Chapter 46: A Rapidly Advancing Negotiation
At exactly 9 a.m. the next morning, Jimmy and Wayne walked into the Warner Bros. building.
It was Wayne's first time there, yet the place gave him an unexpectedly comfortable impression. They were greeted by Jeff Robinov, the head of Warner Bros.' film production division.
"Good morning, Director Garfield," Jeff said with a warm smile, extending his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can work together."
Wayne shook his hand firmly. "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Robinov. I believe we're both hoping for the same thing."
After exchanging greetings, Jeff also shook Jimmy's hand before leading them into the elevator and up to the seventh floor. Jeff left a vivid first impression—not at all like a typical high-ranking Hollywood executive. He felt more like a big, friendly bear. Or maybe… Bear No. 1 from that kids' cartoon.
Wayne kept reminding himself on the way up: anyone who mistakes the head of a major studio division for Bear No. 1 probably isn't far off from being Bald Strong—the gullible sidekick. People like Jeff Robinov are never simple.
Once they entered the prepared conference room, Jimmy immediately got down to business, speaking on Wayne's behalf. Both sides were eager to reach an agreement, and their bottom lines were clear.
For Warner Bros., these kinds of negotiations were second nature. While Jimmy might have treated it as a big deal, to them it was just another routine Hollywood film collaboration. Their willingness to invest in the project stemmed primarily from their confidence in the box office potential of Get Out.
The talks bore a striking resemblance to their first deal with 20th Century Fox. The negotiations progressed swiftly, with both parties taking what they needed. Whenever disagreements arose, they aimed for mutual compromise. If something couldn't be resolved immediately, they shelved it for later.
Typically, a first meeting like this would be used to test each other's boundaries. But since both sides were keen to move fast and clearly wanted to work together, the pace was startlingly quick.
"Wayne, let them keep discussing the details—we should talk about your film specifically," Jeff said quietly, sliding over from his seat across the table to sit beside him. "Assuming everything goes through, do you have any particular requests outside the negotiation terms?"
"The film is simple in terms of settings. I'm sure Warner has a soundstage that'll work, and we can just shoot some exterior scenes to round it out," Wayne replied without hesitation, jumping straight into his requirements.
"The most important thing for me is having control over crew selection—cinematographer, lighting, assistant director, editor. I'd like Warner to prioritize my choices. Given my age and experience, I need people who can keep things on track without getting caught up in power struggles."
Jeff stroked his chin as he listened. Once Wayne finished, he responded thoughtfully, "You can choose your people, but the line producer has to be a Warner employee. That's just how things are done in Hollywood."
"No problem at all, Mr. Robinov." Encouraged by the easy agreement, Wayne pressed further, "My biggest concern is post-production. I want my input to be the primary reference during editing. We can hold internal test screenings, and if Warner isn't satisfied, you're free to have the producer recut it."
Since Wayne had chosen to work with a major studio rather than stick with high-risk indie production, he was already prepared to relinquish final cut rights. As long as he had creative involvement in the process, he was confident he could influence the final product.
"That's reasonable—we can even put that into the contract," Jeff said after a moment's reflection. "All of that's within my power to approve. But in return, Warner wants first-look investment rights for your next two to four films."
"I don't see any issue with that. After all, who could say no to a major Hollywood studio offering a partnership in good faith?" Wayne smiled, fully understanding the subtext. If this film succeeded, they'd continue the relationship; if it failed, there wouldn't be any follow-up investment.
It was a generous offer, framed in a way that preserved his dignity—like Warner was fully invested in his future success.
The terms offered by Warner were remarkably sincere—and the way they were presented made it feel as though they truly believed in Wayne and were eager to see him succeed.
By the time the lunch break rolled around, the negotiations had moved forward at an astonishing pace. Aside from a few remaining disagreements on post-release revenue splits, Jimmy had already ironed out the majority of the key points.
Since the budget wasn't huge, there weren't any complications involving A-list stars. In fact, the highest-profile name attached to the project was the director himself. With most of the crew arrangement settled, Wayne's rights and responsibilities were clear and manageable.
What should've been a prolonged, drawn-out negotiation process ended up being mostly resolved within half a day, thanks to both sides genuinely wanting to work together.
Once they stepped out of the Warner Bros. building, Jimmy finally came out of "business mode." He slid into Wayne's Cadillac, let out a long breath, and said, "I can't believe how smoothly that went. So smooth, it almost feels unreal! It's the complete opposite of those grueling talks I had with 20th Century Fox recently."
"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Wayne replied, steering the car onto Mulholland Drive toward Beverly Hills. "It just proves our value, Jimmy. There will always be someone out there who believes we can bring them greater returns."
