Chapter 217: Issuing a challenge

The reason why Wu Yuchen ran over in person was, first, to show sincerity, and second, to end the battle quickly.

Because two months later, after *X-Men* was released and achieved great success, the price of Marvel superheroes would usher in a wave of price increases. Although it wouldn't rise too much, it was not guaranteed that Ike Perlmutter, this big shareholder, wouldn't want to sell the shares.

Currently, the team's quote for the entire Marvel was 1.5 billion. The Ike Perlmutter in front of him held 80% of Marvel's shares. Now the bulk of Marvel's assets wasn't the copyright of superheroes, but the comics and toy companies they owned. Marvel still had quite a few comic fans continuously buying their comics.

For Wu Yuchen, he had two sets of plans. The first set of plans was to be able to directly buy Marvel and become its largest shareholder, which was the best.

And the second set of plans was, in the case of not being able to buy Marvel, to only buy the copyrights of these superheroes of Marvel.

To tell the truth, at the current price, the remaining copyrights of Marvel added together wouldn't cost much money. However, there was a disadvantage to this, which was that Marvel comics couldn't be allowed to cooperate with your film to act uniformly. As time went by, the more money the film made, the more jealous Marvel would be. Maybe later Marvel wouldn't be happy that you earned too much while they got nothing, and simply wrote this hero to death. That would form a lose-lose result.

Ike pondered for a while, and then said to Wu Yuchen:

"Wu, for me, this is indeed a good investment, but I don't want to sell it all. I have a premonition that your arrival will make Marvel better. 100 million USD to sell you 65% of the shares, and I want to keep 15% myself. How about it?"

Wu Yuchen thought about it. Buying 65% was actually about enough. Marvel still had 10% of the shares in the hands of the executive Avi Arad, and another 10% was scattered in the hands of small shareholders. He could contact them and buy a bit more from them. In the end, he should be able to gather more than 70%, which was enough.

Wu Yuchen smiled and said: "Just a *Zhenzhugang*, Depp, if you don't want to be satirized for not being able to pick up the big beam by then, then take out a performance that makes me look at you with admiration during the filming~"

Wu Yuchen reached out and shook hands with Ike Perlmutter: "Deal!"

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere of the reporters in the field was ignited. Originally, they all thought Wu Yuchen would also play official jargon and be humble for a few sentences; after all, everyone was like this usually. But they didn't expect Wu Yuchen to declare war on *Pearl

"Wu, may I ask why you are so confident?"

The first target to negotiate for was Spider-Man. Although he didn't know if Sony would be willing to sell it back, he had to try; getting back even a little was better than nothing. After all, little Spidey was just too tempting!

There was still some hope if he negotiated now. Two months later, once they saw the box office success of "X-Men," Sony would definitely start preparing for a "Spider-Man" movie.

Wu Yuchen left Spielberg with a confident smile before turning and walking away, leaving Spielberg to rub his forehead. He felt he had underestimated the young man's mettle. He had thought that even if Wu Yuchen wanted to take revenge on Eisner and Disney, he would prioritize making money. He hadn't expected the young man to be so hot-blooded!

Although Wu Yuchen's words made a lot of sense, Spielberg knew he was aiming directly at Disney. He shook his head and asked Wu Yuchen:

"Wu, this is a 140 million dollar investment; let's not act on impulse. If you say this now and fail to achieve it next year, you'll face a backlash. There's no need to truly go head-to-head with 'Zhenzhugang'..."

At this moment, a reporter raised their hand and asked:

In the end, Wu Yuchen bought another 5% from Avi Arad and 3.4% from others, bringing his Marvel shareholding to 73.4% and becoming the true majority shareholder of Marvel.

In Hollywood, even though these major studios or big productions sometimes collaborate on hype, they rarely have direct conflicts. Many release schedules are staggered; everyone has discussed it beforehand.

Then, many reporters focused their questions on the lead actors—specifically, why choose Depp and why choose Keira Knightley. Wu Yuchen's answer was simple: they were suitable.

Walking to the lounge in the back, Spielberg couldn't help but say to Wu Yuchen: "Wu, you really are quite direct..."

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this: "No, it's that we can do it!"

"Wu, may I ask if you have a conflict with Disney?"

However, to get the board and committee to agree to Kevin Feige taking on this heavy responsibility, they would have to wait until after "X-Men" was released. Only with that achievement would these people trust Kevin Feige.

Keira hurriedly waved her hands: "Oh, no, no, Mr. Director, I just feel a bit... nervous and excited. That's right, I'm just excited!"

Hugh Jackman was one of the first people to know Wu Yuchen. Over the past few years, he had watched him continuously create miracles, and since he himself was a beneficiary, he naturally firmly supported Wu Yuchen, his mentor.

