civilwarnovels Chapter 996 A Show of Force from the Six Giants!
Chapter 996 A Show of Force from the Six Giants!
Hollywood, Beverly Hills, the famous French restaurant Lawry's The Prime Rib.
Since the 40s, this place has always been a gathering place for Hollywood and even California's top celebrities, and is known as the symbol of Hollywood's prime time.
Because it has witnessed many eras of change in Hollywood and has been the preferred venue for private gatherings of Hollywood film company executives and stars for decades!
At the same time, it is also one of the most authentic French restaurants in Los Angeles, with its exquisite Michelin three-star cuisine attracting countless wealthy people to experience it.
At this moment, in a luxurious private room in the restaurant, the leaders of the six Hollywood giants have once again gathered together.
The round table was laden with fine wine and delicious food, but no one touched their knives and forks.
Each of the six men had a wine glass in front of him, filled with expensive red wine.
"You should all have heard the news that Lin Haoran has come to Hollywood," Lou Wasserman said, glancing around at everyone.
Everyone else present nodded.
Arthur Crimson chuckled and replied, "He's finally here! I thought he'd never dared to come!"
“Now, let’s all share our results!” Lou Wasserman continued.
Just as Ivan Fuller suspected, the six Hollywood giants did indeed launch a talent war against MGM, with Stallone and Roger Moore being just two of their targets.
Just because these two people couldn't be dug up doesn't mean that others can't either.
Warner Bros.' Steve Ross was the first to speak: "On Warner Bros.' side, we successfully persuaded one director, two popular movie stars, and two core screenwriters from MGM's film division."
Michael Anderson, a former core director signed with UA, has confirmed that he will join Warner Bros. ahead of schedule and give up directing the existing film "Brainstorm". I have decided to entrust him with directing one of the company's important films this year.
In order to get him to join Warner Bros., we at Warner Bros. promised to help him pay MGM's $200,000 breach of contract fee!
As soon as Steve Ross finished speaking, the atmosphere in the private room noticeably lightened.
Warner Bros. poached one director, two movie stars, and two core screenwriters from MGM in one go. It may not seem like a lot, but in reality, it is not a small amount.
Currently, MGM Studios only has 10 directors under contract; although there are many actors, there are naturally not many who can be called movie stars; as for screenwriters, there are only about 30.
Most importantly, those who can be poached are already accomplished; no one would poach newcomers.
The people Warner Bros. recruited may not be pillars like Sylvester Stallone, but they are the backbone of MGM's production system.
Without them, MGM's existing projects would come to a standstill, the development of new projects would be extremely difficult, and gaps would appear one after another in the entire production chain.
While Michael Anderson may not be on par with Sylvester Stallone or 007 director John Glenn, he is still considered a mainstay of Hollywood's top-tier directors and is very capable.
He has directed blockbuster films such as "Around the World in Eighty Days" and "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold," and has his own unique style and a stable audience in the action film genre.
He was a core contracted director during United Artists' era, and after United Artists was acquired by MGM, he became an important pillar of MGM's action film division.
Now that he's been poached by Warner Bros., MGM's action film division has lost a crucial piece of its structure.
Although it is not a load-bearing main beam, it is still an irreplaceable beam.
Most importantly, Michael Anderson is currently directing a film called "Brainstorm," one of MGM's five original films this year, which reportedly has a total budget of over $20 million and a very high box office target.
The project is now in the early to mid-stages of filming, and it is said that over a million dollars has already been invested in the early stages, making it one of MGM's major projects this year.
At this point, director Michael Anderson suddenly announced that he was abandoning the project, terminating his contract early, and joining Warner Bros., which was undoubtedly a fatal blow to the "Brainstorm" project.
As a science fiction thriller, "Brainstorm" did not have a high production cost; the main focus was on post-production special effects and technology development.
Now, with the director suddenly leaving before filming is even finished, even if MGM replaces him with a different director, the film will feel disjointed due to the difference in directorial style. This disjointedness is fatal to a film.
The audience may not be able to pinpoint exactly what's wrong, but they can sense that the rhythm, the emotions, and the overall feel are off.
A film whose style is inconsistent from beginning to end is unlikely to succeed in the market, let alone become a blockbuster.
Of MGM's original films this year, "Brainstorm" may not have the highest budget, but it ranks second, only behind "Octopus".
At this point, having already invested over a million dollars, they felt that MGM Studios couldn't possibly stop investing, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue.
Change the director?
Finding someone who can take over a project halfway through, someone who understands the footage already shot, maintains the original style, and finishes on time within budget, is extremely rare, and they are very expensive.
Not changing the director?
If the project is left stalled, then all the initial investments will be wasted.
No matter what choice they make, MGM is bound to lose money.
Lou Wasserman nodded, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
Warner Bros.' results were even better than he had expected: one director, two popular movie stars, and two screenwriters. This number would be a devastating loss for any small or medium-sized studio.
