King of Hollywood
Chapter 455 - 176: Two Pieces of News That Are Neither Good Nor Bad

Chapter 455: Chapter 176: Two Pieces of News That Are Neither Good Nor Bad

Peter Parker, an orphan living with his aunt and uncle in Queens County, New York, was bitten by a mutated spider during a school outing, granting him superpowers. His transformation into Spider Man was motivated by the death of his uncle, and he harbored a secret crush on his high school classmate, Mary. This young man, seemingly ordinary when not in his superhero guise, was hugely popular upon his debut, appealing due to the strong sense of relatability.

From the beginning, he was just a typical American high school student, bullied at school, without many friends, secretly in love with a girl but too scared to confess, wasn’t he? Perfectly fitting the image of most American high schoolers. After becoming a superhero, he excelled at upholding justice, but in his day-to-day life, he was still a young man struggling to make ends meet, much like many other young Americans, right?

In any country, the majority of people lead unremarkable lives, yet these same people long to become extraordinary, like transforming into superheroes to save the world. It’s precisely this potent relatability that led to Spider Man’s immense popularity upon release, becoming one of Marvel’s most popular superheroes. Similarly, the original film became one of the best-selling among Marvel superhero movies.

In Adrian’s memory, Sony acquired the movie rights to Spider Man because they owned the rights to the Spider Man TV series in Japan, which allowed them to make a fortune off the trilogy, freeing themselves from longstanding difficulties and achieving great development in the early 21st century.

Now, of course, that would be impossible. There’s no reason for Adrian to hand over this gold mine to them, is there? Though there was some rapport between them, competition was inevitable in the world of media conglomerates. However, weakening Sony too much didn’t align with AC Media’s current interests, and as it happened, Emmerich, just as Adrian remembered, was interested in the Godzilla script and was in the process of securing investment for the film. Adrian wouldn’t mind introducing Sony to it.

The movie had a decent box office return, but it didn’t make much compared to the massive investment, so it was perfectly fitting to hand it over to Sony. But then again, wasn’t this movie originally funded and released by Sony? But what did it matter?

"Besides, we could license other comic characters, such as X-Men, to other movie studios for production. We don’t need to release too much at once; once they see the market response, other studios will naturally come to us," Adrian suggested after deciding that Spider Man should be adapted into a film.

Marvel executives had no objections to adapting Spider Man into a movie, as they clearly had discussed it earlier, but they had different opinions about X-Men.

"Why not The Hulk?" someone asked.

"Because if The Hulk isn’t handled correctly, it could be disliked by audiences. A raging beast controlled by emotions makes for a very different experience in comics than in movies," Adrian explained.

Indeed, The Hulk had its issues, as Adrian pointed out. Exciting in action but a poorly written and potentially brainless rage-monster could make for poor audience engagement unless paired with a good script and director, making the comic’s movie adaptation a challenging endeavor.

While this comic character might likely be scrapped, it didn’t mean it was useless, because... well...

Although no one would question the Miracle Director and boss’s words, there was inevitable debate among them, and even the usually serene Stan Lee couldn’t help but chime in. The end result was that by the meeting’s conclusion, they had not decided which comic would be appropriate to adapt after Spider Man.

This efficiency was rather poor, but Adrian wasn’t worried; he had already planned for the film version of Spider Man to release in 1999. The little fairy was still a bit young now, but filming next year would be just right, wouldn’t it? As for the casting of Spider Man, he’d see how it went; Toby Maguire wasn’t the only option.

"Let them argue for a bit. I believe they will see the value in X-Men," Adrian said in the RV on the way back when Claude asked why he didn’t make a final decision.

Adrian had told him that aside from Spider Man, X-Men was definitely on the production list, but he hadn’t insisted on his opinion during the previous meeting.

"Their concerns are valid. X-Men has too many characters, and it would be hard to ensure box office success if all newcomers are used; if all are big names, producing sequels would be troublesome. It requires thorough discussion, and it’s very likely that the investment could be even higher than Spider Man," Adrian continued, "Although we could involve other movie studios in the funding, letting them discuss extensively isn’t a bad thing. It helps to prevent any recklessness due to victory euphoria."

Frankly, although X-Men had a good box office return, it didn’t earn much considering the cost and all the different profit-sharing deals. There were merchandising opportunities, of course, but the numbers weren’t too impressive. Bringing in other studios to invest could share the risk and show magnanimity, especially since all merchandising rights were held by Marvel.

"It sounds like you’re quite sure Spider Man will be a hit," Claude said, opening the mini-fridge in the car and pouring two glasses of whiskey.

