Dunn 's expression didn't go unnoticed by Bryan Lord, who smiled and said, "It's no big deal. Sony's $3.4 billion acquisition of Columbia Pictures and Panasonic's $6.6 billion acquisition of Universal Pictures were all handled by AA."
Dunn took a deep breath. "Then acquiring a small company like Marvel Entertainment should be easy, right?"
Bryan Lord's tone was calm, but it carried an undeniable confidence. "Of course!"
Dunn swirled the orange liquid in his glass. "I'm looking forward to working with AA."
Bryan Lord's expression finally showed a subtle change, and his smile grew broader. "Given AA's mistake this time, we're willing to offer you our services for free until the acquisition of Marvel Entertainment is complete."
Dunn raised his glass high. "Thank you very much."
Bill McNick let out a sigh of relief and laughed heartily. The three of them clinked glasses in celebration.
The next steps would involve internal decision-making between Dunn and Bryan Lord, likely involving some shady dealings. Bill McNick made an excuse and left.
Dunn seemed a bit anxious. "Bryan, what should we do next?"
Bryan Lord made a downward gesture with his hand. "The reason Marvel Entertainment is being so tough right now and not giving you a chance to negotiate is that they still have high hopes for Marvel's superheroes and see great potential in Marvel Studios."
Dunn 's eyes narrowed. "So... we need to crush those hopes!"
"Exactly."
Bryan Lord admired Dunn 's decisiveness and keen insight, finding it hard to believe he was just a young man under twenty. "Right now, all of Marvel Entertainment's focus is on one big movie. Everything else is secondary."
"Oh? Which movie?" Dunn seemed to understand what Bryan Lord was getting at.
Bryan Lord nodded. "New Line Cinema's *Blade*."
Dunn didn't have a strong impression of the movie but knew that *Blade* had spawned several sequels, indicating that its box office and reception were likely good—at least it hadn't lost money.
Bryan Lord pulled out a file from his bag, showing his meticulousness and dedication to his work. "This movie has already been officially greenlit and will start filming on September 1st with a budget of around $45 million. Marvel Entertainment's Avi Arad and Chief Creative Officer Stan Lee are producing it."
Dunn frowned slightly. The fact that Marvel's top executives were personally producing the film showed how important and hopeful they were about it.
Bryan Lord paused before continuing. "The most crucial part is that they've brought in Hollywood's top screenwriter, David Goyer. As long as director Stephen Norrington doesn't mess it up, the movie should have a decent reputation."
Dunn clenched his fist. "We must stop this!"
Bryan Lord smiled. "Of course, leave it to me. Creating some trouble for their movie won't be difficult."
Dunn nodded, his expression turning cold. "Since the movie is about to start filming, changing the script is impossible, but we can create difficulties in other areas and increase their production costs."
Bryan Lord waved his hand. "No need to say more. Trust AA's capabilities. But if you want to deliver a fatal blow to this movie, it's best to have a backup plan."
Dunn waved his hand and smirked. "Since they're so confident in *Blade*, let's challenge them head-on. I'll prepare a movie to go head-to-head with them!"
This idea aligned perfectly with Bryan Lord's thinking. "I have a few scripts on hand. How about..."
"No need," Dunn interrupted. He wasn't one of AA's artists and didn't need to complicate things by accepting favors. "I've just established Dunn Pictures. It's time to release our first movie."
Bryan Lord shook his head. "It won't be easy to secure funding..."
Dunn smiled. "I'll fund it myself!"
"Hmm?" Bryan Lord's expression changed, looking at him in surprise.
Investing your own money in a movie? That's not how things usually work in Hollywood!
Dunn saw Bryan Lord's confusion and felt a surge of pride. "How about it? Even the famous top agent can't figure out my strategy, can you?"
"Bryan, I trust my abilities just as you trust AA's."
Dunn 's words made Bryan Lord laugh. He stood up and shook hands with him. "Alright, then. We'll act separately and hope for a successful collaboration."
"Of course. I also hope our sincere cooperation will put past misunderstandings to rest."
Dunn 's face was sharp, and his gaze was intense.
...
After his experience filming *Titanic* and the learning he had done recently, Dunn was no longer clueless about producing and directing. Through his sunglasses, he could clearly check the professional attributes of "Dunn Walker."
Among the five major attributes of a director: Cinematography 15, Plot Design 9, Visual Thinking 13, Direction 21, Cinematography 7. Among the sub-attributes: Special Effects 3, Animation 0, Color 8, Art Design 11, Storyboarding 10, Dialogue 8...
Among the five major attributes of a producer: Production 1, Market Judgment 52, Artistic Appreciation 47, Project Evaluation 8, Screenwriting 14. Among the sub-attributes: Casting 33, Scene Control 62, Marketing 57, Rhythm 3, Public Relations 39...
