America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz-Chapter 754 747 Hollywood Blacklists Depp

Disney Studio, "La La Land Studio".

Damien Chazelle sat by the long conference table, as if he was a criminal about to face trial, anxiously waiting for fate's verdict.

The door to the conference room opened, and four people came in.

The first two were familiar to Damien Chazelle; one was producer Louise Mel, whom he had met before, and the other was Hollywood superstar Martin Davis.

He had never seen the two women following them.

Louise introduced Martin, Mia, and Mandy Moore to Damien Chazelle.

Martin spoke directly, "Director Chazelle, I've seen the drumming short film you made, it's a thought-provoking piece."

Always on the lookout for investment, Damien immediately asked, "Mr. Davis, would you be willing to invest in this project? My original idea was to make a full-length film, but without the necessary funds, I had to settle for a short film and sent it to various companies and festival committees..."

He glanced at Martin, knowing this was a golden opportunity, "With just three million US Dollars, I could complete this film!"

Mia and Mandy Moore looked curiously at Damien Chazelle; they were there to audition for "La La Land's" director, but now another movie project came up?

Again, Damien said, "I'm willing to transfer the rights to this project for a price of one US Dollar..."

Martin raised his hand to interrupt him, asking, "Did you bring the screenplay with you?"

Damien opened his bag and handed over the screenplay he carried with him, "The screenplay is already finished."

Martin took the screenplay and said to Louise and the others, "Discuss the rest with him, don't mind me, go ahead."

Louise talked about having Damien first shoot a segment based on "La La Land".

Martin's attention was entirely on the screenplay, whose cover was labeled "Whiplash", which directly translates to the meaning of being whipped.

After reading the first third, he flipped directly to the end to read the conclusion; the screenplay was highly polished, with the main conflict focusing on the relationship between the drumming student and the teacher.

Having read the screenplay, Martin was sure that this was the "Whiplash".

After Louise and the others finished interviewing Damien Chazelle and agreed on filming the segment, Martin returned the screenplay to him.

Full of anticipation, Damien looked towards Martin, "Mr. Davis, can we collaborate on this project?"

Martin glanced at his watch, "Wait here for a while, someone will come to discuss the rights transfer for this project with you."

"Okay, I'll wait." Damien didn't forget the most crucial matter, "One condition for the rights transfer, I want to be the director."

He didn't want to be a no-status screenwriter.

Martin nodded, "It's your story, of course, you're the director."

Damien was relieved.

Davis Studio was just diagonally opposite Disney Studio, and it wasn't long before Jessica hurried over.

After a short wait, Damien's agent arrived.

Both sides formally began negotiations on the rights to the "Whiplash" project.

Martin and Louise left the conference room, briefly discussing a few matters.

Including the screenwriter Mia, the three of them felt that Damien Chazelle was particularly suitable to direct "La La Land" after interviewing him.

Mia said to Martin, "I have a wonderful feeling that this young director's thoughts align perfectly with mine; his ideas on shooting, his opinions on the screenplay and the design of the musical numbers, are precisely what I was looking for."

Martin nodded slightly, "Let's wait until he finishes the segment before we decide."

Before noon, Jessica and Damien's agent settled on the transfer of the project, purchasing the screenplay rights to "Whiplash" for fifty thousand US Dollars.

Although Damien Chazelle mentioned he would sell for a symbolic one US Dollar, his agent naturally included backend participation during the negotiation.

Of course, Jessica disagreed, and the screenplay rights were ultimately traded on a one-time buyout basis.

At lunchtime, Martin and Harris quietly met.

Depp urgently needed money and completed the deal with Harris for the Malibu beach house at the fastest speed; currently, they were negotiating the penthouse at Columbia Tower.

"It mainly comes down to the price; they're asking too much," Harris said while eating, "A property with a market value of eighteen million US Dollars, listed at sixteen million US Dollars, they refuse to sell for three million less; it's outrageous."

Martin asked, "What do you think is the lowest they could accept?"

Harris replied, "According to the latest news, Depp has delayed paying salaries to his staff and owes legal fees to the contracted law firm; he is about to face a divorce and domestic violence lawsuit from Amber Heard, needing substantial money to stabilize the people around him for the trial. I'm confident we can get the deal price down to under ten million US Dollars."

This was the man who had turned Martin's idea of selling stars into reality, earning a full college tuition by selling the stars in the sky; Martin believed in Harris's ability, "Handle the specifics on your own."

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Harris smiled and said, "I've already got my hands on that antique twin-masted yacht; shall we put it up for sale now to liquidate it?"

