"The cover package for Finding Nemo is done," Christopher said, passing over his laptop. "Take a look. If you want anything changed, I'll send it back for revisions."
Bruce studied it for a moment, then handed it back.
"It works. Leave it."
Christopher nodded. "Then I'll send it to the printer."
"Do it."
Christopher glanced at him. "What do you want for the first print run?"
Bruce pointed at the sofa across from him. "You decide. You're the publishing pro. Sit down, though. I want to ask you something."
Christopher sat, curious now. "About what?"
Bruce's expression turned more serious.
"Christopher, Rowling sold the film rights to the first four Harry Potter books to David Heyman's company, right?"
Christopher nodded right away.
"That's right. I handled that myself. June 1997. One million pounds for a full buyout."
Bruce leaned back slightly.
"Don't you think that was unfair to her? With Harry Potter selling the way it is around the world, she should be getting a piece of the box office."
Christopher gave him a measured look.
"From where we're sitting now, sure, the number looks low. But back in 1997, the first book had just hit the market. Nobody knew what it was going to become. And even when a novel becomes a bestseller, that doesn't guarantee the film will work. There are plenty of adaptations that bombed just as hard as successful ones broke out."
"That's true," Bruce said. "But I think Harry Potter has a very strong chance."
Christopher nodded.
"If it works, it works big. A successful movie would push Rowling's name to another level entirely. And it would drive the book sales up by at least ten percent, probably more..."
He stopped mid-sentence.
Then he looked at Bruce more carefully.
Something clicked.
"Bruce," he said slowly, "you're not asking out of curiosity, are you?"
Bruce held his gaze and nodded once.
"Exactly what you think. I want the Harry Potter film rights too."
Christopher let out a short, helpless laugh.
"I should have known. You never bring up anything that isn't tied to your own plans."
Bruce said nothing.
Christopher rubbed his jaw, then sighed.
"All right. Let me say the obvious part first. Your company is real now. Matrix has already proven it can make money. Paranormal Activity just crossed $85.69 million in three weeks. With a delayed international rollout, it'll almost certainly pass $100 million. Against a total cost of under $5 million, that's over a twenty-times return."
Bruce nodded. "Which means we have the ability to make films that work."
Christopher looked at him. "Then why not keep adapting your own books? You're sitting on a whole shelf of bestselling properties."
Bruce answered immediately.
"My books aren't going anywhere. I control those completely. I can develop them whenever I want. Rowling is different. If I wait, the window may close."
Christopher studied him for a few seconds. By now he knew Bruce well enough to recognize that tone. Bruce had already made up his mind.
"Right now," Christopher said, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone has been in production in the UK for nearly two months under Warner and Heyman. Including prep, they've already spent at least $10 million."
Bruce didn't interrupt.
"If you step in now, you're not just buying rights. You're stepping on two very large toes. And under the original contract, if Rowling breaches, the damages aren't discretionary. That means she'd have to repay the $10 million, plus another thirty percent in compensation. At a minimum, that's $13 million. And that's before Warner or Heyman starts inflating their claimed losses to make the number uglier."
Bruce cut in then, calm but firm.
"Christopher, I thought through all of that before I ever brought this up. If the damage number is $13 million, fine. If it's higher, also fine. Rowling doesn't need to pay a penny. I'll cover all of it."
Christopher stayed quiet.
"And if Warner and Heyman want to play games," Bruce continued, "I'll hire the best commercial litigators in the country and fight them."
His tone hardened.
"I'm taking the Harry Potter rights."
Christopher gave a small shrug.
"All right. Then what exactly do you need from me? You didn't bring me in here just to test whether I agree with you."
Bruce smiled.
"Smart. I need you to help me persuade Rowling."
Christopher nodded like he'd expected that.
That part, at least, was easy. His interests were tied directly to Bruce's. Thinking about it wasn't even necessary.
"I can help," Christopher said. "But there's one person who can move her more than I can."
"Neil Murray."
Bruce said it at once.
Christopher nodded.
"Exactly. They're getting married next year. You know that already."
"I do. She mentioned it last week. They haven't set the date or the location yet."
Christopher leaned forward.
"A husband carries more weight than friends do. If Neil comes over to your side, and then you and I both push with him, Rowling becomes much easier."