"No, Wayne—it proves your value!" Jimmy corrected with a grin. "Looks like we'll be discussing your compensation terms tomorrow. At this pace, the contract should be signed within a week at the latest."
He pulled out his notebook and began reviewing the agreed-upon points from that morning. After a few moments, he suddenly looked up, surprised.
"Wait—where are you taking me? You should've dropped me in Burbank. I've still got to stay late and organize all the documentation."
Wayne chuckled. "Did you forget? I'm moving into my new place today. Come have a drink with me, get familiar with the route. If you don't even know where your client lives, you'll be infamous among agents."
They drove into a private estate, eventually stopping at a circular plaza in front of the main building. As they got out of the car, they saw everyone already waiting.
Aside from Nina and Naomi at the front door, there were five white staff members present. Clearly, the assistant had a good sense of his preferences and hadn't hired anyone from outside his expected demographic.
"Boss, this is Hela, the housekeeper," Nina introduced once Wayne approached.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Garfield," Hela said politely.
She was short, with cropped hair and the kind of freckles common among white Europeans. Wayne couldn't guess her exact age—these folks aged differently—but she didn't look a day over forty.
"Hello, Hela. Let's talk inside." Wayne led them into the living room. Once everyone was seated, he took a good look at the others present.
"Boss, I'm Mike, the chef. If you have any dietary preferences, you can let Hela know," said a burly man with a thick beard seated beside Hela.
"They're a couple," Nina whispered to Wayne. "That's quite common here in North America. Couples working together in one estate tend to be more stable. They used to work here before. The realtor, Henry, recommended them."
"Alright, Mike, could you prepare us something to eat? Hela, do we have any wine? We'd like to toast the new home," Wayne said casually. He didn't care much about their personal lives—as long as they did their jobs well, they were fine. Worst case, he'd replace them after settling in.
"There's still some red wine in the cellar, sir." Hela gave a signal, and the rest of the staff excused themselves. "Leo and the other two can handle the garden maintenance, but they'll need backup. We'll also need to hire a cleaning service once a month. And this estate still needs proper security staff, Mr. Garfield."
"No problem. Nina, contact a private security company for me."
Once it was just the four of them left in the living room, Jimmy looked around at the enormous mansion, visibly stunned.
"God, Wayne, this place is huge. I've gotta walk around and explore it."
"Be my guest, Jimmy—make yourself at home. Who knows, maybe one day you'll buy one just like it." Wayne didn't pay much attention. His mind was already occupied with plans for the new project. It looked like production prep could start soon.
Independent filmmaking was never part of his long-term plan. Not here in Hollywood, where the risk tolerance was too low. Just remembering the obstacles Happy Death Day faced before it even reached theaters was enough to make his point.
In the brutal arena of money and fame, making a great film was far from enough to conquer the industry. But now, he was sure he was on the right path. As long as he kept making quality films, Warner would handle the rest.
"Boss, it's a call from Mr. Thomson Rossman at 20th Century Fox," Nina said, covering the phone mic. "Do you want to take it?"
That caught Wayne off guard. They'd never spoken privately before—any business was always handled through Jimmy.
"Hello, Mr. Rossman. This is Wayne."
"Director Garfield, I heard your agent Jimmy has begun negotiations with Warner Bros.?"
"Yes, Mr. Rossman. Since Fox couldn't meet my requirements, we had no choice but to explore other investors." Wayne didn't see a need to hide anything—it was just business. If it didn't work out with one party, you moved on.
"Fox just needs more time, Wayne. We've had a great working relationship. You don't need to jump ship so quickly. Don't forget—it was Fox that released your first film!"
Wayne could hear the irritation in Rossman's voice.
"Listen, Thomson! You're right—Fox gave me a shot. But I also delivered big profits for you. This new project—your terms were far too harsh. What's the plan? Let me shoot the film, then toss me aside when the money starts rolling in?
Fox released Happy Death Day for the sake of revenue, and I delivered. We're square, Thomson. Business is business!"
Rossman's entitled attitude left a bad taste in his mouth, like he was expected to cling to Fox and never consider other options. Without another word, Wayne ended the call.
Before this, he'd still held a bit of goodwill toward Thomson Rossman. After all, the man had given him his break. But now, it was clear—Rossman had taken him for a fool.
"Everything okay, Wayne?" Jimmy asked, concerned.
Seeing Nina and Naomi also watching him closely, Wayne rubbed his face and said calmly, "It's fine. Jimmy, keep negotiating with Warner. Let's get the contract signed as soon as possible. Don't let Fox interfere with our progress."