"Actually, up to now, I already have a rough plan for the series.
Before officially launching a new Star Wars storyline, I think we should first produce a spin-off film, as well as a series."
"May I ask, will you personally direct them?"
"No, I will serve as the producer and find someone to create these new projects. But for the mainline Star Wars films, I will personally direct them."
With George Lucas saying this, it was almost certain that Lucasfilm would fall into Gilbert's hands.
At this moment, the ones excited were not the Star Wars fans, but the executives at Twentieth Century Fox.
If Gilbert were to shoot the Star Wars series, then as Lucasfilm's partner, they would have a legitimate claim.
Seizing this opportunity, Twentieth Century Fox could collaborate with Gilbert on other projects.
However, this was still far off. At least for the next few years, Gilbert had no immediate plans for a new Star Wars release.
Moreover, Lucasfilm was still in negotiations, making the process a bit lengthy.
Disney, on the other hand, had a different idea. In recent years, cooperation with Gilbert had gone extremely smoothly. Coupled with Disney's other thriving business ventures, it was gradually trending toward becoming Hollywood's number one giant.
Robert Iger, ambitious as ever, proposed a plan to the board: taking advantage of Warner letting go and integrating Gilbert's studio into Disney's system.
Additionally, half of Gilbert Studios' film copyrights were held by Warner.
If they would no longer cooperate, naturally those copyrights needed to be reclaimed.
Who would not want to take back copyrights while refusing to collaborate with Gilbert? That kind of luck doesn't exist.
Of course, reclaiming the copyrights would take some time and required Gilbert's cooperation.
Robert Iger's other idea was to acquire Warner's shares in Gilbert Studios, allowing Disney to become the largest shareholder without needing Gilbert's consent.
Iger's thought process mainly stemmed from the fact that Gilbert was already Warner's second-largest individual shareholder.
If half of Gilbert Studios' equity returned to Gilbert, Disney would have to obtain the remaining half from him to prevent other companies from competing.
Additionally, Disney planned to acquire Marvel and Lucasfilm, all of which related to Gilbert.
In other words, if all the above occurred, Disney would no longer be tied to the Disney family—it would belong to Gilbert.
At that point, Gilbert would become Disney's boss, even deciding the CEO's selection.
Robert Iger wanted to avoid this scenario, so he bypassed Gilbert and contacted George Lucas directly.
But Lucas relayed his conversation with Iger to Gilbert, who was not the least bit surprised.
"This is the trend," Gilbert said. "Whether Disney wants it or not, my shares will gradually increase."
George Lucas sighed, "It seems Steven should have learned from you. He wanted to create a movie company to rival the giants.
But after suppression and failures, he gave up on that fantasy.
Perhaps your approach is correct: no need to create a giant, just become part of one. Disney is indeed a better choice."
Why did Lucas say this? Simple. Disney has no parent company.
Twentieth Century Fox had News Corporation, Columbia Pictures had Sony, MGM had the UAE Investment Group.
All the giants had the backing of parent companies, except Disney. Of course, given Disney's scale, it would be difficult to find a company to acquire it.
So Disney is both a media company and a film company, and at the same time a dream-making park, a star-making factory.
A company this large usually has a complex shareholding structure.
If Gilbert's power on the board grew, it would inevitably trigger backlash from other shareholders.
But this was normal. As long as Disney had plans for Marvel and Lucasfilm, they would have to concede to Gilbert.
In short, Gilbert did not accept cash; he didn't lack that amount anyway.
Time soon entered June. On May 30th, New Line Cinema released Sex and the City. This was a large-scale R-rated film, the movie version of the successful TV series Sex and the City.
How to describe the style of this film? Roughly, it was like a Hollywood version of Ode to Joy, only with slightly more explicit content.
Of course, the film was harshly criticized by reviewers, but the investment was low, relying entirely on the four leading actresses' bold performances to attract audiences.
Although it was marketed as a love letter to women, actual box office surveys found that male viewers far outnumbered female viewers.
Out of curiosity, Leonardo DiCaprio also went to watch the film in theaters.
Afterwards, he complained to Gilbert, saying, "Honestly, watching this film isn't as exciting as the films from the San Fernando Valley."
Gilbert had a different explanation. He said, "I think coming at it directly might not give the same feeling. Most audiences probably enjoy that teasing, indirect sensation—a plot that can fully arouse desire."
DiCaprio shook his head. "If we're talking about plot, the San Fernando Valley films aren't bad either. I've seen the San Fernando Valley version of Black Empire—Trinity there is huge…"
"Leo, don't let Sally hear that, or she'll hit you," Gilbert laughed.
"I'm not stupid, of course I won't…"
There was another story about this film: Victoria Beckham originally intended to appear in it.
But after seeing the script, David Beckham forbade her from taking the role. This led to a quarrel between the couple, even sleeping in separate rooms for a time.
Fortunately, Victoria saw how many soccer fans had shown their enthusiasm, felt regret, and actively apologized to David Beckham, reconciling the couple.
It is imaginable how explicit this film was—perhaps only slightly less than Basic Instinct.
Sharon Stone, the female lead of Basic Instinct, also had a recent incident. A disaster occurred opposite her, and she spoke recklessly. But she had to apologize quickly because no one was there to help her.
Gilbert didn't even need to speak; naturally, someone handled the matter for him.
This week marked the fifth weekend of The Dark Knight's release. As of June 1st, the film had earned $410.35 million in North America.
This result was explosive; Warner Bros. executives were ecstatic.
The global box office reached $911.2 million, not far from easily surpassing $1 billion, achieving a milestone for superhero films.
It can be said that, up to now, even if Kelly Rose personally had her opinions about Gilbert, she could not deny Gilbert's contributions to Warner.
Unfortunately, the separation was a decision by Time Warner; Kelly Rose was merely following orders.
If she could, she would abandon prejudice and continue collaborating with Gilbert. If Gilbert at this time had no such complicated identities, being just a film director, that would be ideal.
But sadly, such a thought was unrealistic.
...
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