I am Hollywood

[Chapter 853: Why Are You All Looking at Me Like That?]

In the two weeks that followed, Eric spent most of his time in frequent meetings with the Marvel management team. During this period, Jeffrey Katzenberg also personally rushed to New York to attend several important meetings.

After a series of discussions, the company preliminarily established the basic structure and development plan for Marvel Studios. Marvel would operate independently outside of Firefly Group's film production framework and, alongside the future Marvel Television Production division, would be responsible for developing all superhero film projects under Marvel Entertainment. Meanwhile, Eric would personally oversee the production of all Marvel adaptation films in Phase One, ensuring the smooth implementation of the plans.

In terms of filmmaking, Marvel Studios intended to emulate the standardized industrial processes of Hollywood's major studio era. All production staff, including producers, directors, and actors, had to conform to Marvel's overall style and vision. To manage costs effectively and ensure the sustainability of the comic book serialized film development plan, all core characters in films under Marvel Studios were required to sign long-term packaging contracts.

Additionally, Eric also decided to abandon the aggressive strategy of developing a full lineup of Marvel movies all at once. The initial cinematic universe plan had only confirmed the Avengers story arc for the time being. For projects like the X-Men and Fantastic Four, Eric decided to wait until the Avengers initiative was successfully implemented and Marvel films gained substantial influence before launching productions for other series.

Historically, it was indeed the great success of the Avengers initiative that fully activated all Marvel IPs, leading Marvel's entire superhero brand into a golden age. Before that, aside from Sony's Spider-Man, other Marvel adaptations had not been commercially successful. Particularly the X-Men series, which Eric believed was mishandled by Fox. Character development was unfocused, timelines were jumbled, and most sequels merely broke even at the box office.

Marvel was a vast goldmine that Firefly could not completely exhaust; Eric intended to collaborate with other studios. However, this was all contingent upon Marvel Studios retaining sufficient control over project development and a greater share of profits.

Even if Firefly maintained close relationships with Fox and MGM, if they could not demonstrate the massive potential of Marvel superheroes, collaboration would not be smooth. Thus, the success or failure of the Avengers became the key determinant for the entire Marvel cinematic universe's development plans.

Firefly had already signed James Cameron to direct Spider-Man. Due to the massive success of Titanic, utilizing Cameron felt somewhat contradictory to Marvel Studios' freshly established production principles. However, that was not the case; Cameron was a technically-focused commercial director who emphasized visual storytelling rather than artistic merit. The intention behind Marvel films similarly relied on superhero IPs and special effects to create blockbuster films, aligning their visions almost perfectly.

Of course, employing Cameron would likely obliterate any chance of cost control for Spider-Man, but the potential profits from Cameron's direction could make that acceptable. Nonetheless, the downside was evident: people would undoubtedly attribute the film's success to Cameron's involvement.

To prove the commercial potential of Marvel superheroes, Marvel Studios had to simultaneously produce a standard Marvel superhero movie while shooting Spider-Man.

...

As for which superhero to choose, Eric felt no hesitation.

"Tony Stark is a very unconventional superhero. He's egotistical, arrogant, and a bit crazy. At the same time, he has multiple identities: a genius, an inventor, a billionaire, and a playboy. He's a highly versatile character; if handled well, he will surely be incredibly charismatic on the big screen."

In the Marvel headquarters meeting, Eric wrapped up his points, leaving his notes and looking at everyone. He continued, "Moreover, Iron Man is a second-tier hero. If the film succeeds, that would undoubtedly demonstrate the remarkable value of Marvel's superhero characters. I'm highly confident about this project. Even if, by chance, it does fail, the overall impact on the Marvel cinematic universe would be minimal. We still have plenty of first-tier characters we can explore..."

As he said this, Eric sensed that everyone was looking at him with odd expressions, especially Stan Lee, who squinted and smiled in a rather lecherous manner.

Unconsciously touching his cheek, Eric puzzled, "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Everyone wore bemused smiles, and Stan Lee spoke up, "Eric, according to the Marvel cinematic universe's timeline, Tony Stark was born in 1969."

In the original comics, Tony Stark was born in the 1940s. Based on the movie timeline roughly aligning with reality, he should now be in his fifties. That wasn't going to work, meaning they had to reestablish his age. The new version of Iron Man would, therefore, be significantly younger than Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal in the previous timeline. With the planned release date around the year 2000, the new Tony Stark would be about 30 years old, undoubtedly one of the most charming stages of a man's life.

Eric nodded in confusion, having read Marvel's proposed cinematic universe plan many times and provided insight from memory.

Seeing Eric nod, Stan Lee continued, "So, Eric, you were born in 1970, just a few months off, right?"

Suddenly, Eric grasped Stan Lee's intention and shook his head without hesitation. "Stan, don't even think about it."

Stan Lee, however, was unwilling to give up easily. "Eric, don't be so quick to refuse. Everyone knows my inspiration for Tony Stark came from Howard Hughes. You're practically identical to him -- no, you're even better! So why not give this character a shot? It's practically tailor-made for you."

"Forget it, Stan. I'm currently earning $60,000 a minute. I can't even afford myself, let alone you guys," Eric replied.

"See? Egotistical, arrogant, and a bit crazy," Stan Lee continued to laugh mischievously, like a wolf stalking its prey. "So, Eric, you are Tony Stark. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been the first to choose this superhero to make a film about."

