In a Chaozhou beef hot pot restaurant in Shenzhen, Li Mu looked at the slightly thin old Jewish man in front of him and felt a little funny.
Spielberg's physical condition was very poor, and his complexion was not good. After more than ten hours of flight, he didn't have time to rest when he just landed. He waited at the airport for more than two hours, and then flew for another three hours to Shenzhen. Even Anne Hathaway, who was 20 years old, couldn't bear such a high-intensity continuous journey. Even the foundation couldn't cover the dark circles under her eyes, let alone Spielberg, who was nearly 60 years old.
Li Mu was also a little surprised by Spielberg's efficiency. A few hours after the phone call, he had already landed in the city where he was. How urgent was his need to be? That was why he was so anxious to work around the clock.
Li Mu didn't meet the two alone this time. He knew that Liu Shixiong was also a fan of Spielberg, so he specially called him together.
Spielberg was exhausted all the way, but his appetite was surprisingly good. He ate a lot of hand-made beef balls, and his appetite was amazing. Anne Hathaway was a little shy the whole time. Although her stomach kept growling, she had been trying to control her appetite.
Li Mu thought that this kind of hot pot was not to Anne Hathaway's taste, so he deliberately asked her, "Anne, are you not used to this kind of food?"
Seeing that Li Mu actually cared about her, Anne Hathaway felt a burst of joy in her heart. She said with a little shyness, "No, no, it's very delicious, but I don't eat much."
Li Mu nodded gently, but he felt a little sorry for the young Anne Hathaway. She must have been unable to refuse Spielberg, a senior in the film industry, so she came all the way to Hua Xia. He didn't know what kind of reward Spielberg would give her for coming all the way here.
So Li Mu pretended to be confused and asked Spielberg, "Director Spielberg, what kind of film are you going to shoot in Hua Xia?"
Spielberg had just eaten a beef meatball and hadn't had the time to chew it. He was slightly stunned when he heard that and hurriedly used the excuse he had prepared earlier. "Mr Lee, please call me Steven from now on. Don't call me Director Spielberg every time. We're friends, aren't we?"
Li Mu nodded. "Okay, Steven."
Spielberg then said, "Actually, I want to make a movie similar to Raiders of the Lost Ark. I want to incorporate a certain amount of Hua Xia culture and historical allusions, such as the famous Qin Shi Huang."
Li Mu smiled. "Steven, this should be the third installment of your Raiders of the Lost Ark series, right?"
"Yeah." Spielberg sighed. "The third one was released more than ten years ago."
Li Mu asked him, "Then when are you going to start the fourth installment?"
Spielberg said, "It depends on Paramount's plan, but the overall pace of the Raiders of the Lost Ark series is relatively slow. The fourth installment will not start until at least 2005."
Li Mu smiled and said, "Then why don't you start it in advance? In this way, you don't have to specifically make a movie that incorporates Hua Xia culture. You can simply put the fourth installment of Raiders of the Lost Ark under the framework of Hua Xia culture. What do you think?"
Spielberg said seriously, "To be honest, I didn't make the decision on this matter, so I can't give you a clear answer. However, I can communicate with Paramount about what you said. If they are interested, I won't have any problem with it."
Li Mu knew in his heart that Spielberg was just talking nonsense about coming to Hua Xia to make a movie, so he deliberately said, "In this case, why don't you help me out and see if Paramount is interested in cooperating with my Makino Image? I can use the Shadow Ranger ticketing system to cooperate with them in the North American market. As long as they are willing to come to Hua Xia to make a few big-budget movies, integrate our thousands of years of history into Hollywood movies, and let the world know about it, I can give them some concessions in terms of investment and shares."
The reason why Li Mu said this was to put pressure on Spielberg in two aspects.
First, I told you verbally that I would cooperate with you using the Shadow Ranger ticketing system, but don't think that I have any obligation to you just because I said it. I can go back on my word at any time, even if Anne Hathaway is here.
Second, don't fool me with the fact that you are coming to Hua Xia to make a movie. Since you said it, you have to do it. Otherwise, don't think that you can take the ticketing system away from me. I'd rather use this system to exchange for other film companies to make movies in Hua Xia than be fooled by you.
