Traveling through the Tokyo bubble era

Chapter 917 Between choices
“It is impossible for beauties in this world to always be eighteen years old, but there will always be beauties who are eighteen years old.”

The moment Hanyu Hideki saw Matsuzaka Keiko, this sentence immediately came to his mind.

His past memories with Keiko Matsuzaka have all become a blur.

Therefore, when we see Keiko Matsuzaka now, perhaps the only thing we can say is, "This woman is really old."

At the age of thirty-eight, no matter how well you take care of yourself or how expensive the cosmetics you use, it is difficult to conceal the traces of time left on your face.

If it weren't for Hideki Hanyu, Keiko Matsuzaka, after experiencing several illicit relationships that interfered with other people's marriages, would have met guitarist Haruhiko Takauchi this year, chosen to marry him, and moved to America.

Keiko Matsuzaka's parents strongly opposed this marriage and even said in an interview that they would sever ties with their daughter.

The Japanese media also don't understand why Keiko Matsuzaka married Haruhiko Takauchi, who is plain-looking and has an average income. They also mocked Haruhiko Takauchi as a cuckold and became the "savior" of all women in the circle.

You have to know that at that time, Yuki Saito had not yet made a name for herself as the queen of nobility, and the one who held this title was Keiko Matsuzaka.

Ignoring these rumors, Keiko Matsuzaka completely retired from the entertainment industry after getting married and gave birth to two daughters for Haruhiko Takauchi.

Then, she made a big comeback at the age of fifty and shot a very exciting and large-scale photo album "Legend of Sakura".

In response, Matsuzaka Keiko's husband, Haruhiko Takauchi, had no reaction.

From this we can see that the media's satire of Takauchi Haruhiko is quite insightful.

However, in this time and space, after this woman broke up with Hideki Hanyu, although her films became more and more aggressive, and she won many awards, and even won the Best Actress Award at the Neon Film Academy Awards for the third time for "The Thorn of Death", there has been no news of any new relationship.

In fact, so much time has passed that even the media's satire of Keiko Matsuzaka losing the watermelon for the sesame seeds and giving up on Hideki Hanyu without any vision has disappeared.

Hideki Hanyu no longer cares about Keiko Matsuzaka's affairs, but because of the relationship that was once made public, there are always "interested people" who intentionally or unintentionally reveal the woman's current situation to him.

Even at this moment, among the crowd in front of them who were greeting Hanyu Hideki, there were still many people secretly glancing at each other.

Hanyu Hideki turned a blind eye to those who wanted to watch the fun and it was impossible for him to satisfy their wishes.

It was just a normal breakup, and so much time has passed. During this period, Hideki Hanyu did not do anything against the other party, so it is even more impossible for him to bully the weak now.

Perhaps Keiko Matsuzaka will regret her choice back then.

But what does that have to do with Hideki Hanyu?
Looking away, Hanyu Hideki briefly chatted with Shochiku producer Okuyama Jun in front of him.

Although he is now just an ordinary senior executive of Shochiku, a talented producer with outstanding abilities, he will be promoted to the president of Shochiku Co., Ltd. next year.

Today, Yunshang Entertainment is cooperating more closely with Toho.

But that's because Toho is gradually reducing its investment in the production business, and even made the production department independent to concentrate on developing film distribution, cinema chains, and other business operations.

This is also why Toho is so active in overseas Ultraman copyright cooperation and cross-holdings with Crescent Cinemas.

But if we talk about the origins between the companies, the Yunshang Group is actually closer to Shochiku Corporation.

After all, Shinsuke Ito, one of the four founders of the Yunshang Group, came from Shochiku Photography Studio.

Later, during the rapid expansion of the Yunshang Group, the technical personnel that Shinsuke Ito poached from Shochiku played a key role.

Although Yunshang Film and Television was reorganized into Yunshang Entertainment, and Hideki Hanyu carried out a major purge of the Shochiku faction during the period, it is impossible to kill all the employees who came from Shochiku.

What's more, many of the new generation of Yunshang technical personnel have learned from Shochiku personnel, and the emotional ties are even more difficult to break.

Therefore, Yunshang Entertainment has always had a good impression of Shochiku and likes to cooperate with Shochiku on projects.