For a giant like MGM, while it might not be crippling, don't forget that this time it wasn't just Warner who got involved!
The six giants joined forces, each poaching a portion of the company's talent, resulting in a considerable sum.
Although MGM has deep pockets, it can't withstand so many companies simultaneously taking a cut from it.
One or two cuts might not hurt, but ten or eight cuts will eventually take a toll, even on the richest family.
Next, the other five companies reported their respective "achievements".
Ultimately, Lou Wasserman tallied up the numbers and found that the six major studios had poached a total of 5 directors, 8 movie stars, and 12 screenwriters from MGM Studios during this period.
They all have one thing in common: they're all from the film department.
As for the directors and screenwriters from MGM Television, they were not interested.
The goal of the six giants was clear from the beginning: to hollow out MGM's film production capabilities.
Although the television business is profitable, it's a different business, and their position won't be shaken in the short term.
The real threat to the six giants is the resurgence of MGM's film division.
So their knives, one after another, cut right into the lifeblood of the film industry.
Today, they have collectively recruited these people, who now comprise almost half of the core creative force in MGM's film division.
Half of the signed directors were poached, most of the movie stars were poached, and more than a third of the core screenwriters were poached.
What does this number mean?
This means that MGM's film division will lose nearly half of its strength.
After all, a movie still relies on the director, screenwriter, and actors to complete.
Without a director, who controls the language of the camera?
Without a screenwriter, who will polish the script?
Without actors, who will bring the characters to life?
MGM's film division is indeed well-funded, but even the richest fund cannot withstand such depletion.
This round of poaching by the six giants has essentially hollowed out a large portion of the creative core of MGM's film division.
Furthermore, with the six major tech giants launching a talent blacklist against MGM, anyone who dares to join MGM at this time will face a joint boycott from the six giants in the future.
They believed that no one would dare to associate with MGM at this time.
"It's a pity Stallone didn't accept Warner's offer. If they could have poached him, MGM would truly be just an empty shell. Stallone is a man who values relationships and freedom. Warner offered much better terms than MGM, but he still refused. People like him are rare in Hollywood." Steve Ross sighed, a hint of regret in his voice.
“Yes, Roger Moore also rejected our offer from Paramount,” Barry Diller continued, his tone tinged with regret. “We offered him 50 percent more than he is now, and promised him the lead role in several big-budget films, but he still refused.”
"Whether it's Stallone or Roger Moore, the chances of us poaching them were already very low. These two are not our targets. If we manage to poach them, it would be a pleasant surprise. If we don't, it won't affect the overall situation."
Our target is the second-tier and core talent; if these people leave, MGM's film production capabilities will plummet.
"Sylvester Stallone can only make one or two movies a year. No matter how well he makes them, he can't save a company that needs to produce more than a dozen movies a year. In the long run, MGM will naturally withdraw from the ranks of the eight major Hollywood studios," Lou Wasserman said with a smile.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
For them, weakening MGM's strength so that it can never pose a threat to them again, or even falling out of the ranks of the Big Eight, would mean that the Squid Consortium has won this time.
It's not about winning in the short term, but winning in the long run.
With MGM falling out of the Big Eight, the power landscape of Hollywood will be reshaped. The market share, theater resources, IP value, and talent pool that originally belonged to MGM will be divided up by the other six companies.
By then, Hollywood will truly be dominated by those six companies.
Columbia has been acquired by Coca-Cola, but those soda sellers don't understand movies at all and are nothing to worry about.
If MGM also falls, no Hollywood studio will be able to pose a threat to them.
Thinking of this, everyone's smiles deepened.
“Now that Lin Haoran has come to Hollywood, he must be planning something big. Why don’t we give him a taste of his own medicine?” suggested Marvin Davis, chairman of 20th Century Fox.
"Oh? How exactly are you going to put on a show of force?" Immediately, everyone's eyes turned to Marvin Davis, waiting for him to continue.
“It’s very simple. We’ve secretly poached so many directors, screenwriters, and movie stars this time, and we haven’t announced it yet. Once we get them to resign all at the same time, the shock and impact will definitely be greater than if they resigned one by one at MGM’s HR department!” Marvin Davis said confidently.
"A mass resignation?" Lou Wasserman narrowed his eyes slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face.
He thought for a moment, then slowly nodded and smiled, "This is a good idea; it's much more effective than announcing them one by one in a piecemeal fashion."
If these 5 directors, 8 movie stars, and 12 screenwriters all announce their departure from MGM at the same time, and then we let the media give this a massive report, with headlines like "MGM's talent exodus," "MGM's film division falls apart," and "Lin Haoran's core team leaves after less than two months in office."
Once these headlines appear in the newspapers, public confidence in MGM will completely collapse, and the impact will be explosive.
