"Breaking News! Eric Cooper completes acquisition of Warner Bros., Hollywood enters The Big Six era."
"The largest acquisition in Hollywood history is finalized, Warner Bros. welcomes a new owner."
"Hollywood begins a major reshuffle. Who is the most powerful person in Hollywood now? How much longer can Disney enjoy its glory?"
"The aggressively expanding MGM; the acquisition of Warner Bros. symbolizes Eric Cooper's official ascension to the throne of Hollywood emperor."
"The old Hollywood system centered around Disney is declared collapsed, and a new pattern with MGM at its core is about to be established."
"Controlling MGM, Warner Bros., UTA, Facebook, YouTube, Lionheart Network, Marvel, DC, Dual Star Entertainment, and Hasbro, Eric Cooper's ambition is further expanding. Which company will be his next target?"
As the acquisition was officially completed, this bombshell news spread across the world at the same time.
Compared to the Lucasfilm acquisition not long ago, this one was clearly more shocking.
After all, putting two numbers on the table immediately showed which was superior: 3 billion US dollars versus 51 billion US dollars. Which one has a stronger impact?
The media and Hollywood professionals were all discussing the impact of this event and what consequences it would have on themselves and the film industry.
Audiences, however, had no interest in discussing such things. They only knew that it was finally over; this damned acquisition process was finally completed.
Since the process began, all Warner Bros. films had been withdrawn from release.
This included blockbusters like batman Begins and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Now, they could finally be released to meet fans. We've been waiting impatiently.
Moreover, since Eric Cooper has taken over Warner Bros., he will definitely develop DC with as much vigor as he developed Marvel.
Those small-scale efforts are truly uninteresting. Warner Bros. always only revolves around batman and Superman, as if there are no other characters besides these two.
They made a Catwoman movie, and Halle Berry was indeed hot, but the movie completely turned into a pile of crap.
Come on, the two big brothers are indeed powerful, but the younger brothers and sisters aren't incapable.
wonder woman, Barry Allen, Hal Jordan, Nightwing, Constantine—these can all be ranked as second-tier, and their comic sales are not worse than Captain America next door.
The next tier includes Batgirl Barbara, Aquaman, Wally West, Shazam, etc. Their comic sales are slightly worse than Captain America, but much stronger than Iron Man and daredevil, who haven't had film adaptations.
There are plenty of high-quality characters waiting to be developed, but stupid Warner Bros.'s eyes only know how to stare fixedly at Superman and batman.
Now it's good; with Eric Cooper taking over, DC's golden age is finally coming.
Perhaps in the future, they can even create a Marvel vs. DC crossover series. Anyway, the two companies have released several crossover comics, so there's material.
Beverly Hills, Cooper Family.
The previous acquisition of Lucasfilm wasn't celebrated, so a grand party was specifically held today.
Eric was very happy today, and he invited an exceptionally large number of people.
Besides close friends, this time even the heads of various film companies received invitations, as well as famous directors, film critics, and singers.
It was only because his villa was large enough; otherwise, it couldn't accommodate so many people.
The doorbell rang, and Henry Cavill walked in wearing a perfectly tailored suit. He had clearly dressed up very seriously.
His beard was cleanly shaved, his hair was meticulously combed, and he had a faint scent of cologne on him.
He didn't look like he was attending a party, but rather a promotional event or a press conference.
The young nanny, Lisa, brightened when she saw him, then whispered, "You're too stiff, big star."
Henry Cavill frowned. When he walked inside and saw that almost everyone else was wearing casual loungewear, he immediately felt itchy all over and very out of place.
"I thought this was a very formal and serious party."
"Looks like you overthought it, brother. But it doesn't matter; with your looks, even if you dressed as a beggar, you'd still be popular."
He gave a wry smile. Since he was already here, what else could he do? He quickly took off his jacket and handed it to Lisa: "Please keep this for me for a while; I'll feel more relaxed this way."
"No, unless you give me a kiss."
Upon hearing this, Henry Cavill's eyes widened, thinking, are the maids in the boss's house all this fierce?
"Haha. Just kidding, I recently watched twilight."
Not far away, Paris Hilton's radar suddenly blared. Her spider-sense told her that a handsome guy was around.