The reporters scribbled down keywords like "pirate theme" and "miracle director."

"Why not? I am a man who keeps his word. 'Pirate King' will be released on the same day as 'Zhenzhugang' to crush 'Zhenzhugang' head-on. We will win it all!"

"Wu, may I ask if you don't hold Michael Bay in your eyes?"

"Wow, Wu, your words just now have made me look at you with new eyes!"

"It's very simple, because Wu and his interesting story moved me. I have always followed one principle in making movies: it must be interesting. And DreamWorks is a place for making dreams; we are very willing to bring this interesting story of 'Pirate King' to the big screen. As for the film's theme, for a good director, it's simply not a problem. 'The Sixth Sense,' a film with horror elements, created a super-high box office. We believe Wu can create another miracle!"

"Wu, what is your expected box office?"

Regarding these questions thrown out in a cacophony, Wu Yuchen did not continue to answer, and the press officer announced that the press conference had ended.

Depp seemed to have already entered the state of Captain Jack, twirling his index finger in the air as he said to Wu Yuchen.

"'Pirate King' challenges 'Zhenzhugang,' a showdown between two 140 million dollar blockbusters!"

Wu Yuchen chuckled and said: "Steven, I'm doing this for the good of the crew. This way, the attention on our 'Pirate King' has gone up. From now on, whenever people mention 'Zhenzhugang,' they will definitely think of our 'Pirate King.' I've saved the crew a huge amount of promotion fees!"

As for Marvel's daily management, it continued to operate as before. Marvel had its own committee, and the executives were still Ike Perlmutter and Avi Arad. At the same time, Wu Yuchen also planned to poach Kevin Feige, who was currently one of the producers of "X-Men," to bring him over specifically to be in charge of Marvel's superhero film business.

Only Hugh Jackman said to Wu Yuchen: "Director, I believe you can do it!"

Depp hummed softly, though his fighting spirit had been ignited inside.

After initially settling things on the Marvel side, Wu Yuchen immediately flew back to Los Angeles; "Pirate King" was about to start filming.

Keira Knightley asked in a low voice: "Director, are we really going to go head-to-head with 'Zhenzhugang'?"

The launch press conference for "Pirate King" not only featured Wu Yuchen with the film's leads, but even Spielberg came to show his support. After all, DreamWorks had invested so much money that they had to do enough marketing from the very beginning.

And the first thing he did after buying Marvel and convening the board was to demand that Marvel buy back these "sons" that had been sold off. This naturally pleased some of the old internal employees; after all, those were their own flesh and blood that they had created!

But some executives opposed it because Marvel simply had no money. For this reason, Wu Yuchen provided another 20 million dollar, 3-year interest-free loan to Marvel, specifically for buying back copyrights. This move naturally won the hearts of many within the company.

"Director Wu, some people are comparing your upcoming 'Pirate King' with 'Zhenzhugang.' Both are 140 million dollar big productions. What do you think about this yourself?"

"Zhenzhugang" had started filming a month ago and also had a massive setup; it was Disney's major investment highlight for this year. Just one month later, DreamWorks and Wu Yuchen also started filming the 140 million dollar "Pirate King," which couldn't help but make many people compare the two films.

"What? Do you lack confidence in yourself, or in me and 'Pirate King'?" Wu Yuchen countered.

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this, then spoke into the microphone with a resounding voice: "'Pirate King' will shatter Disney's 'Zhenzhugang' dream next year!"

She didn't dare to speak her true thoughts. In fact, even she didn't think a pirate theme could amount to anything. She had read the script, and there was nothing particularly unique about it. Could audiences really like this stuff?

"Mr. Spielberg, what is the reason that DreamWorks is willing to spend a huge sum to invest in a pirate-themed movie?"

The Marvel superhero copyrights would only truly make all of Hollywood sit up and take notice after the release of "Spider-Man" two years later. Taking advantage of the current time, they should redeem whatever they could with money.

"Wu Yuchen fears no challenge with pirate theme, publicly provokes 'Zhenzhugang'!"

In the Disney President's office, Michael Eisner frowned as he looked at the report in his hand and asked Miles in front of him: "Have DreamWorks and this Wu lost their minds?"

"Zhenzhugang" was Disney's biggest film project this year, and it was one that Michael Eisner valued extremely highly. Not only did they invite Hollywood's gold-medal producer Jerry Bruckheimer, but the director was Michael Bay, who had had consecutive box office hits in recent years. It was benchmarked against "Titanic," with a box office target of 1 billion dollars.

And now, DreamWorks and Wu Yuchen had come up with a box-office-poison pirate-themed movie, and they dared to provoke Disney?