Steve Ross picked up the conversation and laughed, "And the timing is perfect. Ivan Fuller's team has only been in charge of MGM for a few days, and Lin Haoran has only just arrived in Hollywood and hasn't even settled in yet."
The news of the core team's collective departure at this time is tantamount to delivering the most fatal blow to them when they are at their most vulnerable.
Ivan Fuller is a crisis management expert, but he excels at stabilizing situations, not creating movies. He can keep MGM from going downhill, but he can't conjure up a bunch of directors, screenwriters, and actors out of thin air.
Lin Haoran, needless to say, was an outsider who didn't even know how movies were made, let alone how to handle a crisis of this magnitude.
Lou Wasserman nodded. "Okay, let's do it this way. We'll show this young Chinese man who the real masters of Hollywood are!"
The six glasses clinked together again, making a crisp sound.
The red wine rippled gently in the glass, reflecting the light of the crystal chandelier, like glasses of crimson victory.
The meeting lasted for nearly half an hour, discussing the specific timing of the collective resignation, the wording for the public announcement, the channels for media release, and subsequent public opinion guidance plans.
Every detail was scrutinized repeatedly, and every step was carefully confirmed to ensure that nothing went wrong.
By the time everyone got up to leave, it was completely dark outside the window.
Meanwhile, Lin Haoran and Ivan Fuller, who were in the MGM Studios headquarters park, were unaware that a storm targeting them was being meticulously planned in that private box in Beverly Hills.
But even if Lin Haoran knew, he wouldn't care.
After all, he already had ideas for the future of MGM Studios.
Even when targeted by the six major powers, he remained completely unfazed.
His current goal is to first privatize MGM Studios and let Ivan Fuller stabilize the company. Once it is fully privatized, he can then unleash his full potential and reshape MGM Studios according to his plan!
"Mr. Lin, I have arranged for you to meet with Mr. Albert Broccoli, the owner of the 007 film production rights. He will be coming to the company at 3 pm tomorrow, and you can discuss the details then."
Mr. Broccoli's attitude is clear for now: he doesn't care who owns MGM, he only cares about whether the 007 series can continue. As long as we can give him enough creative freedom and budget support, he will not leave.
"But I can't guarantee what will happen in the future." Ivan Fuller closed the folder in his hand, looked up at Lin Haoran, and said.
Lin Haoran nodded upon hearing this.
He said with a smile, "It's enough that we won't terminate our cooperation with MGM in the short term. As for the future? Why think that far ahead?"
The current difficulties faced by MGM are only temporary for Lin Haoran. Once MGM Studios rises again and returns to its peak, these people will naturally stay.
“That’s true. The distribution rights for 007 are held by MGM, and the film copyrights are shared by both parties. Neither MGM nor Mr. Albert Broccoli can do without the other,” Ivan Fuller added with a laugh.
"Alright, it's getting late. Thank you for your hard work today, Ivan. Go home and get some rest. You'll have a lot to do tomorrow."
Lin Haoran glanced at his watch; it was already nine o'clock at night. He patted Ivan Fuller on the shoulder and said...
His accommodation in Los Angeles has been finalized; he will be staying at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.
It's not far from MGM's headquarters, just over ten minutes by car, and the environment is nice with good security.
Lin Haoran is not a person who cares about appearances, but he is never careless about his own safety.
The Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills does this very well, with 24-hour security, registration required for entry and exit, and emergency call buttons in the rooms.
Although he didn't think he would encounter any danger, in a country where gun ownership is legal, it's always better to be more cautious than less so.
However, Lin Haoran has already planned to expedite the establishment of hotel projects in key US cities such as New York and Los Angeles.
This is for both making money and for their own safety.
As his business footprint expands in the United States, he will visit the country more frequently in the future.
Therefore, one needs a foothold that truly belongs to oneself and that one can fully control.
As long as he stays in his own hotel, he can see the loyalty of the hotel's security guards and staff, thus ensuring his safety to the greatest extent.
The dangers in this world can be either open or hidden.
The gun is easy to hide, and the dark arrow is hard to prevent.
He can't expect his opponents to follow the rules and stick to the bottom line; he can only make himself invincible.
Today, he owns several hotel brands, including Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula, Raffles, and MGM Grand!
All four hotel brands are high-end luxury hotels.
Mandarin Oriental was the property he asked Jardine Matheson to return to Hongkong Land Group; Peninsula was a classic acquisition he made in Hong Kong; Raffles was a high-quality asset he acquired in Singapore through Mandarin Oriental; and MGM was an add-on brought with him from this acquisition of MGM Resorts International.
Therefore, his hotel business is very mature.
Therefore, establishing a presence in the US hotel industry is not a very difficult task.
Right now, what he lacks most is time.
The conditions required for establishing a high-end luxury hotel are quite different from those for an ordinary hotel. Location, facilities, service, and brand image—each aspect needs to be carefully selected and cannot be rushed. (End of Chapter)