"Take your time selling it; no rush," Martin recalled a piece of news he had seen and said, "Send someone to London, England to make contact with J.K. Rowling; before she sequestered herself to write her new work last year, she reportedly took a keen interest in Depp's antique twin-masted yacht. At the time, Depp had no intention of selling it, and it came to nothing in the end."

"I'll specifically send someone to England for that," Harris said.

"It's mainly about having a connection with the item. In the eyes of someone who likes it, price is not an issue," Martin said.

It's said that thanks to the extremely high income from the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling ranks among the top five richest women in England.

When Martin left the restaurant, he received a call from Silsa Ronan.

"Do you have time tonight, teacher?" Knowing that Elizabeth Olsen was not in Los Angeles, she went straight to the point, "You didn't come to my eighteenth birthday party, so I have to invite you separately."

"I have time, where?" Martin asked.

"I'll send you the location later," Silsa hung up.

Not long after, Martin received a screenshot of an electronic map and found it wasn't a restaurant, but a small villa area on the outskirts of Beverly Hills.

He replied, "I'll be there around 6:30 PM."

Driving Bruce, having seen Martin end the call, said, "While you were eating, I got a message that several companies that were originally interested in collaborating with Depp on film projects have now abandoned the idea."

"That's normal. If it were just domestic violence and divorce, Depp would still have crews that would use him. But after screwing up two films in a row with dismal box office returns, who would want to hire Depp unless the movie company has a hole in its head?" Martin said.

"Depp can't escape his current financial crisis with his acting fees," Bruce stated.

Laughing, Martin said, "That's good news."

The more assets Depp sells, the more money he loses.

......

Santa Monica, headquarters of Lionsgate Films.

McCormick, the company's president of business, glanced at his deputy Andrew then said to director David Koepp, "You originally strongly recommended Johnny Depp for the male lead, but given the current situation, he's not a good choice."

Lionsgate Films had initiated a comedy project titled "The Noble Thief," with David Koepp set to direct.

Now, in Hollywood, any crew with a bit of aspiration wouldn't consider using Johnny Depp as the lead, would they?

Far from being disappointed, David Koepp actually felt lucky. The production hadn't truly reached out to Depp before all these rotten issues came to light.

He said, "If I insist on using Depp as the male lead, isn't that like the film deliberately seeking disaster?"

"From now on, Lionsgate Films won't use Depp for any of its movie projects," McCormick declared.

Andrew chimed in, "Boss, you've made a wise decision!"

"Transcendental Hacker" had already pulled from North American theaters this week, with a cumulative US box office of 21.54 million US dollars.

"Lone Ranger" had a poor opening and an even worse box office trend. A box office of 30 million US dollars seemed within reach, but the gap of several million dollars felt so close yet so far; it couldn't cross this threshold by the time it pulled from North American theaters.

......

Burbank, Warner Bros.

Faced with the project "Black Mass" submitted by renowned producer Bryan Oliver, the always ingeniously creative Jon Berg, for once, acted like an ordinary person.

His genius brain didn't soar when faced with Depp's name.

Jon Berg glanced at the names of the four male lead candidates, including Guy Pearce, Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale, and Johnny Depp, and immediately crossed out Depp's name, saying to everyone in the conference room, "From now on, Warner Bros. will not collaborate with Johnny Depp on any project, not even as a supporting actor."

Assistant McDonald quickly took note.

Bryan Oliver tentatively suggested, "Shall we go with Christian Bale for the male lead?"

"Bale?" Jon Berg didn't have a good impression of Bale either; that guy botched "Gods of Egypt."

However, at Bryan Oliver's persuasion, Jon Berg still agreed to let Bale audition for the male lead in "Black Mass."

That afternoon, Warner Bros. and all its subsidiaries, including Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, and New Line Cinema, unanimously decided they would no longer collaborate with Johnny Depp.

20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Sony Columbia, among other companies, also reached the same unspoken agreement.

An actor mired in scandal, unwelcome by the public and the media, and no longer possessing box office draw, the outcome waiting for him was foreseeable.

These news flew like they had wings, out of every production company in Hollywood, into the ears of media reporters, into the home of Johnny Depp.

Hollywood doesn't officially blacklist, but this was tantamount to an unofficial blacklisting of Depp.

That night, Johnny Depp's collection of several wooden guitars was smashed into kindling.

It was said that Depp, having overindulged in drinking and drugs that very evening, was urgently admitted to the hospital by his bodyguards.

But there were few who sympathized. To the media and the public, the failed Depp was not a warrior struggling valiantly against alcoholism and drug addiction.

He was a drunk and a junkie.