie from the beginning.

Even if a movie had a rating, different ratings would greatly affect the box office. The box office of an R rating and a PG-13 rating were completely different. Needless to say, an NC-17 rating was not much different from an X rating or an unrated one. Therefore, when the big productions of big companies were submitted for review every year, it was inevitable that they would compete with each other. It would be great if they could raise the level of their opponent's movie.

If Adriaan wanted to build his empire, his film company must have a place in the MPAA, so it was necessary to have overseas distribution rights. However, this was not the only thing he wanted to say now.

"Do you want me to tell you the story of the salesman and the leather shoes again, Krau?" Adriaan raised his eyebrows and asked.

"Hey, Eide, I didn't say no." Claude raised his hands with a wry smile. "What I want to say is that we are still very unfamiliar with that country. That incident happened less than four years ago. Now is not the best opportunity."

"Well, Krau, don't use political topics to fool me. You should know that the target you are planning to acquire has begun to inspect China." Adriaan retorted bluntly, "Why has the overseas box office in the past two years increased by at least 20% compared to before? Because the Eastern European market was completely opened after 1991. If the China market is opened again, think about it. They have a population of 1 billion to 1.2 billion people. If each person spends one yuan to watch a movie, how much profit will they make? It is only a matter of time before they surpass Japan and become Hollywood's largest box office base in East Asia! "

Anyway, the China film tuition fee had to be paid sooner or later. Instead of handing it over to others, it was better to hand it over to himself. This was Adriaan's plan. He only considered commercial interests. As for other aspects, there was no need to worry at all. He knew better than anyone how the China government implemented protection. It was much easier and more powerful than the European governments.

If they were willing to listen, Adriaan did not mind making China films take some detours. Of course, it was only a little. After all, he was now an American. Did he expect them to believe him unreservedly? Stop joking. In short, if he could get enough profit, he would try his best to help as much as he could to account to himself.

"You're right, but it's a little idealistic." Claude spread his hands and said. Then, before Adriaan could say anything, he said, "Don't say that I have been against you, Eide. Think about it. From the Japanese yen speculation until now, your proposals have been so surprising. I have to consider all aspects of the problem. Besides, I have been satisfying you, haven't I?"

"I have always understood you, Krau. Otherwise, I would have …" Adriaan made a "kacha" gesture and said in a joking tone.

"Well, I have already arranged for someone to investigate. How about we wait for the results to come out?" Claude said with a wave of his hand.

"That's it!" Adriaan did not say much. After shrugging, his eyes were attracted by a person not far away.

"I have other things to do, so I'll leave first." After saying this, he walked over there.

"This guy …" After seeing Adriaan's target, Claude shook his head and laughed.