《Hollywood What If》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 "Mr. Gray? Can you hear me? Do you understand what I''m saying?" A lawyer asked him worriedly. "Huh?" Kazir Gray jumped out of his seat. He gasped as he looked around. His lawyer next to him was also surprised. ''What is this? Where am I? What is happening?'' Three W''s questions hit him as his heart continued to beat fast. His face was red as if he was having a seizure. "Don''t look at me like that! I know you''re just acting to make me feel bad! Kazir, that will not work on me!" A woman in her early 20s grumbled and glared at him hatefully. "Cassandra? Why are you here? I thought we were over?" "Yes, we are definitely over!" The woman, Cassandra, glared at him for some reason. Suddenly, an unbelievable idea hit his aching head. ''... Have I returned to the past? '' Kazir Gray died in an accident when he was 59 years old. He was hit by a truck and thought his life was over. He regretted many things, but he knew he could never bring back the past, but... ''I am back.'' He thought to himself. Kazir was a small director and he made a few movies. Unfortunately, only a handful was released in theaters and his works never became famous. "Wow!" Despite a painful headache, Kazir chuckled. "What''s wrong with you? This is why I want to leave you." Cassandra looked at him with a hateful glare, but Kazir didn''t care. ''I have already moved on. Sure, I regret our separation, but I don''t want to be with you, not anymore.'' Kazir remembered that today was supposed to be the day he became single again. "..." Cassandra was really confused. She thought that Kazir would defend himself and protect his property. She hadn''t expected him to agree so easily after the first confrontation. "Not that it matters, I have his house and 17 thousand dollars in the bank." She didn''t spend any money on the house, it was all out of Kazir''s pocket, but she got the house easily after the divorce. What a great way to live! Kazir and his lawyer parted ways after the meeting. "Thank God I''m still alive." Kazir knew the future, and the divorce case lasted a year and took all his energy. He was depressed for a long time. "But this time I will never do that. I have already moved on. Since I''m going to lose the house anyway, I might as well give it up earlier." He sighed and sat down on the bench. His head no longer hurt. Instead of feeling sad, he felt wonderful that he was still alive. He also returned to the past. ''I don''t know what happened, but I will cherish this chance.'' With his memories of the past, Kazir would do his best to live the best life. "Now, let''s start by finding a place to sleep..." The remaining balance in his account was 17 thousand after Cassandra ''stole'' half of it. "That''s enough to live on for a few months." He smiled. In his opinion, money was not a problem. He could invest in companies like Apple and Google. "I don''t think Google exists yet. It''s October 1994." After taking a few minutes to rest and calm his mind, Kazir decided to take his first step. ''In my whole life, the biggest regret I had was that I failed to make a successful movie.'' His decision was firm. He knew he could not be the "king of the world" like James Cameron, but he was confident that he could make great movies. "After all, I know the movies that will win the theaters." Chapter 2 Chapter 2 [Note: I did my research on Hollywood but I''m not a perfect person. There are probably some things that I don''t know. So if I missed something important, or if my information is wrong, I just want to apologize.] "Looks like it''s time to get up." Kazir yawned and looked at his watch. To be honest, he hadn''t slept well last night. His mind was too active. He was excited for some reason. Kazir checked into a motel for a night''s sleep. He was a freelance director who was doing his best to get a big project. He was 26 years old and already had three films on his resume. ''Although I''ve made more than that since I''m from the future. '' He was confident in his experience. "Let''s check the Writer''s Guild of America first." As a director and movie fanatic, Kazir already had a movie that he wanted to make. He knew a lot of movies that would win at the box office. Some movies were available for him, they were original screenplays of course. ''In this era, there are thousands of movies and some of them have a budget of over 100 million dollars. But that''s not my goal.'' He knew damn well that no one would invest and let him direct a movie with that budget. But Kazir was undeterred. ''I have faced obstacles all my life. I can say that my current predicament is not so bad.'' His goal was to make a film with a budget of 30-40 million dollars. "To be precise, my goal is..." If his plan failed, he had other methods. He took a shower, went out of the motel, and called for a taxi. He reached the Writer''s Guild and entered without a problem. After all, he was a member of the Writer''s Guild. A few minutes later... "Thank you." "Now, gentlemen, let''s talk about today''s agenda." He looked at the board of directors and the people in high positions. ....... .... ... "It didn''t end well, again." Kazir drank from a bottle of water. He felt hydrated after wasting his saliva trying to convince the producer from 20th Century Fox. He just left the building and the conversation was not good. He talked to one of the producers for a few minutes, but the man didn''t listen to him at all. The producer just told him to give his script to the management and they would call him if they were interested. He understood their process very well. The producer sugarcoated it, but it meant no. They were not interested in his script. ''I know they will never call me. They have thousands of scripts in their vault and most of them never became a movie.'' He laughed. "Well, let''s go to another company. I have three more targets." Kazir had already contacted the 6 giant Hollywood companies and they were not interested in his script. What they said was exactly the same - ''Give the script to management and they''ll call him if they were interested.'' "I hope this company will agree. After all, this movie was produced by them." From the moment Kazir regressed, he understood that the future would change. But he wanted to keep the timeline as original as possible. "If this doesn''t work, I''ll go with plan B." Calix called a taxi. His car was broken and it was still in the repair shop. ''Cassandra didn''t fight to get my bumpy car because it''s already old and she has her own car.'' That bumpy car was his only remaining possession. Half an hour later, he was standing in front of the New Line Cinema. The distributor of his movie in the future. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 [Note: This is just fiction. Don''t take it seriously.] Just before Kazir entered the building, he saw someone he knew. "Arnold Kopelson and Robert Shaye..." He muttered. He only knew that Arnold Kopelson was a producer, but Robert Shaye was something else. Robert Shaye was the founder of New Line Cinema and created many box office hits. Especially "The Lord of The Rings Trilogy". The main brain of the production company was this man. Kazir''s attitude turned serious and he approached the two with a smile. "Good morning Mr. Kopelson, and Mr. Shaye. I''m Kazir Grey." "I''m sorry, but who are you? Have we met before?" Since someone had called him, Robert was not arrogant enough to brush him off. He stared at Kazir, perhaps he had met the man at a party or something. Kazir''s demeanor was full of confidence and his appearance was quite handsome. Even Arnold Kopelson thought Kazir was exceptional. "No, sir. We haven''t met." "Is that so?" "I''m a director and I want to show you my script." "I see..." When Robert Shaye heard that Kazir was one of those unknown directors trying to sell his script, he immediately lost interest. He met a lot of people like Kazir. "About that, you can give it to Kopelson and the company will look at it. We''ll call you if we''re interested." He muttered quickly and walked past Kazir. There were thousands of directors in Hollywood and most of them made low-budget movies. Robert didn''t have time to entertain a nobody. "Thank you, Kazir." Robert Shaye discovered that Arnold Kopelson was reading the script. "I have nothing to do, so I decided to read it." "What do you think?" Robert Shaye raised his eyebrows, quite interested. There were many talented writers in Hollywood, but few of them made money. Being talented didn''t mean success. "It''s not bad. It''s pretty dark and bloody, to be honest. However, the ending is interesting." "Will it be profitable if it is made into a movie?" That was the most important question. Even if the script looked promising, they had to look at its profitability. They were businessmen. "There is a possibility, but it needs thorough studies... As for the writer, I think I have seen this name before." Kazir Grey. Arnold was a producer and he watched movies every weekend to broaden his horizons. "That''s right, he''s a director. I saw his movie a few months ago. It was terrible, no wonder it didn''t get released." "So what do you think?" Robert Shaye asked. Arnold thought about it. "I advise you not to touch this movie, especially if that Kazir Grey wants to direct it. You will only lose money. Unless..." "Unless what?" "Unless we hire another director, then this movie might be profitable." It was obvious that they didn''t think Kazir would make a great movie. He might have experience in small productions. But the script clearly stated that the budget would be 30 million or more. No sane person would let Kazir direct a big-budget movie. ''Forget it, this script looks promising, but its chances of becoming a movie are slim.'' Arnold shook his head and decided to forget about it. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 "Sigh..." David Fincher let out a depressing sigh and looked at the newspaper. It had already been three years, but he was still dwelling on his mistake. His last movie, "Alien 3", earned less than he expected. The movie only made 55 million in North America. It may sound big, but the budget of "Alien 3" was 60 million dollars. "Fortunately, it earned more than 100 million internationally..." But that was not enough to revive it. In the end, 20th Century Fox didn''t want him to take over the sequel. In a way, David Fincher was responsible for "Alien 3" flopping. So no one wanted to work with him on another movie. His future was bleak and David Fincher was depressed about it. He shook his head and put down the newspaper. Then he heard someone put something in the mailbox and David decided to check it out. He didn''t have anything to do anyway. "I never ordered anything. Is it the bills?" The mailman was gone when David went outside. He approached his mailbox. He noticed a thick document inside. "Kazir Grey..." David was confused, but he opened it anyway. There was a name, but he did not know nor recall this person. As soon as he closed the door, David opened the documents and started reading. "This is...!" Half an hour later, David Fincher was surprised after reading the script. The script caught his interest. Then he realized that this script had to become a movie. He wanted to see it on the screen. He started flipping the pages with excitement. David Fincher found Kazir Grey''s contact information and quickly got up. He took a bath, shaved his beard, and dressed well. He had to meet this person, Kazir Grey. Even if he had to beg him, he wanted to lead this project. He picked up his phone. "Hello? Is this Kazir Grey? Yes, yes, I''m David Fincher. Wait, what? You sent it to the wrong person? No no! Mr. Kazir, can we talk? Then I''ll meet you. Thank you." "Well," Kazir combed his hair. "I asked them to let me direct it, but they immediately shook their heads when they heard my proposal." "..." David Fincher became silent. He knew very well that no one would agree to Kazir''s terms. It would be stupid to let an unknown director direct a movie with a budget of 30 million dollars. "Kazir, please listen to me. Let me direct it." Kazir nodded. "David, I know. Nobody will let me direct it. But if it''s you, the chances are better. But I have one condition." "I''ll do it, as long as it''s not unreasonable." David was serious. He fell in love with the script and wanted to direct it. "Don''t worry David, my condition is simple. I hope to be one of the screenwriters." "No problem, that''s my condition too. I want the original writer to help me polish the script." "Thank you." Kazir smiled. His intention why he asked for the position of screenwriter was because he wanted to join the crew and watch David Fincher''s filming. He could learn from watching a great director like David Fincher. ''David Fincher is going to be famous. "Fight Club" is a masterpiece in my opinion.'' He saw David Fincher as a genius from whom he could learn. Besides, Kazir wants to see his script turned into a movie. A box office movie. They shook hands and made a deal. David Fincher and Kazir Grey contacted production companies. One by one, hoping that one of them would invest. Eventually, someone answered their call, and it was Arnold Kopelson. He became interested when he heard that David Fincher was going to direct the project. He thought David was better than Kazir. After all, David had experience making big-budget movies. The two got excited and worked hard to convince Arnold. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Kazir Grey. A man who died at the age of 59. Fortunately, for unknown reasons, he returned to his younger years. Back when he was still an amateur director, where he directed three movies, and all of them flopped. Now Kazir thought about the difference between him and David Fincher. Kazir had four decades of experience as a director. But he never had his moment of success, his moment of fame. He did his best to finance and create artistic and horror films, but he never got success. However, he loved his job and Kazir never planned to change his career. If he had to die, he wanted to die directing a movie. That was the reason why Kazir wanted to understand how David Fincher became successful, unlike him, who remained in his position as a mediocre director. ''I''m not stupid. I have lived long enough to understand the difference between the two of us. It''s about luck and opportunity. I never had any of that in my life.'' Kazir''s love life was ugly and lonely. His marriage failed and he never married again. He remained single. He had a few relationships, but none lasted long. ''Cassandra lost internet in me because I keep working hard... Is it wrong for a man to work hard? I have to provide. Unfortunately, she wanted more and I can''t give it to her.'' To end his mistake early, Kazir didn''t hesitate to give his house to Cassandra. He didn''t need it anyway. He could sell it. However, he never wanted the money from the house that sheltered a cheater, might as well give it all to Cassandra. ''What I want is to find the ''opportunity and luck'' that great directors have.'' There were many talented directors in Hollywood, but only a few proved their worth. Kazir''s experience was not enough, he needed more. "Looks like you two hit it off," Arnold Kopelson looked at the two directors. "We spoke on the phone. David will be directing, while Kazir will join the screenwriters. I just want to repeat it so that everything is clear." "No problem, Arnold. I will not fight for the position. I think David will make a great movie." Kazir assured him. "That''s good to hear." Arnold nodded and looked at David. Considering David''s last movie, he knew that he would never get a high salary. "No problem. Let''s talk tomorrow to make this movie successful." Arnold shook their hands and walked away. The first negotiation was fruitful and everyone was positive that they wanted to work together. "Well, who do you think are the best actors to play the two protagonists?" As they walked, David asked Kazir something important. As the writer, David would respect Kazir''s opinion. "Well... If you''re asking me, I think Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman fit the characters well." "I have no problem with Morgan Freeman, his acting in Shawshank Redemption is amazing, but Brad Pitt? The one who was in "Interview with the Vampire"?" "Yes, that Brad Pitt." "Let me see... He really fits the protagonist. Let''s invite him to audition as soon as the filming is approved." It seemed that David Fincher had no problem with Brad Pitt. "What about Denzel Washington and Al Pacino? I think the roles fit them too." "I''m fine with them too." Kazir chuckled. ''David, I''m sure you''ll like Brad Pitt''s acting. After all, you did ''''Fight Club'''' and Brad was one of the protagonists. Then you filmed "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," and Brad Pitt was also the protagonist.'' These two movies touched the hearts of many people. A day later they received a call that New Line Cinema wanted to talk to them about the movie - Se7en. A gritting crime thriller. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 [Note: As I said last time, I apologize if I made a mistake regarding the Hollywood industry. I will surely make another mistake no matter how many times I research it]. For a movie with a budget of at least 30 million dollars, the higher-ups of New Line Cinema attended the meeting with utmost concentration. "Before we start, I just want to ask something," Robert Shaye said, and everyone stopped what they were doing. Robert was the CEO and founder of New Line Cinema. He had built the company from the bottom up into a top-tier production company, just below the Big Six. Naturally, everyone in the company respected him. "Kazir Grey, I read your script." Because Arnold Kopelson was interested in the script, Robert Shaye read it as well. He realized something. "Are you sure you don''t need any help?" He asked jokingly, quite seriously to be honest. "About that..." Kazir Grey scratched his head. "I was kind of depressed when I wrote the script. I recently divorced my wife, she cheated on me..." "I''m sorry to hear that." Robert Shaye quickly understood. There have been writers who hit the charts after writing a story when they were depressed and broke. Even J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter when she was broke. "No problem." Truth be told, Kazir Grey didn''t care about the divorce. He gave up his house just to get the settlement over with. ''It''s a good thing I have an excuse.'' "Then... I read the last part, I can see you hate your wife very much." Robert Shaye laughed. The last scene was horrible. He got goosebumps reading it. For a script to give him goosebumps, Robert Shaye knew that the script was at least promising. "Hehe, no, not at all." Kazir Grey never denies or confirms. After all, the movie was from the near future and he just copied most of it. "Okay, let''s start the meeting." Kazir Grey was invited only because he was the scriptwriter. However, he understood that his position and opinion were irrelevant at this point. The purpose of this meeting was to make sure that the movie would be approved. New Line Cinema would finance half of the budget, while the other half would come from investors interested in the film. "Well, be safe and take care of yourself. You look like you''re killing yourself." She left, knowing that Kazir was okay. ''... Did I just see it right? Jennifer Connelly asked me if I was okay.'' That made Kazir happy. After all, he knew that famous actresses like Jennifer Connelly usually have an arrogant attitude. It was surprising that Jennifer Connelly was actually a nice person. Maybe Jennifer Connelly was just worried because Kazir was panting like crazy. He chuckled and decided to run another mile on the treadmill. Tired, he left the gym. "Hollywood, a place that surprises me every day." He would never get tired of this city. Kazir returned to his small apartment and showered. He rented this apartment for half a year. The location was quite dangerous because it was near a crime-ridden area. However, Kazir chose this apartment because the rent was affordable. It didn''t take him long to clean himself. He left his apartment and called a taxi to take him to the New Line Cinema. "Good morning, Kazir." "Good morning, David." David was the director of the movie and his presence was important in polishing the script. Now that their movie was in the making, it didn''t take long to hire people. There were three writers besides Kazir, of course Kazir''s position was much higher than the other writers because he owned the script. ''It is fortunate that I have a salary as a screenwriter.'' A thousand dollars a week was definitely not bad. "Then let''s get to work, everyone." After greeting everyone and confirming that all the writers were present, David Fincher announced the start of their work. [Jennifer Connelly] Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Se7en was about two detectives trying to solve the seven murders that "embodied" the seven deadly sins. It may sound simple when you think about it that way, but each death was gruesome and full of motives. Now, the job of the screenwriter and the writing partners was to make the motives believable. The plot had to be logical, as did the scenes. To make every character complex and alive. New Line Cinema wanted to change the ending because it was too disturbing but both Kazir Grey and David Fincher fought against it. In their opinion, the ending was the best part of the movie. William Somerset was an old detective who wanted to retire. The Seven Murders, representing the seven deadly sins, was his last case before retirement. He was old but calm, mature, and experienced. David Mills was a young detective, he was William''s partner in the murder case. He was hot-headed, but his intentions were good. He was dedicated to his job. These two characters needed to be fleshed out. The writers would do their best to make it happen. But it would all depend on the actors who would play the part. "Thank you John, we will call you if you get the part." John Paul Cusack nodded. He thought his acting was good and the role suited him. His last movie, "The Road to Wellville" with Anthony Hopkins was released on October 28th. The movie was based on a novel and everyone thought it would do well at the box office. Unfortunately, it only earned 2.5 million in its opening week. Cinemascore believed that the movie would not make more than 7 million in North America. This meant only one thing, the movie flopped at the box office. 2.5 million may look big, but the total budget of "The Road to Wellville" was $25 million! It only made a tenth of its budget. This time the production of Se7en invited him to audition for the role of David Mills. To be honest, John Cusack was not sure if the movie would be successful. He read 2/3 of the script and it was bloody. Because he never read the whole script, he didn''t know the motives of the killer. John Cusack walked out of the audition room smiling, and David Fincher asked the people around him. "What do you think of John?" He looked at the producer, Arnold Kopelson and Kazir Grey. "If you ask me... John is a too-good boy for the part. His face looks like a good guy. David Mills should look fierce and hotheaded, I can''t see that in John Cusack. Unless he grows a beard, but I don''t think he would fit the part." Arnold Kopelson and David Fincher nodded at Kazir''s opinion. They have the same opinion. "If you ask me, I think David Mills'' intentions are pure and good-hearted. Even though his actions were reckless, he wanted to make the world a better place. That''s why he became a detective." "Good. Thank you, Brad. We will call you as soon as we decide." "Thank you." After Brad Pitt left, David looked at Kazir and nodded. Kazir was right, Brad Pitt could make David Mills a real person. "Let''s continue the audition." But of course everyone understood that a diamond in the rough might show up. After all, Brad Pitt''s salary could be a problem. In the end, they auditioned all the promising actors who might fit the role of David Mills. But they decided to go with Brad Pitt. Brad Pitt has a strong box office appeal and his name was already known. He had fans all over the world and they needed those fans to watch the movie. After all, they were making a commercial movie, not an artistic one. Brad Pitt''s agent negotiated and Brad''s salary was 4 million dollars. It was an amount they could bear considering Brad Pitt''s box office appeal. As for Morgan Freeman, the contract was 2 million. Almost 1/6 of the movie budget went to the two actors alone. The cast also included Gwyneth Paltrow and Ronald Lee Ermey. Se7en was a gamble because of the premise of the movie. It was dark and gritty and people might not like it. Nevertheless, the two actors accepted the roles. [Note: What I''m about to write may not be so accurate and correct. To be honest, I only watched famous Hollywood movies. I didn''t know most of the actors and actresses of the 1990s. I only searched them using Google. So please bear with me. As for salary and such, I will trust Google. Unfortunately, I can''t find the exact salary of Morgan Freeman during the filming of Se7en]. Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Kazir was well aware of his own abilities. He was not a gifted person who could perform miracles. The only thing he had after a second chance of life was his knowledge. Kazir knew the movies that would make money. It would be stupid not to use his knowledge and create his original script instead. So far, with Se7en, Kazir wanted to keep the future in the original timeline that he knew. To minimize the risk of the movie failing, he decided to cast the original actors in the roles. This was his first project and he wanted it to succeed. He knew in his heart that he was cheating with his knowledge. But hey, even Bill Gates "got" the "idea" from Apple and Xerox and built Microsoft. Now, Microsoft was worth 2 trillion after "getting" that certain "idea". However, if things went wrong, Kazir would not hesitate to gamble. As soon as the filming of Se7en was finished, he would find his answer. "Isn''t this amazing?" The production designer proudly showed off her creations. Her team had worked hard for weeks to create these props. "Yes, it is..." Kazir marveled at the props. They looked real. He almost thought he was looking at a real corpse. ''If a normal person saw this ''dummy'', he or she might scream in fear. '' ''As you would expect from professionals, they know what they''re doing.'' As a director who had experience working on grade-B horror movies. He had seen a lot of fake gore and was used to seeing ''corpses''. In fact, the ''corpse'' in front of him was not that scary. ''At least in my opinion.'' It was January 24, 1995. Just a week before February. They spent months preparing for the shooting. They had already finished the pre-production. From editing the script, building the sets, finding locations, and casting, they were already prepared. Before the shooting started, the crew should have prepared all the important aspects of the shooting. Otherwise, if they didn''t prepare, they wasted time and money. Unconventional situations may arise, but preparation could prevent these situations from happening. For example, during filming, a Director might ask for more fake blood in the scene. Considering that this movie was a thriller detective movie, blood was definitely needed. Everything had to be taken seriously. Suddenly the phone next to the captain rang. The whole studio fell silent, and even David Fincher''s face twitched. ''Why is the phone ringing? I thought it was one of the props.'' Kazir was also confused. But the scene was still in progress and no one stopped. Despite the ringing sound, the actors were adjusting professionally. "Hold on." The captain said, answering the call with irritation. "This isn''t even my desk!" "Cut! Good job Ronald, let''s add that to the scene." Satisfied, David decided to add the unexpected phone call to the movie. ''Ronald Lee Ermey got it right.'' Kazir thought. -------- The beginning of the filming went well and they shot three scenes, which were not bad. Kazir saw an intern from the props department apologizing to David Fincher. It seemed he was responsible for putting a real phone on the set. "It''s okay... Just don''t do it again." David Fincher decided to talk to his assistant director and cinematographer to check the locations for tomorrow. "Goodbye Kazir." "Yes, have a safe trip." As for Kazir, he could leave early after finishing his work. He was only a helper anyway. He got into his old bumpy car that had been repaired recently. This Audi 200 sedan looked old, but Kazir didn''t intend to change the car for now. After all, he was still poor. While driving, Kazir saw a bar. Since he had just received his salary, he decided to stop there and have a drink. "No, not the disco bar where parties are banging around. I don''t like loud places. I prefer a place with a relaxed atmosphere, a bar that plays jazz music." So he decided to enter the place. Chapter 9 Chapter 9 The filming went smoothly. David Fincher worked hard after the failure of "Alien 3". He understood that this was his second chance to prove himself. As he fought for his dreams, Kazir Grey watched him. Kazir''s job after he was done as a screenwriter was simple - miscellaneous work. He helped take down scenes, move photographic equipment, and order take-outs. He just did his best to help the crew. After all, this movie was born from his script and he wanted to see it succeed. ''If Se7en is successful in the cinemas, I will have achieved great success and it can help me in my career.'' "Cut! That''s it." David''s voice echoed and everyone started to move the set. Their next scene was the one where Detective Mills would confront the serial killer in the alley. In the script, it was raining and Detective Mills had a hard time facing the serial killer. He almost lost his life. Fortunately, the serial killer let him go. "The sprinklers should work fine," Kazir said. He was one of the people who set the sprinklers to make artificial rain. To keep the cameras from getting wet, it was covered with clear plastic. "Se7en, back alley scene, act three..." The assistant said, closed the clapperboard, and the shoot began. In the scene, Detective Mills leaned against the dumpster. He was cold and scared. He was panting. His face was bleeding. A gun was pointed at his head, almost touching his scalp. He knew that one pull of the trigger and the bullet would splatter his brain. But the serial killer didn''t kill him. He left him out in the cold rain. "Cut! Let''s take a ten-minute break and do it again." David announced. Brad Pitt''s personal assistant approached the actor and wrapped him in a hot towel. Nobody wants the actors to get cold during a shoot, it costs money and time. ''I heard they were David''s crew. I guess that''s why their bond is so strong.'' Kazir didn''t have a permanent crew, but he knew a few people he could hire whenever he had a movie to shoot. Just like him, they were freelancers who didn''t have a permanent crew. ''I wonder what they do. I talked to Renner two weeks ago and he is still working in a camera rental business.'' "Kazir." While Brad Pitt and Kevin Spacey were having their on-camera confrontation, Morgan Freeman approached Kazir. This is Hollywood and networking is a very powerful weapon. Morgan Freeman heard that Kazir Grey was a director. Morgan read the script and was intrigued. He found out that Kazir wanted to direct it, but management didn''t agree, so Kazir gave the job to David Fincher. Morgan understood that many directors would never lower their position to a mere screenwriter. Hell, even screenwriters wanted to direct their own movies. One day, Kazir would start his own project. When Kazir became famous, it would never hurt to have an association with him before he became famous. The man in front of him might be younger, but he took him seriously. After all, the 26-year-old man in front of him wrote a script Se7en. This movie would become a cult classic. Maybe it would wipe out the thriller detective genre because no one could top it. "Morgan." "Kazir, I read the script and it''s a mystery to me how you wrote it. Can you honestly tell me what''s in the box? I want to know if it''s really ''that thing'' in the box?" "Ah, about that... You can figure it out for yourself." He chuckled. He didn''t know how to explain it. Morgan Freeman didn''t force him and laughed with him. They were far from the set so they could talk casually. David Fincher understood that the shooting would end in two months and that the last scene would be the "what''s in the box" scene. Maybe David wanted everyone to see it last because it was disturbing. Anyway, Kazir didn''t know the exact reason. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 [Note: This chapter is short. I''m writing three novels including this one. So there are times when I can only write small chapters.] The sun rose and greeted the people. Kazir frowned as he heard the screams coming from outside. He heard a group of people shouting and it seemed they were having a conflict. Kazir had chosen this apartment complex because the rent was cheap. Of course, he knew that there were consequences of choosing an apartment near high crime rate area. A few seconds later, the commotion slowly died down. "Thank God I didn''t hear a shot. Last week they were shooting a few blocks away." He chuckled. This place was indeed dangerous. Unfortunately, he had to stay here for now. He spent most of his time away from here anyway. Now that Se7en was reaching its climax, Kazir had to stay in the studio all day to help the crew. After brushing his teeth, Kazir left the apartment and returned to the studio. "Good morning, Kazir." "Good morning." Because of his kindness, people around him treated him better. Well, he wasn''t the director, so he didn''t have to show his serious side. Then Kazir saw David reading his schedule. David''s expression was terrible, it seemed that he hadn''t slept properly. ''Considering that this movie will decide his future, I can understand him.'' If this movie flopped, not only David, but also Kazir would lose his confidence in himself. Se7en was a cult classic and critics held the movie in high regard. This movie influenced the crime genre. "David, I think you need a vacation after finishing the shooting." Kazir approached him with concern. "Thanks, but I have to finish the post-production before I can think about resting." David looked tired, but his eyes were bright. "When is the release date?" Kazir wanted to know when the movie would be released. "September 22nd. The movie doesn''t have a strong opponent and New Line Cinema is confident of releasing it on September 22nd." "I see." Kazir nodded. He was thrilled to know that Se7en would follow the original release date. This would give the movie a better chance at the box office. He closed his eyes for a second and decided to think about his next step. If everything went well, his venture would also be a smooth process. "Oh that''s right, I almost forgot something important... Gamble. David is gambling with his dreams and everything depends on Se7en if his gamble will be successful." Kazir decided to gamble as well. "If I can''t make a big-budget movie, I''ll start with small-budget movies." Kazir began to list the movies he knew had small budgets. [I want to thank my supporters!] Aviral Jaat Acedia Clutch Jackson J Betts Black Till Grothe Marlon Allen Greatface Eduardo Zuur Enes Retired Old Man Ryuu Raini M. Terante Robert Campbell VoidStar Duke York Ausner Gentil Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Kazir finished writing every small-budget movie that has huge box offices. He realized something obvious. "Most of them are horror movies." He muttered and looked at the list. He saw: The Last Exorcism The Devil Inside The Blair Witch Project Paranormal Activity Etc. These movies were famous and made a lot of money. On the other hand, there were small-budget movies in the comedy genre like ''Napoleon Dynamite'' and ''The Full Monty''. Kazir thought seriously while tapping his fingers. These movies might be famous, but he had to think about the pros and cons. ''First of all, let''s take ''The Blair Witch Project'' off the list. The biggest reason that movie made a lot of money in theaters was because of publicity, viral marketing, and the growing popularity of the Internet.'' The Blair Witch Project cost $50,000 to make. However, the publicity for the movie was over 10 million dollars. Together with the viral marketing that fooled the citizens of North America, ''The Blair Witch Project'' became a success. Kazir understood that it was impossible to replicate that success now. The Internet was just getting started and no one was taking it seriously. It was still 1995. Furthermore, he didn''t want to be hated. ''The Blair Witch Project'' was notorious in his past life. It didn''t have a good reputation and most people hated the movie to the very core of their lives. ''Then the other movies...'' Between the two, ''The Gallow'' had an acceptable price considering Kazir''s money. Suddenly, Kazir dropped the pen and slammed the table as he stood up. "Who am I kidding? The answer is obvious... Let''s go with Napoleon Dynamite." Unlike the other movies, he liked Napoleon Dynamite better. He also wanted to film the last scene where Napoleon starts to dance... That was probably the main reason why Kazir chose it. He preferred comedy to horror, even though he made many horror movies in his life. Unlike horror films, which made him anxious and depressed because it mostly failed, comedy films made him laugh and happy. So yes, ''Napoleon Dynamite'' it is. "The found footage format may sound great, but they all have something in common. They are all shaky. People might get a headache watching them." To be honest, Kazir saw ''The Blair Witch Project'' and it was terrible. He wanted to find the director and asked why he couldn''t shoot it steady. The movie was shaking and he felt like he was getting dizzy. Considering that the director was a novice, it was a miracle that ''The Blair Witch Project'' was successful in theaters. Kazir regained his focus and began writing the script. He had to take things seriously and register the script with the Writers Guild. The plot, the main characters and the secondary characters. The goofy ahh protagonist and his goofy ahh friend. "Perfect." Kazir wanted to leave his past behind. So shooting a horror movie was impossible. "If I''m going to be honest, I want to shoot an action movie. It''s my biggest dream in my whole life. Unfortunately, shooting an action movie will millions of dollars and it''s impossible for someone like me." Anyway, Napoleon Dynamite, here we go. [Author''s note: The real reason I chose Napoleon Dynamite is simple... I don''t want to watch horror movies for research. The last time I watched ''Final Destination'' I became overly cautious of my surroundings]. Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Kazir wrote the scenes. Fortunately, Napoleon Dynamite has an important part in his heart. He remembered most of the content. Besides, Kazir Grey was confident in his ability to remember movies. As a director, he loves movies so much that he would watch a movie at least once a day. ''It''s unfortunate that I don''t have a VHS in my apartment. I have a VHS in the house, but...'' He shook his head as he remembered that he had already given his house to Cassandra. He didn''t regret it. That would be the last time Cassandra would get a thing from him. Kazir spent the whole week writing the script and the proposal. He made sure he didn''t forget any important detail. The sound of the typewriter soothed his mind as he wrote. It was music to his ears. Although it was frustrating when he made a typo. Once he made a mistake, he had to rewrite it. He wasted dozens of papers just to finish his script and proposal. But it was worth it, he was doing what he loved. He didn''t feel tired at all. "Huu--!" Kazir threw up his arms and groaned. ''I don''t know why, but it feels good to stretch your body after long hours of sitting.'' Indeed. Kazir got up and looked out of the window. He noticed that it was already evening. He smiled bitterly, time was really passing and he didn''t even feel it. It was already March 28 and the post-production of Se7en was still going on. Kazir decided not to contact David Fincher and concentrated on his new script. He trusted David Fincher and believed that he would make a successful movie. Besides, Kazir''s contract clearly stated that he didn''t have the right to participate in editing and post-production. Even if he had suggestions and opinions, he knew that the producer and director had the final say. "I have to get up early tomorrow and contact Fox Searchlight Pictures. Napoleon Dynamite was distributed in North America by Fox Searchlight Pictures, while Paramount Pictures handled international distribution. "I see you want to make this movie yourself, is that right, Mr. Grey?" "Yes." Tom Rothman frowned slightly when he heard the answer. To be honest, he was not confident that Kazir Grey would successfully finish the movie. ''He even wrote his last three movies. All of them were small-budget movies that went straight to videotape market. At least he has enough experience, but still...'' "It says here that the movie needs 500 thousand dollars, do you think this amount is too much?" "No, sir. I think half a million dollars is enough to make it." "I see..." Tom Rothman thought seriously. He weighed the pros and cons of the script. As the founder of the studio, Tom Rothman wanted to make sure that Fox Searchlight Pictures would be successful. Otherwise, his position might be unsteady. ''The genre is comedy, and it''s accepted worldwide. The answer is whether this movie can entertain audiences.'' "Mr. Grey, we will get back to you later." "Thank you, Mr. Rothman." Kazir smiled and shook his head. At least Tom Rothman didn''t show any obvious dislike. Their first meeting had been amiable. [IMPORTANT NOTES: So I''ve been thinking about this for days. I''m having trouble deciding which cinematic universe Kazir will film once he''s famous.] Should he go for: 1) DC Universe [The Dark Night Trilogy with Christian Bale + The Man of Steel and other DC movies]. 2) Marvel Cinematic Universe [Iron Man and the other Marvel movies, but the Incredible Hulk will be part of the universe.] 3) Spies, Assassins, Hitmen, Criminals, and Agents Universe. [This is an original universe I''m planning. I will combine the John Wick, Fast and the Furious, Taken, Wanted, and Bourne series into one Cinematic Universe]. Chapter 13 Chapter 13 "500 thousand dollars..." Tom Rothman touched his chin as he read the proposal. To be honest, the script had some good points, but it also had some drawbacks. The protagonist was an awkward high school kid. Even the ending was questionable. "He danced?" Tom Rothman shook his head. Fox Searchlight Pictures followed Miramax''s business style. Which was to buy small-budget films and release them in minimal numbers of theaters. Of course, Miramax also makes its own movies. But it usually had purposes like participating in the Oscars. At that time, Quentin Tarantino had only made two movies, ''Reservoir Dogs'' and ''Pulp Fiction''. He was not that famous yet. Quentin Tarantino was discovered by Harvey Weinstein, who was the CEO of Miramax. In a way, Quentin''s movies were one of the main sources of income for Miramax. Anyway, Miramax prefers to buy plausible movies that could bring profits. ''Fox Searchlight Pictures is still in its infancy. I can''t risk it by investing in a movie that doesn''t have a good return.'' Tom Rothman was not confident that the script would make him money. He was a businessman, not an artistic person. Besides, the script was not even for an art film, it was a comedy. ''If I''m going to invest. I prefer to invest in movies with high production costs. They usually have greater profitability.'' The cases of small-budget films that made millions were a minority. Avatar, Avengers, and Titanic, each of those movies cost over a hundred million dollars to make. Their profit was over a billion dollars as well. That''s the usual situation. "Let''s put this on hold. I''ll wait for Se7en''s appearance before I contact Kazir Grey." He nodded and called his secretary to send the script to the script library. Perhaps this movie would be profitable once Kazir proved himself in theaters. Another week passed and Kazir began to understand that his efforts were fruitless. No movie companies contacted him. "Just to be sure, I visited every movie company I know. Unfortunately, no one seemed to take me seriously." Kazir shrugged. He had already accepted that this would happen. He was not an amateur who would sulk about such things. "If they don''t want to invest, I''ll find another way. Like I did with Se7en. I sent the script to David Fincher just to get it made. Kazir was not discouraged. Instead, he came out of his apartment and walked a few yards. There was a phone booth near his apartment. He entered the booth and frowned when he noticed that someone pissed inside. From the East Coast to the West Coast. Just to see his brother, whom he hadn''t seen in years. "That''s one of the reasons." "What are the other reasons?" "I miss you, brother." "Don''t give me that shit! It gives me the creeps!" Aaron rubbed his shoulders in disgust. Of course Aaron missed his brother, but to hear him like that was a little scary. "I can''t believe I flew all the way to Los Angeles just for this." He sighed. Well, Aaron missed his younger brother too, and he wanted to see him again. They had a close relationship when they were young. But Kazir didn''t contact him after he left home to pursue his dreams. Since then, the only way Aaron could support his brother was by watching his movies... Which was a little disgusting and scary. ''This is a comedy movie.'' When Aaron read the script, he realized that his younger brother wanted to change his style. "Okay, let''s talk about the script later. I want you to tell me about your life here in Los Angeles. I haven''t seen you for years, so of course I''m interested in all the shit you''ve been up to." He dropped the script on the table. He already had an idea why Kazir had contacted him. To be honest, he was not angry. He was glad to see him instead. "Where should I start? Ah, I''m already married." "What?" He was shocked. "But we got divorced, so I''m single again." "What?" He was shocked a second time. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 "What did you say?" Aaron was so shocked for a few seconds that his brain stopped thinking. "I just got divorced." "God damn it! Talk like a human being. Do you know human language? Do you know English?" He became impatient and raised his voice. Then he noticed that the other people in the cafe were looking at him. Aaron was embarrassed and looked at Kazir instead. "Kazir, I want to hear everything." He was angry and disappointed that his younger brother didn''t talk to him about marriage. Hell, he didn''t even talk to him for six years. Of course, he was too shocked to hear that Kazir was already married, er, divorced. "Where should I start? I met her when I was working on a film crew, we were colleagues. She is beautiful..." Kazir started telling his love story and his brother listened seriously. Just as Kazir said, their love story ended in divorce. There was no "happily ever after" in the end. "I can''t believe you gave her the house you worked so hard to buy. Kazir, are you crazy? Why didn''t you fight for your property?" Aaron was already seething with anger. He wanted to find the bitch and her lover and teach them a lesson. "You should have kept the house and sold it or something." "Brother, do you remember what happened between Mom and Dad?" "..." Hearing what Kazir said, Aaron quickly shut his mouth. Both brothers remembered what happened about 9 years ago. Their mother had cheated on their father and was fighting for a divorce. She stole half of their father''s fortune and won the case. Their father was depressed for years before he recovered and started a new business. Instead of siding with their mother, the two brothers decided to live with their father. Their father clearly loves them, he always spends his free time bonding with the two brothers. Besides, they didn''t want to live with their mother and her lover. "I''d rather give her the house than have her bother me with problems." "Indeed. You can buy another house, but peace is hard to find". They both experienced the tragedy of a broken family. In their opinion, it was better to end the relationship than to die slowly in madness. The last thing they wanted was to see their father in despair. "Of course, I will be there." Realizing that his elder brother wanted to start a family, Kazir promised to support him. He hoped that, unlike him and their father, Aaron would have a wonderful marriage. "That''s good to hear." Aaron nodded, glad to hear his answer. "Then give me your account number and I will send the money." Aaron nonchalantly opened his phone and called his secretary. Afterward, he nodded to Kazir. "Thank you Aaron, I promise this investment will never be in vain." The two started talking, catching up on each other''s lives. Kazir talked about his life in Hollywood, while Aaron told his story of helping their father expand the business. One thing was clear, they were happy to see each other again. This meeting was worth it, they reconciled. "I love you, brother, but no homo." "Say that again and you will lose your front teeth." They laughed. After confirming that there was half a million in his bank account, Kazir began his plan. He contacted the crew he had worked with last time. [Hi, I just want to promote my other novels:] 1) MC is not part of the story - This novel is already finished with 526 chapters. This is my first novel and there''s a lot of grammar mistakes. 2) The Only Fuel Is Using The D. -This is my most read novel for some obvious reasons, ahem. 3) Reincarnated As A Deadbeat Dad -This is a new novel. A slow progressive slice of life about a deadbeat dad. 4) Hollywood What If - This is actually experimental. I''m not quite sure if I''m going to keep writing this. It depends on how many readers I can get. [I post my novels mostly on Scribblehub, Webnovel, RoyalRoad, and Questionable Questing.] Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Kazir Grey had worked with three filming crews when he made three movies. Most of his crew consisted of people who were semi-professional in the industry. They knew how to shoot. However, they were not qualified to join a real film crew because of their weak resumes. After all, Hollywood followed strong human relationships. It was difficult to join a crew with simple requests unless they were willing to pay less or nothing at all. In a way, Kazir Grey was like them. He also started as a helper. In fact, Kazir was part of the camera crew before he started his own movie. "Hey Kazir, are you sure you want to do this?" "Renner. We both know this is our chance. We can''t let ourselves rot doing nothing. That''s right, I want to make a comedy instead of a horror movie." Renner Hector. He was a cameraman who knew a lot about cameras and filming. He hoped to become a real cinematographer in a real production crew. As a person who loves to shoot movies, he understands that his best occupation is to become a director of photography/cinematographer. "But seriously, you lost some weight. You look like a jack now with those muscles of yours!" Kazir just chuckled. Renner and Kazir met on a film crew seven years ago. Renner had just graduated from college, while Kazir had just left home. They both pursued their dreams but found that it was not so easy. They encountered many obstacles. The three movies they created were quickly sent to the videotape market instead of being released theatrically. In fact, they both dreamed of seeing their film in theaters. "Trust me, Renner. This time will be different." "Well, our last three movies are B-grade horror films and none of them are successful." They sold the copyrights of the three movies for a few million. To be honest, it was a great achievement to sell them at that price. "I have a question first." "Go ahead." Facebook was now worth $500 billion. As expected from our robot lizard Mark. Do you think stealing is bad? It is. But these billionaires probably didn''t care about the feelings of the majority. Everything is nothing before money. Perhaps they are fucking beautiful underage women right now just like Jeffrey Epstein. Living the life leisurely. Kazir Grey was confident that nothing bad would happen. He registered the script in the Writer''s Guild last year, along with some original scripts he wanted to film. "Do you want me to go with you?" "No, it''s okay. I''m just doing some research. I will come back in a few days and officially start the project." Kazir wanted to contact Preston High School and ask them to allow the filming in their school. ''I am sure there will be no problem. I''m not going to film horror or anything that would tarnish their reputation. Napoleon Dynamite is a comedy. Besides, it will be free publicity for them.'' Kazir contacted the school about making a movie on their campus. At first the school thought it was a prank call, but Kazir explained his intentions well. As he expected, the principal wanted to meet with him. While Renner and the others began preparations, Kazir flew to Idaho to find the principal of Preston High School. It was not much, Kazir proved his identity to them. He even gave them 2/3 of the script to show them the movie he wanted to make. The school agreed to let him shoot the movie on their campus on the premise that they would not cause a problem for the students. "Don''t worry principal, we will shoot the movie in July. It''s summer vacation." "Then that will be fine." They shook hands. The school didn''t ask for a payment, but they asked Kazir to promote their school instead. "This place is nice." He used his fingers to make a camera gesture. He pictured the scenes in his mind as he looked at the school''s entrance hall. /Puji_maki Chapter 16 Chapter 16 After three days of reviewing the scenes they could shoot, Kazir decided to return to Los Angeles. As he walked out of the airport, Renner and Harold were waiting for him. These two were his closest associates. They had worked on three of Kazir''s movies and were close friends. They were all living in Hollywood, hoping to be successful. Harold had a passion for art, especially prop making. As for Renner, he loved shooting movies. They were both talented and loved what they did. Unfortunately, talent was not enough. In Hollywood, where there were thousands of talented people, they were expendable. There was no such thing as irreplaceable in Hollywood, even someone like Spielberg. There were many successful directors in circle after all. Like George Lucas, James Cameron, Quentin Tarantino, and Michael Bay. "Kazir, we have already prepared the props. To be honest, it''s not that hard to prepare them because our movie doesn''t have any complicated scenes," Harold said as they got into the car. "I also bought 400 rolls of 35mm Kodak color film. My uncle gave us a discount and charged us only 32 thousand dollars." "Thank you." Before the 2000s, Kodak film was the most popular way to shoot movies. But as digital cameras developed, Hollywood began to adopt digital cameras. Film lost its edge. Of course, there were still some directors who used film. Like Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, and Christopher Nolan. "What about rental cameras?" Kazir asked. "As I promised, I will rent four cameras for the shoot." They didn''t need four cameras yet, they would rent them when they needed them. "Harold, put out a casting call in the Actors Guild. Especially the role of Napoleon Dynamite and Pedro, take the importance of these two. As for the other roles, we will see." It was impossible to hire the actors from the original movie because they were still young. So Kazir decided to use different actors. He would never believe that there was no one who could fit the role of Napoleon Dynamite and Pedro Sanchez. ''Like I said, there is no such thing as irreplaceable in Hollywood.'' "I will," Harold promised. They met at Renner''s apartment. Of all of them, Renner had it better. His family ran a business. If not for his love of film, Renner might have taken over his family''s business. Instead, he chose to work in his uncle''s rental business. "I just want to be clear, our budget is only 500 thousand and I don''t want to spend more than that. If possible, we will try to limit our expenses." Ed Helms decided to accept the project. Small actors like him had to work hard to make their dreams come true. "Thank you, Miss Adams. You can go now." Kazir said calmly. "But director, can I have another chance? I swear I will do it right." "No, it''s okay. We will call you as soon as we decide." "..." The beautiful girl reluctantly left the audition room. "What do you think of her?" Knowing that they were the only people in the audition room, Renner asked Kazir for his opinion about the young woman. "Amy Adams fit the role, but let''s wait for more. We''re not running a marathon here." Kazir shook his head. What he was looking for was a blonde who looked sweet and innocent. He wanted to see the all of the actresses who auditioned before he can decide. ''I can''t believe I''m going to see Amy Adams auditioning for my movie. It feels surreal...'' Harold called to the next woman. Kazir nodded slightly as he saw another famous actress. "Hi, I''m Reese Witherspoon." Reese smiled sweetly. Both Renner and Kazir maintained their expressions. "Reese, what you''re going to do is simple, just say ''Uh, hello, would you like to look like this?'' in a surprisingly shy way." "Eh? Excuse me? O- oh, yes, Director. I will do it!" Reese received a paper with small lines written on it and carefully memorized the lines... Although, in her opinion, it was a bit underwhelming. She didn''t have any idea of what role she was auditioning. /Puji_maki Chapter 17 Chapter 17 "Napoleon Dynamite" was a comedy, and it didn''t need much acting. In fact, comedies like "Napoleon Dynamite" need comedic acting, awkward, yet comedic. Reese Witherspoon was confused. She didn''t know why the director had asked her to say that particular line for some unknown reason. However, she understood that she had to obey the director. This line is an important part of the movie... Well, it made the audience laugh. This movie is a comedy, so of course we have to make them laugh. Kazir watched Reese close her eyes for a few seconds. Of course, actors had to internalize before they acted. Only a few people could control their emotions and slip into a role in the blink of an eye. Even Kazir had never met anyone like that. ''Maybe Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks can do it, but I don''t know, I''ve never seen them act. Ah, I just remembered, Leonardo is not a superstar actor yet. James Cameron had just started to build the giant cruise.'' Titanic took more than two years to be finished, all because James Cameron wanted a real cruise ship! 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures were slowly losing their minds as James kept asking for hundreds of million just to finish the movie! Kazir eyes never leave Reese. Then... "Uh, hello, would you like to look like this?" A simple line, not much, but Reese delivered it well. At least better than the actresses before. Kazir didn''t react much. But if the next actresses didn''t have explosive acting. Then he would choose Reese Witherspoon. Kazir didn''t need a talented actress for this role. As long as she looked cute and sweet and could deliver the lines well, Kazir would hire her. "Thank you, Reese. You will be notified of the results of the audition within three days. Thank you for coming to this audition." "Yes? Ah! Thank you, director." Reese didn''t know why the director asked her for such a simple line. She didn''t even know what emotion to show. She just said it with a shy face. In the end, she left the role confused. "We have three other actresses, let''s see their auditions." There were thousands of actresses in Hollywood, perhaps hundreds of thousands. These actresses, of course, hoped to become famous and rich. For small actresses, they would fight for the role if they had to. They were willing to do anything just to see their faces in the movies, as long as they were morally accepted. "Director Grey... Um, can I meet you after you finish your work?" A woman with large breasts said to Kazir coquettishly before leaving the audition room. Kazir just shrugged and didn''t take it seriously. As a person who had spent his entire life on the lower levels of Hollywood, he knew how the industry worked. ''This role, it might take a while to find someone who fits the description.'' Right after Kazir said it in his mind, the first actor entered the room. "Hi, I''m Pedro Pascal. The project says they need a young Latino actor and I''m here to audition." "Hm?" Kazir looked at the man. "Pedro Pascal?" He had heard that name in his later years. Kazir was quite surprised to see a well-known actor auditioning for the role. Kazir narrowed his eyes and realized something. It is completely different from what I expected. He doesn''t look like the ''Pedro Pascal'' at all. Because the man before him was young, Pedro Pascal didn''t have his iconic mustache. He had no facial hair, none at all. ''He looks... young.'' That''s right, he didn''t look like the Pedro Pascal of the 2010s. Kazir raised his hand before Pedro Pascal could finish. "Call Jane, have her adjust Pedro''s hair. " "Okay." A few seconds later, Jane, the makeup artist, appeared. She fixed Pedro''s hair according to Kazir''s description. A few minutes later Kazir nodded. ''In my opinion, except for his height, he fits the role.'' Kazir would not confirm Pedro''s casting at the moment, he had to see the other actors before he could decide. For now, Pedro Pascal would be listed as a possible actor. "Let''s call the next actor." One by one the actors appeared and Kazir found a few possible ones. "Hi, my name is Ed Helms. I''m here for the lead role." /Puji_maki Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Ed Helms. The man in front of him was a famous comedian actor, his face was recognizable. But right now, Ed Helms was still a young actor and didn''t have much experience. He looked nervous and moved awkwardly... Which complemented the role of Napoleon. Kazir grinned slightly. But first, Kazir called her makeup artist, Jane. "Jane, can you make his hair curly blonde and bobbed?" "Give me a few minutes, I''ll adjust his look." Ed Helms was confused. But he agreed to let the woman touch his hair. Since the director was interested to see his appearance in curly hair. Ed Helms understood that he had passed the first stage of the audition. When Kazir saw Ed Helms'' appearance, it looked exactly like what he had written down. But something was missing. "Wear those glasses." Ed Helms with glasses, curly bob hair... Immaculate. This is Napoleon Dynamite. As for the acting, Kazir didn''t need great acting. All the time he watched Napoleon Dynamite in his past life, he could tell that most of the actors were amateurs. They could not act at all. That was exactly what Kazir needed. "I just need one thing, Ed, just say ''idiot'' like you''re eating your words." "Just give me a few seconds, Director." "Hm." Kazir nodded. "Idiot!" "Then say it with anger this time, but you still have to eat your words." "Idiot!" "Say freaking idiot." "Freaking idiot!" He looked like an idiot right now. Ed Helms was sweating. He felt like the director was making fun of him. There was no real script, he just kept saying idiot. Why? Ed Helms and his agent negotiated and Ed Helms signed a salary of 15 thousand dollars. As for the other actors, they also receive a smaller amount. Of course, the crew would take care of all their needs, such as food and hotel reservations. "Find a cheap hotel in Idaho. You know we can''t spend too much, it''s the investor''s money". Actually, his brother''s. "Don''t worry, I will contact the hotels," Renner assured him. Kazir and his crew flew to Idaho with the cast to begin shooting. His crew consisted of only 20 people, five of whom were interns making their way to Hollywood. He was actually happy to have free labor. Since the budget came from his brother, Kazir spent it seriously. The location of Idaho... Kazir and the others didn''t have time to appreciate the local scenery. After checking into the hotel, Kazir immediately prepared the cameras and film. "This is our opening credits? We are going to write their names on food?" Renner and Harold asked him just to be sure. "That''s right, we can call it a day when we''re done. While the actors are adjusting, we will film." Unfortunately, since Ed Helms was the protagonist, he didn''t have time to rest. He was the one who put the food on the table, his hands to be exact. Harold was in charge of props, so he started preparing the dishes and writing names on them. Sandwich, Napoleon put it on the table, check. Quesadilla with words written by Mustard, check. Steak, and so on. Those opening credits were memorable. Because, of course, they were food, not subtle subtitles, as in most movies. Fortunately for Ed Helms, he didn''t have to act the first day. All he did was put food on the table while the camera shot from a high angle, looking down at the subject. "Cut! Next dish!" Except for preparing the dishes and writing the words on them, the process of filming was fast. At least on the first day, they had already shot three minutes of footage. Those three minutes made up the first part of the movie, the opening credits. /Puji_maki Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Napoleon Dynamite had the vibe of the 80s. Even the gadgets people used in the movie were mostly old and outdated. Walkman, big-ass computer, videotapes and so on. The movie was released in 2004. In Kazir''s opinion, it should have been released before the digital age. The movie was great, funny, embarrassing, and had an old-ish vibe. That''s why Kazir decided to make it before the 21st century. He was confident that he could change the fate of the film. ''Don''t get me wrong, the movie is already great, it''s a masterpiece, but I want to make it better. 40 million at the box office is not enough to show the greatness of this movie.'' Napoleon Dynamite saved his life. He was at the bottom of his life when he casually walked into the theater and watched the movie. By the time the movie ended, Kazir realized he was already crying. As a person who lost almost everything, he found Napoleon''s silly dances. His dances made him laugh and cry at the same time. For the same reason, he bought the DVD of Napoleon Dynamite. Whenever he felt down, he would follow Napoleon''s dance. Kazir was confident that he already knew every dance move Napoleon did in the movie. "Is this really you? I thought you couldn''t dance?" Renner and Harold stared at Kazir in confusion and shock. They rented a VCR and watched the dance tutorial Kazir had made... He was killing the dance floor. "These are the dance moves you gave Ed?" "Yes, before we arrived here in Idaho, I already gave this videotape to Ed. He promised to memorize every step." "Wow... You can actually dance." Renner and Harold stared at Kazir as if he were a stranger. Kazir just shrugged. They didn''t know that these dance moves were his go-to stress relievers. He always let loose when he started dancing. ''Luckily, most of the songs were available and I can use most of the original songs. '' "Okay, let''s start shooting today." Kazir had already made a schedule for today and they would try their best to stick to it. So far they had been in Idaho for four days. He was holding a stack of storyboard to make sure that he would never lose the rhythm of the film. They had shot dozens of scenes, but this was a 90+ minute movie. Obviously, three days were not enough. According to his calculations, they would have to stay here for at least a month to shoot all the scenes. If that was not enough, they would have to stay for a couple of more weeks. "I feel like you''re on drugs, Kazir." Harold tapped him on the shoulder. Ed Helms sat with awkward expression, staring weakly ahead. He looked sleepy. "What do you want to do today, Napoleon?" The boy said. "Whatever I feel like doing, gosh!" Napoleon said and turned to his side. He looked out the window and then at the driver. When he noticed that the driver was not looking, he opened the window and wrapped the string around a toy. He then proceeded to throw the toy outside while holding the string, and the toy was dragged along. "Cut! Ten-minute break, then on to the next location." When they heard the director''s approval, Ed Helms sighed and wiped his forehead. It was so hot he was sweating. "Here," one of the crew members handed him some cold mineral water. "Thank you." Ed Helms drank the water thirstily. "You''re lucky this time." "Huh?" "You''re lucky the director shoots fast." "Isn''t he like that before?" Ed Helms asked. "No, director Kazir usually adjusts the camera to see the best angle. He will also use different shooting styles to see the best result. However, he didn''t use it this time. It seems that Director Kazir was seriously thinking about the shooting plan." "I see." Ed Helms nodded. To be honest, he was grateful that Kazir had given him a chance. The first day he found out that Kazir had hired him, Ed Helms could not sleep because his mind was too active. Kazir approached Ed and examined his mentality. "What about your dance moves? Have you memorized them?" "Yes. I even practiced last night," he nodded. "That''s good to hear, but you need a good night''s sleep. We don''t want you to get sick." [Support me using Power Stones in Webnovel or visit my Pat reon!] Chapter 20 Chapter 20 The shooting went smoothly. There were no rough spots. The actors were good in condition... they might need acting lessons after this movie. But hey, Napoleon Dynamite didn''t need great acting anyway. It was a comedy. ''My first impression of Napoleon was sleepy. He always looks sleepy. Also, the way he acts is kind of weird.'' The actors were good, Pedro Pascal and Ed Helms just got into the right mood and got into their roles. The other actors were also good. Because of this, Kazir''s already fast shooting became even faster. However, there was no such thing as perfect. There were still rough edges that needed polishing. "Cut! Let''s shoot this scene again. Ten-minute break!" Calix stated after four NGs (not good). He looked at the certain actress who could not keep her acting. The dance hall lit up and the music stopped. They were shooting the prom scene, the scene where Deb and Napoleon were dancing to be exact. Reese was sweating and her complexion was pale. She knew she was the reason they had to reshoot. She approached Kazir with a guilty look on her face. "I''m sorry director, I accidentally looked at the camera." "Reese. In the first take, you made a mistake by forgetting your line. The second, you stepped on Ed''s foot. The third, you made a mistake and said the wrong line." "I''m sorry." She bowed her head. Her eyes became teary. Kazir chuckled, comforting her instead. "You don''t have to apologize. Everyone makes mistakes. Even great actors like Nicholas Cage and Tom Hanks are not perfect. You don''t have to beat yourself up." He said, tapping her shoulder. "Okay, follow me. Inhale... Exhale. Again, inhale... Exhale." Reese took a deep breath and calmed her mind. She thought the director would be angry because she had already made four mistakes. She smiled when she realized that Kazir was not angry. "It''s good to see you smiling. Now go retouch your makeup and relax. Remember, you don''t have to burden yourself. No one is perfect." "Thank you, director!" She happily left Kazir with her prom gown. ''... The cost of a 35mm Kodak film is about $80. A 35mm Kodak film can record up to 4 minutes and 30 seconds. So far, we have wasted three rolls of film with Reese''s mistakes. To be honest, I''m angry. But I know the consequences of getting angry. Reese will lose confidence in herself and the shoot will be affected. As much as I can, I want to stay calm. '' Reese was still a young actress. She didn''t have the mentality to handle criticism. If Kazir showed his true feelings, the woman might break down and cry, which would be uncomfortable for the crew. The last day arrived. The crew had only one scene left to shoot. They planned to shoot this scene last because it was more complicated to prepare. First, the crew hired extras and signed them up for the shooting. They didn''t have any important roles. They would be the audience watching Napoleon dance. "Okay, everything is ready!" Kazir started shooting. The music started and Ed Helms, who had practiced the dance steps, went to work. He started to dance, his curly bob hair shaking around, his hips moving to the beat. ''Looks like he''s taking it seriously.'' Kazir could see that Ed Helms was dancing better than he expected. After the first dance... "Cut! Ten-minute break." Kazir Grey approached Ed Helms, who was sweating. "Ed, I want you to dance again. I will save all the best parts of your dance and combine them." "No problem, director." Ed Helms smiled. At least Kazir appreciated his hard work. [Hi, I just want to promote my other novels:] 1) MC''s not part of the story - This novel is already finished with 526 chapters. 2) The Only Fuel Is Using The D. -This is my most read novel for some obvious reasons, ahem. 3) Reincarnated As A Deadbeat Dad -This is a new novel. A slow progressive slice of life about a deadbeat dad. 4) Hollywood What If - Mc returned to Hollywood in 1994. [I post my novels mostly on Scribblehub, Webnovel, RoyalRoad, and Questionable Questing]. Chapter 21 Chapter 21 [I apologize if my grammar is bad. I''m from the Philippines. Most people here can speak and understand English, but our grammar is terrible. I can attest to that. 100% fr fr] "Everybody! I would like to announce that the filming of Napoleon Dynamite ends here!" "Woo!!" "Nice!" Seeing that their job was over, everyone celebrated. The whole shooting was fast, but that didn''t change the fact that everyone was tired. Especially Harold Witsend. He was the prop master. To keep up with Kazir''s fast shooting, Harold and his crew did their best to keep up their best performance. They were constantly taking down props and setting them up for the shooting. They were the most tired of all. "I want to thank you all for your hard work. As I promised, I will treat you when we return to Los Angeles. They spent nearly 400 thousand dollars. The remaining 100 thousand dollars would be used to pay the rest of the crew and for the post-production of the film. There was enough for them to spend celebrating the completion of the shooting. After that, Kazir would focus all his attention on editing the movie. "Director Kazir, thank you for casting me as Napoleon Dynamite." Ed Helms approached him. He was grateful that Kazir trusted him. Also, during the filming, Ed Helms realized that Kazir was a talented director with his calm and fast shooting. Unlike other directors who had bad temper, Kazir was kind and easy to talk to. "I believe you will achieve your dreams, Ed." They shook hands. Then Pedro Pascal and Reese Witherspoon came up to him and thanked him. Both Pedro and Reese were young and hadn''t had a chance to show off their acting. Napoleon Dynamite was their first project with important roles. Especially for Pedro Pascal, as a Chilean-American, his race made it difficult for him to find a suitable role. "Reese, I recommend that you apply to an acting school. You need it very much." "T- Thank you, Director." Reese nodded her head. It might sound like an insult, but she understood Kazir''s opinion. As an actress, she had to take acting seriously. Attending an acting school would help her career. "I believe you will have a successful career." He was not lying. These actors would be recognized by the masses. The two thought that Kazir was just praising them. But they were still happy to hear his appreciation. "Um... Director..." "What is it, Reese?" "N- Nothing, don''t mind me." Reese left with a dejected face. All this time, she was beginning to see how seriously Kazir took his job. Almost every day, he stayed up late to review all the footage. It would be a lie if Reese didn''t admire someone like him. Kazir was handsome at his job. A person who does what he loves shines. Anyway, Reese wanted to invite Kazir to dinner. However, seeing that Kazir was serious about his work, Reese decided to ask him later. As for her purpose, only Reese Witherspoon knew the answer. The team packed up and returned to Los Angeles. Everyone scattered, they were tired and needed to rest. Kazir took a day off to rest. They would have a small celebration in three days. The crew and cast would officially finish filming that day. As for Kazir, he rented a small studio and hired an editor to edit the movie. Of course, Kazir hired someone he knew. ALMIGHT_FLEX Abdul Sandra Torres ABDI ALI Ole Martin Johnsen Cameron Roof Humper Jose Bautista Sleepymoonfox Cisco a Millie (No Name) Cherif Doghri Abdishakur Hasan Danny York Kieta Aki Sczx Mitia RAKOTOFIRINGA Acedia Clutch Jackson J Betts Black Till Grothe Marlon Allen Greatface Eduardo Zuur Ryuu Raini M. Terante Robert Campbell VoidStar Duke York Ausner Gentil Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Kazir checked his appearance. He looked pretty good, especially now that he had burned off his belly fat. Signing up for a gym membership helped a lot. Now Kazir was much healthier than he had been the last time. He was fit, although the bags under his eyes were still there. After all, he hadn''t slept for days. If Rector had not begged him to rest, Kazir would never have left the editing room. Kazir wore a suit when he entered the New Line Cinema building. He asked the receptionist, and the woman directed him to the screening room. There he found David Fincher talking to Arnold Kopelson. "Kazir! I haven''t seen you in months! I hear you''re filming." David approached with a smile. They were both having the "best" day of their lives, considering they both had bags under their eyes. "Yeah, I just finished shooting. I rented a studio to edit my movie." "That''s good to hear. If you need any help, you can ask me." "I won''t be polite then." "Kazir." Arnold Kopelson came over and shook his hand. They were not strangers and they had a good relationship. "How is your day Arnold?" "Everything is going well. David is working hard." A few minutes later the people from New Line Cinema showed up. Robert Shaye looked at Kazir and nodded. Se7en began to play on the screen and they watched it intently. All Kazir could say was that David Fincher''s filmography would flourish from now on. His films would be classics. Se7en, a great murder mystery detective genre. Fight Club, amazing, the twist was ''wtf''. Zodiac, another murder mystery. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, um, another murder mystery. "It''s an honor." Kazir''s first choice was actually Fox Searchlight Pictures, but he didn''t have to be picky. Robert Shaye left the two. New Line Cinema had to come up with a marketing plan for Se7en. "Hey, did you hear? There''s a rumor that Time Warner is going to buy Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Maybe that''s why Robert Shaye looked tired." New Line Cinema was owned by Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. If Time Warner bought Turner Broadcasting System Inc., then New Line Cinema would naturally fall into the hands of Warner Bros. Kazir just kept smiling. ''It is not a rumor, New Line Cinema will be under Warner Bros. in the near future.'' He just hoped that Se7en would not be affected. David invited Kazir to dinner and they talked. Now that David''s work was almost done, he wanted to take a bottle of beer and drink it all down. "So you made a comedy? Strange, I thought you preferred horror movies?" Kazir''s first three films were B-grade horror movies. So David thought his current project was also a horror movie. "No David, I want to change." In a way, making a comedy was like shedding a new skin for Kazir. "Changing for the better is a good thing. Send me a ticket when it comes out." "You don''t have to worry." "Where will you show it first? Will you submit it to the Berlin International Film Festival?" "If I have no choice. But the Berlin International Film Festival is in February. My movie will surely be finished by then, so entering a film festival is my last choice". "Once Se7en becomes popular, I''m sure many companies will approach you." "That''s right." The two started drinking beer like there was no tomorrow. They wanted to let go of their work and have fun. When Kazir woke up the next day, his head hurt, almost as if his skull was being drilled. /Puji_maki Chapter 23 Chapter 23 After a whole night of drinking beer, Kazir sat up weakly and groaned as a headache hit him. "... Coffee." Kazir didn''t know the best way to relieve the hangover. He loved to drink alcohol, but he drank in moderation. But since David Fincher had invited him to drink last night, he had no choice but to stay. In the end, Kazir called David''s wife because David was dead drunk. Even Kazir''s car was still in the bar''s parking lot because he took a cab. The last thing he remembered was that he was staggering when he reached his apartment. "Euugh..." He frowned when he noticed that there was acidic vomit on the floor, probably from him. "Damn it, David. I will never drink with you again." With a sore head, Kazir mopped the floor. He realized it was 8:30 in the morning, only half an hour before the studio opened. Kazir took a cold bath to awaken his senses. He ordered a coffee on the way to the bar''s parking lot to take his old, bumpy car. By the time he reached the studio, it was after 8:50. Fortunately, Rector had just arrived. As usual, they began editing the film early in the morning. As a man with four decades of experience as a director, Kazir knew the best angles to use. The transitions, the cuts, everything was in his head. He even made sure the line delivery was good. In comedy, line delivery was important. Especially when the character was delivering the jokes. "Pfft--" Rector laughed out loud after watching the scene where Pedro Sanchez shaved his hair and went bald. He didn''t expect the young man to do something like that just to cool off. "Are you sure you wrote this?" Rector looked at Kazir and laughed. He hadn''t expected someone as serious as Kazir to make a comedy. He also wrote the script. She smiled, but it was obvious that she was looking at Kazir with teary eyes. Kazir sighed. "Are you free on September 22nd?" Finally, Kazir felt bad. "September 22? That would be two weeks from now." Reese Witherspoon was confused as to why the man in front of her was asking if she was free in two weeks. She was just a small actress, she probably wouldn''t have any work then. "It is like this, a movie is coming out that day and I have two tickets. If you want, we can watch it together." "A movie?" She tilted her head. Reese didn''t know what movies were coming out this month. "Yeah, I was the screenwriter for that movie, so they gave me two premiere tickets." "Okay then, I''ll call you when I''m free." She smiled mischievously and left... She was really adorable. "Why do I feel like I''m playing myself?" Anyway, he didn''t care. A beautiful young woman like Reese would never take him seriously. Kazir had had bad relationships all his life, he didn''t believe in true love. "Well, anyone who lives deep in Hollywood doesn''t believe in true love." Hollywood was the city of vanity. Love? Only looks, sex, money, and benefits worked here. If you can''t give any of those things, you might as well leave. After that day, Kazir began to devote all his time to editing. He wanted to finish post-production before or after the release of Se7en. Se7en would be the key to increasing his chips to sell his movie. /Puji_maki Chapter 24 Chapter 24 "Hey, Carl! I heard a story." "Hm?" Carl Morin turned as he heard someone call his name. Carl Morin was an agent working under WMA (William Morris Agency). He had few clients, but each one had a good prospect, especially the director he had signed last year. "Have you heard about the movie Se7en?" The agent approached him. "Yes. I heard about it. That movie is coming out this month, right?" Carl Morin was confused as to why his colleague was asking him about this particular movie. "Do you know the screenwriter of this movie?" "Sorry John, I''m too busy and haven''t had time to read the newspaper or anything." He shook his head. "It''s your ex-client! Kazir Grey! I only heard about it from my client because he is working with Kazir." "What!?" Carl Morin was shocked to hear this. He thought his colleague was joking. "Judging by your reaction, you didn''t really hear it. Anyway, I have a magazine here, there''s an article about Se7en." The agent handed the magazine to Carl Morin. "..." Carl didn''t know what to say. He walked into a room shared by four agents. A small agent like him had to share an office with other agents, it was a normal thing. As Carl sat down in front of his desk, he opened the magazine and started to read the article about Se7en. "That''s impossible. I know Kazir, he has no talent for writing a script!" Carl had been Kazir''s agent for three years. When the contract ended, he didn''t renew it. Because he felt that Kazir didn''t have a good future as a director. In addition, Kazir Grey angered the top management after accidentally spilling water on one of the WMA''s vice presidents. "..." Carl touched his chin. According to the article, Se7en had a budget of 35 million dollars. There was a chance that it would do well in the theaters. "No, that kind of movie has a disadvantage. Se7en is probably an R-rated movie and families with children will never see this kind of movie" He thought. "Waahh! Brad! How handsome!" Reese and Kazir heard a squeal behind them. [Note: If you don''t want to be spoiled, I recommend you skip this part] [The two detectives are assigned to work together on a case involving a gruesome murder. Which they soon discover is only the first in a series of murders]. [The killer is targeting people who represent each of the seven deadly sins. Each murder scene is elaborately and twistedly staged.] "Gueh--!" A faint vomit comes from an audience member as they see the first victim. [The detectives begin to unravel the clues left by the killer. As they do, they become increasingly horrified by the brutality and depravity of the crimes.] [The murders are particularly disturbing. Each one underscores the horrific nature of the sin being depicted.] [The first murder is that of an obese man who was force-fed until his stomach burst. This is followed by the murder of a greedy lawyer who is forced to cut off a pound of his own flesh.] [ While the killing spree was going on, Detective Somerset met Detective Mills'' wife. Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow) told Detective Somerset that she was pregnant. She didn''t know how to tell her husband.] [The third victim is a lazy man who is tied to a bed for a year. The fourth victim is a man who was forced to kill a prostitute, representing the sin of lust. The fifth victim is a proud model who is disfigured with a knife and killed herself by overdosed.] [The detectives soon realize that the killer, who calls himself John Doe (Kevin Spacey), is making a statement about the sins of mankind]. [Doe is an intelligent and calculating individual who is playing a game with the detectives. He wants to show them the true nature of humanity and force them to face their own sins.] [Detective Mills and John Doe had a confrontation in the alley. Detective Mills nearly lost his life. But the killer let him live.] The audience sighed with relief because they thought Brad Pitt was going to die just like that. In this kind of movie, usually one of the main characters has to die. [When Detective Mills survived the ordeal. He realized that the killer was actually the reporter who was harassing them!] The audience gasped as they realized the truth. The climax was near. The audience grew quiet as the movie drew to a close. [The detectives finally identified John Doe. But Doe surrenders to the detectives instead. There was blood on his clothes, indicating that he had killed another person]. "Is this the end of the movie?" Reese whispered next to Kazir and he shook his head. Now that John Doe had surrendered, everyone thought the movie was over. However, the final scene was still to come. The "What''s in the box?" scene... /Puji_maki Chapter 25 Chapter 25 [John Doe turned himself into the police. However, he promised not to testify to his crime until the two detectives granted his final request.] [Left with no choice, the two detectives took John Doe out into the desert.] [A few minutes later, a van showed up and gave Detective Somerset a box]. "What''s in the box?" The audience began to ask, curious. However, they gasped when they saw Detective Somerset''s expression after he opened the box. The detective was clearly frightened by what he saw. [John Doe then reveals that he has one last act to perform. And that is to force Detective Mills to become the embodiment of the seventh deadly sin, wrath.] "Oh my God!" [John Doe killed Mill''s pregnant wife! Not only that! He put Tracy''s head in the box and delivered it to their location!] "Monster!" The audience gasped in shock! No one expected this to be the end. ["What''s in the box? I ask you, what''s in the box?! William!"] [Detective Mills asked Detective Somerset with obvious desperation]. ["David, let''s talk about this. Give me the gun first."] The audience became very quiet as they watched the final sequence of the movie. In their minds, they already know Detective Mills'' decision. [When Detective Mills heard that his wife was pregnant, he lost his hesitation. He began shooting bullets into John Doe''s body, killing him.] [The contents of the box were Tracy''s head...] [In the end, Detective Somerset witnessed Detective Mills descend into madness and become a criminal]. ---------- When the movie ended, the audience was shocked. It took a few seconds for someone to clap their hands. Then more people followed until the entire audience was clapping. Kazir smiled calmly as he watched their reactions. He knew in his heart that Se7en was already a success. The only question was how successful it would be. "Kazir, are you really the one who wrote this?" Reese whispered next to him. "Yeah, why do you ask?" If he had known this would happen, he might have accepted Reese''s invitation. He got up, got dressed, and walked out of his apartment. Since he could not sleep, he might as well go to the New Line Cinema. He would wait for the results. David Fincher, Robert Shaye, Arnold Kopelson and other people from the management were all waiting for the results. They were not sleeping, they could not sleep anyway. They were too active and worried to relax. When Kazir asked the receptionist, he realized that it was already midnight. Only a few minutes until the results would come. "Kazir." The people nodded at Kazir as they saw him enter the room. At this moment, no one cared if Kazir was present or absent. They were all waiting for the results of the premiere. Suddenly the phone rang and people opened their ears. The Cinema alliance gave them the results. "Yes, yes. Okay, I will receive it." The fax machine began to print the information. The secretary handed the documents to Robert Shaye. A few seconds later, Robert Shaye sighed with relief as he saw the midnight box office for the movie. "Looks like we need to work hard on the promotion." Robert stood up and the management followed. Looking at the midnight box office results, Robert Shaye and New Line Cinema believe that Se7en had a strong appeal. It did much better than they expected. "Congratulations David." Robert Shaye congratulated David Fincher. "Sir Robert! Thank you." The last to receive the relevant information were David Fincher and Kazir Grey. "3 million! 3.60 million dollars!" David Fincher was so excited that he lost his strength and sat down. The tension disappeared when he saw the results of the midnight premier. "Kazir, we did it!" "Yes, congratulations David." Of course, they were happy that their movie was a success. At least with this midnight result, the first three days would have a bright lead. /Puji_maki Chapter 26 Chapter 26 "Good morning, Mr. Semel." "Good morning." The receptionist greeted the CEO of Warner Bros. and bowed her head. CEO Terry Semel was in a good mood, so he returned the greeting with a smile. He was in a good mood because Time Warner had acquired TBS (Turner Broadcasting System). This acquisition would make Time Warner even stronger. In addition, another piece of good news greeted him today. Now that Time Warner had acquired Turner Broadcasting System Inc., the company naturally took over New Line Cinema. Of course, Time Warner would not interfere with New Line Cinema''s way of doing business. After all, the company was making money. Besides, the latest movie released by New Line Cinema was well received. Even though Terry Semel didn''t have control over New Line Cinema, he was happy to see the company thriving. At least New Line Cinema would not be a problem for Warner Bros. Terry Semel walked into his office and asked his secretary to bring him a newspaper. Specifically, the news about the movies being released this month. [ ... "Se7en" is unique in one detail of its construction. It brings the killer onto the screen half an hour before the end and gives him a speaking role. Instead of simply being the prey in a car chase. He is revealed as a twisted but articulate antagonist who has devised a terrible plan for the conclusion of his sermon. (The actor who plays the killer is not identified by name in the ads or opening credits. So I''ll leave his identity as another of his surprises.) "Se7en" is well done in its details. Uncompromising in the way it presents the disturbing details of the crimes. It is certainly not for the young or the sensitive. As good as it is, it misses greatness by not quite finding the right way to end. All the pieces are in place, all the characters are in place, and then - I think the way the story ends is too easy. Satisfying, maybe. But not worthy of what has gone before.] --Roger Ebert. Chicago Sun-Times. Even a famous movie critic like Roger Ebert had said his opinion about the movie. Roger Ebert gave it two thumbs up. Of course, Terry Semel knew that this kind of movie review had to do with New Line Cinema''s promotion. ''I wonder how much money they gave Roger Ebert this time.'' Terry Semel chuckled and read another article. [It''s not the identity of the killer that gives Se7en its kick - it''s the way Fincher raises the mystery to the level of moral provocation. If Pulp Fiction gave us a taste for such a challenge, we have Tarantino to thank, not to blame]. --Peter Travers. Rolling Stone. When Terry Semel read the critics'' review, he nodded in agreement. He had seen the film at its premiere and was impressed. It was said that the early screenings of Se7en had received a mediocre response. But the first-week box office said otherwise. The midnight premiere box office was $3.6 million. "Me? CEO Terry Semel''s is calling me?" Enrico Pusi was confused as to why the CEO of Warner Bros. was calling him. Enrico was one of the producers in the production department. His job was... well, to produce movies. Usually, he would attend the meeting to select scripts with high profitability. Once the script was studied, they would send it to other departments to study the other aspects of the script. Then the higher-ups would attend the meeting to approve the start of the project. Sometimes he would take over and be the producer of the movie. Right now, Enrico Pusi was busy promoting their upcoming movie, which was Batman Forever. "Sir, Enrico is here." "Let him in." Enrico entered the office and found Terry Semel reading the paper. "So Enrico, I heard you met this Kazir Grey?" "..." When Enrico Pusi heard what Terry Semel said, he instinctively swallowed. He realized the reason why he had been called. "Don''t worry, I don''t blame you. I asked my secretary to give me the Se7en script that was in our script library. My answer is the same as yours, the script does not have strong profitability." "Yes sir..." Enrico sighed in relief. "However, I heard that Kazir Grey has a new project. If you have time, maybe you can get in touch with him. If the movie is interesting, you know what to do." "I''ll do my best, sir." Enrico nodded his head. At least he didn''t get any nagging. "That''s good. You may leave now." /Puji_maki Chapter 27 Chapter 27 "So... your name is Salvatore Barlowe?" Kazir Grey studied the person in front of him. Kazir was busy with post-production when the studio informed him that someone was looking for him. Kazir thought it was a person from one of the film companies. But he didn''t expect to see a young man. "Yes, Mr. Grey. I''m here to..." "How old are you?" "Me? I''m 28 this year." "28? You look like 21 or something." Kazir frowned. He could not believe that the person across the table was a year older than him. Yet he looked much younger. ''Am I really so depressed that my face looks old? Should I shave my beard?'' Kazir had a short dark beard, which made him look like a mature man. He had been going to the gym for the past few months and was confident in his appearance. ''At least I look stronger than him.'' Kazir has firm biceps and nice abs. He has a perfect body after working out constantly. Unlike Salvatore Barlowe, who looked skinny and weak. That fact comforted him. ''That''s right. I''m not that old, I just want to keep my beard.'' The first day he returned to 1994, he had a thick beard and looked much older. He also had a big belly. "It''s probably because my mother is Korean." "You''re half Korean? Looking at your face, you do have Korean features. Unlike Westerners who grew old easily, Koreans and Japanese looked young with their smooth skin. Kazir nodded as he learned the truth behind Salvatore''s young features. "So you''re looking for me because...?" "Mr. Grey, I''m from the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). I''m an agent and I''m hoping you can sign a contract with me." ''As expected, he is an agent.'' Few known people would look for Kazir in the current situation. His script earned 14 million in its opening week. ''It''s already Tuesday and the box office is 23 million.'' ''That''s what I see...'' To be honest, he was quite happy that someone trusted him even though he hadn''t proven himself yet. At least Salvatore Barlowe showed his sincerity. "I accept your proposal." "T-then!" Salvatore almost jumped out of his seat, but it seemed that Kazir had more to say. "But I have one condition." "As long as it''s within my reach, I''ll do it." "First, I will not accept CAA''s film packaging. I have my own crew and I want to keep them as much as possible." "That''s... Okay, I will put that in the contract." Film packaging was CAA''s main source of income. But a strong, authoritative director would never accept that kind of arrangement. In the end, Salvatore decided to accept Kazir''s condition. "But I hope your first choice of actors is within CAA." An agent like Salvatore wanted his actors to have a project at least once a year. "Of course, as long as they fit the roles, I will hire them." Kazir had no problem with that. Besides, CAA is the most powerful agency in Hollywood. Michael Ovitz founded the agency after being fired from WMA. Since then, CAA has grown to become the strongest agency. An agency like CAA would be good for Kazir. "This is good to hear. CAA is a trustworthy agency and I believe they will help me achieve my dreams. Aside from the movie packaging, I''m all good. Of course, you have to keep your promise that your commission is only 3 percent." "Yes, I promise." Salvatore was delighted. Everyone knows that directors have a higher position than actors. After all, directors choose the actors who will appear in their movies. If Salvatore has a director under him, his influence would be stronger. "Then I hope we will have a great collaboration." Kazir held out his hand. "Thank you for trusting me, Kazir." /Puji_maki Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Kazir and Salvatore Barlowe had a brief verbal agreement. The real reason was simple. Kazir really needs an agent. As soon as Se7en made more money at the box office, film companies would contact him. The one who usually talked to those companies was the agent. The two sides would start making offers and negotiating. The client would only show up once the deal was finalized . Besides, Kazir didn''t want to be bothered because he was still editing Napoleon Dynamite. The other reason was Salvatore''s honesty. Cutting the commission to 3 percent was actually a tough move for an agent. It basically reduced his income. Although if Kazir became a successful director, Salvatore''s decision would be the right one. To Kazir, Salvatore showed a tendency to gamble. ''Well, I''m also gambling with my future. So I can empathize.'' All Kazir could do was prove himself. To make sure this young-looking agent would never regret his decision. "Kazir, about the movie..." "Don''t worry, I''m half done. Two-thirds, to be exact. But I want to take it slow. At least wait for the box office of Se7en this week." Se7en was released in theaters for five days and made 23 million. He wanted to see if the movie''s performance would increase this week. "Okay. I will wait then," Salvatore nodded. He was just a new agent and Kazir hadn''t signed a contract with him yet. It was just a verbal agreement. He knew that making a movie would take time. "You can give the contract to my lawyer first and I will sign it later." "That''s good to hear." The two men shook hands firmly. Several years later, many agents would regret their decision of not signing a contract with Kazir Grey. ''I didn''t know Salvatore Barlowe in my previous life. He is probably not famous and his clients are small-time actors. But I''m just like him. I''m not famous in my past life.'' There were famous agents in Hollywood like Pat Kingsley, Kevin Huvane, and Bryan Lourd. Kazir knew damn well that these agents would never look at a small-time director like him. They went their separate ways after the meeting. In a way, their first meeting was eventful. "After my dubbing is over, can I take you out to dinner?" The one who initiate the first move was Reese! "..." Kazir kept his smile. To be honest, he wanted to say no. "Reese, I''m sorry, but..." "Are you going to say no again? Mr. Grey, you''re quite annoying." She smiled, but not a smile. To be honest, she didn''t know why she was doing this either. Maybe she was just interested in Kazir after watching his shooting. Unlike most directors who would yell and scream, Kazir was always patient and encouraging. Besides, he was quite good and handsome while doing what he loved. The other reason was her pride. She had already been rejected three times, so she wanted to win a victory by seducing him... What do you know? A woman wants to prove her worth by seducing a stoic man... maybe? In that respect, Reese saw this as nothing more than a fun but frustrating game. "What do you think, Mr. Grey?" She said and moved closer to him, almost touching his broad chest. [There is actually a smut chapter next but it''s only exclusive to my Patrons.] [Hi, I just want to promote my other novels:] 1) MC is not part of the story - This novel is already finished with 526 chapters. 2) The only fuel is to use the D. -This is my most read novel for some obvious reasons, ahem. 3) Reincarnated As A Deadbeat Dad -This is a new novel. A slow progressive slice of life about a deadbeat dad. 4) Hollywood What If - Mc returned to Hollywood in 1994. [I post my novels mostly on Scribblehub, Webnovel, RoyalRoad and Questionable Questing]. Chapter 29 Chapter 29 "47 million dollars..." Tom Rothman put down the newspaper with a bitter smile. It was September 29th, Friday, seven days after the release of Se7en. He remembered that Kazir had also sent the Se7en script to 20th Century Fox. But the production management didn''t take it seriously. "Well, it''s a little complicated. Production management would never agree to invest $35 million in a movie with no good return on investment. Besides, at that time Kazir Grey was hoping to direct the film. No sane person in the production management would accept such a proposal." On top of that, the director who took over the project was David Fincher! 20th Century Fox owns the copyright to the Alien franchise! David Fincher was the director of "Alien 3" and it had a horrible result at the box office. 20th Century Fox made it clear that they would never invite David Fincher back to their company. But who would have thought that Se7en, directed by David Fincher, would be successful? Tom Rothman felt that he had allowed two talented people to escape the grasp of 20th Century Fox. He let Se7en go to New Line Cinema. Well, now, this particular movie had 47 million in its seven days. September was a mild schedule. It was very different from the summer and Christmas schedules where the studios were fighting for every week. The month of September wasn''t very profitable. So Se7en making 47 million was already a good result. At least everyone in Hollywood accepted that fact. "The investment is only 35 million. Even if we add the publicity, New Line Cinema already recoups the cost of the film." From now on, the next profit would be pure profit. Obviously, New Line Cinema was on to something. "Now that New Line Cinema has been acquired by Warner Bros, this studio will be under their protection. Tom Rothman was new to his position as CEO of 20th Century Fox. As much as possible, he wanted to see the company thrive under his care. After a few minutes of thought, Tom Rothman picked up his phone. "Get Nancy Utley in my office." He told his secretary. Since he let the first fish get away, he might as well take the second one. Maybe the second fish was a lot bigger than the first. "Comedy..." Unlike Se7en, which had a thriller genre, Napoleon Dynamite was a pure popcorn comedy. That piqued his interest more. Tom Rothman was worried about the "what ifs". "Yes sir, I will do my best to get this project." Nancy Utley noticed that this comedy film was of interest to CEO Tom Rothman. "That''s good. Rector, I think it''s better to use a jump cut on this scene." "Okay, Kazir." After the sexy incident with Reese Witherspoon, Kazir Grey became much more active. He felt invigorated and alive. He spent the entire week in the editing room. He focused on Napoleon Dynamite, making sure the movie would be better than the one he remembered. Napoleon Dynamite was a masterpiece, but it could be a "masterpiece". As for his relationship with Reese, the woman just asked him out last night... Of course, Kazir happily accepted. The two had talked seriously about their relationship. In the end, they decided to keep it "no strings attached". They were both ambitious and wanted to pursue their dreams. Kazir was recently divorced and didn''t want to get into a serious relationship. As for Reese, she wanted to breakthrough into Hollywood and didn''t have time for love. What they were doing was just a way to relieve stress together. Well, their relationship was pretty good. "About five days and we can finish editing Napoleon Dynamite." Rector muttered beside him. The movie was nearing completion. Napoleon Dynamite already had its music score. Kazir didn''t hesitate to spend money on the movie. "Congratulations Kazir." "Don''t congratulate me yet, we haven''t released the movie yet." "I know, but with the result of Se7en, I bet film companies are looking for you right now. Besides, your movie is funny and wholesome. Unlike the usual vulgar comedies that use swear words and dirty jokes as punch lines, I think this movie is much better." Kazir just nodded. [I apologize about the wrong Halloween info. In the Philippines, we usually celebrate Halloween on November 1 along with All Souls Day. So I subconsciously thought that Halloween was in November]. [As for my grammar... I''m just a guy from a 3rd world country who didn''t finish college. I only learned grammar seriously at the age of 18 when I started reading manga and light novels. Other than that, I''m an idiot.] [I''m not a computer that can consistently write sentences without grammatical errors. I spent hours proofreading this shit, but mistakes will still show up. I''m not an AI, so I apologize if reading my novel makes your eyes hurt. Hell, AI will probably mock me for thinking Halloween was November 1st]. Chapter 30 Chapter 30 The big day came and Kazir had a hard time sleeping. When morning came, Kazir had dark circles around his eyes. He clearly hadn''t slept properly. Yet he was too active to feel tired. He took a cold shower to wake up. Then he left his apartment and took his bumpy car to the studio. Next to the studio was a newsstand. Kazir bought a newspaper and grinned when he saw the front page of the New York Post. [$68 million! As of October 6, 1995. Se7en, directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, has grossed more than $68 million in 2500 theaters. From 47 million in its first seven days to 68 million in its second week. It garner 21 million at the North American box office in its second week. This week it has an average of $8,363 per theater!] This news will probably make Hollywood companies lose their minds. This was good news for Kazir, who was eager to prove himself. Today was the small screening of Napoleon Dynamite. New Line Cinema and Fox Searchlight Pictures had already said they would attend the screening of Napoleon Dynamite. There were four hours left in the schedule. Kazir arrived early because he had to set up the projector. As he entered the studio, he noticed that Rector was already there. "Rector, you''re earlier than I am." "I can''t sleep. Knowing that big people from Hollywood will be watching the movie I edited made me excited." Kazir chuckled. He had the same reaction. A few minutes later, Renner and the others arrived. Even Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal helped with the preparations. This film was their door to Hollywood. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After all, they had important roles in the movie. If Napoleon Dynamite was released and did well, they would have a chance to become famous. An hour later, Reese Witherspoon showed up. She had been taking acting classes these days to improve her acting. She also has a "good" relationship with Kazir. She smiled at Kazir and approached him. "You look terrible." It was the first time she saw him haggard with dark circles around his eyes. She thought this man was always calm, but it seemed she was wrong. ''As long as it''s about his movie, he''s always excited.'' ''Is it Park? Or Hae-Won?'' He would probably have to change his screen name. Anyway, Kazir was too busy to think about it. The hours passed and the people from the film companies arrived one by one. Kazir and Salvatore greeted them eagerly. Some of these executives were invited with the help of CAA. Salvatore Barlowe did his best to make sure that many film companies would watch the movie. The reason these people attended this screening was out of respect to CAA and to see if Kazir has potential. Se7en and Napoleon Dynamite were completely different genres. But that didn''t stop them from seeing the movie. If this movie was profitable, they would buy it. It was that simple. The movie started with no logo, just the opening credits. Napoleon Dynamite hadn''t signed a deal with a distributor. So the opening logo was still missing. Kazir would add it as soon as the deal was done. Minutes passed, and people burst out laughing and giggling. It didn''t happen once, but several times. This showed one thing: Napoleon Dynamite was a funny movie. At least the reactions of the people from the distribution companies were good. Kazir had a satisfied smile when the movie ended. He could see that people were interested in working with him. "It''s a good movie. If we have a chance, we can talk later, Mr. Grey." A fat man approached him with a smile and shook his hand. "Mr. Weinstein, I''m glad to hear that." Harvey Weinstein nodded. He could see that Kazir was interested as well. However, Harvey looked at the people from the other distribution companies. It seemed that he was not the only one who was interested in this movie. Se7en had been well received and no one wanted to let go of this Napoleon Dynamite. These two movies were written by Kazir Grey, this man has potential. /Puji_maki Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Hollywood. The center of the film industry in the USA. The place many actors yearn for. Even foreign actors were willing to die just to get a glimpse of their faces being filmed in Hollywood. This place has been called paradise and sin city at the same time. It brings hope and despair. "A place you don''t want to leave in the hope of reaching your dream." Kazir muttered. He looked at the managers from Hollywood distribution companies attending the small screening. He sighed, knowing that his first hurdle was over. The fact that even the infamous Harvey Weinstein attended the screening and congratulated him personally was enough to satisfy his vanity. He could feel it, he was getting closer to his dream. But he knew very well that this was just the beginning. He still had something to do. That was to sell his movie to one of these companies. In Kazir''s opinion, movies should be enjoyed. At the same time, the purpose of making a movie was to make money. It shouldn''t be a free ticket, otherwise, his hard work as a director was useless. ''The best offer will have Napoleon Dynamite in their movie library.'' He smiled. "So what do you think?" Nancy Utley asked her assistant. They had been invited to watch the screening after expressing their intention to buy the copyright of Napoleon Dynamite. Tom Rothman had sent her here specifically. She thought Napoleon Dynamite had a lot of good points. But she also had to listen to the opinions of others. They were running a business, and every step had to be scrutinized. "If you ask me, this movie has potential. At least with a budget of 500 thousand dollars, this movie will easily make a profit in theaters... As long as we bought it cheap. But," the assistant looked at the distribution managers around him. They were all thinking the same thing, they want this movie. "Everybody, if you''re interested. We can have coffee later." Salvatore, Kazir''s agent, suggested and they nodded with clear intention. Minutes passed and the first shot was taken. After the screening, the man contacted Kazir and Salvatore. It was a manager from New Line Cinema. "Clent, your offer is sincere and I can see that New Line Cinema wants to work with me again. Give me some time to think about it." Kazir said respectfully. "As for Fox Searchlight Pictures, they also want to buy it for $2.5 million." To be honest, the first day was better than they expected. At least four companies showed interest in the film. "So their bottom line is probably around $3 million. They are just testing the waters." Salvatore next to him swallowed a glass of tequila after listing each company''s offer. It was a clear fact that these companies were profit-driven. They want to buy the movie as cheaply as possible. ''What? Do you think a $2.5 million deal for North American distribution is too small for Napoleon Dynamite?'' Napoleon Dynamite only cost $500,000 to make, and it didn''t have any strong actors in the cast. No sane company would buy it for 5 to 10 million, that''s not how business works. This is not a fairy tale. "At least they will buy it for cash upfront. So how much do you want to sell it for?" Salvatore was curious to hear Kazir''s thoughts. "$3 million plus 10% box office." "Pfft--! Are you crazy!?" Salvatore almost threw up his drink. "$3 million might be acceptable, but 10% box office is an impossible task." "I know." Kazir shrugged. He had just said his best offer. "But let''s not forget that I have Se7en under my belt. There might be someone who agrees with me." "Maybe. If you really want a box office share, why not go for Miramax? Their conditions met yours even though it''s only revenue cut. Harvey Weinstein personally offered an amount, the founder of Miramax. That means he takes you seriously." "Indeed..." Kazir could not say that Harvey Weinstein had a very bad reputation in his past life. Kazir was not sure he could trust Harvey Weinstein. ''I heard that he likes to cheat foreign directors. I''m not a foreigner, so it''s hard to cheat a man like me who''s in Hollywood.'' Kazir was confident in his film. He knew it would do well at the box office. But he wanted to get a much better deal than the 5% revenue cut Miramax was offering. Anyway, it was only the first day. Maybe he could wait for the next day and hope someone would make a better offer. /Puji_maki Chapter 32 Chapter 32 The next day came and the intensity of the competition became fierce. In the end, Kazir decided to keep the global and videotape distribution copyrights. He could use these chips to negotiate with Hollywood companies later. Obviously, they didn''t agree with New Line Cinema''s offer to buy all the copyrights (global and videotape distribution) of Napoleon Dynamite for such a small amount as $2.3 million. "Hello? Salvatore? Someone wants to meet me? I understand." Kazir received a phone call from Salvatore Barlowe. It seemed that Orion Pictures was also interested in his film. "Tell them I''ll be right there." Kazir nodded and accepted the meeting. They would meet at the Orion Pictures building to negotiate. ...... ... ... On the other side, Tom Rothman was talking to Nancy Utley about Napoleon Dynamite. "So you''re saying the movie is funny? And it''s not a vulgar comedy. Kids under 13 can watch it?" "Yes. When the movie is rated by the MPAA, I''m sure it will get a PG-13 rating." "That''s good to hear." Tom Rothman found that most of the people who attended the screening had good things to say about Napoleon Dynamite. At the very least, everyone understood that the movie would do well in theaters. If they did it right, they might have a chance to make money on it. "..." Tom Rothman pinched his chin. Then he decided to read the information about Kazir Grey. "Kazir Grey, born September 9, 1968. He recently divorced his wife because she cheated on him... The wife got the house." The latter was a bit disturbing since Kazir clearly hadn''t fought for his property. But Tom Rothman would never judge a person, at least Kazir had the upper hand in terms of moral standards. Anyway, Tom Rothman knew most of Kazir''s life during his 7 years in Hollywood. This kind of information could be found if you hire a private investigator. Nancy Utley sat across the table. She didn''t know why Tom Rothman was silent. "Wait a minute..." Tom Rothman noticed something interesting. He looked at Nancy Utley. When Brad Krevoy was invited by CAA to attend a movie directed by the scriptwriter of Se7en, he knew he had to see it. So he attended the screening. When he saw the movie, he learned that it would never be easy to acquire. There were so many people who offered millions for the distribution of Napoleon Dynamite. But Brad Krevoy didn''t lose hope. As of now, it seemed that Kazir was still not selling the copyright to Napoleon Dynamite. This meant that Brad Krevoy still had a chance. They began to talk about Napoleon Dynamite. The two knew the purpose of this meeting, so there was no need to dilly-dally. "Kazir, I want to buy the North American distribution of Napoleon Dynamite for $2.8 million." "I''m glad to hear that Orion Pictures is sincere." Kazir nodded and smiled. "Then..." Brad Krevoy was a little disappointed that Kazir didn''t show any excitement. As if he had already expected the offer. "Kazir, if you have something to say, I''m free to listen. If it''s feasible, I might be able to agree to it." Since his first bait was not enough to catch the fish, how about a bigger one? "Brad. If possible, I want a share of the box office." "That..." Brad almost bit his tongue. He stared at Kazir. He was confused because he could not see any arrogance in his eyes. ''He thinks he naturally deserves a share of the box office... What a clueless, arrogant freak.'' Indeed. Such a thing might be possible for superstar directors. But Kazir didn''t have that status. "I''ll think about it." Brad Krevoy would never show any dislike. He kept his smile and their first meeting ended peacefully. However, they both understood that this meeting might be fruitless. ''I guess I will have to find another company...'' Kazir knew that his condition was too much. But he felt that he would regret it if he didn''t fight for the best options. "Kazir, we received a call from Nancy Utley of Fox Searchlight Pictures. She said CEO Tom Rothman wants to see the movie." Salvatore whispered next to him after the meeting ended. "I see. Tell her we can set up the screening today if they have time." "Okay." /Puji_maki Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Hollywood Companies. Production Companies. Movie/film companies. Studio Companies. Film distribution companies. There were a lot of ways to call them. But basically, they are known as movie/film companies. Some film companies based their business solely on making movies. Other film companies had distribution channels to distribute their films. The latter companies were usually at the higher end of the pyramid. They earned more money by distributing their movies. There were two kinds of distribution, local distribution, and international distribution. The best examples of movie companies that had local distribution are DreamWorks, Lionsgate, and Miramax. They could freely distribute their movies in North America. Now, the film companies that have international distribution are the strongest. Especially the Big Six of Hollywood. These giants basically dominated international distribution. They made a lot of money by distributing their movies around the world. MGM was one of the Big Five at that time, but it slowly lost its lead. It still has its international distribution, but it doesn''t have much influence. The Big Six of Hollywood are: Walt Disney Paramount Universal Pictures Sony-Columbia Warner Bros. 20th Century Fox These companies have dominated Hollywood for decades. Their influence was strong and their power was almost equal. No one could take the lead. ''Although in recent years before I die Disney has become stronger. They bought Marvel and made billions from Marvel movies alone. They also bought 20th Century Fox.'' Disney might be the strongest film company in the world. ''In the 90s and early 2000s, Warner Bros took the lead. With the Harry Potter franchise, Matrix, Lord of the Rings, The Dark Knight trilogy, and DC Universe.'' According to Kazir, Disney and Warner Bros are the big brothers of Hollywood. But let''s not forget the runner-up. "20th Century Fox." This company had created many masterpieces. "Titanic, Avatar, Kingsman, Terminator and X-Men+Deadpool. When it comes to movie franchises, 20th Century Fox can compete with Disney and Warner Bros." YoU''rE MoM GoEs To CoLLEgE~ I shaved my hair because I feel hot. Napoleon''s bicycle accident. His uncle hit him in the face with a steak. It was a good formula. At least the two CEOs had fun watching the movie. Plus, the last few minutes were funny because Kip sang a song horribly. They could not stop laughing. "It''s a good movie." Tom didn''t have to lie. "Thanks, Tom." After the screening, the two CEOs returned to their usual cold, domineering style. Terry Semel and Tom Rothman wanted the movie. That was clear. "Before we start the negotiation, Kazir, I want to ask you something." "Go ahead, Tom." Kazir nodded. "Are you a Jew?" "... That''s right. My mother is from a Jewish family. Her grandparents are from Poland." Kazir didn''t expect to be asked about his race. "Wait, you are Jewish?" Terry Semel was surprised. Jews have a lot of influence in Hollywood. People may deny it, but it was true, Jews run Hollywood. Their presence was so great that they could decide someone''s future. In a way, if you''re a Jew, your life in Hollywood would be much easier compared to other races. In fact, both Terry Semel and Tom Rothman were Jewish! Hell, even Michael Ovitz of CAA and Michael Eisner of Disney are Jewish people! You see, the top positions in Hollywood were controlled by Jews. Even Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, and George Lucas are Jewish people! The two CEOs nodded when they realized that the person in front of them was one of them. The Jewish circle in Hollywood tended to help each other. ''My mother is a Jew... She left us after she cheated on Dad.'' He kept that to himself. "Well, I guess my opinion has changed." Terry Semel shrugged. They didn''t force him to tell his story. Everyone had a sad story. It didn''t change the fact that Kazir was Jewish. /Puji_maki Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Robert Shaye. Founder of New Line Cinema. Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein. The founders of Miramax. Ronald Meyer. The CEO of Universal Studios. Terry Semel. The CEO of Warner Bros. Tom Rothman. The CEO of 20th Century Fox. Brad Grey. The CEO of Paramount Pictures. Michael Eisner. The chairman of Walt Disney. These people had one thing in common, they were all Jewish. Yes, these bosses of giant film companies in Hollywood were controlled by Jews. This fact could never be erased. Most people in Hollywood understand this very well. So to say that Jews controlled Hollywood was not an understatement. It was the truth. Right now, Kazir Grey was standing in front of these two big bosses. He announced that he was also a Jew, and they changed their minds about him. After what happened in World War II. After the tragedy that the Jewish people faced at that time, they started to stand up and build their empire. Maybe that was the reason why Jews helped each other. Especially those who were persecuted in the 1940s. So for the people who believe that the Holocaust didn''t happen, all I can say is that they are fucking uneducated. If you believe that these tragedies never happen, you have to ask yourself if you''re even a human being. "I get it, you''re a Jew." Terry Semel smiled as Tom Rothman nodded. "But that doesn''t change the fact that we have to deal with you on a business basis." "Indeed." "Well, we will listen to you first. Kazir, how much do you want to sell the North American distribution of Napoleon Dynamite? If it''s not unreasonable, I may be able to agree." Terry Semel assured him. Kazir licked his lips. To be honest, he hadn''t expected to meet these people all his life. He was just an ordinary person who loved to make movies. But now he was facing the big bosses of Hollywood. He took a deep breath. Even Salvatore Barlowe beside him was nervous. His future depended on Kazir''s decision. "2.5 million dollars and 10% of the North American box office." "Are you serious?" "Yes." Terry Semel and Tom Rothman looked at each other and chuckled. Indeed, everyone in this circle will fight for more money. "Kazir. I can tell you the truth, this offer is impossible. You don''t have the ability to fight for such a condition. Instead, I can pay you $3 million for Napoleon Dynamite." Terry Semel might have a good impression of Kazir, but this was business. He would never be lenient. In Salvatore''s opinion, $2.3 million was a lot of money. After all, he would get $69 thousand for that amount. For a small agent like him, $69,000 was already his annual salary. The next day, Kazir''s lawyer, Terrence Downey, read the contract before Kazir signed it. The contract stated everything Tom Rothman had promised. If the movie made over $50 million in North America, he would get 3%. If the movie made over $100 million in North America, he would get 5%. In addition, Kazir received $2.3 million in cash. In his entire life, Kazir had never touched such a large sum. Kazir was satisfied with the negotiation. Tom Rothman never attended the signing because he was busy. He sent Nancy Utley instead. It was already a miracle that a CEO like Tom Rothman had met him last time. ...... ... ... "Sir," Enrico Pusi pursed his lips as he entered Terry Semel''s office. "What''s the news?" "Kazir Grey has signed a deal with Fox Searchlight Pictures for $2.3 million and 5% of the box office with few conditions." "I see," Terry Semel nodded. He already had an idea that Tom Rothman would agree. To be honest, that kind of condition was within his expectations. But Terry felt that Kazir didn''t have the status to sign such a contract. "Either both of them are crazy, or one of them is." [Hi, I just want to promote my other novels:] 1) MC is not part of the story - This novel is already finished with 526 chapters. 2) The Only Fuel Is Using The D. -This is my most-read novel for some obvious reasons, ahem. 3) Reincarnated As A Deadbeat Dad -This is a new novel. A slow progressive slice of life about a deadbeat dad. 4) Hollywood What If - Mc returned to Hollywood in 1994. [I post my novels mostly on Scribblehub, Webnovel, RoyalRoad, and Questionable Questing]. Chapter 35 Chapter 35 October 13th, 1995. Se7en was already in its fourth week and was still raking in money at the theaters. The word of mouth about Se7en was very strong. People could not help but talk about the plot twists. Starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, who have strong box office appeal, the movie grossed $84.75 million! Minus production costs of $35 million and advertising of about $5 million. That left $44 million. Of course, the theater companies had a 30-40% share of the total box office. Still, the rest would go back to New Line Cinema. Plus, the movie was just getting started. New Line Cinema believed that Se7en could cross the $100 million mark within two weeks. This information was enough for them to celebrate. Since Kazir was the screenwriter of the movie, New Line Cinema invited him to the celebration party. Driving his bumpy car, Kazir arrived at the Chateau Marmont. This was one of the hotels in West Hollywood where you could party without being bombarded by paparazzi. He rented a branded suit specifically for this party. Even though Kazir was paid $2.3 million last week, he was still stranger to luxury. As per the contract, Kazir paid 50% of the $2.3 million to his brother Aaron Grey. It was business, and Kazir had to honor the contract. Aaron was shocked to find $1.15 million in his bank account. He had talked to Kazir and he had finally accepted the money. He could not believe that his half-a-million-dollar investment would turn into $1.15 million in just a few months! He thanked Kazir and even invited him to visit New York for Christmas. That was when Aaron was going to propose to his girlfriend. ''Unfortunately, the taxes are probably going to screw us up.'' The biggest enemy of American citizens was taxes. Especially rich people who earned more than 1 million dollars a year. The IRS would personally knock on their doors. ''You can make fun of the president, the Pentagon, and the government. But you can''t make fun of the IRS, or they''ll kill your ass.'' As for taxes, Kazir contacted his lawyer, Terrence Downey, to register a studio company in Delaware. This was one of the best ways to evade taxes, it is completely legal. From then on, Kazir was president of a small studio company. He called his company "Grey Pictures". He thought it was a good name. Kazir entered the hotel. When he went to the formal party, he saw many famous people in the Hollywood circle. Most actors would make such statements. Hoping that directors would invite them to act. But for a superstar actor like Brad Pitt, he had the will to accept the invitation. Unless Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, or Ridley Scott invited him, Brad Pitt would never accept the role easily easily. "It''s nice to work with you." "Me too." They had a few conversations and the atmosphere was good. Everyone was happy because their movie was successful. Even Morgan Freeman joined them. More members joined their circle. Some talked to Kazir and asked him for a favor if he had any suitable roles for them. Some of these may have been nothing more than courtesy. "Kazir, our genius screenwriter!" "Robert, good to see you." "I didn''t expect you to finish your own movie after a few months." Kazir maintained his smile and nodded. He had heard some bad rumors about Robert and he didn''t want to be on his bad side. ''Lord of the Rings grossed more than 2 billion. But director Peter Jackson never got his share. In the end, the case even went to court.'' Kazir didn''t know the details. But it was true that New Line Cinema had some shady dealings with Lord of the Rings. "Unfortunately, there was no cooperation." Robert showed a disappointed face. "Maybe next time." "Indeed, next time. If you have another interesting script, you can send it to New Line Cinema. I assure you we will take your script seriously." "Thank you." Robert laughed. He was in a good mood, considering that Se7en would gross over $100 million. Also, Se7en would be released overseas. He believed that Se7en would make money in other countries. So he wasn''t disappointed that Kazir didn''t work with New Line Cinema on Napoleon Dynamite. He didn''t think Napoleon Dynamite would be successful. More specifically, he didn''t believe in Kazir Grey as a director. /Puji_maki Chapter 36 Chapter 36 "Brother..." "Shut up!" Kazir took a punch to the face and stumbled to the ground. His nose was bleeding as he hit the ground. He was stunned for a moment. But another punch hit him in the face. "H- Hey! Stop! Aaron! You have to stop! You''re hurting your brother!" "I don''t have a brother." The people at the funeral stopped Aaron from hurting Kazir. Otherwise Aaron might kill him. Kazir sat up groggily and stared at his older brother. All he could see was the rage in his eyes. "Dad left you half the inheritance, I don''t care if you take the money or not. Just don''t ever show your face again. I don''t have a brother." Aaron had a cold face as he said these sentences. Aaron didn''t care about the money, he was rich on his own. But the fact that Kazir showed up after their father''s death annoyed him so much. Aaron walked away in disgust. "..." Kazir weakly wiped his bleeding nose and looked at his father''s grave. There was no grass around the grave since the coffin had just been buried. He didn''t know what to say. His heart felt heavy. As if he could not breathe. He was afraid to meet his father and brother because he knew he had failed them. No matter how many times he tried to make movies, none of them were successful. He was afraid that his father would be disappointed in him. By the time Kazir got a call from the hospital, it was too late. In the end, he didn''t know if he should attend the funeral. As he expected, Aaron was angry with him. In his opinion, he deserved every beating he got. If not more. He took a deep breath and got up. He didn''t know how many hours had passed. There were no people in the cemetery and the sun was slowly disappearing. Kazir walked ahead, his face swollen from beatings. There was even dried blood under his nose. He had lost his mind. For some unknown reason, Kazir found himself in front of the movie theater. As if he was trying to find solace. Reese leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Reese, I promise everyone in the crew that they will get a bonus if Napoleon Dynamite is successful." He replied, inviting her to his car. Everyone needs money, especially poor people who have trouble feeding themselves. "So what kind of success? If it made over 50 million?" "$100 million at the North American box office." He replied. "You''re crazy. Are you saying that Napoleon Dynamite, the movie in which I have my first major role, will make $100 million at the North American box office? Are you that confident? Or are you just arrogant?" "I don''t know." He shrugged. "What about Se7en? I''m sure New Line Cinema will never be stingy and give you a bonus." "A hundred thousand dollars." "So why are you still using this car?" "I''m still having trouble deciding between Honda and Toyota." "Hm, I hope Napoleon Dynamite is successful." She hoped more people would see the movie and remember her. "Don''t worry Reese, you will be famous." "You keep saying that like you know the future." Well, she didn''t hate it. Kazir''s reassurance gave her strength. Reese was still young, and she knew that her dream of being an actress might be just a dream. "Let''s go see our movie." The two went to the theaters and bought two tickets for Napoleon Dynamite. As they entered one of the theaters, they saw some people inside. Just like them, they were interested in seeing Napoleon Dynamite. The movie had been in theaters for two days and was slowly gaining a reputation. By Saturday, Napoleon Dynamite had grossed $70,000 from 12 theaters. That''s right, the first week of Napoleon Dynamite only had a tiny 12 theaters. /Puji_maki Chapter 37 Chapter 37 [Note: If you haven''t seen Napoleon Dynamite, you can skip the bracketed paragraphs. Well, the plot of Napoleon Dynamite is simple, and there''s no twist or anything. It''s a pure popcorn comedy, so...] Kazir and Reese found seats and sat down. They held their popcorn with excitement. They were excited to see their movie. They were here to have fun. "Dude, I swear this movie is funny." Kazir heard a murmur behind them. "Then why haven''t I heard anything about it?" "Dude, I promise you. You will laugh when you see this movie. It''s awkward yet quirky, I don''t know how to explain it. Besides, we already saw Braveheart twice. The ending was not satisfying at all, he just shouted ''freedom'' for five minutes!" "That''s an exaggeration, and Braveheart is based on a true story." "All right, all right. Let''s just watch the movie, okay?" Billy and Wallace were college kids. They were movie goers and loved to watch movies every week. Yesterday, Billy was curious when he found out that another movie was released to the theater. He didn''t know anything about the movie, but he decided to go see it. When the credits rolled, Billy was smiling from ear to ear. The movie made him laugh, and that was enough for him to invite his friend to watch it with him. [The movie opened with Napoleon. He was an introverted and socially awkward teenager. He was riding the school bus on his way to school.] "Is he the protagonist? He looks really dorky." "Shh, just watch, okay?" A few seconds later, the audience started laughing at Napoleon and Kip. Their combination was funny. [Napoleon had three relatives. The first was his brother (I''m not sure about this one). Kip Napoleon. He was a guy in his thirties who usually chatted online with his girlfriend. Like Napoleon, he was also a nerd.] [Second was Napoleon''s grandmother. She was an active woman who liked to ride motorcycles in the desert. She had an accident because of it.] [Third was his Uncle Rico, who lived in a camper van. Napoleon spent the most part of movie arguing with his uncle.] "Haha, this is funny!" Napoleon''s fight with his brother and uncle made them laugh. [Napoleon met Deb and Pedro. Pedro let Napoleon use his bike, and unfortunately Napoleon crushed his balls.] "This is stupid... Pfft--" "With that reputation, the movie will probably have an increase in theaters next week. Of course, everything depends on the box office." As long as the movie had a positive income, the theaters would milk it. The first day of Napoleon Dynamite was only $6,000. The second day was October 13, 1995, Friday. The movie had $20 thousand. Saturday, the third day of the movie. Napoleon Dynamite''s income was $54 thousand. Sunday, October 15, 1995. It was only $47 thousand. Days passed and October 17th came. So far Napoleon Dynamite had only $166 thousand within the five days. These days were the hardest for Kazir Grey. He could not sleep. He thought the movie was doing well. But he knew that Fox Searchlight Pictures might think otherwise. Then he received a phone call. He smiled when he heard that Napoleon Dynamite would be expanding to 34 theaters. This was the start of Napoleon Dynamite''s race to the top of the weekly box office. Six days after opening, Napoleon Dynamite had 34 theaters. More people started watching the movie. October 23rd. In the whole week, the film grossed $1.5 million. Fox Searchlight Pictures asked the Cinema Alliance to expand Napoleon Dynamite to 160 theaters. Another seven days passed. October 30, 1995. Napoleon Dynamite had grossed $13.54. This result caused Cinema Alliance to increase the screening of Napoleon Dynamite. November 6, 1995. The movie got $26 million within the week. So far, the movie has grossed $40.47 million from 760 theaters. Due to the strong word of mouth and reputation of Napoleon Dynamite, the Cinema Alliance increases its theater count to 1945 theaters! November 13, 1995... After a whole month, the box office of Napoleon Dynamite was 78 million! Napoleon Dynamite has grossed $78.24 million at the box office! No one thought that the beginning of November would have a dark horse! A movie by an unknown director made $78 million in just one month! [NOTE: I FUCKING HATE MATH!] /Puji_maki Chapter 38 Chapter 38 The month of November had very strong movies. Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls was released on November 10th. The movie starred the great actor Jim Carrey. In the 90''s, Jim Carrey has a very strong box office appeal. Most of his movies have grossed over $100 million at the North American box office. Another movie released on November 17th was 007 Goldeneye. James Bond has been in theaters for decades. He has a strong influence not only in North America but internationally as well. The current actor who had the banner of James Bond was Pierce Brosnan. Then, on November 22, the very first computer-animated movie was released. Toy Story changed the animation industry and caused a rapid evolution. Because of its success, Pixar has become one of the most respected animation companies in Hollywood. These three movies were well received this month. But no one expected a $500,000 dark horse to win at the box office. "$106 million!" Robert Shaye slammed the newspaper down on the table. "Napoleon Dynamite was only in theaters for over 80 days, and it made $106 million!" Robert Shaye had an ugly face as he read the information about Napoleon Dynamite. For a movie with a small budget, that amount was so damn big! He adjusted his tie to get some air. For some reason, he felt bad. In his opinion, this movie should have been released by New Line Cinema. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. "..." He pressed the button on his phone and asked Manager Clent to come into his office. Three months had passed since the release of Se7en. It was December 8, 1995. Se7en had grossed $129.60 million at the North American box office. It had already crossed the $100 million mark. In addition, the movie was released overseas and had a strong reception. Its first month overseas was $81.22 million! This meant that the current worldwide box office for Se7en was $210.82 million! That was a lot of money for a movie with a budget of $35 million. Robert actually grinned when he saw the numbers go up. However, he felt bitter when he realized that Napoleon Dynamite also had steadily rising numbers. If he had known that this movie had a strong reception, he should have fought for its distribution. Unfortunately, he thought Kazir''s directing skills were mediocre compared to his writing talent. He was dead wrong. Napoleon Dynamite was still digging for more gold! It may look big, but the production cost of $100 million was also big. Added the fact that the publicity was around $100 million too. The result of Batman Forever was mediocre in their opinion. At least Napoleon Dynamite did much better than Batman Forever in its first 80+ days. Suddenly, his secretary told him that producer Enrico Pusi had arrived. "Let him in." Enrico entered the office. Like Terry Semel, Enrico Pusi was bitter. They got the script for Napoleon Dynamite just like they got the script for Se7en. But they ignored both scripts. Now, both movies had grossed more than $100 million each at the North American box office. "Sir, I''m here about Napoleon Dynamite." "Go ahead." But unlike Robert Shaye, who was grumbling, Terry and Enrico were much better. At least they have a chance to get the overseas and video distribution rights to Napoleon Dynamite. "I heard that Kazir Grey is currently writing two scripts. The first was an original screenplay, it''s also a comedy, but I didn''t have enough information. The second is a sequel to Napoleon Dynamite. Kazir Grey has hired writers to help him write the sequel to Napoleon Dynamite." Sequel! Terry Semel''s eyes lit up when he heard this. Clearly, Napoleon Dynamite had a chance to make more money! "You did a good job, Enrico." "Thank you, sir." Enrico got in touch with Salvatore Barlowe, Kazir''s agent. He found out that Kazir was currently writing two screenplays. Losing Napoleon Dynamite was humiliating enough. "If his script is promising, I want you to get in touch with him. As for overseas distribution, video distribution, and the sequel, I want them all." His face was serious. Fox Searchlight Pictures got the first cut of the pie, then Warner Bros would fight for the bigger share. Everyone knew that the movie companies'' main revenue came from the sale of videotapes. /Puji_maki Chapter 39 Chapter 39 While the other companies were busy contacting Kazir, the man in question was facing a reporter. "So, Director Grey. I heard that you don''t give your actors any explanation when they audition. You just give them a portion of the script for them to act on." "Yes," Kazir replied in the middle. "Can you explain why that is?" "Well, when we audition, we already have an idea of which actors we are going to hire. So when I found Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal, I knew they would pass the audition. So I decided to give them the part of the script, especially the lines that will make the audience laugh." "Is that why you asked Ed Helms to say idiot so many times?" "Yes, that''s right. If you have seen the movie, Napoleon Dynamite says idiot more than five days." "Indeed." Because Napoleon Dynamite had been a success in North America, Fox Searchlight Pictures began to promote it heavily. The company invited Kazir and the cast to promote the film in various regions of North America. This was all part of the contract Kazir signed when he accepted the $2.3 million. Naturally, the cast of Napoleon Dynamite jumped at the chance to further their fame. Unfortunately, Reese Witherspoon was in Texas while Kazir was in New York. They didn''t have a ''connection'' these days. "Thank you for the interview, Director Grey." "The honor is mine." The reporter giggled. She was just a small reporter, but Kazir showed her respect. He was a good man. Perhaps he was not yet affected by the so-called ''celebrity mentality''. "Salvatore, how''s my schedule for today?" "Everything is fine Kazir, you can rest now. We will return to Los Angeles next week." As his biggest client to date, Salvatore Barlowe took Kazir''s schedule seriously. Especially now that so many people were looking for him. "Yes. Keep in touch with the film companies. If they are interested in my script, you can set up a meeting with them." "I understand." "Then I''ll say goodbye." "Have a good trip." Kazir chose New York specifically to promote Napoleon Dynamite. Because he wanted to see his brother. Aaron was going to propose to his girlfriend tomorrow, and he invited his friends to a formal party. Tonight, Aaron invited him to his apartment to talk about life. It was already December 22, 1995, and Napoleon Dynamite had already grossed $117 million at the box office. Like other movies, Napoleon Dynamite lost its freshness after a few months. In 14 days, it made only $11 million. But Kazir was not bitter. In his opinion, Napoleon Dynamite didn''t have to prove itself to anyone, not anymore. Very few movies made $100 million in North America that year, and Napoleon Dynamite was one of them. That was a huge achievement. "They are probably going to ask me about the distribution rights and sequels..." Kazir was talking to Fox Searchlight Pictures. They were interested in the overseas and videotape distribution rights to Napoleon Dynamite. Hell, they want it all. If a movie does well in North America, it usually does well overseas. Even though Napoleon Dynamite has American humor, foreigners would still appreciate it. Fox Searchlight Pictures'' main goal was to distribute Napoleon Dynamite on videotape and to make sequels. "Aaron!" "Kazir!" The two brothers greeted each other with a big hug. They smiled and laughed like little children. "It''s great to see you again! Brother, I can''t believe you''re going to multiply my money, haha!" Since Aaron was the sole investor in Napoleon Dynamite, Kazir promised him 50% of the profits. This kind of contract was really outrageous. Only a crazy person would agree to it. According to others, Kazir lost a lot of money by signing such a contract. But Kazir had the opposite opinion. That 50% was his sincerity. He would never cheat his brother. He deserved half. "Brother, I still have the 5% box office share, so don''t celebrate yet." "Haha, that''s right." Right now, Napoleon Dynamite has earned $117 million. 5% of that would be $5.85 million. A big amount of money, and Aaron would get half of it! Of course he was happy. "Film companies usually pay when the movie is about to be dropped from cinemas." "I understand, I understand." The two brothers entered the house. Housing in New York was expensive, and Aaron''s house was of a normal size. However, this kind of house was very expensive in New York. While they were talking, the two brothers heard the sound of the doorbell. "Aaron, do you have a visitor tonight?" Kazir was clueless. purified peek Endless_life Osmund O. John Hassan N. The Main Man Zavien king AR3S ldoronoco Magnus B. BinRasas Andrew Christian M. Howellsy ALMIGHT_FLEX Abdul Sandra T. ABDI ALI Ole Martin J. Cameron Roof Humper Jose B. Sleepymoonfox Cisco a M. (No Name) Cherif D. MMMCMXCIX, or 3,999 Danny Y. Kieta A. Sczx Acedia Clutch Jackson J B. Black Till Grothe Marlon A. Greatface Eduardo Kiritsuke Zuur Ryuu Raini M. T. Robert C. Wills VoidStar tirily19 Duke Y. terrance s. Ausner G. Chapter 40 Chapter 40 The day after Christmas. Kazir returned to Los Angeles to sell the copyrights to Napoleon Dynamite. Unlike the actors who would promote the film overseas, Kazir stayed in America to start his new project. Of course, he has already talked to Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal about joining his next film. Although they still have to audition. But unlike the other actors, they have more time to prepare. Kazir has already given them the scripts and signed non-disclosure agreements. "Kazir, I''m glad to see you again." "Enrico." Kazir nodded at the man before him. As soon as he left the airport, producer Enrico Pusi from Warner Bros. contacted him to negotiate. "Enrico, I just want to set the record straight. Fox Searchlight Pictures and I have a contract. Fox Searchlight Pictures has first dibs on the copyrights to Napoleon Dynamite." "I understand that. But if the negotiations with Fox Searchlight Pictures fail, you can think of Warner Bros. As long as the conditions are right, we are happy to work with you." Kazir agreed. That was the way it usually worked in Hollywood. In his opinion, Fox Searchlight Pictures would try to negotiate with him as much as possible. Napoleon Dynamite was a healthy cow they wanted to milk. "I suppose you have another reason for wanting to talk to me." "Actually, Kazir. I read your new script. I just want to say that Warner Bros. will accept your proposal, but we have some conditions." Salvatore Barlowe first submitted the scripts to 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. These two studios made a good impression on Kazir. Perhaps he felt their sincerity after the two CEOs attended his little screening. In a way, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. have the lead on Kazir''s next film. When Warner Bros. received the script, they studied it very carefully. They thought it would be as successful as Napoleon Dynamite. Terry Semel gave the green light. Kazir had just started his career and his creativity was still blossoming. A director like him might have three or four movies that would be successful in a row. His next project had a budget of 35 million dollars. It might be big compared to Napoleon Dynamite, but it was an expected budget. Warner Bros. could invest in a movie with that amount. "Go ahead Enrico, you can tell me Warner Bros'' terms." "We want to sign an insurance company to monitor the shooting. You know that $35 million is a lot of money." "I understand." Kazir already expected this kind of condition. "Second, we hope you can reduce your share of the box office. Kazir, if I''m honest, it should be impossible for someone like you to have a box office share. But we decided to give you a chance. $100 million at the North American box office and you get 3%. $150 million, 5%. $200 million and you''ll get 7%. $250 million and you''ll get 10%. "21 million." The two began to haggle over the copyrights. In the end, the price dropped to $27 million. "$27 million, but Fox Searchlight Pictures gets the sequels and your new project." "Exclude the new project and we have a deal," Kazir replied. "Deal, but you have to direct the sequels as well." "Tom, if I''m being honest, I can''t promise I''ll be directing Napoleon Dynamite again." Kazir was serious. "Tch, are you one of those directors who doesn''t like directing sequels?" "That''s right." "$25 million then." Tom tapped his fingers on the table. "..." Kazir was defeated and accepted 25 million dollars. This amount was actually not so bad. In just one year, Kazir was a certified millionaire. Kazir sold the overseas distribution, videotapes distribution, sequels, and other copyrights of Napoleon Dynamite. [Hello, I just want to promote my other novels:] 1) MC''s Not Part Of The Story - This novel is already completed with 526 chapters. 2) The Only Fuel Is Using The D. -This is my most read novel for some obvious reasons, ahem. 3) Reincarnated As A Deadbeat Dad -This is a new novel. A slow progressive slice of life about a deadbeat dad. 4) Hollywood What If - Mc returned to 1994 Hollywood. [I mostly post my novels in Scribblehub, Webnovel, RoyalRoad, and Questionable Questing] Chapter 41 Chapter 41 "So what''s next? The answer is simple, negotiate with Warner Bros. and fight for better terms. If they don''t agree, go to the other companies. I''m sure 20th Century Fox will want to work with us again." "I understand." Kazir and Salvatore talk after the deal was done. Kazir can''t pay attention to negotiations and screenwriting at the same time. This is one of the reasons why he signed with Salvatore Barlowe. The agent usually does this kind of work while the director concentrates on film-related things like writing, auditioning, and directing. Lawyer Terrence Downey left after the negotiations, it seemed he was busy these days. Kazir had known Terrence for years. He was a good guy. When Cassandra filed for divorce, Terrence Downey wanted to defend Kazir. Unfortunately, Kazir was too much in love with Cassandra in his past life. He lost his fortune in the process. In this timeline, Terrence was also disappointed because Kazir gave up his house again. Anyway, these depressing things ended after Kazir won his first million! ''Hell, yeah!'' He got $2.3 million in the first round of negotiations with Fox Searchlight Pictures. Then he got another $25 million after selling the copyrights to Napoleon Dynamite! There was a lot of money in his bank right now! Third was the upcoming box office share. He has the right to receive 5% of the North American box office. As of now, Napoleon Dynamite has 120 million dollars. If Cassandra had heard this news, she would have screamed her head off for leaving such a valuable man. "Warner Bros. contacted me yesterday. They say they are willing to pay you $5 million to direct "The Hangover. " Kazir''s next film was also a comedy. The title of the movie was "The Hangover." He first gave the scripts to 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. These two companies studied the script''s profitability. In the end, they agreed that the film had a good chance of success. Warner Bros. first showed their interest by inviting Kazir to direct the film at a salary of $5 million. For a new director, this amount was outrageous. Warner Bros. definitely cursed Kazir at the time. Unfortunately, Salvatore said that Kazir Grey would only accept the deal if he had a share of the box office. Goddamn leech! That was the best way to describe the agents. These people have super thick faces. They will keep nagging for more money for their clients. A few days came and Napoleon Dynamite was released in different countries. Just as it was written in the contract, Ed Helms and the cast were tasked with promoting the films outside of America. As for Kazir, he talked to Fox Searchlight Pictures to let him stay in America. He wanted to polish his script. Fox Searchlight Pictures didn''t want to make him angry because Kazir had a new project. Fox wanted to work with him. Kazir and his writing partners were also writing the sequel to Napoleon Dynamite. Both sides were walking on eggshells and no one wanted to cut ties. At least not yet. "What''s the catch?" After a week of talking with Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox, Salvatore''s face was haggard. But he was clearly excited. "The two sides want to work with you." "I know." Kazir nodded. In fact, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox have contacted him so many times these days. "First of all, 20th Century Fox will pay you a salary of $8 million." "That''s a lot of money." "Indeed." That amount was really big. But directors like Steven Spielberg and James Cameron could get 20+20 from movie companies. 20+20 was known as $20 million salary plus 20% of the box office. This was the reason why Steven Spielberg earned more than $100 million after the success of ''Jurrasic Park''. Few people in Hollywood could negotiate 20+20 terms. ''Unfortunately, 20th Century Fox didn''t want to share the box office with me.'' "What about Warner Bros?" "Well, they will pay you $3 million and 10% of the box office. But the condition is that the movie has to make over $150 million at the North American box office. If it doesn''t, you get nothing except your salary." "Wow, both of them are really trying to squeeze me." He laughed. [AUTHOR''S NOTE: I created a poll on what movie Kazir should make next. The choices are Ted, The Hangover, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. My patrons chose The Hangover as his second movie. So I apologize if some of you are disappointed. Anyway, spread the love, stop the hate, and be peaceful.] /Puji_maki Chapter 42 Chapter 42 The conditions of 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros were unfavorable for Calix. In such a situation, the best option was to contact the other movie studios. "Salvatore, contact Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures. I''m sure they''d be interested in working with us. Oh, contact Touchstone and Miramax as well." "I understand." Touchstone and Miramax were film companies under Walt Disney. Walt Disney in the 90s was very much run by Michael Eisner. The Disney family gradually lost its authority over the company. Michael Eisner held the throne of the company as the chairman. With his helm, he leads Walt Disney to focus on live-action movies. Michael Eisner felt that 2D animated movies would slowly lose their freshness once the new century arrived. He was right, to be honest. That is why he kicked Jeffrey Katzenberg out of Walt Disney. Jeffrey Katzenberg was the head of 2D animation at that time. When he was kicked out, he joined Steven Spielberg''s plan to start another company. They founded DreamWorks. Well, part of this story may be unclear. But Hollywood was known for faking its appearance to the outside world. So at the time, Walt Disney preferred live-action films than 2D animations, which took a year to complete. ''Well, their position will change once they acquire Pixar from Steve Jobs.'' Pixar was the leader in the computer animation industry. "I will send them the scripts and contact their managers or producers." "Make sure this news gets out." "Okay." The two nodded to each other. January, 1996. Napoleon Dynamite and Se7en became part of the movies that earned more than $100 million at the box office. Napoleon Dynamite was released internationally in December after Kazir sold the copyrights. So far, the film has grossed $59 million overseas. Combined with $132 million in North America, Napoleon Dynamite has grossed $191 million worldwide. The casinos in Las Vegas believe that the movie would gross over $250 million once it is taken out of theaters. For a production cost of $500 thousand to 250 million dollars. Many movie companies were drooling over these numbers. In fact, many companies tried to contact Kazir in these days. But he maintained his solitude. Because he wanted to wait for the offers from Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox. He has great respect for these companies after meeting their CEOs. Obviously, Ed Helms took it seriously. As the director who made him famous, Ed Helms wanted to work with Kazir again. Not only Ed, but also Pedro Pascal thought the same. As an Chilean-American actor, he wanted to prove himself in Hollywood. He was given his first step, he might as well follow Kazir to his next movie. To be honest, these two actors were nervous that Kazir''s next movie would be a big flop. The Hangover was different from Napoleon Dynamite. It was too vulgar. But because they read the script and laughed out loud, they knew that Kazir''s next movie had potential. So these two actors decided to get their roles. They began to study the script. "Ed, I recommend that you also read these scripts. The directors have invited you to audition." John Harris, Ed Helms'' agent, put the scripts on the table. They were currently staying in a hotel suite in Australia. The crew would return to the US after this promotion. It was a tiring job, to be honest. "I understand. However, if it conflicts with the filming of ''The Hangover'', I will have to pass." "Don''t worry, I made sure that would never happen." John Harris was actually the person who spoke to Carl Morin the last time. They were colleagues, working under the William Morris Agency. ''I can''t believe Carl dropped a talented director like Kazir Grey. If I were him, I would keep the director.'' He sighed. All he could say was that Carl Morin had made the wrong decision in kicking Kazir Grey out of WMA. "Okay. I need to eat more." Because his character in ''The Hangover'' was a dentist of average weight, Ed Helms ate more these days. His role as Napoleon Dynamite was a skinny guy, so he had to gain more weight. He took his job seriously. "Ed, you need to make sure you''re doing it right. I''ll find a nutritionist when we get to the States." John Harris secretly sighed. He knew there would be a sequel to Napoleon Dynamite. Ed Helms'' weight would probably change drastically in the next two years. "Hm." Ed Helms nodded and stuffed another sandwich into his mouth. [Author''s note: Thanks to the readers who have reached this chapter. I appreciate your patience in reading my imperfect nonsense novel]. Chapter 43 Chapter 43 1995 was an average year for Hollywood. Unlike two years ago when Universal Pictures released Jurassic Park, movies in 1995 didn''t have a strong global impact. Note that the worldwide box office for Jurassic Park was over $1 billion! It was a very difficult feat. Countries around the world have since realized the power of Hollywood. Obviously, this kind of achievement was hard to replicate. Only the madman who destroyed a ship could topple this achievement. The first movie on the global box office list this year was Die Hard: With Vengeance with $366 million worldwide. Toy Story came in second with $365 million. The first computer animated film. The one that started the revolution in the animation industry. Third on the list was 007: Goldeneye with $356 million. Obviously, James Bond was famous all over the world. Fourth on the list was Pocahontas with $347 million. Fifth was Batman Forever at $336 million. Sixth was Apollo 13 with $335 million. Seventh was Se7en. Pretty ironic, $328 million. After five months in theaters, the movie had earned more than $300 million worldwide. This amount would still go up. The statistics of Se7en continued to rise steadily. The top 13 was Napoleon Dynamite with $210 million. It surpassed Braveheart, which had 209 million dollars, to become the top 13 on the list. Unfortunately for Braveheart, it started to lose its edge after a few months. The movie was about Scotland and most people didn''t know about William Wallace. Although Braveheart could regain its popularity if it won an Oscar. As for Napoleon Dynamite. Because of its genre, comedy, people believe that the movie would surpass $250 million in the next month. "Fuck! Carl Morin! What the fuck is wrong with you?" WMA vice-president Lawlor Dean shouted after throwing the documents at Carl Morin. The WMA has two branches, one in New York and one in Los Angeles. As one of the Vice Presidents assigned to Los Angeles, Vice President Lawlor Dean wanted to prove himself to the Chairman. However, he could not believe that one of their former clients had become successful after leaving the WMA. To make matters worse, it was a director! Everyone knows that director and producer are the heart and brain of a film crew. They have the authority to choose the actors and actresses they want to participate in the movies. A superstar director is much heavier than a superstar actor! "Carl! Explain to me why Kazir Grey left our company! You fucking retard, you let a talented director like him leave WMA! What is wrong with you?" Anyone would kneel in front of money. Especially agents, these people have thick faces. ...... ... ... "Congratulations Kazir!" "David!" "Cheers!" David Fincher and Kazir clicked their wine glasses and laughed. They were both successful directors now! They were being contacted by movie companies here and there. "David, I thought 20th Century Fox had excommunicated you?" They got invited by 20th Century Fox. Napoleon Dynamite was a huge success and the whole crew was there. "20th Century Fox invited me because they are interested in my next movie." If Kazir was right, David Fincher''s next film was The Game, starring Michael Douglas. "To be honest, I''m still not sure. New Line Cinema has been good to me these days. David Fincher attended the banquet just to meet Kazir. He wanted to support his friend. "So this woman is...?" "Hi, I''m Reese Witherspoon. I''m Kazir''s friend." Reese Witherspoon was actually standing next to Kazir the whole time. She was his partner for tonight''s banquet. "I see, ''friend'', huh?" David grinned at Kazir. Kazir just kept smiling. Reese introduced herself as his friend, so he could not deny it. [Author''s Note: There will be no update tomorrow.] Chapter 44 Chapter 44 There is a difference between a person who has just become famous and a superstar who has a billion-dollar movie franchise under his name. Let''s talk about those people. James Cameron with The Terminator and Avatar. Arnold Schwarzenegger with Terminator as well. Steven Spielberg with Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones. Michael Bay with his Transformers. Tom Cruise and Mission: Impossible. And so many more. Any of these actors could have a fall from grace. However, they could easily return to their superstar status by using these franchises. The best example is Tom Cruise. After dropping Pat Kingsley (his agent for two decades), Tom Cruise received a strong backlash from the media. His Scientology scandal. His problems with his ex-wife Nicole Kidman and his divorce. Tom Cruise hit rock bottom. The only thing that kept him relevant was his role as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible. Even James Cameron didn''t have a project for almost ten years after Titanic. But he was still highly respected after the release of Avatar. When Cameron''s next movie came out, which was Avatar: The Way of the Water, James Cameron proved himself again. ''If there''s anyone who can make a billion-dollar movie. It''s definitely the tyrant director James Cameron.'' His last three movies together have grossed more than $6 billion. Those movies were Titanic, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of the Water. ''I heard that he is building the ship right now...'' James Cameron wanted to film on a real cruise ship. He pushed 20th Century Fox and Paramount for more investment. Titanic cost a whopping $200 million to make. For the 1990s, that amount of money was insane. ''All I want is a franchise that will keep me relevant.'' So he decided to start writing original screenplays. He wanted to do something big. The last week of January. Unlike the last time, when Kazir used a clunky typewriter to write his scripts, this time he used a laptop. He has the money to buy gadgets. In fact, he decided to change his apartment. He now lived in a hotel near his studio company(Grey Pictures). Of course, he was only renting the apartment for a year. His last apartment was too dangerous for him. Kazir kept his smile... He didn''t know that. He just found out today. Besides, the relationship of being a third cousin was not that relevant at all. As for why Brad Grey knew about it, Kazir didn''t have an answer. Maybe he was researching his family tree or something. "So, Kazir, I heard that you''re fighting for a share of the box office. You didn''t want to work with Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox. Because they gave you hard terms." "That''s right." There was no need to lie. Everyone in Hollywood had heard that negotiations between Kazir Grey and the two film companies had broken down. "If I give you an $8 million salary, will you stop asking about the box office share?" "Sorry Brad, I still prefer the box office share." "As expected. Are you that confident in your movie, or do you just want to tie your future to the movie?" "Both." "..." Brad Grey stared at the man before him. He had two chances to work with this man, but the production management didn''t bother notifying him. It was too late when Brad Grey heard that Kazir had actually sent his scripts to Paramount. "We both want to work together, so how about we take it slow?" "I''m fine with that." The two shook hands. The first negotiation went well. At least Paramount Pictures didn''t have any negative reaction to sharing the box office. ''Maybe they wanted to get a movie with possible sequels.'' Brad Grey heard that Kazir was also working on a sequel to Napoleon Dynamite. Paramount Pictures has only two big-budget films this year. They are Mission: Impossible and Star Trek. Although Kazir wanted the copyrights to Mission: Impossible, Tom Cruise acquired the copyrights years ago. He wanted to include it in his cinematic universe. Unfortunately, some things didn''t go his way. He was only human after all. "Then I''ll see you again, Kazir. I hope our next meeting will be positive." "I hope so." They shook hands and ended the meeting. Both sides got to know the other''s point of view, which was a good thing for both parties. [Author''s note: Some readers may be disappointed, but yes, there is a smut scene next (Chapter 44.1). Though it''s only available on Patreon. I just have to say it]. Chapter 45 Chapter 45 [Kudos to Vasyl C?, ryan k, Dave m, Huy G, and The Real Cacto] "Sir, Kazir Grey met with CEO Brad Grey of Paramount Pictures yesterday. Not only that, but Salvatore Barlowe has also contacted Universal Pictures and Walt Disney." As the producer that CEO Terry Semel entrusted to work on Kazir''s next movie. Enrico Pusi took the job seriously. "I see." Terry Semel nodded after listening to his report. He already expected that Kazir would find another way to increase his chips. Now that he had proven himself twice at the box office, most movie companies were interested in working with him. Se7en and Napoleon Dynamite each crossed the $100 million mark at the North American box office. Especially Napoleon Dynamite, it has a small investment. Yet its performance was much better than their Batman Forever. Warner Bros was proud of its superhero characters like Batman and Superman. They are the faces of DC Comics. But the superhero trend was slowly weakening. Warner Bros need a new movie to freshen up. Terry Semel read Kazir''s script three times. The reason was simple, it was funny. He believed that The Hangover, if filmed correctly, would be a box office success. "...Enrico, check the other companies. Our offer will be $5 million salary and 10% of the North American box office. But the box office should be over $100 million. Try to contact Salvatore and Kazir". In the proposal, it was written that the investment cost of The Hangover would be 35 million. This amount was no problem for Warner Bros. Unlike the budget of Batman Forever, which was $100 million, The Hangover was much easier to invest in. "I understand." Enrico left the room. Like Terry Semel, Enrico Pusi believed The Hangover would be a success. As one of the producers under Warner Bros, he wanted to take over the project. If the movie was successful, his position would be better. He could become the head of production management. Another week passed and it was already February. Kazir had already solved his money problems and bought a new car. A brand new Honda. He didn''t have the courage to spend more money on a car. Especially when he contacted an investment firm. He gave the investment firm $5 million, almost half of his money, to invest in Microsoft, Cisco and Nokia. He remembered these three companies. He knew they would do well in the 1990s. As for Google and Yahoo, these two companies were unknown this year. Yahoo had just been founded last year, while Google would be founded in 1998. So Kazir Grey and Warner Bros began their first collaboration. Kazir signed the contract and the project officially began. Warner Bros bought his script for $300 thousand and his salary as a director was $5 million. He received the $300 thousand and $2.5 million first. To get the other half of his salary, he had to finish shooting. "I hope we will have good cooperation, Kazir." "I will do my best to make the movie a success." "I''m glad to hear that." Terry Semel and Kazir Grey shook hands. Since the contract was already signed, Warner Bros arranged for a public signing of the contract. They invited reporters. This was common practice. Of course, the contract Kazir signed in front of the public was a fake. The contract had been signed earlier. The contract was thick, and many conditions were written in it. So the public signing of the contract was nothing but publicity. "Director Grey, how do you feel about working with Warner Bros.?" "I''m excited." The reporters began to ask him questions. Fortunately, every reporter here was under Time Warner. They would not ask him anything controversial. "Director, do you have any actors you would like to work with?" "If I''m being honest. I would like to invite Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal. I already have experience working with them. I believe in their hard work." He smiled and left the room after answering most of their questions. The flashing cameras were blinding. After that, he contacted his crew and officially started the preparations. Of course, everything had to be taken seriously. Editing the script, preparing the props, checking the locations, and so on. Perhaps the most important part of pre-production was auditioning for the roles. /Puji_maki Chapter 46 Chapter 46 [Author''s note: I was gone for almost three weeks, so I didn''t able to update on Scribblehub and other platforms. However, I''m still posting on Patreon, so the chapters are a bit backlogged there. Anyway, I will post 12 chapters this week to make up for it. Two times a day]. There are reasons why Kazir decided to audition Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal for the movie The Hangover. First, he worked with them and they had a great working relationship. The two actors were serious about their work. The second thing is money. The salary for each of them will never exceed 2 million dollars. Ed Helms just became famous recently and asking for an astronomical amount was a sure way to end his career. ''Maybe he can ask for 2.5 million dollars. But more than that could be a problem. I hope his agent understands that.'' Usually it is the agents who negotiate with the movie companies. Actors would never show their faces before everything is settled. The third reason for inviting them was that both of them would have successful careers in the future. At least their faces were known. So Kazir was confident in their talents. These three are the main reasons why he wanted Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal to be in The Hangover. The other reason is that they respect Kazir. As the director of the movie, his position has to be firm. He didn''t like anyone questioning his authority, that''s not how it works. "It''s nice working with you, Enrico." "Glad to hear it." Enrico Pusi and Kazir Grey shook hands. Their first meeting was indeed memorable. Because Enrico Pusi was the one who accepted his script. Of course, Enrico Pusi didn''t cooperate with him at that time. Se7en was too gruesome and Enrico felt that the movie would never be successful at the box office. Besides, an unknown director like Kazir wanted to direct the movie. ''Who would have thought that Se7en and Napoleon Dynamite would be at the top of last year''s box office list.'' Enrico sighed in his heart. The second week of February 1996, Se7en was released in North American theaters. It has a box office of $202 million. So far, the worldwide box office of the movie was more than 400 million dollars! This amount was enough to say that the movie was successful. Let''s not even talk about Napoleon Dynamite, which has a worldwide box office of $250 million. ''I hope his next movie will have more than 100 million dollars... I will have a small share if the movie exceeds that amount.'' Of course, producers are rich people. Some of them can make more than 100 million dollars a year. Jerry Bruckheimer, Jeffrey Katzenberg and George Lucas were famous/rich producers. "Now, let''s start our audition." In one movie, Ed Helms'' career became so bright. "Next, number 13, Jack Black." "Yes! That''s me!" Jack Black walked into the room and found a camera. "Good morning, Mr. Jack Black." "Hello, Director Grey." He nodded enthusiastically. "Well, you''re one of the actors who has the privilege of reading the script. So I think you have an idea of your role." "That''s right." "You can choose which scenes you want to use for the audition. "Then... I chose the one where Alan met the tiger for the first time." "Okay." Kazir nodded. That scene was actually one of the funniest parts of the movie. Acting like a man who just woke up after a night of drinking, Jack Black walked into the imaginary bathroom... His eyes widened. He quickly ran out of the bathroom screaming "There''s a tiger in the bathroom, there''s a fucking tiger in the bathroom" after accidentally kicking Phil''s balls... Kazir Grey and Enrico Pusi were watching the audition seriously. It was a funny scene, but they have to maintain their seriousness. Renner recorded Jack Black''s audition to review later. That was why there was always a camera in the audition room. "Thank you, Mr. Jack Black. You can go now." "Thank you, director." Jack Black didn''t know if he passed the audition. The producer''s and director''s expressions were too stern. He swallowed hard and left the room confused. "He''ll get the part." After Jack Black left the audition room, Kazir gave his verdict. "Well, of all the actors who auditioned for Alan''s role, Black Jack fits the part." Enrico Pusi had no problem. /Puji_maki Chapter 47 Chapter 47 "So I guess this is our cast." Producer Enrico Pusi read out the actors who had passed the audition. He looked at director Grey who was tapping his fingers on the table. To be honest, most of the important roles in the movie were taken by Kazir''s acquaintances. Well, that was the way Hollywood worked. Directors like to hire actors they know and work with. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. David Fincher and Brad Pitt. Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio. Christopher Nolan and Michael Caine. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. And so many more. Let''s just say that directors like to work with someone they can trust. It was a known fact. Of course, producer Enrico Pusi tried to include some of his acquaintances in the film. Both of them understand that this is the way Hollywood works. As long as the actors and actresses fit the roles and their acting is good, they would agree to hire them. "Enrico, I hope the actors can sign the contract as soon as possible. I want to start filming in a month." "I understand." The movie didn''t need serious tone. The mission of The Hangover was to make the audience laugh. As long as the audience laughs, the movie is half successful. ''You just have to make that half successful into a profitable half. As long as people see the movie and make money, that''s all that matters. '' "That''s my job." Producers were usually the ones who would negotiate with actors for salary. More precisely, the producer would talk to the agents. Then the day of war would officially begin. Fortunately, all the actors were small time. Only Ed Helms was the hardest to convince. With the success of Napoleon Dynamite, Ed Helms'' agent would definitely ask for more than a million. "That''s good to hear. Now, if you will excuse me. I have a party to go to." Kazir was invited to Tom Cruise''s party. "As if I would turn it down." "We''ll go to Warner Bros tomorrow and sign the contract." The two started laughing and ordered two more bottles of alcohol. Like Jack Black, the other actors who got the roles celebrated. Even Ed Helms sighed with relief. He knew his position was precarious. One wrong move and he could fall and his career. He received a few invitations, but decided to work with Kazir again. As the director who made him famous, Ed Helms trusts him. ... As for the salary, his agent would be responsible for that. This was Ed Helms'' first time acting in a $35 million movie. While dozens of actors were celebrating, Kazir arrived at Tom Cruise''s party in Beverly Hills. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were still married that year. They were still living "happily ever after". "Good evening, Kazir Grey." "Hello, Mr. Cruise. Hello, Mrs. Cruise." As the hosts of this party, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman Cruise greeted the attendees. "I can''t believe that the young guy I met on the set of Rain Man is now a successful director. Congratulations Kazir!" "Tom, I can''t believe you remember me." Kazir was happy to know that a superstar like Tom Cruise remembered him. "To be honest, I still remember your face. We had a conversation back then. You said you wanted to become a director. I thought you had already given up. But when I heard about Napoleon Dynamite and saw your face in the newspaper, I suddenly remembered our conversation." "I''m glad to hear that." Kazir could tell that Tom Cruise was not lying. Kazir Grey was a helper on the crew of Rain Man. It was his first job after leaving his father''s house. It was then that Kazir had a conversation with Tom Cruise. After the success of Top Gun, Tom Cruise became one of the most famous actors in Hollywood. But Tom Cruise had the patience to listen to Kazir, a young delusional. A young man who believed that he would become a famous director without knowing anything about the industry was delusional. Even Tom Cruise believed it. But who would have thought that the man he talked to in 1988 would actually make his dream come true? So Tom Cruise decided to invite Kazir Grey to his party. He was interested in the man. /Puji_maki Chapter 48 Chapter 48 The party was nice. Kazir chatted with Tom Cruise. He realized that the actor was not bad at all. At least he was different from what he thought. Since Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman Cruise were the hosts of the party, they had to talk to every attendant. So their conversation ended quickly. At least their first meeting was positive. ''Tom Cruise is shooting Mission: Impossible this year.'' He was not sure if the movie had already started shooting. But he had heard that the project had already been approved by Paramount. CEO Brad Grey of Paramount might be salty right now because Kazir decided to work with Warner Bros. Well, Warner Bros'' offer was very sincere, so Kazir naturally chose them. "Hey, who''s that guy?" Since Nicole Kidman is Australian, she invited her compatriots to the party. Mel Gibson asked Russell Crowe next to him. Mel Gibson is an Australian who starred in Mad Max and Lethal Weapon. He was also the star, director and producer of Braveheart. That''s right, he made and starred in his own movie. That''s a tough job. "Him? I think he is Kazir Grey." Russell Crowe was not sure. The man just stood in the corner and looked around. He made no impression, as if he was just an air. Kazir Grey was like a man watching a movie, he was not there at all. "So that''s Kazir Grey..." Mel Gibson raised his eyebrow as he heard an interesting piece of information. "Mel, you are clearly drunk. Don''t do anything you''ll regret." Russell Crowe reminded him. They are both Australians and their circle in Hollywood is not that strong. At least not enough to stand up to the power of the Jewish circle. "Don''t worry Russell, I''m sober." He laughed and approached the man. His movie had been beaten by Napoleon Dynamite on the annual box office list. He wanted to know what kind of person the director was. As an actor who wants to become a director, Mel Gibson wanted to hear Kazir''s opinion. "Hello, Kazir Grey." Naomi Watts asked Nicole Kidman Cruise. "That''s right. I''m actually surprised that Tom know him. Apparently, Kazir is a crew member on Rain Man." Nicole nodded. Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman are known to be friends. They are also both Australians. "..." Naomi kept looking at the man. To be honest, she found him attractive. Kazir had a fit body, tall and buff. He is also handsome. From the looks of him, he is the type who takes care of his body. Definitely a plus for Naomi. In the end, Naomi bit her lip and approached him. Unlike Australia, where she is famous, Hollywood is a battlefield. It''s hard for her to get big roles. "Hi, I''m Naomi Watts." "I''m Kazir Grey. It''s nice to meet you, Ms. Watts." "You can call me Naomi. I heard you''re a director." Naomi tucked her hair behind her ear. She is a beautiful woman. One of so many men''s fantasies. And right now she is talking to Kazir Grey. "That''s right. I''m the director of Napoleon Dynamite." There was no reason to keep it a secret. This is a circle, and everyone knows everyone. "I see. Would you mind telling me about yourself?" "Well, I come from a broken family. Raised by my father." Kazir didn''t know where to start, so he decided to talk about his family. He realized later that his introduction was quite troubling. "That''s sad to hear." Naomi showed her acting by expressing that she was sad. As for the other women, they clicked their tongues when they realized that Naomi Watts was talking to Kazir. Most of these women are actresses. Every one of them understands that the fastest way to stardom is to have a relationship with a successful director/producer. Of everyone at the party, Kazir Grey is the most calm and collected. He is handsome and talented. Considering that two of his films have grossed over $100 million at the North American box office. They were glaring daggers at Naomi Watts, but the woman didn''t care. This is Hollywood. The competition for women is much more deadly than for men. They will smile at each other, but each of them knows how badly they want to rip each other''s faces off. /Puji_maki Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Naomi Watts, currently 28 years old. She is a famous actress. Born in UK, but has lived most of her life in Australia and became an actress there. Although her fame in Australia is nothing compared to Hollywood. Naomi Watts tried many things to break through the market. But so far she has achieved nothing. ''I need a breaking point to reach stardom.'' Because she is a friend of Mrs. Cruise, Naomi Watts used this connection to audition for many roles. She''s been in Hollywood since the early 90s, but she wasn''t famous. To be clear, Naomi Watts was trying to find a way to succeed in the vanity fair that is Hollywood. Unlike Nicole Kidman, who married Tom Cruise and became famous easily, Naomi Watts'' career path was bumpy. But the man before her was different. Kazir Grey, because of his movies that have more than $100 million North American box office, his name began to get more attraction. To be honest, Kazir''s status was not that dazzling, but Naomi Watts was willing to do anything just to be a star, even a director who had only recently become known. Kazir also made Ed Helms a star with Napoleon Dynamite. She hoped that she could be like Ed Helms. Directors are also known for making stars. So obviously Naomi Watts wanted to ride the wave to the top. Simple as that. She smiled as she noticed the women staring at her. She liked the attention. She liked that she had made the first move and caught Kazir Grey''s attention. "Kazir, I''m interested in your film. How about we go somewhere quiet and talk about it?" She whispered, leaning slightly closer to Kazir. The woman was clearly showing signs. As for Kazir... ''Naomi Watts. A very beautiful woman. I think she became famous after Mulholland Drive. Then she starred in King Kong as the muse of the giant gorilla.'' Her beauty is impeccable... He could see her cleavage because the woman was leaning towards him. Kazir smiled and held out his hand. "Shall we go to the garden?" "That''s good to hear." Naomi Watts'' lips twitched. But being an actress, she knows how to control her expression. "Carl..." Kazir Grey looked at the agent who had dropped him after the end of the contract. "Hehe, that woman is...?" "She''s Naomi Watts. Naomi, this is Carl Morin. He is an agent from WMA." "I see... Let''s talk next time, Kazir. It''s nice meeting you." Naomi Watts is a smart woman. She sensed there was something going on between Kazir and Carl. She was a client of WMA and she wanted to keep her contract. So she didn''t dare disturb them. She didn''t have the ability to stand up to a strong agency like WMA. "The pleasure is mine." Kazir nodded and let the woman go. "Kazir, I heard CAA signed you." Once Naomi Watts was gone, Carl Morin started talking to Kazir about his intentions. "That''s right. A man named Salvatore Barlowe contacted me and I signed a deal with him." "I see." Carl Morin smiled, but he actually cursed this Salvatore Barlowe. ''I don''t know who the hell this Agent Salvatore Barlowe is, but he is clearly a newbie in this game.'' "Carl, why do you want to talk to me?" "Haha, of course I want to talk to you. We are friends." "We are not friends," Kazir replied sternly. This agent kicked him out of the WMA after he accidentally dropped a tiny amount of water on the Vice President''s suit. He actually apologized, but the end was expected. He was blacklisted in the WMA. Maybe even now the WMA hasn''t removed his name from the list. "... Well," Carl cleared his throat after realizing that Kazir was not joking. "Kazir, sign a contract with me. I promise you I can treat you better than CAA. William Morris is willing to put resources into you. I assure you of that. WMA can influence the film companies and your movies will get better deals." Kazir didn''t flinch, even though Carl was being sincere. As far as sincerity went, Salvatore Barlowe was much better. What WMA can do, CAA can do. /Puji_maki Chapter 50 Chapter 50 "Kazir, we worked together for three years. You know what I can do. The connection I have. The opportunities I can give you!" Carl Morin began to feel confident as he watched Kazir listen to him. He believed in his abilities. Compared to the unknown agent Salvatore Barlowe, Carl Morin believed he could take Kazir to a higher level. "..." But Kazir kept his mouth shut and stared at him. He didn''t bother to talk to Carl Morin and let the agent waste his saliva. "Kazir. You know that your first three movies happened because of me. You know how I contacted so many people just for you." In fact, Carl Morin was one of the main reasons why he became a director and made three horror movies. But it was impossible to forget how Carl Morin betrayed Kazir. "I heard you signed a contract with a young director from Hong Kong?" "T- that''s right. Leon Lau has potential. I saw his experimental movie and it''s good." Carl Morin knew Kazir''s intention in talking about his new signed director. But Carl Morin was too stubborn to tell the truth. "Well, if you think he''s talented, why don''t you put all your resources into him instead of me? I''m sure he''ll be happy." Kazir said. "... Anyway, Kazir. I promise you that the WMA will be your strongest supporter." Carl Morin was already sweating after spitting. "..." But Kazir Grey just stared at him. Left with no choice, Carl Morin gritted his teeth and used his last card. "7% commission! As long as you signed a contract with me, I promise you that my commission will only be 7%!" "What about breach of contract?" "WMA will cover any damages." Kazir shook his head and started to walk away. Carl Morin realized something. "W-wait a minute Kazir! Did you just let me talk and waste my time when you will reject me from the beginning?" He glared at Kazir. He felt like he was being played. He was humiliated. "That''s right. Unlike Salvatore Barlowe, you are much more stubborn. I know you will keep talking just to convince me." "You bastard! Who do you think you are? Kazir Grey, you better remember the reason why you reached your position! Without me, you will never become a director! I paved the way for you!" Carl Morin''s face was red as a tomato. He was angry that the man in front of him disregarded him after all he had done to help him achieve his status. "I can''t deny it. You really helped me for three years. However, I know that you''ve also been fucking my ex-wife for three years." "T-that''s!" "I know that. So you don''t have to say anything. Carl Morin, it''s your own fault that you dumped me after the contract ended. I don''t owe you anything." Kazir left Carl Morin stunned. The agent thought he was being discreet about his relationship with Cassandra. But it seemed that Kazir already knew. He had been played to the point of humiliation. Kazir Grey had actually found out in his past life. In his past life, after the divorce settlement, Cassandra said that she was also fucking Carl Morin. Just to rub salt in the wound, the bitch didn''t hesitate to hurt him. Fortunately, Kazir had already moved on and didn''t care about Carl and Cassandra. They can live their lives all they want, but Kazir didn''t have anything to do with them. That''s right, Cassandra is betraying two people. She''s for the street. Kazir left the party unrepentant. In fact, he slept better that night. He felt as if everything that bound him was gone. Unlike Carl Morin, Salvatore was much more passionate about his work. The agent was constantly contacting people to join Kazir''s crew. Heck, the agent even helped out with odd jobs. Perhaps Salvatore Barlowe was grateful because Kazir hired one of his clients, Hae-Won Park. /Puji_maki Chapter 51 Chapter 51 "Sigh..." Producer Enrico Pusi entered the room in a bad mood. He sat down next to Kazir, who was redrawing his storyboard. As a director, Kazir has a considerable talent for drawing. He had already finished the storyboard. He was just polishing it. So that once the shooting started, he would never waste time on experimental shots. Especially when the project signed an insurance contract with Merrill Lynch. He knew how pesky the insurance company was. As much as possible, they would do their best to keep the production costs within the quota. Sometimes directors hate insurance companies because they stifle their creativity. Perhaps one of the directors the insurance company hated was James Cameron. This man would never hesitate to overspend just to get the best shots. "Sigh..." "Why are you sighing?" Because of their positions, the two need to have clear communication. So they talk to each other almost every day to make sure the project runs smoothly. The job of a producer in general was to oversee the production process in film, television, or other commercial productions. This includes organizing, managing, and overseeing every single phase and aspect, including talent, creative team, deadlines, executives, and finances. To be honest, their job was much more tedious than that of the director. So having a talented producer who could control the entire project was an important part. "We have problems with Ed Helms'' salary." Enrico Pusi talked to Ed Helms'' agent for the second time, and the result wasn''t good. "Are they still asking for an extravagant amount?" "$5 million. Hell, even Brad Pitt didn''t make that much when he was in Se7en!" Kazir just shrugged as he listened to his producer''s grumbling. The more time he spent with Enrico, the more he realized that he was serious about his job. He had worse eye bags than Kazir right now. ''Maybe he wants to use The Hangover as a springboard for his career.'' Like movies, boxing fights need promotion. "I am going to talk to Ed Helms tomorrow. I will tell him that 1.5 million is the best I can offer. If they don''t agree, we''ll find another actor. By the way, can you recommend anyone?" "Hm...? I think there''s an actor who auditioned for the role of Stu and made it to the third round. If I''m not mistaken, his name is Steve Carell. We can contact him if the negotiations with Ed Helms don''t work out." "Okay... Are you really sure you want to keep the movie R-rated?I know the pervasive language and some sexual content is a must in this kind of movie, but why don''t you tone it down?" "Enrico, we have already discussed this with Terry Semel. We both agree that the movie will lose its power if we keep it PG-13." Kazir stopped what he was doing and stared into Enrico''s eyes. Like most directors, Kazir didn''t like it when someone tried to stifle his creativity. He wanted to make the movie as close to the original as possible. So making it PG-13 would be disastrous. "O- Okay. I will never talk about it again." Enrico Pusi realized that he was overstepping his bounds. He knew so many directors who would fight the producers just to keep control of the filming. So far, his relationship with Kazir had been good, and he wanted to keep it that way. He believed this would not be the last time he worked with Kazir. He sighed and left the room after telling him his problem with Ed Helms'' salary. "Oh, before I leave, Nokia has agreed to sponsor the movie. They would pay us $1 million initially. Once the movie makes over $100 million at the North American box office, they will pay us another $1 million." "What about the global box office? Do they have conditions?" "We are still negotiating. But we already have an agreement that they will sponsor the movie." "That''s good to hear." Just like that, the $35 million budget of The Hangover made back $1 million. Product placement is one way to recoup your investment. ''This does not mean that it is easy to get $2 million. The box office of "The Hangover" has to reach a certain number.'' /Puji_maki Chapter 52 Chapter 52 There are many reasons why movie companies like PG-13 movies. Movies can sell more tickets if they are rated PG-13 or lower. Families prefer to see a movie that their children can enjoy. This was one of the reasons why Disney became the strongest movie company for the next three decades. They used this advantage to take over their competitors. Some Warner Bros shareholders hope that The Hangover will be rated PG-13. Because it would be more profitable. Of course, R-rated can be profitable too. Se7en, which was just released in North America, made more than $400 million worldwide. That was a huge profit for a R-Rated thriller suspense film. But The Hangover was not a thriller suspense, it was a comedy. So they hoped to convince Kazir Grey to change the script. Unfortunately, Kazir Grey was firm in his decision. It was written in the contract that he had full authority over the creation of The Hangover. Even the right to edit was his alone. So they decided to keep their mouths shut and let Kazir do his job. "John, are you sure about this?" Ed Helms had a complicated look on his face as he looked at his agent. "Ed, the WMA wants the best for you. Can''t you see that? If they agree to $3 million, that will be your salary." John and Enrico negotiated the salary down to 3 million dollars. But Enrico was still not satisfied. He felt that hiring Ed Helms for that amount of money was not worth it. "..." Ed Helms felt that 3 million dollars was a good amount. But he knew damn well that he was not worth that amount. At least not now. As for his agent, John Harris, the agent wanted to fight for a higher salary. After all, 10% of that amount would be his commission. "I understand. But I can agree with 1.5 million, you don''t have to fight for more. I don''t want to interfere with the shooting schedule of the movie." Two weeks were left before shooting officially began. Except for Ed Helms, all the actors had already signed contracts. "Alright." To be honest, John Harris didn''t know why WMA was asking him to make trouble for the project. ''No one thinks this movie is going to be a huge success.'' "Kazir, I can''t think of any reason why you would want to buy the rights to adapt this novel. A 3 million dollars at that. Do you want to make an action movie?" Alan Shayne Productions bought the film rights of The Bourne Identity in the 80s. They even made a TV movie, but it didn''t end well. Since then, the movie rights of Bourne Identity stayed in their film libraries for many years. Bourne Identity is actually a famous novel from the 80s. It''s one of the founders of the spy novel. But because novels and comics are losing their power after digitalization, many people have already forgotten about the Bourne Identity. "That''s right. If things go well, maybe I can do an action movie next year. I''ve been dreaming about doing an action movie all my life." "... Are you sure you can do it?" Salvatore was skeptical. As his agent, Salvatore hoped Kazir would stay in his comfort zone. Shooting a comedy and an action movie is very different. An action film is much more complicated. "Don''t worry, Salvatore, I''m not going to do The Bourne Identity for the next three years. I have something to experiment with" Of all the scripts he had written, one had a very small budget. He was confident that he could make it with his own money... If he had to. "I just hope you know what you''re doing." From the moment he first spoke with Kazir, Salvatore knew that Kazir was impossible to control. Well, not that he complained. 