Chapter 292: Settle Depp

Wu Yuchen and Han Sanping were now quite familiar with each other, so their conversations were mostly direct and free of formalities. He asked straight out: “Brother Han, what’s up?”

“Young Brother Wu, you’ve just won the Oscar for Best Director—such a huge achievement, we can’t possibly ignore it. Our film system will hold a special award ceremony for you, and some key leaders will come to extend their congratulations.”

Hearing Han Sanping’s words, Wu Yuchen instantly understood. The award ceremony itself wasn’t urgent, but the real issue was the arrival of high-ranking leaders. Naturally, he couldn’t delay too long—even though he’d just won the Oscar, he couldn’t expect top leaders to wait indefinitely.

Wu Yuchen paused, thinking. In truth, he had plenty to handle in Hollywood. He could easily decline most post-Oscar interview requests, but the start of filming for *Pirates of the Caribbean* and the preparations for its sequel were both right in front of him.

He hadn’t returned home since winning the Oscar last year. But back then, his Oscar-contending film was *A Beautiful Mind*, and the domestic system’s reaction hadn’t been strong. This time was different—*The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas* was a Chinese-language film, and Wu Yuchen had brought it home with multiple Oscars. From now on, this film would become a calling card for China internationally, likely mentioned frequently during visits and talks by foreign dignitaries.

So it was no surprise that these top leaders were interested in him and his film, and wanted to come personally to learn more.

Wu Yuchen thought for a moment, then said to Han Sanping: “Brother Han, I’ve got a few things to wrap up here. I’ll be back in five days—how’s that?”

Han Sanping smiled on the other end: “Perfect! Young Brother Wu, I’ll report the date right away!”

After hanging up, Wu Yuchen exhaled softly. He needed to speed things up—first, resolve the most urgent matters.

At DreamWorks, Spielberg greeted Wu Yuchen with a smile: “Wu, I thought you’d take a few days off after the Oscars, maybe go on vacation and relax~”

Because *Pirates of the Caribbean 2* had the foundation and strong reputation of the first film, it was guaranteed to make money—fans would flock to support it—so Depp and his team wanted a share of the box office, to earn even more.

Wu Yuchen listened, thought briefly, and understood immediately.

Spielberg shrugged: “No one turns down money. Even if these actors act foolishly, their agents are there. And those agents are far harder to deal with than the actors themselves!”

In the room, a fat man spotted Wu Yuchen and immediately stepped forward to give him a warm hug, offering his congratulations.

Depp wasn’t present for today’s negotiation—it was to avoid conflict between him and Wu Yuchen. Negotiations would inevitably spark tension; if both the director and the lead actor were involved, any emotions from disputes could spill over onto the set and harm filming.

This time, Wu planned to shoot two or three films back-to-back, so the pay was being negotiated together.

If Wu Yuchen were merely a director, he wouldn’t interfere in Depp’s salary demands—it wasn’t his business. But his Miracle Pictures was one of the producers of *Pirates of the Caribbean*, so now he had to negotiate as both producer and director.

Wu Yuchen frowned: “Both films are the same?”

“Wow, Director Wu, congratulations! Oscar for Best Director!”

Spielberg shook his head: “Everything else is settled—only Depp remains. His agent insists on the 208 demand.”

Once both sat down, Wu Yuchen got straight to the point: “Steven, haven’t you settled things with Depp yet?”

“Thank you, Jack!” Wu Yuchen returned the smile to Depp’s agent.

Wu Yuchen said directly to Spielberg: “Steven, I don’t want to waste any more time. Arrange a meeting between me and Depp’s agent—I’ll deal with them myself.”

Wu Yuchen sighed: “Hollywood’s top actors really are a handful.”

“Mainly the second film. For the third, their desire for box office shares is much weaker.”

So today’s negotiation was between Wu Yuchen and the agent alone—any conflict would be confined to just the two of them.

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head: “Steven, I’d love to—but unfortunately, I seem born to be a workaholic~”

…

As for *Pirates of the Caribbean 3*, who knows? What if *Pirates 2* flops? The risk grows significantly—so for *Pirates 3*, they’d prefer guaranteed cash over box office shares.

Wu Yuchen didn’t care about the 20 million demand, but the 8% box office share was the sticking point—he absolutely wouldn’t give that.

Spielberg smiled and complimented: “That’s because you’re truly indispensable—everyone needs you~”

Once both were seated, Wu Yuchen cut straight to the point: “Jack, no beating around the bush—your demands are too high!”

The fat agent immediately replied: “Oh no, Wu, how can you think Depp’s salary is high? He’s among Hollywood’s best actors—he deserves this price! He deserves respect!”

Wu Yuchen shook his head: “We’ve already shown Depp enough respect. His previous salary was only 8 million. Now he’s entering the 20 million club—we’ve met your demands. You shouldn’t ask for 8% box office shares on top of that.”

The fat agent waved a finger: “Wu, Depp is different—he’s irreplaceable!”

Clearly, they knew actors like Depp were rare even in Hollywood. Depp’s Captain Jack had unique charm—audiences adored him—and that was their leverage.

Wu Yuchen gave a faint smile, then spoke calmly:

“In Hollywood, no one is irreplaceable. Tobey Maguire thought his Spider-Man was irreplaceable—until he faced reality.”

Clearly, Wu Yuchen was using *Spider-Man 2* and Tobey Maguire as a warning: don’t waste your time, or everyone will lose face.

Jack’s smile vanished. His face tightened, his tone sharp and intimidating:

“Wu, how can you compare Maguire to Depp? Spider-Man and Sparrow are different—Spider-Man spends half his time in a mask; you could even use a stunt double for him.”

“But can you replace Sparrow? Without Depp as Sparrow, how many fans will *Pirates of the Caribbean* lose?”

