Regarding the Marilyn Monroe project, Dunn approved it. It wasn't feasible at the moment, but in the future, when the opportunity arose, they could consider shooting it.
Manola Dajis was very excited. She felt she had found a boss who shared her vision. "There's another one called *Girl, Interrupted*, written by Susanna Kaysen. It's her autobiography and has great potential for adaptation."
Andrew O'Hare nodded in agreement. "This is a female-centric story. If a strong, charismatic actress is cast, the box office should be profitable."
For the first time, the two analysts agreed, and Dunn immediately smiled. "Great! Let's acquire the rights to this one!"
Manola Dajis was thrilled. "Next, there are works by two famous authors, Annie Proulx and Stephen King."
Dunn was a bit embarrassed—he hadn't heard of either of them!
"Annie Proulx's novel *The Shipping News* won the 1993 National Book Award and the 1994 Pulitzer Prize. It has excellent adaptation potential..."
Before she could finish, Dunn frowned and interrupted, "With such accolades, the rights must have been bought already, right?"
Manola Dajis gave a sheepish smile. "That's true. Columbia Pictures acquired the film rights two years ago, but I was referring to her other work, a short story published in *The New York Times* this year. It's expected to be released as a collection next year."
"Oh?"
Dunn was a little surprised. Getting published in *The New York Times* was no small feat. Who exactly was this Annie Proulx? She seemed quite impressive.
"The title of the story is *Brokeback Mountain*."
"Pfft!"
Dunn, who was drinking coffee, nearly spit it out!
"Boss!"
Andrew and Manola exclaimed in unison, "Boss, are you okay?"
Dunn quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe his pants, looking a bit embarrassed but also amused. "I'm fine, just accidentally choked. Hmm... I think that since Annie Proulx is such a renowned author, her work must be exceptional. So, we must secure the rights to *Brokeback Mountain*!"
Manola Dajis smiled, "With your approval, boss, I feel much better. Now, let's discuss Stephen King's work. Last year, he wrote a book called *The Green Mile*. It's incredibly intriguing."
Andrew O'Hare scoffed, "Stephen King's work? Ever since *The Shawshank Redemption* flopped, I haven't had much faith in him."
Dunn gave a half-smile, "Andrew, market analysis can't rely on gut feelings."
Andrew O'Hare chuckled awkwardly.
Manola Dajis gave Andrew O'Hare a triumphant look, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh, and Stephen King has a particularly classic fantasy work called *The Dark Tower*! I think it would be a huge box office hit if adapted into a film!"
Dunn was naturally skeptical—how could someone who focused on artistic research also be good at market analysis?
Andrew O'Hare's expression grew serious. "There are four volumes of *The Dark Tower* published so far. I've read them all, and they're excellent. But... I don't think it would work as a movie adaptation."
"Why?" Manola asked, wide-eyed.
Andrew slowly explained, "The style of this work is problematic. A commercial blockbuster must align with mainstream values. *The Dark Tower* has a cult-like style with a small audience, and its use of anti-logical elements would likely confuse most viewers. Commercial films... should be mindlessly entertaining."
Dunn blinked, a thought occurring to him. "What if it was adapted into a TV series?"
The vast scope of American television, shocking the world with its boldness, could actually benefit from a touch of cult style, making it even more popular.
"It... it might work," Andrew stammered, taken aback. "Boss, you want to produce a TV series? Aren't we a film company?"
Dunn laughed, "Let's acquire the rights first. The company has to grow, after all."
Manola Dajis added meaningfully, "Boss, Stephen King is America's most famous popular author. His rights won't come cheap."
"Uh..."
Dunn was momentarily speechless.
After investing in stocks and films, Dunn had only $5 million left, which he needed to keep the company running. Spending millions on a single set of rights was indeed out of the question.
"$4 million at most—that's my limit right now," Dunn said after a moment of thought. "As for which rights to purchase first and which to delay, that's up to you, Manola. You and George handle this."
"$4 million?" Manola Dajis was delighted. With such a large check, she could secure the rights to everything except Stephen King's works.
"Anything else?" Dunn asked. Although Manola was nearly making him "spend his last dollar," hearing so many familiar titles made him quite excited.
Indeed, with a "literary aesthetic" rating of 98, she truly had an impeccable eye!
Although these films may not have all won Oscars, they are still classic films recorded in the history of cinema.
Dunn suddenly realized that he was about to achieve great success. With Manola Dajis and the soon-to-be-formed Art Analysis Department, it seemed that half of the Oscars' future could belong to Dunn Pictures.
He wondered what surprises and profits Andrew O'Hare and the future Market Analysis Department would bring him.
"There's one last book," Manola Dajis said, looking a bit nervous, worried that Dunn might think she was trying to benefit a friend. "It's written by a good friend of mine. She's already arranged with the publisher for it to be released next April."
Dunn smiled, "It's okay, Manola, go ahead."
"Her name is Sylvia Nasar. She was a classmate of mine when I was studying avant-garde cinema. She was commissioned by John Nash to write his biography."
As Manola spoke, a name suddenly popped into Dunn's head, causing his breath to quicken. "John Nash? Do you mean the economist who developed the 'Game Theory'?"
Manola's eyes lit up, "Boss, you know him? Yes, he's very famous and won the Nobel Prize three years ago. Sylvia Nasar started working on his biography around that time."
Dunn took a deep breath, "What's the title of the book?"
"A Beautiful Mind."
"Just as I thought!"
Dunn secretly clenched his fist in excitement.
Seeing that Manola Dajis had gained significant favor with the boss, Andrew O'Hare, feeling a bit competitive, suddenly spoke up, "Boss, in that case, I have two recommendations as well!"
"Oh? Go ahead!"
Dunn was overjoyed.
Talent! Everyone here is so talented!
"The first is *The Chronicles of Narnia*, written by British author C.S. Lewis. It's considered the greatest fantasy work since *The Lord of the Rings*," Andrew O'Hare said, having not prepared beforehand but speaking confidently due to his familiarity with the work.
Dunn raised an eyebrow. When he had acquired the rights to *Harry Potter*, he had heard of this masterpiece. "But... such a famous work, are the rights still available?"
Andrew O'Hare hesitated. "This work is far more fantastical than *The Lord of the Rings*, making it difficult to adapt. The special effects required are immense, so no film company has dared to tackle it. However, with the rapid development of special effects technology, I believe there will be a chance to bring it to the big screen within ten years."
Dunn frowned slightly.
He had seen the movie adaptations in his previous life. The first film was decent, but the sequels... were financial disasters!
Would it be worthwhile to buy the rights?
Seeing the hopeful look on Andrew O'Hare's face, Dunn didn't want to crush his enthusiasm, so he smiled and said, "Alright, go ahead and handle it. What's the other work?"
Thanks to his experience from his previous life, Dunn had already decided that even if he acquired the film rights to *The Chronicles of Narnia*, he would only make one movie and would not continue with a sequel!
"The other work isn't very well-known. It was just published last year and didn't make it onto any bestseller lists. I noticed it only because I'm a fan of fantasy."
"What's the title?"
"*A Song of Ice and Fire*."
"Pfft!"
Dunn nearly spat out his coffee again.
Good heavens!
*The winds of change, the world is mine!*