3% of the $2.5 million Kazir received went into his pocket. It might look small, but it was only the beginning. He knew he would get more from Kazir. In fact, because of his connection to Director Grey, Salvatore was able to get his client a role. This was exactly why agents like to have a director under them. Because their actors would always have a job. /Puji_maki Chapter 53 Chapter 53 The next day, producer Enrico Pusi and agent John Harris began the negotiations. They spent two hours wasting their spit just to get an agreement. In the end, Ed Helms'' salary was $1.7 million. It was a large amount, to be honest. A person who can make more than $1 million a year is considered part of the 10%. That''s right. According to a YouGov survey from January 2022, America believe that ten percent of households in their country have an annual income of more than $1 million. That''s the privileged class. Ed Helms breathed a sigh of relief when his agent told him he got the part. Plus, his salary was a whopping $1.7 million. But he would only get half of that first. This was usually written into the contract to ensure that the actor would finish the filming. If the contract was broken, the actor had to pay damages. In the case of Ed Helms, he promised to finish the filming without any problems. As for the WMA''s intention to make Kazir''s job difficult, they didn''t have too much influence on the project. As long as Ed Helms wanted to join the crew, the WMA didn''t have the power to stop him. Even John Harris wanted Ed Helms to get the role. Well, at least they agreed on a good salary. It was worth the risk. "What do you think?" Salvatore asked Kazir as they watched Hae-Won Park''s stunt routine. The half-Korean actor knew how to do action stunts. Most of the crew was hired by Salvatore Barlowe. CAA also hires other crew members such as makeup artists and cinematographers. So most of the crew came from CAA. Kazir was impressed. Within a month, his small crew of fifteen became forty. The process was very fast. Salvatore found the right people to fill the positions. Especially Hae-Won Park, this guy actually knows Kung Fu. "So Hae-Won Park really knows Kung Fu?" "Ah, no. To be precise, Hae-Won Park is a fifth dan black belt Taekwondo practitioner." "Impressive." Kazir didn''t know what fifth dan meant. But he knew that Black Belt in Taekwondo was a high level. Park Hae-Won tried to explain his nationality, but the producer wouldn''t listen. So he wanted to make sure that his role in this movie would bring him prosperity. As long as the audience appreciated him, he would have achieved his goal. His salary was very small, 25 thousand dollars, but he felt that it was worth it. "See you tomorrow at the script reading." "Yes, director." Hae-Won Park said goodbye and left after showing his stunts. "So who''s the person you want to recommend as my assistant?" "Kazir, you already know him." "Hm?" Kazir raised his eyebrows. He had no idea. Since this project was bigger than Napoleon Dynamite, Kazir needed an assistant director to help him. The role of an assistant director on a movie includes tracking daily progress of the production schedule, organizing logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking in with cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. ... It might be the same as the producer, but the assistant director had to take this job deeper. The producer would only oversee, while an assistant director would have to participate in the work. Obviously, Kazir needed someone to help him with these tasks. After all, he is only one person. He doesn''t have the strength to do all these things. "I hired a recent graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. "... Are you talking about..." "That''s right. One of your interns from the last movie signed a contract with me. I recommend him to be your assistant director. He wants to be a director, but he needs experience, so I hope you will help him." "You''re quite greedy to sign another director." "The more the merrier." "I need to see him first, because I still don''t know who you''re talking about." /Puji_maki Chapter 54 Chapter 54 "We already talked to the city of Las Vegas and they agreed to let us shoot in the streets. However, we have to make sure that we never disturb the public." "That''s good to hear. We will shoot the street scenes as quickly as possible so that we do not cause any traffic." As they walked to their next destination, Kazir and Salvatore had a conversation about the Las Vegas shooting. "As long as we don''t make a movie that makes Las Vegas look bad, we''ll be fine." They reached the room where there was a small television and a VHS player. "Director Grey." A young black man greeted them. He had an Afro haircut. A very eye-catching hairstyle. "Fremont Smith? So you''re the one Salvatore was talking about?" Kazir remembered Fremont Smith because of his hair. The Afro definitely rocks. Unfortunately, Kazir didn''t have the hair strength to try the style. Instead, most of his hair grew around his mouth. His beard usually grew quickly. Sometimes he didn''t have time to trim it because he was busy. "That''s right. I sent my experimental film to Salvatore and he gave me a contract." "I see." Kazir didn''t have a problem. He had heard that Fremont Smith got good grades in college. He was one of the top graduates. Many students graduated from the UCLA film school. But only a very small percentage made it. The only director Kazir remembered graduating from UCLA was Francis Ford Coppola. He is the director of The Godfather. Kazir witnessed Fremont''s work on the crew during the filming of Napoleon Dynamite. He was good at his job. He was one of the people who adjusted lighting and camera angles with Renner. He clearly knows what he''s doing. "How long is your experimental film?" "45 minutes, Director Grey." "Since there''s a TV and a VHS player here, I assume you came prepared." "That''s right." Fremont nodded enthusiastically. He knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Joining a major production crew after graduation was important for his resume. Especially if his position would be as an assistant director. To be a successful director, Fremont Smith needed experience. The best place to get experience was on big budget movies like The Hangover. "Let''s see it." "Thanks." Salvatore sighed with relief after seeing Kazir''s reaction. They sat down and watched the movie. Based on the color palette of the movie, the tone of the movie was dark and bloody. If things went well, Kazir would make Fremont Smith his partner to create the action universe. ''It is impossible for me to make two or three movies a year. I need someone to take over some of the projects.'' Just like Marvel Studio did when their movies became popular. Marvel Studio hired many directors to make dozens of movies and TV shows every year. The next day came and Fremont officially became Kazir''s assistant director. "Today is the script reading and all the actors are here." Fremont told Kazir before entering the room. "Okay." Script reading is an important part of pre-production. To make sure the actors know their parts. To make sure they have an idea of what they''re going to do. ''You can see whether an actor has read the script or not by attending the script reading.'' To be honest, Kazir didn''t like actors who would casually act without even reading the script. ''Maybe people call this method acting, adlib, or improvisational acting. Some people may call it explosive acting... But please have the goddamn professionalism to read the script.'' Kazir had no problem with adlib acting... As long as they knew what they were doing. Especially actors who forgot their dialog. They were annoying. There are so many actors who have trouble saying their lines. "Good morning, Director Grey." Ed Helms was the first to get up and greet Kazir. Then the actors began to greet him one by one. The script reading began. The cast were: Phil: Bradley Cooper Stu: Ed Helms Alan: Jack Black Doug: Pedro Pascal Mr. Chow: Enzo Park Jade: Reese Witherspoon Of course, Kazir would never forget to include Reese Witherspoon in the cast. As long as the role was appropriate, he would try to squeeze Reese into it. That''s how Hollywood works. /Puji_maki Chapter 55 Chapter 55 The official filming of The Hangover started. At the Caesars Palace, dozens of reporters started taking pictures for the press conference of The Hangover. Producer Enrico Pusi and Kazir Grey faced the cameras and let the reporters ask them bunches of questions. Of course, the Producer and Director had to answer them the best as they could. Thankfully, most of the questions were mild. Someone actually tried to ask about Kazir''s past relationship but Kazir answered it well. "As long as it''s not related to The Hangover, I will not answer it." "Director Grey, is it true that Ed Helms tried to ask for a salary of 5 million dollars." "That''s right." There was no reason to keep it a secret. Most people in the circle knew what happened. These reporters were under Time Warner. Time Warner was one of the media giants in the world. So Warner Bros had a strong influence with the backing of Time Warner. Kazir understood that some of the reporters'' questions were for the purpose of attracting attention. Such as ''Kazir''s new love life'' or ''Friction between the Napoleon Dynamite actor and Director.'' These articles would be published by the paparazzi. As long as it could help the movie to attract attention, then everything was fine. Kazir was already informed about the questions that might be asked. ''Of course, I don''t have any problem with Ed Helms. He is a hard-working person. This is nothing but publicity.'' Publicity was the main factor in having a successful movie. So film companies would invest so much money just to advertise their movies. As long as the movie was worth it, companies would invest in publicity. The best example might be the last year''s Batman Forever... The overall publicity cost of the movie was $100 million. With the $100 million production cost plus $100 million publicity... The movie was a clear disappointment. ''However, I heard that the videotapes are selling well. Many kids are dreaming to become like Superman or Batman.'' With the invention of VCR and VHS player, the Hollywood industry gained power and their profits every year were astronomical. So Warner Bros decided to make another Batman movie next two years. ''Batman and Robin... That''s right, the infamous Batman suit with nipples.'' Many people said that Batman''s suit was ugly because of the nipples, which was right to be honest. Clearly one of the reasons why Warner Bros kept the Batman series hidden for almost ten years. ''If not for Christopher Nolan, Batman might be forever stayed in their film libraries.'' "I''m sorry about that." The mother apologized and held her child. She was a friend of Producer Enrico Pusi. They audition after hearing that the crew needed a baby. "Hush, hush, baby~" "Hehe~" Because of the giggling of the baby, the atmosphere was calming. "Ed, I want you to deliver your line in a more exhausted way in the first half. Although you still have to raise your voice at the latter." Kazir approached Ed Helms who was currently receiving a makeup. "I understand Director." Ever since they cooperated in Napoleon Dynamite, Ed Helms realized that Kazir took importance in line deliveries. The dialogues should be taken seriously. Then, Kazir nodded at Bradley Cooper. "Keep yourself in good condition." "Thank you, Director." In the crew, Bradley Cooper and Jack Black were part of the newcomers. They didn''t have any idea of how Kazir used his position. Was he a tyrant? A pacifist? Or a silent madman? Because Jack Black and Bradley Cooper were the protagonists, they didn''t want to cause trouble on the set. So they were doing their job well. Once the ten minute break was over, Kazir started the shooting again. Unfortunately, a few seconds after the camera began rolling, the baby started crying and everyone was caught off guard. "Cut..." Kazir sighed. He already expected this. He knew this was going to happen, so he decided to shoot all of the scenes in which the child was part of within three days. "... Ten minutes rest." He muttered after the first NG. It was impossible to talk to a baby. Perhaps the only one who could do that was the mother. [Author''s Note: I''m at the funeral right now, I''ll stay here for a week and my update schedule might be inconsistent. Still, I will update everyday.] Chapter 56 Chapter 56 "Sir. The filming of The Hangover has started today." "Thank you, Nancy." Tom Rothman nodded after Nancy Utley told him about the news. Because Napoleon Dynamite was distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures, Tom Rothman wanted to know the related news about Kazir''s next movie. Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox received the script of The Hangover at the same time. Unfortunately, Warner Bros acquired the movie because of obvious circumstances. "Nancy, do you know the reason why we didn''t fight for The Hangover?" "Isn''t it because of the vulgar theme of the movie? The Hangover has a strong chance to be rated R-Rated and it might not be profitable." "That''s right. Unlike Napoleon Dynamite which has a simple and lighthearted theme, The Hangover has so many profanities. A group of friends went to Las Vegas. After taking drugs, they forgot what they did and one of them was missing." It was the short summary of The Hangover. "To be honest, I have this feeling that Kazir can make it successful. Unfortunately, our offer didn''t attract his attention." Kazir was asking for more and they could not negotiate. It was a natural reaction to stop the negotiation. So Tom Rothman hoped that Kazir''s movie would be a disappointment. He hoped that The Hangover would have a bad reception. Because if the movie became successful... "How''s the script for Napoleon Dynamite II?" The success of Napoleon Dynamite was still ongoing. So far, the worldwide box office already surpassed $300 million. The movie would be dropped from the North American cinemas but its global screening would last for another three to four months. Tom Rothman sighed after remembering that Kazir would receive a 5% North American box office share. ''I should have settled with revenue share instead. At least it''s much smaller than 7 million dollars.'' The North American box office of Napoleon Dynamite was $140 million. Naturally, 5% of that amount would go to Kazir. In fact, Salvatore kept urging Fox Searchlight Pictures to settle the account. "The creation of the script is halfway done." After Kazir sold the copyrights of Napoleon Dynamite to Fox Searchlight Pictures, the company sent two writers to oversee the creation of the script. True Lies. Unfortunately, the copyrights of The Terminator were held by Orion Pictures. This movie franchise was very profitable. "Kazir Grey... Please make your movie bad so that we can cooperate again. I believe your talent is in making wholesome comedies, not vulgar ones." Tom Rothman sighed. His job as a CEO of a film company was exhausting. But the rewards were satisfying as well. His boss, Rupert Murdoch, contacted him and gave him rewards after the success of Napoleon Dynamite. ...... ... ... "What do you mean that I can''t get money from Kazir? I''m his wife!" Cassandra glared at her lawyer after learning that it was impossible to get money from her now rich ex-husband. "Cassandra, you are not his wife. You''re his ex-wife. Please remember that." Her lawyer sighed. "You had an agreement that you will stop festering him once you acquired the house. He gave you half of his savings too. The court already deemed that the case is over. Unless you want to open the case again, but it cost money." "... Tch." Cassandra clicked her tongue in annoyance. ''Who would have thought that my depressed husband will actually become a successful director? Millions! He sold the copyright of his movie for millions but I can''t get half of it? That''s fucking unfair!'' Cassandra regretted the fact that he divorced Kazir. She should have waited for another year so that she could steal more from him. "Damn it!" She slammed her fists against the table out of frustration. Life was fucking unfair! ''As a beautiful woman, my job should be marrying rich people and stealing half of their property! Instead of focusing on my career and being a good person, I rather step on people!'' Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Cassandra Hoecrap. She was Kazir''s ex-wife. She dreamed of becoming a famous actress. With her beautiful appearance, she believed that achieving her dream was extremely possible. But when she entered Hollywood, her dreams completely shattered. She realized that there were many beautiful women like her in Hollywood. To make the matter worst, they were more talented than her. Cassandra didn''t know how to act. Her facial expressions were terrible. She didn''t know how to cry, smile, and get angry in front of the camera. Her face was always stiff. As if being an actress was not meant for her. In the year 1988, Cassandra Hoecrap entered the filming crew of Rain Man as an extra vase(a beautiful background character). While filming the movie, she met Kazir for the first time. She was attracted to his seriousness and confidence. Cassandra was two years older than Kazir but it didn''t block their relationship from blossoming. Then, they decided to marry. At that time, she really loved him. But time passed and Kazir started to become serious about his job. He was so busy that he only returned to the house every other day. Furthermore, Kazir''s appearance started to change. From a fit young man to a depressing fat guy. Cassandra realized that she started to lose attraction to her husband. Because of this loneliness, she cheated on him by having sex with his agent... Then her cheating arc expanded until she found a rich old man. He was a producer/investor. He owned a production company too. After her divorce with Kazir, she started living with her lover. Since then, Cassandra realized that she could use her beauty to attract people, rich people. She got half of Kazir''s savings and owned his house. She thought she won the battle in life. Cassandra thought that she could use this method to scam people. So she did her best to convince his old lover to marry. But who would have thought that the old man didn''t treat her seriously? He decided to kick her out after having her way with her. "... Tch. It doesn''t matter, I believe you have some methods to squeeze some money from Kazir. I bought a Chanel bag using my credit card and I still haven''t paid the balance." Cassandra looked at her lawyer. Hoping that the lawyer could answer her problem. "Of course," the lawyer nodded. ''As a person from a broken family, I want to support the Children''s Association. Their purpose is novel... But there''s something I don''t like about them, they usually have bad motives when they enter the crew. They will ask for something outrageous. They will request something outrageous... Just like now.'' "What''s this? This is bad for the kid! You must kick this thing out of the set!" The woman who had short hair and thick glasses roared. She was from the Children Association. She was berating one of his crew members. Kazir sighed and stepped in. "Ma''am. This is a humidifier. It''s a device that adds moisture to the air to prevent dryness that can cause irritation in many parts of the body." "Humidifier? Never heard of it! All I can see is a cloud of smoke coming out of the machine! I want this thing out of the crew. It''s bad for the kid." Kazir glanced at Producer Enrico Pusi. The Producer sighed and nodded his head. It was tiring to explain it to a woman who had her ears closed. "I understand." Kazir signaled the crew to put the humidifier out of the set. "Mister Grey. I want to remind you that the baby can only work for three hours a day!" Child actors are only allowed to work between the hours of 5:00 am and 10:00 pm on school days. But the woman''s proposal was much worst. "What are you, his mother?" "What did you say?" "I said you don''t have the right to talk about it. We have a contract and I will abide by the contract. Of course, everything that is written in the contract is legal. You can ask the mother about that." Kazir was getting tired of this farce. This was the main reason why the shooting was slow. ''Someone wants to disturb our filming. They sent a troublesome person to cause a problem.'' He gritted his teeth. Chapter 58 Chapter 58 "Who is it? Who is the bastard trying to disrupt our shooting schedule?" Kazir sat down after today''s shooting was over. Reese Witherspoon sat next to him, reading the script to make sure she wouldn''t make any mistakes tomorrow. Her character (Jade) in the movie was an escort who had a baby. The real reason why she got the role was simple, she was beautiful, sexy and her smile was charming... She also had a relationship with Kazir. "I think it''s going to be okay. You just need to calm down." Reese smiled and placed the script on the table. Then she held Kazir''s hand to ease his frustration. "We''re two days behind schedule because of the Children''s Association. They are demanding something outrageous! Why are they asking for vegetable dishes when the baby can''t even eat them? It''s insane!" Kazir grumbled. They didn''t agree to any of their outrageous requests that had nothing to do with the baby. But it still annoyed him because they were making a scene. They tried to slow down the shooting. Fortunately, there was only one last scene with the baby tomorrow. Once everything was over, Kazir could pick up the pace. "Relax. A director like you should be calm." "I am calm." "I know, but you have to be calmer." Reese Witherspoon was actually amused by Kazir''s reaction. She thought the man was a calm person, always calculating everything. But when it came to making his movie, Kazir was always serious and nervous. ''I can''t believe he acts like that when we''re alone... It''s kinda cute.'' She giggled. At least she realized that Kazir was not a perfect person. He is mature and childish at the same time. "How about this," Reese leaned closer and kissed his neck. "Let''s go to a casino and relax. Then we can go back to your room and have some fun." Kazir looked at the beautiful woman in front of him and kissed her forehead. "Fine... But I have never gambled in my life." "There is a first time for everyone. Besides, we will have fun. But I remind you never to get addicted to this kind of thing, gambling is bad." "I understand." "Now... How about a quickie?" There was no eternal enemy. Everyone was willing to cooperate as long as there were benefits. Kazir understood this very well. [Okay.] These companies were smart. They would never do anything out of line. He understood it very well. Even Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox would sabotage him if they didn''t work with him. 20th Century Fox was hoping that Kazir would direct Napoleon Dynamite II. So they would never join to cause trouble. ''As for Warner Bros, the answer was obvious. They would never sabotage their own project. 35 million dollars is too big to fuck around with. '' Just as Salvatore promised, the film companies stopped interfering with his movie after Salvatore said that Kazir was trying to sell a script. The title of the script had an experimental name: Teddy Bear. Salvatore gave them 2/3 part of the script and Paramount and Miramax contacted him. They were interested in the movie and wanted Kazir to direct it. However, they were still not willing to put up any money to buy the project. Like 20th Century Fox, the other companies were waiting to see the results of The Hangover. If the movie was successful... Then there would be another competition to buy his script. Se7en and Napoleon Dynamite were huge successes, so they were confident in Kazir''s creativity at the least. ''It was as simple as that. I don''t want to antagonize any movie company. It''s not the best thing to do in this exclusive industry.'' The shooting that day was very simple, and the Children''s Association kept their mouths shut. As if they were normal people who hadn''t caused any trouble in the past few days. The scenes with the baby ended after seven days and Kazir sighed with relief. At least they finished the scenes within the planned schedule. ''All because the Children''s Association didn''t make a fuss.'' Since then, the movie had begun to pick up speed. Their plan for the next week was to shoot all the scenes with Mike Tyson and the tiger. ''That''s right. The tiger we''re hiring is Mike Tyson''s tiger.'' Mike had just gotten out of prison, and Kazir was actually afraid to meet the legendary boxer. Maybe because he knew how dangerous the young Mike Tyson was. Chapter 59 Chapter 59 The day arrived and Mike Tyson showed up with his entourage. They were a bunch of menacing looking guys. Tall, with guns, and their way of talking was unique. "Mr. Tyson. Nice to meet you." Kazir was the first to greet the legendary boxer. Mike Tyson looked at him with a smile and nodded. "Nice to meet you too, director." ''... If I''m going to be honest, he spoke the "it''s" "it''th."'' That was Kazir''s first impression of him. Of course, he would never talk to Mike Tyson about his mispronunciation. He didn''t want to get punched. "Mr. Tyson, do you want to do the tiger scene first or your scene first?" "Let''s do the tiger scene. I want to know my pet''s acting skills." "All right." Since Mike Tyson was the owner of the tiger they hired, they have to respect his opinion. "Crew, prepare the scene with the tiger. Jane, make the actors look like they are waking up from a hangover." Jane became the head of the makeup team. Of course, her salary went up, too. Everyone''s salary on the crew was under the budget of The Hangover. In fact, the salary of the entire crew was minuscule compared to the other expenses. Not even 10% of the budget. In a way, the biggest enemies of movie companies are the huge salaries of the cast. Especially when they hire superstars to star in the movie. Well, money is not a problem as long as the videotape market is doing well. ''Speaking of videotapes... Where did I put that videotape? Nah, it''s useless anyway.'' He received a package last year related to his divorce case, but it was too late to use it. "Put the camera over there." "Aight." Kazir watched the preparations. Harold, the head of the props team, making sure the whole suite looked like a mess. As if there had been a huge alcohol overdose in the place. As for Renner, he was adjusting camera angles and lighting. Helping him was Fremont. Kazir nodded as he watched the preparations. ''The real heroes behind your favorite movies are the crew members. They spent their time creating the best scenes and the best look for the audience.'' That''s why everyone on the crew would have their names in the credits. Everyone appreciates their hard work. When a movie was successful and made a lot of money at the box office, the crew members would receive bonuses. They would also have a celebration party. "Is everything ready?" Kazir raised his voice and looked around. Everyone signaled that they were ready. Even the actors were "groggy" on the floor. Kazir nodded to Fremont. "Lights, Camera, Action!" ----- After Jade (Reese Witherspoon) left their hotel suite, the three protagonists were drunk and ''dead'' on the floor. Alan (Jack Black) weakly got up to go to the bathroom. He walked and dodged the ducks. The ducks flew around and nearly tripped him. "Nothing. Anyway, just hang in there." "What? Director? Director! Don''t let me down! Director!" Kazir checked the shots to make sure he hadn''t forgotten anything. The shots looked promising and went well. ''There''s a movie that starred Jack Black, it''s called Nacho Libre. It was said that Jack Black almost lost his eye because of a stunt...'' Some people said it was a publicity stunt to draw in the audience, and some people said it was real. ''Well, Jack Black said it was real, so maybe it is.'' As a director, Kazir knew whether this information was real or not. ''One thing is for sure. A sane director will never have an actor do a dangerous stunt. Everything will be done by a body double. Even the insurance company will never agree to such a decision.'' If an actor was really injured, the insurance company would have to pay so much money. Just like now... "Um, Director Grey. I just heard that Jack Black is going to get punched by Mike Tyson. I think he needs a body double for that." "..." Kazir looked at the Merrill Lynch representative. "I mean, we all know that Mike Tyson is a strong boxer. If an accident happens and Jack Black is injured, the shoot will be postponed and we will waste money and time." "Saul, don''t worry. I will never let that happen. But I will not use a body double either. I just have to trust Mike Tyson." "But are you really sure?" "Saul. I think Mike Tyson will never hit Jack Black." He looked at him seriously. Kazir wanted to see as much real emotion as possible, so it was better to use Jack Black for the scene. Besides, Kazir didn''t like it when someone tried to stop him from doing what he wanted. Total authority. As long as the filming was going on, Kazir wanted complete authority over the project. "... Okay." Saul stepped back and decided to trust him. Naturally, the scene began after the makeup artists had finished adjusting the looks of the three protagonists. Jack Black was scared the whole time, and that was what Kazir needed. Luckily, the heavyweight champ knew how to control his punch and Jack Black was not hurt. But it was still scary. [Author''s Note: I''m bored so I want to share my top 5 underated manga. What do you think of my list?] 1. Usogui 2. Pandora''s Heart 3. Alice In Borderland 4. Oyasumi Punpun 5. World Embryo Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Kazir Grey signed a contract with Warner Bros to release the movie in the summer. Because of this, Kazir formulated a plan... to make sure that the filming would be finished in April or early May. After the trouble with the Children''s Association, Kazir and his crew began to pick up the pace. The atmosphere in the crew became better and the mood of the actors was great. Some of the actors made mistakes, but not enough to cause much trouble. After all, even talented actors had NGs while shooting movies. ''If there''s something that surprised me, it''s the acting of these certain actors...'' Whenever these actors were in front of the cameras, they easily adjusted their emotions and expressions. ''I don''t ask for explosive acting, but they really gave me one.'' Kazir understood that the level of acting in The Hangover was much higher than in Napoleon Dynamite. In fact, that was the reason he wanted to shoot four takes of each scene to make sure he could pick the best shot. Kazir expected Reese Witherspoon to improve after he coached her on her acting. Because of their relationship, Kazir made sure that Reese Witherspoon would be a great actress. Unlike other actresses, Reese Witherspoon had a strong sweet charm. So Kazir wanted her to take advantage of that. ''She''s really improving, I''m impressed.'' Reese''s scenes in the movie were not many, but she clearly gained the attention of the camera. ''Once The Hangover is finished, I''ll try to help her get roles that suit her. If that''s not possible, I''ll make a role that fits her.'' Kazir had a lot of ideas for the future... He basically knew most of the romantic comedies that would hit the blockbuster. ''The other actors are Jack Black and Pedro Pascal.'' After playing Pedro Sanchez in Napoleon Dynamite, Pedro Pascal decided to keep the mustache. Kazir approved of his decision because Pedro Pascal with a mustache was iconic. Pedro Pascal''s character in the movie was Doug. He was the groom who disappeared after the night of drug use. To be honest, his scenes were mostly concentrated in the first half of the movie. ''Still, his acting is impeccable. I can''t ask for more because he has no NGs. Although I am reshooting the scenes in the hope of seeing more impressive acting from him.'' As for Jack Black, he was a funny guy. He just knew how to make people laugh. For a comedy actor, that was the best and strongest talent he should have. ...... ... ... "And cut! Okay, guys, I announce that the filming of The Hangover is complete!" "Woohoo!" The crew members around him shouted excitedly. Even the actors sighed and smiled after knowing that the shooting was over. It had been an exhausting three months for them. The project was fun overall, but it still took its toll on them. "We have three days to relax. You can go to the casino and have some fun. But don''t spend too much." "Haha." The second week of May came and the shooting of the movie officially ended. They started filming in the last week of February and finished in May. To be honest, their filming was fast compared to other projects. It was all because of Kazir''s plan. He already knew everything he wanted to shoot, so he did not make a blind move. The actors thanked him one by one. They enjoyed working with Kazir. If the movie went well, they wanted to work with him again. "It''s okay, I believe in you." Kazir thanked everyone and promised that they would have a farewell party in Los Angeles. For now, they could rest and have some fun in Las Vegas. "Director Grey, how about we go to the MGM Grand? I hear they have a nice casino there." The actors tried to invite him, but Kazir shook his head. "I''m sorry, but I have to check the footages later." As always, he preferred movies to anything else. Even Reese Witherspoon, who was sitting next to him, just shrugged. She was expecting his reaction. [Is it short that I only covered three chapters of The Hangover filming? Comment below your thoughts. Should I expand the filming chapters for the next movie?] Chapter 61 Chapter 61 "It didn''t work out..." Carl Morin sighed as he sat down. He had heard the news that the filming of The Hangover had gone off without a hitch. Carl Morin had been one of the people responsible for calling the Children''s Association to pester the crew. Well, he had a cooperation with the other film companies. Unfortunately, when Kazir Grey announced that he had a script that he wanted to sell, the film companies immediately closed their mouths. They acted as if they weren''t causing any trouble. Since then, the filming of The Hangover has gone well. ''The Hangover... Ten thousand dollars for nothing.'' That was right. To make sure the Children''s Association would harass the film crew, Carl Morin paid one of them to cause trouble. He hoped that Kazir Grey would lose his temper and make a scene. They could use it as material for their next plan. But Kazir was as calm as a stone. He was angry, but he kept his cool. "Well, at least I pissed him off in a way." It was kind of petty, but it didn''t matter. They have another way of causing trouble. WMA knew what he was doing, but they decided to keep their mouths shut. WMA was angry that Kazir Grey became successful after they kicked him out of the company. Even the CAA people mocked them for their stupidity. The president of WMA even talked to vice president Lawlor Dean and Carl Morin about it. The two were humiliated on the floor for kicking Kazir Grey of WMA. So Carl Morin was angry with Kazir Grey. He wanted to make sure that he would never have a peaceful day in Hollywood. The WMA turned a blind eye to his evil deeds because they wanted to see Kazir lose. To be honest, their opinion of The Hangover was hopeful. Especially when Ed Helms was involved in the project. They hoped the movie would be successful. So that another superstar would rise from their ranks. But their opinion about Kazir Grey was gloomy. They wanted to see him fall into the pit of misfortune. "Kazir, this is all your fault." He grinned devilishly. "Carl Morin, congratulations on your client. I hear he just finished shooting a horror movie?" John Harris approached Carl Morin. John Harris was jealous that Carl Morin had a director client under him... Well, he had two directors under him, but he kicked the first one. He was ridiculed for it. After three years of working with Kazir Grey, the director became successful after leaving him. It showed that Carl Morin was incompetent. "I''ve already got a car ready for us." "Thank you." Considering that Salvatore was meeting him in person, Kazir realized that there was something important to talk about. Kazir and Salvatore got into the car. "Kazir, Fox Searchlight Pictures has already settled the account. They will pay tomorrow." "That''s good to hear. Napoleon Dynamite has already finished its run in North America and the box office is $149 million." It was a miracle for a project like Napoleon Dynamite to have that kind of success. Kazir grinned. "5% of that is going to your bank account." Salvatore smiled too... The answer was simple, he had a share in that amount. Kazir Kazir would get $7.45 million. Then Salvatore Barlowe would receive $223,000 from Kazir. Ah, the power of success. Salvatore never regretted contacting Kazir. Lately, many of his associates had become friendly with him, asking if Kazir Grey had another project. Hoping their clients could audition for roles. "I''m sure 20th Century Fox has some conditions, right?" "They want to talk to you about the sequel to Napoleon Dynamite. Tom Rothman wants to see you tomorrow." "I understand." Kazir enjoyed a good relationship with Tom Rothman. He was grateful that Tom Rothman accepted his movie. In a way, he had a lot of respect for 20th Century Fox and Tom Rothman. "Let''s meet tomorrow. Today I want to take some time to relax. By the way, what movies are in the theater right now?" "Warner Bros has invited you to the premiere of Twister." "Of course I will be there." Kazir easily accepted the invitation. He knew that Twister would be one of the blockbuster movies of the year. "It''s on May 11th. That is three days from now. You will be on the red carpet, so wear something nice. Salvatore Barlowe reminded him. "I''ll buy a suit for the occasion." Chapter 62 Chapter 62 "Kazir, when are you going to start the sequel to Napoleon Dynamite?" "Tom, you need to relax. We still need to polish the script." Kazir Grey and Tom Rothman had a meeting about the sequel to Napoleon Dynamite. The 5% of the box office had already been settled and Kazir had received confirmation from the bank. Out of respect for Tom Rothman, Kazir decided to be honest. "Tom, I''m going to be honest with you. I don''t want to direct the movie." "I fucking knew it!" Tom Rothman sighed and leaned back in his chair. He knew so many directors who didn''t like sequels. Steven Spielberg didn''t make Jaws 2 and other Jaws sequels. Wes Craven didn''t make the Nightmare on Elms Street sequels. In fact, Wes Craven hated sequels. He felt that they diluted the essence of the movie. The whole Nightmare on Elms Street almost became a comedy because of the endless sequels. But Napoleon Dynamite was different. "Kazir. You have to understand, Napoleon Dynamite needs you. Fox Searchlight will never hesitate to give you terms. $7 million salary and 10% of the North American box office. What do you think?" Tom Rothman thought Kazir would be tempted. This offer was already a big deal. "Tom, I have to be honest, but I have to say no. I''m still thinking about directing another movie." "Are you talking about the script that is circulating? Kazir, there''s no guarantee on that Teady Bear script. You have to think about it seriously." "..." Kazir just smiled. To be honest, he was struggling with his next project. He was interested in making Ted, but he was also eager to start his vast Continental Cinematic Universe. He wanted to be the first to start a successful Cinematic Universe. "I hope you''ll give me a positive answer when you''re done with The Hangover." "Thanks, Tom." The two shook hands and parted. Kazir left the 20th Century Fox building. After meeting with Tom Rothman, Kazir went directly to Warner Bros headquarters. Cassandra looked at the dress and noticed that it didn''t have a price tag. The clothes in the store didn''t have price tags... But based on the clothes they were selling, each dress could cost more than 10 thousand dollars. For a woman who was currently in debt after maxing out her credit card, Cassandra was sweating as she looked at them. The saleswoman looked at Cassandra''s expression and clicked her tongue, realizing that Cassandra was not a rich person. "Ma''am, I think you need to leave." "N- No, I''m waiting for someone. He''ll show up..." "Good morning, sir. Good morning, ma''am." A couple entered the store and were greeted by another saleswoman. Kazir and Reese walked into the store. The woman hugged his arm. She was flirting with Kazir. "Let''s find something for you first." "Thanks, Kazir." Reese giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "..." Cassandra was stunned as she watched the scene. She couldn''t believe that Kazir had a woman next to him! Besides, she was beautiful. To make matters worse, Cassandra could not take her eyes off of Kazir. The man before her was hot and sexy. His beard was trimmed and groomed. He was damn handsome. He didn''t have his fat belly either! He was fit and hunky! Cassandra remembered the reason she had married Kazir... Because she loved his looks and his confidence. The man in front of her was exactly that. Kazir was handsome, confident, and successful. The perfect man. Cassandra swallowed hard for some unknown reason. Her face flushed and she didn''t know why. She took a deep breath and smiled. She waved her hand at Kazir. "Husband..." But before she could speak, Kazir and Reese passed by without looking at her. Kazir never looked at her. As if she were a stranger. "Ma''am, I think you need to leave." The saleswoman woke Cassandra from her shock. Of all things, she hadn''t expected Kazir to never look at her. Her heart felt heavy and sour as she left the store. As if she had lost something precious. Chapter 63 Chapter 63 The movie premiere of Twister was on May 10, 1996. Unlike Se7en, where Kazir didn''t have the right to go on the red carpet, Warner Bros was generous and gave him his first red carpet attendance. "Haaa, haahh..." "Reese, you need to calm down. This is not even our movie. We''re just guests." Kazir chuckled as he looked at the woman next to him. His partner on the red carpet was Reese Witherspoon. "Kazir, I''m wondering how you can be calm. This is different from attending a premiere in other countries. Napoleon Dynamite didn''t have a red carpet premiere in the US. Now, there are hundreds of reporters from different newspapers to take our pictures. I''m afraid I''m going to make a scene." "I just feel like there''s no reason to be nervous." "You silly..." She sighed. What did she expect from a man who didn''t even react to the scolding of the Children''s Association? Kazir had a strong control over his emotions. ''Sometimes I wonder if he should be an actor instead.'' She thought. "Trust me. Nothing bad will happen." Kazir took her hand and squeezed it. "Thank you." She didn''t regret choosing Kazir. The man in front of her was much more mature. He was not easily frightened, as if he had experienced the worst. ''Sometimes I wonder how broken he is to be unaffected like this.'' "We''re here." The limousine stopped in front of the theater. The two stepped out, greeted by hundreds of camera flashes. Kazir and Reese kept their smiles on and walked ahead. Then they stopped at a checkpoint where reporters could take pictures of them. Then the coordinator signaled them to move on. Usually there were coordinators at this kind of event. This time, the two stopped at the checkpoint where reporters could interview them. Warner Bros had already contacted a reporter to interview Kazir. "Director Grey, what do you think about Twister?" "It''s nice to meet you too, Tom. I heard your movie is coming out in May." The two shook hands. "Paramount has already started promoting it. The shooting was actually quite difficult. Fortunately, I have a stunt double to do most of the dangerous stunts." Famous actors would always have insurance. Of course, insurance companies would never let actors participate in dangerous stunts. "I want to invite you to see Mission: Impossible." "I''ll be there for sure." After that, more actors began to greet Kazir and Reese. To be honest, the actors were interested in Kazir. Now that Kazir had become a rising director, many actors wanted to contact him in the hope of working with him. Enrico Pusi and Terry Semel also greeted him. A few minutes later Twister started. The movie cost $88 million plus $4 million for publicity. It starred Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. The movie was about a tornado that destroyed everything in its path. The movie was interesting. Reese Witherspoon and Kazir Grey had fun watching the movie. ...... ... ... In the first three days of Twister, it earned $41.05 million. This meant that the movie was successful. It defeated its rival in its first weekend and became the box office champion of the week. While Warner Bros did follow-up advertising for Twister, Kazir Grey spent most of his time in the editing room with Brody Hamilton. "If we keep this pace, we can finish post-production in June." Brody had a keen sense of such things. Kazir agreed with Brody Hamilton. Unfortunately, while Kazir was busy with the post-production of The Hangover, rumors began to circulate in Hollywood. It was said that there was a certain director who beat his wife out of depression... Chapter 64 Chapter 64 "Kazir... I think we have a problem." Salvatore Barlowe went straight to the editing room after realizing that something big was going on. It had already been a month since filming had finished. Kazir Grey had already finished editing 3/4 of the movie. He was just waiting for the sound director to finish the dubbing and stuff. Warner Bros already had a schedule for the movie. It would be released in July, although they were still trying to find the best weekend. "What is it?" Kazir looked at his agent. Kazir had dark circles around his eyes because he hadn''t slept much lately. "It''s about your ex-wife." "Are you talking about Cassandra?" Kazir frowned. He hadn''t expected to hear news about his ex-wife. "What did she say?" "This..." Salvatore handed Kazir a newspaper. It was a small tabloid. The headline was very simple. It said that Kazir Grey beat his wife. That was why Cassandra left him. "Is that all?" He asked. He thought something big had happened. "What do you mean, is that all? Kazir, this is bad for you!... Tell me, please tell me that you never beat your wife." Salvatore was sweating and his complexion was pale. He didn''t want anything bad to happen to his most profitable client. That would be devastating. "Don''t worry Salvatore. I never hurt my wife. Hell, I never even stayed in the house most of the time." Kazir shrugged. "You''re not lying, are you?" "What do you think? Do I look like a man who would hurt a woman?" "No. But I know some men who act like gentlemen who are actually wife beaters." "Oh, come on, Salvatore. I''m not Sean Connery." He chuckled. "I-I haven''t even said anything!" Salvatore stammered, knowing the truth. But Sean Connery was a client of CAA. He was the first 007 James Bond. Despite his age, Sean Connery was respected and could get many roles. His roles were usually an old gentleman. And it was true, Sean Connery himself admitted in an interview that he slapped his wife. "In my opinion, we should let the scandal simmer. In fact, I want Time Warner to join the scandal." "Kazir, are you being stupid?" Enrico Pusi raised his voice. "Hold on Enrico... I say let Kazir cook. What''s your plan?" Kazir and Cassandra had been fighting for divorced for a year. During that year, they tried to tear each other''s faces off. When Kazir realized that Cassandra was cheating on him. He decided to pay an investigator to follow his wife. ''It is a miracle that I was reborn after the day I received the investigator''s report.'' "This is the answer." Kazir placed a videotape on the table. Terry Semel immediately called someone to bring a VHS(Video Home System) and television to watch the video. "Where did you get this?" "I am collecting evidence of my wife''s infidelity. I spent more than $3,000 just to get this. I''m impressed by how far the private investigator went just to get this recording." "I see..." The video started and everyone watched it seriously. Cassandra was in a restaurant with an old fat man. Their faces were clear, easy to identify. "Isn''t that Bobby Dork?" Enrico Pusi muttered. He recognized the old man because he was also a producer. The conversation was quite simple, Cassandra and Bobby Dork were just flirting. However, from the way they were acting, it was clear that they had a strong intimacy. "This video is from two years ago, around August 1994." Kazir added. The video continued. Then everyone realized why Kazir was showing the video. In the video, Cassandra announced how she could get more money from Kazir. She would tell the court that she had been beaten and raped. "I think giving up your house is the best way to get away from a delusional person like her." Salvatore said, and everyone agreed. This kind of thing was frightening because society would mostly believe a woman''s word. In his past life, Kazir even used the video as evidence, but the court didn''t accept it. So he still lost his house in his past life. Chapter 65 Chapter 65 There were many kinds of commercial ideas. Maybe tons of advertising ideas. Especially when the Internet went mainstream. Before that, there was traditional advertising. -- Piggybacking on the news agenda. -- Making a scene and leaving a strong impression on people. Good or bad. -- Using social media to connect with people. (Not feasible because the Internet was just booming and many homes in the U.S. didn''t have Internet). Kazir decided to use the second option to promote the film. Since he was going to be involved in the scandal, he might as well take advantage of it. The very strong example of this is Kim Kardashian. After the Paris Hilton sex tape was released and caught the attention of all of North America. Kim Kardashian followed suit. Her porn scandal is a huge success. To be honest, Kim Kardashian used the sex tape as a springboard to fame. Now, her net worth is 1.2 billion as of 2023. ''People are unforgiving for a wife beater. Even me, I fucking hate men who hurt women.'' Despite the argument with Cassandra, Kazir never resorts to physical violence. "Are you ready, Kazir?" Salvatore asked beside him. Kazir nodded. They left the Warner Bros building. As soon as they left the building, they were surrounded by hundreds of reporters. "Director Grey! Is it true that you hit your wife?" "All I can say is don''t trust all women. Some of them use sympathy to take advantage of others." "Director Grey, CBS interviewed Cassandra last night. She was crying and said that you used to beat her whenever you come back to the house. She said that was the reason she divorced you. Is that true?" "The court has already determined that Cassandra has never filed an assault case against me. I gave her most of my property at that time because I want nothing from her." [Nah, I believe you. That bitch is probably gnashing her teeth because she didn''t get more money from you. Besides, if you really beat her, I''m still on your side. We''re family. Although you will definitely go to jail if you really hit her.] They both laughed. The call ended after a few minutes of conversation. Kazir was grateful to have his father and brother on his side. His father even recommended a lawyer. But Kazir trusted Terrence Downey, so he refused. ''Terrence Downey is going to have a field day with this lawsuit.'' All these accusations were useless because Cassandra had no evidence to back up her statement. Her agenda was clear, she just wanted money. Unfortunately, Warner Bros was on Kazir''s side. They would definitely destroy Cassandra''s life. ''I have seen so many men whose lives have been destroyed by false accusations, divorces, and DNA tests of their children. Many men have gone to prison because of false rape accusations. Many men have killed themselves because society hates them, for no reason.'' Kazir tried to be a good person. But some things can''t be taken for granted. Cassandra did that to herself. ''She''s probably not the mastermind. Someone is controlling her... I already have an idea.'' He thought his problems with WMA were over. However, it seemed that some people could not let go of the grudge. "Make sure that Cassandra will face many lawsuits." "I will." Salvatore agreed. He was furious with the insatiable bitch. She had already gotten most of Kazir''s property after the divorce. But she could not settle and wanted more. Time Warner and other media began to portray Kazir''s life. Some said he was an honest man and some said he was a psychotic man. Many accusations were leveled against him, all because of one woman''s crying/lying. ''... Now I understand Johnny Depp''s situation. When the whole world is against you, you see who you can trust.'' Suddenly his phone rang again. This time it was Reese Witherspoon. She wanted to invite him to dinner to relax. Kazir appreciated her goodwill, so he agreed to meet her. After all, he needed someone to cuddle... Chapter 66 Chapter 66 "Hah! I wonder how long they can keep up this farce! I will win in the end. So many people sympathize with me!" Cassandra roared as she read the notice from the court. She believed that as long as society was on her side, all would be well. She just attended another show and many looked at her with pity and sympathy. They prayed for her. Cassandra loved that people looked at her. She loved the attention so much that she didn''t care if she had to lie. Besides, just as she had no proof, Kazir''s side had no proof either. They both had friction, and Cassandra was winning. "Well, if he apologizes and kneels before the public, I will forgive him. I might even have a relationship with him again. As long as he''s useful." Cassandra was attracted to the new Kazir. However, she was insulted when Kazir never looked at her. She wanted to prove to him that she was a woman of value. No one could turn her down. "But he has to pay the hush money first." She grinned. Hollywood was hectic these days because of the scandal she had started. So many TV stations were talking about her plight. She was actually shocked by what she had done. She thought that this case would be easy and quick. But more and more people started to hear about her story. The media didn''t care about the truth, they just wanted to give the masses what they wanted. A story about a woman being beaten could generate sympathy. Especially if her husband was the talented director who created a 100 million dollar North American box office... $140 million to be exact. Those who were active on this were ABC and other networks under Disney. They tried to smear Kazir''s reputation. Especially when The Hangover would be released on June 28th. One of Disney''s movies this year, Phenomenon, would be released on July 5, and there was a very strong chance that The Hangover and Phenomenon would have a clash. Even Independence Day and The Nutty Professor would be released around the same time as The Hangover. Universal Pictures joined in the bashing of Kazir just to give The Nutty Professor a better chance of making more money. As for 20th Century Fox, they didn''t have a strong reaction to the Kazir scandal. They covered the story, but they didn''t promote it. They would rather promote Independence Day than get involved in the scandal. Tom Rothman wanted to work with Kazir despite the backlash. He believed that a person like Kazir Grey would never be stopped by a scandal. Tom Rothman met Kazir Grey while writing the screenplay for Napoleon Dynamite II. Kazir didn''t show any nervousness, as if it were a normal day. "It doesn''t matter if Kazir wants to keep this farce... I will win." Cassandra grinned. [Kazir? No. He is not even in the house most of the time... So we can have some fun tonight.] The recording ended. "Now, everything you are witnessing is real. This is the real footage of their meeting at the Tribahoe restaurant. We have the reservation lists that they checked at the restaurant." "..." The reporters were stunned at first. However, the reporters started asking him so many questions that Kazir frowned. "I can''t understand you when you talk at the same time." While the reporters were having a feast, the citizens watching the press conference were shocked. They felt that they had been deceived! It was humiliating! So everything Cassandra said about being beaten by her husband was false? She was lying!? The people felt angry. "Does she think we are idiots?" "Hah! I can''t believe I almost fell for her tricks!" "Just because of her beauty!" "Fuck! I even supported her!" There was one thing people didn''t like, they didn''t want to be treated like idiots. They had brains and could think rationally. "Cassandra is a lying bitch!" That was what they thought. Kazir began to answer their questions. Of course, he chose the ones related to Time Warner. He knew they would paint him in a better light. ''Let''s blacklist Disney and Universal Pictures. I have a limit too. They harassed me last time and I can''t let that happen again.'' He thought as he answered their questions. Chapter 67 Chapter 67 The result of the press conference was obvious. Kazir had taken care of his image. He answered the questions and proved that he didn''t hurt his ex-wife Cassandra Hoecrap. The reporters were so active and started to go crazy. This was a big scoop! So many people would be interested in this story! As long as the story could attract attention, reporters would cover it. An ex-wife lying to get clout from her now rich ex-husband! A gold-digging whore lying to gain public sympathy! Cassandra Hoecrap is the biggest liar of all. She deserves to go to jail for framing an innocent man! There were so many headlines in different newspapers. But the meaning was clear, Kazir was innocent while Cassandra was the real bad one. The press conference was broadcast live and millions of people watched it out of curiosity. The public realized the truth. They had been fooled like fools! "Believe all women? After what Cassandra did to Kazir and the public, I do not. You can''t believe all women, just like you can''t believe all men. In the end, it all depends on the person." The TV networks interviewed people and asked them about their opinions on the false accusations Kazir received. "I feel sorry for director Kazir Grey. I hope I can do something to help him." One woman said. "Well, his movie is coming out next week. I think you can watch it. If it''s interesting, maybe you can invite your friends to see it." "Is that so? What is the title of the movie?" "The Hangover." Warner Bros already had a promotion plan and they were doing well. After the truth was revealed, many people became interested in Kazir''s movie. They wanted to see if Kazir Grey was really a talented director. They wanted to know if he could make another successful movie. As for Cassandra, she received so much backlash after the revelation. She was facing a lawsuit... She was going to jail. After realizing that her life might be in danger, she became nervous and scared. "T-this is not right! Not right at all! I should have the last laugh! I should be the winner!" "August... I just have to wait for August." Leon Lau''s movie would be released in that month and he hoped that it would have a result like Napoleon Dynamite. ''If Kazir Grey can do it, Leon Lau can do it! I think my director is more talented than Kazir!'' He gritted his teeth. He didn''t know why this was happening to him. Everyone in Hollywood had an idea that WMA was behind Kazir''s scandal. The company probably wanted to use Carl Morin as a punching bag to take all the blame. While Kazir''s problem was over, the release of The Hangover came out. "Kazir, what can you say about Cassandra Hoecrap''s situation? She was facing tons of lawsuits. Even the women''s rights organizations are bashing her." "I have no comment." Kazir kept his expression. This was the red carpet for The Hangover. As the director, he had to be there. Most of the cast had already arrived and were being interviewed by the media. The actors said their regards for Kazir. Since it was their movie, they all hoped for the best. So they would naturally side with the director. Besides, Kazir was a good man. He didn''t look like a bad guy at all. "Thank you for your time, Director Grey." The reporter was actually hoping to hear something interesting, but Kazir was hard to crack. Kazir entered the theater. He was shocked to see someone he recognized. "Tom, I can''t believe you''re here. I''m sorry I missed your premiere." "That''s okay. I understand the reason why you couldn''t attend. I was invited, so I decided to attend, I''m here to support The Hangover." Tom Cruise shook his hand. "I''m glad to hear that." He was not sure if Tom Cruise was sincere, but it made him happy anyway. Chapter 68 Chapter 68 [I''ll be honest, I''m too lazy to write a summary of The Hangover. I would rather write my own story than write summaries. So I decided to use ChatGPT to summarize the movie. Many readers recommend ChatGPT to me and I can see why. I still edited and added some parts because I feel that ChatGPT is getting sillier and sillier. (I heard that OpenAI makes it stupid on purpose by filtering and blocking.) You can comment below if you want me to write my own summaries for the next movies.] After greeting Tom Cruise and many others, Kazir took his seat and waited for the movie to start. [The story revolves around four friends - Phil Wenneck, Stu Price, Alan Garner and Doug Billings - who go on a bachelor party trip to Las Vegas to celebrate Doug''s upcoming wedding. Their adventure in Las Vegas was eventful and something they would never forget.] [The first sequence of the movie was about Doug and Alan changing their clothes...] Alan''s (Jack Black) white briefs made the audience laugh. Even Doug''s (Pedro Pascal) acting was on point. [The four took a trip to Les Vegas and their first night in Las Vegas was crazy.] The audience was curious about what happened. Because after the four drank the liquor, the next scene was the next day where the hotel suite was trashed. It was the beginning of endless laughs from the audience. After all, The Hangover was one of the most successful comedy films of all time. [The group wakes up in their hotel suite after a wild night of partying.] "What do you think happened?" "I think it''s probably something to do with the woman who left the hotel suite." There was little conversation in the theater, but everyone was interested in the movie. [The three quickly realize they have no memory of the previous night and find themselves in a chaotic and trashed room.] [Doug is missing and they have no memory of what happened to him]. The audience wanted to know what happened to Doug. They also wanted to know why there was a tiger. Even Tom Cruise laughed when he saw Jack Black''s reaction after meeting the tiger for the first time. "This is a funny movie. It''s different from Napoleon Dynamite, but it''s funny." "I guess Kazir Grey knows how to make a funny movie, despite his serious expression." Kazir and the cast of The Hangover walked onto the stage and bowed their heads. This was the premiere night and many reporters want to interview the crew. To be honest, all the attention was on Kazir Grey because of what had happened recently. The reporters asked him so many questions. "Hey, let''s not forget the actors. They are the real heroes of the movie. I want to thank Ed Helms, Pedro Pascal, Jack Black, Bradley Cooper and Reese Witherspoon. They work hard for this movie. Of course, we can''t forget the crew that worked behind the scenes. I love you guys. I also want to give a shout out to Mike Tyson, good luck with your fight champ!" With that, Kazir turned the attention to the cast. Since the cast didn''t have a strong actor except for Ed Helms, the reporters focused their attention on Ed Helms instead. They began to ask Ed Helms about his next project. "Of course, if possible, I want to work with director Grey on Napoleon Dynamite II." That was his answer. Despite the successful release of The Hangover, Warner Bros was still walking on eggshells. Kazir went to the Warner Bros office after the premier night just to get the news quickly. With him was Salvatore Barlowe. When midnight ended, the fax machine received the stats. These papers were just calculations and it was not the exact result. But it is very close to the possible results. "7.86 million dollars! Is that correct?" Terry Semel was stunned. "Yes, Mr. CEO, these results could be even higher. The Cinema Alliance hasn''t calculated the other regions yet." "... That means this amount can still increase?" Everyone was shocked. Was this the result of hyping Kazir''s scandal? "G- Good! Hahaha good!" Terry Semel laughed happily. /Puji_maki Chapter 69 Chapter 69 June 28th, 1996. Friday. Movie companies usually released their movies on Thursday around midnight, so it was basically part of Friday. When the movies were released and the midnight results were in, the movie companies would start planning how to continue the publicity. After all, publicity was the biggest part of a successful movie. Even The Blair Witch Project had very good publicity despite the horrible production... Erm, Maybe unique? Everyone in the publicity department took the Blair Witch Project as a well-crafted publicity stunt. Almost no one could duplicate it. But that was not the point. Warner Bros decided to follow Kazir''s plan to use his scandal to promote The Hangover. As a result, many people showed up to see the movie on opening night, and the results were huge. 7.86 million dollars was a huge amount, especially when it was just the opening night. Even the other companies heard the news. In the office of Universal Pictures, Ronald Meyer was waiting for the results of The Nutty Professor. The Nutty Professor was one of their movies for the year, and it was a huge investment. It had a production cost of 55 million dollars. Of course, being the CEO of Universal Pictures, Ronald Meyer had to understand the importance of the movie. That''s why he didn''t hesitate to work with Disney to smear Kazir''s reputation. It was always about the money. Just like The Hangover, The Nutty Professor was released around midnight. "Sir, this is the result." The secretary appeared. Ronald Meyer took the papers and read the statistics. He knew that these numbers were just the base and that this amount could change. "$4.23 million." "Congratulations, sir." He sighed in relief. This amount was already good for the midnight result. To be honest, he had expected less. "What about The Hangover?" Of course Ronald Meyer hadn''t forgotten about the movie he had smeared. "Sir... This is the result of The Hangover. Please excuse me." Knowing that Ronald Meyer would scold him, the secretary left the office. Ronald Meyer picked up the documents. He was stunned when he read the figures. "Is this even possible? 7.86 million dollars!?" After the midnight results of The Hangover came in, the next day arrived. June 28, 1996. Friday. The Hangover grossed $16.73 million. June 29, 1996. Saturday. It made another $15.05 million. June 30, 1996. Sunday. The Hangover made $13.18 million. Combined, the movie made $44.97 million in just three days. This was the power of hyping a subject to gain traction. A lot of people would be interested in seeing the movie. Especially if the movie was funny and entertaining. As for The Nutty Professor, which was released by Universal Pictures, it earned $25.41 million in the first three days. It was a very successful movie. But because of The Hangover, it only got second place for the week. Obviously, the box office champion of the week was The Hangover. "Congratulations, Kazir." At the Twister party, many actors and actresses greeted Kazir on their own. In the past few days, almost no one wanted to talk to him because he was a "wife beater. But the success of The Hangover has erased that stigma. Now almost all the actors and actresses wanted to talk to him. Especially the small actresses who wanted to talk to him to deepen their friendship. ''... Is that Angelina Jolie? Even Julia Roberts is here. Oh, and Halle Berry too.'' Kazir found several famous actresses at the party. Some of them were still unknown, but their careers would blossom over the next decade. "Who are you looking at?" Reese Witherspoon stood next to him and asked. "Nothing. I''m just wondering if the special effects on Twister cost a lot of money." He replied. He knew when to be honest and when not. He wanted as little trouble as possible. "By the way... When can you help me act for my audition?" "How about later?" "Fufu, okay. Let''s enjoy the party first." Reese giggled and squeezed his arm. Chapter 70 Chapter 70 The main stars of the party were Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton and Jan De Bont. Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton were the protagonists of Twister, while Jan De Bont was the director. Since they were the main stars, Kazir Grey and Reese Witherspoon greeted them with congratulations. As of June 30, 1996. The movie Twister had grossed $220 million at the North American box office. In addition, the first week of international release of Twister grossed more than $45 million. Everyone understood that this was just the beginning and that the movie would continue to make money in theaters. These results were enough for Warner Bros to throw a celebration party. "Congratulations, Miss Hunt. Twister is a beautiful movie." Kazir and Reese shook hands with the famous actress. They also congratulated Bill Paxton and Jon De Bont. Bill Paxton was known for his roles in Aliens, True Lies, Apollo 13, Twister and Titanic. In fact, after this celebration, he would be traveling to Baja California, Mexico to join the crew of Titanic. "I''m actually scared of director Cameron. I don''t want him to scold me." He laughed, and Kazir just listened to Bill Paxton. After the interview, he also talked to director Jon De Bont. As a director, Kazir had a better relationship with Jon De Bont. "You know, Kazir. It took us almost three months to create a believable tornado using computer animation. I almost thought the movie would be delayed. I also have to spend hours in post-production." "Sometimes we can''t help but re-edit a scene to make it shorter. Just to make sure the audience feels the tension." "That''s right. I even called the cast to reshoot another scene. Warner Bros almost lost their minds." They both nodded. They were directors and sometimes they wanted to satisfy their creativity. To the point where they would ask for something outrageous, like asking for more money and shooting useless scenes. There were so many instances of this happening during the filming. Jon De Bont was a director who was known to be involved in many movies. He was a director, producer and cinematographer. He directed Speed and Twister. He was the executive producer of The Haunting and the producer of Minority Report. Before he became a director, he was the cinematographer of many well-known movies such as Basic Instinct, Lethal Weapon 3, and Die Hard. Kazir respects talented people. "Geez." Reese smiled. She was probably looking for that. But while they were talking. Another person greeted them. "Hello, Director Grey and Miss Witherspoon. I''m Jeffrey Epstein. I''m a financier." The man held out his hand. "..." Kazir didn''t expect to meet the famous "financier" at this party. Kazir kept his smile on, but he didn''t accept the handshake. Jeffrey Epstein saw that Kazir had no intention of accepting his handshake. Instead, he pulled out a business card. "I have contact with elite people, and my job is to form joyful parties for them. I think you will like it. I can send you an invitation if you''re interested. I can invite you to my private island if you like." That was right, Jeffrey Epstein was good at throwing "parties" and inviting celebrities. "Bill Clinton, Kevin Spacey, Chris Tucker, Bill Gates, Prince Andrew, Alex Baldwin, Henry Kissinger, Charlie Rose, Stephen Colbert, Will Smith and so many others have visited my island and said they love it. If you want, you can ask Tom Hanks about it." "I''ll think about it." Kazir replied. But he didn''t take the card. In fact, he has no intention of joining the so-called party. "Well, have a good night." Jeffrey Epstein walked away from the couple. "Kazir, are you okay?" "I''m fine." Kazir understood very well. No matter how much people glamorized Hollywood, it didn''t change the fact that it was a place where crime was prevalent but hidden. ''I hate to say it, but a lot of people in Hollywood are pedophiles. They are just good at keeping it hidden. Now, I am not here to tell you that all the people who went to Epstein Island are criminals. Maybe some of them are innocent. Let''s all just wait for the truth... However, they are very suspicious. They have kept up this facade of being good people when they are not.'' Kazir agreed that Hollywood was no paradise. Jeffrey Epstein was living proof of that. Hollywood was dirty garbage. Unfortunately, Hollywood was the dream of all actors, actresses and directors like him. All he had to do was stay away from those disgusting fetishes and crimes. Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Since Kazir Grey and Reese Witherspoon had nothing to do at the party. They already greeted most of the people. Some actresses tried to flirt with Kazir in front of Reese, but that was a common thing. After all, women prefer a successful man. This statement was basically true. Some might say it was wrong, but it was hard to deny. Women like strong, good looking and successful men. Anyway, Kazir didn''t bother to entertain these women. He knew how hellish it was once caught in the pit of a woman''s madness. So much so that he was accused of being a wife beater. ''Maybe some of these women think I''m really a wife-beater. But they still try to flirt with me.'' The couple walked to the exit. However, right at the exit, they met someone who was holding a bottle of wine and looking drunk. "... Mel?" Kazir recognized the person. It was Mel Gibson. Lethal Weapon was produced by Warner Bros. Of course they would invite Mel Gibson to the party. Especially when Jon De Bont was the cinematographer on Lethal Weapon 3. Kazir saw Mel Gibson talking to Jon De Bont earlier. He was sober then. But now... "Oh, look who we have here! Kazir Grey! Congratulations, Burp, your movie is the box office champion! Burp!" Mel Gibson leaned against the wall. He was clearly drunk. "..." Kazir narrowed his eyes, even Reese next to him was nervous. "Since you''re here, I''m going to warn you. I saw you talking to Jeffrey Epstein earlier... I''m telling you. DO NOT FUCKING GO." Kazir didn''t expect that Mel Gibson would be the one to warn him about the danger of Epstein Island. "Kazir. You''re still new in Hollywood and you''re not tainted by the filth, burp. I''ll tell you the truth, there are so many pedophiles in Hollywood. You have to be strong and resist the temptations. Guaarggh!" He said that and threw up on the floor. Reese could not help but frown in disgust. "Mel, I think you need to get some rest. I will call someone to take care of you." Instead of being disgusted, Kazir felt grateful. Most of the people at the party saw him talking to Jeffrey Epstein. But only one person had the courage to warn him. Sunday. It was $9.88 million. Like I said, more people go to the movies on a weekend. So The Hangover''s box office went up. So within ten days, The Hangover made $104.76 million at the box office! Its first ten days grossed more than $100 million. Unfortunately, despite earning about $60 million this week, The Hangover didn''t get the box office champion this week. The one that won the box office champion for the week was none other than 20th Century Fox''s Independence Day! Its first week was $96.10 million! The plot of America vs. Aliens caught the attention of many people. So The Hangover only got the second place. But no one thought that the movie was a failure. Instead, more and more film companies tried to contact Kazir about his next project! Even 20th Century Fox was eager to make Napoleon Dynamite II. They tried to convince Kazir to make the movie. But instead of agreeing... Kazir sent them a new script instead. "What the hell is this? An action movie?" Tom Rothman frowned when he first received the script. He had never expected Kazir Grey to be interested in an action movie. "That bastard... Why does he want to make an action movie instead of a comedy?" His two successful movies were all comedies, yet Kazir wanted to start a project about a retired agent who wants to save his daughter from human traffickers! It was outrageous. "He should stick to his forte..." Tom Rothman lost his temper. Independence Day was a success and he was happy. But after the success of the movie, 20th Century Fox had to find another movie to invest in. In his opinion, Kazir was the safest bet. But the bastard wanted to make an action movie! Chapter 72 Chapter 72 The month of July was a part of the summer when students could play around and watch movies. Every film company understood how important the summer schedule was, because this was the season when film companies could make a lot of money. Phenomenon, Courage Under Fire, A Time to Kill, and many other movies were released in July. However, the month of July was dominated by only two movies. They were The Hangover and Independence Day. At the end of the month, which was July 31st, Independence Day had $228.99 million. Honestly, that was a very large amount of money in just one month. This may be one of the reasons why Independence Day became the highest grossing movie of 1996. Everyone in Hollywood understood that the movie would make more money. It still hadn''t lost its freshness, and more moviegoers would watch t. As for The Hangover, it earned $207.01 million. It was amazing that these two movies were released almost at the same time and their box office was over $200 million each. The people in the marketing departments of the film companies concluded that people were very interested in science fiction. Especially if it had good graphics. As for The Hangover, it was brought about by the scandal. Many people heard about the movie because of Kazir''s scandal. So people became interested in the movie. But let us not forget another fact. In the film history, the first movie that was advertised in the Super Bowl was Independence Day. It caused a huge shock after it was advertised. Because almost hundreds of millions of people watch Super Bowl every year. Publicity. The two movies had good publicity. That could be the clear conclusion. Even Disney felt that their decision to disturb Kazir Grey was wrong. Phenomenon didn''t have any good results at all. The scandal they created was useless. Instead, they helped Kazir Grey and Warner Bros. To make matters worse, Salvatore Barlowe announced that Kazir Grey would never work with Walt Disney and Universal Pictures. Yes, the agent fucking announced it! Not at all afraid of the consequences. After all, there were other four giants Kazir could work with. "... Michael." Harvey Weinstein wiped his brow. He was the one responsible for fanning the flames of the scandal. Michael Eisner closed his eyes. The performance of their films this year had been a bit lopsided. Even their big production films like The Rock and Ransom didn''t make $200 million. Their animated films were also getting weaker. ''That is why we need new blood in this company.'' "This could be a good situation." When Harvey Weinstein used the power of Walt Disney to make trouble for Kazir, Michael Eisner turned a blind eye. Because he felt that Kazir Grey was nothing more than a newcomer. But his current movie was very successful. So this Kazir Grey caught Michael Eisner''s attention. "Let''s see if he is useful or dangerous." While the politics were going on in Hollywood, Kazir and the cast of The Hangover flew to the United Kingdom. Australia and Great Britain were both English-speaking countries. Hollywood usually released movies in their countries because of language similarities. Of course, there were other English-speaking countries, but these two countries bring a lot of money to Hollywood. After going to Great Britain, the actors would go to other countries in Europe. Art films were very prominent in Europe, and they respected films. Although recently European countries hated Hollywood because of its success. European art films were losing their strength. "Do you think we will meet Princess Diana?" Reese Witherspoon asked Kazir Grey after they got off the private plane. The plane belonged to Warner Bros. "Princess Diana? Ah!" Kazir recalled that Princess Diana was still alive at the time. ''Her death is really heartbreaking...'' He sighed. ''As for the conspiracy theories about her and the royal family... I didn''t really know what happened.'' "I am amazed by Princess Diana because she is a real person... Unlike her husband." "Reese, you should keep your voice down. The royal family is in control of this country. We don''t want to upset them. Besides, Prince Charles is going to inherit the throne." "Really?" "Well... That''s what I''ve heard." Chapter 73 Chapter 73 The promotion for The Hangover went on for over a month before the last stop, Japan. Despite her hopes, Reese Witherspoon didn''t meet Princess Diana. They only stayed three days in the United Kingdom before leaving. Besides, The Hangover might be inappropriate for the princess to attend. After all, the Princess was still married to Prince Charles when The Hangover premiered in the UK. They divorced on August 28, 1996... Six days after the film''s release. Apparently, the cast had already flown to another country by the time it was officially announced. Anyway, Reese was surprised that when they returned to the U.S., the news of Princess Diana and Prince Charles'' divorce was all over the news. ...... ... ... "Phew... Let me rest." Kazir lay down on his bed and closed his eyes. He was exhausted. The two months of endless publicity had taken their toll on Kazir. They went to different places, traveled around the world just to promote the movie. The month of August came to an end and the summer schedule was over. There were still movies to be released in September, but they didn''t get much attention. Film companies usually released movies that they were not sure about in that month. Like Se7en, it was released in September last year. But The Hangover was different. Kazir laughed out loud. All 10% of the North American box office was for him alone. Kazir had already received his $5 million salary. He was even thinking about buying a house. Warner Bros had signed a contract that if The Hangover grossed more than $100 million, Kazir Grey would automatically get 10% of the box office. Since the month of August was already over. The Hangover played for more than 60 days. The movie made 261 million dollars. Yes, he would get more than 26 million dollars! "Not bad... Who am I kidding, it''s the best! Haha!" He laughed as he lay on the bed. Money. People said money was bad. They said it was the root of all evil. They said that money could never make you happy. "Well, I''m not sure about that." One thing was for sure. He was happy now that he had a lot of money. "Now, about my next plan..." Kazir knew he was taking a risk with his new project. In fact, many film companies were trying to contact him about his project. ''Terry Semel has already expressed his dissatisfaction with my next film not being a comedy. He said it would be better if I directed the sequel of The Hangover instead. He has a point. It''s better to direct a comedy than an action movie, especially when I don''t have any experience in directing an action movie. But it''s my dream to make an action movie... Hell, I even have a cinematic universe in my head.'' Kazir yawned and slowly let his mind drift off to sleep. He had plenty of time to think about it. Now that his last two movies were successful, someone would be interested in working with him. Chapter 74 Chapter 74 "Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit--!!!" Carl Morin cursed under his breath as he walked into the WMA Vice President''s office. He already had an idea why he had been summoned. His fists were clenched in anger. He was flushed. Even his eyes were bloodshot. He hadn''t had any real rest these days. Mad, angry, he was in despair. Especially when Cassandra filed a complaint against him. That was right. The bitch would never go to jail alone. She had to take Carl Morin with her! Carl Morin entered the room without a care in the world. "You know why you''re here." Lawlor Dean looked at Carl Morin. The WMA president of L.A branch spoke to Lawlor Dean. He was humiliated in front of the other vice presidents. WMA was an agency and there were five vice presidents and two presidents. The company had two offices, Los Angeles and New York. Even though he was a Vice President, Lawlor Dean received nothing but criticism at the annual meeting. The other vice presidents blamed him for Kazir Grey''s situation. After all, Lawlor Dean was the one responsible for kicking the director out of their company. Fortunately, Lawlor Dean was not fired, but his position in the company was grave. "You have to understand. This is all your fault." "..." Carl Morin was too quiet. He didn''t know when everything went wrong. Was it because he had seduced Cassandra? Was it because he dumped Kazir Grey? Or was it because of Leon Lau''s movie? "Leon Lau''s movie didn''t make any money at all. It stayed in theaters for four weeks. It only made a small amount of 5.6 million dollars!" Lawlor Dean spoke. He looked at the documents in front of him. The movie had been a massive failure. "Vice President, Leon''s movie didn''t have a big budget. It only cost 600 thousand dollars. I think generating 5.6 million dollars is not bad." Carl Morin tried to explain. "That''s right. It''s impossible for a movie with a small budget to make that much money. It didn''t have any publicity either... But what about Napoleon Dynamite?" "..." Carl Morin didn''t know how to respond to this statement. "Napoleon Dynamite cost 500 thousand dollars to make. Yet it had much more trend than Leon Lau''s movie. I can''t believe you pushed Kazir away. He is much more talented than Leon Lau... It''s all your fault." "Wait, what?" Carl Morin was stunned. He knew that he was partly responsible for Kazir''s termination. But at that time he had only followed Lawlor Dean''s orders. "No! I think you are also responsible. If it were not for you, Kazir might still be my client! Maybe my status as an agent will be upgraded if Kazir is still my client... If not for your order at that time!" Cassandra started to make a scene when she found Kazir. Kazir Grey sighed. He was over with Cassandra, but it seemed the woman wanted to harass him. "Cassandra, what are you doing here?" "Baby, let''s talk please~ I miss you~" Her voice was hoarse even though she spoke sweetly. Maybe she hadn''t slept much these days. Her appearance was unkempt. She didn''t have her usual makeup and false eyelashes... She looked simple and sweet. This was the truth. Cassandra had lost weight, but she still looked pretty. Even without makeup. Unfortunately for Cassandra, Kazir was unaffected by her pathetic appearance. "What do you want?" "Kazir, baby... Let''s go back to the time when we love each other, baby. I miss you~" Her eyes watered. Kazir was not sure if the woman was sincere or faking it. But he felt nothing. "Cassandra, we are divorced. Our divorce is already settled." He started to walk away. He didn''t bother to talk to her. "T- Then at least stop the lawsuit! Kazir, I know you can do it! Don''t you feel sorry for me? I thought you love me! Kazir, please... I don''t want to go to jail." Kazir stopped and turned around. "Cassandra. You tried to destroy my life, three times. The first time, I almost wanted to stop living. I hated you... But now you are nothing but a stranger. I will not stop the trial. You deserve it." "Why? Why are you doing this to me? Kazir! You''re a heartless bastard! Fuck you!" "No Cassandra, I think you are the heartless one here." "What do you mean?" She glared at him. Biting her lip until it bled. "I know what you did. You aborted our child." "..." Cassandra was speechless. "H-how did you know?" "It''s useless to explain. I don''t want to see you again." "Kazir! Kazir! Baby, I''m sorry! I was greedy back then! I don''t want a burden because I want to divorce you! I feel the child is useless since we are going to divorce anyway! Baby, listen to me, please!" Kazir didn''t listen and walked away. Cassandra was subdued by the security guards and screamed her lungs out. That was the last time Kazir saw her. Chapter 75 Chapter 75 [Author''s note: The first part may be unnecessary, but I already wrote it... Anyway, this chapter was actually written three months ago, and there are almost 100 advanced chapters on my Pat reon. If you''re interested, you might want to check it out]. "Your Honor. I''m the innocent one here. I never cheated, I was the one who was cheated on. Why is my ex-wife entitled to half of my assets?" Kazir Grey was emaciated with dark circles around his eyes. He tried to plead with the jury, but the process was never on his side. "The court system always favors women because that is the way it is." The judge said. "Are you serious? Is this even a real trial? How can you say that? This is not how a trial should be conducted. I demand a proper verdict!" "Your Honor, I don''t think Kazir Grey has the right to speak. He doesn''t respect you at all." Cassandra''s lawyer tried to stop Kazir from speaking. "Objection, Your Honor, my client has a right to speak." Terrence Howard stood up to defend his client. "Well, as the judge of this court. I must say that I believe all women because they are always right. Now, Mr. Kazir Grey, you must give Cassandra Hoecrap half of your savings. And you will give her the house. That''s it, case closed." "..." Kazir Grey was stunned. "This is stupidity! I bet that bitch is sucking the judge''s dick or something!" Even Terrence Howard felt that the whole trial was a circus. From the beginning, the judge favored Cassandra. The hearing was over and Kazir was left standing defeated. He heard his ex-wife giggling. He turned to find Cassandra approaching him. "Did you see what happened? That''s what you deserve for trying to defend yourself. Oh, by the way, Kazir... We actually had a baby, but I got rid of it just to spite you. I also fucked Carl Morin. Fufu, your expression is so cute." "What did you say? I''M ASKING YOU, WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" "Fufu, you heard me right. I don''t want a child from a weak man like you. See you later, I hope you keep the house clean because I''m going to sell it." Kazir stared at the woman with deep hatred. He clenched his fists in anger and swore in the courtroom. He thought the devil was not real, but Cassandra Hoecrap was the definition of evil. ...... ... ... "I can''t believe I''ve come to the point where I can forgive her." Kazir muttered as he looked out the window. He was over 50 years old when he was reincarnated in 1994. In that time, Kazir had matured and his hatred for his ex-wife had disappeared. What happened back then was nothing but painful memories, and it made him a better person. If Kazir was honest. He liked the Taken franchise. ''If there''s one action movie I like when I was old, it''s probably John Wick, but Taken is my number two. Jason Bourne is third and Fast and Furious is fourth.'' "Salvatore, I heard Liam Neeson is a client of CAA." "That''s right. Liam Neeson''s agent is Chris Andrews. Why did you ask?" "Nothing, I''m just glad to hear it. At least the negotiations will not be complicated since Liam and I are both clients of CAA." "Wait, you don''t mean...?" Salvatore Barlowe narrowed his eyes. "That''s right. Once the project starts, I want to invite Liam Neeson to play the lead." "I''ll try to contact Chris Andrews." "Yes. I don''t want to experience what happened last time with Ed Helms. William Morris Agency is really trying to interfere with my movie schedule as much as possible." If that continued, Kazir would only choose actors from CAA. At least they won''t complicate things for him. ''I give them roles after all.'' "Kazir, don''t forget your promise. You will cast Enzo and one of my clients in your movie." "No problem. But they have to audition first. If their looks and acting don''t meet the criteria, I''ll have to turn them down." "I''ll talk to them about it." "Good." The two entered the elevator. [I''m bored, so I want to share my top 5 underrated anime] 1. Psycho Pass 2. Darker Than Black 3. Blood+ 4. Blood Blockade Battlefront (Where''s the fucking season 3!?) 5. Akame Ga Kill Chapter 76 Chapter 76 The two arrived at the meeting place, Terry Semel''s office. Kazir saw only three people in the room. They were Terry Semel, his secretary, and Enrico Pusi. "Good to see you, Terry, Enrico." "Kazir, Salvatore, please sit down." Kazir and Salvatore found seats. "So Kazir, I read your proposals and some of them are much more outrageous than last time. Your condition for The Hangover is a 10% share. But this time you want 15% North American box office share? And you want to invest at least 30% in this Taken movie of yours?" "That''s right, Terry. There''s a reason I want to invest in this movie." "Let''s see... It''s written here that you want approval rights if we start a sequel to the movie. To be honest, I''m not sure if this movie will even have a sequel. This is different from your usual style." "What do you think, Terry?" Kazir kept his smile. "If you ask me. The plot is very stupid." "Yeah, I thought so too. But a lot of movies have stupid plots." Kazir agreed. "..." The atmosphere in the office was a bit awkward. Both sides had clear motives. "Kazir, I recommend that you continue to make comedies instead. Warner Bros will not hesitate to invest in Teddy Bear if you want, heck, we are ready to spend money on a better computer graphics. We will also give you 15% of the North American box office. As for The Hangover Part 2, we will even pay you $8 million plus 15% of the North American box office if you are interested." Warner Bros would never hesitate to pay Kazir a good amount of money just to make sure that The Hangover sequel would be successful. Kazir Grey has already proven his ability. He could make successful comedies. Terry Semel tried to persuade Kazir. He felt that Kazir was wasting his talent by doing something stupid. ''Why bother to make an action movie when his talent lies in comedy?'' "I''ll think about it." "..." "The Cinema Alliance has already given us our share, we will send you the 10% on your account later". "I''m glad to hear that. Thank you, Terry." The two shook hands. Both sides understood that the meeting had failed. Warner Bros was not interested in his project. As Kazir and Salvatore left the office, Terry shook his head in disapproval. In his opinion, Kazir should stick to what he was good at. Experimenting could lead him to destruction. "Sir..." Enrico Pusi started to speak, but Terry Semel signaled him. "Enrico, try to find a director to make The Hangover Part 2. And make sure Kazir is involved in writing the sequel. Make him an executive producer if you have to." "Sir, I will do my best." Enrico Pusi nodded. ...... ... ... "Looks like we need to contact the other companies," Kazir muttered. "Paramount and 20th Century Fox have expressed their willingness to work with you." "What about Sony-Columbia?" "Kazir, you know that Sony-Columbia has been trying to make safe movies in recent years. They haven''t had much influence... but yes, they want to work with you, but with Teddy Bear. I heard that they know a brand of teddy bear stuffed toys in Japan that would be happy to use their brand for the movie." "Let''s look into it." The script about Teddy Bear was still on the market. Many companies wanted to buy the script and Kazir was still waiting for better conditions. Besides, the movie was just for baiting. He knew that CGI technology was still in initial stage and Kazir have no intention of directing it. Let the Big Six spend more money, hehe. Chapter 77 Chapter 77 November 21st, 1996. Kazir went to the investment firm. He wanted to increase his investment in the three companies. This year, Nokia''s stock had risen 50.27%. He decided to invest $1.6 million earlier this year, and his current investment turned into $2.4 million. Cisco''s share price increased by 70.8%. He also invested $1.6 million in Cisco. Now the money he invested became $2.7 million. Of his three investments, Microsoft''s stock price increased the most this year. It was 88.31%. Kazir split his $5 million into three parts. Apparently, he invested $1.6 million in Microsoft. His $1.6 million became $3 million. Combining the three, Kazir''s original $5 million became $8.1 million. Of course, stock prices fluctuate every second, and those amounts could rise or fall tomorrow. That was the way the stock market worked. Kazir received his $5 million salary after the movie was completed. Last week he also received his 10% share of the North American box office. So yes, he got another $20 million from Warner Bros. This time, Kazir decided to invest another $10 million in the stock market. More precisely, he invested in the three companies (Microsoft, Cisco and Nokia) again. These were the companies he remembered quite well. He divided the $10 million into three parts and left it to the investment firm. "It''s nice working with you, Director Grey." "I know you won''t disappoint me, Vance Goodhood." Kazir Grey''s investment advisor was Vance Goodhood. Vance worked at a prestigious investment firm. He had good credit and a good reputation. Kazir knew this person in a previous life. Well, they were not friends or acquaintances. But he knew that Vance never had a bad reputation in his profession. He was a famous investment advisor even in the next three decades. So Kazir trusted him. So Kazir expected that Taken would take time to get approved. The film companies took the project seriously, especially when it was not a comedy genre that Kazir Grey was good at. They were hesitant. Also, Kazir''s demands were too much. He wanted a $10 million salary plus 15% of the North American box office. Then he wanted to invest at least 30% of the production budget. And he also wanted the rights to the sequels. The salary and box office share could be negotiated, but the latter was difficult to accept. If Kazir Grey invested 30% of the budget, then of course he would get at least 30% of the profits. That wasn''t something any movie company would agree to. As for the rights to the sequels, that could be negotiated as long as the movie was successful. Besides, Kazir Grey was the screenwriter of the movie, and his participation in the creation of the sequels was a must. "So it''s all about the investment. I can''t help it, I have to make sure I have strong authority over the project. I don''t want to experience what happened to Zach Snyder in the middle of Justice League. ... Well, the reason Zach Snyder left Justice League was because of family problems. However, Warner Bros and the insurance company wanted to make sure that the movie would be completed on schedule, so they hired Joss Whedon to film the remaining scenes of the movie, and perhaps change the overall plot. The result of the film was obvious. The fans loved Justice League Snyder''s cut more than the other. The investment was an assurance that Kazir was in control of Taken and many of the films associated with it. After all, he was about to create a Cinematic Universe that could make billions. It was too late to regret being pushed out of his own creation. "If it fails, I guess I have to make another Cinematic Universe. Once Marvel Comics reaches the point of destruction, I will buy their superheroes and make movies with them. It''s a lot easier because there''s a blueprint to follow." In fact, Kazir has already bought the copyrights to Iron Man and Hulk from New Line Cinema and Universal, respectively. It only cost him a few hundred thousand. The copyrights to Spiderman are quite tricky because a lot of companies say they own the copyrights to Spiderman. Cannon Films and Sony-Columbia to be exact. In fact, James Cameron wanted to direct the movie. Sony-Columbia officially bought the movie copyrights of Spiderman in 1999 after Marvel acquired it back. [Author''s Note: My research might be imperfect so I apologize.] Chapter 78 Chapter 78 [Author''s note: Regarding the CAA partnership, I only read about it twice in the Hollywood novels I read. I can''t find an article to prove this point, but I decided to add it anyway]. "Kazir... This is Rafael and Stetson. Rafael will now handle your negotiations with the movie companies, while Stetson will take care of your writing team." Just as Kazir had expected, he now had two other agents to do his work for him. CAA had a policy of having more than one agent to make sure that the agent could not keep the client alone. This kind of policy only happened when the client was talented, successful, and had strong prospects. Kazir checked all the conditions. This kind of situation was very common, even Steven Spielberg had many agents. Even Tom Cruise had many agents, although Pat Kingsley was still his main agent. She was the one who controlled Tom Cruise''s PR. "Nice to meet you both." Kazir greeted them and shook their hands. The two men before him looked distinguished and well-mannered. "Rafael graduated from college with a degree in business administration. He has been with CAA for more than 8 years. He has six clients under him." Salvatore introduced. He was not that bitter. After all, when Kazir was successful with Napoleon Dynamite, he already expected this situation. "Nice to meet you, Director Grey." "Well, this is Stetson. He is a screenwriter and novelist. He can help your team make the script more compact. He has five actors under him." Salvatore introduced the two. Both Rafael and Stetson had experience in their respective fields. "I see..." Kazir kept his smile. Then he approached Salvatore after the two agents had left. "I''m surprised you''re taking it so well. You are not at all disappointed." "About that, they said that if you make another successful movie, they will invite me to the board of directors." Salvatore grinned. "I fucking knew it." "I don''t know, why don''t you go to the post office or something?" "I''ll think about it." Money was no problem for Kazir. He could hire someone to make his work easier. "Rafael is already waiting downstairs, we have to face Tom Rothman this time." Salvatore reminded Kazir of the important meeting. "Yes, the meeting with Brad Grey didn''t end well. Paramount is interested in Teddy Bear instead. Maybe they know a company that will let them use the trademark for a teddy bear." "Then they have to give better terms." The real title of the script was still not in circulation, even the script was not polished. Only Kazir had the perfect script, he would give it to the movie company that bought the script. Never show your best card to the public, they might steal it. The two went downstairs and found Rafael Foster and Terrence Downey. "Let''s go to 20th Century Fox." 20th Century Fox. A film company that was famous all over the world. It produced so many masterpieces and people would never forget the legendary logo. Even the intro music of 20th Century Fox was iconic. The home of Titanic, Avatar, X-Men, Star Wars (the first six films were distributed by Fox), Independence Day and Deadpool. There were many movies that 20th Century Fox produced, but these were the most recognizable. A few minutes drive brought them to the 20th Century Fox headquarters. ''I have one regret. I regret that 20th Century Fox was bought by Walt Disney.'' Hollywood was a movie factory with perfect procedures. But Walt Disney took it to another level. So much so that their movies lost any artistic value, and even Marvel superhero movies became repetitive and boring. In his old age, Kazir was disgusted by Disney''s greed. Disney will never hesitate to swab the water to make it dirty. One thing is clear, I don''t want my children to learn that twerking is empowering. So fuck you, Disney, for the next three decades. Seriously, who the fuck were the writers at Disney? Your movies lately have been ass, ugly as shit. Chapter 79 Chapter 79 [Author''s note: I created a poll on Patreon and let my patrons choose which movie they want Kazir to make. There were three choices: 1. Ted-- I like this movie, so I decided to add it. 2. My Big Fat Greek Wedding--I want Kazir to try his hand at rom-com. 3. Taken-- If they choose this movie, then the Continental Cinematic Universe will officially begin. In the end, my patrons chose Taken, which brings us to the current plot]. Calix and the others arrived at the 20th Century Fox headquarters. They entered the elevator, walked a few feet, and entered the CEO''s office. As they expected, Tom Rothman was already there. "Kazir, congratulations on The Hangover." "Thanks, Tom." The two shook hands. Tom Rothman and Kazir faced each other. They were the stars of this meeting. "Kazir, I have read the script of Taken. All I can say is that it''s mediocre at best. The action sequences that you specifically wrote were a bit interesting, but it''s not enough to impress me. There are even some parts that are confusing. Based on Tom Rothman''s opinion, Kazir already had an idea where this meeting would end. "Tom, if you''re interested, how about reading my other script?" "Let me see it." Kazir handed him the script and gave Tom Rothman a few minutes to skim the context of the script. Tom Rothman frowned and put the script down on the table. "Kazir, are you sure about this? You want to make these two movies connected?" "Not two. I have many scripts that are set in one universe." "Are you joking?" Tom Rothman raised his eyebrows. "No. I think I''m serious and sober. "I hope I hear good news next time." Kazir left the building. He sighed. He really thought 20th Century Fox would agree to his terms. But Tom Rothman asked for something unexpected. "I''m sorry Terrence, you attended this fruitless meeting." "Yeah, you need to give me a movie free ticket to make it up to me." Terrence was not offended. He joked instead. "Haha, I promise." The lawyer left first. Then Rafael felt that he was still not trusted, so he decided to leave... He was disappointed that he didn''t get a commission this time. Despite sharing a small percentage, Kazir''s project had a huge budget. His share was enough to cover his annual salary. "Kazir, what is your plan? We already talked to the four big companies. Do you want me to go to Disney and Universal?" "No. I made it clear. I don''t want anything to do with them." "I understand." Kazir and Salvatore stopped at the bar they usually visited. This bar had a relaxing atmosphere and they liked to drink in this place. "Actually, I was hoping to work with 20th Century Fox because I like their movies. I have my preferences. But I didn''t expect Tom Rothman to want to buy my studio company. When I heard that, I backed out. The copyrights that the studio acquired will help us in the future." "What is your plan then?" Salvatore Barlowe sipped a glass of bourbon. "... Looks like I have no choice, I''m going to make the movie with my own money." "Fu- Kazir, are you crazy? That''s the most outrageous thing I''ve heard today! You know it''s dangerous for you and the studio if your movie flops. Then how can you distribute it? Your studio is just a production company. You don''t have any distribution channels." Salvatore was right. Kazir''s intention was dangerous. His future could be over if he did it. "Kazir, I have to stop you. We can agree to Warner Bros or Paramount''s terms instead." "I''m sorry Salvatore, but I''ve changed my mind. I don''t want to sell the copyrights to my movies. I want full control of the entire Continental Cinematic Universe." "..." Salvatore Barlowe could see that Kazir meant it. Chapter 80 Chapter 80 ''I know I''m being arrogant and stupid. But I have to. Taken is not just a one-off movie. It''s the beginning of a big project. If I decide to agree to the terms of the Big Six, it means I will lose billions of dollars. Especially if the Continental Cinematic Universe is a success.'' ''George Lucas did it with Star Wars. Steven Spielberg created DreamWorks. Heh, George Lucas sold Lucasfilm, Steven Spielberg sold DreamWorks. They sold the companies, but they made billions. Clearly, it''s a winning move. Fuck people who think they should bow down to the Big Six without trying to fight.'' Just like last time, Kazir Grey gambled. So he had to make the movie with his own investment. So that no one from Big Six would control him later. Hell, Big Six could use his movies to push their disgusting agenda. Just like Disney did with Marvel. "I will make my movies and let the film companies distribute them. Of course, I will fight for better terms." "Am I hearing this right? Kazir, are you going to create your own distribution channels?" "No... I have seen how the Big Six have destroyed their competitors. The Big Six are looking at DreamWorks right now because they didn''t want it to succeed. I don''t want to be like DreamWorks (and Lionsgate)." Kazir understood that no one could beat the Big Six. It had been proven for three decades. Even a person from the future could not control Hollywood by himself. It would never work. The Big Six would never be the Big Seven. It would only be Big Five. That is, one company absorbing the other. "What''s your plan?" "My plan? Heh. I will make good movies. Once they are ready, the Big Six will kneel and lick the ground just to acquire 1/3 of my company." Kazir grinned. That was the best example of this situation. Marvel Entertainment. The success of The Avengers led Disney to buy Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion. ''Now, my studio doesn''t have any comics. But it will be the first successful Cinematic Universe of this timeline. I will make sure I get billions out of it. Hm, being a shareholder is not bad, I guess.'' For that to happen... Kazir had to prevent the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or make it his own. ''Next month, Marvel is going to declare bankruptcy. Let''s loot all their heroes then.'' He grinned like the devil. Since he had already chosen this path, he had to be heartless. Don''t give a damn what the other people say. ''I have to apologize to the fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is what it is. Maybe they''ll hate me when they know what I''m going to do.'' "That''s right." Kazir nodded. "It says here that you want a loan of $50 million and pay it back within 3 years, is that right?" From a millionaire''s point of view, getting a loan was good because it was a method of legal tax avoidance. Kazir''s credit was good. In addition, he was a director who made movies worth hundreds of millions at the box office. Borrowing $50 million was no problem. "What will you do with the money?" "I will invest in my own movie and the rest will be used to buy copyrights." Maria Ozzawu nodded. The answer was as expected. "Phew... I thought they would interview me." Kazir sighed with relief after his loan was approved. To be honest, the only relevant information he knew was about compound interest. But he didn''t know how it normally worked. He was not the type to borrow from the bank. Kazir had a good financial sense, so he never got to the point of bankruptcy. Especially when he got a share of the videotape profits every quarter. "Salvatore, yes, it''s me." Kazir opened his phone and called Salvatore Barlowe. "That''s right, I got it. Tell Rafael I want to acquire the copyrights to Marvel''s superheroes. Yes, I have a list here. I will give it to him later." Marvel was facing bankruptcy and it was the best time to squeeze them dry. ''I heard they already sold Black Window, Blade and Captain America. I can find a way to acquire them, but first let''s get what we can get.'' +++++ [Author''s note: My decision is still firm, I really do not want Kazir to become a businessman. Once that happens, his attention will be divided even if he hires a professional manager to run his company. So I have to choose between being a director or a businessman, I decided that Kazir must still be a director. However, he will never sell the movie copyrights of Hitman+Spy Cinematic Universe just like that]. [By the way, shout out to Darui, I think I''m going to call the Hitman+Spy Cinematic Universe the Continental Cinematic Universe. It has a nice click to it. ] [And yes, I do not know how loans and loan interest work.] Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Hawkeye, Star-Lord, Black Panther, Thor... Almost everyone who was part of the MCU was acquired by Grey Pictures. Marvel was facing its biggest slump in history and Kazir used this moment to acquire the movie copyrights to these superheroes. Marvel still owned the comic book copyrights and other copyrights such as toys and many merchandises. The contract stated that Grey Pictures had the authority over the movie copyrights for twenty years. It should have been fifty years, but Marvel wanted an outrageous amount. In the end, Grey Pictures bought the copyrights for $27 million. These characters are not that famous and Marvel didn''t care about these superheroes at all. Their famous superheroes are actually Spiderman, Iron Man and the Hulk. Kazir sighed. He sighed with relief after acquiring the characters. Now that the contract was clear and he had paid the money, he didn''t have to worry about Marvel making trouble. All he had to do was show the contract. ''Of course I''ll still contact them. They know these superheroes better than I do.'' He had no problem inviting Stan Lee. But the MCU had to wait a decade. The current graphics technology was not mature enough to create a superhero movie. It was December 13, 1996. The Hangover was officially drop by the cinemas. The movie grossed $469.3 million at the worldwide box office. Because of this result, many film companies tried to contact Grey Pictures about Kazir''s next project. Unfortunately, every one of them was rejected. Grey Pictures announced that Taken would be financed exclusively by the company. As for Ted, Kazir sold the script to Warner Bros for $2 million. Buying a script for $2 million was a stupid move. But Warner Bros understood Kazir Grey''s ability to write a comedy. He had already proven himself twice. ''They invited me to be the executive producer. No problem. '' The position was nominal. Warner Bros needed Kazir''s opinion on how to make the movie funny. All he had to do was show up on set once in a while. Fortunately, Warner Bros would start shooting Ted at the end of the next year, around October 1997. ''But I think they will postpone this project...'' Kazir thinks he was free by then. "Salvatore, what is Liam Neeson''s answer?" "Liam had no project next year... He agreed, but he didn''t like the contract." The action sequences of action movies in the 80s and early 90s were too simple and monotonous. They even have to repeat the punches so many times just to make a point. The movie that influenced kung fu in Hollywood was The Matrix. Since then, many movies have hired stunt directors from Hong Kong. But that would be a different story from now on. Kazir Grey wanted to start the trend of hand-to-hand combat with great choreography. He needed someone like Tae-Won Park. The Korean opened the door nervously. He heard the director calling him. Actually, he had been waiting for a while, but Salvatore and Kazir were talking. "Director..." His pronunciation was a little awkward. Perhaps influenced by the Cantonese language of Hong Kong. Still, Kazir Grey could understand his English well enough. "So you are Tae-Won Park." "Director, thank you for taking care of my brother." "It''s nothing. You are a professional stunt director from Hong Kong. I wonder, do you know mixed martial arts?" "I know, but we usually never use this kind of action choreography in our movies. The movies we produce are all kung fu." "It''s okay. We have plenty of time to think about it. First I want to hear your thoughts." Salvatore handed the remote to Kazir. He was slowly becoming an assistant. ''I need to hire an assistant, huh.'' Kazir was embarrassed because Salvatore had been his "assistant'' for the last two years. "Anyway, check out this action choreography and give me your honest opinion." The footage began. On the screen, Kazir Grey and Enzo Park started their fight. In this situation, Enzo Park took the role of retired agent Bryan Mills, while Kazir was simply a mob. Enzo began to land direct and deadly punches on Kazir. "It''s different from what I expected." Tae-Won Park replied. The action sequences were precise and lethal. Almost like a veteran soldier with the sole purpose of killing. Chapter 82 Chapter 82 What he saw was not Kung Fu or some Hollywood action fight. It was almost as if he was watching a real battle, a bloody, realistic battle. "Once you are officially hired, you will have to do many action choreographies like this." Hearing this, Park Tae-Won felt his blood boiling. As a man, recreating this kind of action fight made him excited. "I will do it." "That''s good to hear. Read this script, I will officially hire you if you make three action sequences for the movie that satisfies me." "Yes!" Tae-Won bowed his head. It was a culture in Korea. He accepted the script. He had to study it in order to make appropriate action choreography. He already had an example and knew what to do. He had to make the protagonist a fast and precise fighter... The protagonist also had to run a lot. It was lucky that Liam Neeson was younger this time. Shooting three action movies would be no problem. "Once the leading actor has signed the contract, I will put him under your job. You have to teach him the stunts. It was written that Liam Neeson had to undergo three months of physical conditioning. He had to learn mixed martial arts and maintain his physical appearance... Maybe build abs too. ''Eye candy. I think a lot of women will like it when they see Liam Neeson''s abs and ripped body... Speaking of abs, I''m getting fat these days. I need to do some sit-ups.'' Once it was in the contract, both parties had to respect it. ''I''m sure Liam Neeson understands that.'' Kazir Grey and Tae-Won Park shook hands. ...... ... ... .... ... A week later, Liam Neeson officially joined the cast. Kazir didn''t bother to audition for the role of the protagonist. He knew that Liam Neeson was the perfect actor for Taken. Liam Neeson''s contract was adjusted to include a 45% salary increase for each sequel. Also, his cameo had to be limited to ten minutes at most. After that, Liam Neeson and Enzo Park started training to keep their bodies in shape. Tae-Won Park helped Liam Neeson with his action stunts. Kazir even hired extras and stuntmen in advance to make sure the action stunts were perfected as soon as possible. The budget for Taken was only $25 million. Liam Neeson took home $3 million. Even Kazir Grey had a salary of $3 million. Kazir Grey had to make sure that the expenses would be less than $19 million. He didn''t want to add more to the budget. "I''m nervous and excited at the same time." Kazir Grey grinned. The script was already finished, even the action choreography was 2/3 complete. All that remained were the roles of Bryan Mills'' daughter and ex-wife. Most of the roles related to the action scenes were already cast. "Next." Kazir Grey''s assistant director, Fremont Smith, announced and another young actress entered the audition room. Of course, they had to give the actresses a chance to join the cast. After all, the director of this movie was Kazir Grey. A very talented director. Actors/actresses would line up just to be part of a $25 million project. "Salvatore, are you really sure that your client can perform well?" "Don''t worry, Kazir. She is prepared. She has been studying the script for three months. I believe she will be perfectly cast for the role." "Hm." Kazir Grey just nodded. Actually, Kazir was too busy and didn''t know anything about Salvatore''s clients. He only knew Enzo Park. /Puji_maki Chapter 83 Chapter 83 Days passed. Kazir and the others were busy meeting the actors who were auditioning for the roles. Renner Hector made sure to record the actors'' auditions so they would have a clip to study later. Since Kazir was a famous director with two successful movies under his belt, the actors and actresses were much more enthusiastic this time. From now on, the roles that Kazir was interested in were Bryan Mills'' daughter and ex-wife. This was the third round of auditions and only seven actresses were left for the role of Bryan Mills'' ex-wife. To be honest, Kazir was not looking for someone so beautiful. ''As long as she can cry on camera and get hired for a small salary, I''m fine.'' "Most of these actresses are from CAA or freelancers." Something he already expected. Kazir hired a casting director. Yes, it is a real job. The casting director''s job was to find actors and actresses for the character roles based on what the director was looking for. They were responsible for auditioning and filtering. The first audition was usually based on looks, if their looks met the criteria, they would pass and go on to the second round of auditions. The second audition was usually based on acting ability and they would be filtered into another round, the final round. Kazir could not supervise all the jobs for the film. That''s why the role of the casting director was important. ''Of course, the casting director I hired is from CAA. It''s understandable that he would prefer CAA actors over other talent agencies. Besides, that''s what I want.'' Having problems with WMA would just be a waste of his time. "Hello, I''m Famke Janssen. I''m here for the role of Lenore Mills-St. John." "..." Kazir stared at the woman. The actress was known for her role as Jean Grey in X-Men. ''I heard Famke Janssen is the Bond girl in 007 last time. I think it was Goldeneye in 1995.'' Famke Janssen got the role of Lenore Mills in the original trilogy of Taken. However, the timeline had changed and it was now December 1996. Famke Janssen was too young and beautiful for the part. But Kazir said nothing and let the woman audition. ''Should I hire her?'' Kazir thought. It was not a problem to hire Famke because her salary was not that high. She also had a nice acting style. ''Let''s wait for all the actresses to audition before we decide.'' "Thank you, Miss Janssen." ''Is she usually like this, or is it because she''s preparing for the role?'' The actresses who made it to the second round were given part of the script and signed non-disclosure agreements. Presumably, Brianna Evans studied the script. "Miss Evans, I want to see you cry." ... That was a little out of context from Kazir. Fortunately, Brianna Evans understood him. The woman closed her eyes... When she opened them, tears began to flow. "Cut--" Instinctively, Kazir stopped the audition. Everyone looked at him. "... Prepare the set. Is Liam Neeson in the building? I want to see her act with him." "Um, I think Liam Neeson is practicing with Tae-Won Park right now." "Call him." Kazir''s heart beat faster... ''Action movie? This woman should be in a drama instead! She knows how to make someone emotional.'' Kazir knew a lot of actors who could stir people''s emotions, especially when they found the right roles for them. Robert Downey Jr. in his role as Iron Man. Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. And Heath Ledger as the Joker... Heath Ledger may be the best method actor Kazir has ever seen. ''A mother... This woman is a mother. '' That was the thing he realized. Her tears, they were real. As if the woman had actually lost a child. Suddenly, his instinct as a director awakened... He wanted this woman to shine. ''There are thousands of talented actresses in this field, but only a few can be recognized... I can''t believe that someone like her was buried without receiving recognition and applause.'' ++++ [I apologize because I might add another original character... Let''s just say I''m influenced by Oshi No Ko and Act Age(anime/manga). I''m fascinated in the idea of Method Acting.] Chapter 84 Chapter 84 It was true that there were countless talented actresses in Hollywood. Unfortunately, most of them never got the spotlight. Hollywood was a place where connection was very important. Talent was not enough, sometimes actresses/actors had to sell their souls to achieve their dreams. Actresses who were not ready for that were mercilessly buried. While Liam Neeson was away, Kazir decided to interview Brianna. ''This is someone I didn''t know. Am I going to change the future again? Famke Janssen should get the part, that should happen, but...'' Kazir bit his lip. Then he started to write a short script, about a man and a woman... He didn''t know why he was doing it. "Miss Evans, it says here that you''re from Australia... Tell me, do you have a child?" Perhaps because his mind was in turmoil, Kazir asked quickly and without hesitation. ''I need to know if my assumption is correct.'' "Haha, I''m sorry if it''s inappropriate for me to ask. Anyway, it says here that you are 32 years old." The role was a mother with a teenage daughter, so her age should be appropriate. At least she was supposed to be a middle-aged woman. Maybe that''s why Brianna Evans, who had no connections, made it to the second round. Because the woman didn''t look young at all. ''As for her looks, she''s not extremely beautiful. But she looks gentle... Unfortunately, she should have auditioned for a drama. Because her talent cannot be shown in an action movie. Her scenes were too small... Unless... Damn, my artistic sense is getting out of control.'' "Hello, Director Grey. As it says in the documents, I''m 32 years old. I have worked in the theater for 16 years. And no, I don''t have a child." "I see. Then how did you find a way to play this role? Did you research it or something?" "Yes... I just got the script two weeks ago. So I spent the rest of my money going to libraries and looking for articles about missing children. I also interviewed parents who had lost their children, especially parents of deceased soldiers. I decided to put myself in their shoes for this audition. "..." Kazir grinned. His guess was right. This woman is a method actor. Method actor was a terrible way to master the art of acting. It drove some people crazy. "I was overwhelmed." He looked at the woman playing the role of the heartbroken mother. "Cut... Brianna, someone will be in touch with you later. I hope we can work together." "Thank you, director." Perhaps the woman was still in the state of being a mother, she didn''t smile at all despite hearing Kazir''s appreciation. "Kazir... That woman. No, Miss Evans..." When Brianna was gone, Liam Neeson stayed in the audition room to talk to Kazir. Kazir sighed. "I''m sorry Liam, I know this might be inconvenient for you. I hope I haven''t made you uncomfortable." "No, it''s fine. I know you are a director and you will hire the best actress for the part. I just can''t believe that I have to act with Miss Evans for three movies." Kazir grinned and didn''t bother to explain. Liam Neeson only read the first movie... He didn''t know Lenore Mills, Bryan Mills'' ex-wife, was going to die. ''Should I make it dramatic?'' That was the question. Kazir opened his phone and made a call. The next audition was for the role of the daughter. [Kazir, why did you call me? Have you met my client yet?] Salvatore replied. "Salvatore, I think you will be interested in signing this woman named Brianna Evans. I assure you you will never regret it. You can contact her later when you''re not busy. I am sending you her contact number. By the way, are you really sure that your little client can perform well?" [Don''t worry, Kazir. She is prepared. She has been studying the script for three months. I think she will be perfect for the role... As for the woman you''re talking about, I''ll call her later]. "Hm." Kazir Grey just nodded. Actually, Kazir was too busy and didn''t know anything about Salvatore''s clients. He only knew Enzo Park. Chapter 85 Chapter 85 The audition continued and this time it was for Bryan Mills'' daughter. To be honest, Kazir didn''t care about the age aspect of this role. As long as she could act well enough, Kazir would cast her. So... "Hi, I''m Scarlett Johansson." ''You got to be kidding me.'' Kazir stopped writing. He looked at the little girl who was about to audition. ''So this is the client Salvatore signed. That bastard, when did he do that? We are talking about Miss Black Window here. How did Salvatore sign a contract with her? Did I cause a butterfly effect? Probably yes.'' Scarlett Johansson was born in 1984. That means she was 12 years old right now. However, women at that age were usually taller than their male counterparts. So Scarlett Johansson looked about 14 to 15 years old. She had light blonde hair, was tall, and looked mischievous. ''I think I know why Salvatore begged me to keep it PG-13.'' There was a scene where Bryan Mills'' daughter had to wear a bikini... Kazir had to adjust some scenes. ''Since he is Salvatore''s client, I have to give her a chance.'' The little girl began her audition. Just as Salvatore had promised, Scarlett Johansson prepared for the role. She easily passed the audition and the crew was pleased. "Thank you, Miss Johansson. We will contact you later." The little girl waved before leaving. "That''s it. The cast is set. I want each of them to sign contracts as soon as possible. We will have a script reading next week." "That will be my job, right?" Harold rubbed his forehead. This new job was exhausting. But he didn''t want to disappoint Kazir. The only reason he had agreed to this job was to ease Kazir''s workload. "Don''t worry. We already signed the troublesome ones. I''m sure each of them won''t fight for a higher salary. We can always hire other actors." In sixth place was Disney''s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. An animated film with $325 million. Seventh was 101 Dalmatians. Another Disney film with $320 million. Eighth place came from Disney again. This time it was Ransom starring Mel Gibson with $309 million. Places six through eight were dominated by Disney. Michael Eisner knew how to do business. The three films together grossed $954 million. In addition, Disney sold millions in merchandise from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and 101 Dalmatians. They may have made more profit than 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. Ninth place was taken by Universal Pictures with The Nutty Professor. The film earned $273.96 million. In tenth place was Sony-Columbia''s Jerry Maguire. The movie starring Tom Cruise made $273.55 million. These were the top ten films worldwide. Yes, they were all dominated by Hollywood. The Hollywood industry was beginning to take over the world. The top ten movies of the year would probably sell at least a million videotapes each. The cost of a videotape was $30. So each movie could make at least $30 million in the videotape market. ''I didn''t have a videotape share, but I can look at the statistics for The Hangover. This month, the videotape sales of the movie were 1.6 million copies. 1.1 million copies of regular videotapes and 500 thousand copies of the deluxe edition.'' The non-deluxe videocassette of The Hangover cost $29.9. The deluxe edition cost $59.9. If the math was right, the sales of the non-deluxe videotapes were $32.89 million. As for the deluxe edition, it was 29.95 million dollars. This means that the videocassette sales of The Hangover this month were $62.84 million. This month alone. The videoctape sales would continue to grow through next year. It might even surpass the worldwide box office. Especially because The Hangover was a funny movie. The buying power of Americans is enormous. They can keep the industry going. At first, the invention of the VCR was frowned upon by Hollywood. They thought they would lose authority over their movies. But what they didn''t expect was that the videotape market would save them instead. Now the movie companies had videotape distribution channels just to make more money. They signed deals with Blockbuster and Walmart to sell and rent their movies. "Thanks for helping me last time." The woman next to Kazir giggled and squeezed his arm. Reese Witherspoon and Kazir Grey decided to attend a party in the new year. Out of the many people who invited him, Kazir decided to attend the Sony-Columbia New Year''s party. Despite their differences, the two parties still had a friendly relationship. In fact, Grey Pictures was about to sign a deal with Sony-Columbia to distribute Taken... Chapter 86 Chapter 86 Sony-Columbia. One of the big six in Hollywood. However, despite being one of the most prominent companies in the industry, this particular film company was known to be the weakest of the big six. The result of this year''s box office list showed the reason. Within the top 10, Sony-Columbia earned only one spot, which was the lowest. Jerry Maguire earned $273.55 million. The movie came in tenth. ''Out of respect, the company sent me an invitation. Now that my project is starting, I need a company to distribute my movies. Sony-Columbia could be the best option.'' Sony-Columbia was doing a safe business these days. Instead of fully investing in a film, the company focused on distribution. Jerry Maguire was the best example of this. The production company that made that movie was TriStar Pictures. Sony-Columbia didn''t put their money where their mouth is. Instead, they would make a profit by distributing the movies instead. The company didn''t have good judgment in choosing movies. They have only one interesting movie in the next three decades. It was none other than Spider-Man. Well, this movie was a huge success, so Sony was still raking in money from this comic book character. ''If Sony really acquired the movie rights to Spider-Man... I might have to sign a trilogy deal with them.'' It may sound childish, but Kazir longed to make a superhero trilogy. His first choice was the Dark Knight trilogy. Unfortunately, he knew he didn''t have the talent of Christopher Nolan''s filmography. So his second choice was the "lighthearted theme" of Spider-Man. He was pretty confident about that. ''Some people have said that Spider-Man 3 is a box office flop, but I disagree. 895 million dollars is not a box office flop.'' The trilogy was a huge success. Sam Raimi did not disappoint Spider-Man. Sony-Columbia didn''t dissapointed the fans. Especially when the three Spider-men met in No Way Home. That was the pinnacle of fiction. ''Despite my age, I was still hyped for Spider-Man: No Way Home. Seeing the three Spider-Men took me back to my younger years.'' Marvel/Sony-Columbia really outdid themselves back then. "Director Grey." "Mr. Price." After the resignation of two heads (Peter Guber and Jon Peters) of Sony-Columbia a few years ago, Frank Price became chairman of the company. Kazir Grey and Frank Price shook hands. Unfortunately, this was not the place to talk serious business. Still, their meeting was peaceful and relatively good. Both sides knew each other''s intentions. After talking with Kazir for a few minutes, Frank Price left to greet the other guests. This was a formal party and the best way to make connections with prominent people. ''In fact, I see Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts. Even Jim Carrey, Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise are here.'' She said and kissed him on the cheek, right in the middle of the party. She didn''t care about the looks of the other women. She liked it. Scream was released in theaters on December 20, 1996. The movie was distributed by Miramax and it had a good reception for a horror movie. Perhaps the first thing that attracted people to the movie was Drew Barrymore''s cameo. No one expected that she would die very early in the movie. Everyone thought she was the protagonist of the movie. In the first seven days of Scream, it grossed $21 million. It may seem small, but the production cost of Scream was only $15 million. It was less than the average budget of $30 million. Still, the first week was a positive response. Since Reese Witherspoon was part of the movie, she slowly gained fame. She began to have loyal fans all over the world. She got her break in Napoleon Dynamite, then The Hangover, and now Scream. Her three movies have all been good. ''I''m actually thinking about starting Legally Blonde, but I can''t. I have a lot of things to do.'' It might be true that he wanted to help Reese with her career. Maybe he was being selfish. ''Not now. Reese needs more experience. I just need to guide her first. I heard she''s been invited to join the cast of My Best Friend''s Wedding and There''s Something About Mary. These two are good movies.'' "Tch, Kazir, I think someone will never stop trying to talk to you. That woman is here again." Reese Witherspoon whispered. She didn''t like this particular woman, maybe because the woman was terrifyingly beautiful. "Kazir, we meet again." "Naomi." Naomi Watts smiled and shook Kazir''s hand. She giggled and came closer. "I heard you''re making an action movie. Why didn''t you invite me?" "Tch, bitch." Reese whispered. The two women stared at each other. But their smiles never faded. They were actresses and knew how to control their emotions. As for Kazir, he just shrugged. He was no fool and he knew what Naomi Watts was up to. ''To be honest, I have a certain role for her, but it''s not the right time yet.'' Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Kazir was an action movie fan, and he watched so many action movies that he knew almost all of them. Kazir knew that he didn''t have a good memory. But it was different for things related to movies. Kazir would remember things he loved so much. Even now, Kazir had to take a break every day just to watch a movie. That was his spare time, watching movies. It didn''t matter what genre it was, he would watch it. He even watched some scary ones like A Serbian Film, Human Centipede, and Ichi the Killer. In his opinion, these movies were even on the mild side. (Note: I have never seen any of these goddamn movies. I don''t like gore and horror... Although I do like Seinen manga/anime). Since Kazir had an idea of what movies he could add to the Continental Cinematic Universe, he already had a list of actors/actresses he wanted to cast. Naomi Watts was one of them. Kazir is a man, and he is attracted to Naomi Watts. But he''s had a lot of depressing experiences, so he doesn''t trust people easily, especially women. To be honest, he was afraid of women. Because he knew how his life was destroyed by one. "Naomi, I will definitely invite you when I have a role that fits you." "You have to promise." She smiled seductively. Kazir felt his blood boiling with rage. "I promise." He nodded, keeping his composure. He felt Reese squeeze his arm and shrugged. "You like older women?" After Naomi Watts left, Reese Witherspoon asked Kazir about his preference. "Reese, Naomi Watts is 28 years old. I''m 28 years old." His birthday, September 9, had passed and he had aged another year. "So you like younger girls?" She giggled. Reese Witherspoon was young. Sometimes she acted childish in front of Kazir and he spoiled her a lot. "Kazir, good to see you here!" "Tom! Happy New Year!" "Happy New Year!" Tom Cruise appeared with Nicole Kidman beside him. The two were still married at the time. Their relationship lasted a decade. For celebrities to last that long was very impressive. Most celebrities simply divorced their partners after a few years. "Anyway, congratulations on Mission: Impossible and Jerry Maguire. Two of your movies are in the top 10." "Thanks." Tom Cruise smiled. ''I heard he got a 10+10 deal with Paramount and Sony-Columbia. Honestly, he made more money than I did.'' Tom Cruise was a famous superstar with strong box office appeal. Few actors could match him, including Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Kim Carrey. ''His contract is not even a North American box office but worldwide box office. His contract is a $10 million salary plus 10% of the global box office... Maybe that''s why he wanted to invest in my movie, because he has a lot of money this year.'' Mission: Impossible made $457 million, while Jerry Maguire made $273 million. 10% of those numbers would go into Tom Cruise''s bank account. For the film companies, they were willing to bleed and take that deal just to cast Tom Cruise. Because they knew that Tom Cruise''s box office appeal was very strong. He has millions of die-hard fans all over the world who are willing to watch his movies. This is the truth behind his status. As long as their videotapes, merchandise and television rights were not affected, the film companies were willing to give Tom Cruise a share of the box office. +++++ [I''m experiencing existential dread, so I want to share my favorite manga that Shounen Jump axed or canceled]. [1. Psyren: I think this manga had a strong potential to be the best manga of Jump, it can surpass the new generation of the big three of Shounen Jump. Unfortunately, it was canceled.] [2. MxO: Well, this manga is very interesting and made me laugh. It''s a Harry Potter style manga. Maybe because the plot didn''t have much suspense, Shounen Jump threw it in the trash]. [3. Act-Age: This manga was canceled because the creator (not the mangaka) sexually molested a minor and went to jail. All I can say is that the creator deserved it. It''s unfortunate because I read the manga every week, but the creator destroyed this masterpiece and his whole life.] [4. Hikaru No Go: This manga wasn''t cancelled, the mangaka just wanted to make another manga. I have nothing to say except that I want more! However, the mangaka (Takeshi Obata) is really a master of his art. Death Note, Bakuman and Hikaru No Go are all masterpieces!] [5. Beelzebub: This one is good, the last arc was rushed because Jump got tired of it]. [6. Katekyo Hitman Reborn: Another great manga, also canceled (I''m not sure)] [7. Bleach: I don''t care what others say, the last arc of Bleach is super rushed and the plot holes are everywhere. What is Yachiru, is she a person or a sword? What is Yoruichi''s Zanpakuto? Yhwach lost just like that? My boy Chad didn''t get any recognition! I never watched the anime because I prefer to read the manga]. Chapter 88 Chapter 88 "Executive producer, sounds like a stand-in." "Hey, don''t say it like that. You should be grateful that 20th Century Fox is willing to hire you." Harold muttered beside Kazir. They were about to visit one of the studios at 20th Century Fox headquarters. "No, they just want my creativity." As the man who created Napoleon Dynamite, Kazir was invited to join the Napoleon Dynamite crew as an executive producer. Of course, being hired by one of the big six, Kazir had a salary to match. ''I can get $100,000 if the movie is produced. $200,000 if Napoleon Dynamite II makes a profit. Frankly, that is a lot of money for an average person. Maybe being an executive producer is not so bad.'' Unfortunately, Kazir Grey had already tasted the sweetness of money. Having $200,000 was not enough for him. He was not interested. But Napoleon Dynamite was his first movie and he wanted to take it seriously, even though he was not the director. ''I am the screenwriter and of course I want it to succeed.'' Truthfully, Kazir Grey had no idea about the outcome of this sequel. It was a movie he had never seen in his life. He may have written the plot, but he knew that plot was not enough to make a successful movie. "Kazir, don''t give me that face. Your sense of being a serious bastard is coming out. Remember, we have another purpose for being here." Producer Harold Witsend reminded him. Now that he was a producer, one of the tedious jobs fell to him. "Yes. I still remember our mission." Kazir had already contacted Sony-Columbia last time. Sony-Columbia wanted to take 35% of the worldwide box office as the sole distributor of the film. The company was responsible for advertising and promoting the movie. However, their initial advertising budget was only $5 million. If the movie didn''t do well within a week, Sony-Columbia had the right to stop the promotion. To be honest, the deal was good. But Grey Pictures wanted better terms. Something that would bring them more money. From now on, Sony-Columbia was their first choice. Harold Witsend wanted to contact 20th Century Fox to negotiate their project. Maybe 20th Century Fox was interested in the film and wanted to distribute it. Kazir''s filming had a calm and collected atmosphere. Most of the crew respected each other. They were working together to make a successful film. Also, Kazir Grey never raised his voice when talking to anyone. Looking around, Kazir spotted Reese Witherspoon getting a makeover from a makeup artist. When Reese saw Kazir in the corner, she waved and smiled. She wanted to approach the man, but she was still getting makeup. As for Kazir, he just nodded. A few minutes later, Nancy Utley appeared and talked to Kazir. Nancy Utley was the producer of the film. This was the first time that Fox Searchlight Pictures was producing its own movie. So she had to take the position of being the producer. "Kazir, I want you to meet Hugo Lameire. He is a director from France who has made so many comedy films." ''Probably small budget films...'' Kazir thought. "It''s nice to meet you, Mr. Lameire." "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Grey." Hugo''s earlier arrogance was long gone when he met Kazir. He was just a hired director and he knew he didn''t have Kazir Grey''s status. So as much as possible, there was nothing wrong with being humble. "I''m interested in seeing the finished product." "Don''t worry, Mr. Grey, I''ll make sure the sequel is successful." Kazir Grey didn''t have control over this project, but Hugo Lameire did. ''However, Hugo didn''t even have the editing rights. Everything was under the jurisdiction of 20th Century Fox. They were the ones in charge of editing Napoleon Dynamite II.'' The two of them shook hands and Hugo did his job. Shooting began. Kazir and the others had to be quiet at that moment. "Camera! Roll!" Chapter 89 Chapter 89 Kazir Grey and Harold Witsend watched the filming for a few minutes. Ed Helms and the other actors also greeted them. Ed Helms returned to his skinny figure, which was shocking but respected. It was very hard to lose weight, but Ed Helms worked hard just to return to Napoleon''s appearance. Kazir was impressed. "Director Grey, thank you for giving me a chance. I''m actually sad that you''re not the director this time. I''m scared and nervous that the success of this movie will be affected because of your absence." "..." Kazir just shrugged. He was getting used to that statement. Kazir Grey was the director who made them famous, and he had a better composure than Hugo Lameire. He was easier to talk to and he had an approachable aura. At least he didn''t like to raise his voice during the shooting. ''The plot of Napoleon Dynamite II is basically an unknown venture. And to be honest, I''m not sure that''s a good thing. Let''s all just wait and see.'' If the release date of the movie was around May or June. If the filming finished at the right time, Kazir could attend the premier. Well, with the budget of $15 million plus the strong authority of 20th Century Fox, the filming will definitely be in good hands. As long as the movie could make a profit, 20th Century Fox would milk it dry. "Director, I got a call from Tom Rothman''s secretary. She said that CEO Tom Rothman is waiting for you in his office." "Thank you, Nancy." Kazir and Harold left the studio and went to the top floor of the building. Tom Rothman understood the importance of Kazir''s project and believed it had a great chance of success. That was why he agreed to the meeting. However, he had to look at the project from a business standpoint. ''Kazir has already made two movies with huge box office receipts. That''s enough to make me interested. However, he is trying to venture into an unknown territory. Comedy and action are two completely different genres.'' Tom Rothman nodded. ''A comedy film can be finished in a month. But an action movie is different, it takes at least three months to finish shooting. Also, the preparation before shooting is important. Now that Kazir Grey has decided to invest in his own movie and hire an amateur producer, I wonder how he can make this movie successful''. "It''s still sad that you are not the director of Napoleon Dynamite II. I will not hesitate to give you a share of the box office if I have to." "Tom, it''s already in the past. You already have a deal with Hugo." "That''s right. It''s disappointing that you don''t want to make a sequel. Regarding Taken, if the movie had a sequel, would you give it to another director?" "It depends. My plan for Taken is one movie every two years, with a trilogy in the works." "Hm, I have an idea about this Cinematic Universe of yours and I''m still not convinced. With your Cinematic Universe, the trilogy may not be successful. I think you are not the only one who had this idea. I''ll tell you this, the reason no one has made a Cinematic Universe is because it''s impossible. The budget, the time, the actors, it''s impossible." Tom Rothman said seriously. "The reason no one has been successful is because everyone is afraid to do so. Once I prove that Cinematic Universe is possible and profitable, many film companies will try to copy me." Kazir grinned. When the Marvel Cinematic Universe became successful, Warner Bros tried to replicate it by starting the DCEU. Even Universal Pictures tried to start a Monster Cinematic Universe by releasing The Mummy starring Tom Cruise. ''I heard that Disney released John Carter as the opening movie of their Cinematic Universe. Well, the movie didn''t live up to their expectations.'' The only successful one was MCU. Even Warner Bros'' DCEU was a fucking flop in terms of quality. The movies of DCEU and MCU were not comparable at all. In the next century, Marvel would become the face of superheroes. People like Superman and Batman would slowly be forgotten by young people. +++++ [Rest in peace, the Honoured One, Gojo Satoru of Jujutsu Kaisen.] Chapter 90 Chapter 90 The influence of the MCU was so great that many film companies tried to copy it. Even foreign countries tried to dab their hands and copy the MCU and filmed their own Avengers. The MCU movies made billions of dollars. The franchise may have been the reason why movie theaters were still thriving under the strong rapid rise of the Internet. Well, there were definitely many factors like the 3D, IMAX and increase of movie tickets. But it didn''t change the fact that MCU was the most successful movie franchise. Now, Kazir understood that his Cinematic Universe could not have been as good as the MCU. Considering that his movies were original scripts and not based on comics. His Cinematic Universe didn''t have a steady stream of fans. "This is my starting point. We will take 40% of the North American box office. 20th Century Fox will only invest $2.5 million in promotion. These terms may change depending on how the movie does. However, I can''t assure you that 20th Century Fox will give it the best schedule release. We have so many film projects this year and we have to prioritize them." "I understand." That was the main reason Kazir preferred Sony-Columbia. Sony-Columbia releases only a few movies a year, unlike the other Big Five. Kazir was confident that Sony-Columbia would give him a good release schedule. "Also, I have to see the movie first. If it doesn''t meet my criteria, I''m sorry, but 20th Century Fox will have to pass." To be honest, Tom Rothman was not confident in the movie. He felt it would flop. The only reason he met with Kazir Grey this time was for the sequel to Napoleon Dynamite. After all, Kazir Grey was the brains behind the movie. He knew the Napoleon Dynamite story better than anyone. ''I''m sure Warner Bros feels the same way. Kazir is definitely a talented comedy director, but I don''t know about action movies.'' "We will talk about international distribution once your "Taken" has proven itself in the North American market." The Big Six would never distribute an uncertain film... Unless the movie was heavily invested. There were many movies that the Big Six distributed overseas in the hope that they could make a profit. Warcraft was a movie based on a popular game. The movie only made $47 million at the North American box office. However, it made $391 million in the rest of the world. Perhaps the game was one of the factors that made Warcraft(movie) successful, but it was still true that the movie made more money overseas. Everything depended on the outcome of Taken. ... ... ... "Make sure you eat healthy." "I will." "Huh! I know you always forget to eat when you are working on your movie. Don''t try to fool me." "I will try to eat healthy food." "Good. Take care. Call me when you land." Kazir Grey said goodbye to Reese Witherspoon. He wanted to take a flight to France with the crew. March came and the preparations for the film were finished. Liam Neeson and the stunt men had already mastered their roles. In fact, Liam Neeson''s body was impeccable at the moment. He got abs and toned biceps. ''I recommended him the gym I worked out in, and the result is satisfying.'' Apart from Liam, Kazir Grey''s figure was also perfect. If not for his job as a director, he might be hired as an actor instead. Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Within three months of preparation, Kazir''s crew finished the pre-production work. The people under the props team started to choose the actors'' appearances(costume design). This movie was a little different from the original Taken. Kazir added some easter eggs for the next movies. Especially for Enzo Park who was the ninja in this movie. Enzo only had one scene in the movie, but his appearance was supposed to be remarkable. So that the audience would remember him. While the props team was busy creating fashion for the roles, the camera department focused on their work. The camera department, especially Rector who was the cinematographer, had the job of going over every possible shot and scene they were going to do. Rector even went to France for a week to check out the locations. The crew already got approval from France to make the movie. But they didn''t get any tax incentives. First of all, Grey Pictures was an unknown studio. Also, the film was about human trafficking in France. It was actually a miracle that the government agreed. ''Well, we cast two French actors, so the film industry in this country gave us some leeway.'' The so-called art film center of Europe. Paris, France. The country where the first movie was made. The Lumie?re brothers were the first to present projected moving pictures to a paying audience in December 1895 in Paris, France. They used a homemade device called the Cine?matographe, which was a camera, projector, and film printer all in one. (Credits to Google.) The first movie. That was the reason why many film directors in France had this arrogant attitude. They thought they were the center of art film. But most of their "art films" are nothing but borderline pornography. The plots are dark and sometimes depressing. They are also very long. Combined with these factors, the European film industry slowly lost its vitality. In the end, Hollywood overtook it. ''That is not my problem. I''m satisfied that they let me shoot the movie in the country.'' He had a plan B in case the government didn''t give him permission. He would shoot the movie in the US. He would just take shots of relevant scenes from France and put them in the movie. Many studios did this to reduce their costs. The John Wick and Fast and the Furious franchises were basically superhero movies. Yes. Especially the latter of the two. Nobody could change that opinion because it was the truth. These movies had the same formula as superhero movies. ''The first three Fast and the Furious movies were realistic... But the sequels after that turned the franchise into a hodgepodge.'' As for John Wick, the first movie already had the formula of being a superhero, but a bit mild. The sequels gradually turned into one. Anyway, on the screen, Kazir Grey watched Liam Neeson run like a cheetah. He just sat in his chair while Fremont Smith ordered people around. Fremont was responsible for making sure that the filming of this particular scene went smoothly. Fortunately, the three hours ended peacefully. Kazir and the film crew packed up, cleaned up and left. They got enough shots. "D- Director Grey, a French director has invited you to his party tomorrow." Kazir Grey still couldn''t find an assistant, so one of the interns temporarily took over as his personal assistant. The intern was nervous and stammered. "Hm? Who is this?" Kazir knew a few French directors, since the film industry was still quite strong in the United States. He watched many films by European directors. "I- It says here that the director''s name is Roman Polanski." The intern said. "..." Kazir became silent. Roman Polanski was in fact a famous director. He was the director of The Pianist. The Oscar-winning film, The Pianist. But Roman Polanski was also famous for something else... He was a known rapist/pedophile. Chapter 92 Chapter 92 Roman Polanski. A famous director. He directed many movies and his most famous one was The Pianist. However, he was wanted in the USA. Nevertheless, he fled to Paris and continued his profession as a director. Roman Polanski had influence in the French film industry and he invited Kazir Grey to his party for several reasons. First of all, Kazir Grey was a Jew like him. Kazir''s mother was from Poland and her parents lived through the horrors of World War II. Unlike Kazir''s mother, Roman Polanski lived through World War II. It was not a good memory. The second thing was that he heard that Kazir Grey was going to make a movie in France. Maybe he could cooperate on something. The third was Kazir''s influence in Hollywood. Roman Polanski was wanted in the US and he could not get in. He had cooperation with the film companies in Hollywood. But he still wanted to get some information first hand from Kazir. ''If you ask me. It''s a mystery how the Academy let Roman Polanski and The Pianist win the Oscar despite the scandal...''. Kazir Grey had an idea why. Most of the old members of the Academy were Jewish. They had this collective understanding that they had to help each other. Besides, The Pianist was about the plight of the Jewish people at the hands of the Germans. The old men of the Oscars obviously liked the movie because of that. So much so that they ignored the fact that Roman Polanski had committed a crime. He was convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor (a 13 year old girl). ''Now, I still don''t know the whole story and I can''t judge a person based on these articles... I have to meet him before I make a decision.'' Maybe this is why the old men from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences let it slide... Because some of them might be pedophiles. There were a lot of crimes going on in Hollywood, but they were protected by their halo. One of the reasons Jeffrey Epstein maintained his status for so long. The stars shone, but they were overwhelmed by the blinding lights of the city. The hustle and bustle of the city continued despite the late hour. Kazir Grey entered the party with Harold. They were the director and producer, so they had to make connections. The French film industry was quite strong and they had the home field advantage. "Kazir Grey. It''s nice to meet you." "Mr. Polanski." "... Mr. Polanski, I have already cast someone for the role. If you are referring me to someone else, I must decline." "Ahahaha. No, I won''t do that. It would be a breach of contract. I just want to introduce you to someone. She is the daughter of a friend of mine. She actually auditioned for the role of Kim Mills last December, but she didn''t make it past the second round." "Hm?" Kazir was a bit curious. "I''m just asking for a favor. Maybe you can help her. You can put her in touch with your agent if you want." "I want to see her first." "Of course." A few minutes later a young woman appeared. She was beautiful, but clearly a minor. Kazir was actually surprised to see the woman here. "Hello Director Grey, I''m Eva Green. I went to America last year to audition for Taken. But they didn''t like me because of my accent." The woman smiled at Kazir. ''I didn''t expect to meet the famous Bond girl of Casino Royal.'' Besides, Eva Green was also in the Kingdom of Heaven. "I know a company that can help you gather extras, and their payment is lower than the average." Roman Polanski added. "Thank you, Mr. Polanski." A clear-headed person like Kazir Grey understood that this was just business. He didn''t need to let his emotions get in the way of business. [Author''s Note: I did a poll to choose which actress should participate in Taken as Bryan Mills'' daughter. The choices are Eva Green, Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Keira Knightley, and Jessica Alba. They prefer Scarlett Johansson so she got the role.] Chapter 93 Chapter 93 The woman before him was still young. But that didn''t change the fact that she was already beautiful. However, Kazir was unaffected by beauty. In fact, many women at this party were giving him flirtatious looks. He didn''t show any reaction. There might be a simple reason for this. Kazir Grey might be afraid of women, especially beautiful women. It was hard for him to trust them. It was a miracle that he agreed to Reese''s seductive advances. He had turned her down three times before their current relationship. So as much as possible, he wanted to keep his feet away from women who could be his downfall... Especially young women. "Mr. Polanski, you''re just asking for a favor. To help Miss Eva Green break into Hollywood, is that it? I have to be honest with you, I''m just a director. I may be a hot director right now because of the success of my last two movies. But I know that film companies will easily drop me if I make an irreparable mistake. I think my help will not be much." "Kazir, don''t worry. I''m not asking for much. Eva''s father helped me when I was down, and I want to help Eva realize her dreams. I advise her to become famous in France, but Hollywood is not so bad. I hate to say it, but the European film industry is losing its edge. I''ll be happy if you let Eva get some roles. "... One of our actresses dropped out after realizing that her role was too dark. Is Eva interested?" Kazir decided that there was nothing wrong with helping. "What do you think, Eva?" Roman Polanski turned to the young woman. "Ms. Grey, can I know the role first?" Having heard that the role was too dark, Eva Green needed to understand if the role would bring her success. "You are a kidnapped woman who was used by criminals. The protagonist rescued you from the sex den because he wanted to ask you about his missing daughter..." Human trafficking was everywhere. Even in the United States and its closed regions. A few months ago, a young woman was missing after visiting Mexico and it seemed the Mexican gang was related to her dissapearance. "Will I have nude scenes?" Eva Green asked. "You''re a minor, so of course not. I didn''t want to bother the Children''s Association." In fact, there was another group of people from the Children''s Association who attended the filming. They were responsible for making sure that Scarlett Johansson would study with her tutor. "Some of them asked us if we needed filming equipment. They can promise us a 20% discount. As long as we include their store in the movie." "An advertisement?" "That''s right." Harold nodded. "I see... Let''s think about it later." Kazir thought that this condition was not bad. Unfortunately, they already have cameras and equipment for filming. "This, I''m sure you''ll be interested in. I met a person who can help us buy old cars." There was a car chase scene in the movie and they needed old cars for it. Kazir wanted one or two cars for explosion scenes. "Call them later. If the price is right, we can rent and buy old cars from them." "Okay." Having accomplished their goals and met new people, the two decided to return to the hotel where they were resting. The crew had to work tomorrow and it would be bad if the producer and director returned with a hangover. Just as Roman Polanski had promised, a company contacted the crew and promised to bring extras at a good price. Extras were important because they were needed in most of the public scenes. Grey Pictures didn''t want to get sued if they accidentally filmed a real civilian and put him in the movie. Just like that, the shooting started again. This time they shot at night. "We have to shoot most of the difficult scenes this time." "Sigh... Renting a huge yacht is expensive. Are you sure you can finish shooting in seven hours?" They only have a few hours to finish the yacht scenes. To be honest, Harold was skeptical. He had experienced Kazir''s fast shooting before, but this time was different. He was going to shoot an action stunt and they had to execute it meticulously. It was a dangerous stunt, so Liam Neeson had to make way for his body double... The part where he had to jump and then roll onto the yacht to infiltrate the place. Chapter 94 Chapter 94 Liam Neeson was insured, of course. Because of his profession, the insurance company had to make sure he was safe in every project he took on. So all the dangerous stunts had to be done by his stunt double. It was a no-brainer. There were many actors who said they didn''t use a stunt double, and most of them were lying... Unless it was Jackie Chan or Jet Lee. Those actors had different contracts. But even Liam Neeson had to do some of the stunts. He just has to show his face. To make it look like he was the one doing the stunts. So his stunt double had to resemble him in height and weight. "The cameras are all set!" "The actors are all ready." They shouted, since they were far apart. Kazir switched on the megaphone and said. "Start shooting!" "Lights Camera Action!" With cameras from different angles, Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) started running to the bridge. Bryan Mills had to jump into the approaching private yacht to save his daughter. Once the yacht was under the bridge, Bryan Mills made a decision and jumped! "Cut! Stop the yacht and call the double!" Kazir stopped the filming right before Liam Neeson actually jumped. Just like Liam Neeson, his stunt double underwent three months of rigorous training. His training was harder than Liam Neeson''s because he was the one responsible for the difficult stunts. After a ten-minute break, filming resumed. This time with Liam''s stunt double. The yacht that was under the bridge started to move again. The stunt double jumped and then rolled safely onto the yacht. "Cut! Another ten minute break!" "Are we going to reshoot?" Fremont whispered next to him. "Let me see the clips first." Kazir Grey touched his chin and studied the shots. It was perfect. Even Fremont thought there was no reason to reshoot. The two nodded to each other. It was useless to reshoot, since they had already captured a good one. "This is the first time I''ve worked with Kazir, but I can''t believe how fast and precise his shots are. Usually the actors make many mistakes, but under Kazir''s guidance, the actors are all calm and serious." "Liam, this is an important part of the movie, no, of my whole plan. I hope you can show me a fierce and fearless man." "Don''t worry Kazir. We have practiced this many times." ... ... ... Bryan Mills was shot in the abdomen, but that didn''t stop him. He beat the crap out of the bodyguards until he reached the master bedroom. When he opened the door, he was greeted by the Middle Eastern man holding his daughter. The man had a gun to his daughter''s head. Kim Mills (Scarlett Johansson) was terrified. She was confused and scared. Her father had just appeared and fought the bodyguards. She stared at her father with tears in her eyes. "..." Bryan Mills pointed the gun at the man. A few seconds passed. The man felt he was at a disadvantage. So he decided to bargain with Bryan Mills. "... Let''s negotiate...!" Before he could finish his sentence, he was shot in the chest. He fell to the ground, blood flowing slowly. "Y- You bastard! The High Table! Baba Yaga! They will all hunt you!" The man shouted, spitting blood. He spoke in Arabic. Suddenly, Bryan Mills kicked him in the chest and stared at him coldly. "Then call them." He replied in Arabic and shot him in the head. Chapter 95 Chapter 95 "Cut! This time I want to make a certain adjustment." Kazir Grey didn''t use his megaphone since they were inside the yacht. There was no need to shout. This yacht was mainly used for filming. It was a yacht specially made for the purpose of renting to production crew to shoot movies or tv shows. So the corner of the rooms in the yacht had spaces for cameras and cameramen. Roman Polanski recommended this yacht for them to use. Because of his connection, they rented the yacht for a better price. There were some scenes where Bryan Mills was breaking glass walls while fighting the bodyguards... These scenes had to be shot elsewhere. The production crew was not crazy enough to damage the rented yacht. There was a clause that they would have to pay if the yacht was damaged. They only used the exterior of the yacht and some rooms for shooting. Like now. "Let''s try a different approach this time." Kazir also understood that introducing the High Table and Baba Yaga in the first movie could be a dangerous move. So he had a plan B. After a ten-minute break, shooting resumed. Bryan Mills entered the room to find his daughter being threatened by the Middle Eastern man. The man pointed his gun at Kim Mills. However, the man knew he was in grave danger. So he decided to negotiate with Bryan Mills. "Let''s negotiate..." Bryan Mills didn''t bother to listen and shot him in the head. Unlike before, the Middle Eastern man died instantly. He didn''t say anything about the High Table and Baba Yaga. Kazir Grey was still struggling between the two scenes. Introducing the High Table and Baba Yaga might cause confusion. So he decided to shoot the original version just to make sure he had two different scenarios to choose from. "I know. That''s why I''m here. I want to ask you about it." "... Come in." Months passed after Kazir realized that Salvatore Barlowe had signed a contract with Scarlett Johansson. After their first meeting in the audition room, the little girl, for reasons unknown, started calling him brother. Kazir let it go because he didn''t really care. Besides, Scarlett Johansson was too young and he didn''t want to reprimand her. So he let the girl call him brother. But Kazir started to realize that Scarlett Johansson really treated him like one. That she started making fun of him like a real brother. It was cool at first, but the girl gradually lost her respect for Kazir Grey, the director of the movie. ''It is good that she is taking things seriously this time.'' Earlier, Scarlett Johansson had begged Kazir to buy her a croissant since they were France. Kazir didn''t want to upset her and caused a mistake in the set, so he called one of the interns to buy one. Scarlett Johansson was still young, but she was already displaying the arrogance of a superstar. ''To be honest, Scarlett Johansson is serious about her role. I can see that she has studied the role a lot. However, she is still young and her acting is unstable.'' This was one of the disadvantages of hiring underage actors/actresses. If not for his promise to Salvatore Barlowe, Kazir might have chosen a young but legal actress instead. He only agreed because Salvatore Barlowe helped him most of the time. "What question do you have this time?" "About this one." Scarlett Johansson pointed to a section of the script. "Hm, page 36... Are you asking about the kidnapping of Kim Mills?" "That''s right, I want to know what emotion I should show. Should I be shocked or frightened? how about both?" Kazir chuckled as he listened to the young girl''s thoughts. Chapter 96 Chapter 96 For a young woman, it was impressive that she took this job seriously. She should be at the age where she should be playing and having fun. But her determination and passion for acting was real. Kazir Grey saw it. Scarlett Johansson wasn''t a professional yet, and she didn''t have the explosive acting to grab everyone''s attention. But she was certainly hardworking... If not for her mischievous side, Kazir might be impressed. "... Let''s go outside and talk about it." "Yes, Brother Kazir." "Honestly, I don''t like calling me that. Why don''t you stop and call me director Grey or just Kazir instead." He frowned. At first he let her do what she wanted because he didn''t want to cause a trouble in the set. However, being called brother was not normal in their society. Scarlett Johansson paused. "My parents said that connection is the best weapon in this industry. You''re a director who has potential, so I want to call you brother. So brother, give me roles when I need to." ''Am I hearing it right? This child is already scheming at such a young age? Back when I was 12 years old, I''m still addicted to Pokemon and Pac-Man.'' "Sigh, anyway, let''s talk outside." Of course, Kazir knew that rumors might start flying if they stayed in the trailer for too long. So it was better to be safe than sorry. "Okay." Scarlett Johansson nodded and opened the door. The two walked out of the trailer and found the tutor talking to the crew. Kazir and Scarlett had a conversation where people could see them. "What question do you want to ask?" "It''s about the scene where Kim Mills was talking to her father when she saw unknown people showing up." "Ah, that scene. I think you already have an idea about it." "As expected, it should be shock and fear, right?" "Give me your best reaction." "I need a few seconds to adapt." Scarlett Johansson thought seriously. Then she turned to Kazir and showed a frightened expression. "... Passable, but not the best. First of all, why are you holding your shoulders? Remember, Kim Mills was holding a phone at the time." "Let me do it again." "..." He was in the palm of a 12 year old girl, a 12 year old girl. "Besides, I''m Salvatore Barlowe''s client. You can''t just fire me." She crossed her arms condescendingly. For a little girl, she was too calculating. ''Now, my fear towards women is getting stronger...'' Adults respected him because of his authority and accomplishments. Most actors/actresses would even beg him just to be cast in his movie. ''Maybe this is proof that Scarlett Johansson is still a girl because she is immature.'' He decided to let it go. He massaged his forehead and finally agreed. "Just to be clear, we start shooting at 7am and finish at 8pm. I can only take you to the shop when our work is done. We will take your tutor." "Okay, no problem." "You have to promise me that you will not cause any problems tomorrow." "Do you want me to sign a contract?" "No, just behave yourself." ''It was ironic that she was aware of her surroundings and yet wanted to use them to make trouble for me.'' He sighed. Even at the script reading three weeks ago, Scarlett Johansson got on his nerves. She kept changing her lines. People forgave her easily because of her young age. Luckily, she didn''t cause any trouble when filming began. ''We also have to shoot in the USA. The first part of the movie was set in America and Harold has already found a cheap villa to use.'' They only had two months to shoot all the scenes in France. If they overstayed, they would have to invest more money just for accommodations. "Hehe, you better keep your promise. Or I will keep pestering you until you agree. By the way, if you have a role suitable for me, cast me." "Alright." The little girl walked away, leaving Kazir alone. The next day, Scarlett Johansson had a good performance, and she only made four NGs the whole day. Since Scarlett Johansson kept her promise, Kazir obviously had to keep his. /Puji_maki Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Scarlett Johansson had a good performance this past few days. Even if she didn''t have any explosive acting that would attract the audience, at least her work was efficient and made the work of the film crew easier. As a result, Kazir''s opinion of her improved a bit. ''Scarlett is still a brat, an immature brat. I should not take her seriously. '' "Director Grey, good morning." "Oh, Eva, you''re here." Kazir was checking the storyboard when Eva Green greeted her. She had a scene today, about the time Bryan Mills infiltrated a sex den and found a drugged woman with his daughter''s belonging(jacket). Because of this connection, Bryan Mills decided to save the woman and ask her where she got the jacket. "I hope I can do my role perfectly. I''m kinda nervous." The woman smiled. "I believe you will do your job properly." Kazir replied, sketching at his storyboard. Eva Green only got the role three days ago, and she didn''t have any preparation. Luckily, her part was a minute-long scene at best. She didn''t have to do much acting. "Thank you for giving me this chance, director Grey. I will try my best." "It''s a small role. As long as you act well, it''s all right. Besides, I promise Roman Polanski that I will help you. If you are interested in Hollywood, you can contact CAA. I will try to help you as much as I can." "T- Thank you very much, Director Grey!" Hearing this, Eva Green smiled and was grateful. She knew how hard it was to build a solid foundation in Hollywood. She was there for a year, but her search for roles was fruitless. She didn''t get a role, so she decided to return to France and cultivate herself in the local entertainment industry. Hearing Kazir''s approval was the best thing she has heard this year. ''It is enough that I gave her a small role. I already kept my promise to Roman Polanski. I know Eva Green''s future, so there''s nothing wrong with helping her. Perhaps I will make another changes in the timeline...'' "Tch! People always treat me like a kid! I don''t want to study! I don''t want to go back to school, my classmates are all a bunch of immature brats!" ... ... ... The filming was a bit complicated. In the movie, after Bryan Mills found a clue to find her daughter, the sextraffickers showed up and chased him. There was a car chase that lasted a few minutes in the movie. Also, the traffickers'' cars were destroyed in the chase. That means the production crew had to buy cars just to destroy them. They could make miniature cars, but it was time-consuming and the result might not be acceptable. Luckily, Kazir and Harold attended the party and found someone to lead them to a junkyard that recycled old cars. Producer Harold was in charge of choosing the cars, since he had a knack for props. With his wit after cultivating his face to be thick, Harold negotiated 7 working cars for over 100 thousand dollars. That was very cheap. The performance of the cars was a bit low, but they were enough for the movie. Kazir could just edit the scenes to make it look like the cars were moving fast. It was possible through fast editing. A film editing technique that refers to several consecutive shots of short duration, about 3 seconds or less. It could make the sequence impactful and jaw-dropping. But first, Kazir had to shoot the interior scene. The scene where Bryan Mills infiltrates the sex den. "We''ll probably have to shoot in this place for two or three days." Kazir muttered and began shooting. Throughout the shoot, Scarlett Johansson kept eyeing Eva Green, who was trying to strike up a conversation with Kazir. "That woman, she''s probably trying to do something." To make sure nothing happened, little Scarlett Johansson decided to watch over Eva Green. Chapter 98 Chapter 98 [A very important note: I just want to remind everyone that this is just fiction. Do not take it seriously]. "That woman... She''s good." Scarlett Johansson bit her nail while watching Eva Green''s performance. "She''s just acting weak and drugged, but she did it with class. I wonder how she did that... Perhaps she did drugs or something?" She tilted her head and muttered, but stopped when she noticed Kazir Grey looking at her. Kazir gestured for Scarlett to be quiet by putting his finger on his lips. The set should be quiet within a few feet of the filming scene. Even though most of the movie would be dubbed, it was still standard procedure to be quiet during filming. So Scarlett Johansson kept her mouth shut and watched the action unfold. Liam Neeson had a steady performance and only had a few NGs a day. Well, Liam Neeson was a great actor who starred in many dramas. Although he was best known for his role in Schindler''s List. That might have been the beginning of his well career. Each take was usually over in a few seconds, and they did not do continuous shooting. Continuous shooting was quite difficult to achieve. It could be called a long take, a continuous, uninterrupted shot over a long period of time without any editing. ''One of the best examples was the opening scene of 007''s Spectre, where James Bond walked into the festival to the building without any interruptions.'' The film crew prepared a crane just to get a shot of the rooftop. Kazir could do the same thing, but it could be cumbersome and time-consuming. The actors were not used to long takes and could make mistakes. So every few seconds of shooting, Kazir would have to yell cut. These short takes would be spliced together to create a complete scene. ''Maybe I can do a long take next time, but our schedule and budget are pretty strict, so I can''t experiment.'' Even a director like him wanted to expand his creativity. Maybe he could find enlightenment. "Scene 34, the search for Kim Mills. Lights, camera, action!" The clapperboard sounded and shooting began. At that moment, Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) looked in every "dressing room" to find his daughter. Then he found his daughter''s jacket on one of the drugged women. After Kazir spoke to Liam Neeson, another person approached him. Eva Green stammered because she was a little nervous. This was her first time working on a big project. "Hm, you did a good job, Eva." Kazir unconsciously patted her head because Eva Green was shorter than him. "I- I see." "She''s much older than me, but she''s nervous. Unlike me, I never felt nervous, even though this is my first movie too." Kazir heard a cat murmur, but he ignored it. There was no need to throw gasoline into a fire. He just let the little girl think what she wanted to think. "Okay, let''s go to the next location!" The film crew rented this big construction site for three days. Besides, they only needed this place every night. Because the scenes they were going to shoot were at night. Even the editor will have a hard time editing a sunny day into a dark night. So it''s better to use the natural background. Shooting at night means that their scenes were set at night. The cars were already prepared and this time they have to shoot the cars running and Bryan Mills'' car being chased. Obviously whoever was driving the car was a trained driver. There was a clause in the contract that Liam Neeson would not be involved in the car chase scene. As for the interior shots of the car, that was the only time Liam Neeson had to show his face. But the person driving the car was a different person. ... Suddenly, an accident occurs. *Bang! One of the enemies'' cars turned upside down after running over a concrete block. The impact was quite strong and left everyone terrified. "Medic! Call the medic! Call an ambulance!" When Kazir realized that the situation might be bad, he reacted immediately. He was the first to give orders. The crew began to follow his orders. The medic on the scene pulled the man out of the car and administered first aid. Chapter 99 Chapter 99 The car was on fire, and the pyrotechnics professionals immediately stepped in and stopped the car from exploding. A few minutes later, an ambulance arrived and took the injured man away. The crew became silent and didn''t know what to do. "... Let''s end the work for today. I want everyone to be quiet about this accident!" Kazir shouted at the people. Then he looked at Fremont and Harold. Since they were in high positions, they had to make sure that the film crew was intact. "Kazir..." Scarlett Johansson was startled by what she witnessed. She was not close with the injured driver but they had a conversation although she was the one who was talking(grumbling). "Let''s talk later Scarlett, I have a job to do. You should go back to the hotel." "Y- Yes. Take care." Kazir Grey rubbed his forehead. He turned to Harold to talk about the possible consequences of this accident. Harold promised that the driver would be compensated by Grey Pictures... Of course, the driver would have to keep quiet about the incident. A contract had to be written. They didn''t want to jeopardize the project because of an accident. The future of Grey Pictures lies in this film. The accident that night made the atmosphere depressing. Fortunately, they rented the construction site for three days, and they still have two days to go. Kazir couldn''t sleep that night because of what had happened. He contacted Roman Polanski, hoping that he could prevent the incident from spreading. No one from the cast was injured, but Kazir felt like something was not right. "We just have to shoot the car chase." It seemed that Fremont didn''t have a peaceful night either. His eyes were bloodshot after he had calmed everyone down. He informed everyone and made sure that news won''t spread. "That''s right. These are the remaining scenes we need to shoot at this location. Tell everyone to be careful and stay safe. I don''t want anything bad to happen again." The next night''s filming was much slower, but they completed the scenes. They left the site after completing all the scenes and went to their next location. Unfortunately, the incident still spread, but not in France. The news that there was an accident on the set of Taken was picked up by the film companies in Hollywood. As a result, reporters and paparazzi showed up and disrupted their filming. "Hayst..." Kazir narrowed his eyes. He realized that a bunch of paparazzi and reporters were surrounding one person. "Is that Scarlett?" Kazir frowned and clicked his tongue. Judging by the situation, the paparazzi and reporters were disturbing the little girl. "I can''t believe they would do this to a child! I swear, these people." Even Harold was disgusted. The two ran toward the commotion. "Miss, are you a member of this crew?" "I-I..." Scarlett didn''t know what to say. She was overwhelmed by the situation. "Is it true that Director Grey intentionally made the driver suffer?" The reporter uttered such non-sense, truly a normal day for a reporter, spouting bullshit questions. "N- No..." Scarlett stuttered. She was nervous. In front of these crazy people who wanted to tear her apart, Scarlett felt weak. Tears began to flow as she hiccupped. "What are you doing to a child? If you have any questions, ask me instead! I can sue your news stations and your publisher for harming a child!" Scarlett turned to find Kazir Grey standing behind her. The man had a stern expression on his face. "Director Grey, what do you think will happen when the driver gets out of the hospital? Will he file a lawsuit?" "There are rumors that you don''t care about your crew and only feed them cheap food, is it true, Director Grey?" The paparazzi and reporters surrounded Kazir like flies. Kazir motioned to Harold to take Scarlett away from the commotion. ''Where the hell is the Children''s Association? This is the moment they are needed! They just let Scarlett face these demons.'' Kazir gritted his teeth. Chapter 100 Chapter 100 [Author''s note: 100 chapters? Let''s go...! I would like to thank everyone who supports this novel. Also, I want to apologize to everyone who sees my shortcomings. Thanks guys, I''ll try to do better.] Kazir faced the reporters. He knew that most of their questions were shitty and mostly meant to annoy him. They wanted to see Kazir make a scene. Unfortunately, Kazir answered their questions without showing any nervousness or anger. It was as if he was not afraid of the media. ''The media can make trouble and spread rumors, I''ll concentrate on my job instead. I have to make sure that Taken is successful.'' After Kazir entertained the reporters and paparazzi, he left the set. They changed their location to shoot indoor scenes instead. They adjusted their schedule just to hide from the media. "Are you okay?" Kazir saw Scarlett with teary eyes. It seemed that she cried a lot, judging by her red eyes. "It''s a good thing you don''t have a scene today. The make-up artist will have a hard time hiding your swollen eyes." "Kazir, you are being rude!" "I know." Scarlett glared at him. But in the end, she sulked. She knew that Kazir had protected her earlier. "Thanks." She said and looked away. "You should keep being a sweet little girl so people will treat you better." "I''ll try." "Anyway, why are you here? You should be at the hotel right now, learning from your tutor. The paparazzi don''t care about people''s privacy, so you shouldn''t be around them." "I went to visit Paul." "Paul? Are you talking about Paul Arker? The driver who was injured?" Kazir was confused. "That''s right. Paul is a nice guy and he likes action movies. I heard he wanted to be an action star, but his short height is a problem." "..." Kazir didn''t expect that Scarlett was actually close to the driver. ''Well, this brat has a good relationship with the film crew. She respects them... I wonder why she keeps bothering me?'' "Why are you looking at me like that?" "Miss Tutor, please take care of Scarlett." "Y- Yes, Director Grey." "By the way, stay away from the Children''s Association." "Y- Yes?" Kazir didn''t bother to explain. He watched as Scarlett got into the car and left. ''Accidents like this happen all the time, but this one attracted a lot of attention... Unless...'' Suddenly his phone rang and the caller was Agent Salvatore Barlowe. "Salvatore... What did you find?" Kazir''s voice was cold and heavy. [Three letters, WMA.] Salvatore''s voice was static, but Kazir understood enough. As expected, this particular agency was still bitter about the mistake they had made. WMA had a lot of influence in the media, and they could make trouble to Kazir. "You know what to do." [I understand. It''s good that only one stuntman was injured. It could be problematic if an actor was injured. This kind of thing is easy for the CAA. Three days, the news about this will disappear within three days.] Salvatore Barlowe had a strong voice at CAA after The Hangover. He had enough clout to talk to the PR team and influence this matter. "Hm, that''s good to hear." Kazir nodded. [However, now that your filming has attracted attention, some reporters will keep track of you and follow you]. "I will take care of it. As long as they can promise to sign a non-disclosure agreement, I will let them join the film crew. It could be good for us too." At least they got free publicity. They didn''t have to bother paying money to the news stations and news publishers. All they have to do is change the minds of the masses. A few days later, Paul, the driver, showed his face to the media. He announced that the film crew was not to blame and thanked Director Grey instead. As a result, the news about the matter quickly died down. Chapter 101 Chapter 101 Filming resumed. To avoid the eyes of reporters and media, the crew decided to shoot the indoor scenes first. Just as Salvatore Barlowe had promised, the news gradually died down and no one heard about the incident again. Many reporters and paparazzi left and only a few remained. They were those who were interested in the movie, probably from Time Warner and News Corporation. Kazir had been working with Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox. Those two companies didn''t want to cut ties with Kazir because of Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover. Kazir is in charge of these projects. Specifically, he was responsible for writing the scripts. Kazir Grey has already proven that he has a talent for writing comedies. The two film companies needed his creativity for the success of the two projects. Well, they could hire another scriptwriter to fill the spot, but that would only cause trouble between Kazir and them. The remaining reporters had a simple task. They wanted to see if Kazir''s current project was good. They could also promote it. This was their way of showing kindness to Kazir. Just as Kazir promised, he let the reporters join the film crew after they signed a non-disclosure agreement. There was nothing big, but the reporters still wrote something about the movie to get people''s attention... It didn''t help much to be honest. The articles related to Taken were few, so no traffic happened. After the trouble with the media was over, the trouble with the Children''s Association showed up and took over. Just like last time, they started asking for unreasonable things to make sure that Scarlett was not mistreated... Kazir didn''t fall for this trick. Especially when Scarlett was already irritated. She thought the Children''s Association wanted to protect her. But instead she witnessed how these people made trouble for the crew. She even had to apologize to Kazir. "It''s okay. We should concentrate on filming instead of thinking about other things. Call Liam and Eva. This is the last day that Eva will cooperate with us". The scene was when the kidnapped woman was rescued by Bryan Mills who took her to a safe place. He asked the woman about his daughter''s location, but the woman was also clueless, the drug still affected her. Scarlett Johansson forgot about Eva Green after the incident. The two never had a chance to talk. "Okay. Ah, I just remembered. 20th Century Fox wanted to invite you to the premiere of Napoleon Dynamite II." "It''s coming out this month?" Kazir was surprised. "Maybe you are too tired. Kazir, Napoleon Dynamite started shooting last September. It''s already June, obviously they already finished the movie. You spent almost three months in France, so you''re a little out of it." "Napoleon Dynamite, huh? Tell them I''ll be there." "That''s good. I have already found a few candidates to be your assistant. They all have good backgrounds. You can choose from the list." Salvatore handed Kazir documents. Kazir opened some of them and saw their information and appearance. "Okay, I have to meet them first before I decide." Kazir yawned. He had no problem sleeping on the plane, even though he was in business class. However, he could not stretch his limbs without restraints, so it was not comfortable. He wanted to sleep more. "Of course." The two ended their conversation and parted ways. When Kazir returned to his apartment, which he only used a few times, he noticed that there were some letters under the door. He picked them up one by one and saw something interesting. "Really? Just when I''m doing well?" He shrugged. He obviously sensed this person''s intention. Now Kazir was not sure how to answer the letter. He had the feeling that it was useless, so he decided to throw it away. Maybe he should talk to his brother first. "Napoleon Dynamite II... Let''s see what the future holds." Chapter 102 Chapter 102 "Next." Kazir called the next person. At the moment, Kazir was interviewing every person who met Salvatore''s qualifications. Kazir was looking for an assistant to help him with almost everything... Well, he needed an assistant to keep his life going. For the last two years, Kazir did nothing but work and work hard. He didn''t have time to think about anything. An assistant would make his work better. To be honest, it was a mystery why Kazir was looking for an assistant now. He was used to living his life alone. Maybe he was still skeptical of people and had a hard time trusting strangers. A few seconds later, a young woman appeared and greeted Kazir. "Sir, I''m Erica Mendez. I graduated from California Polytechnic State University. I''m looking for steady work." "It says here that you worked as a manager at a fast food restaurant for three years. Why did you quit?" Kazir had her information on the resume. This information was real, and it was verified by Salvatore. He filtered everything down to her criminal record, if she had one. To make sure Kazir''s possible assistant could be trusted. The woman caught Kazir''s attention because she had been in the military for two years before becoming a manager at a fast-food restaurant. ''I wonder why she left her last job.'' "I quit because the salary is not enough." "Not enough?" "Sir, I''m looking for a job that can pay me 6 figures a year." Very straight to the point. Well, people work to get money. "... And why is that?" "I have twins to feed, sir." "..." Kazir was not used to this kind of conversation. The woman, Erica Mendez, answered his questions in typical military fashion. For one thing, she had military experience and knew how to handle weapons. She could protect Kazir in an emergency. Second, she looked intimidating with the scar on her left cheek. She was also tall, about 6''3". She was slightly taller than Kazir. Third, she was not beautiful. She was average at best. So Kazir was confident that he wouldn''t be seduced. Fourth was her answer. The woman had two children to support. ''It seemed that her husband had died in battle.'' Kazir looked at the information he had received from Erica Mendez. Erica and her husband had served in the military. He didn''t know the exact details, but her husband died and she retired from the military. Then she found out she was pregnant and decided to keep the baby. "All in all, her life story piqued my interest. It''s almost like I could make a movie out of her story." He chuckled. Well, making movies about real people was quite common. Lots of film companies did it. They especially love to make war movies. The reason Hollywood loves war movies is to promote anti-war agendas. Maybe the military also uses war movies to catch potential soldiers. When Top Gun was released, many young healthy men joined the military. It was no lie that Top Gun was the reason they wanted to join the military. Anyway, Kazir Grey hired a secretary and she knew how to handle guns, a plus point. ''I know how to handle guns and I''ve been taking mixed martial arts classes lately because of my movie. Still, it''s better to have someone who knows what they''re doing.'' Without any anti-climatic plot, Erica Mendez accepted the job after reading the contract. Everything in the contract was what she expected. Her lawyer didn''t find anything that could put her at risk. She was even happy to have two days off every week. Perhaps Kazir respected her as a mother working for her children''s future. Kazir stayed most of the time the office. In this regard, Kazir was a boring person with no life. If he was a main character in a novel, readers might lose interest in him and comment that the MC was boring as fuck. As for her salary, Erica Mendez was shocked when Kazir kept his promise of a six-figure annual salary. She also had an annual bonus. There was also a clause that her salary would increase based on her hard work. "Sir, this is our schedule for today." Erica gave Kazir a sheet of paper and he read it. All in all, his schedule was a bit tight. The filming would start again tomorrow and he had to watch the preparations today. On top of that, he had to attend the premiere of Napoleon Dynamite II on Thursday night. "I''d better buy another suit." He muttered to himself. Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Filming in the USA was much easier than in France. At least it was their territory and they speak their own language. The only scenes they had to shoot in the US were the first part of the movie. There is one action scene, but it''s not that difficult to shoot. Now that most of the scenes have been shot and they still have $5 million in their budget, Kazir had a better time working. At least he was confident that there was enough money to shoot all the scenes. After that, they have to go into post-production and edit the movie. Since the first part didn''t rely on action scenes, Kazir had to give way in the acting department. Fortunately, most of the actors in this part were experienced. Even Scarlett Johansson was able to keep up with the adults. ''If there''s one thing that impresses me, it''s Brianna Evans. She turned into a rich mom with one look. I wonder how much she prepared for that?'' He knew that Brianna was a method actor and that she did extensive research for her role. Now, just by looking at her, Kazir immediately thought that she was a rich mother. With her posture and facial expressions, he was convinced. On top of that, when she had scenes with Liam Neeson and Scarlett Johansson, Brianna easily overpowered them. But Kazir didn''t want too much of that because Liam Neeson was the protagonist of the movie. So they had some NGs. The movie only had one protagonist, the movie focused on Bryan Mills. Of course, Kazir didn''t give Brianna Evans a hard time. He gave her time to shine as long as she didn''t overpower the rest of the cast. In fact, even Scarlett Johansson stuttered whenever she acted with Brianna. She was mesmerized by the woman. Overall, everything was within his expectations. If shooting continued at this pace, they would be able to finish all their scenes in June. "Then we can edit the footage in July." Kazir muttered. His assistant, Erica Mendez, stood next to him. The woman watched the shoot with curiosity. This was the first time she had joined a production crew. "What do you think? It''s bleak, isn''t it?" Kazir asked. "Again, just call me Kazir. You don''t have to keep up this formality. I''m not used to it." "Yes, sir - I mean, if that''s what you want, Kazir." He just chuckled and got into the car. He let the woman drive, as she was eager to get to work. Kazir would meet Reese at the theater later. First, Kazir had to put on his suit. He was the type who was not extravagant. In fact, he was very cheap guy. He didn''t like cars, so he only bought one Honda. Well, Japanese cars were durable. He didn''t want to buy a house, and even the apartment he rented was rarely used. He had millions in his bank account, but he didn''t bother to buy things for himself. Still, he understood that appearance was important, so for this important day he decided to open his wallet and buy a $10,000 suit. If this had been four years ago, Kazir might have cringed at the purchase. Erica first took him to Grey Pictures. Kazir changed his clothes and put on the suit. Then he called the company''s makeup artist to take care of his face. Unlike the women, who had to prepare for a long time, the men could just get dressed. They didn''t have to worry about their eyelashes, blush-ons, and such. As long as they looked good, they didn''t have a problem. But it was different for women, they wanted to make sure they looked good from many different angles. So much so that they spent so much time in makeup. "Let''s go." Erica stepped on the pedal and the car accelerated. Since Kazir had an important connection to the making of Napoleon Dynamite, he had to be on the red carpet. The entrance of each actor/actress was timed so that each could have their moment on the red carpet. The first to arrive was the director, Hugo Lameire. He spent a few minutes on the red carpet taking pictures and being interviewed. Then the next actor came out and did the same thing. It all depends on how famous they were and how the reporters response on their appearance. Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Kazir received a message that he had to take a limousine to the red carpet. It seemed that 20th Century Fox wanted everything to be grand. Kazir had to agree. "Napoleon Dynamite didn''t have a red carpet last time, so they''re probably trying to make up for it." Well, nobody expected a $500,000 movie to make over $250 million. When Kazir''s moment came, he stepped out of the limousine and waved his hand. Reporters began taking pictures of him. He paused for a few seconds and stood still. Then, before he could enter the theater, he was interviewed by a Fox TV reporter. "Director Grey, you are the first director of Napoleon Dynamite and you wrote the script for the sequel. How confident are you that the movie will be successful?" "It all depends on the fans." He smiled and ended the interview... He didn''t like interviews very much. He knew some reporters who would go out of their way just to make him uncomfortable. They would ask controversial questions just to stir up the actors. They were quite brutal. They had no respect for privacy. "Kazir, I miss you." Reese Witherspoon walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Yeah, I''ve been away for a few months. How''s work?" "The director is quite a bully. Hugo Lameire is terrifying, I prefer working with you." She smiled and wrapped her arms around his. "We can talk about it later." "Geez, you really are serious in public. That''s what I like about you, I want to monopolize your private side." Kazir shrugged and walked on. Then he found Tom Rothman and director Hugo Lameire. The two were talking. ''If I''m not mistaken, Hugo Lameire wanted to make his own movie. But he has to make sure that Napoleon Dynamite is a box office hit first.'' Looking around, Kazir noticed that most of the cast was at the premiere. Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal also greeted him. The two wanted to see if Kazir was interested in making The Hangover Part 2. Apparently, Warner Bros was still looking for someone to take over the movie. Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal knew Kazir was a great director. At least their experience with him was much better than with Hugo Lameire, who kept yelling like a bitch. "I''ll think about it." That was the only answer Kazir gave. To be honest, he was not sure either. If Taken was no good, then Kazir had no choice but to keep making comedies. ''The Hangover Part 2 will start shooting at the end of the year. I still have time to decide.'' In fact, he was grateful that he had another way to sustain himself if Taken was a box office flop. He could go back to filming The Hangover Part 2 once he hit rock bottom. Still, he only has to do Plan B if he has no other choice. He''s not going to let Taken be a flop. The movie was successful in his past life, he just had to make sure it would be successful this time. After the lights went out, everyone became quiet and sat down. They knew that the movie was about to start. The front of the audience was filled with people associated with the movie, such as the cast and production crew. Behind them, the fourth and fifth rows were filled with fans and critics who had received premiere tickets. "I heard that director Lameire has signed a three-movie deal with 20th Century Fox." Reese Witherspoon, sitting next to Kazir, whispered and informed him. "Hm." Kazir just nodded. He had no idea why Reese was telling him this. Was it related to the reason why Hugo was seething? "I heard that Warner Bros is inviting him to direct The Hangover Part 2." Suddenly everything was clear. Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover were both comedies, but The Hangover had a much better audience response. It also had a better box office. If The Hangover sequel was taken on by Hugo Lameire, it had a better chance of being a success. The Hangover was one of the top 5 movies last year. Its impact was much better than Napoleon Dynamite. But because of the contract, Hugo Lameire was tied to 20th Century Fox for a few years. That might be the reason why Hugo Lameire was glaring earlier. /Puji_maki Chapter 105 Chapter 105 When Kazir heard that 20th Century Fox was interested in making a sequel to Napoleon Dynamite, he expected to be asked to direct or write the movie. Since Kazir had no idea how the movie would turn out, he decided to take on the script instead. He avoided the possibility of failure, and that was not a bad thing. For a person like him, his knowledge of the future was his strongest talent. Not his calm mind nor his strong memory regarding movies. So Kazir decided to take a chance with the script this time... He was inspired by The Hangover. In the plot he created, Napoleon and Pedro went to Las Vegas to visit Deb. They were older and had graduated from high school. To be honest, Kazir had no idea what he was doing... The truth was that Kazir had no screenwriting talent. So he hired a bunch of writers to fill in the plot holes. He made sure that the writers had experience in writing comedies, just to be sure. This is how the script of Napoleon Dynamite was created. Las Vegas had its bad side, but it also had a good side. Unlike The Hangover, where the movie emphasized drugs, crime and prostitution (sort of), the script of Napoleon Dynamite was mild. Every few minutes there were comedy sketches and funny lines to keep the movie entertaining. Napoleon Dynamite and Pedro Sanchez entered a casino and won a lot of money betting on horse races. Because of this, the casino manager noticed them and tried to cancel their money. Napoleon and Pedro had no choice but to run to get away from them. Las Vegas was huge and Napoleon found a place to hide. He was caught in a live TV show where he had to do dance steps... And he started doing those silly dances again. He didn''t know that his uncle and his brother were actually watching the show and they went on stage to stop Napoleon. It was hilarious, or so Kazir thought. Since it was live, Napoleon became famous in just one day and the casino decided to let them leave with their money. That''s right. That''s the whole plot of the movie... 20th Century Fox was actually skeptical about the script. Tom Rothman in particular felt there was another way to make it better. Tom Rothman secretly hired writers to do another version of Napoleon Dynamite II, just to be sure. However, their suspicions were allayed when The Hangover was released. Napoleon Dynamite II and The Hangover had some similarities, both were set in Las Vegas. 20th Century Fox decided to go with this script. They trusted Kazir''s creativity. "I didn''t expect this to be the result." Kazir looked around and found that most of the audience had a great reaction to the sequel of Napoleon Dynamite. They were all smiling, happy with what they were seeing. They were even laughing. "What?" He asked himself. In his previous life, Kazir always wrote noir and horror films. The seriousness and depressing tone of noir films. The terrifying shock and deafening scream of horror films. All of his films were either noir or horror. He never went into comedy or action. When he wrote Napoleon Dynamite, Kazir understood that it was not his real creation. He just plagiarized it. He was a thief, a bastard. This was already within their expectations and Tom Rothman didn''t have a problem with the result. After all, there was another heavy movie coming out today. "How about Con Air?" Kazir asked. "It says here that Con Air made $4.3 million." Con Air had Nicholas Cage in it, and his box office appeal was very strong at this time. Kazir was expecting this situation. What neither Kazir Grey nor Tom Rothman expected was that Napoleon Dynamite''s vibrancy would be strong. June 5th, 1997. Friday. Napoleon Dynamite got $11.32 million, while Con Air got $7.21 million. June 6. Saturday. Napoleon Dynamite made another $13.50 million while Con Air made $9.62 million. June 7. Sunday. Napoleon made another $8.78 million. All told, Napoleon Dynamite grossed $33.61 million on its first week. As for Con Air, it earned $8.08 million. For three days, Con Air has earned $24.91 million. -- Pah! "What''s going on here?" Michael Eisner slammed the newspaper down on the table in anger. He was furious. Why was he angry? Because the investment in Con Air was huge, yet it was being beaten by a small-budget comedy! The production cost of Con Air alone was $80 million! On top of that, they invested $15 million in advertising! "S- Sir..." The secretary jumped when she saw the old man seething with anger. "... Contact Kazir Grey and ask him if Grey Pictures is interested in working with Walt Disney." He took a deep breath and decided to calm down. In his opinion, Kazir Grey was the one responsible for the film''s success. Naturally, he wanted to squeeze the man''s creativity before it dried up. Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox managed to profit from him, so why not Disney? "Y- Yes." The secretary stuttered. It was only the first week, but Michael Eisner already knew that the rampage of Napoleon Dynamite II was only the beginning. Chapter 106 Chapter 106 "Okay, let''s reshoot this scene. Harold, your expression is a little nervous. Just act like you are talking casually." "O- Okay." Fremont Smith was the one in the director''s chair this time. Kazir promised to give the man a chance to improve his skills. So far Fremont was doing well. He had what it took to control the crew and he was calm under pressure. He had chosen the right man. Or rather, Salvatore chose the right person. Fremont Smith was one of Salvatore''s clients. The young African-American man had not yet reached the status of a director, but he had enough ability to control the crew. If being a director doesn''t work out, he can be a producer. Well, everything depends on the future. One thing was for sure, Kazir was the type to make sure his crew would rise from the rank. Right now, Kazir Grey and Harold Witsend were joining the cast as cameos. There was a scene where Bryan Mills entered a store to buy a gift for his daughter. While he was there, Kazir decided to insert this scene. "Harold, just think of yourself as an extra. You don''t have to be nervous. We only have three seconds of screen time at best." Kazir added. "I-I understand." "Okay, scene 1, act 8, begin!" Fremont announced and the set fell silent. The films rolled and Liam Neeson entered the scene as Bryan Mills. He walked for a few seconds and passed a table where two people were talking. "Kazir, we don''t have enough budget to add that scene. I think the car chase scene is enough." Harold did his best to keep a straight face. He showed Kazir some documents. "I think it''s feasible." "Feasible? We don''t have enough money!" Harold pounded his fists on the table. "Cut!" Fremont announced. Erica Mendez was holding a phone. This was a business phone for people who wanted to inquire about Kazir. "Who is it this time?" Based on Kazir''s question, this was not the first time this had happened. Today, more than three people contacted him about his script. Some of them wanted to hire him as a screenwriter or director for their upcoming movies. However, all the projects were comedy related. Kazir''s talent for comedy was cemented after Napoleon Dynamite II. Almost two weeks (June 16, 1997) have passed and Napoleon Dynamite II has currently earned $70.19 million at the box office. As for its rival, Con Air, it grossed $51.74 million. The two movies were released on the same day, but the difference was obvious. The $80 million movie was crushed by a $10 million movie. While Napoleon Dynamite II was turning a profit, Con Air was still hoping to cross the threshold. "It''s chairman Michael Eisner of Walt Disney." Speaking of Walt Disney, Michael Eisner was definitely disappointed with the performance of Con Air. Casting a superstar like Nicholas Cage caused the budget to go way up. ''In my opinion, $51 million is not bad for a two-week gross. It''s a success. But with Napoleon Dynamite II coming out at the same time, they could not help but compare the two.'' In that respect, Napoleon Dynamite II was better. "Give me the phone." Kazir could not leave Walt Disney''s chairman hanging on the phone. "Hello, Mr. Eisner." "Kazir, I hope I''m not disturbing you. I heard you were filming." "No, you are not disturbing me. Kazir lied. "Haha, that''s good to hear. By the way, we are having a party tomorrow, I hope you can come." ''... Did I hear it right? The chairman of Walt Disney personally invited me to a party?'' "I can''t refuse an invitation from someone like you, Mr. Eisner." "Hm, that''s good to hear." The call ended. ''Party? But I didn''t know why they were having a party. Are they celebrating Con Air? Maybe it''s a party to celebrate Ransom, which was released last year.'' Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Just as Kazir thought, Disney was going to celebrate Ransom, which ended its run today. The last screening of Ransom ended in Japan and it was officially released out of the cinema worldwide. The film grossed $309.5 million worldwide. It was clearly a successful movie. To make that kind of money was a miracle for movies in this era. Only abominations like Jurassic Park and Titanic could make a billion dollars at the box office. Ransom was about a multi-millionaire, Tom Mullen, whose son was kidnapped. After initially agreeing to pay the ransom, Mullen decides to use the money as a bounty. (IMDb) The film was well received in North America and internationally. With $136.49 million in North America and $173 million internationally, the movie was one of the top 10 highest-grossing films of 1996. The production budget of the movie was $70 million with an estimated $20 million investment in advertising in North America. Definitely not bad results. After that, Walt Disney began distributing and selling videotapes of Ransom. "Did you take my advice?" "I didn''t go to any of their parties. I''m not the kind of guy who likes to go to parties. I like to stay in my office and spend the rest of the day there." "Hm, that''s good to hear." Mel Gibson nodded. He patted Kazir on the shoulder and walked away. His face was red from drinking. Mel Gibson and Kazir Grey talked a little. Their relationship was not that of friends. They were more like acquaintances. Still, Kazir respected Mel''s advice to stay away from Jeffrey Epstein. As a man from the future, Kazir understood that nothing good would happen if he went to Jeffrey Epstein''s famous island. Mel Gibson was the star of this party because he was the protagonist of Ransom. However, because of Mel''s behavior when he was drunk, it was hard to talk to him. In fact, everyone looked at Kazir with surprise after Mel Gibson left. Mel was known to be an alcoholic and it was easy for him to get angry when he was drunk. But Kazir and Mel had a peaceful conversation. Unlike most directors who had fat bellies, short stature, and eye bags, Kazir Grey oozed masculine vibes. The kind of person who qualified to be called a Chad/Alpha. Well, some people cringed at the word Alpha. But there was a reason it was invented. To describe someone like Kazir Grey. A quality man who had a successful career and was good looking. Unfortunately for these girls, someone like Kazir was very hard to budge. He would not flinch even if a sexy woman stood in front of him with a lustful look... That might be a lie, but it was still true that Kazir was hard to seduce. He was almost immune to temptation. For his status, it was a miracle that he could withstand the ravishing looks of the beautiful women around him. If not for his relationship with Reese Witherspoon, they might have thought Kazir was gay. Many men in this industry became gay for many reasons. It seemed that Kazir Grey was just a simple man who was very loyal... That was what made him so interesting. Seducing a man like him could give them the satisfaction of proving their worth. Forcing a loyal man to cheat might be the best way to assert dominance. Still, Kazir didn''t focus on the vixens trying to snatch him. His eyes were on a certain fat man. While the party was going on, Harvey Weinstein was communicating with the higher-ups at Disney. The people who sided with the Disney family. Harvey felt someone looking at him and turned around. He found Kazir Grey standing in the corner, surrounded by women. "..." Harvey Weinstein clenched his teeth for some reason. Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Harvey Weinstein was a businessman and he knew how to control his emotions. Since Kazir was looking at him, he might as well say hello. Harvey''s opinion of Kazir was complicated. The first time he saw him was at a small screening of Napoleon Dynamite two years ago. Miramax had been invited by CAA to a minor screening of an unknown director. Harvey Weinstein intended to send just one of his executives to see the film. But when he heard that the director was actually Kazir Grey, the screenwriter of Se7en, he decided to see it instead. He didn''t expect the movie to be entertaining. He knew it would do well at the box office. The question was how much money could be made. He wanted the movie, so he gave Kazir a good contract. A 5% cut of the profits. But Kazir turned down his offer and signed with Fox Searchlight Pictures instead. Harvey Weinstein was not disappointed, maybe a little. But not enough to hate Kazir. He knew that Kazir had chosen the best option, and that was the right thing to do. Perhaps the reason things got complicated was because of the William Morris Agency (WMA). WMA was determined to destroy Kazir. They even went so far as to announce that Kazir Grey was a wife beater. William Morris Agency promised to give Miramax preferential treatment. Miramax hired actors from WMA at a low price. Moreover, these actors were talented... Especially the actresses that WMA sent him were quite, um, tasty. The negotiation was good for both of them, so Miramax decided to agree to WMA''s terms. He used his connections and spread the word that Kazir Grey was beating his wife. It was as simple as that. Kazir Grey was working with Warner Bros at the time and the release dates of The Hangover and Phenomenon were close. There was no reason not to sabotage them. Unfortunately, their plan didn''t work. Kazir Grey exposed Cassandra''s lies and gained momentum. As a result, The Hangover grossed over $500 million! Harvey Weinstein gained almost nothing from this transaction. He was even reprimanded by chairman Michael Eisner. His position was a bit serious and he wanted to keep a low profile. Not to attract attention and trouble. Harvey Weinstein maintained his smile and approached Kazir. "Mr. Grey, good to see you here!" "Mr. Weinstein." Kazir nodded. The women understood that Kazir and Harvey were going to have a conversation, so they dispersed and left them. "Kazir, congratulations on The Hangover. It''s late, but it''s the thought that counts." "Come on. Slander and scandal are common ways to defeat your enemies, it''s not that bad." Harvey waved his hand and pretended it was no problem. "..." After this huge scandal that nearly destroyed his reputation, Kazir investigated and found that Harvey Weinstein was one of those responsible for spreading the false allegations. Universal Pictures, Miramax and WMA. These three were the ones who teamed up to beat him. ''I''m not here to create a conflict, but Harvey Weinstein is too unbearable. Defamation? Scandal? Let''s see if these "normal" methods work for you. The difference is that I''m not defaming, I''m telling the truth. Harvey Weinstein, a convicted sexual predator.'' His gaze turned cold, and Harvey didn''t care. His position was higher than Kazir''s. He had more foundation than him and it was impossible to break it. One of the Big Six was also his backer. "Well, Kazir, see you again. I hope you have a good time at the party." Harvey Weinstein left him. Even though Kazir was a director with good prospects, Harvey would never be afraid. His status was higher than that of a mere director. Only the higher-ups at Disney could influence him. After spending some time at the party and talking to people, Kazir was invited by someone to enter a private room. When Kazir entered the room, he found two old men drinking. ''Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz. I hear they are friends.'' These two Michaels were on good terms. So when Michael Eisner invited Michael Ovitz to be president of Walt Disney, Michael Ovitz decided to take a chance and start over. Maybe Michael Ovitz is just getting greedy and looking for adventure in his old age. Unfortunately, he was eventually pushed out by Michael Eisner. It was surprising that these two were now acting like friends... Well, they were friends. ''They still have a good relationship. Or maybe I caused another change in the timeline.'' Chapter 109 Chapter 109 The two old men laughed after a few conversations, then realized that someone was actually standing at the door. "Ah, Kazir Grey, nice to meet you. I believe this is our first meeting." Michael Ovitz was the first to stand and greet Kazir. Michael Ovitz was the founder of CAA. Perhaps that was why he had such a high opinion of Kazir. Even though he was out of CAA after selling all his shares, Michael Ovitz felt that CAA was still his child. Then Michael Eisner stood up and shook hands with Kazir. There was a reason he invited the director, because of the success he has had over the past three years. For someone like Michael Eisner, he knew that Kazir''s talent was still blossoming. He wanted to grab a piece of the cake before Kazir reached his expiration date. Michael Eisner watched the movement of Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox. Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover had planned sequels. Napoleon Dynamite II was a box office hit and The Hangover Part 2 was scheduled for release the following year. The money they were making from these two franchises was huge. Michael Eisner wanted at least one or two of Kazir''s scripts. It''s not bad if Walt Disney can have a comedy franchise. "Kazir, congratulations on Napoleon Dynamite II. Even though you didn''t direct it, I think your presence is the reason it was a success." "Thank you, Chairman Eisner." Kazir could not tell if Michael Eisner was lying or not. However, Kazir could sense the meaning of his words. ''As expected, he is interested in my projects.'' "Let''s sit down." The three sat down and began to talk. Unlike Michael Eisner, who was serious, Michael Ovitz had a friendly expression. Now, Michael Ovitz was a famous agent, and his face was thicker than a concrete wall. He would not hesitate to praise a literal shit just to make money. He could easily keep his smiling face as long as the money was on the table. "Kazir, I heard that you''re looking for a company to distribute your movie. How about Walt Disney? I can assure you that you will not lose if you work with us." "Thank you, Chairman Eisner, but I must decline." "Why is that?" Some writers would visit the Writers Guild to make sure that the scripts they were writing didn''t bear a strong resemblance to any of the registered scripts. Otherwise there would be a lawsuit. "I want to buy the Meet The Parents script." "..." Kazir was speechless. He realized that Michael Eisner had the eyes to pick the movies. As expected, Michael Eisner became chairman of Walt Disney for obvious reasons. He knew how to choose movies. It was known that Michael Eisner preferred live action movies than animated movies. He felt that hand-drawn animation was losing its vitality. ''Meet The Parents is actually a movie that has two sequels. They are Meet The Fockers and Little Fockers.'' If Michael Eisner wanted to find a movie that could produce sequels, Meet The Parents was the best choice. "Walt Disney will buy the script for $3 million. I think that amount is very sincere." "Indeed." Kazir nodded. He could not deny it. As the two talked, Michael Ovitz kept his mouth shut. He knew his friend didn''t like it someone involved in negotiations. "What do you think? I can send you the money right now, cash or cheque." "I''m touched that someone like you would be interested in my script. However, Chairman Eisner, I must decline." "Kazir Grey, do you understand what you''re saying?" Michael Eisner held his expression, but he was clearly dissapointed. Kazir shook his head. "You misunderstand, I''m not saying I''m rejecting your offer. I''m saying your offer is too high for me." [Author''s Note: Okay hold up, let me cook.] Chapter 110 Chapter 110 When Kazir said it, both Michaels realized his intention. Kazir was not interested in money, he had another motive. The two old men looked at each other. Then Michael Eisner put down his wine glass and crossed his arms. "What do you want?" "Chairman Eisner, I want to knock a million off the price. But I have a very small request." ''Small request, my ass. Your grin is so wide you look like a devil.'' The old men realized that Kazir Grey was not that simple. "It''s very simple. I want you to get rid of the pest in your company. I have heard that the pest is crawling around in your administration. I''m worried about what the pest might do to you, Mr. Eisner." "..." Michael Eisner understood Kazir''s intention. He was old and experienced. ''So he wants me to kick Harvey Weinstein out of Walt Disney.'' Kazir didn''t say anything obvious, but Michael Eisner easily understood his words. "... You have to understand, making a decision like this is messy. The pest could fly in and make a mess. Give me a week. I''ll think about it." "Then thank you, Chairman, for giving me the chance to talk to you." Kazir bowed and left the private room. When Kazir was gone, the two old men sighed. "I thought we were cunning, but this guy is too calculating. He probably expected this meeting and planned his move." Michael Ovitz muttered. He had the feeling that Kazir Grey had a clear goal for this meeting. He listened the whole time and found out that Kazir understood the situation. "Indeed. I didn''t sense any nervousness on his part." Michael Eisner nodded. They were just trying to buy a script, but instead they got a terrifying proposal. "If Harvey Weinstein sides with Roy Disney and tries to make an alliance with the shareholders, it will be bad for both of us." President Ovitz was hired by Chairman Eisner, so they were on the same side. If one of them was forced out, they would lose a tremendous amount of strength. In this timeline, the two friends had a better relationship. Perhaps Kazir actually changed the timeline. "The only thing stopping us from expelling the Weinstein brothers is their influence at Miramax. If we recklessly kicked them out, Miramax might cease to function altogether." From the moment Walt Disney reached out to Miramax, it was clear what their intentions were. Miramax was getting stronger, and the Big Six realized it very early on. So the Big Six did their best to keep Miramax from getting better. ''The Weinstein brothers were broke at the time, so they were forced to sell Miramax to Walt Disney.'' To be honest, Michael Eisner had enough evidence to send Harvey Weinstein to jail. He knew all of his dirty deeds. The only thing stopping him was the consequences. He wanted to get rid of Harvey Weinstein as soon as Miramax was stable. But the company was still growing. If there was one other thing to consider, it was the fact that Harvey Weinstein was Jewish. So was Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz. ''This is crazy because Kazir Grey is also Jewish.'' Yet both sides were trying to sabotage each other. "First of all, let''s think seriously about this. We can''t throw Harvey Weinstein out because he''s still useful." "I understand. I will try to keep informed about his relationship with Roy Disney." The two old men agreed. It was not difficult who to choose between Harvey Weinstein and Kazir Grey. Harvey Weinstein was a talented executive. Even though he was a bad guy, the truth is that he got Miramax to where it is now. As for Kazir Grey. It was obvious that his talent was as a director. He could make good movies, especially comedies. "Kazir''s new project is an action movie, right?" "That''s right." Michael Ovitz nodded. "What a waste... If he chooses a comedy, I will not hesitate to sign a deal with him. Even a thriller like Se7en is no problem. But an action movie? Does he even know how difficult it is to shoot an action movie? A lot of accidents can happen when shooting an action movie." Chapter 111 Chapter 111 "Hello, Kazir! How''s your day going?" "Scarlett, you should keep your voice down. It''s disturbing my concentration." Kazir massaged his forehead when he heard Scarlett Johansson''s loud greeting. "Wow, so this is the editing room... It''s too dark in here." Two weeks had passed since the party at Walt Disney. Filming of Taken had officially wrapped a few days earlier, and Kazir had already begun editing Taken. He hired Rector, the editor of Napoleon Dynamite to edit the movie together with him. They checked every films, saved footages that they would possibly use and combined them into a movie... It was not that simple actually, the time they had to spend on doing this was not simple. Rector and Renner Hector are different people, their names were a little close, but that was all. An editor like Rector didn''t have any credits other than Napoleon Dynamite. All the movies he edited never went to theaters. They went quickly to the videotape market after editing. So Rector cherished his accomplishment of editing Napoleon Dynamite. It gave him confidence. And now that Napoleon Dynamite II has been released. People who hadn''t seen the first movie bought the videotape. As the editor, his name was on the opening and closing credits. That was something to be proud of. When Kazir Grey was looking for an editor for his current project, Rector did not hesitate. He agreed and signed the contract. He was so excited that he stayed up all night on the first day of work. Because of Rector''s enthusiasm, Kazir had no choice but to follow suit and stay up all night as well. ... It had been three days since he had a proper rest. Kazir Grey was therefore sensitive to noise and light. The life of a director in post-production was terrifying. If shooting was exhausting, editing was a sleepless venture. Scarlett Johansson sensed that the people around her were tired, so she obeyed them and kept her mouth shut...for a little while. She was curious about the editing room, so she decided to enter it... Only to see abominations. "K- Kazir, I thought you were a person who cared about your health. What is this then?" She was stunned when she saw the tall tower of cup noodles and pizza boxes. They were like two Leaning Towers of Pisa. "Scarlett, I don''t have time to leave the room. So I can only order these things." Kazir sighed. They had a schedule to keep. As much as possible, Kazir wanted to finish the post-production for a month. Fortunately, Kazir had the whole movie in his head, so he didn''t spend any time experimenting. Although he did have to add a few easter eggs for the next upcoming movies in the Continental Cinematic Universe. Overall, he did a good job. "I think you need to eat right! You said I need to eat healthy food, and so do you! Let''s go, we can eat somewhere." One month after the release of Napoleon Dynamite II, the film had already grossed $153.55 million. Even though his position on the project was not that high, the money he earned was already over $1.4 million. His job as the screenwriter and executive producer of the movie already brought him this insane amount. ''... Unfortunately, my influence is not enough to convince Chairman Eisner.'' Their first meeting was quite good, but Michael Eisner felt it was too early to fire Harvey Weinstein. Also, Kazir Grey was too irrelevant to ask for a big favor. Michael Eisner was not sure that Kazir Grey was worth the deal. Of course, Kazir didn''t sell the Meet The Parents script to Walt Disney. Although Walt Disney wanted to buy the script for $3 million, Kazir decided to keep it for now. Once Taken and The Hangover 2 were released, the Big Six would definitely buy his scripts, even if they looked like trash. Taken will come out this year, while The Hangover 2 will come out next year, maybe around March or April. "Hey, where are we going to eat?" Since Scarlett was new to the place, she decided to follow Kazir. She let him choose where to eat. "We''re going to a Japanese restaurant." "Okay." She nodded, quite curious about Japanese delicacies. Kazir looked at her. "By the way, who''s going to take you home?" "My mom. She said she would call me around 5:30. So I thought I''d play in the studio for an hour." "Kid, you should focus on your studies instead." He rubbed her hair and the little girl screamed and pushed his hand away. "Don''t mess up my hair." She growled. "... Alright." Kazir chuckled and left the child alone. Chapter 112 Chapter 112 "I''m just wondering, where''s Erica?" Scarlett asked after eating a chicken teriyaki. It was the first time she ate a unique chicken dish filled with sweet sauce. Totally different from the fried chicken she likes to eat. "I gave her a day off. Her kids want to go to Disneyland." "Wow, I can''t believe Mr. Serious Grey is so generous to give someone a day off. I remember you being so strict with me that I can''t hold back my tears." "I never did. You were the one who kept crying because you needed to cry at that time." The scene was about the time Kim Mills was about to kidnap. "Are you sure you''re okay with being generous? I mean, Erica looks like a hardworking person, but you can''t be too soft on people. They might take advantage of you." "I know what I''m doing. I''m not a kid like you." "I''m not a kid!" "All right, all right. Erica has twins, so I understand why she has to work hard. I''m not a brutal person, especially when it has nothing to do with the movie." "Yeah, right~," Scarlett said sarcastically. Kazir shrugged and let the little girl make fun of him. He was not petty enough to fight a child. "Having an assistant has made my work easier, but I''m still not used to people following me around. I''m the kind of person who wants to be alone and let my brain work without any disturbance." "That''s depressing. Are you sure you want to be so lonely?" "Scarlett, I''ve been lonely for a long time. I can say that my brain works faster when I''m alone. So sending Erica on vacation once in a while is not a problem." Kazir started to eat sushi with chopsticks. Scarlett narrowed her eyes and looked into Kazir''s. ''He''s not lying... I can''t believe there are people who like to be alone. Is that normal?'' She felt as if the man across the table had witnessed so many things. Like he was an old man who knew the meaning of life, someone who already died. To be honest, Scarlett have no idea what the director was talking about. "Kazir, what do you think is the meaning of life?" "There are many ways to live a good life. It all depends on the person." "What about you then?" She frowned as Kazir added wasabi to his sushi. Scarlett never liked sushi because it tasted raw. But Kazir was adding another abomination of condiments to the food. "As for me, I like making movies. I have longed to make an action movie for so many years. I know I''m not a talented director, but I hope to make a name for myself. Once people hear a movie, they will immediately think of my name. ... And that was the end of post-production on Taken. Grey Pictures'' $25 million investment has already been spent. Now everything depends on the result. Because of Kazir''s status, some big shots from the Big Six showed up. Terry Semel postponed the board meeting just to watch this small screening. Only a select few were invited to see the film. CAA contacted them personally. "Looks like CAA is serious about Kazir Grey. Even Tom Rothman showed up. He was in a good mood because Napoleon Dynamite II was doing well. Tom Rothman was the one who started Fox Searchlight Pictures. He was the one who bought Napoleon Dynamite. The credits were all on him. Because of that, Rupert Murdoch met with him personally and praised his performance. He promised a big bonus for this year. In return, Tom Rothman decided to take some time off to see Kazir''s new movie. But the two CEOs of major film companies didn''t expect another big shot to show up. "Nice to meet you, President Ovitz." "Are you Salvatore? You have a good eye for talented people. Keep up the good work." President Michael Ovitz showed up just to see the movie. Because of his presence, the other film companies realized that Walt Disney was interested in Kazir''s movie. +++++ [Author''s note: This question has already been answered on my Patreon, but you can still comment. I''ll take all your criticism.] [I have nine companies to choose from, which of them should distribute Taken in your opinion:] Walt Disney 20th Century Fox Warner Bros. Paramount Universal Sony-Columbia MGM(Metro Goldwyn Mayer, the lion logo one) Orion Pictures DreamWorks(they have been distributing movies since 1997, although their promotion is not that strong at the moment) Chapter 113 Chapter 113 For an up-and-coming director like Kazir Grey, it was already a privilege to have three big shots from the Big Six show up to watch the screening. This time they were invited to Grey Pictures for a small screening of Taken. Grey Pictures was a studio/production company, so they have equipment related to filming such as cameras and lighting. They also had a small studio where about 30 people could watch movies. Even though his initial intention for Grey Pictures was just for tax incentives, Kazir felt that he needed to invest to make sure that the studio had equipment for film-related things. The projector was already set up, and Kazir Grey stood and greeted each guest. Even though he didn''t know most of them, he greeted them with a smile. ''I guess Salvatore works really hard.'' He looked at his agent and chuckled when he saw that Salvatore Barlowe had dark circles under his eyes... Well, Kazir had dark circles as well. Like Salvatore, Kazir worked tirelessly. He hadn''t had enough sleep in the last few days. Of all the actors, only Enzo Park showed up. Scarlett Johansson was not allowed to see the movie without her parents. She was only 12 years old. PG-13 means that children under the age of 13 need their parents to watch the movie. As for Liam Neeson, the man was taking a break after months of filming. Action movies were definitely tiring. Liam Neeson spent months just to have a positive physique. So he took his time to rest. Actors didn''t have authority over post-production, only superstars could influence the director''s decision. So far, Kazir had never worked with a superstar, so he didn''t have a clear understanding of their behavior. He knew a few superstars who had absurd terms in their contracts. ''Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. It said that these people are not allowed to lose in a fight. It''s in their contracts. Also, they are only allowed to get hit a couple of times. I can understand why they have specific things like that in their contracts.'' Actors have to keep up their appearances. Getting beaten up in a movie could do irreparable damage to their careers. So they don''t want to lose in a fight... Even if it''s just acting. "Kazir, it''s good to see you again. I hear you''re busy these days." Terry Semel shook hands and greeted Kazir. "Terry, I have to be honest, my schedule is already full for the next four years. I''m going to be busy." "What?" Terry Semel tilted his head in confusion. ''Did he sign a deal with the other film companies? Why have I never heard of this?'' He thought. "Is it because of the Cinematic Universe you''re talking about?" "That''s right." Kazir didn''t deny it. Terry Semel had read the script for Taken, and he had also read John Wick. Kazir was trying to create a series of movies that were connected. "I see. Well, if you''re having trouble, you can go to Warner Bros." As long as Kazir Grey was profitable, film companies would do their best to work with him. But Taken was different. To be honest, Terry Semel felt that the script didn''t have the X factor. The plot was mediocre and the action sequences had too much hand-to-hand combat. It was also pretty brutal. Also, Kazir was a newcomer to action movies. He didn''t have enough experience. Still, Terry Semel would never say it in front of Kazir. He still needed the man to continue the Hangover franchise. Even if The Hangover was only a trilogy. Considering that the cast''s salaries were on the rise. Kazir also welcomed Tom Rothman and Michael Ovitz. Just like Terry Semel, the two big shots wanted to make a connection with the up-and-coming director. Just like that, the small screening of Taken began with only 23 guests in attendance. Chapter 114 Chapter 114 Action-packed, blood-boiling and intense. The guests watched the movie with these emotions. Most of the people in the audience were men. In fact, they were fathers. They had a pretty good idea of the plot, so they knew that the daughter would be kidnapped. Still, it was satisfying to see the traffickers beaten up. The fathers would do anything to protect their children, they might even kill a person if they had to. Bryan Mills'' mission was to find his daughter and bring her back. The audience cheered him on. Some of them even screamed when Bryan Mills found the group responsible for the crime. There are many unforgivable crimes and human trafficking is one of them. For Bryan Mills to beat these criminals was something that gave them satisfaction. When the movie ended and the lights went on, people started talking about the movie. ''It''s good. It entertains me. But I''m not sure if the movie can make us a profit. Unless we bought all the copyrights, this movie could be a loss for us.'' Michael Ovitz thought. He had a good impression of Kazir, but it was different when it came to business. ''I heard this movie has a budget of $25 million, maybe I can negotiate and buy it for $50 million. Grey Pictures didn''t lose anything if they agreed to that. They doubled their investment.'' Signing a distribution deal for Taken was a gamble. They could lose money. Unless Grey Pictures paid them for distribution. But Grey Pictures didn''t have that kind of money. In the end, it all comes down to Kazir Grey''s decision. Michael Ovitz looked around. He saw Terry Semel and Tom Rothman talking. As the three big shots looked at each other, they came to one conclusion. The movie was great and entertaining... But they would never sign a losing deal. If Grey Pictures wanted to release this movie, they would have to play the game with them. The three nodded to each other. ''We will not lower the terms.'' That was clear. Kazir Grey watched everyone''s reaction. Just as he expected, most of them had a mediocre reaction to Taken. The movie had its pros and cons. The theme of the movie was dark. Some scenes were confusing. People didn''t understand the easter eggs. Kazir risked it, but he was careful not to show too many easter eggs. Just enough to make people curious. "What?" Terry Semel wasn''t expecting it. Kazir had a good relationship with 20th Century Fox. He thought Grey Pictures would pick them. There was only one conclusion. "What''s Paramount''s offer?" "Paramount signed a 25% North American box office deal with Grey Pictures." "..." Terry Semel was confused. "What''s wrong with Brad Grey? Did he agree to Kazir because they have the same last name?" Terry Semel muttered. A 25% share of the box office was not too good from a business standpoint. That amount might not be enough to cover expenses if the movie flopped. ... ... ... While Terry Semel was in a state of confusion, Kazir Grey and Brad Grey officially signed a contract. "To be honest, I didn''t think it was worth it, but the terms you gave me are tempting." Brad Grey shook hands with Kazir. "Selling Meet The Parents for half a million is not so bad, especially if you promise to be the writer and executive producer." "I''ll do my best to give Paramount a good franchise." Kazir''s plan kept changing, but he had no choice but to adapt. The Meet The Parents trilogy was smaller compared to the Continental Cinematic Universe entity. He was willing to sell it as long as he could get a better deal. "Glad to hear that." Before Marvel was bought by Disney, its films were distributed by Paramount. In a way, Kazir was just following in the footsteps of the MCU. Chapter 115 Chapter 115 The Marvel Studios. It was a production company created by Marvel Comics to try to revive their company. After watching Spider-Man take over the world, Marvel Comics found a reason to stay alive. Sony-Columbia had the movie copyright of Spider-Man, but Marvel had the other copyrights such as the comics, merchandise (costumes, toys, etc.), and games. Marvel made a profit after the release of Spider-Man. The comics related to Spider-Man increased in sales and even products related to Spider-Man sold out. It was a win-win situation for both Marvel and Sony-Columbia. After that, many film companies tried to buy their superheroes, but Marvel was adamant about keeping them. Marvel had already lost some of its big superheroes like the X-Men and Fantastic Four. Marvel gritted their teeth after selling X-Men and Fantastic Four to 20th Century Fox. They regret that. In fact, they regret almost every superhero they sold. They did their best just to get back the movie rights to the Hulk and other superheroes. When the 2000s arrived, Warner Bros had the idea of bringing the Justice League to the screen by releasing Superman Returns and Batman Begins. The information was limited and no one could confirm if Warner Bros was really trying to start a Cinematic Universe. But it was clear that Batman Begins had a bit of a superhero vibe, unlike The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. Unfortunately, Superman Returns was a huge disappointment. So Warner Bros decided to make The Dark Knight Trilogy instead. While DC was busy with The Dark Knight Trilogy, Marvel was making plans and starting their Cinematic Universe. The superhero they chose was none other than the Incredible Hulk... However, working with Edward Norton was not so good. They decided to change the actor, maybe Edward Norton had an extravagant salary and unreasonable requests and Marvel Studio could not afford his wants. Marvel Studio wavered in their decision at first. But their next movie said otherwise. Iron Man was distributed by Paramount and it did well. A second-rate superhero like Iron Man became one of the most famous superheroes of the next decade. Everybody knows him, Tony Stark, Iron Man and Robert Downey Jr. Kazir never expected that his first opening film for the Continental Cinematic Universe would be distributed by Paramount. Maybe that was a good sign. Paramount would not protect him, nor would Warner Bros or 20th Century Fox. That was the downside of not working with the Big Six, he was all open with no defense. ''That''s why I prefer to work with the Big Six. Because their umbrella is safe. They''ll never hurt me as long as I''m useful.'' Kazir was lying when he said that he was not interested in starting his own film company. But he knew it was the stupidest decision he could make. Building distribution channels was not that easy. The Big Six had already absorbed almost all the companies that had distribution channels. DreamWorks and Lionsgate might try, but their track record was not good. Even in the next two decades, DreamWorks and Lionsgate didn''t have international distribution. As soon as he showed his intention to build a distribution channel, the Big Six would destroy him. Just like they did to their competitors. ''If you can''t beat them, join them. Also, I didn''t like working with business. It''s a hassle. I would rather make movies than run a company.'' With that, Kazir Grey let time pass. He waited for the release date of Taken. No lie, Kazir Grey was lonely with Reese Witherspoon gone. She was busy with The Hangover Part 2. +++++ [Author''s note: Do you want this novel to be a harem or not? Although I can''t assure you that all of your favorite actresses will be part of the harem. I didn''t want to focus on romance in the first place. Anyway, say yes if you want a harem. Say No if you don''t. Write down the actresses you like, I might set up scenes for them]. [Update: Most patrons prefer not to have a harem. And I''m glad about it.] Chapter 116 Chapter 116 "I apologize, it looks like Kazir Grey never intended to work with us." Michael Ovitz faced the chairman. "That''s okay. I expected this. From the moment we didn''t agree to his terms, I knew Kazir wouldn''t choose us. Although it''s a waste that Paramount got the Meet The Parents script. I''m very interested in the script. I think it has potential." "It''s written by Kazir Grey, so you''re probably right." The two old men chuckled. Even though their negotiations with Kazir had failed, it did not affect them. This was business, after all. Kazir Grey might be a talented director, but there were many talented directors in this industry. Walt Disney could find another director to work with. Maybe they could work with Kazir Grey next time. ''Although I heard that Paramount signed a three-movies deal with Grey Pictures. It''s a North American distribution, so we can still contact Grey Pictures regarding international distribution of the film.'' They didn''t lose. They didn''t even fight. They used Touchstone as a proxy to contact Kazir, but in the end it was futile. "Ovitz, you saw Taken. What do you think of the movie?" "It''s good. I cheered for the father, it''s entertaining, and it has a lot of good points, although there are some bad ones. But I think it will not do well, especially if it has the same release date as Air Force One". Between Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson, Harrison Ford had more fans. Han Solo of Star Wars. Rick Deckard from Blade Runner. Indiana Jones of the Indiana Jones series. Harrison Ford had more box office appeal than Liam Neeson. Harrison Ford was a superstar, while Liam Neeson was at best a first-rate actor. With these facts, the two Michaels believe that Taken had already lost the edge. Maybe Paramount just fucked with Taken by pitting it against Air Force One. Who knows? The two old men laughed about it. "Kazir''s too arrogant this time. He tried to convince us to dump Harvey Weinstein." Kazir was too weak to ask for such a thing. Of course, Chairman Eisner would disagree. "Chairman, don''t be like that. I think Kazir is right. We really do need to kick the Weinstein brothers out of Miramax and Disney." "Indeed. But it''s not the right time." That day, the whole of North America dealt with the news related about the missing girl and the other kidnapped underaged girls. While this was happening, the movie companies were sighing in defeat. They had lost a big fish! Who would have thought that the missing girl was actually kidnapped by human traffickers? Moreover, she was rescued along with many underage girls! The news attracted the people of America! This is unfair! The will of heaven was on Kazir''s side! Just like CEO Michael Eisner, the other big shots gritted their teeth. Well, except for the executives at Paramount. They were too busy. This was their chance to cash in! Three days before the release of Taken, Paramount launched an all-out attack! They used the news of human trafficking while promoting Taken. Paramount''s parent company was Viacom. Viacom was a big media company and their influence was strong. With their help, the promotion of Taken had a positive response. Now everyone was interested in seeing the movie! .... .... ... As for Kazir... "Huh? Did this happen in my past life?" He was confused because he could not remember if news about human trafficking came out at this time of the year. He had no idea. ''Is this part of the butterfly effect? Man, I don''t know anymore.'' He just wanted to start the Continental Cinematic Universe. He was not even hoping for a huge box office for Taken. But with this... The movie might exceed his expectations. [Author''s Note: This is the reason why having advanced chapters is the best, you can easily add foreshadows.] Chapter 117 Chapter 117 The news broke in North America and the coverage of the CIA infiltrating the sex den in Mexico was caught on camera. The video was shown on almost every news channel. That month, people''s awareness of sex/human trafficking was at an all-time high. People rallied. Testimonies of people who had been kidnapped told their stories and gained the sympathy of citizens. People created a public organization for people who suffered from human trafficking. While this situation was happening all over North America, Paramount used this opportunity to promote Taken. Even though they could only profit the 25% of the box office, with the current situation, Paramount believed that they would still profit a huge amount of money. "I should be happy. But sometimes I can''t help but regret my decision." Brad Grey, Paramount''s current CEO, sighed. He had complicated feelings about Taken. Of course, he had read the script and had a chance to work with Kazir. Even if Kazir wanted a 30% investment, it was no problem as long as he could guarantee that the movie would be a success. However, at that time, Brad Grey felt that letting Kazir invest in the movie was not good for the future development of the movie. Kazir Grey wanted to make sure that he had authority over the project and Paramount felt that he was overstepping the line. So their negotiations ended. Paramount decided to walk away. Brad Grey felt that his decision was right because even Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox backed out. But right now, Brad Grey wanted to slap his past self. ''I should have said yes even if Kazir invested in the movie. As long as we have a higher percentage of the investment, we can control the project.'' The problem with letting Kazir invest in Taken was simple. Paramount didn''t want him to have a piece of the pie, such as videotapes and peripherals profits. Kazir knew how Hollywood worked and he would fight for a better deal. Once he invested in the movie, he would definitely ask for a share of the profit from the videotapes and peripherals. This was the profit that Paramount never wanted to share, and neither did the other film companies. "What if here, and what if there? I can''t let myself sulk. Right now I have a good reason to promote Taken... I should have signed a contract with at least 30% of the box office." No crying over spilled milk. Besides, Taken was going up against Air Force One. Paramount wanted to beat Sony-Columbia, even if it was for petty reasons. ''Once Taken is finished, I need to make sure Kazir works hard on Meet The Parents. He should return the favor.'' CEO Brad Grey understood that the move was to promote the film. It was not a bad thing. As long as they could make sure the result was worth it. ... ... ... "I am heartbroken to hear what happened. I hope they can overcome this situation. Let''s all pray for them." Tom Cruise had a sad smile on his face as he faced the reporters. He was interviewed about the young women who were in distress. He attended the premiere of Taken and appeared on the red carpet. On his left arm was his loving wife, Nicole Kidman. The couple offered their prayers for the broken underaged girls. Tom Cruise and Paramount had a strong relationship. Mission: Impossible was confirmed to have a sequel. The two sides negotiated the contract. While that was going on, Paramount invited Tom Cruise to the premiere of Taken. "Director Grey invited me, so I decided to go see it. Maybe next time we can work together." Upon hearing his answer, reporters began to ask him about his relationship with Kazir Grey. Tom Cruise said that he knew the guy since the shooting of Rain Man 9 years ago. The reporters got more and more excited, but Tom Cruise decided to end the interview. Another actor would show up on the red carpet and it was time to pass the baton. Honestly, Tom Cruise read the script of Taken and he was a little interested. Unfortunately, he found out that the budget of the movie was not enough to hire him, so he decided to keep quiet. ''I offered to invest in the movie, but Kazir obviously didn''t agree. If I knew this would be the result, I should have pushed him to agree.'' Tom Cruise entered the theater and found many invited actors like himself. He saw many movie critics and regular audiences in the middle and back of the theater. Of course, with his status, he had a reserved seat at the front of the theater. With his wife, he began to greet his acquaintances in the industry. Nothing wrong with having more connections. Chapter 118 Chapter 118 [Author''s note: This is my own summary, so I''m not sure if it''s all right since I watched Taken two months ago. By the way, I hate writing summaries of movies or novels. I find it time consuming and not fun. Just think of the summary as bullet sentences. If you are curious, you can watch the movie instead]. [You''re probably wondering why I''ve been gone for about three days. Well, I have been diagnosed with a disease called procrastination, unfortunately it seems that this disease is very hard to cure.] ++++++ ++++++ ++++++ [Bryan Mills(Liam Neeson), a retired agent with a daughter. His ex-wife married a rich man, and his daughter lived with them.] [With his normal status, he wanted to buy a karaoke box for his daughter''s birthday. He knew his daughter wanted to be a singer]. [On his way to the store, two people were sitting at a table. They were discussing a movie budget. Their conversation was muffled in the background, so few could hear what they were saying.] "Is that a cameo? Kazir and the producer are talking." Nicole Kidman Cruise muttered weakly. Everyone was watching seriously because the atmosphere was too heavy. Note that the reason people were watching this movie was under the influence of the sex/human trafficking incident a few days ago. "I think so. This is the first time I have seen Kazir on the screen. He is tall, so he looks like a buff guy who can beat a person in a boxing match." Tom Cruise replied. "Hm." Nicole Kidman nodded to Tom Cruise. ''Tom, I don''t know why you said that, but I''m just going to nod my head. Let''s watch the movie first.'' [At his daughter''s birthday party, Bryan Mills found his ex-wife and daughter. He gave his gift, but was easily outdone by the stepfather, who brought a horse as a gift for Kim Mills. He left the party with shame as he knew that he could never do that to his daughter.] [Bryan had a job at a security agency. Along with his retired friends, they work as bodyguards for celebrities. The last time he protected a famous singer from a crazy fan]. [After the birthday party, a few days later, Bryan was called by his daughter to talk. Kim Mills wanted to go to France to see an art exhibit.] [As a father, Bryan felt it was not good for a young woman to travel to a foreign country with her only friend, Amanda. But because of his ex-wife''s words, telling him that he needed to be good to his daughter, he was convinced and let his daughter leave the country.] "Who is this woman?" Nicole Kidman frowned. Brianna Evans may not have had a pretty face, but she had the aura of a queen. Nicole Kidman looked around and realized one thing: most of the audience was staring at the woman on the screen without knowing it. "That kid''s got a nice reaction." One of the higher-ups from Paramount who attended the premiere saw Scarlett Johansson''s emotions. Though young, the girl showed that she could act. [Kim panicked and realized she was in danger.] ["Oh my God, they got Amanda." Kim shuddered] ["What?" Bryan sensed that something bad was going on.] ["Okay honey, did you meet anyone? How about the airport?" Bryan started going through his things.] ["P- Peter"] ["Peter who? Did he know where you were staying?"] ["He took a cab with us." Her breathing became ragged. "Dad... They are coming. Dad, I''m scared." She began to sob]. ["Stay focused, Kimmy. Get under the bed. I''m going to tell you something important. They are going to take you away." Bryan closed his eyes.] ["No." Kim whimpered, realizing the hard truth.] ["You have five important seconds. Leave the phone on the floor. Shout out everything you see, their appearance, hair color, eyes. Everything you see."] [Through the phone, Bryan heard the footsteps of the kidnappers.] Even the audience was silent the whole time, waiting for the suspense. [Just then, Kim screamed as she was pulled out from under the bed. She started screaming. Bryan listened with a serious expression as his daughter was taken.] Just like Bryan Mills, the fathers in the audience had horrified expressions. [Suddenly, someone grabbed the phone. It was one of the kidnappers. In frustration, Bryan Mills said the iconic line.] [I don''t know who you are. I don''t know what you want. But what I do have is a very specific set of skills, skills that I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that''s the end of it. I will not come looking for you, I will not hunt you down. But if you don''t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you"]. And that was the beginning of a meme... Chapter 119 Chapter 119 [Author''s note: The summary of Taken might be long because there are scenes I have to add to make it related to the Continental Cinematic Universe. Again, I don''t like writing summaries because I don''t think it''s fun. I also have to skip some scenes because I feel they are not relevant. I recommend watching the movie instead]. ... ... ... [There was a long pause, but someone responded to his statement.] ["Good luck."] [It was clearly a touch of sarcasm. The person had a thick accent. It was a good thing that Bryan recorded the whole conversation.] The audience had a bad expression as they watched the kidnapping. The subject of kidnapping was too heavy these days, as if it was the most sinful crime of all. [Bryan understood that his daughter''s life was in danger. He had to start moving.] [First, he went to his ex-wife''s house and informed her that Kim was missing. Lenore began to cry when she heard what had happened to Kim.] [Bryan contacted his friend who could help them get more information about the kidnapping. With the help of his friend, they determined that the sex traffickers were Albanian. Based on their information, they had 96 hours to rescue Kim or she would be gone forever.] Just like Lenore, the audience''s reaction was the same. They were heartbroken. They couldn''t imagine how hard it was to be in her situation. [With determination, Bryan went to Paris and entered the place where Kim and Amanda were staying before they were kidnapped. He saw the aftermath of the crime and his face turned grim. Luckily, he got his first clue when Peter''s reflection was in the picture Kim took.] [If his intuition was right, Peter was part of a criminal organization and his role was to lure innocent foreign women]. [As Bryan expected, he was right. He found the bastard. Despite kidnapping a pair of underage women yesterday, Peter had the guts to wait in the airport to find another target.] "Get him!" Someone in the theater shouted, and everyone agreed. The audience started cheering when Bryan smashed Peter''s face into the car and punched him in the stomach while asking for Kim''s location. Unlike the original, Kazir emphasized the bleeding on Peter''s face. To show that Bryan Mills had enough strength to smash someone and make them bleed. [Unfortunately, Peter tried to escape. He ran away and was hit by a car. As a result, Bryan lost his lead in finding his daughter.] [Raizo was not lying. There was a sex den hidden in the middle of the construction site.] [Bryan Mills infiltrated the place. He went looking for her daughter. But the only thing he found was her jacket from a drugged woman (Eva Green). Bryan rescued the woman after a night of shootouts and car chases.] Car chases were not something new in the cinema, but it was still something that men love to watch. Cars rushing fast, flying, or exploding in midair. There is art in explosion and car chase. [The woman was weak, but she successfully revealed the location where Kim and Amanda were being held. At last, Bryan found a clue to where his daughter might be]. [Acting as local police, Bryan entered the house and found the people responsible for Kim''s disappearance. They were rough and dangerous, but Bryan was unfazed. He tricked each one of them to say the word "good luck". The voice and thick accent was something that Bryan would never forget.] [He approached the bastard.] [Bryan turned serious. "You don''t remember me? We spoke on the phone two days ago. I told you I would find you." He smashed the bastard''s head against the table in fury.] [Another action sequence ensued with Bryan winning. The criminals were badly beaten and killed. Bryan was fast and accurate. He defeated them easily. Even though he was outnumbered, Bryan Mills was the last man standing.] The men watching were in awe. Even Tom Cruise was interested in the action sequences in the movie. It was different from the over-the-top style. Suddenly, Tom Cruise looked at Kazir Grey, who was watching the movie in silence. [After the fight, Bryan checked every room and found many drugged women. He also saw Amanda, but the woman was overdosed and lifeless. Amanda was Kim''s young friend and her life ended miserably.] [Perhaps fortunate or unfortunately, Bryan couldn''t find his daughter]. [He didn''t find his daughter, so he tortured the "Good Luck" man by electrocuting him. The man died after giving up Kim''s location.] [Apparently, Kim was sold to the sex slave auction where rich people buy virgin women]. [Through the relentless fight, where he fought and killed so many people, Bryan finally found Kim.] [But it was not so simple. Bryan Mills was caught by the guards and nearly strangled to death. He fought the guards and killed the auctioneer.] [The final battle took place on a yacht where Bryan Mills fought the bodyguards of a rich Arab. He broke through the enemies and killed them one by one. No one could stop him. Until he reached the room where the old Arab held Kim Mills hostage. The Arab tried to negotiate for his life, he threatened Bryan that the High Table would be after his life. But in the end, all he got was bullets.] [The movie ended with Bryan rescuing his daughter. He brought her back to America.] Chapter 120 Chapter 120 The audience started clapping as soon as the credits rolled. They stood up, thinking the movie was over. However, they didn''t expect that after the first minute of the credits, a post-credits scene would appear. The post-credits scene was not a new thing, some movies have had post-credits scenes since the 1980s. However, this method became famous in the 2000s to hype the sequels of movies. Marvel Studios used this method to hype the audience for their next movies. ''My favorite post-credit scene is not from the MCU. It''s actually from Fast And The Furious 6. The scene where Jason Statham crashed into Han Lue''s car and killed him. For me, it''s a relevant scene because it connects Fast And The Furious 3 to the plot. I was so excited because Jason Statham was going to be the villain.'' Fast And The Furious 3 didn''t have a strong connection to the franchise, and Kazir felt it was pointless. But that post-credits scene made it a little more important... A little bit. Anyway, the audience went back to their seats when they realized there was a post-credits scene. [The scene was about an Arab man sitting on a golden chair, representing his status. He received a phone call that his brother had died. He hung up the phone and was silent for a second before he said. "The High Table will never forget."] It was only a few seconds after the credits, but the audience became interested in this "High Table" that the Arabic man said. Then they started clapping again. The movie was fun and it quenched their thirst. All of North America was angry at sex/human traffickers right now, so watching Taken soothed their anger. Since Kazir and the cast had a premiere night, their theater was a little special. The cast, director, and producer came on stage and bowed their heads. They had an hour of interviews after the show. The reporters naturally asked Liam Neeson and Kazir Grey. The two were the most famous people in the project and they have a reasonable number of fans. "Mr. Neeson, can we know the reason why you chose the role of Bryan Mills?" Paramount made sure there would be no hurtful questions, so most of the reporters were from Paramount and Viacom. "When I read the script, I was interested because I can relate with Bryan Mills. I''m also a father and I will do my best to protect my children. The movie has the motive of spreading awareness about kidnapping and I want to be a part of such a noble act". Taken had the upper hand in terms of theaters, which meant it could earn more than Air Force One. This fact alone made Sony-Columbia angry and squirm. Feeling confident about his movie, Kazir decided to go to his apartment and get some sleep. He planned to surprise himself tomorrow. July 25, 1997. Two big movies were released at the same time. Paramount distributed Taken, which was produced by Grey Pictures. The movie grossed $17.80 million on its first day. As for Air Force One, because it was overtaken by Taken, the movie made $11.98 million. It was not a bad result. In that era, such a result was already a good start. July 26, 1997. Taken''s second day was stronger. It grossed $26.53 million. On the same day, Air Force One grossed $14 million. July 27, 1997. Sunday. Taken dropped slightly to $18.24 million. So far, the film has grossed $62.57 million in its first weekend. Paramount and Grey Pictures believe that the movie will definitely be one of the top 10 movies of the year. Just like everyone else expected, Taken became the box office champ of the week. As for Air Force One, it earned another $11.14 million. The first weekend for Air Force One was $37.13 million. Sony-Columbia was happy because the box office was within their expectations. The only thing they are struggling with is the next step of promotion. Should they increase the advertising budget or decrease it? In the end, they decided to promote the movie with a slightly increased budget. Since Taken and Air Force One were released on the same day, people could not help but compare the two. In the end, everyone believed that Taken beat Air Force One. Both movies were action genres and their protagonists were two veterans, but this time Liam Neeson got the upper hand. [Author''s note: For those who are interested in reading advanced chapters and want to support me, I have 112 advanced chapters on my Patreon. Honestly, that amount of chapters is quite a lot, but I want my supporters to feel like they are not being scammed, so they deserve 112 chapters. Guys, you help me pay the bills and feed my family by subscribing. I want to thank all my supporters and my soon to be supporters. You''re helping me pay for my younger brother''s college tuition.] https : // www. pat reon. com / Puji_maki Chapter 121 Chapter 121 "So what''s Sony-Columbia''s decision?" Harrison Ford sat down with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He tried to calm his nerves, but it was hard to do so. "Harrison, I need you to listen to me calmly." "Brittany, I can''t calm down when my movie is involved in this situation." Harrison Ford was a client of UTA (United Talent Agency). His agent was Brittany Balbo. Three agencies in Hollywood could compete with each other in rivalry. CAA, WMA and UTA. These three agencies took over most of the market. "So what''s her decision?" Harrison asked, drinking his alcohol and trying his best to calm down. "They didn''t agree to increase the advertising budget too much, they added a little bit." Sony-Columbia would increase the promotion budget if they thought the movie was promising. But for Air Force One, it was competing against Taken, which was currently hot. Sony-Columbia felt there was no point in increasing the budget. So they decided to maintain the status quo. They would spend $5 million on advertising for the next week. "..." Harrison Ford put down the glass and rubbed his forehead. He had been expecting this outcome. At first, he was confident that Air Force One would defeat Taken in a straight fight... But the news about sex trafficking was getting a lot of people interested! Harrison gritted his teeth. It would be a lie to say he was not affected. He chose his movies seriously. Harrison Ford had many blockbuster movies because of his ability to choose the best script. Air Force One had all the ingredients to be a blockbuster. However, the result was different from what he thought. It was August 3, 1997. Ten days had passed since the release of Air Force One. The movie grossed $80.73 million. If you compare it to other movies that were released that year, it was an amazing achievement. Harrison Ford was happy with the amount. ... ... Sometimes no one would expect the outcome of a movie. Everyone believed that Air Force One would be the winner, but three days before the release, their opinions changed. Grey Pictures was getting bombarded with calls. More people were trying to contact them. But Kazir wanted to keep all the scripts in his library. He didn''t want to share them or sell them if the price wasn''t right. ''To make matters worse, Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox are interested in my action scripts like John Wick and Fast And The Furious.'' He realized that Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox felt that his Cinematic Universe could be successful, so they wanted to buy the action scripts, either for good or bad reasons. Of course, Kazir didn''t want to sell any scripts related to the Continental Cinematic Universe. He was just getting started. As for the other scripts, such as comedy and thriller/suspense, Sony-Columbia began contacting Grey Pictures to acquire Final Destination. ''No one had written the script, so I decided to put it in my name... First come, first served.'' Kazir Grey stretched his arms after polishing the script of his next project. Even though Taken had just been released and he was going places to promote the movie, Kazir still took his chance to polish his script. The title of his next project was... John Wick. The reason he chose this movie was because of its low budget. John Wick had a production budget of 20 to 30 million dollars. Grey Pictures was still not ready to spend money on big movies. "Director Grey, that''s your cue." The assistant director told him the interview was about to begin. "Okay." Kazir Grey closed his laptop after saving his script. "Break a leg." "..." Even though it was a standard greeting, "Break a leg" was a little... not used to it. Chapter 122 Chapter 122 Paramount was serious about Taken, even though they were only the local distributor of the film. The fact that they planned every detail of the promotion was a good thing for Grey Pictures. The cast went to different states just to promote the movie. With Liam Neeson''s charisma, audiences were more excited to see Taken. In fact, the booming Internet started talking about Taken, and Liam Neeson was the center of their conversation. As a result, Liam Neeson received many scripts. Although the roles were basically the same, a father. Hollywood felt that Liam Neeson was good at playing a father. Well, as long as the salary was good, Liam Neeson didn''t have a problem. Grey Pictures promised that the sequel would start in two years, which was 1999. Liam Neeson had enough time for two or three roles. Just like him, Brianna Evans, who didn''t have any foundation in Hollywood, got a role. It was a supporting role, but the movie was interesting. Even Salvatore Barlowe thought the movie would be good after reading the script. The project was called The Truman Show. Although Brianna Evans has to go to the 3rd round of auditions. She had to compete to get the part. Still, it was a miracle that she was invited to do a big budget ($60 million) movie with Jim Carrey. Everyone knows that the 90''s was Jim Carrey''s era. "I got the part! I got the part!" "Huh... Reese, let''s keep our voices down. It''s 3 in the morning." Kazir grumbled sleepily. He was tired after some exercise... But Reese Witherspoon giggled and lay down next to him. She hugged Kazir from behind and snuggled against him. Her body sore, but the good news she received made her active. "I got the part of Mary Jensen in There''s Something About Mary." Reese Witherspoon prepared for this role because it was a lead role. Reese had never had a role where she was the protagonist. "Good job..." Kazir murmured, still closing his eyes. "Yes, you are the one who recommended me to audition for this role. Kazir, thank you very much!" "Hm... Let''s sleep." "Hehe." She giggled and kissed him on the cheek, like a young high school girl. Kazir smiled. "Now that I think about it, isn''t Cameron Diaz their first choice?" Michael Eisner asked his secretary to verify the statistics. He felt it was too much. It had been three months since Napoleon Dynamite II had been released. The movie had already crossed the $100 million mark. As of now, the movie has grossed $145 million here in North America. Not only that, but Napoleon Dynamite II was released internationally a short time ago and the response was not bad. Even though the American humor was not relatable, Napoleon Dynamite II managed to earn $89 million for the whole month. Combined, the movie has already grossed over $200 million. The movie could be one of the top 10 highest-grossing films of the year. Especially since the movie is still going strong. "Sir... The information on Napoleon Dynamite II is real. We checked it again." The secretary swallowed hard. "Then what about Taken, are you saying that amount is real too?" "Sir..." The month of September 1997. Every month, Michael Eisner asked his secretary to send him the results of every movie that was released. He was interested in Kazir Grey, so he decided to ask for the results of Napoleon Dynamite II and Taken. He could not believe what he saw, especially Taken. On September 12, 1997. The box office for Taken was $221.63 million... No joke. That was the North American box office. Taken opened internationally next week. Grey Pictures also gave the international distribution to Paramount. Maybe Grey Pictures feels indebted, so they agree. "I''m sorry, sir..." The secretary bowed her head. "No, it''s not your fault..." Chairman Eisner sighed and leaned back in his chair. He had made a big mistake this time. Chapter 123 Chapter 123 While Taken grossed over $200 million in September, Air Force One was also trying its best. As of September 12, 1997, Air Force One had grossed $161.21 million. It was a good result, even Sony-Columbia congratulated Harrison Ford for the movie. Numbers doesn''t lie, Harrison Ford is indeed a superstar. Even though the movie was defeated by Taken at the box office, Sony-Columbia didn''t lose money. Instead, they made a profit. Also, Taken was an anomaly. A movie that trended on the issue of sex trafficking was nothing more than a fluke. It would never happen again. "Sir Harrison, can we get your thoughts on Taken?" Even though Harrison Ford was happily playing golf on a course he usually goes to, there were still some assholes who wanted to invade his privacy. Perhaps he had to find another golf course since this place''s security was whack. Two paparazzi ran up to him after he finished playing golf. To make matters worse, the paparazzi asked him about Taken. A topic he didn''t want to talk about. Paparazzi are a different species. They don''t give a damn about privacy. They are stalkers, trespassers and borderline criminals. Harrison''s eyebrows twitched slightly. Then he looked at the guards who were running towards them. "S-Sir, I apologize! These bastards broke through the fence." The guards were sweating and glaring at the paparazzi. "No, it''s fine." Harrison sighed. Then he started practicing his swings. To be honest, he wanted to swing his golf club in the faces of the paparazzi. They had no respect for people. Fortunately, Harrison Ford understood that it would be bad if he tried to do that. He controlled his anger and faced them. "If you''re talking about Taken, I can say it''s an interesting movie. I tell people to watch it. In fact, I watched it with my kids to remind them that the world is not so simple. There are bastards who will try to disturb your peace." That last line was directed at the paparazzi, but they didn''t get it. Paramount and Grey Pictures made a marketing plan. They ended up pushing the kidnapping theme. To make sure that young people were aware of this crime. Many fathers and daughters liked the movie and recommended the whole family to see Taken. Paramount never let go of the idea and incorporated it into their marketing plan. If you love your family, see Taken. In fact, even Liam Neeson''s team intended to get a nomination in Oscar even though it might be hard. "I see. So even Harrison Ford liked the movie." But he knew the importance of promotion, so he never refused the job. "Kazir, I want to thank you for the opportunity you gave me." On Paramount''s private plane, Liam Neeson approached him and expressed his gratitude. "To be honest, I was skeptical at first when I read the script. I felt like it didn''t have a chance to be a box office hit. I was more skeptical when you want to sign a trilogy and cameos. If not for the relationship between our agents, I might back out. But I did it. My presence in Hollywood is not that good, I''m not a superstar like Nicholas Cage or Tom Cruise." Kazir listened to Liam. He felt that their relationship would be better after this conversation. "I''m actually scared when I heard that Taken is coming out on the same day as Air Force One. Harrison Ford is more famous than I am." "Liam, from now on you don''t have to be afraid. I will make sure that you will never be forgotten by the whole world. Everyone will know your name." Liam stared at Kazir and realized that the director was not joking. "Haha, I guess that''s why I signed the contract. Your dream of creating this Cinematic Universe, I want to be a part of it. By the way, can you give me the script for the sequel? I need to read it to be prepared. "I''ll give it to you next month. It''s not the final script, so don''t expect much. And don''t give it to anyone else, I''ll make sure you sign a non-disclosure agreement." "Don''t worry, you can trust me." "Of course, it''s your movie we''re talking about. We don''t want any mishaps." "Congratulations, Director Grey." "Congratulations also, superstar Liam Neeson." The two began to laugh. The dark circles under their eyes were noticeable, but they didn''t feel tired. Especially when their movie was making money all over the world! Their estimate was over $500 million! The worldwide box office of Taken was definitely over $500 million! Chapter 124 Chapter 124 The management of Warner Bros began their quarterly meeting. To the left sat the influential shareholders, while to the right sat the executives and key positions in the company. At the end of the table sat Terry Semel, listening to the discussion. "Our projects for next year have already passed the review. We already have thorough details for them, except for two movies..." The management was listening to the speaker, who was producer Enrico Pusi. He was promoted to be the head of production management, in charge of making movies. "And what are the two films we are talking about?" Some of the management already had an idea, but the shareholders were clueless, so Enrico Pusi had to explain. "It''s The Hangover Part 2 and TED. These two projects are promising, but we are facing some problems..." Enrico Pusi looked at Terry Semel. The CEO nodded and gave him the signal to speak. "Go on." "... We can''t find a director. The cast of The Hangover has already expressed their intention to join the sequel. However, director Kazir Grey said he didn''t want to direct the sequel and let management choose the next director. As for TED, no one is confident that they can make the movie. It needs computer graphics and it could cost a lot of money." Enrico Pusi sighed weakly. This problem had been bothering him since last year. In fact, he had contacted Kazir Grey and Salvatore Barlowe so many times. Finally, the last hurdle was Kazir Grey. The director was done with directing comedies. He wanted to focus on his own projects, which were the films related to his so-called "Cinematic Universe". It would be a lie to say that Enrico was not disappointed. He enticed Kazir Grey with many proposals, even going as far as a 20+20 contract, but Kazir was as firm as a cemented rock. Enrico could not move him. "..." They were all sad about it. 20th Century Fox tried their best to make sure that Warner Bros did not get Hugo Lameire. They were all rivals and they could fight each other every year. Even if they had a tacit understanding, they would make sure that no one was above them. Simple as that. Even Terry Semel could not help but sigh. He prayed that Taken would fail so that they could get Kazir on their side. Unfortunately for them, Taken had the opposite effect. On the continent of North America alone, the film had already grossed over $200 million. Paramount only signed a 25% deal, but they were already winning. A profit is a profit, no matter how big or small. "Let''s look for a replacement... Contact Kazir too, maybe he knows someone who can take the director''s position. As for TED, we haven''t started the project yet, so we can postpone it. We will start TED once we have a clear plan." "Yes sir!" Terry Semel said, and the meeting ended a few minutes later. In the end, their real problem was The Hangover Part 2. This was an important project and they had to take it seriously. Terry Semel didn''t feel good about Kazir Grey leaving the project. He felt that Kazir Grey was the best option. ''If I had agreed with his decision to invest 30% of Taken''s budget, this situation might not have happened.'' At least there was a chance that Kazir would listen to their opinion about making him the director of The Hangover Part 2. ''What if...'' They could not bring back the past, so they had to be responsible for their present situation. ''Now that I remember, Kazir is going to start this movie called John Wick. Maybe I can convince him to sign an international distribution deal with Warner Bros.'' As of now, Paramount was responsible for the local distribution of Grey Pictures'' two upcoming films, but international distribution was still a question. Chapter 125 Chapter 125 Celebration. People tend to celebrate when something good happens. And well, generating a $200 million North American box office is definitely a good thing. Grey Pictures officially created their own party and invited people in the industry. This was their first time throwing a party. They just hired an event planner and let her do most of the work, the company was just responsible for paying her. Grey Pictures was a new studio and they had only done two projects, The Hangover and Taken. However, these two movies could make a combined $1 billion. The Hangover has grossed over $500 million worldwide. As for Taken, the current status of the movie was $387 million. It was already October 20, 1997, and the internal promotion of Taken was over. Kazir and most of the cast returned to the United States after a tiring month of endless travel. They had literally flown around the world. At the North American box office, Taken was already losing steam, and the number of theaters showing the film dropped to 426. Still, the movie was making a few million every week. The current box office total for Taken is $265.63 million. As for the international box office, the movie made $121.37 million. The good thing was that some countries just recently started to show Taken and the final box office would continue to increase. Paramount believes that Taken will gross over $500 million. Unfortunately, each country had different laws regarding foreign films. In some countries, Hollywood could only get 15% of the box office and the local theater companies would get the rest. So the profit was quite complicated in that regard. Still, the bigger the box office, the higher they can get. So Paramount would still work to promote their movies. "Congratulations Kazir! You are a superstar now!" "David, nice to meet you." Even though Grey Pictures was a new studio, many famous people attended the party. They didn''t care about the company, they just wanted to make a connection with Kazir Grey. Kazir was a promising director. And so far, his movies and scripts were making huge profits. Being friends with him was a good thing. "Congratulations on The Game too. It''s a great movie." "Kazir, let''s not joke around here. The influence of The Game is nothing compared to Taken." David Fincher smiled. He did his best and believed that the movie would be great, but it was a shame that the result was not good. The Game was distributed by PolyGram Films, a second-tier studio company. Maybe that''s why the movie didn''t have a strong reception. The Big Six were the Big Six because of their ability to promote their movies through various media. "Hello, Kazir." "Oh, hello, Cameron." "You can call me Cam." Kazir was slightly shocked when a woman blocked his way to the bathroom. Moreover, the woman was someone he recognized. It was none other than Cameron Diaz. Cameron Diaz of the 90s was the bomb. Kazir looked helplessly at the woman''s figure. She was sexy and beautiful. As a man, Kazir Grey could not help but admire her beauty. Yet he kept his composure. He was no fool, the woman definitely had a reason for talking to him. "Can I get your number?" "Ah? You mean my business number. Here, you can take this..." "No, I want your private number. You know, so we can talk privately..." She winked and leaned closer. "...I''m sorry, Cameron, but we''re not close enough to exchange private numbers. But if you are interested in working with Grey Pictures, this is the company''s contact information." Kazir pulled out a business card and handed it to her. "Is that so? Maybe we can meet later? What do you think? I know a nice scene here in L.A." She giggled. Kazir swallowed hard. He was just a man, and he understood that his former(past life) status was nothing compared to a famous actress like Cameron Diaz. Even though his lower half was screaming, Kazir kept his composure and declined her offer. "I''m sorry Cameron, but I have a lot of things to do." He walked away rather quickly and stiffly. Trying to hide his... Chapter 126 Chapter 126 [Congratulations to SK Telecom T1 for winning the Worlds 2023! Legends never die!] +++++ "Kazir Grey... He is not bad." Cameron Diaz smiled seductively and let the man go. The only reason she wanted to talk to Kazir was for revenge. She wanted to get the lead in There''s Something About Mary. But for obvious reasons, she wanted a better salary, so her agent tried to negotiate. Unfortunately, her side didn''t expect that the production team had a second choice and the actress'' performance was comparable to Cameron Diaz. In the last two years, Reese Witherspoon''s standing has improved and Hollywood has recognized her. Reese Witherspoon got the role and Cameron Diaz lost her chance to be a protagonist. Out of anger, she decided to attend this party to seduce Kazir Grey. The party is boring, but meeting Kazir is quite interesting. She admitted. She just wanted to get revenge, but she decided to change her plan. Kazir Grey made a good impression. A respectable man who didn''t flinch in front of a beauty. "Perhaps we will meet later." She smiled as she stared at Kazir''s back. ... ... ... Kazir Grey wanted to start the John Wick project as soon as possible. But he understood that his crew needed a break. At least a week''s vacation. Kazir was the type of guy who prefered working than taking a vacation. He was an abnormal person in that regard. In his opinion, working on the filming site was his vacation. Taken and John Wick were both action movies, but John Wick was on a different level. It may have been the epitome of dirty hand-to-hand fight movie. ''The action choreography in John Wick is much more elaborate than in Taken.'' "We already notified CAA, UTA and other agencies to prepare their clients for the audition. We have already given them the list of roles we are looking for. The first round of auditions will start in the first week of December." They are even sending 2/3 of the scripts to some promising actors. ''If there''s one thing that shocked me, it''s the fact that Harrison Ford expressed interest in the movie... I just don''t know if we can afford his salary. We are talking about Han Solo/Indiana Jones.'' "That is good to hear. I''m looking forward to teaching him the deadly method of the best assassin. Tae-Won Park smiled sincerely. His job here in America was better than in Hong Kong. At least people respect him here. ... ... ... The North American release of Taken has ended. Cinema Alliance has already given the remaining money to Paramount. The North American box office for Taken was $268.42 million. Cinema Alliance took 40%, or $107.36 million. Paramount then subtracted the advertising budget and films they invested ($23 million) and the 25% box office fee. The total was $90.1 million. The rest went to Grey Pictures. The money that went to Grey Pictures was $70.96 million. In addition, Kazir Grey, the director, would get a 10% share of the box office. Kazir Grey got $26.84 million and it was transferred to his bank account. In the end, Grey Pictures only got $44.12 million. They basically made $19.12 million. That was pretty much their profit in North America... It clearly showed that the Cinema Alliance and the distributors were the only winners. However, the international box office was still running at $224.25 million. Grey Pictures had another way to make money. There were the videotapes as well... Grey Pictures would get most of the profits for this one. Grey Pictures would produce the videotapes and Paramount would distribute them. Paramount would get 20% of the profit while Grey Pictures would get the 80%. The profit on the videotape was much better than the box office because a blank videotape was cheap. A blank videotape cost one dollar, but a movie videotape could be sold for 30 dollars. Chapter 127 Chapter 127 Now that the screening of Taken was over, Grey Pictures and Paramount signed a distribution deal. Paramount would receive a 20% profit fee after distributing their videotapes to the market. The contract was for five years. Grey Pictures produced 3 million copies of videotapes at a cost of about $2.7 million. Producing videotapes was cheap, but the profit was big. Besides, Taken had two videotapes. The normal one and the luxury version. The normal videotape cost 30 dollars while the luxury version cost 60 dollars. The luxury version came with three Continental Coins. People still oblivious about these coins except for the time when retired agent Bryan Mills threw them to the ninja. A year later, however, these coins would become a sold-out item. Aside from the coins, the deluxe version had the extended version of the movie, a longer viewing time than the theatrical release. Kazir Grey added 15 minutes of footage to the deluxe version. The content of the extended version was the snippets about the Continental Cinematic Universe, such as the conversation with the ninja. In the extended version, Bryan Mills even fought a killer who could bend the trajectory of bullets. 2 million copies of normal videotapes and 1 million copies of luxury videotapes. They never intended to produce many luxury versions for the scarcity effect. The videotapes of Taken would be in Walmart, Blockbuster and other movie stores at the start of December. Paramount and Grey Pictures hoped that Taken would sell at least 1 million copies in its first month. ... ... ... As the days of November passed, Kazir Grey visited the investment firm that handled his investment. As usual, the stockbrokers tried to sell him investments and insurance, but Kazir felt that their choices were dubious, so he stuck to his usual ones. ''If I remember correctly, I also visited this place in November last year.'' Kazir chose only three companies to invest in. Nokia, Cisco and Microsoft. Last year, his investment in Nokia grew to $2.4 million. He also invested another $3.3 million in Nokia last year. Even Salvatore Barlowe was busy helping Brianna Evans in her role in The Truman Show. "As long as everybody is happy." Kazir shrugged and sat down. He began to draw sketches with his pen. He drew a man in a suit, with shoulder-length black hair and a short beard. The man, the Baba Yaga, John Wick, Mr. Jonathan Wick. As long as the actor passed the appearance requirements, he would have a chance to show his acting talent. Then Kazir would meet him for the final round of auditions. To be honest, he had a few actors in mind, but he was not sure if they would agree to his requirements. "We need a protagonist as soon as possible to give him more time to train. Because John Wick is different from Taken. It''s action-packed, I''m not even lying." The gunfights and hand-to-hand combat filled almost the entire movie. There was never a dull moment, it was all adrenaline. "Not only the protagonist, I also have to train the other actors. Because most people in the John Wick universe are assassins and killers. Hell, even a beggar is an assassin." With that in mind, he began writing his requirements for the other cast members. They would have to sign a training contract to make sure they would not make any mistakes during the shooting. ... ... ... Another week passed and December arrived. The crew began to return one by one. On their agenda was the first round of auditions for the role of John Wick. Chapter 128 Chapter 128 The first round of auditions had officially begun. The long line of men was almost 700 and more. These 700 men were actors who wanted to prove themselves. Most of them were freelancers who didn''t have agents. And most of them were semi-amateurs who worked in small production crews. Some of them had experience in acting, in the theater or on the screen. One thing was for sure, most of them went to the audition hoping to get cast. Taken was a successful blockbuster. The film has already crossed the $500 million mark. Kazir Grey became a billion-dollar director, as his three films together grossed more than $1 billion. Even though the odds were against them, these actors didn''t lose hope. It would be more depressing if they didn''t try. So, one by one, the men wrote down their information and handed over photocopies of their documents and 2¡Á2 ID pictures. The casting director and other members of the production crew took a few minutes to look at each actor. Their requirements were simple, as long as they met the basic John Wick look, they would call them. Unfortunately for these 700 men, they had no information about the role, especially John Wick. They had no idea who he was, his age, his looks, his affiliations. But one thing was clear, John Wick was the protagonist because, well, the title of the movie was John Wick, obviously. Only selected actors had any idea who John Wick was. They were privileged enough to read that part of the script. "Sir, can you please take off your shirt? You know the drill." The casting director maintained his stoic expression as he looked at the man. Trying to hide his interest. They just gave each actor a few minutes to show off. "Yes." The man, Viggo Mortensen, casually removed his shirt. He knew this was standard procedure. Auditions for action movies require this kind of request. Viggo Mortensen had been in Hollywood since the 1980s. He appeared in movies like Carlito''s Way, Daylight and G.I. Jane. His most notable role was in Lord of the Rings as Aragorn. Although this role would be around the 2000s and his future was still unknown. Although Viggo Mortensen has been cast in several movies, he unfortunately didn''t receive an invitation for John Wick. He didn''t read the script, he was completely clueless. He just understood that this movie could be his way to stardom. Viggo Mortensen thought he and Liam Neeson were on the same level, but Taken just gave Liam Neeson the push he needed. Now the man was a certified 1st tier actor. He got up and left the apartment to get better reception. -- We want to tell you that you have passed the audition. We recommend that you start training your body from now on in case you get the role. Keep your hair long, around shoulder length, and maintain your beard. "Y- Yes, thank you very much." Even though he went to many auditions, he was still happy that he passed . At least he felt that his hard work was worth it. The call ended quickly. The crew had more actors to contact. They would filter the actors until the worthy ones were left. [Viggo Mortensen picture] +++++ +++++ +++++ [So I''m going to announce something that might cause you to drop this novel. But I have to say it anyway. I want my novel to be as realistic as possible... So Keanu Reeves will not be John Wick]. I have reasons why: 1.) Keanu Reeves looks too young to play an old veteran assassin. 2.) He is busy with The Matrix. 3.) His salary will probably be over $5 million. Something that Grey Pictures can hardly afford. The expected production cost of John Wick is only $25 million. 4.) The chances of Keanu Reeves signing a trilogy and cameo deals are very slim. 5.) As if Keanu Reeves will accept the role of John Wick so easily. He has a lot of scripts to choose from. Note that Keanu is at his peak in the 90s. There you have it. You can spam this novel with 1 star, I respect your decision. Chapter 129 Chapter 129 "Sometimes I wonder if you''re even human. How can you stay in your office for a week without leaving?" Renner Hector and Harold Witsend were both in Kazir''s office. The office looked clean. But the sketches covered most of the table said everything that could be said. Kazir didn''t have time to arrange his things. "I''m fine. I don''t need a vacation." "The reason we want a vacation is because we need rest. But vacation can also help you. Still, I can''t believe you decided to lock yourself in this room and spend your month working! Kazir, have pity on yourself!" Harold rubbed his throbbing forehead. He knew Kazir Grey was a workaholic bastard. In fact, that was one of the reasons he and Cassandra had divorced. "You can''t start a family if you stay like this." "I just got divorced. I don''t intend to get married. We''ll see when I get there." "But still, you need rest for peace." "Harold, I understand that you are concerned about me. But I''m fine. Doing what I love brings me peace." Some of the crew members were married and needed time for their families. Going to a foreign country to make a movie was a tough thing to do. Fortunately, the three men in the office were single. Although Harold was interested in a woman and they were going out for dinner that weekend. "Kazir, I know you''re not the type to spend money recklessly just to get the perfect shot. I hope you will shoot John Wick here in the country." "I understand, I have already thought about it. That''s why I need the crew to find the locations here in California. Especially the building that will be the Continental Hotel." Unlike Taken, which was set in France, John Wick was set in the United States. For real reasons, the production crew flew to France to shoot Taken. The laws regarding actors were incomplete at the time. Studio companies never respected them. Even if agencies were like leeches, it was true that they would protect their clients... the opposite could also happen. For franchises and trilogies, it was important to hire the same actors. Because of this, the said actors would ask for more salary. Grey Pictures decided that they had to sign the actors to a trilogy or more contracts so that they wouldn''t have problems later. For that reason, Grey Pictures was not sure that they could cast a famous actor. It was a miracle that Liam Neeson agreed to their terms. "We are talking about this topic because of the information we have received. Apparently, Harrison Ford is interested in the project. Obviously, he is asking for a whopping $10 million and 10% of the worldwide box office. Another obvious thing, he is not going to sign a trilogy deal." The three men both shake their heads. They have the same answer, no. Harrison Ford is a great actor, but it''s impossible to hire him. He makes more than the director. Kazir only has a $5 million salary for this movie. If they signed Harrison Ford for a single movie, their plan to create the Continental Cinematic Universe would disappear. Kazir didn''t want a situation like Edward Norton and The Incredible Hulk. "I can agree to his terms if he signs a trilogy and cameos. But Harrison Ford definitely did not like that kind of thing." Even though they invited the actor for the audition, Kazir never had any intention of casting the man. He made his decision from a business standpoint. "So let''s decide after we''ve hired all the cast. For now, our minimum investment is $30 million." [Author''s note: So yeah, real life stuff keeps bugging me and there are times when I can''t update... It''s definitely not because I''m lazy]. Chapter 130 Chapter 130 The production crew has already cast the major characters in John Wick. For Winston (the owner of the Continental Hotel), Kazir decided to go with the original actor. Ian Mcshane signed on for sequels and cameos. He was trying to break through because his work in the 90''s was all TV shows. Iosef Tarasov was the asshole who caused all the John Wick movies. He was the son of Viggo Tarasov. He was responsible for killing John Wick''s dog. Because of that, John Wick returned to the underworld and ended his retirement. Kazir could not find the original actor, so he decided to choose someone from the auditions. Of course, Viggo Tarasov was played by Michael Nyqvist. He was the original actor and he willingly signed a contract. He had just started in Hollywood that year. He was a policeman in a TV show. Compared to his role in the TV show, being a mafia boss was better. Kazir also didn''t forget about Willem Dafoe. Willem Dafoe was a theater stage actor at this time. Even though Marcus (Willem Dafoe) died in the first movie, his role was quite important. In fact, Kazir was not sure if he would kill Marcus this time. The man was a real homie for saving John Wick. In addition, Kazir wanted to make Marcus a member of the Fraternity. The Fraternity was a group of assassins who had high concentration and could bend trajectory of bullets. Then another important character. Kirill. This certain bodyguard was, in Kazir''s opinion, the toughest opponent John Wick ever faced in the entire John Wick universe. Well, Kirill defeated John Wick once, throwing him off the second floor of the bar. Also, their last fight was a dogfight. It was dog eat dog. For Kirill, the crew could not find the original actor, so they went with another actor. They chose Bryan Cranston. To be honest, their first choice was Sean Bean, but Kazir pushed Bryan Cranston. He was interested in seeing Mister White and John Wick fight. That''s right, Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones) and Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) auditioned for the role of John Wick. Kazir saw their names and invited them to audition for Kirill''s role instead. As for the rest of the characters, they easily filled them. The most important, of course, was John Wick himself. Kazir was actually thinking between Gary Oldman and Viggo Mortensen. He invited Gary Oldman and even gave him a script. The actor had the privilege of auditioning in the final round of casting. Gary Oldman is fully prepared for the role. He got long hair, a beard and a black suit. He looked like the incarnation of John Wick. The production crew almost nodded their heads and gave him the part. The actors were drenched in sweat and panting. Especially Viggo Mortensen and Bryan Cranston. The two continued to practice their stunts. Even though they were practicing safely, they could not help but get a few scratches. Unlike the usual protagonists who didn''t get any wounds or bruises, John Wick was the type to get hurt by everyone. Throughout the entirety of Chapter 2 to Chapter 4, John Wick walked with a limp due to the damage he received from the battles. Note that the entire John Wick plot only happened in weeks. Maybe that was why the movie was successful, because John Wick was a vulnerable person who could feel pain. He could get hurt, not like Rambo and T800. The cast has to finish the 100 days of training. Everybody signed a contract and it should be respected. If someone tried to disregard the contract, they can hire another one. It was good that most of the actors were not famous and humble. They were afraid of being replaced. Filming would begin around April. The whole shooting would take two to three months. Thankfully, Kazir''s work was much faster and more efficient than other directors. Most directors take two years to complete a project, but Kazir could complete one film a year. And his films were all successful. With this ability, the Big Six were salivating to have him. In fact, one of the Big Six was thinking of acquiring Grey Pictures just to have Kazir Grey. His future was promising and they would do anything for the profit. If Kazir and Grey Pictures were worth it, they were willing to pay. ++++++ [Author''s Note: I would like to thank everyone who supports this novel, even though I update it imperfectly. You can visit my Patreon if you''re interested in reading more than 100 chapters]. [Anyway, do you want Marcus (Willem Dafoe) to die in the first movie or should I keep him alive?] https :// www . pat reon . com / Puji_maki Chapter 131 Chapter 131 Kazir Grey was in high demand at the moment. Right after New Year''s, Kazir was contacted by three companies at once. John Wick was still in pre-production and this was the right time for Paramount, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros to work with Kazir Grey. Both 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros experienced Kazir''s directing skills and his films were successful. The script of The Hangover Part 2 was already done and the screenplay was finished. If there were going to be changes, they were going to be minor changes. There was no need to audition because the cast had been in place since the first movie. The only major issue with The Hangover Part 2 at the moment was the lack of a director. Three months before the official start of shooting, the project still has no director. Enrico Pusi even went to Grey Pictures just to find Kazir Grey. Enrico Pusi was in charge of the project and he couldn''t let it fall. He went to Kazir''s office and kneeled down to beg. He really did it. Kazir massaged his forehead. The position of director was important and he didn''t want The Hangover Part 2 to turn to dust. "Mel Brooks." "Hm?" Enrico Pusi sat up and looked at Kazir. "Why don''t you hire Mel Brooks instead? I''m sure he can do a better job than I can." "I''ll try." As a producer, Enrico Pusi knew who Mel Brooks was. In fact, Warner Bros invited Mel Brooks to take the job, but he asked for a $5 million salary. Warner Bros was still skeptical, so they kept quiet for the moment. Mel Brooks didn''t have a movie in the last few years. His last movie was Robin Hood: Men In Tights and it was released in 1993. His $5 million salary might be questionable. But Kazir Grey knew Mel Brooks'' next projects like Get Smart and Space Balls. At least the director understood humor. ''I actually want to recommend Todd Phillips, the original director of The Hangover trilogy but he''s still not a director. It will be stupid to recommend a person who''s not even a director yet.'' After hearing Kazir''s opinion, Enrico Pusi quietly left the company after causing a scene. For the success of The Hangover Part 2, Enrico would have a face as thick as the earth''s crust, shamelessness was needed. Later, Enrico thanked Kazir Grey for his suggestion. As long as all was well, taking a knee was no problem. ... "I don''t like them." "All right, I''m going now. Remember what I said." Shirley Lansing left the office. "I guess that''s why she''s the next CEO of Paramount. She''s damn stubborn. Much worse than Enrico Pusi." He had never met anyone like Shirley Lansing. He was afraid to work with her, he felt like he would be sucked dry... ... ... ... The first month of the year was too much for him as the three companies tried to contact him in different directions. On top of that, Sony-Columbia and Walt Disney wanted to buy his scripts. "Sir... Someone wants to talk to you." Erica Mendez told him on the phone. His assistant was also busy after Christmas. Even though Kazir stayed in his office for the whole month, his job was never easy. Erica Mendez had to face so many people just to keep them from bothering him. But if she couldn''t, she had no choice but to pass the baton to Kazir. "Who is it?" "It''s Nancy Utley from Fox Searchlight." "Napoleon Dynamite it is." Kazir dropped his pen and prepared for another discussion. ''Seriously, they''re pretty active these days. But at least they were the ones who came to see me, not the other way around. I guess people are starting to respect me.'' Scriptwriter and Executive Producer, his position for the three companies was quite cumbersome. But as long as it was related to movies and he was having fun, why not? [Author''s note: I know, I know, some of you don''t like it when I write something unrelated to the movies. But I had to deal with the side arcs even in one chapter.] Chapter 132 Chapter 132 "Yawn... I heard you were busy. I thought you weren''t going to see me." Aaron Grey yawned because his flight to Los Angeles had left him jet-lagged. He had a business in Los Angeles and told his brother. When Kazir heard that his brother was in Los Angeles, he decided to meet him. He dropped his task of attending the training sessions for the cast. The two talked in a cafe. "Isn''t it obvious that I want to see my brother?" "Indeed. But I know you''re not the type to call me to meet up just for that." Aaron smiled. Even though they didn''t see each other regularly, he knew his younger brother''s mentality. He preferred to do what he loved more than anything else. "That''s why." Kazir handed a letter to his brother. Aaron raised his eyebrows and decided to read it. The letter was already open and Kazir had probably read it. "... Sigh." After reading the contents, Aaron sighed deeply and covered his eyes. "What is she up to this time? She never contacted me after she left." "That''s why I''m trying to find out." Both brothers were confused. In fact, they were skeptical that the letter came from their mother at all. Their relationship with their mother ended after the divorce. Their mother was cold at them most of the time even when she was married to their father. ''I heard from Dad that Mom was the one who named me. I''m still curious why.'' "This is the first time I get a letter from her." Kazir said after taking a sip of cappuccino. "I have not heard from her for a long time. I hear she''s doing well after the divorce. She got alimony from Dad." For some reason, the judge agreed to give alimony and monthly child support to their mother, even though the two brothers stayed with their father. Perhaps there was a negotiation between their parents regarding that. "One thing is for sure. She wants to meet you." Aaron added. "But why me? Shouldn''t she contact you instead? You have a more stable income than I do?" "Yes, but my cash and liquid assets are nothing compared to yours, Mr. Billionaire Director." "You know that''s not true. My income is not even 1/10 of that amount." During the pre-production of John Wick, Kazir began to hear congratulations from everyone. Kazir kept his expression and accepted their praise. To be honest, he wasn''t expecting this outcome. But he was happy with the results he got this time. The international box office for Taken ended with a whopping $297 million. With $268 million from North America, the worldwide gross of Taken was $565 million. But with the complicated shares, cuts and taxes from many countries, Grey Pictures only got $65 million in the bank. In addition, Kazir Grey had a 10% share of the box office, so the $65 million was reduced to $36 million. Still, this amount was a good thing. It was pure profit. Another thing was the television copyrights. Grey Pictures owns all the copyrights to Taken and they were free to rent or sell it to anyone. For the first two years, Fox TV bought the TV broadcast of Taken for $18 million. This means that only Fox TV was allowed to broadcast Taken in the United States for two years. Note that this is only in the United States. In Australia, they sold the two-year TV broadcast of Taken for $12 million. In other English speaking countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada, Grey Pictures received a total of $25 million. Truth be told, Grey Pictures'' profit from Taken was already over $100 million. Especially once the sales of videotapes increased. They could make money from Taken no matter how many years passed. As long as they owned most of the copyrights, they could make money. Gone with the Wind came out in 1939. And to date, the movie has grossed more than $3.4 billion in profit after so many decades of sales, tv broadcast, even the re-release. One of the proofs of why movie companies made money even though movies weren''t very profitable in theaters. The Shawshank Redemption was a huge flop in theaters, yet the movie continued to make money over the years. There were no unsuccessful movies. As long as people were interested in movies, they would buy them. "I know it''s already obvious, but I think Taken is going to be the box office champion of 1997." His assistant, Erica Mendez, told him confidently, but Kazir shook his head. He grinned. "I don''t think so." It was the last week of January, and news of the Titanic was slowly sinking in the media. No one expected the outcome except Kazir Grey. [Regarding Gone With The Wind, I just googled it. I''m not 100% sure about that.] Chapter 133 Chapter 133 In the history of movies, perhaps only Titanic had a unique trend. Normally, the box-office trend of movies would go down after two or three weeks. But Titanic had an upward trend. The movie didn''t have a good reputation when it was released. The first and second week were below average performance. Even the movie critics bombarded it as a disaster. Everyone thought it would be a flop. Paramount and 20th Century Fox invested a lot of money into the project, but they felt that the only way to make a profit was by relentlessly selling videotapes/DVDs for decades. The extravagant filmography. The real ship built under James Cameron''s orders. The sickness the cast suffered while working in the middle of the lake. The last part of the movie was about the shipwreck, so the cast had to be in the water every time they shot. Some of the cast went to the hospital. There were many disasters and bad signs that Titanic would be the biggest flop of 1997. Even Paramount and 20th Century Fox were not confident in the movie. So it was released in December. Everyone expects the downfall of Titanic, just like its historical version. But well... The opposite happened. A month after the release of Titanic, critics began to change their minds. They said that Titanic was the best movie ever made. That it was the movie that would change Hollywood after Jurassic Park. They were not wrong. If Jurassic Park was the first billion dollar movie in history, then Titanic was the second. However, Titanic''s performance was tremendous. It was the highest grossing movie of all time before Avatar. Note that Titanic and Avatar were created by none other than James Cameron. Unlike Kazir Grey, James Cameron was the real deal. Honestly, he is the goat in my opinion. Better than Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick or Alfred Hitchcock if you based it on the box office of each of his movie. The man had three movies that grossed over a billion dollars worldwide. A feat that was hard to achieve. ... ... ... February arrived and the North American box office for Titanic was already a whopping $308 million. The film easily beat Taken''s $268 million. "Uh, sir, are you sure about that? You just gave them a bonus last December." Erica Mendez looked at Kazir Grey. She had an idea how much the company had spent last year. "Don''t worry, there''s nothing wrong with rewarding people for their work. Besides, I know you like getting bonuses anyway." "Of course." The assistant didn''t deny it. "Sometimes I wonder if I''m your secretary or your assistant." The woman sighed. "What''s the difference anyway?" "You''re always in your office, so yes, I guess I''m both. Well, the salary is great and I get to spend more time with the kids." Erica mumbled. She was also a bodyguard. The gun in her purse always reminded her of that. "I''m actually glad you stay in one place all the time." She felt like her job was getting mixed up. "I''m sad to say it, but your expectations will be different once the filming starts. The crew will go to different places. I''m the director, so I have to travel with them, and yes, you will follow us." Kazir chuckled. He could not help but smile when he saw the profit the company made after selling the videotapes. That business was not bad. However, he still preferred the thrill of the box office after the hard work of making a movie. He felt it was more rewarding than selling videotapes. "It''s okay. I''m prepared. I''m already happy that you''re shooting in the country." "Better stick to the plot." John Wick was set in the imaginary dark city of New York City. Although the crew would shoot most of the movie in Los Angeles to cut costs. There was no reason to leave the country as they could not get tax incentives anyway. They were not part of 20th Century Fox, which has strong ties to Australia, or any of the Big Six. But the decision to shoot in the country made most of the crew happy. At least they didn''t have to travel far. Chapter 134 Chapter 134 April began and Titanic had already passed the 1 billion mark. Many people around the world were shocked, but they accepted the news easily. After all, Titanic had touched the hearts of many people. Especially women fell in love with the movie. They fell in love with Jack''s sacrifice. And, of course, they fell in love with Leonardo DiCaprio. The young heartthrob stole the hearts of many women. This was the beginning of Leonardo''s adventure of dating women under 25 officially happened. He always breaks up with his girlfriend when she''s over 25. Well, three decades later, Leonardo DiCaprio would be categorized as a borderline creep... There was even news that he was dating a 19-year-old model at the age of 48. That was a huge age difference. The model was not even alive when Titanic came out. Leonardo definitely has the P power, I won''t lie. Along with the sinking power of Titanic, the movie industry in Europe went into a protest, saying that Hollywood was nothing but an entertainment factory. Which was true. Years went by and the production of movies matured. Distribution was in full bloom and companies were using strategies to maximize their profits, nothing wrong with that. Perhaps the European film industry realized the danger that Hollywood posed to them. If Hollywood continued to produce high quality movies, the European film industry would die. The European film industry has a strong sense of pride because they were the first to produce a movie. Their era was over after many countries realized that English was the universal language. ... ... ... "Aren''t you angry that your movie didn''t become the champion of 1997?" "Me? Of course not. I know my movie is nothing compared to Titanic." "Is it humility or lack of confidence?" "Anyway, let''s stop talking about me. What about you, kid? Why are you here?" Kazir was confused as to why this little kid, Scarlett Johansson, was at the Paramount studio. The crew was preparing the set for some interior scenes for John Wick. Filming began last week, and the cast was starting to get into the spirit of working. "I got a part in Deep Impact. I heard that you recommended this movie to Salvatore after reading the script. "It''s actually a partial script." Marcus (William Dafoe) entered the house with the two bad guys. To make sure he could move easily, he unbuttoned his tuxedo and took off his watch. Then he faced the two bad guys as if he was a tough motherfucker. With his experience, he easily beat the two people without any problem. Breaking bones in the process. ''This is different from the original, but it''s just an experiment. It depends on whether I will keep this shot in the final cut. I plan to adjust the scenes just in case.'' After he overpowered the two guys, another group of people appeared. Marcus grinned and the real fight began. He pulled out his gun and fired bullet after bullet. Of course, the enemies also shot at him. This scene might look cool on the screen, but filming it in real life was really boring. There was no sound, even the guns they used were fake. It was just an imaginary gunfight. Even the recoil was hard to believe. Anyway, the actors were deeply into their roles, so they were quite enthusiastic. But for outsiders like Erica Mendez, the scene was really boring. ''There are editors who will take care of this problem and make the scene better with sounds and gunshot effects.'' In fact, it was impossible for a single editor to handle these thousands of shots and edit everything. Rector, the editor of Taken, was only in charge of the scene transitions and combining the shots into a movie. Imaginary gunshots echoed in the actors'' heads. Deeply into their roles. Marcus hid behind the wall, his shoulder was wounded, but nothing too serious. Then he swung his arm and pulled the trigger at the same time. The bullet miraculously bent, killing three people. Unfortunately, as strong as Marcus was, he was outnumbered. He was cornered. As for the outcome, it depends on Kazir Grey''s decision. Should he let Marcus live or not? That was the question. [Note: The movie "Wanted" starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman is about an office worker who is recruited into the Fraternity. It''s a group of assassins who can bend the trajectory of bullets, I''m super interested in adding Fraternity to the High Table. If you''re interested, you can check out Wanted.] [Just to be clear, Wanted is rated R, so no minors allowed]. Chapter 135 Chapter 135 "Yes, I understand. I will try to deliver your message. Director Grey is busy right now, no, no, he can''t talk to you. Please give me your message. No, he is also busy tomorrow. Me? No, I''m not going to give you my home number." Erica Mendez ended the call with a depressing sigh. She knew that her boss was becoming famous and that many people wanted to work with him. Either to buy his script or to hire him as a director. And honestly, their terms were not bad. An assurance that his salary would be over $10 million plus 10% of the box office. They can negotiate and make a good contract. But Erica Mendez understands the intention of her boss. Looking at the man massaging his forehead after a sleepless night, she knew that Director Grey didn''t have time for anything else. Kazir Grey didn''t get much sleep last night because he was reviewing all the shots they had taken... So Erica, Hector and Fremont didn''t sleep either. Erica was responsible for serving them a ton of coffee while the three men talked about the best footage they could use. Kazir intended to let the two of them handle some scenes on their own. Hector knew about cameras and lighting, but he was clueless about the director''s position. This project might be his first time directing people while watching the scenes unfold. As for Fremont, the man was young. He was only 23 years old and lacked experience. Kazir could sense his sincerity and enthusiasm, so he gave him a chance to blossom. Kazir understood how terrifying the role of a director was. The pressure was crushing and Kazir suffered from insomnia most of the time. There was a time when he felt that this would be his last movie. If a movie was a disaster, everyone would blame the director because he was the creative mind of the project. Kazir hoped that the two of them would have the strength to withstand that kind of pressure. "Okay, let''s rest. You can eat lunch." Kazir announced, and the people were relieved. Kazir was a fast, consistent type of director who didn''t like to do pointless shots. As if everything was already in his head and there was no point in doing useless things. "Fremont, take your crew to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and get some background shots." "..." Kazir knew that Warner Bros had a claim on Bourne Identity back in the 80s, but someone had already gotten the movie copyright. In the end, they stopped acquisition when the first Bourne Identity television movie(1988) came out. Bourne Identity(1988) flopped, so Warner Bros lost interest. ''So what is the reason they are doing this now? Is it because of the Continental Cinematic Universe?'' Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox had an idea about Kazir''s huge project. Maybe Warner Bros felt it would be dangerous if his plan succeeded. So they decided to stop his plan step by step. Movies based on novels were quite a hype in the 90s. The Shawshank Redemption, Silence of the Lambs, Forrest Gump and many more. They were all based on novels. Warner Bros concluded that the Bourne Identity copyright in Kazir''s hands was too dangerous. ''They are interested in buying the copyright, I guess they have regained their passion. Also, they want to prevent the addition of Jason Bourne to the Continental Cinematic Universe. '' Warner Bros realized that Bourne Identity would definitely be part of the Continental Cinematic Universe, considering Kazir''s projects. "We''re not going to sell the copyright." Kazir said firmly. Even if Warner Bros offered a serious amount of money, he wouldn''t budge. He already had an idea where to put Jason Bourne in the CCU (Continental Cinematic Universe). "I understand." Erica nodded. She knew her boss would refuse the offer. It was a good thing she ended the call sooner. ''The Jason Bourne franchise has made billions of dollars, I''m not crazy enough to sell something that big.'' Even though his relationship with Warner Bros was good, he had to draw the line. Otherwise, it would be problematic later on. Chapter 136 Chapter 136 [My symptom called procrastination is kicking in again. Anyway, shout out to Cesar M and Paul P!] "Cut! That''s it, we can take ten minutes." The director announced and Harrison Ford returned to his grumpy mood. "Sir, this is your towel." His assistant understood and quickly handed him a hot towel. They were filming on an island and it was cold at night. "Thanks." Harrison muttered and took it. Then another crew member handed him a cup of coffee. Even though Harrison Ford was shooting Six Days, Seven Nights, his mind was racing. He was thinking about John Wick, which was being filmed in another part of the world. He was still bitter about that. Harrison Ford expressed interest in the script. He didn''t have a problem with wearing a wig to have long hair. It was already impossible for him to grow shoulder length hair within 3 months. So using a wig was the best option. He also didn''t have a problem taking training lessons, he was used to it since most of his movies were action movies. Anyway, Grey Pictures gave him the script and he liked it. Although he wanted to change some things about John Wick, like the dialog... John Wick has so little dialogue. The antagonist has so many lines compared to him. A quiet person. That was the best way to describe John Wick. Most of his lines were "Yeah." Harrison Ford didn''t like that. Because Harrison Ford was a superstar, he obviously had the power to bypass the first and second rounds of the audition. When the third round was over, he was confident that he would get the part. Of course, the contract would have to be in his favor, such as salary, box office share, and sequels. After his agent contacted Grey Pictures, the result was not what he wanted. Grey Pictures didn''t try to negotiate, they immediately decided to go with Viggo Mortensen. ''Viggo what? I don''t even know the guy.'' He could not believe he was losing to an unknown actor. He, a superstar, a person known almost all over the world. Maybe it was his salary and his unwillingness to sign a trilogy, but Grey Pictures should try to negotiate! They didn''t even hesitate and chose an unknown actor. Out of nowhere, Kazir stopped filming after checking his monitors. "Let''s shoot the scene again in ten minutes. Viggo, your performance is great, but we need better lighting so we can capture it better." Viggo Mortensen and the other actors nodded their heads. They were really in their zone and felt like they were doing well. They felt like they were real bodyguards working under a mob boss. Even though there were no gunshots and the punches were fake, they felt like it was all real. It was a unique sensation, as if they were sinking into their roles. The lighting crew were adjusting the lights. It was a bit difficult because the setting was a bar and that kind of place is usually dark. After that, filming resumed and the actors did a good job. ''It is good that our pace is on schedule.'' After some grumbling with the Animal Organization, the filming didn''t encounter any problems. Animal Organization was quite strict and the dog''s working hours, on-set housing and environmental aspects had to be taken into account. Fortunately, the dog had a better attention span than the baby in The Hangover. Kazir understood that there would be a lot of dogs on John Wick franchise, and he needed to maintain a good relationship with the Animal Organization to avoid unnecessary hassle. ''Let''s deal with that later,'' "Bryan, are you ready?" "Director, I''ve been ready since yesterday." Bryan Cranston smiled modestly. He was excited because the action sequences in this movie were unique and interesting. He had a scene where he fought John Wick in hand-to-hand combat, and it was a dirty fight to the max. He was excited to imagine it. His character in this movie was called Kirill. A person who works under Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist), a Russian mafia boss. He was the strongest person that John Wick fought in this movie. They started shooting the bar scene since yesterday and he could not wait to get into action. "Don''t get excited, this is acting." Chapter 137 Chapter 137 "Yes, director." Bryan Cranston replied. Kazir shrugged and let the man feel the adrenaline. As long as everything went well and the shot was good, he didn''t have a problem. Bryan Cranston was 42 years old and still confident in his physique. ''Honestly, I''m not sure if I should kill him in this movie or not. But given John Wick''s disposition, he will never leave an enemy alive.'' In their final fight, John Wick strangled Kirill with his handcuffs. John Wick made sure the guy was dead. His chances of appearing in the sequels may be close to zero. Unless it''s a movie about the past, before John Wick retired. After Kazir announced another break and checked the footage, filming resumed. This time John Wick (Viggo Mortensen) was wounded by a gunshot. He fought Kirill, but his wound prevented him from giving his best. He was easily subdued and kicked several times after he tried to get up. Kirill also smashed a wine bottle against his head, breaking it. He then proceeded to stab John Wick with the broken wine bottle and threw him to the ground, by the way, they were fighting on the second floor so John Wick''s impact on the ground was really painful. Of course, that whole action sequence didn''t happen all at once. It was shot piece by piece, and even the wine bottle was fake. The person falling from the second floor was a professional stuntman and there was padding for a safe landing. They spent 4 hours filming those 4 minutes of footage... Even John Wick and Kirill''s fight was filmed three times just to get a better performance. Watching it on the screen was completely different than watching it being filmed. "Cut! Let''s wrap it up this time. Tomorrow is Sunday and we don''t have any work, but some of you have to stay to take care of the equipment". Kazir announced the end of work after looking at his watch and showing that it was past 10:30 p.m. "Yes, director!" The crew replied and began to clean the set. They were done with the bar scene and would have to move on to their next location on Monday. Kazir was not a heartless person who would terrorize his crew members. They deserved a break. It was good that they were filming in California because most of the crew live in the state. The schedule was all good and there was no pressure on the crew. Maybe this production crew is the most relaxed crew they have ever worked with. ... ... ... "So, Mr. Ludlum, may I know the reason you''re here?" "Kazir, you can call me Robert. You don''t have to be formal. As for the reason... I actually received a call from someone." Kazir''s eyes became serious. "Is it someone from Warner Brothers?" "Warner Brothers? No, he said he was from Walt Disney." Robert Ludlum replied. "..." Hearing this, Kazir Grey realized that things were getting complicated. "About that, can you please tell me why they contacted you?" Kazir ordered two cups of coffee, knowing that this conversation might take a while. A few minutes later someone brought them coffee. "Walt Disney wants to buy the Jason Bourne movie copyrights." "..." Kazir remained silent. "Of course, the copyrights of the Jason Bourne series such as Identity, Legacy, Supremacy and Ultimatum were already acquired by Grey Pictures." "Hm." Kazir nodded. "They wanted to buy it for a whopping three million dollars." Kazir shrugged. He bought the copyrights of this series for $4.5 million. "But that''s not why I''m here. Kazir, I want you to remember the promise you made to me last time." "Of course I will keep that promise." Kazir Grey successfully bought the copyrights for one reason - he promised that Robert Ludlum would see Jason Bourne in theaters before the new century began. Robert Ludlum didn''t care if Jason Bourne became part of a cinematic universe. He didn''t like the idea, but his dream of seeing his novels turned into movies was much stronger. So he let go of that prejudice and accepted Kazir''s proposal. Chapter 138 Chapter 138 "Frankly, their terms are quite tempting. They agree to give me a 5% share of the worldwide box office and a 5% cut of the peripherals sales such as videotapes and merchandise related to Jason Bourne." "..." ''That''s a good offer, no, it''s already a great offer. I can''t believe that Walt Disney is willing to bleed just to get the copyrights to Jason Bourne, unless...'' "But I don''t want to work with them. I''m old and I have experience with this kind of thing. They just want me to bother you as much as possible. As for their promise, they will probably break it when everything is done." Kazir nodded and agreed with Robert Ludlum''s opinion. "Besides, the contract we signed is already a good one." As the creator of the Jason Bourne series, Robert Ludlum is entitled to a share of the profits. Robert Ludlum signed a 3% share of revenues for the global box office, videotape profits and other peripherals. Although it was smaller than Walt Disney''s, it was a signed legal contract. Robert Ludlum realized that Kazir Grey was more honest than Walt Disney. He also felt that Kazir Grey would make a good Jason Bourne. The success of Taken reassured him. "However, if you want to adjust the distribution deal, perhaps..." "Mr. Robert Ludlum, we already talked about that." "Haha, of course. I''m just joking with you." The old man laughed, but Kazir knew that he would try his best to get more money if Kazir showed any hesitation. He had to be firm when dealing with a tricky old man like Robert Ludlum. ''The only reason he stuck with me was because of the contract we signed--if Grey Pictures failed to produce The Bourne Identity before the year 2000, all copyrights would revert to its creator, Robert Ludlum. On top of that, Grey Pictures has to pay $3 million if they can''t produce the movie.'' It was a dangerous deal for Grey Pictures. But it was the best way to convince Robert Ludlum at the time. ''I think we have to increase our production capacity.'' It was already in his head, and Robert Ludlum''s appearance cemented it. "Kazir, I''m old. I don''t know how much longer I can live." "Come on, Robert, don''t be like that. You have to stay positive." Robert Ludlum smiled and headed for the door. "Before you go, Robert, if Warner Brothers contacted you, please let me know." "Very well." "Next year, I promise you, you will see Jason Bourne on the big screen. Stay healthy, Robert." Kazir escorted him out of the company. Robert Ludlum, assisted by his son, got into the car. Robert personally went to Grey Pictures to talk to Kazir. Because he could not wait to start the Bourne Identity project. Kazir waved as the car slowly disappeared from the street. Then he opened his phone and called his agent, Salvatore Barlowe. "Salvatore, hire another production team. I''m going to start The Bourne Identity after I finish John Wick." -- Are you serious? Kazir, you haven''t taken a vacation in the last three years! Are you sure your body can take it? Kazir chuckled and replied. "I''m sure my body is healthier than yours. I exercise three times a week, and my diet is mostly vegetables." -- How about your sleep? "That''s another story." -- Sigh, okay, fine. CAA can easily find a crew for your problem. But what about Taken? It was also supposed to come out next year. Salvatore knew the projects that Grey Pictures would be shooting over the next three years. However, he had only read the scripts for The Bourne Identity and Taken 2. The other projects were still a mystery to him. "By the way, I''m thinking of letting Fremont Smith take over as director. Do you think your client is ready?" Kazir joked. -- ... Kazir, if you ask me, I''m still not convinced that Fremont can handle a big project. The pressure could break him. Kazir and Salvatore watched Fremont gain experience. They had no problem with his work ethic, but he was still young and might not be able to handle the pressure. Chapter 139 Chapter 139 Directors were different animals who could handle extreme pressure. This should be one of the common traits that directors should have. They suffer months of nervousness in case their movie doesn''t work out. If a movie flopped, the director was usually blamed. The responsibility they had was a double-edged sword. "I know, that''s why I decided to let him direct Taken 2 instead of The Bourne Identity. Unlike The Bourne Identity, which didn''t have a strong guarantee, Taken 2 is a sequel to Taken, which has a successful box office. Even if Taken 2 can''t surpass the box office of Taken, it has a strong ability to make a profit." To be honest, Kazir knew that Taken''s success was due to the human trafficking that happened last year. His expectation for Taken was only around $250 million at best. If Taken 2 surpassed the $250 million mark, Kazir would be satisfied. -- What about the budget? "We can sign a contract with an insurance company. Besides, first-time directors are usually conscious of spending money; I think Fremont Smith can handle it." -- But-- "Salvatore, I know you''re worried about the boy. But you have to let him spread his wings and give him a chance to fly... He is only five years younger than you, he is not a child." One of the reasons why Kazir hired Fremont was because he was looking for someone he could trust to take care of Continental Cinematic Universe along side him. So far, Fremont was doing well. -- I understand. But what about Liam Neeson? Salvatore Barlowe had a lot to worry about because their plan to speed up the projects might cause a problem. "Yeah, I need to talk to Liam to convince him." Liam Neeson trusted Kazir Grey, but it was another thing if another person took over the director''s position. Liam Neeson might have a problem with that. He could drop the Taken franchise altogether and pay damages instead. That would be irreparable damage to Grey Pictures once it happened. Kazir Grey could be trusted because he had already proven himself. But Fremont Smith was just a rookie. Not only Liam Neeson, but also the other actors might have a negative opinion about these changes. Kazir hoped that Liam Neeson would not be disappointed. "Keep this information private for now. We can''t let others hear it because it could cause us trouble." -- Okay, I will start looking for talented people. Who will lead this new team? "I will take half, and Fremont will take half." Grey Pictures and Paramount felt that Taken didn''t have a chance at the Oscars after Titanic flooded theaters. So it was pointless for them to invest in PR. But for Liam Neeson it was different. He wanted that golden statue. Well, everybody in Hollywood wanted that golden statue. Even Kazir Grey was no exception. He was hungry to get one. However, there was no chance for Kazir to find the best script to make a movie that would attract the members of the Academy. ''Although I know that the Academy will slowly become conservative and afraid of change. They will stick to their old school ideals and reject others. They will try to accept changes and become so called "woke", but they are just hiding their extreme prejudice... Still, I can''t deny the truth that I want to get the Best Director statue.'' Maybe Kazir Grey was a hypocrite, too. The Academy was not perfect and neither was Kazir. ''I heard that Liam''s PR team is contacting members of the Academy and giving them gifts. Even Liam Neeson attended so many parties to build connections.'' Kazir knew Liam Neeson''s temperament. Like Kazir, Liam Neeson hated parties. But he ignored that just to get the golden statue. ''Hell, I''d do the same if I were in his position.'' But Liam''s opponents were not so easy. Matt Damon from Good Will Hunting. Robert Duvall from The Apostles. Jack Nicholson from As Good As It Gets. And Dustin Hoffman in Wag The Dog. In Kazir''s opinion, Jack Nicholson has the best chance of winning this year. ''Still, I can''t deny that Taken is the second best movie of 1997. Liam Neeson is only behind Jack Nicholson for Best Actor.'' +++++ [Author''s note: I have always avoided the Academy Awards because I have some prejudices against them. Maybe letting Will Smith win Best Actor Award after he slapped Chris Rock is one of the reasons. But I can''t deny that they make a huge contribution to Hollywood. Kazir Grey will have to face them sooner or later]. Chapter 140 Chapter 140 "Okay, that''s all for today. For those who are interested in attending the Academy Awards, you can leave after cleaning the set." "Yes, director!" Kazir Grey stood up and stretched his limbs. He groaned after a good stretch. He spent his day sitting in the chair and watching the scenes unfold. He knew he was getting lazy. He ordered people around while he just sat in front of the monitors. ''I might have to go to the gym tomorrow, I think my body is getting rusty.'' Benching 405? It depends, if Kazir Grey could do it. He believed he had enough strength to do it because he could bench 6 plates. Maybe he needed to push his limits. "Director Grey." Someone called out to him and Kazir turned. He saw Viggo Mortensen wiping his face after a strenuous stunt. "Viggo, you did a great job today. Keep it up." "Yeah. Actually, director, I''m here for a favor. Can I have a few minutes of your time?" "Hm, okay. Let''s talk." Kazir agreed after checking his watch. Today''s work ended early, since the Academy Awards were tonight. "It''s still 4:30, I think I have enough time to talk to you." "Thank you." The two walked off the set and started talking. "Director, I know this sounds ridiculous, but can I get your opinion on something? I heard that you helped Reese Witherspoon and Brianna Evans pick their projects." "Well, I just gave my honest opinion based on the information I could get. I told Reese that There''s Something About Mary seems promising. As for The Truman Show, Salvatore was actually the one I talked to. Then Salvatore decided to convince Brianna Evans to audition for the role." There''s Something About Mary and The Truman Show are movies scheduled for summer release. No one knows if they will be successful except Kazir. "I know The Lord Of The Rings is a classic and Star Wars was created because of the inspiration George Lucas got from The Lord Of The Rings. But I''m afraid that my decision will be wrong, so I''m looking for an opinion from a professional, just like you, Director Grey. Frankly, I think adapting The Hobbit is a better choice." The Lord of the Rings is considered the mother of all fantasy genres. However, The Hobbit was written by J.R.R. Tolkien before The Fellowship Of The Rings. "Let me guess, the director is Peter Jackson?" "That''s right." "..." Peter Jackson, of all the directors in Hollywood, he was the only one who persisted to adapt The Lord Of The Rings. George Lucas had the chance, but he didn''t choose to do it. Because everyone knows how hard it is to adapt a classic like The Lord Of The Rings. The backlash from avid fans was one of the reasons. The production cost was astronomical as well since they need a proper VFX(Visual Effects). But... "This is just my opinion. I have met Peter Jackson twice and I know he is a hard working man. I think he takes this project seriously." To be precise, he met Peter Jackson in his previous life and his impression of him was mostly positive. He was an avid Lord of the Rings fan. Too bad, New Line Cinema fucked Peter Jackson and didn''t pay him according to the contract. "The adaptation of Lord Of The Rings is difficult, but there''s always the first in everything. Maybe The Lord Of The Rings will start the epic genre". "I see... I don''t have any upcoming projects and the role they gave me is an important one. Maybe I''ll give it a chance." Viggo smiled and thanked Kazir for his opinion. "It''s still pre-production and it will not distract me from shooting John Wick. Thank you, director." "Glad I could help." The two parted. Of course, they would meet again tomorrow. Maybe next year Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) will go to New Zealand with the Lord of the Rings crew. ''I look forward to seeing that movie again.'' Chapter 141 Chapter 141 "You look good in that suit, sir." Erica Mendez praised Kazir. "I don''t like makeup on my face, but I guess I have no choice." Kazir hired a professional designer. The time was hectic, so the suit he wore was made in three days. As for his appearance, he was given a light touch-up to make sure his face didn''t look oily on camera. ''I''m not one of the presenters and I''m just a regular guest.'' But the cameras in the room were everywhere, ready to capture their expressions. At least Kazir had to be prepared. There was no harm in that. "Erica, you can go now. I''ll take care of myself." "Yes, sir." Kazir Grey was the type who preferred to be alone. As a mature old man who had gone back in time, he didn''t like too much interaction. ''I am always alone in my past life, and I carried that trait with me even now.'' Some things were hard to change. After thanking the designer and Erica, he said goodbye. As he walked out of the building, a limousine was waiting for him. Salvatore arrived in a limousine. "Looks like you''re getting rich." Kazir grinned. "Don''t joke. I''m just renting this car, so don''t scratch it." "Of course." Kazir got into the limousine. It would be embarrassing if he showed up at the Shrine Auditorium in a bumpy car. "Tch, you have millions in your bank account! Why don''t you buy yourself a luxury car?" If Salvatore Barlowe made 7 figures last year, Kazir Grey made 8 figures. The difference was astronomical. Furthermore, Grey Pictures'' profit for the last 8 months was over $100 million. "Are you confident that you will win Best Screenplay? And who do you think will win if you''re not sure about yourself?" "I watched Goodwill Hunting and I like it." "Aha. So you think Matt Damon will get the award." "Honestly, I want to win." He laughed. Taken was nominated for Best Screenplay, and since Kazir Grey was the screenwriter, the honor was his. He knew his biggest enemy was Matt Damon, who wrote Goodwill Hunting. ''Besides, Matt Damon might become Jason Bourne, so I can''t make any trouble.'' Everybody knows that Matt Damon is Jason Bourne. Even though Matt Damon was young, he was Kazir''s first choice to play Jason Bourne. ''Anyway, it''s just a screenplay. What I want is the Best Director statue.'' "I think this is James Cameron''s year. I saw Titanic and I cried a lot." Kazir Grey excused himself and entered the auditorium. The place was already half full and the program would start once everyone was inside. Titanic received 14 nominations. They have a good chance to win more than half of the 14 nominations. ''One thing is for sure... James Cameron is going to win Best Director this year. It''s a good thing I don''t have a nomination, otherwise it would be useless against him.'' No one could stop the Titanic trend. Not even Kazir Grey. Kazir Grey looked around and found the Taken section. Liam Neeson and the rest of the Taken cast were waiting for him. He even found the little brat named Scarlett Johansson. "You''re late." "I''m not free like you. I have so many things to do." Kazir replied to the little girl. "Me too! I''m attending school! Humph!" Chapter 142 Chapter 142 Winning an Oscar increased the popularity of an actor or actress. It was a sign that the industry accepted them. A proof of their achievement in the movie industry. It was a great honor. Actors and actresses were crazy about this award because of what it meant. In addition, there was the salary increase... Actors/actresses who have won the Oscars have a significant salary increase in their careers. They have a better position in the film industry, the best position to choose roles, and film companies take them seriously. It was a status that few artists could achieve. Of course, the result was the same for directors. Kazir Grey was one of those people who dreamed of winning the Best Director award. In fact, he already had a formula in his head. Being from the future, he knew the best way to win the Oscars. The jury likes realistic movies. To be precise, they like movies that are based on real people or real events. They like to see human emotion. They despise movies with a hint of fantasy genre and they don''t like movies produced for profit. In fact, many actors/actresses chose roles based on real people because of this. Hell, it was better if the role was about a crazy or handicapped or fat person. Rami Malek won the Oscars after portraying Freddie Mercury in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody. Gary Oldman took on the role of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour and won Best Actor. Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in 2014''s The Theory of Relativity. The list goes on and on. This chapter may not be enough to list them all. ''Meryl Streep, Charlize Theron, Julia Roberts, and even Reese Witherspoon have used the same method to win Oscars. And there''s nothing wrong with it. It''s a sure-win strategy. So I laugh at the Academy''s obvious bias.'' This is why he was a little sad about Liam Neeson. Taken was a good movie and to have nominations was an achievement. Unfortunately Liam Neeson''s role was fictional. If there was one good thing about Taken, the movie spread awareness about the horror of sex trafficking. This noble idea earned them nominations. Fortunately, As Good As It Gets is fiction and Jack Nicholson''s character is not based on a real person. At least Liam Neeson has a good chance of winning. Maybe this was a good year for Liam Neeson to be nominated. Kazir sits down. His row consisted mainly of the crew of Taken. Liam Neeson was next to him, quite nervous under his smile. "Don''t worry Liam, you have a good chance to win the Oscar." "Thanks Kazir." The two laughed to lighten the atmosphere. Perhaps Liam Neeson was the most nervous of their crew. "Oh, I forgot about Baker Saylor. I''m sure he''s nervous too." "..." The ceremony continued until the big awards were handed out. Everyone sat in their seats. The first to be announced was Best Supporting Actor. The winner was Robin Williams as Dr. Sean Maguire in Goodwill Hunting. Then the presenter for Best Original Screenplay appeared. The presenter was Walter Matthau, an old veteran actor. Walter stood on the stage. "The nominees for Best Original Screenplay are:" Goodwill Hunting by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. As Good As It Gets by Mark Andrus and James L. Brooks. The Full Monty, by Simon Beaufoy. Boogie Nights by Paul Thomas Anderson. Taken by Kazir Grey. Though his hopes were not high, Kazir Grey could not help but be nervous. Seconds passed before Walter Matthau opened the envelope. Then he announced the winner. "The winner for Best Original Screenplay is... Kazir Grey! Congratulations!" The people began to clap. "Huh?" Kazir was surprised. ''What the fuck? We didn''t do any PR, why did I win?'' He thought to himself. He stood on the stage. He hadn''t prepared a speech, so he just thanked his crew, his family and the cast of Taken. When he went backstage, he was totally stunned. Chapter 143 Chapter 143 "I would like to thank the entire production crew, the cast, my father, and my brother. Without you, it''s impossible for me to reach this stage. Thank you very much." Kazir smiled and the audience applauded. Kazir Grey looked like a rugged, handsome man. Over six feet tall, broad shoulders, and a dark short beard. A masculine kind of handsomeness. He waved his hand and left the stage. The coordinator motioned for him to go backstage and Kazir Grey walked confidently... Hiding his awkwardness. ''If I know I''m going to win, I should have prepared a speech.'' He didn''t think he would get the award. Especially when they didn''t have any PR (Public Relations). "Sir, you can go back to your seat when the commercial starts." The coordinator said while another presenter introduced the nominations for Best Actress. "Congratulations, Director Grey." Robin Williams reached out for a handshake. "Thank you, Mr. Williams." Kazir accepted his handshake. The two were at backstage waiting for the commercial. They were both holding Oscar statues. Honestly, Kazir felt awkward because Robin Williams was part of Good Will Hunting. Everyone strongly believed that Good Will Hunting would win Best Original Screenplay, but Kazir unexpectedly won it. "Haha, you don''t have to be embarrassed. These things happen sometimes. We can''t predict the future." "That''s right." Kazir Grey could not agree more. It seemed that his knowledge was slowly becoming useless against the unpredictable flow of time. "By the way, congratulations in advance. Taken might get two awards tonight." "You mean the Best Actor award?" "That''s right. Jack Nicholson is the strongest contender, but the impact of Taken last year is enormous. It spread awareness about the dangers of human trafficking. The movement it created caused a massive change in society. It''s so influencial." Kazir nodded. He knew that an organization had been created to help people suffering from this kind of injustice. Moreover, Liam Neeson had become an ambassador for the movement. Maybe the members of the Academy would vote for Liam Neeson because of that. Considering that the Academy loves to shower itself with humanitarian work. "You know what they call Liam Neeson these days? They call him the Rescuer. Some call him Daddy Rescuer... So yeah, you get the gist." ''I regret that I didn''t give Liam too many emotional scenes. The Academy loves explosive acting.'' "I hope so." Liam Neeson laughed nervously. He knew his role was too weak against Jack Nicholson''s. But this was his second chance to get nominated, and it would be foolish of him to pass up the opportunity. Luckily, CAA was great at PR and they helped him a lot. "Liam, let''s set up a time to talk. I have something to tell you." "I hope it''s not something bad, right?" Liam Neeson looked at him. "I don''t think it is." "Of course. If I win Best Actor, I''ll take you to a nice restaurant." "Nah, I''m good with fast food restaurants." The two laughed. When the commercial ended, the live broadcast resumed. This time, the Best Actor presenter, Frances McDormand, smiled into the camera. She announced the nominations. Five cameras were directed at the nominated actors. Liam Neeson kept his smile on and showed a calm expression. However, he was sweating on his back. Winning the Best Actor award was very important to him. He dreamed of getting one, especially after his nominations for Schindler''s List. He wanted one, a proof of his achievement in the industry. And an Oscar statue was the best way to prove it. He clenched his fists and hoped his prayers would be answered. +++++ [I''m broke, so I''m shamelessly promoting my Pa tr eon. You can read up to 127 chapters in advance on my Pat re on.] https :// www . pa tre on. com /Puji _ maki Chapter 144 Chapter 144 The whole place fell silent, waiting for the announcement. The cameras never left the five actors, broadcasting their expressions live. The presenter opened the envelope and paused for a few seconds, leaving the nominated actors nervous. "The winner is..." Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Robert Duvall, Dustin Hoffman and Liam Neeson held their expressions under suffocating tension. Then the host said the name. "Congratulations, Liam Neeson, for winning Best Actor!" The expressions of the four actors were good... They didn''t show clear disapproval, they just smiled in the right way. Although deep inside, they were devastated. As for Liam Neeson. The man stood up and straightened his tuxedo. Then he shook hands with director Kazir Grey and producer Harold Witsend. "Kazir, thank you for giving me this opportunity." "Don''t joke. We all know this is the fruit of your hard work." Kazir laughed. ''Damn. Sometimes I don''t know how things are going to turn out. My prediction is way off.'' Kazir thought. Liam Neeson stood on stage. "... Liam''s salary will probably go up." Harold Witsend muttered and Kazir nodded. "You''re right... Keep it down if possible. We signed a contract." If there was one thing that worried Kazir, it was the change in the director''s position. ''He''s in a good mood, so he won''t be mad if I tell him I''m not directing Taken 2, right?'' Only God knows the answer. One thing was clear, the crew was happy about the awards they received. Then it was time for the Best Director announcement. As everyone expected, director James Cameron won the award. The guy came on stage and jokingly shouted "I''m the king of the world, wooohh!". People laughed and applauded. Everyone has probably seen the movie Titanic and knows that line. Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) shouted that line as he stood at the edge of the ship. Kazir was hoping to invite Matt Damon to audition for the role of Jason Bourne. ''Do I have to find another actor, like I did with John Wick?'' Anyway, Kazir walked away because it was so awkward. He was the director in the first place. He would pick whoever he wanted. ''If Matt Damon had a grudge, so be it.'' With this unexpected victory, the crew decided to throw a party. Liam Neeson''s team prepared a party for the crew. Even though Liam''s chances of winning were slim, they should prepare a party just in case. "Kazir, ahahaha! Choosing your script is the best decision I have ever made in my life!" Liam Neeson hiccupped after downing a bottle of alcohol. Well, he had every reason to celebrate and get drunk. "That''s good to hear. Now promise me that you will not leave Taken 2, no matter what happens." "Of course! Why would I leave the crew? It''s the movie that gave me my Oscar statue!" "Haha." Kazir was satisfied with that. He drank another glass of vodka and sighed at its smooth heaviness. He knew he was getting tipsy. He got up and went to the balcony to get some fresh air. He thought he was hallucinating when he saw a woman sitting next to a statue. "You are...?" He narrowed his eyes. Maybe he drank too much because his vision was blurred. Winning Best Original Screenplay made him so happy that he didn''t hesitate to drink any alcohol he touched. ++++ [Author''s Note: I have three things to say/ask.] 1. [I decided to let Liam Neeson win, because why not?] 2. [Do you want Matt Damon to be Jason Bourne?] 3. [Who do you think was the woman next to the statue?] Chapter 145 Chapter 145 Kazir stumbled to the railing, wobbling quite a bit. The woman turned to her right and found an unsteady man. "Excuse me, are you okay?" She looked up at the city lights as the man stepped onto the balcony. Still, this was a party and the balcony was free for everyone to use. "Yeah, I think I''m fine," Kazir replied, kneading his forehead hard. "Um, do you want me to get you a glass of water?" "Thanks, I really need it." He smiled bitterly. His head hurt and his vision was blurry. He also felt like throwing up. Kazir Grey likes to drink, but he never likes the feeling of a hangover. So he never gets to the point where he has to go blank. But today''s party affected him. To be precise, he was happy about winning the golden statue and got drunk because of it. "O- Okay, I''ll get you one." The woman went to the party and found a waiter handing out glasses of water. She grabbed two glasses and returned to see the man vomiting violently. Kazir was leaning against the wall, spitting out what he had ingested. The woman flinched. It was disgusting to see a stranger throwing up. Still, she handed him the water. "Here." "Thanks..." Kazir Grey sobered up after vomiting and drinking two glasses of water. ''Damn, I''ll definitely have a hangover tomorrow." He thought. "It''s okay. Alcohol can be dangerous sometimes." The woman put down the glasses. "Too much alcohol is dangerous." "That''s true." She agreed. "By the way, have we met before?" Curious, Kazir looked at the woman. He felt like he knew her, but he could not remember. "Your pick-up line is too rusty. You should use a better line." The woman sighed. It was the third time she had heard it tonight. She was here to make connections because her career was not getting any better. She had heard that Grey Pictures was a new production company and the prospects were good. Of course Kazir Grey found her attractive, but he was not a creepy asshole. ''Besides, I don''t want to be part of the Me Too movement, the negative side of it, of course.'' Well, the main antagonist of the Me Too movement was none other than Harvey Weinstein. "Jennifer Connelly, huh?" Kazir actually has a crush on the actress. He was one of his top 5... that sounds bad. Anyway, Kazir said goodbye to the party and finally returned to his apartment. He hired a taxi because it was too dangerous for him to drive. As expected, he threw up in the toilet again. He fell asleep in his dirty tuxedo. He was too tired to change. ... ... ... When Kazir opened his eyes, a sharp pain hit his head. He groaned and rolled over to the left side of the bed. "Fuck..." He said. Then he sat up and looked at his watch. He realized he was late. "Fuck!" Kazir had never been late for filming. This might be the first time. He didn''t have time to shower, so he changed his clothes instead. He checked his phone and found dozens of messages and missed calls. -- Hello, Kazir? Where are you? Producer Harold Witsend contacted him. "I''ll be there! Just give me 15 minutes, no, half an hour. Give me half an hour and I''ll be there. While I''m gone, tell Fremont to shoot the gas station scene." Kazir quickly came out of the apartment and ran to the elevator. "Okay. By the way, congratulations on the Oscar." "Thanks." He said and ended the call. Kazir Grey smiled. He was happy to have won Best Original Screenplay... Unfortunately, the throbbing pain hit him again and his smile disappeared. "Fuck. Painkiller might not be bad..." Chapter 146 Chapter 146 When Kazir arrived at the set, he saw that the filming was already underway. He nodded. It was good that there was someone who could help him with such things. "I thought you would arrive within half an hour? It''s already been over an hour." Harold sighed and handed him a Starbucks coffee. Kazir looked at it before taking a sip. He needs something to fight his hangover. "Traffic. Two cars collided and caused traffic." Kazir was not lying. He took a different route because of it. "Anyway, look at Fremont." The two were a few feet away from the filming. Harold and Kazir looked at Fremont, who was watching the monitors intently. "If you think he can do it, why not let him direct a small budget movie first?" "Hm? Did Salvatore say something to you?" "Huh? What are you talking about?" "I guess not." Kazir shrugged. Only two people knew, Salvatore and him. Kazir was waiting for the right moment to tell the crew. Maybe 1/4 of the crew would work for Fremont next year to film Taken 2. ''Salvatore is already putting together a new production team for Fremont.'' "Anyway, I know you are training Fremont to be a director. Everybody knows it." "Salvatore asked for a favor and I can''t say no. Besides, it will be good for Grey Pictures." "I guess so. So what do you think?" "He can do it, but it won''t be easy." "It''s not easy for everyone. Making a movie is never easy." "Indeed." "Cut! Let''s reshoot this scene. Viggo, keep a serious expression this time." "Alright." The gas station scene was where Iosef Tarasov and John Wick met. The make-up team checked the two actors and gave them touch-ups to avoid sweating. It would look bad on camera if their faces were oily and shiny. The crew started to move after being quiet. They saw Kazir Grey standing a few meters away from them. They greeted their boss and congratulated him on the award he had won last night. Kazir was grateful. He hadn''t expected to win, but he accepted it with all his heart. "Director." Then Fremont Smith stood up and greeted him. "This is the footage we shot today, you can watch it while the actors rest." "All right, I''ll check it later. For now, keep doing what you''re doing." Then Iosef Tarasov and his bodyguards also stopped at the gas station. They spoke in Russian. As for John Wick, he was minding his own business. Unfortunately, Iosef Tarasov saw John Wick''s car while lighting a cigarette. He was interested in the car. "Nice ride. Mustang?" He said as he looked at the car. "Mustang Boss 429." John replied. Another term for Mustang Mach 1. "Oh, nice car. How much?" Iosef tapped the car and asked John Wick. "Excuse me?" "How much for the car?" Iosef asked in a slightly raised voice. "It''s not for sale." John Wick jumped into the car. "Oh, I love dogs." Iosef rubbed the dog and then looked at John Wick. "Everything has a price." He said in Russian. Out of Iosef''s expectations, John Wick replied in Russian as well. "Not this bitch." Iosef was very annoyed as he looked at the Mustang leaving. He suddenly had an idea, a decision that would cost him his life. ... ... ... "Okay, that''s enough! Let''s finish filming today." Fremont was a little sad that he was only shooting one scene today. He had experience making short movies, but this was different. Fremont could not help it. He wanted to get the best shot. Now he realized how amazing Kazir''s direction could be. He was fast and precise and knew how to film the scene without any excess. He sighed. He needs to step up his game. +++++ [Many of you prefer Jennifer Connelly... and I''m happy with that. I will find a way to work her into this plot. Let me cook.] [Edit... You might see her next 100 chapters.] Chapter 147 Chapter 147 "Fuck this! All that investment, for nothing!" "Brother, you need to calm down." Harvey Weinstein smashed the vase in his office. He was furious. His brother, Bob Weinstein, tried to stop him, but fat Harvey was too difficult to calm down. "How can I calm down?" Harvey flipped the table, sending more stuff to the floor. "We have so much invested in this movie! We think we will win the Oscars!" "I know. But we can''t predict the future. Who knows Titanic will have a strong influence on the Academy members?" Bob Weinstein replied. "Fuck Titanic! The critics said it was a big disappointment! Then what happened? Titanic has already grossed over 1 billion dollars! I tell you, movie critics are stupid! They are stupid!" He gritted his teeth in anger. "Calm down. We stopped all our investments when we realized that Titanic will compete for the Oscars. In a way, we are preventing greater damage." Indeed. Miramax pulled back on its PR once Titanic began to show its strength. To be honest, Harvey was not angry with Titanic... If there was anything he was angry at, it was Taken. It was all Kazir''s fault! ''Kazir Grey! You fucking bastard!'' Miramax believes they will get at least 2 awards, but the reality was often disappointing. Good Will Hunting got only one award. The Best Supporting Actor award went to Robert Williams. Miramax believes they will win Best Original Screenplay, but Kazir won it instead. It was a big slap in the face for Miramax, known as the king of PR. "Fuck! My cholesterol is quivering with rage!" He kicked the table. He almost slipped. "Hah... Hah..." After throwing a fit, Harvey was breathing hard. His face was covered with oily sweat. "... Contact some actresses, I want to have some fun." "Okay." "Tell them I will cast them in our next project." He sat down. "Kazir Grey, this is not the end. .... .... ... "Matt, are you okay?" Time passed until only a few people remained at the funeral. "John, I am sorry for your loss." Raizo (Enzo Park), a ninja currently hiding from a certain organization, attended the funeral of his friend. "Raizo, this place is not safe for you." "I know." After those two lines, the man walked off into the darkness and disappeared completely. "I guess Raizo feels indebted to you." Suddenly another man appeared. "Marcus..." "It''s been a while. My condolences... How are you?" "I keep asking why..." The two talked for a while. "John, don''t blame yourself." There was a pause in their conversation before John Wick asked him. The atmosphere turned cold. "What are you really doing here Marcus?" "... Just checking up on my old friend." The rain did not stop, it became stronger instead. "Cut! Let''s do the scene again! Marcus, I mean, Willem, try to smile at the last line. Just a little smile." "I understand, director." "Throw more water on the ground! Make the spot look wet. That spot is dry, put some water there." It would be embarrassing if some parts of the place were dry even though it was "raining". That kind of problem should not be shown on camera. The filming was already 3/4 finished. It would take at least two weeks to finish the whole shooting. Everyone in the crew was happy. As for the cast, they were quite surprised because they didn''t expect it to go so fast. Kazir Grey was efficient as always, and the cast noticed. Well, Hong Kong movies could be finished in a month. There was nothing strange if Grey Pictures could do it as well. ++++ [Merry Christmas guys! I''m busy yesterday so I can''t update. Hope you guys will have a great day!] [And since it''s Christmas, I want to promote my Patreon! If you''re interested in reading more of HWI, please visit my Patreon.] https :// www. pa tre on. com / Puji_maki Chapter 148 Chapter 148 "Are you okay? Reese put a worried hand on Kazir''s forehead. The man looked tired, the dark circles around his eyes were obvious. "I''m fine. I can''t miss this event. It''s the first movie where you''re the protagonist." "... Okay." She smiled and kissed him on the forehead. "Now let''s contact Jane to hide your haggard face." "I hope so." The two chuckled. John Wick wrapped in the second week of June. After that, Kazir Grey put all his time into post-production. Of course, he hired his trusted editor, Rector Richman. The two have a good relationship and can talk without barriers. Other than that, Kazir had an editing team to take care of other editing jobs such as cutting useless scenes. The movie was slowly coming together. The dubbing, the sound, the music, the editing, the transitions, everything was going well. Then, after spending three weeks in the editing room, Kazir Grey was invited to the premiere of There''s Something About Mary. It was a publicity stunt to get attention. He would go to the theater with Reese Witherspoon. In fact, 20th Century Fox, the investor in the movie, asked Kazir Grey to be one of their promotional methods. People love to gossip, and 20th Century Fox would use Kazir and Reese''s relationship to create hype. They would use this news to their advantage and promote the movie. That way, more people would see the movie. Kazir was hesitant at first, but decided to agree. He wanted to make sure that Reese''s movie would be successful. However, Reese was the one who was against it. She felt like she was using Kazir and she didn''t like it. In the end, the two agreed to attend the premiere together. When reporters asked them about their relationship, they gave ambiguous answers. "Alright. Looks like you can go." Reese was pleased with Kazir''s makeover. The bags under his eyes were gone and he looked fresh. "We can go to the premiere!" The two entered the limousine holding hands. "Honestly, yes." "What did you say?" "Haha, of course I''m joking." "Humph!" The two found their seats, which were in the front row with the cast. Before the movie started, the higher-ups of 20th Century Fox greeted them. Kazir Grey met Tom Rothman again... As always, they talked about scripts and whether Kazir was interested in working with 20th Century Fox. The two of them had a good relationship, so there was no need to play hard to get. In the end, Kazir didn''t promise anything. ''Our contract with Paramount expires next year. Maybe working with 20th Century Fox is not bad... Let''s think about it when we get there.'' ... ... ... The premiere of There''s Something About Mary did well. It grossed $4 million on the first day. That was a good result back in the 90s. Only abnormal movies like Taken could get $17 million on the first day. After that, the first weekend got a result of $17 million. Unfortunately, The Mask Of Zorro was released in the same week, so There''s Something About Mary didn''t get the box office champion for that week. The next weekdays also had a good result. From July 20 to 25, the movie earned another $23 million. All in all, the movie grossed $40 million. The budget of There''s Something About Mary was only $23 million. It was obvious that the box office already exceeded the investment, which was a good thing. It seemed that Reese Witherspoon''s career would be better after this. From a second-rate actress to a first-rate actress who could easily get a million-dollar contract. However, while others were celebrating the movie''s success, one person was gritting her teeth in regret. +++++ [I would like to apologize if I made grammatical mistakes or misspelled people''s names and movie titles. I have no excuse except my own stupidity... As for correcting the grammar mistakes, names and movies, I''ll say that I''m too lazy to correct them. I publish this story in four platforms and I''m lazy to edit them. That''s the truth... I really apologize]. Chapter 149 Chapter 149 "Tch... I made a big mistake this time." Cameron Diaz bit her nail in frustration. She could not sleep properly these days. Regret was haunting her. The third week of There''s Something About Mary ended and the result was $60.05 million. The movie was a success. And Reese Witherspoon was becoming more famous by the day. The cast of There''s Something About Mary was promoting the movie in North America and it was clear that they were doing well. "Damn it!" She screamed, smashing the nearest object to her, a painting that cost at least $50,000. She breathed hard... She tried her best to accept the reality that she didn''t get the role. But it was still painful to think about it. ''I should have accepted a $1.5 million salary! No, I''ll take it even if it''s $1 million.'' It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to advance her career, and she lost it. "No... This is not over." Cameron Diaz looked at the newspaper on the table. The headline was about Kazir and Reese''s relationship. Some speculated that the two were hiding the truth, but they were actually dating. To be honest, Cameron Diaz was attracted to Kazir. The guy was her type. And now she has all the more reason to seduce him. ''Let''s see how he can last.'' What is the best way to break someone''s heart? By destroying the trust/love they have been building for so many years. ... ... ... "Director, is it true that you''re the one who recommended the script to Reese Witherspoon?" "How can I put it, I just heard that there was a project that 20th Century Fox was cooking up, so I asked Reese to try and audition. I''m clueless about everything." Because the movie was selling well, some reporters interested in their relationship knocked on the door of Grey Pictures. The entrance to the company was blocked by dozens of reporters who wanted to know about director Grey. Kazir Grey stayed in the editing room for three days before leaving the company. He was stunned to see so many people waiting for him. In the end, he decided to play with them for a few minutes. ''I am not lying anyway.'' ''Wait all you want.'' "I''m here to meet Brad Grey." "Let me check the list, sir." Kazir spoke to the receptionist. The woman contacted Brad Grey''s secretary to let him know that Director Grey had arrived. The two reached the CEO''s office. "Kazir! My nephew!" ''... I don''t know about that. You and my father are third cousins, and I believe we have no connection at all. Except as acquaintances or business partners.'' Kazir kept that in mind and accepted Brad Grey''s warm hug. "You can sit down. And you too, Miss Mendez." The two began to talk about their collaboration. As for Erica, she was just there. "Kazir, the last round of auditions for Meet The Parents is next week. I hope you can be there." "Of course." Kazir nodded. He didn''t have a problem with it. He was the executive producer and screenwriter of the movie. He wanted to make sure that his script would do well at the box office. "Is Ben Stiller the protagonist?" "Yes, we have already signed a contract. The only roles that are open are Jack Byrnes and Pam Byrnes. We have invited Robert De Niro to audition for the role of Jack Byrnes." Jack Byrnes was the father-in-law in the movie. He was a retired CIA agent who caused so much trouble to Gaylord Focker (Ben Stiller). Kazir nodded. "About Pam Byrnes..." "I know. Your agent, Salvatore Barlowe, introduced us to Brianna Evans. I can tell you there''s no problem with her acting or her salary. However, some actresses have the same advantage as her, like Teri Polo." "..." Kazir realized something immediately. ''There must be some politics going on in the crew. People are trying to push their favored actress to get the part. Well, I''m basically doing the same thing. Helping Brianna Evans get the part. Also... Who is Teri Polo? Never heard of her.'' Anyway, it all depends on the results of the last round of auditions for the heroine. +++++ [IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: I want to say that this is just a fanfiction. Do not take it seriously. Just have fun.] Chapter 150 Chapter 150 [I''m back and I want to say Happy New Year to everyone. Thanks for all the support. I was busy over Christmas and New Year, so I can''t update... Definitely not because of my laziness]. [Anyway, shout out to Leonardo N, Toros S, zwarrior0596, Tibokas, Arka B and Phil!] The Truman Show was released last month and its performance was strong. Especially since Jim Carrey was the protagonist. After all, the 90s were Jim Carrey''s era. "Of course I understand where you''re coming from. I saw Brianna Evans'' audition and she is a talented actress. Still, we should give others a chance to get the role." Brad Grey smiled. The Truman Show was owned by none other than Paramount, and the profits from the film were promising. Though he could not deny that the film was largely carried by Jim Carrey. His box office appeal was amazing. As of July 31, The Truman Show had grossed more than $122 million at the North American box office. "Haha, people say you have a good eye for picking movies. Two of the projects you recommended are successful." "You know, I''m just lucky." "Maybe, but give us your opinion once in a while. Hell, we can send you the scripts just to get your opinion on whether it''s a hit or a flop." Brad teased. "..." Kazir kept his calm expression. :Lately, people are contacting me about so many projects. They want my opinion.'' Jack Black, Pedro Pascal and even Salvatore Barlowe were pestering him these days. Kazir didn''t tell them what to do and let them decide for themselves. He decided to let fate take its course. ''... Or maybe I''m just biased.'' He helped Reese Witherspoon because of their relationship. He helped Brianna Evans because he was amazed by her talent. He felt it was a waste to let a talented woman rot in the theater acting. As for Viggo Mortensen, he just gave him a push to accept the role that was meant for him. Kazir Grey liked the Lord of the Rings franchise and he recognized only one person as Aragorn and that was Viggo Mortensen. As for the other actors, he knew that most of them would have a successful career and there was no point in helping them. They would become superstars sooner or later. :If I''m not mistaken, the production cost of Runaway Bride was $70 million because of the salaries of Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.'' Both of them were superstars who had many fans all over the world. It was understandable that their salaries were huge. Anyway, let''s look at it from a different perspective. Brianna can keep up with her talent. The last time he saw the woman, she was bubbly and lovable. Almost different from what he saw during the filming of Taken. She can change into different roles. Like a chameleon. "Now... Let''s talk about the real purpose of this meeting." The mood turned serious. "Paramount doesn''t have a schedule for September. John Wick will be released that month." "I understand." Kazir nodded. September was not a good schedule compared to summer season, Halloween and Christmas. Still, Paramount was not stupid enough to put important resources into a movie that was not theirs. Especially when the profit they could get was only 25% of the box office. "September is already good. I don''t have a problem with it." "That''s good to hear. Don''t worry, we''ll do what''s in the contract. We will invest $3 million in the first promotion. We will adjust the promotion budget based on the performance of John Wick." They both knew that John Wick was different from Taken. Taken was a miracle that rode the trend and made buckets of money. But John Wick was a pure popcorn action movie. ''Hell, the movie was rated R, which was not good for business.'' Even Brad Grey thinks that John Wick''s performance was average at best. Maybe it would be a miracle if the movie made more than $200 million worldwide. Unless something unexpected happens. The two Greys shook hands after the meeting. They both used each other, and there was nothing wrong with that. It was a win-win situation anyway. +++++ [Author''s note: It''s the first day of the month and I can say that it''s the best time to subscribe to my Patreon if you''re interested.] https :// www . pat reon . com / Puji_maki Chapter 151 Chapter 151 "Do I have a schedule for today?" "After this, no sir." Erica Mendez drove out of Paramount Headquarters. Just as they reached the highway, Erica and Kazir noticed that several cars were following them. "Really... They didn''t care at all." He shook his head. He had expected this. From the moment he became a successful director, he knew something like this would happen. Being a superstar was not that easy. ''You have to maintain a certain image in front of the public. But celebrities are also people. They shit and fart.'' One wrong move and the paparazzi would take advantage of you. Bombing you with insults. "Erica, your work is done for today." "Thank you, sir." Kazir reached the apartment and said goodbye to Erica. The paparazzi could not get into the building, so there was no reason to be afraid. "I think I''ll watch a movie." Kazir prepared dinner for himself. Nothing fancy, just pancakes, eggs and buffalo wings. Calix had a library of videotapes in his apartment. Some of them had been purchased recently, while the others were the fruit of his labors when he was still a small-time director. He took a few steps until his feet stopped at a certain movie. "All right, let''s see Pulp Fiction." Directed by none other than Quentin Tarantino. "Actually... I want to watch Django Unchained but oh well." He might have to wait two decades for that. Quentin Tarantino''s movies usually have a strong depiction of violence. So his movies were not family friendly. Still, no one could deny that his movies were good. At least Kazir likes Quentin''s filmography. ... ... ... "Kazir, look at this. These scripts look interesting. How about you read them?" The young looking agent gave him screenplays to read. "Salvatore... Put the scripts away." Kazir sighed when his agent kept asking him for his opinion. "Besides, am I even allowed to read them?" ''Star Wars Ep. I: The Phantom Menace (1999)'' Enough for Kazir to remember. ''Now I know why Liam Neeson was practicing swordplay when I called him.'' Liam had a big part in this movie. "Damn, I feel like I''m their advisor." He muttered after Salvatore left the office. He was clearly influencing Hollywood from now on. No one could deny it. Post-production on John Wick had finished three days ago and Kazir Grey had so much free time. So he spent most of his time in the office, sometimes writing original scripts. "It''s August 17. We have three weeks to promote John Wick before it opens." He might have to do another round of interviews and travel all over the country. Then there was the project he wanted to start before November. He wanted to shoot The Bourne Identity in early 1999. Another project was Taken 2. He already gave some hints to Fremont Smith. Maybe the young man already has an idea. "Damn, I just realized this might be my only free time from now on. Haha, how fun!" He grinned. Instead of feeling burdened. He was happy to see another day. ... ... ... Unfortunately... The next day, someone contacted him for the first time in so many years. Someone he had already forgotten. He could not believe that he would meet her again. "Mother..." Kazir greeted the woman, who was in her early 50s. Even though she was over 50, she still looked young and beautiful. As if time had never cursed her. "Hello, Kazir, my son." The woman smiled and sat down. Their meeting place was the park. The one who chose this place was his mother, Eliza Cohen. This was her maiden name, for it seemed that Eliza had divorced her second husband a few years ago... ++++++ [Next chapter... I want to show how fragile human beings are. One sentence can easily break a person''s heart]. Chapter 152 Chapter 152 "Did you miss me? My dear son?" "..." Kazir stared at the woman before him. The two of them were walking through the park. He felt something odd when his mother called him son instead of his name. He felt that the woman hadn''t aged at all. She still had that angelic smile. Her skin looked smooth with almost no wrinkles. Maybe her last husband was quite wealthy for her to maintain a beautiful lifestyle. "Ms. Cohen, do you remember the last time we met?" "Hm? Let me guess..." She touched her lips and thought. "Ten years ago, I guess." She giggled. "It''s been sixteen years. The last time I met you was when I was 13." "Aha, that means you''ll be 24 this year!" The woman smiled. "I''m 29 years old." "Fufu, of course I know. I''m just kidding." She giggled. But Kazir could see that the woman was lying. He knew that Eliza Cohen had no idea about his age. Kazir clenched his teeth. Honestly, he didn''t know why he agreed to this meeting. He was a director and he could tell if someone was acting or not. Eliza might be a good ''actress'', but she couldn''t escape Kazir''s gaze. "So, what is the reason you are here?" "Oh, isn''t it obvious? I want to see you. I miss my son!" She approached him and hugged him, but Kazir didn''t react. He was just unmoved. Eliza noticed the awkwardness and stepped back. "Son, you have grown up so well. I can''t believe my son is handsome, tall and rich. A successful film director, fufu." Again, she didn''t speak his name. "..." He just stared at him. Kazir knew that this woman had a reason for wanting to see him. Judging by her appearance, the least she needed was money. She looked like a rich madam who owned a business. "Ms. Cohen--" "Mom, call me Mom." She said with a smile. "Ms. Cohen--" "Mom." "Ms. Cohen--" "Call me Mom, son." "... Mom." "Like what?" "That you''re a smart guy. You won the spelling bee when you were 9 years old." "That''s Aaron, not me." "Really? Wow, I thought it was you." Eliza was surprised. It seemed she had misremembered... "Anyway, it''s not important. I heard that you are going to make another movie next year. Why don''t you let your sister be in it? I want a supporting role with at least five lines." Kazir laughed. This whole charade was stupid. Very stupid. ''Why am I even here?'' At first he want to leave. But he knew how annoying his mother was. One of the reasons why their father was so broken that he lost himself in alcohol. ''No... I know the answer to why I''m here.'' Kazir hoped that his mother would change. That his mother would show a little bit of affection. To see even a sincere smile. But what he saw was utter garbage of a woman. Suddenly he felt his heart breaking. Even breathing was difficult. His face contorted as he looked at them. "Son, are you all right?" Eliza approached him, but Kazir stared at her with a cold look. "Don''t fucking touch me. You despicable bitch." "W-what?" Eliza and Mara were both stunned. They had heard that Kazir Grey was a gentleman and a good person. But the man in front of them was the complete opposite of a good person. Kazir''s look could kill a person. "Mrs. Cohen, no, Mom, tell me. Why did you name me Kazir?" He searched for the meaning of his name and it means "another name for God/abundance". This was the last time Kazir wanted to hear Eliza''s answer. Suddenly, the woman turned serious. She recalled the suffering she faced back when she was pregnant. The lonely times. Her love slowly turned into hatred. She remembered why she named his second son Kazir. "Because I hate God." Finally, Kazir saw honesty in his mother''s eyes. He laughed and turned around. He was tired. He didn''t want to talk to his mother ever again. He walked away with a great disappointment in his heart. +++++ [I''ll be honest, I didn''t know the meaning of Kazir/Kasir until last week (now a few months). I just made the name up without much thought. I was actually shocked when I realized its meaning, so I decided to add it to the plot since the meaning is quite heavy.] [If you read my other novels, you can see that most of the MCs have the letter K in their names. Mikael, Keenan, Keith, Kazir, and Calix(sounds K)] [I know I''m adding too much drama, but let me cook, guys. I need something to cause a breakup between Reese and Kazir. The way for the MC to have a relationship with other girls]. Chapter 153 Chapter 153 "Woohoo! Let''s party!" "Haha!" "Yeah!" The night came and the bars opened for business. The city of Los Angeles had its nightly fun almost every night. Men and women went into the bars and had fun. Drinking alcohol, taking drugs, and maybe having sex. Having the best day of their lives. Just like that, Cameron Diaz was having fun with her friends. The bar they usually went to was a high end and the price of a shot of alcohol was outrageous. But for an actress/model who earns millions from her movies and sponsors, such an amount was nothing to Cameron Diaz. She danced to the party music and let the alcohol flow through her veins. "Hey, gurl~~ Check out that guy over there~ Isn''t he hot? Like, oh my gawd." The valley girl accent was something else. As they danced, one of Cameron''s friends pointed to a lonely man sitting in the corner. The man was tall, over six feet, with broad shoulders. The muscles under his long sleeves were obvious, even though the lighting in the bar was dim. He was drinking a bottle of vodka, and it appeared that he was far from sober. Even Cameron Diaz took an interest. She was in a foul mood these days. She grinned and approached the man. But as she got closer, she realized that she recognized the man. "Kazir?" Cameron was surprised. Kazir Grey was known to never set foot in a bar like this. He was not the party type. Besides, the man in front of her seemed to be drowning in alcohol. The smell of alcohol on Kazir was quite strong. Frankly, she never expected to meet Kazir in this place. Cameron thought about seducing Kazir, but the chances of that happening were slim. After all, Kazir Grey spent most of his time in his office. So it was a miracle to see her target tonight in this very bar. Of course, Cameron was not foolish to pass up the opportunity. She approached Kazir with sexiness, she was a model and she knew how to swing her waist when she walked. "Kazir? Kazir, is that you?" She said in a shocking manner. "Huh... Huh?" Kazir was a little slow to react. He looked at Cameron Diaz, but his brain processor was sluggish. After meeting his mother, Kazir was too mad to think. He saw a bar and decided to go in. He didn''t care what kind of bar it was, he just wanted to forget everything and get drunk as hell. At that moment he felt that alcohol was the only thing that could help him. "It''s me, Cameron Diaz." "Eh...?" "Ugh... Okay." Kazir stood up and tried to walk, but he wobbled. "Here, let me help you." Cameron helped him. "Thanks." She led him out of the bar. "I think... I think I''m going to throw up." Hearing his words, Cameron led him to the alley. They found a dumpster and Kazir began to vomit. A few minutes later, Kazir was slightly sober after throwing up most of what he had consumed. "Thanks, Cameron..." "Call me Cam. I already called a cab for you." "Hm..." Cameron sighed when she saw that Kazir was all right now. The taxi arrived and Kazir got into the car. Cameron thought everything was over. She could go back to the bar. "Um... Take me to Paramount Headquarters." "Huh?" That was when Cameron Diaz realized that Kazir was not sober at all! He was still not thinking clearly. She bit her lip and got into the cab, too. "Take us to Mulholland Drive." Luckily, Cameron Diaz knew Kazir''s address... She had done some research on him. The cab driver nodded. "Ma''am, just to be sure. There''s an extra charge if your friend vomits in my car, and it''s not a small charge." "All right, I''ll take care of it." Cameron Diaz was here to have fun, but it seemed she had to take care of a drunk man. ++++ [So let''s get a few things straight. So far this novel is not a harem, which I like. Kazir has just met some actresses along the way, but there''s no two-timing, three-timing, or whatever]. Chapter 154 Chapter 154 The two of them were in the cab, and it was a little awkward. Especially for Cameron Diaz. She was very aware of Kazir. She could feel his breath and warmth since they were sitting next to each other. "Thank you." "I- It''s okay." Their conversation ended just like that. Kazir was too drunk, while Cameron Diaz didn''t know what to say. It was ironic that she wanted to seduce Kazir, but now she had cold feet. "I thought you hated me. Do you even find me attractive?" Cameron blurted out and it was too late to catch it. She looked at Kazir and the man just stared ahead. He seemed serious. ''Maybe he didn''t hear what I said.'' She didn''t know what to expect. "No. I don''t hate you." "!!!" She was shocked and looked at Kazir, only to find that Kazir was still looking ahead. As if he was looking far away, remembering something. "What about me? Do you hate me?" Kazir returned the question. "Honestly, I don''t know. I heard that you''re the one who introduced Reese to the role. I hate you for that, but still..." "That''s okay. You are free to hate me." "Huh? I don''t hate you, I mean, I don''t hate you that much. It''s just that I like this role and I was hoping to get it, but Reese took it from me." "I see..." Their conversation ended again. It took another five minutes before Cameron Diaz got up the nerve to ask Kazir. It seemed that a drunk Kazir was an honest Kazir. Perhaps this was a unique opportunity to ask him about so many things. "I thought you hated women?" "What kind of question is that?" "I''ve never seen you get close to any woman except Reese... Oh, you''re a divorced man, I''m sorry." Kazir massaged his forehead and leaned against the backseat. Dee Zaster yawned after a day of trying to get a scoop. Dee was a paparazzi currently stalking Kazir Grey. He had been following the director for almost a week and he could say one thing - Kazir Grey is dedicated motherfucker. "He always stays in his office." Today he tried to follow him, but he lost Kazir after he took a shit. So his work today was fruitless. He decided to wait in his apartment building, hoping that Kazir Grey would be sleeping in his apartment. Actually, he was hoping for something big to happen. Because he needed something to sell to the news publisher. He sipped his coffee in the middle of the cold night. Suddenly, Dee Zaster saw a taxi pull up in front of the building. He narrowed his eyes and realized that it was actually Cameron Diaz! "Nice! I can sell this!" Cameron Diaz was also a famous actress and Dee Zaster could stalk her to get an interesting scoop. He put down his coffee and grabbed his camera. The distance was pretty far and the pictures might be blurry. But that didn''t stop him. ''I hope her face is recognizable... Huh?'' Another thing shocked him. Dee Zaster was stunned when he saw Cameron Diaz and Kazir Grey enter the building. The two looked intimate! Dee Zaster snapped a bunch of pictures, hoping to get some good shots. "This is lit!!" He suddenly realized that he might get a better scoop if he stayed up all night. "I''m going to stay here and wait for Cameron Diaz to leave! I''m not going to blink!" Unfortunately for him, Cameron Diaz left around 11:30 the next morning. She looked refreshed and radiant. With no sleep, Dee Zaster took another bunch of photos! He sacrificed his sleep just for this moment! This is big news! "Hahaha, I can get at least 10,000 dollars with this!" He grinned from ear to ear. Although he didn''t look good because of the dark circles around his eyes. "Kazir Grey, you bastard! After stalking you for a week, I finally get my revenge!" The stalker''s audacity was laughable. ++++ [I almost failed to update today because of my sickness called laziness. Do you guys know any cure for this? Been troubling me for quite some time now.] Chapter 155 Chapter 155 [Announcement: Apparently, someone made a Chinese translation of this story and posted it on Qi(dian), a very popular site in China. The title is "Return to Hollywood". Yes, the title has changed as well. So I want to clarify a few things. The author of this novel is me, Pujimaki, a Filipino born on January 6, 2000. Yes, today is my birthday and this news is a surprising thing, I won''t lie... Anyway, I