Chapter 39 Determining the Investment Amount

In the conference room.

Mike was not surprised when he heard Gu Wei's request, as if he had already known it in advance.

"Three levels, I need three levels of investment."

Gu Wei raised three fingers and looked at Mike and spoke slowly.

Mike did not give an answer on the spot, and Gu Wei also understood that this matter was not something he could decide.

The two chatted for a while, and Mike said that he would report Gu Wei's proposal to the company's senior management, and they would make the decision.

Gu Wei nodded in agreement.

After leaving Warner headquarters, Gu Wei went directly to the company.

Gu Wei came to the company and stayed alone in the office, thinking about the conversation he had just had with the head of Warner.

Gu Wei was still confident that Warner could agree to his proposal for a third-tier share.

First of all, Gu Wei has proven himself in Hollywood. The success of his previous movie has brought rich returns to Warner. At this stage, Warner is taking a fancy to him.

Secondly, most of the major directors in Hollywood have their own circles, and many even have their own companies. Warner was in the rising period of its career during this period, and was also prepared for shares and cooperation.

However, the news that Nolan was preparing for the movie "Batman Begins" surprised Gu Wei a little. The investment cost of this movie reached 1.35 million US dollars. It was also from this movie that Nolan started his journey of making Hollywood blockbusters.

Gu Wei is now a little worried about the investment funds. If Warner agrees to cooperate, the three-tier investment amount will be as high as 3000 million US dollars, which exceeds his affordability. He can only find a way from other places.

"Dong dong".

"Come in".

In the office, Gu Wei was sitting on the sofa, thinking about a problem in his mind. He shouted subconsciously after hearing a knock on the door.

"Boss, I heard you just came back from Warner headquarters."

Ryder asked after he entered the office and closed the door.

"Ok".

Gu Wei nodded.

"Boss, I have already done what you asked me to do..."

"Ryder, something went wrong, we might have to put this movie on hold".

Originally, the next film that Gu Wei planned to shoot was "The Pursuit of Happyness", starring Will Smith, which was adapted from the true experience of African-American investment expert Chris Gardner.

The script tells an inspirational story about a down-and-out salesman who is on the verge of bankruptcy and whose wife has left him, and how he works hard to fulfill his responsibilities as a single parent, strives to become a stock trader, and finally becomes a well-known financial investor.

The film was nominated for Best Actor at the 79th Academy Awards.

This was a medium-sized production with an investment cost of around US$5500 million, and it eventually grossed US$3 million worldwide.

Gu Wei has completed the script and helped Reid register successfully. He has been contacting the protagonist of the story these two days to seek his consent.

"Boss, what happened?".

Ryder asked a little confused.

Gu Wei briefly recounted what happened at Warner.

"Oh my God, with a cost of 100 million US dollars, this is also a top production in Hollywood."

Reid's face was full of excitement, and he continued, "Boss, did they agree to your request?"

Gu Wei shook his head and said nothing.

When Reid saw this situation, a frustrated expression appeared on his face.

"Warner executives need to hold a meeting to discuss, don't worry."

"Ryder, continue to inquire about Chris Gardner's matter. If we cannot reach a cooperation with Warner, then this movie will be our next work."

"Okay, boss, I'll do it."

After some thought, Gu Wei decided to act on both sides. If Warner agreed to his proposal, the project of "The Pursuit of Happyness" would be postponed.

.........

For the next week, Gu Wei did not receive a reply from Warner. During this period, Universal Pictures called Gu Wei and told him that the filming of "Taken" had started and was progressing smoothly.

The script of "The Pursuit of Happyness" has been successfully registered, and Reid has also signed a contract with the prototype of the protagonist on behalf of the company, and the project can be started at any time.

On the 10th, Gu Wei received a call from Mike, inviting him to the Warner headquarters, as senior executives from Warner wanted to talk to him in person.

After Gu Wei hung up the phone, a smile appeared on his face, and then he drove to Warner headquarters with Reid.

As for the movie that is preparing to compete for awards, Gu Wei has chosen to forget about it for the time being. The three major film festivals are held every year, but the opportunity to direct a Hollywood commercial blockbuster with huge investments and many special effects does not come every year.

Faced with the choice between honor and money, Gu Wei decisively chose the latter.

Forty minutes later, Gu Wei and Reid rushed directly to the conference room at Warner headquarters.

Listening to Mike's introduction, Gu Wei learned the identity of the middle-aged bald white man in front of him. He was a senior executive of Warner Bros. in charge of film production investment and also one of the shareholders of Warner Bros.

After the two sides greeted each other, they started chatting.

After more than an hour's meeting, Gu Wei and the other party reached a cooperation agreement.

First, the film "The Day After Tomorrow" has a production budget of 7 million US dollars. Gu Wei is in charge of filming the film, and the filming location is selected by Warner Bros. Warner Bros. will also arrange staff to assist Gu Wei. Second, the film is jointly invested by Warner Bros. and Tomorrow Star Films in a ratio of 3:. The box office and copyright are also distributed in this ratio, and the subsequent cost additions will also be the same.

