Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 257 Many Friends

Nicole Kidman paused upon hearing this, and Jennifer Connelly also clung to Wu Yuchen, wanting to know the news. After all, if they were to start filming a sequel to "The Pirate King," it would definitely affect the filming of "The Hours," and director Wu Yuchen's energy was limited.

"Hey, Wu, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just a bite." Wu Yuchen gently patted Nicole Kidman's head to reassure her.

"Damn it, what are you doing?" Spielberg had obviously guessed it too.

"That's not important. Are you in such a hurry to start the sequel to 'Pirate King'?" Wu Yuchen steered the conversation back to the main point.

Spielberg also stopped focusing on the details: "Of course, the market is eager for 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' and we should hurry up and make a sequel."

Wu Yuchen asked, "Steven, have you dealt with our Captain Jack Sparrow yet?"

"Now that the global box office performance of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' is pretty much set, Depp's agent has also started contacting us. I think we can start sitting down and talking."

Did Depp's agent state his desired terms?

"He demanded a 20+20 treatment package."

The so-called 20+20 means a salary of 20 million plus a 2000% share.

Wu Yuchen chuckled upon hearing this: "Heh, that's really asking for the moon."

Spielberg nodded: "Yes, but that's impossible. They're waiting for us to negotiate."

Wu Yuchen thought for a moment and then said, "Steven, now is not a good time to negotiate. Tell them that if they dare to make such demands again, there's no point in talking at all. Let's give them a few months of silence!"

"A few months? That's too long! When do you plan to film 'The Pirate King'?"

Wu Yuchen shrugged: "Steven, to tell you the truth, I have no plans to film 'The Pirate King' this year."

"What? No filming plans? Why? Everyone's waiting for 'Pirates of the Caribbean'!" Spielberg's voice rose sharply; this was DreamWorks' most profitable live-action film to date.

Wu Yuchen immediately reassured him: "Hey, Steven, don't get agitated~ Listen to me, I have my own plans."

"What project could be more important than Pirate King?"

“Steven, listen to me! We’re in a rush to start ‘Pirates of the Caribbean,’ and we’re completely at Depp’s mercy. They know we want to make money from this, but Depp also needs the role; it was Captain Jack Sparrow who propelled him to A-list stardom. It’s a matter of who can hold their temper. We can’t show that we’re in a hurry!”

Hearing what Wu Yuchen said, Spielberg knew it made sense, but he still asked, "Wu, when do you plan to film?"

Wu Yuchen replied, "Next year, I will be filming 'The Pirate King,' and it will be two parts filmed back-to-back."

"Two movies shot in quick succession?"

Wu Yuchen nodded: "That's right, shooting two films back-to-back will save a lot of costs and time. In every respect!"

Spielberg understood what Wu Yuchen meant. Not to mention the time and cost saved in the preparation and filming of the production team, even the cost of the actors would be the same.

If the second and third installments of "Pirates of the Caribbean" were filmed separately, then the third installment would require another round of salary negotiations, making it even more difficult to negotiate actor salaries than the second film. However, filming the two movies back-to-back would avoid this situation.

Of course, there is another situation to consider: will Pirate King 2 achieve the same success as the first one?

It's important to understand that making movies is inherently risky. It's common in Hollywood for a first film to be a huge hit, only to have a terrible sequel. If *Pirates of the Caribbean 2* receives poor reviews, it might still make a fortune based on the popularity of the first film, but the third installment would almost certainly lose money. Wu Yuchen's proposal to film two movies back-to-back is precisely to make the investors take this risk.

Spielberg fell into a brief silence and thought, then asked Wu Yuchen, "Wu, are you sure you want to do this?"

Wu Yuchen understood the underlying meaning of Spielberg's question and smiled confidently, saying, "Steven, don't worry, the Pirate King trilogy will not fail!"

"Okay, Wu, I trust your decision."

Wu Yuchen hung up the phone with a smile, and then the two women beside him immediately asked him, "Wu, are you going to film 'The Pirate King'?"