only publish my novels on Webnovel, ScribbleHub, RoyalRoad and Questionable Questing, where you can read them for free. So if you''re reading this on another site, it means this novel is being pirated.] The car accelerated and Cameron Diaz blushed as she looked at herself in the rearview mirror. It seemed she didn''t need to put on any blush because her cheeks were already red. She grinned and couldn''t help but remember what had happened last night. Kazir may have been drunk, but the way he caressed her was satisfying and breathtaking. Honestly, she slept peacefully after that. It was late when she woke up. The thing was that Kazir had already prepared breakfast for her. If there was one disappointing thing, it was that Kazir had told her that he was not ready for a serious relationship. Well, there was nothing to be done... But she would definitely visit him from time to time. She wanted to stay, but she had a movie shoot today. The filming of Charlie''s Angels started two weeks ago and she had three scenes today. Cameron Diaz smiled as she looked at the apartment building for the last time. She hadn''t expected this meeting, but she didn''t regret it. ... ... ... "Charlie''s Angels..." Kazir Grey lifted his cup and sipped at his home-brewed coffee. He remembered what had happened a few years ago. ''I tried to buy the copyrights, but Colombia Pictures wouldn''t agree.'' Sony-Columbia was struggling to maintain its status among the Big Six. They need a strong franchise to keep the company going. Charlie''s Angels was a TV show that Sony-Columbia owned and it was a big hit in the ''70s. It would be crazy to sell the copyrights. And even if Sony-Columbia wanted to sell the copyrights of Charlie''s Angels, Grey Pictures didn''t have enough money at the time. The sure way to profit from movies was to make adaptations. Novels, comics, TV series and so on. The fans on these platforms were already formed, so there was no problem getting the audience. These fans were willing to buy tickets just to see their favorite novels or comics made into movies. Charlie''s Angels had this factor. So Grey Pictures did not get the copyrights. Well, not everything would go according to his plan. He was only a director. A person. What happened yesterday was also terrible, he was just a person who was affected by his mother''s hurtful words. If there was one thing he liked, it was having fun with Cameron Diaz. If this situation turned bad, it might affect the performance of John Wick, which would be released in a week. "We are not dating. Something happened last night and things went that way." "Care to explain?" "Sorry, it''s a private thing." Brad Grey narrowed his eyes. "Then you expect Paramount to invest in your movie now? What if this scandal becomes big? It will affect John Wick!" Paramount would never invest in a movie that would make them a negative profit. "I know... I have an idea." Kazir didn''t like this kind of hype, but it seemed he had no choice. ''Now I''m starting to realize that I''m not that strong. One mistake could cost me my career.'' "I will contact Cameron. Maybe we can use this situation to our advantage. "All right." Brad Grey nodded. "What about Reese Witherspoon? She''s not going to give us any trouble, is she?" "We made our relationship clear from the beginning. We''re just friends, I don''t think she''ll be affected." Kazir got up and opened his phone. It was a good thing that he had exchanged contact with Cameron Diaz. At least he could call her now. -- Hello? Kazir, thank God. I heard what happened. Will this affect your movie? "Cameron, can you do me a favor and meet me at Paramount headquarters? Please bring your agent, I want to talk business." He hated the idea of using love for promotion, but that didn''t mean he wouldn''t use it. ''Hehe, I''m a fucking hypocrite.'' Well, he is just a human being. No one is perfect in the first place. Chapter 156 Chapter 156 "So it''s only 6 months? How about we make it official, no expiration date?" Cameron Diaz crossed her legs and looked at Kazir Grey and his agent. Giving her best smile. Even Salvatore Barlowe was wiping his sweat. He had just learned that Kazir was involved in a scandal. His last scandal almost gave him a heart attack. He didn''t want to experience that again. Thankfully, this kind of scandal was quite tame but it could still affect the release of John Wick. "Miss Cameron, I think keeping it within 6 months is the best choice." Salvatore looked at Kazir Grey who was standing next to him. Kazir nodded and agreed. "Aww, what a waste." Inside the Paramount headquarters, the two sides decided to sign a contract. Kazir Grey and Cameron Diaz didn''t have a problem with forming a relationship, but they both have their own opinions. Kazir Grey has to make sure that John Wick does not suffer from this scandal. So instead of denying the relationship and causing trouble, he might as well join the hype. As for Cameron Diaz, she wanted a longer duration because her two movies were already released this year. Her next project would be released in November next year. The 6 months contract would be useless for Cameron Diaz and she could not use it as a means of promotion. So she was hoping for at least a year or more. However, Kazir''s side was adamant to keep it within 6 months. He could extend the contract but that would be another story. [Not connected to the story. Anyway, I only post my novels on Webnovel, ScribbleHub, RoyalRoad and Questionable Questing, where you can read them for free. So if you''re reading this on another site, it means this novel is being pirated.] "If I don''t make money on this contract, I have no reason to sign it." Cameron Diaz had a high opinion of Kazir Grey. And frankly, she wanted to have a relationship with him. But it was clear that Kazir didn''t want a serious relationship. "..." Kazir was silent for a few seconds. "So you expect me to accept this contract without getting anything in return? Extend the relationship for a year and I will agree." Cameron Diaz smiled sweetly. In a way, what happened was not her problem. She didn''t have a movie at the moment, so the scandal wouldn''t jeopardize her. But for Kazir it was different. John Wick was scheduled to be released next week. The ticket sales of the first week were important to determine the strength of John Wick at the box office. Well, Cameron Diaz liked Kazir, so she was going to sign the contract, but it was going to be a one-year contract. "What do you think, Kazir? I''m fine with a year, we can live in a single house if you want." Kazir Grey thought seriously. ''I guess I don''t have a choice but to use this method.'' He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "A role. I can give you a role in my movie." "I understand." The two shook hands and signed a 6-month relationship contract. Of course, they listed their conditions, likes, and dislikes. This kind of promotion was never old. This was still a speculation but rumors said that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson became a couple to promote Twilight. This was also the same with Tom Holland and Zendaya to promote Spider-Man. Even Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield for the same reason. Of course, this was nothing but rumors and no one could prove it. Sometimes relationship gossip was the best way to get media attention. Since Kazir and Cameron agreed to work together, Paramount found the best way to promote John Wick. A Viacom-owned newspaper announced that Cameron Diaz and Kazir Grey were actually dating! The other media followed and reported the news, especially CBS, which was owned by Viacom. "Director Grey! Director Grey! Can you please tell us about your relationship with Cameron Diaz?" A Viacom reporter blocked Kazir''s path. A camera followed Kazir as he walked out the exit. Note that this was staged. "If you''re talking about my relationship with Cam, that''s right, we''re dating. But we don''t like to show it to the public." "When did you start dating?" "That''s private information." Kazir reached the exit. "Director Grey! Director Grey, one more question, please." "I''m sorry, I don''t have time for this." A car pulled up in front of Kazir. He opened the door and got in. "Hi, honey~" "Hm." Kazir nodded. The reporter was stunned when he saw Cameron Diaz in the driver''s seat! Kazir and Cameron kissed before they left the scene. It was all recorded! That night, Kazir Grey and Cameron Diaz were all over the news. Of course, John Wick was also being promoted. When people heard about Kazir Grey or Cameron Diaz, they always heard about the movie John Wick. Chapter 157 Chapter 157 The promotion for John Wick continued until premiere night. "She''s still not answering." Kazir muttered. He tried calling Reese, but no one answered. ''Reese is out of town shooting Napoleon Dynamite III. She also signed an endorsement for a shampoo product. She is really busy. Still...'' Kazir tried to explain to Reese, but the woman remained silent. Even the reporters could not get any information from her. Kazir sighed and hung up the phone. He had to meet Cameron Diaz for the premiere tonight. He was already in his tuxedo, ready for the big day. A few minutes later, they arrived at Cameron''s house. The woman came out of the house and got into the limousine. "Good evening Cam, you look beautiful as always." Kazir greeted her. After signing the contract, the two became much closer. Although they both understood that this was just business. Maybe they enjoyed their show. For they were truly intimate. "Aww, I miss you baby~" Cameron leaned in and kissed him. They shared a passionate kiss that lasted for dozens of seconds. As for Erica, who was holding the steering wheel, her expression was stoic. She saw nothing as she drove the limousine out of Beverly Hills. "It''s amazing that your assistant can drive a limo." Cameron was quite impressed. Looking at the assistant who looked rough. "Erica can even fly a helicopter." Kazir shrugged. "Really. You''re not kidding, are you?" "Don''t worry Miss Cameron, I can even fly a jet." Erica replied. She was proud of her achievement in the military. "Wow! Erica, just call me Cam. I insist." "Yes, Cam." Cameron Diaz smiled and rested her head on Kazir''s shoulder, cuddling. "So when are we going to live together?" "Hm, not in the contract." The reporters demanded a series of poses. Cameron was in a good mood, so she did her best. "We meet again, Director Grey!" "Yes, I remember you. You''re Abella Boham. You''re the one I interviewed last time." "Indeed." The woman nodded happily. She was the reporter who interviewed Kazir when Taken came out. Of course, she worked for CBS. "Director Grey, how does it feel to be the best up and coming director of this era?" "Um, I feel good. Although I don''t think I''m the best. I think Quentin Tarantino and my friend David Fincher are the best emerging directors of the 90''s." Kazir was not lying at all. "I see you have Miss Cameron Diaz with you. Would you like to explain your relationship with her?" This time it was Cameron who answered. "Hi, I''m Cameron Diaz. I''m his girlfriend." She said, hugging his arm. "Looks like you two are doing well. You guys are so cute. Anyway, what about your relationship with Reese Witherspoon?" Kazir looked at the reporter. Keeping his smile amiable. ''I fucking knew it.'' Maybe Paramount was trying to spice up the evening. Or maybe the reporter was asking the question on her own volition. Either way, Kazir was thrust into the spotlight. Life was like a novel indeed. ''Novel huh... Well, if my life is a novel, I''m sure many readers will drop my story because of what I did to Reese. But that''s not the case at all.'' "Reese and I have a good relationship." He smiled for the last time before entering the theater. He didn''t let the reporter ask him another question that could cause trouble. The answer was not satisfactory, but who cared, Kazir Grey would be busy this month. He didn''t have time to think about useless things. "By the way, Kazir, happy birthday." "Thanks, but my birthday was yesterday." "Hm, I want to be the last one to greet you. Make sure I''m your last." Holding Cameron''s hand, Kazir was as composed as ever. Chapter 158 Chapter 158 [Note: The movie summary was short because not much really changed in the plot of John Wick, it''s basically the same. Just watch John Wick if you''re interested in the movie]. "Wallace! Hurry up! Take your damn popcorn and sit down! Seriously, why are you even buying popcorn in the Cinema, popcorn in this place sells like 3 dollars!" "Calm down, okay." Billy and Wallace went to the bathroom because it would be terrible if they left right at the climax of the movie. The two understood that this was an action movie and it would definitely be an adrenaline-pumping experience. They didn''t want to miss a thing. Billy and Wallace saw Napoleon Dynamite four years ago and thought it was funny. Since then, they have become fans of director Kazir Grey. They saw The Hangover, which was funnier than Napoleon Dynamite. Then they saw Taken, which was a movie for guys like them. They had already graduated from college and were working on their respective careers. Watching movies was the only time they could hang out now that they were busy adults. Whenever Kazir Grey produced a movie, they would watch it. It became a tradition for both of them. It was a good thing that Kazir Grey had a movie every year. The opening night for John Wick was not as crowded as they expected. Maybe the September schedule and the R rating were some of the factors why the reception was mediocre. Still, that didn''t stop some avid fans from going to see the movie. The movie started. Wallace and Billy watched the screen as they munched on popcorn that Wallace bought. The logos of Grey Pictures and Paramount Pictures appeared one after the other. [The first five minutes of the movie was about John Wick (Viggo Mortensen) and how he lost his wife. His friends came to the funeral. John Wick was sad about the death of his wife, but a dog gave him hope to live. The dog was his wife''s last gift to him]. The audience didn''t have a strong attachment to John Wick''s wife, and they believe it was just a plot device. However, they find the dog adorable. "The dog is very cute!" At least one person in every theater would say it while watching the cute dog get close to John Wick. As for Billy and Wallace, their focus was on something else. They were watching Taken and remembering something important. "Hey, that Raizo... He showed up in Taken, right?" "Yeah, I think so." [Raizo (Enzo Park) appeared at the funeral and spoke to John Wick for a few seconds before disappearing back into the darkness. His conversation with John Wick was brief and a little confusing. To begin with, the audience had no information about the protagonist, John Wick.] [Marcus also attended the funeral and offered his condolences to John Wick]. [After that, the story slowly progressed, but the audience was still clueless about John Wick''s identity]. "Where''s the action?" In the first place, the reason why they wanted to watch this movie was because of action sequences. "Shhh, the movie''s just starting. We are not even 10 minutes into the movie." [The action scenes they were talking about were about to happen. John Wick and his dog went to a gas station. There they met Viggo Tarasov''s asshole son, Iosef Tarasov]. "Woohoo!" "Nice!" Even though the plot of the movie was generic and the audience already had an idea of how the movie would end, they were still entertained. The audience started standing to leave the theater. A few seconds after the credits rolled, the screen lit up again for the post-credits scene. The standing audience stopped at their feet and watched the final scene. [At the prominent Continental Hotel, Marcus and John decided to have a conversation. This time Marcus met John Wick and talked about the High Table. Apparently, the Fraternity was getting out of hand and Marcus felt like a massive change would happen.] +++++++ ++++ ++ +++++++ ++++ ++ +++++++ ++++ ++ [So yes, here I am shamelessly promoting my P atre on for the nth time.] [But before that, I want to thank all the readers who read this novel on ScribbleHub, RoyalRoad, Webnovel, and Questionable Questing and gave me valid opinions and criticisms. I want to say that I read all your comments and take your opinions very seriously, except when it comes to correcting my typos and grammar mistakes...] [Unfortunately, there are times when I can''t fulfill your wishes because I just can''t. A lot of people are against harems, but they also want Kazir to have relationships with other women, one at a time. A lot of people also want Kazir to have a relationship with Reese, but a lot of people didn''t like that either. I can''t satisfy all of you. Just like I said in the first chapter, this novel started as an experiment until it became my main focus of writing, which was obvious because of the many patrons who subscribed to my Pat re on]. [I also want to thank my patrons for their constant financial support. I''ve repeated over and over how much I want to thank them, because that''s how much they help me. Basically, they gave me the motivation to keep writing. Writing is fun, but knowing that you can pursue it as a real career is very hard to do without people really supporting you.] [If you subscribe to my Pat reo n, you can read up to 132 advanced chapters of HWI. That''s my heartfelt appreciation to anyone who wants to support me financially.] [I apologize if this promotion has upset you. You know, I just have to work hard and hustle to provide for my family.] https ://ww w.pa tre on.co m/Puj i_maki Chapter 159 Chapter 159 After seeing John Wick, audiences who saw Taken last year realized that the two movies were connected. The appearance of Raizo. The gold coins as currency. And the High Table. These three appeared in both movies, and the audience felt that director Grey was cooking up something big. Some of them were excited, while others felt that this plan might fail before it happened. They were talking about movies that costs millions to make. It was not that easy to complete something like Cinematic Universe without failing at least one. After all, most of the audience believed in stand-alone movies with no connection to other movies. This broad concept was difficult to realize because the movie companies preferred safe movies with an obvious profit. What Kazir Grey and Grey Pictures did was a gamble. No one knew if this so-called Continental Cinematic Universe would be successful. Even the Big Six were afraid to venture into this uncharted territory. Some tried, but only the MCU and DCEU came out on top. The next three decades would be all about superhero movies. One thing was for sure, audiences were eager to see director Grey''s next film. Maybe it would be related to Taken and John Wick. The midnight results were within the expectations of Grey Pictures and Paramount. They did their best and promoted the movie in various ways. Heck, Kazir Grey even used his love relationship to promote the movie. Something he didn''t like to do. Maybe it was lucky that they didn''t have any competition this week. Most of the movies this month were not promising either. September 10, 1998. John Wick grossed $4.60 million. Paramount and Grey Pictures had agreed that the movie looked promising for the month of September. Maybe Kazir was starting to get a reputation. The next day, some tabloids and newspapers were talking about the connection between Taken and John Wick. Significantly, the two movies are set in the same universe. Also, one of the characters in Taken showed up in John Wick. Even Kazir and Fremont''s cameo was used to promote the movie. On September 11, 1998, with 3,500 theaters. The total gross of John Wick was $12.84 million. The weekend usually had a good reception for theaters. Many people would see movies on the weekend. With no hope, his role as John Wick was his best option. He started studying Russian just to make sure his next performance would be better. As long as he was part of Kazir''s movie, he had a chance to turn the tables and become a household name known all over the world. Just like that, two months passed and John Wick did its best to cross the $100 million mark. The film grossed $103.36 million. Obviously, John Wick just scraped by to cross $100 million. Cinema Alliance felt that John Wick had already wasted all of its potential and pulled it out from theaters. Fortunately, Paramount kept their promise and released the film internationally. Worldwide, the film grossed $186.72 million. Unlike the North American box office, John Wick did quite well in other countries. Paramount expected the movie to make at least $100 million internationally. ... ... ... "I''m back." Kazir Grey sighed as he stepped onto the ground in Los Angeles. He joined the cast and promoted the movie in major countries like UK, Japan and Australia. He enjoyed the foreign countries, especially Japan. Japan was a great country. The people there were decent and disciplined. Probably the best country in Asia in his opinion. Japan, Numbah Wan In Asia. He returned earlier than the cast because he had a lot of things to do in the month of November. The first was the release of The Hangover Part 2. The second was auditioning for The Bourne Identity. Kazir had no rest. Luckily, the new crew that Salvatore hired were all enthusiastic, so he didn''t have a problem working them to the max. Chapter 160 Chapter 160 "Haa..." Kazir yawned after yesterday''s tiring work. With the remaining money from the company, Kazir started the Bourne Identity project. Their initial plan for the movie was $50 million, but they could adjust it depending on the situation. Kazir wanted authentic scenes, so they had to fly to Italy, where Jason Bourne was first found. This increased the budget. In his opinion, the movie could reach a budget of $60 million if they try to hire Matt Damon. Matt was already a famous actor and his salary was between 3 and 7 million dollars. Depending on the negotiation. Kazir Grey was willing to hire Matt Damon just to make sure that the movie would be successful. After all, Matt Damon was the original Jason Bourne. "Did you sleep well?" The woman lying next to Kazir whispered as she rubbed his chest. Cameron Diaz smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Good morning, Cam." "Good morning, Kazir." She giggled and stood up. She invited Kazir to her place for some fun, and she was not disappointed. Last night was very amazing. "I have to go to training for Charlie''s Angels... Thankfully, the training is not that harsh, or else my sore hips might collapse." She said, glaring playfully at Kazir. "Let''s go together." The chuckled. Both of them were busy. Still, they had to maintain their relationship for the sake of promotion. Even if John Wick was over, they have another project that they might promote together. Producer Harold Witsend was already contacting Paramount and Cinema Alliance to get the share of the pie. 40% for Cinema Alliance and 25% for Paramount. In the end, Grey Pictures only received $36.08 million. The production cost of John Wick was $30 million... That means their profit was only $6 million. The only good news was that the international box office was doing well. Maybe they could make about $20 million. Then there were the videotapes. ''I remembered that John Wick was doing very well in the DVD and online movie rental market.'' The couple went into the bathroom together and stayed there for about an hour... They were both refreshed when they came out of the bathroom. ... "Fremont, you have to convince Liam Neeson. It''s part of your job to make this movie a success." "I understand." Fremont nodded strongly, although he was nervous. This was his first project and it was a big movie for sure, he couldn''t help but be nervous. Still, he wanted to take a chance. "As for the salary negotiation... I think everyone here understands that Liam Neeson''s team will do their best to get more money from us. Keep it within the expected budget." "Alright, that''s my job as a producer." It seemed that Harold Witsend had already adjusted to his life as a producer. The second round of auditions for The Bourne Identity had already been completed, and the crew was just filtering for the final audition. So far, one role had already been filled by Cameron Diaz as Marie Kreutz. When the meeting was over, Harold and Salvatore stood up to talk to Kazir about the situation with Matt Damon. "Kazir, Matt Damon has enough training since he just did Saving Private Ryan. I think it will be no problem for him to do action stunts. But he is too skinny. Do you expect a man like him to bulk up in 2 to 3 months?" Salvatore expressed his thoughts. "Guys, we both know there''s a way to get ripped fast." Actors in Hollywood might try to hide it, but people were not stupid. Anabolic steroids... Yes, many action stars use these drugs to enhance their physiques. Fake Natties. Those hunk actors who had great physiques definitely used "medicine" to maintain their appearance. It was a well-known secret in Hollywood. "I agree with Salvatore. I think Matt Damon''s friend, Ben Affleck, is better suited for the role of Jason Bourne. At least that guy looks tougher." "It will be fine. We contacted Matt Damon even before John Wick came out, which was four months ago. I think he''s trying his best to put on weight within that time. The last time we saw him was four months ago, maybe he will look better when he attends the final audition." Seeing that Kazir was adamant about his decision, Harold and Salvatore decided to trust him. They hoped that the young, skinny Matt Damon would have more muscles. "As for his salary, keep it under 7, no, 5 million dollars and make sure he signs sequels and cameos." "Alright." +++++ [I found out that Matt Damon''s salary for The Bourne Identity was a whopping $10 million and $26 million for the second movie. Of course, the current 1998 Matt Damon is not that super famous yet, and Grey Pictures can probably hire him for a lower salary. But still, now I''m wondering if it''s worth it to hire Matt Damon. Should I hire him? And if not, do you know of any actors who fit the criteria of Jason Bourne? In my opinion there is no problem with Matt''s acting, and I don''t know anybody who can play the role of Jason Bourne except him]. Chapter 161 Chapter 161 November was a busy month for Kazir Grey. He had a lot on his plate, the Bourne Identity project was ongoing, and even Taken 2 was in the works. Fremont Smith was busy convincing Liam Neeson and his team. He created storyboards to entice Liam. He promised that his image would be better for the second movie. Luckily, Liam Neeson had a good relationship with the crew and he talked to Fremont Smith a few times when the first Taken was in filming. Still, the actor was skeptical about Fremont''s ability to handle the project. He would be lying if he said he was not angry with Kazir for leaving Taken 2 to shoot The Bourne Identity instead. In the end, the two sides came to an agreement. Fremont Smith would shoot some action scenes, if he could make a decent short movie, then Liam and his agent would think about it. After that there would be the tug of war over salary, Harold Witsend had to take the position and make sure that the contract they signed last time would be honored. They could give Liam Neeson a bonus, but that would depend on the performance of Taken 2. While Fremont and Harold were losing their hair over Taken 2, Kazir Grey attended the premiere of The Hangover Part 2. At the TCL Chinese Theatre. Wearing a tuxedo, he waved to the fans who whistled and shouted his name. Apparently he was pretty famous. Since he was only a guest, he didn''t have to steal the limelight and immediately entered the theater. There he found the cast of The Hangover Part 2. Even Terry Semel, the CEO of Warner Bros, was talking to people. Kazir looked around until he saw someone he was looking for. Reese Witherspoon was wearing a dress and looking stunning as always. Kazir Grey hadn''t seen Reese in almost half a year after her role in There''s Something About Mary. Reese Witherspoon was talking to someone when she spotted Kazir a few feet away. The woman smiled nonchalantly and waved her hand in greeting. Kazir sighed with relief when he realized that Reese was okay. He approached the woman and tried to tell her his story. "Reese..." "Kazir, it''s nice to meet you. I know you want to talk to me, how about we talk after the movie?" Reese kept her sweet smile. Reese Witherspoon decided not to tell him all her feelings. She couldn''t accept that Kazir had chosen Cameron Diaz over her. They know each other better than Cameron Diaz does. If there was one thing she didn''t like, it was that Kazir was helping Cameron Diaz and increasing her fame. She remembered that 20th Century Fox tried to ask Kazir if he would be interested in having a relationship with Reese Witherspoon to promote the movie There''s Something About Mary. Well, Kazir didn''t agree. Of course, Reese Witherspoon was on Kazir''s side at the time. She didn''t want a fake relationship and she didn''t like that 20th Century Fox was using Kazir Grey to promote their movie. Still, she could not help being angry. She was a person with feelings. "Is this what you want?" "Yes." She nodded. Her decision was clear. Kazir looked at his plate and agreed. He knew that he was the reason for this situation. He had no excuse, it would be disrespectful to Reese. "Okay, I respect your decision." The two continued their late dinner... But neither of them said a word. ... ... ... The first week of The Hangover Part 2 was terrifying. By Sunday, so many movie companies had contacted Grey Pictures to buy any script that Kazir Grey registered in the Writer''s Guild. And why is that? Simple, The Hangover Part 2 grossed a whopping $117.56 million! The movie was only in theaters for four days and it already broke the $100 million mark! Even Universal Pictures, who had secret bad blood with Kazir Grey, dropped all pretense and contacted Kazir personally! +++++ [I recently watched this year''s League Of Legend Cinematic, which is "Still Here", I feel like I want to play League again... And now I decided to play Wild Rift, I''m going to be stuck in Hell Elo for a while]. Chapter 162 Chapter 162 "You are...?" "Hello, Director Grey. I''m Camille Green from Universal Pictures." The woman wearing thick glasses sat down. The office had a good atmosphere, seems clean and tidy, although it was clear that Kazir Grey used the office as his own room. This rumor was basically a fact at this point. There was another room where he could sleep. A complete set of TV, VHS and sound system in the corner. ''It seems that the rumor is true... Director Grey lives in his own office. I don''t how a normal person can do that. Workplace and house are two different things.'' As a career woman, Camille Green took her job seriously, but she never like to sleep in the office. The atmosphere in the company was too stifling for her to fall asleep. But the man in front of her had the courage to close his eyes in the dreadful place of endless work. Maybe that was the difference between an employee and an employer. "Universal Pictures is interested in buying a script, no, three scripts from you." Kazir nodded. ''We are talking about Universal Pictures, one of the Big Six, of course they have ways to get information about my scripts.'' In fact, Universal Pictures was not the first to express an interest in buying his scripts. But Kazir Grey decided to play the long game. He had the upper hand anyway. And he also didn''t like Universal Pictures. "3 million dollars." "Excuse me?" Camille Green tilted her head. She didn''t even say which script Universal Pictures wanted to buy. "$3 million, for each script." "You''ve got to be kidding me. Director Grey, that''s too much. Is it because of what happened last time?" "People have changed. I''m more mature now, I don''t hate Universal Pictures. But I don''t like them either. I hope my feelings towards Universal Pictures will change... You know what I mean, right?" "I understand. But still..." However, Grey Pictures was looking for another distributor because their contract with Paramount was going to expire when The Bourne Identity was released. If Universal Pictures reached out and gave him a good contract, Kazir Grey would be generous and offer them a very low price. As of now, the Continental Cinematic Universe was more important to him than any other project. If the only way to be in good graces was to sell his non-action scripts cheap, then Kazir Grey would gladly do it. ''First of all, I have no intention of directing these projects. So they are free to buy them.'' "Is there any way to lower the price?" Camille Green crossed her legs. "Miss, I''m sure you have an idea." "..." The two stared at each other before Camille Green stood up. "I think I really need to talk to my supervisor." The only way to buy the script cheaply was to sign a distribution deal with Grey Pictures. A deal that would make both parties happy. "I hope to hear good news." "Director Grey, first of all. Please reserve Bruce Almighty for Universal Pictures. We are interested in this movie." "I can''t promise anything." The woman''s lips twitched before she left. She was actually wearing a very nice office dress that showed off her cleavage, but Kazir Grey never showed any interest. As expected, he was difficult to talk to. "Looks like Universal Pictures wants a piece of the cake." When Camille Green was gone, Kazir Grey leaned back in his chair and sighed. He massaged his forehead, he was getting migraines these days. "That''s why I don''t want to be a CEO or anything like that. It''s too exhausting. It''s not for me, I''m going to die slowly if I keep signing these documents. God, I want to make a movie!" Maybe he should hire a professional manager. Someone who could take care of Grey Pictures while he was busy making movies. "Right now, I''m really thinking about selling the company for a billion dollars." He controlled his urge. At least not until the Continental Cinematic Universe was successful. Chapter 163 Chapter 163 Just as Kazir expected, Universal Pictures went quiet after contacting him. Perhaps they were skeptical about the offer and felt like it was not worth it. Maybe Universal Pictures was waiting for the results of Meet The Parents in January before making another move. Or maybe they wanted to sign a distribution deal with Grey Pictures to get the script. Bruce Almighty was a great movie starring Jim Carrey. If Kazir remembered correctly, the movie had a sequel called Evan Almighty. ''Although I don''t remember the box office of the next movie, not that it matters. I''m getting busy and I don''t know if I can write the sequel.'' Kazir Grey had a good stretch in the morning and started his day. His office was fully furnished. Erica Mendez arrived at the office at 8 a.m. on the dot and saw that Kazir was already at work... Her boss was a workaholic freak. "Erica, have you found a professional manager to take over some of the work?" "Sir, you just announced it yesterday." "Haha." He sipped his bitter coffee, quite disappointed. Grey Pictures was becoming more and more successful, and it was slowly making him exhausted. ... ... ... Harold Witsend read the newspaper and nodded. Sometimes Kazir''s creativity and imagination amazed him. He had known Kazir for almost a decade. They met in June 4, in the year of 1989. He never forget that date. He realized that Kazir was getting better every day. He watched him improve until people started to respect him. The script of The Hangover Part 2 was not magical. It was very cliche?d and simple. But by combining all the best elements, it produced terrific results. After two weeks, The Hangover Part 2 had grossed $185 million. Everyone already thought that the movie was a success. So people started congratulating Harold, even though he had nothing to do with the production of The Hangover Part 2. Enrico Pusi was the producer of the movie, not him. "Kazir is indeed a talented guy." ''Enrico Pusi could strangle me if he found out about this.'' After the introduction, Matt Damon left their table. The presence of the actor would affect the negotiations. Besides, his agent would not settle for less. Agent Wilson will fight for a better salary and better conditions. After a few conversations here and there, Wilson and Harold began to talk about the most important thing. "$4 million! I think my client has enough credibility to get that amount." Agent Wilson dropped the first figure. But Harold Witsend smiled instead. ''Kazir, you are damn wrong. Who said they were going to ask for $7 million? Four million dollars! They are only asking for a $4 million salary!'' Harold was glad that Kazir was wrong. Still, Harold Witsend won''t let things go according to Wilson Merrera''s plan. "Wilson, your client has only had two leading roles in the last few years. He doesn''t have strong box office appeal. He is still young, not an experienced actor. Even Good Will Hunting, his best film, didn''t win at the Oscars." "Who''s the reason he didn''t win?" ''Liam Neeson and Kazir Grey...'' Wilson gritted his teeth and muttered. Matt Damon lost Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay at the last Oscars. Maybe his age was a factor. "Hehe, let''s not talk about that. 2 million dollars! That''s the best I can do." "$3 million!" "$2.1 million!" The agent in charge of his client and the producer in charge of the project began to argue. Both sides had a good impression of each other, but business is business. Their second meeting ended with $2.8 million as the baseline. As Harold left the building, he decided to call Kazir. "Kazir? Yes, that''s right. I already talked to him. Anyway, that''s not why I wanted to call you. Maybe you need to meet Matt Damon before we decide to cast him. What? No, he just gained weight. Well, if you ask me, I think he looks tougher now." Chapter 164 Chapter 164 Matt Damon had mixed feelings about director Grey. He respected him for his accomplishments despite his young age. Most of the directors around the industry were in their 30s and 40s. Someone like Kazir, who was 29 years old and had been a successful director for the past few years, was incredible. ''I can''t believe he''s only a year older than me...'' Matt Damon thought. As an actor, Matt Damon wanted to work with Kazir. Of course, he could not deny that he was sad and perhaps held a grudge against director Grey. The best actor award went to Liam Neeson for his role as Bryan Mills in Taken. Best Original Screenplay was won by Kazir Grey, the director of Taken. Matt was nominated in both categories but lost. The Oscars were the dream of every actor/actress in the industry. Some people were willing to trade their bodies just to get the golden statue... Well, that was all in the past and Matt Damon was mature enough to understand that. There was no reason to hold a grudge against a director. Especially when that director expressed his intention to cast him as the protagonist of his action movie. Action movie! For a 28-year-old man, of course Matt likes action movies! Besides, this was different from the war movie he had starred in with director Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. ''Filming Saving Private Ryan is quite tedious because we have to wear dirty uniforms and get our faces dirty. On top of that, I don''t like the weather in Ireland, it''s not for me. Another factor is the atmosphere in the film crew.'' He heard that Kazir Grey was easy to work with... A lot of actors who worked with Kazir Grey said that, but maybe it was just flattery and publicity. Overall, his opinion of Kazir Grey was quite positive, except for the Academy Awards. For this reason, Matt Damon agreed to meet Kazir Grey personally. This meeting was not serious and Kazir won''t influence the negotiations between his agent and the producer. Kazir just wanted to meet Matt Damon. A few minutes later, Kazir showed up, getting out of a Honda car. They agreed to meet at a cafe to discuss the project. ''No, to me it''s a good thing. If Jason Bourne is 50 years old, then I don''t have a chance of getting the role.'' He learned quickly. "I heard you did some training for Saving Private Ryan." "Yes, but it focuses more on military training. As for action stunts, I''m still learning." "That''s okay, we have plenty of time." Kazir was confident because he has fast filming method. He thought it wouldn''t be a problem to train Matt Damon and the other actors for three to four months. Also, most of the action stunts would be filmed using stunt doubles. These stunt doubles are professionals and they can do the job. ''Harold wasn''t lying, Matt Damon really put on weight. He didn''t look like a teenager anymore. He looks his age, which is 28 years old.'' Kazir slightly nodded. Many actors decided to keep their youthful looks for the sake of their careers. It was difficult for them to get mature roles so they maintained their youthful appearance. The only appropriate roles for them were teenage roles. But it seemed that Matt Damon was ready to change, which was the best thing to do. ''He''s going to be 30 years old and it''s time for him to do old, mature, serious roles.'' Putting on weight for The Bourne Identity was the first step in his transformation. Once successful, Matt Damon''s career had more paths to choose from. The two started talking about the movie. Surprisingly, they have a good conversation. Maybe because of their age... Still, it didn''t change the fact that Matt Damon looked younger than Kazir Grey, even though they were only a year apart in age. ''The beard... My beard is the reason...'' Kazir justified the difference, explaining that he was not old. Chapter 165 Chapter 165 "Continental Cinematic Universe..." Matt Damon muttered as he got out of the car. His conversation with Kazir Grey had been interesting and the director had been quite open about his idea. It would be a lie to say that Matt Damon was not interested. Kazir Grey had a plan to create dozens of movies set in one universe! Moreover, Kazir didn''t hide that the protagonists/characters would meet in some of the movies. Well, Matt Damon signed a non-disclosure agreement with Grey Pictures from the moment he received the script for The Bourne Identity. But that didn''t stop Kazir Grey from telling him a big secret about the cinematic universe. Maybe it was his sincerity. Suddenly, Matt Damon felt bad for thinking that Kazir Grey was a bad person. ''We are all artists and we want a stage to prove our talent. The Oscars choose the artist who is worthy of the golden statue. Besides, director Grey is more talented than me in terms of writing. All his scripts are box office hits!'' Now Matt was confident about this movie. Moreover, he wanted to be a part of this development that Kazir was planning. He believed that once the Continental Cinematic Universe was a success, it would go down in the history of cinema. Perhaps the Big Six would follow suit and try this difficult yet novel idea. "Matt, how''s it going?" Ben Affleck greeted his friend. Standing next to him was Matt Damon''s agent, Wilson Merrera. The two of them knew that Matt Damon was going to meet Kazir Grey to discuss the Bourne Identity project. Being close to Matt, they wanted to see his reaction after talking to Kazir Grey for the first time. After all, Wilson Merrera and Ben Affleck were affected by the loss they suffered at the Oscars. So they were interested in this director named Kazir Grey. "He''s a nice person. Respectable..." "Eh?" Ben Affleck and Agent Wilson didn''t expect Matt Damon to change his mind about the director after just one meeting. Even his salary for The Bourne Identity was only 1.9 million dollars. That was within their expectations, so they didn''t have a problem. However, if the trilogy ended and Kazir Grey intended to make another sequel of Jason Bourne, of course Matt Damon and his side would fight for a better condition. As for the cameo appearance, this side was still in negotiations. For the first time Kazir Grey realized how eloquent Harold Witsend was. The fact that he had reduced the salary from $7 million to $1.9 million was amazing... He didn''t know that the starting salary Agent Wilson had negotiated was only $4 million. Less than he expected. Well, more good news for Grey Pictures and the Bourne Identity project. Now two amazing actors were part of the movie. One was Cameron Diaz and the other was Matt Damon. While the problem with the protagonist was over, Kazir''s hectic life intensified. The success of The Hangover Part 2 affected him very much. The box office of The Hangover Part 2 was $239.89 million after 30 days. On top of that, the movie was to be released internationally. The cast of The Hangover Part 2 flew around the world to promote the movie. Even Enzo Park was with them since his role in the movie was bigger this time. However, that was not the problem. A news suddenly broke out and left Grey Pictures unexpectedly in the middle of the road. They were caught off guard by this. Paramount announced that they would distribute Taken 2 instead of The Bourne Identity. Apparently, Paramount had more faith in Kazir''s original film than in the novel adaptation of The Bourne Identity. So yeah, The Bourne Identity currently had no distributor. Because of this, Kazir Grey had headaches. Migraines were killing him and he could not sleep even though he was exhausted. ++++ [I''ll be honest, I never saw The Bourne Identity. I only saw The Bourne Ultimatum.] [Edit: I''ve seen it and it''s nice. Not that great, but not bad either]. Chapter 166 Chapter 166 "Hi, I''m Chris Cooper. I''m here to audition for..." Kazir was too out of this world to listen to the actor. He massaged his forehead because he was having some problems these days. In the end, Renner Hector and Harold Witsend took over the audition and gave Kazir some peace to relax. This was the last round of auditions and most of the cast was already filled. Their main priority was only Matt Damon and his role as Jason Bourne. Other than that, Kazir Grey let the other people choose the cast. That was the privilege they could get from him. Of course, the actor they chose had to know how to act. Kazir knew that some of the crew used a certain kind of ''transaction'' to cast some actors/actresses in small roles. As long as it didn''t affect the filming, Kazir turned a blind eye to such things. This was the norm in Hollywood and this kind of practices was impossible to stop. "Sir, here''s the Monster Energy Drink you asked for." "Thank you, Erica..." Maybe it was unhealthy to drink an energy drink in his condition, but Kazir didn''t have time to worry for that. Once the auditions were over and the cast was complete, training would begin. Script readings would be held once a week so that the cast could adapt and act well. Obviously, Kazir Grey was busy. Unfortunately, he could not help but think about the conversation he had with CEO Brad Grey of Paramount. Paramount Pictures decided to distribute Taken 2 instead of The Bourne Identity. They believe that the performance of Taken 2 would be better than that of The Bourne Identity. As for the reason... Well, the sequels of a successful movie had a safer profit. In a way, Paramount decided to distribute a safer movie than a movie with an unknown future. So they chose Taken 2 because the money they could get from it was better. ''Even though the director of Taken 2 is Fremont Smith, they still chose it. Without talking to me.'' Of course, Kazir wasn''t expecting this. Paramount promised to distribute his three movies. Unfortunately, they could choose which one they wanted to distribute. Maybe Kazir believed that everything would be fine. That there were no more obstacles. As for the script reading and training, most of the actors were professionals. In addition, Cameron Diaz and Matt Damon had taken training classes a few months ago. Heck, Matt Damon has gained weight and is currently learning boxing. They have enough experience. Still, proper training was needed, even for a month. Just like that, December came. Kazir''s stock portfolio grew again. Now his investment has become 48 million dollars. Of course, Kazir was happy to see his money growing. So he decided to invest another 15 million dollars. He knew that as long as the year 2000 didn''t come, he would be safe from the bursting of the bubble. -- Hey, Kazir! When are you coming to visit? I know you''re busy, but Christmas is coming! You need to take a vacation! Dad is looking for you. "Aaron, you have to understand. I have a lot of things to do." Kazir muttered. -- I don''t give a damn! Come and see your niece for the first time! "Aaron--" -- Hey, I''m your brother." "... Okay, fine. I''ll try to do what I can. -- Bruh, you''re the boss of your company. You can do whatever you want. In the first place, you never like business management. That''s why you ran away from the house. Because you want to pursue making movies! ++++++ ++++ ++ [I want to thank all the readers who continue to support this novel, I love you guys, no homo though. As long as you read my novel, it counts as supporting me.] [By the way, I didn''t know that Matt Damon didn''t do the military training for Saving Private Ryan. Unfortunately, I can''t edit the chapters because it would cause a big change. I apologize for that. However, thanks to patron Drake for giving me this information]. Chapter 167 Chapter 167 "Abubububu!" Kazir made funny faces in front his baby niece, who kicked her feet in the air and giggled innocently. The baby was cute and Kazir obviously liked his niece. He was happy to see an innocent baby, untainted by the world. He felt as if all the stress of the past few days had disappeared as he played with his niece. "How is Alissa?" Aaron appeared and checked on them. "She''s cute." "Of course, she''s a baby. What do you expect? A gremlin?" Aaron handed him a bottle of beer. "Something like that." "You bastard..." Aaron''s wife looked at him as he cursed. It would be bad for the baby girl to hear bad words at such a young age. "Aaron, help me with the turkey." "Okay, honey~" Like a bee serving its queen, Aaron got up and went into the kitchen. "Goo Goo, ga ga." Kazir looked at his niece lying on her crib. The baby waved her hands at the door. She was smiling, very cute. "Oh, you want this teddy bear?" Kazir thought. Kazir held a teddy bear and gave it to the little baby. Allisa bit the toy''s ear before throwing it on the floor. The baby waved her hands at the door again. Kazir giggled at her cuteness. This Christmas was simple but healthy. Kazir spent the whole week in New York. He was interested in buying some real estate there, but decided to wait until the dot-com bubble burst. He was not a heartless man and the employees of Grey Pictures had a holiday just like him. The company was working at a minimum state to keep it going since most of the employees were on vacation. On New Year''s Eve, Kazir decided to talk about his meeting with his mother. "I see... So your mother really showed up." Their father grew quiet and sighed. Perhaps he blamed himself for what had happened to his family. "Dad, it''s not your fault," Aaron tried to make things better, but Kazir''s father, Victor Grey, shook his head. "No, it''s my fault too. I was busy at the time... Your mother was very depressed when she was pregnant with Kazir. When she was about to give birth, I was at a business meeting overseas, and when I returned, it was already too late. Maybe that was the beginning of the breakdown of our relationship..." He could not help smiling bitterly. In truth, he wanted to keep his family, but Eliza Cohen thought it was over. "I''m just trying to give you a better future..." "..." His two sons grew quiet. They were under the influence of alcohol and very emotional. "I don''t blame you for hating your mother. But just remember that she is the one who gave birth to you. You should be grateful, just like I''m grateful to have you as my children." The fireworks began to explode in the sky, signaling the arrival of the New Year. The three Greys watched the fireworks in the sky, hoping that this year would be a prosperous year for everyone. Just like that, 1999 arrived. Kazir returned to Los Angeles to continue the project. The crew had to fly to France to shoot the first part of the film. In fact, Renner Hector and his team were already there, scouting the locations they were going to use. Some of them collected some background shots and sent them to Kazir for him to choose from. Before leaving for France, Kazir had one more thing to do - watch the premiere of Meet The Parents. The movie will be released in the 3rd week of January. Not only Paramount, but also other movie companies were interested in this movie. Disney tried to buy this particular film and everyone knew it. The outcome of this film would determine Kazir''s future as a screenwriter. Chapter 168 Chapter 168 Kazir entered the theater after walking down the red carpet. He took a deep breath and recalled what happened. He noticed that people started screaming when they saw him. Especially women, they were screaming his name with fever. Like they met their first love. In addition, the female reporter who was interviewing him was giving him a flirtatious look, a clean signal. The reporter this time was not Abella Boham who had interviewed him last time. Maybe that was the reason. "I''m kind of glad you shaved your beard." "Hm?" Kazir looked to his side and saw Cameron Diaz pouting. "I just feel like shaving it." "I know... But it makes other bitches go crazy for you. I didn''t like the way that reporter looked at you." She whispered the last sentence. She felt indignant. "Cam, did you say something?" "Nothing." She rolled her eyes and gripped his arm. Since they were in a relationship, they had to show people that they were close. Of course, Kazir wanted to see the movie because it was based on his script. He was interested in the outcome. Especially when there was a massive change in the cast. Despite their original plan, Paramount decided to cast Brianna Evans as the female lead of the movie. Salvatore was so pleased that he even invited Kazir out for an expensive bottle of wine. With Kazir as the screenwriter, Salvatore Barlowe was confident that the movie would be a success. This meant that Brianna''s salary would increase after the release of Meet The Parents! Definitely good news for Salvatore. Kazir was greeted by important people from Paramount. "I can''t believe you look really young!" Brad Grey laughed and shook Kazir''s hand. He was surprised to see that Kazir had shaved his beard. Besides, he looks good! With his looks, he could be a model or an actor. The cast and director of the movie have to stay to be interviewed later for publicity. This was standard procedure for movies, and the contract the cast signed included this. Paramount cared about this movie, so they would do their best to promote it. Kazir didn''t bother to stay and left the theater afterwards. He spent the night with Cameron, naked. ... ... ... Three days after the premiere of Meet The Parents, the box office of the movie was already $28.62 million. Based on that, they concluded that Meet The Parents wouldn''t do badly. No, it would be a great run. Unfortunately, the movie didn''t win this week''s box office champion because of The Sixth Sense. Even though it was released last week, the movie made more than $38 million this week. Still, the result was within expectations and everyone believed that Meet The Parents would generate a good amount of money for Paramount in the long run. To make things even better, the second week of Meet The Parents also had a good result. The total box office was $58.82 million. This means that Meet The Parents has already exceeded its budget of $55 million. If it were not for The Sixth Sense, which earned more than $107 million, the presence of Meet The Parents would be greater. Perhaps Meet The Parents was overshadowed by The Sixth Sense. Kazir expected this outcome because The Sixth Sense was the second highest grossing film of 1999, second only to Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace. But the result of Meet The Parents was enough for the movie studios to believe that Kazir Grey had outstanding creativity and that his scripts could make hundreds of millions! Chapter 169 Chapter 169 Kazir spent all his time in his office early in the morning. He had a hot cup of coffee with him. The training for The Bourne Identity was still going on, so Kazir was not very busy. He had some time to himself. But early in the morning, his assistant Erica Mendez greeted him with a set of work. "Sir, Enrico Pusi from Warner Bros wants to see you." "Okay, make an appointment for him," Kazir replied. This was nothing new. Some people would contact him about his scripts. He was expecting it. "Sir, about that... Enrico Pusi is waiting for you downstairs in the lobby." "Okay. Give me five minutes, I''ll meet him." Kazir nodded and stood up. He looked in the mirror and confirmed that his appearance was fine. In fact, he looked young and handsome now that he had shaved his beard. He even saw a few women on the street giving him flirtatious looks. "Sir, about that... Shirley Lansing from Paramount is also waiting for you in the lobby. She''s sitting a few feet away from Enrico Pusi, and I don''t think they like each other." "Okay. I''m going to meet her now." "Sir, about that..." "Erica, tell me everything." "All right. Nancy Utley from 20th Century Fox also wants to meet you, she is also in the lobby. Even Camille Green is in the lobby, she is wearing, um, a very nice dress. It seems that Universal Pictures is interested in working with Grey Pictures. Another thing is that Colin Dacopps from Walt Disney is with them... The lobby almost melts with their presence". Of course, the last sentence was metaphorical, since it would be impossible for people to melt a concrete wall with their presence. Still, Kazir noticed the possible atmosphere in the lobby. He suddenly felt that it would be bad if he showed up. Unfortunately, he had to do his job. He sighed and decided to mediate the war. He imagined each of the producers holding a blade, attacking and parrying each other. The lobby wasn''t that big, only 10 meters wide, and it couldn''t hold the producers. As Kazir went down, he saw the producers glaring at each other. He even saw Enrico Pusi holding a fucking vase! "Enrico? Why are you holding a vase? What are you doing?" Kazir Grey frowned. The vase cost 300 dollars and for a cheapskate like him that was already expensive. Once everyone was seated, Kazir decided to speak. "I''m going to sell three scripts and possible scripts for their sequels." The Big Six producers listened intently. "Bruce Almighty, Anchorman and Horrible Bosses. I think you already know what I want, right?" Kazir looked for his coffee, but remembered that he had left it in the office. By the time he got back to his office, the coffee might be already cold. He sighed... The outcome of Meet The Parents was already affecting him. "Director Grey! Paramount has decided to continue working with you! As long as we maintain the contract of a 25% box office distribution fee, I believe we will have no problem!" "Thank you, Shirley." Kazir smiled. This contract was already sincere. Very sincere, to be honest. But Kazir Grey was being shameless right now. Instead of showing approval, he looked at the others. "I think you have better conditions, right?" The producers gritted their teeth at Kazir''s toothy grin. He was like the devil tempting them to sin! Anything less than 25% box office fee would affect their production. Basically, bleed them to possible death! However, the producers and higher-ups gave them the green light to negotiate with Kazir. Believing that Kazir Grey would be their money maker! Shameless! Impudent! You don''t deserve to be a director! You should be an agent instead! Kazir reminds them of talent agents who would suck the budget out of movies to satisfy their greed. +++++ [Which company do you think will Kazir work with next? Paramount, Walt Disney, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros or 20th Century Fox? Sony-Columbia is also allowed, I just didn''t include them in the chapter because they didn''t have much of a relationship with Grey Pictures]. Chapter 170 Chapter 170 The group began their ''bidding''. The 25% fee went down to 22%. They were very careful in this negotiation. Because everyone knows that 1% is already $1 or $2 million at the box office. They couldn''t make a mistake. Perhaps this negotiation was the most difficult they had ever experienced. Even though they had the approval of their companies to negotiate the box office fee with Kazir Grey, they could not afford to do it arbitrarily. Gritting their teeth, they settled on a 22% box office distribution fee. In their opinion, this amount was already heartbreaking. It could lead to a loss of millions of dollars for them. But the lure of the scripts in Kazir''s hands was stronger. To be honest, they have the means to read his script and plagiarize it. However, it would destroy their reputation and their association with Grey Pictures would be forever severed. They would never choose a short-term profit over a long-term one. Besides, their plan was to buy the script along with the sequels. If they plagiarized the first movie and it was successful, the sequels might not get the same treatment. It was better to negotiate with Kazir Grey than to be greedy. Besides, they would gain his trust and cooperation. This could lead to further cooperation. After all, Kazir Grey is a great director and his movies are profitable as always. Even John Wick made money in the videotape market. In fact, Grey Pictures started producing DVD discs of Taken and John Wick. The profit from the DVD''s got bigger and bigger as the year went on. Last month alone, the profit from DVD discs was $12 million. No joke, the influence of DVD players and DVD discs was getting stronger. The DVD player was introduced in the U.S. in 1997, and more and more families were buying them. Imagine if these movies went to the Big Six, it means more money in the bank! Well, even the movies he wrote were already profitable. The Big Six were not petty and gave him some leeway, hoping to cooperate next time. After hearing all their offers, Kazir decided to end the meeting. He said he would decide after three days. He had to think about it seriously, and the producers understood his reasoning. After making promises, the producers left the building one by one. They do not intend to leave together. Appearing in public with a producer from another company would bring trouble. Besides, he has to find Fremont Smith to ask him about the progress of Taken 2. "Ah, I remember, it should be Director Smith now." He chuckled. Fremont Smith signed up for membership in the Director''s Guild. He needed recommendations from three directors to get approval. Salvatore Barlowe had enough connections to help Fremont Smith with that. Unlike Kazir, who had experience in making big-budget films, Fremont Smith was afraid that his expenses might reach the limit, so he gladly agreed to sign a contract with the insurance company to make sure that the money provided would be enough for the film. ''In this aspect, maybe only someone like me can do it right.'' Once you become a famous director, it would be hard to stay within the budget. Sometimes they have to spend more just to shoot the scenes that the director wants. On top of that, if the director is not satisfied with the footage, the shooting may be extended. Perhaps the most famous director in this category was none other than James Cameron. He was known to be like this. His movie budget kept increasing as the filming went by. ''Well, this is Fremont''s first movie, so I think he will not go over budget.'' Frankly, Grey Pictures was in a tight spot at the time. ++++++ [You can visit my Pa tre on if you want to read more and if you want to support me. I have 136 advanced chapters there for just $10.] ht tps:// www. patr e /P uji_m aki Chapter 171 Chapter 171 The building had a training room. This was the place where Tae-Won Park trained the cast of Taken 2 and The Bourne Identity. Kazir Grey checked the place and nodded when he found some actors he recognized. However, he did not see Matt Damon and Liam Neeson. Both actors were famous and busy. Matt Damon was filming a commercial today and would not be back until tomorrow. As for Liam Neeson, he would come at 1 p.m. and leave at 4 p.m. He only has to go to training 3 times a week. This was one of the conditions he said before signing a contract for Taken 2. The good thing was that Liam Neeson was serious about training. He always showed up 3 times a week, true to his contract. During his walk, he found Enzo Park, who was teaching the stunt actors how to fall to the ground with minimal pain. Enzo Park saw him and greeted him. Kazir nodded, signaling that they could continue. As he expected, Kazir found Fremont Smith filming experimental scenes in the training studio. He was filming the stunt performers "fighting" to improve his experience. He was practicing with the stunt actors. "Director Grey." Fremont Smith finished rehearsing when he saw Kazir approaching. "How are you doing?" When Kazir came closer, he noticed that Fremont had lost weight and looked haggard. A normal appearance for directors while in the process of creating films. Even Kazir suffered the same treatment whenever he had a project. "I''m fine. I just practice so I have more ideas to use. I''m also studying a lot of cuts." Grey Pictures agreed to let Fremont Smith participate in the post-production of Taken 2, but if his director''s cut didn''t meet their criteria, Grey Pictures would decide to edit the film themselves. Usually directors don''t have the right to participate in post-production and edit the film, they can only make suggestions. Maybe only a few directors in Hollywood get that privilege. Grey Pictures has already been generous in giving Fremont that privilege. Hopefully Fremont Smith will appreciate this opportunity and do his best. The two talked for a long time. As a veteran director with many successful films under his belt, Kazir Grey began to talk about his experience. Fremont Smith listened intently. He knew most of what Kazir was saying because he had been his assistant director for three years, but there was nothing wrong with listening. In fact, it could remind him of important aspects of filming. Kazir nodded. The man''s last name alone meant that he was from Japan, which was understandable. After all, the parent company of Sony-Columbia was none other than Sony, a huge company based in Japan. Lee Himura didn''t bother to talk nonsense. He got right to the point. "After some thought, we came to the conclusion that the other companies were offering you a 22% box office distribution fee." "..." Kazir was speechless. ''From the looks of it, someone leaked what happened earlier. There''s a snitch!'' "That''s right." Kazir nodded. "Then I''m happy to say that Sony-Columbia is willing to work with Grey Pictures for 20% of the box office. The company was willing to buy the three scripts for $1 million each." ''Not bad''. Kazir listened. "Also, we were hoping you could write a script for us. We want to make a movie based on an old TV show from the 80s." "What TV show?" "21 Jump Street." Lee Himura licked his lips before he said it. When Kazir heard this, he couldn''t help but feel that the future was becoming unpredictable. He could not help but smile. ++++++ [Since I already listed my top underrated anime and manga here, I might as well list my top 5 best completed novels / light novels / webnovels.] 1. Lord Of The Mystery: Probably the best webnovel out there. I''ve read it twice and I like it that much. 2. The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria (Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria): This is the first light novel I finished and it left a strong impression on me. 3. Mushoku Tensei(Jobless Reincarnation): I fell in love with this light novel, watching Rudeus slowly change his life for the better is gratifying to see. 4. Back to the Sixties: Farm, Get Wealthy & Raise the Cubs: Now this novel has a female protagonist and it''s a slice of life. Still, there''s something about this novel that keeps me reading it for weeks non-stop. 5. Legendary Mechanic: Mecha, action, sci-fi, universe, adventure. I have so much fun reading this webnovel. Chapter 172 Chapter 172 Sony-Columbia was the weakest of the Big Six, no one could deny that. What they needed was a bunch of movies that would make them relevant. For the next few decades, the only movie that made them relevant was Spider-Man, anything related to Spider-Man like Venom, Spider-Verse, and um, Morbius? Maybe? Men In Black is great, but its influence was weaker compared to Spider-Man. If this negotiation ended in cooperation with Sony-Columbia, one thing was for sure, Sony-Columbia would gain the power to fight the other movie companies. In the first place, the reason for the company''s weakness was the lack of good movies in their library. They were different from Warner Bros that could film Batman every decade. They didn''t have the strength in animation that Walt Disney had. ''In short, my decision can change the balance of power in this industry...'' Such a thought made Kazir smile. He could not believe that a director like him could do such a thing. Was it even possible? Or perhaps Kazir was just being arrogant. The scripts he wanted to sell were all comedies with one or two sequels in them. That meant Sony-Columbia could make a profit for at least a decade if they did it right. These movies were: Bruce Almighty, Anchorman and Horrible Bosses. These movies did well at the box office, grossing at least $200 million worldwide. In fact, Kazir was interested in selling the romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Although he decided to wait a few years before making a decision. ''20% box office fee is not bad. No, it''s a steal. Almost no company would make that deal unless they are crazy.'' Well, given the situation, Sony-Columbia was crazy to offer that kind of deal. "How many films does Sony-Columbia want to distribute?" If Sony-Columbia only wanted to distribute The Bourne Identity, then this negotiation was over. It would be detrimental to sell three of his scripts for one movie distribution. It should be at least 3 movies. "Four to five movies." Kazir nodded. He could sense the sincerity. Maybe Sony-Columbia was getting desperate because their competitors were getting better while they were stagnating. "I''ll be honest, of all the producers who contact me, you from Sony-Columbia is the most sincere." He knew he was no genius. It would be better for the writers to build the plot. ''If I''m not mistaken, this could be the last movie. Completion of the trilogy. The actors'' salaries are getting higher and higher and Fox Searchlight Pictures can''t afford them anymore. Before the salary got bigger, they decided to finish the trilogy and get as much money as possible.'' As for the outcome of the final installment of Napoleon Dynamite, Kazir Grey had no idea. That movie never happened in the original timeline. As he expected, when Kazir visited the filming studio, he saw some people he recognized. The director, Hugo Lameire, looked at Kazir and nodded. There was no handshake or greeting. The director just walked by. ''... I have no idea why he''s like that, but who cares.'' He shrugged. Kazir then found Ed Helms, Pedro Pascal and even Reese Witherspoon. The actors greeted him, but none stayed long. As for Kazir, he was mature enough to understand the situation. He kept his smile and talked to the writers of the film. But a minute after he talked to them, Tom Rothman appeared out of nowhere like a fucking mushroom. "Kazir! Haha, nice to meet you! How''s your day going? By the way, congratulations on John Wick and The Hangover 2! Damn, I still regret not signing a contract with you!" "Tom, my day is going well..." ''Until you showed up.'' He swallowed the last part of the sentence. It seemed that even the big shot of 20th Century Fox was interested in his scripts to show such enthusiasm. ''So who am I meeting with tomorrow, Michael Eisner, Michael Ovitz? Or maybe Brad Grey.'' He shook his head. Such was the life of the most sought-after director of the era. Chapter 173 Chapter 173 Kazir knew that Tom Rothman was interested in his screenplays. Four of the scripts he sold were blockbusters. That was enough to prove that Kazir had what it took to be the best screenwriter in Hollywood. Se7en, the first screenplay he sold. More than $300 million at the worldwide box office. Meet The Parents, the last script he sold. The box office was already over $200 million. In that era, before the 2000s, $200 million was an amazing feat. But it seemed that Kazir''s movie could do it easily. None of his movies had a box office of less than $200 million. Perhaps it would be better to call him Kazir Grey, the ''More Than $200 Million Guy''. That is, when Tom Rothman successfully buys a script from him and turns it into a movie. The chances of the movie making more than $200 million were high. This result was enough for Tom Rothman to lower the distribution fee. He believed that the money they could get from The Bourne Identity was minuscule, but it would be too bad too pass on the other scripts. ''At best, we can get 20-30 million dollars, but we have to subtract the publicity and the prints. So the profit we can get is only 10-20 million dollars. Not bad, because Kazir''s movie will never go below $200 million.'' Of course, The Bourne Identity could flop and 20th Century Fox may never recoup its investment. But Tom Rothman was willing to gamble just to get the three scripts from Kazir. ''I know Kazir will make a good movie. He knows the formula for making a good movie.'' As long as nothing unexpected happened, The Bourne Identity would definitely be well received. Maybe that was why Matt Damon was interested in the role. "Nancy already told you that 20th Century Fox is ready to distribute your movie and the distribution fee is 23% of the box office. Well, I decided to make it 22%. How about it, Kazir? Are you interested?" After talking nonsense for a few minutes, Tom Rothman decided to talk to Kazir about his decision. "It''s a good contract. But, Tom, I need to know how many movies 20th Century Fox plans to distribute." "Two to three films. That''s the best we can do." In addition, Kazir Grey agreed to write a screenplay for 21 Jump Street. But the best he could do would be next year. He was going to be busy this year, he could feel it. Sony-Columbia didn''t have a problem with that because they couldn''t release that many movies at once. In fact, the higher-ups would decide which script to adapt first. They have to read the three scripts and make a decision. "Kazir, since you are the writer, I wonder which movie you want to make first?" "Hm, I think Bruce Almighty is not bad. But it depends on Jim Carrey''s decision." He shrugged. "When I wrote the script, I imagined Jim Carrey as the protagonist. Although we have to keep this fact a secret because we don''t want Jim Carrey to ask for an extravagant salary." Frank Price agreed. If Jim Carrey''s agent found out that the script was written in Jim Carrey''s image, the agent might ask for a whopping amount of dollars. "I see. So you want Jim Carrey to be the male lead? Honestly, considering the role of Bruce Nolan and his hilarious antics, I think Jim Carrey really fits the part." As for how Sony-Columbia convinced Jim Carrey to take the role, Kazir Grey has no idea. ''Well, they''ll probably use the power of money to convince a superstar like Jim Carrey.'' Finally, Kazir''s problem with the distribution of The Bourne Identity was over. His next three films also found a company to distribute them. As for Paramount''s grumbling, Kazir didn''t care. Once Taken 2 came out, their relationship would be over. ''Damn it, I''m like an orphan living in different places every night. I have no place to call home.'' He sighed. For two years he didn''t have to think about this problem, but this year he had to find another distributor. All he could do was produce movies that could bring him profit and fame so that the distributors would look for him instead. "Well... How about I go to the Sundance Film Festival?" He remembered a certain movie that was released this year... Chapter 174 Chapter 174 Palenque Simone rubbed his eyes as he watched the movie on the big screen. Normally, watching movies was entertaining and relaxing, unless the movie was a horror movie. Horror movies were for the purpose of scaring the audience. In this situation, the movie in front of Palenque Simone was a horror movie. However, he didn''t feel scared at all. In fact, he was bored and sleepy. ''It really hurts my eyes to watch such a movie! The camera shakes so much that my head hurts! Besides, I feel like this is not a movie at all. It''s like footage! Not a professional movie at all.'' Around this time, the found footage genre did not exist. The Blair Witch Project was the first kind of its genre that became successful. It basically popularized the genre. Besides Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield were also found footage movies. Anyway, Palenque Simone didn''t know why his boss told him to watch this movie and try to buy the rights. Palenque Simone was an intern five years ago. He graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in psychology. But he didn''t want to go to a hospital or become a counselor or anything like that. Instead, he was interested in the minds of movie characters. He loves to study the psychology of movie characters. He studied Catherine Tramell, a fictional character from Basic Instinct. He especially likes to study Hannibal Lecter... The guy was quite interesting. Of course, Palenque was not crazy. He just wanted to know how psychopaths think. Because of this hobby he decided to work in Hollywood. The first project he took part in was a great success. It was none other than Napoleon Dynamite. Remembering his life in Hollywood, Palenque Simone felt that he had it better. At least he had a steady job and the salary and bonus were amazing. Since all the films that Director Grey made were successful, the bonus he received was also considerable. In addition, his job was now the director''s assistant after his friend, Fremont Smith, started his own movie. Palenque could not help but sigh. It would be a lie to say he was not jealous. Palenque and Fremont were on the same starting line, but now his position was higher than his. Well, Fremont Smith had experience in filmmaking because he had graduated from a film school. "I''m Palenque Simone, and I''m interested in buying your movie." Director Grey said that Palenque could not say his affiliation at the beginning, to keep the information hidden. Hearing Palenque''s words, Daniel Myrick was stunned at first. But he smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I''m sorry, but I can''t, not anymore. Someone already bought the movie yesterday... I apologize." Daniel Myrick thought this movie was nonsense. So when he heard that someone was interested in buying his movie, he didn''t think twice and sold it for $15,000. He thought the buyer would back out, so he sold it quickly. Now that someone was interested, he could not help but feel helpless. Life was never fair. "I see. Then can I know the company that bought it?" "I''m sorry, but I''m not allowed to tell you." Palenque sighed. He just wasted his time here. He was not even sure how to explain this to Director Grey. With no choice, Palenque Simone left the Sundance Film Festival and found the opportunity to call his superior. "I''m sorry, director, but the film is already sold." "It''s okay. You can go back now." "Yes." Kazir was not very interested in the movie. He was interested in the profit, but cheating the whole country with viral marketing was pretty dirty in his opinion. It was different from his fake relationship with Cameron Diaz. Well, their relationship was not technically fake because they were actually dating, albeit with an expiration date... "I wonder who bought the movie..." Kazir thought to himself. Chapter 175 Chapter 175 On camera, Matt Damon walked down the street. The snow was blowing around, making the scene almost white. Matt Damon looked around and saw two people in police uniforms... "Cut! Ten minute break!" Kazir announced after 30 seconds of footage. The crew started moving around. The fan/blower responsible for creating the snow effect was turned off. There were many ways to replicate the snow, such as small paper flakes or even shredded white plastic. These items have a similar appearance to snow once captured by the camera. This time, the crew decided to use paper flakes. It was impossible to rely on the weather and hope that it would snow on the exact day they were going to shoot the snow scene. In addition, cold weather would affect their production. Some people would get sick. The fan/blower shot snow(paper flakes) over a distance to make it realistic. If there was one bad thing about using these materials, it was that they were slippery. So Matt Damon had to watch his steps so that he won''t slip. To minimize expenses, they decided to shoot this scene in Los Angeles. Originally, the crew wanted to go to Switzerland for authentic scenes, but Kazir decided against it... Frankly, he never likes to move. Even promoting his films around the globe was the last thing he wanted to do as a director. Of course, being interviewed was the second least. And attending a party was the third least. ''The original Bourne Identity was shot in France, Italy, the Czech Republic and Mykonos... Going to France and Italy is enough.'' As for the other countries, Kazir and his crew would try to make it as authentic as possible. Traveling to many countries would only make them tired... Um, maybe some of the crew members liked to travel the world, but Kazir Grey was not on that list. "Director, how''s my acting?" But this time Matt Damon almost slipped. Luckily he didn''t fall, otherwise it would have been bad. The scene had to be reshot. They shot it 3 times just to get a better scene. In those 30 seconds, Matt Damon showed his helplessness perfectly as he walked out into the street. As the scene progressed, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) felt the police officers staring at him. Realizing that they were following him, Jason Bourne decided to go to the U.S. Embassy to present one of his dozens of passports. Jason Bourne had so many passports with different identities and nationalities. He had no idea why he had a lot of passports. The police could not enter the embassy without permission, so Jason Bourne had time to rest and think about his situation. Unfortunately for him, even the people inside the embassy were looking for him. Jason Bourne began to evade his pursuers and exited the building... "Cut!" Kazir announced, frowning as he looked at the monitor. He saw a signage written in English. "That sign... It was supposed to be in Swiss-German." To be honest, Kazir was not sure what language it was. But he knew they were speaking German. For authenticity, Kazir made sure that even the signs on the street were written in a foreign language. "I-I''m sorry, director." Efren Reyes, the prop master, apologized and immediately signaled his crew. He had become head of the props team after Harold Witsend became producer. "Do we have someone who speaks Swiss-German?" "Yes, we hired one." "Good, ask him for the details." Kazir sighed... They have to spend more time preparing the props, affecting their schedule. Chapter 176 Chapter 176 "Are you okay?" Cameron Diaz asked Kazir worriedly when she noticed that Kazir had a stuffy nose. "It''s not that bad. I''ll sleep early tonight." He stayed up all night yesterday and was affected by the cold. Fortunately, he only had a stuffy nose and his general health was fine. He had been working hard lately because he had important positions within the company and the production crew. Salvatore Barlowe and Erica Mendez were still looking for a professional manager who would meet Kazir''s requirements. "Hm." Cameron Diaz nodded and squeezed his arm. "I think your friends are looking for you. You can have fun with them. I''ll just stay here." Kazir said to her. He glanced at the group of models attending this particular party. Before she was an actress, Cameron Diaz was a model. "Well, take care of yourself." Cameron kissed him on the cheek and approached her friends. ''Our contract ends after this movie, I don''t know why she keeps doing this.'' Kazir shook his head and forgot about it. He couldn''t afford to be controlled by his emotions. It was April 3, 1999. Paramount was throwing a party tonight to celebrate the success of The Truman Show. Kazir was invited to the party because of his recent association with the company. Even though Grey Pictures had signed a distribution deal with Sony-Columbia, Paramount was mature enough to understand that. Besides, they might work together again, and Kazir Grey was known as a director who didn''t make flops. Next week the crew would go to Italy to shoot the corresponding scenes. Kazir decided to give himself some time to have fun... Although going to a party was not fun in his opinion. As for Brianna Evans, she contacted Kazir to thank him for recommending her. Brianna was a theater actress from Australia. It was very difficult for her to enter Hollywood and she had to work part-time just to survive. All she had was talent for acting, but she realized that talent was not enough. Most of the time, the most important thing in this industry was the connection and fame. Luckily she met someone like Kazir and Salvatore who helped her in her career. Now she has three successful movies in her resume, which were Taken, The Truman Show and Meet The Parents. She was no longer a novice in this aspect, especially when the three movies were all blockbusters. Because of this, Brianna Evans had a chance to compete for the female lead role in Runaway Bride. Brianna''s talent was highly regarded by Paramount after working with her. Also, Paramount was hesitant to hire Julia Roberts because of her huge salary. Even though the director wanted to cast Julia Roberts, he couldn''t fight Paramount too much. So spoiler alert, Brianna Evans became the female lead in Runaway Bride, which was in the process of pre production. Kazir nodded and congratulated her. He didn''t know what the future might hold for Brianna, but he was ready for it. After all, he was the first variable to change the future. Just like Brianna, another famous actor appeared and talked to Kazir. Kazir Grey didn''t expect this actor to approach him on his own. He didn''t expect Jim Carrey, the protagonist of this party, to talk to him. "Hello, Director Grey. Congratulations, you''re not only a talented director but also a talented writer." "Thank you." +++++ [Author''s Note: I know I''ve said it before, but I''ll say it again. Don''t take this novel seriously, just have fun and be peaceful]. [As for the inconsistency in the box office, I suck at math and numbers, so I always forget the exact box office for movies. I wrote that The Hangover grossed over $500 million, but in another chapter I wrote that the box office was $400 million. Consider this a plot hole, and the author deserves a 1-star review for the number inconsistency.] [I''m good at thinking and setting up plots, but I''m never good at numbers. And yes, I''m an Asian who sucks at math. Fuck math!!!] Chapter 177 Chapter 177 Kazir was a little confused by the situation. He was the kind of director who didn''t like to socialize much. He would only attend a party if it was related to him or if he was invited by his friends. He knew how important it was to make connections. As for the actors and actresses, they were the ones who approached him, not the other way around. Of course, with his status, he understood that Jim Carrey wanted to make a connection with him. "I heard that you recommended me to Sony-Columbia to be the protagonist of Bruce Almighty." "Ah." Immediately after that, Kazir realized why Jim Carrey was talking to him. ''It seems that Sony-Columbia had already contacted Jim Carrey. Although I didn''t know why they told Jim Carrey that I recommended him... Maybe the lips of the people in management are hard to shut.'' Anyway, it could be a good thing. Having a relationship with a great actor like Jim Carrey was a good thing. "You''re an actor with a huge range of facial expressions, I think everyone recognized your talent." Kazir was not lying. Jim Carrey was like a living cartoon character with the way he acted. Very entertaining. "Thank you, director." Jim Carrey smiled. He was a real homie. Jim Carrey was an actor who knew how the industry worked. He realized that Hollywood was slowly dying in a pool of shit as he grew old. On Jimmy Kimmel Live, Jim Carrey mocked Hollywood by making an Illuminati sign. Showing that many people in that industry were part of the Illuminati. The thing was, everyone acted like nothing happened after that, erasing that incident. Of course, maybe Jim Carrey was just joking and the Illuminati was not real. As for the truth, nobody really knows... Anyway, for Jim Carrey to reveal the "truth" was already a brave act. Most of the actors would hide and cower or join instead. The media was the world''s greatest hypnotist, and it wouldn''t be a lie if a secret organization controlled show business. ... ... Inside the studio, five people were moving the boat to replicate the wobbling effect of a real boat on the surface of the ocean. The background was dimmed to make it look like night. The unsteady motion made the actors inside the boat feel like they were inside a real boat floating on the ocean. In addition, the crew used a flashing light to create the effect of lightning to make it seem like the boat was in the middle of the ocean and the storm was still going on. While this was happening, a camera was recording their facial expressions. Jason Bourne(Matt Damon) was lying on the table when the doctor pulled a bullet out of Jason''s hip. The doctor examined the bullet and noticed something strange, the bullet had a series of numbers that led to a bank. The doctor checked the unconscious man but he realized that the man was missing! "What the hell have you done to me?" Suddenly, Jason Bourne grabbed the doctor from behind and slammed him against the wall. In shock and fear, the doctor began to speak in Italian. "What are you doing?" Jason Bourne asked. No memory of what happened. "Goddamn it! Where am I?" "A boat!" The doctor replied quickly as Jason choked him. "We pulled you out of the ocean! W-we saw you floating in the ocean and saved you!" "You were shot. See the bullet? There''s a bank number in it." The doctor gestured and showed Jason the bullet. Jason was too weak and his last remaining strength disappeared. Chapter 178 Chapter 178 "Mommy! MOMMY! MOMMY!" Mara Cohen screamed as she walked to the pool. She was a spoiled child who was very childish. She was holding a newspaper, and she was clutching it in anger. She was screaming like a little child. Because of too much anger, she bumped into the table and it fell over. Mara Cohen clicked her tongue, but didn''t bother to fix it. "Honey, what are you doing? Are you okay?" Eliza Cohen was relaxing by the pool with her martini, in the middle of the day. She clearly had a good life. The mansion she lived in belonged to her third ex-husband. He was rich and gave her half of his estate. Eliza Cohen was now a millionaire, though she hadn''t worked hard for it... She made her ex-husbands'' little juniors hard though. "Shenna, go clean up the mess." "Yes, ma''am." Eliza ordered one of the maids she had hired from overseas. These overseas workers were very good at their jobs and their wages were very cheap. She only had to pay $400 monthly for each maid, and she didn''t even have a problem with it. For these overseas workers, this amount was already huge. ''Sometimes I remember that America is actually a better country than most.'' For a woman like Eliza Cohen, who took advantage of others, these things did not matter. "Mommy! Why is this happening? This is unfair! Why? I worked hard too!" "Oh, honey. You need to calm down, okay?" Mara was angry and disappointed. She walked in circles, obviously frustrated. "Mommy! You said I was going to be a star! That I would be the most beautiful actress on this planet!" "Of course, honey. Just like your mother, you are beautiful. I think everyone knew that. Isn''t that right? Shenna?" "Ma''am...? Ah, yes, you are beautiful and Miss Mara is beautiful too. You are both beautiful." The maid, Shenna, was not lying. Her employee and her daughter were indeed beautiful. They were like angels, though Shenna knew that angels were not real. The personalities of her employer and her daughter were not angelic either. "Fufu, I like your answer and I can see that you are not lying." 8.) Deep Impact - 140 million dollars. 9.) Godzilla-- 136 million dollars. 10.) Rush Hour-- $136 million. These ten movies were the highest grossing movies of last year. Titanic was very impressive, the movie already surpassed 1 billion dollars and everyone knew why the movie was number 1 this year. As for The Hangover Part 2, this movie was distributed by Warner Bros. Eliza Cohen pursed her lips about this movie. After all, the screenwriter of this movie was her son, Kazir Grey. In fact, everyone believes that the success of The Hangover Part 2 was due to the creativity that Kazir Grey had. Eliza Cohen was proud of this. She believed that her son inherited all his good qualities from her. "Mom, Deep Impact is one of the top ten highest-grossing films of the year!" The worldwide gross of Deep Impact was $349 million. It was an obvious success. But Mara Cohen was not happy about it. Mara Cohen had actually auditioned for a role in the movie. The part she was trying to get was Sarah Hotchner, she was Leo Biederman''s girlfriend. Leo Biederman was the teenager who discovered that a comet was going to hit the earth. Even though Sarah Hotchner didn''t have many scenes, it was still an impressive role. Unfortunately, someone stole it from her! It was none other than Scarlett Johansson! Because of this, Mara Cohen hoped that Deep Impact would flop and everyone in the cast would be heartbroken. Actually, Mara Cohen auditioned for the role, but she never made it past the 2nd round. She was immediately rejected because she didn''t have any sense of acting ability. Mara Cohen was indeed beautiful, but she was stiff in front of the camera. Her facial expressions were forced and dull! The best she could get were vase roles. A background role, appearing only in the background to make the scene beautiful! "I hate the casting director! That part should have been mine! Mine! I can''t believe it!" So she had a grudge against Scarlett Johansson because of this... Chapter 179 Chapter 179 "Thank you for your time, here is a gift. We will call you if you pass the selection." Erica Mendez from Grey Pictures offered the gift and the middle-aged man accepted it. Erica and the other executives were interviewing people for the general manager position. Grey Pictures was a recently formed company, and there were only few employees who had experience running a business. Most of the employees were related to filmmaking, but none of them were experienced enough to take on the position of general manager. Therefore, Grey Pictures decided to look for people who were qualified to take the position. Normally, Kazir Grey was supposed to attend this interview to make a decision. However, director Grey was in Italy filming The Bourne Identity. He was unable to return to the U.S. to participate in the interview process. Three people met most of the criteria and Erica was responsible for interviewing them along with the other people in management. Kazir decided to let his assistant stay in the country because he knew Erica had twins. Erica was grateful for that. And for that, too, Erica felt guilty. Her boss was too good. If it were not for her boyish appearance, she might think of another reason why her boss was good to her. Fortunately, Erica knew that Kazir was good to his crew members and was not a tyrannical boss who belittled people. Because of her boss''s kindness, Erica decided to work hard. She seriously considered which of the three people would be a good choice for the company. Kazir Grey was suffering from overwork and he clearly didn''t like to dab his hands in business. Although Erica had only known him for two years, she knew that Kazir was not enthusiastic about building a company; his ambitions lay in art, in film. Grey Pictures was just his way of dealing with the Big Six, just like Marvel Studios did back then. Marvel Comics took one last gamble by creating a Cinematic Universe, and their decision paid off handsomely. Of course, comic book sales were still not that good. In fact, for the next three decades, Japanese manga would be more popular in the West than American comics. Still, Marvel was making money in other ways, such as toys, merchandise, and movies. In a way, their situation was far better than DC Comics, which lost all its glory after 2010s. Once the Continental Cinematic Universe was a success, Kazir would work with animation and comic book companies to adapt his movies to other forms of media. Erica Mendez scanned the woman''s resume. She already knew the woman''s background, but she decided to read it again. "It says here that you are the Head Manager of Production Management. Why did you leave your job? NBC is one of the best television networks in the United States." "It''s not that simple. The competition, the gossip and even the discrimination against women disgusted me. "..." Erica nodded. Erica Mendez could not help but agree. She was a female soldier and the looks she received from the male soldiers did not sit well with her. It was a good thing that Erica was a strong woman, so the soldiers around her quickly respected her. She knew there were instances where women were harassed in their jobs. "I decided to quit when my boss tried to lure me with sex for a promotion. I reached my position through hard work, I don''t need to use my body to get it. This boss is a bastard and I knew he would give me a hard life after I refused him, so I decided to quit immediately." "Is that so?" Stella Willow didn''t mention the exact reason why she quit her job in her resume, and that was the first time Erica had heard it. Even the other people in the room were listening to her story. "What happened to the boss?" "He died in a car accident. His body was crushed by a truck and he died horribly. Apparently his break didn''t work." Stella grinned. "..." The room was silent for a second. "Fufu, of course I''m kidding. He was fired for sexually harassing one of his employees." She laughed. Then another person laughed awkwardly until everyone laughed. Chapter 180 Chapter 180 A flight attendant gently pushed the cart into the first-class section of the plane. This section of the plane had many small rooms that were occupied by people who could afford first-class tickets. The room was tiny, and at best only one person could use it. Still, in that situation in a plane, to have that kind of privacy was a luxury. In fact, only a few airlines had first-class sections with such private rooms. "Here''s your meal, ma''am." The flight attendant knocked on the door and informed the woman in one of the rooms. "Thank you." Stella Willow opened the room and thanked her. Actually, this was her dinner. It was still 9 p.m. when she arrived at JFK International Airport to get to the plane. In a sense, the food she ordered was her dinner. However, the scenery outside showed that it was already morning. The sun was shining. She looked out the window and all she could see was blue. The blue sky and the blue sea. A few hours later, she would be landing in Italy. After leaving her position at NBC, Stella Willow applied for the position of General Manager at Grey Pictures. She heard that this production studio had made Taken and John Wick. She had seen those movies and could say that she was a fan. More specifically, she was a fan of Director Grey. As a production manager, Stella Willow realized that Kazir''s filmography didn''t have any similarities at all, except for the fact that they were made by one person. His filmmaking style was different in each film. Almost as if he had a reference and just copied it. All of his films didn''t have the strong artistic style that most directors have. His films were made for the purpose of entertainment. It was amazing that Kazir Grey could control and limit his artistic sense in filming. First, she was interested in the production studio because Kazir Grey was planning something big. Second, she knew it would be difficult for her to get a good position in the Big Six. Third, she could start her own business. Maybe a talent agency or a production studio, but she was not an agent or a director. ''I can be a producer.'' As a producer, she was good at managing people and teams. Kazir Grey plans to create one big project that will tie all of his action films together. Obviously, his current project, The Bourne Identity, is part of that huge plan. She was interested to see the result. No, she wanted to see the success of this project. So joining Grey Pictures was a good thing for her. Before she was officially hired. First she had to meet Kazir Grey. They talked on the phone, but a face-to-face meeting was important. So the company bought her a first class ticket to Italy. After eating her breakfast/dinner, Stella Willow realized that the plane was about to land. The flight attendant smiled and said goodbye to her. Once at the airport, Stella Willow found her contact who would take her to the set of The Bourne Identity. "Miss Willow?" A young man in his early twenties greeted her. The man held a card with her name on it. "That''s right. What''s your name?" "My name is Palenque Simone. I''m Director Grey''s assistant." Stella Willow nodded as she heard his name. After watching Taken, she became aware the same people might kidnap her after she left the airport. She knew Palenque Simone would be her contact. That put her mind at ease. Chapter 181 Chapter 181 Stella Willow was pleased that Palenque Simone had a car for them to use. She didn''t want to use a taxi, maybe her perception of traveling changed after watching Taken. What happened two years ago made citizens understand the dangers of traveling abroad. The news about kidnapping and sex trafficking was quite strong two years ago, almost every form of media joined in. It made people in North America aware of their surroundings. It spread awareness, which was a good thing. In fact, before Stella Willow got into the car, she looked at the license plate. Then she sent the plate number to her boyfriend, just to be sure. Maybe she was being paranoid, but it was better than being kidnapped, right? Palenque Simone noticed that the woman had a solemn expression on her face, so he decided to talk to her to improve the atmosphere. He knew that this woman was going to be the General Manager of Grey Pictures. In a way, her position was higher than his, so the woman was his boss. ''I want to make a movie and a connection with people is a good thing.'' Palenque Simone and Stella Willow were talking. Stella looked like a knowledgeable woman and her answers were informative and proud, almost as if Palenque was talking to a genius. Maybe that was why Stella was hired. A few minutes later they reached their destination. In a wide alley, Stella got out of the car and looked around. She secretly sighed as she confirmed that this was the filming location. She could see the tents used by the film crew. The trailers that the actors used to relax and change their makeup and appearance. A few meters away from them, Stella saw a number of cameras pointed in a certain direction. She also saw Kazir Grey sitting in his chair, staring at the seven monitors. Each monitor showed different angles, but they were all pointed at the car with two people having a conversation. As a veteran of the industry, Stella Willow was used to this sort of thing. Shooting a scene is always quiet. No one on the crew talks unless they are far from the set. The silence is deafening, very different from what people imagine. In this situation, only the actors can speak. ''Maybe Cameron Diaz is aware that her boyfriend is the one directing the movie.'' Stella Willow thought. When the shooting stopped, assistant director Palenque Simone informed director Grey that the general manager they had hired had arrived. Kazir Grey nodded and looked at Stella Willow. He rose from his seat and greeted the woman. "Miss Stella Willow, we spoke on the phone." "Indeed. You are my boss, so I should hear your thoughts first." "Very well. Before we talk business, would you like some coffee?" "I prefer tea." The woman shook her head. "Then I must disturb the crew." Kazir motioned for one of the crew to bring Stella a cup of tea. "We have Lipton tea, I hope that''s okay with you." "No problem." "Then let''s get down to business. 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros and Paramount are trying to come to an agreement right now." Kazir became serious. The two found a table they could use. "Sometimes allies become enemies," Stella muttered after nudging her glasses. "Hm." Kazir nodded, agreeing with her. +++++ [You can visit my Pat re on if you want to read more. I have 140 advanced chapters there for $10. Just think of it as a privilege for people who want to support me financially, thanks for all your support. My brother just finished his semester with tuition paid in full. Thank you so much, It means a lot to me.] htt ps://ww w.pa treon. com /Pu ji_ma ki Chapter 182 Chapter 182 After signing a distribution deal with Sony-Columbia, the two sides had an understanding. Grey Pictures expressed their thoughts that The Bourne Identity would be released in late July or early August. Sony-Columbia didn''t have a problem with that schedule and agreed. As long as they didn''t have a movie coming out on that schedule, they would distribute The Bourne Identity within that timeframe. With Kazir''s fast shooting style, the movie would be finished before the beginning of June. Maybe June 4th. There would be no problem with the shooting schedule. In fact, by the second week of May, they had already shot more than 2/3 of the movie. As for Taken 2, Grey Pictures was planning to release it in September or November. It depends on Fremont Smith''s ability how fast he can shoot the movie. Of course, his crew members were also responsible for the speed of the production. Unfortunately, unlike Kazir''s efficient crew, Fremont''s crew was recently formed and they didn''t have strong cooperation. They were still getting to know each other''s strengths and weaknesses. With the two films that Grey Pictures would release, the company was expanding and the Big Six were alarmed. Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox and Paramount were three film companies that Kazir Grey worked with. Their relationship was good, at least from a business standpoint. The three major studios made money on his projects, and Kazir Grey made money as well. They got along quite well. But that didn''t change the fact that they were also rivals. Knowing that Grey Pictures was getting better and better, the three film companies couldn''t help but block its way. If there was something good, the three movie companies were not so relentless about it. After all, they were in the process of forming an alliance to prevent Grey Pictures from growing. Maybe it was a good thing for Grey Pictures to have no distribution channels. Because as soon as they announced their intention to acquire a distribution channel, not only the three movie companies would make a fuss. All of the Big Six would join forces to wipe out Grey Pictures. They would attack it from different directions until the company collapsed. "I hear rumors that Star Wars will be released in late July or early August. Not only that, but Matrix, which Warner Bros has invested in, will be released in September or November. Kazir Grey told Stella Willow. The woman nodded, realizing the intention of the three major movie studios. She knew that if Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was released on the same day as The Bourne Identity, the latter would immediately lose the box office. Not only that, but theatrical distribution would be against them. After all, there were only over 11 thousand theaters in North America, and Star Wars Episode 1 might have the advantage. Star Wars is a huge IP and it''s impossible to beat. At least not yet. Now that many Star Wars fans have been waiting for the movie for a decade. "First, you can express your intention to work with them. The scripts you''ve written have shown positive results, and the three movie companies will surely want to work with you again." "Second, be confident in your movies and let them collide with Star Wars Episode 1 and The Matrix." Kazir didn''t want to fight against these movies because he knew that the result would be bad for him. "Third, we can end all cooperation with Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, and Paramount Pictures. Instead, we will ally ourselves with Walt Disney, Universal Pictures and Sony-Columbia and ask them to protect us. Of course, we have to prove to them that we can be useful." Hearing the woman''s thoughts, Kazir Grey knew he hadn''t made a mistake in choosing her. "It is good that we met." "Yes, President." "Ah, I''m really not used to being called President. I prefer to be called Director." Kazir scratched his head and chuckled. "Hm, Director Grey." "Then I think we both know what the best solution is." "That''s right." They looked at each other and nodded. "Maintaining the relationship with the three movie companies is important. I don''t want to be their enemy." "I understand." Ah, the complicated life in Hollywood... Chapter 183 Chapter 183 "I have some scripts that we can negotiate. If you don''t have a problem, you can send someone to talk to me." Kazir had a good experience working with Big Three. He hadn''t worked with Universal Pictures and Walt Disney, so he wasn''t sure if they would protect Grey Pictures. Maybe they would join in the fun and tear the company apart. ''Besides, I don''t like Universal Pictures and Walt Disney. They tried to cancel me...'' He was holding a grudge. Well, Kazir Grey was only human. As for Sony-Columbia, he was on their side for the time being. They won''t do anything bad. "If they are not convinced. Remind them of the danger of DreamWorks. I''m sure they''ll think about it." "It''s quite possible." Stella agreed with his decision. Compared to Grey Pictures, DreamWorks was more dangerous. It had the trio of Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. They are good at what they do. Together with the connections they had made in their careers, they had successfully acquired a distribution channel in North America. Now they were free to release their films in North America without having to deal with the Big Six. Unfortunately, their international distribution was still in its infancy, and it could take at least five to ten years to get a full international distribution that spans the globe. With this information, Stella and Kazir knew that the Big Six would focus more on DreamWorks. Last year, 1998, Saving Private Ryan was a massive worldwide success. Its impact was just beginning. In fact, last March''s Academy Awards were dominated by Saving Private Ryan. The film won 11 awards. And even Steven Spielberg got his second Oscar statues for Best Director. ''Hm, Matt Damon is part of the cast of Saving Private Ryan and he said that working with Steven Spielberg gave him a good experience.'' For a director like Kazir Grey, someone like Steven Spielberg and James Cameron were the blockbuster directors, someone he would never reach in his entire life with his talent alone. He knew that Star Wars would expand its universe, from movies to comics to animation. However, his opinion of the franchise was complicated. He felt that Disney was making the heroes of the past super depressed. ''Luke Skywalker died after fighting Kylo Ren and then became a ghost... I know it sounds stupid. '' His memories of the movie were pretty jumbled because he was a little old at the time. ''Oh, one more thing, Han Solo died too. He was killed by his son. Seriously, Disney really loves to make the heroes of the first Star Wars trilogy suffer.'' Well, the fans didn''t like it. But who cares? As long as Disney wanted to, they would never listen to their audience. ''Hell, they can make Snow White Latina, the seven dwarfs would be normal people too. They can cast a black woman as the Little Mermaid and call it "innovation". Disney got too much Woked. Like, bro, I just want to watch movies and have some fun. Don''t shove your ideologies down my throat.'' There was even a rumor that the founder of Disney, Walt Disney, was an anti-Semitic guy. People say he was a racist. Shaking his head, Kazir decided to forget about these things. Star Wars had nothing to do with him anyway. He has to concentrate on his own projects. Filming resumed, and this time they would shoot the scene where Jason Bourne slowly climbed down the building. The crew hired a professional climber to do the stunt. The climber was protected and safely tethered to a rope. They would film the scene at an angle where the rope could not be seen. While filming, Kazir saw out of the corner of his eye that Cameron Diaz was sulking at him, unhappy about something. Chapter 184 Chapter 184 "Kazir~ Baby~" Cameron Diaz snuggled up next to Kazir and kissed his neck. She was intoxicated by his scent and rubbed her skin against him. The couple was naked under the sheets, quite steamy and sweaty. Kazir chuckled. Then he looked at his phone on the table and realized that someone had contacted him. Cameron Diaz pouted and decided to give him a hug. "Let''s stay in bed." "Cam, I have to get the phone. Maybe it''s important." Kazir realized that Cameron Diaz had been acting strangely yesterday. Even her performance in the afternoon was bad. Kazir talked to her and the woman just clicked her tongue and glared at him. Kazir had no choice but to stop filming for the day. To make sure Cameron Diaz would have a good night, Kazir decided to "tease" her. They had a great night and Cameron Diaz returned to her bubbly self. It was still early in the morning and they had two hours before the day''s filming began... Actually, they only slept for a few hours because they had been ''exercising'' for quite some time. "Hm..." Cameron nodded and decided to leave the phone to Kazir. As always, she was pleased with Kazir''s performance. Kazir made sure that his partner was satisfied after the session. Although Cameron Diaz knew that their relationship was only contractual, she knew that she would miss the man. So while they were still an official couple, she decided to have some fun with Kazir. However, she found that when it came to work, Kazir Grey was very professional. He didn''t let his emotions get in the way of filming. In fact, when the kissing scene with Matt Damon happened, almost everyone on the crew felt uncomfortable. Even Cameron Diaz and Matt Damon were not sure what to do. Only Kazir Grey was serious about it. He didn''t care if his current girlfriend was kissing another guy. He was not immature. This was a job and they got paid for it. Kazir''s passion for filmmaking was strong. He didn''t care what others thought. In the end, Cameron Diaz and Matt Damon decided to do the kissing scene in one take. Kazir was so pleased with their performance that he didn''t ask for a reshoot. "No, it''s actually quite boring. I didn''t like it at all. My eyes almost went blind." Kazir said his opinion. "If it wasn''t for the amazing publicity, I might not be interested in the movie. The Blair Witch Project was a huge success because of its viral publicity. It was the first successful "found footage" movie, paving the way for Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield at the box office. Kazir was amazed by the hype surrounding the film. It was unique. So when he remembered that The Blair Witch Project was coming out this year, he decided to try his luck and make the most of it. "Salvatore said that The Blair Witch Project has been acquired by Miramax. However, it seems that they are going to contact another distributor to distribute the film." Miramax had worldwide distribution, but they didn''t dare distribute The Blair Witch Project. The answer was obvious. ''They are afraid of the backlash.'' He chuckled. Suddenly he thought of something funny. "We still have two hours, how about we have some fun?" "Fufu, Kazir~" Cameron Diaz giggled as Kazir pounced on her. She didn''t care about the glasses woman anymore. All she wanted to do was have some fun with Kazir. ... ... ... A month after Stella Willow returned to the United States, the crew of The Bourne Identity finished filming and everyone was happy about it. For the actors, the quicker the shooting was finished, the better. They were paid by the project, not by the day or the hour. Now that filming was over, they could focus on other things. Their salary was already paid. Although they still had to go to the studio to dub their lines. Just like that, the month of June came and the summer schedule was full as always. ++++++ [I realized that the MC''s first name is actually Kazir Gray instead of Kazir Grey! I hate myself for making a huge mistake... anyway, let''s all forget about it, okay?] Chapter 185 Chapter 185 With Stella Willow''s persistence, she convinced 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros to drop their bad blood with Grey Pictures and focus their attention on DreamWorks instead. It was amazing how the woman convinced the two movie companies. She used a variety of means, luring them with scripts, promising cooperation, and telling them that DreamWorks was getting better these days. The woman was very good at her job. Even Kazir Grey could never do what she did. As a result, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was released in May. Even though the promotion was quite hectic, every fan was excited to see the iconic movie. Companies were predicting that the film could surpass the $1 billion mark. With each passing year, Hollywood slowly understood that movies could indeed make $1 billion at the box office. Furthering the hatred of the European film industry. The European film industry was the first of its kind, but it failed in globalization. Gradually, Hollywood movies influenced more and more countries until the European film industry could only release its movies in its own territory. Of course, some European films made it to the United States, but they didn''t have a strong reception. Also, most European directors have this fetish about sex in their movies. Their movies would be rated R and the tickets sold would be affected as well. In the month of May 1999, only a few movies did well. Well, the summer schedule just started in that month. The Mummy from Universal Pictures. It is estimated to make more than $400 million worldwide. Notting Hill, a romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. Estimated to make about $350 million worldwide. Of course, the best movie of May was none other than Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. If the predictions are correct, this will be the third $1 billion movie in history. The hype for this movie was very strong. Even Liam Neeson had a role in this movie and his salary was quite good. In June, The Matrix, Austin Powers, Tarzan and Wild Wild West were the winners. "Haaahh..." Kazir yawned, stretching his body. He stood up and looked around. He was in a room where a bunch of monitors were set up. He rubbed his face to wake himself from his stupor. His eyes were a little sore from not sleeping well. After filming ended in May, Kazir immediately began post-production on The Bourne Identity. There was no rest in between. He spent his time editing the film with Rector and the other editors. With his good memory, they started with the skeleton of the movie before cutting out the unnecessary scenes. Even though his position was only screenwriter, no one belittled Kazir. He was good at his job and everyone accepted his credibility. As long as possible, Warner Bros didn''t want to bother him. ''But once The Hangover Part 3 is over, they will definitely try to do something. Then maybe I can find a way to survive.'' A few hours later, the Grey Pictures building was bustling again. Erica Mendez walked into Kazir''s office. "Sir, this is the newspaper you asked for. "Thank you." Kazir was still tired, but he had to work for the company. ''Normally I would take a few weeks off to rest, but I can''t do that now that I have another job to do.'' If it were not for Stella Willow doing most of the work, Kazir might die of overwork. Kazir looked at the newspaper. He smiled when he read something interesting. "As expected... They really are trying to swindle the whole country." He chuckled. In his past life, the company that acquired The Blair Witch Project was Artisan Entertainment. However, perhaps because of Kazir''s interference in the timeline, the one who got The Blair Witch Project this time was Miramax. In the newspaper there was an article about a group of college students who went to Burkittsville, Maryland and went missing. They interviewed people about the mythical Blair Witch and decided to go to the Black Hills near Burkittsville. "If I''m not mistaken, the news will cover this story." Chapter 186 Chapter 186 Just as he expected, that night, ABC news tackled The Blair Witch. -- A group of college students went missing in Burkittsville, Maryland. The police tried to locate them but they failed to find them. Instead, the police only found a camera and films. We are still trying to fix the footage. For now, we only fixed a film worth of one minute video.'' The newscaster seriously explained, perhaps clueless about the truth as well. Then, the news showed the footage. The scene was quite dark and shaky. The audience realized that the one holding the camera was running away from something. Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream happened, then another person cried. The footage became pitch black after that. -- Rest assured, our team will try its best to fix the footage to get more clues about the missing people. The news went to another topic but the story about the Witch stirred the hearts of some people who believed in paranormal. "... I call that bullshit." Kazir Grey muttered after watching the program. He won''t fall for that trick since he knows that this is nothing but a movie. He grabbed the remote and turned off the television. He touched his chin and thought about it seriously. The Blair Witch Project was an important movie in the history of cinema. It was the first of its kind that gained a good box office. However, Kazir didn''t like the fact that they deceived so many people into believing that a witch was real. On top of that, Kazir didn''t like Miramax. This film company was owned by the Weinstein brothers. Particularly, he hated Harvey Weinstein. That guy went to prison because of an obvious crime. To be honest, it was questionable why he was only imprisoned in 2018 even though his crimes started in the 1970s. The man had sexual abuse allegations back in the 1970s but he was only reprimanded in 2018. Almost as if he was protected by the higher-ups of Hollywood. Almost as if everyone turned a blind eye to the crimes he did. While traversing the deep, one of their members was injured. Suddenly, crows started flying around them, screeching! The team got scared and started running out of the forest! Everything was recorded by the cameraman... When this story was published in the media, the fear of the witch increased. Stories about witches became the subject of many TV shows, just to join the hype. In the 16th century, thousands of people died in witch hunts, mostly women. They were either hanged or burned. Many believed that European witches migrated to United States in the 1800s. In the month of July, almost every topic on the street would be related to witches. In addition, some people were interviewed by the media saying that their relatives had been killed by witches. These small stories formed a trend until almost everyone was interested in the footage left in the woods by the missing students. -- This is Wanda Rinn from ABC News, our team has recovered another segment of the footage. We are here to show you the video. We want to warn our viewers that the scene you are about to see may be inappropriate for some ages. The video started broadcasting. This time the video showed a group of people talking around the campfire. They were the missing students. Suddenly, a screaming cawing of crows echoed. The students stood up and became alert. The person in charge of the camera pointed the camera into the woods, and a shadow formed in the darkness, as if a person was there! -- Unfortunately, our team only fixed that part. Rest assured, after we fix all the footage, we will release it in theaters for people to see. Then the TV show ended, leaving people curious and scared! Chapter 187 Chapter 187 [Author''s note: I just want to remind you that this is fiction. Don''t take it seriously]. [Another note: I never watch The Blair Witch Project, I don''t like horror movies. To be honest, I never like watching movies in general. I''m more of a manga, anime, light novel, and webnovel consumer.] [I don''t feel well for more than a week, so I can''t write and update]. +++++ People became interested in the witch and the missing students. When the next clip was released, more people visited Burkittsville, Maryland. These brave people wanted to check out the hill where the students went missing, hoping to find more clues. Of course, another reason they went to the site was their curiosity about the paranormal. They were excited. Almost thousands of people went to the place, causing some trouble for the locals. Because of this, the local government decided to close the hill and let the police inspect the place for the third time. But some people didn''t care about the authorities. They wanted to infiltrate the place and that caused trouble. A group of thousands of people in a small place, a possible riot could happen... and it did. A reasonable development. A riot happened and four young people were killed. This may sound exaggerated, but it could really happen. Just out of curiosity about the witch, these people visited Burkittsville, Maryland and formed a large group that caused a riot because they couldn''t get into the hill. They believed that the local authorities were hiding something big. ... ... ... "Look what you did." Michael Ovitz placed the newspaper on Harvey Weinstein''s table and glared at the fat man. "ABC News is under Disney, you used that connection to promote your movie. But instead it causes an incident." Harvey Weinstein laughed as he thought about the money he would make this time. Unlike the Big Six, Miramax used the glory of the Oscars to turn a profit. They would pick movies that could win the Oscars and back them. Once the movie won the Oscars, people would be more interested in buying its videotapes and DVDs. Recently, DVD sales were getting better and Miramax was adapting and selling DVD copies of their movies as well. "Make sure that Miramax and Walt Disney are not affected by this project. I don''t want people rioting in front of the headquarters." "Don''t worry, I know what to do." "Sir..." Suddenly, someone entered Harvey Weinstein''s office, it was Harvey Weinstein''s sexy secretary. The fat guy frowned because the secretary didn''t knock. But he sensed something was wrong, so he waited for her to explain. "Fox News and CNN have found the truth about The Blair Witch Project..." "What the fuck did you say? You bitch, get out of the way or I will rape you!" Considering that this fat guy allegedly sexually assaulted more than 80 women and was convicted for it, there was a good chance that he might do it. Michael Ovitz frowned as he listened to Harvey''s vulgarity. Michael Ovitz was a shameless person and used that talent to build CAA, but Harvey Weinstein was on another level. "Y- Yes, sir." The secretary stepped out of the way and let the fat man leave the office. His office didn''t have a TV, so he had to go down to the reception desk. He didn''t have time to wait for the elevator to open, so he decided to take the stairs. When he reached the reception area, he noticed that the TV was tuned to Fox News. His face was sweating pale. -- "Oh, you mean The Blair Witch Project? Yeah, I saw that movie at the Sundance Film Festival in January. I''m telling you, it''s boring as fuck! Oh? I can''t swear on national TV, hehe, sorry about that. Anyway, when I realized that the story of the witch from Burkittsville, Maryland had similarities to the movie I watched, I decided to look into it. And then I realized I was right!" -- "Everybody listen, that video you saw on ABC News is fake! They are just deceiving you! I saw it with my own eyes and it was disappointing. I think somebody is manipulating the media and causing this. They fucking kill four people because of their greed!" Chapter 188 Chapter 188 Several people testified that they had seen the movie. -- "Me? Oh yeah, I saw the movie about the witch or something. I even had a picture of the movie with my friend. High-definition camera? Yes, my boyfriend is a photographer, so the pictures are always clear." In the picture you could see a couple... Behind them was a fat guy with a serious look on his face. It was none other than Harvey Weinstein! Harvey Weinstein actually attended the Sundance Film Festival and saw The Blair Witch Project! "Harvey, did you just let someone take a picture of you? And the couple even showed the evidence to the media!" Michael Ovitz was furious. He didn''t care about Harvey Weinstein''s predicament, but it could cause trouble for Disney. After all, ABC News was the one promoting the movie. "I didn''t know they were trying to take a picture! My eyesight was affected after seeing the movie!" Harvey Weinstein explained. "Then find a way to fix it!" Michael Ovitz said coldly. This could implicate Disney. Disney tried to project an image that they were family oriented. They didn''t want that image to change as much as possible. ''If we had no choice, then Disney would put all the blame on Miramax and Harvey Weinstein. Me and Micheal don''t like this fat guy anyway, Harvey''s in alliance with Roy Disney. If we let them get more power, it will be a problem for Michael Eisner and me.'' He was looking at Harvey Weinstein like a dagger. Harvey Weinstein just nodded, but his face was very ugly right now. He was in a bad mood. "I''m going to try my best to fix this." "You should." Harvey Weinstein opened his phone to call his friends. Harvey Weinstein was Jewish and had many friends in show business. He knew someone at Fox News and CNN. But before he could dial the numbers, the news changed. -- "The fat guy you see in this picture is actually Harvey Weinstein, the founder of Miramax. Our team has discovered that he bought The Blair Witch Project. If our deduction is correct, he is the one responsible for the movie''s publicity." "You''re damn right. Four people lost their lives because one crazy person tried to make this movie seem real." The people who saw the movie realized that they had been scammed. They could not believe that anyone could be evil enough to do such a thing. "What is the name of the owner of Miramax again?" "I think it''s Harvey Weinstein." "Yeah, I think he needs to explain himself or a lot of people are going to come after him." The first day of The Blair Witch Project was actually amazing, even though the truth was revealed. The midnight premiere was $4 million, then the next day it was $8 million. This trend continued until the first week of The Blair Witch Project grossed over $37 million. Because of the unique publicity of the movie, many people were interested in seeing the movie. Of course, the people who saw it realized that they had been scammed and became angry. However, compared to the original timeline, people were not angry at the two directors and actors of The Blair Witch Project. After all, they were innocent too. After they sold the movie to Miramax, they had no power over it. This time, people had a clear target to direct their anger at. Thousands of people protested in front of the Miramax headquarters. But Harvey Weinstein didn''t show his face. ''This kind of protest will easily dissipate once the matter is over.'' Being good at his job, Harvey Weinstein knew the best way to survive this incident was to remain silent. He was innocent anyway. He didn''t intend to cause an uproar. His hands were clean. Even though The Blair Witch Project did well and he recouped his investment, the damage it did to him was much worse. +++++++ [Author''s Note: There will be another chapter a few hours later. Tomorrow, I will also post two chapters.] Chapter 189 Chapter 189 Two decades ago, Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment, even though he was "innocent". He never did anything bad like that, according to him. He was innocent! He was free from the sin of sexual harassment. He had many "friends" who could testify against the accusations. However, the "friends" he had began to distance themselves from him because of the incident he had instigated right now. Harvey Weinstein was cleverly avoiding the media, but he knew he would still get a backlash. The Miramax team predicted that The Blair Witch Project would exceed $100 million at the North American box office, but it would be difficult for it to exceed $200 million. In this regard, Harvey Weinstein knew that the publicity he did was fruitful. Still, there would be cuts before he could get his share of the pie. Cinema Alliance would, of course, take 40% of the box office. On top of that, the distributor of The Blair Witch Project would also take a 30% cut. Miramax didn''t dare to distribute the film because of the danger it might pose... But their meticulous planning was useless anyway. Well, the remaining box office share would be 30%, at least $30 million. Harvey Weinstein invested about $10 million in advertising and movie prints, so the profit would be at least $20 million. Unfortunately for the fat guy, it seemed that this movie would bring him zero profit. The four families of the deceased wanted $10 million each! Harvey Weinstein was the mastermind behind the promotion of The Blair Witch Project. This unique viral marketing caused four deaths after the riot that happened in Burkittsville, Maryland. Knowing that Harvey Weinstein would be implicated, he decided to settle the matter out of court. With money, he hoped the four families would drop the lawsuits. Initially, the four families asked for $20 million! But this amount was too damaging for Harvey Weinstein and Miramax. Even though the profits from the videotapes were plentiful, most of the money would be used to invest in more movies. Kazir had a grudge against the fat guy and it was the right time to get back at him. However, Kazir didn''t expect a riot to break out and four people to be killed. Kazir''s attitude changed after that. He felt that this was no longer about him. This was not about him taking revenge. People need to know the truth about the Blair Witch. Even though it might get him into trouble, Kazir Grey decided to do the right thing. He used his connections and contacted 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. These two giants had a close relationship with him and would likely cooperate. The rest was history. "I am sure that Harvey Weinstein has his own way of tracking down the leak. He will definitely know that I''m the one responsible for his problem. Heh, let''s leave it at that. He fucked around, so he found out." He was a little disheartened that Harvey didn''t go to jail this time. "He didn''t kill the four people directly and he never incited violence. He just started a massive prank..." As for the sexual harassment allegations, they were overshadowed. Well, the feminist movement was still rising. As far as the #MeToo movement is concerned, it got a lot of recognition because of the internet, which was still in its infancy at the time. Another fact was the people who protected Harvey Weinstein. A lot of people in the industry knew what he did, they just kept quiet about it and act like nothing happened. However, Kazir knew that Harvey Weinstein would go to jail in the future, and he would make sure that certain future was preserved. ++++ [Author''s Note: See you tomorrow.] Chapter 190 Chapter 190 Two weeks after its release, The Blair Witch Project had grossed more than $84 million. Even though the hype was over, some people liked the uniqueness of the found footage movie and decided to see it again. In this aspect, everyone in Hollywood realized the power of viral marketing. However, after studying this method, they learned that it is very hard to replicate this kind of performance. Maybe only The Blair Witch Project could do it. If not for the fact that Harvey Weinstein was caught in a bind, this movie might have been classified as a successful film. Too bad for Miramax, they didn''t make a profit even though the movie was a success. The out-of-court settlement happened quickly because Harvey Weinstein wanted to end the scandal as soon as possible. He didn''t want to stay in the spotlight. In the end, the settlement was $11 million each. It was the best the lawyer could do. It was a miracle that Harvey Weinstein didn''t go to jail this time. Maybe his influence was not that simple. Anyway, this was a big loss for Harvey Weinstein and Miramax. They have learned their lesson and will never try this marketing method again. The news related to The Blair Witch Project slowly faded away as the matter was already over. John F. Kennedy Junior, his wife and relatives were killed in a plane crash. This terrible news alleviated the matter of The Blair Witch Project and people gradually forgot about it. There were still some people protesting in front of Miramax, but the media had already forgotten about them. Maybe next month these people would get tired of protesting as well. Moviegoers started to see other movies after the truth about The Blair Witch Project came out. Eyes Wide Shut was released on July 16, just two days after the release of The Blair Witch Project. This movie, starring Tom Cruise and his wife, Nicole Kidman-Cruise, was affected by The Blair Witch Project and only grossed $21 million in its first week. Eyes Wide Shut was the last movie the couple appeared in together. 2 years later the couple filed for divorce. A week after The Blair Witch Project, The Haunting starring Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones was released. The influence of The Blair Witch Project on this horror movie was quite strong, considering that both were horror movies. Nevertheless, perhaps because of Liam Neeson''s performance over the past few years, The Haunting grossed $33 million in its first week. Liam Neeson was now a famous actor who had an Oscar statue among his achievements. In this case, even his performances were better than Tom Cruise, who never won an Oscar statue. It was crazy how Sony-Columbia agreed to this decision. Maybe they were desperate to keep their position, afraid of losing their edge. Afraid that DreamWorks would take over their position as one of the Big Six. The Bruce Almighty would be released the following year. The movie needed more time in post-production because it had many special effects. Perhaps the bleak August schedule was a good thing because The Bourne Identity had no competition. There was no big movie to compete with. This meant that most of the tickets would be acquired by The Bourne Identity. Unfortunately, some of the universities had already started their school days, and that might affect the box office of The Bourne Identity. "Are you ready?" "Yes!" A group of people shouted in unison. They wore suits for this movie, even the women wore suits. After the success of Matrix a few months ago, the fashion sense of young people was affected. They were wearing black tuxedos, black pants. They look like professional office workers... Knowing that The Bourne Identity was related to Taken and John Wick, these people decided to wear a suit that resembled John Wick''s appearance. These people were loyal fans who supported Kazir Grey. Napoleon Dynamite, The Hangover, Taken, and John Wick. These people have seen at least one of Kazir''s movies and decided to join this group. Um, they call their group the Grey Fans... +++++ [I''ll post another chapter a few minutes later. Let me have a dinner first.] Chapter 191 Chapter 191 Billy and Wallace nodded in agreement as they looked at each other wearing tuxedos. After watching John Wick, the two decided to form a group that would be loyal to Kazir Grey''s movies. Their intention was simple, they just wanted to find people to talk to about Kazir''s movies. They visited IMDb and Yahoo and realized that they were not the only people who were in love with Kazir''s filmography. Especially on IMDb, they found so many avid fans who supported the movies. Then these people slowly formed and some of them created a website for them to talk about Kazir''s movies. Since The Bourne Identity, Kazir''s upcoming movie, was about to be released. The group decided to meet and watch the movie together. Many of them were excited. Billy and Wallace said that to make things interesting, they should wear similar clothes. They chose a suit that looked like John Wick. Having a black suit was not that new, but having a group of people wearing the same outfit was definitely eye-catching. Some of them were literally cosplaying John Wick, with shoulder-length hair and a beard. From a distance, they resemble John Wick quite a bit. This group of John Wick, men and women, were waiting for the premiere of The Bourne Identity. The moviegoers couldn''t help but look at them, and the Grey fans were happy to see their reactions. ...... ... ... At the other theater, Regal Cinema in Los Angeles, the red carpet was already rolled out and people were excited. Most of the people attending the premiere were Sony-Columbia executives, the Grey Pictures crew, film critics and the lucky fans who got tickets. The actors and important people walked on the red carpet and photographers started to take pictures of them. Some actors related to the Continental Cinematic Universe attended the premiere. Even the protagonists of the last two movies were there. Robert Ludlum felt the excitement of the people around him as he waved his hands. It seemed the publicity had been worth it, at least people knew about him. When Robert Ludlum entered the theater, he found Kazir Grey sitting next to Cameron Diaz. "Director Grey, I want to express my sincere gratitude. Thank you for making my dream come true." "My pleasure, I''m glad you gave me the chance to direct this movie." Kazir replied. He knew the profitability of this franchise and was happy to have acquired it. "I believe this movie will be a success." "Indeed." The two agreed. They were confident about the movie. Robert Ludlum saw the movie before the premiere. It was a small screening where people from Sony-Columbia watched the movie to determine the strength of the movie. They would come up with a promotional plan after they saw the movie. Robert Ludlum watched the small screening with his family. He was happy and satisfied as he watched. Of course, he was skeptical about another part of the plot. Fortunately, he had seen Taken and John Wick, so he had an idea about Kazir''s intentions. It was written in the contract that Robert Ludlum would let the director choose the plot as long as the character of Jason Bourne was not bamboozled. Of course, the script had to be approved by him, the creator of Jason Bourne. He was the executive producer of the movie, although his presence wasn''t strong because he was already old and couldn''t participate that much. Even though he was not active, Grey Pictures still paid him a salary of $300 thousand. On top of that, Robert Ludlum would get a 3% cut of the revenues of The Bourne Identity, from the box office to the peripherals. Chapter 192 Chapter 192 [Author''s note: If I remember correctly, the synopsis for this movie is two chapters. So I decided to post another chapter later.] A simple animation logo with two words appeared first, it was the animation opening of Grey Pictures written in Droid Sans font. Next was the usual Sony-Columbia animation logo with a woman raising a torch in her right hand, like the Statue of Liberty. Behind the woman was the word "Colombia". [The movie began with a group of Italian fishermen finding a man floating in the Mediterranean Sea with gunshot wounds in his back.] [The man was unconscious and had no memory of his identity. The fishermen brought him aboard and tended to his wounds.] [When the man awoke, he attacked the person who had cared for him. His memories were blank, but his instincts were there.] [He found a small laser projector implanted in his hip with the number of a Swiss bank account on it]. [He also discovered that he had remarkable fighting and survival skills. This suggested a military or espionage background]. The audience already expected this outcome, since this was an action movie. Of course, the protagonist would have "special skills". It would be boring if the protagonist was weak. What they were interested in was the movie''s relationship to other continental movies. What was Jason Bourne''s role in this big universe of assassins, criminals, and spies? [The protagonist traveled to Zurich, Switzerland, and went to a Swiss bank to get a safe deposit box, which was coordinated in the laser projector.] [When he opened the box, he was thrilled to see his name. There was a passport named after him.] ["Jason, my name is Jason Bourne." He smiled slightly] [However, his happiness immediately faded as he continued to check the safe deposit box. There was a large amount of cash in various currencies. He also found dozens of passports with different names, but the pictures on the passports were his. His face became solemn when he found a gun in the safe deposit box.] ["... A mission to kill someone. One of our members, Cain, has betrayed the Treadstone and is currently on the run. He failed to kill the African dictator Wombosi."] ["Interesting." Raizo grinned and pulled the trigger]. Because the movie was rated PG-13, the dead guy wasn''t bloody and the camera didn''t focus on him. [Jason Bourne went to Paris to learn more about himself. It was a mystery how he could speak French, he thought it had something to do with his past]. Actually, Matt Damon studied French, but his fluency was not that great. He dubbed the French lines so many times until he got a good dub. Almost all the sounds and lines in the movies were dubbed anyway. [While in Paris, Jason Bourne realized that the authorities were looking for him. He didn''t know why, but he felt it would be dangerous to let them catch him.] [Jason Bourne escaped from the police and found an American woman named Marie Kreutz (Cameron Diaz)]. The woman had brown hair in this movie. [Jason Bourne convinced the woman to take him out of town. He would pay her $10,000. The woman was reluctant at first, but she eventually accepted.] [Their escape was not easy. When Jason Bourne and Marie Kreutz went to an apartment owned by Jason, an assassin showed up and tried to kill them.] [Jason Bourne and the assassin sent by Treadstone fought, and Jason Bourne won flawlessly. He suffered no serious injuries compared to the man who jumped off the building so he wouldn''t tell the secret.] [Knowing their location was compromised, the two left the apartment. They decided to stay with Marie Kreutz''s relatives for the time being.] [But only a day passed before someone attacked them. This time the enemy was a sniper]. Chapter 193 Chapter 193 [Jason Bourne blew up a car to fill the house with smoke so the sniper couldn''t find him.] [As he did so, Jason Bourne slowly approached the sniper. He was holding a shotgun that he had found inside the house.] The tension grew, and the audience watched the confrontation. [The sniper was very good at his job and kept Jason Bourne at bay, almost killing him. Jason moved in and successfully shot the sniper]. ["Tell me who you are!" Jason took the moment to ask the bleeding sniper. He was very curious to know his identity.] [Treadstone...] That was the last thing the sniper said before he died. [Jason Bourne was disappointed that he got nothing from the man. Suddenly, the phone in the sniper''s pocket rings.] [Jason answered the call and spoke to Conklin, the leader of Treadstone, but even he was clueless about the High Table and the Fraternity.] [Acting like he knew what he was doing, Jason Bourne hid the fact that he had lost his memory and convinced Conklin to meet him]. [After dealing with the sniper, Jason returned to Marie Kreutz and convinced her to leave. He promised to meet her when everything was over.] [Knowing that Jason Bourne would be prepared for the meeting, Conklin assembled a team to meet him. While waiting for Jason Bourne to show up, some people walked down the street. One of them was Director Kazir Grey, holding a cup of coffee as he said he hadn''t slept much these days]. The audience laughed. A very small comedy in this serious action movie. [The protagonist didn''t let things go according to plan. He waited for the right time, the moment when Conklin was unguarded.] [That time came, and Jason Bourne began to interrogate Conklin. Conklin told him everything he knew. Jason Bourne realized his code name was Cain and his mission was to kill Wombosi, the African dictator. However, Jason Bourne failed to kill the man because Wombosi was with a child at the time. He was shot and fell into the sea.] ["Wombosi was already killed by the Treadstone after your failure." Conklin added] [Then dozens of Treadstone members attacked Jason Bourne. The confrontation was swift but deadly. Jason Bourne even fell to the stairs and suffered injuries.] [Conklin ran and tried to escape, but was killed by one of the Fraternity assassins]. ["Wombosi stopped working with us and we used Treadstone to solve that problem." The man muttered. He sent dozens of assassins after Jason Bourne to wipe out all evidence.] The credits were not for the audience. It was for the production companies. Those credits were for expanding the resume of the crew. These credits were advertisements for the crew members, so they could get jobs. Although its real purpose was to show appreciation for the people who worked to make the movie, simple as that. Even if the credits were over ten minutes long, the filmmakers would still add them at the end of the movie and show over a hundred names because it was the right thing to do. These hundreds of people deserve credit even if they were not actors or actresses. Fortunately, after two minutes of waiting, the post-credits scene began. "Nice! This is what I''ve been waiting for!" The audience became quiet again and watched the short scene. [On the screen, dozens of people were standing in front of the graves. An Arab man was sprinkling dust on the graves. He was the man who appeared in the post-credits scene in Taken, the one who said, "The High Table will never forget."] [The Arabic man turned and faced the black man in the suit (Morgan Freeman)]. When the audience recognized Morgan Freeman, they started screaming. ["I assume you understand why I called you?"] ["Of course," the black man grinned. "I will serve, I will be of service."] The movie ended right there and the suspenseful music began again. People clapped one last time before leaving the theater. Billy and Wallace came out of the theater and found a store selling movie merchandise. They saw gold coins and decided to buy them for the third time... At the Regal Cinema, Kazir Grey and the rest of the cast of The Bourne Identity bowed their heads and thanked the audience. After that, there was an hour-long interview about the making of The Bourne Identity. +++++ [Author''s Note: After reading the summary of Bounce Identity that I wrote, I further realized how much I hate writing summaries.] [Author''s note: I intend to make "Wanted" the Avengers of this universe, where the three protagonists (John Wick, Bryan Mills and Jason Bourne) will appear and gather. The next gathering of the three protagonists will be in John Wick 3, although I''m not sure about that yet]. Chapter 194 Chapter 194 "Um, excuse me. You''re Cameron Diaz, right? Can I get your autograph? I-I like your movies!" A young woman, perhaps in her college years, approached Cameron Diaz with pen and paper. "Oh, sure, honey." Cameron Diaz lowered her sunglasses, smiled sweetly and agreed to give the young woman an autograph. Cameron Diaz decided to take some time to enjoy herself. She went shopping, wearing sunglasses to protect her identity. She had just finished "cuddling" with Kazir. She was actually hoping that Kazir would join her shopping, but the man was busy as usual. Cameron Diaz had two reasons for wearing sunglasses. The first was to prevent people from recognizing her. The second was to hide her tired eyes. She didn''t get enough sleep last night. She did her morning makeup, but it was better to be safe than sorry. She didn''t want a tabloid gossiping about her haggard face. "I saw your movie, The Bourne Identity, and it''s amazing!" "Thank you." Cameron Diaz gave her her autograph and walked away. She didn''t want to stay in the same place or she might attract more people. She decided to go to a famous clothing store to buy a pair of sexy bikinis. Her demeanor was very poised and she exuded confidence in her every move. Three days had already passed since the release of The Bourne Identity. In the month of August, The Bourne Identity may have been the only successful movie released. Friday, August 13, 1999. The first day of The Bourne Identity grossed $13.73 million. On Saturday it made another $14.73 million. On Sunday it grossed $10.68 million. The first three days of The Bourne Identity grossed $39.15 million. It was an obvious success. Few movies this year have done as well as The Bourne Identity. Very few had grossed more than $30 million in their first three days. Based on that, most people in Hollywood believe that The Bourne Identity would maintain its performance. Since there were no major releases this week other than The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Identity naturally took the top spot in the weekly box office. The clerk saw Cameron Diaz''s demeanor and immediately understood that this woman was a big shot. At least she seemed to be able to buy expensive things without hesitation. Probably a woman who could make 7 figures every year. "Hello, ma''am. How can I help you?" Reese bit her lip and walked away without answering. "Fufu, I think I''ll buy these two then." Cameron Diaz was thrilled to see that Reese Witherspoon was affected. As expected, she liked winning. It was fun to watch Reese Witherspoon''s reaction when she showed her the two bikinis. ... ... ... The whole month of August was dominated by The Bourne Identity. There were some movies that had good performances, but they were nothing compared to The Bourne Identity. "Wooh! That movie is really cool, no matter how many times I watched it! I can''t believe how Jason Bourne came out of nowhere like a ninja!" "Yeah, I agree with you." Billy and Wallace came out of the theater. This was the third time they had seen The Bourne Identity that month. They watched it every weekend to refresh their memories. Even though almost three weeks had passed, the attendance rate for The Bourne Identity per theater was still astounding. In their theater alone, nearly 70% of the seats were filled. "Excuse me, sir. Could we take some of your time to answer our questionnaire? We are from CinemaScore." Billy and Wallace agreed, already knowing what answer to write. "A+" They gave The Bourne Identity an A+. After compiling the questionnaires from various theaters, the CinemaScore gave The Bourne Identity an A-! This was a high score! Only one step below A+! With this rating, Hollywood understood that the audience loved The Bourne Identity. After all, this rating was tabulated based on their answers in the questionnaires. Not only that, even the rating of The Bourne Identity on IMDb was 9.3! The fans rated it high. Of course, this rating would change in the long run. Maybe The Bourne Identity would stabilize at an IMDb rating of 8.1. Chapter 195 Chapter 195 The first week of The Bourne Identity grossed $39.15 million. Using this trend, the next week would also be a positive result. Even though The Bourne Identity was released, the promotion didn''t stop. There were many advertisements all over the place, radio stations and TV channels were promoting the movie. People heard the title of the movie everywhere. The word of mouth about the movie was also strong. People liked The Bourne Identity and recommended it to their friends. Even Kazir Grey and Cameron Diaz were seen dating and acting lovey-dovey. The media used this method as another form of promotion. The movie had the same ingredients as Taken and John Wick. Because of this, people were already used to the unique style of the movie. The movie was realistic, but it had a touch of non-realism. Since these ingredients had been shown in the previous movies, people were already used to them and accepted them easily. Together with people''s positive opinion, more moviegoers decided to see The Bourne Identity. There were no good movies in August anyway. The box office of The Bourne Identity for the second week (August 22, 1999) was $68.52 million. August was the least popular month in the summer schedule, so this amount was expected. In fact, this amount was already a huge thing, considering that The Bourne Identity didn''t have a strong cast. Matt Damon and Cameron Diaz were A-list stars, but they were not superstars. Compared to Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Tom Cruise, the cast of The Bourne Identity was A-list at best. Their box office appeal was not star-studded. Anyway, the third week (August 29, 1999) came and The Bourne Identity already grossed $86.60 million. Just $14 million and The Bourne Identity would cross the $100 million mark. The production cost of The Bourne Identity was $50 million. Grey Pictures'' initial investment was $60 million, but it went down to $50 million when all was said and done. A blessing for Grey Pictures as they were short on cash as they have two projects this year. For reference, a movie can generally make a profit if the box office is 2.5 times the production cost. This means that for The Bourne Identity to be profitable, it would have to gross over $125 million. Based on the trajectory of the film, The Bourne Identity would exceed $150 million. Of course, that was based on statistics and probabilities. No one knows the future, uh, except Kazir Grey... ''The North American box office for The Bourne Identity will be around $150 million. That''s a good business. After all, we have the overseas release to get more profit.'' The William Morris Agency (WMA) tried to contact him again. This time they expressed their thoughts and hoped that Kazir Grey would return to his "original home". They said that Carl Morin and Lawlor Dean no longer worked at WMA and that no one would harass him again. ''Bullshit, they only want me because of my status and power to get them roles for their clients.'' CAA loved him for that. Most members of his cast came from CAA. Not only WMA, but even UTA (United Talent Agency) tried to get him on their roster. They dropped the contract down to 2% commission! They were crazy. Unfortunately for them, Kazir was not interested. What he needed was stability. The Continental Cinematic Universe was still in its infancy, and he didn''t want to cause trouble. Besides, his relationship with Salvatore Barlowe and CAA was going well. Much better than with WMA, who kicked him out. ''I don''t want to tell Cam, but an agent actually tried to push his client on me just for a role. Of course I never agree.'' The actress was beautiful, but Kazir was immune to beautiful women. He had no reason to have sex with a woman just because his libido was boiling. He was mature enough to control his primal urges. Not only that, but even his crew members got caught in the turbulence. They were getting recruited by other studios, leaving Kazir and the production to find new workers to takeover their positions. ''Freddie from the camera department was hired by a production studio to direct a small budget movie. I don''t blame him. If I were in his position, I''d take the risk.'' Some of the important people in the crew were almost kidnapped as well. Enticing them with higher salary and better position. ++++ [Author''s note: I know it''s late, but rest in peace to Akira Toriyama, the Mangaka/Creator of Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, Blue Dragon, and Dragon Quest (Artist). His creations are masterpieces that created many childhood memories for me and many people. His legacy will never be forgotten]. [Another Note: I know I was gone for a almost a week now. I have no excuse, I reached the point of my life where I want to spend my whole day laying in my bed, watching YouTube shorts and do nothing. And yes, I fucking hate myself.] Chapter 196 Chapter 196 Even Harold Witsend and Renner Hector were contacted to leave the crew. Fortunately, the two guys talked to him and Kazir decided to keep them by increasing their salaries. Kazir was not stupid. They were friends, but money was also important. He had to give them more money because they were worth it. Harold and Renner were important people in his crew and he didn''t want to let them go. ''One thing is obvious. Somebody is trying to cause trouble.'' For this thing to happen all at once was very suspicious. Well, Kazir had an idea what was going on. ''I think the pig is oinking again.'' With Harvey Weinstein''s connection, he could solve the puzzle and find the root of the problem. First of all, Kazir had personally seen The Blair Witch Project, and Harvey Weinstein probably knew about it. Harvey Weinstein knew the person who destroyed his plan. With a little research, he would definitely find out that Kazir Grey was also interested in The Blair Witch Project. ''We never had a good relationship anyway.'' Their first meeting might have been friendly, but that was it. Harvey is never a good person. The fact that he went to jail speaks a lot about it. The feminist movement was still in its infancy, and it wouldn''t reach its peak until the Internet age. The #MeToo movement would happen with the help of the internet. After a rare day off from work, Kazir Grey lay down and relaxed his mind. Cameron Diaz let him rest his head on her lap. The nervousness he felt due to the constant pressure of the film''s release disappeared when the film did well at the box office. The film crossed the $100 million mark at the box office within four weeks of its release. More and more people were interested in the cinematic universe that Grey Pictures was creating. The road to success for the Continental Cinematic Universe was becoming clear. ''Once Taken 2 is released, the next movie will be Wanted and it will be the first movie where the three protagonists will appear... Damn, I said I don''t want to think about work and I want to relax instead. But I can''t help thinking about work...'' Kazir sighed. Maybe thinking about his movie projects was indeed a way to relax. Just like that, September flew by. More than 3 weeks passed and "The Bourne Identity" grossed $128.36 million. It already surpassed the 2.5 times production cost base. Unfortunately, the progress of The Bourne Identity would be slower as its theaters went down to 1300 theaters. This was a normal occurrence and it was already good that The Bourne Identity maintained more than a thousand theaters. Maybe next week the number of theaters showing The Bourne Identity would be even lower. Well, even if The Bourne Identity didn''t make money at the box office, Grey Pictures had plenty of ways to make money from it. While The Bourne Identity was in its 8th week of release in North America, the international release was already two weeks ago. The overseas box office for The Bourne Identity was around $78 million. The impact of Taken and John Wick overseas affected The Bourne Identity and gave it a better performance than Grey Pictures expected. It may only be four weeks before The Bourne Identity grosses over $100 million overseas. ... ... ... October 15 arrived. Kazir Grey and Cameron Diaz attended a movie premiere. Kazir was actually the one who wanted to see this movie, and Cameron joined him because they wanted to promote The Bourne Identity, which was still in theaters. "I''m excited to see this movie... By the way, we don''t talk about the title of the movie." "Kazir, babe, I have no idea what you''re talking about," Cameron muttered, smiling into the camera. Kazir Grey and Cameron Diaz were about to see F**** C***, directed by none other than David Fincher. +++++ [Author''s Note: I respect the rules of F**** C***.] Chapter 197 Chapter 197 F*ght Cl*b was one of David Fincher''s masterpieces. It was a cult classic that remained relevant for the next three decades. People loved to watch the F*ght Cl*b The movie was based on a novel and David got the movie rights because he loved it so much. He wanted to direct the movie because of course it had an amazing plot. They invited Brad Pitt to join the movie. David Fincher and Brad Pitt had a good relationship and this was their second time working together. This would not be their last time working together, a few years later Brad Pitt would also star in another David Fincher movie. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Se7en, F*ght Cl*b, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. These three movies had interesting plots and David Fincher filmed all of them. He was good at his genre, the noir genre. After Kazir and Cameron entered the theater, the cast came out one by one. Kazir and Cameron were not the stars of this movie, they were just guests. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton appeared and did short interviews... Fortunately they were not high this time. At the Venice Film Festival four weeks ago, the first premiere of F*ght Cl*b took place. The movie was interesting, but the participants hated it. At this time, Hollywood movies were better than foreign movies. It may sound condescending, but it was the truth. The directors from different countries who participated in the film festival understood the importance of winning. First of all, the Venice Film Festival was in Europe, and European directors never liked Hollywood. The critics and the directors hated the film. This hatred was directed at the crew of F*ght Cl*b, and Brad Pitt and Edward Norton clearly felt it. The Venice Film Festival lasted ten days, so to cope with the situation, Brad Pitt and Edward Norton decided to smoke weed. Yes, they were high while the F*ght Cl*b had a premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Of course, F*ght Cl*b never won the Venice Film Festival. But the funny thing was that Eyes Wide Shut, directed by Stanley Kubrick, won the FilmCritica "Bastone Bianco" Award. It seemed that Hollywood movies were still doing well at European film festivals. So yes, Brad Pitt and Edward Norton were not high this time. At least it didn''t seem that way. The film''s premiere in the United States was peaceful. Kazir Grey talked to David Fincher and congratulated him even before the film was released. David was happy that Kazir was confident in his movie, it eased his nervousness a bit. Unlike David Fincher, Kazir Grey knew the outcome of the movie. Although F*ght Cl*b didn''t do well at the box office because of its theme and plot, it did very well on videotape sales. After talking to many people, Kazir returned to his seat. He looked around and saw Cameron Diaz talking to her friends. She also returned as the theater filled with people. The movie started and the audience focused on the big screen. ... ... ... "This is very interesting." Kazir muttered as he looked at the newspaper. He realized that his existence was indeed changing the future. Now he wondered how many changes he would live to see. The front page of the newspaper was about the big movie release this week, which was F*ght Cl*b. The movie was distributed by 20th Century Fox, and the newspaper Kazir was reading was owned by News Corporation. The headline read, "Fight Club grosses $31 million after one week in theaters." Kazir was skeptical, because according to what he remembered, F*ght Cl*b would only make $101 million at the worldwide box office. This meant that the first week of F*ght Cl*b should be lower, definitely not $31 million. But the reality was in front of him. The box office of F*ght Cl*b increased in this timeline. "Based on its first week, Fight Club could gross over $100 million in North America alone. If that happens, then the overseas box office will also be around $100 million." +++++ [Author''s Note: There will be another chapter a few minutes later.] Chapter 198 Chapter 198 If everything went well with F*ght Cl*b, the movie would gross $200 million at the worldwide box office. That was a huge deal. "Haha, it looks like 20th Century Fox and David Fincher reconciled this time." He still remembered how 20th Century Fox banned David Fincher after the tragedy of Alien 3. Anyway, David Fincher was his friend and Kazir Grey was happy to see his friend succeed. "... Sigh, maybe he will invite me to drink again." Drinking with David Fincher was a bad idea. Kazir decided to open the next page of the newspaper and read the contents. There was an explanation why F*ght Cl*b was doing well even in October. The one who wrote the article was a movie critic. Kazir raised his eyebrows when he saw his name. The film critic said that the aesthetic of the filmmaking was changing. After the release of Kazir Grey''s films and the Wachowskis'' Matrix, people became interested in watching action films with serious stunt choreography. Especially Kazir Grey''s hand-to-hand combat. The action movies created by Kazir Grey emphasize making the fight scenes as grounded and realistic as possible. Although Kazir''s movies had a bit of the supernatural, such as bending bullets and ninjas, people preferred to watch that rather than a topless man raining bullets with a heavy machine gun without reloading. Because of this, the performance of F*ght Cl*b was affected and brought a better box office. "So this critic is saying that I''m the reason why Fight Club is thriving, is that right?" Kazir tilted his head and wondered. He knew that he was changing the future, and it seemed that he was indirectly changing the future of F*ght Cl*b, too, because of his movies. Anyway, David Fincher was his friend and he was happy that his movie was successful. ... These are just the major countries that contributed to the international box office for The Bourne Identity. Keep in mind that Sony-Columbia distributed the films in hundreds of countries. Of course, local theaters would get a cut of the box office. Sony-Columbia might get $28 million. Not bad, honestly, but not good either. At least they spent less money on international promotion. Matt Damon and the cast of The Bourne Identity flew around the globe for a month just to promote the movie, it was very exhausting... Kazir was not with them because he had another project to take care of. The worldwide box office for The Bourne Identity was $285 million. There was a good chance that it would cross the $300 million mark. If there was one thing that Sony-Columbia was disappointed about, it was the fact that they could only get 20% of the videotapes and DVD sales of The Bourne Identity. They were only the distributor of The Bourne Identity and Grey Pictures owned all the copyrights. Since The Bourne Identity was part of a huge Cinematic Universe, and once that Cinematic Universe became a huge success, many people would be interested in buying the videotapes to complete their sets. With that in mind, the videotapes and DVD sales of The Bourne Identity could be over $100 million in its first year. And Sony-Columbia could only lick 20% of that huge amount. Another thing, Robert Ludlum was the author of the Jason Bourne novels, and he also had a piece of this delicious pie. Even though the 3% revenue cut was small compared to Sony-Columbia, it was still 7 to 8 figures in cash. As long as Grey Pictures sold the videotapes and DVDs or rented the movie to an online movie platform, Robert Ludlum would get 3% of the revenue. Everybody got their piece of the pie, and everybody was happy. Everybody got their profit, no matter how big or small it was. It was a win-win situation, although Grey Pictures had the last laugh. They were able to make more than $100 million at the box office this time. After all that, Grey Pictures still didn''t have time to celebrate. Because Taken 2 would be released in the first week of November, distributed by Paramount Pictures. This time Fremont Smith was the one who was having a hard time because of stress. His iconic afro was long gone, he cut his hair short because he didn''t have time to take care of it lately. He was so busy working on Taken 2 that he didn''t have time to take care of himself. ++++ [Author''s Note: Not gonna lie, this chapter is super clunky to read.] Chapter 199 Chapter 199 Fremont Smith lost weight. He was usually a positive guy who had a strong passion for movies. Right now, Fremont lost his happy mood and was very serious. He was still passionate about his dream of becoming a director. Now that he had become one, he realized that it was not easy at all. He had worked under Director Grey''s crew and gained considerable knowledge. But standing in that position and taking responsibility for the possible failure of the movie was very stifling. Now he realized that Director Grey, his mentor, was a monster for doing his job so well. Because of the pressure, there was a time when Fremont would explode and lash out at the newbies. He found an outlet. A natural reaction to such a situation. Fortunately, he didn''t have much strong intention to say hurtful words... He just said some wild things, even calling the new crew members the N-word. Fremont was amazed that Kazir never got to the point of acting crazy on the set. Fremont felt that his behavior was not enough. Actually, a lot of directors in Hollywood were arrogant and had a shitty attitude. That was their way of adapting. As the director of a movie, he should be assertive and never show any weakness. Otherwise, the crew and cast won''t take him seriously. As for lashing out at the crew and cast, so many directors have done that, almost endlessly if you list them. The beef between actors and directors were never ending. The small screening of Taken 2 was held in the private theater of Paramount Pictures. Fremont saw many people from Paramount, most of them related to production and publicity management. Even the higher-ups attended the little screening. Brad Grey and the others were watching Taken 2. Kazir Grey was sitting next to the CEO, taking the movie seriously. So far, everything was going well. Perhaps working with Kazir Grey for a few years had an effect on Fremont Smith''s filmography. He used a fast cutting style so often. Fast cutting is an editing technique that refers to several consecutive shots of short duration, about 3 seconds or less. Taken 2 used the editing style a lot and made the tension build up. Unlike Kazir, who had ''references'' to follow, Fremont relied on his knowledge and experience to make a proper cut. "Fremont, we are both directors now. Just call me Kazir." "You are my mentor in this industry and I have learned so much from you." "Well, calling me director is better than teacher or mentor... On second thought, I think it should be better to call me director." Kazir was not used to being called teacher or mentor. First of all, he knew that he was not a good director. Even though this would be the last time Paramount would distribute their film since their contract ended, the company put a lot of importance on Taken 2. After seeing Taken 2, they believed that the box office would not be bad. "Congratulations again," Kazir said. He decided to keep Fremont''s cut because it was close to his expectations. Fremont''s version was close to the original Taken 2, which Kazir Grey watched in the past. ....... ... ... After the extensive promotion that Paramount and the cast of Taken 2 did, the first week of November arrived and Taken 2 would set sail at the box office. In that month, the toughest opponents that Taken 2 would face would be Toy Story 2 and 007: The World Is Not Enough. As for horror movies, there were a lot of them, and moviegoers were divided on which horror movie to see. The highest grossing horror movie in November was Sleepy Hollow, starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci and directed by none other than Tim Burton. Chapter 200 Chapter 200 [Congratulations to myself for writing 200 chapters. It''s not easy to write a story so this is basically an achievement in my opinion.] November 4th, 1999. The Paramount Theatre is an art deco concert hall located at 2025 Broadway in downtown Oakland. When it was built in 1931, it was the largest multi-purpose theater on the West Coast with 3,476 seats. It was used for many purposes, including Broadway shows and movie premieres. Today, the Paramount Theatre would be used for the premiere of Taken 2. The cameras flashes all over the red carpet. People would scream when an actor arrived. Matt Damon attended the premiere of this movie and was very interested in the performance of the movie. The Bourne Identity had already finished its North American run and the final box office was $162 million. As for the overseas box office, some countries have already finished the screening while others are still in progress. As of now, the overseas box office was around $197 million. Combining the North American and international box office, The Bourne Identity has grossed more than $359 million. Grey Pictures already got some of the money from the international box office and they were quite generous. Grey Pictures gave Matt Damon a bonus of $1.6 million after the settlement. This was Matt Damon''s best movie and this was his biggest bonus. Even Miramax was too tight to give him a million dollars for Good Will Hunting. Matt Damon stepped onto the red carpet and welcomed by deafening screams. It seemed that the effect of The Bourne Identity on many people was obvious. He was not super famous then, but now he realizes that his appearance is recognized by many people. Even though they usually call him Jason Bourne instead of his real name. Well, that was a common occurrence in the industry. Matt Damon was actually with Ben Affleck, but the guy didn''t use the red carpet to enter the theater. Ben Affleck used the back entrance to enter the theater. Ben Affleck expressed his jealousy that Matt Damon got a big role and his movie was successful. Since they were best friends, Matt Damon took the opportunity to introduce Ben Affleck to director Kazir Grey. He guessed that Grey Pictures would expand their projects and Ben Affleck had a chance to work with Kazir Grey. While being interviewed and asked for his opinion on Taken 2, another deafening scream hit Matt Damon and the reporter. "Thanks, man." Armageddon was released last year and Ben Affleck was one of the stars of the movie. Of course, the protagonist of the movie was Bruce Willis. The recognition he got from Armageddon was not bad, but not good either. At least nothing compared to "Jason Bourne". More people were into realistic action movies these days and The Bourne Identity had a good run at the North American box office. Compared to A.J. Frost from Armageddon, Jason Bourne was more popular. Ben Affleck and his agent wanted to find good projects that would give Ben Affleck the lead role. He was tired of being a supporting actor, he wanted to be the protagonist this time. There was a rumor that Grey Pictures would produce two movies next year. The first one was John Wick Chapter 2 while the second one was still a secret. In this secret project, Ben Affleck was interested in getting the main role. If possible, he wanted to talk to Kazir Grey and hoped that he would have a chance to see the script. However, Ben Affleck looked around and realized that some renounced actors were also in the theater! Unlike Ben Affleck, most of these actors entered the theater on the red carpet! He saw Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Johnny Depp! Hell, even Bruce Willis was in the theater! The star of Die Hard, The Sixth Sense, and Armageddon! Bruce Willis saw that Ben Affleck was at the premiere and nodded. Ben Affleck nodded back. ''As expected, I''m not the only one interested in Kazir''s next project.'' Ben Affleck sighed. Kazir Grey didn''t like parties and he stayed in his office most of the time. He was very difficult to meet. This was the rare moment when Kazir was out in public. Chapter 201 Chapter 201 So many actors actually tried to invite Kazir to their parties, but Kazir always declined. For someone like Ben Affleck, who had no connection to Kazir Grey, this was a rare opportunity to talk to the director. But it seemed that Ben Affleck was not the only one who thought about it. Just the fact that there were famous actors in this theater was amazing. "Looks like this is going to be difficult for you, Ben." Matt Damon shrugged and Ben Affleck nodded solemnly. He had so many rivals who wanted to work with Kazir Grey. That was good and bad. Bad because Ben Affleck had so many rivals who wanted to get the role. Good because many actors were confident that Kazir''s next movie would be a success. Few people knew, but Kazir''s next project was called Wanted. A movie featuring all the protagonists of the Continental Cinematic Universe! Surely this movie would be huge. As this was happening, Kazir was talking to the higher-ups at Paramount. Cameron Diaz was standing at his side, hugging his arm. She was wearing an elegant halter dress and was smiling. The two were still keeping their relationship in the public eye. But the couple had already decided when to separate. They were adults and knew that this relationship was just a fake one. Of course, the two had fun while in a relationship. Kazir Grey was a nice lover and Cameron Diaz could testify to that. In truth, she wanted to continue the relationship, but she knew that Kazir Grey didn''t. She was hurt, but she knew how it worked. At least her fame improved after The Bourne Identity. She had more projects. Even Charlie''s Angels was coming out the next year and she spent most of her time on set. So yeah, she didn''t have time to get into a serious relationship. After Kazir and Cameron talked to Brad Grey and the Paramount people, the two returned to their seats. They found Matt Damon and Ben Affleck approaching. Matt Damon greeted them. He shook hands with Kazir and hugged Cameron Diaz. Then Matt Damon introduced them to Ben Affleck. Ben Affleck was an actor and he had good roles in the last few years. But he was nothing compared to Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise. "Oh yes, I know you, Mr. Affleck," Kazir replied. He knew Ben Affleck very well. The man who wore the Daredevil costume. Grey Pictures won''t put all their eggs in one basket. They have other actors to choose from, like Christian Bale. This "Sigma" actor was trying to break into Hollywood with a crazy role in American Psycho. Another actor was the handsome Orlando Bloom. Ewan McGregor could also be invited. The upcoming young version of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Grey Pictures had a lot of actors to choose from. Now that their studio was producing great movies, many actors were interested in working with them. The actors Kazir preferred were still unknown, and Kazir was sure that these actors would be happy to get the role, no matter what the salary. For small actors like them, exposure was more important than salary. That was the only way they could get more jobs. Ben Affleck did his best to make a good first impression. He didn''t want to waste this opportunity. His friend had already helped him, and it was time for him to do his part. Taking a deep breath, Ben Affleck tried to speak to Director Grey. "Director, may I ask if you..." "Don''t worry, I will send you the script tomorrow. Of course, you will have to sign a confidentiality agreement." Before Ben Affleck could even say his part, Kazir Grey already replied. "Y- Yes. Thank you, Director Grey." Ben Affleck didn''t deny Kazir''s goodwill. Having the script meant he had a better chance at the audition. +++++ [So here I am promoting my Pat reon for the nth time. You can read up to 151 advanced chapters by subscribing to my Patr eon]. http s://ww w.patre /Puji_ma ki Chapter 202 Chapter 202 After talking with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Kazir Grey and Cameron Diaz returned to their seats. Director Fremont Smith was sitting next to Kazir. His expression was a mixture of nervousness and excitement. He was greeting so many people. His agent, Salvatore Barlowe, told him to make a connection as early as possible. Fremont understood the importance of having relationship with the important people in the industry. In fact, the main reason he got his job was because of his connection with director Kazir Grey. And for that he was grateful. He knew that it would be impossible for someone like him to get this mantle easily after working in the industry for almost four years. Some of his colleagues who started the same year as him were even jealous and hated him. There was a time when he tried to invite them to work for him and be a part of his newly formed crew, but some of them declined his offer. They didn''t feel comfortable working with someone who was on the same level as they were a year ago. On top of that, Fremont Smith was just a new director and this would be his first project, no one had confidence in him. It was a miracle that he became the director of Taken 2. He thought that the cinematographer Renner Hector would direct this movie, but Fremont got it. When Kazir offered him the director''s chair, Fremont knew this was his chance to take things seriously. So he immediately agreed. Fremont felt bad that Renner Hector didn''t become the director. He knew that Renner Hector was good at camera angles and making beautiful shots. But instead, Renner Hector encouraged him. He told him to have fun instead of worrying. Well, Fremont did have fun, but the pressure was still strong and he struggled to keep his mind calm. "Fremont? Fremont?" "Huh?" Fremont Smith snapped back to reality when he realized that someone was calling his name. He turned to his side and found his mentor, Director Grey, calling him. "Fremont, are you okay? I was calling your name, but you''re not responding." Kazir was talking to Fremont Smith. Working with Scarlett Johansson made Kazir promise never to work with underage actors again. They were very disruptive. "No," Fremont Smith shrugged. "She''s actually very reasonable and modest. In fact, she is always on time, unlike Liam Neeson and Brianna Evans, who have a 30-minute grace period before starting work." Fremont Smith smiled bitterly. His position on the set was weaker than that of Liam Neeson and Brianna Evans. He was already grateful that the two showed him respect. Otherwise, the filming would take a long time. "..." ''What? Scarlett Johansson is acting like a reasonable child? What is going on in the world?'' Kazir Grey was inwardly stunned, but his expression remained normal. It was possible for a person to change, but his opinion of Scarlett Johansson was quite solid after working with her. The little girl was annoying. Kazir had no intention of working with her again as long as she kept her bratty attitude. Not even if Salvatore Barlowe begged him to. After the conversation, the theater went dark. A few seconds passed before the screen lit up. Movie trailers promoted by Paramount were shown before Taken 2 began. Two movies caught Kazir''s attention. Mission: Impossible 2 was scheduled for release next year, maybe in the summer. It seemed that Paramount was putting so many resources into this movie because they were already promoting it. The second movie that piqued his interest was What Women Want, starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. He didn''t have a close relationship with Mel Gibson, but the actor had made a strong impression on him. Especially the time when Mel Gibson warned him about Jeffrey Epstein. And for that he respects the guy. After the movie trailers, Taken 2 started. An animated Grey Pictures logo greeted the audience. Then came the iconic animation logo of Paramount Pictures. A mountain with stars above it. The audience fell silent as the movie began. Chapter 203 Chapter 203 [The first scene was about a father mourning the death of his son and relatives. Unlike the Arab last time who looked like a wealthy person, this old father looked simple and solemn with an unkempt beard and short gray hair]. [He was the father of one of the traffickers killed by Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson)]. [Their family had business related to crimes such as human and drug trafficking]. [While the father was mourning the death of his family, a phone call came and woke him up from his depression]. [When the father answered the call. He talked on the phone for a few seconds before nodding.] ["I understand... I will go with your plan". He answered and ended the call]. The audience had the feeling that Bryan Mills'' enemies were not easy this time. The people who saw the post-credits scene of The Bourne Identity last time knew that an Arab man, who seemed to be part of the so-called High Table, wanted to kill Bryan Mills. But now it looked like another group was joining the fight. Even though Bryan Mills was a retired CIA agent, his presence alone was not enough to take on an entire criminal organization, let alone two! After these little bits, the title of the movie appeared, "Taken 2". [Bryan Mills was cleaning a car when someone offered to help him. The person was none other than Kazir Grey.] [Bryan Mills just smiled and said, "Thanks, but I can do it alone."] The audience knew that every Continental movie had a part where director Grey would appear! It was already an obvious fact. In fact, the audience was waiting for the moment when Kazir Grey would appear. But who would expect that Director Grey''s cameo would happen within five minutes of the movie? People clapped and started shouting Kazir''s name. Kazir Grey was already a famous director and many people recognized him. Now that he has shown his face in every movie of the Continental Cinematic Universe, even more people recognize him. While looking at the screen, Kazir touched his chin and chuckled. When they filmed this scene, the director still had a beard and looked much older. [Kim''s boyfriend opened the door to find a stranger. A man who looked to be in his 40s, he looked ordinary but there was something about him.] [He greeted the boyfriend: "Hi, I''m Bryan Mills. I''m Kim''s father."] [The boyfriend was surprised at first, but he introduced himself as well. Kim showed up, a little surprised and angry at her father]. ["Remember, you told me to teach you how to drive so you could get your license." Bryan said and Kim nodded. Still, she didn''t like it when her father showed up unexpectedly and interrupted her time with her boyfriend.] [The father and daughter went to the car.] ["I can''t believe you did this. Did Mom tell you?" Kim Mills spoke to her father as she drove cautiously]. ["Look at the light. No, your mom never told me your boyfriend''s address." Bryan replied.] ["I see...so you tracked me with GPS."] ["Kim, you have to understand. I''m trying my best. I don''t want that to happen again."] ["I understand... Thanks, Dad." She couldn''t blame her father. Kim knew her father was worried about her.] [She had seen her father save her from the hands of criminals. She knew how far her father would go to make sure she was safe.] After the incident in France, their lives returned to normal. But the peace wouldn''t last long. [A few days later, Bryan Mills went back to Lenore''s house to teach Kim how to drive. A car came out of the house and passed him. Bryan recognized the person driving the car; it was Lenore''s husband.] [As Bryan Mills looked at the door, he found Lenore in tears. He approached the woman and asked her about her problem.] [Lenore said that in order to repair their relationship, she asked her husband if he wanted to go to Istanbul, Turkey, and have some fun. Everything was set and prepared. But today her husband said he had to work and wanted to cancel the trip. It broke Lenore''s heart. She prepared this vacation for them to reconcile.] Chapter 204 Chapter 204 [Author''s note: The synopsis might be longer this time because I''m trying to expand the plot of the Continental Cinematic Universe.] +++++ [Seeing Lenore''s pitiful appearance, Bryan Mills decided to invite her to Istanbul instead. Of course, Kim, their daughter, would be with them.] [As the family began to reunite, the scene changed to a place where a group of people were preparing snipers and rifles. They looked professional, but they didn''t look uniform. One of these people was Marcus, the assassin from John Wick who saved John from death.] [Marcus was hired by the Fraternity to kill a retired agent. His relationship with the Fraternity was complicated, but he accepted the mission anyway. After all, the power of the Fraternity, one of the pillars of the High Table along with the Bowery and the Continental Hotel, was enormous.] [A single man like Marcus could never face such a dangerous organisation, even if he was a highly respected assassin. He specialised in the use of sniper rifles. Maybe if he teamed up with John Wick, the Fraternity could be wiped out.] [However, John Wick had no valid reason to destroy the Fraternity]. [In hand-to-hand combat, John Wick was far superior to him]. [There were actually two groups in this mission. The first was the Fraternity and the other was a revenge group. Apparently their relatives had been killed by the target and they were trying to kill him and his family to get even.] [If there was anything confusing about this mission, it was the fact that the High Table would send so many people to kill a father and his family. The High Table even makes contact with the Fraternity. Perhaps someone from the High Table was eager to end the target''s life.] [As to why, Marcus had an idea. Probably a person died and someone from the High Table wanted revenge.] [Anyway, his relationship with the Fraternity was souring and he wanted to end his career after this. Yeah, just like John Wick.] [Leaving that dark secret world was not easy. It was a miracle that John Wick had the chance to do so. Unfortunately, some bastard killed John Wick''s dog and the Baba Yaga returned to this accursed world.] [Marcus wanted to leave this world. He wanted to quit this job and end his career as a hitman once and for all. He wanted a new life, for him and...] [While hiding from the snipers, Bryan Mills killed the criminals one by one]. [Sadly, Bryan Mills surrendered when he realised the enemy had captured Lenore. He called his daughter and informed her of their situation before dropping the gun.] [Kim Mills, hearing her father''s seriousness, became both alert and nervous. She remembered what had happened in France two years earlier]. ["Listen to me carefully, Kim. Your mother and I are going to be taken away. They''ll come for you too. Leave this place calmly. Go now." Bryan smashed the phone after calling his daughter]. [Left with no choice, Bryan dropped the gun and the enemies started beating him.] [Perhaps because of their intentions, the criminals didn''t kill Bryan and Lenore on the spot. They wanted Bryan to suffer as they had suffered. They would kill his loved ones in front of him.] [With utmost concentration, Bryan Mills did his best to use his sense of hearing to remember their route]. [Then the two were taken to different rooms. Bryan Mills was left alone in the room with his hands tied.] [But the man was always prepared, he had a little gadget (phone) that he could use to contact people. He tried to contact his friend first, but he didn''t answer. Then Bryant called his daughter and Kim Mills answered immediately.] [Kim tried to ask about her mother and Bryan assured her, although Bryan himself had no idea of Lenore''s current situation]. ["Kim, listen to me very carefully. Take the case..."] [Even though it was dangerous, Bryan instructed his daughter to help them escape.] [Kim Mills started running around, throwing weak grenades at specific non popular locations so that Bryan had an idea of where exactly he was. He confirmed that he was not too far from the hotel as he could hear the three explosions]. Chapter 205 Chapter 205 [Author''s note: I know you''re all getting tired of summaries, so am I. So I''m going to post two chapters today to end this summary.] [The leader of the criminals entered the room. He spoke to Bryan Mills and the two had a heated exchange.] ["You killed my son!"] ["He kidnapped my daughter."] [That was their exchange, but they were both determined. Unfortunately for Bryan Mills, he was at a disadvantage in this situation.] [The leader sent Lenore into the room. Then he cut her throat!] The audience gasped, thinking Lenore would die instantly. [But Lenore didn''t die quickly. Instead, she was hanged upside down as blood flowed from her neck.] To make the scene less gruesome and pass the MPAA rating, Lenore''s face was wrapped in a brown cloth sack. To hide the suffering the woman was undergoing. Of course, the person hanging upside down was actually a body double. Still, it was heartbreaking to see Lenore hanging upside down as the brown sack slowly turned red as the blood continued to stain the fabric. [Bryan Mills'' expression were filled with worry and sadness, but he controlled himself. He then contacted Kim after identifying his location. He successfully escaped his restraints and instructed Kim to throw a gun down the chimney.] [Kim Mills was spotted by the sniper and attempted to shoot her. Fortunately, Kim Mills had already stopped throwing grenades and started hiding. She was following her father''s instructions.] [Bryan Mills checked on his ex-wife and sighed with relief after confirming that Lenore was all right]. Unfortunately, Tae-Won Park turned them all down. He knew that the Hong Kong film industry and Hollywood were having a negotiation about hiring talents. Tae-Won Park didn''t want to be a part of that. [Fighting Marcus didn''t leave Bryan Mills unscathed. He suffered an injury to his right arm, but it was not fatal. At least he could move around easily.] [Another group of criminals rushed towards Bryan Mills and the protagonist had no choice but to flee. On the way, he met Kim and found a car.] [The two drove to Lenore''s location, only to find that Lenore had been kidnapped again!] [Bryan Mills and Kim left the location but were pursued by the enemies. As expected, another car chase scene and this time it was much cooler]. No lie, the crew spent almost $2 million just to make this scene happen. They rented a place in Istanbul, let the cars loose, destroyed dozens of cars and shot it. This was the result of that one week of filming. It was a very adrenaline-pumping scene, with cars racing forward and crashing into concrete walls or flipping over. There was something about cars exploding that made men entertained. [Kim and Bryan Mills'' car drove into the US embassy even though their car was half broken.] [Once Kim was safe inside the embassy, Bryan Mills decided that this had to end. Using the connection he had made and his experience, he successfully located the place where Lenore was.] [He entered the house and began killing people in a very quick but cool manner. Getting the attention of the male audience.] [Bryan Mills found the leader of the criminals and gave him a choice - peace or death. The leader/father chose death and Bryan kicked him to the wall where a sharp protruding blade stabbed the leader.] [Then Bryan Mills went on to rescue Lenore and left Istanbul peacefully. It was a holiday the whole family would never forget.] The audience would also never forget this film because the interactions between the characters became clearer and clearer. In this film, Marcus from John Wick fought Bryan Mills and lost, escaping from the protagonist! Chapter 206 Chapter 206 The theatre went dark for a second before the credits rolled. The audience clapped, but didn''t stand up. They already knew the routine. They remained in their seats, waiting for the post-credits scene. The influence of Taken on the female population was quite good and the audience this time had many women, unlike John Wick and The Bourne Identity. The Continental Cinematic Universe was heavily based on male audiences, but the effect of Taken on females gave the cinema a good male/female ratio. If Taken 2 was well-received, then the next film in the Continental Cinematic Universe would also have a large female audience. Well, this time Taken 2 leveled up and the audience could clearly feel the adrenaline. This film was great! Then, a few seconds after the credits rolled, the post-credits scene appeared. [Marcus was walking, limping as he moaned in pain. He was near the shore, where he had a yacht at the ready in case of a dangerous situation.] [This time he realised the enemy was quite strong. Perhaps the retired agent could go head to head with his friend John Wick]. [Before Marcus could reach the shore, his feet stopped near the cliff. Beneath the cliff was a strong current of waves that could engulf anything.] ["Heh, I guess you guys have shown your true intentions." Marcus could not help but chuckle.] [He looked at the two people, his remaining teammates for this mission. There were five, but two were killed by the retired agent.] ["Your relationship with the Fraternity is getting sour and Slone didn''t like that."] ["Is it because I want to retire from this job?" Marcus grimaced. The wound in his left leg hurt.] ["That''s one of the reasons."] [The two Fraternity members raised their guns. Marcus was shot in the chest, but he could still move. Marcus, determined to survive, jumped down the treacherous cliff.] Everything would be decided after the midnight and first day box office. On the basis of these data, the professionals would determine the film''s forecast. Of course, the result might not be 70% or 80% correct. The critics and even the industry professionals thought that Titanic was going to be a huge box office flop after the first week''s data was collected. But instead of falling, Titanic''s box office went up. Nobody knows the future. .... .... ... 