Chapter 90: Insane

(Two weeks later...)

Big Boon Studios had been on a roll for the past couple years.

Known previously for producing romantic dramas that did decently at the box office in the late 2000’s, they had opted to take a risk and give another genre a try in the early 2010’s.

That gamble of that had paid off in spades, as they hit it big with [Syndicate], a spy action-thriller movie that followed a framed veteran spy in his early thirties on the hunt to stop a global conspiracy.

Not only did the movie go on to be a box office hit, but it also became a successful franchise now spanning over three movies, all of which had cumulatively raked in $1.5B+ in revenue... all on a combined budget of $200M.

In fact, it even birthed a few smaller in-universe adaptations, all of which might not have had the same level of success as the [Syndicate] franchise itself, but were still pretty successful in their own right.

This was all to say, that Big Boon Studios went from the average mid-tier production company in Hollywood, to one of the more influential studios, all within a span of seven years.

And with that influence, came all the opportunities for them to produce and branch out into more genres in the filming industry and even bolster their influence.

But then there was that saying.

The one about wealth unmasking and magnifying one’s true character?

Well, Big Boon Studio executives, were exactly that... and not at all for the good reasons.

Though they did a good job of keeping their underhanded exploits under wraps, they were well-known for incorporating smaller, promising production companies into their studio.

At the same time, they were often known to prey on unassuming writers and newbie directors, many of whom had fallen into their traps, more times than could be counted.

The reason for all this was simple.

Big Boon Studios wanted more IPs.

With [Syndicate] being the smash-hit that it was, they’d realized how much of a lucrative business it was to have a profitable Intellectual Property under their belt.

Not only was it a dependable market, but it could also bolster their influence by leaps and bound, solely off of its name alone... and more so, if one of said IPs actually managed to go nuclear in its popularity.

In fact, several of the most influential studios had them, most of whom could easily bag an actor for a role in a movie adaptation of said IPs, even if they opted to offer less pay than the actors would typically accept.

But more than that, it would incentivize investors to almost blindly bet on them, often without them needing to lift a finger. That, when all was said and done, meant less investments from them, and more profits if they played their cards right.

It was also why they’d made acquiring these IPs a priority, and had focused their attention and resources on trying to bag any that felt even remotely capable of giving them a homerun and kickstarting another blockbuster.

In line with that mindset, they had picked out two major ones in recent memory.

The first, was none other than the second installment of a book series that had been all the rave last year, and was still pretty much being talked about across several social media platforms from time to time.

The second was from a rather obscure ViewTuber who happened to also be a fresh graduate, straight out of filming school.

Unfortunately for them, when they’d gone out of their way to speak with the Feyre Publications about it, Michael had them sign a confidentiality clause as he had other studios before them.

Only after did he inform them that Feyre Publications only had a license to publish the Fate series, and that any negotiations they wanted, would have to go through Niall himself as he was the one with all the cards in his hands.

Naturally, they were stunned to hear that, all of which ultimately led them to understand why the news that hadn’t been made to the public even after all this while.

Clearly, it showed how tight the information network was between the young artist and the people he worked with.

To that effect, they contacted Niall himself, asking for the opportunity to meet up and discuss with them about the possible opportunity of getting the rights to it.

But as one would expect, Niall outright rejected them. He knew the kinds of game they played and knew better than to ever put his eggs in their basket given what they’d done to Mark before he regressed.

Choosing to accept the defeat because there was no underhanded tactic for them to actually try and secure the IP, they soon turned their attention to the second... only for that to also be a bust.

And despite their best efforts to press Mark on whom it was that had beat them to the punch and if they could negotiate with them, they never got an answer from him.

It also didn’t help that none of their informants came back with any reasonable information, hence they had nothing to really go by.

To that effect, they dropped the case and returned to focusing on the IPs they had in the meantime, pending the time they found others that were more worthwhile.

It was also why, they were currently in talks of greenlighting [Syndicate: Reckoning], a fourth installment in the movie franchise.

