"By the way, what is the company's plan for the project "Superman Hancock"?" Simon hadn't given Amy Pascal a clear answer, and asked assistant Laura Collins about the project plan.

"Well, Ms. Jacobson hopes to start shooting in May next year, and the schedule is scheduled for the summer of 2010," Laura Collins quickly responded to the questioning.

"Aqiva Goldsman, one of the producers of "Superman Hancock", is currently working with Sony Columbia Pictures on "Angels and Demons", hoping to promote "Superman Hancock" as soon as possible, and also wants us and Sony Keep working on this project," Laura Collins explained another reason why Sony came to the door.

Akiva Goldsman is also the screenwriter and producer of the Oscar-best film "A Beautiful Mind", "I Am Legend" and "The Da Vinci Code" are also produced by him.

"Actually, it's not impossible to cooperate with Sony." For the current Simon, the investment in this film is actually not too difficult, with Will Smith joining in, plus a budget of 150 million US dollars, it will be released through overseas pre-sale Right and then bank mortgage loan, you can get a lot of funds. As for the announcement, it was already 2010 at that time, and Xinghai was still short of money?

"It would be great if we had the most popular character Spider-Man in our next plans in the Marvel Universe, notify Nina Jacobson and Kevin Feige, and negotiate with Sony. , to see if we can incorporate Spider-Man into our universe!" Simon was really helpless for Sony's tightly gripped Marvel ace in his hand.

"Spider-Man?" Laura Collins was stunned for a moment. Is this Sony's first cash cow, incorporated into the Marvel Universe?

"Sony wouldn't want to, after all the previous Spider-Man trilogy had been an unprecedented success," Laura Collins said.

"Try it, it's just to leave a breakthrough for the future anyway," Simon actually didn't hold out hope, after all, Marvel's "Iron Man" hasn't even been released yet, so I asked Sony to borrow Spider-Man to use it, indeed Not very realistic.

"Well, Sony doesn't want to? Are we still going to work with them?" Laura Collins asked again.

"Don't want to? If we want to cooperate, Sony will have to pay a higher price. Otherwise, why should we choose Sony for such a blockbuster that everyone is optimistic about? Wouldn't it be better to find any investor? Europe, Australia, Even capital from Asia or the Middle East, don't we have many choices?" Of course Simon is not willing to cheap Sony for nothing, and Xinghai Pictures is not in a desperate need of funds.

"Got it!" Laura Collins nodded.

"It's good to follow the plan. It's still a long time anyway. If we can't negotiate with Sony, we can cooperate with 20th Century Fox. Anyway, we have cooperated many times!" Simon said.

Moreover, 20th Century Fox is now filming the independent hero movie "Wolverine", which is a spin-off of "X-Men", and Simon is very interested in the Deadpool that appears in it.

MGM Studios chairman Harry Sloane has just talked to several executives of the bank foundation about financing, and has yet to get a definitive answer.

Harry Sloane then approached Columbia Pictures chairman Amy Pascal for support.

"Harry, you also know the current situation. Sony's current situation is not optimistic. Can MGM continue to discuss with the bondholders and let them continue to inject capital?" Amy looked embarrassed, Sony controlled MGM But I never thought about ending myself. The distribution rights of the "007" series of movies and the DVD release of the huge library are the purpose.

"Amy, MGM's debt has expanded a lot now, and now the creditors have raised objections to the company's operations. If it can't be improved, the creditors will unite and MGM will lose control!" Harry Throne Now there is nothing to do. Except for participating in the production of "007: Casino Royale" and "007: Quantum of Solace", MGM really has nothing to do.

Moreover, the current distribution rights of the "007" series have also been taken away by Columbia Pictures. How much is the production fee and licensing fee?

"Rest assured, Harry, "007: Quantum of Solace" will be released in half a month, and you know the success of the previous "007: Casino Royale", I believe this sequel "Quantum of Solace" can still be released in There is a global storm, and MGM, as the producer, can take advantage of this trend to continue a new round of financing, I believe it is possible!" Amy Pascal, of course, regardless of how high MGM's debt will be, as long as it doesn't die, Sony You can use MGM's film library resources.

Now that Sony's Blu-ray HD DVD has become the only standard, as long as the sales of high-definition DVD can reach a certain proportion, Sony's profit from DVD players and format licensing fees will be immeasurable.

Of course, Harry Sloane is very clear about MGM's current situation, and "007" is indeed a life-saving straw for MGM's survival.

What is MGM missing? What is lacking is the company's operating capital, the cost budget cash flow required for film production and distribution.

The distribution rights of the 007 series and the powerful film library are all used by Sony. Although the available licensing fee is exchanged, it is of course much smaller than the return received by Sony.

Harry Sloane sighed and saw Simon Pike, who was laughing with several investors not far away.

Nan Nan said: "If MGM was acquired by Xinghai Entertainment, the situation would be very different now!"

One is an old Hollywood studio with heavy debts, and the sunset is in the west; the other is a new type of aristocratic Hollywood studio, which is thriving.

"Xinghai Pictures needs to quickly set up an international distribution network. The lack of heritage and influence is precisely what MGM has, and MGM with a long history has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. What it lacks is the ability to follow the times and huge capital. Support," Harry Sloane pondered in his heart if Xinghai Pictures united with MGM, using Xinghai's strong capital to restructure MGM's international distribution network, and at the same time using Xinghai Pictures' production capabilities to rejuvenate MGM , this is absolutely possible.

The question now is, will Simon Pike, known for his shrewdness, be willing to carry the big baggage of MGM?

impossible! Unless MGM's creditors relieved a certain amount of debt and ceded their interests to Simon Pike's satisfaction.

Of course, Simon doesn't know Harry Throne's idea. If he knows, he will treat it very casually. After all, this is also Simon's own idea. The price of acquiring MGM must not be too high, otherwise Simon will be the same as Sony. Ideas don't fund MGM at all.