Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 261 Negotiation
Since the turn of the century, the influence of a single original film simply cannot compare to that of a film series. Indeed, many successful film series have emerged, such as *Harry Potter*, *The Lord of the Rings*, *Fast & Furious*, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

However, among so many film series, Wu Yuchen doesn't actually have many options. Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings are over, and Fast & Furious is a pure popcorn movie; not only is it already out, but the previous installments didn't perform particularly well at the box office. Frankly, if he were to actually make a Fast & Furious film, it would only disappoint audiences. It's not that it's bad, but it wouldn't meet the expectations of the audience and the market.

Making one or two Transformers movies would be a better choice than Fast & Furious.

However, now, looking at the two Warner executives who were looking at him with expectant eyes, Wu Yuchen realized that they had presented him with what was almost the best option!
Wu Yuchen put down his teacup and said slowly, "I don't have time this year, and next year will probably be full too."

Upon hearing Wu Yuchen's words, the two Warner executives were not disappointed at all; on the contrary, their faces lit up with joy. The fact that the other party hadn't refused meant that there was room for negotiation!

"Oh, Wu, we know you have a very busy schedule right now. But Warner is very sincere and patient, and we're not in a hurry!"

"Wu, do you have any thoughts or requests? It's okay, as long as it's within our capabilities, you can let us know!"

Seeing the eagerness of the two men before him to find talent, Wu Yuchen smiled:
"Indeed, while writing the Spider-Man trilogy, I did some research and understanding of American superhero history. And in that process, I had some rather interesting ideas about Batman."

That's right. If Wu Yuchen had to choose among these film series, he would definitely choose to film the Batman trilogy.

In his previous life, Nolan's fans regarded him as the world's number one director, but what truly elevated Nolan to the status of a top Hollywood director was the Batman trilogy.

The Batman trilogy not only achieved dazzling box office success but also garnered extremely high critical acclaim. It is hailed as a masterpiece of superhero films and a pinnacle of the genre, elevating superhero movies to new heights.

Even with the numerous film series that have emerged in the Marvel universe since, such as *Iron Man* and *The Avengers*, none can compare to the *Batman* trilogy in terms of critical acclaim and cinematic significance. *The Dark Knight*, in particular, is considered a masterpiece, remaining widely regarded as the No. 1 superhero film even 20 years later!

For Wu Yuchen, if he were to make a series of films, the Batman trilogy, which was a box office and critical success, would naturally be the best choice.

McGonagall and his colleague were overjoyed. They had come prepared to be rejected, since several major studios had visited Wu Yuchen before without any news. They never expected that Wu Yuchen would actually be interested in "Batman"!
"Oh! Wu, this is absolutely fantastic! You, Batman, and Warner Bros. are a match made in heaven!"

However, Wu Yuchen shook his head and said, "Don't rush, I haven't finished yet. I have quite a few conditions. If Warner can't agree, this cooperation may not be possible."

“Wu, please speak!” McGonagall quickly reached out her hand.

Wu Yuchen held up one finger: "First of all, I want absolute autonomy and freedom."

Unlike *Batman*, *Pirates of the Caribbean*, and *Spider-Man*, *Batman* had a different storyline. He wrote the original script for *Pirates of the Caribbean*, and for *Spider-Man*, he secured 30% of the rights through Marvel and also served as a producer, giving him significant power in those projects. However, the rights to *Batman* were held by Warner Bros., so he needed a guarantee first.

McGonagall didn't immediately agree, but instead asked, "Wu, I'd like to ask, how much autonomy and freedom do you mean by that?"

Wu Yuchen smiled slightly: "This involves my understanding of Batman. I won't simply repeat how powerful Batman is or just focus on his extraordinary skills. I don't want to confine him to the stereotype of a superhero. I want to subvert Batman, explore humanity more, and expand the film's connotation and extension as much as possible."

McGonagall and his companion exchanged a glance, their brows furrowing slightly. To be honest, Wu Yuchen's words had stirred some doubts within them. Why did Warner Bros. hire Wu Yuchen to reboot *Batman*? To make money, of course!

