[Chapter 302: Independence Day]
At the same time, two movies were officially greenlit: Independence Day and Final Destination.
Independence Day was a sci-fi blockbuster with a truly super A-list production budget totaling $70 million. The film was produced by Robert, with Campos as executive producer, directed by Michael Bay, and Linton as co-producer.
Since the movie's budget exceeded $50 million, according to the agreement with Universal Pictures, Universal held at least a 30% right of first investment. Linton had notified them to see if they were interested in investing. Regardless of Universal's decision, the project would proceed as planned.
The story revolved around a massive alien mothership entering Earth's orbit, releasing over thirty smaller spacecraft into the atmosphere, hovering above major world cities, causing panic. The US President united world leaders to find a solution. Scientists and Marine Captain Steven Hill teamed up to fight for humanity's fate, thwarting the alien invasion and defending Earth.
The film featured all the hottest summer blockbuster elements: gigantic alien ships blotting out the sky, countless cities being destroyed, thrilling battles featuring the latest weapons, the President personally flying a fighter to battle, disaster-stricken family bonds, and dramatic romantic subplots.
Although critics had previously slammed this type of movie for predictable plots, cheap thrills, plot holes, and pandering to politics, no one could deny it was an absolutely thrilling film.
Ultimately, Independence Day was a colossal box office hit, sweeping North America and conquering global markets, grossing over $800 million, making it the second-highest grossing movie in history, second only to Jurassic Park.
With such a great commercial movie project, Linton naturally couldn't pass it up.
Selecting Michael Bay as director was a perfect fit; his specialty was managing large-scale scenes and spectacular explosions.
After directing The Rock, he had earned the nickname "Explosion Maniac."
Now, he was set to blow up the White House, Washington D.C., New York, and all the world's major cities, solidifying his reputation and hopefully reclaiming his previous nickname "Explosive Bay."
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Following the huge success of The Rock, Michael Bay's value soared, and he became a welcomed guest at major studios, receiving numerous project offers, with his agent reviewing at least ten scripts.
Unfortunately, none of the scripts deeply moved him.
Filming The Rock went smoothly; many issues other crews typically faced simply never occurred in his production.
Most importantly, as long as he followed the script, producers didn't interfere, and he had considerable creative freedom during post-production, except he didn't hold final cut rights. His treatment rivaled any top director's.
Upon receiving a call from Robert about a script by Linton for a super A-list production, Bay was immediately thrilled and rushed to the studio.
After reading the script, he was hooked. This was exactly his strength, and he had to take on the project.
However, he understood that with such a massive production, the financial and political complexities would be heavy, and he might not fully control the set.
His only condition was that Linton must serve as co-producer. He was confident that with Linton's presence, any problem would be manageable, allowing Bay to focus on directing.
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Afterward, Bay's agent began salary and contract negotiations with the production team.
With Bay's stellar reputation from The Rock, his agent boldly demanded $5 million plus a share of North American box office revenue, shocking Robert.
Keep in mind, this was only Bay's second feature film. No matter how successful the first one was, it was unheard of to command top-tier director pay on the sophomore effort.
Even Linton, whose first film Step Up had been a massive success, earned only $2 million directing the second film Speed, with no backend profit sharing.
Robert was certainly not going to be taken for a ride. Moreover, with Universal Pictures as a second investor, signing an unreasonable director's fee would raise red flags for Universal, causing friction between the partners.
After intense back-and-forth negotiations, the final agreement settled on a $3 million salary for Bay, without profit sharing, but including all the perks such as five-star business suites, first-class plane tickets, and an assistant's expenses -- the usual director's treatment.
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Once Universal received the script and project proposal for Independence Day, they swiftly got approvals from their project committee and board of directors, rushing a negotiation team to Linton's studio.
The top priority was to secure as large an investment stake and North American distribution share as possible.
Linton, recognizing his studio's current reliance on Universal's support to fend off rival studios' interference and pressure, generously granted Universal a 40% investment share but retained production control with Linton Films, mirroring the cooperation from Speed.
Universal also obtained 50% of the North American distribution rights, meaning the North American release of Independence Day would be jointly handled by the two companies, sharing profits and responsibilities equally.
Once the deal was reached, both parties quickly established the Independence Day studio, deposited their funds into the studio's account, and hired Firefighter's Fund Insurance Company as a third-party surety to guarantee film completion.
The movie officially entered the preparation phase.
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Final Destination was simpler: an Eastern-styled fatalistic horror film.
It told the story of high school student Alex, who had precognitive abilities and led a group to escape a plane crash, but death remained relentlessly in control, resulting in a series of bizarre accidental deaths.
The budget was moderate, $15 million, accommodating several large-scale scenes.
The film was produced by Abella, with James Wong directing, and Linton also serving as co-producer.
James was naturally overjoyed, just like Jonathan, deeply grateful to Linton for granting him the chance to direct solo. His director salary was the standard $200,000.
Choosing James was fitting, as his style perfectly suited horror films, and since he had originally created Final Destination, which had enjoyed commercial success, Linton's oversight guaranteed even greater results this time.
*****
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