4 November 1999. Two big-budget films were released at midnight. The first was Taken 2 from Grey Pictures, distributed by Paramount Pictures. The second was The Bone Collector, distributed by Universal Pictures. In its first 24 hours, The Bone Collector grossed $7 million. To make that amount of money in one day was impressive. Unfortunately for The Bone Collector, it was up against a strong opponent. The first day box office for Taken 2 was a whopping $17 million. That is how many people went to see the film on the first day alone. On top of that, the film''s reputation was strong. Based on this, they concluded that Taken 2''s first-week box office would be huge, around $55-60 million. Only big movies with a lot of promotion could get the same treatment of $60 million in one week. However, most of these big projects were released in the summer. Taken 2 did well despite the timing, even though it was not heavily promoted. It seemed that people just wanted to see the film. Chapter 207 Chapter 207 "I guess this is the end for us." Cameron Diaz smiled bitterly as she put down the tea she was sipping. Just like her expression, the tea was bitter. They decided to go to a cafe? and talk about their future. Knowing the outcome of this meeting, Cameron Diaz felt like drinking tea. "Cam, you''re a beautiful and great woman and I think you deserve better," Kazir replied honestly. "Indeed." Cameron Diaz didn''t deny it. Her status was becoming more prominent these days, and people recognised her ability as an actress. With that as leverage, she could easily marry a millionaire... But there was something about Kazir Grey that satisfied her as a woman. Kazir was a good lover, but he never placed any importance on her and their relationship. As a woman, Cameron Diaz wanted to prove herself and make sure that Kazir fell in love with her. Maybe it was to boost her ego, or maybe she was genuinely interested in Kazir. Either way, the man across the table showed no interest. As if everything was business for him. The only time Kazir looked sincere and happy was when he was working on his film projects. It was as if Kazir had closed his heart with the intention of never opening it again. He found it hard to trust a woman. Cameron Diaz regretted this. If they had met earlier, she might have had a chance in his heart. But reality was cruel. "Then I hope you meet someone who can make you happy." "Thank you, Cam. If you need any help, you can contact me. I''ll try to help as much as I can." "That''s what I like about you." Cameron Diaz giggled. The contract she had signed helped her a lot. She knew that Kazir could see the potential of a film just by reading part of the script. In fact, Cameron Diaz collected scripts from her agent and had them read by Kazir Grey. She wanted to hear his opinion because she felt that Kazir had this premonition thing that could tell the outcome of the film. Of course, she did her best and ''paid'' him for his opinion. In the end, of all the scripts she gave to Kazir. The talented director told her which ones caught his attention. Bridget Jones'' Diary. Kazir said that this film could have sequels if it was done right. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Kazir said that action films starring women would do well at the box office. But Cameron Diaz had already starred in The Bourne Identity and she had a role in Charlie''s Angels. She didn''t want to do any action films for the time being. Orlando Bloom asked his agent on the phone. Orlando Bloom was still in New Zealand filming Lord of the Rings. But he received word from his agent that Grey Pictures was interested in working with him. Grey Pictures was just a new production company, but the films they were producing were all box office hits. For a small actor like Orlando Bloom, working with Grey Pictures was a godsend. The Lord Of The Rings was a famous literary masterpiece, but it had so many characters that his screen time was average at best. Besides, all he did most of the time was look handsome while pulling the string of his bow. Well, using his good looks was a good weapon and Orlando Bloom was grateful for it. However, Orlando Bloom felt that he needed a better platform. He had already read the script of Wanted and he realised that this film could be the biggest film of the next year. Although this film would have John Wick, Bryan Mills and Jason Bourne, the main character was none other than Wesley Gibson. He was the most important character in the film. If there was a chance, Orlando Bloom wanted to talk to Kazir Grey personally. Unfortunately, there was a huge obstacle. Orlando Bloom was a client of WMA. Everyone knew that the relationship between WMA and Grey Pictures was very bad. It was a miracle that Orlando Bloom was invited. So he hoped his agent would do the right thing. -- Don''t worry Orlando, I''m doing this for both of us. The agent, Franklin Maxwell, assured his client. They were both on the same page and wanted to be part of Kazir''s next project. "Thank you, Frank." Orlando Bloom said. But Orlando Bloom didn''t know that agent Franklin Maxwell had another motive for wanting to meet the director. +++++ [Author''s note: I posted an important poll on Patreon about this novel. You might want to check it out, especially if you''ve subscribed to my Patreon and haven''t voted yet. And yes, this is technically a promotion for my Patreon. You can only vote if you''ve subscribed, that''s one of the privileges for supporting me financially]. https://w ww.patr /Puji_m aki Chapter 208 Chapter 208 Kazir has just finished talking to Cameron Diaz. They decided to end their relationship today, no strings attached. First of all, they signed a contract. They had already extended the contract in the hope that Taken 2 would not be affected by their separation. Now that Taken 2 was in its second week, the couple knew it was time to end things between them. Taken 2 was a sequel to a successful film and its performance was not expected to be that bad. By 14th November 1999, Taken 2 had already grossed $90.03 million. This made it the fastest grossing film of November 1999. In fact, Taken 2 was the second fastest grossing film of the year behind Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace. Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace grossed $191 million in its second week... A truly terrifying franchise. This franchise has already taken root and created a culture in the US. The third fastest grossing film was Toy Story 2 with $80 million. The data doesn''t lie and it was clear that Taken 2 was a box office hit. Kazir Grey let Cameron Diaz leave the cafe? first. It would be awkward if they left at the same time. After waiting a few minutes, Kazir Grey decided to leave. After paying, he left the cafe. But before he could reach his car, someone called him from behind. "Director Grey." Kazir turned to see a man. He didn''t know the guy at all. Kazir tilted his head and asked. "Excuse me? Do I know you?" He thought the man was asking for an autograph. Lately, a lot of people had been asking for autographs. His cameo appearances in films made people recognise him. So Kazir Grey always had a pen ready for this moment. "Okay, you can give me some paper and I''ll sign it." "Huh? N- No, director. You have misunderstood. I''m not here for an autograph. I''m Agent Franklin Maxwell of the William Morris Agency. I''m Orlando Bloom''s agent." Franklin Maxwell handed Kazir Grey a business card. The director took the card and confirmed that it was genuine. He was a former client of WMA and knew the design and look of their business card. But Kazir didn''t know about this agent. Well, he didn''t know much about WMA after getting kicked out anyway. Kazir Grey thought that Orlando Bloom could play the role of Wesley Gibson in Wanted, so he decided to invite the guy. "Franklin, I just want to remind you that I don''t want any trouble. But if anything happens, someone will pay for it." "O- Of course, director. Don''t worry, my intentions are pure." ''Pure my ass.'' Kazir thought and followed him. He looked around and confirmed that he hadn''t found any hidden cameras. Of course, hidden cameras were hard to find, but Kazir was a director and he knew where to put cameras to get a better view. So far he had not found any. ''Maybe I''m getting overconfident and thinking I can do anything and overcome anything. Damn, and I thought Hollywood would never affect me...''. A lot of celebrities were arrogant for a reason. When they reached the room, Kazir''s suspicions were confirmed. Franklin Maxwell opened the door and Kazir saw what was inside. He found seven people in skimpy outfits. Seven people... But two of those people were actually men! Their outfits were disgusting! ''What the fuck?'' Kazir was stunned and looked at Franklin Maxwell. "Ahem... I didn''t know your preference, so I decided to add men just to be sure." He blushed in embarrassment. Kazir Grey had few women in his life and some people believe that Kazir was actually gay. Kazir shook his head. He looked at the people and recognised a woman who would become famous a few years later. But Kazir never intended to play that game. "On second thought, let''s talk downstairs. Where people can see us." "A-alright." ++++ [Author''s Note: Yep, I''m still alive.] Chapter 209 Chapter 209 "Director Grey, I promise you I have no bad intentions. I just want to make sure that you are relaxed." Franklin Maxwell realised that Director Grey didn''t like his preparation as they left the private room. Director Grey didn''t even enter the room. After looking at the people in the room, the Director immediately announced that he wanted to talk downstairs instead. Perhaps Kazir was just curious about the agent''s intentions. "I know." Kazir nodded. ''Of course, if you try to blackmail me or release footage of me having fun with five women and two men, then your future in Hollywood is already over. Besides, a lot of directors will lose faith in the WMA if they find out that one of their agents blackmailed me.'' In this situation, Franklin Maxwell and the WMA were at a disadvantage. Kazir Grey was not the person he was five years ago. His connections run deeper and many people would protect him. Even CAA would look after Kazir''s welfare. Kazir''s talent was already proven and many people considered him useful. On top of that, everyone knows that Kazir would never spend his time in a room with strangers. Unless he was drugged or kidnapped. ''If you try to make things difficult, Orlando Bloom will never get a chance to audition and your career as an agent will be over.'' Kazir was now a powerful figure in Hollywood. The WMA usually attacked him indirectly and their means were not that extreme, apart from the domestic violence allegations. They would never put themselves in a difficult position. ''Maybe I''m getting used to this life that I can deduce the WMA''s way of thinking... Money and power are scary things.'' Now that Carl Morin and Lawlor Dean had been thrown out of the WMA, Kazir understood that the grudge was basically over. The two reached the ground floor and Kazir sat down at an empty table. Franklin Maxwell followed suit and sat across him. "Franklin, let me get this straight. I''m not the type to say yes just because there''s some first class pussy in front of me. The people you sent into that room will never sway me. So let me ask you, why are you doing this?" Knowing that Kazir Grey was serious, Franklin Maxwell swallowed hard and decided to speak. This was all or nothing. "Director Grey, I hope you can return to the WMA and become my client." ''As expected...'' Kazir leaned against the chair. It was obvious. This was not the first time an agent had tried to talk to him about changing agencies. He had turned down all their offers, even though some of them had good conditions. ''I''m sure no actress would object to sleeping with a famous director like me. Especially if the actress is new in the business and needs to make connections. '' Talent Agents... They were known for their thick faces and shameless behaviour. They would do anything to get a better deal. This time Franklin Maxwell used a dirty trick. Kazir could only shake his head and laugh. "Franklin, this contract was approved by the WMA, right?" "Of course, although I added a few conditions to make it better. Don''t worry, I think the WMA will do anything to get you signed." "Indeed." This contract was indeed good. Unfortunately, Kazir was no fool. If he signed a contract with WMA, then all the crew members and employees of Grey Pictures would be affected. Most of them were CAA clients. There was a chance that most of them would resign. Kazir didn''t want to risk that. "... Let me think about it. By the way, tell Orlando Bloom to get ready for his audition. The final round of auditions for the lead role will take place in 12 days". Kazir wanted to play a little with WMA and CAA. Although he already had an idea of the outcome. "Yes, director!" Franklin Maxwell was delighted when he realized that Kazir was not against it. At least he had a chance to sign Director Grey. If WMA heard that Kazir was interested in returning to his "roots", the agency would welcome him with open arms. A director who could make blockbuster after blockbuster would be accepted by any agency, no matter what kind of person he was. ++++++ [Author''s note: Kazir will meet a new person (female), one of the seven people who wore skimpy outfits. You can decide who it will be, you have one day to choose because I will write tomorrow. Just vote for it in the poll I will post (Edit: The Patreon poll is already closed and the actress has already appeared in the next chapters. This paragraph is basically useless but I didn''t erase it just because.)]. [One more thing, do you want Kazir to change from good to bad or bad to good? Readers have said that Kazir is too stable and boring. This is a question I want to hear you answers. Feel free to comment]. Chapter 210 Chapter 210 "Thank you, Director Grey!" Franklin Maxwell said goodbye with excitement. The smile on his face almost lit up the afternoon. He was a mid-level agent at the William Morris Agency, and his biggest client was Orlando Bloom, who had successfully landed the role of Legolas in Lord of the Rings. To be honest, he was still not sure about Orlando Bloom because epic novels with fantasy elements were very hard to replicate at this time. The future of Lord of the Rings was unclear. In addition, Franklin heard that the investment in the film was quite tight after Miramax passed the project on to New Line Cinema. So he decided to contact Kazir Grey and hope for the best. He knew the odds were against him, but Franklin Maxwell was an agent. People like him should have a shameless face. His first intention was to talk to Kazir Grey and hopefully convince him to cast Orlando Bloom as the protagonist of his new project. This would be a big break for a small actor like Orlando Bloom. His second plan was to find a way to convince Director Grey to return to WMA and become his client. He honestly felt that this plan would not work. However, never say never, he made a plan and decided to use a beauty trap to lure the director... It didn''t work, but at least Kazir wasn''t averse to the idea. When Franklin Maxwell handed the contract to Kazir Grey, he suddenly realized that he was interested! Though it was small, he sensed that Kazir Grey was interested in the terms of the contract! ''I should talk to one of the vice presidents and convince him to agree to the last condition about sending a client to Kazir''s apartment to warm his bed every week! It''s a win-win situation for both sides.'' Director Grey was the type of person who returned favors. The women who had relationships with him over the years went on to have good careers. Reese Witherspoon. Brianna Evans. Cameron Diaz. It was true that making movies was a profitable business. Making bad movies was profitable, too, once the movie was released on the videotape market. And making adult movies was profitable, too... Anyway, people are visual creatures. They prefer to watch movies or TV shows rather than read or listen to the radio. As long as people consume the products produced by the media, movies will be profitable. Kazir found his car and got in. But someone knocked on the window next to him. Kazir turned to the window and the first thing he saw was a woman''s cleavage. The director frowned and opened the window slightly. He had no idea what was happening. "Hello Director Grey, I''m Jessica Alba! We met earlier." The woman greeted him with a bright, innocent smile. She was so cute that Kazir was stunned for a second before he could answer. "Hm, you''re the one from the room earlier, along with the other six people." "That''s right," Jessica Alba nodded and leaned closer to the window, giving Kazir a better view of her breasts... Kazir noticed that the woman was not wearing a bra. +++++ [Author''s note: I''m not sure if I mentioned Fremont Smith''s salary, so I decided to type in a random number. If I did write one, it means I forgot. I will edit his salary as soon as I confirm it]. [I honestly thought you guys would choose Hale Berry or Jessica Chastain, but it seems more of you prefer Jessica Alba(The poll ended months ago on Patreon)]. [One more thing, don''t take anything I said/wrote seriously. I''m just a simple Filipino guy who never had a good grade in English and Math when I was in school. Honestly, I didn''t even expect that I could actually write a novel. I just want you to have fun and be entertained by my stories. As for the next update, I have no idea when it will be...] Chapter 211 Chapter 211 Jessica Alba. Kazir recognized her face even before she could introduce herself. Looking around the room, he found her face familiar and remembered a certain TV show called Dark Angel. But what made him remember was the woman''s role in Fantastic Four. A movie based on a superhero comic book. Marvel sold the movie adaptation rights to 20th Century Fox along with X-Men. Anyway, he knew Jessica Alba. Kazir Grey studied the woman and noticed that the woman was young and she looked innocent and sweet. ''... Now I wonder how she got into this room.'' Based on his deduction, he believed that Jessica Alba was 18 or 19 years old at most. She looked young. Kazir''s vision traveled down and confirmed that the woman was still wearing her skimpy outfit. A very short skirt that barely covered her ass and an off-the-shoulder top. It would be a lie for Kazir to say that he was not attracted to her appearance. The woman''s appearance screamed at him to do her... Yes, that was Kazir''s conclusion. He rolled down the car window. "Miss Jessica, do you always wear clothes like this?" He asked out of curiosity. "Director Grey, this is the first time I wear a skirt like this, my legs actually feel cold. The reason I''m wearing this is because I heard that I''m going to meet you today." The woman did her best to explain. Kazir looked into her eyes. Kazir was a director and he knew when a person was acting or not, he nodded when he confirmed that the woman was not lying. Unless Jessica Alba was super good at acting, she could not fool a director like Kazir. "Director, can you please give me some time to talk? I know you''re busy, but this is a rare opportunity for me. I want to talk to you." ''... This is the second time this has happened today. Should I agree?'' Kazir had nothing to do today. He had already talked to Cameron Diaz earlier and officially broke up with her. ''...Hehe, it''s funny that I just broke up with her today and yet I''m here talking to another woman. The media might paint me as a womanizer.'' After thinking about it, Kazir nodded. But he never left the car. "W- What? But I thought Reese..." "She never did, I never did." The two had a staring contest. Jessica Alba made her film debut as a child actress in 1994. The movie didn''t have a good performance. The following year, she got a leading role in a movie, but it was only distributed on videotape. After that, she studied acting for four years. This year she had three film projects. That was not bad for a new actress. Unfortunately, she never had a good performance at the box office. Her agent recommended that she audition for movies that had a good chance of doing well at the box office. Everyone in Hollywood knew about the up-and-coming production company called Grey Pictures. They would be releasing another Continental film next year and everyone believed it would do well. Jessica didn''t hesitate and went to the audition. Fortunately, she passed the first audition. However, she understood that it was not easy for her to secure a role. She had to find a way to talk to the casting director. Yes, a very common method in this industry. To have sex with the casting director or other important people in a movie project. This could also happen to male actors. After all, there were many gays, lesbians and bisexuals in the industry. Jessica Alba''s agent told her that another agent was trying to contact Kazir. If the director agreed, he would spend some time in the private room. Jessica accepted the job and wore a very attractive outfit in hopes that Kazir Grey would be entertained. The other six people in the private room thought the same. They needed to make a connection with someone like Director Grey. Unfortunately, Jessica Alba confirmed that the man in the car had his pride and would never succumb to corruption. "Director--" "I''m sorry, Jessica. You can participate in the second round of auditions. If you pass the second round, we will meet at the final round. At that time, I will test you equally based on your ability as an actress. That''s all I can do." The car left the woman standing on the street, quite cold. Chapter 212 Chapter 212 The third week of release of Taken 2 ended and the result was very good. On November 21, 1999, the movie already grossed $132.48 million. The state of Hollywood was getting better and the power of the media was getting stronger. People loved to watch movies on weekends and that was the reason why the box office was better on weekends. Kazir Grey made the most of his time, knowing that he didn''t have much to do lately. The director of Taken 2, Fremont Smith, was out promoting the movie with the cast. They visited many national and local TV shows. Paramount Pictures already promised to promote the movie, they knew that the box office of Taken 2 would make their appetite better. They were also the distributor of the videotapes and DVDs. As long as Taken 2 did well, Paramount would make a better profit from the combined box office and videotapes/DVDs. Sometimes Brad Grey regrets that he didn''t agree with Kazir''s decision. He should have let Grey Pictures invest 30% in the movie, at least Paramount owned the copyrights to Taken. Grey Pictures would have approval rights, but that was nothing compared to the profit that Taken brought in. The influence of Taken in North America was strong because of the viral kidnapping that happened three years ago. That was the main reason why the movie grossed over half a billion at the worldwide box office. Also, Taken was part of a huge universe and every movie seemed to be profitable. Even John Wick, which had an average box office, was raking in money in the videotape market. Obviously, the people who saw Taken also saw John Wick and The Bourne Identity. That means they have to watch the three movies to get the whole plot. So yeah, more money... Paramount Pictures regretted that they didn''t get a share of this huge amount of money! Why the hell did they not agree to Kazir''s terms at the time? If CEO Brad Grey could go back in time, he would slap his past self and yell at him to agree to Kazir''s condition of investing 30% in the movie! Hell, he would even twerk in front of the director to convince him. So many women talked to him every time he attended a party, and they always flirted with him. Movie? No, I want to talk to you about my feelings and how you can give me a role in your next project. Editing cuts? What''s that? Anyway, I want to tell you about my sweet kitten. If you want, you can see it later, my soft tight "kitten"... What about the production crew? Nah, I want to talk to you about producing a baby. Yep, it may sound outrageous, but Kazir has heard these kind of pickup lines lately. Honestly, Kazir Grey wanted to nod his head and say yes to their advances, but his fear of women made him shake his head and walk away. Beautiful female strangers scared him the most. After watching the iconic movie, Kazir Grey got up and changed his clothes. He had a meeting with an investment company. He had heard that his investment had already surpassed $120 million last time, so he was sure it would increase again this time. Now that he was a millionaire, he realized that making money was not so hard... Or maybe he was just delusional. The hardest step in becoming a millionaire was earning the first 1 million. In his past life, his net worth was just over 1 million. His life back then was not that bad, but he was extremely depressed after he got divorced, lost his father, and had no contact with his older brother. He also had never met his mother in his previous life. He had a hard time connecting with the opposite sex and could never put his heart into them, as if he was afraid of getting hurt again. He knew that life was never a bed of roses. This led him to the truth that it was better to be a boring man than a passionate one. At least his expectations would never be high and his pain would be less. [Author''s note: Rereading this chapter, I realized that there is no conversation at all. There''s no reason to have a conversation anyway...] Chapter 213 Chapter 213 Kazir Grey remembered that the dot-com bubble would burst next year, and Kazir was not stupid enough to continue investing in Internet companies. He knew that once the dot-com bubble burst, many industries would be affected. He decided to retrieve all his money and wait for the recession to end. Of course, in the meantime, he would try to find a nice house in Beverly Hills. Beverly Hills was the place where many celebrities lived. It was Kazir''s dream to have a house there. Actually, he could easily buy a house in Beverly Hills with his money, but Kazir decided to wait for the right moment. Many investors had already pulled out of Internet companies, but more investors were crazy enough to invest more because the trend was going up. They felt that if they pulled out, they would lose the chance to make more money and regret it. For Kazir Grey, who didn''t have much knowledge about the stock industry and other companies, he decided to trust his memories. "Um, Director Grey, are you really sure about this?" Vance Goodhood, the financial advisor, wiped the sweat from his brow. Kazir Grey had been his client for almost five years, and he knew that Kazir Grey made millions every year. He was an important client that Vance Goodhood didn''t want to lose. "I''m serious, Vance. I want to take all my money." It was a shock to Vance Goodhood that Kazir Grey wanted to stop investing in stocks and take all the money! Not when the market was going up! But as a professional financial advisor, Vance Goodhood didn''t have the right to stop his client. He just felt bad and sad because his commission would end... "... Can I hear the reason?" Vance Goodhood asked dejectedly. "I want to buy a house," Kazir replied honestly. Spoiler alert: A few months later, many Wall Street workers did jump off buildings to end their lives. Knowing they could never get back the money they lost. "I promise to get back to you as soon as I''m interested in investing." Of course, Kazir knew so many companies that would redefine the era. Apple, Google, and Amazon were just a few of the companies he wanted to invest in. Hell, even if he invested $10,000 in Amazon today, he knew he would be a millionaire ten years later. Vance Goodhood was depressed, but he obeyed anyway. Kazir Grey received a notification and confirmed that he had received more than $200 million in his bank account. Vance Goodhood has his documents related to his investment... Kazir didn''t bother to read them because he knew he''d made that much money in five years. Ah, the life of a millionaire, just adding tens of millions of dollars to his bank account, as usual. Kazir Grey and Vance Goodhood shook hands, and the director happily left the investment firm. Of course, he was happy to make more money. "Hello, Erica. I want you to contact a real estate agent. That''s right. Oh, do you know anyone? Ah, so Salvatore Barlowe bought a house last year. Anyway, I want you to tell the agent that I''m looking for a house in Beverly Hills. I''m not picky because I''m going to use the house for formal parties." Kazir ended the call. Lately he felt like life was giving him rainbows, which was suspicious as hell. Maybe fate was just giving him good vibes before it fucked him up. ''I hope nothing bad happens.'' He closed the car and drove off. Today was his day off, so he might as well visit the set of Napoleon Dynamite III. This would be the last movie in the franchise because the cast''s salaries were getting expensive. Maybe a decade later, when the cast was no longer famous, 20th Century Fox would revive the franchise out of nostalgia to make another pile of money. After all, Hollywood loves to use nostalgia to get audiences to buy more tickets. ''I am tired of saying that Spider-Man: No Way Home was driven by nostalgia, because that was the truth.'' Chapter 214 Chapter 214 "So how''s your life these days?" "I''m fine. Pretty busy with work." Reese Witherspoon replied, leaning against the painted wall. They were shooting an interior scene. Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal were in front of the cameras playing their roles. Kazir Grey decided to visit the set and found Reese Witherspoon. The two struck up a conversation, although the atmosphere was awkward. "How are you, Kazir? How''s your life? Are you and Cameron having fun?" "I broke up with her two days ago." "..." Reese Witherspoon fell silent and bit her lip. "Then... No, never mind." The woman shook her head and decided to stop talking. She had a relationship with Kazir and she knew that she was not the right person for him. Kazir was a great lover and sometimes she missed him. If it were not for her busy schedule, she might think of him most of the time. Kazir was a perfect man in terms of status and fame. He was not a womanizer and he treated his girl so well. However, Kazir never got to the point where he could love. Reese wanted to go back to him, but she knew it would be useless. What she needed right now was to move on. She was famous anyway, and many men were trying to court her. Maybe it was time to forget about Kazir... Her first love. "Kazir, I hope you find happiness in your life." "You too, Reese. If you need help, you can contact Grey Pictures." The woman chuckled and shook her head. As expected, this man was too good. He was too good for his friends. Director Hugo Lameire called Reese and talked about her scene. Director Lameire was quite compliant this time. Hugo had worked with Universal Pictures last year to make a comedy, but the result was terrible. Hugo Lameire was trying to break into Hollywood. He was free to work with other companies... But his first time working outside 20th Century Fox was a disaster. After this tragedy, Hugo Lameire lost his fangs and started to take Napoleon Dynamite III seriously. Just like last time, Kazir Grey hired a bunch of comedy writers to do the script. He read it and then approved it before giving it to 20th Century Fox. Suddenly, Erica Mendez informed them that Salvatore Barlowe had arrived at the building. "Sir, your agent is here." "Let him in." Kazir nodded and stood. The door opened and Kazir greeted Salvatore Barlowe with open arms. "Kazir!" "Salvatore!" The two didn''t shake hands, instead they embraced like brothers. It was obvious, however, that Salvatore Barlowe was nervous. "Let me excuse myself." Harold Witsend understood that the two needed privacy and left the room on his own. The two sat down and Salvatore coughed before speaking. "Kazir, I heard a rumor..." "If you''re talking about the WMA, it''s true that an agent from WMA talked to me about changing agencies." "Then..." Salvatore felt his forehead sweat. Everyone in the business knew that Kazir was his biggest client. The reason his actors and actresses got so many roles was because of the connections they made through Kazir. "You know WMA, they exaggerate things. Don''t worry, I won''t do anything stupid without seriously thinking about it. By the way, when is the renewal of our contract?" "!!!" Salvatore almost jumped. The Kazir Grey has been a client of CAA for more than 4 years and the contract would end this year... They thought the renewal would be easy, not until the rumors started circulating. "Kazir..." The agent swallowed hard. "Don''t worry, Salvatore. I''m not leaving the CAA. I think you know what my intentions are." Kazir smiled and reassured his agent. Of course he wouldn''t leave the agent who trusted him from the beginning. "I understand..." Salvatore sighed and immediately realized his intentions. "How about we ask how much CAA can do to keep my contract?" Chapter 215 Chapter 215 Kevin Huvane, he was a famous talent agent at CAA. He was the agent of Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston, Sandra Bullock, Anthony Hopkins, Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez. He was also co-chairman of CAA, along with Bryan Lourd and Richard Lovett. These three reigned over CAA after Michael Ovitz disappeared. Even though the three were working for the betterment of the company, it was impossible to have no competition between the three. Bryan Lourd was currently the co-chairman and CEO of the company, which was the highest position. Kevin Huvane sometimes thought about taking the position, you know, people like to be at the top of the food chain and be the king. Recently, rumors have been circulating in the industry. Rising star director Kazir Grey was planning to switch agencies when his contract expired. In fact, WMA was already working on a deal that would meet Kazir''s needs. Kevin Huvane knew that losing a great director like Kazir would be bad for the company. So he talked to Salvatore Barlowe to convince Kazir to stay at CAA. His first impression of the half-Korean agent was average at best. He knew that Salvatore''s signing of Kazir was the best decision of his entire life. In a way, the half-Korean agent was lucky. A lot of agents are jealous of him because of that. However, Salvatore''s status in the company continued to improve. Kevin Huvane was the one who recommended him to join the board after the success of Taken. Many agents were against the idea, but they gradually fell silent as Salvatore''s clients found their way in the industry. Brianna Evans was doing great. She was a certified star. Scarlett Johansson had roles here and there and her future was bright. Fremont Smith directed Taken 2 and it was a success. Another director with a good future. In fact, Kevin Huvane wanted to change Fremont''s agent because it would be problematic to have an agent who had two big directors under him. CAA needed to balance the power... Of course, Kevin Huvane would give Fremont Smith to an agent close to him. ''I should wait for the right moment to disclose this to Salvatore.'' "First, he wants to reduce the commission to 2%." "No problem, we can do that." Kevin Huvane agreed easily. He knew this moment would come. It seemed that Kazir Grey had the same contract as the other big directors in the agency. "As for the second, Kazir said that Fremont Smith should remain as my client. He said he didn''t want any trouble for CCU, so it''s better for Fremont Smith to stay as my client so that communication won''t be difficult." "..." Kevin Huvane closed his mouth. "If Fremont Smith changes his agent, the new agent will definitely ask for an outrageous salary and the negotiation might be difficult. We don''t want that to happen." Salvatore Barlowe explained further. "Salvatore, did Fremont know about this?" "Yes, he feels indebted to me and Kazir. He trusts us more than anyone." ''... What an asshole.'' Kevin Huvane said in his head. No one knew who he was talking about. Maybe he was talking about both Salvatore and Kazir. "I''ll contact Bryan and tell him about Kazir''s condition. Of course we don''t want Kazir to leave, so we will definitely meet his conditions." Kevin Huvane smiled and led the agent out of the office. He realized he had raised a snake. He didn''t know who came up with this plan, but they certainly knew how to silence him before he could even start. For now, his plan to change Fremont Smith''s agent would be buried. After this, his opinion of Salvatore Barlowe had changed. He was no longer a rookie agent. He was a certified shameless agent who would do anything to get what he wanted. Ah, the life of a talent agent is truly unique. Chapter 216 Chapter 216 Kazir knew that his status was no longer so simple. His hard work paid off and he was recognized as a true top director who could bring profit to an agency. From 1995 to 1999, he created films that were blockbusters. Napoleon Dynamite The Hangover Taken John Wick The Bourne Identity In just five years, he made five big movies. Honestly, that was amazing. Because making a movie was never easy. The manpower, the budget and the creation of the movie was never easy. For Kazir to make good movies in a row, he was already a top director. It would be detrimental for CAA to let him go. Initially, Kazir Grey had no intention of making conditions. He wanted to work with CAA for a long time. However, lately many agents have been trying to contact him. Some of them even knocked on his car just to talk to him... Frankly, it was frustrating and these agents didn''t respect his privacy. Suddenly he had an idea. He "agreed" to Franklin Maxwell''s terms and told the agent that he might return to WMA if they agreed to his terms. With that, CAA felt a certain danger. They didn''t want to lose him. They hoped that Kazir would give them a chance to prove themselves. CAA was an agency and they had to find jobs for their actors until the clients had a steady income from which CAA could profit. The projects that Grey Pictures did were for CAA, most of the crew and cast came from CAA, which created jobs and money for both sides. If CAA lost Kazir Grey and Grey Pictures, it would be devastating. Kazir used the situation to his advantage. In reality, Kazir didn''t have anything he wanted from CAA. He had money, fame and authority over his projects. Unfortunately for them, the leading female role was already taken by Angelina Jolie. She didn''t bother to come to the audition today because she signed the contract yesterday. They are now looking for actresses to fill the other female roles. Angelina Jolie was still a rising star and her salary was acceptable, it didn''t even reach 1 million. The woman lost her credibility a few years ago because of drug addiction. The actress was fine now and Kazir even confirmed it personally yesterday. The woman seemed normal. She didn''t look drunk or something. Which was good, because Fox, the female hitman in Wanted, was based on Angelina''s appearance. "Good morning, Director Grey!" Someone greeted him as he walked, and Kazir instinctively looked at the person calling his name. "You..." He was surprised to see a young woman in the lineup. "Ah, I''m sorry, maybe you don''t remember me. I''m Jessica Alba. We last met in--" "No, I remember you." Kazir replied. The women in the hallway looked at them. They stared at Jessica Alba, who struck up a conversation with the director without shame. Jessica Alba was the youngest contestant in the audition. All the actresses except Jessica were over 20 years old. They didn''t like that Jessica Alba hoarded all of Kazir''s attention. If that happened, the outcome of this audition would be obvious. But it seemed that Jessica Alba ignored their hatred, or she just didn''t feel the actresses'' hatred for her. Well, this is a rare opportunity to connect with a hot, young and talented director like Kazir. Keep in mind that Kazir Grey was only 31 years old. In this industry, that age was still young. Some actors and actresses blossomed late in this industry. +++++ [ I will post another chapter later. It depends on what hour, but I''ll surely post one.] Chapter 217 Chapter 217 Jessica Alba heard an actress click her tongue in annoyance as Jessica spoke to the director. Jessica smiled sweetly, knowing that the eyes of the women in the hallway were on her, angry and annoyed. "Director, are you taking a break?" Jessica asked, innocence in her eyes. "Uh, yeah," Kazir looked at his Casio watch. "You guys can also take a break and have lunch. The audition will resume in an hour." Kazir announced and some of the women got up. Some went to the bathroom to touch up their makeup. "Director, can I eat with you? Ah, I brought a lunch box. You don''t have to treat me." Perhaps knowing that her chances of getting the role were slim, Jessica Alba decided to go straight to the director. More sets of eyes was aimed at Jessica, but she stood still. Kazir looked at her for a few seconds. Jessica felt as if Kazir was studying her from head to toe. For unknown reasons, she suddenly felt hot... The director''s gaze penetrated her. After a few seconds, Kazir nodded his head. "Okay. Follow me to the canteen." "Yes? Y- Yes! Right away, Director!" Jessica was actually surprised that Kazir agreed. She thought that Kazir would say no, just like the last time. She realized that Kazir was not a simple guy who would say yes just to get in a woman''s pants... That made him interesting. Seducing a man like Kazir meant a lot. Many actresses tried to have sex with him, even going so far as to invite him to their hotel rooms, but Kazir held his ground. For a young woman like Jessica, she was interested in the cold-hearted man Kazir Grey. Kazir was different from the usual directors in her definition. He was tall, fit and handsome. Especially now that he had shaved his beard. He could be an actor if he wanted to be. Jessica meekly followed the man into the cafeteria, a little nervous. She knew she was trying to seduce the man, but she hadn''t expected to get this far. The two sat facing each other. Kazir called for someone to bring him lunch while Jessica opened her lunch box. "You are indeed young to bring a lunch box like a student in this situation." "I cooked this myself." She replied shyly. "Do you want some?" "That''s okay, my lunch is here." One of the crew members set down the plate of waffles with syrup and French fries. Then his drink was a bottle of Sprite. "That''s right, my agent had a hard time walking for two days after that transaction. There''s a rumor that the casting director swings both ways and my agent jumped the gun." "..." Kazir was speechless. "Damn, this is crazy. "Ah, but don''t worry. My agent is gay, so it''s not a problem for him." "It''s a problem for me... I have to talk to Salvatore and tell him I need a new casting director. Transaction with sex could backfire on us and it will affect the project. He didn''t want any trouble. He knew that this kind of transaction was everywhere in Hollywood and he knew that it was impossible to stop it. As long as there were men and women willing to use their bodies, it would never go away. That was the hard truth. But Kazir wanted none of that in his project. "Um, director... I know I''m not close to you, but can I get your number? If you are against it, can I give you my number instead? I hope that if you have roles that are suitable for me, you will call me or my agent... I will work hard." "Give me your number." "A- Alright..." Jessica Alba was disappointed. She knew that Kazir would never get in touch with her. The woman meekly gave him the business card and left the cafeteria after eating. There were a lot of people in the cafeteria and there were cameras. If there were any rumors, Kazir had proof to back him up. +++++++ [Author''s Note: Damn, I feel like I''ve wasted this situation. But considering Kazir''s personality, I know it will not be easy for him to have a relationship or even an affair with a woman. Perhaps they will meet again in a year or two. I apologize, as a man I have this urge to write smut, but I have to make sure it''s believable and within the expected plot. So yeah... I might go the Angelina Jolie route for now. I remembered that Kazir and Angelina met a few times at parties, but I never wrote their conversations, I''ll try to cook up something about them]. [One other thing, do you want Wanted to be PG-13? The original Wanted is R, and it''s good. But if Wanted went PG-13, then it would be more believable for it to have a higher box office, higher than Taken and The Hangover in this universe]. +++++ [Since I posted two chapters today, I guess I''m allowed to promote my Patreon, right? Anyway, the latest chapter on Patreon right now is HWI 380. That means you can read more than 163 chapters on Patreon (including some snu snu chapters). This is the privilege I can give to the readers who want to support me financially. Also, I want to thank all my patrons, thank you for all your support despite my depressing grumbling... I love you guys, muah!] ht tps://ww w.patr eon.co m/Puj i_maki Chapter 218 Chapter 218 Why does a person want to be an actor? Well, there are many reasons. Money. Famous actors make a lot of money by taking roles in movies or commercials. Perhaps money was one of the main reasons why a person wanted to be an actor. The second is fame. It''s very addictive. The joy of people knowing you, looking at you like you''re a god, and asking for your autograph. Maybe this is the best reason why actors and actresses have a superiority complex. Because people around them treat them like gods and goddesses. The other reason might be related to their passion. The love of storytelling or the love of acting. Well, there are a lot of reasons and it might take a while to list them all. As for Orlando Bloom... He was handsome and being an actor or a model was the best profession for someone like him who had a handsome face. Since he was handsome, he might as well use it. That was one of the reasons why he passed the requirements to play the elf Legolas in Lord of the Rings. Orlando Bloom was new to the industry. He started only two years ago, in 1997. That year, Orlando Bloom was busy with Lord Of The Rings, an epic novel known as the father of the fantasy genre. Although the novel was published almost five decades ago, it was still famous to readers worldwide. It had many fans all over the world. Orlando Bloom was lucky to be part of the movie project. But he has to be realistic. Orlando Bloom was not the protagonist of Lord of the Rings and his screen time was not that good. Grey Pictures invited him to audition for their new project and Orlando Bloom was very interested. He knew that Grey Pictures was cooking up something good and he wanted to be a part of it. But when he returned to the USA, he found out that his agent was trying to get Kazir to return to WMA. At first, Orlando Bloom was excited. If Kazir became a client of WMA, then Orlando Bloom had a better chance of becoming the protagonist of Wanted. However, the reality was often disappointing, Kazir Grey renewed his contract with CAA and decided to stay with them. "Orlando, it says here that you don''t have a current project other than Lord Of The Rings." "Yes. I am spending a year in New Zealand and most of my scenes are already done. I think there will be no schedule conflicts." Orlando did his best and smiled. He assured the people in the audition room that he would be loyal to Wanted and work hard. These two had the best chance of getting the role because they both read the script. ''I can adjust their acting mood once they sign a contract. Perhaps Orlando Bloom was still affected by his role as Legolas, the same as Ben Affleck. Once I set their mentalities, their tics will rarely show up. As for their looks...'' To be honest, Kazir was interested in meeting Christian Bale, but the actor was too busy with American Psycho to attend the audition. He turned down the role and apologized to Grey Pictures, hoping that they could work on another project. In Kazir''s opinion, Christian Bale was a good actor with Oscar-worthy acting talent. Unfortunately, that moment was not for him. As for James McAvoy, the original actor, Kazir has no intention of finding the young man. In fact, he had no idea where to find him. So the crew was left with two options, either Orlando Bloom or Ben Affleck. "... Let''s go with Ben Affleck. Unlike Orlando Bloom, Ben Affleck has box office appeal and people can recognize him." The box office for Armageddon last year was over $500 million worldwide. Obviously a lot of people saw the movie. Ben Affleck was a better choice than Orlando Bloom. As for appearance, Kazir could change it as long as the plot and the actor delivered a good performance. "Okay, looks like I have to apologize to Orlando Bloom''s agent." Producer Harold Witsend had to laugh. He had heard from Kazir that Orlando Bloom''s agent was the one who had tried to lure the director. Maybe this was a big slap in the face for the agent. That night, one group had a celebration while the other had a gloomy atmosphere. In the end, Orlando Bloom returned to New Zealand. Although he hoped to work with Director Grey next time. After all, Director Grey could produce blockbuster movies, something a new actor like him needed to become famous. Chapter 219 Chapter 219 "Why are you here?" "Huh, that''s the question I should be asking you. You''re a nobody, how can you even enter this building?" The two teenagers glared at each other with clear hatred. Their eyes never hid the fact that they hated each other. Scarlett Johansson stood with her arms crossed like a mean girl. Across from her was none other than Mara Cohen, Kazir''s half-sister on his mother''s side. The two teenagers had last met in an audition. The movie was called Ghost World. It was a black comedy, a small-budget film costing between 7 and 10 million dollars. Unlike the other actors Kazir hired, Scarlett Johansson was still struggling to find her footing in the industry. Especially now that she was getting older. Salvatore Barlowe was only one person, and he couldn''t handle all of his clients at once, so Scarlett Johansson had another agent take care of her. The name of the agent was Beth Rogers, an agent recently hired by CAA. Beth Rogers knew that Scarlett Johansson was still under the age of consent and that it was difficult for the girl to find roles because most production companies prefer 18 year olds to cast in their group age. Scarlett Johansson was still 15. If the production company had to choose between a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old, they would easily choose the latter. Underage actors were difficult to work with. Scarlett Johansson suffered because of it. Fortunately, she was cast in Ghost World. The salary was not important, as long as she kept working hard, she knew her time would come. However, there was a "minor" incident that happened after the audition. Mara Cohen confronted Scarlett Johansson and screamed that she had stolen her role in Ghost World. That Mara Cohen should have been cast instead of her. The two began swinging at each other until they were pulling each other''s hair. Elizabeth Cohen and Agent Beth Rogers appeared and stopped them. Fortunately, the ruckus never spread, but the two teens would never forget that incident. "Are you trying to steal my role again, you bitch?" "What?" Scarlett was stunned. She knew the B-word, but she hadn''t expected it to be used to describe her. Because she knew she was never a bitch. "No, you''re the bitch! Besides, I heard your audition was terrible! You can''t act at all! Your facial expressions are dead and you don''t know how to show any emotion! In this industry, the best you can do is become a nameless vase!" "What did you say!?" "I never said that!" Scarlett denied immediately. Scarlett almost jumped when she realized that Elizabeth''s cold gaze was on her. The woman was in her late 40s, but she was still beautiful and healthy. She seemed to take care of her body by exercising. "Ah, so we meet again. I believe your name is Scarlett Johansson." Elizabeth Cohen smiled, but it sent shivers down Scarlett''s spine. She wanted to run from this woman. She was dangerous. "Hey kid, where''s your agent?" The old UTA agent asked Scarlett. "Are you looking for me?" Scarlett Johansson sighed with relief when she heard Salvatore''s voice. "Salvatore! I''m glad you''re here!" The movie Mara and Scarlett were auditioning for was being financed by Disney. That meant it was a good movie. Salvatore left Scarlett Johansson in the hallway to say hello to the director and producer and some people he had connections with. Of course, he had to talk to them to make a better impression so that Scarlett Johansson could be cast in the movie. But when he returned to the hallway, he realized that something bad was happening to his client. Now both sides have their backups. "Hello, Agent Salvatore. I''m Elizabeth, Kazir''s mother. Thank you for looking after my son." Immediately, Elizabeth changed her expression and greeted the agent happily. Even Scarlett was stunned. ''Are you serious? Is she really Kazir''s mother? Does that mean this rude bitch is Kazir''s sister?'' "Yes, I have heard about you. I can say that Kazir is very lucky to be more like his father than you. Scarlett, let''s go." "Yes!" The agent didn''t bother to speak and led Scarlett away from them. They were at Disney and they didn''t want to cause a disturbance. Elizabeth kept her smile on, but her eyes went cold as she watched them go. Chapter 220 Chapter 220 "Salvatore, Mara''s mother wasn''t lying? Is she really Kazir''s mother?" Scarlett Johansson asked her agent, whom she followed. "I hate to say it, but yes. That woman is Kazir''s mother. Kazir has already talked to me about his mother and told me that the woman is very cunning. He warned me to stay away from her." Salvatore Barlowe met Kazir''s family in Los Angeles and they were all nice. It was truly a mystery how Kazir and Aaron had half their genes from their mother and yet grew up nice. Maybe their father was the answer. "I see..." Scarlett felt there was more to the story, but she decided to keep quiet. It was not the time to think about it, she had to concentrate on her audition. "Scarlett, I need to tell you something. It seems that your chances of getting this role are mediocre." "What? But this is a movie invested by Disney, they prefer to make wholesome movies about families and children. I''m sure I''ll get the part." "No, you don''t understand. I talked to some of the crew and I heard that the director decided to change the script. It seems they want to make the female lead older, at least legal age." With his connections, Salvatore found out that the movie might have romantic scenes. Not suitable for Scarlett Johansson''s age. "What? But I thought this movie was about a young woman who realizes that she is actually from a royal family... So that''s why I saw some older actresses lining up." The older actresses Scarlett Johansson was talking about were indeed young. However, these actresses were over the age of 18 and were allowed to have kissing scenes. "That''s right. Anyway, you can still audition, but don''t get your hopes up. Don''t worry, CAA knows a lot of projects you can audition for." Scarlett nodded weakly, disappointed. She thought this movie was her moment to shine. Suddenly she thought of Mara Cohen. That bitchy girl. ''Mara Cohen is probably older than me, but she''s still not 18. This means that her chances of getting the part are very slim... At least I''m comfortable by that conclusion.'' The movie project they were trying to get was none other than The Princess Diaries. A Disney hit from the early 2000s. And yes, spoiler alert, the two underage girls didn''t get the role. Instead, the one who became the female lead was Anne Hathaway. An actress who recently turned 18. ... ... ... "Sorry?" "You apologize too much." "How was it?" "Well, if you didn''t laugh, I might have more time to read your expression. Anyway, how about controlling your gaze? Give me a cold stare." "Like this?" "No, not an angry one. A cold look. Here, think of me as an insect, maybe a cockroach." "But I hate insects, especially cockroaches." The woman replied. "Never mind, how about a criminal? Look at me as if I were the worst person in the world." "I''m probably supposed to avoid you and avert my gaze." "You know what, just stare at me with a lifeless look." "Like this?" Angelina''s eyelids parted and stared at him boredly. Her pouty lips were pursed. "Yeah, that''s pretty good. Now look at me like that while trying to flirt with me." "Ah, and I thought I was the only one trying to flirt around here." "Wait, what?" Angelina Jolie giggled again and leaned closer to him. Kazir caught her scent, his mind paused for obvious reasons. Suddenly he realized something. "Angelina, are you playing with me?" "What do you think, Kazir?" The woman got up and walked out of the studio. She strutted, swaying her hips out of the exit... Kazir''s eyes stayed on that ass. He sighed. "Angelina Jolie is no amateur. Of course she knew how to give a cold stare." Meaning the woman was just teasing him. Chapter 221 Chapter 221 Industrial Light & Magic(ILM), a certain company that were very famous in the industry. To be precise, it was a company that produced special/visual effects for Hollywood movies. This company was founded by George Lucas. The purpose of this company was actually for the special effects for Star Wars movies. At that time, the special effects in Star Wars were already an amazing achievement. In 1977, it was very hard to replicate. Maybe that is one of the reasons why Star Wars became a blockbuster, a unique blockbuster. The company''s VFX (visual effects) business took off after that. Since then, they have worked on many movies and dominated the industry. Most projects that needed special effects would look for them because their technology was indeed more advanced than others. Harry Potter franchise. The Mummy franchise. The Mission: Impossible franchise. The Back to the Future franchise. If listed, these titles could fill an entire newspaper. One thing was for sure, Industrial Light & Magic ruled Hollywood in VFX. That was the truth. Perhaps only Weta Workshop or Weta Studio could compete with ILM. Weta Workshop was the studio responsible for the special effects in Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, King Kong, and Avatar. Weta Workshop was also one of the first studios to use motion capture technology. They used it to transform Andy Serkis into Gollum. They also used it to turn the cast of Avatar into blue aliens. The same thing happened in Planet of the Apes. At the moment, Kazir Grey entered the Industrial Light & Magic studio. Next to him was his assistant, Erica Mendez. He wanted to see the progress on the scenes he had requested. Some of the scenes in Wanted required special effects. Especially the bullet time, the scenes where the bullets were floating in the air in slow motion. Kazir Grey wanted to make the scenes as realistic as possible. Industrial Light & Magic was the only place he could turn. Weta Workshop was based in New Zealand, and Kazir didn''t have the time to travel there. The production budget of Wanted was set at $75 million, and 1/3 of that budget would probably go to Industrial Light & Magic to create satisfying special effects. "Director Grey, good to see you again." "Jerome." Kazir shook the man''s hand. The person in front of him was Jerome Dawson, the studio head of Industrial Light & Magic. Kazir Grey and Erica Mendez followed the man, leading them into a large studio where a group of people were editing the trajectories of bullets on their computers. Next to the middle-aged woman was a young woman, perhaps an 18-year-old woman. Kazir knew the young woman, it was Natalie Portman. The woman who won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in Black Swan. Natalie Portman had appeared in many films, but Kazir knew her best as Padme Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Evey Hammond in V For Vendetta, and Jane Foster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Anyway, Kazir felt that the conversation between the two adults was not going very well. "George, why don''t you increase Natalie''s screen time in the Star Wars sequel? I think she has an important role to play in the trilogy." ''Indeed, Padme Amidala plays an important role. She was the real mother of Luke Skywalker. Aight, no need to spoil people.'' Kazir couldn''t help but monologue in his mind. "I understand, Claire, I will try what I can." George Lucas smiled, not taking her seriously. He had many people who asked him for favors. The famous director looked away and realized that someone was actually approaching them. Kazir knew it might be awkward, but he wanted to say hello to George Lucas, he just wanted to. "You''re Kazir Grey, right? The director of Taken and The Bourne Identity." "Yes, Mr. Lucas." "You can call me George, we are both directors." "I''m a fan of Star Wars." "I''m glad to hear that." The two directors greeted each other, ignoring the middle-aged woman. However, the middle-aged woman was not angry at all. Instead, she smiled amiably and took out a business card. "Hello Director Grey, I''m Claire Gilmore. I''m Natalie Portman''s agent. I work at CAA." "Oh, so you''re from CAA." Kazir was a little surprised. Chapter 222 Chapter 222 Kazir hadn''t expected the middle-aged woman to be an agent, and a CAA agent at that. Kazir rarely visited CAA, so he didn''t know their agents very well, except for famous ones like Kevin Huvane and Pat Kingsley. Kazir extended his hand and decided to take the card. He handed it to Erica Mendez and the assistant put it in her pocket. Claire Gilmore was a little disappointed that Kazir never bothered to read her contact information, but she kept her smile on. "I''m Jewish like you, Kazir. I hope we can work together." "Okay..." Kazir nodded. ''... That''s awkward. She basically used her race to make an impression.'' Kazir was never close to his Jewish side because his mother was never around for most of his adult life. Also, his mother never took him to any Jewish gatherings. "Sir Lucas." "Just call me George." "Well, George, I have to go now. It''s nice to meet you, haha, I just wanted to say hello and tell you I''m a fan. I apologize if I interrupted your conversation." "Kazir, it''s not that bad. George and I are just having a light conversation." Claire explained. "Then I''ll say goodbye, Claire, George and--" Kazir glanced at the young Natalie Portman and stopped when he realized that the young woman was staring at him. She had that dreamy look in her eyes. "Natalie, right?" "Ah, Y- Yes! Take care, Director." The woman suddenly blushed and stammered. She hadn''t expected to meet such a hot guy today, someone who oozed confidence and humility. Kazir Grey didn''t know what happened and didn''t bother to think too much about it. What he didn''t know was that Natalie Portman was charmed... Natalie met a lot of handsome men in the industry, but Kazir Grey had this serious/boring/otherworldly aura... As if the man never considered himself part of this timeline. She couldn''t explain it well. Natalie hugged her agent, knowing that her agent took all the brunt just for the betterment of her clients. ... However, Natalie Portman could not forget Kazir. His appearance earlier had shaken her to the core. Perhaps it was love at first sight for the young woman. ..... ..... ... "Muah~" Angelina Jolie playfully blew a kiss in front of the mirror. She fixed her makeup and put lip gloss on her lips. She was confident that Kazir would notice her lip gloss. After all, Kazir always looked at her lips. It was actually fun to play with the director. "I''m sure he''ll like it." Angelina Jolie and Kazir Grey met a few times at the parties. Most of the time, Angelina would make the first move and talk to the director. She noticed that Kazir liked to stare at her pouty lips. She loved that about him, and she knew the director was attracted to her. But after many encounters, the man never did anything! He was clueless as hell! He never asked for her number. He never invited her to his home. He didn''t even try to hug her or force her into a relationship! This made Angelina angry with the director. If she didn''t know that Kazir was attracted to her, she might think that the director was actually gay. But out of nowhere she received an invitation from Grey Pictures! She wasn''t expecting it at all. With this opportunity, Angelina decided to prove herself as a woman. That she had the beauty and power to seduce a stoic man like Kazir Grey. She didn''t know if fate was playing with her because Angelina had just divorced her ex-husband Jonny Lee Miller and was suffering from depression. She admitted that she wanted to use Kazir as a way to move on from her ex-husband. Chapter 223 Chapter 223 "Good morning, Miss Jolie." The male intern greeted Angelina, trying his best not to look at her sexy dress. A short, backless dress with spaghetti straps... Due to her smooth back, it seemed that Angelina Jolie was not wearing a bra. "Good morning." Angelina smiled and greeted him back. She almost giggled when she noticed the young intern blushing. Women love attention. It was a universal fact that was hard to deny. A beautiful woman like Angelina Jolie could easily get the attention of any man she met on the street. She had a well-endowed body and her features were attention-grabbing. She did her best to quit drugs and focus on her work instead. After her divorce, she was depressed and felt she might go back to using drugs. Fortunately, Grey Pictures contacted her and she was able to focus on her current project. She was currently single...and ready to mingle. Lately, she had this fantasy that she wanted to fulfill. Kazir Grey was quite popular with the opposite sex, but the man was stoic and he was the type who didn''t date casually. He was a famous director in industry, not just because of his filmography, but also because of his appearance. He was strict and hardworking. His accomplishments were amazing. His Hangover was the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time with $586 million worldwide. Even The Matrix, which came out this year, could not compete with that, grossing only $465 million. That in itself was something to be proud of. Working with the director last week and watching his work, Angelina Jolie noticed that Kazir was very attractive while he was working. She couldn''t explain it well. She just liked it when Kazir was serious about his work, it was attractive for some reason. The two had met a few times and were acquaintances. To be honest, Angelina tried to seduce the man when she was single. Even when she was married, she also tried to seduce the man. But Kazir was like an old hard tree, impossible to bend. This upset her pride. She wanted Kazir to apologize and make up for his mistakes. Lately, for some reason, she even dreamed about him, which was good because it kept her from getting depressed. She stopped thinking about drugs after working with Kazir. ''... This is stupid, I just had a few conversations with this cold man and now I can''t forget him... This is stupid. This is not a highschool love story.'' She thought to herself as she smiled her way through the studio. She noticed that the crew was already working early in the morning. Angelina''s assistant was late because the actress had decided to go to work early without informing her assistant. "Hey... Erica, order a black coffee today. I feel like I need some strong caffeine to wake me up." Kazir told her before calling Harold and talking to him, leaving Angelina stunned. "What? Huh? Eh?" "This is stupid! Cringe... Very stupid, I''m not young anymore. Why am I acting like I''m in my teens? This is stupid." She said to herself as she walked to her trailer. It was unfortunate that she had to change her dress, but she had to do it because it was her job... Of course, it was not because Kazir praised her in her dress. The set/background was slowly built by the crew. This was still a rehearsal and the official shooting of Wanted would start next year. After this week, the crew would have their long-awaited vacation. Kazir glanced at the trailer Angelina was in, scratching his head in confusion. ''Women are really hard to understand. It''s winter and it''s still early. But she is wearing a short backless dress that only covered her legs, that''s super cold.'' He thought to himself. The rehearsal began as Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman and other actors arrived. ''Now I have to contact Liam and the others'' assistants to make a schedule for shooting their scenes. I have to make it quick and short because most of them are busy.'' Viggo Mortensen was busy with Lord Of The Rings, he spent his days in New Zealand. That country was really beautiful and breathtaking. The scenery in that country was like something out of a fantasy novel. As for Matt Damon, he was about to start filming Ocean''s Eleven. Kazir thought of using this franchise to expand the Continental Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately, Ocean''s Eleven was based on Ocean''s 11, a 1960 American heist movie. Kazir was unable to acquire the copyright to this old film. Liam Neeson starred in a black comedy with Oliver Patt and Sandra Bullock. Yes, the protagonists of the Continental Cinematic Universe were all busy. But they would definitely open a schedule to shoot their scenes. After all, they had signed a contract. They were also interested in the outcome of this movie. ++++++ [I will post two chapters later. There was a typhoon here in my country, and the Internet and electricity are unstable here in my area. Although the weather is good today, it''s sunny. Anyway, the biggest reason why I can''t update is my laziness...] [Reading this chapter makes me want to slam my head against the wall. Like, what the fuck is wrong with me?] Chapter 224 Chapter 224 In the month of December, only two movies had good performances. The first was The Green Mile, starring Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan. The movie was based on Stephen King''s novel of the same name. A story set on death row in a Southern prison, where the gentle giant John possesses the mysterious power to heal people''s ailments. When the head guard, Paul, recognizes John''s gift, he tries to help stop the condemned man''s execution. (IMDb) Michael Clarke Duncan received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in this film. Honestly, he deserved to win Best Supporting Actor, but most members of the Academy voted for Michael Caine for his role in The Cider House Rules. The Green Mile grossed over $18 million in its first week. By the last day of the year, it had grossed $67 million. The second movie that did well was Stuart Little. December was the time when families could have a wonderful bonding with the whole family. Of course, it was also a good time for theaters. Stuart Little was rated PG-13, and young children could watch the movie with their parents'' guidance, which gave the movie a better box office. Kids prefer to see this kind of movie. Aaron Grey''s kid actually loves this movie. The little girl even asked for a mouse as a pet for a while. Stuart Little was about a talking mouse who was adopted by a family... That was the synopsis. Anyway, the first week box office of Stuart Little was $15 million. It was released on December 17, 1999. When December 31 came, the movie had accumulated $68 million at the box office, only one million for it to become noice... ... ... ... December 24, 1999 "The world is going to end--!!!" "Huh?" Kazir frowned as he got out of his car. He parked his car in the parking lot near his favorite bar. The crew was on vacation and it would be another two weeks before the official shooting would start. Being the type of guy who loves to spend his life in a lonely office, Kazir decided to relax at his favorite bar. His Christmas Eve was very... sad. However, the streets of Los Angeles were a little rough these days. Hundreds of protesters were shouting that the end of the world was near. They have these cards with words on them about the end of the world. Apparently the year 2000 would never come because the world would end at midnight on December 31, 1999. The fact that a lot of people believed this was quite frightening. There were fanatics everywhere, handing out pamphlets and telling people to repent. ''Spoiler alert, the world did not end. January 1, 2000 will definitely come and I''ll be celebrating the new year in my office watching Titanic... A very fun thing to do, alone.'' Angelina took her wine and sipped it, then stole a glance at the man next to her. "And you? Why are you here?" "I have no one to spend Christmas with. My father and brother are busy." "I see..." Angelina swallowed. She glanced at Kazir. Indeed, this man is handsome as fuck. He is her type. She suddenly had an idea. She realized that this could be her chance... ''Will destiny help me to get closer to this man?'' She didn''t know the answer, but she knew that nothing would happen if she kept quiet. "Then how about spending it with me?" Perhaps because of the power of alcohol, Angelina was brave tonight. "Pfft--" Kazir nearly spit out his drink and coughed. "Hey, that''s not nice. Why are you reacting like that?" She pouted, her lips glistening from the alcohol. "Angelina, I''m a man of principle. I will never have a relationship with a married woman." "Huh?" "Huh?" "Huh?" They stared at each other for a moment. Then Angelina started to laugh. "You silly, I''m single. I am divorced from my husband. Well, the divorce is still pending, but both of us are already sure that we are not going to continue our relationship. We don''t love each other anymore. We are separated." "Then...?" Kazir was under the influence of alcohol as he had been drinking gin for two hours. "So what do you think?" The woman chuckled and whispered in his ear. Kazir swallowed hard. His answer was... +++++ [Oh God, maybe some of you will be angry with me. Sorry, but I have to say it anyway. This chapter actually has an R-18 version, but you can only read it on Patreon if you subscribe to me. Yes, I''m promoting my Patreon. I gotta make money guys, I have bills to pay and I have to put food on the table.] htt ps://ww w.patre on.co m/Puji_ maki Chapter 225 Chapter 225 "By the way, belated Merry Christmas." The receptionist greeted the assistant director. "Thank you," Assistant Director Simone Palenque smiled and entered the building. They had a day off yesterday, Christmas, to celebrate the holiday... Unlike the other crew members, Simone Palenque didn''t ask for a vacation. He wanted to show Director Grey that he was serious about his job and wanted to continue working. In fact, he hoped that Director Grey would choose to promote him to director. Simone Palenque understood how hard it was to make a movie. It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to make a professional movie. Napoleon Dynamite, Kazir''s first comedy, cost half a million. That was something Simon could never raise. To make a movie, he needed an investor. Someone who would trust him and invest money to make a movie. He knew that Fremont Smith couldn''t become a director without the help and guidance of Kazir Grey. Simone hoped he would get the same treatment. So right now he is working hard to prove himself. He did not ask for an immediate answer. For three or five years he was happy to work for Kazir as long as he helped him become a director. He was young anyway. According to stereotypes, directors were old because they had to gain experience before they could start their own projects. He was happy if he could become a director before the age of 35. Simone Palenque stepped into the elevator and hit the floor where the director''s office was. Note that Grey Pictures only leased five floors of this building. This company had just started five years ago, and they were still trying to build their foundation. The good thing was that their performance got better every year. Maybe next year they would have their own building. Simone got off the elevator and walked to the office door. Most of the employees were on vacation, so the building was quiet. "Who is it?" "Director, it''s me, Simone. I''ve finished evaluating our budget for renting and building the background sets." "Come in." Simone Palenque opened the door to find Kazir sipping coffee. It seemed that the director woke up early, as he was already in his suit and looking good. "Here are the documents, sir." "Thank you," Kazir took a look, read some of the words and nodded. "Because you''re so beautiful when you sleep. I don''t want to disturb you because I know you''re tired." "T- Then you should have... Wait, are you trying to make me feel better so I''ll forget what you did to me?" Kazir stood up and hugged her, Angelina closed her mouth. She wanted to talk but Kazir hugged her. She laid her head on his chest. "Are you still sore?" "Yes. But it feels so good." This was the best sex of her life. She hadn''t expected that the one who would bring her to multiple orgasms would be the stoic and boring man in front of her. They spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day f*cking in his apartment and office. They first had sex in his apartment before Kazir took her to his office for efficiency. Apparently he had work to do... Angelina didn''t know what to say, but she came so much that she didn''t hold it against him. The man was indeed a great lover. "You should rest. We are still on vacation and you can sleep in my office if you want." "Okay." She said meekly, very sweet. "As for the two thongs you''re talking about, they are all wet. Maybe you don''t remember." "Hm." She nodded and spent a few minutes in his embrace. "I want to eat, I''m hungry." She pouted and rubbed her head against his chest. "I already ordered chow mein. You eat Chinese food, right?" "Yeah..." She wrapped her arms around him and giggled. ''The decision I made two days ago is the best decision I ever made in my life. I will never regret it, not even in the future.'' She giggled and cuddled with the hunk. After that they had a sloppy kiss before Angelina was pinned to the table. They spent some time grinding against each other. Their Chinese food arrived later and they ate it with gusto. They were too hungry and ate the whole thing. After that they had sex again. From Christmas to New Year''s, the man and woman rarely left the office. This was the best week for Angelina Jolie. She was deeply loved and she became confident in herself. After that she never thought about drugs again. She realized that there are better things than drugs. ++++ [Alright, for the record, I wrote this chapter on November last year, and I have no idea what I''m doing. I already posted 3 chapters today. So yeah, fuck this shit, I''m out.] Chapter 226 Chapter 226 "And cut! Let''s reshoot this scene after a ten-minute break. Tell the make-up artists to make you look sweaty and exhausted." Kazir announced and the actors stopped acting. Their assistants provided them with drinks according to their preferences. The scene they were about to shoot was the one where Wesley Gibson shot the wings of a fly. Wesley Gibson was shitless and scared because there was a gun pointed at his skull while he was trying to shoot the fly. He was supposed to be sweating, scared, something Kazir suggested to Ben Affleck. As the cast rested, Morgan Freeman approached Kazir. "Kazir, I know I''m getting too much, but I want to thank you again." "Morgan, all I do is recommend the right actor. You shouldn''t thank me." Morgan Freeman was cast in Bruce Almighty, which would be released in the summer of 2000. Sony-Columbia was confident in this movie and they promoted it even though it was still early in the year. First of all, the protagonist was Jim Carrey and his box office appeal was strong. Based on that, they knew that Bruce Almighty would do well at the box office. On top of that, the screenwriter of this movie was Kazir Grey! Everybody knew that every script written by Kazir was successful. From Se7en, directed by David Fincher. Napoleon Dynamite II. And the sequel that was to be released this summer. The Hangover Part 2 grossed over half a million dollars at the worldwide box office. Meet The Parents was acquired by Paramount and grossed $330 million on a production budget of only $55 million. In addition, Kazir has written all of the films he has directed. And they have all been blockbusters. "What do you mean?" "Angelina was stealing glances at you the whole time we were filming. I know that the reason you stopped filming was because Angelina mistakenly stared at the camera. To be precise, she was staring at you who was staring at the monitor through the camera." "Well..." It seemed that a veteran like Harold Witsend knew a lot about people''s mentality. Maybe being a producer had changed his perception. "Not only that, her looks are strange. Like, she gives you the ''fuck-me'' look." "Let''s just say we got closer after the vacation." Harold just nodded. There was no need to ask more. It was already obvious from their interactions. "By the way, I heard from 20th Century Fox that they already have an actress to play the female lead in Legally Blonde." Legally Blonde was another script Kazir sold to 20th Century Fox. He recommended two actresses for the lead roles, and they were Reese Witherspoon and Cameron Diaz. These two actresses had good box office appeal and could carry the movie with their fame. "I don''t know if you''re interested, but I''m going to tell you anyway." Harold knew about Reese Witherspoon and Cameron Diaz and their past relationship with Kazir. Frankly, Harold was impressed that Kazir would recommend them even though their relationships were over. "Reese Witherspoon got the role. The crew had trouble deciding between Cameron Diaz and Reese Witherspoon. But the director preferred Reese, so she got it." Kazir listened quietly. ''I guess Cameron Diaz lost again.'' Cameron Diaz wanted to steal the role from Reese Witherspoon to get her revenge. But it seemed that Legally Blonde would still be part of Reese Witherspoon''s filmography. Sometimes fate was hard to change, no matter how hard you tried. Chapter 227 Chapter 227 "Okay, let''s start shooting!" Director Grey announced and the set fell silent. When filming, it was standard procedure for the crew to keep their mouths shut. ... ... ... "I-I don''t know what you''re saying." Wesley Gibson (Ben Affleck), his face pale, shook his head. "Shoot the wings of the flies." Sloan (Morgan Freeman) glanced at the trash can, motioning for Wesley to prove if he was worthy of joining the infamous Fraternity. "Ah, I was thinking of something else-" Wesley shut his mouth immediately as he felt cold metal against the back of his head. The gun was ready to blow his head off at any moment. "Either you shoot or I will." Said the killer behind him. Wesley Gibson''s expression turned frightened-- "Cut!!" ... ... ... Kazir announced another cut and the shoot didn''t last a minute. The crew started talking again and the actors'' personal assistants approached the actors. Ben Affleck knew he had made a mistake, so he approached the director and asked for guidance. "Ben, I need to show you something." In this case, Ben Affleck knew that his status was nothing compared to Kazir Grey. He was standing in front of a talented director. Ben Affleck knew this movie was his moment to shine and he didn''t want to lose it. Filming had only started three days earlier and Ben Affleck could have been fired if he had done anything inappropriate on the set. Of course, Grey Pictures had to pay for the breach of contract, but the company probably had no problem doing that, especially if Ben Affleck was not worthy of the role. The reason he got the role was because of his box office appeal. People knew more about him than the upcoming Orlando Bloom. He handed the flies to a gasping Wesley, and the man was stunned. "That''s impossible." He muttered between inhalations. The flies were struggling to move, as their wings were missing. "A lot of things were impossible for you before today," Sloan replied. "Cut! Well done, this is over!" The crew began to clap, knowing that another scene was over. Then, as usual, they went about their business. The actors'' personal assistants approached their respective clients. Ben Affleck thanked his assistant and swallowed a bottle of water. He was sweating and exhausted. He was so focused on acting that he really started to sweat. He was more on the action side of the industry, but he could pull off some dramas if he wanted to, like Gone Girl. But honestly. Ben Affleck should do more action movies. His look and aesthetic is more suited to action movies. In fact, Kazir heard that Ben Affleck was interested in auditioning for Pearl Harbor, which was to be directed by Michael Bay. It was a movie based on history, although Michael Bay romanticized the movie so much that it became a love triangle... Well, the movie was pretty good and entertaining. "Are you okay?" Kazir asked Ben. "Yeah, haha, I just feel like I''m getting better. I guess working with a talented director like you helps." Ben Affleck thought he had a breakthrough at that moment. "No matter how many times you praise me, I will still not increase your screen time." The two guys started to laugh. ++++ [I''ll post another chapter later.] Chapter 228 Chapter 228 January in the year 2000 had no good movies, nothing promising. Small production companies usually scheduled their movies at this time, hoping that their movies would make a profit. Kazir was always busy in January because he had a filming schedule around this time every year. His movies were released in the summer, September and November. This created a constant schedule for him to start his next project early the next year. Kazir was a different breed because he had a project to shoot every year. He was dedicated to his work and loved his job very much. There were times when crew members quit because they couldn''t keep up with Kazir''s annual projects. This man never took a vacation in the last six years. While Kazir was busy with his project, Fremont Smith, the director of Taken 2, received so many offers from different companies. Fremont was mostly busy preparing for the Taken 2 celebration party that would take place on February 3rd. Taken 2 has already grossed $216 million in North America. In addition, its international performance was astounding. In just 50 days of release, the international box office had already surpassed the North American box office with $239 million. The thing was, Taken was very popular outside of America. Many people did not speak English well, but men had one thing they could all appreciate: action movies. Especially big action movies with bloody scenes like Taken 2 had. In Germany, the movie grossed over 33 million dollars. In France, where the first Taken movie was set, it grossed $28 million. In the United Kingdom, it grossed $35 million. Italy, $31 million. Spain, $16 million. Those were the five countries that contributed the most to the box office. Now the worldwide gross of Taken 2 was $455 million. As time went on, the worldwide box office would only increase until Grey Pictures had another movie to profit from. For now, Fremont had no intention of filming, especially this year. He felt that he had lost a lot of energy after shooting Taken 2. He realized that being a director was not that easy. Maybe that was why most directors only made movies every two or three years. Besides, this was not the first time she had done a nude scene. Gia, Hell''s Kitchen and Mojave Moon. These were some of the movies in which Angelina had nude scenes. "I want you to be professional." Kazir held out his hand and wiped her lips where the coffee had been. Angelina licked his thumb and giggled. "Okay, I''ll be professional for you. I bet you feel horny when you see me naked in front of a lot of people." "Maybe yes, maybe no. We''ll see." Kazir replied, licking the thumb that Angelina was nibbling on. "I can throw the crew out if you want. So that you and me are the only ones there." He offered, knowing that some actresses were not comfortable doing a nude scene in front of many people. "No, it''s more exciting that way." Kazir shrugged and left her to it. The two left the restaurant and headed for the parking lot. However, a paparazzi showed up and bombarded them with questions. He was actually stalking Angelina Jolie because of her recent divorce. He didn''t expect Angelina to make a move on her director after her divorce. "Director Grey! What is your relationship with Angelina? Are you together?" Kazir frowned and quickly shielded Angelina from the camera that kept snapping away. The paparazzi didn''t give a fuck and kept asking questions. When Kazir and Angelina got into the car, the paparazzi shamelessly blocked their way. "If I answer your question, will you get out of the way?" Kazir clicked his tongue. He wanted to slam the car into the stalker, but that was stupid and illegal. "Yes, of course." The paparazzi nodded, still holding his camera. "That''s right, me and Angelina are dating. Now get out of my way or I will bulldoze you." The paparazzi happily let them go, knowing he had a great scoop today. ++++ [I already posted two chapters today... And I have no idea when I will update again.] Chapter 229 Chapter 229 The couple was silent for a few minutes. When they stopped at the traffic light, Angelina took a deep breath and turned to Kazir. "You''re not lying about what you said earlier, are you?" "Are you talking about our relationship? Yes, I''m serious." Kazir nodded. As time went by, he realized that he was not getting any younger. He wanted to be sincere. He knew he was still afraid of a serious romance, but he had to take a step and move on. He was afraid, he saw how his father almost lost his life after the divorce. Kazir suffered the same when he divorced Cassandra in his past life. Even though Kazir was more mature now, some things were deeply engraved in his heart. Cassandra and his mother affected his life in a very bad way. He reached for Angelina''s hand, muttering as he looked ahead... He didn''t know how to look into Angelina''s eyes because he was afraid of his feelings. ''At least... At least I''m trying to change.'' He thought so. "I want to know you better. I hope you feel the same." "Yes." Angelina nodded weakly and looked away. But deep inside she was squealing. ''Oh God! He admitted it! He said I''m his girlfriend! Man, I thought our relationship was just at the friends-with-benefits level.'' She bit her lip, quite happy. They had been dating for almost a month now. Sometimes Angelina thought about their relationship. She had no idea what to call their relationship. Kazir didn''t talk about it while Angelina was afraid to talk about it. She might be hurt if she heard Kazir''s answer. So she decided to keep quiet and wait until Kazir was man enough to say it. She hadn''t expected Kazir to admit it today. Not only that, he said it in front of the paparazzi! Knowing the work of the paparazzi, their relationship would definitely be printed in the tabloids and newspapers! "Fifteen years, I think." Kazir''s father, Victor Grey, answered her question. The two stared at each other before Elizabeth chuckled and drank a glass of wine, straight. Perhaps she was influenced by the man across the table. "Today is Valentine''s Day and I can''t believe I''m spending it with my hateful ex-husband. I should be in someone''s arms right now." She scoffed. "Today is the only day I''m free." "Yeah, I thought so. You are always busy. You are always away, leaving your pregnant wife alone in the house, suffering from depression." "I hired a helper--" "I don''t need a helper, you are the one I needed at that time." "..." It seemed that their relationship was impossible to repair, even though more than a decade had passed. "Then I have only one thing to say. Elizabeth, I''m begging you, as Kazir''s mother, please don''t get close to Kazir. He''s already living a happy life, don''t hurt him again." "I am his mother, I have the right to talk to him. I don''t think you should say that." "You haven''t been in his life for fifteen years, and now you say you want to get closer to him? You''re the one who didn''t fight for custody because you hated our kids." "So what? They are quite useful now. Especially Kazir, I didn''t expect him to get this far. I''m really impressed." She grinned playfully and crossed her legs under the table. +++++ [Author''s Note: Does this count as character development? Kazir''s mentality is slowly changing, and it seems that he is trying to overcome his fear of love. Now, I''m still not sure who the endgame (Kazir''s wife) of this novel is. I hope that Kazir Grey will be a happy person by the end of this novel]. [I hate the next chapter so I''m going to post it later just to finish this bullshit.] Chapter 230 Chapter 230 "You have changed. You are not the woman I married." Victor let out a defeated sigh. He thought maybe Elizabeth had an ounce of love for her children. "Indeed. I have changed. You''re the one responsible for my change. Victor, I loved you, I promised to be with you forever. To live a happy life, to marry you... Maybe I was crazy back then. Love can disappear." She smiled bitterly, remembering the past. "Our marriage was very happy, and I understand that you work hard for our future, for the children. When Aaron was born, I was so proud of him, I spoiled him and gave him all my attention." Victor lowered his head as he listened to Elizabeth reminisce. "But I guess there is a limit to my patience. When I was pregnant with Kazir, I needed you, I want you to stay with me. I want you to hold me and tell me you love me. But your business has taken a nosedive and you have to stay in the office 24/7... I can understand that, I have tried my best to understand you." Victor bit his lip. That was the beginning of their marriage going cold. "Three days before Kazir was born, I begged you to stay. But you didn''t listen and flew to Japan instead. What happened after that? Victor, tell me, what happened after that?" "I can''t control the weather, Elizabeth--" Elizabeth slammed her fists on the table, clattering plates and utensils. "You should have stayed! I gave birth to Kazir and the doctors surrounded me, but I need you the most! You..." Elizabeth frowned as she noticed tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She clicked her tongue and wiped them away before glaring at Victor, who kept his head down. "Are you ashamed of yourself?" "..." "I hate you and God or whatever for this. The will above let you get stuck in the airport during a typhoon, doing your best and hoping to get back to your family, but you failed. And I hate you for that... Victor, why did you leave me?" "The Japanese investor needs to talk to me personally before he can invest, and I really need the investment to start the project," Victor said in a tired voice. They actually had a conversation like this fifteen years ago. "Of course. Just like I said, he is useful." The two locked eyes before Elizabeth chuckled and stood. "There is no need to continue this conversation. You already know my intentions, it''s up to you if you want to tell Kazir about me. By the way, thanks for the monthly support, I used it to buy expensive things. Keep it up." She patted him on the shoulder before leaving the restaurant, her hips swaying seductively. A few men even looked at her ass as she strutted out of the restaurant. Victor Grey was left alone at the table. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. Talking to his ex-wife was very tiring. It would be a lie to say that it did not affect him, but all he felt was pity. He could not believe that the woman he loved had become a much worse bitch. If there was any good, Victor realized that he didn''t love the woman anymore. Maybe it was time to think about himself and find his true love. But first... Victor pulled a recorder out of his suit. He clicked the button and listened to their conversation. Between the mother and the children, Victor decided to side with his children. He would protect his son no matter what. ++++++ [Author''s note: Two chapters today, and both chapters are whack. Rereading this chapter makes me groan. Well, I had a mental block when I wrote this, so I decided to write another POV (Kazir''s parents) to move the plot along. I know this chapter is meh, I also agree]. [Anyway, since June just started, I decided to promote my Pat reon. The most recent chapter on my Patre on is HWI 394. If you''re interested in reading more than 150 chapters and supporting me and my family financially at the same time, I''ll be eternally grateful.] ht tps://ww w.pa /Puj i_ maki Chapter 231 Chapter 231 "Okay, this scene is over!" The shooting was done and Liam Neeson wiped his sweat. He admitted that working with Kazir and becoming an action star had changed the course of his career. Before Taken, Liam Neeson focused more on drama. But now he was invited to do a lot of action movies. Most recently, he appeared in Star Wars as a Jedi Master. "Good job." "Yeah." Matt Damon congratulated Liam Neeson and the old man nodded. Next to them stood Viggo Mortensen. The three protagonists took a month off from their schedules/jobs to participate in the shooting of Wanted, which was in March. Normally, it took at least two months to finish their scenes, but Kazir was a different kind of director. They finished most of their scenes already. After that, Viggo Mortensen would return to New Zealand to shoot Lord of the Rings. Comparing the filming of Lord Of The Rings and Wanted was something that Viggo thought about so many times. Unlike Lord of the Rings and Peter Jackson''s filmography, Kazir Grey was a fast perfectionist. He could get a perfect shot in just a few takes. Kazir also had a good influence on his cast. The atmosphere on the set was very relaxed, very different from the usual filming vibes. In Lord of the Rings, Viggo had to wear thick clothes before shooting. And he had to wear them almost 10 hours a day, it was tiring and sweaty. "Something is strange... I know Kazir''s projects are usually peaceful, but there''s something different about this one." Matt Damon muttered. "I agree, I can''t put my finger on the reason, but the atmosphere on the Wanted set is quite carefree. I had 10 NG''s yesterday and Kazir didn''t even frown or show any anger." Viggo Mortensen added. Even though Kazir was a quiet person, he would still talk to the actor once they reached the threshold of 10 NGs. ... Wanted started shooting in January and finished in April. Four months of filming. That was very fast by Hollywood standards. However, if you compare it to Hong Kong movies, the filming of Wanted was already long. Usually Hong Kong movies finish shooting in a month or two. It was amazing, but definitely a difficult thing to do. The laws between the two countries were different, and the cast and crew of Wanted needed rest to keep going. And even if Wanted finished shooting in two months, they still had to wait for Industrial Light & Magic to finish the special effects scenes. The good thing was that four months was enough for Industrial Light & Magic to finish all the scenes, so Kazir Grey immediately started post-production on the film. They didn''t need any heavy special effects in the first place, so Industrial Light & Magic was in good hands. Just like that, the summer schedule officially happened. May started with a bang with the release of Gladiator, distributed by DreamWorks. DreamWorks hired Ridley Scott, the director of Alien, to direct the movie. They cast Russell Crowe as the film''s protagonist. As everyone expected, DreamWorks used their distribution channel. That was the reason they started DreamWorks in the first place. The Big Six used their position to control the industry through their distribution channels. Unfortunately, DreamWorks only had a North American distribution channel. An international distribution channel was a near-impossible dream to achieve in the short term. It takes years of accumulation, just like the Big Six and Metro Goldwyn Mayer did. Since Steven Spielberg had a good relationship with Universal Pictures because they worked together on Jurassic Park, the international distribution of Gladiator was taken over by Universal Pictures. The first week of Gladiator grossed over $49 million at the box office. It was an amazing achievement. But DreamWorks could not rest easy. Because the anticipated comedy of the year would be released next week. Napoleon Dynamite III will be released on May 11th. Obviously, the two movies would have a rivalry to get the most tickets. Chapter 232 Chapter 232 The copyrights to Napoleon Dynamite were acquired by 20th Century Fox, more specifically, Fox Searchlight Pictures. This was the first movie that Fox Searchlight Pictures distributed and it was a huge success. This gave Fox Searchlight Pictures the ability to acquire more profitable films at low prices, such as The Full Monty. The Full Monty made $258 million at the box office despite a low budget of $3.5 million. Director Kazir Grey sold the copyrights in 1995 for $25 million. It was his first successful movie and it got him where he is now. The higher-ups at 20th Century Fox felt that this was the right time to end Napoleon Dynamite for the time being. Maybe they would do a sequel in five to ten years. With that in mind, they are promoting Napoleon Dynamite III as the last film in the franchise in order to attract more audiences. ''I made over $5 million just being an executive producer on the movie. Hell, I was only on the set a couple of times. '' Kazir thought to himself. He realized that his position in the industry was no longer easy. Just by being an executive producer who didn''t work much for the project, he already made $5 million... Maybe that was the reason why director Lameire was angry with him. Because their salary was the same. "Are you sure you want to take me to the premiere? I heard your ex-girlfriend is going to be there." Angelina playfully teased the man next to her. "Are you talking about Reese?" Kazir put down the newspaper. He was reading the news about Ridley Scott''s Gladiator. "Obviously." She rolled her eyes. "My relationship with Reese has been complicated." "Yeah, yeah, you don''t have to explain. You guys are fuck buddies, but more than that." "That''s harsh. And no, we''re not." Kazir knew that they had never acknowledged their relationship in public. But he believed their relationship was more than that. He actually had feelings for Reese. The two stepped out of the limousine and accepted the attention from the reporters and cameras flashing in front of them. Angelina was very bold and showed her affection for Kazir by kissing him on the lips in front of the media. Perhaps tomorrow, their kissing pictures would be circulated everywhere. If anything was surprising, it was the fact that Kazir was playing with Angelina. He didn''t push her away, he kissed her back. "Oh my God, you''re so beautiful." "Thank you, so are you." The two women began to talk and praise each other, with Kazir standing between them and keeping his mouth shut. After a few minutes of useless conversation, the couple left. "Tch, she''s no fun. I thought she had an interesting face. I guess you''re sad, Kazir. This woman is already over you." "I''m actually happy for her," Kazir replied. "What? You''re not bitter that she''s moved on?" Kazir nodded. He was the type who hoped everyone around him had a happy life. "Man, you''re no fun either... But I like that about you." She chuckled and leaned against his shoulder. ''Well, maybe Reese is just good at hiding her emotions. Now that I think about it, she never says hello or talks to Kazir.'' Angelina thought about it. ''I think I can understand why. Kazir is a man many women have dreamed of. Even I felt that this man would be a part of my heart even if we parted, which I hope will never happen.'' "Angelina, don''t try that again. Remember, we are just guests and tonight is all about Napoleon Dynamite III. We don''t want to cause any trouble." "Okay~" She replied sarcastically, enjoying her man''s serious reaction. After that, the two wait for the premiere to start to watch the movie, Napoleon Dynamite III. ++++ [Author''s note: I have no idea what the plot of Napoleon Dynamite III will be, so I will skip this part and go with the box office of Napoleon Dynamite III instead. I do not intend to write too much about Napoleon Dynamite III. There are three movies coming out this summer that have a strong connection to Kazir. They are Napoleon Dynamite III, Bruce Almighty and Wanted.] Chapter 233 Chapter 233 The formula was the same, almost the same. Just like last time, the gang went to Miami to have fun on the beach. Then the climax of the movie was Napoleon Dynamite dancing. But then again, why fix something that is not broken? The two prequels did pretty well at the box office anyway, using the same formula. While Gladiator made $73 million in its second week, Napoleon Dynamite III made $56 million. These two movies were the big shots for the time being and took most of the market. May was the first month of summer and students were just getting out of school. This month only a few movies dominated the box office. Gladiator, Napoleon Dynamite III, Dinosaur(2000), and Mission: Impossible 2. Speaking of Mission: Impossible... There was a rumor that Paramount and Tom Cruise himself personally invited Kazir Grey to direct the sequel. But while Kazir found the idea entertaining, he knew it was impossible to devote his attention to two projects in one year. Instead, Paramount decided to hire John Woo to direct Mission: Impossible 2. John Woo was a Hong Kong filmmaker known for the action genre. He was the director of Broken Arrow. He was also the director of Face/Off, starring Nicholas Cage and John Travolta. Maybe John Woo was influenced by his last movie, so Mission: Impossible 2 has the same style as Face/Off. However, the influence of Tom Cruise and the fame of the Mission: Impossible franchise brought in over $500 million at the box office. It was an obvious success. Still, Paramount decided to let the franchise rest for a few years before making a sequel. They felt that the nobility of Mission: Impossible would disappear if they made movies every two to three years, just like the 007 franchise. The next sequel, Mission: Impossible 3, would be released seven years later in 2006. Based on the box office, the movies released in May would be ranked as follows: 1. Mission: Impossible 2 with $549 million at the worldwide box office. 2. Gladiator with $451 million at the worldwide box office. 3. Napoleon Dynamite III with $356 million worldwide. Movie companies would never hesitate to buy his script for $10 million. Because the profit it could bring them was much higher. ...... ... ... "I hope there will be no problem this time." Harold sighed. He was Kazir''s close friend and his friend told him that his mother might be into something. Harold never met Kazir''s mother, but he knew she was responsible for half of Kazir''s depression. She was the first woman to break his heart. The producer didn''t know the whole story, but he knew that Kazir''s mother divorced his father and their lives were never the same again. He also heard from Kazir that his mother was cunning... Harold felt that Kazir inherited that trait from his mother. Although Kazir was a good man, he had a cunning side. If Kazir was not lying, then the trouble his mother could bring would be great. "Or maybe nothing at all. There''s no in-between. Either she will be a big problem or not." Everyone at Grey Pictures understands the importance of Wanted. If it fails, all their plans will turn to dust. "He said his mother has a daughter and she''s trying to be an actress, maybe we can do something about that." As the producer, it was his responsibility to make sure the movie was a success. He already had a family, a wife and a son to take care of. He had to build a great future for them, and Wanted was the first step. +++++ [Author''s note: So yes, the release of Wanted might be two or three chapters later. I hope you can be patient. I''m going to cook and it''ll taste like shit...] Chapter 234 Chapter 234 "Ooh, you''re kind of handsome, I like that." A woman in her late 40s giggled as she looked at the fine specimen of a man in front of her. Even though she was almost half the man''s current age, that didn''t stop her from flirting with him. Elizabeth was proud of her beauty. She took care of her body and was alluring in her knee-length sundress. Her beauty and youthful appearance deceived her age. Next year, Elizabeth would be 50 years old, but her beauty never seemed to fade. "Ahem, Mrs. Cohen--" "Miss Cohen, I prefer you call me Miss. Better yet, just call me Elizabeth." "So, Miss Elizabeth," Harold Witsend took a deep breath... He admitted it, but Kazir''s mother was indeed a beauty. It was amazing and frightening at the same time, as if the woman before him was not real at all. Harold knew the importance of Wanted and he felt he had to do something to save it from possible destruction. He was confident in Kazir''s filmography, his friend had proven himself to be talented in making action movies. But Harold understood that Kazir was just a man. Even if the movie was amazing, if people didn''t see it, it was all for nothing. All their hard work was for nothing. Harold watched as The Hangover almost flopped. It was a terrifying experience and he could not sleep. He was the prop master at the time, but the time and love he put into that movie was something he cherished. So when the allegations of Kazir''s domestic violence spread, he was deeply affected. And now Harold was no longer a prop master. He was a real producer. He put more than time and love into Wanted, he put his life on the line. Only someone like Kazir and Grey Pictures would hire a person like him as a producer. If Wanted failed at the box office, Harold would go back to being a prop master and maybe leave Hollywood altogether... He had a house, cars and a child''s education fund to take care of. Hell no, he had to shut down the Cohen''s mother and daughter before something bad happened. From the looks of it, Harold had what they needed. A better connection. "Miss Elizabeth, I''m sure you know the reason I''m here." "I think so. Unlike my clueless son, you seem to know what I need. Fufu, perhaps I can give you something in return." Elizabeth''s sundress fluttered slightly as she crossed her legs. Harold nodded slightly. He had heard that Elizabeth and her daughter wanted to be part of this industry. He researched everything he could about them. Salvatore Barlowe helped him. He had heard that Mara Cohen had a beautiful face, but her acting was terrible. Maybe modeling would be better for her. "Pftt-haha!" Elizabeth suddenly cackled. This was interesting. This was exactly what she needed. A backer who would protect her and provide jobs for her daughter. As expected, using Kazir to threaten people was the best answer. Elizabeth was not stupid. Of course, she would never sabotage Kazir. After all, she needed him to stay in power. How could she prosper if Kazir lost his status? So no, Elizabeth would never harm her son. She knew that as long as Kazir was doing well, they had a chance in this industry. Connections were very important in Hollywood. Companies didn''t hire actors/actresses for their talent, at least that wasn''t the most sought after reason. They hire actors/actresses who have nice looks that fit the roles. They hire actors/actresses who have connections they can use or who are in their good graces. And now Elizabeth had found a backer who had extensive connections. "Thanks, Harold. You''re a nice guy. I can return the favor if you like." She was acting sexy now, not hiding her intention at all. "No, I''m fine." Harold knew that this vixen could destroy a family, in fact, she already had. So Harold would never endanger his family just for a little fun. ++++++ [Author''s note: I decided to use Harold as an instrument because I wanted to use a different PoV. Also, Harold is a producer and this kind of stuff is usually his responsibility. I''m glad that Harold, the ex-props master, is getting better at his job.] [So yes, tomorrow might be the premiere of Wanted. I''ll try my best to make a nice summary for the movie.] [If you can''t wait, you can subscribe to my Pat re on instead. That way you can also vote in some important polls that might affect the plot of this novel.] https:// ww w.patr eon. com/Puji_ma ki Chapter 235 Chapter 235 [This summer, three legends will put an end to the powerful organization.] The trailer started and the people in the pub watched it with curiosity. Most of the people in the pub were men, and of course they had seen at least one of the Continental Cinematic movies. They saw Liam Neeson, Viggo Mortensen and Matt Damon in their iconic roles. They carried guns in cool ways, reloaded bullets in cool ways, and killed people in cool ways... The excitement of the music and scenes that the trailer brought captivated the men in the pub. How could they not, the trailer alone was a masterpiece. It got people hyped. But in two decades, this kind of trailer would be generic and every action movie would use it. The formula was like this: -- A low and slow build-up of music. -- An attractive statement from the protagonist that made no sense. -- An overly establishing shot. -- Heist shots, lots of them. Scenes with explosions and gunfire. Cool scenes that only last 0.2 seconds each. -- Background music intensifies. -- Another line that seemed cool. -- Villain close-up shot. -- Wide shot, massive destruction with SFX boost. -- Reveal cover song. -- Change the location, somewhere beautiful, blah blah blah. -- Hyping the strength of the villain/organization. The minor characters tell how dangerous the mission would be. -- Blah blah blah. -- An action stunt that almost defies physics. -- Shots of the protagonist running. -- A scene where it looked like the protagonist was going to die. -- Then the title drop, the theme song blended perfectly. -- Then the release date of the movie. But Michael Eisner knew that creating a Cinematic Universe was not so easy. He knew the danger. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. ''... Should I buy Grey Pictures? Based on their past performance, their net worth will be around 1.5 billion. The sequels of their movies are promising, so the company will have a better future.'' That amount was nothing to Disney. They could buy it... Although it all depends on Kazir''s intentions. He was the sole owner of Grey Pictures. ''If Grey Pictures doesn''t agree, or if the company is acquired by one of our competitors, then Walt Disney will have to create its own Cinematic Universe.'' The old man touched his chin. The shareholders'' opinion of him was getting worse, influenced by the Disney and Weinstein families. Michael Eisner had to do something to save his position. In his mind, this Cinematic Universe was the answer. "Uh, sir, President Ovitz is here." "Send him in." Michael Ovitz entered the office and told his friend that Disney had successfully purchased the copyright to an old novel. "Good. ''A Princess of Mars'' looks promising." Recently, a rumor had circulated that Warner Bros. was starting a project based on a novel. It was about a young wizard named Harry Potter. Disney didn''t want to be left out, so they decided to acquire some old novels that would be profitable if made into movies. ''A Princess of Mars'' was the first book in the Barsoom series. The Barsoom series had 11 books that expanded the universe of the series. It was about a guy named John Carter who was transported to Mars and met a Martian princess. "Ovitz, I have an idea... What if we made movies out of this series with different protagonists? Like the Continental Cinematic Universe." "You mean...?" Michael Ovitz quickly understood. "That''s right. We will call the first movie John Carter." Michael Ovitz smiled, believing in his ability as chairman of Walt Disney. ++++++ [Author''s note: Yes, this chapter is about hyping the premiere. It may take a chapter or two before the premiere happens. I have one more scene I wanted to add before the premiere. Anyway, someone mentioned the idea of other movie companies starting their own Cinematic Universe, so I decided to cook up something. Thanks again to David Karlsson]. [... By the way, do you really want Elizabeth Cohen to die so much?] Chapter 236 Chapter 236 In June, there were a lot of movies that people were interested in seeing. But when they were asked which one they were most excited to see, it was none other than Wanted. The movie will be released in the first week of June. "God, this is going to be tough." Angelina Jolie muttered to herself as she puffed on a cigarette. She was stressed. Every time her movie came out, she could not stop being nervous. She used to take drugs to calm herself down, but she lost interest in that after meeting Kazir. So instead of using illegal substances, Angelina used cigarettes as a coping mechanism, even though she knew Kazir didn''t like it when she smoked. Kazir never had a vice. Although Kazir drank alcohol, he was never an alcoholic. He knew how to control himself and his rationality was very strong. Honestly, Angelina would love to make out with Kazir right now. But she couldn''t because they just had sex in his place a few hours ago. It was great sex, only for her to realize that she needed Kazir again. Angelina wore a white off-the-shoulder mini dress, red 5-inch heels under her feet, and a small Loui Vuitton handbag(sponsored). She looked elegant and sophisticated, even sexy, to be honest. But all she could think about was how to calm her nerves. She was basically inhaling her cigarette. Her personal assistant was standing next to her, trying her best to be quiet. The assistant knew that Angelina had a nervous problem whenever her movie premiere happened. "Do you have any wine with you?" Angelina asked her assistant. "Yes? Ah, yes, I am carrying a small bottle of wine." The assistant was always prepared in case Angelina wanted alcohol. But before Angelina could take a sip, a limousine stopped in front of her house. Angelina immediately dropped her cigarette and stepped on it. The assistant had to find another car to get to the premiere. She didn''t need the cigarette anymore. Her "drugs" is in the limo. Kazir, aka the drugs, got out of the limousine. He wore a nice suit, simple but elegant. He approached Angelina who jumped on him and hugged him excitedly. "I miss you~" She mewled. "Babe, we were only apart for three hours to get dressed." Kazir chuckled and hugged her. His left hand subconsciously slid down slightly and cupped her ass... He couldn''t help it. This was the moment where the Big Six, the six studio companies that had the chance to acquire the Continental Cinematic Universe four years ago when Kazir started Taken, this was the moment where they would realize what a huge mistake they had made in letting go of a successful franchise. Disney? They tried to make their own Cinematic Universe by producing John Carter, the first book in the Barsoom series. Warner Brothers? They want to make the DCEU by studying every move Grey Pictures made. 20th Century Fox? Well... X-Men had a good chance to be a Cinematic Universe, but the first movie was already filmed and it was impossible to throw the project. They might as well release the movie first and come up with a plan next time. Marvel? Unfortunately for them, Kazir acquired most of their 2nd tier superheroes. Actually, they were waiting for Kazir''s next plan, hoping that the great director would try his hand at their superheroes next time. ... ... ... --A thousand years ago, a clan of weavers formed a secret society of assassins. --They carried out silent executions to restore order to a world on the brink of chaos. --They call themselves the Fraternity. [Wesley Gibson (Ben Affleck) was an ordinary office worker, an account manager who hated his job. He hated the fact that his fat female boss made his job stifling. He hated the fact that his friend was secretly having sex with his girlfriend.] [But what he hated most was his life. He didn''t know the purpose of his life. He didn''t know who he was.] [His father left his mother seven days after he was born. His father was an asshole, and Wesley Gibson firmly believes that.] [But in the midst of cursing his father, he didn''t know that his life would change a few days later. When a woman would drag him into a new world that he didn''t know about]. ++++++ [Author''s note: The summary will be continuous this time and I have no intention of showing the audience''s reaction. The next chapters will be all about the life of Wesley Gibson and how he will realize the truth about his father''s profession. I''m going to do an in-depth summary this time.] [You can skip this summary if you want if you don''t like reading movie summaries just like me. I think the summary will take three to four chapters to complete... Yeah, it''s a mistake that I will never do again.] Chapter 237 Chapter 237 [Mr. X (David O''Hara) stepped confidently into the elevator. He was known as the Fraternity''s greatest assassin. It was even rumored that he could stand toe to toe with the Baba Yaga.] [His intention when he went to this particular building was to find and kill one of their veteran members who had betrayed the organization]. [He entered a certain room and found a woman. The woman was startled when she recognized him.] "Relax, if your name comes up, you''re already dead." [He said to reassure the woman.] [He tossed the woman a gold coin, his payment, before giving her the bullet. He looked out the window and saw some construction workers working in another building.] "We recently lost our members. We would like to know where the traitor gets his ammunition." [The woman began to inspect the bullet.] "It''s clean." "Meaning?" "It''s untraceable. The person you are looking for is very clever..." [But a second before she finished her sentence, a bullet pierced her head, instantly ending her life.] [Mr. X looked out the window and realized that the construction workers were actually hired killers. They began firing bullet after bullet.] [The Fraternity''s greatest assassin dodged the bullets and escaped their sight. However, he had no intention of running away.] [Even though the enemies were in another building, Mr. X jumped into their building with extreme concentration. He killed three people in midair. Perhaps this was a feat that only a strong assassin like him could perform.] [After successfully landing safely in the building, he killed the last construction worker]. Ring Ring* [The situation didn''t bother him. Mr. X noticed that a cell phone was ringing in the pocket of one of the corpses. Mr. X answered the call, knowing who the person on the other end of the call was]. "Marcus, no one leaves the Fraternity alive." "I have a little perspective on the Fraternity." "Careful, you can''t destroy something that''s been around for a thousand years. The Fraternity is not that simple, even the High Table can''t take us lightly." "It''s already destroyed, Sloan broke the code." "Really?" "I knew your father." [The atmosphere was awkward. He paid for his prescription before answering.] "My father left the week I was born, so..." "Your father died yesterday on the rooftop of the Metropolitan Building... Sorry." [Wesley looked at the woman before chuckling. This was probably a joke, he thought]. "Look, the booze is over there, so if you..." "Your father is the greatest assassin who ever lived. And the man who killed him is right behind you." [The woman pushed Wesley to the ground. She pulled a gun from her pocket and fired at Marcus, who was watching them a few feet away.] [Wesley caught a glimpse of Marcus before the woman pushed him behind the grocery shelves.] [Marcus and the woman shot at each other at the same time and their bullets collided. The Fraternity had a strong control over their bullet trajectories, their mastery of firearms might be better than anyone''s.] [The woman kept shooting, and Marcus deflected the bullets with his bullets as well. It might seem like everything happened in slow motion, but the truth was far from that. The two of them were just strong and fast.] [Wesley understood that the situation was dangerous. Obviously, he wanted to run and leave them behind]. [As he ran for the exit, he noticed that Marcus was staring at him. Marcus tried to...] [Suddenly, the woman shot the fire extinguisher between the two men, creating a smoke screen.] [She pulled Wesley out of the store and put him in her sports car.] [Marcus followed the woman. Their shootout caused a commotion in the streets. As they drove their respective vehicles, Marcus and the woman continued to fire bullets at each other. Marcus bent the trajectory of his two bullets and successfully flattened the woman''s car.] [The car stumbled and rolled, making the car look miserable]. [As the sports car nearly rolls over the police car responding to the commotion, Wesley subconsciously yells, "Sorry."] [Luckily for Wesley and the woman, they were able to flee the scene in their flat-tired car.] [Marcus did not follow them, but watches them from a distance. With complicated expressions] ++++ [Author''s Note: From the looks of it, I think it might take another two or three chapters before I can finish the summary. For the people who watched Wanted, I think you know about Marcus'' role in the movie, hehe]. [By the way, don''t ask my why this summary is clunky. I''m not great writer so...] Chapter 238 Chapter 238 [Wesley and the woman fled the scene. The woman, who introduced herself as Fox (Angelina Jolie), took Wesley to a textile factory.] [There, Wesley met the other members of the Fraternity. They all seemed strong and professional at killing people.] [An old black man introduced himself as Sloan and ordered Wesley to shoot the wings of the flies.] "Shoot the wings of the flies." "Ah, I really have something else to do-" [The Gunsmith, one of the killers, pulled out a gun and pointed it at the back of Wesley''s head.] [Wesley Gibson had a panic attack. His heart began to beat faster and his vision became clearer. He felt time slowing down.] [Fearing for his life, Wesley gritted his teeth and emptied the entire magazine of bullets into the trash can.] [He felt his heart explode as he leaned against the wall. He was gasping for air, his face flushed from lack of circulation. He began to search for his prescription.] [However, Sloan came up to him and showed him what he did. Wesley forgot about his medicine as he looked at the twitching, wingless flies. He was shocked.] "What you''re experiencing is not an anxiety attack. Your heart is beating over 400 beats per minute. Sending an abundance of adrenaline into your bloodstream." "Wesley, you are not sick. You are gifted. You have inherited your father''s talent. Very few people can do what you did. People like us. Your father is a member of our organization. From now on, all his possessions will be yours. We have already transferred your father''s money to your bank account." "Stay away from me, S-Sir. I, I have a gun." [Perhaps confused by the situation he was in, Wesley pointed his gun at Sloan, but the man was unperturbed.] "My name is Sloan and she is Fox. Everyone you see in this room is very good at killing people." "You''re insane." "No, I''m not. The person who attacked you before is Marcus. He is the one who killed your father. Your father is one of us, the Weapons of Destiny." "S- Stay away from me. You don''t know anything about me." [Wesley continued to point his guns at them as he left the square. None of the killers were afraid, though]. [When he returned to the textile factory, he realized that everyone there was not simple.] [Wesley accepted that he would follow in his father''s footsteps. So he began his career by getting beat up.] [On his first day in the Fraternity, The Repairman, one of the hit men, started punching him in the face like a punching bag]. [After that, Wesley was wounded by The Butcher.] [When he woke up from this terrible beating, he found himself in an ice sauna. Apparently, it was a way to heal his wounds quickly. There he met The Exterminator, a man obsessed with making explosive rats.] [His life in the Fraternity was basically the same - getting his face smashed in and waking up in an ice sauna]. "I don''t know who I am..." [He muttered weakly as blood covered his face. The people around him fell silent. Sloan decided it was time to tell him about his father.] [Sloan told Wesley that his father was one of the best assassins in the world. But Marcus surprised attacked and killed Mr. X.] [Since then, Wesley has been motivated. He began fighting his instructors to get back at them for beating him. He also learned about Marcus. He realized that Marcus was indeed strong. In fact, he only had two missions that he failed. The first was to kill John Wick, and the second was to kill a retired agent.] [Wesley followed the life of a hitman and successfully killed his first target.] "Now that you can bend the trajectory of your bullets and killed your first target, I want you to know about the Fraternity." [Sloan told him about the history of the Fraternity and how they used the textile to determine their targets. He used codes to determine the names of the targets, saying it was the revelation of destiny to them]. "Unless the High Table needs our help, we will only kill the people who are written in this textile. Now, the High Table has a mission for you... This is the information." [Sloan handed him a document about his next target... Wesley''s next target was retired agent Bryan Mills]. +++++ [Author''s note: Yep, that''s how I''m going to make the connection between them.] [I posted three chapters today to make up for my absence. I''ll probably post two chapters tomorrow to finish this summary... Probably] Chapter 239 Chapter 239 "Be careful, our target this time is a tough one." [The Gunsmith spoke to Wesley, informing him about the retired agent]. [Wesley already had an idea of Bryan Mills'' abilities after reading all the relevant information about him. After all, Bryan Mills was one of the targets Marcus failed to kill. Which meant how strong this person was.] [Their team had four members this time. This was the second time they had to kill Bryan Mills.] [Wesley''s job was to protect The Gunsmith, who was responsible for sniping the retired agent]. "Did you know that we are not the only ones on a mission right now? I heard that Fox and The Repairman went to Goa, India to kill someone. I don''t know the details, but I heard he was from the Treadstone." [The Gunsmith looked at Wesley and chuckled.] "Of course you don''t know anything of what I said. I just want you to know that the world we live in is not that simple." "I understand." [The Gunsmith looked at the scope to check his target. Bryan Mills sipped his coffee peacefully, oblivious to the fact that he was being sniped.] [The Gunsmith touched the trigger, ready to pull it at any moment. But suddenly, Bryan Mills looked at his position with a piercing stare.] "Shit!" [The Gunsmith knew immediately that the mission had failed]. "Let''s get out of here." "What? But I thought we were..." [Wesley looked out the window and saw that their target was already gone.] "Wesley, let''s go! I already informed the others and they will leave..." [Two shots rang out and the Gunsmith stopped talking. He sprinted out of the building and Wesley followed. Wesley thought this mission wouldn''t be difficult, but he was wrong]. [The two reached the car and sped away from the scene. However, a certain man stepped into the middle of the road.] "They are called The Fraternity. An organization of assassins who believed they were doing good by killing people written in textiles, well, I don''t know the details" [Raizo shrugged]. "A hundred years ago, they joined the High Table and accepted assassination jobs from them. They are strong. Heavily specialized in the use of firearms." "Bending the trajectory of bullets?" "Yes." "Where can I meet them?" "... Are you serious right now?" [Raizo looked at the amnesiac. He didn''t expect him to ask something crazy.] "Either I''m going to die or they are. I have to kill them before they kill me." ... ... ... [The two teams returned with more than half of their members missing. Only three returned alive, Wesley, The Gunsmith, and Fox.] [Sloan was disappointed, but he already had an idea that this would be the outcome]. [The High Table wanted Bryan Mills dead, while Jason Bourne was part of the Treadstone that had to die]. "...We should pause our missions to kill Bryan Mills and Jason Bourne for a while. Let''s focus on Marcus for now." [Sloan accepted that the two targets would be difficult to kill]. [Hearing the name Marcus, Wesley Gibson took notice. Marcus was the one who had killed his father. Wesley wanted revenge. Finally, he would get his chance.] "We found out that Marcus goes to this area, one of our members found him... He died after calling for help. I want you to check out this place. Maybe we can find clues about Marcus." [Wesley nodded seriously. Even though he had broken ribs after escaping from Bryan Mills, it hadn''t stopped him from joining the group. He had to be a part of it, he felt it was his duty to avenge his father.] Chapter 240 Chapter 240 [The group went to the location. As expected, they found nothing. Someone like Marcus was certainly meticulous.] [Wesley decided to look for clues alone... Only to find Marcus waiting for him in an alley]. [Wesley immediately drew his gun and fired at Marcus. Marcus fired back at the same time, deflecting the bullet.] [Marcus tried to talk to Wesley, but the man had no intention of talking to him. The commotion attracted the attention of the others.] [The first person to arrive on the scene was The Exterminator, the one who taught Wesley about explosive rats.] [Marcus took the opportunity to escape. He shot The Exterminator, killing him]. [Wesley awoke in the ice sauna. He realized that The Exterminator died and his hatred of Marcus had grown even stronger. He treats everyone in the Fraternity as family. He didn''t know who he was until the Fraternity took him in.] "This is the bullet Marcus used to kill the Exterminator. Unlike last time, this bullet is traceable. I found the man who made that bullet. Sloan, I want this mission." [Wesley placed the bullet that killed The Exterminator on the table. Sloan examined the bullet, then turned to Fox]. "Wesley, you are not ready." "No, I am ready. You trained me for this, to kill Marcus. He killed a member of our family, he must die. He killed my father, I have to kill him." [Sloan stared at Wesley and nodded, agreeing with his decision]. "Okay Wesley, the mission is yours. Find the manufacturer of these bullets and ask him about Marcus." [Wesley left immediately after that. He wasted no time]. "Are you sure you want to leave him alone?" [Fox asked Sloan] "Fox, this is your next mission." [Sloan handed Fox the documents on her next target. In the picture was Wesley Gibson] "After he kills Marcus, I want you to kill him." ... ... ... [Wesley found the bullet maker. The old man tried to attack Wesley, but Fox showed up and helped Wesley take the man down.] "Is it true? That Marcus is my father?" "Yes." "Why?" "We''re using you. Because you''re the only one he''ll never kill." [Wesley realized that Fox would kill him. He shot out the window and escaped with his father''s body. Fox shot at them, but Wesley had already escaped.] [Wesley and Marcus fell into the canyon and fell into the flowing river.] ... ... ... [Sloan waited for the results. When Fox returned to the textile factory smirking, he knew the problem was not over.] "We taught him so well." [Fox said and left Sloan thinking] ... ... ... "Gaa--hhaa--!" [Wesley gasped as he sat up in the ice-filled tub. He gasped for air as he looked around. He didn''t recognize this place.] [He weakly stood and left the tub. He found the old bullet maker, but he was talking to someone. It was a person with shoulder-length black hair and a beard.] "What... What is going on?" [He asked, looking at the two of them]. "I''m John Wick, I''m your father''s friend." [Wesley was still processing the situation, so he just nodded.] Chapter 241 Chapter 241 [Wesley Gibson was still shocked by the truth. John Wick told the truth about Marcus and how The Fraternity betrayed Marcus]. "Marcus wants to live a peaceful life, but The Fraternity does not, so they try to kill him." "The Fraternity tried to kill you, Wesley, but your father did his best to protect you." [Wesley looked out the window and realized that this house, his father''s house, was only next door to his house. Meaning Marcus actually lived near him]. "Your father wants you to have a peaceful life." "I can''t... Not after this." [Wesley stared at the bearded man. His time in the Fraternity had been short, but he knew this bearded man was strong]. "I want revenge. Sloan deserves to die." "I know you will say that." [John Wick sighed. He had expected this outcome. Wesley was already tainted by the hidden side of the world and it was impossible for him to leave.] [Marcus saved John Wick the last time, and he had to do his part. John Wick has already had a conversation with Marcus. Marcus told him that the Fraternity was acting strangely and he asked John Wick for a favor.] "I contacted some people who work for the High Table. Apparently, they were unaware that the Fraternity had groomed some members and infiltrated the CIA, specifically the Treadstone. The High Table wants to keep their status, but The Fraternity has compromised them." [This was the reason why The Fraternity was adamant in killing everyone related to the Treadstone.] "I know I can''t stop you, but I want you to calm down and think clearly. It''s not that easy to destroy the Fraternity." "My decision will not change." "Then... You should wait a few days. I know someone who can help us." "Us?" "That''s right. Marcus is my friend, and he saved my life. I''m going to return the favor. It looks like the High Table will not interfere after what the Fraternity did." [John Wick tosses a gold coin to Wesley and the young man catches it]. "Use this to collect explosives. You know where to find rats, right?" "I know where to find them." ... ... ... [A few months later, the stuff about the Fraternity started to disappear. Just like John Wick said, the High Table excommunicated the Fraternity and ended all business with them.] [A young office worker searched for his name and the incident about the Metropolitan Building and the textile factory.] "Wesley, you thought it was over? Are you still trying to find out who you are?" [Sloan pointed his gun at the clerk. The office worker turned and showed his face. It was not Wesley. Sloan realized he had walked into a trap. He looked down and found that he was stepping on an X-mark. The office worker was just a decoy]. "Oh fuck..." [The bullet traveled out of the house, hit his friend''s beer can, went through the hole of the donut Wesley''s fat boss was about to eat, and reached Sloan''s skull.] [Wesley looked into the horizon and said.] "What the fuck have you been doing lately?" ... ... ... "Woohoo!!" The applause from the audience was endless as the credits rolled. Everyone gave a standing ovation, cheering and supporting the movie. "... Damn." Even Harrison Ford cursed under his breath and clapped his hands. He realized that the movie was very entertaining. He had a disguise to make sure that no one would recognize him. He was interested in the movie and curious how the performance would be. In the middle of the movie, Harrison Ford could not stop thinking about what-ifs. ''What if I had lowered my salary and agreed to sign a trilogy and several cameos? What if I had gotten the part of John Wick?'' The enthusiasm around him was overwhelming, and the veteran could not contemplate the future he would never see. +++++ [Three chapters today just to finish this summary. Yeah, I agree with you guys, the summary is pretty long. This will be the first and last time I''ll do this. I''m going to make a poll in the morning about the future projects Kazir will do. I want Kazir to try a different genre and I''m curious about your opinion about it]. [Edit: The Poll already ended a few months ago, the next movie is... no spoiler.] Chapter 242 Chapter 242 Wanted was the most anticipated movie of the year. It was no lie that most of the audience was interested in seeing the movie. Excited to see their favorite actors together in one movie. The most ambitious crossover ever. The Continental Cinematic Universe focused more on the male audience. But because of the influence that Taken had on women, many women became fans of the franchise as well. Not only that, but some women fell in love with Liam Neeson, saying that he was "daddy material", whatever that means. Because honestly, Liam Neeson was a good-looking guy. Last year, a famous magazine announced that Liam Neeson was the hottest man alive, despite being in his late 40s. The best father in the history of cinema. Even Matt Damon and Viggo Mortensen had a career boost. They got a lot of scripts inviting them to big projects. The Continental Cinematic Universe opened up a new career for them. "This is going to be a hit! A huge hit! The question is, how big will it be?" Frank Price, the current CEO of Sony-Columbia, had a happy nervous breakdown. His tenure was coming to an end and Sony was happy with his performance. If Wanted was a huge success, Frank would definitely get a bonus. Maybe he could be invited to become a director or president of the parent company, Sony. The premiere had just ended and the cast of Wanted took questions from reporters and fans. Sony-Columbia was responsible for distributing the film. They were very generous, because they knew that this movie wasn''t going to flop, everyone believed that. Also, Frank Price heard that Kazir had the intention of working with the Big Six again. It was still a rumor, but it was a good thing for them. Sony-Columbia was hoping that Kazir would shoulder one of their projects. "The movie is very fun, it has a lot of wow factor. Every time Bryan Mills, John Wick and Jason Bourne appeared, they screamed and cheered. That response is enough to conclude that this movie will be a success." Frank Price believed that, he really believed that. He didn''t get into this position without a good sense of how to crack a movie. He knew which movie would be a success or not, based on the scripts, the cast, and the schedule. Unless something happened that affected Wanted, his expectations would remain high. Even if their share in this movie was small, profit was still profit. Besides, he wanted to look good in front of Kazir. He wanted to talk to him about a certain movie... Combined, the first weekend of Wanted grossed $135.63 million. It easily won the top spot as the weekly box office champion for the week. As for Big Momma''s House, its first weekend was $25.66 million. The numbers for Wanted continue to climb. Many people supported the movie and watched it so many times that they said it was the best movie ever made. They believe that the Continental Cinematic Universe has changed the concept of action movies. This was not wrong, many movies in the future would adopt the same style as the Continental Cinematic Universe. No one could deny that Kazir''s filmography was the beginning of a new era. And while this was happening... The cast and director of Wanted suffered the usual situations: promoting their movies in different parts of America. Even Liam Neeson, Viggo Mortensen and Matt Damon made a schedule to promote the movie. This was a way to hype their next projects as well. Especially for Viggo Mortensen, Peter Jackson personally spoke to him to promote the upcoming Lord of the Rings, which was to be released in 2001. Kazir Grey knew that his movies had won him a lot of fans. But this time, what he saw every time he showed his face in public was overwhelming. People kept asking for his autograph. Most of them were men in their teens, telling him that he was a great director and that his movies were all amazing. That was the moment when Kazir realized that he had made it. He had reached the status where a director like him was recognized for his art. Now he could say that he was on par with Steven Spielberg and James Cameron. He made it. "So this is the feeling of being recognized... Not bad, I like it." He chuckled. He had dark circles under his eyes, but he was ecstatic and elated that his movie was doing well. ++++++ [Author''s note: I didn''t add Quentin Tarantino and Michael Bay because Michael Bay hasn''t made Transformer yet, which is his best franchise. As for Quentin Tarantino, his movies were not so much appreciated broadly, but Tarantino''s movies are indeed cult classics]. Chapter 243 Chapter 243 Days go by and seven days have passed since the premiere of Wanted. The movie performed a miracle at the box office, grossing $196.01 million in seven days. It was one of the fastest 100 million dollar movies of all time, along with Star Wars and other blockbusters. Only seven days passed and everyone knew that the movie would continue to make money after money. Production costs broke even in just two days, as the budget was $75 million. While this was happening, Angelina Jolie had a dilemma about her situation. You see, Angelina Jolie had two big projects that she was involved in that were going to be released this year. First was Wanted, she had a lot of fun working with the crew... Especially Kazir, her heart was always pounding when the guy was around. She loved teasing him, even though Kazir was stoic most of the time. And now Wanted was probably the biggest winner of the year. The response was tremendous and she didn''t regret signing the contract. Even her agent told her to keep a healthy relationship with Kazir. Her second project was Gone In 60 Seconds, with Nicholas Cage as the lead actor and her in a supporting role. When Angelina Jolie read the script, she felt that the plot was typical, but it seemed promising. In addition, Nicholas Cage had already indicated that he would be the protagonist, so Angelina and her agent accepted the role. The salary was not bad. It was crazy that the production cost of Gone In 60 Seconds was $103 million, perhaps casting a superstar like Nicholas Cage increased the budget a lot. It is estimated that Nicholas Cage''s salary was over $20 million. Maybe he also had a share of the box office. Unfortunately, Disney, the distributor and investor of Gone in 60 Seconds, would probably suffer a serious situation. Even though there were seven days between the premiere of Wanted and the premiere of Gone in 60 Seconds, the two movies would directly fight for a better position at the box office. It was very bad for Angelina Jolie because two of her movies were released within a week and both movies would negatively affect each other. "Angelina, we heard that you and Kazir are together. Tell us about your love life." The reporter added something to spice up the red carpet interview. Tonight was the premiere of Gone in 60 Seconds. "Kazir is such a nice guy, I love him very much. He said he wanted to go to the premiere of Gone In 60 Seconds with me, but he is very busy promoting Wanted. In fact, I just got back from Texas to go to the premiere as well. "Being famous is super hard, right?" The reporter asked back. ... "After Taken, I never underestimate Kazir, I know he is a director worthy of our attention. I even tried to invite him to work with us. But things just didn''t work out." Michael Eisner muttered to himself. His position was becoming dangerous. The board of directors and the shareholders didn''t like the fact that he now had all the power over Walt Disney. They wanted to expel him, which he didn''t want to happen. He was actually against releasing Gone in 60 Seconds the week after Wanted because he knew Wanted had the upper hand. But the schedule was packed and most of the weekends were already taken by the other studio companies. "Those bunch of ingrates sabotaged me and voted for the schedule of Gone in 60 Seconds. They want to blame me when the movie fails. I have to do something about it..." Suddenly, his vision caught a script that was in the process of being approved by management. It was the Barsoom series. "No, this project is for a Cinematic Universe..." He recalled a rumor that Kazir was looking to take a break from the Continental Cinematic Universe. Rumors that Kazir wanted to direct a Warner Brothers or 20th Century Fox project. "It should be Harry Potter or Star Wars... We can''t let that happen, Kazir should work for Disney this time." The old Michael stood up and got motivated. He had to make sure that Kazir would work for Disney. "For someone like him, a 20+20 contract is a no-brainer." What he didn''t know was that all the Big Six had the same intention. They all wanted to work with Kazir Grey. ++++ [Two chapters today.] Chapter 244 Chapter 244 June passed and the theaters were having the best time of their lives. It was summer vacation, and families and students were more than happy to go to the theaters to watch movies. Gone in 60 Seconds grossed $75.12 million the moment June passed. Numbers couldn''t lie, and the performance of Gone in 60 Seconds was average at best, considering the investment Disney had made in the film. Disney would have had a hard time recouping the $100 million investment if they wanted to based on the box office. Fortunately, this industry was saved by videotapes. Another way to make money. Although the movie companies felt that DVDs would overtake videotapes. The Big Six adapted to these changes by producing more DVDs of their movies. Note that the Big Six had thousands of movie copyrights in their film libraries. As long as people were consuming movies, they had ways to make money. So now Walt Disney felt that they had to rely on the videotape and DVD markets to recoup their investment and make a profit in the long run. Unlike Disney, 20th Century Fox was pleased with the performance of Big Momma''s House. The film grossed $90.95 million at the box office. The investment for this comedy was only $30 million. This kind of production cost was considered small now that making blockbuster movies was expensive. If there was a winner in this month of June, it was none other than Wanted, which was distributed by Sony-Columbia. Produced by Grey Pictures, the film earned $376.42 million. In just one month, one damn month. This case was very difficult to replicate. This movie was not like Star Wars, which had millions of fans around the world. This movie was not like Jurassic Park, which was based on a novel and made into a movie. It was directed by a star director, Steven Spielberg. This movie was not like Titanic, which had a heartbreaking plot and captured the hearts of many women. Yet Wanted had the same box office performance as those three. Well, Wanted was a different kind of movie. It was an action movie with lots of action stunts and choreography. It also had a superhero element that men love. Perhaps the biggest reason why Wanted did so well was because of the hype that was built up. A lot of people were excited to see the movie. And now that the movie was released, people''s opinions about it were positive, which pushed more people to see it. The woman realized that Kazir knew how to spend his money. He would never hesitate to spoil Angelina because he knew what was important. She didn''t know how much the guy spent on her, probably more than seven figures. The real estate agent kept smiling, trying to hide his nervousness. This was a big deal and he hoped Kazir would buy the house. They had already looked over four houses. There was only one condition that Kazir wanted to meet, the house had to be in Beverly Hills. Kazir had never had the opportunity to live in this area and it was one of his dreams to live in this place. He was just trying to experience that. "How much is the house?" "Sir, it''s $25 million. The owner of this house was in desperate need of money after filing for bankruptcy. The bubble burst hit him so hard." "Well, I''ll take it. Let''s get the paperwork done." Los Angeles was a very expensive city to live in. It also had a high crime rate. Beverly Hills was a safe and perfect place for celebrities to protect their privacy. In his opinion, $25 million was already good for a house like this. The house could go for more than $100 million in the next two decades. Buying it early was a good decision. The real estate agent almost jumped for joy. He giddily shook Kazir''s hand. "We can start renovating. I''ll probably be living here in three to four months. Depending on the situation." "What do you mean by that? Babe, we both know that you''re going to keep living in your office and this house is just a decoration--mmm." Angelina moaned weakly as Kazir grabbed her ass. The woman gave him a "fuck me" look after that interaction. Chapter 245 Chapter 245 After the realtor left, the couple decided to bless the house with their bodily fluids... Angelina was very exhausted and cuddled up to her man on the sofa. Most of the furniture was gone, but the beds, tables, and other things had been left behind by the previous owner. "I heard that people are going crazy because of you." "What do you mean?" "Huh, don''t tease me. Stop touching my-- you pervert, I''m telling you, I''m serious right now. Staph~~" Kazir just chuckled. "I don''t know why, but Disney is desperate right now. They want me to direct a movie based on a novel." "What novel? Maybe I''ve read it." "It''s the Barsoom series, by Edgar Rice Burroughs." "Really? You''re joking, tell me you''re joking!" Angelina was quite shocked. Edgar Rice Burroughs was a famous writer. His most famous works were the Tarzan and Barsoom series. His works were famous in the early 1910s and his works are still appreciated today. Angelina knew of the Tarzan and Barsoom series. She didn''t expect that Walt Disney would acquire the movie rights to the Barsoom series. "Walt Disney wants to make a movie of the Barsoom series and they hope that I can be the director... They want to call the movie John Carter, based on the protagonist of the Barsoom series." "What do you think? I think it''s a great deal. I think Disney has offered you a desirable contract." "They contacted my agent and said they are willing to do a 20+20 deal with me. It''s negotiable." "Wow, I''m so proud of you." The woman showered him with kisses. "They keep forcing Salvatore to accept the project." "What are you waiting for? I think the novel adaptation will be great if you''re the one to direct it. You''re an amazing person." "How did you know that?" "I just guessed, based on our conversation." To be precise, the one who contacted Kazir was actually LucasFilm. George Lucas called him personally and congratulated Kazir. Then George Lucas asked Kazir if he would be interested in directing Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones. After their first meeting a few months ago, the two met several times and talked about their daily lives. One time, George Lucas invited Steven Spielberg over and the three of them had a good time. Steven Spielberg said that he was happy that someone like Kazir would take up the banner now that most Jewish directors were getting old. Kazir just accepted it and didn''t bother to explain himself. "What about Sony-Columbia? What do they want from you?" "You know Spiderman?" "That comic book superhero? I read a few issues." "Sony-Columbia is hoping I''ll direct this project. Well, it''s complicated, actually. Even Marvel is trying to talk to me." Grey Pictures bought a lot of superhero movie copyrights from Marvel, and the company was hoping to meet Kazir. Kazir had an idea why they wanted to talk to him. Marvel was at its lowest point at the time, in a downward spiral. Beaten by their rival, DC Comics. Maybe they were trying to find a solution to get back on their feet. They believed that Kazir had the answer to their questions. The people at Marvel were no fools. When they learned that Kazir intended to create a Cinematic Universe about assassins, killers, agents and ninjas, Marvel understood the reason why Grey Pictures had bought their not-so-famous superheroes. Grey Pictures wanted to make a Cinematic Universe about superheroes! ''Uh, not really. I bought the superheroes'' movie adaptations in the first place because Marvel might become my enemy later on. So I just cut their wings before they can fly... However, if we have an agreement, I have no intention of avoiding money.'' Especially now that Sony-Columbia wanted Kazir Grey to direct Spider-Man, he would definitely meet with the higher-ups of Marvel Comics. He felt he was getting to the point where he had to decide his future. Because honestly, he was interested in the DCEU as well. Chapter 246 Chapter 246 The movie copyrights for Spider-Man were quite complicated. Sony-Columbia and MGM felt that both companies had a stake in the copyrights. In the ''70s, there was a Spider-Man TV show called The Amazing Spider-Man. It aired on CBS, with one of the producers being Colombia Pictures Television (before Sony). Another adaptation was the Japanese version titled Spider-Man or Supaida?man, also referred to as Japanese Spider-Man or Toei Spider-Man. The production company of this TV series was Toei Company. Also produced in the 70s. So yes, the copyrights of this superhero character were complicated. After some legal stuff, the copyrights went back to the original owner, which was Marvel Comics. MGM and Sony-Columbia had some disputes over those copyrights, trying to figure out which company should acquire the movie adaptation. In the end, the two companies resolved the issue and Sony-Columbia legally purchased the copyright from Marvel Comics. When Sony-Columbia acquired the superhero, a famous director announced his intentions to direct the movie. It was none other than James Cameron. He has been interested in this superhero for a long time. The initial plan was already set, the project was approved by the management as well. The budget was set, Sony would invest in the movie. But maybe because of some negotiations, James Cameron resigned before the project officially started. Well, someone like James Cameron was hard to get. Another thing, James Cameron had a habit of overspending and his projects were usually behind schedule. Maybe that was the factor why James Cameron didn''t get the job. James Cameron already recommended that he wanted Leonardo DiCaprio to be Peter Parker and Sony-Columbia thought it was appropriate, knowing that the young actor was super famous after the success of Titanic. Then Sony-Columbia felt that Sam Raimi, the director of Evil Dead, could be the right director for this project. Sam Raimi was not only good at horror movies, he was also good at other genres. Sony-Columbia decided to hire the director because of his affordable salary. Everyone thought the project was already on the right track. The director, the producer, the budget and the production crew, the initial stage was happening. But three days before Sam Raimi was to sign the contract, he found out that his wife was two months pregnant. In Frank Price''s opinion, 20th Century Fox would be the strongest opponent. After all, the success of Star Wars was huge. Star Wars was not a movie, it was a culture. People would not hesitate to spend their money to buy tickets for Star Wars. Surely, if Kazir didn''t want to risk his career, he would choose the safest movie. Yet here they were, in the office where Frank Price and Salvatore Barlowe were negotiating. "My client wants a 25+25 deal and a 10% profit share on videotapes/DVDs, merchandise and other peripherals related to Spider-Man." "..." As expected, Salvatore Barlowe was asking for something extravagant. Well, his client had the right to do so, considering that his latest movie was still making a lot of money. As of July 21, 2000, Wanted had just grossed $404.62 million domestically. The international release of Wanted happened two weeks ago and the international box office was around $134 million. Combined, the worldwide box office for Wanted was $538 million. With that as a reference, Kazir Grey had the status to ask for a big contract. Moreover, Sony-Columbia was not the only company that wanted to work with Kazir Grey. The other companies were definitely ready to snatch Kazir away. None of the Big Six knew that Kazir had no intention of working with 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney. Star Wars had been criticized by so many people, while John Carter was not promising. Kazir''s attention turned to Spider-Man and Harry Potter. These two had a high chance of success. Sony-Columbia and Grey Pictures negotiated for about two weeks. In the end, Sony-Columbia did its best to get the contract down to a 25+20 deal with 7% profit share on videotapes/DVDs and peripherals for the time being... Chapter 247 Chapter 247 The problem with Spider-Man was profit sharing. Note that Marvel Comics had a share because they were the rightful owners of the copyrights. Marvel Comics only leased it to Sony-Columbia. If Salvatore Barlowe was fighting for such a large share of the profits, it would be bad for Sony-Columbia. But the Spider-Man project was already behind schedule, and more money would be wasted if Frank didn''t make a decision. "...27+27 contract and 7% profit share on peripherals." In the end, Frank Price decided to raise the salary and the box office share and lower the peripheral profit share. Frank Price kept a straight face. The two of them stared at each other. After a few seconds, Salvatore Barlowe nodded. "Alright." "Glad to hear it." Frank Price sighed privately. Salvatore Barlowe knew it would be hard for Sony-Columbia to give up their peripheral profits, and Kazir agreed to the 7%. In fact, the two sides had fought hard to reach that amount. Now that the two sides have agreed. They would have to finalize the contract and Kazir would sign it. Sony Columbia was in a desperate situation. In this case, they might as well choose the best director out there who could give them a lot of money. After all, they couldn''t intentionally screw up Spider-Man, that was written into the contract between Sony-Columbia and Marvel Comics. All they were hoping for was that Spider-Man would be at least half as good as Wanted. Oh boy, they were wrong, it was more than half. The Spider-Man trilogy was the beginning of the superhero movie era. ... ... ... "So you''re telling me that both sides have come to an agreement?" Michael Eisner asked his secretary, looking rather disheveled. He thought Walt Disney had the opportunity to work with Kazir Grey. ''I don''t understand, I thought we had an initial agreement.'' At that time, four of the Big Six had an initial agreement with Kazir Grey. But of course Kazir could only promise one project at a time. He could not work with all of them. What? A 27+27 deal with a 7% profit share on videotapes/DVDs/merchandise/peripherals? Kazir would receive half of the $27 million at the start of production, and the other half would be transferred to his bank account when the project was completed. Half of the $27 million was $13.5 million. This meant that Kazir had that amount of money on his first day on the job. But that didn''t matter. At that moment, Kazir was simply the most in-demand director, and Sony-Columbia was crazy enough to go for it. Here was the thing: over the next two decades, James Cameron made at least $95 million for directing Avatar 2. So yeah, the Big Six was crazy enough to hire people for that amount of money. Anyway, Kazir''s side and Sony-Columbia''s side finalized the deal. Sony-Columbia wanted Kazir to sign a trilogy deal, but Kazir could only promise 2 movies. The two sides compromised and the profit sharing on peripherals and such was lowered to 6.8%. So yeah, it was now 27+27 and 6.8% profit share on peripherals. Was it a loss? In my opinion, no, it was not... The amount was so damn huge. The two sides signed a contract and the project officially began. However, Kazir realized that the job was not so easy. He realized that the project was in shambles. First, the production crew. Kazir had to hire his crew members from Grey Pictures. So now the production crew responsible for the project was Grey Pictures. But this was the first time these crew members had worked for the Big Six after The Hangover, and they were adjusting. The second was the Marvel creative team. Of course there would be people from Marvel Comics involved. Especially Stan Lee, the man himself. Because it was an adaptation and Kazir didn''t have absolute authority, it was hard to get his opinion on some things. Another problem was the producer. The producer, who was mostly in charge of the finances and managing the crew, was from Sony-Columbia and Kazir had no experience working with her. Let''s just say she had a thing about women. No, not that thing, she hated women. Especially beautiful and sexy women, she hated them for some reason and it affected the project. ++++ [Author''s Note: Just to be clear, the Producer is an original character and has no connection with the real-life Spider-Man Producer.] Chapter 248 Chapter 248 Kazir met the producer for the first time, it was a meeting with some of the Marvel staff. They were choosing the costume designs for Spider-Man and Green Goblin. At first the meeting was peaceful, the Marvel Comics staff had a nice conversation with Kazir... They wanted to know what Kazir intended to do with the superhero characters that Grey Pictures had bought from them. Marvel Comics was at its lowest point and they were trying to find a way to turn things around. They felt that movie adaptations were the way to go. After all, this generation preferred movies than comics. The Blade movie had a great response and Marvel Comics found that their superheroes had what it took to be on the big screen. They made a profit on the movie as well. Unfortunately, the adaptation rights was bought by New Line Cinema and Marvel Comics couldn''t maximize their profit. Note that Marvel Studio, the production company responsible for the MCU, had not yet been formed. However, profit was still profit. So yes, these employees wanted to know if Kazir was going to sabotage them or not. At first they wanted to buy back the copyrights of their superheroes, but Marvel had to buy them in a significant amount, and as if Grey Pictures would sell them easily. But the success of the Continental Cinematic Universe made them realize that Kazir Grey definitely had a plan for their superheroes. As for what it was, they hoped it was something positive. In fact, Marvel Comics pushed the idea of working with Kazir Grey and Sony-Columbia supported their desire because Kazir was a great director. He had experience with adaptations, as The Bourne Identity was based on a novel, and Kazir did a good job with that project. Anyway, the situation in the meeting room turned sour when a costume designer showed up to present her work. The woman wanted to be a fashion designer, but breaking into the fashion industry was not that easy. She is currently working as part of the costume design team. When the crew saw her designs, they nodded and knew that her art sheets were the best yet. They were also detailed. Most of the crew on this project were not from Grey Pictures, but were hired by Sony-Columbia, so Kazir did not know the woman. "I think this is the best we have so far." He admitted, and everyone around him agreed. Except for the producer. So Kazir personally invited Willem Dafoe to audition. Willem Dafoe was the late Marcus in the Continental Cinematic Universe and he now had a status in Hollywood. Many fans expressed their sadness when Marcus died and Willem Dafoe''s image was good because of that. So when he received a call from Kazir that the director wanted him to play the villain in a superhero movie, the actor was hesitant. Actors must maintain their image. If he accepted the role, it might affect his public image. After all, people hate villains. His status as a protective father was still raring. However, after reading the script, Willem Dafoe admitted that he was interested in the role. Norman Osborn/Green Goblin was not a 2-dimensional character. He had a good reason for turning evil. That got Willem''s attention. In the end, Willem Dafoe did the audition. The agent was against it, but not that much. The director of this project was Kazir Grey, who was responsible for Willem''s recent fame in Hollywood. Maybe Willem wanted to return the favor. Besides, who wouldn''t want to work with Kazir? Hell, more and more actresses were trying to flirt with him just because they wanted to work with the director. Reese Witherspoon, Cameron Diaz and Angelina Jolie worked with Kazir... There was a rumor that in order to have a chance with the guy, you had to work with him first. So, yeah, it affected the auditions for the female roles. "Willem, there''s no need to test your acting. Everyone here knows you''re a great actor. I can testify to that." "Thank you, Kazir." "I guess we both have an agreement then?" 2/3 of the people in the audition room were from Sony-Columbia and Marvel Comics and they didn''t have a problem with Kazir''s decision. They all saw Willem Dafoe''s audition and it was amazing. Plus, his look fits the Norman Osborn they had in mind. "I''m going to call my agent." "I hope we can finalize this as soon as possible." "I hope so too." Chapter 249 Chapter 249 Willem Dafoe then left the room. But even though they knew the role was already taken, the casting director was still looking for second and third choices. They kept the audition for Norman Osborn open for many reasons. If Willem''s side didn''t want to work with them, then the crew had to find another actor to fill the role. But honestly, Kazir wanted Willem to get the part. For that, he had no problem adding another million dollars to Willem salary if the negotiations didn''t work out. If that amount is not enough, then go with Plan B. ... ... ... Now that the role of Norman Osborn was in good hands, the crew began looking for Mary Jane. In the comics, Spider-Man had many lovers. His most famous ones were Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy. Unfortunately, most of his relationships didn''t end well. In this movie adaptation, they decided to go for the safe route. Tobey''s girlfriend would be Mary Jane. Dozens of actresses auditioned for the role of Mary Jane. Some of them were quite famous in the industry. But the one thing that bothered him was the producer sitting next to him. Jezebel was quite a critic, she kept telling all the mistakes that each actress made, so today''s audition was like walking on eggshells. "Miss Kirsten Dunst, are you okay with dyeing your hair red?" Stan Lee asked. The man had not been at the audition yesterday because he had other things to do. So this time the old man tried to be active. Stan Lee already had a conversation with Kazir, but the subject of superhero copyrights was still not discussed. Marvel Comics was still trying to understand the director. They didn''t want to blow this unique moment to convince Kazir of their plan to create a Cinematic Universe. "Yes, I can do it." Kirsten nodded. She knew that Mary Jane Watson had red hair in the comics. Because she wasn''t sure if she could get the role, Kirsten didn''t dye her hair yet. Jezebel was shocked at first. She gritted her teeth, but decided to keep her cool. Obviously, she was not to blame this time. Unlike original script, this movie was based on comic books, and the actresses and actors had plenty of time to prepare. In Kirsten''s position, she could just dye her hair or put on a wig before the audition. But the woman showed up with her blonde hair. After that, the audition had a break. Unlike yesterday, it seemed that the selection of the female lead might take a while. Kazir''s reason for putting Kirsten Dunst at the top of the list was his knowledge. He knew that the original Mary Jane was Kirsten Dunst. The break was still going on and Kazir decided to eat a salad, feeling quite hungry for a healthy diet. He looked at his phone and smiled when he got a message from Angelina Jolie saying she missed him. Kazir texted back. While eating, he noticed that the makeup artist was eating a little too close to his table. The director decided to talk to the makeup artist. "You''re the makeup artist, right?" "Yes, I''m Peyton Joel." "Just call me Kazir. Anyway, Peyton, do you know Jezebel? I just want to ask, but does she have a problem with women or something? I noticed that most of the crew members are men." "Ah, about that... I don''t know if I should say this, but I think it''s important for you to know because it might affect the movie. From what I have heard, Jezebel was abused by her mother and her sisters beat her because she acted righteous and smart. I also heard that her classmates bullied her when she was in school, apparently she was a smart woman and they didn''t like that about her." "I see, thank you Peyton. Please keep this between us." "I understand." Trauma was a real thing. Even Kazir suffered from trauma, he was not sure if he had overcome it yet. He thought about therapy, but he felt it was a waste of time. His therapy was his work, he loved to work. As for Jezebel, too bad, but her prejudice was affecting the production. Kazir hoped it wouldn''t become a big problem. Chapter 250 Chapter 250 The matter of the female lead ended after the audition for Mary Jane. The group voiced their opinions, but on this project, Kazir Grey had the ultimate authority. Some of them were unhappy when Kazir decided to cast Kirsten Dunst. Her passion and motivation for the role was lacking. But because of Kazir''s past successes and his eye for casting, they decided to accept his decision. The main reason Kazir cast Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson was because of his knowledge. Spider-Man was a huge success in his past life, and he believed that as long as he followed the original version, his chances of getting a box office hit were higher. Fortunately, when Kirsten Dunst showed up and signed the contract, her hair was already dyed red and it didn''t look bad. Even Jezebel Salome thought it was acceptable. Still, Jezebel was against Kazir''s decision to choose the female lead. After that, the subject of the protagonist, the person who would become Spider-Man, came up. At first, James Cameron, the first choice director, wanted to invite Leonardo DiCaprio for the role and Sony-Colombia was not against it However, it seemed that the young actor was not very enthusiastic about being a superhero. Maybe he despised wearing tight costumes... Instead, Leonardo DiCaprio recommended his friend. The one and only Tobey Maguire, our Bully Maguire. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire have been friends since they were young. But unlike Leonardo, Tobey was still trying to find his place in this industry. Everyone knew that Kazir Grey and Sony-Columbia had a project and the investment for this movie would definitely exceed $100 million. Besides, working with someone like Kazir Grey would boost the actors'' careers. So yes, the audition for the lead in Spider-Man was terrifying. Kazir''s fame influenced the situation. Kazir had the nickname "Star Maker". Because every actor who starred in his movies got a foothold in Hollywood. Some examples were Reese Witherspoon, Ed Helms, Pedro Pascal, Brianna Evans and Enzo Park. Even though Kazir only attended the final round of auditions, he was still shocked when he realized there were more than 100 actors in line. "I guess being Peter Parker is not that easy." Well, Peter Parker represents the common man, though he was more of a bullied nerd. The director sighed and went with the flow... He knew Tobey Maguire would get the part anyway. He would do his best to make it happen. With over a hundred participants, the audition ended quite late. Fremont Smith already signed a contract with Grey Pictures. However, there was no clause that he couldn''t work with other companies. Of course, he had to promise and make sure that his energy was rightfully put on John Wick Chapter 2 before anything else. As for The Fast and The Furious, Stella Willow was looking for someone to direct the movie. In fact, Kazir wanted her to look for a Taiwanese director. Honestly, Stella Willow had no idea why Kazir was looking for a Taiwanese director but she decided to trust Kazir. The person she was looking for was Justin Lin. Only Kazir knew that Justin Lin had an important role in the franchise of The Fast and The Furious. He was the director of: The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift Fast & Furious Fast Five Fast & Furious 6 F9 Fast X Yup, the titles made no sense... Anyway, Justin Lin was also the director of Star Trek Beyond. Stella Willow sent staff to Taiwan just to personally invite Justin Lin to be part of the Continental Cinematic Universe. The general manager hoped that Kazir''s decision would be the right. Because of Wanted, a lot of people were watching every move of Grey Pictures and they didn''t dare make any mistake. Just like what Kazir said, this was just the start. The Continental Cinematic Universe would expand until they could release three movies every year. With every movie being successful. That would be the next goal. Chapter 251 Chapter 251 August 3rd arrived and the people from Sony-Columbia did their best for the premiere of Bruce Almighty. The cast of the movie, especially Jim Carrey, Morgan Freeman, Steven Carell and the others, walked the red carpet one by one. Presenting themselves to the media. As the screenwriter of the film, Kazir also attended the premiere. Like the actors, he also walked on the red carpet. On his left arm was Angelina Jolie in her sexy dress. Even though he was only the screenwriter, the attention Kazir brought was tremendous. He was not an actor, yet he was the center of the cameras. The recognition he had after so many successful films made his position as a scriptwriter elevated. Usually, only the director, the cast and important guests would walk on the red carpet. At the time of Se7en''s premiere, Kazir didn''t have the status to be part of the red carpet. He used the backstage entrance instead, ah, he was with Reese Witherspoon at that time. Another reason he showed up at the premiere was to pre-promote Spider-Man. If you keep showing your face to the public, they will remember you and the things associated with you. ''But if I''m not wrong, people might remember the Continental Cinematic Universe movies more than Spider-Man if they see my face.'' Kazir thought. Kazir always had a cameo in every Continental Cinematic Universe movie. The production crew had already set up a schedule for him to film a cameo, even though The Fast and The Furious and John Wick Chapter 2 were still in pre-production. "Good evening, Ms. Jolie and Mr. Grey." "Good evening to you as well." "Is it true that you recommended Jim Carrey and Morgan Freeman for this movie?" "Jim is the face of comedy right now. As for Morgan, I''ve worked with the guy and he''s a nice and talented actor." Of course, no red carpet would be complete without interviews. "Congratulations, Mr. Grey. You just broke the record for the highest grossing movie of June." "Thank you." Kazir and Angelina smiled. Of course they were proud that their movie was getting recognition. The worldwide box office for Wanted had reached $753 million! The performance of Wanted in North America had been steady, earning a million or two every day. This was a matter of course. Two months had passed and Wanted was already running out of gas. Even the number of theaters that showed the movie dropped to 1500 theaters. The North American box office of Wanted was currently 431 million dollars. August was the last month of the summer, and the Big Six wanted to make sure they milked the audience with more ticket sales. On August 3, the public had three big movies to choose from. First was Space Cowboys, distributed by Warner Brothers. Second was Coyote Ugly from Walt Disney. Third was Bruce Almighty. These three would compete for first place. ... The winner of the first weekend was obviously Bruce Almighty, hah! We were talking about Jim Carrey. Also, the screenwriter of this movie was Kazir Grey. Everyone knew that Kazir''s scripts were always profitable. The only question was how much money they could make. The first weekend (August 3-6) of the three movies was not too bad. Space Cowboys grossed $18.09 million. Coyote Ugly took in $17.31 million. The two did well, too bad they ran into Bruce Almighty. Bruce Almighty made $67.95 million! There were many factors as to why this happened. Jim Carrey and Kazir Grey were part of it. Jim Carrey had a very strong box office appeal. When audiences found out that Jim Carrey was the protagonist of this movie, they became interested in watching it. The movie was also entertaining, it had good word of mouth and people praised it. I mean, the plot of the movie was about a guy who gets the power of God. He can do almost anything with that power. In this world, who hasn''t wanted to be God? Who didn''t want to have superpowers to rule over humanity and rule the world? Sony-Columbia already knew that they had the month of August all to themselves. Most of the Big Six''s big-budget films had already been released before August, such as The Perfect Storm, Mission: Impossible 2 and Gladiator. The next schedule to prepare for was October and November. Speaking of November, Charlie''s Angels was scheduled to open in November. Chapter 252 Chapter 252 Reputation was a very important thing. This aspect would determine how people would look at you. How they would respect you or ignore you. Kazir experienced being ignored. When he tried to sell Se7en to many production companies, almost all of them ignored him. Had it not been for New Line Cinema''s interest in his script, he might never have reached his current position. ''But I can''t deny that New Line Cinema is not a company you can trust. What they did to Peter Jackson was nothing to be proud of. They basically cheated the director.'' It hadn''t happened yet, as Lord Of The Rings was still in production, but Kazir was 100% sure that New Line Cinema would definitely screw Peter Jackson over. "Reputation is hard to build, but so easy to destroy. Once you make a mistake, it''s impossible for people to forget it." Kazir muttered to himself as he watched the crew prepare the set. The place had a green background all around. Kazir wanted to use green screen technology for some scenes. This technology was also called chroma key compositing or chroma keying. A visual effects and post-production technique for compositing (layering) two or more images or video streams together based on color hues (chroma range). (Google) This technique was mostly used for backgrounds. The crew could film the scene in real locations, but there were situations where it was difficult to do so. To film in public places, such as public roads, they had to contact the local municipality and time was their main problem in this regard. A green screen could solve this problem. Although Kazir intends to use this technology only a few times... He wanted to practice using Sony-Columbia''s money. Kazir''s expertise in his past life was more in horror movies, using dark shades and such to scare the audience... His films were never popular. His experience with green screen was basically non-existent. So yes, he used this moment to ask for a green screen studio to expand his knowledge. Kazir knew that from now on, the future of most blockbusters would rely on heavy green screens. Marvel movies. DC movies. ''Jezebel works for Sony-Columbia, so even though I''m the director, they can''t put all the faith in me. At least Jezebel has respect for me. Whenever I have spoken my mind, she has agreed with most of it.'' He could say that his authority over the crew was amazing, even though almost 2/3 of that crew was working with him for the first time. Kazir decided to approach Kirsten Dunst, wanting the actress to be calm so she wouldn''t interfere with the shooting schedule. But before he could talk to the woman, an old actress comforted Kirsten Dunst. The old actress was Rosemary Harris, the movie''s Aunt May. Peter Parker''s Aunt May. Rosemary Harris had been in the business since the 50''s. They hired her because her salary was within their budget. Rosemary was talking to Kirsten and the young actress smiled slightly. Kazir came closer and overheard their conversation. "I can''t believe she called me fat and ugly. I didn''t eat today because I don''t want to look fat on camera." "She really said that word for word?" Rosemary asked. Even Kazir was surprised. He hadn''t expected Jezebel to say that directly. "No, she just said that I have to be thin and pretty because Mary Jane is the queen of the campus. She told me that three times on different occasions because she wanted this project to be perfect. Since then, I can''t help but be aware of my body. This is my biggest role and I don''t want to make any mistakes. You know how hard it is for a woman to get a big role. It''s not easy to compete for this role, and I don''t want to be replaced." The woman touched her flat stomach. She might be hungry. "Oh, honey, you don''t have to think about it seriously. You are pretty and young." The standards of beauty for women were outrageous and sometimes fucked up. Women had to shave their legs, go on diets to maintain their figure, and use makeup to disguise themselves. To be honest, men were also responsible for this problem. Chapter 253 Chapter 253 [Author''s note: I just want to remind you guys that Jezebel is just a character I added to the story. She is not a real person.] [I really want to thank you all for supporting my novel. It means a lot to me. I pray that motivation possesses me and I keep writing.] The two women began to talk and Rosemary comforted Kirsten Dunst. Kazir felt he didn''t have to talk to the actress anymore. Someone was already doing it for him. Suddenly, Kazir noticed that Rosemary was staring at him, signaling that everything was fine. Kazir nodded and walked away, giving them more time to talk. ''The mentality of the actors was very important. Their mental state could affect the filming.'' He thought. Just as Kazir expected... Kirsten Dunst had dozens of NGs. She did her best, but she couldn''t help but be aware of the cameras. ''She tries to show her beauty...'' Kazir sighed. It was a good thing they were not late. Kazir had this passive ability that made the filming faster. He knew what to shoot and his plan was set. There was no need to pile up many useless scenes, since the movie was already finished in his head. However, it was a different matter if the actress had the problem. That was out of his hands. The best he could do was to encourage Kirsten and never berate her. Her mental state was delicate and negative comments would be bad. "Kirsten, come here." "Yes, Director." The woman realized that the director had reached his limit. Directors had short fuses and they were vocal about it. They would scream in anger if the actress continued to make NGs (no good). Kazir was known as a calm director but everyone has a limit. It seemed that Kazir had reached his. Kirsten swallowed hard and approached the director who was sitting in the chair. "Kirsten, what are you thinking about right now? Your eyes are always looking at the cameras. You''re consciously trying to be sexy. What''s up with that?" "Director... I want a lasting impression." The director sighed... ... ... "Girl, did you see the paper?" "Shh, we''re in the office. You shouldn''t talk about movies that have nothing to do with us." "Why, it''s early in the morning. Most of our managers and supervisors are coming in half an hour later--" "What are you talking about?" Tom Rothman appeared from behind the two interns. He was always early. "C-CEO! Good morning!" The two interns greeted their boss and walked away. They were new to the job and didn''t want to make a scene, especially in front of the CEO. Tom Rothman glanced at the newspaper one of the interns was carrying and thought of something. When he got to his office, he asked his secretary to bring him the day''s newspapers. Most of the covers were about Wanted. --The fourth $1 billion movie in the history of cinema! Wanted! -- The movie directed by Kazir Grey surpassed $1 billion in the first month of November. -- After six months in theaters, Wanted has surpassed $1 billion! -- The Movie of the Year 2000. Wanted! Reading the headlines, Tom Rothman could only shake his head. There were no what-ifs. Not anymore. All that was left was regret. Regret that they hadn''t held hands with Grey Pictures. "X-Men" came out in July and had a great reception. But if I knew that the Cinematic Universe would have this kind of impact, I should have delayed the project and waited for the chance to work with Kazir, or at least get his opinion on a possible X-Men Cinematic Universe." Chapter 254 Chapter 254 Tom Rothman had complicated thoughts about so many things. He was happy that 20th Century Fox had the chance to work with Kazir Grey, but he was unhappy that Kazir Grey was working with other competitors. He was also unhappy that Grey Pictures was making massive profits. A billion dollars... A very large amount of money. Even if Grey Pictures could only get 10% of that amount, they were already winning. Based on the contract that Grey Pictures signed, they will probably make around $350 million. It depends on the situation, the international profit distribution is very complicated and it takes months to settle. Still, it was a huge amount of money. Suddenly an idea popped into his head. ''... Either Grey Pictures disappears or 20th Century Fox buys it. There''s no in-between. Grey Pictures needs a solid distributor and a strong wall to rely on, and that''s something they lack. Acquiring this company can bring a lot to 20th Century Fox.'' But the big problem was that Kazir Grey owned Grey Pictures. The sole owner. They could not buy the stock or invest in the stock, they had to deal directly with Kazir. And if Kazir was not interested in selling his company, that would be a problem. ''But just like how Miramax and New Line Cinema gave in, Grey Pictures never has a chance to go up against the Big Six. That''s the truth, and I think Kazir knew it.'' Tom nodded. If the Big Six made a decision and decided to gang-bang Grey Pictures, then the company would be run through very badly... Ahem. Anyway, it would be bad for Grey Pictures if the big giants of the industry got together and bullied them. Even DreamWorks was facing a backlash, even though they were working with Universal and Paramount to distribute their films internationally. The only way for Grey Pictures to survive was to work under one of the Big Six. ''Kazir is not stupid. He has probably already thought of this...'' Tom Rothman realized that there might be another competition. ''I should ask management to do some research on Grey Pictures and determine its net worth.'' "$1 billion box office is something that is very hard to achieve." George admitted, and Tom agreed. Making that amount of money was a miracle. When there were rumors that Kazir might be the director of Star Wars, Natalie Portman was actually excited and hoped that she would have a chance to work with her crush. Yes, the young actress developed a crush on the director after their first meeting. Unfortunately, Kazir once again chose to direct a movie about a guy who climbs buildings, shoots webs and fights crime. It made no sense to be honest, Star Wars was a better choice than Spider-Man at that time. Maybe it came down to salary and contract. Because Kazir got a good contract from Sony-Columbia. His salary alone was 25 million dollars. Can you believe that? ...... ... ... "Congratulations, director!" "Hey Willem, I should congratulate you too. Our movie made it to the top of the box office." Kazir Grey and Willem Dafoe were having the time of their lives on the set of Spider-Man. Willem had a huge role in Wanted and it set his career on a great path. Even though his character died early, it was worth it because the fans started to love him. "Auditioning for Marcus is the best decision I ever made in my life!" Now some studios were inviting him to work with them. But of course he had to focus on Spider-Man first. Norman Osborn was an interesting character and Willem felt that he could do a good job on the character. Like Kazir, he was dedicated to his art. The rest of the cast also congratulated them. Tobey Maguire, James Franco and Kirsten Dunst. Kirsten even gave Kazir a gift, a wristwatch, which Kazir was surprised to receive but appreciated. Chapter 255 Chapter 255 November was a busy month for Hollywood. A lot of good movies were released this month. Unbreakable, Rugrats In Paris, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Charlie''s Angels. These were the movies that did well this month. There was also other Hollywood gossip. -- Harrison Ford confirms that he and his wife, screenwriter Melissa Mathison, are separated. -- Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones get married in an extravagant ceremony in New York City. -- Robert Downey Jr. is arrested in Palm Springs, California, for possession of cocaine and methamphetamine. -- Wanted grosses over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. It becomes the fourth film in the history of cinema to surpass $1 billion. A lot of news about Hollywood celebrities surfaced. Most people loved to hear gossip, so they focused more on celebrities. But it was different for Hollywood companies. They didn''t care much about the lives of celebrities. They were more shocked by the fact that Wanted surpassed $1 billion in almost 6 months after its release. "Let''s see, the critics'' opinions are complicated. Some complained that the public''s taste was appalling because Wanted was nothing but a circus with no substance. While others praised it for being ambitious by casting the protagonists of the previous films related to the Continental Cinematic Universe." Angelina Jolie read the paper while waiting for her boyfriend. Stuff about celebrities was nothing new to her. She knew that being an actress cost her privacy. In fact, she had been a target of the media when she was a drug addict. Her past was something she could not be proud of. She turned the next page and frowned when she saw an article about the cast of Charlie''s Angels. -- Charlie''s Angels stars Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu get the royal treatment as they dine with Prince Charles at St. James Palace in London. The dinner followed the London opening of the blockbuster, which benefited one of the prince''s charities. The other Angel, Cameron Diaz, was filming an upcoming movie and was unable to attend the soiree. Angelina didn''t like Kazir''s exes for obvious reasons. The fact that some women had a taste of her man didn''t sit well with her. Three weeks had passed since the premiere of Charlie''s Angels and the box office was doing well. The movie earned 93.25 million dollars. The performance of Charlie''s Angels made the Big Six realize that actresses had a chance in the action genre. The three actresses were the protagonists of the movie and it was done right. Kazir handed the bag to Angelina to have a look. "Can I open it?" Angelina found a small box inside the bag. "Of course." The actress opened the box and found a brand new watch. It was a Hamilton watch. "Nice, who gave you this watch?" "It''s from Kirsten. She gave it to me when she found out that Wanted had passed the $1 billion mark." "Kirsten... Kirsten Dunst?" "That''s right." For a second, Angelina''s eyes went dark before they returned to normal. She smiled and put the watch back in its box. She placed the gift in the backseat. Then she leaned closer to Kazir and gave him a sloppy kiss. They stayed like that for a few seconds. "Before you cook, how about we have some fun, huh?" "I''d be crazy to say no. We are talking about the sexy Angelina Jolie." "Geez, Kazir. I thought you were not a playboy. How can you say something so cheesy?" Despite her embarrassment, Angelina felt ticklish that her man was so nice to her. ''Sometimes I feel that Kazir is very clueless. This Kirsten woman might have some impure intentions for him.'' She thought while licking her lips. If there was one thing she was grateful for, it was the fact that Kazir never flirted on the set. He was strict with himself and his actors. She knew this firsthand because when they shot a kissing scene between her and Ben Affleck, Kazir never showed any discomfort. That Kirsten Dunst would have a hard time seducing a man like Kazir. Even Angelina took so many shots just to seduce the man. Chapter 256 Chapter 256 Manhattan, New York. The original setting for Spider-Man was New York. Obviously, the crew flew to New York to shoot the movie. Particularly was the Times Square. One of the most popular Spider-Man locations is Times Square. In the first Spider-Man trilogy, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) saves Mary Jane from the Green Goblin at the Unity Festival, in Times Square. It was an iconic scene, the scene where the Green Goblin glides in the sky and throws special grenades. This project had a huge budget and Kazir didn''t hesitate to hire a crane. They use it for Spider-Man''s web-slinging and landing. Of course, they use it mostly when Spider-Man and Green Goblin need screen time in the sky or landing from the sky. Although most of the web-slinging and swinging by the buildings would be created by special effects. Sony-Columbia has already hired Industrial Light & Magic to create the necessary scenes. The special effects alone cost them almost half of the budget. This was early 2000 and special effects were very expensive. Even the people who knew about VFX were few and far between. With the crane, Tobey Maguire landed safely on the ground with the wire connected to the crane. "Cut!" Kazir announced through the megaphone and the crew started to fix the set. "..." Kazir touched his chin as he watched the landing from different angles. He nodded. "This is over." The crew knew what they had to do. Since the director had announced that this scene was over, they began to clean up the set. The giant crane was moved out and the cameras were returned to the van for the next location. Tobey took a deep breath. Finally, he had the time to take off his tight costume. It was really uncomfortable to spend most of the day in the costume. Fortunately, they were done for today. Apparently, Director Grey wanted to meet his relatives, so he decided to end the shooting early. Kazir packed his things, even though it was only a cup of coffee. Erica Mendez followed him, keeping her job as his assistant/bodyguard. The chances of Kazir getting into a gunfight were slim, but this was the land of the free. People could carry guns for protection. Unfortunately, there were people who used guns for the wrong purposes. Gun control was quite complicated... As Kazir started to leave, he found Kirsten fidgeting and quietly following him. The woman realized that the director sensed her. People started screaming and some of them had pale faces. Kazir frowned. "What happened?" He decided to lower his window and saw something horrible. A man in a suit, his head literally open, brain matter everywhere. Fortunately, Kazir worked in horror movies and was used to seeing gruesome corpses (props). In fact, he saw much more disgusting than this. Still, Kazir was affected by the fact that a person had died close to where he was. He looked at Erica and the woman had a normal expression. The woman had served in the military and had probably seen the same things. "The man jumped off the building!" "Ambulance! Call the damn ambulance!" "Fuck, this is the fifth one this month. When are they going to stop?" "It''s all because of the bubble burst!" "Bubble burst? Dot-com bubble burst?" The man was probably someone who worked in the financial sector, maybe dabbling in stocks. But because the dot-com bubble burst, the man lost everything. He decided it was better to kill himself than face the consequences. "Let''s go." Kazir ordered his assistant. "Sir, we can''t. The traffic here is not so good either." Kazir sighed and shut the window. The stock market was no paradise. Someone would win, someone would lose. The two were silent for a while until they reached the place where Aaron and his family lived. ++++ [VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Some of you may have heard about what happened to the Patreon iOS app recently. Basically, greedy Apple wants to take a 30% cut whenever someone subscribes to Patreon using the Patreon iOS app. Please, if you want to subscribe to Patreon, don''t use the iOS app. Instead, use the website or the Android app to subscribe. Because 30% is a huge cut for creators, we''re going to suffer because Apple wants a cut of our revenue. And yes, fuck Apple.] [Another Note: I''ve got to get to the Grey Pictures stuff first, like Fast and The Furious and John Wick Chapter 2, before I start the Spider-Man premiere]. Chapter 257 Chapter 257 The room was a little awkward. Well, strangers had just entered this place to start the script reading schedule. This was their first meeting and the bond was still not there. Quite a problem, since the whole motto of Fast and The Furious was "family". Yep, nothing beats family. - Dom Toreto. To make matters worse, the director of the movie was not fluent in English. He could speak English, but his accent and his speed were not so fast. At least you could understand him. That was enough. Paul Walker and Vin Diesel were the main characters of this movie. An LAPD (Brian O''Connor) and a notorious street racer (Dominic Toreto) respectively. The copyright of The Fast and The Furious was quite complicated. Well, Kazir Grey made it very complicated. Kazir wrote the script in 1995 and registered it with the Writers Guild. However, in 1998, an article about street racing was published that had some similarities to his script. Kazir expected this because the first movie in the Fast & Furious franchise was inspired by the article. The name of the article was Racer X by Ken Li, published in Vibe magazine. To make things easier and to avoid a lawsuit. Grey Pictures bought the said article for an amount of 50 thousand dollars. Now the problem was easily solved. Once that was done, the production of Fast and The Furious was approved by the management, although Kazir was the main decision maker anyway. The investment was made. Grey Pictures hired an insurance company to make sure the production was on track. The director of the film was a Taiwanese director named Justin Lin. The man had been a director since 1997 and had made one movie. When he received an invitation from Grey Pictures to direct one of their movies, the answer was only one. "Absolutely." This was a unique opportunity for him to break into Hollywood. The biggest show business in the world. For a nobody like him it was hard to turn it down. He was actually shocked and scared. He didn''t expect this situation. He even thought it was a scam. He flew to Los Angeles just to meet Stella Willow, the General Manager of Grey Pictures. Justin Lin knew that his position in this industry was so low, so he agreed to most of her conditions. He had to do it. Otherwise the position could be taken by others. F9 (10th sequel) Many of these movies had unrealistic stunts that hyped the whole franchise. Cars falling from the sky with parachutes? Yes, they did. Military tanks that had the speed of a race car? Yes. Cars overtaking an airplane? Yes. Oh, here''s another one. Cars in space? Absolutely yes. Kazir didn''t need the mellow version Fast and The Furious. He needed the adrenaline-pumping version of Fast and The Furious. He felt that Justin Lin was the right person for that. He gave the director control over the film''s action sequences, as long as it fit the Continental Cinematic Universe. "Tsk, let''s just go with that and finish the session." 