The group settled in the reception area, skipping over the usual pleasantries. Simon handed out three documents to the trio.
Sherry Lansing's eyes widened slightly as she glanced at the title on the document. Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson, the sibling duo, exchanged worried looks as they took their copies.
The cover bore the words: *Spy Movie Universe Plan*.
After receiving a cup of coffee from A-girl, Simon leaned back on the sofa and said, "This is just a draft. You can take a look at it first; there will certainly be updates and additions based on the actual situation."
The Broccoli siblings had managed to secure this meeting with Simon not through bargaining but by agreeing to all the demands Simon had made two years ago. Essentially, the Broccoli family had relinquished most of their control over the 007 series. The only thing Simon hadn't changed was the profit-sharing arrangement, which was the main reason the Broccoli family agreed to the compromise.
The document was straightforward.
Simon planned for MGM to take the lead in creating a spy movie universe centered around the 007 series, similar to the DC Universe or the Conjuring Universe.
Spy films had always been a significant genre in Hollywood. However, aside from the enduring 007 series, few spy films had been developed into successful long-running franchises, let alone interconnected universes.
In fact, the concept of a "cinematic universe" had only gained popularity in recent years. Now, with the success of the "DC Universe" following the blockbuster *Batman: The Dark Knight Rises* and the positive reception of the *Conjuring Universe* during the recent summer season, it made perfect sense to build a "Spy Movie Universe" around the popular spy genre.
After quickly flipping through the few pages of the draft, Sherry Lansing looked up at Simon and asked, "Simon, I don't see any other projects listed here. If we're going to create a cinematic universe, it can't just be 007, right?"
Seeing that the trio had finished reading the document, Simon put down his coffee cup and said, "Besides the 007 series, there's another project that has been confirmed—*Charlie's Angels*, the popular TV series from the '70s. Do you remember it?"
Sherry Lansing thought for a moment and nodded. "If this series is adapted into a movie, it would indeed pair well with 007—handsome men and beautiful women. The audience will love it."
Simon continued, "I plan to develop the *Charlie's Angels* series based on that TV show. There's also *Mission: Impossible*, a series that Daenerys Entertainment is co-producing with Paramount. Because this series has already been very successful and due to rights issues, it won't be easy to link it with MGM. However, if the Spy Movie Universe takes off, we can have limited crossovers in the future to boost each other's popularity."
Hearing the name *Mission: Impossible*, Sherry Lansing felt a pang of regret. Neither Daenerys nor Paramount would relinquish the rights to this already successful spy series, meaning MGM was out of the running. However, she quickly developed her own idea: "Cage's fee is only going to go up, but I remember the supporting characters in the *Mission: Impossible* series are quite prominent. Perhaps they could appear in *007* or *Charlie's Angels* in the future."
Simon replied, "We can discuss that later. As long as the Spy Movie Universe is successful, anything is possible."
Sherry Lansing wasn't entirely satisfied. "So, Simon, apart from *007*, *Charlie's Angels*, and *Mission: Impossible*, is there anything else?"
Simon smiled. "Of course. Hollywood is never short of spy scripts. But just like the DC Universe, a three-pillar model is the most stable development strategy. Anything less wouldn't qualify as a universe, and too much would dilute the audience's attention and significantly increase costs."
Sherry Lansing countered, "But you just said that *Mission: Impossible* can only have limited interaction and doesn't count as a crossover."
"True," Simon conceded, "but there's another project, one I acquired a few years ago—the 'Bourne' series by Robert Ludlum. Are you familiar with it?"
Before joining MGM, Sherry Lansing had been a highly successful Hollywood producer. While she wasn't intimately familiar with every popular novel's rights, she was generally aware. Nodding, she said, "But I remember that the rights to the 'Bourne' series were initially acquired by Warner."
Simon shrugged slightly, not offering much explanation. "The Bourne series isn't suited for a traditional hero-centric spy movie. Instead, it's more like a fugitive on the run, similar to Dr. Richard Kimble in *The Fugitive*. This could add variety to the Spy Movie Universe. If all the heroes are cut from the same mold, there's no need to create a universe. As long as *007*, *Charlie's Angels*, and *The Bourne Identity* succeed and interact with each other, we can naturally develop other series in the future."
By this point, Sherry Lansing realized that Simon had a very clear vision for the project, far more detailed than the draft they had just reviewed. She was about to continue when Barbara Broccoli, who had been silent, couldn't help but interject, her tone tinged with obvious resentment. "Simon, I believe Bond alone is more than enough to support a very successful cinematic universe. There's no need to link it with other series."
Simon glanced at the Broccoli heiress, who bore a slight resemblance to Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore, and said, "With the increasing number of special effects-laden blockbuster films, if the Bond series doesn't evolve and continues in the same old style, it will gradually lose its appeal to audiences."
"But," Barbara Broccoli hesitated before continuing, "If you want to link the 007 series with other films, shouldn't you get our approval first? Don't forget, the Broccoli family still owns half the rights."
Barbara Broccoli's tone was somewhat aggressive, prompting Simon to drop his smile and say, "If I remember correctly, the agreement between the Broccoli family and MGM states that all future developments of the 007 series will be led by MGM. If the Broccoli family has objections to the project, you have the option to withdraw."
Under the new agreement, if the Broccoli family objected to a project and no longer wished to participate in sequels, they would only be entitled to a 10% share of net profits based on their half-ownership of the rights. This would essentially make them passive earners, collecting money without doing any work.
Of course, given Hollywood's notorious accounting practices, whether the Broccoli family would see even that 10% of net profits—or how much they would actually receive—depended largely on MGM.
