"Vin Diesel's role?"
This remark reminded everyone present, including Matthew and David Ellison, who all fell into deep thought.
After a few seconds, Matthew spoke first, "The first 'Fast and Furious' was the most successful in terms of both reputation and box office. I spent some time on the 'Fast and Furious' set and know that the original absolute male lead was Paul Walker's character, Officer Brian. Vin Diesel's role was secondary. But Vin Diesel secured most of the film's investment, then altered the script and character settings, leading to the dual lead scenario."
He admitted frankly, "Vin Diesel is the core of this film. Since we plan to bring back Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster, we must address Dominic Toretto's character."
No matter what, the 'Fast and Furious' series had a certain audience base. The spread of VHS and DVD rentals in recent years further expanded the film's reach, and to discard it would be a waste.
"Let Vin Diesel's character die," David Ellison suggested, clearly not joking. "I just thought of an idea where Vin Diesel's character is killed, prompting Brian and Mia to come out of retirement to avenge Dominic Toretto."
Matthew considered it, "That sounds good."
The bald CEO noted it down, saying, "This can be included in the script."
"Scriptwriting should plan for a trilogy," Matthew reminded again.
Having obtained the rights to the series, maximizing its benefits was necessary. He was prepared for both the project's failure and success.
A few years ago, most Hollywood sequels, like 'The Fast and the Furious' 1 and 2, had no clear planning. Only after the success of the first film would sequels be considered.
Most sequels remained paper plans until production began. If one film flopped, there wouldn't be another. Film companies were cautious, only predicting the next sequel's potential box office after a huge success, deciding then how much production cost was reasonable.
Producers never innovated deliberately in sequels. The best strategy was replicating the previous film's success with a larger budget and more promotion to expand the series' influence and attract more viewers.
The true purpose of all this was to get more viewers and more box office revenue.
The 'Fast and Furious' series is a prime example. Two mid-tier actors and cars more expensive than the actors inexplicably made a hit, achieving both box office and reputation success. Universal didn't understand how it succeeded and quickly developed a sequel, doubling the investment for '2 Fast 2 Furious.' Yet, North American box office declined, but since it still made money, they cautiously increased investment for the third film, which ultimately failed in both box office and reputation.
An unexpectedly successful brand was carelessly ruined, and now Matthew and David Ellison aimed to revive it.
"Are you confident?"
On the way back to the Angel Agency, Helen Herman asked Matthew, "You're investing tens of millions of dollars; are you sure it will be profitable?"
Matthew shrugged, "Who can be a hundred percent sure?" He said slowly, "I can afford to lose."
Hearing this, Helen Herman thought for a moment, nodding lightly, "You indeed can afford to lose." She sighed, "I don't know what to say. You're very lucky."
Amanda told her that Matthew had been buying Apple stock over the years. With Apple stocks rising and the first-generation iPhone about to launch, everyone was optimistic about Apple and Steve Jobs, predicting Apple's market value to skyrocket.
The Apple stocks Matthew bought would not only preserve value but likely double his wealth.
Helen Herman curiously asked, "Did you invest so much in Apple stock? Just betting it would rise?"
"I'm not betting on Apple," Matthew lied, "I'm betting on Steve Jobs. I bet that Steve Jobs will revive Apple like in the '80s."
There's no guaranteed win in stock investments; even Warren Buffett has had failures.
He continued, "I'm very lucky... I hope this luck extends to the 'Fast and Furious' series."
"Hopefully." Helen Herman said, then fell silent for a while before suddenly asking, "Actually, I've been curious about something."
Matthew glanced at her, "Ask, we're old friends, nothing is off-limits."
Helen Herman asked directly, "Did you acquire the 'Fast and Furious' series rights because of Vin Diesel?"
"Why would you think that?" Matthew didn't hesitate.
"If you have ideas for a racing and action movie, with David Ellison's support, you could create a new series. Why cling to the 'Fast and Furious' series?" Helen Herman's instincts were sharp. "Last month at the Victoria's Secret show, I heard you had another conflict with Vin Diesel."
Unspoken was her knowledge of Matthew's vengeful nature.
Matthew certainly wouldn't admit, "You're overthinking, Helen. Vin Diesel only wanted to return to the series after New Year's. Could I foresee that? Although his intention to return did make me more determined to acquire the series."
This was partly true. Cutting off Vin Diesel's path was one reason, but his following thoughts were genuine.
"Helen, though 'Tokyo Drift' failed both critically and commercially, the trilogy still built a certain audience base. It's well-known among specific viewers. Acquiring the rights and making a fourth film is less risky."
He spoke earnestly, "Creating a brand-new movie series would increase risks manifold. You know, in recent years, non-adapted, non-sequel original commercial films rarely succeed. Very few make it big."
Helen Herman nodded slightly, "You're right. Successful original big-budget commercial films are rare lately. Even those are usually by top directors, and this series can't get top directors."
"You've become more mature, considering things more comprehensively," she said.
Matthew smiled, "People grow."
Helen Herman quickly added, "Retaliating against Vin Diesel this way is pointless. Without the 'Fast and Furious' series, he'll find other opportunities."
"You might be right," Matthew agreed, "Without 'Fast and Furious,' he may find other action films. But given the opportunity, I must act. This is just the beginning. He's also angered David, and we've agreed to dig a pit for Vin Diesel."
To Matthew's surprise, back at Angel Agency, he found an opportunity.
In Helen Herman's office, she turned on the computer and checked Yahoo Entertainment and TMZ as her assistant suggested. Both sites had reprinted Vin Diesel's attacks on Matthew and the referenced picture.
Beyond the internet, tabloids brought by the assistant were filled with gossip reports, like "Vin Diesel slams Matthew Horner as not a man."
Matthew borrowed a laptop, logged into his Facebook account created last November, and found Vin Diesel's posts. Yahoo Entertainment and TMZ's reposts confirmed Vin Diesel was cursing him.
"Ilean is on a business trip in Europe," Matthew shook his head, "We'd have known sooner otherwise."
Helen Herman sneered, "Vin Diesel is just stirring up controversy. I checked, besides working on 'Fast and Furious' and 'Riddick,' he's vying for a lead role in 'The Wheelman.' Such controversial statements help him."
Matthew nodded but stayed silent, thinking this was a good chance to set a trap.
"Helen, what if we handle it this way?" Matthew whispered to Helen Herman, who nodded while listening. After a while, she said, "Universal and Skydance plan to announce the deal soon. With David's involvement, adding a few points should be fine. Vin Diesel holds no value for Universal. You've had good collaborations with Universal and potential future ones; it shouldn't be a problem."
She smiled slightly, "A tough-guy actor should have a tough-guy persona. This makes sense. Let's wait for Ilean to return this weekend."
Just as she finished, David Ellison called about the same issue. Matthew explained his idea, and David Ellison immediately agreed to call Universal. The two companies were in a honeymoon phase.
Within a day, Universal and Skydance separately released statements announcing the deal and its details, emphasizing that Vin Diesel had secretly sabotaged the deal after learning of Matthew and David Ellison's interest, clarifying that Universal never intended to work with Vin Diesel again.
This rendered Vin Diesel's Facebook posts as nonsense.
But Matthew wanted more. He posted on Facebook for the first time, directly tagging Vin Diesel: "You want to settle this like a man? Fine! Sunday afternoon at 3 PM, in the center of Century City Mall. Let's settle this man-to-man!"
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