The richest actor in Hollywood.

"This production looks pretty massive, doesn't it?"

Charlize Theron remarked as she watched the chaotic battle scene unfolding on the distant set, then turned to Matthew and added, "You've worked on so many films, yet you've circled back to military action again."

Matthew, who had some downtime, sat beside her and replied, "It's more of an action sci-fi genre this time."

Charlize nodded lightly and asked, "I heard you're working with Christopher Nolan?"

"Yeah," Matthew glanced at her, then asked, "Are you interested?"

"No, *The Burning Plain* drained me," Charlize sighed. "I'm planning to take a break."

"Finished filming already?" Matthew asked curiously.

Charlize gave a slight, bitter smile. "Yeah, but there's a problem with the post-production funding again. These small indie films are just too unreliable."

"Post-production for such films doesn't require too much funding; it should come together soon," Matthew offered some comfort before asking, "I remember you were working with a young actress named Jennifer Lawrence, right? The same girl who deliberately tripped that time we met."

"Are you interested in her?" Charlize raised an eyebrow.

Matthew quickly waved his hand. "You're overthinking it." He explained briefly, "I might have a project that requires a talented young actress."

After all, *The Hunger Games* could be considered one of Jennifer Lawrence's signature roles.

"Jennifer Lawrence…" Charlize thought for a moment before saying, "She's very talented but also quite playful. She often acts like a ditzy girl despite being so young."

She paused before adding, "Overall, she's pretty good."

Matthew nodded slightly and asked a few more questions before changing the topic. Jennifer Lawrence could be considered as a potential candidate for the future.

Of course, Katniss wasn't necessarily a role that only she could play. If the recast *Twilight* was a big success, it would give Matthew the confidence to switch actors more freely in the future.

However, all of this hinged on whether he could secure the movie rights to *The Hunger Games* from Suzanne Collins.

Helen Herman had already engaged in five rounds of negotiations with Suzanne Collins, gradually narrowing the differences between the two sides. Before the sixth round of talks, Matthew met with Suzanne Collins and promised that if he obtained the rights, he would invest no less than $50 million in adapting the novel into a film.

Most authors dream of seeing their work on the big screen, and Suzanne Collins was no exception. Additionally, the other terms Matthew offered were quite favorable.

During the sixth round of negotiations, both sides reached an agreement, and they signed a formal licensing contract.

The core of this contract was, of course, the rights fee. Thirteen Studios agreed to pay Suzanne Collins a one-time fee of $6 million, and she would also receive a 5% share of the North American box office profits.

Even without considering the profit-sharing, the $6 million rights fee was three times higher than Matthew had initially expected.

But back then, he hadn't known that Suzanne Collins was an industry insider.

Having paid such a hefty sum, Thirteen Studios also secured the right of first refusal for the next two installments of *The Hunger Games* series.

Just as Matthew had suspected, *The Hunger Games* was not a standalone novel. Suzanne Collins had planned it as a trilogy.

She had even already named the next two books: *Catching Fire* and *Mockingjay*.

"Pleasure doing business with you!"

In the Angel Agency's meeting room, Matthew shook hands with Suzanne Collins after exchanging contracts. "Pleasure doing business with you!"

By this time, the tense negotiations were long over, and the atmosphere was warm and friendly.

Suzanne Collins, a mature middle-aged woman, spoke politely, "Matthew, it's an honor that my book has caught your attention."

Matthew responded courteously, "I read your novel. The setting and the story's progression are incredibly compelling." For some reason, *Battle Royale* came to mind, and he asked, "Ms. Collins, if I may ask, what was your inspiration for this story?"

The movie adaptation would undoubtedly face scrutiny in the future. If Suzanne Collins didn't have a suitable explanation, they would need to craft one. It was crucial for both parties to have a unified stance on this issue.

As for accusations of imitation or plagiarism, they were completely unfounded.

"This story evolved from the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. I read that story when I was eight, and it's stuck with me ever since."

Perhaps not expecting Matthew's question, Suzanne Collins thought for a moment before saying, "In that myth, there's a place called Crete, where, every year, they sent seven boys and seven girls to be sacrificed to the Minotaur. In my novel, I didn't want to retell a myth, so I set the story in a future, post-apocalyptic America, creating *The Hunger Games* from a contemporary perspective and value system. Katniss is the Theseus of the story, and the Minotaur has been upgraded to represent the government and the invisible forces of the system and societal pressures. At its core, the story is just a simple gladiator tale from ancient Rome, mixed with modern elements."