On the other hand, if the Broccoli family continued to actively manage the series, they could earn up to 25% of the gross profits.
MGM had always handled the financing and distribution of the 007 series. The Broccoli family had traditionally been like master chefs, preparing a grand feast after MGM provided all the ingredients. In this scenario, receiving 25% of the gross profits, minus basic production and distribution costs, was quite substantial.
Moreover, as producers, the Broccoli family members would also receive a handsome, guaranteed producer fee, regardless of the film's success.
Seeing Simon's change in demeanor, Barbara Broccoli realized she had been too impulsive. The Broccoli family no longer had any bargaining power with Simon. They treated the 007 series as a treasure, but this young Hollywood mogul didn't hesitate to put the series on ice permanently. The past two years of standoff had already proven that.
After a moment of silence, Barbara Broccoli spoke in a noticeably calmer tone. "But if we're going to produce crossover projects, how will the profits be divided? Mr. Westeros, we haven't reached any prior agreements on this, and you don't have the right to make unilateral decisions."
Simon replied, "For crossover projects, as long as Bond appears, the Broccoli family can take 10% of the gross profits."
Barbara Broccoli was sharp and immediately shook her head. "In that case, Mr. Westeros, if MGM casually inserts characters from other projects into the Bond series, our share would drop from 25% to 10%. Do you think that's fair?"
Simon looked at her. "Do you think I enjoy playing word games?"
Barbara Broccoli instinctively avoided Simon's gaze but continued to argue, "Maybe you wouldn't, but this is Hollywood, after all."
Simon pressed, "Do you have a bias against Hollywood?"
Barbara Broccoli replied, "You should know better than us what Hollywood is like, Mr. Westeros."
Simon observed the woman, who had briefly met his gaze before turning away again, a slight smile forming on his face, though his tone remained firm. "I don't care what Hollywood was like before. But from now on, I'm in charge. Miss Broccoli, as long as your family continues to manage the 007 series diligently, I have no intention of pushing you out. In fact, if you cooperate, the Broccoli family will only gain more. So, don't play games with me."
Barbara Broccoli hesitated before insisting, "10% is too low—at least half, 12.5%. Mr. Westeros, compared to those films that haven't even hit the big screen yet, Bond is worth that much."
Simon nodded without hesitation. "No problem."
Barbara Broccoli was momentarily stunned.
Simon leaned back comfortably on the sofa and smiled. "Do you feel like you should have asked for more?"
Barbara Broccoli, clearly uncertain, cautiously ventured, "
15%?"
Simon shook his head. "I'm never stingy with those who work for me. You should be aware of that. But you have to prove your value. Since you asked for 12.5%, I'll give it to you. But in the future development of the 007 series and its crossover projects, the Broccoli family must put in the corresponding effort. If I feel that you're not worth that much, don't expect even 10%."
Barbara Broccoli was visibly unaccustomed to Simon's assertiveness. "Mr. Westeros, are you planning to break our agreement?"
Simon's smile took on a playful edge. "You just said it yourself—this is Hollywood."
Checking his watch, Simon interrupted Barbara Broccoli, who was about to speak again. "That's enough for now. You can discuss the specific contract details with Sherry. Let's talk about the next steps for Bond. As I mentioned earlier, if the Bond series continues in the same old format, it's on a path to decline. So, in addition to crossovers with the Spy Movie Universe, the Bond story itself needs to have continuity. It can't just be a series of unrelated, standalone films. MGM has already reclaimed the rights to SPECTRE. Moving forward, Bond, Charlie's Angels, Bourne, and other series in the first phase of the Spy Movie Universe—around ten films—will share a common enemy: SPECTRE. With this in mind, MGM's first task is to establish a dedicated creative team to plan the entire series."
It was past 6 PM by the time the Broccoli siblings left Daenerys Studios, their emotions mixed.
Considering the success of the DC Universe series, if this young man's plans came to fruition, the Spy Movie Universe could indeed elevate the Broccoli family to new heights.
But there was also the risk of being completely sidelined.
The key was whether they could carry out Simon Westeros's vision.
Sherry Lansing, however, was quite excited. Although the *Charlie's Angels* and *Bourne* series would be co-developed with Daenerys Entertainment, just having half of that pie was bound to be incredibly lucrative.
If the Spy Movie Universe succeeded, MGM would completely shed its current status as a bottom-tier studio in Hollywood.
After inviting the Broccoli siblings to dinner, Sherry remembered that WMA CEO Jonathan Friedman was hosting a cocktail party that evening. Knowing that the Broccoli siblings would need to integrate more into Hollywood, she mentioned it after dinner. The siblings readily agreed, and the three of them headed to Friedman's home in the Bel-Air community.
When they arrived, the party was already in full swing.
Because it was a weekday, the gathering was relatively small, but those in attendance were major WMA clients and top executives from Hollywood's big studios.
As a Hollywood native, Sherry Lansing warmly introduced the Broccoli siblings to various guests. After mingling in the courtyard, they moved into the villa, where Barbara Broccoli's sharp eyes immediately spotted the young man they had just met earlier.
Simon Westeros was sitting on a sofa in the corner of the villa's living room, with a tall, sexy young woman in his arms. He was chatting with the host, Jonathan Friedman. Sitting beside Friedman was another white male actor, whom Barbara quickly recognized as Jim Carrey, who had shot to fame in Hollywood earlier this year with *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective*.
Being somewhat detached from the Hollywood circle, Barbara Broccoli wasn't aware of Jim Carrey's complicated relationship with Daenerys Entertainment. She merely glanced at him before refocusing on the man and, slightly shifting her gaze, the woman in his arms.
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