Any branch series of the DC Movie Universe, even if it only reaches half the box office level of 'Batman Begins' in the future, would be enough to support the performance of a major studio. Therefore, the top executives of Daenerys Entertainment and Time Warner Group personally stepped in to finalize the casting for the project.
Similarly, because these roles mean a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many actors, all of Hollywood, whether it's the actors waiting expectantly or various talent agencies, is closely monitoring any relevant information coming out of Daenerys Studios.
When the news broke that the male and female leads for 'The Flash' had been finalized, to say nothing of the joy of those involved, countless eyes inside and outside Hollywood instantly focused on Jason Gedrick and Robin Wright. These two young people, both only twenty-four or twenty-five years old, became the focus of Hollywood's attention in just a few short hours.
Daenerys Entertainment and Time Warner Group allow actors signed to long-term DC Movie Universe contracts to appear in other film projects. Although there are very strict restrictions, before the DC Movie Universe team officially contacted the parties to sign the contracts, many studios had already sent a series of invitations to the two actors' agencies, attempting to secure their open schedules outside of their participation in DC Movie Universe projects in advance.
The leads for the 'The Flash' were confirmed in the morning, and by the afternoon, the core supporting cast for the project was also gradually finalized.
Although they cannot be compared to the male and female leads, these people also received a great deal of attention.
Speaking of which, the casting process for the DC Movie Universe is very different from Hollywood tradition.
Traditional Hollywood film projects involve constant contact and negotiations with filmmakers to slowly piece together the entire team. In the DC Movie Universe project, however, the initiative is completely in the hands of the production side, because this series will not deliberately pursue any A-list stars; superheroes like Batman, Superman, and The Flash are 'stars' in their own right, known to every household.
Therefore, once casting starts, if an actor wants to obtain a certain role, as long as they pass the initial selection, they must first sign an Intent Agreement. The terms include accepting a long-term contract for the DC Movie Universe, salary rules, image authorization, and so on. If you don't accept, then there's no need to waste both parties' time.
This casting process also means that once an actor is chosen, both parties can quickly sign a formal contract without needing to bicker over detailed terms. If an actor changes their mind after being selected and tries to jack up the price, they will not only be immediately dropped but will also face a huge claim for damages.
With the main cast of 'The Flash' confirmed, the subsequent signing and arrangements for actors to undergo relevant physical and performance training will be handled by others.
Simon saw off Terry Semel and the others. Just as he returned to his office in the administrative area, his Female Assistant followed him in and told him that James Raybould had called earlier, saying there was something very important.
Without moving to the leather chair behind his desk, Simon sat directly on the edge of the opposite desk and picked up the handset, gesturing for the Female Assistant to dial.
Jennifer expertly dialled a string of numbers. Just as she finished, an arm reached over from the side. She struggled for a moment with a mix of feigned anger and playful hits, but seeing that Simon had started talking to her father on the other end, she had to give up her struggle, though the hand then let her go.
Smiling as he watched the Female Assistant pretend to tidy his desk with her ears turning red, Simon chatted for a few moments with the other side, but his expression gradually became serious.
The matter was about the 20% stake in ESPN mentioned by Robert Iger at the party last Saturday.
Robert Iger returned to New York and quickly compiled a rough set of data for Simon.
ESPN has been established for 11 years and now has over 57 million subscribers. Its annual revenue has reached $500 million, and last year's net profit was $51 million.
Simon was initially curious why Metropolitan ABC Group didn't buy back this 20% stake themselves, because with the majority shareholder's right of first refusal, Metropolitan ABC Group had a greater advantage in buying this 20% equity than any other buyer. Due to the success of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?', Metropolitan ABC Group's financial situation in recent years has also been quite excellent, and they could completely afford the funds.
The data collected by Robert Iger provided the reason.
Metropolitan ABC Group's conservative Chairman Tom Murphy and major shareholder Warren Buffett were unwilling to pay too high a price for this equity. A $200 million valuation for a 20% stake, which is equivalent to nearly a 20x P/E ratio, seemed too high to the two old men; they were only willing to offer a 10x P/E ratio.
In addition, ESPN recently signed a massive four-year, $400 million broadcasting agreement with Major League Baseball. ESPN's annual revenue is only $500 million, and because of this agreement, the sudden $100 million annual increase in content costs also caused ESPN to take on a very large risk.
If this very risky and massive agreement ultimately fails, ESPN, which originally had good growth momentum, could very likely turn toward decline.
