Chapter 114: A little revenge

Disney probably hasn't launched *Pirates of the Caribbean* yet, but it's probably soon. It's said they intend to invite Hollywood's golden producer Jerry Bruckheimer to come forward and organize it.

I had thought before that I shouldn't ruin a classic, so I didn't look for Depp. Now, in this situation, screw the captain or whatever—if the classic is gone, then let it be gone.

What does your American classic have to do with me? What I'm destroying right now is your classic!

As long as I sign Johnny Depp in advance, they'll have to look for another captain.

Without Depp's neurotic Captain Jack, *Pirates of the Caribbean* is eight or nine times out of ten not going to be a massive hit.

Before starring in *Pirates of the Caribbean*, which made him a massive hit, Depp is currently a bona fide art-house type, almost Tim Burton's go-to actor.

Hmm, just like Tim Burton, they both belong to the "weirdo" category.

In '91, he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor for *Edward Scissorhands*.

In '93, he received his second Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor for *Benny & Joon*.

In '94, he received his third Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor for *Ed Wood*.

Unfortunately, he returned empty-handed all three times.

It's worth mentioning that *Ed Wood* is also a biographical film.

Johnny Depp's current box-office-carrying ability isn't too strong, but he can be counted among the big stars.

As an art-house type, Johnny Depp certainly knows Cao Yang, and he also wants to try different roles. Upon learning that Cao Yang wanted to shoot a biographical film, and one that was a challenging gay role, he was very interested.

Before Cao Yang met with Johnny Depp, he first opened the system to take a look.

Host: Cao Yang

Current Prestige: 1,406,785

Available Prestige: 706,785

Role-Immersion Experience: +0

Film in Production: *Milk*

Male Lead: Sean Penn (TBD), Tim Luo Binsi (TBD)

First of all, the prestige has increased a bit more, and the available prestige can be exchanged for seven more Role-Immersion Experiences.

What surprised Cao Yang was that the two people he had interviewed who were interested in the male lead role actually appeared in the system, albeit in a "TBD" status.

Cao Yang thought for a moment and exchanged for one Role-Immersion Experience to add to Sean Penn and see what happened.

It actually added on very smoothly!

What is going on?

Cao Yang exchanged for another one and tried it on Tim Luo Binsi, and it also added on very smoothly!

What is the situation now? Does it mean that any film they act in next will enter the *Milk* state?

Cao Yang began to consider this. Both of them are acting powerhouses; one Role-Immersion Experience can get them into the state. They both took on *Mystic River*, where they play best friends, and one of them is a suspect in the murder of the other's daughter...

Hiss...

What kind of effect will the two of them produce?

Whatever, who cares what the situation is? Maybe they'll be able to act out "love turning into hate."

Then I'll fulfill them!

Cao Yang didn't hesitate to add one Role-Immersion Experience to each of them.

With their superb acting skills, two Role-Immersion Experiences each—they're going to take off!

Wish them luck!

Next, Cao Yang met with Johnny Depp and talked about the film's role and compensation. Depp's current compensation is about the same as Tim Luo Binsi', and for art-house films, it's also split down the middle. Then there's no problem.

Taking advantage of the fact that the first installment of funds is still in the account and Harvey Weinstein hasn't formally proposed withdrawing his investment, everything is proceeding according to the process.

He isn't the Depp after the massive hit of *Pirates of the Caribbean* yet. Under the condition that he strongly wants to play this role, all terms are according to the standard contract for his tier.

Under the witness of the Screen Actors Guild, Cao Yang called Bei Er Man, and Depp quickly signed a contract with the *Milk* crew. The lead actor was in place.

"What did Harvey say?"

"What else could he say? It's not like his company is the only one. Sony Pictures Classics holds the majority share. He was just making a fuss to see if Sony Pictures Classics would stand with him."

Bei Er Man smiled reluctantly. He had worried a lot during this time. In order not to let Sony Pictures Classics support Harvey, he gave up one-third of the profit share he had negotiated for himself.

Damn Tim Luo Binsi!

Damn Sean Penn!

Giving up his own interests—this was practically cutting off his own flesh. But there was no other way; Bei Er Man didn't want to lose the cooperation with Cao Yang, so he could only give up the interests to stabilize Sony Pictures Classics.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Cao Yang patted Bei Er Man on the shoulder. He no longer doubted Bei Er Man; otherwise, Bei Er Man wouldn't have cooperated with him to sign Johnny Depp.

Because Cao Yang and Bei Er Man were the lead controllers, as long as the two of them joined forces, almost the entire crew would listen to them.

!

"Tell Harvey that you've signed Depp. But he probably already knows. Give him a way out; just say Depp was actually our first choice and Tim Luo Binsi was just a backup."

Bei Er Man nodded. Johnny Depp actually isn't any worse than Tim Luo Binsi. If Harvey Weinstein accepts it, then fine. If he continues to be unreasonable, then he would join forces with Sony Pictures Classics to kick Miramax Films out of the game.

My damn one-third profit share!

Damn Harvey Weinstein!

Seeing that Sony Pictures Classics was slow to act, Harvey Weinstein extinguished the idea of wanting to lead the project. He was just trying it out; it didn't matter if it succeeded or not. Anyway, he never thought about kicking Cao Yang out.

The core of this project is Cao Yang; otherwise, how could he have invested so readily?

He also didn't want to completely offend Cao Yang. A director who can make stars is worth being respected and valued by film companies.

Next, the project continued to advance, and casting work also began.

In Hollywood, the film casting system is a system of checks and balances; neither the director, the producer, nor even the investors have absolute power.

Of course, this is just the situation on the surface; it looks very formal and fair.

In reality, even if there are Screen Actors Guild people present at every audition, as the director and producer, if Cao Yang decides to use which actor, could the other producer, Bei Er Man, object? Would the Screen Actors Guild people object?

Johnny Depp was set as the male lead, Milk, and the contract had already been signed.

There were two other important roles. One was Dan White, the politician who shot the male lead.

The other important role was the male lead's boyfriend. This required a young person. The two fall in love at first sight at a subway station and subsequently begin living together. There are also some passionate scenes, so he needed to find an actor who could accept this.

Cao Yang needed to look at several important roles, including the protagonist's boyfriend. It wasn't that he wanted to see their acting skills—Cao Yang didn't care about that. What he valued most was whether the other party fit the role's positioning.

In Hollywood, finding actors is actually very simple. There are specialized casting companies. You just need to tell them the requirements, and they will find suitable actors with availability based on the offered compensation and the assessment of the film's tier, and then set a time for an audition.

For the role of the male lead's boyfriend, the casting company provided Cao Yang with a list of three people. These were all actors who could accept passionate scenes and had availability.

After Cao Yang got the list, he couldn't help but be a bit surprised. All three could be considered to have developed quite well in the future. It seems most actors who can make it are adept at seizing every opportunity.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 115 =====