James Murdoch is very angry now, as angry as if he had learned that he would become the head of state attacked from both sides by Stalin and Churchill.
He waved his hands vigorously and yelled.
"Why didn't anyone know about this!! Why didn't you know about Lucas' retirement!!!"
In the office, everyone was silent and dared not speak.
They are afraid that if they speak, they will become victims the next moment.
"you!"
Murdoch Jr. pointed to the reporter from the New York Post beside him.
"How on earth did you train your men!! Don't tell me you taught them how to eat with a knife and fork!!!"
Murdoch Jr. gasped and angrily asked, "Why! You couldn't even find out about Lucas' retirement!!"
"terribly sorry!"
The other party lowered his head and dared not speak.
It's really not his fault. Most of his attention is now focused on Washimine and Warner's top management.
There are paparazzi who collect other intelligence, but it is very difficult to obtain such information without a specific target.
After all, there are so many people in Hollywood, and there is no manpower and resources to monitor everyone.
"That's enough. I don't want to hear your explanation!"
James Murdoch waved his hand, forced himself to suppress his unhappiness, and sat back in his seat angrily.
The sale of Lucasfilm is closely related to Fox because its flagship product "Star Wars" accounts for a considerable part of Fox's profits.
If another company acquired Lucasfilm, there wouldn't be much of a problem. Both parties could sit down and slowly discuss the profits of Star Wars.
After all, as long as the other party guarantees Fox's share, other issues can be discussed.
Maybe he could even use the scandal as a threat to get the copyright of "Star Wars".
But this definitely does not include Washimine Entertainment.
If that woman bought Lucasfilm, there would be no other outcome except kicking Fox out of the game.
This is what makes Murdoch Jr. most angry.
When Murdoch Jr. sat down, the office fell into silence for a moment.
Seeing that no one had spoken, Jim Ganopoulos said, "The news of George Lucas' retirement has been confirmed. After I got the news, I personally asked Spielberg about it. He gave a positive answer."
Originally, Spielberg would not admit such a thing.
However, now that Washimine Entertainment has taken the initiative to release the news, Lao Si has no reason to deny it.
James Murdoch asked, "So Lucasfilm is a done deal?"
"It is almost certain that George Lucas is going to sell Lucasfilm."
Jim Ganopoulos also had a very serious expression.
The Star Wars series has always been Fox's long-term meal ticket, and it's the kind that it can't afford to lose.
"According to the latest news we have obtained, Washimine Entertainment has been secretly in contact with Lucasfilm for some time."
Little Murdoch's eyebrows were tightly locked by himself.
After a while, he asked the most crucial question: "Have they reached an agreement?"
The New York Post reporter quickly responded: "George Lucas certainly has a preference, but others at Lucasfilm have not yet reached a consensus."
"We have contacted several of them, and they felt that Washimine Entertainment's offer was too low."
He added one more sentence.
Jim Ganopoulos said: "We do not have a good relationship with Washimine Entertainment. If Lucasfilm falls into Washimine's hands, we may have a lot of new troubles at Fox."
It's more than just bad. The relationship between the two sides cannot be described by the word good or bad.
Little Murdoch believed that if killing was not illegal, he and Washimine Shion would shoot each other immediately.
This is just a personal relationship. The two companies are in a fierce dispute over the copyright of Marvel superheroes.
"Not maybe, but definitely."
Little Murdoch said slowly, turning his boss chair slightly.
After a moment's silence, Murdoch Jr. said, "Jim, you have a lot of business dealings with Lucasfilm. Find a way to confirm with Lucas himself what progress he has made with Washimine Entertainment! And..."
Murdoch Jr. paused for a moment before saying, "Twentieth Century Fox has made an offer to acquire Lucasfilm!"
"Acquisition?"
Jim Ganopoulos's head is full of black question marks: "Are we rich?"
20th Century Fox has had a tough time recently. The failure of several blockbuster films last year has caused Fox's capital chain to become tight.
Although it is true that a lot of money was made from "Avatar".
But the movie has only been released for a few months, and the funds recovered so far can barely make up for the hole in the investment in "Avatar".
It will take at least a few more months to get enough funding for this film.
Actually, it would be fine if only those few movies failed.
This is mainly because the parent company News Corporation is preparing to acquire Time Warner, and Fox has contributed a lot of funds.
"Send the invitation first."
Little Murdoch seemed a little impatient.
But this is not for Jim Ganopoulos, but for his father.