Although Yunshang Entertainment did not directly participate in the production of "The Thorn of Death", an investment company affiliated with Crescent Cinemas was included in the production committee.

Subsequent overseas distribution work will also be taken over by Crescent Cinemas.

Therefore, at the end of his speech, Okuyama Rong humbly extended an invitation to Hanyu Hideki, "President Hanyu, the Thorn of Death will be publicly screened on the 13th. I hope you can come and watch it then."

Facing the future helmsman of Shochiku Corporation, Hideki Hanyu thought of his long-term plan to integrate Japanese film resources, and after a little consideration, he agreed directly.

"No problem. I'll bother Okuyama-san the day after tomorrow."

At the end of the conversation, Hanyu Hideki did not forget to invite Okuyama Yu to the yacht party in the evening.

After Okuyama Ryu agreed, Hanyu Hideki said goodbye and left.

Next, some film professionals, actors and stars staying at the Carlton InterContinental Hotel recognized Hideki Hanyu and greeted him.

But no one was worthy of Hanyu Hideki's stopping and chatting for a few more words.

Soon, Hideki Hanyu arrived at the hotel room where the meeting was held.

The hotel conference room was already filled with senior executives from Universal Pictures who had arrived at the Cannes International Film Festival, including veterans from Cloud Pictures and those who remained from MCA Universal.

For example, Duncan Clark, president of international distribution, was the first to stand up and shake hands with Hideki Hanyu. His counterpart was one of the few senior executives of Universal Pictures who remained after Alan Horn's split and reorganization.

When Alan Horn promoted a large number of Cloud Pictures executives and quickly took control of Universal Pictures' rights, Duncan Clark was able to stay in his position because Cloud Pictures had no international distribution department and could only be held by former MCA Universal executives.

But even so, relying on the support of its parent company Crescent Cinemas, the rights of Universal Pictures' international distribution department have been greatly restricted.

After all, if they don't obey, Alan Horn doesn't mind directly closing the international distribution department and instead cooperating with the more powerful Crescent Cinemas.

Everyone in Universal Pictures knows that Alan Horn looks like a good guy, but he is decisive and ruthless in taking over Universal Pictures.

As for the promise made by Hideki Hanyu to Lou Wasserman when the acquisition was made that he would try his best to keep MCA Global as it is and not easily lay off senior executives?
Hideki Hanyu could only say sorry and explain that all this was done by Alan Horn with the approval of the Universal Pictures board of directors and America Entertainment Investments.

He, Hideki Hanyu, is just an ordinary small shareholder in America Entertainment Investment Company. How could he have the right to decide such a big thing?

Uh……

If Lou Wasserman saw at this moment in the conference room of the Carlton InterContinental Hotel, many senior executives of Universal Pictures were respectful to Hideki Hanyu.

I will definitely complain harshly, saying that no one would believe what you say.

Of course, it's just a complaint.

Hideki Hanyu dared to take action against other people in Universal Pictures, and he also dared to take action against Lou Wasserman.

The so-called behind-the-scenes emperor of Hollywood is nothing but a thing of the past. Now that Hideki Hanyu has achieved his goal of acquiring MCA Universal, it will be no obstacle for him to deal with Lou Wasserman.

Of course, as long as Lou Wasserman is obedient, his connections in the industry will still be helpful to the development of Universal Television Network, and Hideki Hanyu will not easily take action against Lou Wasserman.

However, another Hollywood general of Hideki Hanyu, Fred Weber, did not come on this trip.

Mainly because Fred Webber is in charge of production and overseas distribution is not within his scope of work, so there is no need to come to Cannes together.

What's more, after Yunshang Pictures was transferred to the management of Universal Pictures, not only did the films released by both parties have scheduling problems, but the films planned to be shot by both parties also had various scheduling conflicts.

Therefore, as the head of the production department, Fred Weber's workload is no easier than Alan Horn's.

Thinking of Alan Horn, Hanyu Hideki turned his head and looked deep into the conference room.

There, Alan Horn was busy answering the phone. When he saw him, he could only make an apologetic gesture. He only came over to greet Hanyu Hideki after the call was hung up.

