After reaching an agreement with the Old Man, Anton immediately boarded his private jet and flew to Los Angeles that very day. There, he met with the film producer the Old Man had arranged for him to discuss the collaboration on Batman: Begins.
As a media mogul, Jonah Jameson also had a film production company under his control, and even held shares in several major entertainment companies.
In a sense, they were all family.
Considering Anton was his grandson, Jameson gave him the green light.
"Mr. Anton, it's a pleasure to meet you."
The man was named Jim Lambert, a second-tier Hollywood producer. He had been in the industry for thirty years and had participated in nearly a hundred high-quality films, so he was very experienced.
Jim's proudest achievement was a film he participated in and led seven or eight years ago, which achieved a top-five spot in global annual box office and a top-fifty ranking in the global box office charts.
This film catapulted him to the pinnacle of first-rate producers, bringing him immense fame and fortune, with luxury cars and beautiful women flocking to him.
However, after reaching the summit, there's only one way down unless you ascend to the heavens.
Jim perfectly followed this law.
Though the films he'd been involved in recently received decent reviews, most were unprofitable, with the few that did well barely turning a profit.
A string of failures caused him to fall from being a first-rate producer back to a second-rate one.
Otherwise, Jameson wouldn't have been able to hire him.
A first-rate producer in Hollywood held a position and power not much inferior to that of most film company owners.
And the few top-tier producers possessed the ability to rival the six major film studios.
"Hello, Jim."
Anton's mind flashed through the information he had gathered on Jim Lambert. He handed the prepared film outline to the famous producer, who was in his early fifties and still looked energetic and robust. Anton smiled and said, "My Old Man should have told you. I plan to make a movie, with an initial investment of fifty million, and only one requirement: success comes first. Even if it doesn't succeed, I want everyone to know about this movie."
No matter what, Batman's fame had to be established.
"I'll do my best."
Jim remained composed, his attitude polite, but not overly friendly.
He had a solid foundation. Although his recent works hadn't been successful, they were far from complete failures.
Now, as long as he could produce one successful film before retirement, he could immediately leverage his previous experience to regain his position as a top-tier producer.
He had been lying low for several years, waiting for a beautiful comeback.
At fifty-something, he could still make the most of his aging back, squeezing out every last bit of energy.
Therefore, Jim Lambert was increasingly cautious. Nowadays, he rarely took on the role of producer himself, unless he encountered a project that truly excited him.
The reason he was meeting with Anton was entirely out of respect for Jonah Jameson.
"Rustle, rustle!"
Flipping through the thin sheets of paper in his hands, Jim suppressed the hint of disdain in his eyes, sat up straight, and read them through several times.
The chaotic thoughts in his mind gradually came together.
"This is a very novel type of film," Jim said, looking at Anton, with admiration. "A brilliant idea, how did you come up with it?"
"I call it a superhero movie. Captain America gave me the inspiration."
Anton said, "As everyone knows, he was the first superhero, the most well-known one of all time. Even though he's been dead for seventy years, his incredible story still has a huge draw for us. We all understand what that means: it means the movie I want to make has a massive market and a high potential for returns."
"That's true,"
Jim couldn't deny it. "But you're oversimplifying things. A movie's success depends on many factors, including that most intangible of things: luck."
Anton chuckled. "Luck is on our side. Just the fact that Tony Stark is investing in this movie, that alone is worth tens of millions at the box office."
"Tony Stark?"
Jim was taken aback. "You got Tony Stark, that famous playboy, as an investor?"
"Yes." Anton nodded. "If you don't believe me, you can confirm it with Tony Stark himself."
"Since it's a project Tony Stark believes in, with the backing of Stark Industries, this movie already has the greatest chance of success."
Jim Lambert pondered for a moment, then stood up and extended his hand to Anton. "Well then, it's a deal."
"A deal," Anton replied, beaming.
He certainly wouldn't tell Jim that Stark Industries wouldn't provide any assistance with the film's promotion. Tony Stark would probably be thrilled to see the movie fail.
However, Batman's debut was like a dragon riding straight into the face of the opponent!
How could this possibly lose?
Knowing Batman's extraordinary appeal in another world, Anton had unprecedented confidence in this film's success.
"One last question," Jim said, reminding him before leaving after they'd agreed on the deal. "This movie will surely have many big scenes. The funding must be sufficient. What's your upper limit?"
"Don't worry about the funds, just go ahead and prepare the crew and actors. Get me a proposal and preliminary budget as soon as possible."
Anton waved his hand, radiating the aura of a wealthy man. "I'm providing the story, and I'll write the script. Get a few screenwriters to come to New York, and I'll discuss it with them."
"No problem."
Jim Lambert nodded. "I'll get a proposal to you as soon as possible."
"Deal."
After the discussion, Anton spent a night in Los Angeles, thoroughly experiencing the decadence of Hollywood, before quickly returning to New York.
Jim Lambert certainly lived up to his reputation as a well-known producer.
In just a few days, he found a top-tier screenwriter, famous for ghostwriting and with extensive experience, and negotiated a price with him.
The screenwriter contacted Anton.
Anton thought for a moment; his home wasn't the place for a meeting. He arranged to meet them at the Daily Bugle.
Even though he was no longer the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, he was still the deputy editor and retained the largest editor-in-chief's office, which had always been his.
This was the perfect creative space.
Recently, while keeping an eye on Jim's progress, Anton had also been maintaining his creative output. Relying on his vivid memories of the film, he elaborated on the rough outline of Batman: Begins.
However, some areas still needed revisions by the screenwriter.
Anton knew his own limitations.
Besides, professional matters should be left to the professionals.
Although he would soon take up the director's chair for Batman: Begins, Jim had already selected a team of assistant directors.
Everyone knew how the film should be made.
Bang bang!
Someone knocked on the office door.
"Come in."
Anton lazily looked towards the door.
A fellow he didn't expect walked in.
"Eddie, what's up?"
Anton was very surprised. He had originally thought the person knocking on the door would be the ace screenwriter he had arranged to meet.