Wu Yuchen shook his head: "Don't worry, I always keep my word. I won't go back on my promise. I'll start preparations in the next few days and get 'The Hours' filmed as soon as possible."

……

While Wu Yuchen was still happy, Michael Eisner was having a headache. He had originally thought that Harvey Dufresne would win a major award with "Chicago" at this year's Oscars, and that he would also have a respectable achievement for his publicity, but unexpectedly, he came back with a big no.

Now that Harvey's efforts have failed, he can only focus more on Pixar and finalize the contract renewal. However, Steve Jobs at Pixar is not someone to be trifled with. For the past few months, he has completely ignored Disney's negotiation invitations, remaining unmoved and giving Eisner a real headache.

Even if it's difficult, we still need to negotiate now, and it would be best to secure favorable terms to satisfy the shareholders.

……

Just as Wu Yuchen had already started preparing for "The Hours," Spielberg came to visit him again.

"Wu, why didn't you collaborate with DreamWorks on your new movie? Didn't we have a great time working together on 'A Beautiful Mind'?"

Spielberg couldn't sit still when he heard that Wu Yuchen was about to start filming a new movie, so he immediately approached Wu Yuchen. Wu Yuchen asked him to sit down and explained with a smile, "Of course not, Steven. I had a very pleasant experience working with you on 'A Beautiful Mind'."

After winning the Oscar for Best Picture, "A Beautiful Mind" quickly expanded globally and raked in huge box office revenue.

Spielberg shrugged: "Then why didn't they choose us? Why did they choose Fox instead?"

"Because I will be shooting another movie in the second half of the year, which is a Chinese-language film. It and 'The Hours' will both be Oscar contenders, and I want DreamWorks to help me with its production."

"You can totally hand both movies over to DreamWorks!"

“Oh, Steven, after what happened before, I won’t dare do that again. I think it would be better if I had two separate PR teams from different companies handle the two films. I hope you can understand!”

He was betrayed by Disney before because the public relations for "The Sixth Sense" and "Love" were handled by Disney, which ultimately led to that incident. Therefore, Wu Yuchen dares not play that game again this time, even though he has a good relationship with DreamWorks now.

Spielberg chuckled wryly, rubbed his temples, and said, "Okay, I understand your thinking. But you can definitely collaborate with us on 'The Hours'."

If possible, he would certainly prefer to collaborate with Wu Yuchen on "The Hours" rather than his Chinese-language films, since local films are destined to be more profitable than Chinese-language films.

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "Steven, I truly believe in DreamWorks' capabilities, which is why I decided to entrust this Chinese-language film to you. And we'll have many more opportunities to collaborate in the future!"

He wasn't worried about falling out with DreamWorks. With "Pirates of the Caribbean" on the horizon, his relationship with DreamWorks would be in a honeymoon period, since the project was profitable enough.

The collaboration between Fox and "The Hours" can be seen as an expansion of his social circle and influence.

Currently, he has already established numerous connections in Hollywood. DreamWorks goes without saying, and Sony has also partnered with him because of *Spider-Man*. He believes that after *Spider-Man*'s release, Sony's attention towards him will increase even further. Universal is the overseas distributor of *Pirates of the Caribbean*, and they are also seeking to purchase the Universal Studios license for *Pirates of the Caribbean* from them.

Since he had made an enemy of Disney, he naturally wanted to cultivate as many friends as possible before Eisner stepped down. In Hollywood, relationships based on mutual benefit are the most trustworthy.

……

Just as Wu Yuchen was filming "The Hours", the overseas box office revenue share of "The Pirate King" finally arrived.

The overseas box office for "The Pirate King" totaled $4.8 million. Based on the studio's 27% cut, that's approximately $1.3 million. First, director Wu Yuchen received 12%, or $1560 million. Then DreamWorks and Miracle Pictures split the remaining amount proportionally. In total, Wu Yuchen and Miracle Pictures each received $1500 million and $4900 million respectively.

