"6.5 million?" Listening to this number, Li Xiaole narrowed his eyes. The second round of BBC quoted £6.5 million per episode, which is quite high, but it is still apart from the price in his mind. In addition to the North American copyright that Pirates has confirmed to have, there are more than 40 countries in Europe alone. On average, each country has a copyright fee of 10,000 per episode, and it is not just that. You should know that "Detective Sherlock" is not an ordinary drama, but a long drama of 90 minutes per episode.

"This price is simply surprising. I reported to Fred. All the directors were very excited. Lee, I am really glad that we didn't sell each episode as they quoted 3 million pounds. Otherwise, we would probably have smashed things at home in an upset." Charlie laughed, he really didn't expect "Sherlock" to be so.

"That's it..." Li Xiaole narrowed his eyes and calculated in his heart. "Detective Sherlock" should be sold for 9 million pounds. He felt that he should maximize the benefits, and immediately had an idea in his mind and said to Charlie:

"Charlie, I think this is the case. Ask BBC if you are willing to take over the filming rights for the subsequent season of "Detective Sherlock". If you are willing, then they will pay 9.5 million pounds per episode to buy the six episodes of "Detective Sherlock" in this season."

"What..." Charlie was stunned on the spot. He was in a state of excitement and announced the good news, but he didn't expect that Li Xiaole would do this. What is he going to do? Sell the copyright of the subsequent season and recycle the current short-term benefits? Then, after 4 years, after spending the money, what will the Drama Council do?

"Charlie, don't worry, I know what you are thinking. Even if the Council wants to film the sequel to "Detective Sherlock", I'm afraid it will face many problems." Li Xiaole smiled and said:

"You may not know yet. Emma is going to be a starring a stage drama. Benny received a Hollywood film appointment, and Martin is going to participate in the production of "The Hobbit"..."

"So...so that's it..." Charlie looked at Martin and the other two, took a deep breath, and suddenly realized that his thoughts were still too simple. Now the actors of "Detective Sherlock" have all been reborn, and they no longer have to listen to their arrangements like a few months ago.

"You know, I'm going to make a movie too. I have no idea about the script for the next season. Why not transfer the subsequent production rights to bbc? This is good for everyone." Li Xiaole smiled.

"But 9.5 million pounds per episode... I'm afraid it's hard to accept bbc..." Charlie looked a little complicated, and he wanted to fight for it in the end. He hoped that Li Xiaole could stay...

"Don't worry, they will definitely agree to the subsequent production rights, so that they will be more attentive to the operation of "Sherlock Detective" overseas." Li Xiaole said confidently. "Sherlock Detective" is just his first cry when he came to the UK. The real highlight is still behind. The movie he carefully prepared to launch an attack on Oscars - "Millionaire in the Slums". This is his main purpose for coming to the UK. According to Indian law, only film institutions in the Commonwealth countries can film on their land and enter Bollywood. Otherwise, it will not take a year or two to pass countless complex legal applications.

"Oh, that's all." Charlie understood that things were irreversible, but he couldn't help but feel sad. The vibrant crew that had just been established by the Drama Council was about to go their separate ways in a blink of an eye... This made him, the old man, feel a little reluctant from the bottom of his heart, as if he was watching his children Zhang Dafen leave his side one after another.

Looking at the reluctance in the eyes of old Charlie who was like his father, Emma and the other two couldn't help feeling guilty... They left, where will the Drama Council come from in the future...

"Charlie, by the way, I forgot to tell you." Li Xiaole looked at everyone's sad atmosphere and turned around and suddenly searched under the drawer of the desk, muttering, "Where is it..." while turning out a stack of scripts with four large-text words "Downton Abbey" printed on the cover, and turned around and handed them to Charlie:

"This is a drama I wrote during this period, using my spare time, which I think is very suitable for the Drama Council's style."

"What is this?" Charlie took the script helplessly. He intuitively thought that Li Xiaole was leaving him a souvenir script or something like that before.

While looking through the outline, I found that it was a period drama from the World War I period, and I couldn't help but ask curiously: "Li, is this the script you wrote? How much does it cost per episode?"

"Lei Ting and I made a rough plan. This series is mainly based on exquisite style, and the cost is probably more expensive. On average, it costs 4.1 million pounds per episode." Li Xiaole said honestly. After all, it is a period drama, and the cost is still higher than that of modern dramas.

