The-Greatest-Showman

In 2000, Thomas Tour founded Legendary Pictures using a private equity fund worth approximately $50 million. He signed a long-term partnership agreement with Warner Bros. and soon attracted many prominent investment banks and angel investors. Today, the company is valued at over $2 billion.

However, Legendary Pictures is more of an investment platform than a film production company. It invests in Warner Bros. projects, provides flexible funding, and waits for returns. Though it doesn't always participate in the actual film production process, Legendary decides which projects to back.

Under Thomas's leadership, the company has thrived. Wall Street executives have granted him complete trust and autonomy over project selection and partnerships. For example, when Warner Bros. asked Legendary to collaborate on Green Lantern, Thomas refused, even offering a harsh critique, saying, "If a random person walks in and throws me a script, I can only say, it's too far-fetched." Later, this vision proved accurate as Green Lantern incurred a $150 million loss.

Yet Thomas's ambition grew. He sought more influence in the Hollywood industry and wanted a larger role in decision-making, not merely as an investor but as a producer with a say in the creative process. Like Kevin Tsujihara, Thomas wanted power, not just profits. Their rivalry was inevitable.

A source familiar with the matter explained that Thomas was unwilling to remain just an investor. He desired more control over the films he funded, wanting to influence project decisions directly. Tsujihara, however, had no room for a meddling partner and needed to cut ties with Thomas. This split was the result of the power struggle between Wall Street's investment and Hollywood's creative control.

The situation became more chaotic after that.

Warner Bros. turned to Dune Entertainment, a longtime partner of 20th Century Fox, known for producing successful projects like Avatar, Prometheus, and Wolverine 2. In July, Warner Bros. officially launched the Batman v Superman project and moved forward with the DC Comics development plan.

Meanwhile, Rosenbaum, who was overseeing Warner Bros.'s TV division, joined Legendary Pictures to head a new TV and digital division. Legendary Pictures then announced a partnership with Universal Pictures, kicking off a project to reboot Jurassic Park.

Robinov, the former head of Warner Bros.'s film department, didn't rush to find a new job. Rumors swirled that he was preparing to launch his own production company. Half a year later, he established Studio No. 8 (-8) and partnered with Sony Columbia Pictures to target the Chinese market.

So, we arrive at the present chaos.

Warner Bros. is trying to stabilize and expand its DC project, while Renly's previous concerns about rushing things now seem irrelevant. Despite Renly's status, he is still too small to change the direction of Time Warner, and Warner Bros. isn't altering its strategy for him. Universal Pictures can't afford to offend Legendary Pictures because of him either. As a result, a delicate balance has been established amidst the chaos.

The Jurassic Park reboot is stuck in a tug-of-war between Andy Rogers and Thomas Tour, with Spielberg and Frank Marshall exerting indirect pressure but not directly intervening. Meanwhile, Ron Mayer has stayed silent about whether he'll continue to work with Renly on the Fast & Furious series, keeping their relationship neither too close nor too distant.

Andy Rogers, sensing an opportunity in this turbulent moment, decided to approach Renly with an alternative. He handed Renly a script with a confident smile, knowing that this was something Renly would find hard to resist.

Renly glanced at the script, raising his eyebrows upon seeing the title: Night Stalker. Andy's expression was one of assured pride, as if to say, "I knew you'd be interested."

Nightcrawler explores the world of "nightcrawlers"—freelance journalists and photographers in Los Angeles who chase violent crime to sell footage to TV stations for high profits. The media, obsessed with sensationalism and ratings, encourages these nightcrawlers to push moral boundaries in their pursuit of shock value. These individuals, driven by the need for a story, often cross ethical lines, becoming part of the very violence they seek to document. It's a critique of an industry where moral lines are increasingly blurred for the sake of entertainment.

Renly took a moment, appreciating the script. He knew Andy had something special here.