In McGonagall's view, what do audiences watch when they watch superhero movies? They watch how powerful, cool, and skilled the superheroes are, and how they defeat criminals in all sorts of cool ways.

But now Wu Yuchen is telling him that he wants to subvert this approach and explore humanity and deeper meaning in superhero movies. Are you making a superhero movie or an art film?
At this point, Wu Yuchen added with a smile, "By the way, if I were to direct the Batman series, the style would lean more towards the darker side."

This made McGonagall even more worried, as dark-themed films are not so appealing to many viewers!

McGonagall asked, "Wu, will you direct it yourself?"

It must be made clear whether Wu Yuchen is only serving as a producer or will personally take charge.

Wu Yuchen nodded: "Yes, I will be the director."

If any other director had said this, McGonagall would probably have already rejected it, but since it was Wu Yu-chen, who directed "The Pirate King" and launched "Spider-Man," it's a different story.

Wu Yuchen is a director who can achieve phenomenal box office success even with horror thrillers like "The Sixth Sense." Looking back at Wu Yuchen's Hollywood career, there hasn't been a single box office failure. McGonagall believes Wu Yuchen has the ability to handle the challenge, exploring humanity and enriching "The Batman" with deeper meaning while ensuring its commercial success.

Therefore, he didn't hesitate much and agreed directly: "Wu, you are a top expert in film creation and shooting. Warner Bros. will give you absolute trust, and you will have absolute power in the entire project!"

Wu Yuchen asked with a smile, "Including the final cut?"

McGonagall thought for a moment and answered directly, "Including the final cut!"

Wu Yuchen nodded in satisfaction. Being given the final editing rights showed that Warner Bros. was indeed quite sincere this time.

However, his demands are not that simple: "There is also my personal fee, 20% of the full copyright revenue."

"Oh no! Wu, this is impossible!" Compared to before, McGonagall's reaction this time was much more intense.

Both Wu Yuchen and McGonagall know how lucrative the film merchandise rights business can be. Wu Yuchen has already earned 1.1 million yuan from the 12% full copyright revenue of "The Pirate King," and will continue to receive income every year thereafter.

McGonagall was well aware that if Batman was successful, the resulting merchandise and copyright revenue would be a huge pie, one that the company would absolutely not give up.

“Hey Wu, getting full rights to Batman is impossible. It’s the company’s exclusive domain, our bottom line. We’d rather not start it than let anyone else touch it!” McGonagall immediately said seriously. However, Wu Yuchen didn’t give up easily: “McGonagall, as far as I know, Spielberg got 20% of the full rights to Jurassic Park from Universal.”

McGonagall immediately retorted, "That's different. Before the release of Jurassic Park, the novel was only somewhat famous. When the movie was being filmed, it didn't have that much value at all, which is why Universal was willing to give Spielberg 20% ​​of the full rights."

But Batman is different; Batman is already a globally renowned super IP. Warner Bros. will absolutely not give up this! Not even if James Cameron were in charge!

Seeing McGonagall's resolute attitude, Wu Yuchen sighed inwardly. It seemed that he really wouldn't be able to come across any Batman copyright revenue!
Seeing Wu Yuchen's silence, McGonagall softened her tone and said in order to avoid making the atmosphere too awkward:

"Wu, we can give you the best treatment in Hollywood, 20+20!"

A 20+20 deal, meaning $20 million plus a 2000% cut of the box office, is indeed a privilege reserved for the very top few in Hollywood. However, this box office revenue share refers to the North American box office. Wu Yuchen believes he is now qualified to demand even higher compensation.

"20+20, but I want 20% of the global box office revenue."

Wu Yuchen started bargaining. He couldn't touch the copyright issue, so he could only make demands regarding box office revenue sharing.

Just as McGonagall was about to retort, Wu Yuchen added, "Not just one film. I will be developing a trilogy for Batman. I think you know better than I do how much profit a brand new trilogy would bring to Warner Bros. if it were successful."