She turned her head and indeed saw Henry Cavill appear, looking around as if searching for a place to blend in.
"Look at his handsome yet anxious look, like a confused little puppy. He's so cute, I really wish I could strip him naked and swallow him whole."
"You're interested in him? Wasn't your target Eric Cooper?" her sister Nicky Hilton teased.
Paris looked again at Eric, who was chatting with Bob Meyer, Spielberg, and others.
"Forget it, that guy is too high-class. I can't climb that high."
"Yeah, he and us peers are simply not the same species. The entire Hilton Family isn't as rich as he is, right?"
"Hmph! That damned guy, may he spend his whole life playing with old men!"
Nicky Hilton chuckled, "Be careful, those words you're saying will reach Eric's ears. He might retaliate against you."
Paris rolled her eyes: "Even better. If it's going to be spread, spread what I'm about to say as well."
"What?"
"If he wants to retaliate, he should come and fiercely f*** me. Don't miss a single word."
After saying that, she swayed her hips, picked up two glasses of wine, and walked towards Henry Cavill with a smile.
When the other party saw this famous promiscuous flower, his heart immediately began to pound.
He didn't want to get too close to Paris Hilton. In fact, he didn't even want to attend this party.
Instead of wasting time, he'd rather play games at home. He had just built a new computer with a super high configuration.
"Nice to meet you, Henry. Paris Hilton."
"Uh, I know. Your name often appears in newspapers."
"Negative news, right? I'm telling you, most of it is actually fake. The media always likes to look at me with colored glasses."
"Have a drink. Don't you know anyone here?"
Henry Cavill shook his head slightly: "My director doesn't seem to be here, and I haven't found Lively either. Actually, I'm a newcomer."
Paris Hilton's eyes curved into crescent moons, thinking, a newcomer is good; newcomers are easier to fool.
After this party, I'm definitely getting you into my bed.
"It's okay, I can introduce you. Let's meet my sister and best friend first; they're super nice."
With that, she directly took his hand and pulled Henry Cavill towards her small group.
Just then, Mark Morgan, the producer of twilight, suddenly waved: "Henry, over here, Henry!"
Superman immediately found an excuse: "Sorry, Paris, I have to go see him. That's my boss."
Helpless, Paris Hilton could only let go. She glanced over and saw Eric sitting in the center, and couldn't help but think that guy must be sabotaging her.
"Damn it, he doesn't want to sleep with me himself, and he won't let me sleep with anyone else!"
Mischa Barton laughed loudly: "I think you're delusional. He's clearly going to talk about serious business. Wait, who's behind you?"
Paris turned around and immediately saw Chris Evans appear.
Thinking of Captain America's pectorals in the movie, her body couldn't help but heat up. She licked the corner of her mouth and walked towards him.
"Henry, come on, you're about to strike it rich, kid."
Henry Cavill, bewildered, came before a group of bigwigs. Although he didn't recognize several of them, anyone who could be around Eric Cooper was certainly not an ordinary person.
"Sit," Eric pointed to the seat next to him.
"Henry, first, congratulations on a job well done. Your performance in twilight did not disappoint me."
"Eric personally selected you to play the male lead; you didn't know that, did you?" Mark Morgan added.
"Thank you, thank you, Mr. Cooper."
"I also valued your looks and temperament. twilight will be made into a series, so you can continue to act in it, but I need to give you a challenging task."
Henry Cavill's heart skipped a beat, thinking, could it be that he wants me to accompany Paris Hilton and those socialites?
"What... what task?"
"Have you seen Superman?"
"Yes, I've seen the comics and animations, the old movies, and I'm watching Smallville too."
"That's even better; it saves a lot of time understanding the character. You know I acquired Warner Bros., and now I plan to develop the DC cinematic universe."
"I plan to cast you as the new Superman!"
Upon hearing this, Henry Cavill was stunned on the spot.
Then came immense joy. It really was a godsend! That was Superman, the undisputed most popular character in American comics.
Although Spider-Man's movies were very successful, they didn't make Spider-Man's popularity surpass Superman, even though Superman hadn't had a movie in years.