Third, as the film director, Gu Wei is only responsible for filming and does not participate in the casting of the film's leading actors. Other personnel such as supervisors and producers will be arranged by Warner Bros.

However, Gu Wei requested a supporting role, and the role will be determined before the filming of the movie, and the script will be modified accordingly.

"Gu, I look forward to our pleasant cooperation."

The middle-aged white man stretched out his hand and shook hands with Gu Wei.

"Of course, our cooperation has always been a pleasure."

"Ha ha".

Hearing this, both sides burst into laughter.

The next day, Gu Wei brought a professional lawyer to Warner's headquarters, and both parties signed a contract at Warner.

After signing the contract, Gu Wei began to consider the issue of investment funds. Since the release of "A True Story" in August, the North American box office revenue has been settled one after another.

The tax law in the United States is relatively complex, with many types of taxes, and the three most common ones are: state tax, federal tax, and sales tax:

State tax: Basically all states will collect it. The state tax rate in each state is different, and some states have minimum tax requirements.

Federal tax: The current uniform tax rate across the United States is 21% of a company's net profit.

Sales tax: Not every state has it, and each state has a different tax rate. According to US tax law, a company with a turnover of more than $10 or more than 100 transactions needs to apply for a sales tax number to report sales tax.

After deducting the taxes that need to be paid and adding the US$800 million invested in "Taken", there is now more than US$ million left in the company's account.

According to the contract signed by Gu Wei and Warner, the investment funds were paid in three installments: when the film project was approved, before filming began, and in the middle of the filming.

The next day, Warner Bros. and Rising Star Pictures jointly announced their new film plan for "The Day After Tomorrow," along with a signed photo from both parties.

The production cost of Warner Bros.' new film is as high as 100 million US dollars, which is a top-notch production even in Hollywood. The news spread throughout Hollywood in an instant and was reported by major media outlets.

In Hollywood, a large number of actors and artists have set their sights on this movie and asked Warner about movie roles.

.........

After the news spread back to China, it immediately made headlines on major websites, and a large number of netizens commented online at one time. This is also another domestic director who has participated in such a large-scale production after Hong Kong director John Woo.

People in the circle are familiar with the Tomorrow Star Films Company that is cooperating with Warner this time. They know that this is the company that Gu Wei just founded in Hollywood.

Having just reached a new film cooperation with Universal Pictures a while ago, and now participating in this high-cost new film together with Warner, other domestic film and television companies and experience companies can't sit still.

A large number of actors and artists were asking for details about the film, and the film and television companies and management companies that saw the report were all eagerly looking forward to it.

Domestic Huayi Company.

When Wang Jinghua heard the news, the first thing he thought of was the role quota. Logically speaking, Gu Wei had three levels of investment and must have the power to decide the roles.

After thinking for a while, Wang Jinghua walked towards Wang Zhongjun's office. This opportunity was rare and must be seized.

In the office, after hearing Wang Jinghua's report, Huayi's Wang Zhongjun did not hesitate and picked up his phone to call Gu Wei. Compared to the issue of actor quotas, he cared more about the investment share.

At the same time, slightly larger domestic film and television companies began to take action.

"Mr. Han, I was just about to talk to you about this when you called."

"Is the project confirmed?"

Han Sanping spoke on the phone with full energy and a bit of excitement in his tone.

"The contract has been signed. As soon as it was confirmed, I received a call from you, Mr. Han."

Gu Wei and Han Sanping chatted on the phone. Gu Wei did not refuse China Film Group's idea of ​​participating in film investment, as he also needed financial support at this stage.

After Han Sanping hung up the phone with Gu Wei, he reported the matter to Director Yang of China Film Corporation. Director Yang did not hesitate and immediately made the decision to invest, leaving the specific matters to Han Sanping.

After hanging up the phone with Han Sanping, Gu Wei called Guangxian's Wang Changtian again. After learning about Gu Wei's intention, Wang Changtian agreed immediately.

"Xiao Li, book me the next flight to Los Angeles."

In Guangguang's office, Wang Changtian loudly instructed his assistant.

"Okay, Mr. Wang, I'll do it right away."

After Wang Changtian got Gu Wei's promise, he directly contacted Mr. Han of China Film Group. The two agreed to rush to Los Angeles together to have a face-to-face meeting with Gu Wei in Hollywood. The follow-up also involved investment shares and contract signing, which definitely could not be decided over the phone.

Since the news of the movie came back to China, Gu Wei has been very busy.

He is the director and screenwriter, and many people want to start from him to get the specific information of the project.

Actors and artists who had worked with him before also asked him about the roles.

Dong Xuan, Qin Hao, Yan Danchen and others asked Gu Wei one after another about matters related to movie actors.

For domestic actors, starring in a Hollywood movie, even as a supporting role, is enough to make them pay any price.

During this period, Gu Wei received a call from Huayi Company, and the call was all about investment shares. Gu Wei directly declined Wang Zhongjun, saying that the shares had been determined and they could still cooperate if there was an opportunity in the future.

"Alas, I missed another rare opportunity."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Zhongjun sighed.

(End of this chapter)