Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 292 Winning Over Depp
Wu Yuchen and Han Sanping were already quite familiar with each other, so they didn't mince words or beat around the bush. He asked directly, "Brother Han, is there something you need?"

"Brother Wu, you've won the Oscar for Best Director this time. Such a big event is something we can't just ignore. Our film system will hold a special award ceremony for you, and some important leaders will come to offer their congratulations."

Upon hearing Han Sanping's words, Wu Yuchen instantly understood. The awards ceremony itself wasn't urgent, but the key was that important leaders needed to attend. Naturally, it couldn't be delayed too long. Even though he had just won the Oscar for Best Director, there was no reason to keep the top leaders waiting for him indefinitely.

Wu Yuchen hesitated for a moment. To be honest, he had quite a lot going on in Hollywood. He could turn down many interview invitations after the Oscars, but the start of filming for "Spider-Man" and the preparations for the sequel to "The Pirate King" were both pressing matters for him.

Actually, he didn't go back after winning the Oscar last year. However, last year his Oscar-nominated film was "A Beautiful Mind," and the reaction within the domestic system wasn't too significant. But this time it's different. "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is a Chinese-language film, and Wu Yuchen won so many Oscars with it. In the future, this film will become a calling card for China on the international stage, and it might be frequently mentioned during visits and conversations of international political figures.

Therefore, it's really not surprising that these high-ranking leaders were interested in him and the film, and made a special trip to visit him and learn more about the situation.

Wu Yuchen thought for a moment and said to Han Sanping, "Brother Han, I have some things to take care of here. I'll be back in five days, how about that?"

Han Sanping across from him smiled and said, "Alright! Brother Wu, then I'll report the time!"

After hanging up the phone, Wu Yuchen let out a soft sigh of relief. It seemed he needed to speed things up and take care of some important matters first.

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

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head: "Steven, I'd like to too, but unfortunately, I seem to be destined to be a workaholic."

Spielberg chuckled and flattered, "That's because you're really important; everyone needs you!"

After the two sat down, Wu Yuchen got down to business: "Steven, have you reached an agreement with Depp yet?"

Spielberg shook his head: "Everything else is settled, except for Depp, whose agent is insisting on the 20+8 requirement."

Wu Yuchen didn't care about the 2000 million yuan demand, but the key issue was the 8% box office revenue share, which he was definitely unwilling to give up.

Wu Yuchen frowned and asked, "Is it the same for both?"

He plans to shoot two or three films back-to-back, so the salaries will be negotiated together.

"It's mainly the second film. As for the third film, the other party isn't very keen on demanding a share of the box office revenue."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen thought for a moment and then understood what was going on.

Because of the foundation and good reputation of the first film, "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" is bound to be profitable, and fans will support it. Therefore, Depp and his team want to participate in the profit sharing so that they can get more money.

However, the situation is uncertain for "Pirates of the Caribbean 3". What if "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" is a flop? The risk becomes much greater. Therefore, the production company prefers to accept cash as payment for "Pirates of the Caribbean 3".

Wu Yuchen sighed: "These A-list Hollywood actors are really not easy to deal with!"

Spielberg shrugged: "Nobody turns down money. Even if these actors make stupid mistakes, they have their agents. And those agents are much harder to deal with than the actors themselves!"

Wu Yuchen said directly to Spielberg, "Steven, I don't want to waste any more time. Arrange for me to meet with Depp's agent. I'll talk to them personally!"

If Wu Yuchen were simply a director, he certainly wouldn't get involved in Depp's salary issue; it wouldn't concern him. However, his Miracle Pictures is one of the producers of "The Pirate King," so now he has to negotiate with the other party in his dual capacity as producer and director.

……

"Wow, dear Director Wu, congratulations! You've won the Oscar for Best Director!"

Inside the room, a fat man saw Wu Yuchen and gave him a warm hug while offering his congratulations.

"Thank you, Jack!" Wu Yuchen returned the smile to Depp's agent.

Johnny Depp was absent from today's negotiations to avoid conflict between him and Wu Yuchen. Negotiations are bound to cause conflict, and if both Wu Yuchen and Depp were involved—one as director and the other as lead actor—the resulting tension and arguments could spill over onto the set, which would be detrimental to filming.

