Chapter 358: This Is Filmmaking

"First is the accent issue. In my setting, the main characters are mostly British."

Seeing everyone—Duke included—looking at her, Joanne Rowling thought for a moment before speaking slowly.

"An actor's accent can be corrected," she said, "but we will definitely be using a large number of child actors. That will be a massive undertaking."

Duke and Doug Walter remained unmoved, keeping their eyes on Joanne Rowling.

Compared to the profits generated by the tax rebates, that workload was nothing at all.

Joanne Rowling gradually realized the crux of the problem. She turned to confer with her agent for a few moments.

"If my demands can be met," she said, "I can reduce my share of the film's profits by one percentage point."

Silence immediately fell over the conference room. Duke frowned, seemingly unsure if she meant it. When he looked at Doug Walter, the other man was already looking back. The two instantly exchanged a silent glance.

A one-percent profit share didn't sound like much, but they couldn't forget that this was the Harry Potter series!

Although it was already incredibly popular, Joanne Rowling couldn't possibly imagine what that single percentage point represented!

Of course, Doug Walter didn't know either, so by the time the meeting concluded, they still hadn't reached an agreement on the matter.

Warner had already made a massive investment in the series, so any decision would be handled with caution. And just like Duke, Joanne Rowling didn't carry an aura of idiocy.

The matter would certainly require a long, drawn-out period of haggling. There was still some time before the film officially entered pre-production, so Duke had Tina Fey keep an eye on subsequent developments.

Compared to the terms Joanne Rowling had thrown out, those tax-favorable regions had lost their appeal.

Leaving the Warner Building, Duke was still mulling over Joanne Rowling's words. After starting his car, he suddenly remembered something. In his past life, he seemed to recall reading that Rowling had made massive concessions to Warner Brothers in order to keep the Harry Potter production in Britain. Though he couldn't remember exactly what she had conceded, anything that could make Warner Brothers compromise had to be a concrete, tangible profit.

Afterward, Duke headed to Duke Studio. Ever since Warner Brothers bought shares, the studio had increasingly come to resemble an investment firm.

Duke didn't have any delusions of grandeur. He knew he lacked the management skills for that kind of operation. Even though he had some capital now, it was incredibly difficult to upend the dominance of the major studios in this era of Hollywood.

Duke Studio currently had three main investment projects: The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Mission: Impossible 2, and the two sequels to The Matrix.

For a small-to-medium-sized film studio, this was nearly the limit of its operational capacity.

Marketing and distribution expenses for today's massive commercial blockbusters were constantly expanding, making it harder and harder to turn a profit on the box office alone. One of Duke Studio's most important functions was using a series of legal methods to shield as much of its merchandising and ancillary revenue from horrifying taxes as possible.

Even though the studio was registered in Delaware, it still faced extremely high rates in this tax-heavy country.

After explaining his thoughts to Tina Fey, Duke left her to haggle with Joanne Rowling and Warner Brothers. The next day, he hurried off to Cupertino City by San Francisco Bay, heading straight for the Apple Company's headquarters.

Duke was there to attend Apple's shareholder meeting. Rumor had it that after years of restructuring, Steve Jobs was going to unveil an exhilarating new product at the gathering.

Of course, no matter how oblivious Duke was, he knew it absolutely wouldn't be the iPhone.

During Apple's darkest days a few years ago, Duke had gradually acquired 6.5 percent of the company's shares through the stock market, shareholder trading, and financing. Although the current Apple couldn't possibly compare to its future self, Steve Jobs's return had still brought about quite a few positive changes.

The most quintessential example was the portable, multi-functional digital multimedia player Jobs presented at the shareholder meeting—the concept model for the iPod.

Apple was gradually reaching a turning point, even if countless hurdles still lay ahead.

Afterward, Duke went to meet Steve Jobs in person. The two just had a brief chat; an obsessive perfectionist like Jobs wasn't easily influenced by others.

Naturally, Duke wasn't about to show off his virtually nonexistent knowledge of the IT industry in front of him.

It was simply a normal conversation between a CEO and a shareholder.

Duke intended to hold onto his Apple stock long-term, but he would also stay on his guard against Steve Jobs. The man didn't want to see any shareholder grow too powerful; he only wanted Apple's voice to be his own.

The business world was filled with mutual deceit. Although Duke had invested in Apple, this was a realistic world, and things wouldn't just go a certain way simply because he wanted them to.

A successful person could be proud, but they couldn't be so arrogant that they lost all sense of reason.

Right as Duke was talking with Steve Jobs, Michael Bay, with his distinctive long face, was welcoming a heavyweight visitor to a villa in the San Francisco Bay Area.