Since Metropolitan ABC Group was unwilling to buy the shares themselves, Simon thought his move would be a sure thing, so he directly handed the matter over to James to handle.
Unexpectedly, things suddenly took another turn.
James told Simon over the phone that the acquisition of this equity had originally been progressing very smoothly. He had communicated with Metropolitan ABC Group Chairman Tom Murphy, who was very happy for Westeros Company to buy these shares, and subsequent contact with Reynolds Nabisco had also been very positive.
However, just this morning, Tom Murphy suddenly called James again, stating that the Metropolitan ABC Group would likely be unable to accept Westeros Company's investment in ESPN, giving the reason that another Metropolitan ABC Group partner was interested in the shares.
Upon James's further questioning, Murphy revealed that it was the Hearst Family, which had been interested in entering the cable television industry in recent years, that wanted to buy this 20% stake in ESPN.
The Hearst Family is a super media dynasty as deep-rooted in America as the Newhouse Family.
Although the names of Hearst Family members do not appear in the top ten of this year's Forbes 400 richest Americans list, with only the Newhouse brothers occupying two of those spots, in reality, the Hearst Family's wealth is on par with the Newhouse Family. It is only because the first-generation founder, William Hearst, had a total of six children, and the wealth was passed down, resulting in an excessive dispersion of family equity.
The Hearst Family has flourished for a hundred years. Back then, William Hearst used the Hearst Group's nationwide media network to directly incite the Spanish-American War. Although it is still heavily criticized today, the Hearst Family's influence on American public opinion can be seen from this.
The current Hearst Family has gradually begun to be controlled by the third generation. However, this media dynasty still deeply influences the direction of American public opinion through hundreds of newspapers, weeklies, magazines, and other media platforms across major North American cities. The highly influential West Coast newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, is a property under the Hearst Group.
Although Simon's personal wealth is already several times that of the Hearst Family, for such a media dynasty that is deep-rooted enough in America to incite a war, James felt it was better not to provoke them.
James had originally intended to scout for more specific details before talking to Simon about this matter, but this afternoon, the third-generation heir of the Hearst Family, William Hearst III, contacted them again, issuing an invitation to Simon, hoping he could attend a Hearst Family party tomorrow night.
As for the purpose, it was obviously more than clear.
After talking with James on the phone for over twenty minutes, the Female Assistant had already left. Simon put down the handset and continued to lean against the edge of the desk, considering the matter.
During those days in New York at the beginning of the month, Janette had told Simon that if possible, it was best to be on good terms with American media dynasties like the Newhouses and Hearsts. If he could establish connections with these media dynasties that manipulate American public opinion, it would definitely be of great help to the development of the Westeros System.
However, for a newly risen wealthy person like Simon to break into those old-money family circles was actually not an easy task. America has no nobility, but the aristocratic sentiment of the old-money families on this land is actually more serious than in Europe.
Moreover, Simon has his own pride; if others don't welcome him, he won't lower himself to try and squeeze into those circles.
Now, an unexpected opportunity had appeared.
The Hearst, Newhouse, or Graham families that control The Washington Post group and so on might still control American public opinion now, but Simon knew clearly that with the arrival of the internet age, these old media dynasties would gradually decline.
After the new century, many famous newspapers and magazines with a hundred-year heritage that are still completely out of reach now; The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Time, and so on, would be sold to a series of newly wealthy individuals at fire-sale prices, just so the newspapers and magazines could continue to survive.
Simon carefully searched his memory and soon found a piece of information.
After the decline of the American print media industry, the 20% stake in the ESPN network held by the Hearst Family accounted for more than half of the Hearst Group's annual profit.
Once the acquisition of MCA is completed, as long as the timing is right, Simon's next target will be the Metropolitan ABC Group, which owns the ABC Television Network and the ESPN station.
If he gives the 20% stake in the ESPN station to the Hearst Family now, in a few more years, with the rise of ESPN and the decline of print media, the Hearst Family, which will be heavily dependent on this 20% stake in ESPN, might very well become a vassal of the entire Westeros System.
A massive media network composed of hundreds of newspapers, weeklies, and magazines would still be a force of public opinion that cannot be ignored in the future, even if only a small part of it remains.
Jennifer knocked and entered again, holding several documents in her hands. Noticing the smile at the corner of Simon's mouth, she asked, "What did Dad say to you?"