Therefore, today's negotiation is between Wu Yuchen and his agent. Even if any conflict arises, it will only be between the two of them.

Once the two were in place, Wu Yuchen cut to the chase: "Jack, let's not beat around the bush, your demands are too high!"

The fat man's agent immediately said, "Oh no, Wu, how can you think Depp's salary is too high? He's one of the best actors in Hollywood, he deserves that price! He needs to be respected!"

Wu Yuchen shook his head: "We have already given Depp enough respect. You should know that Depp's previous salary was only 8 million, but now he will enter the 800 million club. We have already met your requirements. You should not ask for 2000% of the box office revenue."

Then the fat man's agent shook his finger: "Wu, Depp is different, he's irreplaceable!"

Clearly, the other side also knew that actors like Depp were rare even in Hollywood. Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow possessed a unique charm, and audiences loved him; this was their leverage.

Wu Yuchen chuckled softly, then said in a calm tone:

"In Hollywood, no one is irreplaceable. Tobey Maguire thought his Spider-Man was irreplaceable, but eventually he came to the reality."

Clearly, Wu Yuchen was using the examples of "Spider-Man 2" and Tobey Maguire to remind the other party not to do useless work, otherwise it would make things ugly for everyone.

Jack's smile vanished, his face tightened, and he said with an imposing air:
“Wu, how could Maguire possibly be compared to Depp? Spider-Man is different from Sparrow. Spider-Man wears a mask half the time. You could even find a stunt double to play Spider-Man.”

But can Sparrow do it? Without Depp's Sparrow, how many fans do you think the Pirate King sequel will lose?

Jack raised his finger again and loudly emphasized, "No one can replace Depp!" But Wu Yuchen was not affected at all, maintaining his calm and composed demeanor, and then said to Jack, "You know what? Jack, 'Pirate King' is my project!"

Then he raised a finger and shook it: "Remember, 'Pirate King' doesn't belong to Depp, it belongs to me! In this project, there is only one person who cannot be replaced, and that is me!"

Jack sneered, brimming with confidence, and retorted sarcastically, "Is that so? Great Director Wu, then who do you want to cast as Captain Jack Sparrow?"

Wu Yuchen also curled the corners of his mouth and sneered, "Why does Jack Sparrow have to be in it?"

"What did you say?" Jack was momentarily stunned by Wu Yuchen's question, clearly not understanding what he meant.

“I’m saying that a sequel to ‘Pirate King’ can also be without Jack Sparrow,” Wu Yuchen said again in a calm tone.

Jack finally understood, but his eyes widened in disbelief. He roared, "Are you crazy? Don't you know? Jack Sparrow is the most beloved character in 'Pirates of the Caribbean'! Without Jack Sparrow, how will you explain it to the fans? They'll go crazy!"

Then Jack laughed again: "Heh, Wu, you don't need to trick me. I know you've already created a trilogy for the Pirate King series, with the next two featuring Jack Sparrow as the protagonist! You can't possibly overturn all your plans now, and you don't need to try to fool me with these tricks! I'm not easily scared!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and then said to Fat Jack, "Jack, listen, 'Pirate King' is my project, and I've built a complete world for it. Yes, I created the trilogy around Jack Sparrow, but he's by no means irreplaceable!"

Then, Wu Yuchen pointed to his head: "There are many interesting pirates here, and I chose Jack Sparrow simply because he was lucky enough to be chosen by me."

"If I wanted to, I could immediately replace the protagonist of the next two Pirate King sequels with a completely new, interesting pirate, and I'd design a whole new adventure story for him. You know I have that ability!"

Jack slammed his hands on the table and stared wide-eyed at Wu Yuchen: "You!"

At this point, he finally panicked.

If it were anyone else, he might not have believed it. But Wu Yuchen is now a renowned creative master in Hollywood, having produced many high-quality scripts; nobody knows how his brain works.

The Spider-Man trilogy, the Pirate King trilogy, and now Warner Bros. is reportedly also interested in his Batman trilogy and wants to collaborate with him.

