….
"Those notes were a test." Littlefield nodded.
Right, I believe you… Regal nodded clearly, not buying it.
He can clearly see that they simply wanted to establish some order of power with their demands, and seeing it failed they just stepped back.
Still he let them continue. This is how the business works.
"We wanted to see if you would defend your vision or cave at the first sign of pressure."
Littlefield added. "You know, television is full of people who say they want creative control but fold immediately when challenged. We need to know what you are made of."
He pulled out a different document - a deal memo.
"Here is the real offer. Full season, thirteen episodes, Thursday nine-thirty slot. Standard network broadcast standards apply, but creative decisions are yours."
Regal read through it carefully. "Huh. This is the kind of contract you will only offer when you actually trust someone's judgment."
"We always did." Littlefield said. "The concept is excellent, and those characters, exactly as written, are what we want. We just needed to make sure you wouldn't compromise them."
Marta was still angry. "I am still taken aback by your test."
"But it worked." Littlefield replied. "Now I know you three will fight for this show. That's what I need."
"We will review the contract and get back to you." Regal said. "But assuming it matches this memo, I think we have a deal."
They shook hands.
Outside, walking to the parking lot, David finally spoke.
"Did we just get played?"
"Probably." Regal admitted. "But we also got what we wanted. Sometimes you take the win, even if the process is frustrating."
Marta was smiling now. "Actually, I am still having a hard time processing that Six of One is officially greenlit…"
"Six of One?" Regal raised an eyebrow.
"Oh - yeah. Before we settled on the title Friends, we had a few other names, like Six of One."
"Yeah." David added. "We also thought of Insomnia Café."
For a moment, Regal wondered - if one of those titles had been on the brief Samantha handed him, would he have even agreed to the meeting?
Maybe. He had received some details about the script, not just the title.
But if it had been only the title, things might have turned out very differently.
Just then, Samantha cautioned. "There are still many obstacles upfront. Contracts, casting, production - months of work before it airs."
"That doesn't mean we are not moving forward." David replied. "It already feels like we have come a long way from waiting outside LIE Studios."
Regal checked his phone - a message from Darren about Deadpool marketing materials needing approval, another from Keanu about Matrix sound mixing.
Always something.
But watching Marta and David process that their show was actually getting made - that felt like time well spent.
"Remeber…" he said. "We are still meeting at Whitebridge Studios. NBC needs to understand that we have options - especially if they try pulling something like that again."
"Leverage." David said approvingly.
"Always." Regal confirmed.
….
Two Days Later.
The Crunchyroll San Francisco office had transformed over the past month.
More staff, better equipment, and an energy that came from suddenly having real resources to execute ambitious plans.
Kun gathered his leadership team for the first major strategy meeting since the acquisition.
"We have $50 million in capital approved for the next eighteen months." he announced. "Let's talk about how to deploy it."
The room, department heads for content acquisition, technology, marketing, and business development - leaned forward.
"Priority one is exclusive content." said Emily, head of content acquisition. "We are in negotiations with Shueisha for exclusive simulcast rights to their entire catalog. That's One Piece, Bleach, and Dragon BallZ everything."
"Cost?" Kun asked.
"$18 million annually. But it makes Crunchyroll the only legal place to watch the biggest anime series in the West."
"Do it." Kun approved. "What else?"
"We are talking to Production I.G. about co-producing an original series, not based on existing manga. Original story, developed specifically for Crunchyroll."
"That's risky." the business development head cautioned. "Original anime has high failure rates."
"It also differentiates us." Emily countered. "Every other platform just licenses existing shows. We need original content to stand out."
Kun considered. "Cost and timeline?"
"$8 million for twelve episodes, released in late 2016, we can start the production this fall."
"Approved. But I want Regal involved in story development, he understands serialized narrative structure."
"Already planning on it."
The technology head spoke next. "We need infrastructure upgrades. Current servers can't handle the growth we're projecting. I am recommending $12 million for new server capacity, CDN expansion, and 4K streaming capability."
"4K is premature." Kun said. "Most anime aren't produced in 4K yet."
"It will be in two years. We need to be ready."
"Fair point. Approved."
Marketing presented their plan, aggressive social media campaigns, convention presence, partnerships with anime YouTubers and influencers.
"The budget is $6 million for the year." the marketing head explained. "Focus on building community, not just advertising. We want Crunchyroll to feel like it's made by anime fans, not just for them."
"I like that approach." Kun said.
By the end of the meeting, they had allocated $44 million of their $50 million budget - aggressive expansion, but calculated.
"The remaining $6 million?" the CFO asked.
"Reserve for opportunities." Kun said. "Unexpected licensing deals, emergency acquisitions, whatever comes up."
After the meeting, Kun called Regal to update him.
["We are moving fast."] Kun explained. ["Exclusive Shueisha deal, original production, major tech upgrades."]
"Good." Regal replied. "That's what the capital is for."
["One question - Emily mentioned you will be involved in the original anime's story development. How much time can you commit?"]
"I will outline the core narrative structure and character arcs, your team can execute it. Think of me as a creative consultant."
["That works. We are also moving forward on the Batman anime co-production with Production I.G."]
