Hollywood Director 1992

Gong Li said with a smile, "He's not some young master. The newspapers say he was originally an orphan, adopted by an American couple, taken from Shu Du to America. Before he was 16, his adoptive parents divorced, and his adoptive mother passed away. He became an orphan again.

But he's a genius, very smart. He spent two years as a movie extra, not only learning how to act, but also learning how to make movies. His first film, 'Buried,' was written, directed, acted in, self-funded, and self-distributed, earning over 70 million dollars worldwide on a budget of less than 20,000 dollars.

His second film, 'Paranormal Activity,' grossed 638 million dollars worldwide. His third, 'The Blair Witch Project,' had a production cost of 20,000 dollars and grossed 320 million dollars worldwide. His fourth film, 'Final Destination,' which was released last October, currently has a global box office of nearly 400 million dollars."

Zhang Fengyi couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement upon hearing Gong Li's introduction. 'Tsk, tsk! Is this for real?' 'Tsk, tsk, so amazing?' 'Tsk, tsk, every movie is a blockbuster?'

"Also, he's an author. Have you read 'Interstellar'? If not, I suggest you buy a copy. It was released at the end of '92 and sold over 18 million copies worldwide last year. Many famous authors recommend it.

He's also very good at investing in movies. Last year's hits like 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,' 'The Wedding Banquet,' 'The Joy Luck Club,' etc., were all invested in and filmed by his company. At the beginning of last year, his net worth was 400 million dollars. This year, it should at least double. His net worth is almost tens of billions in Hong Kong dollars."

Gong Li seemed very familiar with Link's experiences, recounting them as if they were her own.

'Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk!'

Zhang Fengyi was so shocked that he became numb, his mouth involuntarily opening and closing.

Leslie Cheung continued, "Last year, Mr. Lin bet with CAA's boss, Michael Ovitz, on which movie would have a higher box office, 'Final Destination' or Tom Cruise's 'The Firm,' each wagering 72 million dollars."

"72 million dollars? 72 million on one side, that's over 140 million on both sides! That's nearly a billion RMB! Such a big bet? My god!" Zhang Fengyi woke up from his numbness. "Who won in the end?"

"Link won!"

Leslie Cheung smiled and said, "Even though Michael Ovitz tried everything to boost the box office of 'The Firm,' spending a lot of money to suppress 'Final Destination,' Link still won in the end. Now do you understand why those people respect Link?"

Zhang Fengyi nodded, indicating he understood. Link had a massive net worth, talent, skills, and influence, making him a big shot in Hollywood.

It's normal for those celebrities to respect him.

"But Link just came over to discuss cooperation, and Director Shu and the others didn't seem too enthusiastic. Did I see it wrong?" Zhang Fengyi glanced at Shu Qi, the overseas distributor of 'Farewell My Concubine'.

Shu Qi shook her head and said with a wry smile, "It's not that they're not too enthusiastic; it's that they don't dare."

"Don't dare?" Zhang Fengyi was surprised and puzzled.

Shu Qi said, "You just heard it too. Link bet with Michael Ovitz and others and won. Michael Ovitz is the boss of CAA, the number one person on Hollywood's power list. In Hollywood, he can be said to have the power to control everything. Even the presidents of the seven major film companies have to give him some face, but Link has a bad relationship with him.

Also, guess that the film industry is rising extremely fast. Last year's total box office revenue will probably exceed several of the seven major film companies, which will inevitably arouse the hostility of the seven major film companies.

Cooperating with him is equivalent to standing on the opposite side of CAA and the seven major film companies, and will also be targeted by both forces. The pressure is too great, so it's better not to get involved. Among the filmmakers present, it's not just me; others actually don't want to get involved either. With our small stature, we can't participate in the commercial war between these major forces."

After listening to the explanation, Zhang Fengyi gradually understood, "So, Link's development in Hollywood is not easy either. He could be squeezed out if he's not careful?"

Chen Kaige said, "This is normal. Hollywood is the territory of Europeans and Americans. Link is a Chinese, let alone that his career is so big and he's earned so much money. This is moving other people's cheese."

Shu Qi nodded, "That's indeed the case."

"It's not easy for Chinese people to do business on foreign soil. I hope he can persevere."

Zhang Fengyi said, looking at Link's figure.

Gong Li looked at Link and blinked.

After the Golden Globe Awards, Link returned to the company to edit 'Se7en,' preparing to have it edited before March, and then began preparing for his new film, 'The Butterfly Effect'.