"How about this," Eric, not wanting to entertain Stan's ramblings, closed the folder in front of him. "In the future promotions, you can use the title 'Eric Williams once intended to personally portray Iron Man, but faced strong opposition from Stan Lee' as a gimmick. Everything else is irrelevant."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Stan Lee found it both amusing and frustrating. "Eric, you're flip-flopping here."

"Of course, I'm turning things inside out. Who'd be interested in regular news? It's settled then. I'll return to Los Angeles next week to begin pre-production on the film. I'll give you all a month to come up with the first draft of the script. That's it, meeting adjourned."

With Eric's authoritative decision, everyone knew their secret discussions about the matter had come to an end. The once hopeful participants let out disappointed sighs as they gradually exited the conference room.

Eric wasn't entirely uninterested in playing Iron Man, but he knew that if he took that on, the superhero film would surely be seen as a personal project in the audience's eyes. This would be detrimental to the overall planning of the Avengers initiative.

...

After comforting the visibly disappointed Stan Lee, Eric stayed at Marvel headquarters until closing time before leaving the office alongside Avi Arad.

When they arrived at the underground parking lot of the office building, Eric instantly spotted a flashy red Maserati parked next to his ride, with Cindy Crawford leaning against it, smiling and waving at him. Perhaps refreshed from a recent surge in her career, the thirty-year-old supermodel seemed more radiant than ever.

Avi Arad glanced at Cindy Crawford with envy and instinctively took his leave.

Eric approached, gently touching the Maserati's hood. "Nice car."

Cindy, clad in a fitted black coat and knee-high boots, with a light scarf around her fair neck, subtly struck a pose and asked, "What about the other one?"

"Prettier," Eric chuckled as he hugged Cindy. He didn't get into his black Bentley but hopped into the Maserati's passenger seat instead.

Cindy intended to ride in Eric's car but, upon seeing him in hers, opted to take the driver's seat instead. Starting the engine, she noticed Eric comfortably lounging in the passenger seat and playfully suggested, "Why don't you drive?"

Eric laughed, "I'd be better off in a Hummer, the military kind."

"Why is that?"

"That way, if I crash into something, I'd be at an advantage."

"Ha ha," Cindy chuckled, realizing Eric was likely out of practice driving himself. She didn't bring it up again and slowly pulled the car out of the parking lot. "I've made reservations at Jean-Georges. Shall we go eat?"

Eric nodded, "Alright, I'll go along with your plans for the evening."

Cindy somewhat pouted, "You say that, but getting you to agree was tough; I waited two weeks."

While in New York, Eric inevitably received numerous party invitations from various local figures. Most he could turn down, but some he couldn't postpone. For these past few days, he had been socializing practically every night. Only with his imminent departure did he find free time.

Listening to Cindy's mildly sulky tone, Eric joked, "You're so eager to go out with me. Don't tell me you still don't have a new boyfriend? That's just not your style."

Cindy turned to glance at him as she steered. "Don't you want me to stay single?"

"I actually hope you get married; that would be more exhilarating."

"Pfft, you awful man," Cindy shot him a look and then said, "I tried dating someone recently, but found it too dull, so I broke it off at the end of last year."

"Ah, looks like your standards have risen," Eric teased with a laugh.

In his memory, Cindy had already passed the peak of her modeling career. During that period, she made a film called Fair Game in Hollywood, which didn't create much buzz, prompting her to settle down and marry a nightclub owner in New York. Compared to most supermodels who struggled to find stability until their fame dwindled, Cindy could be considered a real-life winner.

But now, with Eric's presence, Cindy's life trajectory had completely deviated from its previous course. As a Victoria's Secret Angel and the producer and host of America's Next Top Model, she had revitalized her career. Her annual income rivaled that of top Hollywood actresses, perhaps even surpassing them, and fittingly, her mindset would no longer allow her to settle down easily.

...

The two arrived at Jean-Georges on Fifth Avenue, ordered their meals, and casually caught up on life.

Once the waiter delivered their dishes and stepped away, Cindy casually remarked, "I recently bought a Fireflyer. My assistant got it from the black market for $400. Who would have thought your little invention would end up as contraband?"

This was the first Eric had heard of such a thing. He laughed, "You should've told me; I'd have sent you a few."

"I wouldn't dare trouble you for something so trivial," Cindy replied, smiling. "I read yesterday that Firefly Electronics got sued?"

"Yeah, Chris has already flown to San Francisco to handle it. It's not a big issue."

"I thought so too," Cindy nodded. "I read that article. It said that the record companies received profits from Yahoo Music Store similar to those from physical records. Moreover, because of the convenience of online sales, if internet music stores become popular, those companies could earn a lot more. Why are they so reactive then?"

"That's just the surface," Eric, unsure why Cindy showed interest in these things, explained, "The global annual revenue for the pure music industry doesn't even surpass $20 billion. That's why the major record labels are primarily under large conglomerates. The market size is limited; they can't grow much larger. However, the market for music players is much bigger. It also involves patent monopoly issues. Traditional portable player patents are mainly held by Japanese companies. A complete player patent licensing cost typically doesn't fall below 5% of the overall player price. From this alone, Japanese firms earn over a billion dollars every year. The emergence of the Fireflyer thoroughly disrupted the traditional portable music player patent monopoly, and once the Fireflyer becomes popular, devices like the Walkman will become obsolete. The patents worth tens of billions to Japanese companies will become worthless, which is why they are reacting so strongly."

*****

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