"Have you talked to them about it?"
["Meeting confirmed the meeting. They are excited about the Batman project but want clear creative boundaries."]
["Which we will give them. I will have a detailed brief ready before we fly out."]
["Also, I have been thinking about the announcements. We should probably coordinate the Batman anime and Solo Leveling adaptations - make them part of a larger Crunchyroll original content initiative."]
"Makes sense. What's the timeline?"
["Announce at Anime Expo in July. Big panel, show concept art, generate buzz. By then we will have Production I.G. locked in and can show we're serious about quality."]
"I like it, put together a presentation. We will review it before the expo."
["Will do. Oh, and one more thing–
["Have you thought about Death Note?"]
Regal paused. "What about it?"
["You wrote and directed the feature film version. But the script you started with - it was originally for a series, right? Before you compressed it into a feature?"]
"It was."
["So we have a complete series script sitting unused. That seems like a waste."]
Regal hadn't thought about Death Note in months. The film had been successful - critically acclaimed, commercially viable, a genuine psychological thriller that worked despite its supernatural premise.
But Kun was right. The original series script existed, more detailed and expansive than what made it into the feature.
"You want to develop Death Note as an anime series?"
["Come on - don't act like you never thought about it. I am sure adapting it into different mediums was always part of the plan.]
"Yeah… I had the idea initially. But at some point, it became just one of many things I wanted to do, not something I had to do."
"So let's bring it back." he said. "I want to develop it as Crunchyroll's flagship original series. The concept is brilliant - a supernatural thriller with moral complexity, cat-and-mouse detective work, philosophical questions about justice. It's perfect for serialized format, and more than that, we already have a script. We can't just let it rot."
Hearing that, Regal considered it. Death Note as a series could explore themes the feature had to compress. Give L and Light's rivalry proper development. Show the psychological deterioration in detail.
…and he was excited again, curious to see how this one would turn out.
"That's a good plan." he said. "But first, I will send you the script. It definitely needs some revisions - go over it, and we will make the final call after we discuss it at the Anime Expo."
After the call, Regal pulled up his old Death Note series script - the one he had written first, before realities forced him to compress it into a feature-length film.
Reading it again, he was struck by how much had been lost in compression. The feature worked, but the series had room to breathe, to develop ideas fully, to let the tension build naturally over episodes instead of racing through plot.
"Yeah, Kun was right…"
"It was time to give Death Note the format it deserved."
After the call, Kun felt something he hadn't felt in years of running Crunchyroll on limited resources: genuine excitement about what they could build.
….
That afternoon, Keanu stopped by unannounced.
"Matrix sound mixing is done." he said, settling into a chair. "Alexander wants you to hear it."
"Final mix or still tweaking?"
"Final enough. We are locked for release."
"How do you feel about it?"
Keanu considered the question. "Proud and nervous. The film is... big. Bigger than anything I have done."
"Bigger than [Following]?"
"In teams of budget yes, and don't get jealous now…"
"Yeah, yeah - but don't let your knees shake over just this. In the future, you are going to be in even bigger films." Regal said. "How is Alexander handling the pressure?"
"Well, considering it's only his second film, he's managing well. He knows what he wants, doesn't compromise when it matters, and trusts his instincts. Reminds me of someone."
Regal smiled. "He learned from watching."
"We all did."
They talked through the Matrix release strategy - March 31st, wide release, 3,500 theaters. The marketing emphasized spectacle and mystery without revealing too much plot.
"The posters are working too…" Keanu said. "People are intrigued but confused, which is perfect."
"Did you think about prescreenings?"
"We are scheduling them three weeks prior to release."
"Good."
After Keanu left, Regal checked his calendar.
Deadpool will be released on February 14th, Valentine's Day, which Ryan had insisted on for the irony of an ultra-violent R-rated movie opening on the most romantic day of the year.
Matrix followed March 31st.
Friends will start filming in February, and will premiere in April.
And somewhere in all of this, he needed to decide what he was directing next.
The small acting project was still percolating in his mind, something intimate, character-focused, a palate cleanser after three massive superhero films.
But he hadn't committed yet.
….
That evening, Gwendolyn arrived at Regal's home office carrying takeout - Thai food from the place they both liked.
She opened the door quietly, already planning what she'd say about him working too late again.
But the words died in her throat.
Regal was asleep on the leather sofa, one arm draped across his chest, the other hanging off the edge.
His laptop sat open on the coffee table, screen dim but still displaying what looked like production schedules. Papers were scattered around him - scripts, notes, budget spreadsheets.
He looked peacefully asleep for once….
Gwendolyn set the food down carefully, making no sound.
For a moment she just watched him - the slight furrow between his eyebrows that never quite went away, and his usual stiff shoulders carrying the burden of million dollar projects seemed relaxed and finally just... stopped.
She moved to the phone on his desk, lifting the receiver with practiced silence. She dialed Samantha's direct line.
"Samantha." she said quietly when the assistant answered. "It's Gwendolyn. Can you make sure no calls come through for the rest of the evening? And cancel anything he has scheduled for tomorrow morning - unless it's something truly urgent."
["Is he okay?"] Samantha sounded concerned.
.
….
[To be continued…]
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