These stats surprised Dunn , especially the "Market Judgment" and "Artistic Appreciation" under the producer category. This must have come from his previous life's extensive movie-watching experience.
Now, Dunn needed to find a new project to compete with *Blade*, and his biggest asset was definitely the system in his sunglasses.
But before setting up the project, he needed to assemble an exclusive team...
Given Dunn 's current influence and reputation, he could easily put together an excellent team with the help of an agency. However, Dunn wanted this team to be loyal, reliable, and highly capable.
For talent selection, he would rely on the system in his sunglasses.
He clicked on the "Screenwriter" category, filtered out deceased or retired candidates, and sorted by value, from highest to lowest.
Wearing his sunglasses, Dunn reached out and made gestures in the air in front of him, looking rather comical.
Before long, he had finished selecting candidates, and Dunn was startled. There were way too many screenwriters in Hollywood—over 6,000 pages, more than 60,000 people!
Among them, there were only seven screenwriters with a score of 90 or higher in screenwriting ability. The highest-ranked was someone named Deacon Whistler, with a screenwriting ability of 99!
Dunn was intrigued and opened Deacon Whistler's file, discovering that he was currently an outsider in Hollywood, only registered with the Writers Guild, and his current job was as a librarian at the University of California.
However, his other abilities were quite poor: Production 0, Market Analysis 32, Artistic Appreciation 58... He had no potential to be a producer.
In Hollywood, the number of registered screenwriters was enormous, with most struggling just to make ends meet, primarily due to a lack of skills.
To make it in Hollywood, if you don't have connections, you need strong all-around abilities—directing, producing, or acting skills. Only such screenwriters can truly break into Hollywood.
For the same script, film companies would definitely choose the screenwriter with stronger overall skills!
But Dunn didn't need that.
Specialization is key; doing one's primary job well is enough.
Film companies find it difficult to distinguish which of the two screenwriters is better at storytelling, so they opt for the one with stronger overall abilities. But Dunn was different; he had his sunglasses, which allowed him to easily identify the better storyteller!
Since it's all about writing stories, strong storytelling ability is all that's needed. Who needs directing or producing skills?
This was the biggest advantage the sunglasses system gave Dunn —the ability to discover talent and recognize hidden gems!
Take someone like Deacon Whistler, a screenwriting genius whose poor overall abilities doomed him to obscurity, but Dunn could dig him out of the dirt.
A sense of pride spread throughout Dunn 's body.
At the 95-point mark for screenwriting ability, Dunn found another guy named Bryce Roch, who currently worked as a junior editor for a newspaper.
The next few people were already well-known in Hollywood, like David Koepp, Steven Spielberg's go-to screenwriter, Eric Roth, who wrote *Forrest Gump* and *The Horse Whisperer*, and even famous directors like Guy Ritchie, Woody Allen, and Frank Darabont, the director of *The Shawshank Redemption*.
Dunn didn't plan to use any of these famous people. If he wanted a loyal and dedicated team, he needed to provide help when it was needed most, to find people stuck in the mud.
Finally, at the 90-point mark for screenwriting ability, Dunn found another suitable candidate—Nia Vardalos, a female screenwriter.
Like Deacon Whistler, her other attributes were terrible, though she showed some talent in acting.
Dunn decided to start by building a core team. As the company grew, he could slowly expand. For now, three screenwriters would suffice.
Next, Dunn chose to filter the "Market Judgment" category under the producer section.
This is a critical aspect of constructing a film project—analyzing whether the project or script can be well-received by moviegoers and generate box office success.
For example, *The Shawshank Redemption* had a screenplay written by Frank Darabont, who had a score of 92 in screenwriting ability, but his "Market Judgment" ability was only 56, failing to cater to audience tastes and resulting in a box office flop.
The three screenwriters Dunn selected all had top-notch screenwriting abilities but poor market judgment.
But that's okay—specialization is key. Dunn could pick a few people with strong "Market Judgment" skills to offer advice and improve the analysis.
Soon, Dunn found someone—Andrew O'Hare. His other abilities were weak, but his market judgment was 97. Currently, he was unemployed.
"If this person is willing to join my team, he could become my chief market analyst."
Dunn grinned with satisfaction and then searched the "Artistic Appreciation" category.
In contrast to "Market Judgment," "Artistic Appreciation" pertains to the artistic quality and critical reception of a film, a key attribute for award campaigns.
Dunn found someone named "Manohla Dargis," a woman with an Artistic Appreciation score of 98. She was currently an apprentice, learning film criticism from the veteran arthouse film critic Andrew Sarris. Occasionally, she published reviews in *The Village Voice*, known for her sharp, avant-garde, and profound perspectives.
"A talent, definitely a talent! A must-have for an Oscar campaign, my chief artistic analyst!"
Dunn couldn't help but laugh out loud.
He suddenly felt a sense that all the world's talents were coming to him!
What a thrill!