America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Once again, at Paramount Pictures, Martin was accompanied by Thomas, whose sole aim as an agent was to secure a substantial contract for Martin.

Bob was waiting for Martin at the studio's entrance and greeted him, "Please, this way."

Martin was going to meet with Finch.

Thomas walked alone to the producer's office to discuss the specific terms of the contract with Catherine Kennedy.

In a conference room, Martin encountered David Finch.

Soon after, Kate Blanchett also entered the conference room.

Martin greeted her casually, "Long time no see, Kate."

Blanchett's distinctively angular face was noticeable without any expression, giving off an intense coldness, "If I could, I would rather not see you at all."

Martin's smile deepened, tinged with something different, "My big brother Jack has been constantly talking about you."

Once Nicholson's name came up, Blanchett's guard broke down, "Don't bring up that bastard to me!"

Martin stopped smiling and said no more.

Blanchett, reminded of Pine Forest Film Studio and the hotel lobby where Nicholson had openly courted her, was so angry she didn't want to say anything else.

David Finch, looking at the two of them, suddenly felt a headache coming on.

A male and female lead who were openly antagonistic towards each other now had to play loving roles, which was a bit tricky.

Fortunately, Finch had been through similar situations before when doing "Fight Club", where Brad Pitt and Edward Norton were also difficult to deal with, at one point causing quite a stir.

David Finch said, "You both are mature actors. Personal issues should not affect the normal operations of the production."

Martin was the first to agree, "I have no problem on my end."

"Neither do I," Blanchett tentatively agreed, but then she added, "As long as Nicholson doesn't visit the set, everything else is negotiable."

Martin laughed, "Why can't old Jack come and see me? Ha... I'd ask that other than crew members, no Australian actors be allowed to visit."

Blanchett responded, "That's too much."

Martin's smile was sunny and radiant as he said, "Jack is nearly 70 years old, what could he possibly do at the set? Would he harm you?"

Blanchett's stony face was so irate it almost turned into a swampy mess.

David Finch raised his hand to stop the two from continuing, "Okay, put aside your personal issues and grudges during the production, alright?"

He realized that mediating was a mistake and didn't want to continue, so he simply employed his authority as a top director, "I know you are both excellent actors with professional ethics. I just hope that your performance at work lives up to the hefty salaries you command."

Martin nodded, without saying anything more.

Blanchett simply stopped talking.

"Let's end it here," David Finch dismissed them, "I'll keep you updated with any new developments."

Martin stood up and was the first to leave the conference room.

Blanchett waited for about ten seconds before she followed suit.

Martin found a place to sit down in the studio lobby, waiting for Thomas to come out.

Blanchett walked past him.

Just as shameless as Nicholson, Martin said, "Free for lunch? I'll call Jack to join us."

Blanchett quickened her pace.

Martin added, "Jack loves you!"

As these words reached her ears, Blanchett was going down the steps. Her high heel slipped slightly, and she nearly fell.

A foolish young man ascending the steps, with good intentions, reached out to support her.

Perhaps because he grabbed the wrong place in a rush, and Blanchett was already furious, she turned her head and glared, "Get out of the way!"

Shia LaBeouf quickly let go, holding up his hands as if surrendering.

The two had crossed paths while filming "Indiana Jones 5".

Blanchett patted the side of her chest, overwhelmed with fury, and generalizing angrily, "Men are no good at all."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Shia LaBeouf said, "Kate, what are you talking about?"

Blanchett didn't acknowledge him, shook her ankle, and walked away quickly.

Shia LaBeouf touched the back of his head, "Crazy woman."

As he entered, he saw Martin.

He didn't recognize Martin in makeup yesterday, but unmade-up, Shia LaBeouf still knew who he was.

Acting familiar, he walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat opposite Martin, asking, "We don't have any grudges against each other, do we?"

Martin nodded, "Strictly speaking, we don't."

Shia LaBeouf was upset, "Why did you scare me yesterday?" He pinched the corners of his mouth and pulled them upwards, "Just like this, smiling like Jack Nicholson in 'The Shining,' almost made me wet my pants."

Martin suddenly grinned, "Is that so?"

With a ping-pong sound, the chair toppled, and Shia LaBeouf sprang out like a startled rabbit.

"I have always been easily scared, don't frighten me!" He didn't look back as he walked into the studio, muttering to himself, "Everyone in this theater is not quite normal."

Shia LaBeouf talked to himself: "The director is a depressive and dark schizophrenic, the actress has paranoid delusions, and the lead actor is a terrifying pervert. Thankfully, I'm comparatively normal, raising the average normalcy of the cast."

This young actor also had an inexplicable confidence.

After waiting a while, Thomas came over from the producer's office, and both he and Martin left together, getting into the Cadillac Bruce had driven over.

