Sky Film Studios was bustling with several projects in full swing, and Gilbert wasn't idle either.
The new project was progressing smoothly. After all, the core members of Gilbert's team had worked together for years. They understood one another perfectly and were extremely efficient.
If it weren't for that, Gilbert couldn't have been keeping an eye on the progress of Iron Man while also busy with his own project, The Last of Us.
While he was buried in work on The Last of Us, he received an invitation from James Cameron to attend a party.
So Gilbert hurried back to Los Angeles to join the event, which was held on the top floor of the Peninsula Hotel.
The host of the party was 20th Century Fox, and James Cameron had just returned to attend, hoping to discuss something with Gilbert.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Cameron got straight to the point. "I need a large sum of money."
"Oh?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're still playing around with underwater photography?"
Over the past few years, James Cameron had been completely fascinated with underwater 3D photography, to the point that people thought he had abandoned Hollywood altogether to become a documentary filmmaker.
But those who knew the truth understood that Cameron was experimenting with new technology he planned to apply in future films.
Gilbert was also familiar with Cameron's activities—after all, the idea of underwater cinematography had been his suggestion in the first place.
Cameron loved the ocean. He believed that water was the source of all life, which was why water almost always appeared in his films.
In a way, his philosophy was somewhat aligned with Taoist thought.
After his recent underwater filming experiments, Cameron felt the technology was mature enough for use in feature films. He immediately rushed back to Hollywood to start seeking investors.
Hearing Gilbert's comment, Cameron laughed. "Of course not. This time, I've come up with a story—a science fiction film—but it's going to need a huge production budget."
"How much are we talking about?" Gilbert asked.
Looking slightly embarrassed, Cameron held up two fingers. "Two hundred million dollars."
Gilbert knew Cameron well enough to understand what that meant—if Cameron said two hundred million, it would likely end up costing at least four hundred million.
"Fox isn't backing you?" Gilbert asked.
Cameron sighed. "The investment is massive, and 20th Century Fox is hesitant."
Gilbert nodded in understanding. If he were an executive at Fox and didn't yet know how successful Cameron's next film would be, he would hesitate too.
When Titanic was in production, Cameron had repeatedly demanded budget increases, nearly driving Fox's executives insane.
In the end, they had to bring in Paramount to share the cost—Gilbert had also invested in it to help spread the risk.
Now, hearing Cameron casually mention a $200 million production, it was no surprise that Fox's executives were getting flashbacks to that financial nightmare.
Gilbert smiled. "That's a perfectly normal reaction. These things can't be rushed—take it slow. With the success of Titanic, I believe Fox will eventually trust you again."
He paused and added, "Of course, if you're willing to let me invest, I'd be more than happy to join."
"Of course I'm willing," Cameron said frankly. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to you. I just need you to take the lead—to give everyone else some confidence."
Gilbert's reputation for picking the right films carried a lot of weight. If he endorsed Cameron's new project, other studios would surely take it seriously.
The two reached a preliminary agreement, and Gilbert later instructed Ivanka to follow up on the matter.
After their talk, Gilbert slipped off to a quiet corner to grab something to eat and take a breather.
But it seemed peace wasn't in the cards tonight. Before he could even finish a piece of cake, 20th Century Fox's vice president, Hall, came over.
"Gilbert, the higher-ups have some complaints about you," Hall said with a wry smile.
"Oh?" Gilbert raised a brow. "And what exactly did I do to offend the Fox executives?"
Hall explained, "Fantastic Four released in July. Marvel didn't help with promotion—that was bad enough but they also released a comic."
After Fantastic Four hit theaters, Marvel published an issue that portrayed the Fantastic Four as villains and even killed them off.
That, unsurprisingly, created problems for the film and prevented it from meeting Fox's box-office expectations.
Gilbert shrugged and passed the blame. "Hall, I'm just a shareholder. I don't have much say in the company's operations."
Hall only gave a thin smile. He didn't believe for a second that Marvel would dare pull a stunt like that without Gilbert's quiet approval.
Still, this wasn't the time or place to argue. After all, this was a party—no one wanted to start a confrontation over business competition.
Back during the comic industry's bleak years, Marvel had sold off quite a few superhero rights just to survive. Spider-Man, X-Men, and Fantastic Four had all been sold during that time.
Later, after Gilbert acquired Marvel, the company finally escaped its financial troubles and no longer needed to sell the rights to its superheroes.
In fact, Marvel even wanted to reclaim those rights. Many of the contracts for the sold characters included buyback clauses. If a movie failed to reach certain performance standards, Marvel would have the right to repurchase the rights.
The consecutive success of the Spider-Man and X-Men series made Marvel's buyback clause an unexpectedly powerful tool.
Previously, Ang Lee's Hulk had failed at the box office, allowing Marvel to repurchase the rights to the Hulk. In the newly planned Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Hulk was already slated for a grand return.
As for Fantastic Four, one of Marvel's flagship properties, of course the company wanted to reclaim it—so they used a few clever tactics.
Unfortunately, although the Fantastic Four film didn't meet 20th Century Fox's expectations, it also didn't perform poorly enough to trigger the buyback clause.
It's worth mentioning that this film featured Chris Evans, who, in another life, famously portrayed Captain America.
If all went according to plan, the Marvel Universe under Gilbert's leadership would certainly have a place for him as well.
After attending the party and meeting with James Cameron, Gilbert made a stop at the Iron Man film set to take a look around.
"Jon Favreau was really the perfect choice," Kevin Feige said as he led Gilbert through the set, clearly pleased with Favreau's selection.
"He's not just a great actor—he's also an excellent director."
"He plays Tony Stark's bodyguard in the movie and adds plenty of humor," Cameron Diaz added. "He's a talented comedic actor."
Gilbert nodded. He had chosen the man himself, so of course he was well aware of his abilities.
"How's the filming going?" Gilbert asked.
"Very smoothly—no problems so far," Kevin Feige replied happily. The project was moving along without a hitch.
"Marvel doesn't have much experience in film production," Cameron Diaz added, "but it's a good thing you assigned some experienced people to the crew."
"Good. Keep me informed if anything comes up." Gilbert made a phone gesture with his hand. "This is Marvel's first film. We can't afford any mistakes."
"Understood!" Kevin Feige and Cameron Diaz both nodded firmly. They knew exactly how crucial this project was.
...
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