Matthew nodded and said naturally, "Ms. Collins, our collaboration on the film begins now. The inspiration behind a novel often makes for great publicity. You're an experienced television writer, so I'm sure you understand the importance of this, and I won't elaborate."

"Don't worry, Matthew," Suzanne Collins assured him. "I'll cooperate fully with your promotional efforts."

As the original author, she certainly hoped that the film adaptation of her work would reach a wide audience.

Although it was still early for the film adaptation, Matthew and Suzanne Collins discussed some ideas for the future movie. Then, he saw her and her team out of the Angel Agency.

Returning to Helen Herman's office, Matthew let out a long sigh of relief. Despite the numerous challenges, they had finally secured the rights to *The Hunger Games* series.

In recent years, the cost of acquiring film rights for novels had skyrocketed. A few million dollars for rights was now considered mid-range; Dan Brown's *The Da Vinci Code* and *Angels & Demons* had each sold for tens of millions.

It might not be long before a Hollywood studio shells out over a hundred million dollars for the rights to a popular novel or other work.

In this era of declining originality, with adaptations and sequels dominating the film industry, such a scenario wasn't out of the question.

When Helen Herman returned to the office, Matthew discussed with her the future plans for adapting *The Hunger Games*.

The adaptation would not begin early planning until next year at the earliest, with a possible release in 2010 or 2011, or even later.

The main reason for the delay was Thirteen Studios' funding.

As a shell studio, Thirteen Studios didn't have abundant financial resources, and Matthew couldn't afford to simultaneously invest in too many mid-to-large-scale film projects.

His investment in *Iron Man* had started to yield returns, and the projected profits were substantial. However, most of these earnings, along with the $40 million investment, would be reinvested in *Iron Man 2*.

The sequel was already in the early planning stages and was expected to enter pre-production by the end of the year, with Jon Favreau returning as director, along with the leads Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and Scarlett Johansson.

As a sequel to a blockbuster film, the cast and crew's salaries were naturally much higher than for the first installment.

As a result, *Iron Man 2* had a production budget of $200 million.

Matthew had a 40% stake in the investment, amounting to $80 million.

He didn't necessarily have to invest the full $80 million—this was the upper limit. But Matthew understood Iron Man's central role in the Avengers and the massive hype he had generated, so he would likely invest the maximum amount.

This meant that most of the profits from *Iron Man* would be reinvested in Marvel superhero movies.

Additionally, *Captain America* had also been added to Marvel Studios' schedule and would soon enter the planning stage, another project Matthew planned to invest in.

During a phone call with Kevin Feige, Matthew had heard about an interesting idea. Marvel Studios was considering having Wolverine and Magneto from the *X-Men* franchise make cameo appearances in the film (since the story was set during World War II, and Wolverine was a soldier at the time, while Magneto was a POW). However, the film and television rights for Wolverine and Magneto were owned by 20th Century Fox, so Marvel would need to negotiate and reach an agreement with Fox to make it happen.

Matthew knew this wouldn't be easy. Years ago, Marvel Comics had sold off the rights to Spider-Man, X-Men, and other popular franchises to stay afloat, but once those rights were sold, getting them back was extremely difficult.

Maybe when Sony's Columbia Pictures could no longer handle the *Spider-Man* series and 20th Century Fox had repeatedly bungled the *X-Men* and *Fantastic Four* franchises, they would finally turn to Marvel Studios.

Matthew's investments in Marvel superhero films would tie up a significant portion of his liquid assets, meaning that *The Hunger Games* would have to be postponed. However, it wouldn't be delayed indefinitely—after all, their contract specified that if Thirteen Studios didn't produce a film adaptation within ten years, the rights would automatically revert to Suzanne Collins.

This was similar to how Marvel Comics had licensed *Spider-Man*, *X-Men*, and *Fantastic Four*.

To maintain their rights, Sony's Columbia and 20th Century Fox would produce a related film before the

 rights expired, even if it turned out to be a flop.

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