It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
Not sure I understand the James Bond math — the last 2 Bond films grossed almost 1.2 billion. I know that a hefty chunk of that has to recoup all costs, but they were released what, 2-3 years apart? A couple more installments at those grosses and you’ve passed your 1.5 billion. Add in VOD, DVD, BD, (not to mention whatever else MGM has to offer), and it sounds like a good deal to me.
Maybe his numbers are factoring in the fallout from the last James Bond movie being a tiresome piece of crap?
Dave’s probably right about the numbers. Quantum of Solace grossed about $575million worldwide. Cut that in half right off the bat for the cinema/distributor cut giving $287mil (give or take a million or two). Production budget was $230mil, and we’ll assume that was all spent and includes the financing costs, DGA/WGA/SAG/AMPTP gross participation points and studio overheads.
DVD sales were about $45mil (again, gross – you’ll have to take out the 30-40% retailer’s cut) and the Bond movies usually have good ancillary revenues. I couldn’t find marketing figures, but the MPAA estimates average costs to around $40mil – given this is a Bond film, we’d assume that figure was much higher. We’ll be generous and say they got a profit around $43mil.
That gives a net profit of $100mil, or roughly 30% return on your $300mil investment (production + P&A). To look at it another way – how much would you pay to get a $100mil cheque in the mail every 2.5 years? $1.5billion? Didn’t think so.
This is the Bond FRANCHISE being discussed, not just future profits on yet-to-be-made features. The worldwide television and home entertainment revenue on these 21+ films has been enormous, and will continue to be so for a comfortably long time.
I think the operative words in your comment were “has been”. The future revenues from the past 21+ films pale in comparison to future installments. I’m sorry, but if you think Octopussy is going to pull in $2mil in profits every year I’m going to be highly dubious.