News Corp. and 20th Century Fox have wasted too many useless resources on Time Warner.
Although he successfully obtained a portion of Warner's shares, it also aroused Warner's vigilance.
Now the two sides are deadlocked over the acquisition issue, unable to move forward or backward.
But what is certain is that Time Warner is very resistant to the acquisition.
In fact, Warner is not the only one who resists.
According to Murdoch's plan, there was enough money in hand.
Warner has been able to hold out until now not just because of one person's resistance.
Many people who do not want to see the emergence of a super-large media group have made contributions.
It even includes Washington.
The news media is the throat of the government, and the government would never want an uncontrolled media empire to appear on its territory.
In fact, based on Murdoch's own judgment, this acquisition would definitely not be able to continue.
However, it is not easy for News Corporation to extricate itself, after all, a large amount of the company's funds are temporarily tied up in Warner.
Coupled with the impact of the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, News Corporation and Fox can really be said to have lost more than they gained.
20th Century Fox in particular, not only did it divert funds to acquire Warner shares, but its own film projects also failed one after another.
If it weren't for the huge sales of "Avatar" which gave it a break, it would probably be being harassed by the bank now.
Although the capital chain has not yet completely collapsed, the series of failures have already had a serious impact on Fox.
[I hope the next project can make a profit normally. ]
Because Fox spent so much money last year, most of the movies it released this year are low-budget.
Even if there is a loss, it won't be much.
The only exception is "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword", directed by Guy Ritchie.
If this legendary epic production, which cost Fox $150 million to create, is successful, Fox will definitely have a much better time in the future.
But if it fails...
Murdoch Jr. didn't dare to think about the possibility of failure, as this movie was created entirely by himself.
And it was a project that was snatched from that woman, Washimine Shion.
If it fails, the consequences will be disastrous.
According to the current preview feedback, the movie is pretty good overall.
Although it is not the multi-line narrative style that Guy Ritchie is best at, this genius director continues his own style.
With huge investment and numerous special effects scenes, there is absolutely no reason for it to fail.
But just in case...
"Jim, ask the post-production department to find a way to process Legend of the Holy Sword into 3D."
The 3D trend is so popular now, and using the gimmick of 3D should be able to attract a group of people.
Jim replied hesitantly, "But this movie didn't take 3D into consideration from the beginning, so the effect will be very poor if it is converted later..."
"It's okay. As long as there's the 3D gimmick, it's enough."
Murdoch said casually, "Isn't the Disney's Alice in Wonderland the same thing?"
"I see."
Jim didn't object.
Following the trend is never a big deal in Hollywood, as long as it works.
"Then how much should we offer Lucasfilm?" Jim brought the subject back to the previous topic. "It's hard for us to be competitive with Washimine."
Little Murdoch gnashed his teeth and said, "Report it higher, but let's get Washimine out first."
"Uh...the problem is we don't have that much money."
Although Jim Ganopoulos didn't know how much the offer from Washimine was, he still understood the value of Lucasfilm itself.
"After we get them out of the game, isn't it up to us to decide how much we'll pay?"
When he said this, a gleam of light flashed in Murdoch's eyes.
"But there is a contract agreement..."
"It doesn't matter. I will ask them to lower the price by themselves when the time comes."
As he spoke, Murdoch Jr. turned and looked at the man from the New York Post.
"You must get a major scandal on George Lucas within two months."
As he spoke, little Murdoch remembered something.
"You can start with George Lucas' current girlfriend. She is black but she is the chairman of DreamWorks Animation. There must be something fishy going on. You must dig it out."
[This is crazy! Do you think you are the FBI? ]
Jim Ganopoulos looked at little Murdoch with a look of horror.
The black woman named Melody Hobson is an executive of a Hollywood film company, so just check it out.
In the past, when little Murdoch was following and eavesdropping on Nanaya Kiryu and Shion Washimine, Jim could still comfort himself by using words like enemy.
But at this moment, Jim really felt panic in his heart.
"I see."
The reporter didn't think so. This was not the first time they had done this.
He nodded happily, and then left the office excitedly.
"What's wrong?"
Little Murdoch saw Jim looking at him and asked curiously.
"Nothing."
Jim lowered his head guiltily, for he knew very well that if he said anything about this matter, he would be the first person to be investigated.
But the arrogant and wanton expression on Murdoch Jr.'s face when he gave the order just now lingered in Jim's mind for a long time.