"Sorry, there's too much going on over there in Hollywood."

"It doesn't matter. Work is more important. What happened?" asked Hanyu Hideki.

Alan Horn replied, “They are just minor issues, but there is also good news.

According to the latest statistics, the North American box office of "Anne & Alina" directed by Kathryn Bigelow has exceeded 37 million US dollars since its release, and the total North American box office is expected to reach more than 90 million US dollars.

Hanyu Hideki said, "It is indeed good news. When I came to the hotel just now, I also found the promotional posters of Anne & Alina, which looked very eye-catching."

Duncan Clark, president of international distribution, said, "It's also very expensive. The French are too greedy. The rental of advertising space has increased dozens of times compared to usual." Hanyu Hideki laughed, "There are only two short weeks every year. Of course, we have to make enough money. After all, we won't come here to buy advertising at other times."

Hanyu Hideki said, inviting Alan Horn and others to sit down.

“Anne & Alina seems to be a success. This is definitely a project that can be continued. Contact Kathryn Bigelow as soon as possible to ask her about her ideas and requirements for the sequel.”

Alan Horn replied, "Fred Webber is following up on this matter, but as far as I know, Director Catherine does not seem to have any plans to shoot a sequel. Instead, she submitted a new cooperation project to the company called Point Break."

"Point Break?"

When Hideki Hanyu recalled the name, he quickly realized that this was a movie in another time and space that Kathryn Bigelow was supposed to direct according to the original trajectory, and its Chinese translation was "Point Break".

Hideki Hanyu has not seen this movie, he only remembers that the starring role was Keanu Reeves and the box office seemed to be mediocre.

Of course, the most important thing is that this movie is produced by James Cameron, who also filmed "Terminator 2".

However, the husband-and-wife team's collaboration did not result in a good story.

Instead, there are endless disputes and frictions in cooperation. After all, although two people with strong personalities may be attracted to each other, once they come together, neither of them will submit to the other and they will have to argue about who is right and wrong.

As a result, after the filming of the movie, the relationship between the two began to crack, and the marriage, which had lasted for more than two years, ended abruptly.

But what’s interesting is that the two remained friends after their divorce, and Kathryn Bigelow even used James Cameron’s script when filming her new movie.

Thinking of this, Hanyu Hideki didn't think about changing anything and just said it directly.

"In that case, we will respect Director Catherine's wishes and ask the production department to produce the script as soon as possible and then submit it to the Green Light Committee for review."

Irene Horne then said, "If Director Katherine doesn't continue to direct, I would like to recommend Peter Jackson to take over the directing work of the second part.

His Black Panther was actually quite creative and well shot, but it was only due to friction between the company and Columbia Pictures that the box office was not good. I hope to give him another chance."

"This is normal management work, Allen, you can decide it yourself." Hanyu Hideki answered nonchalantly.

Although now is not the time for Peter Jackson to shine, after all, the development of movie special effects technology cannot meet the needs of filming The Lord of the Rings.

But this person's talent is unquestionable, and training in advance can also help him grow.

Hanyu Hideki changed the subject and said, "We came to Paris for a meeting today not to deal with work matters of Universal Pictures. We need to resolve the scheduling conflict between Yunshang Pictures and Universal Pictures projects."

As soon as Hanyu Hideki said this, the expressions of everyone at the scene immediately became serious.

Seeing that no one was talking, Hanyu Hideki asked, "It's been so long, you guys can't have come up with a decent solution, right?"

As soon as Hanyu Hideki asked the question, the eyes of the senior executives at the scene immediately turned to the two highest-ranking people, Duncan Clark, President of International Distribution, and Alan Horn, CEO.

Facing everyone's gaze, Duncan Clark acted as if it had nothing to do with him.

After all, he is in charge of the international distribution business. The problems with the North American schedule have nothing to do with him, so he naturally won't take the initiative to cause trouble.

Duncan Clark can hide, but Alan Horn, the helmsman of Universal Pictures, cannot hide.

Alan Horn organized his words for a moment before speaking, "After discussion, there are now two solutions."

"What are they?" asked Hanyu Hideki.

“With Anne & Alina and Back to the Future 3 already scheduled, there are now conflicts with the following films.

