‘No, it’s not; we just have to get hold of all the good directors whose last films bombed and suggest filming a series! It would give them a few months’ filming and some financial security. Netflix is offering them unlimited resources; 120 million subscribers counts for a lot … But, Franck, we’ll need your contacts; you know all the directors!’

The money-grabbing idea disgusted him, but it was worth considering. He had to give his associates some room for manoeuvre.

‘OK, so Tuesday 12th?’

‘Yes, Liem, I’ll be there on Tuesday 12th.’

‘Is nine o’clock all right?’

‘No problem.’

‘And which café?’

‘Liem, it would be better if they came to the office so they can see where we work, and it would give us the upper hand.’

‘No, Franck, we’ll meet them at Starbucks. We’ll waste less time.’

‘No, definitely not Starbucks.’

‘Where then, Café de Flore, or Les Deux Magots, or Café Marly at the Louvre?’

‘Anywhere, but not Starbucks.’

He knew that his experience and contacts interested them much more than his cinematic vision. But this was pushing it. All that mattered to them was producing content as they called it, diversifying their offer by producing television series and a full-length film every now and then, preferably a comedy. At first, Franck had told himself that working with two young people with a fresh perspective would be good for him, and particularly since they brought new capital to the business. But with each passing day he noticed more and more things that divided them, the differences that could turn into disagreements. He knew nothing about video games, he wasn’t interested in them, and he saw only fighting and violence in what Liem and Travis had shown him. The production and design were excellent, but the sole objective of these games was to shoot at as many opponents as possible, taking out enemy soldiers or fantasy animals, just killing all day long.