Therefore, when Wu Yuchen says that the male lead will be replaced in the next two episodes of "The Pirate King" and a brand new pirate character and a brand new adventure story will appear, in the eyes of outsiders, he really can do what he says!
Wu Yuchen looked at Fat Jack with a calm and composed demeanor. The reason it had been so difficult to reach an agreement with Depp was because they were arrogant and believed themselves to be irreplaceable, using this as leverage to raise their demands.

Now, Wu Yuchen is here to shatter their confidence and break their reliance on others. This way, it won't be the production company begging Depp anymore, and it will make the negotiations much easier.

He uttered this statement, leaving it to the other party to see if they dared to take the bet. But clearly, Fat Jack wouldn't dare bet that Wu Yuchen was lying; the character of Jack Sparrow was too important to Depp, it was the biggest guarantee of Depp's commercial value.

Fat Jack gritted his teeth, staring at Wu Yuchen with a grim expression: "Wu, do we really want things to escalate to this point?"

Wu Yuchen chuckled: "Of course not. I'm actually quite sentimental. We made the first 'Pirate King' a success together, and I want this series to become a legend. I'm very reluctant to do something like this unless it's necessary. But you can't be too greedy, hmm?"

Fat Jack stared intently at Wu Yuchen, trying to find a flaw, while simultaneously making a decision in his mind. However, considering Wu Yuchen's past achievements and the fact that he had just won the Oscar for Best Director and was at the peak of his confidence, if he continued to resist, Wu Yuchen might really replace the male lead in a fit of anger!

Fat Jack sighed inwardly; he really didn't dare to gamble!

Then, Wu Yuchen saw that Fat Jack's expression changed, and he revealed a friendly smile:

"Director Wu, I think you make a very good point. We jointly created the success of 'The Pirate King,' so we should continue to work together to write its legend. Depp actually really wants to collaborate with you; after all, you're an Oscar-winning director!"

Upon hearing the other party's words of concession, Wu Yuchen knew that today's negotiations had essentially been successful.

However, Wu Yuchen will not continue to be aggressive, after all, they will still be filming together later.

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "Jack, I like your attitude. You made the right choice, so I won't treat Depp unfairly. Want to hear how I'm going to treat Depp?"

Fat Jack raised his hand: "Please speak."

"You want 2000 million plus 8% of the profits. There won't be any profit sharing, but I'll offer Depp 3000 million for the second movie. How about that?"

Fat Jack was surprised to hear this. He had thought the other party would try to lower the price, perhaps to only offer 2000 million. But he didn't expect them to offer as much as 3000 million, which is quite rare even in Hollywood these days, and only a few people like Tom Cruise can get that much.

Fat Jack thought about it for a moment. Although he was losing his 8% cut, he was getting an extra 1000 million, which he felt was acceptable. But then he asked, "What about the third movie?"

Seeing that the other party did not raise any objections, Wu Yuchen knew that they had accepted the plan for the second film, and continued with a smile, "I heard that you don't want a share of the box office revenue for the third film, so how about 4500 million in salary for each actor, OK?"

It's a Hollywood practice that the later film usually receives better treatment than the earlier one.

Fat Jack was stunned. He had assumed the other party would propose a low cash payment plus high profit-sharing strategy in the third installment, which would effectively reduce risk. But he never expected such a high figure as 4500 million!
In Hollywood's history, most franchises have already flopped at the box office by the third installment, and even if they share the profits, they might not receive much. $4500 million is actually a better deal than 20+10!

The main reason for this is that Fat Jack's previous confidence was shattered by Wu Yuchen, causing him to unconsciously lower his expectations. So now, when he hears Wu Yuchen's offer, he feels that the other party seems quite sincere.

Seeing that the other party did not answer, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but ask, "What? Are you not satisfied?"

Fat Jack immediately shook his head, then laughed heartily, stood up and extended his hand to Wu Yuchen: "Wu, you are truly a great director and producer. We can't wait to work with you again!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook hands with the other party. He offered such a high cash amount mainly to ensure Depp's cooperation during the filming; in reality, it only amounted to 75 million. If Depp were given a share of the profits according to the previous life's system, he would have received over 100 million from just one film, *Pirates of the Caribbean 3*—that would be incredibly painful!

After securing Depp's signature, preparations for "The Pirate King" were basically completed without any major problems, allowing him to return home with peace of mind.

(End of this chapter)