Jack raised his finger again, emphatic: “No one can replace Depp!”

But Wu Yuchen remained unfazed, calm and composed, and said to Jack: “Do you know, Jack? *Pirates of the Caribbean* is my project.”

He raised his finger and shook it: “Remember—*Pirates of the Caribbean* isn’t Depp’s. It’s mine. In this project, the only person who can’t be replaced is me.”

Jack sneered, confident and mocking: “Is that so, great Director Wu? Then who do you plan to cast as Captain Jack Sparrow?”

Wu Yuchen smirked: “Why must there be Captain Jack Sparrow at all?”

“What?” Jack was momentarily stunned—he clearly didn’t understand.

“I mean, the *Pirates of the Caribbean* sequels can exist without Captain Jack Sparrow,” Wu Yuchen said steadily again.

Jack finally understood—and his eyes widened in disbelief. He shouted: “Are you insane? Don’t you know? Captain Jack Sparrow is the most beloved character in *Pirates of the Caribbean*! Without him, how do you explain it to the fans? They’ll go mad!”

Then Jack laughed: “Heh, Wu, don’t try to bluff me. I know you’ve already planned a trilogy centered on Captain Jack Sparrow. You won’t scrap your entire vision now. Don’t try to scare me—I’m not easily frightened!”

Wu Yuchen smiled and said to Jack: “Jack, listen—*Pirates of the Caribbean* is my project. I built a complete world for it. Yes, I crafted the trilogy around Captain Jack Sparrow—but he’s not irreplaceable.”

He tapped his temple: “Here, I have many other interesting pirates. I chose Jack Sparrow only because he was lucky enough to catch my eye.”

“If I wanted, I could immediately replace the lead in the next two sequels with a brand-new, fascinating pirate. I’d design a whole new adventure for him—you know I have the ability.”

Jack slammed his hands on the table, staring wide-eyed at Wu Yuchen: “You!”

At last, he was panicked.

If it were someone else, he might not believe it. But Wu Yuchen was now famous in Hollywood as a creative master—he’d written countless high-quality screenplays. No one knew how his mind worked.

*Spider-Man* trilogy, *Pirates of the Caribbean* trilogy—now Warner Bros. was even interested in his planned *Batman* trilogy.

So when Wu Yuchen said he’d replace the lead in the next two *Pirates* films with a brand-new pirate and a new story, outsiders believed he could—and would—do it.

Wu Yuchen watched Jack with calm composure. Depp’s team had been hard to negotiate with because they felt invincible, believing themselves irreplaceable, and used that to push demands.

Now, Wu Yuchen was here to shatter their confidence, break their leverage—so it wouldn’t be the studio begging Depp, but the negotiation becoming far easier.

He’d thrown out this idea—now he waited to see if they’d dare to gamble. Clearly, Jack wouldn’t gamble. Captain Jack Sparrow was too vital to Depp—it was his greatest commercial asset.

Jack clenched his teeth, glaring darkly at Wu Yuchen: “Wu, does it really have to come to this?”

Wu Yuchen chuckled: “Of course not. I’m sentimental. We built the success of the first *Pirates* together—I want this series to become a legend. If possible, I’d rather not do this. But you can’t be greedy, hmm?”

Jack stared without blinking, searching for any weakness, weighing his options. But thinking of Wu Yuchen’s track record—and his recent Oscar win, at the peak of his confidence—he realized: if he pushed further, Wu might truly replace the lead!

Jack sighed inwardly—he truly couldn’t gamble.

Then Wu Yuchen saw Jack’s expression shift, and offered a warm smile:

“Director Wu, I think you’re absolutely right. We created *Pirates*’ success together—we should keep writing its legend. Depp himself truly wants to work with you—you’re the Oscar-winning Best Director!”

Hearing this conciliatory tone, Wu Yuchen knew today’s negotiation was essentially settled.

But Wu Yuchen wouldn’t press further—he still had to work with them on filming.

Wu Yuchen smiled: “Jack, I like your attitude. You made the right choice. So I won’t shortchange Depp. Want to hear my offer?”

Jack raised his hand: “Go ahead.”

“You wanted 20 million plus 8%—no box office share. But I’ll offer Depp 30 million for the second film. How’s that?”

Jack was internally startled—he’d expected Wu to slash the salary to just 20 million. But 30 million? Even in today’s Hollywood, that was rare—only a handful like Tom Cruise earned that.

Jack considered it. Though they lost the 8%, they gained 10 million more—he could accept it. But he asked: “What about the third film?”

Seeing no objection, Wu Yuchen knew Jack had accepted the second film deal, and continued smiling: “I heard you don’t want box office shares for the third. Then 45 million? OK?”

Hollywood’s standard was that each sequel’s pay was higher than the last.

Jack froze. He’d expected Wu to offer lower cash plus higher shares to reduce risk—but 45 million? That was astronomical!

In Hollywood history, most sequels flopped by the third installment—even with shares, earnings were meager. 45 million was better than what many earned in 2010!

This was mainly because Jack’s confidence had been shattered—his expectations had dropped unconsciously. Now, Wu’s offer seemed generous.

Seeing Jack’s silence, Wu Yuchen asked: “What? Not satisfied?”

Jack immediately waved his hand, laughing loudly as he stood and extended his hand: “Wu, you’re truly a great director and producer—we can’t wait to work with you again!”

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his hand. He offered such high cash to ensure Depp cooperated fully during filming—totaling just 75 million. If he’d followed the original timeline and given Depp box office shares, just *Pirates 3* would’ve paid him over 100 million—he’d have been heartbroken!

With Depp settled, the preparations for *Pirates of the Caribbean* had no major hurdles left—he could now return home with peace of mind.