In the second half of the summer, there are Bird on a Wire starring Mel Gibson and Die Hard 2.

During the Halloween season, there are Blood on Fire 3 and Child's Play 2.

During the Christmas season, there are Kindergarten Cop and Home Alone, starring Schwarzenegger.

There are two solutions for these movies with schedule conflicts: either withdraw one of the movies and postpone its release, or conduct differentiated releases based on their importance.

Alan Horn only talked about the solution but did not give an answer. Hideki Hanyu knew that these people had some concerns.

So instead of asking for the answer directly, he decided to discuss them one by one.

Hanyu Hideki asked, "Please tell me the confirmed release dates of Anne & Alina and Back to the Future 3 first?"

Alan Horn replied, “Anne & Alina has great box office momentum and is likely to make close to $100 million, so it will occupy the May schedule and early June.

As the sequel to the hit film, Back to the Future 3 must be given enough time for release, and it will be scheduled for mid-to-late June and the entire July.”

Hanyu Hideki frowned, "That means there is only a short period of time left in the summer season, August and September.

"Between Bird on a Wire and Die Hard 2, you can either focus on one and give up the other, or just pull one. You can only choose one."

At this point, Hanyu Hideki already understood what these people were struggling with and why they insisted on him solving the problem personally.

Because no matter which one you choose, someone will have to bear the cost of the choice in the end.

Moreover, it is a critical period after the merger of Cloud Pictures and Universal Pictures. In order to maintain the cooperative relationship that was finally balanced after the reorganization, even Alan Horn found it difficult to express his opinion.

In this situation, except for Hideki Hanyu, the real boss behind the scenes, the weight of others is far from enough.

After all, once a problem arises, the person who makes the choice will not only have to bear serious losses of interests, but may even offend project partners due to withdrawal of the project.

The former is easy to understand, but as for the latter...

For example, Mel Gibson, the leading actor of Bird on a Wire, is a well-known "thorn" in Hollywood. He is difficult to deal with, a big shot, impulsive and irritable, and has harsh conditions for cooperation.

The fact that he dared to offend the Jews and was banned by Hollywood for many years was enough to show his character.

Big Hollywood studios like Universal Pictures and top stars actually complement each other, so no one wants to fall out with the stars unless it is necessary.

After all, no matter which side you are in this industry, the ultimate goal is to make money.

So no matter how many problems Mel Gibson has, as long as this guy can make money, Hollywood production companies can tolerate it.

But if Universal Pictures chooses to give up the movie starring Mel Gibson, it is very likely to become enemies with the other party in the future.

This is something Hideki Hanyu actually doesn't want to see.

After all, he knew very well that maintaining cooperation with Mel Gibson would be of great benefit to Universal Pictures. Not only could the latter direct and act, but he could also produce many blockbuster movies in the future.

As for the other party's personal problems, they are too common in Hollywood. Hollywood has no shortage of such people, whether they are set tyrants or princess syndrome patients. As long as they can make money, these are not a problem.

As for the most crucial anti-Semitic stance, although Hideki Hanyu cooperates with Karl Mapp, an Israeli, and has a lot of Jewish friends in Washington DC, he does not necessarily approve of these people in his heart.

So as far as Hideki Hanyu is concerned, he won't hate Mel Gibson because of this.

At worst, we can wait until we have made enough money and then ban Mel Gibson together. By that time, his commercial value will have been almost fully exploited.

Thinking of this, Hideki Hanyu suddenly realized that he seemed to have never thought of giving up "Die Hard 2" from the beginning to the end, but had set his goal of giving up on "Bird on a Wire" starring Mel Gibson from the beginning.

Facing everyone's expectant gazes, Hanyu Hideki, who already had the answer in his mind, finally spoke.

"Arrange for Bird on a Wire to be withdrawn from the schedule and the release date will be discussed at another time."

Seeing that Alan Horn was hesitant to speak, Hanyu Hideki raised his hand and said, "As for the project partners, please contact them first. I will personally come forward to appease them later."

If you do the math, the future profits involved are several hundred million US dollars, which is already worth Hideki Hanyu's personal trip.

Make up for yesterday's

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(End of this chapter)