McGonagall paused for a moment, then said to Wu Yuchen, "Wu, this is no longer something I can decide. We need to go back to Warner and discuss it again."

Then, his companion added, "Wu, your conditions have exceeded our expectations. In any case, I think you need to come up with a complete plan for 'Batman,' otherwise Warner Bros. will find it difficult to agree to your demands."

Wu Yuchen revealed a confident smile: "Of course, since I dared to make this condition, I won't just make empty promises. If Warner Bros. is not satisfied with my Batman trilogy plan in the future, then just pretend I didn't say it."

"Wu, in any case, today was a very pleasant exchange! Also, your tea was excellent~"

After seeing off the Warner duo, Wu Yuchen sighed. It seemed that getting full copyright revenue from the seven major studios was now very difficult.

Ever since Spielberg made a whopping $2.5 million from the full rights to "Jurassic Park," major studios have been very wary of this area. After all, watching so much money flow out is a painful experience for them.

As for the copyright revenue sharing of major IPs like "Batman," forget about it; they hold onto it tightly and there's no way they'd give it away. It's only because DreamWorks is weaker than the Big Seven that they agreed to give them full copyright revenue sharing from the start.

However, he then smiled and said that he had secured the Marvel rights ahead of schedule and also received 30% of the revenue from Spider-Man, which was enough to make him rich.

There's no rush in planning the Batman trilogy or writing the script; it can be done little by little. After all, even if it were rushed out, he wouldn't have time to film it in a short period.

That evening, after Wu Yuchen returned to his hotel room, a beautiful body threw herself into his arms, wrapped her arms around his arm, and asked, "Darling, are you in talks with Warner Bros. about 'Batman'?"

Wu Yuchen glanced at Anne Hathaway: "Where did you know that?"

Anne Hathaway didn't hide anything: "It was my agent who told me; Warner Bros. released the news to the public."

Wu Yuchen chuckled. He and Warner had only just begun contacting each other, and it was still uncertain whether they could reach an agreement. Warner was already spreading the news—was it to whet people's appetites? Or was it to signal to other studios that Wu Yuchen had already been reserved by Warner?

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head: "It was just Warner Music people who came over for a brief talk; nothing's really settled yet."

Anne Hathaway immediately asked, "Honey, are there any roles that would suit me?"

Wu Yuchen patted her shapely buttocks and said with a smile, "You're already famous all over America, do you still need acting roles?"

Anne Hathaway played the female lead in "Spider-Man," and there is a very classic scene in the movie where Spider-Man hangs upside down in the rain and kisses the female lead passionately, which has become the most romantic screen scene of the year.

This scene was specifically instructed by Wu Yuchen before filming, and the result was excellent, leaving an indelible impression on the public regarding Anne Hathaway.

Although Anne Hathaway became somewhat arrogant after her sudden rise to fame, she wasn't the type to lose her head. She knew who had truly made her famous and that various film studios were constantly visiting Wu Yuchen. Therefore, after doing some promotional work for "Spider-Man," she quickly returned to Wu Yuchen's side, hoping to see if she could get good resources from him.

Anne Hathaway said sweetly, "Darling, how can any of those other invitations compare to you?"

Wu Yuchen laughed and then put his arm around her, saying, "The Batman movie won't be launched anytime soon, so don't think about it for now."

Anne Hathaway made no attempt to hide her disappointment. However, Wu Yuchen ignored her. He couldn't just give her anything because she begged; once her appetite grew, it would be hard to satisfy. Anne Hathaway's start had been too smooth. He'd wait until she faced some setbacks in other films before asking him for "The Princess Diaries," and then he'd give her that.

If she behaves well enough in the next few years, the role of Catwoman in "Batman 3" will naturally be handed over to her again. That's the way to last!

The next morning, while Wu Yuchen was still fast asleep, embracing Anne Hathaway's body, his phone rang and woke him up.

"Wu, come quick! Roy Disney is about to make a big move!"

(End of this chapter)