Miles smiled apologetically at Eisner: "Mr. Eisner, this must be a marketing strategy formulated by the other side, just wanting to piggyback on the buzz of our 'Zhenzhugang' to enter the public eye in one fell swoop."

Eisner nodded upon hearing this, and asked with slight annoyance: "What is the other side's lineup?"

After listening to Miles's introduction, Eisner couldn't help but laugh contemptuously: "Ha, a weirdo, a newly emerged Aussie, and a 15-year-old stunt girl. With this kind of lead lineup, plus a pirate theme, who gave them the confidence to clamor against our 'Zhenzhugang'!"

"You are right. This Wu is too young; he has become bloated after several high-box-office hits. Even Spielberg has lost his head. 'Pirate King' is simply not worthy of being our opponent. When the movie is released next year, they'll have reason to cry.

But Mr. Eisner, I think this topic is also very beneficial for us. Two 140 million dollar big productions starting to be hostile from the filming stage—this year-long period will surely attract a lot of attention.

I believe the showdown between our two blockbuster films will definitely become the focus of all of Hollywood, and even the whole world, next year. The traffic of any other movie cannot compare to ours. By then, we will launch a general offensive against 'Pirate King' with 'Zhenzhugang,' defeat them in front of the whole world, become the victors, and have a box office explosion. What a perfect script!"

Eisner's eyes lit up after listening, and he nodded with satisfaction. He was also looking forward to the scene Miles described; the point was that this could boost the box office of "Zhenzhugang."

"Not bad, Miles. Do as you say. Have the 'Zhenzhugang' crew cooperate with the relevant hype and heat it up step by step."

"Of course, Mr. Eisner. The publicity department will handle the proportions well."

Shortly after the "Pirate King" press conference, the "Zhenzhugang" crew responded. It wasn't anyone else, but the film's director, Michael Bay, known as "Explosion Bay."

"Michael, have you heard the war declaration Wu Yuchen and 'Pirate King' issued against you?"

Michael Bay smiled at the reporters with a relaxed posture:

"Oh, we didn't receive anything as formal as a war declaration. But I heard Wu Yuchen's words. He is a good director, and both I and 'Zhenzhugang' are looking forward to his challenge~"

He didn't say more, just responded simply according to what the publicity staff said, and he was the only one speaking; no one else in the crew opened their mouths. This was also the crew's publicity strategy. After all, they had just started filming, and making such a big scene was useless. They would tangle with the other side from time to time, engaging in verbal sparring to maintain heat, and only when it was close to release next year would they truly open up the battle lines and have a big fight with them.

However, even so, it attracted a lot of attention from movie fans. Michael Bay and Wu Yuchen were the youngest representatives among Hollywood's A-list directors. Since his debut, Michael Bay's "Bad Boys," "The Rock," and "Armageddon" were all box office hits, and he was especially good at shooting big scenes.

Now that these two had actually squared off, and both were 140 million dollar big productions, it was truly interesting!

Many people immediately started discussing the two works, "Zhenzhugang" and "Pirate King."

Although Wu Yuchen's box office results for his three works were a notch stronger than Michael Bay's, because none of his films had ever been big productions, and the pirate theme had been cold in the market for years, the voices supporting Michael Bay and "Zhenzhugang" were actually louder this time.

However, Wu Yuchen did not respond to these public opinions. He was already busy filming in a studio in Los Angeles; he had no spare time to keep engaging in verbal sparring with the other side.

It was impossible to use chronological filming for "Pirate King"; that would really torture people to death, and it would probably take a year to finish filming that way.

The route had been planned out: first, shoot a portion in the studio here in Los Angeles, then head to the Port of San Pedro in Los Angeles to film, then go to the set built in South Bay to film, and subsequently run off to Saint Vincent Island in the Caribbean, which would serve as the main filming location. Finally, they would go to the treasure cave for the climactic scenes.

"Cut! Take a 20-minute break."

The crew had been filming for over half a month, and everyone had gradually entered the state. Overall, Wu Yuchen was satisfied.

Taking advantage of this moment, Wu Yuchen was explaining the effects he wanted to the special effects team:

"It's not a purely romantic style; what I want is a sense of historical fantasy. Also, the data for those pirate crew members—has the collection been completed?"

When the time came to produce the image of each person turning into a skeleton, it wouldn't just be simple computer effects. The production team would input the scan data of the actors' bodies into the computer so that each skeleton image would conform to the character's physical appearance and movement characteristics.

"It still needs some time; this process is not that simple."

Wu Yuchen nodded, then found the makeup and styling staff and asked: "I want their eyes to look more sinister and vicious. Is there a way?"

