The New Year had just passed, and the release schedule for the 2007 summer movie season was already being unveiled one after another.
This year's biggest summer-season powerhouse, Gilbert, had gone off to film a TV series, which let everyone breathe a sigh of relief. But even so, this year's summer lineup still couldn't be underestimated—there were plenty of films worth looking forward to.
First up at the start of the summer season was Sony Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man 3, set to premiere on May 4th.
To be honest, Marvel now regretted selling Spider-Man to Sony Columbia Pictures. The key issue was that the Spider-Man series continued to perform so well at the box office—it was a thorn in the side of Marvel Studios, which was preparing to build the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In terms of popularity, Peter Parker was undoubtedly Marvel's top-tier superhero, while Iron Man was considered a second-tier character. But there was nothing Marvel could do; Sony Columbia Pictures wasn't going to let go of such a lucrative cash cow.
Another major summer release was DreamWorks Animation Studio's Shrek the Third, now under Paramount Pictures, scheduled for May 18th.
This was what made Hollywood interesting: although Disney dominated the animation market, other studios could still produce excellent animated films.
DreamWorks Animation and Blue Sky Studios were both outstanding animation studios independent of Disney.
Of course, the undisputed industry leader at the moment was Pixar Animation Studios, which had been acquired by Disney.
Pixar also had a new film slated for release this year—Ratatouille, known to Chinese audiences as Food Party.
Gilbert happened to be quite fond of this animated movie, though unfortunately, like Pixar's upcoming project WALL-E, it was a critical darling rather than a commercial hit.
Disney, of course, hoped Pixar would produce more commercially driven films such as Toy Story and Finding Nemo. After all, they needed to make money!
However, thanks to Gilbert, the creative director, Pixar was currently developing an animated film centered on Chinese kung fu and pandas, titled Kung Fu Panda.
The film was expected to release next year. To help the creative team find the right inspiration, Gilbert even pulled some strings to have them visit China's giant panda base.
And it worked—pandas were universally appealing, loved by both adults and children across cultures. The creators were instantly captivated, especially since some of them had never seen a real panda before.
They even bought loads of panda-themed merchandise, and when they worked on the film, they did so surrounded by a fully immersive "panda room."
Two other heavyweight films were Melon Studios' Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, scheduled for release on May 25th and July 13th respectively.
These two franchises were Melon Studios' crown jewels, their profitability unmatched—especially the Harry Potter series.
If Warner Bros. completed its separation from Melon Studios, handling the rights to these properties would become a major headache. It was possible that Warner would retain some of the rights unless Kelly Ross was stubborn enough to forgo the profits.
In addition, Melon Studios also had Zack Snyder's 300 slated for release this year.
Originally, Zack Snyder had a good chance of directing Superman or Watchmen. But with Warner currently in the midst of breaking ties with Gilbert, it was unclear whether Snyder would still get to work with Warner.
Of course, if Zack Snyder wanted to work with Warner Bros., Gilbert wouldn't stop him. Pursuing one's own career path was only natural.
Other notable releases included the classic action-sequel Live Free or Die Hard, as well as 20th Century Fox's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
Worth mentioning was that one of Fantastic Four 2's main actors, Chris Evans, was currently in discussions with Marvel about possibly playing Captain America.
However, Gilbert's suggestion was to wait a little longer; once Fantastic Four 2 flopped, Chris Evans' asking price would drop.
Meanwhile, Marvel Studios wasn't idle either. Following the success of Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk had both entered the preparation stage and would be released sequentially.
Scarlett's portrayal of Black Widow didn't come with a solo film, but she would continue to appear in the upcoming Marvel entries.
When she filmed Iron Man, Scarlett's salary was only one million dollars—a figure Kevin Feige approved mainly out of respect for Gilbert.
But by the time Iron Man 2 and Captain America rolled around, Scarlett's salary had increased to 3.5 million dollars.
There was no helping it. Scarlett had previously starred mostly in artistic films, and before Iron Man, her biggest commercial production was The Island, which had bombed at the box office.
Additionally, female actors generally struggled to command high paychecks in major blockbusters, so their pay growth tended to lag behind their male counterparts.
Hollywood's iconic actresses—Julia Roberts, Jodie Foster, and others—had all built their careers step by step before reaching the top ranks.
Meanwhile, actresses such as Naomi Watts and Charlize Theron had climbed into Hollywood's upper echelon while holding onto Gilbert's backing, though no one questioned their own star power.
After all, if they truly lacked the ability, no amount of Gilbert's support would help; it would only spark backlash instead.
As long as Scarlett handled her Marvel roles well, she too would one day join her "older sisters" at the top of Hollywood's A-list.
Not to mention, Gilbert had already mapped out a clear trajectory for her—both at the box office and in awards season.
Sometimes Naomi Watts would even get jealous, complaining that Gilbert was still spoiling his "little wife."
The remaining films were not part of the summer lineup, but they were still highly competitive. Melon Studios' I Am Legend was scheduled for release in November.
Because of the controversy surrounding the project, Will Smith was unable to star in it. The role had now gone to Nicolas Cage, which would certainly give the film a very different feel.
In addition, at the tail end of the summer season, Nicolas Cage and Cameron Diaz's National Treasure: Book of Secrets was also set to hit theaters.
Even without a film from Gilbert, looking at the confirmed release lineup, the competition still seemed quite strong.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest had taken the number one box office spot in 2006, and the third installment remained a strong contender for the top spot as well.
Originally, Pirates of the Caribbean had been planned as a trilogy, but with such outstanding box office numbers, it would be hard not to continue the franchise. Gilbert had said previously that as long as Johnny Depp didn't run into any problems, sequels could keep being made.
However, if they were going to produce more sequels, the studio would likely sideline Orlando Bloom and Elizabeth Swann—their salaries had become far too inflated.
And judging from Warner's attitude, it didn't seem particularly eager to make more sequels anyway, since the company was preparing for its separation.
Because of this separation plan, even The Hobbit series had been halted. Warner and Disney were currently in negotiations.
Robert Iger's position was that if Warner didn't want to invest, Disney could take over the project themselves.
But Warner Bros. CEO Kelly Ross insisted that The Hobbit could be made, just not by Melon Studios and Gilbert could not continue serving as producer.
Her proposal, however, faced opposition from Disney and several Warner executives. The Lord of the Rings trilogy, a series considered a cinematic masterpiece, had been built entirely under Gilbert's leadership.
And now she wanted to toss him aside? How would fans react? How could the film's quality be guaranteed?
Without Gilbert overseeing things, could any other director truly handle a massive project like The Hobbit?
Under pressure, Kelly Ross had no choice but to compromise. She couldn't bear to abandon the golden Lord of the Rings brand, yet she didn't want to collaborate with Gilbert, so she handed participation rights to one of Warner's subsidiary companies.
When Gilbert heard this, he burst into laughter. Wasn't this just covering one's ears while stealing a bell?
Clearly, the woman wasn't completely brainless—either that, or the separation faction hadn't offered enough benefits for Kelly Ross to give up the production rights to The Hobbit.
All these moves, of course, came down to one thing: profit.
If not for profit, all these gestures and maneuvers would be meaningless!
In short, over the next few years, Warner's tangled struggles and back-and-forth would likely play out repeatedly.
With Gilbert in Warner's management, the studio had operated with at least some sense of normalcy. But now that he no longer had any influence on the board, who knew what kind of chaos Warner would stir up? Gilbert was already looking forward to the show.
...
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