Chapter 590： Standard

The original version of "No Country For Old Men" only spent a budget of $25 million, and with Lehmann's current status, no one would think there would be any problem even if it was a big production with over 100 million dollars.

But "No Country For Old Men" doesn't cost that much money, especially since the actors can't be too famous, so as to cover up the story of the movie itself. This alone limits the cost of shooting.

Firefly Pictures, inside the office.

"Thomas, there are 5 main roles in this film, all of which require experienced and powerful actors. The roles are set here, you can look at the preliminary screening."

I got a call early in the morning, and Thomas rushed over. I read the first version of the script and understood what kind of story the new project was. I couldn't help thinking: This should be a film that can win awards, so I chose The actors are not very popular.

Knowing this, Thomas knew how to complete the task.

You must know that popular traffic + powerful actors are already the standard lineup in Hollywood, which is not only convenient for publicity and attracting fans, but also can guarantee the quality of the performance. Now Lehman has made it clear that he has to sacrifice some "commerciality" to improve his performance, which shows his tendency to choose.

Thomas got the assignment and drove all the way to caa again.

Which of these colleagues who belong to the same business is not the most eye-catching?

Seeing that Thomas hurriedly mobilized the actor files, and asked the staff to classify them according to age and professional qualifications, he knew that there was a chance after a guess.

Someone asked tentatively: "Director Lehmann has a new work?"

The director's casting usually starts with the agency. If there is a shooting task, everyone knows it internally. However, Firefly Pictures has not released any news about this. The reason is that Lehman has some candidates in his heart, and he is very satisfied. Scale auditions.

However, if you want to make a classic black crime movie one year ahead of schedule, in case some people can't coordinate the schedule, or because of a series of other uncertain factors, they may not be able to find the "original people" they want most. Therefore, let Thomas filter one round first and reserve it as a backup.

Actually, there is nothing to hide.

Thomas's own work has been completely focused on exploiting opportunities to develop contacts, or on the studio side, and rarely care about new actors.

There is only one Eva under her hand, and she needs to pay attention, and she doesn't need to worry too much.

The casting of Lehman's new film, no matter what, is an opportunity that other agents only need.

No one under him is a strong actor.

So, I casually explained the type of actors needed for the movie.

Everyone was dubious about Thomas's statement, but they tried their best to recommend it to their clients.

For them, they don't have a big director, and they can't help the actors to extract salaries, but go directly to the studio to work.

After all, an agent like Thomas is no longer a pure agent.

It's like Pitt and his agent co-founded Plan B Films, and there are other ways to fight.

Regarding this matter, Thomas did not hesitate, shook his head and said bluntly: "Although the errand is entrusted to me, I have no decision-making power. It is up to Director Ryman to make the decision."

Having said that, the enthusiasm of the crowd remains undiminished.

How to look at it, there is nothing to lose if you fight for it, maybe your own customers will enter the screening list and be valued.

Among the various friendships, some who had worked with Thomas could not help but show a little envy.

Some yummy Thomas is doing so well right now.

......

Lyman did not prepare for No Country for Old Men in a steady and steady manner.

First, "Prada" was going to be transferred to Paris to shoot the location. Blake asked people to bring a new shooting schedule to approve the next budget. Later, Paramount also sent someone to urge, mainly for "Mrs. Smith".

The film was finished in mid-August, and it took two months for the post-production process, just in time for the Christmas season.

And when the film was finished, Shirley Lansing had an internal test screening.

After watching it, the director of the distribution department swore to ensure that the movie definitely has the potential to be a hit.

Although Shirley Lansing doesn't understand production, she understands the market very well.

Knowing that even if a movie is excellent, if it wants to become a hit in the theater, publicity and schedule are two crucial factors.

On the one hand, after the trial screening, Paramount has a bottom line. In addition, there is still a month and a half to go until the Christmas season. It happens that the market has a large audience base and is suitable for harvesting the box office. First, it is initially selected with the theater to be released on December 9, and the mobilization is enough. number of screens.

But who knows, in order to avoid the hot release period of "Goblet of Fire" and "Monster in the Lake", "Mrs. and Mrs. Smith" had to collide with Disney's masterpiece "The Magic Kingdom of Narnia".

If you collided, you collided. Everyone fought with real swords and guns. It was all based on strength. Paramount was not very guilty.

However, "Monster in the Lake" and "Grail of Fire" seem to have more than enough to compete for the market.

This has become a hidden danger.

There are only so many audiences. There is one "The Magic Kingdom of Narnia", which is a headache, but I have encountered two movies that are still relatively stable.

To this day, Goblet of Fire can still win more than 20 million per week, and "Monster in the Lake" is a little later, and it has 1,780, which means that Paramount has to compete with another blockbuster market out of thin air. .

The pressure at the box office can be imagined.

The key point is that "Mrs. Smith" is still an original script, and there is no book fan traffic. It is not as popular as the "Magic Kingdom of Narnia" series by North American audiences, and naturally has a movie fan base.

As a result, Paramount couldn't sit still, and its confidence after the preview was also smeared with a trace of fear. It was very worried that after the release of "Mrs. and Mrs. Smith", not only would it not be able to seize market share, but it would become cannon fodder and leave the scene sadly.

Although the total weekly box office during the Christmas period will always be more than 200 million, it is really not much to apportion the 200 million to more than a dozen movies that have been released one after another.

Then, who eats meat, who drinks soup, who can't even catch the dregs, must be a point to consider.

This also emphasizes the importance of schedule again, and why many blockbusters like to be crowded into the summer and Christmas time periods.

If it is the off-season, the total weekly box office can be 70,000,000 to 80 million.

Can't afford to survive two big hits at all.

Hollywood, conference room at Paramount headquarters.

A group of executives are nervously discussing the response plan.

And Lehmann, who was urged to be urgent, had to attend.

Although, he feels that this worry is completely overthinking, and it is a disbelief in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith".

You must know that the original version, under the attack of the three blockbusters "The Mystery of the Shadow", "Star Wars 3" and "War of the Worlds", relied on novel and contrasting ways to shape the relationship between husband and wife, as well as a series of scene jokes, directly in North America. It won more than 180 million in one place, 291 million overseas, and the film's global box office was 478 million.

Now, the choice of schedule is far better than the summer vacation. Although the two leading actors have less topical hype than Pitt and Angelina, the plot is not inferior, even if there will not be as good as the previous life. Not a small goal?

Lyman sat aside, patiently listening to everyone's analysis.

It is vaguely known that Paramount is not strong enough, and it seems to be shrinking, reducing resource investment and reducing risks as much as possible.

"Anyway, after the results of the first weekend of the film come out, can we adjust it according to the feedback from the market?" Lyman heard the worries of the executives of the distribution department, and his doubts arose No way , the movie has been set, is it still postponed? Isn't that admitting that he is cowardly and showing everyone a joke? The hesitation at this time is not self-defeating.

Fortunately, Shirley Lansing is still responsible.

She didn't even need a hint from Ryman, she was always willing to gamble.

——Instead of taking regret medicine at this time, it is better to let go of it boldly. If you win, everything will be fine. If you lose, can it be more miserable than the sad end?

Redstone is not satisfied with Paramount's performance, and the addition of DreamWorks will take some time to break in. In terms of production, Paramount is still quite embarrassed.

Moreover, if I can't get any good results at the end of the year, I don't know how to write the quarterly report.

Can those shareholders have any comments?

Shirley Lansing has already been driven to a dead end. Whether it is the decision to acquire DreamWorks or the cooperation with "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", they are all saving themselves. I hope that the box office of the film project produced by Paramount will be a little better.