17-year-old Scarlett Johansson muttered, and that got the attention of the cast. On this project, Scarlett had perhaps the longest association with Grey Pictures, except for Harold, who was still the producer. Kim Mills had a brief appearance in this movie. Nobody knew how the story would go on. Even the author has no idea... If there was one good thing, it was that Kazir had already written the general plot of the first movie. It was about an undercover LAPD who infiltrated a gang of criminals who were stealing expensive electronic goods... Kazir leveled up the plot. The gang stole military equipment instead, that brought them to the list of wanted criminals. +++++ [Author''s note: Yes, that was the plot of the first movie, I found it on Wikipedia. But to add in the CCU, I decided that Dom Toreto''s gang stole military equipment instead.] Chapter 258 Chapter 258 Kazir spends the months of December and January in New York filming Spider-Man. While in New York, he spent some time with his family. Most of his energy went into the movie, as it was a project he didn''t want to mess up. His family was very supportive, his father told him that he was so proud of him. He was so proud of his two sons, they are living their lives now and they have achievements. If there was one thing he wanted for... He wanted to see his younger son start a family and maybe have a child. In fact, Victor Grey (Kazir''s father) wanted another grandchild to spoil! You see, Aaron and his wife decided to take things slow after having a daughter. They have no intention of having another child for the time being. Now that Victor has experienced having a granddaughter, he has realized that life is worth living. So yes, out of selfishness, he wanted Kazir to have a child or two. It is up to Kazir if he wants to marry again. After all, his son experienced the same thing as he did. The heartbreak of divorce. Victor met Angelina a few times and didn''t have a problem with the woman. She seemed nice. If Kazir and Angelina wanted to get married and have a child, he would be happy to support them. For an old grandfather who didn''t have much in life except work, Victor felt that having grandchildren was the best thing he could have. As for Kazir, he was still unsure of his future path. He was traumatized by the divorce and couldn''t imagine getting married again. At least not now. As for having a child. He didn''t know how to be a father. He was not sure he would be a good father. He had a chance to be one, but his ex-wife aborted the baby. He didn''t know it at the time and he couldn''t stop it. He and Angelina had a good relationship, but it was not enough to determine if they were sure about getting married, much less having a baby. Besides, Angelina''s career was just taking off and a pregnancy could affect her blossoming career. Looking back, Angelina and Kazir began their relationship over a year ago. They had their first night together in December, Christmas Eve to be exact. After that, they decided to become a thing. ''I can''t believe we spent millions of dollars on that eight to ten minutes of detailed animation.'' CGI was very expensive in the early 2000s. But if you compare it to recent movies that are full of CGI, like the Marvel movies, the early 2000s movies had better CGI. After checking with Industrial Light & Magic, the man decided to return to the studio that Sony-Columbia had given him to edit Spider-Man. He had five editors to work with, one of whom was the senior editor Kazir talked to the most. Another thing was that someone from Marvel Comics would be in the editing room to watch the whole thing. And sometimes give his opinion. Luckily, Kazir was given full editing privileges. This gave him the power to bring his full creativity to the project. He had already proven himself in the industry, so Sony-Columbia gave him the power. One of the perks of being a successful director. Everyone believed your movie would make money. Perhaps the only thing Kazir could be proud of was his strong memory of things related to movies. Being his most devoted hobby and job, Kazir rarely forgot a scene. This helped a lot in the post-production process. "Use our third shot for this one. I think it has the right angle and the emotions are expressive." "Yes, director." While Kazir was busy editing Spider-Man. One of the Big Six announced its intention to buy Grey Pictures... +++++ [Well, the time has come. Honestly, I''m still sticking to my opinion to sell at least 30% of Grey Pictures so that the company can join one of the Big Six. Because realistically, if Grey Pictures continues to make successful movies, the Big Six would band together to destroy it. DreamWorks, Lionsgate, and even I can say that Miramax and New Line Cinema have suffered because of the Big Six. Let''s not forget 20th Century Fox, that company was now under Disney now. So the Big Six became the Big Five.] [I want to get your opinion on selling some shares of Grey Pictures to one of the Big Six]. [I''ll post two more chapters later, but I can''t promise it...] Chapter 259 Chapter 259 "Ptui--! What did you say?" Tom Rothman coughed out the coffee he was drinking when he heard a certain rumor from his secretary. Life as the CEO of 20th Century Fox was not so easy. In a year or two, Tom Rothman would become part of News Corporation and leave the position of CEO of 20th Century Fox. He worked hard for that company, but he knew he was just a worker. The real owner of 20th Century Fox was News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch to be exact. Well, at least he got some stock options and the credits he accumulated were enough for him to have a good position in News Corporation. As for the next CEO of 20th Century Fox, Tom Rothman had no idea who it would be. He thought his job would be smooth sailing for the next two years, but he didn''t expect one of their rivals to actually start a takeover! "Some of our spies admitted that they had seen Terry Semel visit Grey Pictures." Corporate spies were real. They were hard to find because it was easier to send information now that there was the Internet and telecommunications. "They said that Terry Semel and Warner Brothers intended to buy stock of Grey Pictures." ''Buy shares? Kazir is already a multimillionaire and the guy is not greedy. Because if he is greedy, he would easily accept the contract that 20th Century Fox and LucasFilm offered him to direct Star Wars. That''s a lot of money.'' He thought. Tom knew that Kazir was a tough guy to crack, and it would be impossible for the guy to just sell part of Grey Pictures to one of the Big Six. ''I say he trades stock for stability.'' At best, Kazir could get 2% of Warner Brothers in exchange for 30 to 40% of Grey Pictures. The net worth of Warner Brothers was $27.97 billion, while Grey Pictures was expected to be around $1 billion to $1.5 billion. Grey Pictures was not a publicly traded company, so they had to determine the net worth through research. Tom Rothman put down his coffee and wiped his mouth. Like him, Terry Semel was nearing the end of his term, and Yahoo had already invited the guy to be chairman and CEO. Obviously, Warner Brothers wanted Kazir Grey more than they wanted Grey Pictures. They wanted his creative mind. If Kazir Grey owned shares of Warner Brothers, he would focus on it to make sure his shares didn''t go to waste. Also, Grey Pictures was in desperate need of distribution. Paramount Pictures and Sony-Columbia deals were coming to an end and Grey Pictures had to find another company to hang on to. Grey Pictures also had no distribution channel. They also didn''t have Viacom, Time Warner and News Corporation controlling the media around the world. Grey Pictures may be flourishing right now, but it won''t be long before it reaches its limit. The Big Six became the Big Six because they controlled the media and movie distribution. In a way, it was a win-win situation between the two if Grey Pictures allied with one of the Big Six. "What time is it in Australia?" Rupert Murdoch was Australian, and he had tremendous authority in the country. One of the reasons why 20th Century Fox was able to get tax breaks from the Australian government when they filmed in the country. "Sir, it''s 1 a.m. in Sydney right now." "..." The time difference between Los Angeles and Sydney was 17 hours. Anyway, if Warner Brothers was interested in Grey Pictures, 20th Century Fox had to be very careful about this acquisition. It could affect them for better or worse. +++++ [Author''s note: I can''t find the net worth of Warner Brothers in the 2000s, so I decided to use the current net worth, which was $27 billion.] [This is the second chapter for today]. Chapter 260 Chapter 260 "Warner Brothers is interested in my company. That is obvious. But the timing is odd. If I''m not mistaken, Time Warner and AOL are going to merge this year... Now that I think about it, I haven''t heard any news about their merger. Is this another butterfly effect?" Kazir wondered in confusion. He was surprised that Terry Semel had personally visited Grey Pictures for the first time to inquire about the possibility of acquiring Grey Pictures. Terry Semel was no ordinary man, he was the CEO of Warner Bros. and someone like that doesn''t just visit another studio. "Should I hire a detective and do some research on Time Warner and AOL?" AOL was a web portal and online service provider. This company was very famous in the 90''s but lost its strength in the 2000''s. It merged with Time Warner and people called it the worst merger in corporate history. In the end, AOL lost and failed to adapt and became a small subdivision of AOL Time Warner. "Is this a method to hide the news of their merger?" The merger of AOL and Time Warner was supposed to cost about $5 billion, but it turned out to be $165 billion. As for how it got so big, there were many factors. However, the merger of Time Warner and AOL was a disaster. "If this is really a way to benefit them, then that''s good. But I have to think twice before I sell them shares. I don''t want to be associated with a sinking ship. If AOL and Time Warner do merge, it will affect Warner Brothers and possibly Greg Pictures." Kazir admitted that he was never good enough at corporate politics. He fucking hated it when he used his mind to think about that stuff. He should put his mind to something that made him happy, like movies. But because of Warner Bros., he couldn''t help but think about it. "Warner Brothers is not so bad. They are a giant in the industry. They can do Grey Pictures." But Kazir had no intention of selling Grey Pictures just for the tip. He wanted to see what effect Wanted would have on audiences. If the result was positive, then the net worth of Grey Pictures would increase, possibly to $2 billion or maybe $2.5 billion. Another thing was the videotape profit from Wanted and other CCU movies. ... ... February was not a good month for Hollywood. A lot of movies were released every week, but most of them didn''t do well. Some of these movies deserved a better chance, but fate was cruel to them. The most coveted schedule was always taken by the Big Six. These six giants would always have a battle in the summer to see who would make more money. The Big Six would leave January, February, March and April to the small studios to release their movies and let the small studios get some crumbs. In February, only one movie made more than $100 million. It was Hannibal, produced by Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM). The film grossed $350 million. Yes, MGM became one of the small studios that had to settle for crumbs to get by. The company could not compete with the Big Six in the summer unless they used 007 Bond movies. But even the Bond films were faltering, especially when Peirce Brosnan announced that he was done with the franchise. In March, only two films grossed over $100 million. The first was The Mexican, which grossed $145 million. Produced by DreamWorks. The second was Spy Kids. Spy Kids grossed $197 million. It was produced and distributed by Walt Disney. It was very sad that even these lesser known schedules were dominated by the Big Six. Small studios didn''t have the strength to compete with them. Marketing and promotion were difficult because they didn''t have any connection with the media (television, radio and newspapers). ++++ [This is the last chapter today.] [If you''re interested in reading more, you can subscribe to my Patre on. I have more than 150 chapters. Just don''t use iOS app to subscribe because Apple takes 30% of creator''s profit if you use iOS app to subscribe]. htt ps://www.patr /Puji_ maki Chapter 261 Chapter 261 The media was truly dominated by the Big Six, and they would keep that status forever. One of the reasons why small studios would never have a chance to get rich in this industry if they did not serve the Big Six. How could they promote their movies if the Big Six wouldn''t let them? How could they make money if the Big Six rated their movies poorly? So many movies were being released every week, but none of them were making a profit at the box office, they would quickly go to the videocassette market. That is the sad truth about this industry. It would never give you a fair fight. It was fortunate that Grey Pictures didn''t suffer that fate. But Kazir knew that future was never far away. Because once the deal with Paramount and Sony-Columbia ended, Grey Pictures would have to go back to the Big Six to distribute its films internationally. Finding a local distributor was not so easy, but international distribution was another matter. Only the Big Six + MGM could do that. April came and went and only two movies made over $100 million. Again, these were not good months to release movies. People were usually busy in those months. The first was Along Came A Spider from Paramount, which grossed $105 million. This was not a horror movie, it was a thriller/mystery about a kidnapping. Second was Bridget Jones''s Diary with $272 million, produced and distributed by Miramax. As always, it was hard for small studios to profit from the box office when the Big Six controlled the media. No way to promote their movies, always eating crumbs. No chance to prove themselves. ... ... ... Well, the summer schedule officially started in May. So many blockbusters were released that month that people didn''t know what to watch. This was the beginning of the annual battle between the Big Six. The Mummy Returns premiered in the first week and was distributed by Universal Pictures. The Mummy franchise was a good movie, but it lost its meaning after Brendan Fraser disappeared from Hollywood. Brendan Fraser was sexually harassed and he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut. That was life in Hollywood, you had to keep your mouth shut even when crime was all around you. The rating averaged A and the CinemaScore felt like it was going to be A-. That was a high rating. The midnight box office for Spider-Man was $10 million. That was just the midnight. Sony-Columbia predicted that the first day would be around $30 to $35 million. A first day gross of $30 million was a clear success. Sony-Columbia made the right choice in choosing the right person to direct the movie. As always, Kazir got it right. Everyone thought the $100 million budget was too small to make a superhero movie. But Kazir was so good at budgeting the project that a few million was left over. Sony-Columbia decided to add those millions to the marketing budget. The marketing budget was $39 million and they promoted the movie all over the country. They have to win the US first before others. The X-Men that came out last year was good, but Spider-Man was amazing. That was the beginning of the epiphany for Marvel Comics. They realized that their characters had a place in theaters. No, they were made for theaters. Time was changing and people preferred digital. Movies and TV shows were the answer to their problems. Suddenly they had an epiphany... Most of their characters had been looted! They were selling them so that Marvel Comics could survive! They realized how much they had screwed up! If they had known that their characters could make a lot of money, they would have kept them or sold them at higher prices. So yes, management tried to contact some companies that had acquired their characters. Their target, the guy who owned most of their characters, the guy who actually directed Spider-Man. Director Kazir Grey of Grey Pictures. Well, maybe they could work with the guy. ++++ [Author''s note: Damn, this is more like a fast forward summary. I''m sorry, I have no idea what to write, so I decided to fast forward. Besides, I know you guys wanted the Spider-Man premiere to start anyway.] Chapter 262 Chapter 262 June was tough for everyone, not just Sony-Columbia, but even the Big Six. Hell, even Grey Pictures was going to have trouble this month. And why is that? Because so many movies were coming out that month. Even if they didn''t want to, those movies were going to have to fight to make money. The promotion this month was so fierce that every TV channel was promoting movies. The first weekend in June was dominated by Spider-Man. This was the only schedule Sony-Columbia could find for the movie. Every week was packed with big movies. In fact, next week, starting June 8, a new batch of movies will be released. This time, Walt Disney, DreamWorks and Warner Bros. would release their movies on the same night. Walt Disney would release their animated movie titled Atlantis: The Lost Empire. A very underrated hand-drawn animated film. DreamWorks would release Evolution, a comedy. While Warner Bros. released Swordfish, an action movie. These movies did well during the week. Unfortunately for them, it was hard to compete with a superhero movie that had great special effects. There was something about superhero movies that people loved so much at that time. To make matters worse, the word of mouth about Spider-Man was nothing but positive. Almost no one had anything bad to say about it. Kids, teens, and even adults praised the movie. This led to a massive increase in ticket sales. The fact that the director of this movie was also the director of Wanted made it even better. Wanted was so huge last year, $1 billion at the box office. Of course it would get that much attention. So Spider-Man joined the fun. After 10 days in theaters, Spider-Man made $223.04 million! Damn, how can a movie make that much in just ten days? Was the movie really that good? Or was director Kazir Grey just so talented that he could make any movie shine? Spider-Man''s path was smooth sailing. Tobey Maguire and the rest of the Spider-Man cast easily became superstars because of the attention Spider-Man got. Even Willem Dafoe, who risked his career to play a villain, had a good day. Now the studios realized that the guy could play many roles, from a good assassin to the villain of a superhero movie. To be fair, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was only out for three days while Spider-Man was out for 18 days. However, the first three days of Spider-Man grossed $114.84 million, so... Yes, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was nothing compared to the glory of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. "Now that I think about it, are you going to be okay? Next week is Fast and The Furious. Spider-Man and Fast and The Furious might collide." Sony-Columbia was responsible for distributing Fast and The Furious, and they decided to release the film on June 22, the same day 20th Century Fox would release Dr. Dolittle 2. "Like I said before, I can''t help it. It''s already fortunate that Sony-Columbia chose the summer schedule to release two of our movies." In fact, Kazir Grey fought for this outcome. He didn''t want to jeopardize his two movies, so it was better to release them before September. Fast and The Furious in June and John Wick Chapter 2 in August. This was the schedule Kazir fought for. Fortunately, Sony-Columbia didn''t want to sour their relationship, so they agreed. Besides, Sony-Columbia had nothing big to release this year except Spider-Man. Kazir hoped his hard work would pay off. He remembered that in his past life, after the success of Avengers, most of the Marvel movies made good profits. If his calculation was correct, Fast and The Furious and John Wick Chapter 2 would receive the same treatment. He really hoped so... That would be another way to increase their net worth. The more good movies, the more chips they could use. Just like that, June 22 came and Kazir had to attend the premiere. Even though he was not active on this project because he was working on Spider-Man, he made sure to attend the post-production. He had to watch the footage so he knew what was going on. "I won''t lie, the effect of the CCU on Fast and The Furious was so serious." +++++ [I skipped the synopsis for Spider-Man, since all of us here have already seen it. Yes, I think we have all seen Spider-Man (2002). This movie was the biggest superhero of the early 2000s and I strongly believe that all of us watched it at least once]. Chapter 263 Chapter 263 "Woohoo! This car is amazing!" LAPD Brian O''Connor exclaimed as he tried out the car that Dom Toreto had given him to try out. This car had the new technology that Dom and his gang had stolen from a semi-truck trailer. The technology was still in the experimental stage, but Brian O''Connor realized the danger it could bring. The engine was so fast that he felt like everything was turning white. However, Brian understood that this was not the dangerous technology that the CIA was looking for... ... ... ... These were just some of the plot changes that affected Fast and The Furious. Kazir shook hands with all the cast members of Fast and The Furious. These actors were still new, and none of them had a stable foothold in the industry. "Director, thank you for casting me." Paul Walker approached him and thanked him sincerely. Paul Walker had been in this industry since the 80s and he knew that it was very hard to get stable jobs. Even though the Fast and Furious franchise has so many actors, Paul Walker knew his role was important. "It''s nothing. By the way, do you use a stunt double for your stunts?" Kazir asked curiously. "Yes and no. If the stunt is not too hard, I''ll do it." "... Okay." Kazir nodded and asked nothing more. Paul Walker''s death was very sad for the "family" of the Fast and The Furious franchise. The man died after attending a charity event. It was a car accident, Paul Walker was not even the driver. He was just the passenger. In the new century, critics became less relevant. The internet and blogging were some of the reasons. With that as a start, the performance of Fast and The Furious got better. When Independence Day (July 4) came, Fast and The Furious grossed $92.73 million. Spider-Man also grossed $360.11 million that day. Even Lara Croft: Tomb Raider did well with $107.31 million. The summer schedule was indeed the best months to release movies because so many people would buy movie tickets. The money that theaters made this season could be more than $2 billion if you add it all up. Just like that, June ended and July arrived. Another batch of movies would be released. The studios were very busy competing for more theaters. Even Spider-Man and other movies started to lose theaters as more movies would be released and they needed theaters. From 3600 theaters, Spider-Man went down to 2700 theaters. It was a miracle that Sony-Columbia was able to keep the numbers up, because it was hard to keep the theaters open in the summer. Fortunately, Spider-Man was doing well and was making millions every day. Although it won''t be long before the number of theaters drops to 2000. That was a result that was impossible to overcome. After so many hectic days and knowing that Fast and The Furious would have a steady trend, Kazir received an invitation from 20th Century Fox to attend the premiere of Legally Blonde. Kazir was the scriptwriter of this movie although his participation was counted on one hand. Cameron Diaz and Reese Witherspoon were competing for the female lead of this movie and Reese Witherspoon won the role. Now Kazir had no idea whether he should attend the premiere or not. ++++ [Author''s note: So should Kazir go to the Legally Blonde premiere? I will write a chapter about the red carpet of Legally Blonde if you say yes. I know this question has already been answered next chapter but I still want to read your opinion. Heck, you can even comment down that the author is so fucking stupid because he can''t post chapter everyday.] [Anyway, the last few chapters were like summaries. But what can I do, it was the summer schedule and I have no plot to add. Unless you want me to write about Kazir''s mother instead. Maybe some scenes about Mara Cohen''s modeling career?]. Chapter 264 Chapter 264 20th Century Fox bought Legally Blonde at a high price. The company bought it for $4.7 million after many negotiations with Rafael, the other agent responsible for Kazir. Besides Salvatore, Kazir had two other agents who helped him in his career. The first was Stetson, a writer and novelist who helped Kazir tailor the dialogue in his screenplay. The other was Rafael, who filled in when Salvatore was busy with other work. Rafael was usually the one who dealt with the studios when they wanted to buy Kazir''s scripts. So yes, Rafael got a commission after 20th Century Fox bought Legally Blonde. Anyway, Legally Blonde was one of the scripts that Kazir wrote, and he was attached to that project even though he didn''t have any rights to it anymore. He was just a screenwriter and executive producer. Although, to be honest, his latter position was basically nonsense this time. He only came to the set twice because he was also busy with Spider-Man. He also had to show up for cameo appearances in Fast and The Furious and John Wick Chapter 2. Yes, Kazir still kept up the tradition of appearing in every movie. In fact, he added that aspect to Spider-Man as well. He asked Stan Lee to do a cameo in Spider-Man and the old man was happy to do it. The red carpet for Legally Blonde was extravagant. The red carpet was not red, it was pink. Almost everything was pink and yellow. Of course, since it was his script, Kazir had to attend the premiere. Like last time with Napoleon Dynamite III, Angelina Jolie was with him. The woman was interested in this movie. She was also interested in Reese Witherspoon. Last time, the woman made a good impression, but Angelina noticed something strange about Reese. She wanted to confirm her suspicions. Angelina followed the theme and wore a pink dress. As for Kazir, the man wore a lame black suit and a yellow tie. He was the type who never wore anything colorful. If possible, he would wear baggy pants and a t-shirt just to feel comfortable. The couple waved to the fans. Angelina and Kazir were celebrities. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider grossed more than $118 million after one month in theaters. However, the number of theaters showing the movie had been reduced to 1000. There were so many movies coming out this July and August that some movies would suffer from a lack of theaters. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was one of them. As for Spider-Man, the number of theaters that showed the movie was down to 2000. "That''s good to hear." Tom Rothman didn''t stay long and left the couple alone. Angelina giggled, proud of her man. "You''re going to promote your movie in Japan next week, right?" She asked. "Yes, Japan is the hometurf of Sony and they want all the cast to be there for the premiere of Spider-Man. Even the publicity in Japan is so strong that Sony has hyped the movie." "Since you''re going away for a week or two, how about we go to the beach and have some fun? Paramount Pictures will be promoting Lara Croft internationally, so we will also be busy next week." "Okay." Angelina took his arm and pulled him to a certain place. Angelina hadn''t forgotten why she was at this premiere, to tease Reese... The actress found Reese talking to someone and grinned. "Hi, Reese. Congratulations on your new movie!" Angelina greeted the woman excitedly. "Huh? Ah, thanks." Reese was surprised at first, then she responded when she saw Angelina and Kazir. Reese looked great, and she was with someone. +++++ [Author''s Note: All right, I''ll say it. Reese is done with Kazir, feelings and emotions can fade with time. The woman has really moved on and I''ll write it in the next chapter]. [Just to remind everyone, do not take this novel seriously. Just think of this novel as a parody.] Chapter 265 Chapter 265 A man stood next to Reese and it seemed that they were quite close. The distance between them seemed to be zero. Angelina was surprised and didn''t expect this situation. Nevertheless, she kept her smile and congratulated the woman. Kazir also approached Reese and greeted her. "Congratulations Reese, Legally Blonde is going to be a box office hit." "Thank you, Kazir. It''s your script, so I believe the same." "..." Angelina didn''t expect Reese to answer Kazir. She even looked into Kazir''s eyes without hesitation. Reese didn''t show any embarrassment, she was just happy and true to herself. It was then that Angelina realized that the woman had changed. Last year, at the premiere of Napoleon Dynamite III, Reese could not look at Kazir, but now she was fine. She was no longer affected by Kazir. "Oh, I forgot to introduce my friend. Angelina, Kazir, this is Ryan Phillippe." "Nice to meet you, Ryan." "Nice to meet you." The two men shook hands. Ryan Phillippe was an actor. He had starred in I Know What You Did Last Summer, 54, Playing By Heart, and Cruel Intentions. "I''m a fan of your movies, director." "Is that so? I''m glad to hear that." "I tried to audition for Wanted, but I didn''t make it past the second round." "Maybe we can work together next time." The two men began to talk about their jobs. They almost forgot about the women next to them. "Um, we''re going to go now. Have fun, guys." Disappointed that she didn''t see the result she was looking for, Angelina decided to pull Kazir away from the couple. She thought she would see Reese getting uncomfortable, but she saw none of that. ''She moved on. Wow...'' Angelina didn''t expect that outcome. ... The first weekend of Legally Blonde grossed over $27 million. This cemented the fact that Kazir Grey''s scripts could make money, especially if they were in the comedy or action genres. Unfortunately for the studios, Kazir never sold any of his action scripts. He only sold comedies, well, they were profitable, so it was not a problem. While Legally Blonde was making money, Spider-Man was doing the same. The superhero movie grossed $382.53 million after 45 days in theaters. Many believed it would be the highest grossing film of the year domestically. ''Maybe worldwide. But too bad, there are two movies that can challenge Spider-Man at the top.'' Kazir thought as he sat in one of the seats of a private plane. Sony gave them a private plane to use for this worldwide tour. Their first stop was Japan. ''Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings will officially start their huge franchise this year and one of them can become the top 1 highest grossing movie of the year. If I''m not wrong, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone will be the highest grossing movie this year.'' he recalled the hype regarding this series. The cast of Spider-Man had a "light" celebration on the plane. Tobey Maguire and James Franco had a showdown to see who could drink a bottle of beer the fastest. Tobey Maguire was recommended by Leonardo DiCaprio because they were friends. As for James Franco, Kazir cast him because he wanted to keep the original cast. Even though he heard that this guy had some scandal... Anyway, Kazir didn''t give a fuck. He knew and accepted the truth about Hollywood, this industry was filled with disgusting people. "Aren''t you going to join them?" Kazir asked his friend Willem Dafoe. "No, I''m not used to partying. I like alcohol, but not bars and parties." "Yeah, we are the same." "It''s funny because you''re two decades younger than me, but you act like you''re already in your 70s. Kazir, you should act like you''re your age." "Willem, I think I act my age." "Okay." Anyway, the two "old" men drank a toast and enjoyed the taste of a fine wine served by the flight attendant. It was a good thing the media wouldn''t be there to greet them and they would go straight to their hotel to rest. Otherwise, the newspapers would have reported that the cast of Spider-Man was drunk when they landed in Japan. Chapter 266 Chapter 266 Promoting a big movie was very difficult. Since Spider-Man was predicted to gross more than $400 million outside the U.S., Sony-Columbia felt they needed a lot of publicity. The cast of Spider-Man went to Japan as their first stop. The culture of Japan and the U.S. were not the same at all, and the Americans had a hard time adjusting to their week in Japan. Only Kazir knew how to use chopsticks. Fortunately, most of the major countries that contributed to the box office were English-speaking, such as Great Britain and Australia. Kazir was a famous and important director. With that in mind, Kazir personally told Frank Price that he would only promote the film for three weeks. After that he would return to the U.S. to attend the premiere of John Wick Chapter 2. Frank Price had no problem with that. Kazir was the director but he never showed his face in the movie, the audience wanted to see the cast like Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe more than him. Another reason was that Frank Price wanted to maintain a good relationship with the director. He was working with Kazir for the fourth time and he knew that Kazir was an amazing talent. John Wick The Bourne Identity Wanted Spider-Man These four films were distributed by Sony-Columbia and they were all successful. Unfortunately, Sony-Columbia couldn''t maximize their profits because three of these movies were solely owned by Grey Pictures. But hey, Spider-Man did well, so that''s good. Recognizing this fact, Frank Price even went to Sony headquarters to get approval to take over Grey Pictures. Sony-Columbia was weak because they couldn''t make a successful franchise. If Sony-Columbia acquired Grey Pictures, that problem would be over. Sony was promoting their DVD players to the masses and Sony-Columbia was an important part of that project. Even though Sony-Columbia was currently surviving, Sony wanted to maintain its position in the US. Sony''s management felt that acquiring Grey Pictures would be a good thing, so they decided to start an acquisition plan. Besides, Grey Pictures was just a start-up company and the highest net worth it could get was $4 billion... Unless the Big Five decided to compete and increase the value of Grey Pictures. Kazir attended the premiere alone because Angelina was promoting Lara Croft: Tomb Raider overseas. Before Kazir could enter the theater, he heard a loud cheer from the fans. He turned to find Tom Cruise walking down the red carpet. The actor waved to reporters and fans, basically stealing the spotlight. Tom Cruise remained famous for the next two decades. One of the actors who maintained his popularity and relevance throughout the decades. "Show-off." Kazir chuckled. He was actually the one who had invited the actor to see John Wick Chapter 2. He wanted to talk to him about possible movies they could work on together. But surprisingly, Tom Cruise did not attend the premiere with his wife. Maybe the rumors were true. Maybe the relationship between them is already over. Maybe Eyes Wide Shut (1999) made their relationship rocky because that was the last time the couple worked together and the result of the movie was good but not the best. The cast of Eyes Wide Shut was star-studded. Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and director Stanley Kubrick. Damn, it was basically a dream team. The production cost of Eyes Wide Shut was $65 million and the box office was $162 million. So yeah, not too bad. Unfortunately, the couple went cold on each other after that. +++++ [Author''s Note: Next year, I want Kazir to compete for the Oscars. I like Tom Cruise as an actor, so he will work with him. I''m going to make a poll about the possible movies they can make to win Best Director and Best Actor]. [By the way, do you want Kazir to change his girlfriend or stay with Angelina for a while? I can make a poll about that as well] [Edit: The patrons had decided the fate of our MC.] [Another Edit: I know some of you might not like Tom Cruise, but bear with me. I''ve watched Tom Cruise movies when I was a child and I can say I''m a fan. I like him as an actor. As for his personality outside his job, I can''t say he is perfect. My favorite Tom Cruise movie is War Of The Worlds.] Chapter 267 Chapter 267 Viggo Mortensen received so much applause from the fans who watched him walk down the red carpet. He still had shoulder-length hair and a short beard. He was John Wick. He looked around and noticed that behind the reporters who kept clicking their cameras, there were a bunch of people who looked just like him... It was like he found his twin... So many twins. The fans wore black suits. They have shoulder-length hair and beards, just like him. They were a bunch of clones. Viggo heard that some fans of the Continental Cinematic Universe were invited to the premiere, so Viggo was calm about it. He could see that these people loved John Wick because they were wearing his outfit. After modeling for the reporters and being interviewed, Viggo entered the theater. The first person he found was Kazir Grey. Viggo had so much respect for this guy. Kazir was an honorable and talented person. Viggo admitted that this director was the one who gave him a career. And he was grateful for that. So he approached the guy to express his gratitude. Kazir saw Viggo approaching and sighed. "Viggo, if you say, ''Thank you for casting me,'' I''m going to sucker punch you. He had heard that line from Viggo so many times that he was tired of it. Viggo was surprised at first, then shrugged. "I just wanted to congratulate you, Spider-Man is a box office hit." "Glad to hear it." Kazir nodded. "I hear The Lord of the Rings is coming out in December." "That''s right." "Hire a bodyguard. Or hire an assistant who can be a bodyguard." "Should I?" "Such things should be taken seriously. Lock your door, always." "Yes, I started doing that after the incident." The two were silent for a few seconds. "I think The Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Rings will be successful." Kazir muttered confidently. "It''s comforting to hear that from you. I''m nervous about The Lord of the Rings. I spent two years in New Zealand just to be a part of this project. I was also a fan of the novel, and it''s an honor to be part of the cast, no, it''s an honor to be Aragorn. But sometimes I can''t help but be nervous. Maybe if someone like you are the one directing this movie, I''ll be 100% confident. A lot of small and big problems happened during the filming of this movie. I''m not even sure if there will be a sequel." "Am I really that great?" "That''s right. Your presence is enough to make things better." "Damn..." Kazir was speechless and a bit embarrassed. The flattery was too much. "How is it working with Fremont? This is his second movie." Fremont Smith was invited by Disney to direct John Carter, but Fremont turned the offer down. The last time Kazir heard from John Carter, filming was underway, with a possible release next year. "He''s doing well. He swears sometimes, but overall he is fine." Viggo said of Fremont. "If a director doesn''t swear once in a while, he''s not a director." Cursing was already part of the English language. "Fuck" has so many meanings that people sometimes used it to praise someone, like: "Fuck, you''re so beautiful." Or "You''re a fucking genius!" Or "Fuck me in the ass, you big stud!" Chapter 268 Chapter 268 The plot of John Wick Chapter 2 was the same as the past life Kazir saw. Some scenes were added and some scenes were deleted, but the overall plot was basically the same. There were also some cameos about Wesley Gibson and Raizo that made the movie more exciting. But the one who made the movie complete was none other than John Wick himself. His fights were all amazing and there was never a boring moment in the theater. The last few minutes were even more exciting after the High Table announced that John Was was "excommunicated". The audience stood up and clapped their hands. As always, CCU movies always delivered. They stuck to their formula, but took it to the next level. The cast stood on stage and bowed. The premiere usually had some interviews and the reporters asked the cast and the director about the project. Unlike the last time, when Fremont was in tears, the black director was calm and confident in his speech. He decided to keep his fade haircut instead of growing his hair out and going back to his afro look. Being a director was very stressful and busy. Keeping his afro hair was never an option in this job. Hell, there were times when he couldn''t shower nor fix his hair at all. Fremont and Viggo were the stars of this project, so most of the questions were directed at them. After two successful movies in a row, Fremont seemed to be climbing up the ladder of great directors. Directors who had box office appeal, someone who could make a profit from their art. Kazir knew his work was done and decided to take the next step. Kazir and Sony-Columbia signed a contract for Kazir to direct two Spider-Man movies. Sony-Columbia wanted a trilogy deal, but Kazir''s side had the upper hand, so the result was only two movies. Sony-Columbia decided to release Spider-Man 2 in 2004, three years from now. That gave Kazir two years to do his thing. After much deliberation, he decided to compete for the Best Director Award at the 75th Academy Awards in 2003. Actually, Kazir had so many ideas in his head, but he didn''t know what to choose. So first he talked to Tom Cruise and asked the actor if he wanted to compete for the Oscars. ... "The premiere is not over yet, but you already left the place, why is that?" "Nah, it''s their movie, not mine. They should get all the attention." "Wow, so our talented director Kazir Grey is actually arrogant. He thinks he is attracting the attention of reporters." "I should say that to you as well. I saw some people asking for your autograph. Bruh, you''re just a guest, you should act like one." Kazir and Tom teased and laughed at each other. They clanked their wineglasses, having fun. Kazir didn''t talk about Tom''s love life because it could be a sensitive subject. Instead, after a few shots, he asked Tom for his opinion on the Oscars. "Tom, what do you think about the Academy Awards?" "Hm?" Tom was quite surprised, but perhaps because of the alcohol, he didn''t mind the question. "If you''re asking me about the Academy Awards, it''s a program that glorifies Hollywood. I admit that the members are prejudiced and never like the opinion of the public, but the Academy Awards is indeed one of the reasons why Hollywood stands still." "Are you interested in a gold statue?" "You mean the Oscar''s best actor award? Of course I am. That''s every actor''s dream in this business. The Academy Awards are full of shit, but I can''t deny that the prestige it brings is powerful. It means that the industry has accepted the truth that my acting is worthy of an award." Tom Cruise began to chatter about his thoughts on the Oscars. As for Kazir, he just listened. The next day, Tom Cruise would realize that Kazir had a reason for asking him questions about the Oscars. Chapter 269 Chapter 269 The first weekend of John Wick Chapter 2 was as successful as many expected. The movie grossed $49.45 million on August 19. With that, the two Continental movies were released and are currently doing well. The Fast and The Furious has earned more than $131 million at the box office and would have its first international release next week. The cast of The Fast and The Furious would have a world tour to promote the movie... John Wick Chapter 2 would do the same next month. Spider-Man also did something incredible. The movie grossed $403.62 million after almost three months in theaters. In North America, the movie was already losing steam, with daily grosses dropping to $1 million at best. The number of theaters showing the movie also dropped to 700. Nothing bad, Spider-Man had already proven itself at the North American box office. Few movies could compete with it this year, only Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings could do so. On top of that, the international box office took in more than $121 million, bringing the total to $524 million. But unlike North America, overseas was just experiencing the Spider-Man craze, and the tickets sold would only continue to grow. Spider-Man was PG-13 and families could see it together. It was for all audiences. Plus, the movie had a great reputation, and fans continued to praise it. As a result, sales of Spider-Man merchandise also increased. Sony-Columbia and Marvel Comics were having the time of their lives. Of course, Kazir was having a good time, too. After all, he was getting 7% of the sales. The contract was for 10 years, so Kazir had a steady source of income. Another thing was the 27% share of the worldwide box office! Damn, that was huge. Kazir had already received his $27 million salary directly into his bank account... He had so much money, but he didn''t know what to do with it. Maybe he should also start investing in companies. He should invest in Apple, Google and Amazon. Anyway, now that Spider-Man has grossed over $524 million, Kazir should get $141.48 million... That seems about right. Sony-Columbia may have to pay him in 4 installments because releasing that amount of money could affect the company''s operations. Sony-Columbia could not do what New Line Cinema did to Peter Jackson because they needed Kazir to direct the 2nd film. They couldn''t scam Kazir. So they have to accept this outrageous result. Although they admitted that Kazir was worth the contract because the movie was a massive success. They just didn''t expect to lose a huge amount of money. In fact, hiring big directors is quite difficult. Angelina was the first to give a gift. It was a card. "... A wish card? What''s that?" "It means you can do whatever you want to my body tonight." She whispered. "Oh honey, I''ve done what I want with your body. I have explored it so many times." Kazir whispered back. "You silly guy~~" She slapped him playfully on the shoulder. Angelina smiled and flirted with her man. She didn''t care if Kirsten Dunst was staring at her from the corner of the house. ''Yeah, bitch. What are you gonna do about it?'' Angelina flaunted in front of the young woman. She really loved seeing another woman get jealous every time she flirted with Kazir. Reese moved on, but it seemed Angelina had another woman to tease... Of course, the cast of Spider-Man was invited to his party. Kazir has built up a huge network after working in the industry for more than a decade. So his birthday had a lot of celebrities. +++++ [Author''s Note.] [Hi, I just wanted to say thank you for all your support. Your comments, likes, powerstones, and pa tre on subscriptions motivate me to keep going despite my mentality. I appreciate all your support]. [By the way, speaking of comments, I also appreciate your opinions and criticisms. One thing I''ve realized is that it''s impossible for a perfectionist to write a novel, and I''m definitely not one...] [Your comments and reviews, no matter how positive or negative, are allowed in my novel. Because all of your comments are interesting and have given me some ideas on how to move Hollywood What If forward]. [As for numbers, math, and grammar, don''t expect me to step up my game. I''ve already accepted my fate, I''m stupid]. Chapter 270 Chapter 270 Kazir was born on September 9, 1968. He was named Kazir by his mother, something he knew. Although he and his mother were never close, he was indeed grateful that she gave birth to him. Otherwise, Kazir would never have known this happiness. Sure, part of his life was filled with tragedy, but that was part of life. He knew that he would experience hardships along the way, but he was truly happy that he had experienced life. His birthday party was fun and a lot of people from the industry attended. His family realized that Kazir''s status in Hollywood was quite high. Aaron and Victor were happy to get autographs from Liam Neeson and others. Kazir asked his family if they would like to stay at his house and spend some time with him. He already talked to them a few months ago and they agreed. In fact, if they didn''t agree, Kazir would do anything to make them agree. He has to beg them if he has to. Aaron''s apartment and most of their possessions were in Brooklyn, but it was better to be safe than sorry. What if Aaron decided to move his family to Manhattan on that particular day? Kazir would never forgive himself if he didn''t stop that. Kazir understood that he was only human. Just as he could not stop what happened to Princess Diana, he could not stop 9/11. This was a terrorist group we were talking about. September 11, 2001. Kazir invited his father and brother to play golf while Aaron''s wife was with Angelina, spoiling baby Alissa, Kazir''s niece. Kazir admitted that he was not much of a golfer, unlike Victor and Aaron. The two loved to spend their weekends golfing or fishing. They even knew so many types of golf clubs that Kazir had never heard of in his entire life. ''I did the right thing by choosing golf to get their attention. Apparently, they want to play golf with me. A week''s vacation is a good excuse.'' Kazir let the time pass. But he knew that tragedy had struck when Kazir saw Aaron''s wife running towards them. Aaron was confused, but when he saw the seriousness in his wife''s teary eyes, Aaron knew that something had happened. "Honey, you have to go back to the clubhouse." Unfortunately, they decided to cut their vacation short because they had to return to New York to assess the damage. If the building they were using was affected, they would have to move their business to another location or perhaps another state. Their business was an advertising agency, they focused more on physical advertising such as creating and printing flyers, although they had recently done radio and television commercials. They were trying to expand their business into online services as well. Their company was doing well and they had a lot of clients in New York... From the looks of it, their business could be affected by this incident. However, they were happy and blessed to be alive and well. Victor and Aaron sincerely thanked Kazir. Without him, they might have been dead. Kazir knew that wouldn''t be the case since Aaron and Victor were alive in his past life. Victor had died of a heart attack a few years later, after 9/11. Kazir talked to his father about healthy living and eating. Victor now went to a gym twice a week because of Kazir''s perseverance. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry. So he planned his birthday and a week''s vacation for his family. In the end, it seemed to work. Victor booked a flight for them, but another obvious result happened. The airport was banned from booking flights. A few hours after the incident, there were almost no planes in U.S. airspace except for military jets. They sometimes saw the jets circling Los Angeles. Victor and the others decided to stay at Kazir''s place for another day. If the airport still wasn''t allowed to book flights, then they had no choice but to take a road trip. But New York was on the other side of the country. It could take days, Alissa was still a baby and it could take a toll on her if they traveled that long. In the end, the family decided to spend the week with Kazir. Naturally, Victor and Aaron contacted their partners for information about the incident. The building they were using was intact, but they had to close their business for a while. Apparently, the Pentagon was also attacked by the terrorists. Four planes were hijacked. Two planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York. The third plane crashed into the Pentagon just outside of Washington, DC. The fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania after the passengers fought the hijackers and prevented the plane from reaching the White House. After a long time, everyone in the United States of America helped each other to overcome this tragedy. The time when everyone supported their country. Chapter 271 Chapter 271 The impact of 9/11 on the country was tremendous. The incident led to a massive increase in airport security. The idea that the strongest country could suffer such a massive act of terrorism struck a chord with so many people. Hollywood expressed its deepest condolences to the people who lost loved ones in this tragedy. The President stood at the podium and delivered a speech on 9/11 from Sarasota School. -- Terrorism against our nation will not stand. This statement touched the hearts of many. Many young men joined the military, not because of the tuition assistance and other benefits, but because of their heartfelt desire to protect their country. The aftermath of 9/11 also strengthened the security of other countries. It made it more difficult to travel overseas. In Hollywood, movies continued to be released, but September and October were very cold months for theaters. People were still in mourning. Spider-Man was already in its last month and would end its run before November. However, the film grossed $403.70 million at the North American box office. The overseas box office was still climbing and currently stands at over $372 million. This brings the worldwide total to $775 million. Spider-Man is currently the highest grossing film of the year. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider finished much earlier, before September. It grossed $131.16 million at the North American box office. Fast and The Furious only opened in 150 theaters now. It has now grossed more than $215 million. Legally Blonde has grossed $95.23 million. It still had a month or two left in its run. John Wick Chapter 2 was slightly affected by 9/11, as the movie''s box office dropped after the tragedy, just like other movies at the time. However, the movie had already grossed $137 million by that time. Before November, John Wick Chapter 2 earned more than $176 million after two months in theaters. Overall, all of Kazir''s films did well. Kazir recommended Lara Croft to Angelina Jolie, saying she was the right person for the role. Her career blossomed after this movie and it seemed that his decision was right. Gossip abounded that Kazir was a god when it came to picking scripts. After Kazir recommended his friends to audition for a role, each of them got a better career. The Revenant won the Best Director and Best Actor awards in the past life. To begin with, those two awards were the only things Kazir was looking for. He might as well take the safest bet. Having made his decision, Kazir decided to call Tom Cruise. He had been giving signals to the actor and Tom Cruise had an idea about it. So both of them were not making any decisions about their next jobs at the moment, because both of them were playing the waiting game. Now that the cold events of September and October were over, Hollywood returned to its usual schedule. On November 2nd, Pixar released Monster, Inc. One of Pixar''s most famous franchises. The first three days of Monster, Inc. grossed $62.58 million. The Big Six realized and understood that the animation industry was another sector that they could profit from. So far, only Pixar and DreamWorks were doing well, but 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures were creating their own animation studios. While all this was going on, Tom and Kazir decided to meet and discuss their intentions. +++++ [Author''s Note] Yeah, since it''s already the middle of the month, I decided to promote my P@treon. As of now, the latest chapter of HWI on my P@treon is chapter 441. Using calculation, you can read about 170 chapters on my P@treon... I won''t lie, that''s a bit overwhelming and I can only blame myself. Also, for some readers who can''t use P@treon, I have a Ko-fi account and have already posted all the advanced 170 chapters of HWI there. You can check it out, the minimum tip is $10 and you can see my posts for 30 days. Honestly, I still recommend subscribing to P@treon instead of Ko-fi because all my advanced chapters and polls have been posted there. My P@treon also has all the advance chapters of my other novels that are currently on hiatus, such as TOFD and RDD. P@treon Link: https://www.pat /Puji_maki Ko-fi Link: https://ko- /pujimaki Chapter 272 Chapter 272 Two famous people sat across from each other and had a light conversation at first. "The atmosphere in our country is very interesting. At first, we were at our lowest point after what happened in September, but now the government has started to spread propaganda. I saw on TV a lot of young men joining the military. Even Paramount Pictures got a message from one of the generals to make a sequel to Top Gun to encourage young men." "What is their intention?" Kazir was quite curious because he knew there would be a sequel, but it would be at least 20 years before it happened. Unless Kazir caused another change in the timeline. "No, Paramount Pictures is not interested. Besides, they need to hear my opinion on the matter. Unless they want to get rid of the whole cast and start a new franchise called ''Top Gun''. The government is just doing its best, even the economy is failing because of the bubble dot com burst". "We will overcome this tragedy," Kazir muttered. At least for the next few decades, the United States would still stand and be recognized as the strongest country in the world. "I hope so." Tom Cruise nodded. A few seconds later, a maid approached the table and asked if Tom and Kazir wanted tea or coffee. Kazir went to Tom''s house to talk to him about his plan. Not surprisingly, Kazir did not see Nicole Kidman. He decided to keep his thoughts to himself and wait for Tom to tell the story. It was not his place to pry into his private life. Tom sensed Kazir''s curiosity and decided to admit it. "If you''re looking for Nicole, we''re through. We divorced this year. Our agent is just waiting for the right time to announce it. You know, publicity and stuff." In fact, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman divorced in 2001. There were a lot of factors to this divorce such as their relationship turning cold, social status, and even religion. Tom Cruise was a member of Scientology, after all. "I''m sorry to hear that." "It''s okay. Life is hard, but we have to move on and become a better person. Anyway, what''s the reason why you want to come to my house all of a sudden? This is your second time here." "Yes, my first time was when you invited me in 1995." "That was a long time ago, six years." The maid arrived and gave them their coffee and bread. "We talked last time about the Academy Awards and our dreams of winning gold statues." "I know you have a plan. Tell me about it." Tom grinned, knowing that the script Kazir gave him could give him the one-man show he needed. "Okay, it''s nice to hear you''re interested." "Minority Report wraps up next month and I can focus all my attention on this project." The two shook hands. As for salary and contract, that was up to their agents and the producer. It was enough that they were both interested in working on this project. They both have their reasons and are inclined to work together. Although there were some problems that Kazir had to deal with. This project currently has no producer because Harold Witsend will have two projects to take care of next year. Kazir may have to find someone else to fill the position. For next year, Grey Pictures plans to release three films. 1.) Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2.) Bourne Supremacy 3.) The Revenant. Two movies were part of the Continental Cinematic Universe, while the last one was not. Another problem was the distributor for his three movies. Well, Tom has a close relationship with Paramount Pictures, so The Revenant could be distributed by Paramount. +++++ [Author''s note: I have promised that Mr. and Mrs. Smith will be part of the CCU. However, the female lead will no longer be Angelina Jolie for obvious reasons. I prefer Naomi Watts or Jennifer Connelly because I like them. I can''t promise that I''ll focus as much on Mr. and Mrs. Smith, since Kazir''s interest is currently on The Revenant. I may write two or three about Mr. and Mrs. Smith]. [Yeah, so who do you like better? Naomi Watts or Jennifer Connelly?] Chapter 273 Chapter 273 Both sides were represented by CAA and they started their negotiations. The good thing was that both Kazir and Tom knew the intentions of this project and they already explained their thoughts to their respective agents. Pat Kingsley and Salvatore Barlowe decided to start negotiations with the thought that this project would happen. There was no in-between. Now they just have to work to meet each side''s terms. Honestly, Pat Kingsley was against this project because Tom Cruise was nominated for Best Supporting Actor last year and they didn''t win, even though they did their best PR. Another thing was Nicole Kidman. You see, Nicole Kidman was striving for Best Actress in 2003 for her role in The Hours. Pat Kingsley was currently on Nicole Kidman''s side regarding the split between the couple. However, she could not let go of Tom Cruise, her biggest client. Unfortunately, The Revenant would also participating in the 2003 Academy Awards, so Pat Kingsley has a lot of things to do. Both the agents and their clients were quiet about their plans to compete for Oscars. However, the veterans of the industry probably knew their intentions when they heard that Kazir Grey was going to make an autobiographical film instead of action or comedy films that the audience liked. They were not stupid. There was only one reason why Kazir Grey would make such a movie: to win the Best Director Award. So yes, they were quiet about it... With Salvatore Barlowe representing Grey Pictures, the terms and conditions slowly became whole. The result was that Tom Cruise''s salary was $15 million without box office participation. This was the highest salary Grey Pictures had ever given to anyone except Kazir himself. No one could guarantee the box office of this movie because it was different from the usual projects that Kazir did, so Tom''s side fought for a bigger salary instead of getting a share of the box office. As for Kazir, he decided to take a $5 million salary for this project. He could say he wanted a $1 salary just to improve the budget, but that would be disrespectful to the four agents who worked with him. They make money on commission. Now that both sides had negotiated and agreed on the salary, the project officially began. Kazir and Tom began to talk about the project. Kazir already expected that Tom would talk to him about his role, if he wanted more screen time or lines. Tom was a superstar and he acted based on his status, arrogant. However, as long as it was not outrageous, Kazir would agree. While this was going on, Grey Pictures was looking for directors to take over their two projects. Fremont Smith had just finished John Wick Chapter 2 and wanted to take some time off. It seemed that Fremont Smith was the kind of director who made movies every two years. Note that the first biggest franchise was the MCU, the second was Spider-Man, and the third was Star Wars. This is based on the money the franchise generated. Harry Potter(novels) was already famous all over the world and had many fans, from teenagers to adults. Many people were excited to see the movie. Before 2001, J.K. Rowling had already produced four books of the series. The first day (Friday) of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone made 32.33 million dollars. Very big amount of money, unfortunately the first day of Spider-Man was $39 million, so... Anyway, on the second day (Saturday) the movie made $33.51 million. On Sunday, the movie made another $24.44 million. Combined, the first three days of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone grossed $90.29 million. An impressive performance. Warner Bros. was happy and wanted to capitalize on this success. Their future investment in the franchise would be great. But no matter how much they bragged about Harry Potter, it was true that the movie had lost out to Kazir''s Spider-Man, which grossed $114 million in its first three days. Now Warner Bros. wondered: WHAT IF Kazir Grey directed Harry Potter, would the movie do better? Nobody knows the answer. After all, it was just a what if. ++++ [I''ve written six web novels and finished one. Of all of them, HWI is the most summarized. Usually when I add dialog to the chapters, the plot slows down. But I will try to slow it down now, since I have a lot of things to do for 2002: Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Bourne Supremacy, The Hangover Part 3, Star Wars Episode 2, the failure of John Carter, and probably Jennifer Connelly... Yeah, I guess I''ll add Jennifer Connelly to the poll. I have a crush on the actress, sorry]. Chapter 274 Chapter 274 Warner Bros. could not help but compare Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone to Spider-Man. After all, their first choice for director was Kazir Grey. Just like Sony-Columbia, Warner Bros was confident they could fulfill Kazir''s contract, but the man ultimately chose Spider-Man. It was sad, but Warner Bros. had to move on. The plan was already in motion. First of all, they are promoting J.K. Rowling and her books just for the upcoming movie. Warner Bros. was looking for movie franchises to milk and they felt that Harry Potter was profitable. Lord of the Rings was different because it was acquired by New Line Cinema. The profits of the two companies never merged. Also, New Line Cinema had its own distribution. There was nothing Warner Bros could do about it. In the last few years, Warner Bros. had two movies that they focused on, The Matrix and Harry Potter. They spent hundreds of millions on each movie. The Matrix sequels were already in production and seemed promising. If Harry Potter didn''t do well, they would lose money. So the management at the time invited Kazir Grey, who had come out of CCU, to be the director. Well, the result was obvious. Kazir turned it down and they went with Chris Columbus, the director of Home Alone. Now, comparing the two movies hurt the management of Warner Bros. for many reasons. To be fair, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone was an amazing movie. And it was an amazing success. It made $90 million in just three days. That was amazing, very few movies could do that. But it was still bitter to think that Kazir Grey, who turned it down, did better with his Spider-Man movie. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone was an adaptation of the novel, and many scenes in the novel were obviously never shown in theaters, which caused some disappointment to fans of the novel. Perhaps if Kazir had been the director, he would have done a great job in this regard. Unfortunately, they could never bring back the past. Regretting their decision was useless, especially when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone was doing well. After the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone, no movie had a promising performance in November. 12 days after its release, Ocean''s Eleven grossed $76 million. Again, an amazing feat... But nothing compared to Spider-Man and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone. But that was about to change because on December 19, another movie was released that could rival Spider-Man and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone. 2001 was a terrible year for the United States, but it was true that these three movies had huge performances that year. The third movie was none other than The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings. The Lord Of The Rings had so many cast members but it was acknowledged that the protagonist was Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen). Viggo already had a status in Hollywood with his role as John Wick. But after that, Viggo Mortensen would have another role to be proud of being written in his filmography. Now the trio of 2001 was released and it would determine which would be the highest grossing movie of this year (2001). Last year, the highest grossing movie was Wanted with $1.21 billion... Would Kazir Grey make a miracle and have a back-to-back championship? +++++ [I was interested in Ocean Eleven at first, but I can''t find the right time to include it in the CCU. In the end, I decided against it because Ocean''s Eleven is never an action movie, but more of a heist movie. It can fit in well with CCU, but the timing just didn''t feel right.] [I have no idea what I''m doing writing this chapter.] [Anyway, thank you for all of your support.] Chapter 275 Chapter 275 "So you''re going away for a while?" Angelina pouted as she cut her steak. To maintain her figure, Angelina made sure to eat as little as possible. It was the punishment she had to take to maintain her status in this industry. People in Hollywood were very prejudiced against chubby women. They don''t cast chubby women and they prefer skinny women. That was the preference at that time. To keep up with the ideals, Angelina has to play by the book and keep her stomach as flat as possible. Honestly, there were times when she wanted to eat a whole pizza, but she couldn''t because she had to shoot the next day and the director might nag her if she didn''t look fit and sexy. But when she was with Kazir, she didn''t feel self-hatred. Instead, the man encouraged her to eat and stay healthy. Women in the acting and modeling industries suffer from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder and fear of gaining weight. It was a sad notion that showbiz pushed on many women that being sexy meant not eating for a day or two. Angelina was happy in her relationship with Kazir. The man was different from the men she usually dated, Kazir was sincere and serious. The type who didn''t like to play games had a clear vision of his future. Besides, the guy was cute and good in bed... The last statement was the biggest reason why she liked him. Their relationship was getting better and Angelina knew that Kazir was the best man out there... She had many rivals because of that. Whenever they go out and have fun, there are times when a woman flirts with Kazir. For the same reason, Angelina was a little upset that Kazir was leaving the country. "I have three months before I go to Canada. We have plenty of time." Kazir assured her. After calculating their budget, the production crew decided that it would be better to shoot the movie in real snow than to create artificial snow and do a green screen. Using a real natural background was cheaper than creating a snowy mountain and jungle. "But you''re also going to be gone for three or four months. I don''t want that." "I promised I''d come back every weekend." Kazir was actually surprised that he had reached the point where he could ignore his work for something else. Damn, weekend rest, Kazir would actually do something like that? Really? "Besides, Canada''s not that far away. We can still call and text and stuff." "Hm." Angelina nodded sadly after finishing her steak. Kazir encouraged her to have some fun and enjoy life, eating delicious food was one of the best things in the world. Angelina had two projects this year, one was currently underway while the second was scheduled to start shooting in March, the same month Kazir would be going to Canada. Both of them would be busy then and Angelina was worried that they would lose interest in each other. A long-distance relationship was not that easy, even if it was only for three or four months. A lot could happen in that time. They smiled at each other. If they were not in public, they might already be kissing and undressing each other. ... ... ... "Director Grey! Director Grey!" "Hm?" Kazir frowned as he came out of the cafe near Grey Pictures. His eyes were puffy after "cuddling" with Angelina all night, and he loved every second of it. "Director Grey!" "Sorry, I don''t have time for an interview." As always, some paparazzi would show up and ruin his beautiful day. It was not the first time this had happened. "I''m just here to ask a few questions. Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings are doing well at the box office. Everyone thinks that one of them is going to be the champion of this year''s box office." The paparazzi proceeded to ask more. "But considering that Spider-Man has already grossed $800 million worldwide, your movie should be added to the list. Are you afraid that Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings will overtake Spider-Man as the highest-grossing film of the year?" This question got Kazir''s attention, so he stopped walking and faced the paparazzi. "If Harry Potter and The Lord Of The Rings fought Spider-Man, would you lose?" Kazir grinned and said. "Nah, I''d win." +++++ [Author''s note: this was very, very late.] [Funny that I wrote a Christmas Eve chapter on Christmas Eve. Anyway, Merry Christmas to all! Thanks for all your support. I hope everyone has a blessed and abundant Christmas!] Chapter 276 Chapter 276 The year 2002. Just after the New Year, in an office. "There are things that are easy to explain, but sometimes you have to hear it twice for the information to really sink in. So tell me again." "Sir," the secretary swallowed hard. This folder had just been sent to her and she hadn''t researched it at all. That was the job of the sales and accounting department: to calculate the box office. But since the acting CEO Tom Rothman was late, and the guy from the accounting department had a stomach ache, so the secretary became the one responsible for delivering the news to Tom Rothman. "Sir, the worldwide box office for John Wick Chapter 2 is currently at $621 million. Our accounting department believed that John Wick Chapter 2 could surpass $650 million..." "What about The Fast and The Furious? Come on, say it." Maybe Tom Rothman slept in the wrong position, the man was frowning. He seemed to be angry. "The Fast and The Furious officially ended its worldwide run three days ago. Some countries were still calculating the box office. The movie has already grossed $502 million, excluding some countries that are still calculating the numbers..." "Do you think that the box office of these movies is due to the success of the Continental Cinematic Universe? After Wanted, a lot of people became interested in the Continental Cinematic Universe. That is the effect of Wanted, a $1 billion movie." Tom Rothman didn''t sleep well last night because Rupert Murdoch told him to buy Grey Pictures and bring it into the "family." The reason he could not sleep was the fact that negotiating with Kazir Grey would be the hardest thing to do. And now two of his movies just happened to drop explosive numbers at the box office! ''What the fuck? That''s basically $1 billion! Grey Pictures, a second-tier production studio, just made $1 billion this year! No, they did it last year too with a single movie! This is getting stupid. How is that even possible?'' He gritted his teeth. To be fair, the Big Six made over $7 billion at the box office last year. 20th Century Fox alone made over $1 billion last year with Big Momma''s House, X-Men, Cast Away, and so many dozens more. Still, it was painful to see that one or two movies could easily make their year''s worth of hard work. The only consolation was that Grey Pictures had no distribution channel. "Yes, sir." Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone grossed $293 million on the first day of the year. It was still in theaters for 48 days. As for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the film grossed $178 million after 15 days in theaters. "Damn, Warner Brothers will have a festival this year! Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings looks promising. If they do it right, they will have two strong franchises that will last a decade. 20th Century Fox really needs something like this." Tom Rothman groaned. His head was aching so much. Everyone in Hollywood believed that Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings and Spider-Man would dominate the 2001 rankings. However, it was still a mystery as to which would top the list. One thing was certain. Grey Pictures'' two CCU movies were definitely part of the top 10. John Wick Chapter 2 with $621 million. The Fast and The Furious with $502 million. From a business standpoint, Kazir''s existence was dangerous for the Big Six. But there were always two sides to a coin. If Kazir was dangerous, he was also a godsend once he allied himself with one of them. 20th Century Fox found this out with Napoleon Dynamite. Warner Brothers with The Hangover. And Sony-Columbia with Spider-Man. Clear examples that Kazir was a good weapon when used properly. ++++ [Author''s note: I''m crazy.] [Merry Christmas again, haha] Chapter 277 Chapter 277 Jimmy Kimmel Live! A show that started on ABC last year and slowly gained fans all over the US. It was a talk show with good ratings. This time, New Line Cinema and Warner Brothers decided to work with the show to promote the movie The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The audience in the studio clapped when Viggo Mortensen appeared. Jimmy Kimmel and Viggo Mortensen began to talk, focusing on The Lord of the Rings. Viggo talked about his experience in New Zealand and how director Peter Jackson was a good director. "By the way, I want to congratulate you on your other movie. John Wick Chapter 2 is a great movie, I love it. You look good in a suit with guns in your hands." "Thanks," Viggo smiled modestly. His career was flourishing and he was now a certified superstar. Two of his movies last year did very well. John Wick Chapter 2 grossed over $600 million worldwide. While Lord of the Rings is currently at $245 million at the North American box office. With that, his status in the industry has risen. "Of course you also look good with a sword." "Holding a sword is quite hard because it is real metal. Not sharp, but really heavy." "Tell me, did you practice swordsmanship for this movie?" Jimmy Kimmel Live! and New Line Cinema had a partnership tonight and the talk show received money to promote the movie. "Ah, yes, I trained for six months. Fortunately, I have a lot of experience with training before Lord of the Rings. I trained for my role as John Wick." "Tell me, what was it like working with someone like Kazir Grey? Everyone is curious about him." "He''s a serious guy. Strict and always calm. He''s an amazing director. Most of the time he just knew what scene to shoot and there was no time wasted on positioning the cameras and stuff like that. It was like he had already imagined everything about the movie." "Yeah, I heard about that. Apparently he''s very professional and never takes a vacation. Is that true?" "I guess so. I mean, I have never seen the guy having fun, or rather working is fun for him. He spent most of his time at work." As executive producer, Kazir naturally attended the third round of auditions for the female lead of Mr. And Mrs. Smith. This time, the crew had a list of actresses with strong box office appeal who were vying for the role. It was 2002 and Hollywood continued to grow. People all over the world now recognize many superstars from the USA. ''Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts, Cate Blanchett and Jennifer Connelly... Wow, so you''re saying that these actresses are interested in being a part of CCU?'' Kazir thought to himself. Honestly, yes. Continental Cinematic Universe was no small project, not anymore. After the huge success of Wanted two years ago, so many actresses/actors in Hollywood became interested in this particular Cinematic Universe. On top of that, The Fast and The Furious and John Wick Chapter 2 also made a lot of money at the box office. This showed that the influence of the Continental Cinematic Universe was getting stronger. At least a lot of fans were waiting for the next movie. After so many movies that had mostly male protagonists, Mr. and Mrs. Smith was the only movie in the CCU that had an obvious female lead. Well, one of the leads was female, so they might as well take the opportunity. Kazir didn''t specify a look for Mrs. Smith. He just wanted the woman to be sexy and beautiful and know how to fight. So it seemed that the role caught the attention of many actresses. The actresses who auditioned for the role are already well established in the industry. They could easily get a job every year. Charlize Theron and Cate Blanchett have already auditioned and their performances were not bad. They seem healthy and it looks like they have already trained for the role. Kazir loved the commitment, no lie. He turned to Doug Liman, the current director of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The man nodded and invited the next actress. "Hi, I''m Naomi Watts. I worked on Mulholland Drive last year. I''m here for the part of Jane Smith." As expected, Naomi Watts looked great. Beautiful and sexy, she already passed the appearance requirements. The woman glanced at Kazir and smiled, they had known each other for a long time. Kazir nodded but kept his expression. Naomi and Kazir first met at Tom Cruise''s party in 1995. And yes, they almost had an affair if Carl Morin had not interrupted them. Since then, Kazir and Naomi have known each other, but they were not friends. Chapter 278 Chapter 278 "Miss Watts, let''s start your audition." Doug Liman said as the cameraman started filming. They were recording the audition of the actresses. Naomi Watts nodded. For this movie, she was given the chance to do a scene in the script that she liked. As expected, Naomi chose the dinner scene. The part where the Smith couple met at the dinner table after realizing that the other person was actually an agent. "How was Atlanta?" "Big deal?" Even though it was a solo performance, Naomi got the part right. Solo performance, sometimes called a one-man show. Naomi said her lines like she was talking to her husband. But a minute into her audition, Doug Liman raised his hand and stopped her. "Your acting is great, but I want to see you act with another person." The role of Mr. Smith was still open because the crew was still deciding between three actors, Hugh Grant, Russell Crowe and Brad Pitt. The crew was fine with casting Hugh Grant and Russell Crowe because their salaries were affordable. Producer Harold Witsend preferred these two. But both Doug Liman and Kazir Grey preferred Brad Pitt. Grey Pictures was no longer a small production studio and they could afford to hire superstars. Heck, Kazir and Tom Cruise even have a collaboration this year. Since Doug and Kazir were interested in casting Brad Pitt, negotiations began. Brad Pitt agreed to a trilogy and cameos, but the salary was still being negotiated. Since there was no official Mr. Smith at the moment, someone had to step in to accompany Naomi to her audition. "Kazir, um, would you mind?" Doug spoke to Kazir who was standing next to him. In the audition room, Kazir was the only one with acting experience. He had been in so many movies... All cameos, of course. Kazir nodded and agreed. He knew Doug had no hidden agenda. He had done this twice before, when Charlize Theron and Cate Blanchett showed up. However, the three actresses were all expensive to hire. They all already have a foothold in the industry and could demand a minimum of $2.5 million. This could be a problem because there would be trilogies and cameos. Also, they had already talked to Brad Pitt and he wanted at least $7 million for the first movie alone. It would be painful if the actress asked for more. Even though Grey Pictures has a bigger budget and can afford big expenses, they have to be smart with their money. Another truth was that there was a pay gap between actors and actresses. It didn''t help that actors have longer peak careers than actresses. Even if actors were over 50 years old, they could still get leading roles, but it was the opposite for actresses. If an actress reached the point of 50 years old, it would be hard for her to compete with younger actresses. The crew wouldn''t spend a lot of money on an actress unless she was Julia Roberts or Michelle Pfeiffer, those actresses had worldwide box office appeal. Then Doug Liman called the last actress to audition for Mrs. Smith. Kazir was not surprised to see Jennifer Connelly. She was beautiful, as always. ''She was born in 1970, so she''s only two years younger than me, huh?'' Kazir thought as he looked at Jennifer''s information. Yes, Kazir was 33 years old in 2002. Jennifer looked at Kazir but kept her emotions under control. She was surprised that the guy she had seen panting in the gym and vomiting at a party was a superstar director. Her first impression of the man was not positive, but rather negative. Her agent told her to audition for the role because the Cinematic Universe era was flourishing and Jennifer needed a steady role. Her career had not been steady lately... Well, it was going downhill and she needed a breaking point. CCU could be her door to that. Since she was here, she might as well give it her best shot. She kept her smile and started her audition... Only to find out that Kazir would be in the dinner scene. Yes, she chose the dinner scene as well. Maybe because it was one of the most compelling scenes in the movie. +++++ [If you want to read more, you can subscribe to my P@treon or Ko-fi.] P@treon link: https://www.pa /Puji_maki Ko-fi link: https://ko-f /pujimaki Chapter 279 Chapter 279 "I-I''m sorry!" Jennifer realized she had made a mistake. She had met Kazir twice, and the first impression the man made was not appealing. However, when she met the man this time, she realized that Kazir was actually tall and fit. He was domineering. As the audition began, Jennifer began to lose her concentration and forgot her line. She couldn''t help but be aware of the man in front of her. "That''s okay, Miss Connelly. We can wrap up the audition here." Doug Liman announced and Jennifer immediately stepped back. She had a slight blushing face. After the audition, Doug Liman began to ask Jennifer about the trilogy and cameo contract and her interest in physical training. Jennifer said yes to everything and left the room... She realized that she probably won''t get the part because she made mistakes. She sighed. "... So who should we choose?" The one who asked this was Harold Witsend. He had an artistic sense because he was once a prop master. In his opinion, all four actresses were beautiful and attractive. They were right for the part. "Naomi Watts and Charlize Theron seem promising." Doug Liman said, and Kazir agreed. Both directors had the same thought. "Harold, who do you think we should cast?" "Well, I think I''m going to go with Jennifer Connelly." "Why?" Kazir asked curiously. Kazir had good impression of the actress but it won''t affect his decision making. "How should I put it... Her career is not that good compared to the other three. We can hire her for a cheap salary." "..." Kazir realized that Harold was starting to become a real producer. The guy was basing his opinion on the budget! "She''s beautiful, she can act, and her status is not that high. Definitely someone we can exploit." ''Woah woah woah, Harold, you''re going too far. I take my opinion back, you''re a real producer now.'' Kazir touched his chin. He disagreed with Harold''s thought process, but it was true that Jennifer had a lower salary than the others. ''Naomi Watts'' career would take off after the success of Mulholland Drive. She would be in King Kong, The Ring, Le Divorce and other films. If we cast her, her next salary could be at least $5 million.'' He calculated. Charlize Theron and Cate Blanchett were the same way. Of course, Cameron didn''t like it at first, but she understood that the plot made sense... She hoped to stay on the project for a long time. Maybe she had another reason. When Kazir attended the script reading, he saw Matt Damon talking to Paul Greengrass. Then his eyes were fixed on Cameron Diaz. "..." He expected to meet her today, but she didn''t expect Cameron to be so beautiful. It was as if she had really prepared herself and picked out the best dress. Her makeup, her slim figure, and her dress. Everything was perfect. Kazir admitted that Cameron Diaz was the goddess of the ''90s and early 2000s. ''I can''t believe I broke up with her. Well, she''s a nice woman, but I failed to open my heart to her. I was still scared back then.'' He swallowed hard for obvious reasons. When Cameron noticed that Kazir had arrived, she rose from her seat and gave the most charming smile. She approached him and greeted him bubbly. "Good morning director, I know it''s late but congratulations on your latest movie Spider-Man. I hear it''s going to top $900 million." She reached for a handshake. "Thanks, you too, Cam- Cameron, Charlie''s Angels and Vanilla Sky did well. I hear Charlie''s Angels is getting a sequel." Kazir almost said "Cam," which was too endearing. He felt he should be formal since this was a job and they had been separated for almost four years. Besides, Kazir was currently dating Angelina. He shook her hand. Kazir felt her firm yet soft hand gently squeeze him. Cameron giggled. "As expected, you''re still serious. Maybe that''s what I like about you." She left after that, but Kazir felt like she was messing with him. ++++ [If you want to read more, you can subscribe to my P@treon or Ko-fi.] P@treon Link: https://www.patr /Puji_maki Ko-fi Link: https://ko /pujimaki Chapter 280 Chapter 280 Kazir''s time with the cast of The Bourne Supremacy was uncomfortable. The actors were professional and they followed the standard procedure of reading the script... However, Kazir could feel Cameron Diaz giving him flirtatious looks from time to time. Even Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass sensed it, but decided to keep quiet. As long as it did not interfere with their work, they would keep quiet. Besides, Cameron and Kazir were dating once and they had a history. There would be an awkward atmosphere between them, that was for sure. Kazir decided to leave the script reading earlier than the others. It was obvious to everyone else that Cameron was disappointed when Kazir left the set. In Kazir''s defense, he was busy, which was true. He had a lot on his plate even in the first month of the year. The production of Mr. and Mrs. Smith and The Bourne Supremacy were important and he couldn''t just leave those two projects. He was committed to the Continental Cinematic Universe, a successful cinematic universe that he was building from the ground up. Obviously he didn''t want to see it fail. It was true that he stepped away from the CCU for a while to expand his filmography, but he would never leave the project to anyone else. Grey Pictures could hire directors now, but his presence was also important. "I have to meet with someone at 20th Century Fox to finalize the distribution deal." It was a worldwide distribution deal with a 25% box office cut. This time, however, Grey Pictures would be responsible for advertising. That means they have to come up with money for promotion to pay 20th Century Fox. Hollywood makes about 500-600 movies a year, but most of them never had a chance to be released worldwide. Only about 100 movies had a chance to be released abroad and most of them were distributed by the Big Six for obvious reasons. The Big Six and MGM were the only ones currently able to distribute films worldwide. Although MGM would lose its international distribution in a few years due to bankruptcy. In the near future, new studios like Lionsgate, EntertainmentOne, A24, Focus Features and Netflix would set up their own distribution, but that was another story. Grey Pictures knew that the Big Six already tolerated them enough, and the company couldn''t do business with them without bleeding. News Corporation was a media giant and could promote their films well. The deal was already good and there was no reason to hesitate. So far, 20th Century Fox has been the most honest. ''I''m interested in making Deadpool, so why not?'' Kazir thought. If Grey Pictures was indeed acquired by 20th Century Fox, and Kazir was working for 20th Century Fox, surely management would let him film one of the goofiest characters in X-Men. ''... I love the first trilogy of X-Men, but the later ones are meh. But Deadpool is another story, it''s a masterpiece. Have you ever seen a character break the fourth wall?'' Maybe... If the writer of that novel wanted to. He could easily break the fourth wall, like I just did. Negotiations for a multi-billion dollar company would take at least a year to complete. So far, 20th Century Fox was just in the beginning stages. "If 20th Century Fox is really interested in Grey Pictures, I hope they are sincere." Kazir muttered and rose from his seat. "Yes. Wait, what?" James replied casually, until he realized that Kazir had actually dropped a bomb. Kazir Grey had never shown any interest in selling his shares in Grey Pictures, not until now. His statement clearly showed that Kazir was not against it. He just needed something to entice him. ++++ [I don''t have a clear picture of the profits from rentals, but I''m sure they''re definitely in the millions annually. So I am just guessing the numbers]. Chapter 281 Chapter 281 James was surprised because he thought he would have to sit down with the director to convince him of a chance to prove 20th Century Fox. This was one of their first moves. To become the distributor of Grey Pictures and build a solid cooperation to convince Grey Pictures to sell their shares. But James didn''t expect Kazir to actually see through their intentions and share his thoughts. "Share swap is no problem either. You get authority over my company, I get authority over yours." Kazir chuckled. Money had never been a problem for him. Money was just a means for him to maintain his status, but it was not everything. As long as Kazir could stay in the business and keep making movies, he would be alive. In fact, before his divorce from Cassandra, Kazir was earning quite well. He could afford to buy a house because of his share of the profits from the movies he made. Actually, directors, actors, and producers had residuals from videotapes and such, but they were only relevant for the first five years. The sales of videotapes/DVDs slowed down after five years. "... I understand." James felt he had to take his job seriously. By the looks of it... Kazir could get at least $1 billion from the upcoming transaction. "Goodbye James." Kazir didn''t stay long and left. Tomorrow he has to talk to Tom Cruise about The Revenant. Then, next week, Sony-Columbia would celebrate the success of Spider-Man. If their projections were correct, the film would cross the $900 million mark in the same week, the second week of January. There was no time to rest... Actually, Kazir was very excited to start shooting The Revenant. He was always excited to do his job as a director. He felt alive doing his job. He loved the job more than ever. ...... ... ... "So how''s your reunion with Cameron?" The actor teased his friend. "Tom, let''s not talk about that." Kazir shook his head. Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz worked together in Vanilla Sky. They knew each other and even shared a kissing scene in the movie. "Why not? Cameron knows we''re friends, so she asked me a lot about you. Which was a little interesting because you two were in a relationship for almost two years. Have you shown Cameron anything of your true self?" ''Of course she is.'' Kazir thought. Kazir knew Penelope Cruz, though he knew her only through her relationship with Tom. Unless Kazir was mistaken, Tom met Penelope Cruz in Vanilla Sky, the same year Tom and Nicole Kidman divorced. "If you''re okay with it, I''ll cast her. But you have to tell her it''s a small part. Don''t expect a big salary." "We don''t expect a salary at all, you can hire her for free if you want." "We''ll probably have to negotiate with her agent anyway, so let them decide." "Okay." The two agreed. This was just a small thing, no reason to take it seriously. They were both flexible and agreed with each other''s decisions. The main reason they decided to work together was to win the Oscars. Kazir already proved that he could make someone Best Actor after casting Liam Neeson. Tom Cruise had some regrets about Taken, but there was no reason to be depressed. He knew the movie was not for him. Besides, Taken was the opening film of the CCU and Tom would probably not be invested in such a long term project. Tom rarely does movies with sequels, except for the Mission Impossible franchise. Even Top Gun took more than three decades to get a sequel. The Revenant was another chance for him to win the Best Actor Award. He read the script and was confident in Kazir''s ability to bring it to the screen. Tom Cruise even offered to invest at least 30% of the project, but Kazir and Grey Pictures never agreed. Anyway, small things, as long as their mission was the same, they would work it out. "So these are the actors who auditioned for the second round, and I chose the actors who best fit their roles. Tom Hardy, Joaquin Phoenix and Shia Labeouf." "Hm, seems reasonable. Joaquin is a great actor. I remember Tom Hardy in Black Hawk Down. But this Shia Labeouf is a new person for me." Tom replied. ++++ [Author''s Note: Don''t mind the note below. This chapter was written ten months ago. I didn''t delete it because I didn''t want to... Don''t be triggered, I want everyone to have fun and enjoy the novel.] [It''s officially January 1st here. And yes, as usual, I never saw The Revenant so I have no idea what I''m doing. Thanks guys for all your support. I hope we all have a blessed year!] Chapter 282 Chapter 282 Joaquin Phoenix had a great filmography in recent years. Perhaps his best recent role was in Ridley Scott''s Gladiator. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards for his role as Commodus in Gladiator. A few years later, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Joker/Arthur Fleck. He won many awards in his career and everyone knew that he was a talented actor. Looking at the information thanks Kazir read, he knew that casting Joaquin Phoenix was not a problem. The expected budget of The Revenant was at least $85 million and Kazir had no problem casting someone like Joaquin Phoenix. For the same reason, Tom Hardy and Shia Labeouf were good choices. Tom Hardy made his film debut in Black Hawk Down, but after that his career was unstable. He could not get any promising roles. If Kazir had not known about Tom Hardy''s future, he might not have gotten a role in The Revenant. Tom Hardy''s usual roles were about buff, strong guys. This Means War, Mad Max: Fury Road, and The Dark Knight Rises were just a few of the movies he starred in. His role in these movies was the buff strong guy. Out of interest, Kazir decided to give this up and coming actor a chance to work with him. The same thing happened with Shia Labeouf. Shia Labeouf was a famous actor in the mid 2000s and early 2010s but his career was dying for some reasons after that. At first his career was going well, at a young age he got roles in Constantine, I, Robot, the first trilogy of Transformers, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Eagle Eye and Fury. It was amazing, he was part of so many blockbusters. Maybe one of the reasons he got steady jobs was because of his race, but that was debatable and probably not true. Well, his presence in Hollywood slowly disappeared after accusation and controversy. Kazir had heard some stories in his past life, but this and that were two different things. The Shia Labeouf of 2002 was just an aspiring actor trying to find his way in the industry. Shia''s agent recommended that he audition for The Revenant and Constantine. So far, his role in Constantine was already set, but filming would start in September, which was 9 months later. The main reason Kazir was interested in Shia Labeouf was to know his current attitude as a young actor. He also knew that Shia could act, his range as an actor was quite wide. As for the reason why Kazir was interested in Shia... It might because of Transformers. "Are you sure you want to invest in these companies, sir?" Kazir had three companies in mind: eBay, Apple and Amazon. eBay and Amazon were both online sales services, and their growth was promising. Only Kazir knew the exact history of how these companies would become worth billions or trillions of dollars. As for Apple, now that Steve Jobs had returned to Apple, Kazir knew that this company would usher in the era of smartphones. By the way, Steve Jobs was also a shareholder in Walt Disney because of Pixar. Kazir would continue to invest in Apple and Amazon, while eBay was only short-term. Actually, he wanted to get a piece of Google, but the company still showed no interest in his money. Google would not go public until 2004. At the same time, Facebook did not exist until 2004. ''Maybe Mark Zuckerberg is open to investment.'' Kazir thought to himself. Vance Goodhood was not sure why Kazir was interested in Apple, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. This was a $150 million deal and Vance didn''t want to screw it up. He tried to offer Kazir alternatives, but the director was adamant. In the end, Vance Goodhood respected Kazir''s decision and took care of the $150 million by investing $50 million in each company. ''As for Netflix... Meh. I''ll only invest when their online streaming service happens. Right now, Netflix is still a small company trying to copy Blockbuster''s business strategy. I don''t want to disrupt and potentially change their trajectory, so I''ll just wait until they''re stable.'' Being in this industry, Kazir knew that Netflix was going to struggle for a long time. Kazir didn''t want any of that part. ++++ [Author''s note: I know this has nothing to do with the novel. But I want to say that we will miss you, Detective Amelia Watson of Hololive. Man, I''m sure going to miss your gremlin screams]. Chapter 283 Chapter 283 The cold breeze still lingered, but not as cold as in December. Last year''s event was something that many people would never forget, and perhaps it affected people''s perception of the weather. Now that another year has come, it is time to move on and let go of the past. Suffering has always been a part of life, but that doesn''t mean there''s nothing to look forward to. New year, new life. With that in mind, there was no promising movie in January. This was to be expected as January has never been a famous month for Hollywood to release movies. Still, it was kind of disappointing that of all the movies that were released in January 2002, only one movie made more than $100 million. It was Snow Dogs, released by Walt Disney. And yes, it was about dogs... The fact that The Count Of Monte Cristo and A Walk To Remember were released in the same month and didn''t cross $100 million was discouraging. Because those two movies were pretty good. The Count Of Monte Cristo was based on a famous novel of the same name, and yet it didn''t work at the box office. A Walk To Remember was also based on a novel of the same name, but it didn''t do well either. While January was bleak for Hollywood, Kazir was very busy that month. He visited the production sets of Mr. and Mrs. Smith and The Bourne Supremacy. He also had his own project to work on. Even though Kazir was still in the USA, he didn''t have much time for himself. Much more about Angelina. Kazir knew that love was important, but his love and passion for filmmaking was stronger than any kind of love. He left his home in the first place just to be a filmmaker. That alone was enough to show how much he loved movies. Most of the time, Kazir spent more time at work than with Angelina. It caused a bit of a fight, but the couple was mature enough to understand each other. Two bad, because in March, Kazir would leave the country to go to Canada and start filming The Revenant. Their relationship was a bit rocky and they only had a month to fix it. How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days would also start shooting in March and Angelina would be busy as well. Both of them won''t have time for each other after March. So to make things better, Kazir and Angelina attended a party together. This party was none other than the celebration party for Spider-Man. Angelina and Kazir entered the party hand in hand and were greeted by many people, mostly people related to Sony-Columbia. Kazir said after kissing her hand. Angelina smiled and left her man to tease Kirsten. Kazir and the others began to talk. A few minutes into the party, two people approached Kazir. They were Stan Lee and Avi Arad. Avi Arad was the current CEO/Chairman of Marvel Comics, while Stan Lee was the creator of many Marvel characters. From the serious expressions on their faces, Kazir knew they were going to talk about the superhero copyrights that Grey Pictures owned. After so many years in the industry, Grey Pictures has successfully acquired all of the MCU characters. Most notably the original Avengers: Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye. It was time-consuming, but Kazir knew their importance, so he acquired them. Kazir excused himself and went to the garden to talk to the two of them. This was going to be a serious talk. ++++ [Author''s note: Since it''s the first day of the month, I want to promote my P@treon and Ko-fi for the nth time. If you subscribe to my P@treon, you can read 169 advance chapters of HWI plus 3 NSFW chapters (exclusive to Patreon only)]. [Second, there''s an important poll on my P@treon that will determine Kazir''s wife. So far there''s a clear winner and I''m already writing about their relationship. However, if the result changes and the current winner is overthrown by landside votes, there could be a comeback. If you''re interested, you can check it out. I respect your votes and I respect the outcome]. [One more thing, what do you think about Marvel movies? Should Kazir direct them? The winner of the poll last time was (redacted) and I think that company can acquire Marvel and Grey Pictures together so that the MCU will happen]. [My P@treon has a wider range of content compared to Ko-fi, so I recommend you subscribe to Patreon if possible. Although, don''t use the iOS Patreon app because I will automatically lose half of the money if you subscribe using the app]. [If you can''t use P@treon, then my Ko-fi is the alternative. Ko-fi doesn''t have the 3 NSFW chapters, but it does have the poll regarding Kazir''s possible wife and 169 advanced chapters]. [Again, thanks for all your support. I really appreciate it. Your subscriptions mean a lot to me because they help me pay our bills, put food on the table, fix up our house, and pay for my brother''s college tuition. He''s a sophomore now by the way, and his major is English Secondary Education.] P@treon Link: https://www.pat /Puji_maki Ko-fi Link: https://ko- /pujimaki Chapter 284 Chapter 284 Most people knew that Marvel Comics went bankrupt a few years ago. And while Marvel Comics was in their deepest shit hole, Grey Pictures approached them to buy some of their characters. The bank owned the company at the time and they made the arrangements and sold the characters for a few million dollars. Now, the characters that Grey Pictures bought were mostly small superheroes that were not famous. Marvel''s famous characters were Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. The X-Men that 20th Century Fox made two years ago was successful. Marvel was impressed, but not enough to be excited or elated. After all, the film only grossed $296 million worldwide. The impact of Spider-Man, however, was far greater. No, this was the most successful movie to come out of Marvel Comics. Imagine a single character making $900 million at the box office. Because of this, Marvel Comics gained a little confidence in their characters. The profits from comic books were getting smaller and smaller, and Marvel Comics would go out of business if they didn''t solve the problem. The solution they came up with? Create a Cinematic Universe. Which was the right decision because Marvel Studios is worth billions in original timeline. Also, Marvel Comics had a good example to copy. The Continental Cinematic Universe created by Grey Pictures was a huge success. Now every character in this Cinematic Universe has become well known, Bryan Mills, John Wick, Jason Bourne and Wesley Gibson. There was nothing special about their appearance, but boys and men went crazy just to get their action figures. In addition, Grey Pictures was negotiating with several publishers to produce novels and comic books about CCU. They were also talking about possible animated series. It was still a rumor, but Stella Willow, the General Manager of Grey Pictures, was very busy because of these rumors. One thing was for sure, Grey Pictures was doing well. Marvel Comics wanted the same treatment, but they knew it would be difficult. Unless Marvel Comics got the same status as Grey Pictures. A few weeks ago someone from Walt Disney contacted Avi Arad and said they were interested in buying some of the characters from Marvel Comics. Perhaps Walt Disney was trying to copy the recent success of X-Men and Spider-Man... especially Spider-Man. Kazir stopped in his tracks, and the others stopped as well. "I already have an idea of what we''re going to talk about. So I want to make it clear, I''m very interested in doing a Marvel movie. We can renegotiate the contract if you''re interested." "..." Stan Lee sighed weakly with relief. He was the co-creator of many Marvel characters and he hoped to see them in theaters. "Kazir, I think we can talk about this seriously." Avi Arad frowned. He had no problem with that, but he wanted the best for Marvel Comics. They had already sold the copyrights, but they could fight for the remaining benefits such as box office, DVD sales, and peripheral profits. "I understand." Kazir agreed. At first, he only wanted the copyrights to the Marvel characters because he felt they would jeopardize the Cinematic Universe he envisioned. But now that the CCU was successful and no one could compete with it, Kazir felt that creating the MCU was not a problem. "Kazir, first of all, let me ask you this. Who''s the first Marvel character you want to make a movie about?" Since Kazir had already stated his intentions, Stan Lee decided to ask more. "Hm, let''s see... I''m interested in doing The Hulk and Iron Man. Although I prefer Iron Man first." "Iron Man, huh..." Honestly, Stan Lee thought Kazir would choose The Hulk because it was a famous character, on par with Spider-Man and X-Men. Well, Kazir was a talented director, so he probably had a plan. Chapter 285 Chapter 285 Was it enough to work with Grey Pictures? Avi Arad was still skeptical about the idea. Sure, he knew that Kazir was one of the best, if not the best, director in this new genre, but Avi Arad was still not confident in working with the studio. He needed at least some assurance. Walt Disney was very serious about acquiring their characters and they were willing to pay a lot. Although there was a downside to that, because Marvel wouldn''t start their own Cinematic Universe if they sold their characters to Walt Disney. And that was the problem with Grey Pictures. Even though the studio bought the copyrights to many of the characters, it didn''t mean that Grey Pictures intended to start a Cinematic Universe about Marvel. Maybe they wanted to make a stand-alone movie like Spider-Man. That was not enough to revive Marvel Comics. Since getting the copyrights back would be cumbersome, Avi Arad decided to go as far as he could. "I want to renegotiate the contract," Avi said, and both Kazir and Stan looked at him. Kazir nodded, already expecting this. Avi Arad was the CEO of Marvel Comics and he had to do his job as CEO for the sake of the company. "I want to hear your thoughts." "Cinematic Universe. I want to make sure that Grey Pictures is committed to a Marvel Cinematic Universe. With at least one Marvel movie a year." Kazir was not surprised. ''Well, since MCU was a massive success in my past life, I have no problem with that. CCU has a steady performance and I can focus on MCU for a while. However...'' "... And what can I get?" Kazir didn''t forget that he had the upper hand in this negotiation. "If you don''t, we''ll kill every character you acquired in the comics." Kazir grinned. It seemed petty, but surely Avi had his intentions. "So you want to kill the Hulk? He''s one of your greatest superheroes." "We can kill him or we can change his image. We can make him a villain, we can make him a killer, a thief, even a rapist." Marvel Comics had the rights to all the characters and they do what they want with them. Surely Grey Pictures would never make a Hulk movie if he became a rapist in the comics, which was the canon plot. So the copyrights would just be useless. "We both lose if you do that." If Marvel were serious about this, they would just destroy themselves. But after the Big Six declined to invest in Taken, Kazir decided to strike out on his own and form a production company that would invest exclusively in his own films. It was a dangerous gamble, but one that paid off in the end. "Exactly as you said, this negotiation of numbers should be given to our management and let them fight over it." "Very well." So in the end, there was no clear agreement except for the plan to make a Marvel Cinematic Universe. For obvious reasons, Marvel Comics was actually on the bad side of this negotiation. First of all, Marvel Comics could start their own studio and make their own movies. However, they were not sure if their movies would be successful. On top of that, all of their famous characters had already been acquired by many studios, and they would have a hard time getting them back. In this situation, Marvel Comics could only agree with Kazir''s decision. ''If our situation is the same as DC''s, then maybe one of the Big Six has already bought Marvel Comics.'' Avi gritted his teeth. Superman and Batman were basically the mascots of Warner Brothers and they were very famous all over the world. The main reason for that was the movie adaptations. Both superheroes had successful movies. In fact, Avi Arad was hoping that one of the Big Six would acquire them... At least that would make their lives easier. Suddenly, Avi Arad''s fat cell phone in his pocket started ringing. The phones in 90s and early 2000s were thicc as fuck. Avi excused himself and answered the call. Kazir and Stan were left alone. "S- So Kazir, what''s your plan if you''re going to make Iron Man?" "I have some in mind, but I''m not sure yet, I''ll tell you later, maybe when Spider-Man 2 starts production. I''ll give you a clear plan. In the meantime, I''m going to focus on my current project." Kazir lied. Of course he had thought about it. Hell, he even watched it. "Of course." Stan Lee understood. In fact, he was already grateful that Kazir was directing Spider-Man. He was the biggest safety net in this project, not the cast and not Sony-Columbia. Director Grey was the assurance that every studio wanted to acquire. Stan Lee was the creator of Spider-Man and he was very happy to see his "son" have a successful run in Hollywood. Now a lot of people around the world know about Spider-Man. That was enough for him. Although Stan was hoping that Kazir would also make Spider-Man 3. That would be the biggest piece of good news he could get. Chapter 286 Chapter 286 Kazir and Stan talked for a few minutes before Avi returned. When the two saw Avi''s expression, they thought the guy was panting red. "Kazir, let''s talk about the negotiations next time, officially," Avi announced their departure. "Okay." Kazir nodded and said goodbye. He was curious why Avi was acting like this, but he decided to let it go. At first he thought that Avi and Stan would spend more time at the party, but it seemed that they had important things to do. The two executives left the party immediately. "Avi, why are you acting like this? Did something happen? Who called you?" Stan was not stupid. He knew that the reason Avi was acting strangely was because of the phone call. "It''s News Corporation." "Huh?" "Someone from News Corporation wants to talk to us. They are interested in buying Marvel Comics." The current shares of Marvel Comics were in the hands of the bank because of the company''s debt. If News Corporation was really serious about this acquisition, then the bank would be happy to have another company shoulder Marvel Comics'' debt. "Are you serious?" Stan was surprised. He hadn''t expected this. "This isn''t a scam, is it?" "I don''t think so. They set up a meeting at 20th Century Fox headquarters in two days. If this is real, we need to contact management." News Corporation was a media giant and had the ability to acquire Marvel Comics. However, it was still unknown why News Corporation contacted them after so many years. Perhaps the recent success of Spider-Man was the reason. After the success of Spider-Man, Marvel Comics had a new source of profit and their future was promising... Although they were still in debt at the time. The two got serious. Both of them had shares in Marvel Comics, and if this acquisition really happened, it would be a good thing for them. At least they could face their old rival with confidence. ''If DC is under Warner Brothers, then Marvel Comics will be under News Corporation, uh, 20th Century Fox, I guess?'' Avi Arad thought. Hoping that the company''s future would be prosperous. Maybe another reason why the MCU was at its lowest point in the 2020s was because they were producing so many TV shows, all connected to the MCU. People just got tired of watching so many TV shows. Especially when every one of them was connected to the MCU and it would be detrimental if they didn''t watch them. If you don''t watch WandaVision, then you have no idea what happened in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. After thinking about the MCU that Kazir was interested in, he decided to look for Angelina. He saw some of the cast of Spider-Man and they invited him for a drink, but Kazir humbly declined. Drinking too much would be bad for him, especially when he had a job to do tomorrow. After looking around for a few minutes, Kazir found Angelina talking to someone. He almost called out to her, but stopped when he realized that Angelina was talking to Kirsten Dunst. He looked at them and saw Kirsten crying. She walked away while wiping her tears and trying to act completely fine. The woman walked towards Kazir, who tried to find a place to hide, but failed. Finally, Kirsten saw Kazir and she was stunned. She immediately greeted him as she wiped away her tears. "G- Good evening director." She did her best and smiled. She excused herself and left the place, embarrassed about her action. "..." Kazir just nodded and let the woman leave. Then, he turned to Angelina who was smirking. "Aww, baby did you miss me?" Angelina said and hugged Kazir. Kazir hugged her back but was not that enthusiastic about it. "Angelina, what happened? Why did I see Kirsten crying?" Kirsten had an important role in the Spider-Man trilogy. If this matter affected Kirsten, then the woman might leave the project and that would endanger the franchise. Kazir was a director who hated that kind of thing. So yeah, he was disappointed by what he witnessed. Spider-Man was important to him. Angelina might cause irreparable damage to the project, something that Kazir could not accept. This was his art, something that was very important to him. Chapter 287 Chapter 287 He did his best to stay calm. He didn''t want to judge Angelina without hearing the whole story, but he was certainly disappointed. "I didn''t do anything to her, okay." Angelina giggled. Kazir was still silent, waiting for more explanations. "Well, I found her and decided to talk to her. I told her how great our relationship is and how much we love each other. She actually listens very seriously. I also talked to her about the watch you got for your birthday." "What did you tell her?" "I said it was missing and you can''t find it." "..." Kazir sighed. This could be annoying. He knew that Angelina had a tendency to do such things. People in this business, especially famous people, were very arrogant. Besides, Angelina had done the same thing to Reese a year ago and a year after that. Of course Kazkr knew about it, but he let it go because he loved her. "Do you hear yourself right now?" "Oh come on babe, it''s nothing. I didn''t expect her to cry like that. You''re not mad, are you?" "No, I''m not, I can''t be mad at you. But I''m very disappointed. What if Kirsten announces that she is quitting Spider-Man? That would be very damaging." "Look, I''m sorry, okay? I can make it up to you." Realizing that Kazir meant it, Angelina apologized and promised that it would never happen again. Kazir was silent for a while before nodding. In the end, he sided with Angelina. After all, she was his girlfriend. However, their relationship changed slightly after this incident. Kazir and Angelina returned to Beverly Hills after leaving the party. They were both busy, but Kazir admitted that he was busier than Angelina. He wanted to make it up to her, but what had happened earlier affected his decision. They returned to their respective jobs and saw each other once a week, but their enthusiasm for each other diminished with each passing week. Kazir and Angelina were still a loving couple, but there was already a rift. ...... In fact, people knew that the answer to this question was none other than Kazir Grey. He was the one who was able to accomplish many things in this industry. Some people thought of kidnapping the guy to take advantage of his talent, but they were not crazy enough to do that. Hollywood had a lot of crimes, but they wouldn''t go as far as kidnapping a famous person... But it was different when the person in question was a nobody. After all, there were rumors that some establishments in Hollywood were involved in sex trafficking, which is technically kidnapping. While people in Hollywood had complicated thoughts about this acquisition, normal people/moviegoers were cool about it. As long as the quality of the movies Grey Pictures made was amazing, they didn''t care which company acquired it. Just like that, two months passed and April arrived... In that month, Sony-Columbia happily announced that Spider-Man had crossed the $1 billion mark! It just barely passed the mark at $1.01 billion, but it was a fact that happened! Now people recognize that Spider-Man was the box office champion of 2001 (last year). Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone finished its run with $974 million. Coming in second Third on the list was The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring with $868 million. In fourth place was John Wick Chapter 2 with $621 million. In fifth place was Monster, Inc. with $528 million. Sixth was The Fast and The Furious with $502 million. Now Kazir was recognized as the only director to have made two $1 billion movies in consecutive years! This made the takeover even more intense! ++++ [Hey, I just want to promote my Patreon. For $10, you can read 169 chapters of HWI and other content on my Patreon.] P@treon link: /Puji_maki Ko-fi link: /pujimaki [Thanks for all the support, I really appreciate it. By the way, don''t take this novel seriously.] Chapter 288 Chapter 288 No one could do what Kazir did. Two years ago, his movie "Wanted" made history, becoming the third movie to surpass $1 billion at the box office. Everyone thought it would be the greatest achievement Kazir would ever achieve. After all, surpassing $1 billion at the box office was already a difficult thing to do. So far, only three directors have done it. But who would have thought that the next year, Kazir would make another film that would surpass $1 billion at the box office? Now, Spider-Man has become the fourth film to achieve this feat. People''s opinions of Kazir deepened. Nobody took him for granted anymore. He became the most profitable director in the industry, not even Steven Spielberg or James Cameron could compare to him in terms of box office. Spielberg and Cameron were indeed amazing and their movies were mostly profitable, but no one could consistently perform at the box office except Kazir. All his films after 1995 were all amazing. All of his movies were low to mid budget and yet all of them were profitable. In fact, all of the films produced by Grey Pictures never exceeded a production budget of $100 million. Yet they all performed well and made money. Only Spider-Man had a budget of over $100 million and it was produced by Sony-Colombia. It was clear that no project Kazir touched ever lost money. They all made money in one way or another. People were suddenly thinking about the future of this production studio, would it soar higher or would it fall to the ground and crash? Only time would tell. One thing was for sure, Kazir Grey could be recognized as the most profitable director of this era. It was obvious why so many people wanted to work with him. This was also the reason why the Big Six wanted to acquire Kazir. Sony-Columbia and Warner Brothers were not stupid. They know that the real money maker of Grey Pictures was Kazir Grey. If they acquired the company outright, the company would lose its value. Grey Pictures was only relevant as long as Kazir was there. Since they are serious about this acquisition, they are only asking for 40% of the company at best. They would never go beyond that. Because if Kazir felt he was being bullied, he might leave the company altogether and work with another studio. That would be awkward. Kazir had a feeling that Sony-Columbia and Warner Brothers wouldn''t be the only ones competing. One or two studios might also ask for a stake in Grey Pictures. ...... ... ... Chairman Michael Eisner gritted his teeth as he read the paper. Almost all the publishers praised Kazir Grey for his talent. Well, he was the only one to make a billion dollars at the box office in a row. Of course people would praise him. ''If I knew about it... Sigh.'' Michael sighed, understanding that it was too late for regrets. All he could do was move on. He had many chances to work with Kazir, but he did not. His position at Walt Disney was quite rocky, and even his friend Michael Ovits resigned because of it. It seemed that everyone at Walt Disney was turning their backs on him. He was losing influence. One of the executives that really pissed him off was Robert Iger. ''That bastard...'' Robert Iger suggested that Michael Eisner should retire because he was getting too old. Of course, Michael didn''t want to retire because he loves being in power. Right now he has two options to keep his position. The first was to acquire Grey Pictures, a very promising studio. The second was the upcoming release of John Carter. Walt Disney put so much money into this project, hoping that they could follow the performance of CCU. Chapter 289 Chapter 289 April came and went, and people in Hollywood began to feel the change in the atmosphere. People started seeing billboards with pictures of movies being promoted. Advertisements were everywhere, taxis had pictures of movies on them. Especially the TV networks, the big ones, were putting so much money into making sure that people knew about the summer movies. Jane Kendall got out of her boyfriend''s car and thanked him. "Thanks, Wallace, I''m going to miss you." "Babe, you''re only going to Canada. It''s not that far. We can call each other too." "So you''re saying you''re not sad that I''m going, huh?" Jane narrowed her eyes and looked at her boyfriend. "Of course not. You know I''m going to miss you, so much. So much!" He spread his arms to show how much he would miss her. Jane pouted. After 9/11, airport security was tighter and airline travel was not easy. Jane wanted to go back to California every Sunday to spend time with Wallace, but airlines have different rules now. She might spend more time in the terminal than with Wallace. Jane Kendall was the head of Grey Pictures'' make-up team. Her position in the crew was quite good, especially when she was part of the original crew along with Renner Hector and Harold Witsend. The three were part of Kazir''s crew long before the director became famous. ''When was that again? Ah, I think it was around 1989.'' She was well respected in the crew. Because she was part of the original team. Jane and Wallace met two years ago in the premiere of Wanted. Wallace was the co-leader of Grey Fans and he was one of the guests who got tickets to the premiere. The two hit it off and decided to start a serious relationship. Now they were 1 year and 4 months into the relationship. The two knew that distance could affect their relationship, but they promised each other that they would remain stronger. The two shared a light kiss before Jane entered the terminal. Grey Pictures never had their own private plane, so they used business flights instead. Maintaining a plane was very expensive and Kazir didn''t find the novelty of having one... Even though he was making a lot of money. Movie critics might be the right term, but movie bloggers were more focused on the Internet. Different from movie critics who mostly published their stuff in tabloids and newspapers. "If you''re talking about work, you can call him instead... Wait, so you''re saying you want Wallace and the others to visit the crew?" "Yeah, that''s right? Is there anything wrong with what I said? Of course we have to set up a schedule for their visit." "I''ll call Wallace later." Jane left the director excitedly. It seems that Jane regained some of her energy after knowing that her boyfriend would be able to visit the filming set. Most of the time, visiting the set was off-limits to keep the content of the movies secret. Especially now that technology was improving and people could hide small cameras in their pockets. In order to visit the set, you usually have to sign a non-disclosure agreement so that the movie doesn''t leak. In that sense, Kazir had no problem letting some fans visit the crew. This could give them positive impressions. Kazir was feeling the pressure from the success of Spider-Man and Wanted. His last two films have grossed over $1 billion each. He wanted to work hard to make sure The Revenant got the same treatment, but Kazir knew that was impossible. He was not God, after all. ''Well, my name means God in another language, but that probably has nothing to do with my current predicament.'' ... Or maybe his name was the reason why he returned to the past? Was this foreshadowing? Probably not. The author will not cook. Kazir did not dream to much. Having another $1 billion movie at the box office would not be amazing. Instead, people might think he was a robot/alien or something. If he remembered correctly, The Revenant exceeded $500 million at the worldwide box office, which was amazing by the way. Only a few select films could do that. For this movie, Grey Pictures was willing to spend $100 million. Of course, Kazir knew how to spend the money, so there was probably some money left over for PR after the shoot. Chapter 290 Chapter 290 Kazir continued to draw on his storyboard. He was not a fan of drawing, but his sketches were very recognisable. If he did not become a director, perhaps he would work in comics or other hand-drawn related jobs such as animation. Too bad, because Walt Disney stopped their hand-drawn animation, while the other animation studios were not so good. Anyway, Kazir was good at drawing... Just like that. After working in this position all his life, Kazir learned a lot. "All of the crew are here." He stopped drawing when he realised that most of the crew had arrived. Their flight numbers would be announced a few minutes later. Kazir saw a stall selling newspapers and decided to buy one so he wouldn''t be bored during the flight. He saw something interesting and it reminded him of a certain future. ''... John Carter, huh?'' Kazir bought the newspaper with John Carter on the cover. [John Carter! The next blockbuster! The future of cinema!] The article was very confident in the movie. Walt Disney had invested heavily in this project, and the film''s budget was a whopping $250 million. Yes, that news came from someone who worked at Walt Disney. The budget was really huge, but this kind of thing would become the norm a few years later. Films would become super expensive, especially the big ones that the Big Six were investing in. Kazir read the article. It seemed that Walt Disney was very serious about this project and was promoting the film almost everywhere. Last February, John Carter''s first trailer was shown at Super Bowl XXXVI. Millions of people watched the trailer and it was well worth the money spent on advertising. Kazir also watched the trailer and confirmed one thing... It was basically the same as his previous life. Even the cast was almost the same. Kazir had a premonition about this. The premiere of John Carter was scheduled for the first Thursday in May, two weeks away. By that time, Kazir and the crew were already shooting The Revenant. ... ... ... It seemed that Grey Pictures was quite good to its crew. "Kazir, what do you think?" "Amazing, Tom. Your immersion in the role is getting better and better and your performance is perfect. I have nothing bad to say." Kazir was serious. As expected, Tom Cruise was a great and dedicated actor. It was just that he had chosen to continue with almost the same roles throughout his career because he was afraid of losing his status. Most of Tom''s filmography was about him being handsome and cool... That was basically it. But now the person in front of Kazir looked exhausted but alert, like a real warrior. "This is just the first take and I feel like I can do better if we have another take." Tom replied. "Take 2?" "Take 2." Tom nodded. After that, filming resumed and The Revenant continued. ... ... ... Meanwhile, Hollywood, just over a thousand miles away from Canada, had begun its usual summer release schedule. On May 2, 2002, more than five films were released simultaneously. But only one film was promising. Walt Disney had already announced that they would release John Carter in the first week of May, and the other studios decided to give them that date. There was no reason to fight Walt Disney if they could find another week to release their films. The result of John Carter''s first weekend was quite... Meh. The film was not bad, but it was not that good. It didn''t have much of an audience appeal, despite the heavy promotion that Walt Disney did. Chapter 291 Chapter 291 [I know people are getting tired of me, but I just want to say that this novel is fiction and has nothing to do with reality. Don''t take it seriously]. Cinematic Universe. A huge franchise that made billions at the box office and its influence around the world was astronomical. Even outside the box office, the money it generated was in the billions. Back in Kazir''s past life, there were only a few cinematic universes that could be considered successful. The MCU, the DCEU and the Monsterverse. Star Trek and Star Wars could also be considered Cinematic Universe, but they were just one franchise with many sequels, in Kazir''s opinion. There was a difference. However, after Kazir introduced the CCU, he basically messed with the timeline and changed a lot of things. Now, the CCU was the first official Cinematic Universe in this timeline, and Kazir was the founder of it. There was no Continental Cinematic Universe in the original timeline. Kazir basically put action movies into one universe and created a unique version. Kazir deserved a credit for that. The money they made on that project was huge and Grey Pictures had a lot of money to invest in their own film promotion. "If Kazir and Grey Pictures can do it, why not us? We are one of the Big Six, the biggest studio in the world, and we can produce more quality films than a second-tier studio like Grey Pictures." That was Michael Eisner''s view. He firmly believed that Walt Disney was capable of producing its own Cinematic Universe. However, he also admitted that creating one was dangerous and they were unsure of the consequences. To begin with, this "genre" was new and Grey Pictures was pioneering it. Michael Eisner felt that such an ambitious goal was impossible because of the cost and the situation. Nobody knew the future and they didn''t know if this venture would be successful. It would be difficult to bring many of the protagonists of each franchise into one universe. But Grey Pictures did it and made a lot of money doing it. This was the reason why Michael Eisner wanted Disney to start its own Cinematic Universe. Michael Eisner didn''t hesitate to acquire the Barsoom series as his playground. The novel was popular and the author was famous. Even though decades had passed, it could still attract the attention of many people. They even invested another $100 million in promoting the film, bringing their total expenditure to $350 million. $250 million production cost + $100 million for marketing. The executives at Walt Disney knew that the investment was huge, but they agreed because of the promising future that the Cinematic Universe could bring. The initial net worth of Grey Pictures was only $1-2 billion at best, but the success of Continental Cinematic Universe changed everything. The company''s net worth skyrocketed last year, especially when John Wick Chapter 2 and The Fast and The Furious grossed more than $1 billion at the box office combined, giving Grey Pictures a higher status. John Carter''s first day box office was a paltry $9 million. Sounds promising, right? After all, many films could hardly do that on their first day, right? But John Carter was different... Or rather, the amount of money they invested in this shit was fucking huge. 350 million dollars! For a single film, they invest $350 million! The executives were not stupid. They had been in the business a long time and knew that $9 million on the first day was not enough to recoup their investment. The management did some calculations and predicted that the first weekend of John Carter would only be around $30 million at best. Yeah... the shit hit the fan. "N- No! Listen to me! This is just the beginning. The box office will be better in the next few days, I believe. We''re still doing our best promotion, right?" Michael Eisner faced the shareholders and executives. He tried his best to calm things down. With his friend Michael Ovitz gone, Eisner was beginning to lose his authority. He prayed that John Carter would never betray him... "Box office my ass! Have you forgotten that Star Wars will be released two weeks from now? We are losing money because of your stubborn decisions!" On 16th May 2002, Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones was going to be released. This film certainly affected the performance of John Carter after its release. Star Wars had so many fans in the United States alone. "No, this can''t be happening..." Michael Eisner felt he would be fired after this. He was sweating profusely. Suddenly he remembered the time he had first negotiated with Kazir. If he agreed to kick Harvey Weinstein out of Disney and Miramax, perhaps his relationship with Kazir would change for the better. The director could have worked with Walt Disney. But alas, regret was of no use in the current situation. He could only hope that John Carter wouldn''t be his downfall. Chapter 292 Chapter 292 Walt Disney thought that only Star Wars would be their problem and for the next two weeks they would have autonomy at the box office. However, on the 8th of May, a mid-budget film produced by 20th Century Fox was released and John Carter''s ticket sales were affected. The film was called Unfaithful. An erotic thriller film. Erotic thriller films were quite popular in the late 90s and early 2000s. Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct and Eyes Wide Shut were just some of the famous films of the genre. Of course, the genre continued to thrive in the decades that followed. The 50 Shades series was a successful franchise of the genre. Perhaps because people were looking for something different, they decided to buy more tickets for Unfaithful than for John Carter, which was heavily invested. John Carter grossed $53 million in its first ten days. As for Unfaithful, it grossed more than $7 million in its first three days. Yes, for its genre, which was also rated R, Unfaithful was already doing well. Only a few R-rated films like John Wick, The Matrix and The Hangover have managed to make a lot of money at the box office. But oh well, for obvious reasons, erotic thrillers and erotic films were quite popular on DVD and in video stores. You know, people like to watch this kind of stuff in their own homes, preferably alone... To appreciate the art, of course. Another week went by and the executives'' confidence in John Carter was waning. They watched, shitless, as the numbers kept dropping to dangerous levels. They had already invested $350 million in this film... It was a huge slap in the face. The fact that they could never recoup their investment would be fatal to their future endeavours. The 16th of May came and the most awaited sequel of Star Wars was released! By this time, John Carter had already grossed $62 million... Based on this increase alone, the film had already reached its end... In one week, the film only made $9 million. That was so fucking sad, no lie. Plus, John Carter had only been out for two weeks and was already running out of gas at the box office. But Walt Disney was still in denial, or maybe Michael Eisner was in denial. This was just the start of the summer season and more films would be released over the next few weeks. June arrived and Kazir had no choice but to give the crew three days off as he was returning to Los Angeles to attend a premiere. Filming of The Revenant was going well. In fact, Kazir could say they were ahead of schedule. The crew was happy to get a break and most of them returned to Los Angeles to see their friends and families. As for Tom Cruise, the star of the project, he decided to spend his time in Canada with his current girlfriend, Penelope Cruz. The couple didn''t hide their relationship after Tom officially divorced Nicole Kidman. Since Penelope was part of the cast, they could use their relationship to promote the film. They didn''t have a problem with that. For Penelope, it could give her a better position in the industry, while Tom was ready to do anything as long as he could earn a golden statue. Kazir also went through a divorce and his experience was not so good. Although Tom had it worse. After his separation with Nicole Kidman, Tom was criticised by many people. Some newspapers believed that Tom had been brainwashed by Scientology. Which led to their divorce. To be honest, Kazir had no idea what Scientology was. He didn''t give a fuck either. As a director, he knew that the industry was never a good place anyway. In fact, he believed that Hollywood itself was a giant cult. Anyway, Kazir put on his suit and got ready for the limousine. He tried to call Angelina, but she didn''t answer. Kazir sighed, he had expected this. He knew his heart was not ready and he was afraid of getting hurt. So before things got serious, he decided to give it some thought. He wanted to talk to Angelina, but the woman never answered... Chapter 293 Chapter 293 The Hangover Part 3 was one of the most anticipated films of the year. Along with The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones and John Carter. So far only Star Wars Episode 2 and John Carter have been released. Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones did very well at the box office. As of June 6, the film has already grossed more than $241 million. It is currently the highest grossing film released this year. As for John Carter, well, it was terrible. The film only made $68 million at the box office. Also, the film may be pulled from theatres a month after its release because ticket sales for the film were so minuscule. The film was only released for 40 days and only 300 theatres were left. A bad move, that was what Walt Disney did this year. The executives and shareholders blamed Michael Eisner, of course. Even though they had all agreed to the project in the first place. Well, they had to blame someone, and Chairman Eisner was the best scapegoat. While Walt Disney was busy trying to put a band-aid on the huge wound they have at the moment, Warner Brothers started the premiere of one of their biggest investments this year. Their huge investments this year were Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and The Hangover Part 3. They advertised the films almost everywhere, just like Walt Disney did. However, Warner Brothers'' confidence in their films was better than Walt Disney''s. And frankly, the quality of the films that Warner Brothers produced was far better than Walt Disney''s at that time. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was based on a novel, while The Hangover Part 3 was written by award-winning screenwriter Kazir Grey. Yes, Kazir won the Academy''s best screenplay award for Taken. He was an award-winning screenwriter. So Warner Brothers knew that The Hangover Part 3 wouldn''t get the same treatment as John Carter. They were 80% sure. Kazir fiddled with his Nokia phone, waiting for Angelina''s response, but the woman never really answered. They were in a cold war and Kazir knew the relationship might be over. The problem started when Angelina made Kirsten cry. After that, Kazir unconsciously distanced himself from Angelina. This situation continued until Kazir left for Canada. After that they stopped talking. Around 1996, The Hangover was the highest-grossing R-rated film, but a few years later new films were released. Now The Hangover was only third. Still, The Hangover Part 2 was at the top... Although Kazir knew that once The Matrix Reloaded was released, a new film would be crowned as the highest grossing R-rated film of all time. The Matrix Reloaded would be released the following year, so The Hangover Part 2''s reign would not last much longer. The cast of The Hangover Part 3 saw Kazir entering the cinema and some of them greeted him. It was a fact that Kazir had given them careers. They were no longer unknown actors, they were real celebrities. Kazir greeted them. They were happy to see him again after so many years. Kazir was not the party type and rarely went out so people didn''t see him much. "Enzo, looks like you''re doing well too." "Haha, just fine." Enzo Park and Kazir were both clients of Salvatore. But their status was different. Although Enzo became famous as Raizo in CCU, he still didn''t get a leading role in any movie. All his roles have been supporting character. "Don''t worry, your moment will come. When I started out as a director, I didn''t have much success either. Just work hard and you''ll achieve your dream." ... Knowing that Kazir had returned from the future, he was basically lying. Hard work was not enough to succeed. Nevertheless, Enzo accepted his advice. It was not wrong anyway. Actually, he was hoping to hear from Kazir that the film he had promised was going to happen. The film was about Raizo as the male lead and it was about him being a ninja. Chapter 294 Chapter 294 Ninja Assassin was a film that Kazir wanted to add to the CCU. The Cinematic Universe already had a tiny bit of the supernatural in it since The Fraternity was added, and adding another group of assassins who could ''merge'' in the dark seemed not too bad. Enzo Park had heard a few things about the plot of the film, but he was still clueless about the whole story. Still, he was excited. Kazir promised him that he would make the film directly. He would be the director. That alone was a strong assurance. It meant that the film had very little chance of failing. Enzo tried his best to audition for many films, but the racism in Hollywood was still strong. His appearance was the reason why he couldn''t get a big role, most of them were supporting roles. He even auditioned for The Matrix in 1998, but Keanu Reeves got the part because he was more famous. Actually, Keanu is of Asian descent, but his looks passed the American aesthetic. Enzo also tried to get a part in Rush Hour, but the result was the same. Jackie Chan was more famous. In a way, Enzo was still hanging out there. Trying to find his place in this industry... Maybe he would concentrate more on comedy if he failed. The Korean actor stared at Kazir, waiting for an answer. Kazir was no fool and understood the man. He patted him on the shoulder and said. "Don''t worry, as much as possible, I always keep my promises and make sure I never break them." Hearing his answer, Enzo sighed and felt like he could breathe easy now. Even though Kazir hadn''t said when, he had already said that he would do his best to keep his promise. Enzo could not ask for more, knowing that the director was busy. Enzo thanked him once more before he left. The rest of the cast of The Hangover Part 3 greeted Kazir. They may be famous, but Kazir Grey was a true superstar. Or rather, he was a superstar maker. Kazir was the only director to make two films that grossed over $1 billion. And he did it back to back in two years. He was amazing and probably nobody could do what he did. Ed Helms, Jack Black and Bradley Cooper greeted him with good evening. The two talked for a while before the theatre went dark as the premiere officially began. The Warner Brothers'' logo, which was WB inside an upside-down triangle showed up. On the 6th of June 2002, at midnight, The Hangover Part 3, started. This would be the last film in the franchise, as The Hangover was only meant to be a trilogy... However, if the timing was right, perhaps Warner Brothers could revive the franchise after a decade to make another batch of money. As long as the film was profitable, the Big Six would milk it dry. Just like Walt Disney did with Star Wars... In the first 24 hours (7th of June) of its release, The Hangover Part 3 made $11.78 million at the box office. Not a bad start for an R-rated comedy. On 8 June, the film earned another $14.49 million... The numbers just keep piling up. If there was a downside, it would be the fact that The Hangover Part 3 cost more than $100 million to make. Hiring the cast was that expensive. One of the reasons why Warner Brothers wanted to end the franchise in a trilogy. +++++ [Author''s note: So yeah, here I am again, shamelessly promoting my P@treon. Maybe you hate me because I''m promoting my P@treon, well, I''m technically the breadwinner in the family so I have to make money.] [I like writing and as it gives me purpose(I''m depressed), and since I can make money while I''m doing that, why not?] [If you want to read more chapters of HWI, you can subscribe to my P@treon and Ko-fi. Thanks for the support guys, I really appreciate it.] P@treon link: https://www.pa /Puji_maki Ko-fi link: https://ko- /pujimaki Chapter 295 Chapter 295 June 9 arrived and it was Sunday, The Hangover Part 3 made another $14.62 million. Combined, the first weekend of The Hangover Part 3 grossed $40.91 million. If this trend continues, perhaps The Hangover Part 3 could recoup its investment in just one more week. Warner Bros. was confident in this movie after all these years. Especially when the writer was Kazir Grey. You couldn''t help but be confident when someone like Kazir wrote a script. Because all the scripts he wrote were successful. So far this year, three big-budget movies have been released. Star Wars Episode 2, The Hangover Part 3 and of course John Carter. As far as John Carter is concerned, the movie already ended its run in just 50 days. Cinema Alliance felt that it was useless for John Carter to have 300 theaters. It would be better if those theaters were allocated to other movies that seemed to be profitable, such as Star Wars Episode 2 and the newly released The Hangover Part 3. After all, John Carter grossed $68 million at the North American box office. To make the situation even crazier, it seemed that Walt Disney was desperate to recoup its investment and was still adamant about an international release. Michael Eisner found himself in a perilous situation where he could lose his job. The atmosphere at the Walt Disney was bleak and dark. "Again, who said John Carter would be the start of a cinematic universe?" Roy Disney gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath. The executives heard him despite his muttering. "We need to understand and study this failure so it doesn''t happen again." Robert "Bob" Iger was the one with the most influence in the company right now. This guy started going head to head with the two Michaels, and he even kicked Michael Ovits out of his position as CEO. Now Robert Iger was the CEO. As for the chairman, Michael kept his expression and acted like this was not his fault. "The times are changing and we need to innovate," Robert Iger began his plan. "I say we make a live-action Snow White." "..." "Harvey, we all know you rape no-name actresses anyway, so your statement is stupid." "My answer is still no." Harvey Weinstein kept a low profile after what happened with the Blair Witch Project. He was still the CEO of Miramax, but he usually hid from the media because of the backlash from the Blair Witch Project. "Let''s do this, let''s vote on this possible venture." Michael Eisner initiated. He was also on the side of acquiring Grey Pictures. He hoped that the executives would focus more on the acquisition, rather than finding fault with his administration. Acquiring shares of a billion dollar company was not that easy, so this vote was just an initial proposal. A few minutes later, more than 70% of the executives agreed to the acquisition of Grey Pictures. Many of them believe that Grey Pictures could help Walt Disney in terms of its weakness, which was live action movies. After all, Walt Disney was focusing more on animation and children''s movies. After this meeting, the executives had one more thing to do. They have to do their own research regarding Grey Pictures. ... ... ... After the premiere of The Hangover Part 3, Kazir returned to Canada to continue filming The Revenant. He was a little disappointed that he couldn''t get in touch with Angelina at that time. He even went to the studio building where How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days was shot. However, the security guards didn''t let him in because the scenes of the movie were supposed to be kept secret and unauthorized people weren''t allowed inside. Eventually, Kazir returned to Canada. It took another two months to complete all the shots, Tom Cruise and the cast were on fire because of their great performance. So the filming ended sooner. +++++ [This chapter is very sarcastic and I made it that way on purpose. I turned Disney''s executives into stupid people because that''s how I perceive them. I think Disney knows the formula for making a great movie, but they don''t do it anymore and I don''t understand why. They can make Star Wars better by listening to the fans, but they don''t. They also kicked out Johnny Depp out of Pirates Of The Caribbean without hearing his story. The last Disney movie I enjoyed was the third movie of Pirates of the Caribbean. I don''t enjoy movies either, so my opinion is invalid, I guess. By the way, I didn''t see the first movie of Pirates Of The Caribbean, so...] Chapter 296 Chapter 296 Harold Witsend scratched his head in confusion after meeting director Grey a few days ago when he visited Canada, where The Revenant was in its final stages of filming. The Revenant was supposed to be released in November or December, depending on the schedule that 20th Century Fox could provide. Well, 20th Century Fox were currently courting Grey Pictures, so they would probably give them a better schedule. Anyway, Harold looked at the sketches that Kazir was doing in his spare time... The sketches were amazing, but Harold felt a looming danger as he stared at these papers. Why? Because they were all sketches of wooden ships! Ships! Pirate ships, to be precise! Harold and Kazir were close friends, and Harold had seen some of the scripts Kazir had submitted to the Writer''s Guild. One of them was about a pirate film... And it was a terrible idea. That kind of genre was doomed to fail in the first place. There was a reason for that. The last pirate film was released in 1995 and it was terrible. The title of the film was Cutthroat Island. A film that cost $98 million to make, a huge investment. It was the last film that Carolco Pictures distributed before they went bankrupt. In fact, Cutthroat Island was the reason why Carolco Pictures disappeared from Hollywood. The film was a disaster and since then no one in Hollywood has touched a live action pirate film. The investment in Cutthroat Island was $98 million, but the box office was a meagre $10 million! To say it was a disaster was not enough. It destroyed a once mighty Hollywood studio. Carolco Pictures was a famous studio in the 80s and early 90s. It produced the Rambo franchise, Total Recall, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Basic Instinct, Universal Soldier, Cliffhanger and Stargate. Eventually, Carolco Pictures'' library of films was acquired by Paramount Pictures. So it was obvious why Harold was afraid of Kazir''s idea. He hadn''t read the script yet, but he was already against it. He thought it would be better to make films in safe genres like comedy and action. These were Kazir''s strengths. Kazir could probably make a profit if he made comedy or action. However, Harold also felt that if there was anyone who could make a successful pirate film, it would definitely be Kazir. As Harold was only an employee and his salary was quite high, he decided to trust his friend. He watched as Kazir slowly made a name for himself. "No, Kazir, let''s not joke around. You''re a better director than Steven at the box office." Kazir just shrugged. That may be true, but Steven Spielberg''s storytelling and his talent for creating heartfelt films were far better than Kazir''s. The filming of The Revenant came to an end and it was time to part ways. Of course, Tom Cruise would still visit the editing suite to do his dubbing. "Good luck with Minority Report." "Are you sure you don''t want to come back to Los Angeles with me? We can drink in the private plane while we wait for it to land." "That''s fine, I''ll go with the crew." Kazir knew that Tom and his current girlfriend, Penelope Cruz, were going back to Los Angeles and he didn''t want to disturb them. He didn''t want to be the third wheel, it would be stressful. Tom Cruise said goodbye. He admitted that working on the set was quite good. He didn''t feel any stress while working on this project. He immersed himself in the role and he could say that his mentality as an actor was good while in set. "Um, director." "Oh Shia, how are you?" "Thank you for casting me in this film. This is my card and my agent''s card, I hope I get a chance to work with you again." The young Shia Labeouf was awkward and shy. He left immediately after giving his contact details. +++++ [Speaking of Pirates Of The Caribbean, ahem... Anyway, I just want to be clear, I''ve written this chapter months ago so I don''t remember much of it. You can check out my P@treon if you''re interested.] Chapter 297 Chapter 297 There were only a few actors in this film, and Kazir didn''t spend much on their salaries. If there was one good thing, it was that they were all good at acting, despite their low salaries. ''Tom Hardy was good, but Joaquin Phoenix was great.'' Kazir admits that the future Joker has what it takes to win an Oscar. Maybe he could be nominated for Best Supporting Actor in this film, it depends on the situation. With that, The Revenant wrapped and the crew returned to Los Angeles. Kazir had three films to attend before the summer was over... The films were The Bourne Supremacy, Meet The Fockers and Mr And Mrs Smith. These three films were all connected to Kazir and it was his duty to attend the premieres to support them. ... ... ... The 4th of July was Independence Day and it was a holiday so people had free time to rest and relax. Some people decided to spend their holiday indoors, while others decided to attend the premiere of The Bourne Supremacy, the second film in the Jason Bourne franchise. Kazir passed the baton to Paul Greengrass and became executive producer instead... Although he was not that present in filming set most of the time. Kazir was also busy with his other things. Kazir also avoided Cameron Diaz. But now that the premiere had arrived, Kazir had no choice but to attend the premiere. The red carpet was supposed to focus on the cast, not on someone like him who was just a guest, so he didn''t spend much time on the red carpet. The usual procedure on the red carpet was always the same and Kazir was used to it. Exit the limousine. Step onto the red carpet. Smile at the people. Wave to the fans. If he had a partner, they would be close. (Which he didn''t, as he attended the premiere alone, as his relationship with Angelina was rather rocky). They were both directors, but Kazir was his boss. He was also grateful that Kazir had given him the chance to direct The Bourne Supremacy. A nobody like him. He did his best for the film. He did his best to convince Matt Damon and win his trust. He made an experimental short film just to show Matt that he was capable of making an action movie. Fortunately, after months of negotiations, Matt Damon agreed. Kazir was famously picky and never made a sequel. He always hired another director to make the sequel to his films. Only Spider-Man 2, which was in preparation, was the only sequel Kazir wanted to make. Then Kazir saw an old man walking with a cane, with his son beside him. He was walking towards him. Kazir didn''t let the old walk more and instead approached the old man and his son. "Robert, you''re doing well." "Don''t joke, I know... My health is falling." Robert Ludlum sighed. He was actually sick right now, but he was doing his best to attend the premiere of The Bourne Supremacy. Jason Bourne was his creation and he wanted to see him in person. Robert Ludlum was already 75 years old and he knew his time was coming. Money was no longer an issue. He just wanted to watch the movie in the cinema before he died. Kazir smiled at the old man and talked to him, doing his best to make sure the old man was happy with the premiere. "I was actually bitter when I found out you weren''t going to direct The Bourne Supremacy, but oh well, I can let bygones be bygones. Just make sure Jason Bourne finds a home in the universe you''re creating. " "I will, I promise you, Robert." After a few conversations and meeting some people and actors, the premiere of The Bourne Supremacy took place. The story continued after Jason Bourne helped to destroy The Fraternity. This time his enemies were the remaining members of Treadstone and the CIA itself. Jason Bourne was a dangerous variable they didn''t want to let go. They had to kill him before he revealed secrets that could endanger the CIA. Jason and Marie tried their best to evade them, but sometimes life was hard. Marie died, shot by a sniper, and their car crashed into a river. Jason tried to save Marie, but it was too late... He had no choice but to leave the woman he loved deep in the river. Marie was the only thing that brought joy to his life, and now she was gone. He escaped and survived, but his heart didn''t. Chapter 298 Chapter 298 The audience applauded after the post-credits scene ended. The movie was good, judging by the audience''s reaction. Kazir smiled and admitted that Paul Greengrass had a great filmography. The way he does steady action scenes with a camera stabilizer was worth hiring. The lights came back on in the theaters and the audience stayed in the theaters to listen to the question and answer session. Kazir saw Robert Ludlum standing next to him, a bit away from the stage. He was a little confused because Robert seemed to be too sick to stay in the theater for long, yet he seemed to want to see the interview through to the end. "Do you want to take a picture with the cast?" Kazir asked. You know, a selfie with celebrities was quite a flex. "All right, I''ll stay for a while." The old man nodded. The interview ended after half an hour and the cast had a photo shoot on stage. Some actors were missing because they were busy and couldn''t make it to the premiere. Kazir and Robert were in the front, next to Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass. Well, Kazir was part of the cast as he had a cameo in the movie. From the pictures it looked like they were close friends. Just like that, the midnight premiere of The Bourne Supremacy happened. 24 hours later, the results from each theater were tallied and collected. The first day box office for The Bourne Supremacy was $27.64 million. Grey Pictures and 20th Century Fox were pleased with the results and continued to promote the film. Grey Pictures had enough budget to promote the film on Jimmy Kimmel Live! A night-time Talk Show. The program started with Cameron Diaz showing up and the two started talking about the movie and how it was working on the set of The Bourne Supremacy. Cameron Diaz was not at the premiere but she had a contract to promote the movie and that was part of the job. After her was the new Hollywood director, Paul Greengrass. The director was quite modest and answered most of the questions with technicalities related to filming and stuff. Last but not least was Matt Damon. Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel shook hands and sat down. Suddenly, pictures of Robert and the cast appeared on the Internet and in newspapers. How the old man lived his life and his legacy. Matt Damon was also interviewed and he was also sad about Robert''s death. With tears in his eyes he told how great a person Robert was. People began to learn about the old man''s life and his contribution to the Jason Bourne series. Even though it was Monday, theaters were flooded with people wanting to see The Bourne Supremacy. $8 million on Monday. $9 million on Tuesday. $6 million on Wednesday. $5 million on Thursday. $10 million on Friday. $14 million on Saturday. $11 million on Sunday. Another week passed at the North American box office and The Bourne Supremacy grossed up to $139 million. And that was just ten days after its release. The news of Robert Ludlum''s death was a major factor in the film easily surpassing $100 million. Kazir took a day off to attend Robert''s funeral. He was not that close to the old man, but their time together was fun. In a way, Robert achieved something that Kazir did not... To live a fulfilled life. To die with a smile on his face. Kazir died because a truck hit him and he remembered how scared he was. He regretted many things and he knew he could never fix them. In fact, despite returning to the past and completely changing his life, Kazir was still skeptical if this current life was just a dream. Nothing but a fake. A fantasy created by his brain before he died. ''But I can''t deny that everything I experienced was real. If this is a dream, then it''s very realistic. I don''t know if my brain can even do that.'' He sadly stared at the new grave and placed the flowers. He would make sure that Jason Bourne would find a home in the Continental Cinematic Universe. He would see to it that the CCU remained relevant for the sake of Robert Ludlum''s legacy. Chapter 299 Chapter 299 Robert''s funeral was extravagant with many famous people in attendance. Kazir, the crew, and the cast of The Bourne Supremacy attended the funeral. Kazir saw a few people he recognized. He also saw Cameron Diaz at the funeral, but she didn''t approach him. She knew it was not the right time to talk to Kazir. Cameron Diaz was part of the cast of The Bourne Identity and Bourne Supremacy, the first and second installments of the Jason Bourne franchise. She knew that Kazir and Robert were friends, despite the huge age difference. Besides, Cameron had already accepted the fact that Kazir was over her. The man saw their relationship as nothing more than business. They both got their deals and it was a win-win situation. After that, she left quietly. On her way out, Cameron saw someone she didn''t expect to see. A famous actress was wearing a black dress as she approached the newly planted grave. Kazir also saw the woman. The woman placed red roses and then walked in Kazir''s direction. "Angelina..." "Kazir, can we talk?" Angelina was wearing sunglasses so Kazir could not see her emotions. "I understand." The two decided to leave the funeral and went to a cafe, they were both wearing black which attracted some attention. Fortunately, the cafe had a few customers. "I tried to visit the set of How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days just to meet you." Kazir started the conversation. "Yeah, I heard about that... I was there. I told the director that I didn''t feel comfortable meeting you, so they didn''t let you in the studio. Director Donald really wants to meet you, but he respects my decision." "I understand." Kazir nodded. As a professional director working in this industry for more than a decade, he knew that the mentality of the cast was important. Director Donald prioritized the mentality of the cast to make sure there would be no mishaps. "I didn''t want to see you for a long time because I''m not sure about myself and my feelings. My feelings for you." "..." Kazir felt that the answer to the questions he kept asking himself would come today. Kazir gently rubbed Angelina''s eyelid and murmured, "I miss you. Angelina, I miss you so much." "I miss you too." They made eye contact. The chemistry between them grew and they began to kiss. They were almost sucking on each other''s tongues. ... As for the other customers, they were stunned by what they were witnessing. The couple started to cry. Then hugging. Then kissing. This was a make-up stage! And they were doing it in public. "Look Mommy, they are kissing! Gross, that''s so disgusting!" Suddenly, a young girl screamed and pointed her finger at the couple. Angelina and Kazir realized what they were doing and blushed. They looked at each other and giggled, still with tears in their eyes. So yes, the two found the nearest motel and did the nasty... Angelina was embarrassed because her eyes were swollen from crying too much, but Kazir reassured her and showed her how beautiful she was right now. They didn''t leave the motel for two days and Kazir and Angelina had to postpone some of their work just to rekindle their relationship. +++++ [Author''s Note: Aight, I want to hear your opinions about this. I''m really curious. Are you disappointed or happy? Do you hate this development or like it? Or maybe you feel nothing at all? Please, comment your thoughts because your comments makes me motivated.] [Another note: Yes... I just want to say that there''s a poll in my P@treon regarding Kazir''s possible wife. So far, two actresses had the most votes and there''s a possible comeback. It''s a privilege I decided to give to my patrons. No matter what the result is, I''ll respect it and I''ll write it.] [So I''m blind to Kazir''s relationship since I don''t hold the decision. Also, since it''s a little obvious, I voted for Jennifer Connelly and Kate Beckinsale in the poll because they were my crushes when I was young... If you also have a crush on Jennifer Connelly and Kate Beckinsale, why don''t you subscribe to my P@treon and vote? You can also vote on Ko-fi if you can''t use P@treon, the votes on Ko-fi will be counted]. P@treon link: https://www.pat /Puji_maki Ko-fi link: https://ko /pujimaki Chapter 300 Chapter 300 [Damn, I didn''t expect this novel to get this far. I started this novel as an experiment, I even thought of dropping this novel, but here I am. I want to thank all the readers and supporters who have supported this novel. Your support gives me motivation and reason to keep writing and maybe achieve my dreams. It means a lot to me]. ++++++ The news of Robert Ludlum''s death gave The Bourne Supremacy the boost it needed to collect more tickets. Out of curiosity, people who knew nothing about Robert Ludlum and The Bourne Supremacy decided to follow the crowd and see the movie. It was a good thing that The Bourne Supremacy was a great movie. The audience has no problem because the movie entertained them. Even the critics, who are slowly losing their jobs because of the Internet and bloggers, praised the movie. To be precise, they praised Robert Ludlum, who was a veteran writer. Critics write for a living, and they respect their fellow writers. So they obviously support Robert Ludlum''s work. Even the novels started to attract readers again after so many decades. The Jason Bourne series (novels) started appearing in bookstores. Two weeks after Robert Ludlum''s death, the box office of The Bourne Supremacy made more money. On July 18(Thursday). The North American box office for The Bourne Supremacy was already $160.45 million. The production cost of the movie was $75 million and it easily recouped the investment. And that was just in North America. If a movie does well in North America, it usually does well internationally. Sometimes even more than the North American box office. Stella Willow worked with 20th Century Fox to achieve this promotion. Kazir admitted that the woman was talented and deserved the position. Once Grey Pictures had a board of directors, Kazir would make sure that Stella got the CEO position because she deserved it. "Babe, are you ready?" Angelina entered the room and found Kazir struggling with his tie. She smiled gently and helped him. "All right, looks better." She said after fixing his tie. Then she looked at her boyfriend, who was taller than her. The car reached its destination and followed the line to the red carpet. Kazir and Angelina were not part of the cast, but Kazir was the scriptwriter, so he had the privilege of walking the red carpet... He was also famous. No big things happened this time, just the usual red carpet. Summer season was usually the time when a lot of blockbuster movies were released. So this was the busiest time in Hollywood. Kazir was not shocked that he had to attend a lot of movies premieres during this time. In fact, he also had to attend the premiere of Mr. And Mrs. Smith, which opens in theaters on August 7. After some hustle and bustle, the two found their way into the theater holding hands. Some of the cast of Meet The Fockers like Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Ben Stiller were already in the theater. As for Brianna Evans, the film''s female lead, she did not appear to be in the theater yet. A few minutes later, Kazir saw Brianna and Salvatore walking into the theater together. Kazir smiled at first before realizing that something was wrong. The expressions on their faces were strange. Salvatore seemed concerned and serious. As for Brianna... She was cold, no, she seemed like a psychopath. Kazir could not explain it well, but the aura around the actress was cold and indifferent. Salvatore saw Kazir and immediately spoke to him, sweating a little. "What''s going on?" Kazir asked curiously. Kazir knew that Brianna was a method actor, and she could get so deep into her character that she becomes the character. "How should I put it... Brianna was interested in a script and said she wanted the leading role. I was against it because it didn''t fit her current image. But I couldn''t stop her from doing what she wanted, so in the end I agreed. This is the result." Salvatore sighed. "What''s the name of the movie?" "Monster. The director is Patty Jenkins." Monster. A movie based on a true story. It was about a prostitute serial killer who murdered seven men... Chapter 301 Chapter 301 Monster is a 2003 American biographical crime drama film written and directed by Patty Jenkins in her feature film directorial debut. The film follows serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a street prostitute who murdered seven of her male clients between 1989 and 1990 and was executed in Florida in October 2002. (Wikipedia.) It was quite sneaky that the movie of this woman''s autobiography would be released a year after her death. As if someone decided to make a movie out of her after knowing she was going to die... The female lead of the movie was actually Charlize Theron. She put a lot of weight into the role and even resorted to shaving her eyebrows. She sacrificed a lot just to give the best performance in Monster. Why did she do that? Because Monster was a movie made for the Academy Awards. The plot, the characters, everything was designed to be nominated for the Oscars and other film festivals/awards. And it did. Monster was nominated for many awards. At the Academy Awards, Charlize Theron won the Best Actress award. The biggest award an actress can get in her whole life. Charlize may have sacrificed a lot for the role, but the achievements she received were worth it. At the Golden Globes, Charlize Theron also won the Best Actress award. Another big award show in Hollywood. Screen Actors Guild Awards. American Film Institute Awards. Berlin International Film Festival. And on and on. Charlize Theron won so many awards by portraying a prostitute serial killer, which was actually a difficult thing to do. Charlize Theron was a beautiful actress, but she decided to destroy her image just for this role. The Academy Awards saw her dedication and gave her the Best Actress Award, the golden statue that represents her achievement in the industry. But from the looks of it, Brianna Evans was interested in the project as well. Kazir''s eyes narrowed as he stared at Brianna Evans. He could see that Brianna was in the state of method acting... And she was deep into it. Someone like her could lose herself if she continued to play this psychotic role. A lot of actors/actresses were traumatized by the roles they played, and someone like Brianna who did method acting was susceptible. The premiere of Meet The Fockers went on and nothing much happened. They just watched the movie and did some interviews. Paramount was the investor and distributor of Meet The Fockers and they were serious about making money. Meet The Parents was written by Kazir and Paramount got the script in exchange for distributing three movies. Meet The Fockers was also part of the deal. In exchange for the three-movie distribution deal, Kazir had to write the Meet The Parents trilogy for $500,000 each. I''d say they both earned in that exchange. Grey Pictures successfully launched the Continental Cinematic Universe because Paramount distributed three of their films. In return, Paramount got a franchise that made them a huge profit. The script was written by Kazir, everyone had high expectations for the movie. And their expectations were met, the first weekend of Meet The Fockers made $31.55 million. Brianna Evans and Ben Stiller along with the rest of the cast toured North America to promote the movie. However, they only went to Canada and the United States because those were the two countries that spent the most on tickets. Stuart Little 2, produced by Sony-Colombia, was also released on the same day as Meet The Fockers. The film grossed $15 million in its first weekend. This made Meet The Fockers the box office champion of the week. However, the movie had a strong opponent next week. Austin Powers in Goldmember, produced by New Line Cinema, was one of the most anticipated movies of the year. The movie was funny and made a lot of people laugh. On Sunday, July 27, Austin Powers in Goldmember grossed $55.65 million. In fact, Austin Powers was one of the best comedy franchises of all time and its box office showed why. As for Meet The Fockers, well, it just made $132.85 million after ten days in theaters... Indeed, Meet The Parents(Fockers) was one of the best comedy franchises of all time as well, and its box office showed why. +++++ [There is a typhoon here in the Philippines. So yeah, we lost electricity and are just using candles to light the house.] Chapter 302 Chapter 302 Harvey Weinstein took a deep breath and sat down. But his mind did not settle. ''Why is this happening to me? I haven''t done anything wrong. Why do people hate me?'' Harvey Weinstein was one of the major shareholders of Miramax, he was the current CEO. He started the company with his brother, and so far their business has been good. They couldn''t compete with the Big Six, but most of the movies they produced won Academy Awards, which gave them a good amount of profit in the DVD market. Videotapes were becoming obsolete, and most people had been using DVD players since the turn of the century. For Miramax, as long as their movie won an award at the Oscars, they had a sure path to profit. All they had to do was put "Award Winning Director/Actor" on the cover of the DVD and it would get people''s attention. The influence of the Academy Awards was strong at that time and people respected the Academy''s taste in movies. The last time Miramax promoted Good Will Hunting, they expected a good Oscar haul. But in the end they only got Best Supporting Actor. No big deal, the movie still made money on the DVD market. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck distanced themselves from him after Good Will Hunting. Well, a lot of people distanced themselves from Harvey after The Blair Witch Project. But Harvey could not get over the fact that this was the nth time Grey Pictures had screwed him. Harvey Weinstein had a strong connection in Hollywood and he found out that Grey Pictures was the reason why his identity as the investor of The Blair Witch Project came out to the public. He was still angry about it... He actually wanted to hire a hit man, but he knew the consequences if he did. ''I am not an evil person. I will never do anything bad to another person._ Harvey said to himself. He was not a bad person, he strongly believed. Maybe he was just horny, so he did things to women? Or maybe he thought he was a saint who would never hurt anyone. Maybe he was delusional. The #MeToo movement showed the true color of Hollywood, and Harvey Weinstein suffered the most. It was actually sad that a bunch of news about sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and r*pe culture came to the surface in the 2010s, when this kind of stuff had been happening for a couple of decades. As if people were just hearing about r*pe for the first time... Well, the media just turned a blind eye to the injustice of little people in Hollywood. Cinema Alliance decided to support Mr. And Mrs. Smith instead of Spy Kids 2. They gave it 4000 theaters on opening day. This was enough to ensure that Mr. And Mrs. Smith would make a lot of money on its first day. This fact made Harvey Weinstein furious. Out of spite, he decided to contact his usual middleman to bring young, unknown actresses to his office... He wanted to cool off. He knew the shit had hit the fan and it was impossible to change it, so he might as well calm down... Despite the blood boiling anger. Most of the time, Harvey would promise these young actresses that he would give them roles in his next projects to entice them, and it worked. ...... ... ... Kazir had five movies scheduled for release this year. Three of them have already premiered and are currently making money at the box office. The Hangover Part 3 just grossed over $360 million worldwide. It looks like this will be the last installment of this franchise for the time being. Warner Brothers could no longer afford the cast. The Bourne Supremacy grossed $190 million at the North American box office and its international release would start next week, in August. Meet The Fockers was in its 15th day of release and the movie made $172 million. So far, the three movies have done well... They actually did great. ++++ [Author''s note: Yes, I''m back. The typhoon left the country, but it had a chance to come back for some reason. What the hell, this typhoon almost ripped the siding off our roof and now it''s asking for round 2? How can a motherfucking typhoon turn around and make a comeback? What the hell is a Fujiwara effect anyway? This isn''t nice at all.] [This typhoon is probably the most devastating typhoon we have seen in recent years. The wind is so scary that I feel like our roof is going to be blown off, I''m not kidding. Some of my relatives also suffered from the flood because their house is near the river, luckily they are all fine. I feel sorry for the people and families who lost a lot in this disaster. I was hoping that this damn typhoon will never come again... But from the news report, Typhoon Kristine will probably return, fuck!]. Chapter 303 Chapter 303 Most of the big movies have already been released and so far only one movie has been a massive flop worldwide. Yes, Walt Disney was still delusional and couldn''t accept that their movie failed miserably. So they ended up promoting the movie, John Carter, in different countries. In total, they spent over $200 million on promotion. Together with the production costs of $150 million, John Carter wasted $350 million. So what was the worldwide gross of the movie? The answer was $284 million... Yes, Walt Disney just lost their money. Even with DVD sales, it would take them decades to recoup their loss. They screwed up very badly. So to make up for it, Walt Disney decided to join the acquisition battle to get Grey Pictures. Unlike Warner Brothers and Sony-Colombia, Walt Disney offered a stock swap instead. There were already a bunch of shareholders and adding one was no problem. Steve Jobs, Harvey Weinstein, Roy Disney and even Michael Eisner had shares in Walt Disney, so adding Kazir Grey was not a problem. For 30% of the stock, Walt Disney was willing to give Kazir 1.2% of Walt Disney stock. Mind you, Walt Disney''s total assets were huge and their net worth was $105 billion. Walt Disney owned ABC Studios, ESPN, Disneyland, part of Pixar since Steve Jobs was still alive, Touchstone, part of Miramax, and Hollywood Records. In some ways, Walt Disney was comparable to Time Warner and News Corporation. Moreover, this company would become stronger once it acquired LucasFilm, Marvel Entertainment, and 20th Century Fox itself. If not for Kazir''s bad experience with Walt Disney, the director might agree. However, Kazir was still waiting for another party to join the fun. Kazir felt like another studio was cooking. ...... ... ... The theaters went dark and the movie began. The Grey Pictures and 20th Century Fox logo greeted the audience first. On the other side of Hollywood, at Grauman''s Chinese Theater, Miramax was in crisis. Just like Mr. And Mrs. Smith, Miramax began the premiere of Spy Kids 2: The Island Of Lost Dream. Based on audience reaction, the movie was mediocre at best. Miramax invested $38 million in this movie and it would be a disaster if it failed. Miramax was not Walt Disney, which could shoulder hundreds of millions in losses. In the first place, Miramax used a safer way to make money. As everyone expected, Mr. And Mrs. Smith easily won first place that week. On August 7, 2002, Mr. And Mrs. Smith grossed $17.47 million on its first day. Something that made 20th Century Fox and Grey Pictures very happy. As for Spy Kids 2, the movie made $4.67 million on the same day. Considering the fact that Spy Kids 2 had a strong opponent, this kind of result was already good. By the first weekend, both movies were doing well on their own. Spy Kids 2 earned $25.04 million, while Mr. And Mrs. Smith earned $50.34 million. In a way, Miramax was worrying for nothing. Even though both movies were about spies, their plots and genres were different. Spy Kids focused on family comedy and a light-hearted plot. As for Mr. And Mrs. Smith, it was more of a serious action movie with a dash of romance and comedy. Maybe that''s why the two movies didn''t have much of an impact on each other. Even though August was the last month of the summer season, the release of movies didn''t stop. Next week, a strong contender could trouble Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The title of the movie is xXx. It sounds like a porn site or something, but I swear it''s a real movie. xXx is an action movie starring Vin Diesel. Chapter 304 Chapter 304 For those who think otherwise, xXx was indeed a movie. Some might mistake it for another triple x... xXx was produced by Sony-Colombia and starred Vin Diesel as Xander Cage. A daredevil who became a spy for the National Security Agency. This movie was a box office hit, grossing more than $277 million. The production cost of the film was $88 million. Actually, Kazir thought about including the movie in the Continental Cinematic Universe, but he decided not to. Simply for the reason that CCU already had a lot of movies to focus on. Kazir knew that he could not acquire all the promising scripts in Hollywood, or else the Big Six might get together and attack him. Besides, Vin Diesel was already cast in Fast and The Furious. If they decided to add xXx to the CCU, they would have to find another actor to play Xander Cage. Ice Cube was the protagonist of xXx: State Of The Union, the sequel to the first film, and State Of The Union grossed $113 million. It''s not a bad performance, but it''s not that good. Maybe the audience wanted to see Vin Diesel instead of Ice Cube. Which was right, because the third movie, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, grossed $346 million. xXx was actually a good franchise, but Kazir felt that CCU was already bloated. So yes, Kazir passed on the project. Now that Kazir thinks about it, Vin Diesel had some good franchises under his belt, even though many audiences hated the guy. Fast and The Furious xXx Pitch Black/Riddick Guardians of the Galaxy Vin Diesel was able to keep his career going as long as he was involved in one of these franchises. On its first weekend, xXx grossed $50.34 million. As for Mr. And Mrs. Smith, the movie grossed $96.69 million after ten days in theaters. So both movies had their fair share of tickets sales. There was some friction, but in the end it all came down to audience choice. Sony-Columbia could have sabotaged Mr. And Mrs. Smith by spreading dirty rumors about the cast, but Sony-Columbia held back. It was not worth it, especially when they needed Kazir to direct Spider-Man 2 in 2004. It may seem that Sony-Colombia lost a lot in this deal. They sacrificed their short-term profit for the long-term. Fortunately, after the success of Spider-Man, Sony-Colombia earned $300 million from peripherals such as DVDs and action figures. The peripherals they could sell with Spider-Man were endless. They could sell toy cars with Spider-Man design, then boom, easy profit. They could sell t-shirts with printed Spider-Man, boom, easy profit. Hell, they could sell a toilet bowl with a Spider-Man design and crazy people would buy it. That was the power they got after hiring Kazir. They didn''t regret hiring someone like him. His value was equal to the amount they pay him. No one could guarantee that a superhero movie like Spider-Man would succeed in theaters, but Kazir made sure it did. ... Although they admit that it was a bit painful to give Kazir that amount of money. After all, $300 million was a huge amount of money. On top of that, Marvel Comics also had their share, so Sony-Colombia couldn''t take all the profits. Still, everyone was sure that Spider-Man 2 would happen. Sony-Columbia wanted to make it a trilogy and they wanted Kazir to make it. A single movie grossing 1 billion dollars? Are you kidding me? Of course Sony-Colombia would milk this franchise for all it was worth! Spoiler alert, Sony-Colombia had three different franchises of Spider Man with three different actors. They were MILKING it. This was also the reason why Sony wanted to buy Grey Pictures. Grey Pictures could make profitable movies and Sony wanted them. More specifically, they wanted to continue working with Kazir Grey. +++++ [Author''s Note: Yeah, I''m just here promoting my P@treon and Ko-fi. If you want to read more, you can subscribe to my P@treon or Ko-fi.] P@treon link: https://www.patr /Puji_maki Ko-fi link: https://ko /pujimaki Chapter 305 Chapter 305 Sony-Columbia knew that their most formidable opponents were Warner Brothers and Walt Disney. If the other studios were willing to bleed to acquire Grey Pictures, then Sony-Columbia was also willing. Sony-Columbia was the weakest of the Big Six and they could turn it around once they acquired Grey Pictures. If Walt Disney was willing to trade 1.2% shares for 30% of Grey Pictures, then Sony-Colombia was willing to trade 2.3%, and this amount had already been approved by Sony''s chairman, Nobuyuki Idei. Akio Morita, the last chairman of Sony, died in 1999 and Nobuyuki Idei became chairman. Sony and Sony-Colombia understood that they needed someone to continue to produce high quality films and Kazir fit the bill. ... ... ... The Toronto International Film Festival was one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, founded in 1976 and held every September. Many movies are released every year at this festival and people love to attend this festival. The film festival was a way for small directors to present their projects to the public. Movies released at the festival were mostly arthouse films and only a few were lucky enough to get distribution deals from some studios. The Toronto International Film Festival gave out awards, and many of its winners went on to make box office hits when they were released in theaters. Some of these films were: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Slumdog Millionaire The King''s Speech 12 Years A Slave Kazir Grey and Tom Cruise sat in the front row with the cast, waiting for their movie to start. Both were confident in the film, they had seen it before the festival and were pleased with it. But confidence was not enough to win the Oscar. After all, the Academy was biased against blockbusters, movies produced for the sole purpose of making money. And Kazir was known as a director who pursued money. It was unknown whether they would accept The Revenant. One of the reasons they wanted to test the waters at this film festival and see what the audience reaction would be. The logo of 20th Century Fox and Grey Pictures appeared on the screen saying that the movie had started. [The Revenant is an epic survival drama set on the American frontier in the 1820s. The story revolves around Hugh Glass (Tom Cruise), a frontiersman and fur trapper who faces a series of harrowing challenges. The story begins with a brutal bear attack that leaves Glass badly injured. Fighting for his life, he is betrayed by his own expedition team, led by John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy).] [Left for dead, Glass defies the odds and embarks on a treacherous journey through the unforgiving wilderness. Battling harsh weather, hostile Native American tribes, and a quest for revenge against Fitzgerald, Glass''s resilience becomes a testament to the strength of the human spirit.] [The Revenant] is a gripping tale of one man''s struggle to survive against the brutality of nature and the betrayal of those he trusted, creating a visceral and emotionally charged cinematic experience. The audience clapped at the end of the film, and Tom and Kazir were happy. Judging by the audience''s reaction, the film was promising. Well, they were both veterans of the industry and knew how to make great movies. Since The Revenant was second to last, Femme Fatale was released after their movie ended. While this was happening, some of the audience had already decided which movie they were going to vote for. Movies made by Hollywood were usually high quality, and The Revenant fit the bill. They were entertained. So the audience voted for the movie. Many expected this year''s winner to be obvious. You see, many people know Tom Cruise. This actor was a superstar, famous all over the world. To make it even better, The Revenant was also a great movie. So the winner of the People''s Choice Award was undoubtedly The Revenant. There was no acceptance speech, but Kazir Grey and Tom Cruise were happy with the results. After this event, The Revenant has a good chance to be nominated for an Oscar. ++++ [Author''s note: I used Chatgpt for the summary of Revenant with a little editing.] Chapter 306 Chapter 306 It was obvious that The Revenant would win the Toronto International Film Festival People''s Choice Award because Hollywood movies are made to please the audience. Even though The Revenant was made for the Oscars, Kazir made sure that the audience would like the movie as well. This movie was actually different from the usual subjects Kazir filmed. His filmography was mostly about comedies, action and horror. His first three movies were horror movies that he already forgot. The Revenant was more about adventure and drama, where a man tried to survive in a harsh environment. Fortunately, Kazir knew what he had to do and he produced a great movie, he believed. The fact that the film won the People''s Choice Award was enough to satisfy his ego. Besides, the protagonist of his movie was none other than Tom Cruise, the man himself. Their tag team was enough to secure the victory. Their victory at the Toronto International Film Festival found its way into the newspapers and people realized that the great director Grey had actually made another movie for the year. The guy had fans all over North America and they were excited to see his movie. All of Kazir''s movies were interesting and they knew the director wouldn''t disappoint them. Well, Kazir has never had a flop movie since 1995. All his movies have been successful and profitable. After winning the People''s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, the team wanted to fight and make sure that the movie would also win awards at the Golden Globes. Too bad, because the Berlin International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival and Venice International Film Festival had already ended, and their movie could only participate in the Toronto International Film Festival. Well, the crew was breathing a sigh of relief because their movie had won an award at this film festival. Winning an award was a requirement to be nominated for the Oscars. Requirements to be nominated for the Oscars (source: Google) 1) The film must have won an award at a qualifying film festival. OR ... September and October were relaxing months for Kazir. What he did in September was to attend the 12-day movie Toronto International Film Festival, but after that everything was relaxing. He was not busy as he had already finished most of his work. Sometimes he visited the company, but most of the time he spent his days with Angelina, who was not as busy as he was. Of course, the Big Six still found a way to annoy him. Most of them wanted to talk to him about Grey Pictures and whether he would agree to their proposals. He was being courted by the giant studios and Kazir was waiting for the best option. He knew that the right moment would come and he just had to wait. So far, after valuation, the net worth of Grey Pictures has risen to 7.5 billion dollars. So 30% of his shares in the company was worth $2.25 billion. The giant studios could afford it, but it was also something that could hurt them. In a way, it was a gamble for them as well. The difference was that once they acquired Grey Pictures, the chances of them winning were very high. Just like that, October 31, 2002 came and The Revenant premiered. The premiere night took place at the TCL Chinese Theatre, colloquially known as Grauman''s Theatre. Since it was Halloween, some of the audience were wearing costumes, which made the event interesting. The cast of the movie waved their hands as they stood on the red carpet. The cast of the movie was very small, it didn''t even reach 20 actors. Despite the small cast, many celebrities attended the premiere to support the movie. People like Liam Neeson, Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon showed up as guests. In addition, many critics and some members of the Academy came to see the movie. They were invited, of course. In fact, the critics didn''t just get invitations, they got money. Obviously to promote the movie and make sure that The Revenant would have a positive reputation. Chapter 307 Chapter 307 Orlando Bloom lit a cigarette as he left the theater. He saw The Revenant and thought it was good, but not great. Perhaps the selling point was Hugh Glass wrestling with a grizzly bear, and Orlando admitted that it was terrifying. His heart was pounding as he watched that scene. The grizzly bear was a dangerous beast and Orlando witnessed Hugh Glass almost being ripped apart by the creature. Kazir was a great director, but that didn''t mean he could always make great movies. The CCU movies and Spider-Man were great, but Kazir also directed the first John Wick and Napoleon Dynamite. Both movies were middling at the box office. Even someone like Kazir could never get consistent box office success. Orlando Bloom wore sunglasses despite the dark night. He was a famous actor now that Lord of the Rings had become successful. People easily recognized him, although they usually called him Legolas... This was the curse of getting unforgettable roles. Matt Damon was known for being Jason Bourne, and people sometimes call him Jason Bourne. Even Robert Downey Jr. was sometimes called Iron Man/Mr. Stark. Some people recognized Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. He was better known as Jack Sparrow. This was the current problem that Orlando Bloom was facing. He was grateful that Lord Of The Rings was successful and he had a better position in the industry. But he also understood that his career was just beginning and he hadn''t proven anything except being a good-looking guy. He needed another role that could get him out of his predicament. He knew that The Lord of the Rings was only a trilogy and his fame would disappear once the Lord of the Rings trilogy was finished. Smoking a cigarette, his heart stirred a little, knowing that his time in this industry would be over if he didn''t do something. He remembered his co-star Viggo Mortensen. Viggo''s status in Hollywood was much better than his. Lord Of The Rings and John Wick gave the actor the opportunity to increase his salary, and now he was getting many jobs with a starting salary of $10 million. How great was that? He rented a nice apartment, but he still didn''t have his own house. He thought of signing any kind of commercial just to make more money. Shampoo commercials, shaving cream, jeans, anything that could make him money. As he pulled into the parking lot, he noticed his phone ringing. It was from his agent. Orlando hoped it was good news. "Frank, yeah, it''s me. Hm, I just left the theater. Of course I''m wearing sunglasses... Yes, some people are confused why I''m wearing sunglasses, but they didn''t bother me. What? You think I look like a junkie because I''m wearing sunglasses? Nonsense, with my handsome face, no one will think that. So? What''s the reason you called me late at night?" Orlando had just opened his car when his agent told him something interesting. "A script? What kind of script? A pirate movie!? Frank, I know I only started acting 5 years ago, but that doesn''t mean I''m clueless. I know that pirate movies are cursed movies, no one in Hollywood is crazy enough to make this genre. So why did you even tell me about this useless pirate script?" Orlando''s brow furrowed because his agent called him for something useless. But the next statement his agent said to him caught his attention. "You''re not kidding, are you? Director Grey wrote the script and he wants me to audition for a role?" When Orlando heard this, his attention was immediately rekindled. He knew that pirate movies were bad, so he wanted to read the script before doing anything. However, he admitted that he was interested in working with Kazir Grey. He got into his car and decided to go to the WMA headquarters to talk to his agent and read the script. By the way, WMA stands for William Morris Agency and everyone knows that Kazir and WMA had some bad blood... Chapter 308 Chapter 308 The Revenant was released in North America and its premiere was held at the TCL Chinese Theater. Many celebrities attended the premiere. Film critics were curious if Kazir had what it takes to make an art film. Because let''s face it, Kazir was best at making box office hits, but definitely not art films that focused more on human psychology. The critics knew the reason why CAA invited them to this premiere, they were not stupid. Grey Pictures rarely invited so many critics to a premiere, they usually invited 5 to 10 critics and these people were usually not that famous. But now the situation was very obvious. Kazir Grey asked for help so that this movie would get positive reviews. He wanted to be nominated for the Oscars, maybe compete for the Best Director Award. Kazir had already won Best Original Screenplay, the highest award a scriptwriter can get. And now the great director wanted to get Best Director. Well, with his race as a card, he might get a chance... The critics watched the movie and were surprised that Kazir changed his usual style. There were no hype action scenes or heart-stopping fights. Still, the critics felt that the movie was too mainstream... You see, movie critics really hate mainstream movies. As long as the people like the movies, the movie critics would hate them. Movie critics hate any kind of movie that does well at the box office. And from the looks of it, this movie might do well at the box office. Fortunately, CAA, Grey Pictures and even Tom Cruise worked together and gave them "gifts" so it would be bad if they wrote anything negative. If they broke their promise and wrote something bad, then they would never be invited and no more "gifts" would be given. The movie ended and the audience reaction was good, but not great. After all, The Revenant was different from Spider-Man and Wanted. The Revenant lacked heart-pounding scenes, perhaps the movie''s selling point was Hugh Glass wrestling a grizzly bear. Tom Cruise really took this role just for a nomination, huh? The actor even has a beard and never shows off his handsome face. He looked old in this historically accurate movie. The interview followed. While the TCL''s Chinese Theater had its premiere, the other theaters all over North America started their rounds of screenings. ...... ... As for The Revenant, the movie got the first place this week as the highest grossing movie with $41.38 million. ...... ... ... "Congratulations on your new movie, it''s an interesting one. I thought you were doing another action movie this year. Don''t worry, I''ll be sure to vote for you." "Thanks George, that''s great to hear." Kazir appreciated it, having the support of a famous director like George Lucas was an honor. Tonight, 20th Century Fox and LucasFilm threw a party to celebrate the success of Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones. After six months in theaters worldwide, the film has grossed $656 million at the box office. Normally, Kazir didn''t like going to parties, but he had no choice. He had to attend at least one party a week. Hollywood was always active and parties were everywhere, Kazir just didn''t like to attend them. In fact, Kazir received so many invitations, but he rarely attended unless he was close to the person in question. He was never the party type. It was a miracle if he even entered a formal party, let alone one filled with drugs and naked people. Kazir did not feel comfortable at those kinds of parties. He would rather watch the 3 hours of The Godfather. At least that movie was worth seeing. "Let''s talk later, I have to greet some people." "See you George." George Lucas apologized after their conversation. The director also had a lot of people to greet. Chapter 309 Chapter 309 The reason why he went to this party was because some members of the Academy would be there. This was the time to make a better impression so that they would vote for him. So far, he had already met 8 members of the Academy. This was a tiring night for him as he was not an outgoing type. Also, Angelina was busy tonight because a magazine hired her to model. Tom Cruise was also absent, the actor was at another party tonight. Even though CAA supported the two, it was better that they did their parts. If there was one thing that made Kazir uncomfortable, it was the fact that an old man almost touched his butt. Kazir dodged the act and stepped back before the old man could squeeze his ass... There were a lot of gays and lesbians in this industry, but Kazir didn''t expect this kind of sexual harassment to almost happen to him. ''Brendan Fraser, your life has never been easy. I understand why you suffered from long-term depression. These people have no respect for you.'' He sighed. For the record, Brendan Fraser was a victim of sexual assault. In fact, there were a lot of unreasonable and obnoxious people in this industry. They thought they were the king of the world just because they had a high position in the industry, they thought they could bully people. If something like that happened to Kazir, he knew what to do, he would break the old man''s jaw without hesitation. ''Although it might hurt my chances of getting a nomination. But I''ll never be bullied like that, then fuck the Oscars.'' The old man realized his mistake and left. Kazir decided to let it go since nothing was going to happen anyway. "Um, good evening, director." Kazir turned to find a young woman staring at him. The woman was blushing, perhaps because she was holding a wineglass of alcohol. From the looks of it, the woman was already 21, which was the legal drinking age in California. The woman in question was none other than Natalie Portman, the Padme Amidala of Star Wars. "Hi. We met last time, right?" "Huh? Oh yeah, I understand director." Natalie Portman was confused as to why Kazir was ashamed of his filmography, but she decided to let it go. "Um... Umm..." Natalie didn''t really have anything in mind to talk to Kazir about. She was a little drunk and her body just decided to greet Kazir after seeing him. The best greeting she could have planned was to start the conversation by saying that she was a fan and listing all his movies to show that she was a real fan. But her plan failed and now her brain was trying to process the best move after that. "I''m a fan..." That was all she could say and her face turned red. "Thank you, Natalie. I also like your acting in Star Wars and Leon: The Professional." Leon: The Professional was Natalie Portman''s debut film, and she has been getting steady work in the industry ever since. Natalie was of Jewish descent, which is probably one of the reasons why she has had a steady career. "I-I, this is my card. Please call me, I mean, please call me if you have a suitable role for me. Director, I want to work with you." She stuttered, she knew she was not doing well in this conversation. "Okay, Natalie." Kazir accepted her card. He didn''t mind Natalie''s comments because he thought it was because of the alcohol. "I think you should stop drinking and contact your agent or parents instead." From the looks of it, Natalie was still not used to drinking alcohol. "Yes... Yes!" Natalie left embarrassed, scampering like a cute little hamster. Kazir put the card in his pocket, he was not sure if he would contact Natalie since he had no role for a young actress like her at the moment. His next project was Pirates of the Caribbean, and Grey Pictures had already contacted the actors who had major roles in that franchise. Yes, Kazir was confident that this movie would become a franchise. Chapter 310 Chapter 310 Since the release of The Revenant, the cast has obviously had to promote the movie. Kazir Grey and Tom Cruise understood that they would be busy for the next few months. They have to promote the movie while meeting with Academy members, basically begging for their votes. It may sound bad, but it was true that the outcome of the Oscars would be determined by the members of the Academy. So while the cast of The Revenant was traveling back and forth between Canada and the United States, their respective PR teams began their work. The PR teams were paid by Kazir and Tom, they invested a lot of money just for the nominations. They knew it would be impossible to compete at the Oscars without spending money. ...... ... ... Martin Ariel sighed as he stretched his sore back. He was too old to move, but he couldn''t sit still all day without doing something. So he decided to check his mail. He was surprised to see that someone had actually sent him a thick letter. "Ah, is it that time already? It''s still November." Martin Ariel was an old veteran director who retired a decade ago. He had been nominated for the Best Director Award in the 60s. Since then he has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). He was still part of the committee that voted on the nominations. He had the power to list the movies he wanted to nominate. Every once in a while he would get some packages from Hollywood. He knew that this kind of thing was not allowed because it was an obvious bribe. However, the PR teams usually identified these as nothing more than "gifts". Of course you had to accept the gifts, why are you so bitter? Gifts were a common thing, and everyone had an agreement to keep quiet about it. At least they received gifts every year. Martin returned to his house and decided to open the "gifts". It was four tickets for The Revenant, which would expire in two weeks. "As expected..." Martin shook his head. Giving money was not allowed, but sending gifts was allowed, especially gifts related to the nominated movie. "Well, my grandchildren might like it. These tickets are for The Revenant? Hmm, Director Grey? Who is this person? Never heard of him. Maybe I will ask my grandchildren about this movie." Spoiler alert, Martin''s grandchildren were all fans of Kazir Grey, and they were happy that Martin had given them four tickets. Martin was old, and he was happy to see his grandchildren happy. So he decided to vote for The Revenant to get it nominated. Of course, it also depends on how the other committee members would vote for The Revenant. "Was Washington this foggy, or perhaps this very city was a foggy one?" He wondered. Suddenly his cell phone on the table started ringing. At first he thought it was Angelina Jolie, because his girlfriend liked to call him in the morning when they were apart. He laughed and grabbed the phone. His smile faded when he realized it was not Angelina. "Hello, Salvatore? Is there a problem? Huh, me? Yes, I''m in Washington right now... Okay, I''ll be back in Los Angeles today." His expression became serious. It seemed he was wrong this time. 20th Century Fox was still interested in Grey Pictures, they were just going after the weakest link first. Kazir heard from Salvatore Barlowe that Tom Rothman wanted to talk to him personally. They wanted to negotiate with him about Grey Pictures. From the looks of it, News Corporation was the one that wanted to make this venture happen. Grey Pictures and 20th Century Fox could do a stock swap and both sides would make a deal to distribute the films. Kazir contacted Tom Cruise and the rest of the cast and told him he had to return to Los Angeles. Tom Cruise didn''t have a problem, but Kazir had to promise to attend at least one party a week. You have to communicate with people, especially Academy members, to get nominated. +++++ [Author''s Note] [I can''t remember if Martin Ariel is a real person or an original character. Anyway, I''m here again to promote my novel because my brother''s exam is coming up and we have a bill to pay... I apologize if I have to beg people on the internet to help me pay our bills. I''m a shameless person and I have to do it because I have to. You may think I''m using my brother as an excuse to siphon off money, but I''m not. I''m not doing it for me, I''m doing it for the betterment of my family.] [I won''t lie, I''m actually proud of myself because I helped fix our roof and our house. Also, our house now has tiles and a shower... If you''re a Filipino (poor Filipino to be precise), you''ll understand how happy we are whenever we have a chance to use a shower. And now our house has shower too! I can shower every day now! I''m really happy about this little success.] [Haha, galawang squatter. Tuwang tuwa kapag may shower!] [All this happened because you supported me. There''s even pictures of our roof in my Patreon if you want to see it, I posted it a year ago.] [If you subscribed to my Patreon or Ko-fi, you can read up to chapter 478. If you use math-thingy, it means you can read 168 advanced chapters. Thanks guys, your support means a lot to me.] P@treon link: /Puji_maki Ko-fi link: /pujimaki Chapter 311 Chapter 311 Dealing with something as big as the acquisition of a billion-dollar company was something to be taken seriously. Kazir knew how important this venture was. He was tired of trying to find a distributor every few years. He wanted a stable partner to distribute his films worldwide. Honestly, sometimes Kazir thought about buying distribution channels instead so that his problem would be gone. But he also knew that this was just a dream. First of all, acquiring and maintaining distribution channels costs a lot of money. Not even Grey Pictures or Kazir Grey had the financial means to do that. Unless they got a loan from the bank, but that would be detrimental to their upcoming plans. Remember, Grey Pictures wanted to make two successful Cinematic Universes. The first was the CCU and the second was the MCU. The MCU was actually only a second thought. But it seemed that Kazir was now interested in making it happen. The competition for Grey Pictures intensified now that 20th Century Fox had entered the fray. That fact alone increased the net worth of Grey Pictures to $8 billion. And why? Because 20th Century Fox made them a higher offer than the others could match. Previously, Sony-Columbia had been willing to trade 2.3% of its stock for 30% of Grey Pictures. But 20th Century Fox was different, they would pay $300 million to buy 3.75% of Grey Pictures. Not only that, but 20th Century Fox would exchange 3.38% stock for another 30% of Grey Pictures. The net worth of 20th Century Fox was $71 billion. That means that 3.38% of the stock was worth $2.40 billion. If the deal went through, 20th Century Fox would own 33.75% of Grey Pictures. If this was a normal acquisition, 20th Century Fox wanted to buy the company outright, but they knew that would be detrimental to their plan because the real value of Grey Pictures was Kazir Grey. So they stopped at that amount. "So I get $300 million and 3.38% stock?" Kazir asked curiously. That was not bad. Especially when 20th Century Fox promised that Kazir would get $300 million in cash in one payment... He really didn''t know what to do with that amount of money. Maybe he would invest it in stocks... Or maybe buy a mansion or an island in the Pacific. "That''s right." Vance Goodhood nodded. He had been Kazir''s financial advisor long before the dot-com bubble burst. Vance worked for Goldman Sachs now, and Kazir was still his client. Those 2.4% shares were worth $2.52 billion. If Kazir''s calculation was correct, then Walt Disney''s offer was higher. 