"We've only made initial contact today," Thomas said, discussing the details of the first negotiation, "We only discussed the compensation."

Martin tapped the front seat, signaling Bruce to drive back to the company.

Thomas continued, "The team proposed a compensation model similar to 'The Dark Knight,' a base pay plus a share of the North American online box office revenues."

Martin asked, "What are the specific amounts and percentages?"

Thomas said, "A base pay of 5 million US Dollars, with the initial share of the North American online box office starting at 150 million Dollars, I tentatively brought it down to 100 million Dollars, but only two percent, I don't feel that's appropriate."

He looked at Martin, "If the film's North American box office can reach 200 million Dollars, I could negotiate with them using 10 million Dollars as a benchmark, but for a film of this type..."

The genre of the film alone made it difficult to reach 200 million Dollars at the North American box office. From his time in Hollywood, Martin knew all too well that, under normal circumstances, a film's commercial appeal significantly impacts its box office success more than the drawing power of its lead actors.

"What about the offline distribution?" Martin knew the film targeted the awards season.

Moreover, David Fincher's films often gross far more in offline commercial revenues than from the box office, sometimes reaching four to five times the online earnings.

Thomas said, "For now, Catherine Kennedy is unwilling to negotiate offline revenue shares with me."

After considering for a while, Martin spoke, "If they insist on paying the compensation with a base pay plus revenue sharing, I'll demand not only a share of the North American box office but also a share of the DVD and television rights revenue."

As he said this, something else occurred to him, "And include a share of the revenue from new media platforms."

Thomas said, "I'll do my best to obtain that."

However, considering that DreamWorks, Warner Bros., and Paramount were all tough negotiators, and since Martin's associates had not invested in the project, he simply stated, "Consider these as initial negotiation demands. In the end, I want a compensation of 15 million Dollars."

Thomas spoke frankly, "That can be arranged. Even if we can't negotiate directly to 15 million Dollars, we could achieve 13 million Dollars plus compensation clauses."

Martin was familiar with this type of payment. For instance, based on his current standing, he could only get around 13 million Dollars. However, when he signed the contract with the "Benjamin" crew, his film 'The Dark Knight' had not yet been released, and it was sure to premiere before "Benjamin." Should 'The Dark Knight' become a blockbuster, "Benjamin" would undoubtedly benefit from it.

Thus, he could try to sign a compensation clause with the "Benjamin" crew, stipulating that if the North American box office for 'The Dark Knight' reached a certain amount, they would pay him an additional salary.

This type of clause was now most frequently used by Will Smith.

With new contracts coming in continuously, taking on a new project would mean a loss if he turned down an appealing project, but if he accepted it, his compensation would inevitably increase with the success of his new film at the box office.

Compensation clauses perfectly solved this problem.

Not all Hollywood stars, including the big names, could use this clause.

It required actors like Martin and Will Smith who continuously had successful films and were on an upward trajectory, with a very strong box office appeal.

Martin said, "That's something we can talk about. I have a lot of confidence in 'The Dark Knight,' the film is going to have a box-office explosion."

Thomas assured that Martin would secure whatever he could get, "Then let's start with a base pay of 13 million Dollars plus a tiered compensation."

It wasn't something they could just decide to succeed in; Martin simply instructed, "Go negotiate."

While Thomas was locked in tough negotiations with Catherine Kennedy, Martin kept visiting the mental health clinic on schedule, and he also visited the nursing home several times to see the lonely elderly, giving them gifts as well.

He spent a long time each day at the nursing home, observing the way senior citizens walked, sat, spoke, and entertained themselves, continuing to prepare for his role in the film.

As the public opinion held, Martin was impeccable in terms of dedication to his work.

Hard work should be seen by others.

Through Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, Martin also attended multiple gatherings of the academy old-timers, observing their behavior in person and seeking acting advice on the spot.

This attitude of respecting the elders and being eager to learn improved Martin's reputation among the academy old-timers.

As it is with humans, when you have a good impression of someone, you tend to like everything about them.

When you have a bad impression, everything seems awkward.

Martin Davis was an example of the former, while Leonardo DiCaprio symbolized the latter.

Additionally, Ivan was always punctual in photographing Martin's persistent efforts and spreading the images through the media.

Martin also enjoyed an excellent reputation among the Los Angeles critics.

By mid-September, Thomas had successfully negotiated Martin's acting contract and, after much back-and-forth, had achieved the desired outcome.

Martin's compensation was split into two parts: the lead actor's fee was 14 million Dollars, reflecting his current market value.

Also, he signed a compensation clause stating that if the North American box office for films he starred in surpassed 250 million Dollars before the release of "Benjamin," the crew would pay an additional 2 million Dollars. If the box office exceeded 500 million Dollars, the crew would pay an additional 3 million Dollars.

Of course, the production crew also hoped that one of Martin's unreleased films would become a super box-office hit.