However, Wu Yuchen didn't pay much attention to it. After checking the money in his account, he forgot about it and the money no longer had much impact on him. Besides, he was filming "The Hours" and didn't want it to cause him too much trouble.

Just as he said, the cast for "The Hours" included Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Connelly, and Meryl Streep. Meryl Streep, upon hearing that it was Wu Yuchen's invitation, naturally did not refuse and happily joined the cast.

Therefore, the casting process was not delayed much this time, and the crew completed preparations and started filming in just two weeks.

Essentially, *The Hours* is also a biographical film, as its protagonist is the renowned British author Virginia Woolf, though the original novel offers a different interpretation of her. The novel also features two other female protagonists, and the stories of these three women intertwine, showcasing how women in each era are oppressed, but also, more importantly, how they resist and express their freedom.

To put it simply, this is a feminist film that aligns well with current trends. Although it tells a historical story, it expresses the message of women's freedom and liberation. Therefore, it's quite reasonable that it won the Oscar for Best Actress.

Of the three actresses, objectively speaking, Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Connelly are both quite good in terms of acting skills, but Meryl Streep is definitely a cut above the other two.

It's a pity, though, that she and Wu Yuchen aren't really close. Even if the production team submits the film for Best Actress, they'll likely nominate Jennifer and Nicole. Hollywood is just that realistic!
“Nicole, what I need is a feminist pioneer who walks the line between madness and lucidity, with a brilliant writing style. You’re not right now. You can’t convince me at all, and you can’t win over the Oscars!”

On set, Wu Yuchen was explaining the scene to Nicole Kidman. Inspired by the Oscars, Nicole worked hard, not only reading all of Virginia Woolf's works, but also trying to make herself look ugly, completely different from her glamorous image on screen before.

"Think carefully about what I said, find your best state before filming your scenes." After Wu Yuchen finished speaking to Nicole Kidman, he left her alone to think, and then called the crew to end today's filming.

"Hey guys, let's take a break tomorrow and get back to work the day after!"

It wasn't that Wu Yuchen was giving Nicole Kidman time to get into character; rather, he, as the director, needed to take a day off. There was no other way; *Spider-Man* was about to be released, and the entire crew needed to start promoting it.

Actually, as a producer behind the scenes, he didn't need to appear in the public eye. But because he's so famous now, with many of his previous films being box office hits and recently winning the Academy Award for Best Picture, he already has a large fan base. So Sony naturally wouldn't let him go.

Even though Wu Yuchen had already canceled most of his promotional schedules, he still had to participate in the recording of a TV program tomorrow, so he couldn't avoid it and the crew had no choice but to suspend production for a day.

"Wu, we all know that you created the world of 'Pirate King,' and we've heard that you have a complete trilogy plan. But I just heard that you also have a trilogy plan for 'Spider-Man'? Is that true?"

When asked by the host, Wu Yuchen remained calm and smiled as he replied, "That's true."

The host then asked, "Director Wu, you are truly unique! We all know that many directors or screenwriters are only used to making a plan for one film. Why did you come up with a plan for a trilogy?"

Wu Yuchen explained:

"The trilogy plan is the best approach for me. Take 'Pirates of the Caribbean' for example; a single film can't fully unfold its worldview. What I want to tell is not just about Captain Jack Sparrow, but about the entire pirate world."

Similarly, with Spider-Man, while many fans are fully familiar with the Marvel universe, I believe one movie isn't enough for Peter Parker. Peter Parker needs to go through a lot to grow from a boy into a mature superhero!

After listening, the host boldly asked, "Wu, aren't you afraid of failure? You know, many viewers don't have that kind of patience, which is why directors condense their talent into one story. If your first film fails, then the trilogy will be out of the question."

Wu Yuchen chuckled and shook his head: "I'm not worried. If 'The Pirate King 1' was a success, if 'The Lord of the Rings 1' was a success, then of course 'Spider-Man 1' will be too. In fact, I think it will achieve even greater box office success than the former two!"

(End of this chapter)