"Hello, Mr. Ovitz."

Michael Bay accompanied Michael Ovitz into the reception room. He maintained plenty of respect for the famous Hollywood figure.

"I just got your call this morning," Bay said. "I didn't expect you to come over so quickly."

The two sides had already communicated enough beforehand.

"Bay, have you thought it over?" Michael Ovitz asked directly.

"I think many people are just like me, hoping you'll manage their representation." Pausing there, Michael Bay suddenly shifted his tone and asked doubtfully, "Are you sure I can get the director's chair?"

Michael Ovitz smiled confidently. "Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett are both actors signed with me. My people have basically secured the female lead, and the heads of the other departments will also come from under the Artists Management Agency Company's banner. Even though I haven't signed a formal contract with Touchstone Pictures yet, this project will definitely be led by me."

He didn't continue. Michael Bay revealed a thoughtful expression.

In truth, Michael Ovitz had already practically locked down Touchstone Pictures, otherwise he wouldn't have personally come to poach Michael Bay.

The first package project after his comeback couldn't exactly be called a massive success. However, Godzilla's $400 million global box office, along with its merchandise and copyright revenue from DVDs and Videotapes, had allowed the project to turn a profit. And by now, those profit margins were slowly becoming quite impressive.

Although Sony Columbia Pictures had realized that the Japanese monster was unaccustomed to the climate in North America and had no plans to reboot a sequel, Godzilla's profits were still enough to serve as yet another asset for Michael Ovitz.

Even though he had left Disney as a failure, a sufficiently bright prospect meant there was nothing stopping him from cooperating with Touchstone Pictures.

He had even assembled a rudimentary form of the production crew; all he was waiting for was a crucial directing team to fall into place.

Michael Bay and his team were Ovitz's first choice. However, if Bay wanted to join the production, he had to jump ship from William Morris to Ovitz's banner.

"I don't have much time, Michael," Ovitz said, seemingly reminding him. "The film has an investment of 140 million dollars. Touchstone Pictures plans to release it in the Memorial Day release window next year. Time is very tight, so I must finalize the director as soon as possible."

Michael Bay had been considering this matter for a long time, yet he had never been able to make up his mind. He badly wanted this directing position. The film's subject matter was extremely suited to his strengths, and he also wanted to prove that he wasn't any worse than another director with a similar style!

But was leaving William Morris to join Michael Ovitz really worth it?

"My goal is to build a new CAA!" Michael Ovitz said at just the right moment.

A new CAA?

If anyone else had said that, Michael Bay absolutely wouldn't have believed it. But standing in front of him was the architect of CAA's glory—the former emperor of CAA!

Michael Bay wasn't very good at screenwriting. Hearing Ovitz's words and recalling that unprecedented, massive bombing, the heart in his chest began to pound.

After all, the production's themes and scenes were so perfectly tailored to his tastes, so completely suited to his style!

Pearl Harbor, scheduled to release on Memorial Day, just might be his best opportunity to surpass Duke Rosenberg in the war film genre.

Pearl Harbor, this massive-budget war film, had already been pushed onto Touchstone Pictures' schedule, and it was basically confirmed that they would cooperate with Michael Ovitz's Artists Management Agency Company.

Michael Bay was still conversing with Michael Ovitz, seemingly still hesitating.

But over in the City of Angels, Los Angeles, another actor confirmed to participate in the project had already made up her mind to switch from ICM's Nancy Josephson to Michael Ovitz's Artists Management Agency Company.

"I'm sorry, Nancy."

Inside a quiet cafe, Kate Beckinsale looked at Nancy Josephson—who was about to become her former agent.

"This opportunity is too important to me," she said. "I can't give it up."

"It looks like you've already made up your mind," Nancy Josephson said, her expression as normal as ever.

In Hollywood, even A-list actors changing agents was nothing unusual, let alone a minor starlet who had only just gained a bit of fame.

Besides, given her current status, even if she left, Nancy wouldn't feel regretful or angry.

The female lead in a blockbuster commercial hit was enough to make Kate Beckinsale set her resolve, but she understood the principle of parting on good terms.

"My contract termination fee will be paid in full," she said. "Probably tomorrow or the day after, my lawyer will speak with you about canceling the contract."

"No problem."

Michael Ovitz might not seem like the man he once was, but his foundation was deep. Nancy knew what an agent like that meant to an actor, so she didn't utter a word to make her stay. Instead, she took the initiative to stand up.

"I wish you a speedy rise to becoming an A-list star, Kate."

"Thank you!"

Kate Beckinsale flashed a reserved yet confident smile.