Ovitz walked quickly back to his office, picked up the phone and dialed Sylvester Stallone.
"Sly, Ovitz, I have a notebook in my hand..."
"No No No, Michael, I just came back from Hungary, don't talk to me about the script. The Hungarian government didn't allow us to shoot this damn football movie during the actors' union strike. I don't understand why the union in America went on strike.
Does the Hungarian government also want to support it?
Now the director John Huston went to Paris to look for locations. We only had 5 days to shoot the scenes, but this fucking strike caused the crew to stop working. Originally, we went to a socialist country to shoot to save money, but now we might as well be in Hollywood.
Shooting."
"Sly, this script is of good quality, don't you read it?"
"Stop fucking the script, I'm still jet-lagged. I was playing a goalkeeper on a set in Hungary, and I was fooled by Pele so much that I still have bruises on my body."
"Okay, Sly, your instincts are the best... beep... beep... beep..." Stallone had already hung up the phone.
Ovitz rubbed his hands and found Sean Connery's phone number again. But he hesitated before dialing.
The first celebrity client signed by CAA is now in a crisis. Signing celebrities is the best way to expand the strength of the agency. The problem is that celebrities generally dislike TV shows and prefer to make movies.
Ovitz spent a lot of energy trying to enter the film industry from the television industry, and proposed a policy that each agent must sign a screenwriter, just to enter the film industry and ensure the film contracts of his stars.
Especially Sean Connery. In order to attract other stars, CAA spent resources on this outdated Scotsman that did not match his status. The purpose was to set a model for the company and attract more stars.
"They can even sell Sean Connery." This is CAA's biggest reliance in attracting other celebrity clients.
However, Sean Connery is not a worry-free client. He previously thought that 007 would limit his acting options and resigned from Bond films. However, he did not find a new acting direction. Roger Moore took over as 007 and was well received.
Connery felt a little regretful again.
Because of his regret, CAA overturned his previous idea of changing his acting career and focused on lone heroes again. But it is not easy for an actor to go up again after going downhill.
Sean Connery has not received a satisfactory 007-style role for more than a year. Every time he communicates, he threatens to change jobs again. Ovitz is also a little annoyed with him. In fact, it is impossible for him to return to any other agent he signs.
Art shoot 007.
But for the sake of the company's overall reputation, we had to try our best to find him a suitable movie role.
Ovitz thought for a while and dialed Sean Connery's phone.
"Sean, this is Ovitz..."
"Has my new job been secured?" Connelly asked in a thick Scottish accent.
"Yes, I have a notebook here, about the Vietnam War, anti-war, brotherhood..."
"Stop, although I won't play 007 anymore, I still have an image to maintain. It's impossible to be anti-war... Listen, Michael, I like you and Meyer, but my patience is not unlimited. You have to
Find me a role as soon as possible that suits me, like James Bond."
"Beep...beep...beep..." The Scotsman hung up the phone.
"You like Bond so much, why don't you continue acting? Is there any movie role more 007 than 007?" Ovitz complained in his heart.
Taking off his glasses and rubbing the root of his nose with his hand, Ovitz picked up the list of stars represented by CAA and looked at it. He slid his fingers over the names one by one, and finally stopped at the name starting with F, and then
I found a phone number and dialed it.
Double-actor Jane Fonda, who returned to her home in Los Angeles to rest due to the postponement of the filming of her new film "On Golden Pond" due to a union strike, answered the phone.
"Jane, this is Ovitz."
"Oh, Michael, it's absolutely terrible here." Jane picked up the receiver and began to complain, "On Golden Pond was a script I bought especially for my father Henry. I originally planned to let my father and Ingrid Bergman collaborate once, but Bergman
Man's health was also in bad shape.
It was hard to get Catherine to agree to film, but she was still dissatisfied with me playing the daughter. Henry's health was very bad, Michael. As a result, the New Hampshire studio was shut down by a union strike. I was afraid of Henry's health... We had to apply for a special exemption
In a hurry..."
"No, Jane, stop. I'm not here to listen to you talk about a strike. I have a book in my hand, covering the Vietnam War, brotherhood, anti-war, fools, religion, love between men and women... Do you want it? A package of solutions, including screenwriting.
to the director. It just so happens that your production company IPC Pictures can consider it as the next film."
"Go on..." Jane Fonda instantly got rid of her complaining state. The three-film distribution contract signed by her own production company IPC Pictures and Universal was about to expire. She just needed a suitable script to compete with the Eighth Congress.
The studio continues to negotiate the next distribution contract.
"... A fool is forcibly recruited into the army. Are normal people the saviors, or are they saved by fools? That's it. This screenwriter graduated from Roger Corman Film University and understands business. He also revised the script for British director Alan Parker
, have artistic ability.
Have you seen the movie "Famous" written by him? It is now well received in the industry and will win big during the awards season.
Also, the title of the script he wrote is ‘My Brother’s Keeper’. Listen, it’s full of biblical allusions and full of gimmicks. If you ask me, the name alone is worth a million.”