Given how well the third film rounded things up... there were some talks as to if they should even bother taking the risk and making a fourth.

And though one would’ve expected that Louis, whom had been the lead actor for the past three movies and had already grown his career off of it, would be in support of not taking the risk, he was actually amongst those pushing for it.

Whatever the outcome would be though, the general public would be finding out in the coming months.

That said...

"So, what’d you think?" Niall gestured to Henry who sat from across him as he flipped through the script for the umpteenth time today.

Adjacent to Henry and Niall, were Mark and Victor respectively, all four individuals dressed in form-fitting suits.

Mark looked notably tense amidst the three individuals, even though he was trying his hardest to keep a professional demeanor.

Yet, it contrasted so obviously against the trio whose expressions were objectively more friendly than it was ever professional.

In fact, the air wasn’t even as tense as Mark was assuming it to be.

But then again, who could blame him. This was his very first rodeo at something like this so it was only natural he’d be as much of a bundle of nerves as he was.

Having mailed the script a week and a couple days back to Niall though, the young actor had read through it, and he’d been genuinely impressed.

In fact, when he’d assessed it with his Gift of Discernment, it had come back as a striking gold with strong hues of platinum.

So, with him assuming the role of executive producer, he’d decided to secure more funding. And who better to help fund a movie than the someone he could bank on given their prior relationship.

It was also why he’d forwarded it to Victor whom he had read the script, and then had him equally forward it over to Henry himself whom had read it a couple days ago.

The follow up to that, was this meeting of theirs that was arranged by the CEO himself. But even he had been pretty surprised when he’d met Mark today and found out how young he was. More so, when he’d heard he’d just graduated from film school a couple weeks ago.

Victor would’ve been much the same had he and Niall not spoken about Mark in detail, days prior to the meeting.

That said, as Henry flipped through the script once more, he suddenly placed it on the table amidst all four of them and then said, his palms interlocked and a business-like smile on his lips;

"I think it’s great,"

"I also think it’s going to be a pretty expensive movie to produce," he added to which he then gestured;

"But I’m pretty certain you already knew that..."

"So," Henry then shifted slightly in his chair, his gun-metal blue irises holding Niall’s cool-grays.

"Knowing you, what are your conditions?"

"First off, he gets to direct it." Niall pointed a thumb in Mark’s direction, one that had Henry and Mark look over in his direction briefly.

"Two, I get to be the executive producer." Niall added to which he then raised a third finger.

"And three--"

"You get a cut of the box office," the CEO interjected, a knowing smile on his lips.

"Not just me, but also him. Two percent. We can have the specifics of my own sorted out later." Niall casually followed up with a vague wave of his hands.

No sooner had Mark heard that, his eyes widened! Before he could even bother whipping his head over in Niall’s direction, Henry asked, his head tilted slightly;

"IP rights?"

"Mark’s fine with you owning it as long as he’s allowed a clause that essentially gives him to right to have his inputs considered in any possible future adaptations." Niall replied, almost as if he’d been expecting it.

Once again, Mark was stunned to high heavens! Not once had he ever said that but Niall, clearly seemed to be going the extra mile for him.

Seemingly mulling it over, his head bobbing side to side a bit, Henry then asked one last question;

"Estimatedly, how much are you planning to invest?"

"Thirty million dollars." Niall said without thinking twice.

No sooner had he said that, Henry extended a hand over;

"Seventy million on my end. That’s fine by you, right?"

"Yep. You have a deal, Mr. Hall." Niall casually leaned over to receive the it, both individuals shaking firmly.

At this point, Mark couldn’t help but gulp. Then he looked to Victor who simply offered him a cordial smile.

Before he knew what was happening, a dangerous chuckle subconsciously escaped his lips as all three turned to face him...

...only for his thoughts to scream upon realizing just how much pressure the trio had placed on him with his upcoming directorial debut.

’This people... this people are insane!’

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/Caer07