Spielberg was really anxious when he heard this. Li Mu had said that he would cooperate with him on the Shadow Ranger ticketing system. Why did he suddenly pretend that he hadn't said it? Why did he want me to help him out with Paramount? In that case, why did I come all the way to Hua Xia?
Therefore, Spielberg asked tentatively, "Mr. Lee, are you going to promote the Shadow Ranger ticketing system in North America?"
Li Mu nodded. "This system is a huge innovation in the experience of users and the box office management of cinemas. It will greatly promote the entire film and television industry. We should not only promote it in Hua Xia, but also promote it all over the world."
Spielberg didn't feel good. It was obvious that Li Mu didn't recognize what he had said before. But thinking about it from another perspective, Li Mu had just mentioned it casually. Spielberg hadn't seen the actual product, so he just said it casually. They hadn't really reached an agreement at all. Besides, who would really take it to heart?
Thinking of this, Spielberg felt that he couldn't be so secretive anymore. Otherwise, Li Mu was likely to ignore him. So he couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Lee, you said that if I am interested, we can come to North America together to develop this system. What do you think now?"
Li Mu said in his heart, "Good, I finally got to the point. So, I smiled faintly and said," Steven, I am not in North America, so if I want to develop the Shadow Ranger ticketing system in North America, I must find a reliable partner. There is no doubt about this. "
Spielberg nodded. "Yes, we must find a trustworthy partner."
Li Mu said again, "Although the cooperation I want will be reflected on the capital level, I am not looking for external capital to reduce my investment. This amount of money is nothing to me or to Makino Technology."
Spielberg continued to nod. Cooperation at the company level must be reflected by the capital relationship. For example, A's investment and percentage of the shares, B's investment and percentage of the shares. But for Li Mu, even if he wanted to find a partner, he didn't want the other party to share the investment with him. Instead, he hoped that the other party could help him promote the development of the system in the North American market. He completely understood this point.
At this time, Li Mu said again, "There are many very powerful film and television companies in Hollywood, and there are also many powerful producers and big names, including you. There are many suitable partners, but I have my own set of standards for the specific selection. This is also why I refused Harvey's request to meet. The other party's strength, relationship, connections, and influence are not the core requirements for choosing a partner."
Spielberg knew that Li Mu refused Harvey's request to meet, but he didn't know why Li Mu refused him.
Then he asked Li Mu, "Mr. Li, what requirements do you have for a partner? If it's convenient for you, you can tell me. "
Li Mu smiled and said, "I don't have high requirements for the strength of a partner. As I said just now, there are so many big film and television companies, producers, and big names in Hollywood. In fact, in terms of resources and ability, they all meet my requirements."
Speaking of this, Li Mu changed the topic and said, "My core requirement for a partner is whether he can meet my needs on other levels."
"Other levels of needs?" Spielberg asked in surprise, "To be more specific, what are the levels?"
Li Mu said seriously, "For example, a partner can come to Hua Xia to make a movie!"
"Come to Hua Xia to make a movie?!" Spielberg looked at Li Mu in surprise. "You want a partner to come to Hua Xia to make a movie? What kind of movie? "
Li Mu smiled and said, "There are no restrictions on the theme. I hope that it can be deeply integrated with Hua Xia's culture, Hua Xia's history, Hua Xia's development, and Hua Xia's actors, so that the world can understand more about the advantages of Hua Xia and the country of Hua Xia. This kind of thing can't be done by any official or individual. Only through films and television can it be achieved quickly."
Speaking of this, Li Mu said in a surprisingly formal manner, "Steven, the film industry in Hua Xia is still very weak. Whether it's our market size, industry enterprises, or the quality of our employees, we are much worse than Hollywood. Most actors can't act, or don't know how to act at all. Most directors can't make movies, and most screenwriters can't write scripts. Most film and television companies don't understand the market's needs. In the end, most of the things they make are not liked by people. But even so, they are still full of themselves. The director thinks that he can stand shoulder to shoulder with the big Hollywood directors, the screenwriter thinks that he has mastered the audience's needs and the market's needs, and the actors think that their acting skills are going to break through the sky.
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