"I want to discuss it with Bruce." Bruce Gilbert is the general manager of IPC Pictures and Jane Fonda's partner. He has worked on her first three IPC Pictures films "China Syndrome", "Nine Days"
Five Late", and "On Golden Pond" as a producer.
This chapter is not over yet, please click the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Tomorrow morning at 10:30, my office? Are you coming with Bruce? I will let the screenwriter Ronald Lee also talk to you about his ideas. He is a
Great young man." Ovitz suggested, "I'll ask the office to send a courier and send the script to you right away."
"Okay, I'll read the script first. If the script is as exciting as you said, Bruce and I will go to CAA at 10:30 tomorrow morning."
"Believe me."
"Okay, Michael, I trust your taste in picking scripts. Bruce and I will go at half past ten tomorrow morning."
Jane Fonda agreed and hung up the phone, and then suddenly said to herself, "Ronald Lee, I seem to have heard this name somewhere."
…
Ronald was in the conference room listening to Ron Meyer introducing CAA's star strategy.
"CAA now has three leading male stars. Bill Murray is the representative of CAA's key strategic comedy films. Stallone is a popular star who writes, directs and stars. He is a triathlete and is pursued by eight major studios.
There is also veteran 007 Sean Connery, the first male movie star to sign with CAA."
Ronald understood that Meyer said this because he wanted him to tailor scripts for several stars, but he was a little absent-minded.
Rick Niceta said that Ovitz and Meyer attach great importance to every client, and now focus on promoting screenwriting strategies, using scripts to sell studios, and then introducing directors and actors to the project to provide a package solution. So they CAA
Very respectful to screenwriter clients.
But Ronald didn't see any respect for himself today.
Meyer just wanted to finish his lines as usual, and Ovitz was nowhere to be seen. In short, the result of this trip to see CAA's partners was very dissatisfactory. It seemed that he was not a valued customer at all, but rather just a make-up.
Among his three agents, Rick Niceta was busy writing with a pencil and busy with his own affairs. Paula was focused on Tom Cruise. The only one who valued him, Richard Lovett, had the lowest position.
I didn't even get a chance to speak at the meeting.
The reality is depressing, and Ronald also understands his position on the ladder of CAA's client pyramid - the bottom. He found an opportunity to interject during the break of Meyer's routine speech:
"Mr. Meyer, thank you and Mr. Ovitz for taking the time to interview me. It gave me a 'deep' understanding of CAA's business scope and client list. You are both very busy. Things on my script will not be dealt with in the future."
Just contact Chad."
"Okay," Meyer smiled, "As usual, Michael will take a photo with the client he meets for the first time. Mary, go and ask him about his next arrangements."
Freed from the task-oriented explanation work, Meyer started working on the spot in the conference room. He took out his work diary, picked up the phone and dialed his secretary, asking her to bring her schedule book and come over to arrange time.
.
When Ovitz is done, he can come over and take a group photo and then go back to work. The filming of Stallone's new film "Escape" encountered a strike problem. The Hungarian government was forced by ideological issues to support the American Actors Union, which also belongs to the working class.
.
The suspension of filming caused a huge financial overrun for the movie, and the main actors also include Pele, former England goalkeeper Banks, and many current professional players. If the filming is suspended for too long, a new professional league will start immediately.
Recalling them will be difficult.
Director John Huston had no choice but to go to Paris to look at the locations, hoping to find suitable locations to complete the filming with only one week left.
In fact, Hungarian government officials hope that the filming can continue, so that they can also earn valuable US dollars in foreign exchange. They can take advantage of this to get the endorsement of the Hungarian Ministry of Culture and apply for a special exemption from the labor union, allowing them to complete the remaining week of filming.
Ron Meyer began to prepare the next work plan.
The door was suddenly pushed open, and CEO Michael Ovitz rushed in quickly.
"OK, you and Jane Fonda and her producer Bruce Gilbert will discuss the script together at 10:30 tomorrow." He pointed at Ronald and said loudly.
Ronald was extremely surprised. He raised his wrist and looked at his watch, "Are you kidding me? In just 10 minutes, you arranged for Jane Fonda to come see me?"
Ron Meyer and Rick Niceta both laughed.
Naturally, they are all familiar with Ovitz's ability to close deals quickly. They often see Ronald's reaction from clients who are working with CAA for the first time. The industry's established brokerage companies, WMA and ICM
They are too old and inefficient. Many agents actually work from nine to five.
Ronald misunderstood the meaning of their laughter and said seriously:
"You have a great sense of humor, Mr. Ovitz. You can make jokes, but please don't make such jokes to me in the future. I am a young man and I will take it seriously. If I don't arrange a meeting later, I will think that you CAA are lying.
"
Ronald was disgusted with this tactic commonly used by Allen Parker. He used a joking tone to talk about serious matters. If he succeeded, it would be his own credit. If he failed, it would be because he didn't have a sense of humor.
Ovitz was about to walk out of the conference room again and continue to contact the studio to discuss "My Brother's Keeper". When he heard this, he stopped in the door, turned to Ronald, and slowly