"We can try having them wear dulled contact lenses."

At this moment, Wu Yuchen's phone rang. He waved his hand for them to do it and answered the phone himself.

"Wu, the Sony side has loosened up!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but feel his whole spirit lift. After all, that was little Spidey!

"What did they say?"

"Sony said that if you, Wu, are willing to personally direct 'Spider-Man,' then they agree to let us redeem half of the film and television rights to Spider-Man."

After hearing this, Wu Yuchen shook his head with a wry smile; it seemed Sony wasn't stupid either. He was naturally happy to be able to redeem half of the rights to little Spidey, but to make him the director... he was already busy enough directing the "Pirate King" trilogy. If he were to direct the "Spider-Man" trilogy as well, he wouldn't be able to film any other movies for the next five years; all his time would be tied up in these two series.

Although both the "Pirate King" trilogy and the "Spider-Man" trilogy were super-hit series, he didn't want his future years to be completely bound to them!

Wu Yuchen sighed, then thought for a moment and said:

"I cannot be the director of 'Spider-Man,' but you can tell Sony that I will personally tailor the most suitable script for 'Spider-Man'—not just one, but a trilogy. I already have a complete plan in mind, and I can also serve as the project producer, controlling the direction for the entire project. Go and negotiate with them again."

Wu Yuchen felt this was the maximum he could do; he would just have to see if Sony was tempted.

Sony Columbia—at this moment, a discussion about "Spider-Man" and Wu Yuchen was also underway.

"What do you think of this proposal from Marvel?"

"If Wu is willing to come and direct, that's the best. If he can't come, then I don't think giving Marvel half the rights makes much sense. Besides, can they even afford so much money right now?"

Giving Marvel half the film and television rights naturally came with requirements: whoever shot the "Spider-Man" solo movie, the other party had the right to enjoy half the investment rights, equivalent to shared risk and shared profit.

"We bought the Spider-Man rights last year because we saw the results of 'Blade' and treated it as a casual move. But we didn't expect Wu Yuchen to become a new shareholder of Marvel, and he even has ideas and a mature plan for the film adaptation of 'Spider-Man.'

I think we can cooperate with him. After all, only rights that can achieve box office success are good rights; otherwise, keeping them in hand is just a waste. Moreover, we signed an agreement with Marvel back then: we must produce a 'Spider-Man' movie for release within 5 years, otherwise, we have to return the Spider-Man rights. Isn't now a good opportunity?"

"I also agree to cooperate with Wu. Judging by his current results, this can increase the success rate of the project. However, I think since he cannot personally direct, the ratio for redeeming the rights can still be adjusted."

"Then let's proceed with negotiations with Marvel again."

"30%?" Wu Yuchen asked with a frown.

"Yes, Sony agrees to let us redeem 30% of the Spider-Man film and television rights for a price of 2 million. The condition is that you must make a complete plan for the 'Spider-Man' project, provide the script, and serve as one of the producers."

"Can't we negotiate further?"

It was 50% before, and now it had dropped to 30%, which made Wu Yuchen feel a little heartache.

"This should be the other party's final condition, unless you are willing to direct it personally."

Wu Yuchen rubbed his chin, paced back and forth with his phone, and then said:

"Tell Sony that I can agree to this condition, and at the same time, I will create the script for the 'Spider-Man' trilogy and serve as producer, but I personally want 3% of the North American box office share of the 'Spider-Man' movie."

In fact, as a screenwriter, the Writers Guild of America has regulations that screenwriters can get a 3% net profit share, but net profit is something that is easily cooked to look like a loss, so for most screenwriters, it's a castle in the air. What Wu Yuchen demanded was a box office share, which was solid and real.

Subsequently, he added: "Also, we want back the rights to film Spider-Man as a non-protagonist."

"Non-protagonist filming?"

"Yes, that is to allow Spider-Man to appear as a supporting character in our own Marvel movies. Sony cannot block it."

Wu Yuchen made this request, of course, to prepare for little Spidey to join the "Avengers" in the future. In his past life, Marvel had begged Sony for a long time; he would just settle it in one go now, saving the trouble of bickering later.

Sony Columbia.

"3% of the North American box office share? This is a condition many screenwriters dream of."

"Agree to it, as the total remuneration for producer and screenwriter. Anyway, if his script and plan cannot convince us, we can completely reject it. As for this non-protagonist filming right, do they still want to film other superhero movies?"

"Hehe, this clause doesn't matter at all. The only thing Marvel has that people find worth watching is Spider-Man. We can add a limiting condition: the total time Spider-Man appears in a single movie cannot exceed 20 minutes."

"Hmm, not bad."