"Of course, that’s my judgment," Adrian said confidently, raising his glass.

Still, the due diligence needed to be done, not just for "Spider Man" but for "X-Men" as well. Mr. Wolverine must have made his way to Hollywood by now—I’ll need to find some time to look into it, and if it’s a done deal, I can have Michael sign him on. Right, and if it’s appropriate, it wouldn’t hurt to produce that movie, too. From what I remember, its box office flop was due to certain reasons. If brought forward to now, it probably wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes.

Besides, Black Pearl seemed to have no influential work lately, so this could be a good fit. As for Travolta, he’s shooting Wu Bage’s "Two-Faced Heroes" with Cage. If he can make the time, then great, but if not, we can find someone else. Maybe give Sean Penn a try?

After taking a sip from his drink, Adrian’s head spun with numerous thoughts, but they were quickly cast aside—those could all wait. There were more important things at hand.

"Alright, let’s talk about our own matters," Adrian said, placing his glass on the tray.

"No problem—why did you go to New York before returning to Los Angeles?" Claude asked, setting down his glass as well.

Adrian shrugged, somewhat puzzled why he would ask that: "I was just visiting my uncle, you know, trying to be the good nephew."

That was indeed the case, and the performance was very successful. Uncle Anderson was very satisfied with his attitude, despite being quite aware of his nephew’s romantic dalliances. Of course, he also took the opportunity to see his little lover; keeping in touch via phone and letters wasn’t enough to foster their affection. Spending a few hours with her, running around and browsing places, was also quite a romantic thing to do. It didn’t always have to involve bedroom exercise.

"Then why did you fly back to Los Angeles on a commercial flight, instead of on your luxurious private plane?" Claude persisted.

"Are you jealous?"

"No, I’m just curious."

"You’re jealous."

"Okay, okay, I’m jealous, but I’m also very curious."

"Alright, alright," Adrian surrendered to Claude’s relentless questioning, telling the truth at last, "It’s no big deal, really. I just met a Latin beauty in a New York nightclub."

"Wow," Claude couldn’t help but whistle, "She must be hot if you’re interested in her."

"Indeed, very sexy, so..."

"So you went to bed with her, but what does that have to do with flying commercial?"

"She’s a singer and quite famous in Latin America. She was heading to Los Angeles for a vacation, so I just went along with her, and then..."

"And then a passionate moment in the lavatory ten thousand meters high—damn it, don’t you have a lavatory in that ridiculously luxurious private plane of yours?"

"The fish knows not the joy of fish," Adrian laughed out loud, and Claude rolled his eyes before asking, "Name, what’s her name?"

"Shakira, Colombian singer," Adrian replied.

Claude thought for a moment, then his face lit up with realization, "If I remember correctly, she released an album the year before last that sold millions of copies worldwide."

"That’s right, her," Adrian snapped his fingers. "You are gathering more and more information now."

At that, Claude’s expression turned a bit odd as he stroked his chin and looked meaningfully at Adrian: "I remember she has a quite famous skill..."

"Electrifying hips, of course, I’ve tasted them, quite delightful," a knowing smile spread across Adrian’s face, one that only a man would understand.

More than delightful, when in the airplane restroom, as Shakira sat on top of him and started to shake her lower half like she turned on an electric motor, Adrian could do little but hiss in cool relief—a performance even more impressive than the night before in the hotel bed. Her reputation was well-deserved.

Latin beauties are indeed quite passionate. After recognizing each other in the nightclub, Adrian didn’t take much effort to hook up with them, and their lower body curves are all quite perfect—Shakira and Jennifer Lopez alike. But for that very reason, playing a couple of friendly matches with them was enough; the same went for Lopez, even though she had just released a new album under his label, and he exchanged phone numbers with Shakira when leaving the airport.

"Alright, let’s talk about something else, Crow," Adrian brought the conversation back, "You’re not bringing this up because something’s gone wrong, are you?"

"Hmm..." Crow picked up his glass again, "Two pieces of news that aren’t good or bad."

"There’s only good news and bad news, no news that isn’t good or bad—let’s hear it," Adrian sat up straight.

"The first news, we may not reach our expected goal at the end of the first stage. Soros is a cunning old fox, patient enough to wait for others to take risks when things are uncertain."

"That’s fine, the financial markets are risky, there are gains and losses. So, how much?"

"The best estimate is around 800 million US dollars."

"That should be good news, at least we still made a big profit," Adrian laughed, "And the other news?"

"The plan is postponed, not because of financial issues, but because the adverse effects of Seagram’s rapid expansion are just beginning to show, and it’s going to take a few more months for the situation to fully ferment and put them in trouble."

