Chapter 249: How much can I get paid?

Clink~

Anthony put down the coffee spoon, picked up the coffee, and took a sip.

"These promotional events were very well done. Boxing champion, movie star, and a super diligent language genius. Your image in the media has become more positive, healthy, and charismatic. If we had known publicity like this was effective, we should have done it from the beginning."

"It doesn't make much difference whether it's sooner or later."

Richard smiled. In the past, he tried many ways to become famous in order to earn more appearance fees and increase the ratings for his matches.

Now that he's a boxing champion and a big star, he's not so eager for fame. A little more or less doesn't have much impact on him.

"It's different. Before, your asking price for a movie was $12 million, and the studio would still bargain. Now, $15 million is no problem."

"Do you have a new project?"

Richard smiled. Anthony had been so busy in the past two years that he wouldn't have come back to New York if he didn't have work.

"Haha, yes, there are a few good projects. You can take a look."

Anthony took out five scripts and placed them on the table.

"You know, I'm preparing for a match. I won't have time to film in the next few months."

"These are projects for next year, they won't affect your matches."

Anthony said.

Richard flipped through the scripts and suddenly saw a familiar name.

"Minority Report? Isn't this Spielberg's project? The newspapers said he had already cast Tom Cruise. Why are they giving me the script?"

"The second male lead!"

Anthony smiled. "The second male lead is a cool and handsome agent. They think your image is great and want you to play opposite Tom Cruise."

Richard looked at the script. The second male lead didn't have many scenes, and he wasn't too keen on acting with Tom Cruise.

"How much is the pay?"

"$4 million!"

"Is there a chance for the male lead?"

Richard thought for a moment and asked.

"Cruise/Wagner Productions is also one of the producers."

"Forget it, $4 million is not even enough for one of my match bonuses."

Richard tossed the script aside and opened another one, "xXx."

"This is a project from Revolution Studios. The executive producer is Todd Garner, you know him. He was also involved in 'Black Hawk Down.' They saw 'The Fast and the Furious' and thought the two films had a similar style, both being extreme sports movies.

So they approached Neal Moritz for collaboration, and Moritz recommended you and 'The Fast and the Furious' director Rob Cohen."

"Neal's new project?"

Richard thought for a moment and called Neal Moritz. They chatted for a while and inquired about the situation.

Producer Moritz's intention was that if Richard was willing to take it, they would start negotiating with the studio. It was a commercial film, so the salary should be top-tier, $15 million, preferably with profit sharing, and Richard should also be credited as a producer.

Richard nodded slightly and read the script carefully. The plot was also related to agents.

The male protagonist was an extreme sports athlete, proficient in various extreme challenges like high-altitude skydiving, mountain skiing, rock climbing, motocross, snowboarding, etc. He was also a delinquent. Later, the special agent department found him, planning to use this delinquent to deal with criminals.

The plot wasn't complex, but it involved a lot of extreme sports. If they could film these extreme sports well, it should be pretty good. If not, the box office would suffer.

Richard held the script, feeling uncertain. He wasn't too enthusiastic about extreme sports and wasn't particularly interested in the film's plot.

Especially after filming three relatively serious and less commercial films like 'The Lord of the Rings,' 'Black Hawk Down,' and 'The Bourne Identity,' he was gradually losing interest in such cool roles like the one in 'xXx.'

Richard shook his head. There had been news reports about many actors giving up coveted roles due to character issues or disagreements with the director's vision.

For example, Cameron initially wanted to invite Matthew McConaughey to play the male lead in "Titanic," but Matthew refused, saying he didn't want to act in that kind of romance film.

After the massive success of "Titanic," many people said Matthew McConaughey was foolish, and Richard had thought so too.

But now he somewhat understood the other party. It was like how actors who liked to make art films found commercial films quite boring. The only thing that could motivate them was probably the paycheck. Making money was a timeless topic.

"Let's talk to them about the pay first. If the studio is sincere, I'm okay with taking it on," Richard decided after some thought.

"Okay!"

"I'll read the remaining three scripts slowly and let you know when I've made a decision," Richard said.

"Alright, no rush with the scripts. The most important thing right now is the match. If you can win seven matches in a row this time, your fame might not surpass Tyson's, but it won't be far off. Sometimes, when I think about how you've become a globally famous star, it feels surreal."

Anthony laughed.

"It's nothing. I was born to be a star."

"Haha, alright!"

Anthony chuckled and then talked about the company. BAA was developing smoothly. Richard, Naomi, Jessica, Frank, and Lisa were all doing well, bringing in a lot of revenue for the company. With the money, the company signed a few more promising new actors, and the number of employees exceeded 60.

In terms of scale, although it couldn't compare to the major agencies, it was among the top entertainment companies.

After chatting for a while, Anthony said goodbye and went back to work.

Richard flipped through the scripts, but didn't feel like reading anymore. He had been busy with movie promotions, boxing match promotions, and training these past few days, leaving him feeling dizzy. He didn't want to waste his rare free time on work.

"Anthony left?"

Gisele stretched and walked out of the study.

"He left. That guy, like you, is becoming a workaholic. When we were together before, we used to talk about food, fun, and entertainment. Now, as soon as we meet, it's all about work. I'm kind of afraid of seeing him."

"You're just too tired. You've been busy since the beginning of the year, and you'll continue to be busy for another two or three months. Remember last year you said you'd take on less work? But you're even busier than before."

Gisele leaned against him and said softly.

"Seems like it. Then I'll take on less work and leave more time for rest next year."

Richard held her, smelling the fragrance of her hair, and felt much more relaxed.

"Can you really do that? You're in your prime right now. 'The Fast and the Furious' and 'The Lord of the Rings' were huge successes. Many newspapers say you're the most outstanding young actor, even better than Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Edward Norton. Are you willing to put down your work and rest at home?"

Gisele looked up and smiled.

"There's nothing I'm not willing to do. I make movies to make money. I've achieved my goal, so I can rest whenever I want. I don't want to compete with anyone and end up exhausting myself to death."

"Haha, it's great that you think that way. How about you stay home more in the future, and I'll cook delicious food for you every day?"

"Okay!"

Richard hugged her and smiled.

"What do you want to eat today? I'll make it for you."

Gisele stood up and asked.

"Hmm~ Can I eat you?"

"Haha, no, I'm not tasty!"

Gisele pushed him away, trying to escape.

"Haha, too late!"

Richard pounced on her and pinned her down on the sofa.

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(End of Chapter)