20th Century Fox offered only $300 million plus 3.38% stock ($2.40 billion). As for What Disney, it was ready to give Kazir $375 million plus 2.4% shares ($2.52 billion.). Now, 20th Century Fox could withdraw from the competition because something happened and their offer was leaked. But it seemed that 20th Century Fox was also serious about Grey Pictures. Instead of stopping, they continued to contact Grey Pictures and Goldman Sachs about the matter. ...... ... ... While this was happening, November was slowly passing by. 8 Mile starring Eminem was released on November 8th and did well. 8 Mile grossed $51.24 million in its first weekend. By that time, The Revenant had already grossed $95.70 million. The Revenant was close to $100 million. However, a lot of people knew that The Revenant''s third week gross would be affected. Why was that? Because Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets would be released on November 15th. That movie was one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Surely the sequel would make a lot of money at the box office. +++++ [Author''s Note: I know that my pricing for the net worth of the Big Six are far from reality. Sad to say, I can''t edit it anymore because the whole math-thingy in the next 50 chapters will be affected.] Chapter 312 Chapter 312 Since Harry Potter had a loyal fan base all over North America, it was obvious that many people wanted to see the sequel. Especially since the first movie was a huge success, grossing $974 million at the box office. Realizing the potential of this franchise, Warner Brothers decided to help J.K. Rowling expand the influence of Harry Potter. The novels were published in many countries and promoted in front of many bookstores. This was one of the methods to ensure that the Harry Potter franchise would be successful at the box office. Warner Brothers was not cheap when it came to investing in the second film. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets cost $100 million. The release date arrived and many theaters were filled with moviegoers. Most of them were young people who had seen the first movie or read the novels. At that time (2002), J.K. Rowling had already written 4 novels and this was the foundation of the success of the franchise, a complete source material to use... Unlike some authors who could not finish their novels. George R.R. Martin failed to finish A Song of Ice and Fire before Game of Thrones season 8 ended... Probably one of the reasons why the last season was disappointing was that there was no source material to use. So for the writers who were struggling to finish their novels, they had to stop procrastinating and keep writing, no matter how shitty the writing was. Because that was the only way to finish their novel, to keep writing. On November 15, 2002, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets grossed $29.63 million in just 24 hours. Audiences didn''t leave the theaters disappointed, the second film did well. There were a lot of cuts since the movie could not include all the content of the book, but it was still entertaining. Word of mouth was influential as many people recommended the movie to their friends and family. The first weekend of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ended with $88.35 million. An amazing performance. As expected from Harry Potter, one of the biggest movie franchises in the history of cinema. Even the first weekend of The Revenant could not compare to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The Revenant''s first weekend grossed only $41 million. Grey Pictures was already preparing most of the props for Kazir''s next project. Kazir Grey, Tom Cruise and the cast of The Revenant were out of the country promoting the film internationally. Harold Witsend was in charge of prepping Pirates of the Caribbean while Kazir was gone. They spent almost three weeks flying around promoting the movie. Of course, Kazir and Tom would return to Los Angeles on December 19, as the Golden Globes would announce the nominations for the 60th Golden Globes Awards. The Academy Awards and the Golden Globes were highly respected in the industry. On December 18, the day before the Golden Globes nominations were announced, the last most anticipated film of the year was released. It was none other than The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Just like Harry Potter, this franchise has gathered so many fans after the success of the first movie. Both Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings were adaptations of novels. In this case, it shows that novels should be taken seriously. Because they can be an important source of profit. The first 24-hour box office for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers grossed $26.15 million. New Line Cinema and Warner Brothers were the clear winners this year. While the opening day results of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was released, the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California was packed with people, and these people were mostly celebrities and people who worked in Hollywood. Kazir and Tom were sitting at a table, laughing and talking. They looked professional in their tuxedos. Everyone was waiting for the announcement. +++++ [I know it''s not related, but I''ve already finished a novel with over 500 chapters. I say I''m not one of those writers who can''t finish a story because I''ve already finished one... I will also make sure to finish this novel as long as I''m alive. So yeah, thanks for all the support. As for the other novels I dropped, let''s just say they don''t make enough profit for me to continue them.] Chapter 313 Chapter 313 The party was not that extravagant. In the first place, they would only stay in this place for at least an hour. They were just waiting for the nominations to be announced. There were few fruits to munch on and drinks to get tipsy. Most of the personalities attending the meeting were part of the movies that have strong contenders to be nominated. The Golden Globes may be a level lower than the Academy Awards, but it was still a prestigious institution. Tom Cruise has won Golden Globes in the past. Most of the time, the Golden Globes were like the People''s Choice Award. The Golden Globes, like the Oscars, favors art films, but the winners and nominations could be influenced. The voters who decide the winners are all entertainment journalists for recognized media organizations... So yes, they could be bribed. Kazir and Tom didn''t forget about this ceremony, they also spent some time and money to convince people to nominate them. CAA, Grey Pictures, Tom''s PR team and even 20th Century Fox got involved. 20th Century Fox was the current distributor of The Revenant, and they would be happy to see the movie win awards, which could increase box office and DVD sales. Another reason was that 20th Century Fox wanted to score points with Kazir. If Kazir won the Best Director award, he might come to an agreement with 20th Century Fox. So far, the highest bidder was Sony-Colombia, which offered $2.70 billion for 30% of Grey Pictures. Kazir was waiting until next year to make a decision. Since Kazir and Tom were at the meeting, their partners were also there. Angelina Jolie sat next to Kazir, while Penelope Cruz sat next to Tom Cruise... Now that you think about it, Tom and Penelope have almost the same last names. The two women seemed to have a good relationship, there was no reason to be angry with each other. They even talked about going shopping this weekend. Tom Cruise thought they would get nominations tonight, so he invited Kazir to go fishing in the ocean later. Tom Cruise had a yacht they could use. "I''m not even sure you were faithful to me before we divorced. I''m sure you met this woman before our divorce." Nicole Kidman was here for her role as Virginia Woolf in The Hours. The movie had a chance to be nominated and possibly win some awards. By the way, The Hours was produced by Miramax Films. "Nicole, you don''t want to make a scene here." As expected, Harvey Weinstein showed up. He turned to Tom''s table and glanced at Kazir before eyeing Nicole, who returned to her seat. Nicole Kidman was composed and smiled as she excused herself. For some reason, however, she seemed indignant. Harvey Weinstein then left. He didn''t bother to say hello to Tom or Kazir. Miramax never made a big investment, so it was impossible to hire someone like Tom Cruise. Miramax was good at making art films and their films won many awards every year. Miramax basically cracked the code in winning Awards, or maybe Harvey Weinstein''s influence in the Oscars was strong. Maybe Kazir Grey and Harvey Weinstein would have a face-off at the Oscars. Because both of their movies had a chance to compete at the Oscars. Some celebrities watched the scene but kept their silence. They hoped that something interesting would happen, but they were disappointed when Nicole Kidman left after a few minutes. Nicole and Tom''s separation was never peaceful and many rumors were circulating. Kazir didn''t care, because he knew that Tom Cruise would remain popular in the 2020s. The actor was still healthy when the old Kazir died in a road accident. As for Nicole Kidman... Let''s just say that her popularity was nothing compared to Tom Cruise''s. This little scene ended and the people responsible for the announcement appeared. Chapter 314 Chapter 314 The list was this: -------------------------- [BEST PICTURE] Chicago ¨C Martin Richards, producers Gangs of New York ¨C Alberto Grimaldi and Harvey Weinstein, producers The Hours ¨C Scott Rudin and Robert Fox, producers The Revenant ¨C Kazir Grey, Harold Witsend, producers The Pianist ¨C Roman Polanski, Robert Bunmussa, and Alain Sarde, producers ---------------------------- [BEST DIRECTOR] Roman Polanski ¨C The Pianist Rob Marshall ¨C Chicago Martin Scorsese ¨C Gangs of New York Stephen Daldry ¨C The Hours Kazir Grey ¨C The Revenant ----------------------- [BEST ACTOR] Adrien Brody ¨C The Pianist as W?adys?aw Szpilman Nicolas Cage ¨C Adaptation as Charlie Kaufman / Donald Kaufman Tom Cruise ¨C The Revenant as Hugh Glass Daniel Day-Lewis ¨C Gangs of New York as Bill "The Butcher" Cutting Jack Nicholson ¨C About Schmidt as Warren R. Schmidt -------------------------- [BEST ACTRESS] Frida was another movie produced by Miramax and it got 6 nominations. Obviously Miramax was doing some kind of quantitative shit to make sure they had a chance to win awards in different categories. Despicable. Road to Perdition also got 6 nominations and was produced by DreamWorks Pictures. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers also received 6 nominations and was produced by New Line Cinema. The Revenant, produced by Grey Pictures and distributed by 20th Century Fox, also received 6 nominations. Other films received 4 and 2 nominations. Tonight was pretty satisfying for a lot of people. Although Harvey Weinstein was a little disappointed that The Hours wasn''t nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. Well, at least a lot of their movies have more nominations than The Revenant. Harvey Weinstein felt good knowing that. As for Kazir, he was happy too. Having 6 nominations was an accomplishment. He didn''t even care about the other movies that were nominated. He was just happy tonight. After this brief celebration, Tom and Kazir parted ways. Kazir sensed that Penelope Cruz was uncomfortable because Nicole Kidman was nominated for Best Actress. They were both actresses, but Nicole Kidman had already been nominated in prestigious institutions like the Golden Globes. .... .... ... December 19 just passed, and more people were interested in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers than the nominations for the Golden Globes. They were only nominations anyway. That day (Thursday), The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers earned another $13.87 million. On Friday(December 20), which usually has a strong box office, the movie made another $19.22 million. On Saturday (December 21), another $22.75 million was added to the box office. On Sunday (December 22), the film made $20.03 million. Combined with the first day''s $26.15 million, The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers has grossed $102.04 million. The movie had a midnight premiere on Tuesday, so the box office was huge. A movie could have a premiere any day of the week. Most people just premiered their movies on Thursday at midnight to maximize their box office performance. Because Friday through Sunday had the highest number of moviegoers. From the looks of it, the champion this year was Warner Brothers, since they technically own New Line Cinema... Second place might be taken by Grey Pictures/20th Century Fox. Even though Grey Pictures only released three movies this year, they have already crossed the $1 billion mark. +++++ [Hey, I just want to promote my Pat reon and Ko-fi. For $10 you can read 171 chapters of HWI and other content about my Pat reon and Ko-fi]. P@treon link: https://www.pa /Puji_maki Ko-fi link: https://ko /pujimaki Chapter 315 Chapter 315 December was the last month of the year... Many people already knew that. This month was merry because you know, Christmas. And next month would be happy because, you know, New Year''s... Ahem. While many families were preparing for Christmas, Grey Pictures had a Christmas party to celebrate their success this year. They had a party on December 21, and a lot of workers attended the party, because the company spent a lot of money on this party... Too bad, because Kazir was never a fan of party drugs. The party was too formal. Some of the crew members used drugs, and Kazir couldn''t stop people from doing what they wanted. As long as he didn''t see them doing it, he never reprimanded them. Of course, he didn''t tolerate that kind of behavior in his crew either. Grey Pictures released three films this year, but their revenues exceeded $1 billion. The company was an A-list production studio at that point. The Revenant was nominated for many awards at the Golden Globes. The movie was released on October 31, 2002. Currently, the film has grossed more than $169.57 million after 52 days at the North American box office. Also, the international box office for The Revenant was approximately $173.52 million. The total worldwide gross was $343.09 million. International distribution was much faster now because of technological advances. Back then, production studios had to move tons of film reels and distribute them across the country. Then, when the local run was over, the Big Six (the six studios that can distribute movies internationally) would pick up all the film reels and send them to other countries. Sometimes they have to make thousands of copies and send more internationally. However, the invention of memory cards/SD cards and DVD discs changed the way studios distributed their movies. Film reels were thick and heavy, but memory cards and DVD discs were small, thinner and lighter. This made distribution much easier and the cost much lower. Once the Internet became the norm, distributing movies worldwide would be a click away. But that was another story. So far, there was a rumor that 20th Century Fox intended to release X-Men 2 in 25 countries on the same day. This would change the game even more. Releasing movies worldwide on the same day would no longer be a dream. The second movie released by Grey Pictures was Mr. And Mrs. Smith. It premiered on August 7, 2002. Furthermore, if you subtract Grey Pictures'' investment in the three movies, the company''s profit would probably be around $250 million at best. So far, 20th Century Fox has only paid for Mr. And Mrs. Smith and The Bourne Supremacy. Even though 20th Century Fox was only the distributor of their movies, it was obvious that 20th Century Fox made money as well. Their pure profit just from distributing three movies was probably around $100 million. 20th Century Fox wanted to show that they would be a great partner for Grey Pictures because they were quick to pay the money. Grey Pictures had a lot of money at the time. One of the reasons why the Christmas party was a bit extravagant. Another reason why Grey Pictures made the party high class was because CAA used their connection to invite some Academy members. After all, the Academy still hasn''t announced the list of nominees for the 75th Academy Awards. Grey Pictures had to work hard to make sure their film would be nominated. Kazir and Angelina greeted the old men of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy Awards was founded in 1929 and has gathered 10 thousand members after 8 decades of continuation. Many of the members were old people, over 60 years old. Another fact was that many of them were Jewish. Millions of Jewish people immigrated to the United States when World War II happened, and some of them lived in Los Angeles, more precisely in Hollywood. These Jewish people slowly created their brand in Hollywood and reached a dominant position. Since Kazir was also Jewish, CAA devised a plan to ensure that he would be nominated for an Academy Award by mingling with the old members. All Kazir had to do was show that he was proud to be Jewish. CAA was founded by a Jewish man, so after so many years in the business, he had a lot of ties to Jewish members of the Academy. This may sound offensive, but Kazir was simply taking advantage of his race. He knew what he was doing and was not ashamed of it. Humans are selfish creatures. Kazir had never been close to his Jewish side, but tonight he was proud to be one. He had to be. Otherwise he wouldn''t win the Best Director Award. Chapter 316 Chapter 316 "This is the screenplay for 21 Jump Street." Kazir gave the script to Lee Himura, one of the producers at Sony-Columbia. Lee Himura was the producer who made a deal with Kazir in exchange for four movie distribution deals. "Thank you, director." Lee Himura read the script seriously. Sony-Colombia acquired Bruce Almighty, Anchorman and Horrible Bosses from Kazir. The studio paid Kazir $3.5 million and four film distribution deals just to close the deal. Kazir was also required to write a script for Sony-Columbia for $1 million. Sony-Colombia, or more specifically Colombia Pictures, at the time had a successful TV series called 21 Jump Street. The show had 5 seasons and its ratings were quite high, starring Johnny Depp as Tom Hanson Jr. The main reason why the show ended after 5 seasons was that Johnny Depp became a superstar after the success of Edward Scissorhands. Now Sony-Colombia wanted to revive this series as a movie franchise and they asked Kazir to be the screenwriter. Kazir Grey was a famous comedy screenwriter and all the movies he wrote were successful. He has never had a flop. So Sony-Colombia was confident about this project. Sony-Colombia gave him two years to finish the script. Quite a long time, but this script was an adapted screenplay from a TV show, so Sony-Colombia gave Kazir the time to watch the TV show to get an idea of what to write. "Pfft-haha! I-I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to laugh." Lee Himura apologized for his behavior. He read the script seriously, but he didn''t expect to laugh instead. He realized that Kazir was indeed a talented screenwriter. The story was just on paper, but it already made Lee Himura laugh. The scenes where the two male leads fall into drugs and have hallucinations were very funny. "Actually, I don''t know why you decided to make this movie a comedy. If I remember correctly, 21 Jump Street is a police, crime, drama TV show. May I know who thought of making it a comedy?" Kazir was quite interested. "About that, it was actually the head producer, Jezebel Salome." "Her? I didn''t expect Jezebel was the one who came up with that idea." Jezebel Salome was the producer of Spider-Man. She was a workaholic woman and you could tell by her demeanor. For some reason, this producer was very strict with women. Kazir didn''t expect someone like her to come up with the idea. "CEO Frank Price heard her idea and decided to try it. However, we can''t find anyone to write the script, so we decided to ask you instead." "Thank you, Sister Angel." "I''m just curious, why do you call Angelina Sister Angel? Is it because of her name?" Kazir joined the game and asked Alissa. "Because she lwooks like an angel." "Aww, you''re so sweet, Alissa. Let me hug you!" Angelina cuddled the little girl. "Is she?" Kazir was confused. Angelina had never been an angel, especially in bed. She was more like an active kitten who loved attention. "What do you mean? So I don''t look like an angel?" Angelina stared at Kazir, so the man immediately took back his opinion. "Of course not. You''re better than an angel, you''re a goddess." "Huh!" She scoffed and continued to play with Alissa. Kazir smiled, he knew he had messed up tonight and he would have to make it up to her in bed so the woman wouldn''t be angry. A few minutes later, Alissa''s parents announced that dinner was ready. Aaron, Victor and Kazir started talking about their lives and business. Victor and Aaron felt that the Internet had a great future. Kazir gave them the idea of creating an advertising team to promote products on the Internet. In fact, Grey Pictures wanted to hire their company to promote Pirates of the Caribbean on the Internet. This year was fruitful for all of them. Especially when you compare it to the tragedy they experienced last year. New York was hit by 9/11, luckily Victor''s company was still going strong, maybe even stronger. The next day Alissa received many toys. The little girl was very happy and promised to be a good kid next year. Just like that, 2002 was over and 2003 arrived. Kazir and Angelina decided to spend the New Year together on a tropical island. They have the whole vacation to themselves. +++++ [Author''s note: For some reason I can''t change the cover of this novel in Webnovel.] Chapter 317 Chapter 317 Malvides was a famous tourist place. The place had beautiful islands and tropical weather, a nice place to take a vacation. Kazir was actually interested in building a villa on one of the islands in this country. However, after learning a lot about the costs, he decided to think about it seriously. Money doesn''t grow on trees, they are green but not leaves... Despite being a small country, it was an expensive destination. It''s a remote location with limited space, high-end accommodations, limited local resources, and luxury taxes. A vacation in this country was expensive. But that didn''t change the fact that it was a beautiful country. Kazir and Angelina immediately fell in love with the landscape. The couple rented a nipa hut and sipped coconut juice while gazing at the pearly white sand and endless blue ocean. They both wore sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sun. Angelina wore a summer hat, she was in a blue bikini and her perfect figure was on another level. She was sexy and beautiful. "What do you think? Should we build a resort here?" Angelina asked. It was still the early 2000s and Kazir had the opportunity to own a resort in the small country. But he decided not to. "Let''s go to Bali or Boracay next time. Maybe we can build a resort there." Kazir replied. "Okay." They both loved the peaceful atmosphere of the island. They lived in the noisy city of Los Angeles, and the atmosphere between the two places was very different. Every once in a while, they appreciated something as quiet as this. While they were resting in the nipa hut, three Caucasian women approached them curiously. "Excuse me, but are you Director Kazir Grey?" One of the women asked Kazir. "Yes, I''m Kazir Grey." Kazir was surprised because he hadn''t expected anyone to recognize him in this place. Kazir was famous because he always had a cameo in every CCU movie, but his fame was still nothing compared to superstars. At least in terms of celebrity, Kazir was nothing compared to Tom Cruise or Julia Roberts. Suddenly, the woman who recognized Kazir screamed happily. "Kyaaahhh---! Oh my God, I didn''t expect to see you here. Director Grey, I''m a fan. I''ve seen all your movies, I can name them all without a problem." She immediately hugged Kazir and jumped on his chest, rubbing her face against his chest. Kazir flinched instinctively. He was shocked and uncomfortable. "Okay, that''s fine too." The three women left a few minutes later. "... Do you guys always experience this?" Kazir asked Angelina. He knew that celebrities experienced being harassed in public. Sometimes celebrities suffered from stalkers who followed them like rabid dogs. "That''s right." Angelina sighed. Angelina didn''t like the woman at all, the woman had no respect for Kazir and Angelina. "Sometimes they send a dead mouse to your mailbox." "I think that''s not a fan, but a hater." Kazir thought. "This is the first day of the year and something bad has already happened. Tch, it''s because of that bitch. I hope it will not happen again." Angelina grumbled. Her mood changed and Kazir had to spoil her again to make her happy... Having unreasonable fans was probably one of the curses of being a celebrity. Celebrities had experienced it many times, but Kazir hadn''t expected to receive the same treatment. ''Does this mean I''m already famous?'' The two decided to return to the resort and spend the rest of the day in the room. They didn''t want to be disturbed by another crazy woman. ''Now that I think about it, I never experience this kind of harassment when Erica is with me. She''s so tall and looks threatening because of her scar, so that''s probably one of the reasons why some people are afraid to come near me. I guess Erica is worth hiring after all.'' Erica Mendez looked like a soldier, even though she was an assistant... Well, she was one. Surprisingly, Erica was a mother of twins. Whenever Erica had a day off, she always spent it with her family. +++++++ [Many readers told me that Kazir really needed a vacation, so I decided to give him one. Although it seems that this vacation was not a good experience for both Kazir and Angelina]. Chapter 318 Chapter 318 Unlike the Maldives with its fresh and warm breeze, Los Angeles has a slightly cold breeze right now. Not because of winter, but because of heavy rain. Angelina and Kazir returned to Los Angeles and found that the sky was dark and rainy. This weather could last for a week. "Did you bring an umbrella?" Kazir asked his assistant, Erica Mendez, who waited for her boss at the airport. "It''s been raining since yesterday, so I prepared two umbrellas for you." Erica nodded. There was a space between the airport entrance and the road that had no canopy to block the rain. "That''s good to hear." Kazir passed the umbrella to Angelina, but the actress shook her head and grinned mischievously instead. "I want to share an umbrella with you." She grabbed his arm. The little incident in the Maldives faded from their minds as they spent most of their time having fun on the island. No reason to be angry with strangers. "What about the other umbrella?" "Give it back to Erica." Well, Erica already had her own umbrella, but she got another one. The umbrella tax... Kazir and Angelina shared a small space under the umbrella. They were like a young high school couple. Well, as long as they were happy. Erica followed suit and took the driver''s seat. Being an assistant, she also became Kazir''s driver. Looking at the rain and the wet road, Kazir suddenly thought of something. "Erica, do you know a bodyguard?" "Bodyguard, sir? A professional bodyguard or someone who just knows how to fight?" "It''s better if he''s a professional and has experience in protecting people." "I''ll start looking for one, sir." It seemed that Erica had someone in mind. "It will be even better if he knows how to drive," Kazir smiled... He realized that he was being too cheap right now. He was already a millionaire and his life was important. It wouldn''t be bad to hire some bodyguards to protect him. "Sir?" "Congratulations, Erica. You will no longer be my driver once I find a bodyguard." "Yes, sir." "Do you think Pirates of the Caribbean will flop?" "Sir, you are not God. Not everything will go your way." "That''s right." Kazir admitted it. Even now he was afraid that he wouldn''t be nominated for the Academy Awards. The Golden Globes were one thing, but the Oscars were on another level. Maybe he really needed this vacation because he was free of stress for a week... Although he missed the feeling of stress, nervousness and thrill. He wanted to make another movie and prove himself to the industry. "What about the other CCU movie?" Grey Pictures released two CCU movies a year. Last year, The Bourne Supremacy and Mr. And Mrs. Smith were released. The performance of both movies was above average. Both were probably in the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2002. "Ah, about that. You know..." Erica didn''t know how to explain. This particular project was still in the process of casting. Compared to Wanted 2 and Pirates Of The Caribbean, the last project was quite late. Wanted 2 would be directed by Fremont Smith, while Pirates Of The Caribbean would be directed by Kazir Grey. One of the reasons why the last project was late was that it took Grey Pictures a long time to find a director to direct the movie. Many aspiring directors inquired, but only a few could meet the criteria. It was not easy to be a director. Many of them suffered from too much stress and began to lose their hair. ++++++ [Author''s note: I actually have no idea which movie I should choose as the new part of the CCU. So I''m going to ask you for your choices instead. As long as the movies are reasonable and can be added to the CCU, then I have no problem with it. I will list them and make a poll tomorrow]. The Equalizer The Expendables Raid Nobody [Edit: The poll has already closed and the next franchise has been chosen.] Chapter 319 Chapter 319 "What do you think? It looks cool, right?" Harold Witsend was a bit enthusiastic as he showed Kazir the pirate ship. The two of them were in a huge warehouse that Grey Pictures rented for large props like a 100-foot-long ship. Before he was a producer, Harold was the head of the props crew. He has a strong artistic sense, so he fell in love with the pirate ship the first time he saw it. Harold found a company that made wooden boats and wooden ships. Some of their products were for art galleries. Harold hired them to build a real and working pirate ship and they didn''t disappoint Harold. Seeing the beautiful ship, Harold realized that returning to the props team might not be bad... Although he was mature enough to understand that his current position and salary were far more important to his current life. After all, he had a family to support. He sighed, then got surprised, then sad, then became happy after looking at the ship. "What do you think, it''s great, isn''t it? We haven''t used it at sea yet, but the company assures us that it works well." Kazir touched his chin and inspected the ship. It was large, but not super large compared to modern ships. Kazir admitted that it looked amazing, but he wanted something old. "... Make it old, I want it to look like it''s been floating in the sea for hundreds of years. I want a pirate ship, no, a ghost ship might be a better term." "What? How much more should we spend?" Having been a producer for so many years, Harold had become sensitive about spending. "As long as it looks good, I have no problem spending money. Oh, I told you, I need about 10 of these ships. I want them before April." "... Fine." The company had already built some of the ships, and their production speed could catch up before filming. Harold just felt that it was painful to turn these brand new ships into old, greasy pirate ships. But a few months later when he saw the finished products, he realized that ghost ships were not so bad. Old ships had something unique about them. "That''s good to hear. Lower their salaries as much as possible, we both know that if this movie is a success-" "I know, I know. You''re going to turn it into a franchise with multiple sequels. So it will be better if they have lower salaries as a starting point." "I''m glad you understand." "Of course..." Ring Ring--! Suddenly Harold Witsend received a phone call. He opened the phone and his expression turned cold when he saw the caller''s name. "Harold, are you all right?" "Ah, yes, let me take this call for a few minutes." Harold excused himself and Kazir was left alone. He studied the pirate ship. He admitted that the design was cool, but they looked brand new. It was still a prototype and the company had plenty of time to make adjustments. "Too bad, because some of these ships will have to be destroyed. One was eaten by an octopus, the others were destroyed in battle with the Flying Dutchman...". Kazir admitted that they might have to waste a lot of props for this project. A few minutes later, Harold showed up, but his expression was no better. Kazir tried to ask the man about it, but Harold said it was a private matter. The two continued to inspect the props for the project. Although Kazir sensed that something was wrong with Harold. Chapter 320 Chapter 320 January was not much and there were few events that people remembered. Such as 50 Cent winning the MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video and Best New Artist in 2003 and Billboard Song of the Year in 2003. Another major event this month was Super Bowl XXXVII, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won against the Raiders. As expected, there were few big movies released this month. In fact, only two movies crossed the $100 million mark at the worldwide box office. Those two movies were Just Married and The Recruit. Just Married was a romantic comedy starring Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy. Ashton Kutcher was cast in many romantic comedies in the early 2000s. The Recruit was a thriller suspense film starring Colin Farrell and Al Pacino. Two great actors in one movie. Except for these two movies, most of the movies released this January were mediocre. Hollywood was probably cooking up something for the summer season. Speaking of Hollywood, an important award show will be held this month. It was none other than the 60th Golden Globe Awards. The show was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California. Just one month after the nominations were announced, the Golden Globes were already preparing the show for the winners and their guests. The network that covered the show was NBC (National Broadcasting Company). Kazir and Angelina attended the show together. Angelina wore a white gold sheath, a straight dress that fell from the hips. As for Kazir, well, he was wearing a gray blazer, white shirt and black pants. He looked formal as always. "I didn''t expect you to wear anything gold... Does that mean something?" Kazir whispered to Angelina as they posed in front of the cameras taking their pictures. Angelina smiled slightly and leaned closer. "I think you will get something golden tonight." She giggled. Kazir smiled. Well, maybe tonight he would get the Golden Globes trophy. The trophy only cost about $800, and it was made of marble and zinc and plated with 24-karat gold. But the value of the trophy was important to someone like Kazir, who was working to gain recognition in the industry. A few minutes later, all the guests and nominees found their seats and the ceremony officially began. Presenters like Tim Allen, Simon Baker, Halle Berry and other celebrities took the stage to announce the winners of each category. The winners were given a few minutes to speak and express their gratitude. One by one, the celebrities accepted the trophies they had worked so hard to earn. Finally, Jack Nicholson accepted the award for Best Actor in Motion Picture - Drama for his performance as Warren R. Schmidt. Tom Cruise held his expression when one of the cameras was pointed at him. He knew this could happen, so he was prepared. Showing dissatisfaction on camera could affect his image. Of course, deep down, Tom Cruise was actually sad. He didn''t win Best Actor in Motion Picture. To make matters worse, his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman, actually won Best Actress in Motion Picture - Drama! He watched as Nicole gave him a slightly smug look as she gave her speech. He suddenly felt that his PR team had betrayed him. Because Pat Kingsley and her team also worked for Nicole Kidman. Currently, Pat Kingsley is still Nicole Kidman''s agent and it seems that the female agent preferred Nicole more than Tom Cruise. Tom thought about changing an agent for a second before he deleted the idea... At least not now. He understood that the real battle was at the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes were nothing but a practice game. Once he got the Oscar statue, nothing else would matter. Besides, he had already won two Golden Globes, so no big deal. Still, it was a little painful. After all, he worked hard for the movie and he felt he deserved an award. +++++ [Hey, I just want to promote my Pat reon and Ko- fi. For $10 you can read 172 chapters of HWI and other content on my Pat reon and Ko- fi]. P@treon link: https://www.patre /Puji_maki Ko-fi link: https://ko- /pujimaki Chapter 321 Chapter 321 As for Kazir, well, he didn''t do well either. He didn''t win anything! All the big awards went to the others. Kazir had three nominations, but he didn''t win any of them. Best Picture in Drama went to The Hours. Best Director was won by director Martin Scorsese - Gangs of New York. Best adapted screenplay went to Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman - Adaptation. Three nominations and he got nothing, such a sad life... Well, at least he got something golden tonight to make him feel better. The show went pretty fast and nothing special happened... Except for the fact that Richard Gere used the Golden Globes as a platform to speak the truth about Tibbet. "Terrible, terrible human rights situation." Yes, Richard Gere spoke that sentence and millions of people witnessed it. What happened in Tibbet a few decades ago... Actually, Richard Gere was brave for what he did, and many people praised him. But Hollywood was a spineless organization, cowards pretending to be virtuous. What Hollywood did was to blacklist the actor. Since then, Richard Gere could only accept a few projects and his career slowly deteriorated. But Richard Gere didn''t falter, he was still true to his intentions. Hollywood: "How dare Richard Gere stand up for what is right! Fuck you Richard Gere!" After that, the awards ceremony ended with neither Tom nor Kazir winning anything. They returned to their respective homes disappointed. Luckily, Angelina was there for Kazir and made the man happy... The woman kept her promise to give Kazir something gold. ... ... ... Stella Willow opened her eyes after a night''s rest. She had an apartment near the building where Grey Pictures did business... The company still rented the building for obvious reasons. That was the way Miramax made money. Since they could not compete with the Big Six at the box office, they used the DVD market instead. Miramax had a chance to compete with the Big Six in the late 80''s and early 90''s. However, they failed to expand their business and Walt Disney slowly acquired shares until Miramax became a dog under Walt Disney. Stella Willow dropped the newspaper and started to eat breakfast. She had something else to do today. Kazir and the management of Grey Pictures were planning to start a TV show this year. Stella Willow was a little excited. After all, Stella Willow had been the head of production management at NBC before she joined Grey Pictures. She knew how to make TV shows and how to sell them to the masses. Grey Pictures had never dabbled in TV shows before, so their plan needed some polishing. Luckily, Stella Willow was there to help. Kazir gave them two projects to choose from. The director was known as a top screenwriter, so management knew Kazir would come up with something. Now Stella and the management had to think seriously. They knew they didn''t have enough budget to work with two projects, so only one could be produced this year. The choices were: A Song of Ice and Fire. Breaking Bad. Stella knew about A Song of Ice and Fire. She hadn''t read it, but its popularity increased after the release of Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter. Fantasy novels became the most popular genre, and A Song Of Ice And Fire was the best of the genre when it came to dark fantasy. As for Breaking Bad, Stella easily understood that this project was an original script created by Kazir Grey. Both were promising, but both had their pros and cons. +++++ [The poll on TV shows is closed. However, I would like to hear your opinion on which TV show you prefer. Is it Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones?] Chapter 322 Chapter 322 The advantage of A Song Of Ice And Fire was its fan base. If Grey Pictures wanted to turn the novel into a TV show, they already had an audience that would watch the first episode of the TV show, which would give the TV show a better starting point. However, the downside of A Song Of Ice And Fire was its budget. According to Stella''s calculation, each episode could cost more than 1 million. And that was just for the first season. If the TV show became a success, then the second season would have an increased budget, which might not be good for Grey Pictures. Still, in Stella''s opinion, A Song Of Ice And Fire had a better chance of being successful than Breaking Bad. The fantasy genre alone was enough to get a stable number of viewers to watch the show. As for Breaking Bad, its advantage was definitely its budget. Based on the script that Stella read, the TV show was based on crime and drama. Unlike A Song Of Ice And Fire, which needed special effects, Breaking Bad would have a lower budget. However, the downside of Breaking Bad was its lack of mass appeal. It didn''t have a fan base. It might not be successful. The first season was not enough to caught the interest of the audience. Furthermore, they were not sure if a TV network would be interested in airing Breaking Bad since it looked like a simple plot based on the script of season 1. Unless Kazir wanted to add Breaking Bad to the CCU, but Stella felt that Kazir didn''t want to do it. As if the director had great respect for this TV show to be added to the CCU. Maybe Breaking Bad was a masterpiece and Kazir didn''t want to sully its name. Well, the decision would be made today. Stella Willow entered the company with a warm cup of tea in her hand. The workers greeted her respectfully. Everyone knew that Grey Pictures would have a better status in the industry after the takeover. Stella Willow was promised to become the CEO of Grey Pictures. From General Manager to CEO. In addition, her shares in the company and her salary would increase. Stella''s former co-workers at NBC were actually jealous of her. NBC might be a bigger company than Grey Pictures, but that didn''t change the fact that they were just workers. Unlike Stella, who became the boss, there was only one person above her, and that person was too busy shooting movies to care about Stella''s management. Well, Kazir was never a fan of management. He also trusted Stella Willow. The future of the company was looking great. The revenue from the three movies they released last year was over $1 billion... Although their profit was only about $200 million after taxes and such. But the profit they made from the DVD market and the merchandise they sold was astronomical. It was over $100 million. Especially the golden coins of the CCU, it sold so fast that the factories they hired had to work around the clock. The meeting was set for early in the morning. When Stella reached the meeting room, Kazir and his assistant director Palenque Simone were already there. It seemed that Kazir was the abnormal one because he looked great and happy. "Let''s start the meeting." The meeting officially began. Their main topic was about the TV show that Grey Pictures wanted to produce. Kazir was the one who proposed the project. Grey Pictures already had enough power to produce TV shows. One of the reasons why he acquired the TV adaptation of A Song Of Ice And Fire, more precisely Game Of Thrones. After half an hour of discussion, most of the executives felt that A Song Of Ice And Fire was the best choice. Now that they had decided which one to produce, the budget had to be calculated. It could take a week to get the budget on their desks. Also, someone had to contact George R.R. Martin. "By the way, I just want to make this clear. I want to name the TV show Game of Thrones after the first book in the series." A Song Of Ice And Fire was the name of the series, but each book had its own title. The first book, published in 1996, was called Game Of Thrones. The second book (1998) was called A Clash Of Kings. The third book(2000) had the title of A Storm Of Swords. ++++++ [Author''s note.] [I am surprised that most of you have a contrary opinion. Most of my patrons voted for Game of Thrones when I posted the poll. There are 36 total votes, 28 voted for Game Of Thrones while only 8 voted for Breaking Bad]. Chapter 323 Chapter 323 Since Kazir knew the future, he obviously wanted to keep the name of the TV show as Game of Thrones. He would have to fight George R.R. Martin if he had to. "Game Of Thrones, huh... I like that. Compared to A Song Of Ice And Fire, it runs smooth on my tongue." Stella said her opinion and most of the people in the meeting room agreed with her. Besides, Kazir was the boss and they didn''t want to confront him about the name of the TV show. They trusted Kazir. They knew that Kazir would never make a mistake, he was the most talented director in the show business. Game of Thrones or A Song of Ice and Fire? The answer was obvious, Game of Thrones was the better title. At least that title was enough for the audience to understand what they might see in the show. A bloody game to control the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and sit on the Iron Throne. "I volunteer to be the producer for this project." Stella Willow announced, and the executives were a little surprised. They hadn''t expected someone to take on the responsibility. Usually the producer of their movies was Harold Witsend. "That''s fine with me. Stella knows the TV show industry better than I do. Besides, I have a lot to do this year..." Harold sighed. He brushed his hair, which was getting thinner and thinner. He imagined his future as a bald guy... He was still in his late 30s, but his hair loss was already showing. He had to manage three movies this year. He also had to face certain people every two weeks because of his promise. "Thanks." Stella nodded. She loved her position as General Manager, but she also missed being on a production set, managing people. Since this project was based on a novel, the chances of success were higher, so Stella was confident. "Let''s end the meeting." Kazir announced, and the people left the room, except for Palenque Simone. "So Palenque, I think you understand the reason why you''re here." "I don''t want to be arrogant, but sir, do you want me to be the director of this TV show?" "Yes. Although I can''t make a certain decision right now. I''ll give you an assignment, I want you to research and read the novel. Make a short movie related to the novel and give it to me. It doesn''t have to be expensive, you can use our facilities. You have three months, after that I will decide." The Equalizer was actually an American spy thriller television series that originally aired on CBS from 1985 to 1989. Grey Pictures acquired the rights to the TV series long before Taken was released. Kazir planned the path of CCU from the beginning. Just as he acquired the rights to Jason Bourne. CBS was owned by Paramount... When CBS/Paramount heard that the TV series they had sold to Grey Pictures was going to be part of the Continental Cinematic Universe, they might have had a stroke of regret. That would be another story. Just like that, February arrived and another batch of movies hit theaters. "Angelina! Please look into the camera and smile! Director Grey, please give Angelina a hug. Yes, that''s right, hug her tighter!" Some of the photographers were a bit demanding, but Kazir decided to go along with them. Tonight was a special day for Angelina and he didn''t want to spoil it. "Are you uncomfortable?" Angelina whispered. "With being so close to you? Never?" The woman giggled at Kazir''s answer. Tonight was February 6th, just before midnight. The premiere of How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days would start a few minutes later. Of course, Angelina and Kazir were on the red carpet. How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days was invested by Paramount Pictures and they hired some photographers to take pictures of Kazir and Angelina to promote their movies. For some reason, Kazir Grey was a famous person and a lot of people were interested in him. How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days was a romantic comedy. It was about a woman who wanted to prove that she could make a man fall in love with her and then break up with him after ten days. Kazir told Angelina that the script of this movie was promising and Angelina trusted him. So the result was this. Chapter 324 Chapter 324 "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" is a 2003 romantic comedy film starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. The plot revolves around a magazine columnist who bets that she can make a man fall in love with her and then break up with him in 10 days, while the man simultaneously tries to make her fall in love with him to win a bet of his own. It''s a hilarious and heartwarming story full of comedic situations and romantic moments. (Chat GPT) This was the plot of How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days in Kazir''s original timeline. The movie did very well at the box office. So Kazir recommended the script to Angelina instead. Kate Hudson lost the role to Angelina because Angelina had a stronger box office appeal. Of course, the production studio had to pay Angelina a higher salary than Kate Hudson, who was just starting her career in recent years. Paramount Pictures paid Angelina $12 million for her role alone. Her team actually wanted a share of the box office, but Paramount gave them a high salary instead. The production cost of How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days was $50 million, yet Angelina already took more than 20% of the budget. Besides, Matthew McConaughey was also a famous actor and his salary was not that small. The reason why production costs kept going up was because of the actors/actresses. Their agents would go to the studio and ask for huge salaries and the studio couldn''t help but say no. After all, the actors and actresses were the faces of the movies. Studios couldn''t hire unknown actors off the street, even if they wanted to, or else their movies wouldn''t sell. Angelina and Kazir walked into the theater together. Usually, the male and female leads would appear together to promote the movie. But Angelina was not comfortable with this. She and Matthew were just co-workers and didn''t have a relationship. Paramount had no choice but to agree. They didn''t want to upset Angelina and Kazir. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle Of Life was still being filmed and it would be detrimental to Paramount if Angelina decided to stop cooperating. So they decided to let the couple attend the premiere together. "Nice to meet you, Director Grey." "Nice to meet you, too." Matthew McConaughey greeted them. He was more interested in Kazir than Angelina, to be honest. Rumor had it that Kazir wanted to make a pirate movie and Matthew was interested. "Well... That''s one of the reasons." He admitted. No matter how professional Kazir was, it was still uncomfortable to talk to Matthew because he knew that Matthew and Angelina had kissing scenes... And yes, he was jealous. As for other reasons, Kazir preferred Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. Johnny Depp and Jack Sparrow were meant to be and he didn''t want to destroy that if possible. Kazir knew that Matthew McConaughey was a great actor and he could probably do an amazing version of Jack Sparrow, but Kazir didn''t need any of that. A few minutes later, the premiere of How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days began as the lights dimmed and the screen lit up. ...... ... ... The next day, the movie''s results were tallied. On the first day, the movie grossed $7.96 million. February was not a good month to release movies, so it was amazing to see How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days earn that much. On the second day (February 8, 2003) the movie earned another $10.05 million. On Sunday, February 9, the film grossed $5.75 million. Combining the first weekend box office, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days grossed $23.77 million. A success for Paramount Pictures and Angelina Jolie. ++++ [Yeah, this chapter doesn''t have much. I''m just giving a little lee way before the Oscars, because that''s the main plot before the shooting of Pirates Of The Caribbean. The next chapter would be the announcement of the Oscars nominations... Will Kazir be nominated for Best Director? Nah, I''m not heartless enough to deny him that, am I?] Chapter 325 Chapter 325 "Director Grey! Director Grey, how confident are you about getting a nomination?" A reporter asked Kazir as he entered the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California. "Well, if things get rough and the whole MPAA didn''t support me, I''ll probably lose. Also, Roman Polanski probably has a better chance getting nominated than me since the members prefer him so much..." "But would you win?" "Nah, I don''t know." Kazir shook his head and answered honestly. First of all, he didn''t know how the members would react to him. Kazir Grey and Tom Cruise did their best to attend a number of parties all over Los Angeles just to meet and greet the old fogies of the Academy. More than 70% of the Academy members were old, and the two appeased them, even going so far as to give them gifts. This time Kazir attended the nomination day alone. Angelina had to travel around the country to promote her latest movie How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. As of February 11, 2003, the film had grossed $26.26 million at the North American box office. After a brief interview, Kazir entered the Samuel Golden Theater. This was nothing more than a nomination announcement, so the venue was not extravagant. However, the theater was filled with celebrities and agents waiting for the results. Just like Angelina, some actors and actresses were busy, so their agents attended the announcement instead. Since Kazir was serious about the Oscars, he decided to attend the announcement in person. He wanted to show the Academy members that he was serious about getting the golden statue. Unlike last time, Tom Cruise arrived before Kazir. "Kazir, how''s your day going?" "It''s okay." The two gave each other a brotherly hug as a greeting. Kazir usually did a handshake, but he and Tom were friends, so they always hugged when they saw each other. "I heard you''re going to make a pirate movie, are you sure?" "Yeah, don''t worry. I know what to do." "If you need investment, just give me a call." "I fucking knew it. You just want to invest in my movie." "Haha, of course. Your movies had a huge return on investment. How do you see $100 million multiplying into $1 billion in just one year? No one, only you can do that." But something was different. There were only two nominations for The Revenant! The Revenant was nominated for Best Actor and Best Director! What the hell was that? At the Golden Globes, The Revenant got 6 nominations! But now they only have 2? The whole system was rigged and cooked... Well, a lot of people already knew that. The Oscars, the Grammys, the Golden Globes and all kinds of award ceremonies were mostly rigged. They usually want to give their awards to their groomed/supported artists. Both Kazir and Tom had a bad feeling about this... Fortunately, they got the two awards they wanted. As if the Oscars knew their intentions. Tom Cruise was nominated for Best Actor while Kazir Grey was nominated for Best Director. +++++ [Not related, but I''ll list my top 10 anime ending songs here. No particular order. Rate my ending songs.] 1.) Fire Force Ed 1 2.) Kyokai No Kanata Ed 1 3.) Tokyo Ghoul Ed 2 4.) Toradora Ed 2 5.). Anohana Ed 1 6. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress Ed 1 7.) Psycho Pass Ed 1 8.) Magi Madoka Magica Ed 1 9.) Fullmetal Alchemist Ed 1 10.) Kekkai Sensen(Blood Blockade Battlefront) Ed 1 Chapter 326 Chapter 326 The list was: [BEST ACTOR] Adrien Brody - The Pianist as W?adys?aw Szpilman Nicolas Cage - The Adjustment as Charlie Kaufman / Donald Kaufman Tom Cruise - The Revenant as Hugh Glass Daniel Day-Lewis - Gangs of New York as Bill "The Butcher" Cutting Jack Nicholson - About Schmidt as Warren R. Schmidt [BEST DIRECTOR] Roman Polanski - The Pianist Rob Marshall - Chicago Martin Scorsese - Gangs of New York Kazir Grey - The Revenant Pedro Almodo?var - Talk to Her ...... ... ... Aside from these two, The Revenant was not nominated for any awards. To make matters worse for Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, who was nowhere to be found, was actually nominated in the Best Actress category. His ex-wife had already won Best Actress at the Golden Globes, and that didn''t sit well with Tom Cruise. In that award show, The Revenant didn''t win any awards at the Golden Globes either, despite 6 nominations. This time the bad feeling was even stronger. They might not win anything at the Academy Awards either. After that, the party ended quickly. Some people were happy, some were sad. As for Tom and Kazir, they both felt sad, so they decided to drink alcohol. They started cursing the old foggeys of the Academy. They spent a lot of time talking to them, but their movie only got two nominations... ...... "I also know you''re going to say that. So I''m going to make you a proposal that will interest you." Kazir decided to listen. This was business. "I''m going to make you the head of the Marvel Studio. You will now have a strong power to make a decision on how Marvel Studio will take its path." "..." That was unexpected. Most of the time companies would offer him money and stock instead. But Tom Rothman used a different tactic. Kazir was not a businessman, he was an artist. "Not only that, we will pay you $1.1 billion to get 10% of Grey Pictures and another $2.2 billion worth of 20th Century Fox stock in exchange for 20% of Grey Pictures." That means 30% of Grey Pictures in exchange for $3.3 billion. Kazir suddenly became serious. This approach was different from what he had expected, but he was also interested. He was a little disappointed that Marvel Comics had been acquired by News Corporation. He wanted to make the MCU happen. He thought his dream was going to disappear. He thought that 20th Century Fox wanted to do a Cinematic Universe without him. But it seemed like they used that trump card to get him instead. "Tom, sometimes I feel like you really know me." "Kazir, I''m one of the people who first trusted you." "Indeed... Give me some time to think about it." "Okay." Tom Rothman excused himself. Kazir leaned back in his chair and exhaled. "I guess this is it." +++++ [Just as everyone expected, 20th Century Fox won the poll hence this outcome.] [I have decided to end the competition to acquire Grey Pictures. Maybe some of you are disappointed in me. Maybe you are tired of Kazir being an artist instead of a businessman. The synopsis of this novel was about Kazir becoming the greatest director in Hollywood, not a businessman or a tycoon. Nevertheless, I would like to hear your honest opinion. Criticism is always good, no matter how negative it is]. Chapter 327 Chapter 327 "Thank you, my friend. Haha, of course I will never forget this. You helped me a lot. Tell the others that I thank them as well. What? Your niece wants to be an actress? Hmm, let me see, haha, of course I have a role for her. By the way, how old is she? Is she beautiful?" Harvey Weinstein laughed out loud and was in a good mood. He was talking to one of the Academy members. "I promise you. You know me, I know you. We are friends. What, are you gonna blackmail me? Haha. My friend, I know many dirty secrets here in Hollywood. Your blackmail will not work on me. Why do you think I avoided jail last time? Well, just send your niece to the company and I might think about giving her a role." Harvey licked his lips and ended the call. He looked at the newspaper and could not help but chuckle. "Kazir, you are still new to this business. I''ve been in Hollywood for almost two decades now and your status is nothing compared to mine. You lose this time." Miramax was the king of PR and their movies always won at the Academy Awards. It showed how strong their PR team was. Harvey Weinstein had a lot of connections and was more famous in social circle than Kazir, who usually stayed in his office. "All I did was tell the old farts that Kazir was obviously going for Best Director and there was no reason to waste any nominations since Kazir only wanted the Best Director award." He chuckled. Because he knew he was not lying. Anyone with a brain knew Kazir''s intention. That was why The Revenant only got two nominations. As for their chances of winning, well, Miramax would make sure they never took a trophy home. Box office and Oscars were two different things. Grey Pictures might win at the box office, but Miramax would dominate the Academy Awards. They did that for so many years. "Kazir, you still need experience to face me. You''re too young." ... For the record, Kazir was over 80 years old mentally. But yes, Harvey was right. Miramax''s business was already mature in terms of public relations. ... ... ... A week after the Oscar nominations were announced, Kazir was watching clips of actresses auditioning for the role of Elizabeth Swann, one of the main characters in Pirates of the Caribbean. Kazir had already seen Keira Knightley''s performance in person. He attended the audition to watch the actresses perform. Now Kazir was thinking about the female lead. Keira Knightley could be cast for $3 to $6 million. Depending on how the contract would end. Julia Roberts was a great actress and her box-office appeal was strong, but her salary was also expensive. In the end, Kazir decided to cross her name on the list. Pirates of the Caribbean was an expensive project and Kazir never liked to increase the budget. Now he decided to put the last DVD disc into the DVD player. This was the last and third actress Kazir had in mind to cast. +++++ [Since I listed my top 10 anime ending songs, I might as well post my top 10 opening songs. Enjoy.] 1.) Tokyo Ghoul Opening 1 (Unravel by TK from Ling Tosite Sigure): Do I even have to explain myself? I''ve been listening to this song since 2017. This song is so overplayed but come on, you do agree that it''s a hit when it was released a decade ago. If you''re interested in this masterpiece called Tokyo Ghoul, I recommend you to read the manga instead. 2.) Freiren Opening 1 (The Brave by YOASOBI): I love Freiren. I can say that it''s definitely my top 1 anime last year. This anime''s storytelling is different from what I expected. 3.) Blood+ Opening 3 (Colors of the Heart by Uverworld): I watched this anime 15 years ago and I can say that it''s an underrated anime. Colors of the Heart is also a hit song. 4.) Kekkai Sensen/Blood Blockade Battlefront Opening 1 (Hello World by Bump of the Chicken): Bump of the Chicken is an amazing jrock band, check them out. Again, I''m going to ask for the 3rd Season... Please I need to watch another content from this shenanigan of an anime. 5.) Attack On Titan opening 7 (The Rumbling by SiM): If I lose it all~~ Slip and fall~~ I would never look away~~ Attack On Titan is the best, there, I said it. 6.) Neon Genesis Evangelion Opening 1 (Cruel Angel Thesis by Yoko Takahashi): An iconic opening since the 2000s era. I never touched the movies of Evangelion because the last episode of the anime made me go crazy and I''m afraid of watching this anime again. 7.) Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Opening 1 (Again by Yui): When I first heard this song, I got goosebumps all over my body. This will always be part of my top 10 best anime openings. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is peak, you can''t change my mind. 8.) Oshi No Ko Opening 1 (Idol by YOASOBI): We don''t talk about the ending of the manga. Fuck you Akasaka. 9.) Code Geass Opening 1 (Colors by Flow): One of the best openings of all time, people can''t stop loving this opening and I''m one of them. Code Geass might be old, but no one can deny how great it is. 10.) Soul Eater Opening 3 (Papermoon by Tommyheavenly6): This is nostalgic. I hope Soul Eater gets a reboot that follows the manga 100%. [I actually created a playlist of these songs in my Spotify, haha.] Chapter 328 Chapter 328 It was Natalie Portman... Kazir was actually surprised to hear that the young actress was on the list of actresses auditioning for Pirates of the Caribbean. He hadn''t expected Natalie to be interested in the film. Also, Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge Of The Sith was still in production, so Kazir thought Natalie would be too busy to work on another project. Unexpectedly, the woman actually did well in the audition. Kazir witnessed her performance. This caused Kazir and the others to give it serious consideration. The three actresses fit the role, with Julia Roberts taking the top spot because of her box office appeal. Second was Keira and third was Natalie. In the end, the decision rested with Kazir, since he was the director of the film. Even Renner and Harold couldn''t compete with him in this situation. Kazir decided to take the audition tapes back to his house to watch them again. "Babe, have you made a decision?" Angelina appeared and handed Kazir a bowl of sliced apples. "No, I''m still not sure." Julia Roberts was out of the list for financial reasons, but Kazir was still torn between Keira Knightley and Natalie Portman. "Let''s see... Didn''t you see that Natalie stealing glances at you?" Angelina frowned slightly at the TV. On the screen, Natalie was glancing at a certain direction once in a while. "No, I don''t think so." Kazir shook his head. "Sheesh, you are too dense. Anyway, Keira Knightley is the best choice. I don''t like that Natalie Portman." "You think so?" "Yeah. Now that I think about it, why didn''t you invite me for this role, Elizabeth Swann? With my age and beauty, I can easily pass the audition." She asked Kazir curiously. "Well... This project has kissing scenes--" "Pfft--!" Suddenly, Angelina almost choked on her food when she heard Kazir''s answer. She hadn''t expected Kazir to care about that! "Kazir, ahem, ahem. You''re famous for being a heartless guy who didn''t care about your girlfriend''s partner in a movie. The news that you watched your ex-girlfriend Cameron Diaz kiss Matt Damon on the set of The Bourne Identity is all over Hollywood. People said you didn''t mind Cameron kissing Matt! Oh, I also remember you made me walk naked on the set of Wanted! You even took a shot of my naked ass and showed it to the audience! And now you''re suddenly conscious of my kissing scenes?" Angelina went on a long tirade and Kazir had only one answer. "Yes." 20th Century Fox and Grey Pictures decided to work together to promise a better future in filmmaking and to create wonderful movies. No figures were given, but it was confirmed that 20th Century Fox had acquired part of Grey Pictures. The news made a lot of noise. Suddenly, the stock price of 20th Century Fox, which was $21.72, went up to $25.19 in just one day. The stock market then closed. The stock went up more than 15% in just one day. And that was because of the news about Grey Pictures and 20th Century Fox. People in Hollywood realized that the value of Grey Pictures was enough for people to invest in 20th Century Fox. They knew that the movies Grey Pictures was producing were profitable! "What''s going on?" Chairman Michael Eisner slammed down the newspaper and nearly overturned the table in anger. His face was red with rage as he read the news of 20th Century Fox''s acquisition of Grey Pictures. He realized that his last chance for survival was vanishing into thin air. He clenched his fists. Last year, Walt Disney basically didn''t make a dime at the box office because their biggest movie was a terrible flop. Even though they released dozens of movies, the loss they suffered from John Carter was irreparable. If not for the DVDs, toys and merchandise that Walt Disney sold, the company might have to take out a loan from the bank. They stayed afloat, but their situation was not good. John Carter was a bad investment and the board wanted to blame Michael Eisner. He tried to regain their trust by trying to buy Grey Pictures, no matter how much they spent, but the result didn''t work out for him. Now Michael Eisner knew that his time as chairman of one of the largest media companies in the world was over. Walt Disney, Paramount, Sony-Columbia and Warner Brothers weren''t expecting this outcome. They were trying to make plans on how to increase their chips to get Kazir''s interest, yet they were slapped by the news. As for the other news, Grey Pictures'' upcoming projects such as The Equalizer, Wanted 2 and Pirates Of The Caribbean would be distributed by 20th Century Fox. The TV show Game of Thrones would also be released exclusively by Fox. This project got a lot of people excited because they knew that Grey Pictures never did boring projects. One of the reasons why many people invested in 20th Century Fox stock. +++++ [Sorry if I''m absent lately, stuff happens. Regarding numbers and math, just don''t ask me why they are wrong or overprice... I also don''t know the answer.] Chapter 329 Chapter 329 The public signing of the contract took place in front of the media. Both Kazir Grey and the representative of 20th Century Fox, Tom Rothman, signed the thin piece of paper. For the record, this public signing was just a publicity stunt and the two companies already signed a proper contract three days ago when Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley witnessed the process. Kazir and Tom shook hands and many reporters took pictures of the signing. Now the public learned that 20th Century Fox owned 30% of Grey Pictures, while Kazir Grey owned 3.50% of 20th Century Fox. This deal was good news for 20th Century Fox as their stock price rose to 21% in the last three days. The price of their stock was holding steady at $27.42. 20th Century Fox promised Kazir that they would win the Best Director award this year for him. Just like Miramax, 20th Century Fox had a lot of influence with the Academy. In fact, that was one of the reasons Kazir signed the contract with 20th Century Fox. Even though he knew it was nothing more than a promise. After all, only the old farts at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences could decide if they wanted to support Kazir. Well, the help of 20th Century Fox was not so bad. At least he had an insurance policy to put his mind at ease. ... ... ... "Kazir, what does this mean?" Frank Price, the CEO of Sony-Colombia, called Kazir about recent events in Hollywood. Specifically, the news that Grey Pictures and 20th Century Fox had decided to work together. "Frank, I''m sure you know what''s going on." "..." Frank could not help but sigh. Sony and Sony-Colombia were interested in Grey Pictures, and they were not stingy with money. But in the end, Sony-Colombia lost the battle. Sony-Colombia understood that they lacked high quality films and needed Grey Pictures'' filmography. "You don''t have to worry, I will honor the contract. I will be the director of Spider-Man 2". "That''s good to hear." That was the main reason why Frank called Kazir. If Kazir wanted to stop working with the other studios, it would be bad for Sony-Colombia. They had already experienced the taste of a $1 billion movie, and they wanted more. Only someone like Kazir could give them that amount. 10th was Ice Age with $383.25 million. These were the top ten highest-grossing films of 2002. Despite being a second-tier production studio, it didn''t change the fact that Grey Pictures had three movies in the top 10. This was proof of Grey Pictures'' ability. Enough to raise 20th Century Fox''s stock price. "Congratulations, Kazir. You''re now a certified billionaire!" "Thanks, Tom." Tom Cruise and Kazir Grey hugged and laughed. Even though their movie didn''t get many Oscar nominations, they weren''t bitter because the movie was amazing. Many people knew that Kazir was probably paid at least $1 billion by 20th Century Fox. That makes him a real billionaire with liquid assets... He might have to invest that amount of money in something, because the IRS is sure to be knocking on his door. Anyway, the party went quite well and a lot of celebrities attended the party for some reason... A lot of actresses tried to flirt with Kazir because Angelina was busy filming Lara Croft: Tom Raider and couldn''t attend tonight. "Excuse me, are you director Kazir?" "Hm?" Kazir turned to see a young woman calling him. The woman was poised despite her young age. She seemed to be at least 18 years old. The woman extended her hand and asked for a handshake. "Hi, I''m Elizabeth Holmes. I''m 19 years old. I''m here to ask for at least five minutes of your time. I just want to introduce you to my company, Theranos." "Excuse me, what?" Kazir was shocked. Kazir had many reasons to be shocked. He knew who Elizabeth Holmes was. This woman could be the biggest fraud of the century! +++++ [Hey, I just want to promote my Pat reon and Ko-fi. For $10 you can read 177 chapters of HWI and other content about my Pat reon and Ko- fi]. P@treon link: https://www.pat /Puji_maki Ko-fi link: https://ko /pujimaki Chapter 330 Chapter 330 "You''re Elizabeth Holmes?" Kazir stared at the woman in shock. Of course he was shocked. Because he hadn''t expected this situation to happen to him, not today, not tomorrow... ''I''ve never been cheated on in my entire life... Except for my marriage. That whole thing was a sham. '' Only people like Kazir Grey, who went through a painful divorce and lost almost everything they owned could say that. Marriage was a beautiful thing, wasn''t it? A contract that would scam half of your money. By the way, the old, nameless, bumpy car that Kazir owned after the divorce was still sitting in his garage. He decided to restore it even though the car had no monetary value. It was his last possession when he divorced Cassandra Hoecrap, and it had a special place in his heart, just like Napoleon Dynamite. "Yes, that''s right, director." The woman, Elizabeth, nodded. The woman looked young, and she had just turned 19 this year. But her confidence was amazing. Kazir almost believed the woman was sincere, based on her expression and her confident aura. Fortunately, he knew the future so he didn''t fall for the trap. Theranos Inc. A famous company. Theranos was a healthcare technology company founded by Elizabeth Holmes in 2003. It claimed to have developed a revolutionary blood-testing device that could perform a wide range of tests with just a few drops of blood. However, it was later revealed that the technology didn''t work as claimed, leading to a scandal and the eventual collapse of the company. (Chat GPT) Kazir understood where this conversation was going. He had no intention of playing around. "I''m sorry, but I''m busy." Kazir decided to end this farce before it could even begin. He knew he was wasting his time listening to Elizabeth. "Director, just give me 5 minutes and I will tell you about the revolutionary test kit that is going to change the world." ''Bruh, just fuck off.'' He cursed in his mind. He knew this so-called revolutionary test kit was going to scam people out of their money. Theranos raised $700 million from private investors and venture capitalists... That money was gone once the truth about the company was revealed. Nothing but a big scam. Kazir''s gaze was cold as he looked at the young woman. "I''m sorry, Elizabeth, but I don''t have time to listen to your imaginary revolutionary thing. First of all, you''re too young to start a business. Do you even know how business works? Do you even know what you''re talking about? Besides, how can a little blood be enough to do all those tests?" ''Fuck Theranos. Fuck Elizabeth Holmes.'' Kazir thought. "Okay, I''ll tell them to watch out for Elizabeth Holmes." Tom nodded. "Spread the words." Kazir added. He was confused as to how Elizabeth Holmes had found her way to the party. This was a formal and private Hollywood party. A person needed an invitation to get in. The answer came a few minutes later. Tom Rothman appeared with a glass of wine, a little uncomfortable. Since Grey Pictures and 20th Century Fox were considered partners, people from Fox were also invited. It was not a surprise that Tom Rothman attended the party. He wanted to strengthen his friendship with Kazir. "Kazir, I heard you made Elizabeth cry. May I know the reason?" "Hm?" Kazir was surprised that Tom Rothman knew Elizabeth Holmes. "Tom, that little girl wants to deceive me. I will not easily believe such nonsense. A small amount of blood is not enough to do all those tests." "..." Tom Rothman was too quiet. "Tom, did I say something that made you uncomfortable?" The CEO was sweating a little. "Nothing... It''s a good thing I haven''t recommended her to Rupert Murdoch yet. Otherwise I might lose my job." "..." "..." They didn''t know what to say. In the end, Tom Rothman apologized and also thanked him. He probably made some stupid decisions that he might regret later. Luckily, Kazir was there to tell him the truth before he spent more money on investments... A day later, Tom took out his investment from Theranos. Chapter 331 Chapter 331 There were some rumors about Kazir making a young woman cry, but the rumors died down quickly. First of all, Kazir was in public and he hadn''t committed any crime. Another thing was that Elizabeth Holmes was of legal age, she was just skinny. Kazir could say the most devious curses known to man, as long as he didn''t commit a crime, he was safe. Everything would change, however, once the Internet took over... Cancel culture would become a prominent part of the Internet. Where one wrong word and you would be canceled by a bunch of people. Luckily, it was still 2003, Facebook had not even launched yet. Kazir was known to be a gentleman, so people believed that the woman probably did something wrong for Kazir to berate her. After this little incident called "Make the bitch Elizabeth Holmes cry", February slowly passed without much happening. Well, Nora Jones won the Grammy and Roman Polanski won the Best Director award at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) for his movie The Pianist. Since the man was not wanted in the UK, he attended the awards. Other than that, not much happened in February. In fact, only three movies have the power to surpass $100 million this month. The first was How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. The second was Daredevil, starring Ben Affleck, which was released on February 14. The film was distributed by 20th Century Fox. Since Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox weren''t family at the time of production, the movie had no connection to the upcoming plan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Daredevil was a stand-alone movie, one of the reasons it got a mediocre reception... Well, February was never the best time to release a movie. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner starred in the movie... Two years after the release of Daredevil, 20th Century Fox and Marvel Studios for some reason felt the need to release Elektra. The box office for that movie was mediocre. So before the project(Elektra) could even start, Kazir immediately talked to Marvel Studios about not starting the project. Aside from How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days and Daredevil, the last movie that had a good chance of making over $100 million was The Jungle Book 2. Of course, a hand-drawn animation by Walt Disney was nothing to sneeze at. After all, Disney was the king of animation in Hollywood. March came and Bringing Down The House, produced by Touchstone/Walt Disney, was released on March 7th. A comedy starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah. Unsurprisingly, this was the only movie to have an amazing march at March, yeah, bars... Nothing really drew audiences to the theaters this month, so ticket sales were low. However, even though it was not an active month in Hollywood, a lot of celebrities were very active this month. Anyway, Kazir understood that his influence was not enough to control the voting. First of all, he didn''t know many old members of the Academy voted. Fortunately, Kazir had 20th Century Fox to help him. 20th Century Fox was one of the oldest studios in Hollywood and their connections were wider and deeper. Kazir and Angelina found their seats, next to them were Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz''s seats, the two were still missing. Kazir looked around and found Nicole Kidman talking to some old people... Since Kazir knew the future, he also knew that Tom''s ex-wife would win the Best Actress award tonight, which would cause a ripple between Tom Cruise and his agent Pat Kingsley. He hoped that Tom would also win Best Actor tonight. Nicole stole a glance in their direction, perhaps looking at her ex-husband. Tom Cruise was still not there, so her eyes went to Kazir and Angelina instead. The actress smiled before returning to her seat. "I don''t like that woman." Angelina whispered to Kazir and the man couldn''t help but nod. Kazir had no good reason to hate Nicole, but since he was friends with Tom, he didn''t like Nicole either, plain and simple. Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz showed up a few minutes later in a good mood. The two held hands as they sat down. "You look great." "Yeah, let''s just say..." Before Tom could answer, Penelope playfully tapped him on the shoulder. They just giggled instead. "I can say that no matter what happened tonight, I''m glad to be working with someone like you," Tom said to Kazir. "Me too, Tom." Kazir nodded. Chapter 332 Chapter 332 "By the way, why didn''t you invite me to star in your latest project? What''s it called? Caribbean Pirates? Anyway, why didn''t you invite me or send me the script?" "The answer is obvious, because you are expensive to hire." "This time I can be an investor." "We are doing well. If the budget isn''t enough, I''m sure 20th Century Fox will be happy to invest in my project." Kazir was the most in-demand director and all his films were profitable. Many people would not hesitate to invest in his movies. "Tch!" Tom Cruise clicked his tongue. It seemed that he would never get the chance to make money from Kazir''s filmography. Well, he might win Best Actor tonight, so it didn''t matter. Kazir just shrugged and let the little adult man be bitter... Yes, Tom Cruise was only 5''7", while Kazir was 6''2". The height difference between the two was obvious. After a brief introduction to the Academy Awards, Steve Martin, the host of this award, made his entrance. The people in the theater naturally stood up and clapped their hands. Steve Martin was a famous comedian and had hosted the Academy Awards three times. He didn''t do a big entrance, he just did his jokes and that was enough to entertain the people. After that, the segment naturally went to the announcement of the winners of the awards. The first to be announced was the winner for Best Animated Feature, and the presenter was Cameron Diaz. Unlike last time, when Cameron Diaz flirted with Kazir, this time the woman was natural and professional. Angelina squeezed Kazir''s hand for some reason, and the man looked at her a little confused. Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki won the Best Animated Feature Film. Great anime, by the way. Since most of these awards had nothing to do with The Revenant, Kazir and Tom didn''t care and just let the show go on. Tom Cruise hugged Halle Berry and then someone handed him the golden statue. Tom raised the small statue in his hand and smiled into the camera. "First of all, I want to thank everyone who supported and watched The Revenant. You are the real winners..." Tom began his speech. Being a superstar in this industry, Tom Cruise understood that he had to maintain his image. He made sure to choose roles that fit him perfectly without any backlash. But it didn''t change the fact that Tom Cruise knew how to act. He was a great actor, he just decided to choose safe roles instead of experimental roles that could destroy his image. Still, as an actor, Tom Cruise wanted to win the golden statue. He tried it three times, but the result was not good. This year, Tom found a certain script that caught his interest. It was about the feudal era of Japan, around the time when samurais lost their honor... If The Revenant didn''t work out, Tom Cruise could try to use this script as another way to get a golden statue... Well, he has already won one now so he might have to take it slow. Tom Cruise was not sure if The Revenant and Hugh Glass would be the answer to his questions. But he trusted Kazir, he knew that the famous director would be his biggest chip at the Oscars. And now, he was acknowledged as one of best actors in the world. Tom was visibly happy and thanked his friends. The Academy Awards was a live show and of course there would be a director for the show. The director thought it would be interesting to show Nicole Kidman''s reaction while her ex-husband was talking about his success. The camera focused on Nicole and her reaction was amazing. Her lips were pursed, clearly not happy. Although her reaction only lasted a second before she smiled... Nicole seemed to realize that a camera was recording her. Behind her smile, her two fists crumpled her dress and she shook terribly. Acceptance speeches could only last 45 seconds, it was a rule that the Academy set and reminded people to follow. So Tom''s speech didn''t last long before he went backstage. Kazir could not help but laugh. Well, at least The Revenant won a major award tonight. It seemed that the members of the Academy were doing their job... He just hoped that something good would also happen to him tonight. ++++ [Author''s Note:] [Anyway, I think we all want Kazir to win Best Director, right? You can comment below if you think this is not the right time for Kazir to win the golden statue and I''ll think something about it... I''ll just think about it]. Chapter 333 Chapter 333 The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are prestigious awards given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to honor excellence in the motion picture industry. Awards are given in various categories such as Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and many others. (Chat GPT) This was the most prestigious and respected award in the industry. Most actors and actresses wanted to win these awards to prove themselves and raise their status in the industry. In fact, actors/actresses who won the awards could increase their salaries up to $20 million, well, depending on whether some studio paid them that amount. But it was true that the Oscar winners had a salary increase. The same was true for directors. But in Kazir''s case, he didn''t care about the salary or anything like that. He was already a billionaire. What he wanted was the status of being respected and considered by the industry as one of the best directors of his time. He knew that winning an Oscar was not that easy, even money was not enough to achieve that. Many people tried to use money, but only a few succeeded. In the end, most of the winning factors depend on the movie and the performance. And this year, five directors created films that caught the Academy''s attention. Giving the directors nominations and a chance to win the Best Director award. Kazir''s competitors were all strong and worthy of winning the award. Well, they all deserved to win. The Oscars didn''t care about the box office, they were looking for artistic films with strong psychological aspects. So yes, a disadvantage for Kazir Grey and The Revenant. Kazir had four competitors for the Best Director award. Roman Polanski, the director of The Pianist. A Jew who lived through World War II and made a movie that he basically lived through. In fact, his mother died in a Nazi camp. Rob Marshall directed the movie Chicago. Chicago was a musical film that reminded the old men of Hollywood of the musical movie era. Martin Scorsese directed Gangs of New York. Gangs of New York was a movie based on the novel of the same name. The novel was published in 1927 and Martin Scorsese adapted the novel into a movie. The Academy Awards loved to nominate movies based on literature. The Revenant was also based on a novel. Pedro Almodo?var was a Spanish director and his movie was also set in Spain. Talk to Her was a Spanish psychological drama film written by Pedro Almodo?var himself. The movie was about two men who form an unlikely friendship while caring for two women who are both in comas. As for The Revenant, well, it was about Hugh Glass... Now that Tom Cruise had already won the Best Actor award, Kazir couldn''t help but be happy. However, he also knew that their winning streak might not happen tonight. Best Actor was a big award and it was already a good thing that The Revenant won it... Kazir might not win Best Director. After the Best Actor announcement, Halle Berry left the stage and Barbra Streisand took her place. Barbra Streisand was the presenter for Best Original Song. Unexpectedly, the winner was Lose Yourself from 8 Mile. The song was written and rapped by none other than Eminem. The rap genre was dominated by Eminem in 2002. The Eminem Show was the best-selling album of 2002, selling over 7.6 million copies by the end of the year. Afterwards, Kazir couldn''t help but feel nervous. Tom Cruise returned to his seat after the commercial and hugged Kazir again. "Thanks, Kazir." "You just said that earlier." "The nominees for Best Director are..." Roman Polanski - The Pianist Rob Marshall - Chicago Martin Scorsese - Gangs of New York Kazir Grey - The Revenant Pedro Almodo?var - Talk to Her The tension was palpable and Kazir knew there was a camera pointed at him. He swallowed hard as he waited for Harrison Ford to open the envelope. Then the time had come. "Congratulations. Kazir Grey, The Revenant." Time almost stopped for Kazir. ++++++ [Author''s Note.] 1.) I want to say thank you for all your support. Even your simple comments like "Thanks for the chapter" are already support. 2.) I know this is overused, but I just want to say have fun and don''t take this novel seriously. 3.) I also want to promote my Patreon and Ko-fi. For $10 you can read 178 chapters of HWI and other content on my Patr eon and Ko -fi. P@treon link: https://www.patr /Puji_maki Ko-fi link: https://ko /pujimaki Chapter 334 Chapter 334 Kazir Grey was stunned when he heard his name. He thought that he might not win the award this time since The Revenant had already won a major award. He was speechless and nearly lost his mind. But then Angelina squeezed his hand and kissed him on the cheek. Kazir came to his senses and found people standing and clapping. The sensation was bizarre but amazing. He saw Tom shouting "Yeah!" and hugged him like a brother. Kazir was out of his mind as he stood up and reached for the stage. He walked onto the stage with his heart pounding. He suddenly laughed when one of the management gave him the golden statue. He also hugged Harrison Ford despite their cold relationship. Note that Taken crushed Air Force One at the box office and that made Harrison bitter about Kazir. Still, they were both Jewish, so it didn''t matter. Maybe they have a chance to work together another time. "Congratulations," Harrison said. "Thank you," Kazir replied. Then Kazir found the podium. He pulled out a small card on which his acceptance speech was ready to be read. "First of all, I''m truly speechless. It''s a good thing I have something to read right now. This is a dream come true!" The audience laughed. Kazir began to read the prepared speech with ragged breath because his emotions were unstable. "I want to express my deepest gratitude to the cast and crew of The Revenant, who poured their hearts and souls into this movie. Your dedication and talent has brought us to this moment." He felt his eyes getting hot. "To my father and brother, thank you for everything. And to the fans who saw The Revenant, your love and support means everything. Thank you." Then he looked in a certain direction and saw Angelina holding back tears. "And to the love of my life, I love you." Kazir didn''t know that a single tear ran down his cheek as he spoke. The audience clapped hard, knowing that someone as talented as Kazir deserved the Best Director award. Kazir was one of the directors that revolutionized Hollywood. He was the only director to create two films that grossed over $1 billion at the box office. He was also the director who created the world''s first successful Cinematic Universe. His movies are anticipated all over the world. They love Kazir and his films. Even though the Academy hates movies that are made to make money, they have to give Kazir Grey credit for what he has done. Kazir left the stage smiling. Someone from the crew handed him a handkerchief, and Kazir was confused at first. "Ah... Don''t tell me I cried on stage?" "Yes, director." The nominees were: Chicago - Martin Richards, Producer Gangs of New York - Alberto Grimaldi and Harvey Weinstein, Producers The Hours - Scott Rudin and Robert Fox, Producers The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson, Producers The Pianist - Roman Polanski, Robert Bunmussa and Alain Sarde, producers There was no suspense when Chicago won Best Picture. After all, the awards show was dominated by Chicago. Chicago won 6 awards. Frida and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers each won 2 awards. The Revenant also won 2 awards. The Pianist won 1 award. The Revenant basically stole the awards that were meant for The Pianist... Well, Kazir was the only one who knew about that. That night, Tom and Kazir had their best night ever and partied like drunks. Luckily, Kazir controlled himself and managed to get back to the house sober... A little bit. He fulfilled his promise to Angelina and the woman was happy. ... ... ... The day after the awards show, news about the winners was published. Stories about Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, the exes who won their respective awards on the same night, made headlines. The news about Kazir crying also made headlines. Some people were happy, some people were not. Harvey Weinstein was one of the people bitter about the results. He did his best to minimize the nominations for The Revenant, but in the end it was useless. Tom Cruise and Kazir Grey got what they wanted. +++++ [Unfortunately, I''m still alive. Sorry for being gone.] [Now we''re back to making Pirates of the Caribbean and auditioning for Game of Thrones]. Chapter 335 Chapter 335 Harvey Weinstein was no fool. After the alliance between 20th Century Fox and Grey Pictures, the big studio decided to help Kazir win his most anticipated award. However, Harvey was confident that Adrien Brody and Roman Polanski would win Best Actor and Best Director respectively. They had a higher chance of winning, and Harvey decided not to fight for those categories. The Pianist was a movie about the plight of Jews in World War II. Surely the old Jewish members of the Academy would be reminded of the tragedy they suffered. They would surely vote for Roman Polanski and Adrien Brody. That was Harvey''s expectation. Where did he go wrong? "It doesn''t matter," the fat man sighed. In the end, Chicago won most of the awards and was the clear winner of the 75th Academy Awards. It just didn''t sit well with him that Kazir Grey was having a blast and living his life happily. Especially after what Kazir had done to Harvey a few years ago. Even now, Harvey kept his low profile. "The next time they try to compete, I''ll make sure Grey Pictures wins nothing." He grinned. Even though Kazir winning the Best Director award made him bitter, other news softened his hatred. He read the newspaper and chuckled when he saw that the news of Michael Eisner''s departure from Walt Disney had already been published. Michael Eisner took responsibility and resigned from his position as chairman of one of the largest media companies in the world. As one of the executives, Harvey knew that Michael Eisner wasn''t leaving peacefully. He cursed the executives and the shareholders for voting him out of the company. Michael Eisner was the tyrant of Disney, but it is also true that he was the one who made Disney thrive. His decision to focus on live-action films was the right one. His decision to focus on 3D animation and to buy a stake in Pixar was also the right decision. No one could argue with that. Unfortunately, people were tired of him. Another fact was that Michael Eisner was getting old. He was already 61 years old and had undergone heart surgery a few years ago. His age and health made him unfit to run the company. The biggest reason why he was kicked out was the failure of John Carter, which Michael Eisner had strongly promoted as their entry into the Cinematic Universe. "Hehe, it''s ironic that this old man wants me to leave the company, but he was the one who got kicked out instead." Harvey chuckled. After the meeting, Robert Iger was named CEO and executive chairman. With Eisner out of Disney, the newspaper tackled the question of whether the giant studio would thrive or go under. ... ... Lionsgate''s success could rival the Big Six. Unfortunately, it was founded late and failed to compete and fight for resources in the industry. It would take the company a decade to build a worldwide film distribution company. "So far this studio has only distributed four movies and they have not done well. The movies are Lee Boys, American Psycho, Cube and Leprechaun." "That''s to be expected." In the first place, distributing movies was not so easy. Sometimes they even suffer losses. "I heard that the Big Six are looking at this company. They probably want to destroy it before it gets bigger." "It''s financed by Canadian banks, so they might have trouble doing that. Anyway, why would anyone from Lionsgate want to talk to me?" "They want to buy one or two of your scripts. They are interested in Now You See Me and The Expendables." "..." Kazir was not surprised. After all, those franchises were originally from Lionsgate. "... Set up a meeting with their representative." Now that Kazir Grey has won the Best Director award, a lot of people want to buy his scripts. If the price was right, Kazir would have no problem selling the scripts he didn''t need. Of course, he could also talk to 20th Century Fox and have them turn the scripts into projects. All Kazir wanted was a percentage of the profits... "I understand. They seem eager to meet you. I think they want to hire you to direct a movie." "Hm?" "Don''t tell me they want me to direct Saw? Saw was a famous horror film franchise. The fifth highest grossing horror movie franchise. +++++ [It''s Christmas Eve, so I just want to say Happy Holidays to everyone. To the people who celebrates Christmas, Merry Christmas!] Chapter 336 Chapter 336 On the other hand, Kazir knew he wouldn''t agree to direct Saw because he was busy with two projects at the same time. Pirates of the Caribbean had just started shooting, while Game of Thrones was in the process of casting and auditioning. He could not balance his schedule to film another project. Also, the first Saw movie only had a $1 million budget. It was impossible to hire someone as expensive as Kazir unless Lionsgate was willing to put a lot on the table. ''In fact, Saw is one of the movies I thought about filming when I came back in 1994. In the end, I decided to do Napoleon Dynamite instead.'' Perhaps his lack of confidence in making horror movies was one of the reasons he didn''t choose Saw. Kazir was afraid of failure. Also one of the reasons why he didn''t submit the script of Saw to the Writer''s Guild. Just like he didn''t sell the scripts for Final Destination... Because Kazir was afraid of failure. He was silent for a while after thinking about it. After almost a decade of time travel, Kazir lost his touch for making horror movies. He was comfortable making action and comedy movies, and he had no problem maintaining the status quo. ''If Lionsgate wants to hire me, they have to come up with something that will get my attention. Besides, I will be doing Spider-Man 2 next year, so they will have to wait for 2005 instead.'' The bodyguard interviews were over and Kazir hired the guy who caught his attention the most. All the bodyguards who applied for the job were qualified, but Kazir only chose one. In the end, he hired Anderson Sullivan. He was a retired soldier like Erica. He was 49 years old. He had spent 8 years in the Gulf War. Amazingly, Anderson also participated in the later years of the Vietnam War, around the 1970s. The reason Kazir hired Anderson was because of his appearance. Anderson looked simple and gentle. Anderson was 5''7" while Kazir was 6''3". Anderson seemed like a good guy compared to Kazir who was taller and bulkier. The reason Kazir hired him was because he didn''t want his bodyguard to be the center of attention. A bodyguard''s job was to protect his boss, not to attract people''s attention. They were supposed to act low and keep a low profile. But Anderson was good at his job. After retiring from the military due to gunshot wounds, Anderson began working for a security company, and his work ethic was highly respected. Kazir considered him a small but dangerous guy... To be fair, 5''7" was not short, but Kazir was just too tall to understand that. Shout out to all the short kings out there. Keep grinding. Unlike Erica who had free time and days off, Anderson had a strict schedule where he had to protect Kazir whenever he was out. Kazir was not a cheap guy and made sure his bodyguard had a high salary and benefits. Kazir knew he had not made a mistake in hiring Johnny Depp. The actor easily absorbed the essence of Jack Sparrow. The filming went well, but when they reached the pirate ship scenes, Kazir felt that something was wrong. He decided to check the ship and entered it. One thing he noticed was that the ship was shaking slightly and he could not find his balance. "That''s it!" His face lit up as he turned to find Johnny Depp. The actor was getting his makeup retouched when Kazir appeared. "John, I want you to go steady on the ship." "I''m sorry, what?" The actor didn''t understand at first. "You see, Jack Sparrow walks like a drunkard when he walks on land. But he can walk straight when he is on the ship. It shows that Jack Sparrow is an experienced pirate and that he has spent most of his life as a pirate rather than on land." "I see..." Johnny Depp admitted that Kazir''s take was interesting. "This is how I portray Jack Sparrow. Can you do it?" Kazir asked. Johnny Depp chuckled. "Kazir, I am an actor and my job is to act. If I have to walk steady while the ship is rocking, then I have to, because that''s my job. Of course I can do it." After that, they shot the scene again, and Kazir nodded in satisfaction. However, they had to redo the scene three times because it was really hard for Johnny Depp to keep his balance while the ship was rocking. In the end, Kazir decided to weaken the machinery to make it easier for Johnny Depp to adjust. ''Johnny Depp is Jack Sparrow, it''s a role for him. And I will make sure that he shines in the theater in his pirate costume. Until people start recognizing him as Jack Sparrow instead of his real name.'' +++++ [Merry Christmas.] Chapter 337 Chapter 337 Wanted 2 was scheduled to be released in the summer of 2003. It was directed by Fremont Smith. The production started in November of last year and it was currently nearing the end of filming. Fremont Smith adapted to Kazir''s style of filmography and he felt that his filming style was much faster now. Fremont was the director of Taken 2 and John Wick 2. And now he was the director of Wanted 2. Everyone could see that Fremont was following in Kazir''s footsteps by continuing the movies that Kazir started. But that didn''t sit well with some people. Some said that Fremont was just riding on Kazir''s success by making sequels to Kazir''s successful movies. Fremont still hadn''t proven himself to the industry. Fremont heard these rumors and he was concerned. He understood that the reason he achieved his status was because of Kazir. He considered Kazir his mentor. So he was grateful for what he did. Filming Taken 2 and John Wick 2 was not a problem for Fremont because he wanted to return the favor. Also, the salary was great for someone like him who only had two movies on his resume. However, after hearing the rumors, Fremont understood that he had to step up. He wanted to prove that he was not absorbing Kazir''s success. He wanted to start his own project. So once Wanted 2 was finished, he wanted to talk to Kazir and Salvatore about his next step. He respects Kazir and he wants to achieve what Kazir has achieved... Especially the Best Director award. After Kazir won the Academy''s Best Director Award, Fremont realized there was more to being a director. Making money and creating a legacy... He decided to look for scripts that could be turned into art films. But making art films could wait. For now, Fremont wanted to prove himself by starting his own project without the label of Grey Pictures and Continental Cinematic Universe. His contract also allowed him to make movies and work with other production studios. The contract stated that Fremont had to make five movies for CCU within 15 years. Obviously, he had plenty of time to do so. Four months had just passed and he was about to finish shooting Wanted 2. He was happy with the results and also with his fast and efficient work. Kazir knew that the newspaper he was reading was published yesterday and late. Well, he couldn''t be picky. March didn''t have any interesting movies except Bringing Down the House with Steve Martin and Queen Latifah. As of March 31, the movie has already grossed $100 million, which is amazing considering it was released in March. The film was distributed by Walt Disney. It seemed that this mid-budget ($33 million) movie was profitable. Kazir turned the page and sighed as he read the terrible news... [In March 2003, U.S. forces invaded Iraq, vowing to destroy Iraq''s "weapons of mass destruction" and end the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein.] Kazir knew the outcome of the Iraq war... It was tragic. The United States basically destroyed the country and its beautiful culture. Was it for 9/11? Or was it for oil? Kazir just shook his head. After all, he was just a regular guy working as a director in Hollywood. Like everyone else on the planet, he had to work to support himself and his loved ones. He should focus on his life because that was his priority. "... Am I being stoic or something?" He got up to take a shower to start his day. After that, Anderson picked him up early in the morning to drive him to the location. The beach where three pirate ships were floating on the sea. On his way to the beach, Kazir received a message from Stella Willow that someone was interested in Game of Thrones. His face frowned slightly as he read the message. Chapter 338 Chapter 338 Lucas Knox was a production manager at NBC. He was 42 years old this year, but he was already losing his hair and going bald. NBC was one of the biggest TV networks in the country and they were eager to find promising shows to fill their missing time slots. One of their shows was going to end this year and they were looking for another show to take over the time slot. There was a rumor that Grey Pictures was filming a project and it was a TV show/series. The rumor was that Kazir Grey might film the first five episodes of the show! Kazir Grey was recognized by everyone in the industry as the most profitable director of all time. All the movies he was involved with made money! If you want to make sure that your movies will do great at the box office, just consult Kazir. If you want to make sure that your career will flourish, just audition for Kazir''s movies. Want to find profitable scripts? Easy, just buy scripts from Kazir Grey! Because of this, Lucas was forced by his boss to contact Stella Willow, his former co-worker. Stella Willow and Lucas Knox started at the same company. The difference was that Stella slowly moved up in the company while Lucas stayed the same. He was jealous at the time and didn''t realize that the woman was a hardworking person and deserved every promotion she got. Unfortunately, he was too jealous to understand that in the past. So Lucas helped get Stella out of NBC. He spread rumors that Stella was sleeping with the bosses to get a promotion. It was all lies and Lucas knew it. When Stella resigned, that was the moment he realized he had made the wrong decision. The guy who took over Stella''s position as head of production management was much worse... Fortunately, this guy was fired for sexual harassment. Hah, look at that. But it did not help Lucas Knox, the new-new person who took over the position was much worse. And now Lucas suffered. He became the punching bag of the company and he could do nothing about it. He didn''t want to quit because he had a mortgage to pay. Something he couldn''t afford if he lost his job. So here he was, waiting for permission to meet with Stella Willow, the CEO of Grey Pictures. Even though NBC was bigger than Grey Pictures, Stella''s position was much better here in Grey Pictures. Now there was only one boss above her and she had the most authority in the company. Kazir knew that Game of Thrones was very popular with the rookie actors and actresses because it was Grey Pictures'' first TV show. The budget for each episode was $5-10 million. The news that Kazir would be shooting the first five episodes made it even better. Whenever Kazir was involved, the chances of success were higher. "Thank you, Miss Adam. We will call you as soon as we make a decision." Amy Adams, a beautiful actress, nodded. She looked at Kazir and said something. "Um, Director Grey. I just want to say that I also auditioned for a role in Napoleon Dynamite, and you said the same thing last time." She smiled bitterly. "Huh? Did I? Wait, Napoleon Dynamite was in 1995." That was almost a decade ago, and Kazir didn''t expect Amy Adams to actually audition for a role. "That''s right, I was before Reese Witherspoon." "I see," Kazir muttered. Amy Adams looked down and walked out of the room. It seemed she hadn''t done well this time, either. "Kazir, I actually remember her," Harold whispered to Kazir. "Is that so?" "Yes. Remember, I was with you when we saw her audition." So far the crew had met 7 actresses and all of them were promising. Even Amy Adams seemed like a possibility. But Kazir was still waiting for someone... Too bad, he didn''t know her name, so he just hoped to meet her today. He was looking for the original Daenerys Targaryen. Kazir could find an actress to play the part, but that was his second option. For now, he was waiting for a miracle. ''I hate that I don''t remember the actresss name... Man, I guess I''m getting older. I''m still in my 30s though.'' Chapter 339 Chapter 339 Kazir looked at the list of actresses and their information... Some of them didn''t have their pictures, which was a bit disappointing. ''... How can an actress apply for a job but hide her face or not put a picture in her resume at all?'' Kazir thought to himself. And the fact that these actresses passed the second round without putting pictures on their resumes was confusing. "Excuse me, some of the actresses didn''t have pictures. Why is that?" Kazir could easily identify the woman he was looking for if he could see her picture. After all, Kazir had a strong visual memory. "The casting director screwed up and accidentally destroyed some of the documents. What you see are copies of the originals, but the pictures are missing." "I see..." Kazir understood that it was a mistake and he was disappointed. He wanted to fire the casting director. But he decided to take it calmly. After all, people make mistakes. He had already fired his last casting director for having sex with the agent so that his client could pass the audition. To make matters worse, the actress didn''t meet the criteria at all. The next actress showed up and it was none other than Jessica Alba. "Wait, what?" Not only Kazir, but even Harold was confused. Jessica Alba was never on the list, nor was her resume on the table. "Hello, I''m Jessica Alba. I was in Spy Kids, The Sleeping Dictionary, Honey, and more. I''m here to audition for the role of Daenerys Targaryen." Jessica had her innocent smile. "Wait a minute," Kazir interrupted her introduction. "I just want to be clear. You auditioned for the role of Daenerys Targaryen and passed the second round?" "That''s right," Jessica nodded. "... Did your agent do something again?" Last time, Jessica''s agent had sex with the last casting director to get the actress through the audition. "Not that I know of." She replied. "..." Kazir leaned back in his chair. Jessica had tan skin, and she didn''t match the look of Daenerys Targaryen at all. Daenerys Targaryen was from the House Targaryen. They have pale white skin and white hair. Jessica didn''t fit the criteria at all. First of all, this was her first time auditioning. She was new to Hollywood and she wanted to be an actress. She didn''t even have an agent. She was a freelancer. The good news was that she made it through the two rounds even though she was basically a novice. Her acting talent was passable, but her looks fit the role, so the casting director gave her a chance. Still, almost everyone knew that Kazir wouldn''t just hire a nobody. Even Emilia Clarke understood. She had just turned 18, and this was her first decision as an independent adult. She went to the United States to try her luck. Well, she''s not going to lose anything for trying. "Emilia Clarke, please report to the audition room." "A- All right." She stuttered. She stood up and walked into the room, 9 people were sitting at the long table. A single camera was recording the audition. "Hi, I''m Emilia Clarke--" "You pass." "I''m from Oxfordshire, England. I just turned 18 two months ago-- W-wait what?" Emilia Clarke''s mind stopped working when she heard someone agree. Not only Emilia, but also the 8 people looked at Kazir with surprise and confusion. Kazir realized his mistake and coughed. "Sorry, I blurted that out without thinking. Continue with what you''re doing, but I want you to wear white hair wig first." "O- Okay." Emilia was a little disappointed, but she followed the instructions. She really thought she passed the audition. A makeup artist helped her put on the white hair wig. Once done, Kazir and the others nodded as they realized that the young actress fit the role, at least in appearance. ++++ [I''ll post two more chapters later. Just think of it as a Christmas and birthday present from me. Tomorrow is my birthday, so I just want to share the blessing of having lived another year. Even though life is bitter, it''s also sweet and I appreciate that. I''m also going to post three chapters tomorrow and the next day]. [I actually did a poll for the role of Daenerys Targaryen with three actresses to vote which were Sienna Miller, Rachel Weisz, and Emilia Clarke. Yeah, it was useless poll since most people voted for Emilia Clarke.] Chapter 340 Chapter 340 Emilia Clarke was a little surprised that the crew took the importance of someone like her, a nobody. She had no previous work to put on her resume. Fortunately, her appearance seemed to fit the role the crew was looking for. They gave her scenarios to act out. She read part of the script and did her best. She noticed that the guy in the middle seemed to be interested in her. He kept asking her questions and telling her to do things. Funny enough, she didn''t find it uncomfortable. The man was sincere and serious, he didn''t have any hidden motives. At least that was how Emilia saw it... She was actually nervous when the man looked at her seriously. She blushed for some reason and apologized when she blushed. The woman didn''t know anything about Kazir''s face. She had just come to the United States and her knowledge about the director was limited. She only knew that Kazir Grey was the most famous and profitable director in Hollywood. Many production studios wanted to buy his scripts or hire him as a director. Emilia saw Kazir''s face in a newspaper, but the guy had a beard, so she couldn''t recognize the current Kazir. ''... He''s actually handsome.'' Her mind wandered a bit. "Miss Clarke." "Ah? Y- Yes!" "Your acting is barely passable." The handsome man said. His authority in the crew seemed to be high, because all nine people in the room, including Emilia, listened to him seriously. "I''m sorry, sir. I will try my best. I will enroll in an acting class." "You better do that." The man nodded. "..." Emilia bit her lip. She changed her mind, the guy was not handsome. He was average at best! Especially with an attitude like that. "You do understand that the role you''re trying to get has nude scenes, right?" Kazir asked again. "Yes. I want to be an actress and I think I will experience nude scenes anyway, I just decided to do it early in my career." She replied. For someone like her who didn''t have a foundation in the industry, she had to be brave to get what she wanted. She knew that if she said no, her career in Hollywood would be over. This was her first big break, and she might get the same opportunity in her life again. Especially when Game Of Thrones was funded and produced by Grey Pictures, a big studio. For her career to blossom, she had to let go of her pride... Well, almost every person had to let go of their pride one way or another just to keep their jobs and make money. The world was not sunshine. In fact, she won''t hesitate if that "average guy" tells her to strip naked. She heard that in some auditions, the director would ask the actresses to strip, weather for professional purposes or lust. This was her first big role and she didn''t want to make a mistake and regret it later. She was an adult and could make her own decision. Their conversation continued until they had listed three actresses to choose from. 1. Sienna Miller 2. Amy Adams 3. Emilia Clarke The final decision, however, would always rest with Kazir. At least at the beginning of Season 1, Kazir had the most authority on the project. "... Let''s go with Emilia Clarke." Kazir muttered, and the people did not turn against their boss. They just trust Kazir at this point, after all the successes he has had in the industry. They believed that Kazir had a reason for casting Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen. "I have her number, so I guess I''ll be the one to tell her the good news." He shrugged. After that, he had to head over to ILM to check out the CGI editing on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. ... ... ... Emilia slurped down the ramen noodles she bought at the grocery store. Six-packs of ramen noodles for $2 was the most delicious meal for someone like her who was short on cash. She kept glancing at her Nokia 3310 cell phone, hoping for good news. "I should probably get a job. Who am I kidding, I''m just a nobody. I''m sure they hired Jessica Alba or some other actress." Emilia saw a lot of famous actresses as she waited in line in the audition. All of them had starred in at least one movie. Right after she finished her noodle soup, her phone rang and Emilia jumped in surprise. It was from an unknown number, but she decided to answer it. ++++ [The second chapter for today.] [Also, I have no idea what the fuck I''m doing with this chapter.] Chapter 341 Chapter 341 "Hello, this is Emilia Clarke, right?" "Yes, sir. That''s me." She recognized the voice. It was the average guy. "You pass. You can go to the Grey Pictures building tomorrow and ask for an inquiry. They''ll tell you what to do." "E- Excuse me, sir? I passed the audition." She was surprised as she wiped her soup glistening lips. "Yes." "T- Thank you, sir! Thank you so much." "I like the enthusiasm. By the way, stop calling me sir. Just call me Kazir or Director instead." "Huh?" The call ended with that, leaving Emilia speechless and stunned. ...... ... ... Franklin Maxwell got out of his car after parking it. He looked around and saw a lot of people wearing swim trunks, bathing suits and bikinis. He was at Paradise Cove, a famous beach in Los Angeles. He wiped off his sweat and went to where the movie was being shot. Franklin was Orlando Bloom''s agent. He was also the agent who tried to convince Kazir to change his agency back to WMA. Franklin went to great lengths, even going so far as to use sexy actresses and handsome actors to convince the director. Unfortunately, his plan didn''t work. He thought everything was going well until news broke that Kazir Grey had renewed his contract with CAA. Franklin received a lot of backlash from management. Almost a decade passed, but the WMA was still bitter about losing someone like Kazir. Now the director was recognized as the best director in the industry. No one could deny Kazir''s talent in making blockbuster movies. The profit he brought to many studios was a huge amount. On top of that, Kazir had a project every year! He was the most efficient and profitable director in the industry for a reason. Everyone would love to work with a guy like that. "Cut! Ten minute break!" Kazir announced, and the people dispersed and went about their business. Orlando Bloom saw his agent and approached him. The final part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy was to be released this year and Orlando had already finished all his scenes a few months ago. He was concentrating all his time on Pirates Of The Caribbean. "Frank, what are you doing here? I thought you were meeting one of your clients today." "You''re my biggest client, of course I should take care of you first. Warner Brothers contacted me, they want you to star in one of their big projects." "Can I know the title? Have they given you the script?" "It''s here." The agent handed the script to Orlando. "Troy? You mean the Trojan War?" "Epic war movies are becoming increasingly popular. Gladiator, Lord of the Rings, Saving Private Ryan, and even The Revenant. All of them have been successful at the box office. You can read the script and tell me what you think. Just don''t tell anyone for now... Well, you can ask Kazir for his opinion on the script. Don''t worry, that''s one of the reasons I''m here. Warner Brothers wants to know Kazir''s opinion on this epic movie". Franklin was too shy to talk to Kazir, so he decided to use Orlando instead. "I understand." Clueless, Orlando easily agreed and started reading the script. "Whose character am I playing?" "It''s Prince Paris. Prince of Troy, Prince Hector''s younger brother." Orlando had no idea who they were, but he nodded. This was a Warner Bros. project, they would probably spend at least $70 million on this project. That meant Orlando could get a huge salary. After all, money was one of the main reasons why actors and actresses did this job. +++++ [I saw Troy a few years and I liked it. I still remember the opening scene when Brad Pitt defeated a tall warrior with one attack. Anyway, I posted three chapters today. If you want to read more, you can wait for the three chapters tomorrow or subscribe to my Patreon or Ko-fi]. Chapter 342 Chapter 342 "Wow.... Keira, you are so lucky to be a part of this movie! I can''t believe you get to see something sexy every day!" The young woman licked her lips slightly as she looked at Kazir who was sitting topless on his chair. The director was resting under the tent, checking the footages. "Susan, stop your inappropriate thoughts. This is a serious job." Keira Knightley sighed when she heard her personal assistant. Her assistant was good and attentive, her only drawback was her lust. She was down bad as hell. As long as the guy was handsome, Susan had no problem showing him a good time. The two women talked in their tent, waiting for filming to resume. The makeup artist had just finished retouching Keira''s makeup. And in this business, Susan had a lot of people to choose from. She felt like she was at a buffet where she could eat anything she wanted and every dish was delicious! Hollywood was full of hot and handsome men! And now Susan realized that the famous director was actually a hunk! Susan knew that Kazir was handsome, but now her opinion of the director was at an all-time high. "Come on, Keira. I know I''m not the only one attracted to him." "Well," Keira looked away. She admitted that Kazir was hot. No lie, if Kazir were single, Keira wouldn''t hesitate to flirt with him. Unfortunately, the guy had a girlfriend and it seemed like their relationship was going great. She was jealous of Angelina Jolie for having the perfect boyfriend. Kazir is talented. He is mature. He is handsome, tall and hot. He is also a billionaire! He was basically everything a woman could want in a man. He checked off everything on the checklist. Keira was interested in Kazir, but her infatuation was not that high. At least she wasn''t going to act like a slut just to get his attention. Besides, the man was very serious about his work. He understood the importance of this project and so did Keira. Grey Pictures might have to take out a loan or find someone to invest in their movies or TV show. It was true that Kazir had received $1 billion from 20th Century Fox. At the end of the day, it was his money and he could spend it however he wanted. So he decided to invest in Google and Apple. He was still waiting for Mark Zuckerberg to create Facebook. Grey Pictures could easily find an investor, the company was hot right now. Even 20th Century Fox was willing to invest in Game of Thrones as long as they got the broadcast rights. Well, that was not the reason Kazir was upset. An investor wanted to contact Kazir about investing in Game of Thrones. The person did not ask for much. As long as the profit shares were right, the investor wouldn''t have a problem. The investor only wanted one thing. The investor hoped that her daughter, Mara Cohen, would get a role in Game of Thrones. When Kazir heard this, his face went cold. He knew who Mara Cohen was. She was his half-sister on his mother''s side. After the incident a few years ago, Kazir lost all hope for his mother. He was very hurt at the time. He was depressed and it took him a long time to move on. He decided never to think about her. That was the best way. But he didn''t think the woman would actually do that. His mother contacted Stella because she wanted to invest in Game of Thrones. From the looks of it, she has a lot of money. Maybe she is confident in the return of investment that Game of Thrones can bring. Kazir chuckled. He suddenly thought of letting his mother invest in the project and Kazir would sabotage Game of Thrones so that Elizabeth Cohen would lose her money. Fortunately, Kazir was not stupid. The idea immediately disappeared from his mind. But his mood was bad all day. The crew sensed that something was wrong, so they were quiet most of the time. Even Orlando Bloom didn''t dare talk to Kazir about the Troy script. Nevertheless, the shooting went very fast that day. Probably because everyone was serious and didn''t dare make any mistakes except for Keira. Maybe it is not so bad to be serious and angry. At least the filming went fast. ++++ [I''ll post two more chapters later. Happy birthday to me.] Chapter 343 Chapter 343 "So what''s on our agenda this year?" Ronald Meyer began the first quarterly meeting of the year. Ronald Meyer was the CEO of Universal Pictures and his management was amazing. He was the one who pushed the plan to make The Mummy. Now The Mummy has become one of their most profitable franchises. He was also the one who convinced Spielberg to direct Jurassic Park. The movie was based on a novel, but Universal found the potential of this novel and bought the rights to adapt it. "Sir, Maid In Manhattan has already grossed $150 million at the worldwide box office. We already rented a hotel to celebrate the success of Maid In Manhattan." The presenter announced. The executives nodded at the good news. Profits were always good. Universal Pictures'' major shareholders were GE (General Electric) and Vivendi. "That''s great to hear, what else?" "Johnny English is coming out in July." The presenter added. "Yes, we already talked about that a month ago. Is there a reason why you say it again?" "... We heard the news that The Equalizer, the new Grey Pictures movie, will be released in July." The meeting room fell silent. Ronald''s expression turned slightly sour. Grey Pictures and Kazir Grey, these two names are famous in the industry right now... Universal Pictures was bitter because they had never worked with Kazir Grey! None at all! Even scripts they couldn''t buy at all! It was all because of that stupid pig! Harvey Weinstein! Back then, Harvey Weinstein and Universal Pictures joined forces to destroy Kazir''s reputation. But they failed miserably. The Nutty Professor was nothing compared to The Hangover! Because of this incident, Universal Pictures lost the chance to work with Kazir Grey. How much did they regret that? Working with somebody like Kazir means easy profit these days. For a company that lives on profits, they would have hugged Kazir''s leg. Actually, they wanted to join the fight to take over Grey Pictures, but they were ashamed to do so. They knew they were wasting their time. Grey Pictures wouldn''t agree to work with Universal Pictures. Although it was still 2003, so Danny had just made 28 Days Later. It was about zombies, starring Cillian Murphy. As for Zack Snyder, he was still a music film director and this could be his first time directing a movie... If Universal Pictures gives him the project, of course. Funny that these directors started their careers with horror movies. Well, horror movies were the cheapest genre to make, and the profit they could bring was huge. And yes, Kazir also started his career as a horror director. "Let''s go with Zack Snyder." The CEO of Universal Pictures, Ronald Meyer, announced. What they didn''t know was that a certain production studio had already contacted Zack Snyder. ... ... ... "So our budget is in the red right now?" Kazir asked Stella and the finance team about their budget. "That''s right." Kazir looked at the data. They had four projects this year and they were all expensive. The budget for The Equalizer was set at $50 million, but that amount would probably increase once they started promoting the movie. The Wanted 2 had a budget of $80 million. The budget may increase as well. Pirates of the Caribbean had a budget of $120 million. Even if Kazir knew how to control the budget, the promotion would also increase the budget. As for Game of Thrones, the first season had 10 episodes. That was the best they could do because Game of Thrones was expensive. They set a budget at least of $5 million per episode. Combining the four projects, Grey Pictures had to spend $300 million! That was certainly expensive. Their revenue last year was about $600 million, but their profit was only 30% of that. They also have to pay taxes, salaries, building maintenance, and film equipment. They were really not in a good situation. Chapter 344 Chapter 344 Grey Pictures might have a hard time this year. Although the revenue that came back to the company was huge, their expenses this year were also huge. "We have two methods. Find an investor or take out a loan." Stella said. The difference between the Big Six and Grey Pictures was their foundation. Unlike the Big Six, who could afford to make a failed movie, Grey Pictures would suffer if one of their movies or TV shows flopped. Grey Pictures would have a hard time if that happened. "My advice is to take out a loan. I know 20th Century Fox and other people are excited to invest in our movies, but they also want a share of our profits. Taking a loan is better, the interest rate is nothing compare to sharing the profits for years." Stella Willow added, and Kazir agreed. With their status, they could easily find a bank to give them a loan. The company is debt-free after paying off the loan 3 years ago. The loan in question was the $50 million he used to produce Taken and buy the superhero copyrights from Marvel in 1996. His credit was good, so banks would definitely approve. The question was how much to borrow. "I suggest at least $100 million for a 10-year term." Seems possible, although Kazir was not knowledgeable about such things. Even his knowledge of taxes was mediocre. To be fair, schools never taught taxes when Kazir was a student. "Let''s do this." 20th Century Fox expressed that they wanted Game of Thrones to be broadcast on Fox TV. He told them that he needed to step away from the CCU for a while and focus on his own career. Well, Salvatore and Kazir had their opinions, but they decided to respect Fremont. Salvatore was Fremont''s agent and he hoped that Fremont''s next project would be successful... Otherwise his value as a director would go down. Fremont said that he was interested in different genres, but he was still not sure what to make. Perhaps there was a script out there that could catch his attention. By the end of April, Pirates of the Caribbean had finished shooting. Most of the scenes that needed special effects were shot first and Industrial Light & Magic did their job. April 30th came and Anger Management made $106.05 million at the North American box office. Sony-Columbia has been doing well lately. On the same day, X-Men 2 was released. X-Men was released before Marvel Comics was acquired by News Corporation, so this franchise was not included in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe, at least not yet. Unlike the release of Anger Management, Kazir decided to attend the red carpet for X-Men 2 because Avi Arad and Stan Lee would also be attending the premiere. Grey Pictures and 20th Century had close ties, and attending X-Men 2 was a sign of courtesy... Although Kazir didn''t like the looks of the women around him. The news of him being topless on the beach went viral and people realized that Kazir was not only talented and handsome... This was also the reason why he was alone tonight, his partner was missing. Kazir talked to Angelina about the promotion before the pictures were published. She understood why, but she was bitter. In her opinion, her boyfriend''s body should only be seen by her and nothing else. After all, Angelina knew what a man Kazir was. They were not on bad terms... Kazir thought so. +++++ [I post three chapters today. If you want to read more, you can wait for the three chapters tomorrow or subscribe to my Patreon or Ko-fi]. Chapter 345 Chapter 345 Actually, X-Men was the second successful movie franchise for Marvel Comics. Blade was released in 1998 and was a box office hit. Perhaps the box office success of Blade started the hype surrounding the vampire genre. The film starred Wesley Snipes as Blade. ''... Speaking of Wesley Snipes, the actor tried to audition for the role of Robert McCall, the protagonist of The Equalizer.'' Kazir remembered this fact because The Equalizer has been hyped and promoted quite a bit lately. Also, Wesley Snipes was a famous black actor. Unfortunately, Kazir Grey wanted to hire Denzel Washington... Kazir also knew that Wesley Snipes had a temper. Working with someone like that could jeopardize the franchise. ''I remembered that Blade 3 had a lot of problems. Wesley Snipes was always high on drugs when he was on the set. Wesley and the director confronted each other and promised never to work together again... This just rumors though.'' Blade was produced by New Line Cinema, who of course bought the rights from Marvel Comics. This franchise was the reason why Marvel Comics recently focused their business on movies. They saw hope, they saw how they could survive and possibly become the most famous superhero franchise in the industry, beating DC Comics. The first installment of Blade (1998) grossed $131 million. The budget was $45 million. The second film, Blade 2 (2002), grossed $155 million. The budget was $54 million. It may be nothing compared to the box office of CCU movies, but it was true that the Blade franchise was profitable. Marvel Comics realized they could use this method to stay relevant. Blade (1998) gave them a chance. And then in 2000, X-Men was released and it slowly changed the trajectory of the company. The movie rights to X-Men were acquired by 20th Century Fox. 20th Century Fox purchased the movie rights to X-Men and other related characters in 1994 for $2,600,000. Honestly, 20th Century Fox was lucky to acquire X-Men because X-Men had a lot of characters they could use... One of those characters was Deadpool. A crazy mutant who can break the fourth wall. 20th Century Fox took advantage of Marvel Comics'' moment of weakness and now they were having a time of their lives making money by making X-Men movies. The first X-Men movie grossed $296 million on a budget of $75 million. This surge in box office gave Marvel Comics a better idea about their business and how to stay relevant. Marvel Comics was doing well after X-Men, but everything changed when Spider-Man was released in 2001! This movie was the fourth film to gross $1 billion at the box office! Sony-Colombia recognized the importance of this project by hiring someone as talented as Kazir Grey. Maybe that was the factor that made Spider-Man super successful. "Are you talking about Chairman Eisner''s resignation?" "No, not that... I don''t even know who you''re talking about. I''m talking about Warner Brothers and DC Comics. I heard that they are also trying to start a Cinematic Universe. What do you think about that?" Kazir nodded. He had heard about it, too, and he knew that Warner Brothers was serious. However, Kazir knew the outcome of their plan. Superman Returns and Batman Begins are their launch movies. Too bad, because Superman Returns was a lost cause. Superman Returns only made $391 million at the box office. For something like Superman, that was too little. Especially when the production cost of the movie was over $200 million. Warner Brothers suffered a lot from Superman Returns. Fortunately, Batman Begins did well. It grossed $373 million against a budget of $150 million. It clearly did better than Superman Returns. Because of this failure, Warner Brothers decided to make Batman a trilogy instead and called it The Dark Knight. As for their plan for the Cinematic Universe, they had to adjust and wait a few years for people to forget about the failure of Superman Returns. Man Of Steel was released in 2013, the starting film of the DCEU. This time, Warner Brothers decided to go for a darker theme. To show how destructive Superman''s race really was. And this plan worked, the movie made $668 million with a budget of $225 million. ''Unless Warner Brothers and DC decided to go with a darker storyline, their plan to start a Cinematic Universe will fail this time. Although I have to admit that The Dark Knight trilogy is a masterpiece. I can''t wait to see it in theaters.'' "Kazir, DC Comics is the most famous comic book publisher in North America. I hate to say it, but they beat Marvel a long time ago." Stan Lee admitted, gritting his teeth. The two companies had the same products and a decade ago they were on equal footing. But things started to go downhill for Marvel Comics when Superman and Batman hit the big screen. More people preferred DC Comics. "Stan, are you afraid of DC Comics?" He teased the old man, and Stan Lee shook his head. ++++++ [There will be two more chapters later.] Chapter 346 Chapter 346 "No, but I also know that their superheroes have a better status than ours... We have to sell the movie rights of our superheroes just to stay afloat." Stan gave Kazir a side-eye and Kazir kept his smile... Grey Pictures acquired a lot of superheroes from Marvel almost a decade ago. 20th Century Fox had X-Men and Fantastic Four. New Line Cinema had Blade. Sony-Columbia had Spider-Man. As for Grey Pictures, the studio basically raided Marvel''s library. Marvel Comics was left with a few characters. "It''s a good thing we''re under the same company, otherwise the negotiations would take a long time." Stan Lee added, and Kazir agreed. The two sides decided to create another studio to be called Marvel Studio. Kazir would be the director/executive and Avi Arad the producer. Grey Pictures transferred the film rights to this studio in exchange for a share of the profits. He knew that making a superhero movie required a lot of investment, and Grey Pictures was in a tight spot right now. It would be better to have a share of the profits than to shoulder a multi-million dollar budget. Grey Pictures couldn''t afford to invest in Marvel movies anyway. Each Marvel movie would cost over $100 million to produce. ''Besides, I have to work with Stan Lee and the other people at Marvel Comics to make sure the plot of the MCU is perfect. After all, I don''t know all their superheroes.'' "By the way, Stan. Are you interested in doing cameos in the MCU?" "Like you did in CCU?" "Yeah. Just think of it as a tradition." "Of course I''m happy to do it. I''m going to spend a lot of time on the set anyway, so I might as well put myself in front of the camera. I''m sure my grandkids will love it." Avi Arad appeared a few minutes later. Unlike Stan Lee, Avi Arad''s main topic of conversation was business and how they could make sure their upcoming projects would be successful. Next year, Kazir would be working for Sony-Colombia to produce Spider-Man 2. Sony-Colombia had already prepared everything they needed such as props and locations, all they had to do was shoot the movie. Spider-Man was the highest grossing superhero movie at the time. Superhero movies were becoming more popular and more people wanted to see them. The hype that Spider-Man created had a positive effect on X-Men 2. As a result, X-Men 2 also dominated the second week of May. Its reign only ended when Warner Brothers released Matrix Reloaded, one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Despite being an R-rated movie, The Matrix Reloaded sold a lot of tickets. The Matrix, released in 1999, was highly regarded as one of the best R-rated movies of all time. People were excited to see Neo again. Unfortunately, the Wachowskis were given full authority over the production. The Wachowskis decided to focus more on philosophical scenes instead of giving the audience what they wanted. The audience was left confused at the end of the movie. This was one of the reasons why directors rarely had full authority over projects. Because most directors wanted to focus on artistic and philosophical scenes, forgetting the fact that the main reason for producing movies is to make money. Fortunately, Kazir knew that the box office is the most important aspect of this industry. As long as you make money, people will respect you no matter what genre you make. Horror directors, comedy directors, action directors. As long as their movies make money, they stay relevant. The first weekend of The Matrix Reloaded grossed $73.38 million, knocking X-Men 2 off its throne. While the summer season was busy for Hollywood, Kazir also spent time editing his project. All of the special effects for Pirates of the Caribbean were complete, and all he had to do was assemble each scene into a movie. With the help of Rector and the editing team, Pirates of the Caribbean was slowly taking shape as a story. Kazir was determined to break the curse of pirate-themed movies. In the middle of editing, Kazir received a message from someone. It was from his girlfriend, Angelina Jolie. The woman wanted to meet him at a bar to talk. Of course, Kazir agreed. He also wanted to talk to Angelina about what happened last time. "Guys, the work today is done," Kazir announced. "Finally, an early exit." Rector was the first to leave the room, his wife would be grumpy again if he returned to the house late. Chapter 347 Chapter 347 Kazir got out of his expensive car, he was alone. Erica and his new bodyguard Anderson were not with him. To be honest, he was still not comfortable with having people around him, following him. He looked at the bar he usually visited when he wanted to relax. This bar was famous for having a nice atmosphere, and jazz music played softly while he enjoyed the taste of alcohol. He entered the bar and looked around. In the corner of the room, a woman was minding her own business, waiting for someone. Kazir approached the woman. "Babe, how''s your day?" "It''s good." The two shared a gentle kiss before sitting down. Suddenly, Kazir frowned as he sensed something strange from Angelina. "Why do you cover your left arm?" "Oh, that...? It''s just a bruise, no big deal." Angelina showed her arm to Kazir, a long but thin wound was there. Kazir grabbed her arm and inspected it, stroking it lightly, tracing the wound. "I had a little accident while filming Lara Croft. Don''t worry, the doctor already disinfected it and it''s not that deep, it won''t leave a scar." Angelina blushed slightly as she saw Kazir''s worried expression. She could not help smiling... The wound was nothing, this kind of bruise could happen when shooting an action scene. She just wanted to worry Kazir and it seemed that her method worked. "Does it hurt?" "Babe, it''s technically a graze... W- Well, it was actually painful at first- W-What are you doing...?" Angelina almost squealed as Kazir showered her arm with kisses... Note that they were in a bar and there were some customers in the establishment who could see what they were doing. "I''m just doing what I can. I heard that kissing a wound makes it less painful." "What are you? A child?" Angelina giggled and tapped him on the shoulder. She tried to hide the fact that she blushed when Kazir gently kissed her arm. "Why didn''t you tell me you had an accident? I would end my work today just to be with you." "... Let''s leave this place." "Yes, let''s go back to your house." Angelina happily agreed. She was ready to solo this famous director tonight. The two left the bar and Kazir clicked his tongue. He saw someone he recognized. "There''s a paparazzi a few meters to your left. Let''s go before the paparazzi start asking us questions." Kazir grabbed Angelina''s hand and walked quickly. Angelina instinctively turned to her left and saw a man approaching them quickly, clicking his camera furiously. "You need a strong promotion, right?" Angelina had an idea while licking her lips. "Angelina--" The woman hugged Kazir''s neck and kissed him. Kazir was surprised at first, but he responded and kissed her back. The two shared a passionate kiss in the middle of the night. The paparazzi were stunned and stopped moving. However, his fingers continued to click the camera. Seconds passed and their lips parted, the two panting. "Angelina, what was that?" "Nothing, I was just thinking of a way to promote my movie and your movie at the same time.... So, how about another kiss?" "I''ll never turn down your offer." Angelina giggled before Kazir grabbed the back of her head and kissed her roughly, tonguing her and making her moan in between. +++++ [Author''s Note: A little slice of life since the next chapter will be about the release of Pirates Of The Caribbean. Thanks for all the support, I know I sometimes disappeared for quite a while]. [Now I''m back to the usual schedule, which means I don''t know when I''ll update again... If you want to read more, you can wait for the update or subscribe to my Patreon or Ko-fi]. Chapter 348 Chapter 348 The Matrix Reloaded basically dominated the last two weeks of May. There were no profitable movies at that time except Matrix. The Big Six were smart enough to understand that facing something as powerful as The Matrix Reloaded would be bad for their business. The Matrix Reloaded had a promising result and the Big Six decided not to release their movies close to Matrix Reloaded because their movies would be badly affected by Matrix Reloaded. So within two weeks, The Matrix Reloaded easily grossed $217 million at the North American box office. The Matrix gained a lot of fans all over the country. Even the fashion sense was affected by this movie because a lot of people were now wearing black windbreakers with sunglasses and things like that. The influence of this movie was massive, many people couldn''t deny it. Unfortunately, the two sequels would be a disappointment for many people. The Matrix Reloaded had a lot of philosophical scenes that confused the audience and affected the box office. "We can''t follow our plan."No?v(el)B\\jnn Alan Horn, the COO (Chief Operating Officer) of Warner Brothers announced in the meeting. The results of The Matrix Reloaded were studied by professionals. Although The Matrix Reloaded made a lot of money in its first two weeks, the executives clearly saw that the audience response was not good. CinemaScore gave the movie a B+, and that was just the first 5,000 votes. That rating would continue to drop. Based on that score alone, the audience didn''t like the movie. Not that much. "If this continues, we will have to release the third movie this year to get as much profit as possible." If they let the third Matrix movie come out in a few years, the audience would lose all interest. So before it could happen, the executives at Warner Brothers agreed that they had to release the third movie this year. That was the safest way. They didn''t want to wait any longer because it was obvious that the fans were losing interest. "It''s a good thing we shot the second and third movies at the same time, the Wachowskis just need time to polish the movie..." With a budget of $94 million, this animated film easily captured the attention of many hearts... No lie, Finding Nemo was a masterpiece. On its first day alone, Finding Nemo grossed $20.20 million at the North American box office. This movie was rated PG-13, so the whole family could see it with no problem. And that was the magic of animated movies like Finding Nemo, every age could enjoy it. Parents could enjoy it, understand the plot and be touched by how the father clownfish suffered and sacrificed just to find and save his son. Children enjoyed it because it was a cartoon. It was a common knowledge that kids love to watch cartoons. Even though Disney was an asshole sometimes, it didn''t change the fact that Walt Disney was the greatest animation studio in Hollywood. Their movies were deep and close to the human heart... Except for the old racist/prejudice movies. Like Song Of The South, Pocahontas, and Peter Pan... Disney decided to forget about those movies because they didn''t fit their family oriented image. Anyway, Finding Nemo was a great movie and dominated June without any problems. From May 30 to June 27, Finding Nemo was the king of the box office. It made $244.27 million at the box office. On June 27, 2003 another big movie was released. It was produced by Sony-Colombia with the title Charlie''s Angels: Full Throttle. It starred Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Lui. This action film with three female protagonists was very well received. On its first weekend, Charlie''s Angels: Full Throttle grossed $37 million at the box office. In the same weekend, Finding Nemo only made $9 million, making Charlie''s Angels: Full Throttle the week''s box office champion. ++++ [Yeah... I''ll post another chapter in an hour.] Chapter 349 Chapter 349 "What we see here is director Grey''s trailer for Wanted, which was released in 2000. I want to hear your opinion about this trailer. Does it have an impact on the $1 billion box office of Wanted or not?" The professor, who teaches filmmaking to students at the California Institute of the Arts, ended the trailer. One student raised her hand because she knew the professor loved it when a student actively participated in class. In fact, she was an avid fan of Director Grey''s. "I think Director Grey''s trailer has a strong effect. The way this trailer was created easily attracted people''s attention. I can''t explain it, but the music, the editing, the cutting, I feel like I want to watch Wanted again". Alexa Nguyen, an Asian student, expressed her opinion. She was not an expert in filmmaking, but she wanted to be an actress, so she decided to take this class. The professor nodded and started to talk about his opinion. He explained how Director Grey used suspense music to excite and attract the audience. After this class, Alexa Nguyen decided to go to the cafeteria for lunch. She heard a group of young women giggling and staring at her. Nguyen dreamed of being an actress, but her appearance was her worst enemy. She had slanted eyes, a flat nose, and olive-brown skin. Yes, she knew she wasn''t that beautiful, but that didn''t stop her. She knew that with her looks, the best roles she could get were the stereotypical Asian roles-- An Asian woman running a restaurant, maybe with a thick Asian accent. However, Alexa Nguyen was born in the United States and she spoke like a normal American. Hollywood had a habit of creating stereotypes. Black people with strong language/profanity. Blonde women are portrayed as dumb and stupid. Hispanics are in the cartel. Italians are in the mafia. Asians have thick Asian accents and know kung fu and stuff. One of Alexa''s dreams was to break those stereotypes. That is why she was a fan of Enzo Park. His role in Continental Cinematic Universe was cool, he didn''t have the usual thick Asian accent. "Tch, what an ugly bitch." Alexa had actually been a member of Grey Fans since its inception. She was active in the group, sometimes running small meetups. She couldn''t help but squeal. She would have the chance to meet her idol. ''... Now that I think about it, should I ask Director Grey about his younger sister''s attitude? Mara acts too much.'' ...... ... ... During a meeting for Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl, Tom Rothman told Kazir about management''s intentions regarding the release of Wanted 2. "You want Wanted 2 to have a simultaneous wide release?" Simultaneous wide release was not new. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones opened in 3,161 theaters in the United States and Canada and in 73 other countries on 5,854 screens. This year, 20th Century Fox released X2, the second installment of the X-Men film series, in 3,741 theaters in the U.S. and Canada and in 93 markets overseas on 7,316 screens. Based on the success of X-Men 2, 20th Century Fox was confident that Wanted 2 would do even better. ++++ [Author''s note: Yes, two chapters today. There will probably be two chapters tomorrow as well... Probably] [Anyway, I hope you guys understand that this novel is fake and made up by my low IQ brain. You don''t have to remind me that this novel is stupid... It hurts. Nah, I''m just kidding. You can bash the novel all you want.] [All I want is for you to enjoy this novel, no matter how bad or good it is. Like I said, I accept any kind of criticism. After all, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If you think this novel deserves a 1-star rating, I''ll gladly accept it because it''s your honest opinion. Who am I to stop you?] [See you tomorrow... I hope] Chapter 350 Chapter 350 The use of digital cameras was becoming popular, and most production studios preferred to use them instead of the old cameras that needed film reels to record video. Digital cameras only needed SD cards or DVD disks, but SD card was the most popular method. Of course, Kazir immediately followed these changes, knowing that digital cameras would dominate the industry and that people who used traditional cameras and film reels in their projects were just using them for novelty. Now, Grey Pictures didn''t have to use a truck to store their reels when they were shooting outside the studio. They also didn''t have to change the reels every few minutes because the SD cards had more storage despite their small size. Reels, or should I say films, were also used in theaters. The Big Six and other film distributors would print thousands of copies of movies and give them to Cinema Alliance to release in thousands of theaters. Week by week, the number of theaters showing the films would decrease and the reels would be returned to the Big Six. Then the Big Six would send those reels to foreign countries to be used in their theaters to show the movie. But now things are getting better. More theaters have adapted to using SD cards because they are easier to use than film reels, which are big and heavy. IMAX and 3D technology also became popular. This made it easier to distribute movies. If 20th Century Fox followed the same procedure as they did with X-Men 2, Wanted 2 could be released in foreign countries at the same day. Of course, the cost might be higher, but the company was confident in Wanted 2. This was the franchise that grossed $1 billion at the box office. Surely its sequel would do just as well. Kazir thought about it and had no problem. "We''ll give priority to English-speaking countries, most of their theaters have already adapted to the new technology." "That''s fine with me." He knew that this conversation was not yet in effect, with no official contract and all. After all, this was a meeting to prepare for Pirates of the Caribbean. Because the director of this movie was none other than Kazir Grey. Last year, The Revenant made over $500 million despite not being a mainstream genre. Even if Pirates of the Caribbean wasn''t a popular genre, its performance could still threaten Terminator 3. ...... ... ... The TCL Chinese Theatre was buzzing tonight as the red carpet was already laid. Reporters flashed their cameras at the cast as they arrived one by one. Fans of the movie were also waiting for their idols. Some were fans of Johnny Depp. Some were fans of Orlando Bloom. Some were fans of Kazir Grey. They call themselves Grey fans. For this premiere, Kazir promised to have dinner with his ten most loyal fans. "Woohoo! Kazir, you''re so handsome!" "Kazir, baby! Give me baby! Impregnate me! I''m a femboy--!! Some of the fans shouted as Kazir, wearing a black tuxedo, stepped out of the limousine. As usual, Kazir was accompanied by his girlfriend, Angelina Jolie. They kept their smiles on despite the deafening screams and blinding lights. ++++ [There will be another chapter a few minutes later, maybe half an hour later.] Chapter 351 Chapter 351 [I decided not to add a summary for Pirates Of The Caribbean, since I didn''t change anything. If you''re interested, you can watch the movie instead. I watched the franchise up to Strangers Tide, but after that I''m lost. By the way, my favorite is At World''s End. The third one is probably the best.] "Ah yes, my hat kept falling off because of the strong wind. The pirate hat was originally made of leather, but the crew decided to make it of rubber so it wouldn''t sink into the sea. We lost a lot of hats the first time we shot the movie in Haiti." Johnny laughed. Unlike leather hats, rubber hats float on the surface of the ocean. The crew could easily retrieve the rubber hats, which saved them money. The crew lost nearly ten leather hats at sea... "Oh, that''s interesting news. I wasn''t expecting that." The reporter said to Johnny Depp. The actor nodded and went on. "Actually, we also experienced a typhoon in the Bahamas. The crew lost a lot of equipment. I can say that this project suffered, although I''m amazed at how director Grey pulled it off. I realized that he''s talented for a reason." "What did you learn from working with Director Grey?" "Hm, I guess being professional. Don''t get me wrong, I''m already a professional and take my work seriously, but Director Grey''s dedication is amazing." Johnny Depp didn''t elaborate, but he witnessed Kazir maintaining his stoic expression while dozens of women in bikinis flirted with him. At that time, Kazir had to go to a grocery store to buy Gatorade for his headaches from lack of sleep. He was then ambushed by women in bikinis. Johnny Depp was a little far away, but he witnessed the incident. If he were in Kazir''s shoes, he might bring two or three of these women back to his hotel room and have some fun. Sometimes he wondered if Kazir was gay or just another kind of man. What Johnny didn''t know was that Kazir was afraid of women... The interview ended and it was time for Johnny Depp to enter the theater. There were many reasons why Johnny Depp accepted the role of Jack Sparrow. First was the salary. Being famous since the early 90s, Johnny Depp could easily get $10 million for this project. Surprisingly, Grey Pictures offered him a salary equal to his status. Since money was not a problem, Johnny focused his mind on the script. He realized that Johnny Depp was different from the usual roles he played. Johnny usually had roles of serious or depressed type characters. Like Edward Scissorhands in Edward Scissorhands and Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hallows. Most actors have roles they love to play. His roles in Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean were better. Orlando practiced archery for his role as Legolas in Lord of the Rings. In Pirates Of The Caribbean, Orlando took sword-fighting lessons every week to understand how swordsmen operate. Of course, Johnny Depp did the same. ''That''s probably one of the reasons I got the offer, because I already know how to use swords. '' In the end, Orlando Bloom decided to accept the role in the face of the money. Although sometimes he couldn''t help but frown. He was sure that he would never like Prince Paris, as a character and as a person. A few minutes later, the theater went dark and the premiere began with the famous 20th Century Fox logo and iconic sound, followed by the Grey Pictures logo. ... ... ... The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The audience clapped as Kazir made his entrance. Jay Leno and Kazir shook hands before Kazir sat down. As usual, promoting the movie would never be wrong. The real reason he went on the show was to promote the movie. The talk show started mildly, talking about things and making funny jokes. "So Kazir, I want to know your opinion about these pictures... Huh, can you explain? Was it really big?" +++++ [Yes, two chapters today. If you want to read more, you can wait for the update or subscribe to my Pat reon or Ko -fi. Anyway, I''ll probably post a chapter tomorrow... Probably] Chapter 352 Chapter 352 Some of the women in the audience squealed when Jay Leno showed Kazir''s topless pictures. In these pictures, Kazir was walking on the beach wearing sunglasses. Kazir chuckled and blushed slightly, embarrassed. "I actually don''t know how the tabloids found those pictures. Production was taking a break at the time, so I decided to go to the beach and have some fun. They probably took those pictures while I was on break." He casually lied while maintaining his grin. Those pictures were taken to promote the movie. Not by accident, but on purpose. But of course, Kazir had to keep the novelty. In this business, lying has always been part of the job. Oh, you tore your ACL while filming an action scene? How brave and dedicated are you? How can you still run like a cheetah then? Oh, you don''t have a stunt double? What, you''re going to latch onto a plane a hundred feet off the ground? Wow, does your insurance cover that? So you''re not on steroids? You got ripped in two months? It''s because you eat healthy meals every day, go to the gym, and maintain a perfect set of muscles. Yeah, yeah, you''re not lying. *wink wink* In this business, lying has always been part of the job. "So where did you get your inspiration for this movie?" "I''m not going to lie, I actually thought of a movie about pirates while riding one of the rides at Disney World." ...... ... ... The opening day (July 9, 2003) of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was $13.50 million. Unlike Spider-Man, which earned $39 million, and The Revenant, which earned $15 million on its first day, The Curse of the Black Pearl had a lower opening box office. However, 20th Century Fox and Grey Pictures were happy with this result. Their expectations for this pirate movie were not that high. Cutthroat Island was also a flop. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas was a flop. But Pirates of the Caribbean was the opposite of a flop. After that, Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl did well at the box office. On its second week, Friday, July 18, The Curse of the Black Pearl officially crossed the $100 million mark. To be exact, the movie earned $109.47 million. Everyone was surprised, but not by much. If Kazir was the director, the movie would surely make money. However, on the same day, the movie met a tough opponent. Bad Boys II was the sequel to Bad Boys which was released in 1995 and was directed by Michael Bay. It starred Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith were famous black actors with dozens of movies under their belts. To make matters worse, Michael Bay was also an amazing director. He was known as the explosive director, not because of his explosive behavior, but because of his addiction to explosions. This director loves to make things explode. Bad Boys, The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, and now Bad Boys II. His filmography was similar to Kazir''s in that all of his movies were profitable. The only difference was that Kazir produced one movie a year while Michael Bay could only produce one movie every two years. In that aspect, Kazir was better. The first day of Bad Boys II made $16.88 million, $3 million more than the first day of Pirates Of The Caribbean. On its second day, July 19, Bad Boys II made another $16.20 million. This was $6 million more than the second day of Pirates Of The Caribbean... Maybe... Maybe Pirates Of The Caribbean would lose to Bad Boys II. +++++ [Author''s note: Yeah, I don''t know what I''m doing with my life lately. Anyway, since I know I have a lot of backlogged chapters on my Patreon, I decided to post three chapters a day for five days straight]. Chapter 353 chapter 353 bad boys ii''s first weekend grossed $46.52 million. the movie was only in theaters for three days and its performance was promising, good news for sony-colombia. in the same days, july 18 to 20, pirates of the caribbean: the curse of the black pearl earned $33 million. those three days were won by bad boys ii. however, the entire week of pirates of the caribbean made $55 million, so this pirate-themed movie still won the box office champion for the week. so far, after 12 days of release, pirates of the caribbean: the curse of the black pearl has grossed $133 million at the north american box office. in just its second week, the film has already crossed the $100 million mark. 20th century fox reacted quickly and started promoting the film in north america. next month they will release the movie in other countries. kazir has already spoken to tom rothman. he won''t participate in the international promotion because he has a lot of things to do this year. tom rothman understood his intentions and decided to let kazir finish game of thrones instead. game of thrones would be broadcast by fox tv and he expected that this tv show would bring them more viewers in their network. fox tv was already recognized as one of the known tv networks in the united states, but it was weaker compared to nbc and abc. fox tv needed more programs to attract viewers. perhaps kazir grey, a director known for his talent, could make history and give fox tv its most awaited moment. the cast of pirates of the caribbean was enough to promote the movie and kazir could stay in the country. depending on how quickly kazir finishes filming game of thrones, the tv show could air in late 2003 or early 2004. ...... ... ... in the ceo office of sony-colombia, frank price listened to his secretary. "sir, as of today, thursday, july 24, 2003, bad boys ii has grossed $66 million at the box office." ''who would have thought a superhero movie could make us that kind of money?'' frank price licked his lips at the thought. he didn''t remember that his secretary was still in the office, slightly uncomfortable with what he was doing. ''damn you warner brothers and 20th century fox! who said you could monopolize the superhero genre?'' if they knew what the two companies were up to, they should have created their own superheroes. frank price was no fool, he knew that superheroes would dominate the movie theaters from now on. so he was angry that dc and marvel, the two biggest comic book companies in the united states, were already owned by their rivals. "...secretary vanessa." awakening from his inner monologue, frank decided to ask his secretary. "y- yes, sir," the secretary nervously replied. "do you think we could start our own cinematic universe? what do you think about monsterverse? where godzilla and king kong live in the same universe." "sir... i have no idea what you are talking about." "..." frank sighed again. +++++ [author''s note: i will post another chapter later.] Chapter 354 chapter 354 in a small, dark hall, daenerys targaryen walked slowly toward the three small, chained dragons. the three dragons squealed adorably, like kittens excited to see their mother. daenerys reached out to touch them. "cut--! pack your things, today''s job is over!" kazir announced and the studio, which looked like a dungeon at the moment, started to get noisy. the crew members began to put things back in their places. the camera crew carefully placed their cameras in a safe room. emilia clarke returned to her cheerful demeanor once the filming was over. the dark atmosphere in the studio was gone, and the lights came up for the last time tonight. emilia was now getting better with her acting after three months of acting classes. the acting class that harold witsend had recommended to her was top-notch, and she learned quickly. in fact, she was now the star of her class. after all, she was the only one who had a role in a tv show, and it was even filmed by a famous director. some of her classmates had experience working in the industry, but they were not as lucky as she was. emilia suddenly realized how lucky she was. she was grateful that the crew accepted her. thankful that director grey (whom she didn''t recognize at first) hired her to be one of the main characters in this tv show. director grey was an amazing person and emilia realized this as they worked together. he was serious and a workaholic, but his discipline was on another level. kazir had so much patience when emilia made a mistake, she was a newcomer after all. the director taught her a lot about acting and how to keep her mentality. he would remind her of her character''s behavior and how to portray it. important advice that even her drama teacher never taught her. when the day''s work was done, emilia would always approach kazir to say thank you... she didn''t know why she did that. maybe she owed him something. she couldn''t help but look into his eyes most of the time, looking up at him, he was quite tall after all. her face sometimes turned red when she talked to him. "director, thank you as always. i''m grateful that you patiently taught me about my mistakes." tonight was the premiere of his girlfriend''s movie, lara croft: tomb raider: the cradle of life... a long title to remember. the movie would be released on july 25, which was today. on july 25th, pirates of the caribbean: the curse of the black pearl grossed $160.51 million at the north american box office. critics have already accepted that this movie is different from the usual pirate movies. pirates of the caribbean: the curse of the black pearl was, to say the least, entertaining. this changed their minds about pirate movies, but not that much. they just accepted that kazir was a talented director, even more so. it was amazing how a director like him thought of this movie. he was the scriptwriter of pirates of the caribbean, his imagination was really out of this world. on the same day, july 25, bad boys ii, which was recognized as pirates of the caribbean''s rival that month, grossed $73.14 million. it did well, but was weaker compared to pirates of the caribbean. "... again, my movie was released in the same month as yours. do you really love me so much that you want our movies to be so close?" this was the second time this had happened. two years ago, gone in 60 seconds and wanted were only a week apart. angelina teased the man next to her, lewdly pinching his thick arm. "babe, you should ask paramount pictures, not me. i have no idea why they scheduled your movie two weeks after mine." "i already asked them. they said that this week was the best time for lara croft: tomb raider: blah blah blah." she slurred her last sentence. she was not lying, paramount pictures was releasing the movie in the last week of july because august would be dominated by grey pictures'' newest franchise, the equalizer. 20th century fox announced that they would be releasing the equalizer in august instead of what they had originally planned. the equalizer was supposed to be released in july, but 20th century fox changed it. +++++ [author''s note: if you want to read more, you can wait for the 3 chapters tomorrow or subscribe to my patreon or ko-fi]. Chapter 355 chapter 355 "i don''t know if we''re lucky or not." ronald meyer of universal pictures sighed as he looked at the data they had collected. universal was happy that the equalizer had been moved to august, giving johnny english time to breathe... however, their expectations were met with disappointment. johnny english, starring rowan atkinson, was released on july 18. "july 18th..." he muttered weakly. the equalizer changed its release date, but johnny english still met a strong opponent that week. it was bad boys ii, starring will smith and martin lawrence. this movie was also directed by michael bay. the toughest opponents were usually sequels to successful movies and bad boys ii fit the criteria very well. johnny english only made $9 million in its first weekend, while bad boys ii made a whopping $46 million at the box office. obviously, bad boys ii dominated the theaters and stole the most tickets from johnny english. between the two, moviegoers would definitely choose bad boys ii because it had a better premise and a successful franchise. so even though johnny english dodged the equalizer, they still lost to bad boys ii. their hard work was in vain. "maybe it''s a good thing that johnny english only made $40 million. we should lower the promotion budget for this week." suddenly, there was a knock at the door informing ronald that someone wanted to see him. "sir, peter jackson is here." the secretary announced. "tell him to come in." ronald returned to his serious expression, casually hiding the disappointing documents regarding johnny english. peter jackson, his success in the last few years was obvious. he resurrected the glory of lord of the rings by bringing that piece of literature to theaters, creating another culture for americans to follow. star wars became a culture. lord of the rings also became a culture. and yes, even harry potter became a culture. ...... ... ... july 28. it had been three days since the premiere of lara croft: tomb raider - the cradle of life. as usual, the cast of the movie had to promote the movie by going to different states, appearing on some local tv shows or guesting on famous shows like the tonight show with jay leno or the oprah winfrey show. in those three days, the movie grossed $21.78 million. it may be smaller than pirates of the caribbean and bad boys ii, but it was clearly a win for paramount pictures. they understood that bad boys ii and pirates of the caribbean were directed by superstar directors and it would be hard to copy their performance. in fact, paramount pictures hoped to have the opportunity to work with kazir grey, michael bay and peter jackson. knowing that these directors were the kings of the box office at this time. steven spielberg rarely makes films outside of dreamworks. the director focused his attention on his own company. james cameron never accepted any projects after solaris, which was a huge failure. there was news that james cameron was working on something about cgi and motion capture technologies. robert zemeckis is currently concentrating on the polar express. quentin tarantino was never a mainstream director and his films were not family friendly. and even when these directors worked with paramount pictures, the chances of making a profit were not certain. they were not kazir grey, a director who never made a bad movie... except for his three horror films. even before the new century, the industry knew the importance of talented directors. they were the brains of the movies, and hiring someone to direct a major movie was something to be taken seriously. if paramount had a chance, they would pay director grey $20 million plus box office shares just to work with him. because the director was the sure definition of making a profit. +++++ [this first chapter of today.] Chapter 356 chapter 356 [note: i''ve never seen any of the equalizer so i didn''t add the summary.] sean william scott was standing in front of the audience of snl (saturday night live). he told jokes and his delivery was on point, the audience liked it very much. he was a guest this time, trying to promote the movie he was in. sean knew that their movie might lose this time, but there was nothing wrong with trying. besides, even universal pictures hoped that this sequel would be worth it. otherwise, sean wouldn''t be on snl to promote the movie. "by the way, don''t forget to check out our movie, american wedding! sound familiar? that''s right, it''s the sequel to american pie!" he announced and the audience cheered. their movie, american wedding, was to be released on august 1, 2003. the movie was promising and sean had already seen it, it was good. however, sean and the cast were nervous about the success of their movie. universal pictures might be suffering this year as only a few of their movies were doing well. and it seemed that american wedding might also flop. on the same day of american wedding''s premiere, the equalizer would also have a premiere. ... ... ... unlike the budgets of pirates of the caribbean and wanted 2, the equalizer had a budget of only $55 million. the highest paid person in the crew was denzel washington with more than $10 million. even the director was paid less than the actors. almost all of the cast had small salaries, except for some cameos such as brian o''connor (paul walker). grey pictures and 20th century fox were not looking for huge results like over $500 million. they would be satisfied as long as the movie made over $200 million because the production and advertising budgets were not large. the two companies decided to focus more of their resources on pirates of the caribbean and wanted 2, as these two had better chances at the box office. angelina and kazir were on the phone. the actress was promoting the film in new york and might be back in a week or two. as of august 1, lara croft: tomb raider - the cradle of life has grossed $31.25 million at the north american box office. as for pirates of the caribbean: the curse of the black pearl, it has already earned $196.33 million in north america. the international release will take place next week, starting with english-speaking countries. "it''s fine, we just finished the premiere and the audience reaction is not that bad. i''m at fox headquarters right now, waiting for the midnight results of the equalizer." kazir yawned slightly. if it was 7 a.m. in new york, it was still 4 a.m. in los angeles, and the sun was still missing to light the surroundings, kazir was sleepy. "promise me that you will rest as soon as you hear the result." "i promise." kazir nodded and ended the conversation. he returned to the office and found people sitting in front of their computers, calculating the midnight box office. even tom rothman was in the place, waiting for the news. after tabulating the result, the person handed the documents to tom rothman and kazir grey. "this result is 97% accurate." "...looks like there''s no reason to be afraid of american wedding," kazir muttered, and tom agreed. the midnight box office was $5 million. +++++ [2nd chapter for today.] Chapter 357 chapter 357 "why do bad things keep happening to us? why?" ronald meyer couldn''t help but ask himself, gritting his teeth in anger and disappointment. he was angry that their big movies this year were shot down by their rivals, and they lost the chance to make more money. this year, ronald could already predict their status in the rankings. universal pictures would be at the bottom of the big six. sony-columbia already had steady franchises to make money, while universal pictures had nothing but jurassic park and the mummy. everything after that were mid-tier franchises like american pie and chronicles of riddick/pitch black. universal pictures could start with the remake of jaws, but that kind of genre had already lost all its novelty. there were already a lot of shark horror movies in the industry. to make matters worse, sony-colombia, the company that had risen from its lowest point, was asking to buy the copyrights to king kong! everything has been chaotic lately. bad boys ii lost against pirates of the caribbean. american wedding also lost to the equalizer. there was no good news at all. ronald meyer felt that comcast might kick him out of universal pictures and put all the blame on him. if he knew that this would happen to him if he tried to destroy kazir''s reputation by spreading false news that the guy was a wife beater, he would immediately stop his past self from blowing himself up. for some reason, ronald felt that what he did to kazir was the catalyst for this outcome. everything started to go downhill after he tried to sabotage kazir. ''... if we can''t work with kazir, we might as well destroy his image.'' this was his idea a few years ago, and now it seemed that this idea was coming back to his mind. actually, ronald meyer didn''t know it, but kazir stole a couple of movie franchises from universal pictures. the fast and the furious. meet the parents trilogy. bruce almighty. the jason bourne series. tom hardy and charlize theron, these two hated each other on the set of mad max: fury road. dwayne "the rock" johnson and vin diesel hated each other while filming the fast and furious franchise. the list goes on. ''... i can''t believe i''m going back to film spider-man.'' the atmosphere on the set of spider-man was kind of eerie for kazir. especially when the producer and one of the actors didn''t like each other. jezebel salome and kirsten dunst. jezebel was a strict woman and she didn''t like kirsten''s free attitude, of course kirsten didn''t like jezebel either after those hurtful words she said. the set of spider-man 2 will probably lack female workers as well, because jezebel didn''t like to work with other women. in fact, kirsten wanted to leave the franchise. she didn''t want to be mary jane anymore, spider-man gave her a lot of bad memories. jezebel salome and angelina jolie to be exact. however, sony-colombia was afraid that the franchise would be affected if she left, so they calmed her down with more money. after all, money could buy a lot of things. kirsten was only in it for the money, but her commitment to the franchise was long gone. "... next year could be a difficult year for me." kazir felt the disturbance in the force. something was coming, and he didn''t know if he could overcome it or not. life was like an elevator, sometimes you''re way up and sometimes you''re down in the parking garage. kazir prepared himself because he knew that life would give him sour lemons... he might have to learn to make lemonade. +++++ [i feel like the plot is running smoothly lately, so i need to add some spice, i want to hear your thoughts on it.] [for clarification, i don''t hate universal pictures. in fact universal pictures is far better than walt disney in any angle. unfortunately, the plot just went that way so i have to go with the flow.] [this is the last chapter today. if you want to read more, you can wait for tomorrow or subscribe to my patr eon or ko- fi.] Chapter 358 chapter 358 american wedding and the equalizer premiered on the same day. they were both mid-budget movies, and both movies had a budget of $55 million. the production budget for movies kept going up, and $55 million was now considered mid-budget for movies. a decade ago, $55 million was a huge amount of money to make a movie. after one week in theaters, american wedding grossed $49.75 million, which was an amazing feat since american wedding was an r-rated comedy. perhaps many adults could relate to the humor of the movie. the big six were surprised that this franchise actually had the power to do well at the box office... unfortunately for universal pictures, this sex comedy couldn''t maximize its profit because its rival was much stronger. if american wedding grossed $49 million, then the equalizer showed the importance of world-building. the continental cinematic universe was a universe where hitmen, assassins, agents and ninjas lived with their almost superhuman physiques. ccu was molded over the years and created a perfect universe. the audience loved it. everyone in the industry understood that the success of the equalizer was due to the continental cinematic universe. if this action movie was not part of that huge universe, then it might be nothing to moviegoers. with that, the first seven days of the equalizer was $92.97 million. obviously, the equalizer took the top spot in the weekly box office. universal pictures couldn''t help but shake their heads and accept the result. it would be detrimental if they rescheduled american wedding, they would lose their money since they had already promoted the movie for months. august was the last month of summer and they had no choice but to put it in the first week to make it relevant... and it seems that 20th century fox and grey pictures had the same idea and put the equalizer in the same week. for the most part, the big six were careful not to release their movies in the same week. but there were also cases where two mid-budget movies were released on the same week. both sides would be affected because they couldn''t maximize the potential of their movies. one of the two would surely lose its ground and fall off the scene, american wedding suffered that fate while the equalizer continued to thrive. toy story, a bug''s life, toy story 2, monsters, inc. and finding nemo were the recent projects released by pixar. finding nemo, which was released this year, gained a lot of reputation and positive reviews. finding nemo has been in theaters for almost three months and has currently grossed more than $322 million. for obvious reasons, animated films tend to have a longer life in theaters, unlike horror and r-rated films. below pixar was dreamworks animation. this company also had amazing movies, but they couldn''t compete with pixar, at least in the 90s and 00s... things would change around 2020s when people started to lose interest in disney movies. so far, dreamworks has made antz, the prince of egypt, the road to el dorado, chicken run, joseph: king of dreams, shrek, spirit: stallion of cimarron, and sinbad: legend of the seven seas. dreamworks currently only made two 3d animated films, antz and shrek, with shrek becoming one of their most profitable franchises of all time. next in line were blue sky studio and illumination. so far, blue sky has only made one movie and that was ice age. the movie was released last year and grossed $383 million at the worldwide box office. honestly, the movie was not bad since it only cost $59 million to make. the main problem with 3d animated movies was time. it took a lot of time to make a 3d animated movie, especially when the technology was just starting to blossom. pixar could only make one every two years, that''s how difficult it was. and that was considered fast. as for illumination, that studio was owned by universal pictures... and it did not exist currently. illumination would release their first movie in 2010, their first movie was despicable me. so yeah, there are only three computer animation studios in hollywood right now. with blue sky studio being the weakest. ''blue sky, huh... their first movie is not that bad. yes, the animation is not that great, but they can polish it with experience.'' bob iger was thinking of blue sky studio, which made its debut last year. suddenly he had an epiphany. Chapter 359 chapter 359 "harvey, what do you think of kazir grey?" "kazir? that fucking bastard deserves a place in hell! i hate him to the bone!" "yeah, i thought so. but you can''t deny that he has an amazing imagination. his talent in script writing is one of the factors why he''s the most sought-after director." "tch, yeah, and what about that." "do you... do you think kazir can make a story for children?" "most of his work has been action, dark mystery thrillers, horror and adult comedy. well, napoleon dynamite is more on the soft side of comedy, but most of his work has been for adults. i don''t think he has the talent to make movies for children. what made you think of that?" "nothing." bob iger shook his head, but he couldn''t help the pressure. ''i just hope what i imagined doesn''t happen. i don''t want kazir dabbling in 3d animation... walt disney could lose its position as the most dominant animation studio in hollywood.'' that was a future bob iger didn''t want to see. he was the ceo of the company, and he wanted to make sure that walt disney was thriving on his watch. "by the way, i heard there is a disney movie coming out this week. do you think it will be affected by the equalizer?" "yes, it''s called freaky friday. i hope not, but we have been in this business a long time, the equalizer will affect our movie." just like universal pictures, walt disney had no choice but to release one of their movies in august. letting it rot in their library was a waste of money. they might as well release it in theaters and make a profit. freaky friday was a movie starring lindsay lohan and jamie lee curtis. where the mother and daughter switch bodies because of a magical fortune cookie. the movie only cost $26 million to produce, so walt disney didn''t take the importance of this movie and decided to release it in august. ... ... ... just like universal pictures and walt disney, sony-colombia also had a movie they wanted to release in august. when the third week of august arrived, new line cinema released their usual horror movie. but this year they did something new. new line cinema did something that copied the idea of the cinematic universe. they released a movie called freddy vs. jason! two horror franchises and two antagonists met in one movie to have a fight to the death! surely the audience would be excited to see that, right? right? nightmare on elm street was a washed up franchise as people got tired of it. but the first movie was amazing. friday of the 13th had the same fate. people got tired of that movie. so freddy vs. jason was not that exciting. especially when the two franchises had no connection before this movie. but even so, those two franchises made names for themselves, so there were still some people who would watch it. it was an interesting concept. so with a budget of $30 million, freddy vs. jason was released on august 15th. the movie made $14.10 million on its first day, which was actually a promising start. $12.83 million on saturday. $9.49 million on sunday. combined, the movie grossed $36.42 million on its first weekend. new line cinema was pleased. for some reason, they also thought about creating a cinematic universe. maybe they should have started this project with a clear intention. as for the equalizer, the movie was already running out of gas. its third week only made over $20 million, the total box office of the equalizer was $138 million. the equalizer ended its winning streak after two weeks, and freddy vs. jason took first place for the week. +++++ [i know it seems obvious, but which 3d animated movie do you want kazir to steal first?] [note: the poll is closed, but you can comment below which 3d animated movie you think kazir chose. if you''re right, i''ll reply to it.] Chapter 360 chapter 360 "congratulations, director." "ah? yes, thank you." kazir nodded confusedly as he entered the blue sky studio building. this was the first time he had been to this place, so he was confused when the security guard congratulated him. he was not even sure what the guard was congratulating him for. ''is he talking about pirates of the caribbean? or maybe the equalizer?'' kazir was not sure. both movies were making a lot of money at the box office on september 6. pirates of the caribbean: the curse of the black pearl has already grossed $280.44 million at the north american box office. overseas, the film has currently grossed more than $172 million. the worldwide box office for pirates of the caribbean has now reached $452 million. the movie was still making money internationally and its reception was mostly positive. the pirate theme was not common, but people liked pirates of the caribbean. as for the equalizer, it grossed $170.25 million at the north american box office. the movie just had its first week of international release and made $48 million. as for the other movies released in the same month (august) as the equalizer, their performances were mediocre. american wedding, freaky friday, s.w.a.t. and freddy vs. jason, their genres and popularity were nothing compared to a ccu movie. they couldn''t compete with the equalizer in the long run. this shows how much grey pictures has struck gold with their franchises. all they had to do was set the movie in the ccu universe and audiences would buy tickets just to see it. however, kazir was adamant that the continental cinematic universe should focus solely on the action genre. he had no intention of adding drama, comedy, or romance to ccu. it would lose its appeal, kazir felt. ''now that i think about it, my birthday is coming up... maybe the guard wished me a happy birthday earlier. probably not. i know i''m famous now, but most people probably don''t know when my birthday is or any other information about me.'' the reason kazir came to this place was because of the scripts tom rothman wanted him to write. everyone knew that kazir was a talented screenwriter and his stories made money. if blue sky studio couldn''t beat pixar at animation, why not at storytelling? finding nemo was a heartwarming movie... surely kazir could cook up something similar, right? as a veteran of hollywood, kazir was also interested in the animation market. since he had been given the opportunity to participate in blue sky studio, he wanted to make sure that his participation was worthwhile. he had "come up" with three scripts for different purposes. the first was wall-e. in terms of plot, this movie was comparable to finding nemo. it won many awards, including the academy award for best animated feature. the box office was not bad either, grossing more than $500 million. kazir liked this movie and he believed that this movie was not only for children but also for adults. no, it was actually meant for adults because of its plot alone. as for his second script, he decided to write one of the highest grossing franchises in the animation market. cars! cars, starring lightning mcqueen. this franchise grossed more than $21 billion in revenue! it had a simple plot, but the profit it generated was not so simple. pixar struck gold with cars. the third was more in his forte, kazir wrote the script for kung fu panda. a 3d animated film based on a panda. it focused more on action and fighting, so boys and men would definitely like it. between the three, cars and kung fu panda were successful franchises that had multiple sequels. with cars being the most profitable. while wall-e was more focused on novelty and prestige, it didn''t have a sequel and was also the least profitable. +++++ [author''s note: i almost suffered from a disease called procrastination. fortunately, i persevered and updated three chapters today]. Chapter 361 chapter 361 kazir thought about it seriously and he had an idea which of the three movies blue sky studio would accept. blue sky studio was a business, not a charity. its priority was to make money. obviously, blue sky studio would prefer kung fu panda and cars for their second movie. wall-e seemed promising, but its profitability was too low compared to those two. kazir stepped into the elevator knowing how the conversation would go. he had been in the business for more than seven decades, adding his past life. at the end of the day, production studios only made movies because they needed money. art and passion were just the freebies, but money was the main reason there were thousands of movies being released every year. the reason why many people wanted to become actors and become famous. ...... ... ... carl ludwig wiped his forehead for the nth time, quite nervous and excited. carl ludwig was one of the founders of blue sky studio, he currently held the position of president/producer after 20th century fox became interested in 3d animated movies and invested in blue sky studio. after the success of ice age last year, the parent company (20th century fox) gained confidence in blue sky studio. they were willing to invest more money just to make sure that blue sky studio would compete with walt disney and pixar, the leading companies in the animation industry. last year, shocking news was released. 