"That’s also good news, we can focus our energies on the second stage for now, gather more capital, and strike down our target in one fell swoop."

"It’s neither good nor bad for me," Claude sipped his whiskey, "the overall situation is favorable, and we have many advantages. Your relationship with Spielberg is good, and Spielberg’s relations with them are also satisfactory. It wouldn’t hurt to let him help lobby. Moreover, at Viacom, Redstone has already acquired Paramount and is now seeking CBS. They will not only not obstruct us but may even strongly support us. It’s the other companies that present many variables because of this."

"No problem, there’s no rush, let’s take our time. Gathering intelligence is key, and besides, we haven’t even secured financing yet," Adrian said with a slight smile.

"Are you sure about financing?" Claude raised an eyebrow.

"While it’s the last resort, it still remains one of the options," Adrian said, waving his hand dismissively. "Alright, let’s talk about something that interests you most. How’s the Super Bowl going?"

"It has taken quite an effort, but the league has agreed. We just wait for early next year. Victoria’s Secret is bound to hit a developmental climax," Claude said, almost dancing with joy.

The Super Bowl, as the championship of American football, always boasts the highest viewership in the United States. Those who are extremely fond of American football and can’t make it to the event will turn on their televisions to watch it that day, making its popularity unparalleled. If a singer can perform at the Super Bowl, their popularity and fame will soar—many top-tier singers, like MJ and Madonna, had performed there.

For Victoria’s Secret to upgrade their brand, putting on a stunning runway show at the Super Bowl is undoubtedly the best choice. Several heads of Victoria’s Secret, who are quite talented, began cooperating with ABC shortly after being acquired by AC Media. They selectively absorbed many of the suggestions put forth by Adrian through Claude, and were more than agreeable to the proposal for a Super Bowl runway show.

With two top models at the helm and a dedicated model troop swiftly established, this lingerie brand’s development is considerably better than in another timeline. Although Adrian didn’t focus much on this area and knew little about it, with Claude by his side, he understood roughly what was happening, and hence the runway show that was originally scheduled for two years later was brought forward by a year at his suggestion.

"For Victoria’s Secret, this will be a new beginning," Adrian said, raising his glass to Claude and then remembered something else.

"By the way, Claude, do you have a contingency plan?" he asked.

"What kind of contingency plan?"

"Models, of course."

"Models?" Claude’s eyebrows danced with meaningfulness, only to receive an eye-roll from Adrian. "I’m seriously discussing this. Look, although we have our dedicated model troop, they all come from various modeling agencies. We don’t have any that belong entirely to us. It would be a bit of a hassle if after a year or two they left, especially the more outstanding models."

"That... shouldn’t be a big issue. We could extend their contracts, or have the right of first refusal... Wait, you’re not thinking of acquiring a modeling agency, are you?" Claude asked, puzzled.

"Of course not," Adrian said with a laugh. "I just thought of an idea. We could have ABC produce a talent show: America’s Next Top Model."

Having acquired Victoria’s Secret, Adrian thought of extending it into a situational drama, "Victoria’s Secret Closet," while looking for suitable high-rated shows for ABC. This TV series, in the form of a sitcom, showcased the lives and work of lingerie models. Although it was canceled after only three seasons, the viewership of the first two was quite high.

Adrian was not sure why it was canceled, in fact, he had never really watched it, just had a general idea from online information. The popularity of this version of "Victoria’s Secret Closet" was entirely the credit of the production team. But it wasn’t hard to guess. There weren’t many models at Victoria’s Secret, and once viewers got over their initial curiosity, a decline in viewership was inevitable.

Therefore, introducing a new program to replace it was essential. Adrian was planning to recall which TV shows would have decent ratings in the current environment, but while discussing Victoria’s Secret with Claude, a new idea popped into his head.

"We’ve discussed before that we’re very lacking in traditional print media, so we could partner with groups that have strengths in that area but are less developed in new media. This is a good start. According to my preliminary concept, first, any American girl can sign up to participate. Then, under the judges’ assessment, select the suitable ones—between 12 to 18 or even fewer—and have them train collectively under 24-hour surveillance. They would learn things like posing, photography, catwalking, makeup, meeting clients, and national culture, etc. After learning, they could compete in small contests, and every so often, one would be eliminated. In the meantime, we could intersperse some advertisements, I mean letting them shoot some real ads, not too big, as long as it’s fitting, so we can better observe them. Continue in this vein until selecting the final professional model and providing her with a generous contract as a reward!" Adrian talked at length (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to qidian.com to vote for your recommendation ticket, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)