"4.1 million pounds per episode?" Old Charlie froze his face as he heard this. He looked at Li Xiaole for a long time before he slowly said: "Li... Such a large cost is something the Council has never experienced before... Besides, you are not afraid of it, I am afraid that it will not pass the Council's review..."

Li Xiaole will go to make a movie right away. He will definitely not come to shoot this drama anymore. Naturally, Black Pearl Company will not invest in it. The Drama Council finally took a breath, and he can't immediately invest all the money he earned in a drama...

You know, British era dramas are very difficult to shoot, and there are too many classic dramas ahead... Li Xiaole, a Chinese screenwriter, probably doesn't have the pure British flavor...

"Actually, it's not too much. The budget is ready later, so there are all details, you can look back." Li Xiaole pointed to the script:

"Charlie, look, there is a fund budget table behind it, which includes the remuneration of photography, lighting, and recording teams. I have already negotiated with all the actors. They are willing to play. Although the price is not cheap, it is definitely worth it. The combined cost budget of all these combined costs is not an excessive amount... and the market expectation evaluation..."

Li Xiaole explained in detail the reason why this drama invested so much:

"Recently, fashion dramas are blank in the British TV series market, and there are no powerful dramas of the same type. The audience has a sufficient sense of honor for this type. Lei Ting has counted the statistics of Atc Network Company. Many viewers over 25 years old are looking forward to a drama describing aristocratic drama like "Pride and Prejudice". After the Princess Diana incident, people's enthusiasm for the British royal family has not diminished. Prince William will make the headlines in the news. There is no royal authorization for everyone to film them, so the second-rate Aristocratic Castle Times drama will be a very good breakthrough point.

If you put my name on this screenwriter and producer, I believe this drama will definitely get an ideal result and will definitely make a profit..."

Li Xiaole knows how popular the British aristocratic theme of "Downton Abbey" is in later generations. The reason why he asked Charlie to shoot this film was not just to make the Drama Council enter a virtuous cycle and find a balance between art and the market, but more importantly, he has selfishness and he really wants to fight for the Oscars next year.

In the eyes of the public, the Oscars seem to be an extremely fair and open film award, but the 6,000 judges all have personal emotional tendencies. Those technical awards may be quantifiable, but once several awards, best director, best film, etc. are involved, when the gap between several nominee films is not large, the subjective impression chapter will play a big role.

This is the so-called favorable votes. Those who have nominated many times can easily get these favorable votes. As a new director of world movies, Li Xiaole has no favorable votes in the eyes of the judges.

He gave "Downton Abbey" to the Drama Council and asked him to put his name on it. He wanted to have seven in the UK (one of the industry colleagues who are qualified to judge the Oscars, but he not only had to know how to modernize Sherlock Holmes, but also accurately grasp the core of the traditional British aristocratic culture.

He wants to give all the Oscar judges an impression that Li Xiaole is not only a director of commercial films, but also has his own unique understanding of humanities and arts.

You should know why Ang Lee won the Oscar Director Award twice. In addition to being really outstanding, there is another real reason. He filmed a British film "Reason and Emotion" in 1995. Almost all British people think that Ang Lee made those unique and noble British artistic temperaments, which made everyone instinctively think that Ang Lee's movies are very high-end.

Think about it, if Feng Xiaogang had filmed "Brokeback Mountain", would he have been likely to win the Oscar for Best Director?

In fact, Li Xiaole should not go through the back door. He just wants those British Oscar judges to put him in the same position as British and American directors such as Coen brothers and Nolan at the awards ceremony next year, and compete fairly. That's enough.

On the other hand, Li Xiaole knew in his heart that he could not make "Downton Abbey" well, and there might be no problem with the technology and plot, but the nostalgia expressed in the work is not something he can express. After all, the atmosphere of this drama is too British and requires too much grammar similar to British classical Chinese, which is something he cannot control. Only the literary and artistic directors under the Drama Council can master this style.

Now he is called giving it to the board of directors, but in fact he wants to be a name for producer and screenwriter. In anyone's opinion, as long as "Downton Abbey" is filmed, he will think that Li Xiaole is manipulating the director behind the scenes and treat it as his work.
Chapter completed!