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Chapter 12 Victory Celebration Banquet

The moment Craig stepped into the manor, that fatso disappeared into the crowd as if he had been drawn by a magnet.

Ernst could guess what that sleazy guy had been up to, and thought to himself, "He must have gone off to some corner to 'sow seeds' somewhere."

Since taking over MGM, Craig has practically had the title of "Beverly Hills stallion" welded to his forehead.

Then, after a moment of surprise, they chuckled self-deprecatingly, neither of them saying anything to the other; they were both the same kind of person.

Holding a glass of champagne, he idly scanned the crowd, only to be met with invasive gazes from women. Some even licked their lips sensually, making more suggestive and explicit gestures, as if they wanted to concretize the words "Come sleep with me."

Just as Ernst was about to roll his eyes, Frank Biondi, the CEO of Universal, came over with his slicked-back hair swaying, the diamond buttons on his tuxedo almost blinding.

"Ernst, I really didn't expect you to come."

Frank's smile was as hot as a freshly baked pizza. "I thought you just liked to stay in the hotel and unleash your talents."

"How could I miss such a lively party?"

They clinked glasses, and the champagne bubbles under the lights looked just like the abacus beads in Frank's eyes.

"Congratulations on the huge success of 'The Rock,' which has given Universal a great start to the summer season this year."

Frank's mustache perked up at these words, and he went on to boast about how he had a keen eye for talent in Michael Bay.

"Yes, we originally predicted that it would gross around $2.2 million worldwide, but it turned out to be a dark horse."

Michael Bay is not yet a globally renowned director. Although Bad Boys grossed $1.4 million worldwide last year, no one knows whether it was due to an accident or his talent. Michael Bay still needs to prove himself in Hollywood.

"The Rock" put Michael Bay on the cusp of becoming a top Hollywood director and made Universal a fortune.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ernst's eyes darted around, and he lowered his voice, "Frank, I heard Universal is planning to sell the rights to Iron Man?"

Frank raised an eyebrow, his expression instantly switching from smug to a business poker face, a sly glint in his eyes.

However, his many years of experience in the business world prevented him from immediately revealing too much emotion.

"The copyright to Steelman? We value this comic book character very much, and the script for the adaptation has already been written, but it hasn't been put on the filming schedule yet."

Ernst nodded slightly, took a sip of champagne, and didn't expose the other party's self-promotion.

Ernst's nonchalant attitude caused Frank's smile to freeze for a couple of seconds. He had originally planned to see if he could take advantage of this Hollywood newcomer, but now it seemed that the chances were slim.

With his arms crossed, Frank pondered for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Well, your father and I are good friends, and as his uncle, how can I not help you? I've heard about what the media is saying about you, but don't take it to heart. How about $200 million? I'm helping you under a lot of pressure."

How was it? Not so good.

Universal Pictures acquired the rights to the Hulk, Iron Man, and Namor for a mere $370 million. Everyone knows that the Hulk's rights were the most valuable, worth at least $250 million.

Although six years have passed, the US dollar is no longer in a period of super devaluation, and inflation is not as high.

Ernst put down his glass, his expression turning serious. "One million dollars. You know, MGM is broke right now, and so am I. This amount of money is enough for me to make a movie. I'm being very sincere."

"The Man from Earth" has already started filming, and Ernst is unlikely to pass up such an opportunity to ride the wave of popularity.

Although it's all mockery, saying that MGM has indeed returned to its golden age of the 1950s and 60s under Ernst's leadership, just look at the production costs—isn't it just the same as the huge production costs of MGM in the 1950s and 60s?

Ernst didn't care at all; black and red were still red.

Traffic is king, and no one understands traffic better than Ernst.

Without spending a single penny, "The Man from Earth" became a household name through reports from major media outlets across the United States.

"We can discuss the price, but I can't make a decision on a price of one million US dollars. But don't worry, I will definitely try to get the lowest possible cost for you within the group, within a reasonable range."