While editing the film, two major news events occurred in the entertainment industry. Robert Downey Jr.'s hit-and-run case involving Richard Gere was sentenced. The court sentenced Robert Downey Jr. to 10 years in prison for intentional injury.

Immediately afterwards, 'The Hollywood Reporter' broke a big news story: Dustin Hoffman seduced someone's wife and was caught by the husband, who beat him up in a bar. Many paparazzi reporters photographed the incident, and CAA was unable to handle the public relations in time.

Dustin Hoffman had no choice but to publicly apologize and announce his temporary retirement from the film industry.

These matters originally had little to do with Link, but after Dustin Hoffman had an accident, many people believed that he had paid the media to expose the scandal, with the aim of retaliating against everyone in Robert Downey Jr.'s group and completely eradicating them.

It was also at this time that a lot of negative news about him suddenly appeared in the media.

'American Entertainment Weekly' listed six sins for him: First, he is a garbage film director. Whether it's 'Buried' or 'Final Destination,' they are all garbage films, lacking depth and artistry. His blockbuster movies seriously disrupt the film market, with bad money driving out good, causing many good films to not make money.

Second, he is a demon. He bankrupted Robert Downey Jr., Kiefer Sutherland, David Duchovny, and others, seriously injured Richard Gere, and caused Dustin Hoffman's reputation to be ruined. He is extremely ruthless to every enemy, and may take action against Tom Cruise, Michael Ovitz, and others next.

Third, he is a playboy. Some media claim that after becoming rich, he became extravagant and promiscuous, owning more than a dozen properties and having affairs with more than fifty actresses.

Fourth, he is an ominous director, and his films are equally ominous.

Starting with 'Paranormal Activity,' every film has caused accidental deaths among viewers. 'Final Destination' even caused two plane crashes and led to the bankruptcy of Robert Downey Jr. and others, and Richard Gere's severe injuries. His films should be banned from screening.

There are also the fifth and sixth, saying that he has unspoken rules with young actresses such as Liv Tyler and Angelina Jolie in the crew, and has developed super-friendship relationships with many male actors.

These tabloid news stories are very unscrupulous and have a very high degree of dissemination, which makes him have to pay attention to them.

"Have you found out who is spreading the rumors?"

There are no mistakes in the first and foremost content!

In the company's coffee room, Link was drinking coffee and reading the day's newspaper.

There wasn't much negative news about him in the major newspapers, but there was more in the tabloids and magazines. The issuers of small newspapers and magazines are mostly shell companies with short lifecycles, making it impossible for the legal department to find targets to sue.

In addition, spreading rumors requires money, and spreading rumors on a large scale requires even more money.

After Robert Downey Jr., Richard Gere, and others went bankrupt and were injured, there were not many people with the strength to spread rumors about him.

Who will be the opponent this time?

Jon Gordon said, "Boss, according to our investigation, these small newspapers and magazines have cooperated with many entertainment companies, including CAA, WMA, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Miramax Films, Castle Rock Entertainment, New Line Cinema, etc., sometimes helping to promote movies, sometimes touting a certain actor, and creating scandals for actors. It is still under investigation which aspect of this action against you is specifically targeting you, and it is not possible to give an accurate conclusion at this time."

Link frowned. This situation sounded indeed very complicated.

"Link, I suggest you start with the opponent's purpose. If they want to smear you, they must have a purpose. Is it to attack your personal image, attack your movies, or suppress Guess Pictures? First clarify this point, and the investigation will be simpler."

Agent Sam Haskell said.

Link nodded.

In the past two years, he has been in the limelight in Hollywood, earning a lot of money and offending many people.

Including Robert Downey Jr., Richard Gere, Tom Cruise, and even specific individuals like Michael Ovitz.

There are also the seven major film companies, CAA agency, entertainment capital, etc.

Who is going to be at odds with him this time still needs more investigation.

"Then continue the investigation. It doesn't matter if you can't find out. I'm a director, and a slightly worse reputation won't have much impact."

"Boss, you can't underestimate these rumors. Recently, the rumors have been very targeted and have a wide range of dissemination. Long-term dissemination will be very detrimental to your personal image. I suggest that after you finish editing the film, take some time to accept media interviews, use mainstream media publicity to restore your reputation, and by the way, you can also promote the new movie."

Public Relations Director Liu Xiaoli suggested.

Link thought for a while and accepted the suggestion.