Chapter 28

After the day's shooting ended, Chen Tiandu couldn't wait to deliver the script to Tom Hanks' room, and then...

Then there was no news. This wait lasted a week, during which he was very anxious but didn't ask anything.

That day was no different; the crew continued shooting as usual. When the work was done, Tom Hanks suddenly walked over and said, "Your script is great."

"Thank you."

Chen Tiandu was a bit puzzled, wondering why he suddenly said this. A possibility suddenly occurred to him, but he still pretended to be clueless and answered off-topic, "Otherwise, Director Spielberg wouldn't have chosen it."

Tom Hanks shook his head and said, "Not that script. I'm talking about 'The Sixth Sense.' I watched it three times in a row, and it even made me want to invest."

"Ah~~" Chen Tiandu immediately understood, feeling elated inside.

"You don't need to worry. I've already recommended it to Steven. With his discerning eye, he said the script is excellent, so it shouldn't be a problem. He should contact you in a while. But you should know that Steven is currently fully focused on 'Saving Private Ryan' and doesn't like being distracted by other things."

"Thank you, idol. I understand, so I haven't approached Mr. Spielberg these past few months."

"Come to me directly if you have any issues. I might help, or I might not, hehe." The Oscar-winning actor patted his shoulder and walked away with a mischievous smile.

Finally, someone from DreamWorks came, and it was an unexpected figure—Jeffrey Katzenberg, along with his assistant, came in person.

In the United States, in California, there are countless film companies. The most famous are the eight major studios in Hollywood history, including MGM, Paramount, Columbia, Warner Bros., Universal, United Artists, 20th Century Fox, and Disney. Of course, after so many years of evolution, with the "Paramount Case" and the legal ruling that film companies cannot own theaters or cinemas, the dominance of the eight major studios has long since faded.

Some have become part of media conglomerates, like Paramount being acquired by Viacom; others continue to struggle, maintaining their identity as independent film companies but often facing huge deficits, like MGM. However, they are still the leaders of the Hollywood film industry, the makers of commercial blockbusters.

The newly established DreamWorks, however, has managed to rank among the top ten in the highly competitive Hollywood, thanks to the powerful influence of the "SKG" trio. "S" stands for Steven Spielberg, who is unparalleled in this era and needs no further introduction.

"K" in the trio is Jeffrey Katzenberg, an American businessman and film producer, CEO of DreamWorks Animation, and former chairman of Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994.

His eloquence helped the Manhattan-born Jeffrey Katzenberg, who only had a high school education, climb to the top of the entertainment industry. Although he didn't start with minimal capital, it took him decades to build a network that ultimately helped him found one of the most prestigious film companies, now the CEO of DreamWorks Animation.

"G" in the trio is the wealthiest person in the global entertainment industry, a Jew, whose financial backing is the foundation of DreamWorks' rapid rise.

"Christmas, we've heard your name many times, and today we finally meet in person." Jeffrey Katzenberg is bald, and despite his high position, he doesn't exude an oppressive aura. His smile isn't very pleasant, revealing red gums, and he always wears glasses, making him seem very approachable.

Chen Tiandu smiled and shook his hand, saying, "Mr. Katzenberg, it's a pleasure to meet you. In our Chinese language, it means I have heard of your name for a long time, and it is a great honor to meet you today."

"The magical Chinese language, I am flattered. I have always been very interested in ancient Chinese culture, and we can discuss it if you have the chance."

"My honor."

Katzenberg smiled, "Let's sit down and talk. I believe you know why I'm here."

Originally, he thought they would engage in some formalities and small talk, but the Chinese are the masters of such tactics. He didn't expect the other party to be so straightforward, getting straight to the point upon meeting.

That's fine. Chen Tiandu didn't have much confidence in out-talking this guy and nodded, "New Image Company has already contacted me about buying the script, but that wasn't my intention. Even if you approached me now, it still isn't my intention. I planned to give the script to the director after the shooting of 'Saving Private Ryan' was completed, so as not to disturb the shooting. But my idol helped me a lot after learning about my situation."

"Idol?" Katzenberg was a bit puzzled.

"Oh, that's what we call Mr. Tom Hanks." Chen Tiandu explained and asked, "So, is DreamWorks willing to invest in 'The Sixth Sense'?"

Katzenberg smiled, revealing his gums, "We are very interested in the script for 'The Sixth Sense.' It's an excellent story. Although the genre of supernatural horror is something DreamWorks hasn't touched before, we are willing to give it a try."

Such a classic script would catch the attention of any company. They couldn't possibly let it go. In fact, when DreamWorks received Chen Tiandu's script, they were more surprised than pleased.

A script is the foundation of a film. While Hollywood screenwriters' incomes are not particularly high, film companies place a high value on scripts.

If Chen Tiandu's writing of the 'Saving Private Ryan' script was partly due to luck, the quality of 'The Sixth Sense' script was enough to draw attention.

"You don't want to sell the script alone, so do you want to direct it yourself? There are significant risks. I must be frank; you are not yet 23 years old, and you haven't even graduated from a comedy school in China. You've been in the United States for less than half a year. You know, the shooting methods in the United States are completely different from those in China..."

"NO! NO!"

Chen Tiandu suddenly shook his head, interrupting him, "This is a prerequisite. If this condition is not met, there's no need to waste time. Whether I have the ability to direct a film is not an issue. To be honest, the entire film, from the first second to the last, has been played in my mind, including 'Saving Private Ryan.' To put it bluntly, I can shoot all the scenes that Director Spielberg needs."

"Oh? 'Saving Private Ryan' is not easy to shoot." Katzenberg was very surprised; this young man was not at all humble like most Chinese.

But the cunning old fox wouldn't let Chen Tiandu take the lead and smiled faintly, "Confidence is good, and many young people are confident. But some things that seem easy are not so easy when you do them yourself. Otherwise, there wouldn't be only one Spielberg in the world."

Chen Tiandu said, "I don't think I belong to that category. Mr. Katzenberg, perhaps you should first talk to the other members of the crew to understand me. At least you should know that I am an ambitious young man, and an ambitious young man is usually very stubborn. A stubborn young man who travels thousands of miles to the other side of the world sometimes represents a certain determination."

"Do we need to continue discussing the issue of directing?"

The other party was getting a bit impatient, which was good for Katzenberg in the negotiation, but Chen Tiandu's insistence on directing still made him frown. He could sense the young man's determination. Should he continue to push?

He wisely chose to change the topic, "Alright, Steven indeed praised you, but as the production company, we need to consider more comprehensively. Tell me your thoughts."

Chen Tiandu was delighted, took out the prepared materials, and laid them on the table, saying, "A $40 million investment budget, that's my expectation. This includes $1.5 million for my script, $2 million for the director's fee, $1 million for the lead actor's salary, plus a 10% share of the total revenue, which includes home video and TV on-demand."

"No, no, young man, you don't negotiate like this!"

...