Before Nolan's batman trilogy was completed, batman's popularity was also not as high as Superman's.
"Henry, what do you think? Say something." Mark Morgan nudged him.
"Yes, yes, I was just startled by this sudden good news."
"Sorry, I just never thought I could play Superman. This is like a dream. I will do my utmost, Mr. Cooper."
Eric smiled: "Don't be so excited. I just said there's a challenging task."
"To play Superman, you need to build muscle and work out. You must become a big, muscular guy."
"But in twilight, you're a vampire, so you must maintain a relatively slender physique. Therefore, you'll need to control your weight and muscle in a short period, which requires a lot of sweat and perseverance."
Saying that, Eric called out loudly: "Chris, come here, Chris."
Chris Evans, who was caught in Paris Hilton's group of best friends, quickly responded and strode out of the pink circle.
This once again made Paris Hilton furious: "Damn it! Eric, that bastard, he must be deliberately targeting me! I'm so mad!"
"Haha. You won't really be angry. I bet as long as Eric wiggles his finger, you'll immediately kneel by his bed," Nicky Hilton teased.
"What's wrong?"
"Let me introduce you to a friend, Henry Cavill."
The two greeted each other.
"Because Chris has to balance filming transformers and captain america, he's also gaining and losing muscle at the same time. He can share some experience with you."
"Do you have any plans?" captain america asked.
Superman nodded: "Mr. Cooper wants me to play the new Superman."
"Wow! Such a good role, aren't you going to give me an audition opportunity?"
"He's more suitable than you, Chris."
"Alright then, come on over, young man. We can be workout buddies from now on."
The two left and quickly joined the group of Ryan, Wolf Uncle, and Robert Downey Jr.
Eric rubbed his somewhat hungry stomach and walked to the barbecue grill, where Nolan was concentrating on brushing oil.
"I didn't realize you, a big director, had such a skill."
Nolan looked up and smiled shyly: "Actually, not only is my cooking decent, but I'm also good at farm work. I've planted corn, wheat, beans, and peanuts."
"Really? I didn't expect you to be so versatile."
"Haha. For the experience of life, have two pieces."
Eric nodded slightly: "No wonder you like practical effects; you use real things instead of fake ones whenever possible."
"It smells so good, give us some first."
Judy appeared behind them with Avril and Daddario.
"Of course, ladies first." Nolan skillfully put the grilled meat onto plates.
Looking at the three beautiful women, Eric tentatively asked: "You three... you seem to have a good relationship."
Avril snorted coldly: "Better than some heartless people."
Daddario said nothing, but her big, dog-like eyes looked at Eric resentfully.
Thinking about it, it had indeed been more than half a month since he had visited the two of them. Eric couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
"Alright, let's not delay the busy man's important business. Come with me; I'll introduce you to some new friends."
Judy winked at Eric and pulled the two resentful women away.
According to their plan, everything seemed to be progressing smoothly.
However, Nolan was puzzled. He was a brilliant director, and directors are very sensitive to all sorts of details.
The feeling he got from these three women and one man was very abnormal!
"Ahem. Nolan, I plan to release batman Begins in half a month. Prepare for it in advance."
"Mhm, no problem."
"Also, since Warner Bros. belongs to me now, abandon any thoughts of leaving and continue filming the sequels."
"I promised not to interfere with your creativity and to guarantee a sufficient budget. That promise is still valid."
Upon hearing this, Nolan's spirits immediately lifted.
He certainly wanted to film sequels, and he had already laid the groundwork.
At the end of batman Begins, Joker's calling card appears, and the main villain for the second film was already decided.
Nolan had even conceived the basic framework, but Warner Bros.'s severe interference made him worry about his creative freedom.
"The actual production cost of batman Begins was around 115 million US dollars. For the sequel, I'll approve 165 million US dollars. How does that sound?"
"But the movie hasn't been released yet. Are you sure it will make money?"
"Regardless of profit or loss, I'll add 50 million US dollars for you. You just need to focus on your creative work."
"Since you put it that way, I have no reason to refuse."
"For batman, let's still use Bale. As for the Joker, I have an actor to recommend. Of course, whether to use him is your decision."
"Who?"
"Heath Ledger!"