Then he stopped.
A different thought hit him, and when it did, his eyes narrowed.
"Wait."
Bruce didn't react.
Christopher kept staring at him.
"When you insisted on giving Neil five percent of Thornbird the last time we were in Exeter, this was already in your head, wasn't it?"
Bruce smiled faintly.
"If I said no, would you believe me?"
Christopher shook his head.
"No."
He sat there quietly for a moment, looking at Bruce with new calculation in his eyes.
"Actually," he said, "I should've figured this out earlier. You didn't come to London and hire me just because you had Fantastic Beasts in hand, or because you happened to be a Rowling fan. You were building toward this."
Bruce smiled and shook his head.
"Christopher, you're giving me too much credit. I'm not nearly as scheming as you're making me sound."
"Maybe," Christopher said. "Or maybe not."
He held Bruce's eyes for another second, then let it go.
Some things were better understood than spoken aloud.
Still, now that he'd put the pieces together, the shape of it was hard to ignore.
"With Thornbird where it is now, and with the growth ahead of it, that five percent stake you handed Neil is already worth north of $10 million. And it'll keep climbing. A gift like that buys a lot of loyalty."
Bruce didn't deny it.
Christopher exhaled.
"With Neil on your side, and with you and me both pushing, Rowling will be very difficult to resist, as long as your offer is stronger than Warner's and Heyman's. But you do understand what it means to cross Warner, right? They're a Hollywood giant. If they decide to make life difficult for Matrix, they can."
Bruce nodded.
"I'm offering Rowling five percent of gross box office on Harry Potter. That alone changes the conversation. As for Warner, they're already busy dealing with the Nasdaq fallout and the AOL disaster. If they still want to make this personal, I don't mind meeting them in public."
His eyes sharpened.
"Hollywood is deep water, but in the end it still follows capital. If there's enough money on the table, even the biggest names don't scare people for long. And Warner can't squeeze me as easily as they'd squeeze a normal producer. I'm not just a studio head."
Christopher watched him.
Bruce continued.
"Besides, I don't actually want a war with Warner. If they're willing, I'd rather work with them on Harry Potter."
That got Christopher's attention.
"You'd partner with them?"
Bruce nodded again.
"In a perfect world, yes. Matrix still doesn't have experience making or releasing a movie on that scale. Even if I get the rights, figuring out how to produce Harry Potter properly is a real challenge."
He paused, then added, "And think about it this way. What's worth more, Harry Potter by itself, or Harry Potter plus Pirates of the Caribbean plus National Treasure?"
Christopher answered immediately.
"The second one. Obviously."
"Exactly."
Christopher leaned back.
"So you want leverage, not just ownership."
Bruce smiled. "Now you're speaking my language."
Christopher let out a breath, then nodded.
"All right. You've clearly thought this through. I'm not going to waste time arguing with you. Anything you need from me, you have it."
That was the only real choice anyway, whether he was thinking with his business head or his personal one.
Bruce smiled. "Thanks, Christopher."
Christopher waved a hand.
"If you really want to thank me, write a few more novels before the end of the year."
Bruce laughed.
"The writing part is easy. But I actually have something else I want to talk to you about."
Christopher looked at him suspiciously.
"This isn't still about Rowling, is it?"
"No. This time it's about us."
"Us?"
Bruce nodded.
"Thornbird is growing fast, but we're still at least three years away from having global coverage. If we want to protect the value of our rights, we need a separate plan for the countries where copyright enforcement is weak. We should partner with local publishers on distribution there."
Christopher's expression changed immediately.
"If we don't," Bruce continued, "then by the time we finally build out our own channels in those markets, piracy will already have eaten most of the money that should've been ours."
Christopher sat with that for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"You're right. I'll move on it immediately."
Bruce stood.
"That's why I like working with you."
He checked the time.
"All right. That's everything. I need to go pick up Molly."
Christopher looked up. "You want me to come with you?"
Bruce gave him a flat look.
"No. If Molly and I are getting close, you being there is a distraction."
Christopher rolled his eyes.
"Fine. I'll stay out of the romance."
Bruce didn't bother answering. He just lifted a hand, waved once, and headed for the door.
...
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