Simon gave a rough account of the contents of the phone call just now. Of course, he did not reveal things that had not yet happened.
After listening, the Female Assistant frowned slightly and said, "In that case, let's just forget about this equity. It would be very troublesome to have a conflict with the Hearst Family".
Simon nodded and added, "However, the Hearst Family can't expect me to withdraw from the competition just with a party; they have to give some benefits".
The Female Assistant thought for a moment and said, "The San Francisco Chronicle happens to belong to the Hearst Family. Perhaps this Time we can exchange for a content cooperation agreement between Ygritte Portal and the San Francisco Chronicle".
Ygritte Portal had previously established a cooperative relationship with the Murdoch family's News Corporation. However, Murdoch was only willing to provide European and Australian news information for Ygritte Portal.
In North America, on one hand, News Corporation's media strength was not yet that powerful, and on the other hand, it might be the old fox Murdoch's instinctive defensiveness, but Ygritte Portal was unable to obtain content support from media platforms like the New York Post under News Corporation.
Currently, Ygritte Portal's North American news mainly comes from a partnership with a small local San Francisco newspaper, and the content quality is hardly satisfactory. If he could obtain news content from the headquarters right
in San Francisco's San Francisco Chronicle, it would naturally be for the best.
"That's a very good idea", Simon nodded, reaching out to pull the Female Assistant in front of him closer, and laughed, "But for now, let's first consider where we should spend the night tonight".
The Female Assistant was held in Simon's arms, her cheek pressed against Simon's slightly prickly chin, and she said, "Janette has been very dissatisfied on the phone lately, saying she's going to bring back a bottle of red wine laced with chili water".
Simon laughed and said, "Then you just don't drink it".
The Female Assistant nodded solemnly but added with a bit of a mischievous streak, "She said it's for you to drink".
Janette went to Europe last week and successfully acquired Château Latour for $120 million. She then attended this year's autumn fashion week in Milan and plans to return to North America tomorrow. That Boeing 767 already flew to Europe this morning to pick her up.
In the evening, he could only take the Falcon business jet under Daenerys Entertainment to spend the night in San Francisco with Jennifer. Simon would send the Female Assistant back to Los Angeles the next morning and continue on to the East Coast on that Falcon.
The Time had already been arranged.
Around four o'clock in the afternoon East Coast Time, Simon arrived in New York. After waiting at Kennedy Airport for less than half an hour, the Boeing 767 carrying Janette and her party also landed on the runway.
This time, it wasn't just Janette returning; Sophia Fessey was also coming, and she brought family members, including her parents and a pair of children.
In their phone calls over the past few days, Sophia said she hoped her two children could go to school in the United States in the future and that her parents would stay to accompany them.
Simon had not yet met Sophia's children, but he knew the woman had previously arranged for the pair of children to study at a private school in Geneva, Switzerland.
Switzerland's excellence in private schools is well known, and studying there wouldn't involve much of a language barrier. Simon guessed there should be other inside reasons for Sophia suddenly sending her children to North America; perhaps her ex-husband wanted the children back again.
However, Sophia didn't say it explicitly, and Simon didn't feel it was right to ask too many details.
Beside the Kennedy Airport runway, Janette walked out of the cabin. Seeing Simon, she immediately ran down and threw herself into the man's arms like a bird returning to its nest. Not until the sound of clicking high heels behind her rang out did the woman finally give Simon a light bite on the lips before she was willing to let him go.
Simon also saw Sophia's group.
Sophia Fessey was wearing a white professional outfit, still intellectual and beautiful. She was holding a child in each hand; the boy was older, looking about ten years old and appearing somewhat shy, while the seven- or eight-year-old girl on the other side was sizing Simon up without any stage fright with a pair of sparkling blue eyes.
Behind Sophia Fessey was a couple whose hair was both turning grey. Seeing Simon look toward them, they both nodded in greeting with some constraint.
Because Sophia's parents were present, Simon had originally only intended to shake hands with the female executive as a greeting, but Sophia let go of the two children and stepped forward generously to give Simon a hug before introducing her family.
The two children: the boy is named Daniel Fessey, aged 10, and the girl is named Gemma Fessey, aged 7.
When introducing her parents, the female executive did not seem all that enthusiastic.
Although it was only their first meeting, Simon noticed that this couple was very accommodating toward their daughter. However, although Sophia brought them to America to look after the children, the estrangement between the female executive and her parents was very obvious.