"We'll discuss this in more detail later. I have a lot of people to entertain tonight, so I won't be able to keep you company."

Frank walked away, a smile on his face, and approached a man in a suit.

Ernst recognized the man; he was the executive vice president of 20th Century Fox.

He sneered and gave a cold snort.

What's there to negotiate? It's all about comparing prices. It seems that 20th Century Fox is still just as interested in Iron Man as it was in its previous life.

There's no way around it; comic book movie adaptations are just too imaginative.

Although Marvel has very few live-action movies now, and none of them have been successful, DC has.

Batman, released in 1989, grossed over $400 million worldwide, pioneering the commercialization of superhero movies and stimulating Marvel and other major Hollywood giants.

Everyone knows that the difficulty of superhero movies lies in special effects. Marvel's superheroes rely even more on special effects than DC's heroes. However, times are changing, and the rise of the Internet has made many people see this possibility and are willing to take the gamble.

"Excuse me, Mr. Garfield, may I trouble you for a few minutes?"

"Sissy," was Ernst's first impression of the person who had turned around and seen him.

A tight-fitting shirt hugged her narrow shoulders, her delicate fingers held a champagne glass, and her voice was even sweeter than the champagne bubbles.

There was no discrimination or contempt; this is perfectly normal in Hollywood.

There's a reason why celebrities make so much money. They have to present a respectable image in public, but behind the scenes they have to do the same work as chickens and ducks. It's hard not to feel emotionally affected by this contrast.

So what if they're effeminate? In Hollywood, over 30% of people are bisexual, and at least one in ten is gay.

Not to mention those who go to extremes for the thrill; Hong Kong has golf balls, while Hollywood just stuffs light bulbs in.

Don't ask Ernst how he knew, because it was something his predecessor had already done.

Do we know each other?

After searching his memory, Ernst couldn't recall ever seeing this guy before.

"My name is Linason, from Endeavor."

"Strive?" Ernst raised an eyebrow.

Endeavor, an elite talent agency founded last year, is one of Hollywood's five major future talent agencies.

CAA, William Morris Agency, ICM International Innovation Management, UTA United Elite Agency, and Endeavour Elite Agency—these are the five major talent agencies of Hollywood's future.

However, UTA and Endeavour are still relatively new players, one founded in 1991 and the other only last year.

Hollywood today has three major players: CAA, William Morris, and ICM International Innovation Management.

However, UTA and Endeavour have already attracted attention in the industry, especially UTA, which was formed by the merger of two medium-sized companies and is now a large company.

The reason Fenjin has attracted attention is because the company's founder comes from ICM.

Last March, an internal turmoil at ICM International Innovation Management Company was described as a midnight coup, becoming common knowledge within the industry.

The end result was that four fully-fledged agents—Ari Emmanuel, David Greenblatt, Rick Rosen, and Tom Strikeller—left to found Endeavour.

This year, three agents from CAA have become new partners at Endeavour, and the company has also brought in stars of Adam Sandler's caliber.

In particular, this company is very smart; it has focused its current main business on TV series, thus reducing its clashes with the major Hollywood economic giants.

She glanced at the other person with some discomfort. The other person's eyeshadow was even heavier than that of the female stars present, and there was pearlescent powder on their nails. They looked like they had jumped straight off the Broadway stage.

"I'm sorry, but if you want to do business with MGM, I think you should talk to Robert."

Robert Iger, the future legendary CEO of Disney, is currently serving as COO at Disney and sees no sign of taking the helm of the company.

After all, Michael Eisner, the tyrant of Disney, held an unshakeable position at Disney, and no one could challenge his authority.

The saying "better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond" also exists in the United States. If Robert Iger could achieve something at MGM, it would be a brilliant resume.

So he accepted Ernst's invitation and became MGM's current CEO.

To Ernst's surprise, the other party wasn't there to discuss business with MGM, but rather for him personally.