30% of grey pictures was acquired by 20th century fox and the two companies made sure that this venture would be profitable for both of them. carl ludwig was a big fan of kazir grey. he loved action movies and fell in love with kazir''s filmography. in his opinion, the matrix, fight cl*b, kill bill and charlie''s angels became successful because of the genre that ccu paved for them. the greatness of realistic action stunts was realized and many studios started to follow the trend. today, most action movies take advantage of ccu. speaking of ccu, it was the first of its genre to make billions at the box office. according to the estimate of forbes magazine, the net worth of ccu was more than 20 billion dollars as of this year. this net worth would continue to grow as long as ccu continued to do its job well. there were some rumors that some of the big six were planning to create their own cinematic universe, but there were no official announcements to support this. though carl knew the big six were salivating at the idea. carl ludwig was surprised that he would be meeting kazir today. he even has posters of his movies in his office... he hoped that kazir would sign them. carl had already read the three scripts, but they were incomplete. no one wanted a data leak, much worse if kazir''s scripts were stolen. "i think we should make cars instead. i can imagine how boys would like that movie." carl added. "indeed, although i think kung fu panda has a chance as well." kazir nodded. "director, if you don''t mind, we''re hoping you''ll take the position of executive producer on this project. we need your talent." "executive producer, huh..." kazir was the executive producer of so many projects this year and next year, but he only visited the sets a few times to check on the projects. if he became the executive producer for blue sky studio, he might have to spend one day a week in this place. "of course, we will make sure that this will not affect your projects. we just want to hear your thoughts and suggestions." "we need the approval of 20th century fox." "oh, they will accept it for sure. we are talking about you." "you are indeed a fan, you praised me quite highly. then i have no problem." "that''s great to hear. then i guess we have to choose kung fu panda. you''re a director who specializes in the action genre, i think the chances of kung fu panda being successful will be much higher now that you''re going to be involved." "i don''t have a problem." cars was good, too, but kazir was more confident about kung fu panda because action was his forte. "by the way, we are going to hire dan schneider to direct this project." carl was thrilled that kazir would be involved in this project. "i''m sorry, what?" "dan schneider, from nickelodeon. he produced a lot of shows at nickelodeon like all that, kenan & kel, and the amanda show. i''m sure he knows how to get kids'' attention." kazir was speechless at this shocking news! Chapter 362 chapter 362 dan schneider. quite a famous person in the industry. although two decades later, his fame would turn to infamy. you see, dan schneider was facing some allegations. alleged sexual misconduct and gender discrimination, many of them underage. dan schneider was a bully on set, but because of his high status at nickelodeon, he was protected for quite some time. until the #metoo movement started, which was the beginning of his allegations coming out. this sick fuck of a guy was forcing young kids to show their feet for his fetish reasons. he had a foot fetish and everyone knows it, but really, why do that to kids? bruh. god knows how many foot scenes there were on icarly alone. "has he signed a contract yet?" kazir inquired. he didn''t feel good about dan schneider being the director of kung fu panda, the movie might be filled with foot scenes or something. "no, but he has expressed interest." "i think dan has little knowledge of how animation works. his projects at nickelodeon are mostly live action sitcoms." "yeah, you have a point." "what about chris wedge? i know he''s responsible for ice age 2, but the sequel is probably 4 years away. maybe he can spend his time on kung fu panda instead." "let''s see, we will contact chris about that. he is also interested in meeting with you. chris wedge was the director of ice age, and ice age was actually his debut as a director. he was also a voice actor, he voiced scrat in the ice age series. scrat was the squirrel that almost destroyed the earth several times in the ice age. "also, dan schneider works for nickelodeon and nickelodeon is owned by paramount. we don''t want a data leak." "i understand." the two had an agreement. kung fu panda would be the project that blue sky studio would focus on this time. of course, the project had to be approved by 20th century fox, as they were the investors. rumors began to circulate that mara was kazir''s half-sister, but their relationship was non-existent. her friends started pestering her about it, and mara had no choice but to admit the truth. she looked at the ugly asian woman sitting in the distance. mara saw the woman smiling at her and mara felt angry. she couldn''t believe that she had come to the point where the ugly flat nose could grin at her... now everyone made fun of her. mara left school to tell her dear mother. she knew her mother would do anything for her. hell, her mother would bend over backwards for mara. "mom! mom! they are making fun of me!" mara screamed loudly, frightening the maid who was polishing elizabeth''s nails. "baby, what''s wrong?" elizabeth asked elegantly. she was relaxing on the sofa while the maid did her nails. "mom, can you believe it? my friends started to hate me. they said i''m a liar! god, i hate them so much! mom, do something about it! please!" "okay, honey. i want you to calm down and explain it to me." mara started to yap and tell her story. "mom, can you please talk to my brother to stop this bullying?" "honey, that might be hard. but don''t worry, i have another plan. i''ll make sure everything works out. i''ll also find a suitable role for you." "really? thank you, mommy. you''re the best!" mara jumped for joy. elizabeth smiled and decided to contact someone at universal. an important person in universal pictures wanted to meet her, the guy promised him a lot. even bigger than the careers harold and salvatore had given them. "i guess it''s time to find another boat, a bigger boat to sail in comfort." she smiled. she loved(?) kazir, but she loved her daughter the most. mara reminded her of your young past, an innocent woman who didn''t know the cruelty of the world. as her mother, she wanted to protect that innocence. Chapter 363 chapter 363 "happy birthday, kazir!" angelina hugged and kissed her boyfriend. she was happy about the small party she had prepared for him. kazir shrugged and sat down. a cake with his age on it, and a candle with the number 35 on it. he knew damn well that he was getting old. but he was happy for the life he had. he had already experienced being old, and this was basically his 2nd season of turning 35. in his past life, his 35th birthday was depressing because he spent it alone. he had no one to trust deeply, he had friends but they were more like colleagues to be precise. his status in the industry was stagnant and there was no hope. he tried his best to contact investors to invest in his movie, knowing that his horror movies never did well at the box office. the good thing was that he was not in debt. he was also 35 when his father died. ''if i remember correctly, then next year was the year that napoleon dynamite was originally released.'' napoleon dynamite was released in 2004, which was the year kazir heard the news that his father had died. he went to the funeral, but got punched by his brother instead. this time, kazir promised himself that tragedy wouldn''t happen again. he would live a happy life. he looked around and saw his friends with whom he had formed a bond. now he was not alone. angelina knew that kazir never liked lavish parties, so she decided to keep this one small. however, the people who attended the party were not ordinary. tom cruise was talking to tom rothman about a possible collaboration. 20th century fox was getting better and tom''s career had gotten a boost after winning the oscars last year. agent salvatore and cinematographer rector were also invited. unfortunately, producer harold couldn''t make it because he was busy. however, he sent a gift, an expensive bottle of wine. palenque simone and fremont smith also attended the party, although they were busy so they didn''t stay long. the two directors were now working on their projects. palenque with game of thrones, while fremont was looking for scripts to film. if fremont couldn''t find a script, he would write one himself. although he was not sure he had the talent, he understood that someone like kazir was hard to find. now kazir officially broke the curse that pirate-themed movies would never make money. "skill issue. get gud." those should be the best answers to carolco pictures and universal pictures, the two production studios that failed to deliver great pirate-themed movies, water world and cutthroat island. even college professors have studied kazir''s formula for breaking the curse. well, if anyone was going to bring change to hollywood, it was probably kazir. because he has brought so many changes. kazir popularized realistic action stunts. he also started the first successful cinematic universe. he was the first director to make two $1 billion movies in a row. he was out of this world. truly a director who deserved the respect of many people. as for the equalizer, after 60 days in theaters, it has grossed $177 million in north america and $161 million overseas. that puts the equalizer at $338 million. grey pictures was in a pretty tight spot a few months ago, but now they can breathe a little easier. 20th century fox has already sent them $100 million for pirates of the caribbean and $70 million for the equalizer. the deal for both movies was that 20th century fox would be responsible for distribution in exchange for 25% of the box office. 25% for 20th century fox. 40% for cinema alliance. leaving grey pictures with 35% as their share. the good news, as always, was that grey pictures owned the copyrights to these movies and they could control how they sold their tv broadcast rights. the dvd copies were no problem either, grey pictures would have the bigger profit. in the long run, dvds were more profitable than the box office. because grey pictures could sell dvds for years to come and the profits would increase. +++++ [see you tomorrow.] Chapter 364 Chapter 364 "Are you excited for Wanted 2?" "Hell yeah." Alexa Nguyen weakly replied as she watched the movie trailer on the television. The trailer for Wanted 2 seemed extravagant and impressive. It said that Kazir taught Fremont Smith how to make a compelling trailer by showing him his formula. There was something about Director Grey''s trailers that compelled audiences to see the movie. Since then, art professors and other directors have studied his trailers. They wanted to know how to get people excited. As one of the members of Grey Fans and the lucky one to meet the director in person, Alexa was excited to see the movie. She was an film art student who wanted to be an actress, so she was quite knowledgeable about movies and TV shows. In her opinion, Wanted was the movie that paved the way for the success of the Continental Cinematic Universe. Sure, both Taken and John Wick were released before Wanted, but Wanted was the most significant of the three franchises. It showed the relevance of each film and made people more interested in the characters. A lot of people would buy or rent DVDs just to keep up with the plot. Especially teenagers who wanted to keep up with the trends. Alexa dreamed of working with the famous director. She was so happy when she realized that she was one of the lucky fans to meet Kazir in person at the premiere of The Equalizer. She stayed up all night in the theater waiting for the premiere of The Equalizer to end. When she met the director, she realized that the guy was down-to-earth and humble... He was also damn handsome, and Alexa admitted that she had a crush on him. Suddenly, she remembered that Kazir and Mara were supposed to be siblings. Out of curiosity, Alexa told Kazir that she was Mara''s classmate. "Director, I''m your sister''s classmate. I also studied at the California Institute of the Arts." "Sister?" Kazir frowned slightly at first. Then he seemed to remember something. Instead of smiling, his mood turned sour. The second week saw the release of Mystic River, produced by Warner Brothers. It made $13 million in its first weekend. The same week, Kill Bill: Volume 1 was released. Miramax has never been confident in competing with the Big Six in the summer, so they usually release their heavy hitters from October to December. Depending on how the company''s schedule works. Kill Bill was a famous movie, directed by a famous director in his niche, Quentin Tarantino. Obviously, the movie would show at least one foot scene... Quentin Tarantino''s filmography slowly gained popularity because his movies had something unique about them. However, it could never be denied that his movies would have a hard time facing the mainstream genres and mainstream audiences. A lot of people appreciated his works, but his movies hardly made money at the box office. In fact, the highest grossing movie in his career was Django Unchained, which earned $426 million. To date, this movie has not been made. Quentin currently had one successful movie at the box office and that was Pulp Fiction (1994). The audience was not sure if this so-called Kill Bill would make any money at all. But surprisingly Kill Bill: Volume 1 actually made money. 22 million dollars on the first weekend. Miramax saw the potential and promoted the movie, of course with the help of Walt Disney. The relationship between the two companies was getting better thanks to Harvey Weinstein and Robert Iger. In the third week, Texas Chainsaw Massacre from New Line Cinema. This franchise had so many movies and New Line Cinema did a good job of cultivating the franchise. The budget for each movie was small, but the profit was sometimes ten times the budget. Also, the profit from the DVD market was huge because horror movies have always been part of the movie culture. God knows how many people love to watch horror movies in their houses. The fourth week and a lot of people were excited, to be precise, the people who were fans of CCU were excited to see Wanted 2. The movie was to be released on October 24th. But it was not that easy, Wanted had two opponents that could prevent its domination. Scary Movie 3 was a famous parody franchise created by Miramax. Bear Brother had a serious theme, although it was a cartoon meant for children. And yes, it was made by Walt Disney. It was ironic that Wanted 2 was going up against Miramax and Walt Disney, two companies Grey Pictures never liked. Everyone in Hollywood was eager to see the outcome of this competition. ++++ [I lost to procrastination yesterday after doing laundry and decided to lie on my bed all night, so yeah, you''ll get three chapters tomorrow to make up for it.] Chapter 365 Chapter 365 Miramax and Walt Disney were not stupid. The two companies knew that the fourth week of October was not a good time to release their movies, but it was something they had to do. In the first place, the movies they were releasing were not heavy hitters. Sure, they were putting money into the movies. They were also confident that the movies would make any money at all despite the odds. So the best thing to do was to put them in a not-so-famous schedule, or else they would just let the movies rot and waste more money. They have to release the movies in theaters first before selling them to the DVD market, this method gave them good profits. Since people had the mentality that if a movie was released in theaters first, it meant that the movie (DVD) was worth buying. Miramax and Walt Disney couldn''t release the movies in November and December because The Matrix Revolution, The Last Samurai, and Lord of the Rings: The Return Of The King would dominate the theaters during those two months. Unfortunately, they also understood that Wanted 2 would do the same. Wanted was one of four films to cross the $1 billion mark at the box office. These Brother Bear and Scary Movie 3 would be buried by Wanted 2. Walt Disney and Miramax had no choice but to accept the fact. It was the last three months of the year and Hollywood was investing in their respective big movies like Lord Of The Rings and The Matrix to make sure they would make more money before the end of the year. ... ... ...No?v(el)B\\jnn After Wesley Gibson destroyed the Fraternity along with John Wick and the others, his name slowly gained popularity in the underground society. However, this popularity was never a good thing. Wesley was now a criminal, he left normal society and decided to live in the world of assassins and killers. But it was not that easy... Because he didn''t know where to start and what to do. At first it was easy because Sloan and the Fraternity were there to show him the way. He took the path of being a hitman and killing people to find and kill the "man" who killed his "father". The movie ended with that, but of course the audience never left their seats. They still waited for the post-credit scenes. This became a standard procedure, as the post-credit scenes were usually about the sequels and the next movies that CCU would be making. This time, Hobbs was with his team when he received important information about the missing military weapons. A small group of criminals were stealing and selling these military weapons and the authorities had no idea where to find them. These criminals disappeared, but new information surfaced. Dom Torero was found in the Middle East stealing oil tanks. The scene ended with Hobbs smirking and the credits rolled. Ben Affleck was the first to stand and received a standing ovation from the audience. His fame had waned after the failure of Daredevil, but Wanted 2 gave him a chance to prove himself. Now he realized how important a stable franchise is to keep his fame. He understood how Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford and Arnold Schwarzenegger kept their popularity despite the passing of time. These actors had franchises to star in whenever they felt they were washed up. Ben Affleck waved his hands and walked on stage with the cast of the movie. The audience kept clapping. They knew this movie would not disappoint them. They were looking for an action-packed movie and Wanted 2 delivered it as expected. There have been cases where a movie has crossed $100 million in three days, but those movies were usually sequels to famous franchises... Like Wanted. The first weekend (October 24-26) of Wanted 2 was a whopping $187.42 million. The Big Six were not even surprised. They were expecting this amount since the last box office was over $1 billion. Now the biggest question was does Wanted 2 have the power to surpass $1 billion? In history, no franchise has ever made $1 billion with every movie... Unless CCU begged to differ. As for Grey Pictures and Kazir Grey. They were not looking for anything big, as long as the movie was commercially successful, everything was fine. They were happy if the movie made over $700 million worldwide. After all, Wanted 2 didn''t have big characters like John Wick and Bryan Mills to drive ticket sales. Chapter 366 Chapter 366 Wanted was the Avengers of CCU, but Wanted 2 was not Avengers: Age Of Ultron. So even if Wanted 2 was commercially successful, it would be hard for the movie to top $1 billion. The movie didn''t have any heavy characters and most of the cast was new. Despite this fact, the second week of Wanted 2 did well at the box office. Ten days of screening made $292.62 million. An expected amount since Wanted 2''s predecessor was a $1 billion movie. As for Wanted 2''s two competitors, their box office did well despite the competition. The difference in genre made up for Scary Movie 3 and Brother Bear to make money. Walt Disney''s Brother Bear earned $49.52 million. Miramax''s Scary Movie 3 grossed $77.54 million. The winner was clear and the difference between the three movies was huge in terms of box office. This gap would continue to grow as the days went by. Scary Movie 3 and Brother Bear only had around 3000 theaters showing the movie while Wanted 2 surely had over 4000 theaters. This was also one of the factors why Wanted 2 did better. The Cinema Alliance was not stupid. The CCU movies were proven, so of course they would put more resources into Wanted 2. It is safe to say that 65% of theaters in the United States and Canada were currently showing these three movies, since the United States and Canada had the most theaters in North America. Walt Disney and Miramax were already happy with the results and hoped that the box office would continue to grow... However, their hopes would be dashed after ten days of steady profit. Cinema Alliance and the Big Six had a contract that allowed Cinema Alliance to reduce the number of theaters if the movie was not doing well... They used this clause to reduce the theaters for Brother Bear and Scary Movie 3 to 2800 theaters. Walt Disney and Miramax didn''t like this one bit, but Cinema Alliance''s decision was firm. As for Wanted 2, it certainly didn''t get the cut. Instead, Cinema Alliance added the subtracted theaters to the newest movie on the market, which was The Matrix Revolutions. The final installment of the Matrix trilogy. The movie opened in 3800 theaters in its first week. Warner Brothers realized that they had messed up the Matrix trilogy by putting too much trust in the directors and letting them put too many philosophical views into the trilogy. ... ... Wanted 2 was released in October and all the movies that Grey Pictures produced this year were released. All of them made a lot of money. The Equalizer grossed over $450 million. Cinema Alliance has already stopped showing this movie while some overseas countries are still showing it. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl defied many people''s expectations and grossed more than $600 million. The pirate-themed movie was praised by everyone and even Johnny Depp''s amazing acting was recognized. And now, Wanted 2 is also doing well at the box office. "Cheers!" "Cheers!" Palenque Simone happily raised his beer and started the party. Game of Thrones was to be released in the last week of November, and the promotion was already underway. Fox TV kept promoting the show by saying that it was directed by Kazir Grey. When people heard that the director was Kazir Grey, they were immediately interested. Of course they wanted to see the show. There were only three episodes left for the crew to film. If a problem arose, they might have to reshoot some of the scenes they had already filmed. Sometimes, if the audience didn''t like the storyline, the writers and crew would have to reshoot the next episode to appease the audience. So even though there were three episodes to shoot, the crew understood that the project was not finished until the entire season aired. Unlike movies, which had no chance of being edited after the theatrical release, TV shows could change the plot of the next episodes depending on how the audience would react... Of course, the studio had to spend more money. Kazir was invited to the party because his location was near the Game of Thrones set. He missed the taste of beer, so he decided to relax a bit. The cast greeted him with the usual respect. "This year seems kind of smooth." He said to himself as he surveyed the party. Chapter 367 Chapter 367 The negotiation between Sony-Colombia and Kazir was done before November came and now he was officially the director of the Spider-Man franchise again. Of course, he had to work with Marvel executives such as Stan Lee and Avi Arad. Kazir already knew the two. In fact, they already formed the Marvel Studio. Intending to start a Cinematic Universe. Kazir and the others were serious about this project. Marvel Comics wanted to rise from the grave. They were given a chance to prove themselves. Even News Corporation bled a little and bought the company, believing that Marvel Comics had a great future... Everything depends on this Cinematic Universe. They trusted that Kazir Grey would prove himself again. Making one Cinematic Universe was already tough, but Kazir did. Making another one was also possible. After the tug of war between Sony-Colombia and Salvatore Barlowe, Kazir''s salary became $31 million + 28% worldwide box office + 7% peripheral profit. Sony-Colombia understood that it would be hard to copy the achievements that Spider-Man created if they didn''t hire Kazir Grey. In their opinion, the biggest reason why the movie became successful was because of Kazir. His filmography was always profitable. Kazir''s movie means profitability. A director who focused more on making money than following the passion for art. That was the image that Kazir built in the industry after so many years. "This year is smooth sailing." Kazir couldn''t help but say it. Even the negotiation regarding Spider-Man 2 ended fast. Probably because both sides wanted to start the project as soon as possible. The audition would happen next week, the third week of November. Most cast were already filled since the movie was a sequel, but the crew still had to look for other actors and actresses for the new role such as the villain Dr. Octopus. While taking a mouthful of beer, Kazir''s cell phone started vibrating. Indicating that someone was calling him. It was from an unknown caller. "Yes? That''s right, this is Kazir Grey. Hm, what did you say your name again, Zack? I''m free tomorrow, you can meet me at the Grey Pictures building. I will set up a meeting for you." The call ended and Kazir put his phone back in his pocket. "... I guess I have to secure this contract." Kazir knew that this director had a different filming style compared to him, this director preferred noir film... Well, Kazir also used a noir filming style when he was just starting his career but it didn''t benefit him at all. Noir films can be defined in many ways such as their serious theme, darkish lighting effects, and pessimism. In this regard, the noir film that Kazir was talking about was the use of darkish lighting effects that made the movie depressing. ''But to be fair, some movies in the CCU can be considered noir films. Taken can be considered one, although its depressing theme was overshadowed by action, John Wick also. The upcoming projects such as Ninja Assassin surely fit the description...'' That bloody movie was really bloody. That movie would surely be R-rated. Zack stood up and shook Kazir''s hand. The famous director was in front of him, in person. Something that he didn''t expect to happen to him. "You look nervous." "Yes, yes I am." The two started talking, there was no clear intention at first. "What I love to do in my past time is watch horror movies or read comics." This may look like an interview. As for Kazir, he was not surprised that Zack loved horror movies and comics. ''I don''t care what the other says, the best Zack Snyder movie is the Watchmen. Not Man Of Steel, not Justice League, and also not 300. His best movie is Watchmen.'' Kazir didn''t waste any time and decided to give Zack a job. His first movie. "It seems that I didn''t make a mistake finding you. Here, take a look at this." Kazir gave him a comic book, with the title of 300. "300? I read this book." Zack suddenly had an idea where this conversation could go. "I know a company that uses blue screen. You probably heard of green and blue screen technology so I won''t explain it to you. What I want is to see if you''re capable of making use of this technology to your advantage." "..." Zack Snyder gulped hard. The fact that he was too nervous to order a drink didn''t help. "You have a month to decide. You can contact Grey Pictures if you have more to ask--" Before Kazir could finish his sentence, Zack Snyder''s phone started ringing. Zack was surprised and apologized to Kazir. "E-excuse me, let me take this call for a minute." "It''s fine, our meeting is done anyway. You can contact Grey Pictures if you are interested." Kazir stood up. What he didn''t know was that the person who called Zack was from Universal Pictures. Chapter 368 Chapter 368 Universal Pictures was looking for a director for their zombie movie titled Dawn Of The Dead. Zombie movies were known as a staple in the movie industry. The list could reach more than one hundred once counted. Dawn Of The Dead, was actually a remake of 1978''s version with the same name. See, since the 70s, zombie movies have been thriving. This genre might not be highly regarded in the industry but a lot of people would happily consume this content for their worth. In the 2004''s version, Universal Pictures decided to hire a new talent Zack Snyder to be the director of this movie. This was Zack''s debut movie and it was a box-office hit. The budget was only $26 million but the box office was $102 million. The movie grossed around 4 times the production cost. That was obviously a profit. This was Zack Snyder''s first success in the industry and his filmography became better after that. Dawn Of The Dead 300@@@@ The Watchmen Man Of Steel Batman Vs Superman Justice League Of course, Zack Snyder also had flopped movies such as Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga''Hoole and Sucker Punch. Overall, Zack Snyder was a talented director. But because of Kazir''s interference and his interest in Zack''s filming style, the trajectory of Zack''s life might have changed, for better or worse. Zack was unresponsive when he realized that Universal Pictures and Grey Pictures were interested in him. He was confused as to why these two famous studios were interested in him. He was just a nobody... He suddenly thought to himself if he did something that caught their attention. He was asking himself what it was exactly. Did he do something that made them attracted to him? He didn''t know. ...... ... ... Nepo baby/babies. To be precise, Nepotism babies. A term that was used to describe celebrities whose parents have succeeded in the same careers. The two decided to not make things harder and just greeted each other with positive vibes. Jon was doing this for his daughter while Kazir was also doing this for Angelina. Kazir and Jon started having fun, swinging their golf clubs and walking around the golf course. They used the golf cart when traveling. "You know Nicolas Cage, right?" "Of course I know him, who doesn''t know Nicolas Cage." "I worked with the guy this year and he told me once that he''s a fan of yours. He is interested in working with you." "Nicolas is a nice guy." "Oh, come on. Just tell me your opinion." Kazir shrugged. Nicolas Cage was indeed a famous actor but his career took a nose dive in the next decades. He never had a profitable movie since Ghost Rider. Being a director, Kazir didn''t want to hire an actor that could possibly affect his win streak... Besides, he knew that Nicolas was scammed by his financial advisor and lost a lot of money. ''... Now I suddenly felt terrible. Perhaps if I have a chance, I can work with Nicolas. He is a great guy after all.'' Now that Kazir confirmed that Nicolas and Jon had a movie together, he realized that the movie they were working on was National Treasure. A movie invested by Walt Disney. The two spent the day playing golf like it was the best sport in the world. When time hit 4 pm, it was time to say their goodbye. "Kazir, take care of Angelina. I know she''s a bit childish sometimes but she''s a good girl." "I will, sir. I''ll take care of her." Kazir smiled and promised. One of the reasons why he wanted to form a bond with Jon Voight was that he wanted to propose to Angelina. It was still a plan and nothing tangible, he still hadn''t even bought an engagement ring to propose. This was all for the assurance that Jon Voight would agree and give him the blessing to marry Angelina. Chapter 369 Chapter 369 Late October to December was the second most busy time for Hollywood. If the summer season was the best schedule to release big movies, then November and December were usually the second choice. However, it didn''t mean that the movies released these months were mediocre. No matter what people say, it is true that Hollywood produces the best movies all around the year. In November, seven movies surpassed $100 million, showing that this month was a profitable schedule to release movies. The number one spot this month was naturally taken by The Matrix Revolutions, which at the end of the month, grossed more than $133 million. Many expect that this movie will surpass $400 million, at least. With the right decision that Warner Brothers did to recoup possible losses, the Matrix trilogy made money. Other movies were also released this month such as Elf, starring Will Ferrell. Love Actually, starring Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, and Keira Knightley. Overall, the results of movies released in November were within the expectations. The cost of movie tickets went up to 7 dollars, compared to 5 dollars a few years ago. This amount was still acceptable and the number of people who watched movies in theaters just kept increasing. Added the fact that theaters were also increasing. This year, a 3D theater first screened James Cameron''s documentary of Titanic. A tour of the ship''s wreckage. James also used this technology to improve his upcoming project which was Avatar. There was also news that IMAX''s technology would open its door to Hollywood. The history of Cinema was getting better since the technology was evolving. Knowing the future it brought, Kazir contacted 3D and IMAX regarding a possible collaboration. 20th Century Fox was also interested in participating in this endeavor, but their stance was normal. Hollywood still doesn''t understand the power of 3D and IMAX technology. Even though movies were the main theme of Hollywood, TV Shows and other programs meant for Television were also striving. Hollywood and Showbiz were two words that would always be together. Showbiz, or to be precise, Show business perfectly describes the entertainment industry. At the end of the day, the entertainment industry was blossoming because it produced huge profits. If movies rely more on tickets, DVDs, and broadcast rights to make money. Then TV Shows were mostly dependent on advertisement and broadcast rights, especially if it was on a free channel. Jane and Wallace cuddled up on the sofa, with a blanket on them. They were holding a can of beer, cozying up against each other''s skin. Jane looked at the clock and knew that their show was starting at any moment. "After this commercial, Game Of Thrones will officially start." She smiled with a hint of excitement. Being the head of the makeup team, Jane spent time on the cast''s appearance to make sure that they were genuine characters/people in a medieval period. She took pride in her job and watching her creation on the screen was something she would be always proud about. Wallace was next to her, patiently waiting. The couple promised to watch the show together... He actually asked Jane about the plot but his girlfriend just gave her a mischievous smile, telling him to read the novels instead if he was curious. Well, this TV Show was also a method to advertise the books that George R. R. Martin wrote, A Song Of Ice And Fire. "Oh, it''s starting!" [A group of people slowly entered the cave on their horses. They reached the snowy forest. One of the horse riders found something gory, it was corpses set in the ground that formed a unique symbol.] The opening scene of Game Of Thrones caught Wallace''s attention and glanced at his girlfriend. Jane just smirked... She also didn''t know what the symbol meant. Actually, nobody knows what it meant. Not even in the books because the story was still incomplete even after two decades. Nobody knows what the White Walkers and this unique symbol implied... Sad. George R.R. Martin is also suffering from procrastination, just like the author of Hollywood What If. +++++ [Three chapters today.] Chapter 370 Chapter 370 Viewership rating was a way to determine how the TV Shows performed. Nielsen Media Research was the company responsible for rating TV Shows. It was called Nielsen ratings for a reason. @@@@ Nielsen Media Research used Statistical Sampling to rate shows. Around 20 thousand households were part of the sample for the national rating estimates. Although this number was small compared to the overall 120 million homes with TVs in the US, it was enough to determine what TV Shows families wanted to watch. Fox TV contacted Nielsen Media Research to keep an eye on the statistics regarding Game Of Thrones. A room filled with executives and important people in the company was all waiting for the results. Palenque Simone was also staying and waiting for the results. He was the representative of the Game Of Thrones in the room. If the rating was promising, Palenque understood that his career would officially start as a director. TV Directors might be a level lower than film directors but a respectable job nonetheless. Besides, being a TV Director also had a great salary. Sometimes even better than film directors who were tight on production budgets. Kazir Grey and Tom Rothman didn''t attend the waiting game because they were busy. Of course, with one call they could easily know the performance of Game Of Thrones. The first episode was still ongoing and Palenque Simone was squeezing his hands hard, praying to every deity he knew. In his opinion, Game Of Thrones would do well, but his opinion didn''t matter. Numbers does. If numbers didn''t work in their favor, then Game Of Thrones would be affected badly. Perhaps Fox TV might not give them the chance to broadcast the third episode which would be scheduled next week, Friday. A few minutes after some talking with Nielsen Media Research, the rating for the first 20 minutes of the first episode was sent. Palenque gulped and waited for the results. Now he realized why Fremont was losing hair... This job was not that easy at all, Palenque felt like he wanted to pull his hair because the intense pressure was killing him. The peak rating was 19.16 viewership, which meant that around 23 million houses were watching the first episode at the same time! Then it steadied at 16.62. It showed that around 20 million televisions were on Fox TV! Then, unexpectedly, Kazir received another call. It was from Emilia Clarke... Kazir raised his brow and answered the call. He already had an idea why the actress wanted to call him. "Um, director, I want to say thank you for hiring me. I''m just a young actress with no credentials but you still cast me in this show. Thank you. I''m indebted to you." "Well, don''t ask for a huge salary increase next season. That''s the best way to settle your debt to me." "..." "Haha, of course I''m just joking. We will never agree to unreasonable requests anyway." "..." The two talked for a few minutes before they ended their conversation. Kazir returned his focus to the show. The first episode ended, and the second episode premiered a few minutes later. Tomorrow, he would receive a copy of the data regarding Game Of Thrones. The viewership rating never went down to 19 million, it was a huge success that even Fox TV gave the show the go-signal to make a full season. The network promised that the show would be broadcast on a prime-time schedule and the network would promote the show at full capacity. The cast and the crew of the show were obviously happy by this fact and worked hard for a better future. Especially the newbie actors and actresses that were cast in this show. They understood that this was the chance they have to acquire. Chapter 371 Chapter 371 "The show last night was amazing. I already watched it twice but it still gives me chills. I feel like I''m watching a movie!"@@@@ "Of course, we are talking about Director Grey. He is the best director of all time!" Film students had conversations in the cafeteria while having their lunch. Game Of Thrones had a replay last night and the rating was positive, ranging to 15.27 viewership. "I heard that the viewership rating was high." "What''s the rating?" "I think 15.27 or something." "... So what does that mean?" "It means that more than 15% of the houses that have televisions are watching Game Of Thrones." "Only 15%? Isn''t that too small?" "There are local channels, national networks, and even cable channels that air shows within the same hour. It''s already amazing that Game Of Thrones dominated more than 15% of that population. You can''t expect all of the houses to watch one show, unless it''s the moon landing or Superbowl." After that, one of the girls sighed. "I hope the next episode will come... When will Friday arrive!?" Amber, the young beautiful student begrudgingly muttered. She was a student at California Institute Of Arts, her dream was to be a famous actress. She participated in some projects but so far no luck in getting recognition. Being film students, they were more into movie-related subjects. "Hey, I also watched Kazir Grey''s movie this year. I feel like Pirates Of The Caribbean has the chance to be a successful franchise. At least better than The Matrix, in my opinion." "That''s right! I also watched that movie. And I tell you, I fell in love with Johnny Depp''s acting. Jack Sparrow is entertaining to watch. Gosh, if I ever had a chance to marry someone like Johnny Depp, I promise that I will love him dearly. Never hurt or cheat on him, and I''ll never take a dump in his bed." Amber said like a young girl who was dreaming about her crush. "Hey guys! What are you talking about?" Suddenly, Mara showed up with a forced smile and greeted them. She sat down at the table and the atmosphere immediately became awkward. "..." Elizabeth just smiled and brushed Mara''s messy hair. "Honey, you said that you want to be a star, right? Don''t worry, Mom found a role for you. It''s from a huge project, invested by Universal Pictures." "Really, that Universal Pictures? One of the Big Six?" Mara was surprised. "That''s right, honey. It''s a horror movie, but don''t frown, this movie had a huge budget and your role has lines! So instead of thinking about your brother, how about we study your role and how you will act?" "That''s amazing! Mom, you are really the best Mom in the world. I love you! Can I read the script?" "Of course honey." Elizabeth smiled, hiding the fact that this business could affect her youngest son. Universal Pictures wanted her to destroy Kazir. As for how Elizabeth would do that? Universal had no idea. They just knew that Elizabeth and Kazir were blood-related and Elizabeth could find Kazir''s weakness. Elizabeth was now starting to come up with plans. ''Universal just wants me to make a problem with my son, and frankly, I have always caused a problem with him. So it''s never that hard.'' She thought. She had no intention of destroying her son. Kazir was her biological son after all. She just wanted to play games... +++++ [If you''re interested in reading more, you can check out my Pat reon or Ko -fi.] P@treon link: https://www.pa /Puji_maki Ko-fi link: https://ko -fi.com/pujimaki Chapter 372 Chapter 372 "Is it possible for our website to be on top of the search list? I want people to quickly see our website as soon as they type related words?" "Yes, sir. That''s possible." Victor Grey replied and the client seemed very happy with his response. After the tragedy three years ago, Victor and Aaron decided to expand their business and explore the booming internet industry. Kazir gave them some ideas such as promoting products on the internet. Victor decided to hire more people who had relevant knowledge regarding how the Internet works. He was actually surprised by the potential of this new industry. The clients started hiring them and business was getting better. In fact, Grey Pictures also hired their company to help them promote their movies on the internet... The company also helped Grey Pictures to make sure that their movies would have a high rating on IMDb. IMDb was a famous movie review site but the ratings of movies could be manipulated. "That''s great to hear. More companies are adapting to the changes and I''m afraid we might lose customers if I don''t follow the trend... Hm." The client looked at his watch and decided to end the meeting today. "Let''s talk again tomorrow. My son is nagging me to buy the deluxe DVD edition of Pirates Of The Caribbean." "Pirates Of The Caribbean? My son actually worked on that movie!" Victor laughed. "Really? That''s unexpected. Is he one of the actors?" "No, he is the director." "I see, the director huh... Wait what?" The client was surprised at first before remembering that Victor''s surname was Grey.@@@@ The director of Pirates Of The Caribbean was Kazir Grey! They have the same surname! "Yeah, haha, my son is Kazir Grey." "... Let''s extend the contract." The client uttered. For the companies, he was the best person they could ever have. The Big Six sometimes hated him, but they could never deny that they were amazed by his talent. If possible, they wanted to work with him. ...... ... ... While Game Of Thrones was getting famous every episode, Kazir Grey on the other hand already started the Spider-Man 2 project. He knew that the president of Fox TV wanted to meet him but Kazir decided to take his time and never promised to meet him personally. Kazir and Gail Berman, the president of Fox TV, were not equal. At this point, Kazir had a higher status than Fox TV''s president. Kazir had a share of 20th Century Fox, basically a co-owner of a billion-worth company. While Fox TV was just a subsidiary. Kazir understood that he was going to be busy from now on since Spider-Man 2 officially started. He didn''t have the time to facilitate or direct another TV Show. He might be known for having a fast style of filming but he knew his limits. Besides, if he indeed wanted to start another TV Show, that would be after season 1 of Game Of Thrones ended. Grey Pictures would have free resources to make another show once Game Of Thrones season 1 was done. ''But that show would probably be smaller compared to Game Of Thrones, because we can''t afford another huge expense...'' Kazir muttered to himself while looking for a cup of noodles to eat. He was at a 7-Eleven store, near the shooting location of Spider-Man 2. He was so busy that he didn''t know that the cashier was giving him a strange look. After a few seconds of internal monologue, Kazir decided to buy a Doritos and Pepsi instead. He went to the counter and paid for his food. "... So you''re going to act like you don''t know me, is that it?" "Hm?" Kazir was confused at first. He then looked at the cashier who was glaring at him. "Excuse me?" Kazir tilted his head. Chapter 373 Chapter 373 Kazir looked at the woman who was staring at him. The woman seemed pretty but her job was clearly tiring because of dark eye bags under her eyes. She was a bit chubby. Grumpy from the moment she set her eyes on Kazir. The cup noodles, Doritos, and Pepsi were still not getting scanned by the glaring cashier. @@@@ "Um... Excuse me miss, but do I even know you? Can you please scan my order because I have something to do?" Kazir said to the woman. Truthfully, he had no idea why this cashier was acting like this. "Humph! Don''t act like you don''t know me. I know that the reason why you''re here is that you want to meet me. Tell me, you''re still not over me, right? Well... If you court me, maybe I can give you a chance this time." "..." ''Delusional. This woman is a big delulu.'' Kazir thought to himself. He just wanted to buy a cup of noodles for God''s sake! ''If I knew this would happen, I would have asked someone to buy me food instead. I want to walk to relax my mind since I''ve been in the studio for the whole day...'' "I don''t know you, I repeat, I don''t know you. Just please scan my order so I can leave." He was serious. "Tch, acting like a clueless guy. Okay fine, I''ll play with you. My name is Wendy Mandeville. I''m sure you know me now." The cashier grumbled and scanned the noodles, Doritos, and Pepsi. It was 7 dollars and 26 cents. "Wendy... Wendy Mandeville..." He narrowed his gaze, staring at the woman. He was trying to remember the name. "Keep the change." He waved his hand and walked away, holding his cup of noodles, Doritos, and Pepsi... He forgot to get hot water for his noodles. He only remembered it when he returned to the studio. ...... ... ... 2003 was going to end and Hollywood already compiled the top 10 biggest movies this year. But of course, this ranking was still not concluded since some movies were still going to be released in the last two weeks of December. For example, The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The Kings. This movie was one of the most anticipated movies this year. This was the last movie of the trilogy and everyone was excited to watch it! While that was happening, Forbes already published the list of the top 10 highest-grossing movies this year. 1.) Finding Nemo. A movie produced by Pixar. A subsidiary of Walt Disney. This movie grossed more than $871 million worldwide. Because of the continuous success of 3D animation in Hollywood, other studios also adapted their own 3D animation studios to get some slices of this golden cake called the animation industry. 2.) Wanted 2. A sequel to a $1 billion movie. Wanted 2 was produced by Grey Pictures and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Fans admitted that Wanted 2 was lackluster compared to its prequel but it was still entertaining in the end. The movie already grossed more than $745 million worldwide after four months of screening, and this amount was still increasing. Some speculate that Wanted 2 could surpass Nemo. But the idea of exceeding $1 billion might be difficult for Wanted 2. 3.) The Matrix Reloaded. The second installment of The Matrix franchise... It was disappointing overall. The box office was saved by the hype. Unfortunately, its third movie which was the last movie of the trilogy had a lower box office and the reason was obvious. 4.) Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl. Directed by none other than Kazir Grey. A new franchise that had a possibility to be profitable, especially in the hands of Kazir Grey and Johnny Depp. This movie grossed $654 million at the worldwide box office. Proving that Kazir''s had the Midas''s touch. 5.) The Equalizer. Another movie from Grey Pictures, and a new franchise from Continental Cinematic Universe. Starring Denzel Washington, this movie caught the interest of CCU fans. Giving it $481 million at the box office. The top 5 this year, 3 of the spots were acquired by Grey Pictures. This showed how powerful this studio was getting by. Chapter 374 Chapter 374 The fact that three movies of Grey Pictures'' were in the top 5 made a lot of people shrugged their shoulders. As if they had already expected this result. But even though they knew this could happen, deep down they were still jealous and angry. A decade ago, most movies were dominated by Warner Brothers, Walt Disney and Universal Pictures. These three were recognized as the top 3 of the Big Six. Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox and Paramount battled it out for fourth place, and sometimes their rankings changed. As for Sony-Columbia, this studio already accepted the bottom of the rankings. Although the times were changing and it seemed that Sony-Columbia acquired a powerful franchise to keep them relevant, which was Spider-Man. However, when the 2000s came, things started to change and more films from Grey Pictures dominated the box office. That meant less money for the Big Six. Had it not been for Kazir''s intention to work with others, he might already be suffering from a pronounced attack by the big studios. It was indeed painful to accept that a new studio was dominating the industry. It didn''t change the fact that DreamWorks and the newly formed Lionsgate were showing their fangs at the Big Six. This industry could produce billions every year, but it made the Big Six more serious about maintaining their market share. After The Equalizer, Tom Cruise''s new movie made it into the top 6. 6.) The Last Samurai. Starring Tom Cruise, this movie based on an actual event in history made a huge amount of money at the box office. Originally, this movie was a contender for the Oscars, and Tom was actually interested in the script. It was his plan B if The Revenant didn''t win him the Best Actor award last year. But since The Revenant helped him do so, Tom Cruise decided to treat The Last Samurai as a normal movie project... In fact, he didn''t expect the movie to do well, at least not to the tune of $454 million. The Last Samurai even had the chance to compete at the Academy Awards. 7.) Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Spoiler alert, this 3rd installment of the franchise was the part where the nuclear catastrophe happened, basically the beginning of Skynet''s reign. The movie was still starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, of course. He was the face of the franchise. The movie grossed $433 million worldwide. @@@@ 8.) The Matrix Revolutions. What can I say about this trilogy? The first movie was amazing, the second was confusing, and the third was a huge disappointment. Which gives us the result of $427 million. Not a bad amount, but The Matrix had more potential than that. Because even after two decades, the concept of The Matrix was still relevant. 9.) X-Men 2. More people realized that Marvel Comics had huge potential. The fact that three of their comics were successful at the box office proved it. Spider-Man, Blade and X-Men were recognized as the beginning of the Marvel empire. X-Men 2 grossed over $407 million. 10.) Bad Boys II. This film was directed by Michael Bay. A director known for filming explosions and bigger explosions. But unlike the others, this movie only made $273 million. This list was not concluded and Forbes expected that the last movie of the Lord of the Rings trilogy would obviously be part of the list. The box office didn''t stop as more and more people bought tickets to see the movie. By Sunday, Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King had already grossed $124.10 million! This was only five days after its release. The information reach the news stations and most of the programs were talking about Lord Of The Rings and related aspects of it like elves, dwarves and others. In fact, Lord Of The Rings was the reason why dwarves and elves became popular in the mainstream media. Before the 2000s, when people heard about elves, they thought of Santa''s little helpers. But now elves represent handsome and beautiful creatures with long life spans. Hollywood understood the impact this franchise had on people''s consciousness. The media was indeed a powerful weapon because it could change a person''s perspective and opinion. In fact, the Academy Awards received backlash for snubbing Lord of the Rings from major awards. In the opinion of ordinary people, Lord Of The Rings deserves to win at least one major award. Lord Of The Rings may not be a realistic movie, but it was an adaptation of old literature. This was a valid reason for the Academy members to accept the truth that Lord Of The Rings was a masterpiece. Unfortunately, the Academy had a strong bias against non-realistic movies. They clearly hated the genre and always stuck to the "artistic reasoning". +++++ [If you''re interested in reading more, you can check out my Patreon or Ko-fi.] P@treon link: https://www.pa /Puji_maki Ko-fi link: https://ko-f i.com/pujimaki Chapter 375 Chapter 375 Being a guy who had some close ties with the higher-ups of Warner Brothers, Kazir heard that the company was also interested in The Hobbit. The Hobbit was the prequel to The Lord Of The Rings and was also recognized as a masterpiece on its own. Warner Brothers wanted to buy the adaptation right from Tolkien Enterprises. So far, the contract is still in creation. Warner Brothers was great at managing trilogies. In fact, they had the best list of trilogies in the industry. One of the reasons why they dominated the industry, being the rank 1 or 2 of the Big Six. The Dark Knight Trilogy. The Ocean''s 11 Trilogy. The Hangover. The Matrix. Harry Potter... Is not a trilogy but you get the gist. Overall, in terms of handling movies with planned sequels, Warner Brothers was known for being good at it. ''Lord Of The Rings is a famous piece of literature that gathered fans all over the world. The fact that the Academy Awards disregard this film irked a lot of people.'' Since Kazir knew the future, he also knew that many were disappointed when the Academy Awards didn''t give a fuck about The Lord Of The Rings. They received strong criticism because of it. The Lord Of The Rings was not a simple fantasy movie, it was a piece of literature that popularized the genre. For the Academy Awards to act clueless showed that they have a strong bias and prejudice against the movie. ''So to solve this problem, the Academy decided to fix their mistake before it became worse. They decided to give Peter Jackson the Best Director Award as an appreciation for his contribution to the industry. For adapting an old literature into a successful trilogy, Peter Jackson won the Best Director Award.'' Kazir remembered it well because their decision seemed forced. He couldn''t help but chuckle. @@@@ ''Well, this event will happen next year and I''m the presenter... If this part of the future never changed, then I''ll give the golden statue to Peter Jackson.'' The success of The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King was already expected. The question was how much money it would generate. ... ... ... December 23, Tuesday. The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King already grossed more than $150 million and this amount kept getting bigger as hours went on. This whole week was a holiday for the students so many families decided to watch the movie as a way of family bonding. "Mom! Dad!" Being stuck in this room for months, his only comfort was his parents who showered him with love and affection. The family started talking until the topic of comic books arrived. "Son, I know that you like Spider-Man so I have a gift for you?" "Really? What is it?" Emer became excited. A few seconds later, a guy wearing a Spider-Man suit entered the room accompanied by a cameraman. "Hi Emer, I heard you''re a strong kid!" Emer was surprised. "Spider-Man!" "That''s right. It''s me, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!" The surprise didn''t end after that. Spider-Man pulled out his mask, revealing Tobey Maguire''s face! It was actually Tobey Maguire! The real Peter Parker in the movie! The real Spider-Man! Emer was so shocked that he started crying. "Spider-Man! Spider-Man!" For some reason, he felt that his wish had come true. He was not jealous of the young girl from the interview anymore. Unlike her, Emer personally met Spider-Man. "Listen champ, I believe in you. I believe that there''s a Spider-Man in your heart, and Spider-Man never surrenders. So make sure you never surrender as well!" +++++ [Author''s Note.] [I have a conflicted opinion regarding charities overall, but I think Make-A-Wish Foundation is probably one of the truest charities I have ever known. Unlike other charities who only want money instead of helping people.] Chapter 376 Chapter 376 Tobey Maguire was an actor. That was his profession and he liked it. Not only did it give him fame, but the salary was also abundant. He had been friends with Leonardo DiCaprio since their teenage years. In fact, Leonardo helped him get the role of Peter Parker. Of course Tobey was happy to be part of this huge project, especially when the director was Kazir Grey. It basically confirmed that the movie would be successful. And indeed it was. After the release of Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire became a super famous actor in just one night. He realized how amazing being a famous actor could be... He felt like a God, where people gave him gazes filled with worship. This time, Director Grey personally asked him to film a surprise gift for a kid. Tobey had an idea that this was another method of advertising and he had to do it. He was bound by the contract. His intention was simple and he had no deep or serious feeling about it. This was just a job for him. But when he entered the hospital room and saw a young boy, pale and thin, Tobey couldn''t help but be affected. He suddenly realized that his role as Peter Parker/ Spider-Man was important to the heart of this young boy and other children. The young boy started crying and hugged Tobey Maguire despite being weak. Tobey smiled and rubbed the boy''s back. The boy''s parents couldn''t help but shed tears as they witnessed the wholesome moment. Tobey glanced at the cameraman-- Kazir Grey. The director was the one who was holding the camera, capturing this very moment. Tobey understood that this was nothing but a way to promote their upcoming movie. But he realized that it was not that simple at all. To these kids, he was their hero. Someone they look up to. ''With great power comes great responsibility.'' He suddenly remembered that certain line from the movie. The parents couldn''t help but cry as they watched their son. Tobey didn''t treat this as a job, he wanted to be sincere. The two started talking and Tobey made sure that the kid was entertained. After that, the crew gave the family a $100 thousand cheque for the treatment of the kid. This came from the movie''s promotion budget. Kazir and Tobey came out of the hospital. "Kazir... I think my role as Spider-Man is not that simple at all." "It''s a difficult role." Kazir agreed. The two were waiting for their car to arrive. So now, Kazir was helping Jon in the barbeque stand. The two started talking about their experiences in the industry... Despite the difference in ages, the two had a great conversation. As for Angelina, she was happy seeing the two men bond... Although she couldn''t help but think about the message she received last night. It had been bugging her since morning and she couldn''t forget it. She glanced at Kazir, with a complicated gaze. She did her best and hid her emotions while spending the night in her father''s place. Yet despite that, it seemed that her acting could not escape a director''s eyes. "Did something happen in your job? You look like you''re thinking about something." Kazir asked Angelina while on the highway. He was looking ahead but his voice was filled with concern. Angelina was a bit surprised but she controlled her expression. "I''m fine. I''m just a bit tired." "Hm, just contact me if you need help." "I will." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Making the director laugh. "Easy easy. You know that I''m driving." "Well... How about we stop at a hotel? I''m also fine doing it inside the car." She giggled. "..." Kazir chuckled and didn''t know what to say. +++++ [Author''s Note: I''m bored so here''s my top 5 Anime that deserves a remake. Tell me your opinion about it.] 1.) Tokyo Ghoul- Probably the most popular anime in the 2013 and 2014 era. Season 1 is amazing and the opening is one of the best anime openings out there. Unfortunately, Season 2 is a terrible adaptation. The changes are massive and quite painful to watch. It didn''t help that season 3 and season 4 cut a lot of scenes. In my opinion, Tokyo Ghoul deserves a remake that follow the source material. I''m a fan so it''s quite painful to see this series getting sabotaged very badly. 2.) Soul Eater- The anime is amazing, but it didn''t follow the source material especially in the latter part. Anyway, Soul Eater will probably have a remake since Fire Force is the prequel to Soul Eater. 3.) Pandora''s Heart- The manga is a Masterpiece. But the anime failed to capture it''s moment, especially the last episode. Man, Pandora''s Heart is an underrated manga. I recommend it. People who read the manga understand why this manga is underrated and a masterpiece. Unfortunately, Pandora''s Heart will never have a remake since it''s not popular. 4.) Berserk- Well, people said that you should read the manga instead of watching it and I understand why. But if Berserk gets a remake that follows the source material, the bandwagon will go crazy, count me in. 5.) The Promised Neverland- Season 2 is amazing, but Season 2 is a dogshit. They should have stayed loyal to the source material. I''m still mad about it. Chapter 377 Chapter 377 Two days before New Year, an extravagant party was happening at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. This hotel became famous after being part of the famous CCU. Many guests visit the hotel just to experience life inside the Continental Hotel. 20th Century Fox decided to rent the hotel to celebrate a party for this year''s success. 20th Century Fox became stronger after acquiring Grey Pictures and Marvel Comics. These two companies had great futures ahead of them. The fact that Fox''s stock price was going up meant that the public had the same opinion. Being one of the biggest individual shareholders of 20th Century Fox, Kazir was naturally invited. He hated parties but he also understood that he had to attend. Especially when Rupert Murdoch himself personally called him to attend the Year End Party. ''It seemed that Rupert Murdoch wanted to meet me tonight. Well, that''s a good thing because I also want to talk to him.'' Kazir wanted to prevent the ''Phone Call Tapping'' from happening. This was the start of the downfall of News Corporation''s empire. This directly affected 20th Century Fox, causing the studio to be acquired by Walt Disney. This incident shouldn''t happen. And if it already happened, then News Corporation should stop it before it bled them. If possible, Kazir didn''t want any of that to happen. ''... Although if things really happened, then I''m lucky because the shares I have are from 20th Century Fox, not from the News Corporation.'' These two companies would split a decade later with 20th Century Fox having the upper hand. News Corporation suffered badly while 20th Century Fox had steady projects throughout the years. Of course, 20th Century Fox still failed in the end. Anyway, Kazir''s shares were safe... For now. After being greeted by some actors and actresses in the industry, Kazir realized that both Gail Berman and Carl Ludwig approached him. Gail Berman was the president of Fox TV while Carl Ludwig was the head manager of Blue Sky Studio. Both had high status in the company although Gail Berman was obviously higher. The two looked at each other before Carl Ludwig nodded his head and excused himself. It seemed that he had to find another chance to talk to Kazir about Kung Fu Panda. The President of Fox TV was eager to talk to Kazir since November and this was the only time they could talk personally. Kazir always prefers to talk on the phone. "Director, it''s nice to meet you." "President Berman. Congratulations on your network''s positive rating." Gail smirked. This year, they produced three movies and one TV Show. These four projects were enough to erase their funds. Thankfully, all of their projects were profitable so they didn''t suffer a loss. "Sir, just listen to me! I just want to talk to CEO Rothman. Please, just let me through. I have my business card here. It''s not fake at all!" "I''m sorry but your name is not on the guest list. I wonder how you even got into the party." Kazir heard a commotion that caught his interest. "My name is Marc Randolph! Marc Randolph. You can check the list again." "I already did, and your name is not on the list." "Tch!" "Did you just click your tongue?" "Of course not. Please, just let me talk to the CEO. I have a business proposal that will interest him." Watching the commotion, Kazir shook his head and turned around. This kind of incident happens sometimes. Some people would infiltrate a celebrity party to form a connection with rich people. In fact, it also happened at one of Grey Pictures'' celebration parties. "I''m Marc Randolph, please look at it again!" "Hm?" When Kazir recalled the guy''s name, he felt like he recognized it. "Marc Randolph, where did I hear that name again?" Kazir stopped walking. "Marc Randolph... Isn''t that the founder of Netflix?" Chapter 378 Chapter 378 Netflix, a famous online streaming service where you have to pay monthly to watch movies. In fact, Netflix was the first to popularize this business. With the advancement of technology, Netflix followed the trend perfectly and started the monthly payment streaming service. Where you could watch movies in your home without buying DVDs and visiting Blockbuster. Besides, who likes to visit Blockbuster anyway? The workers in your local Blockbuster store were arrogant bunch of pricks. Watching movies online was faster and easier, with no hassle at all. The biggest factor why Netflix became successful. After the success of Netflix other streaming services followed suit such as Disney+ and Hulu. For around $7 per month(individually), a person could happily watch movies on Netflix. You know the drill, Netflix and Chill, somebody''s daughter getting drilled... Ahem, anyway. The founders of Netflix were Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings. The two started the company with the idea of selling or renting DVDs by mail. They made a profit, but not that huge either. Things started to change when the company used a new business method called online DVD rental. Kazir stopped for a second and decided to turn around. He looked at the man who was arguing with the security... He had no idea about Marc Randolph''s appearance but he indeed recognized the name. "What''s happening here?" He decided to strike up a conversation. He was not sure why, but he decided to do it anyway. The security realized that Kazir Grey showed up and respectfully explained the situation. "I see. You can let him in, I can vouch for his name." "Yes, sir." The security left the two. Marc Randolph was confused at first but then he recalled the director''s name. "Um, are you Director Grey? Kazir Grey?" "That''s right. That''s me." "Thanks for helping me." "I heard that you have something to talk to Tom Rothman, maybe I can hear about it first?" Because Netflix only has 300 movies in its catalog, Kazir was disappointed. It means that Netflix had few products to sell, and these products were not even high quality. ''I guess that''s why they are desperate to form a contract with 20th Century Fox.'' 20th Century Fox has been in business since 1935. Their film library was massive. Unfortunately, Kazir was not looking for that. What he wanted was the concept of online streaming. He was waiting for Marc Randolph to hook him with the idea. Yet it seemed that Marc Randolph didn''t have that on his sleeve. ''Perhaps it''s still too early. Well, uploading a 5-minute video on the internet is already a hassle, the internet speed is limited. Furthermore, watching videos on the internet is also not optimized. I guess I''m asking for too much.'' It would be a lie if Kazir said that he was not interested in investing in Netflix, but he knew that Netflix''s early history was full of losses. Kazir didn''t want his investment to be wasted. If he had to invest, then it should be around the time when Netflix started the online streaming service. He had no intention of joining the hardship of Netflix. What Kazir wanted was the easy and safe ways of making a profit. At the moment, Netflix was not worthy. ''I''m not interested in acquiring Netflix, I already have a lot of things to think about. I''m good with being a shareholder.'' Besides, he had no idea how online streaming works. ''I guess I''ll wait a few years, huh.'' "It''s nice meeting you, Marc." Kazir stood up, showing that he lost interest in Marc. "D- Director, can you please introduce me to Tom Rothman." Marc also stood up, ready to grab Kazir''s thigh. "You should look for his secretary. Well then, see you next time Marc. Perhaps in a few years." He excused himself, leaving Marc alone. It might look cruel but that''s how business works. Even Tom Rothman won''t listen to Marc''s proposal. +++++ [Author''s Note: This is my response to the possible plot of investing on Netflix. Netflix had the monopoly for a few years, but lately a lot of streaming services are fighting Netflix. And in my opinion, YouTube is still the best... Because it''s free. There are not many movies though, but hey, I''m not a movie fan anyway.] [Also, don''t take this novel seriously. Like, bruh, this novel is just a fanfiction.] Chapter 379 Chapter 379 Spider-Man landed on the roof of a train... Well, it was not a safe landing, more like he was rolling on the roof. Especially when he was currently brawling with Dr. Octopus. The roof of the train caved in and the passengers were terrified as they realized what was happening. The train was still running fast, with no intention of stopping. Once Spider-Man and Dr. Octopus found their balance, the two started fighting again. Dr. Octopus''s metallic tentacles moved fluidly, attacking Spider-Man. "Cut--!" Kazir announced and the camera stopped rolling. The train was nothing but props and it was not moving at all, the crew just gave it the illusion of moving. As for the background, well, it was a huge green screen. Kazir was not insane enough to film an action stunt on top of a moving train that was running at 120kmp. Once the director said cut, Alfred Molina sighed and laughed lightly. The metallic tentacles on his back were of course not real, they were also props. These tentacles were not remote-controlled. Instead, 17 puppeteers were responsible for moving them. Each finger, each arm, was controlled by puppeteers. The puppeteers used thin invisible cords for the fingers while they used a black pole to move the trunks. These black poles would be edited out later, together with the green screen. Using remote controllers to move around these things would be difficult and inefficient. In fact, even though they used puppeteers to do the job, the filming still took a long time to finish. Sometimes mistakes happen such as one of the tentacles moved wrongly, causing the scene to be reshoot. By the way, these metallic tentacles were not all made of metal. Most of its parts were made of foam, painted with metallic paint. Or else Alfred Molina would have a hard time moving around with a piece of heavy equipment on his back... Well, even though the tentacles were not made of metal, it was still heavy. Imagine four tentacles on your back... Ahem, sounds like something from a hentai, to be honest. While on break, Alfred Molina decided to sing a song from a play. Alfred Molina was actually part of a play this month and he had a habit of practicing his song in the set in every break. He was a stage actor. When he auditioned for the role, Alfred Molina was already part of a theater play. He couldn''t let go of the theater play despite winning the role of Dr. Octopus. Thankfully, Director Grey was generous. As long as his play didn''t clash with the filming of Spider-Man 2, the director didn''t have a problem. It was his private time after all, it all depends on Alfred''s schedule. So yeah, now you see Dr. Octopus singing while his four metallic tentacles join the beat. One of the cameramen filmed this short performance. Perhaps they could add it to bloopers once they sell the DVDs. Speaking of DVDs, the market for DVDs already defeated the thicker and heavier videotape. A new year arrived and the statistics clearly proved that. Now only a few households use VHS, most families use DVD players. DVD players mostly cost around $80 and this price was getting lower as time went on. It''s very affordable. As for DVD discs, a DVD movie could cost around $5 to $20, depending on the contents. However, if the DVD contains a complete Trilogy or a complete season of a TV Show, it could cost at least $50. In fact, after counting their profit last year, Grey Pictures confirmed that they earned more than $100 million just by selling DVDs. Last year(2003), the DVD market had grossed more than $4.2 billion in revenue. DVD market doesn''t only sell movies after all, TV Shows, Children''s shows, anime, and even adult films were also included in the DVD market. A lot of niches that people could enjoy. DVD rentals were also included in the statistics.(Note: I just made this up and I have no clear data to prove. But in Germany, the DVD market exceeded 1 billion euros in 2003, so that''s where I get the idea plus the potential buying power of Americans.) Because of this, Grey Pictures returned to its wealthy status. Kazir naturally gave the workers the bonus they deserved. However, Kazir and Grey Pictures also understood that the money that they made would return to invest in more projects. This year, Grey Pictures will release Fast And The Furious 2 and Mr. And Mrs. Smith 2. This time Mr. And Mrs. Smith would have a cameo in Fast And The Furious 2 to help Brian O''Connor in finding wanted people. In exchange, Brian O''Connor would also show in Mr. And Mrs. Smith 2. This was just a short story of the two movies. Grey Pictures understood that producing two movies per year was their limit, added that they have Game Of Thrones to handle. Last year they almost suffered some setbacks because of four projects, with Pirates Of The Caribbean having the biggest investment. Regarding Pirates Of The Caribbean, Grey Pictures confirmed the profitability of this movie and they were good with making another sequel. However, the sequel was planned to be released in 2006. Meaning, Kazir currently had no projects for 2005... The director had an idea of what to do about it but it was another story. After all, Kazir was not sure if he had the chance to direct a certain movie. For now, the director decided to focus more on finishing Spider-Man 2 and getting his salary... If he remembered it right, Spider-Man 2 had the lowest box office out of the three movies, it made $789 million. Well, it was still a lot of money though. It was still a box office hit. Chapter 380 Chapter 380 Kazir announced that the filming for today was over. The cast was very happy and so were the crew members. They packed their belongings, planning to return to their places or the hotels that they rented near the studio. Tobey Maguire politely bid his goodbye... Kazir felt like this actor changed somehow. Tobey still looked the same but his outlook in life changed after the small charity that they did last month. In fact, Tobey personally joined the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help children in need. Kazir and Sony-Colombia obviously supported his intention because it could help them promote the movie. [Tobey, a hero even in real life!] This kind of headline could be seen in many newspapers. Of course, Sony-Colombia was partly responsible for that. After that, Kirsten Dunst also bid farewell to Kazir. This actress also changed after what happened last time at the celebration party for Spider-Man. Kirsten seemed humble, but it was clear that she didn''t like the set. She was only here for the money and the trilogy contract that she signed. Kirsten was not comfortable in the set because of a certain person. ''It seemed that Jezebel didn''t change at all. She still has a prejudice against women.'' Kazir thought to himself. However, Kazir was a director known for his efficiency. As long as the project was going smoothly, he had no problem keeping the status quo. The director also left the studio but he didn''t go straight to his house in Beverly Hills. Angelina was not in the house anyway. ''Now that I think about it, Angelina is getting busier lately. We don''t have any time to talk at all... I feel like she''s avoiding me.'' Kazir was in deep thought. Anderson, Kazir''s bodyguard, sensed that Kazir was thinking about something so he decided to lower the volume of the radio in the car. Next to Anderson was Erica who was currently texting her little twins to not stay up all night. After Kazir hired Anderson, Erica Mendez became a full-time assistant. Her job slightly alleviated but she was still busy... She couldn''t help it. Her boss was busy so she also had to work hard. The three were quiet inside the car, waiting to reach their destination. A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of a building. It was the headquarters of CAA. Unlike WMA that have two headquarters, one in Los Angeles and one in New York, CAA''s foundation was set in Hollywood. WMA was a talent agency, but its services were wide. Their clients ranged from athletes, models, directors, and actors. They have deeper roots because WMA was founded before CAA. After all, Michael Ovits was once an agent from WMA. Of course, CAA also has clients from different industries such as sports and modeling. But its major business lies in Hollywood. Because CAA was a talent agency created to accommodate actors, directors, and many professions related to Showbiz. It has a clear vision. The reason why Kazir went to CAA this time was because of Salvatore. Kazir didn''t know the specifics but it seemed the internal conflict in CAA was intensifying. Anderson parked the car while Erica and Kazir entered the building. The receptionists greeted them warmly, despite the late-hour visit... It was already 10 pm. The two entered the elevator and reached the floor where Salvatore''s office resides. Unexpectedly, Kazir saw Scarlett Johansson talking to someone. "Yeah, I also can''t believe an untalented woman like her will be cast into a mid-budget movie. That Mara bitc-- Hm? What are you doing here?" Scarlett stopped talking midway when she realized that Kazir had come out of the elevator. "I should be the one asking you that. I thought you were promoting your movie internationally?" "That was one month ago." Scarlett answered and tilted her head. Scarlett Johansson got a huge role in Lost In Translation. The movie only had a $4 million budget but it grossed more than $100 million. Because of this, Scarlett''s acting career was recognized by the industry. "By the way, congratulations on your movie." Kazir praised her. "... Thanks," Scarlett slightly smiled. She suddenly recalled something. She introduced the woman next to her. "Oh, this is actually Sofia Coppola. She''s the director of Lost In Translation." "Of course, nice to meet you Miss Sofia." Kazir extended his hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you too." Sofia Coppola was a well-known personality in Hollywood. Well, if your father was none other than Francis Ford Coppola, the director of The Godfather, it would be hard not to recognize her. "I''m a fan of your Dad." "... That''s nice to hear." Sofia didn''t know how to respond to that. Kazir then glanced at Scarlett and narrowed his gaze. "Now that I think of it, you..." "What?" Scarlett was curious. "You look taller now." Kazir continued. "Of course I''m taller. I''m 20 years old now." Scarlett replied and looked at the director. "Okay." Kazir nodded. "This guy... Anyway, I heard that your devil of a half-sister got a role." Remembering the news, Scarlett''s mood turned downhill. Scarlett and Mara had been enemies from the moment they met. Mara actively competes against Scarlett for movie roles, but Scarlett always wins in the end. Making Mara livid as fuck. However, Mara''s modeling life seemed promising. "What are you talking about?" When Kazir heard what Scarlett said, he was confused as this was the first time he heard about it. Looked like his half-sister successfully found a role this time. "I guess you don''t know it. I thought you were the one who helped her get the role. I heard it''s a movie about zombies, I don''t know the specifics though." "A zombie movie?" Kazir had a few movies in his mind such as Resident Evil, Zombieland, I Am Legend, and Dawn Of The Dead. ''Perhaps it''s a small-budget horror movie... Wait a minute, isn''t Dawn Of The Dead directed by Zack Snyder?'' Kazir recalled the complicated emotions that Zack Snyder had when they met last time. It seemed that Universal Pictures wanted to hire Zack Snyder to direct this zombie movie. Chapter 381 Chapter 381 Dawn Of The Dead was Zack Snyder''s first movie. It was also his first step into stardom. Zack Snyder had a unique filming style that followed Noir genre. As for Kazir, perhaps his uniqueness was his fast filming... This kind of talent only worked for someone like him, since he already had an idea what to film. The vision was already completed in his mind and there was no reason to experiment. Usually, when creating a movie, more than 30% of the scenes might not be included in the official film. The best example was Ridley Scott''s Kingdom Of Heaven. This movie was based on a historical event. However, a lot of scenes didn''t make it to the theater version so the plot became confusing. Causing the film to flop. When Ridley Scott had the chance to prove himself in the DVD version, he gave the movie justice. At least the plot had more sense compared to the theater version. For Kazir, wasting scenes rarely happened because the complete version of the movie was already in his mind. His vision was firm and rarely changed. Anyway, that was Kazir''s unique talent. His strong memory regarding movies that he watched. As for Zack Snyder, he was known for using darkish lighting effects in his movies. It became his originality. It also helped his career. This was one of the reasons why Kazir wanted Zack Snyder to work for him... The second reason was the possible creation of DCEU. Zack, in the future, would be the one responsible for the creation of DCEU. Now that Kazir officially joined Marvel''s side, of course he didn''t want to see the success of the DCEU. If possible, he wanted the DCEU to fail. So hiring Zack Snyder was part of his plan. Once Zack Snyder became part of the 20th Century Fox family, then it would be hard for Warner Brothers to hire him... It depends on the contract and salary though. ''Now that I think about it, Zack didn''t visit Grey Pictures after our meeting. It seems that he decided to work with Universal Pictures, huh...'' From the looks of it, Universal Pictures offered Zack a contract he could never say no... Which was a mystery because Zack Snyder was just a newbie, basically a nobody. Universal Pictures owned the rights to Dawn Of The Dead. He was relieved a little bit since it was not Warner Brothers... Kazir didn''t know that Universal Pictures was cooking something. ''Perhaps we can have another chance to work next time. I still have the adaptation rights of 300 after all. I believe Zack is interested in this comic. As for Mara, I have no idea about her at all. Let''s just forget about her.'' While Kazir was in deep thought, his eyes kept staring at Scarlett. By the way this was normal for many men. Once in a while, they would stare at nowhere, their minds devoid of anything. "Hm? What are you looking at? Am I that pretty that you can''t stop staring at me?" Scarlett stared back but Kazir was just staring... Seconds passed and Scarlett started getting flustered because the guy never averted his gaze at all. "A- Anyway, me and Sofia have something to do, so bye!" "Huh? Oh, Scarlett, you are still here? I thought you already left?" Kazir stopped daydreaming and realized that Scarlett was blushing for some unknown reason. "You never changed at all." "I guess so." He scratched his hair. "Take care. See you next time. You look tired, you should probably need a sleep." Scarlett waved at him before entering the elevator. ''... I need sleep? Am I really that sleep deprived? Since when did Scarlett worry about me?'' Kazir shook his head before looking at Erica who witnessed the whole bantering. "Is there something you want to say, Erica?" "Sir, you have a strong sex appeal. I can understand why some women in the company pester me about your contact information... Ahem, anyway. You''re usually mature but sometimes you act stupid and childish, although you only show your childish side to few people." "Thanks, I guess." Kazir had no idea why Erica said that. "Let''s go to Salvatore''s office." Salvatore was one of the biggest agents in CAA. His position was just lower than the co-chairman since many of his clients were famous celebrities. Even Scarlett Johansson was getting a steady foothold in the industry. Even Enzo Park was doing well. Salvatore''s status was equal to Pat Kingsley who was Tom Cruise''s agent. In fact, Salvatore also had his own secretary and his office was huge. The secretary saw Kazir and Erica and she immediately called her boss. "Director, Sir Barlowe is waiting for you in his office." Kazir didn''t think twice and opened the door. Erica stayed outside, knowing that Kazir''s meeting with Salvatore was something private. Kazir then found Salvatore at his working table. The agent looked tired. If Kazir was haggard, then Salvatore was dead tired. His eye bags had their own eye bags! How is that even possible!? The red bull cans on the table also attracted Kazir''s attention. "How''s my co-chairman!?" "Kazir, don''t jinx it." Salvatore sighed and greeted Kazir with a bro hug. The two found their seats. "Do you need coffee or Red Bull?" "I''m fine with water." "Kazir, I guess you know the reason why I called you here." "Scarlett was here in the building, did you also talk to her?" "No, but she greeted me earlier. You''re the first client I will talk to about my situation." "You don''t have to worry, Salvatore. We are not partners, I already considered you as my brother." "I''m glad to hear that." Salvatore nodded slightly. "Kazir... If we lose next week, are you fine with leaving CAA?" "..." Kazir already heard that Kevin Huvane wanted to become the CEO by kicking Bryan Lourd out of the company. Kevin Huvane and Salvatore were on the same side. If Salvatore helped Kevin win the voting next week, then Salvatore would get the position of Co-chairman of CAA. However, if they lost, there might be a chance that Salvatore would be expelled from CAA. Chapter 382 Chapter 382 CAA had three co-chairmen, this was used so that no one could dominate the company. CAA was founded because agents were tired of WMA bossing them. Because of this, every agent could become a co-owner of CAA as long as the money he or she brought to the company was significant. (I can''t confirm this part, I just know that every agent is a legitimate partner of the company. CAA is also a private company.) However, despite having three co-chairmen, the company only had one CEO. This position was currently held by Bryan Lourd. In a way, this position technically held the authority over the company. This was the position that Kevin Huvane was striving to acquire. Lately, Kevin Huvane''s side was getting stronger and they decided to start voting for election against Bryan Lourd. With more shareholders on his side, the election for a new CEO was authorized and it would happen next week. The situation seemed good to Kevin Huvane but there were always unpredictable things that could happen. Such as Bryan Lourd and Richard Lovett working together... Richard Lovett was also one of the three co-chairmen. If that happened, Kevin Huvane might lose his position instead and it could also affect Salvatore''s position in the company. So it was understandable why Salvatore seemed stressed. "Salvatore''s, I trust you. Grey Pictures is already steady and we have 20th Century Fox as our backer. The company is stronger now compared to five years ago." Hearing Kazir''s response, Salvatore slightly smiled. His tired face alleviated a little. "The reason why I stayed at CAA is because of you. I trust you. And you''re also the first person who trusted me... Let''s exclude my brother since we''re relatives, but anyway, you sure understand right?" "Haha, of course." The agent laughed. "If you want to start an agency, I will leave CAA and become your client again." "Thanks Kazir, your answer helped me a lot." Salvatore suddenly felt brave. He didn''t fear the outcome of the election anymore. But that bravery only lasted a few seconds. The agent remembered that Kazir was not the only client he had. Sure Kazir was the most significant client but it didn''t mean that the others were not important. Every one of his clients was important. They all found their footing in the industry. Everyone had steady projects and made millions yearly... It would be painful to let them go. So if possible, Salvatore would fight for the election to make sure that he would get the best outcome. "It''s nice to talk to you, Kazir." "I''m glad I can help." The two stood up and hugged again. "Oh by the way, before I forget, do you mind speaking with Brianna? I''m a little bit worried about her." "Brianna? Are you talking about her interest in Monster?" "That''s right... I actually want her to talk to a psychiatrist but I don''t know how to convince her." Salvatore sighed and shook his head. "..." Kazir felt like the situation might not be that simple. Monster was a movie that Brianna was super interested in doing. However, she failed to get the leading role. Instead, Charlize Theron got the role. Brianna almost shaved her brows just to show her seriousness. Kazir recalled that Brianna was a bit unstable while training for the role of a serial killer prostitute... ''Is this the reason why Brianna didn''t have any role lately?'' "Don''t worry, she''s doing fine. She''s just been depressed lately." Salvatore added. Kazir nodded. ''I hope so, because Brianna is deep into Method Acting. If she failed to get out of her role, she might lose herself.'' Method actors were known to do extreme stuff just to master their art. Method acting could create trauma, especially if the character they portray is mentally unhealthy. "I will talk to her tomorrow." Knowing that Brianna might need help, Kazir decided to talk to her tomorrow. Kazir knew the danger of depression. In fact, in his past life, he also underwent therapy. He had four therapists in his lifetime. If not for them, he might have killed himself earlier. Although attending therapies also remind him of his trauma so he couldn''t be confident about its effects. ''Therapy is not a popular thing in the early 2000s. Although mental health would be recognized later on so therapists became a stable job.'' As of now... Kazir believed that he didn''t need a therapist. His life was going well in the right direction. Sure, he was afraid of women but that was a defense mechanism that he didn''t hate. This trauma protected him, sort of... "I will contact Brianna to tell her to visit your studio tomorrow." Salvatore said. "Thanks. Good luck with the election." "Yeah, I might have to talk to Enzo and Fremont tomorrow." "I''m sure they will understand." The two bid farewell and Kazir left the company. ... ... ... The next morning arrived. Kazir texted Angelina good morning but the woman didn''t respond, perhaps she was still sleeping. After that, his car was already waiting outside of the house. As usual, his bodyguard Anderson was the driver. "Good morning, Anderson." "Good morning, sir." Half an hour later, the car reached the studio that Sony-Colombia used to film indoor scenes. "Sir, this is your schedule for today. Miss Willow wants to talk to you after the filming to talk about CCU." Right when Kazir entered the studio, Erica was already there to greet him with work. "Thanks, Erica." Kazir chuckled, he was used to this kind of situation. In fact, he was lucky today because he only had one meeting. As for filming for 8 hours, that was Kazir''s fun time so he didn''t think of it as work. At least not that much. "Oh, Miss Evans is already waiting for you... I advise you to be prepared because she''s not looking great." Erica whispered. Chapter 383 Chapter 383 Kazir went into the studio. He saw the crew members working and he was greeted with good morning, Kazir returned the greeting. "Sir, Brianna is in the trailer." Erica reminded him. "Thanks." Even though the studio was indoor, the crew still prepared trailers for the cast to use. These actors and actresses needed privacy after all... It didn''t help that celebrities were arrogant and loved to have their own space. Well, they were the faces of Hollywood so they have the reason to act arrogant. Sometimes, trailers were used to do drugs, have sex, and do makeup/change clothes... These three things were the normal stuff happening in trailers. God knows how many celebrities used their private trailers to have sex. Kazir headed to one of the trailers designated for female extras. Typically, female extras and background actors share a single trailer, taking turns using the space whenever they need to change clothes. "Brianna? Are you there?" Kazir knocked on the door, asking for permission to enter. "The door''s open. You can go in." Hearing the approval, Kazir opened the door and found Brianna sitting in front of a mirror. "Hi Brianna, we haven''t met for quite a while." "Good morning, Kazir." Kazir studied the woman. Overall, Brianna seemed fine. However, he felt something odd about her gaze... Kazir felt like the woman was lifeless because her eyes didn''t have emotions. Like a serial killer who didn''t show sympathy for her victims. Kazir gulped. Kazir realized that if Brianna successfully got the role in Monster, she might drown in the character and completely lose herself. Thankfully, Brianna didn''t get the role. "Brianna, Salvatore is worried about you so he wants me to talk to you." "Don''t worry director, I''m fine." She smiled. ''Yeah, you look fine...'' This was not the Brianna who participated in Wanted. This was also not the Brianna who starred in Runaway Bride. The person in front of Kazir was a different Brianna Evans. ''She is really talented. A chameleon who can easily change the color of her skin.'' Kazir admitted that the woman was a great actress. Her acting could attract every director in the industry. "Brianna, do you want to do a cameo in my movie? Don''t worry it''s just a short scene and you don''t have to say a line at all." "I want to. Salvatore stopped me from participating in any film lately." When she heard that she would have a chance to act in front of a camera, Brianna became excited. "That''s great to hear. But I have to tell you that your role is only a vase, a background character." "That''s fine with me. You don''t even have to pay me at all." The woman easily agreed. Usually, she had an agent who would negotiate for her salary, sometimes it was Salvatore, and sometimes a different agent. "Okay. Now, let''s get to the job. Here''s the background information of your character." Kazir gave Brianna a thin document, listing all the information about her role. This made Brianna a bit surprised. She didn''t expect that she would have to read a background profile for this cameo. For the record, Brianna was now in her late 30s and she had worked in the acting industry since college. She was a theater stage actress from Australia, and she also had her fair share of experience working in movies... Although her roles were usually vases. So she didn''t expect that this background character would actually have her own story. "I know that you''re an actress who loves diving into your character''s story so I prepared something for you. Well then, see you later. The crew will call you once the set is ready." Brianna nodded and started reading. "Shella Vancob. A woman in her 30s who wants to be a famous actress. She was from the UK but went to America to pursue her dream of becoming a famous actress..." Brianna felt like the character resembled her life. She was clueless about the reason why Salvatore wanted her to talk to Kazir. So she didn''t understand the purpose of this cameo. While she was reading more, her mood slowly changed. She was internally absorbing the essence of the character, to become her. She closed her eyes, merging with Shella Vancob. Then, the door opened. This trailer was for extras to use and they didn''t expect to see a famous actress inside. Shella, I mean, Brianna opened her eyes and greeted the person. "Good morning." "Good morning-- Wait a minute, are you Miss Brianna Evans?" "That''s right. That''s me." Brianna''s eyes were lively, unlike earlier. She smiled and waved her hand at the actress. "W- wha--!! C- Can I get an autograph!? I''m a fan!" "Of course." "Wha--!" The female actress almost squealed. Because the trailer was for female extras, Brianna decided to leave the trailer and check the studio. As of now, the crew members are adjusting the seats. The studio looked like a restaurant. This was the scene where Dr. Octopus attacked Peter Parker in the restaurant to ask him about Spider-Man''s whereabouts. Brianna looked around and saw some actors she recognized such as Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. They became famous after the success of the first movie. "Oh, looks like you came out of the trailer." Kazir saw Brianna. "So here''s your role. You''re the waiter who will bring coffee to Peter Parker and Mary Jane. You will smile at them and leave." "Alright." Brianna knew that this was the usual role for a vase. A vase is a term used when a beautiful woman is used as a background character, just to make the scene pleasing to the eye. However, even a small screentime was very important to extras, because that could become their opportunity to be recognized by other directors. Even an extra who had one line had a higher salary compared to other extras who were just in the background. Kazir was satisfied when he saw that Brianna looked fine now. At least her eyes didn''t look dead. "That''s great to hear. Oh, after this scene, don''t immediately leave. I have a script here that might take your interest. I know you want to participate in the Academy Awards, so maybe this script can help you." Brianna then looked at Kazir with surprise. +++++ [Author''s Note: If you''re interested in reading more, you can check out my Patreon. Currently, HWI has 177 advance chapters on Pat reon. You can also vote on polls that can determine the trajectory of this novel.] P@treon link: https://www.pat /Puji_maki Chapter 384 Chapter 384 "Do you love me or not?" Mary Jane asked an important question, staring at Peter Parker. "I..." Peter Parker paused, he didn''t know how to respond. Mary Jane was waiting for his answer, hoping to hear "yes". "I... don''t." Peter looked down, with his eyeglasses, becoming a bit blurry. Mary Jane looked disappointed. "You don''t," she said back to him. "Um, excuse me. But here''s your order. A cup of latte and cappuccino. Have a great day!" Their conversation stopped when a woman in her 30s put their orders on the table. She smiled at them before leaving. Mary Jane bit her lip and closed her eyes for a second. Then, she stared at Peter. "Kiss me," she said. "Kiss you?" "I need to know something. Just one kiss." She touched Peter''s hand. The two closed their eyes and their lips slowly came closer. Unfortunately, right before their lips touched, Peter''s spider-sense started acting up! A fucking car dived into the restaurant! The glass wall cracked as the car crashed into the restaurant, destroying the property. Peter grabbed Mary Jane and protected her from the danger. The debris flew everywhere. The waitress screamed and started running away as she witnessed the destruction. "Cut-!" Kazir uttered and the performance stopped. Based on his reaction, he had no intention of reshooting the scene. Probably because the performance was on point. The crew members clapped their hands, congratulating the cast and extras who participated in the scene. Even Brianna was congratulated. "Ma''am, I''m a fan. I want to say that you''re an amazing actress." Kirsten said to Brianna. "Thanks. You too, you''re an amazing actress." She replied. If this happened seven years ago, Brianna might be over the top in celebration. Becoming a background character in a big-budget movie was a huge accomplishment for a nobody like her. Especially when the movie was directed by Kazir Grey. This was enough to boost her credentials as an actress. But now, Brianna already reached the top and she was recognized as one of the most talented actresses in the industry. Brianna saw Kazir talking to Alfred Molina, probably about the next scene. Because Dr. Octopus was the one responsible for throwing the car into the restaurant. "Okay, let''s take a break." A few minutes later, Kazir announced the lunch break. People needed to eat to gain energy. Kazir understood the importance of eating at the right time so he would make sure that the crew and the cast would have the time to eat and rest. Furthermore, Kazir was also hungry. "Brianna, let''s eat together. I''m sure you''re interested in the script I talked about earlier." "Yes, director." Despite being both clients of Salvatore, Brianna still showed respect to Kazir. After all, directors like Kazir had a higher status than Brianna. Also, Kazir was the person who introduced Brianna to Salvatore. She would never forget that goodwill. "By the way, your acting is on point. I thought you''re really a waitress." "I worked in a restaurant as a waitress before auditioning for Taken. I have experience." The two found a restaurant near the studio... This restaurant also had some crew members eating. This was one of the nearest restaurants in the studio so it was obvious why some of the crew members were eating here. The crew greeted Kazir, Brianna, Erica, and Anderson. "I want two bacon sandwiches and cold water," Kazir said to the waiter. "That''s also my order." Brianna followed. While waiting for their orders, Kazir decided to give the script to Brianna. "Actually, I have two scripts here for you. It depends on what you like to choose." Kazir gave her two documents. One with the title of La La Land, and the second had the title of Nomadland. Brianna looked at the two documents and then stared at Kazir. The guy chuckled and explained. "Fremont Smith is interested in filming an art film, to compete at the Academy Awards. However, he can''t find a good script that will help him. You know, the Academy Awards is very picky. So I decided to help him and wrote these scripts." Kazir was now a master in lying. "La La Land is a musical. While Nomadland is about a woman who travels around the country with her van." Brianna felt like the characters of these two scripts had no mental illness... Which was a big factor in winning an Oscar statue. You see, the members of the AMPAS(Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) had a thing with psychotic characters, especially when the said characters were based on real life. Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos, a prostitute serial killer. Heath Ledger as the Joker. A fictional character but had a strong impact on the comic industry. Joker is the definition of insanity. Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers in the movie Black Swan. A ballerina who slowly loses her sense of reality and falls into madness. The list just keeps going on... Anyway, Brianna didn''t know that Kazir had no intention of giving her a dangerous role. However, he also knew that Brianna was interested in winning the Oscar. This was the best thing he could do to help her. "You can only choose one. Since you have experience working with Fremont once, I''m sure that you know his ability. You can convince him to join you in this endeavor." "..." Brianna was silent. Her heart was actually beating fast. These two scripts were created by Kazir Grey! One of the best screenwriters in the industry! "Each of these two had their pros and cons so choose wisely... Ah, you also have to sign an NDA if you want to take the scripts. You know, for security." If people knew that Kazir wrote two new scripts, the Big Six might kick the door of the Writer''s Guild just to get a copy. This kind of method was frowned upon, but the Big Six were powerful enough to disregard the consequences. +++++ [I created a poll for this where patrons can vote between La La Land and Nomadland. Based on what you can see, most patrons voted for La La Land.] [Hey, I just want to promote my Pat reon and Ko-fi. For $10 you can read 177 chapters of HWI and other content about my Pat reon and Ko- fi]. P@treon link: /Puji_maki Ko-fi link: https://ko-fi.com/pujimaki Chapter 385 Chapter 385 La La Land was a musical romantic comedy-drama film. The film originally stars Ryan Gosling as a jazz musician and Emma Stone as an aspiring actress who meets and falls in love while pursuing their dreams in Los Angeles. Of course, now that Kazir moved the timeline, this piece of art would become part of his portfolio as a screenwriter. The film was notable for its homage to classic Hollywood musicals, its vibrant cinematography, and its original music. La La Land received critical acclaim and won numerous awards, including six Academy Awards, with Emma Stone winning Best Actress. This was also the reason why Kazir recommended this film to Brianna. Brianna Evans worked in the theater stage and she knew how to sing. She was good at singing, to be honest. The film''s themes of love, ambition, and the tension between personal aspirations and romantic relationships resonated with many viewers. This was a box office success and also an art film that was recognized by the Academy Awards. To make it better, the female lead was not mentally crazy. A great thing for Brianna who was deep into method acting. "Director, La La Land seems promising, but it''s a musical. Two years ago, Chicago was released and won many awards from the Academy Awards. Perhaps the Academy members might be tired of musicals." "That''s also right. But you have to remember, the purpose of La La Land is for you and Fremont to win the Best Actress and Best Director respectively." Actually, the original director of La La Land won the Best Director. This was also the reason why Kazir chose this script. La La Land could give Brianna and Fremont the golden statues they were eager to get. "Director, this is a musical... Do you even know how to write a song? I mean, there are song lyrics on the script, but I have no idea about their tones and rhythm." Composing a piece of music was not that easy. It could even take months or years to perfect a song. "About that, I have a copy of the album here. You just have to listen to it... For the record, I''m not that good with singing so you guys can decide how much you tune it." "I didn''t know that you also have this kind of talent. Sometimes I feel like you''re not a human at all. Tell me, are you an alien or time traveler or something?" "Actually, I''m a time traveler. The movies I directed are all from the future. I stole all of them." Kazir replied very seriously. Brianna just nodded, treating what he said as a joke. "As for the choreography, Fremont can hire a professional choreographer. He can also hire a musician." Kazir estimated that Fremont could finish this project in at least two years. This was not Fremont''s expertise so it might take a while for him to get the knack for musical. "If you''re not confident, then how about Nomadland?" "La La Land and Nomadland almost have the same name. Both had the word Land in the end." "That''s right. But unlike La La Land, Nomadland is a realistic film. There''s no musical in between." "Nomadland" is an American drama film about a woman in her sixties who, after the economic collapse of her hometown in rural Nevada, decides to become a modern-day nomad, living in her van and traveling across the American West. The film explores themes of economic hardship, community, and resilience, capturing the lives of those who choose to live on the road outside of conventional society. Nomadland is actually based on a non-fiction book, so it was based on real life. The film received widespread acclaim for its direction, screenplay, cinematography, and the lead''s performance. It won several prestigious awards, including the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. The film is praised for its storytelling and its authentic depiction of the nomadic lifestyle. ''In my opinion, Nomadland is better than La La Land in terms of recognition. This movie won three Academy Awards. However, the box office of this movie is not that great. It only made $39 million, unlike La La Land which grossed more than $472 million.'' The difference between the two was huge. Of course, Nomadland would only take a year to film and this kind of genre would not be a problem to Fremont. As for La La Land, Fremont had no experience in musical so the creation of this movie might take a while. Both movies had their pros and cons. "You can convince Fremont. That guy is not an amateur anymore. He knows how to determine the value of a script." "Thanks, director, I will treat you to a nice restaurant once I win the Best Actress Award." "... That''s at least a year from now on. Do you know how long is that?" Kazir joked and Brianna laughed. Kazir was relieved to see Brianna smiling. It was actually concerning how easy it was for Brianna to change her whole personality. ''Perhaps she really needs a professional therapist... I should probably talk to Salvatore about this.'' A person''s mind is a powerful tool, but also a dangerous one. Their orders arrived and the two started eating. ...... ... ... The filming of Spider-Man 2 was smooth sailing overall. There were some problems but Kazir had enough experience to fix them. While the filming of Spider-Man 2 was happening, the 3rd week of January just passed. This week, The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King just surpassed $350 million in North America. As for the international box office, it already grossed more than $270 million. Warner Brothers forecasted that the last movie of the trilogy could possibly surpass $1 billion based on how fast the box office climbed. Meaning, the number one movie of 2003 might become Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King. With that, Finding Nemo would lose its number-one spot on the ranking! Good for Warner Brothers, but bad for Walt Disney. Well, profit-wise, none of them lost. They still made huge money after all. ++++ [Author''s Note: I''m not going to lie, I chatgpt''ed the summaries of the movies because I also have no idea what these movies actually are. Anyway, I want to say thank you guys for all of your support! I appreciate it.] Chapter 386 Chapter 386 A new year had arrived, and production studios were once again busy preparing for their upcoming releases. Many were already promoting their films in hopes of earning more at the box office. January, being the first month of the year, was relatively quiet in terms of blockbuster releases, except for one. Universal Pictures had released a romantic comedy titled Along Came Polly, which was expected to surpass $150 million at the worldwide box office. Other than Along Came Polly, January remained uneventful for new films. However, this lull only applied to recent releases. Meanwhile, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was continuing to dominate the box office. The number of people watching the film every day was astounding. Some moviegoers even attended screenings dressed as characters from the film, wearing elaborate costumes of Dwarves and Elves. The Lord of the Rings had become more than just a film franchise. It was now an integral part of Western pop culture. Many fans engaged in live-action role-playing (LARPing) and played Dungeons & Dragons using LOTR as a core influence. Merchandise sales for The Lord of the Rings had already surpassed a billion dollars. Every time a new movie in the franchise was released, merchandise sales skyrocketed. It was undeniable that The Lord of the Rings had a stronger consumer base than the Continental Cinematic Universe (CCU). LOTR offered a vast range of products, including wigs, toy swords, toy bows, and detailed costumes, while CCU primarily relied on action figures. Taking into account the officially licensed video games, merchandise, and box office earnings, Forbes estimated that The Lord of the Rings franchise had generated between $3 billion and $7 billion in total revenue. It was obvious why Warner Brothers was determined to hold onto the franchise. They had no intention of letting it go, especially with the possibility of The Hobbit adaptation. While The Lord of the Rings was making history, Wanted 2 had officially ended its theatrical run, concluding with a worldwide box office total of $821 million. Although this was $200 million lower than its predecessor, Wanted 2 was still recognized as a box office success, especially considering its production cost of just $100 million (plus marketing expenses). Unfortunately, Wanted 2 failed to surpass Finding Nemo, which had grossed $871 million worldwide. ...... ... ... "Hey, did you hear the rumors?" "Hm? Are you talking about that?" "Yes, that! That''s right!" At the reception desk of Grey Pictures, two receptionists whispered to each other while idly waiting for visitors. With little to do at the moment, they passed the time by gossiping. People loved to gossip, especially when the topic was juicy. Recently, rumors had been circulating about Kazir Grey and Brianna Evans. The two had been spotted leaving a restaurant together, looking rather close, as if they were more than just friends. Naturally, the two receptionists were eager to discuss their boss''s supposed romantic entanglement. Kazir Grey was known throughout the company as a serious, hardworking man. Everyone was also well aware that he was deeply in love with his girlfriend, Angelina Jolie. However, some tabloids had begun publishing stories suggesting that Kazir and Brianna were having an affair. Of course, tabloids were notorious for fabricating stories. In some ways, they were even worse than fanfiction. At least fanfiction openly admitted to being fictional, whereas tabloids often pushed misleading narratives, making people believe they were true. This time, their target was Kazir and Brianna. "What do you think? Are the rumors true? I thought Mr. Grey was devoted to his girlfriend." "In my opinion, he should leave Angelina. That woman has already been through a divorce and a failed relationship. Her past romantic history isn''t great either." "I actually agree with you. Kazir Grey is the best thing that''s happened to Angelina... I''d be really sad if they broke up." "For me, Brianna Evans is the better choice. She has a stronger career, and she''s never been involved in any scandals, except for this one. I also heard she''s been single since 1997, which shows how serious she is about her career." "Your opinion sucks. Just shut up and do your job. Don''t spread baseless gossip unless you want to get sued." A new voice interrupted their conversation. "Who said that?!" One of the receptionists turned around, only for her face to go pale. Standing there with a cold stare was Erica Mendez. "M- Ma''am, it''s nice to meet you," one of the receptionists stammered, her confidence crumbling. "I don''t feel the same." Without another glance at them, Erica walked past the reception desk, clearly unimpressed. It was unprofessional and outright disrespectful for company employees to gossip about their boss''s private life. She made a mental note to contact Human Resources. These two didn''t deserve to work at Grey Pictures with such an unprofessional attitude. ''If they wanted to gossip, they should''ve done it somewhere I couldn''t hear them.'' Erica sighed. The truth was, Kazir had already spoken to Angelina about the situation to clear things up. Their conversation had gone well, but afterward, Angelina had started acting a little strange. Erica could sense it. She had worked with Kazir long enough to want the best for him, both professionally and personally. Kazir and Angelina were still in a relationship and remained affectionate toward each other. But for some reason, Erica had a gut feeling that their relationship wouldn''t last much longer. It certainly didn''t help that tabloids kept flooding the media with claims that Kazir was cheating on Angelina. Frustrated, Erica had already contacted their legal team to file lawsuits against these tabloids. Most of them were small publishers, so the legal battle wouldn''t take long. However, the damage had already been done. The smear campaign against Kazir''s reputation was clearly deliberate. Chapter 387 Chapter 387 "Let me check... It''s done, huh. It looks amazing. The UI is simple and easy to use. The comment section is also not that bad, people who created an account can react to comments." Kazir explored the new website of Grey Pictures. The internet industry was booming despite the dot-com bubble crash that had happened a few years ago. This website was designed by him based on how websites looked in his past life, clean, simple, and easy to use. Of course, he had only provided an example, while the actual programming and coding were handled by professionals. This website had taken quite a while to build. To be honest, it took two years to complete because the internet was still a new industry with no clear rules to follow. On the website, news about their upcoming projects was displayed on the front page. People could also check their past movies by searching for their titles in the search box. Each movie had a comment section where people could share their honest opinions. Of course, there were still no comments since the website had just launched today. Kazir decided to comment on one of the movies, as he already had an account. -- 10/10. I love the movie! I love it so much that I bought both the regular and deluxe DVD versions. I watched both versions just to see the differences. Guys! I highly recommend buying both versions because they are amazing! Deluxe DVD versions of movies were rarely available for rental because they tended to sell out quickly. This was especially true for CCU movies, which were always in high demand. Kazir was personally promoting his movies on the website. "Speaking of websites... I wonder when Facebook will be created. I heard the website will be launched this year, but I have no idea when." Facebook was actually founded in February 2004, just one week from now. Knowing the potential of this website, Kazir was excited to invest in it. He had already acquired shares from Google, holding a 7% stake. After receiving $1 billion from 20th Century Fox, Kazir diversified his investments. For every company he recognized, he invested a portion of the money. It was better than letting it sit in the bank and depreciate. It was also a good way to protect his money from taxes since they couldn''t tax funds that were invested in the stock market. Kazir was also interested in Netflix, but he wasn''t in a rush to invest. He was waiting for the moment Netflix launched its online streaming service. That would be the right time to buy in. Financially, Kazir''s life was in great shape. He had no fear of losing money. In fact, he had no idea where to spend it. He wasn''t a materialistic guy, though his film library at home was now filled with old movies, ranging from silent films to black-and-white classics and early color films. His collection was worth more than $7 million because the films he had were authentic originals. Sometimes, there was a novelty in watching old movies on videotape. In the next few years, people would lose interest in VHS technology, but Kazir would keep his collection. He checked every movie section of the website until he reached the TV Show section. There was only one TV show that Grey Pictures had produced so far: Game of Thrones. This TV show had received amazing ratings, averaging 19.28 per episode. The show had already aired its ninth episode three days ago, and it had been a great success. Next week would be the last episode of the season. Unlike most TV shows that had 20+ episodes per season, Game of Thrones only had 10 episodes. The reason was the budget. Every episode cost millions to produce. Since the audience loved the show, the second season was already in production. Kazir checked the comment section and was surprised to see that someone had already shared their thoughts on the show. -- It''s an amazing show! I''m excited to watch it next week! The comment was short, but Kazir could sense the sincerity. He smirked. Since Season 1 was a success and Season 2 was on the way, Grey Pictures understood that they had to increase the budget. They had only broken even with revenue this season, but their profits in the next season seemed promising, so Grey Pictures was not hesitant to invest more. rA??§à?§¦S? Naturally, the actors also received a salary increase for the next season. Emilia Clarke''s salary per episode was around $12,000, but in Season 2, her pay per episode might double, depending on negotiations between her agent and the producers. If Kazir remembered correctly, by the time Game of Thrones reached Season 7, many of the actors were making $500,000 per episode, including Emilia Clarke, who played Daenerys Targaryen, and Kit Harington, who played Jon Snow. Obviously, the production studio wouldn''t offer that kind of salary unless the TV show was highly profitable. ''By the time we''re done, the valuation of this TV show will be around $1.5 billion... The problem is, when should we end it?'' Season 8 had been a disaster, and even the cast admitted it. They had failed to deliver a satisfying ending. Kazir didn''t want that to happen again. While surfing the website, his phone rang, and Kazir glanced at it. "..." It was Angelina. The current scandal circulating in the industry was affecting Kazir''s reputation. He had already explained everything to Angelina, so he thought things were fine. "Hey, babe, how''s your day?" He answered the call, and Angelina responded. "Kazir, I think you should turn on your television..." "Hm?" Kazir raised an eyebrow but did as she suggested. Angelina remained on the phone as Kazir turned on the television in his office. He switched to a news network. -- Breaking news: Tobey Maguire beat a reporter to death. "..." Kazir was speechless. ++++ [Author''s Note: Yeah, I guess this is a filler chapter, huh? I just want you to be ready because I''m cooking up this year''s (2004) plot against Kazir. This will be one of Kazir''s worst years, perhaps the worst one.] [As for why I''m doing this to our MC, well, life is never easy. Sometimes, you have to go through hardships.] Chapter 388 Chapter 388 "Ugh... That motherfucker..." Tobey Maguire cursed under his breath while applying a cold compress to his head. His neck had a small cut, and his head had a bump from the scuffle earlier. He slowly touched the bandage on his neck, the sensation of his throat almost being sliced still lingering. Thankfully, Tobey trained three times a week for his role as Spider-Man, so his reaction time was quite fast. "Tobey, our situation isn''t great." A woman in her forties entered the hospital room. She sighed as she looked at Tobey''s appearance. "It''s a good thing your face doesn''t have any scratches. You''ll still be shooting tomorrow." "I don''t even know if the shoot will happen tomorrow," he replied. The woman shook her head. This incident had happened so quickly that she didn''t have time to respond. The woman was Tobey''s agent. Her name was Diana Taylor. "Tobey, be honest with me. What you did was self-defense, right?" The female agent asked. "What the fuck, Diana? I''m not lying to you! That fucker attacked me first!" Tobey roared. "I know, I know." The agent tried to calm the actor down. Diana asked the question because she knew Tobey had some anger issues, especially when he was drunk. Though lately, Diana could see that Tobey was changing for the better. He rarely went to clubs anymore. If he had to get drunk, he''d just invite some of his friends and party at his own property. But still, the situation was against them. "Okay, Tobey, tell me the story¡ª" "I also want to hear it." "Kazir!" Kazir appeared with Jezebel. The two were the ones responsible for Spider-Man 2. Jezebel briefly glanced at Diana before looking at Tobey. Diana knew that the female producer had issues with other women, so she decided to stay silent. Agents had thick skin. As long as they made more money, they would do almost anything. ''Besides, keeping quiet is easier than twerking on the table...'' Diana thought to herself. As for why she made that comparison, it was probably based on her experience... So the agent sat in the corner, waiting for Tobey''s full story. "Director, I swear, I''m not the bad guy. I''m the victim here! I was just trying to protect myself!" Tobey''s face flushed red, perhaps from shame or hatred toward the reporter. "Tobey, I trust you." Kazir nodded, reassuring the actor. Kazir had witnessed Tobey''s gradual change. There was probably more to the story about why Tobey attacked the reporter. "Wait, really!?" Tobey was stunned. He couldn''t believe Kazir would easily believe him. "I know you''re doing great and changing to be a better person. I''m proud of you." "..." Hearing Kazir''s response, Tobey suddenly wanted to cry. Damn, that was the greatest thing he''d heard all day. Everyone who heard the story believed Tobey was the bad guy, but Kazir was different. "Kazir... Thank you so much." "Tobey, don''t cry on me... I''m not comfortable with men crying on me." Kazir could see the tears building up in Tobey''s eyes. "Y- Yeah, hehe, sorry sorry." Tobey snorted and then laughed, forcing himself not to cry. He wiped his eyes and began telling the story. "First of all, that guy isn''t a reporter! He''s a paparazzi! A stalker! He''d been following me from the studio yesterday. His car followed me everywhere I went. I got irritated, so I decided to confront him. Instead of asking me questions, he started taking pictures, and the flashes of his camera almost blinded me. It was already 6 p.m. at that time, so it was dark." "Because I was mad, I decided to give him the middle finger! That bastard smirked instead and kept taking pictures. At first, I wanted to beat him, but I controlled myself. I returned to my car and decided to go home and relax, hoping to forget about it." "You did the right thing," Kazir nodded. The story should have ended there. Unfortunately, the paparazzi kept following him. When Tobey reached Beverly Hills, he thought the paparazzi would stop stalking him. Beverly Hills was a safe neighborhood where many celebrities lived. This neighborhood had strong security to protect the privacy of its residents. The stalker should have been stopped by the guards right at the gate of the subdivision where Tobey lived. However, things didn''t go as planned. For some reason, the stalker got into the neighborhood where Tobey lived! And you know what happened next? The stalker even entered the house where Tobey was living. He found Tobey opening a bottle of whiskey, and that''s where the scuffle occurred. Tobey easily overpowered the stalker... smashing his face badly. Tobey was already mad at the stalker, and he used this chance to teach him a lesson. He called the police and reported that someone had trespassed on his property and tried to harm him. "This isn''t the first time this has happened. Some paparazzi have been pestering me lately, and I don''t know why. They''re asking me stupid questions, and I''m slowly losing my mind. The last person received all of my wrath." The stalker was sent to the hospital. Tobey thought everything would be over after that. However, just minutes after the incident, breaking news was released by NBC, a TV network affiliated with Universal Pictures. The headline was that Tobey Maguire beat up a poor reporter to death after the reporter allegedly asked him some questions. Now, that was the stupidest thing. Yet almost everyone believed the news without even hearing his side of the story or the police report! How many people lost their jobs due to false allegations? Probably a lot. ++++ [Author''s Note: Since today is April 1, I decided to post two more chapters later. And no, this is not an April Fool''s joke. I missed a few days, so this is my way of making it fair. Also, I''ll announce something later.] Chapter 389 Chapter 389 The events that transpired were against Spider-Man 2. Even though NBC was the major TV network that spread the news, other smaller TV stations also covered it. Even news publishers printed articles related to the incident. In just one night, the news of Tobey Maguire beating a reporter spread so fast that even kindergarteners heard about it. This news would obviously affect Spider-Man 2 very, very badly. The profit that Sony-Columbia could earn from this project would decrease, perhaps even drop into the negatives. Sony-Columbia couldn''t accept that. They had invested too much money in this project. More than $100 million had already been poured into the movie and advertising. If they backed down now, they would bleed too much. So, immediately, Sony-Columbia retaliated to protect Tobey. Besides, Tobey was the victim here. They had the upper hand in terms of the law. They contacted GET TV to assist them. GET (Great Entertainment Television) was a national television channel owned by Sony-Columbia. Unfortunately, this channel was nothing compared to NBC. It didn''t help much. Sony-Columbia also reached out to numerous newspapers to repair Tobey''s image. It was fortunate that Tobey had security cameras on his property, and they had recorded everything that happened. The police also had a copy of the footage and were trying to determine how the paparazzi had infiltrated the neighborhood. The news of Tobey Maguire beating a reporter became a sensation, and many had complex opinions. Some believed Tobey was the victim, while others sympathized with the reporter. Universal Pictures showed sympathy for the reporter, who was still in the hospital, allegedly "comatose" after the brutal beating he had endured from Tobey. Sony-Columbia did its best to protect Tobey, spreading the truth about what had actually happened. Smart people understood that Tobey was innocent. He had only been trying to protect himself. The evidence was clear. However, the media was a powerful tool capable of manipulating public perception. Suddenly, two major studios joined the battle! Walt Disney started attacking Tobey Maguire. While they acknowledged that Tobey had been protecting himself, they still condemned his actions. In their opinion, he shouldn''t have hurt the reporter but should have talked to him peacefully instead. They claimed Tobey lacked control over his anger. They also pointed out that Tobey had undergone anger management. Disney''s involvement worsened the situation for Sony-Columbia... but their troubles weren''t over yet. Warner Brothers also joined in! Backed by Time Warner, one of the biggest media conglomerates in the world, they began spamming hateful news against Tobey Maguire! There were only a few media conglomerates in the entire world, and these corporations controlled the media. News, TV shows, movies, newspapers, and even the internet. Time Warner, the parent company of Warner Brothers. The Walt Disney Company. Viacom, which had acquired Paramount in the ''90s. Sony, the parent company of Sony-Columbia. Vivendi, which owned Universal Pictures. News Corporation, the owner of 20th Century Fox. Perhaps the reason the Big Six became the Big Six was because of their powerful backers. And this time, those powerful backers were at war with each other... To be precise, three of them were trying to destroy Tobey''s reputation, while Sony-Columbia was doing its best to protect him. The outcome was obvious. Even though Tobey was innocent, it was impossible to maintain his image as an amazing actor. They began spreading stories that Tobey had anger issues. That he used drugs. That he wasn''t a good person. His image as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man was crumbling. If this continued, Tobey might lose his place in the industry. He might be forced to leave Hollywood and go into hiding. Thankfully, the police announced that Tobey was innocent. With that, Sony-Columbia began issuing lawsuits against multiple companies just to silence them. But it was more difficult to deal with the Big Three. They didn''t care about justice. They only wanted to destroy Tobey''s reputation. Even though Tobey was the victim, as long as they ruined his public image, their mission would be complete. Although they toned down their attacks, they still focused on his alleged drug use and anger management issues. Spider-Man had grossed over $1 billion, and the Big Three understood that its sequel would be their toughest competition of the year. Since they had an opportunity to undermine it, they took full advantage. Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox and Paramount remained silent, choosing not to join the battle. They had cooperated with Kazir in the past, so they stayed out of it. That was the best they could do. Even though 20th Century Fox and Grey Pictures had a partnership, Spider-Man was a separate entity. The movie wouldn''t bring them any profit. As for Marvel Comics, they were also in a difficult position. Spider-Man was their character, so they had to protect its brand. Unfortunately, they lacked the strength to do so. News Corporation provided some assistance, but not much. ...... .... ... Barry Mayer paused what he was doing when his secretary delivered surprising news. "I can''t believe I''ll be meeting you today, Kazir." "Yeah, I apologize for not making an appointment. I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to speak with you." "Of course." Barry Mayer nodded. He had taken the reins at Warner Brothers after Terry Semel left the company. As the leader of one of the biggest studios in the world, Barry couldn''t ignore the most profitable director of all time. The two men locked eyes. Barry already had an idea why Kazir was visiting. It was most likely about the Spider-Man 2 controversy. Warner Brothers had been one of the studios condemning Tobey Maguire''s actions. Even though Tobey had been proven innocent, public opinion remained against him. Warner Brothers was partly responsible for that. "Kazir, I know you understand that this is just business. We''re all competing for our own interests. I hope you understand that." Obviously, Barry wanted to work with Kazir, so he kept his tone respectful. There was always a chance they could collaborate, especially now that Warner Brothers was looking to build its own... "I understand that very well." "That''s good to hear." Barry sighed in relief. "That''s why I will fight for my own interests," Kazir replied, his gaze firm and unwavering. "Hm?" "Batman." "!!!" Barry''s eyes trembled slightly. "I want to direct Batman. I heard your studio is searching for a director. Why not me, the most profitable director of the era?" "..." Barry fell silent, but he couldn''t stop his heart from racing. This... this might be the biggest shock he had received this year. And yet, 2004 was only just beginning. Chapter 390 Chapter 390 Kazir understood it very well. Showbiz is not that simple. It is an intense competition aimed at making more money. He didn''t blame Warner Brothers and Walt Disney because he understood their situation. These two companies just wanted to take advantage of the situation to defeat one of their rivals. Sony-Colombia was getting stronger, and they didn''t want that to happen. If Kazir were in their position, he would have done the same. However, even though he didn''t blame them, he was still filled with anger. He was human, after all. He had feelings. And he didn''t like that the three giants were trying to destroy his project. He didn''t like it at all. Thankfully, Kazir was mature enough to control his emotions. He was not stupid. He had experienced so many things in life and knew that life was not over just because of one mistake. In his opinion, he had experienced far more painful things than this. So what if Spider-Man 2 flopped? Would it affect his position in the industry? Yes, but Kazir understood that it would never stop him from making movies. If Hollywood wanted to kick him out, he had other countries to migrate to. Well, TV shows were also not a bad option. Kazir was not afraid. As long as he could pursue his art, it didn''t matter. However, he also understood that the situation would badly affect everyone around him. Tobey Maguire and the cast of Spider-Man 2 would be affected. The crew members who worked hard to finish the project would be affected. The workers from Sony-Colombia would be affected. This was not just about him. Kazir was the director, and it was his responsibility to make sure that the project would be a success. So he didn''t hesitate to contact the current Chairman/CEO of Warner Brothers, Barry Mayer. ''If I have to work with Warner Brothers to protect Spider-Man 2, so be it. This is not about me anymore.'' Kazir stared at Barry, who seemed surprised by what he had just said. "Kazir, can you repeat what you said? You want to direct Batman?" "That''s right. Or is there someone else you want to handle the project?" "..." There was actually a new director they were interested in working with. But compared to Kazir, the value that the new director could bring to the table was insignificant. Kazir was the most profitable director for a reason. His creations were all aimed at making money. His artistic passion was about making money. That was the reason why so many studios wanted to work with him because their mission was the same. "I''ve been interested in Batman. He is my favorite superhero. Actually... If Warner Brothers had acquired the shares of Grey Pictures, I wanted to work with DC Comics and Warner Brothers to revive Batman." "..." Unfortunately, the acquisition failed, and Grey Pictures became part of 20th Century Fox. Even though it was wrong, Barry blamed Terry Semel for that mistake. The value that Grey Pictures could have brought to Warner Brothers was immense. The last live-action Batman film was Batman & Robin. The result was so awful that Warner Brothers hid the Batman movie adaptation rights in their film library for almost a decade. They wanted people to forget about Batman with nipples... The costume designer was immediately fired after that. Who thought that putting nipples on Batman''s armor was a good idea? Barry took a deep breath. He suddenly wanted to call his secretary to bring cold water to calm him down. Instead, he made do with warm tea. Barry took a sip of the tea. Of course, they wanted to work with Kazir. In fact, they had wanted to contact Kazir in hopes that he would direct at least one of their DC movies. "Kazir, you do understand that you''re actually helping your enemy by doing this." Marvel Comics and DC Comics were rivals, yet Kazir wanted to do something outrageous. "I know it well... But do I even have a chance?" He smiled, but his gaze didn''t seem happy. "I will only direct Batman... A trilogy at best. But I want Warner Brothers and Time Warner to stop sabotaging Spider-Man 2." Trilogy? Barry almost jumped. A trilogy was a huge commitment. Still, he controlled himself. "Kazir, you know that''s hard to do. I''m just a CEO of a multi-billion company. I don''t have influence." "No deal then." "... I will contact some people." It would be stupid if Barry said no. Of course, he would agree with Kazir. "Glad to hear it." The only way to stop Warner Brothers from sabotaging Spider-Man 2 was by giving them an equal or better deal. Kazir directing Batman was enough. Barry hated to admit it, but Kazir had enough power to negotiate with them. This was just a verbal agreement, but it meant that the negotiation had started. It meant that Kazir had a high chance of directing Batman. Of course, Salvatore and the producer would discuss the contract in further detail. The two shook hands. "It''s nice working with you, Barry." "The pleasure''s mine. Good luck with your movie this year." "Hm." Even though they had an agreement, it was obvious that the two were not on good terms. ..... ..... ... It was subtle, but Time Warner slowly stopped talking about Tobey Maguire. It seemed that Warner Brothers was serious about working with Kazir. Their reason was simple. If Kazir could make another $1 billion superhero movie, then the deal was absolutely worth it. Besides, condemning Tobey Maguire wouldn''t help them much. Spider-Man already had a solid fan base. The best that this incident could do was lower the box office earnings by a few million. Even then, the chances of Spider-Man 2 earning more than $700 million were still high. Why? Because Kazir Grey was the director of the movie. His presence alone was enough to offset the scandal. Thankfully, February 1 arrived, and another big news event buried the issues related to Tobey Maguire. During the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake performed, but due to a "wardrobe malfunction," Janet''s breast was exposed during the live broadcast. This became a huge sensation, and the controversy surrounding Tobey Maguire died down. ++++++ [Author''s Note: I posted three chapters today! Since it''s April Fool''s Day, some authors like to prank their readers with fake chapters or jokes about dropping their novels, but I''m doing the opposite. After giving it some thought, I''ve decided that Hollywood What If will likely conclude somewhere between Chapter 600 and 750. If all goes as planned, it should be finished within this year unless procrastination strikes or something unexpected happens, such as me being dead. I just want to take a moment to thank you all for your continued support. If you''d like to read ahead, feel free to check out my Patreon or Ko-fi!] Chapter 391 Chapter 391 During the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show on February 1, 2004, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake performed together, leading to a controversial incident often referred to as a "wardrobe malfunction." At the end of their performance, Timberlake reached across Jackson''s chest and pulled at her costume, unexpectedly tearing away part of her top, exposing her right breast to the television audience for about half a second. This incident, broadcast live to millions of viewers, led to widespread media coverage, public backlash, and significant changes in broadcasting regulations and policies regarding indecency. The incident had a lasting impact on both artists'' careers, the broadcasting industry, and the cultural landscape. Janet Jackson faced significant professional consequences, including being blacklisted by some media outlets and the Grammys, while Timberlake''s career continued to flourish. It was unfortunate that Janet Jackson suffered the most, even though it was not her fault. Her career practically turned to dust after that "wardrobe malfunction." Justin Timberlake was the one who pulled the dress incorrectly, yet his career remained largely unaffected. This incident was proof that showbiz was harsher on women. However, for Grey Pictures and Sony-Columbia, it was a heaven-sent opportunity. The suffering of others became their blessing. In just one day, the entire public shifted its attention to the Super Bowl incident. No one cared about Tobey Maguire anymore. The news about him had already been overanalyzed and recycled. Sony-Columbia even worked to amplify the Super Bowl controversy so that people would quickly forget about Tobey Maguire. They had to do it, otherwise, they would suffer further repercussions. In the span of one night, the issues surrounding Tobey Maguire disappeared. Although Universal Pictures and Walt Disney were still keeping the controversy alive, Warner Brothers had stepped away from the battle. After all, Kazir had already promised to work on Batman. In fact, when Barry Meyer contacted James Lee, the President of DC Comics, James Lee immediately agreed to the idea. Barry Meyer understood James Lee''s excitement. Kazir Grey''s name carried immense weight. Whenever his name was included in the credits of a movie, that movie was almost guaranteed to be a box-office success. Batman was an essential character for both DC Comics and Warner Brothers. Just like Superman, Batman was the face of both companies. They knew they had the power to revive the Batman franchise because of its profitability. However, the last live-action Batman movie had been a critical and commercial failure. Audiences didn''t like it, and since then, Warner Brothers had vowed that if they were to reboot Batman, they had to ensure it would be a massive success. Kazir was the best guarantee they could find. His salary was not a problem. As long as Kazir could make Batman popular on the big screen, paying him would be more than worth it. Since Warner Brothers owned DC Comics, they technically held the rights to all of DC''s superhero characters. Their merchandise sales had been stagnating, but if Kazir directed Batman and the film turned out to be a massive hit, Batman-related merchandise could experience a tenfold increase in sales. The revenue Warner Brothers could earn just by hiring Kazir as a director was staggering. So, the best decision was to stop attacking Tobey Maguire. It was no longer worth it. Warner Brothers wanted to maintain a good relationship with Kazir, now that they were going to work together. As for the Marvel vs. DC rivalry, that was a battle for another day. If there was one thing Barry Meyer and James Lee were hoping for, it was that Kazir would help them build the DC Universe. However, Kazir didn''t make any promises. He was only interested in creating a Batman trilogy. The rest was up to DC. After all, Grey Pictures still owned the rights to some Marvel characters, which they had returned to Marvel in exchange for better profit shares. Kazir would obviously side with Marvel Comics. As for the possibility of Kazir sabotaging Batman, Warner Brothers would make sure to include a clause in the contract to prevent that. Just to be safe. But Kazir wasn''t stupid enough to destroy his own reputation. ...... ... ... With January over, the filming of Spider-Man 2 was also nearing completion. The production of the film had already been underway long before Kazir even joined the project. While he was busy with Pirates of the Caribbean, the props, sets, and cast had already been prepared by the production team. They were simply waiting for Kazir to officially come on board and begin filming. Kazir had a reputation for being an efficient director with a clear vision, which allowed the production to proceed smoothly without much hassle. Initially, Sony-Columbia had considered halting filming to allow Tobey Maguire to stay out of the media spotlight for a while. However, Tobey personally spoke to Jezebel, arguing that postponing production would result in financial losses. The cast would also waste time waiting. Kazir agreed with Tobey. In the end, filming continued. Tobey stayed at a nearby hotel while shooting was ongoing. "Kazir, thank you so much." "Hm?" Kazir glanced at Tobey, who was holding a can of beer. Tobey was allowed to drink, but only inside his hotel room. "If not for you, I might be drowning in depression right now." "...?" "Because of you, I realized that there are still people who believe in me. And I don''t want to disappoint them. I''m going to work hard and prove to everyone that Tobey Maguire is a great actor. Thank you, Kazir, for helping me see that." "I hope you continue to have that kind of perseverance." The two chuckled. Now Kazir understood why Tobey had invited him to his room for a talk. "I believe you can do it. You have the talent to back it up." "Thanks." Tobey took another sip of his beer, feeling renewed determination. Chapter 392 Chapter 392 "Okay, let''s celebrate tomorrow. Company''s credit card, of course. For now, let''s clean the set so that we can leave and rest! The filming is officially done!" Kazir said, using a megaphone since they were in a wide setting background. They ended the filming quite early, so the crew members were a bit excited about cleaning the set quickly so that they could leave earlier. As for the cast, they had already bid their farewells after thanking Kazir, Jezebel, and other important people in the production. It was common courtesy and also a way of forming connections. Today was February 8, and the Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction was still trending. As for the Tobey Maguire scandal, TV networks had stopped talking about it. Which was a good thing because it sped up the production of Spider-Man 2. Last month, when the scandal was at its peak, so many reporters tried to infiltrate the set just to cause trouble. They had hired more guards just to make sure that the filming wouldn''t be affected. Even Anderson, Kazir''s silent bodyguard, was on high alert. Perhaps the most surprising thing during this whole ordeal was Tobey''s mentality. Kazir was amazed by his hard work. Tobey''s acting became outstanding, and he rarely got an NG. He was so great that Kazir praised him and because Tobey deserved it. Kazir was impressed. Despite facing a strong backlash, Tobey decided to focus on his job, and he did it flawlessly. Instead of being depressed, Tobey put his energy into finishing Spider-Man 2. ''Perhaps he feels like he will lose his career if he doesn''t take things seriously. After all, Spider-Man is Tobey''s biggest role. If he messes up, he might disappear from Hollywood.'' Kazir was having a monologue while looking at the crew members who were working. ''I''m really impressed. He coped so well. I guess what I said last time helped him a lot.'' Perhaps Tobey''s career might change after the Spider-Man franchise. As for the result, even Kazir was not sure. However, he would try to help Tobey since he witnessed how the actor changed for the better. ''I just hope he doesn''t return to his bad behavior.'' A week ago, Tobey apologized to the crew because of the hassle he had caused. It was already proven that he was the victim, but he still apologized to the crew... Well, some of the crew members couldn''t help but blame Tobey. Their work had become harder once the reporters started harassing them. ''To apologize to everyone even though you''re already a star takes a lot of courage. He practically lowered his pride.'' Because of this, Kazir decided to help Tobey. Being a person from the future, Kazir knew that Tobey''s career after Spider-Man was not that good. Even average was not the right word. Tobey had movie projects, but he never experienced the success he got from Spider-Man again. Kazir wanted to give him some tips so that he could be ready for the future. Half an hour later, Kazir left the set. Anderson took him to his house. Kazir didn''t have anything to do today. He wanted to take a rest since he rarely got a full 8-hour sleep since Spider-Man 2 started filming. He opened the door and found Angelina watching the last episode of Game of Thrones. There was a replay today. "Kazir, you''re back!" Angelina jumped up and hugged Kazir. The two shared a passionate kiss. "I missed you." "I missed you too," Angelina giggled. They looked into each other''s eyes and then closed the door. ... ... ... After an hour of passionate hugging, Kazir and Angelina were cuddling in bed naked. "Babe, I remember that you''re working with Blue Sky Studio, right?" "Yeah. Why do you ask?" "Nothing, I just realized that voice acting is actually so much fun." Angelina had a role in Shark Tale, a 3D cartoon movie from DreamWorks. Her role in Shark Tale was Lola, a beautiful fish who was only interested in money. Basically, a gold digger. "Hm? You want to voice one of the characters in Kung Fu Panda?" "If possible." She smiled. "Well..." Kazir smirked. He recalled that one of the characters in Kung Fu Panda was voiced by Angelina. It was Tigress, one of the Furious Five. "I will talk to Carl. There is actually a character that is suitable for you," he said and playfully pinched Angelina''s skin. "Hmm, you brute... Thanks, baby. I''m quite interested in voice acting." She bit her lip. She then sat on him... "Anything for you. I''m sure Carl will be happy to know that you''re going to voice one of the characters." Carl Ludwig was one of the founders of Blue Sky Studio, and he was also the Producer of Kung Fu Panda. ... ... ... The next day arrived, and Kazir went to the location where the party was set to happen. Just like what he said, this party was prepared and funded by Sony-Columbia to celebrate the end of filming Spider-Man 2. Spider-Man 2 had a huge budget, and Sony-Columbia was not that cheap to not give them a party. Of course, this was not a formal party, as Kazir saw some drunkards on the ground, hiccuping and shirtless. Despite the backlash, Sony-Columbia was still confident in the movie. After all, Kazir was the director of Spider-Man 2. Looking through the party, Kazir saw many people getting wasted. He saw people smoking and snorting a certain substance... Well, he already expected it. Only one-fourth of the crew members were from Grey Pictures, while others were hired by Jezebel. The usual common practice in the industry was drugs... They loved using drugs. So Kazir was not surprised to see some people smoking and snorting substances. He shook his head. The filming was done anyway, and he wouldn''t see these people again... Unless he also directed Spider-Man 3, which was not part of his contract. ''Even though the filming ended, my job as a director is still just getting started. I have to pull another all-nighter just to edit the footage.'' Chapter 393 Chapter 393 Kazir looked around and found Tobey Maguire drinking with Alfred Molina. Despite the age difference, it seemed that the two had found a common topic to talk about. He approached the two but saw Jezebel on the way. The woman looked strict as always, her thick eyeglasses were obvious even from afar. "Kazir, someone from Sony-Columbia wants to talk to you later." "I understand. What time?" "It should be three hours from now. One of our management wants to talk to you." ''Management? It''s probably about the contract.'' Kazir signed a contract that he would only film two Spider-Man movies. However, both Sony-Columbia and he agreed that something as big as Spider-Man deserved a trilogy. Sony-Columbia obviously wanted Kazir to film the last Spider-Man movie. "We will prepare a quiet place for you to talk." "Okay." Jezebel left after that. Despite the place having a party, Jezebel didn''t touch any alcohol. She was super strict even to herself. Tobey and Alfred waved their hands and invited Kazir to have a drink with them. "Kazir! Cheers!" "Cheers!" The three started talking... Kazir didn''t expect that the two were actually talking about women. To be precise, the type of women in bed. "I hate women who only lie on the bed and spread their legs while I do everything. Like, come on, what are you, a rag?" "Haha, on God, I can relate. Missionary position is so boring if you do it most of the time. At least have some doggy or cowboy once in a while, right, Kazir?" "That''s right," Kazir nodded. "Although I prefer Full Nelson." "Hahaha!" The three laughed out loud as the party music further intensified. Their topic started changing until it reached the subject of their careers in the industry. "Kazir, I''m so thankful for casting me as Dr. Octopus. It will help me boost my career... If I''m not overstepping my boundaries, if you have any roles that suit me, please contact me or my agent at any moment." Alfred Molina casually pulled out a business card and gave it to Kazir. The director took a glance and put it in his pocket. Alfred sighed when he saw what Kazir had done. At least he didn''t throw it out or something. "Tobey, do you know the pros and cons of accepting a powerful role like Spider-Man?" Kazir turned to Tobey Maguire. The young actor thought of something and nodded. "My agent actually warned me that taking the role of Spider-Man will either boost or destroy my career." "That''s right." Taylor Lautner performed the role of Jacob in Twilight. His career took a nosedive after Twilight and he had to change his plan and play in comedy movies instead. Taylor Kitsch. After starring in a box office flop called John Carter, Taylor''s career was destroyed. His chance to be an A-list actor was long gone after the terrible result of John Carter. Halle Berry''s salary also went downhill after Catwoman, that movie did so terribly at the box office. Thankfully, she had her role in X-Men as Storm to keep her relevant. Warner Brothers hated her after Catwoman. Don''t get me started with Brandon Routh, who starred in Superman Returns. That movie was trash, and it affected Brandon Routh''s career negatively. Despite being the protagonist of the original Star Wars, Mark Hamill rarely got huge roles after being Luke Skywalker. In fact, out of the three lead roles in the original Star Wars, only Harrison Ford had a successful career. An impactful role could affect an actor''s career negatively or positively. As for the term impactful role, it could be either a bad or good role. But it should be a role that left a strong impression on the audience. Some actors still had an amazing career despite having impactful roles, such as Harrison Ford, Robert Downey Jr., Johnny Depp, and many more. As for Tobey Maguire, the result was obvious. The actor became a nobody after the Spider-Man trilogy. He disappeared from the big scene, and it was sad because Tobey was a great actor. Kazir witnessed how the actor slowly adapted to his role until he became "Peter Parker". ''In my opinion, out of the three Spider-Man actors, Tobey Maguire embodied Peter Parker the best. That speaks of his ability as an actor.'' But this was also the biggest reason why Tobey Maguire fell off because the audience would never see him as a different person. For them, Tobey Maguire would be forever Peter Parker/Spider-Man. "Tobey, I have some options that could help you." "Director, I''m seriously listening." Tobey put down his drink. "First, change your image. As long as people don''t compare you to your past roles such as Spider-Man, then you''re doing it right." Tobey nodded. He could grow his hair long or grow a beard. It would prevent people from seeing him as Peter Parker. "Second, work on a comedy movie or other genre." "Hm?" That was an interesting idea. "Nobody takes comedy seriously. Even if you maintain your appearance, as long as you are part of a comedy movie, people will not take you seriously. Because they know they are watching a comedy movie, not Spider-Man. That''s a good thing because it''s comedy, after all." "Well, this is just my opinion and it has some flaws, but perhaps it can work for you. Just don''t take a serious-themed movie such as Drama, Romance, or even Action." "You should find the best way to transition your career. Because honestly, you already hit the ceiling, and you''re an A-list celebrity. What you should do is find another role to prove that you''re not only Peter Parker, you are Tobey Maguire, an actor who can perform many roles." It was a long explanation, but Tobey was listening seriously. "Thank you so much, Kazir. I will take your suggestions seriously... About performing in a comedy movie, can you perhaps help me? I mean, you''re the best comedy writer in the industry." "Give me your business card." "Here." Kazir was not surprised that Tobey had a copy of his business card in his pocket. Perhaps he was also waiting for the chance to talk to Kazir. ''Well, I will still see them in the recording studio because they will have to dub their lines.'' +++++ [Author''s Note: If you want to read more about Batman and it''s trilogy, you can subscribe to my Pat reon. The story is quite far now.] P@treon link: https://www.pat /Puji_maki Ko-fi link: https://ko -fi.com/pujimaki Chapter 394 Chapter 394 "If I know of some roles that suit you guys, I''ll recommend you to the producers and directors." "Thanks, Kazir." Both Tobey and Alfred were thankful to hear Kazir''s response. Kazir was not a simple director. He also owned a production studio worth billions. Not only that, but he was also one of the shareholders of 20th Century Fox. He had connections to Paramount, Warner Brothers, and Sony-Colombia. His promise meant something. After their drinking session, Kazir received the news that Frank Price had arrived. Kazir was not surprised. He had already expected that Frank Price would want to talk to him. Kazir excused himself and followed Jezebel, who was waiting for him. The woman led him to a soundproofed room. Kazir found Frank Price, but the CEO of Sony-Colombia was not alone. Frank had someone with him, a Japanese man. ''It''s not Ohga or Morita.'' Kazir had already met those big shots. The meeting started, and Kazir was a bit surprised by the topic they discussed. ... ... ... Kazir left the party a bit tipsy. He controlled his drinking, but sometimes he had to drink more. Inside the room, while talking to Frank and the other person, Kazir had no choice but to raise his glass of wine. He hiccuped as he returned to the studio where he intended to rest. Tomorrow, he would start editing the movie. "I have an idea that Sony-Colombia is interested in starting the 21 Jump Street franchise, but I didn''t expect that they would want me to direct it." He muttered drunkenly. Of course, he didn''t confirm anything. His time was important, and his schedule was tightly packed. "Not only that, the Japanese guy is actually a representative of Sony. He fluently spoke English. He said that Sony-Colombia is interested in buying Grey Pictures... I immediately declined, there''s no reason to look for further investors to dilute my shares." It was a bummer if he agreed. Grey Pictures was an important part of him. He wasn''t wasted enough to agree to the ridiculous business deal. As for Spider-Man 3, obviously, Frank Price kept asking Kazir. The director was not sure. He just told Frank that Sony-Colombia should be prepared and start looking for a possible director to handle the last movie of the Spider-Man trilogy. Kazir recalled that Spider-Man 3 would be released in 2007. In that year, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End would also be released. However, since Kazir changed the timeline, Sony-Colombia and 20th Century Fox were probably open to changing the release schedule of both movies to accommodate Kazir''s time. Unfortunately, Kazir was still firm in his opinion. Especially now that the negotiation between Warner Brothers was seriously taking steps. In fact, 20th Century Fox and Marvel Comics were against this business deal, but they also understood Kazir''s reasoning. He did it to protect Spider-Man 2. Marvel Comics was thankful for that. Besides, Kazir would just work on Batman, nothing else. The MCU was still in the process of planning, and they were fully serious about how to make it a masterpiece. Kazir also promised that he would film the first movie of the MCU, which was Iron Man... If possible. If he can''t direct it, then he would help as the executive producer. Marvel Comics also had other projects to focus on, such as Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Blade: Trinity. ... .... ... February 14, which was Valentine''s Day, Angelina and Kazir were attending a not-so-small party. This was the party for the announcement of the Academy Awards nominated movies. They couldn''t help but remember what had happened a year ago, they also attended the party for the Oscar nominations. Last time, they were sitting at a table together with Tom Cruise... This was the exact scene right now. Although Pene?lope Cruz was missing because she and Tom broke up. "I can''t believe I''ll see you tonight, Kazir. Haha, let me guess, your movie also received nominations." "Yeah, although it''s probably nominations in small categories." "That''s not bad." "What about you, Tom? Why are you here? Are you that confident you''ll also get a nomination for Best Actor this year? Bruh, you just won the Best Actor last year." "Why not?" The two shrugged. The Last Samurai had a strong chance of getting nominated in major categories. A few minutes later, the nominations were announced, and Tom Cruise left the party disappointed. He didn''t get a nomination. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was the winner tonight because it earned 12 nominations. Finding Nemo also got nominated, particularly in Best Animated Picture. Lost in Translation, which Scarlett Johansson starred in, also received nominations. ''Briana will probably be disappointed once she hears that Monster got a nomination for Best Actress,'' Kazir thought to himself. As for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, it was nominated in 5 categories: Best Actor Award Best Makeup Best Sound Editing Best Sound Mixing Best Visual Effects Out of these five nominations, only the Best Actor Award was in a major category. Kazir intentionally made Jack Sparrow the male lead because his character would become the face of the franchise. He adjusted the plot a little bit to achieve that. Naturally, Johnny Depp got the nomination because of it. Kazir and Angelina left the table after Tom Cruise showed his disappointment and left the party early. While walking out, Kazir realized that Johnny Depp was approaching him. Kazir already had an idea why the actor wanted to talk to him, probably to express his gratitude. However, Kazir was super surprised when he saw the woman clinging to Johnny''s arm. ''What the fuck?'' Indeed, Kazir was super surprised. He didn''t expect this to happen, at least not this early. Yet reality hit him in the face. Next to Johnny Depp was none other than Amber Heard... The woman who stepped on a bee. ++++ [Author''s Note: If you want to read more about Pirates Of The Caribbean Trilogy, you can check out my Patreon.] Chapter 395 Chapter 395 Amber Heard. She was an actress who starred in many movies such as The Rum Diary, Machete Kills, Magic Mike XXL, Justice League, and Aquaman. Amber Heard first met Johnny Depp on the set of The Rum Diary. The best way to describe her career was that it was mediocre, mediocre at best. She didn''t have any memorable roles except for her role in the DCEU, but that was for negative reasons. Her relevance as an actress was low... Nobody even knew her, not until the scandal popped up. The only reason she became known was because of her husband, which was Johnny Depp. Overall, Amber Heard was full of shit, quite literally... Even her brain was full of shit. Even her bed was full of shit. The Rum Diary was a movie set in 2011, and that was also the year when Johnny and Amber were supposed to meet for the first time. However, for some reason, Kazir was shocked to see the young actress clinging so much to Johnny Depp. "Kazir, I want to introduce you to my girlfriend, Amber." "It''s nice to meet you, director. I''m a fan." "Ah? Ah, yeah, nice to meet you too?" Kazir was so surprised that it took a few seconds for him to respond. Even Angelina was slightly uncomfortable because Kazir was acting weird. "Kazir, I''m so thankful for the chance you gave me. Hehe, you know, it''s not that easy to get nominations, especially the Best Actor Award. This is my first time getting one." It was clear from Johnny''s smile that he was happy. "I guess I shouldn''t be surprised. You helped Tom Cruise win his golden statue last year after all." The actor praised Kazir, but the director was still confused. Kazir didn''t expect that he would fuck the timeline so much that he met Amber Heard in 2004. Suddenly, he recalled something important. "Johnny, if you don''t mind, how old is your girlfriend?" "I''m 19 years old, director. Why did you ask?" Amber answered herself. "Nothing, I just thought that one of my projects needs a young actress." Kazir made an excuse. "Then, perhaps I can audition¡ª" "Never mind, you don''t fit the role." Kazir immediately stopped the woman from talking. Kazir had a strong prejudice against women who falsely accused people. After all, Kazir was also a victim of false allegations. He would never like Amber Heard, even if she was still innocent at the moment. Suddenly, Kazir felt Angelina squeezing his shoulder. He glanced at her and realized that her mood had turned sour. "I guess, we''ll excuse ourselves." Kazir decided to leave. Johnny Depp waved them goodbye while Amber controlled her facial expressions. She was actually a real fan of Kazir Grey and she was interested in having a conversation with him. Unfortunately, it seemed that Kazir was busy. ''What a waste. I wanted to ask him about his supposed sister. That bitch Mara is getting arrogant after landing a role in a movie!'' She thought. "Have a nice evening, director. By the way, haha, when are you two going to get married!?" Johnny waved goodbye to the couple. Kazir and Angelina both paused when Johnny said that. But they continued walking out of the party. The atmosphere turned cold, and Angelina let go of Kazir''s shoulder once they reached the parking lot. "Angelina, not now. Let''s talk about it once we''re at the house." "... I don''t want to." Kazir sighed. He turned around and stared at Angelina, who was mad. "The way you looked at that Amber Shit is concerning, do you know that?" "You misunderstood it. I don''t like her, okay? She''s not even that beautiful." Amber Heard was beautiful. We couldn''t deny that fact. But we also couldn''t deny that she was full of shit. Well, Cassandra Hoecrap was also beautiful, but she was also full of shit. Elizabeth Cohen, Kazir''s mother, was also beautiful. But she was also full of shit. Beauty didn''t matter if you''re full of shit. "Heh? Then why are you looking at her like that, like you''ve been struck by something?" Angelina smirked. "Babe, I''m just surprised because she looked young. I even asked her age." "... Yeah, you got a point." Kazir sighed. He thought he had escaped the trouble, but Angelina reloaded and asked him another question. "Then what about marriage? Johnny asked when we''ll get married. What''s your answer?" Angelina crossed her arms, lifting her cleavage in the process. "..." Kazir didn''t know what to say. This topic was sensitive. This was not the first time that this had happened. Of course, Kazir was interested in marrying Angelina. However, the couple couldn''t find equal grounds. "Then what about kids? Are you interested in having kids?" Kazir returned the question to Angelina, and the woman bit her lip. "I knew you would ask me that." Angelina and Kazir couldn''t agree to some terms, and that was normal in a relationship. However, these two certain things were the reason why they couldn''t level up their relationship. The matter of marriage and having kids. Whenever these two things were talked about, the couple became uncomfortable discussing them. +++++ [Yeah, this chapter is short. Sorry about that. But if you want to read more, you can check out my Pat reon. If you can''t subscribe to Pat reon due to your country''s policy, you can check out my Ko-fi.] Chapter 396 Chapter 396 Kazir had a complicated opinion regarding marriage, but it didn''t mean he didn''t want to marry her. He experienced marriage once, and it was a painful experience. He lost his house, his wife, his hope, his child... In his past life, he thought killing himself was the best option to overcome the pain. Thankfully he had movies to lean on. However, this time, he loved Angelina, and he was ready to overcome that fear. Angelina had also married once. She thought she was in love and had found her fairytale, but the fairytale didn''t end with "happily ever after." She got divorced, and she didn''t want to experience it again. She was also afraid to marry. However, she knew that Kazir was the person she wanted to spend her life with. She wanted to marry him. Kazir wanted a child. A biological child that he wanted to cherish. Was it selfish to have his own child? No, not when Kazir had experienced losing one. He regretted that he didn''t have the chance to fight and protect his child. Because of this, he had a strong will to have his own child. However, Angelina was against it for the time being. Her career was just getting better, and it would affect her career if she had a child. Also, she was afraid that her figure would change badly if she became pregnant. The stretch marks, the stress, the daily vomiting. Angelina couldn''t imagine experiencing all of that. Couples would always have disagreements, no matter how small or big they were. That was normal. They were just people, after all. Couples usually find a way to overcome these disagreements to strengthen their relationship. If they failed, then the relationship would crumble. Harmony is an important aspect of a healthy relationship. Angelina said that instead of having their own children, they should adopt instead. There were many unfortunate kids who didn''t have parents, and Angelina wanted to help them. The idea was amazing and noble, but Kazir felt disappointed when he heard it. He felt that Angelina robbed him of the chance to become a father, just like what Cassandra did to him. He felt like Angelina didn''t want to have a child with him, which hurt him a bit. When they first talked about these topics, the two had an argument... They couldn''t fix it, so they decided to just keep quiet and never talk about it again. They couldn''t find equal grounds, and naturally, their relationship couldn''t reach the next level. As long as none of them compromised, they would stay as boyfriend and girlfriend at best. And now, the topic of marriage and having children resurfaced again. Kazir suddenly wanted to return to the party to sucker punch Johnny and slam Amber Heard''s face into the concrete wall. He couldn''t help but blame them for opening the topic. Their relationship was getting better, but now it was getting worse again. "..." Kazir stared at Angelina, who was biting her lip in frustration. He sighed and opened the door of the car. "Angelina, let''s go to our home and talk about it peacefully," he gently said. He didn''t want to worsen the situation. Angelina glared at him and clicked her tongue. Her eyes were red and teary. "No, you go to your house alone. I''ll call my assistant instead." "Angelina." "Go. I don''t want to talk to you tonight." The woman walked away, clearly mad at him. "..." Kazir looked down at the ground and sighed. He stared at the woman''s silhouette, which was gradually getting smaller. "Fine! So be it!" He yelled and saw Angelina flinching. Kazir also had emotions. He was getting tired of this atmosphere. Whenever their conversation turned bad, he was always the one who tried to fix it. Tonight, he didn''t have the patience to pursue and pamper her. He went into the car and started the engine. He didn''t glance at Angelina, because he didn''t know what to do if he looked at her. The car left the party. ...... ... ... Raizo jumped off the first building and rolled onto the next one with ease. He started running to lose his pursuers. Then, John Smith and Jane Smith, the husband and wife, also jumped onto the rooftop of the building to follow Raizo. The couple found that some of the missing military weapons were acquired by the High Table, and Raizo was one of the people who knew about its exact location. Also, they got a clue that another organization acquired some of the military weapons, the dangerous ones, but they couldn''t get more information about it. However, Raizo was fast and slippery, and even the two veterans could not get close to him. Raizo entered the elevator that was going to the lower floor. The couple failed to reach the elevator. Jane and John nodded at each other and used the stairs to follow the ninja. They checked the lower floor and waited for the elevator to open. Their guns were ready. When the elevator opened¡ª "Don''t move!" Jane said and pointed her gun at the guy. "Eh? W-What''s going on here?" The guy in the elevator was not Raizo. The ninja had successfully escaped. "Here''s my wallet and phone. Just don''t touch my storyboard, it''s full of my drawings!" The man was Kazir Grey. He was just resting in this hotel, and he didn''t expect that a gun would be pointed at him. "... He''s gone." John Smith lowered his gun in frustration. "Wait. Let me check if this guy is not wearing a synthetic mask to change his face." Jane gave the gun to her husband and pinned the poor director. She pulled his face, and Kazir groaned in pain. "He''s clear. Let''s leave this place." The couple hid their guns and walked away, leaving Kazir in shock. The director''s face was red for being pinched. "Cut!" Doug Liman ended the shooting, and everyone clapped. Jennifer Connelly giggled while Brad Pitt was trying to hold his laugh. They returned to the elevator and apologized to Kazir. "Honestly, my cameo this time is quite painful." Kazir sighed, pinching his red cheeks. "Sorry, director." Jennifer apologized. The filming for Mr. and Mrs. Smith Part 2 was happening, and Kazir showed up as a cameo, as always. ++++ [Author''s Note: Angelina had her first biological child in 2006 which was still two years from now in the novel. The current year in the novel is around 2004 - 2005, I believe. Because of that, it''s a reasonable development that she''s hesitant to have a baby considering that she had to prioritize her career. Also, this is fanfiction so don''t take it seriously. I respect everyone''s opinion but please remember that everything written in this novel is fake.] Chapter 397 Chapter 397 Having a cameo in the CCU was already a tradition. Kazir accepted his fate as a mascot. Besides, he was the one who started this tradition when he filmed Taken. He couldn''t change it anymore. The audience would always wait for his appearance. He was basically a character in the CCU at this point. Jennifer Connelly apologized even though she was just acting. She couldn''t help it. The face she pinched was Kazir Grey, the owner of Grey Pictures and her boss. She didn''t want to lose her job, so she might as well apologize, even though she was innocent. "I''m sorry, Director." "It''s fine. It''s for the film anyway. I''m not petty enough to hold a grudge. Although I have to talk to the writer who added this scene..." Kazir hired a team of writers to polish the script for Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2. When he read the script the last time, there was nothing about his cameo, which meant that this scene was added without his knowing. "...Please don''t fire them," Jennifer felt bad. "I will not fire them. They are amazing writers," Kazir shrugged. He just wanted to talk to them... "By the way, I know I''m two years late, but it''s better than not saying anything. Congratulations on winning the Best Supporting Actress Award." This was the first time he met Jennifer Connelly in two years. He didn''t have a chance to congratulate her. "Director, you are too late." "Yeah, I know." "Me too. I want to congratulate you on winning the Best Director Award." "You are one year late," he replied. "This is the first time I''ve seen you in a year." The two laughed while waiting for Doug Liman to check the footage. A few minutes later, Director Doug Liman approached Kazir and told him. "Kazir, I''m sorry, but do you mind retaking the scene one more time? Your expression is a bit forced. I want to see sincere fear in your eyes." "..." Kazir was speechless. That day, Kazir had three NGs before Doug Liman gave the thumbs-up. His face turned red after so many pinches from Jennifer. He had to take make-up to hide his reddish cheeks. Now Kazir experienced how difficult it was to act, having three NGs was embarrassing. His excuse was, "I''m not an actor, so not my fault." ... ... ... February didn''t have any big movies except one, a movie directed by Mel Gibson. Mel Gibson was a famous actor, but he was also a director. In fact, Mel Gibson had won Academy Awards in his lifetime. One was the Best Actor Award for the movie Braveheart as William Wallace. He also won the Best Director Award as the director of Braveheart. This year, Mel Gibson released a movie based on the Bible. It was The Passion of the Christ. This $30 million budget movie grossed more than $600 million, and the answer was obvious. On the last day of February, the AMPAS hosted the 76th Academy Awards. It was an amazing show, especially when more than 43 million viewers were watching it. Tom Cruise stood on the stage and announced the winner for Best Actress, which was Charlize Theron for her role as a prostitute serial killer in Monster. Side note: Brianna Evans was watching the Oscar Awards, and her mood turned down when she witnessed Charlize Theron winning the Best Actress Award. She promised that La La Land would also compete at the Academy Awards next year. Nicole Kidman also showed up as the presenter for the Best Actor Award. She gave the golden statue to Sean Penn, the lead actor in the neo-noir crime drama film Mystic River. Johnny Depp, who also attended the Academy Awards because he got a nomination, was disappointed because he didn''t win. Perhaps he would ask Kazir if he was interested in filming another artistic film to compete at the Academy Awards... The award ceremony was grand, but there were two segments that the viewers were waiting for... The Lord of the Rings was snubbed by the Academy Awards twice because of its strong bias against fantasy movies. The Lord of the Rings was based on literature, but the Academy Awards didn''t give a fuck, as usual. But because of their obvious prejudice, many people started hating on their show. In fact, many LOTR fans promised that they would boycott the Academy Awards if The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was also snubbed this year. Thankfully, the members of AMPAS were not stupid. Kazir stepped on the stage and waved his hand. He looked presentable and handsome as always. He was carrying an envelope, with the name of the winner in it. He introduced the category first and listed the nominated people. "The nominations for the Best Director Award are: Peter Jackson ¨C The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Fernando Meirelles ¨C City of God Sofia Coppola ¨C Lost in Translation Peter Weir ¨C Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Clint Eastwood ¨C Mystic River." Kazir then opened the envelope and smirked. The audience who were watching the show was getting nervous. "Congratulations, Peter Jackson ¨C The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King for winning the Best Director Award!" Strong applause resounded, and even the viewers watching the show on television were happy once they realized that LOTR had won one of the biggest awards this time. Peter Jackson stepped onto the stage and shook hands with Kazir. The golden statue was given to him, and the LOTR director raised the trophy with clear happiness. Tonight was a win for The Lord of the Rings fans because the movie also won the Best Picture Award. It meant that this movie was regarded as the best movie that was released last year by the committee of AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). ++++++ [Author''s Note: If you want to read more about The Dark Knight trilogy and Pirates Of The Caribbean trilogy, you can subscribe to my P@treon or K0-fi. The story is quite far now.] P@treon link: https://www.pa treon.com/Puji_maki Ko-fi link: https://k o-fi.com/pujimaki Chapter 398 Chapter 398 The 76th Academy Awards was a success. Most people were satisfied with the results. The Lord of the Rings was now recognized as one of the best fantasy movies of all time, and it garnered so many fans worldwide. These fans would surely roast the Academy members alive if they shut their eyes to the impact that The Lord of the Rings created in the history of cinema. The Lord of the Rings deserved the Best Director and Best Picture Awards, especially when the Academy Awards had snubbed them since 2001. The Lord of the Rings had 11 nominations, and it also won 11 categories. The movie was the biggest winner that night. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Stone had 5 nominations, but unfortunately, the movie won nothing. As for the other movies that got nominated, the best they could win was one or two categories. Kazir left the ceremony after that. He didn''t bother attending the after-party. In fact, Pirates of the Caribbean also had an after-party despite winning nothing. However, Kazir already predicted that the party wouldn''t be lively. Perhaps only some people would attend. Some reporters stalked Kazir to the parking lot, asking him why Angelina Jolie didn''t attend the Academy Awards with him. Kazir didn''t answer them and entered his car instead... He didn''t answer them because he also didn''t know the answer. The contact between the two ceased after that. Both of them had pride, and they couldn''t swallow their pride to call one another. The reporters couldn''t get an answer from him. The car left the place. ... ... ... Kazir knew that he had to adjust the plot of some movies to accommodate them into the Continental Cinematic Universe. It was a decision he had to make. One of the movies was obviously The Fast and the Furious franchise. This franchise was worth more than a billion dollars in his past life. He knew the potential of this franchise. So he intentionally added it to the CCU, even buying the magazine article that was based on the first movie, just to make sure that he would be safe from a lawsuit. Knowing the potential of Fast and the Furious, Kazir also knew the weakness of this franchise. To be precise, the second and third movies of Fast and the Furious. The second had a strong connection since Brian O''Connor (Paul Walker) and Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) were part of the overall franchise. However, its plot didn''t connect much to the CCU. As for the third movie, which was titled Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, this movie basically had no connection at all. Except for Han Lue''s (Sung Kang) and Dom Toretto''s (Vin Diesel) short cameo at the end of the movie. Kazir couldn''t deny that Han Lue''s death in Tokyo Drift created a massive plot for the franchise to take advantage of. He also liked how it connected Tokyo Drift to the overall plot. But Kazir was not impressed. In his opinion, he had to erase Tokyo Drift in the CCU since this movie had no relevance at all... The movie showed the true definition of street racing though. At first, Fast and the Furious was all about racing until it became sci-fi shit about cars going to outer space. Tokyo Drift showed the true essence of Fast and the Furious, which was street racing. So instead, Kazir decided to make Fast and the Furious 2, also known as 2 Fast 2 Furious, revolve around Brian O''Connor and his new partner Roman Pearce unraveling the secret of a cartel that was working with the High Table... Yeah, Kazir was having a mental block. He couldn''t deny it. That was the reason why he hired a team of writers anyway. He understood his ability very well. Making stories out of scratch was not his forte. As for Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, he had to skip this movie. Its relevance to the Fast and the Furious franchise was small. Its relevance to the CCU was smaller... Unless he could come up with a unique plot that would make Tokyo Drift relevant. By the way, the theme song of Tokyo Drift was actually fire... A factor that Kazir was reluctant to erase. Kazir already gave the director position to Justin Lin to take care of the Fast and the Furious franchise. The Taiwanese director was happy. Having steady projects in Hollywood was not that easy, especially for someone like him who didn''t have any foothold in the industry. 2 Fast 2 Furious already started filming eight months ago, and the project is in the post-production stage. Even the promotion was ongoing, with the help of 20th Century Fox. The movie was expected to be released in April. 20th Century Fox was the distributor of the movie, but it didn''t mean that they had to prioritize 2 Fast 2 Furious. After all, 20th Century Fox also had its own movies to release. Furthermore, the Fox management was disappointed that Kazir formed a cooperation with Warner Brothers. Perhaps this was their way of getting revenge. Putting 2 Fast 2 Furious on a non-popular schedule such as April. To be fair, April was not that bad. It was the last month of the school year, so cinemas were already lively at that time. ++++ [I have a good news. Steel Ball Run Anime had been announced! We gonna see Gyro spinning balls!! Let''s gooo!!] [I have another good news regarding Tokyo Drift, I changed my opinion at the lasted chapter in my Pat reon and Ko -fi. As for what it is specifically, I won''t spoil it.] Chapter 399 Chapter 399 20th Century Fox had their reasons for putting 2 Fast 2 Furious in April instead of a more popular schedule. The Day After Tomorrow, a disaster movie produced by 20th Century Fox, was scheduled for release in May. The promotion was intensifying. Sci-fi disaster movies were very popular. A lot of people loved watching them and making theories about events that could destroy the planet. So 20th Century Fox was obviously putting more effort into that movie, scheduling it for the first month of summer. They couldn''t afford to release 2 Fast 2 Furious in the same month of May, as it could affect The Day After Tomorrow''s box office. "Deep Impact, 2012, Armageddon. Even Independence Day, War of the Worlds, and Godzilla are recognized as disaster movies. These films all made a lot of money at the box office alone." Kazir muttered while working on some documents. Disaster movies were profitable, and 20th Century Fox wanted to cash in on The Day After Tomorrow. A story where a second Ice Age attacks the planet and covers the world in ice, snow, and blizzards. In June, 20th Century Fox also had another movie lined up. It was Garfield: The Movie... Do I have to explain it? Garfield could attract children and teenagers to watch the movie. Families would love it for their kids. Surely, another profitable movie. In July, 20th Century Fox planned to release I, Robot, starring Will Smith. I, Robot was a story about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence toward humanity. With Will Smith, an actor who had strong box office appeal, as the male lead, the movie was expected to make a profit. As for August, the last month of summer, 20th Century Fox would release Alien vs. Predator. The success of the CCU forced 20th Century Fox to come up with this project. A battle between two dangerous creatures from outer space. The idea was interesting, and surely, people would buy tickets to watch it. Honestly, the movie lineup this year was promising. 20th Century Fox was cooking well this year. Grey Pictures might be part of 20th Century Fox, but the company would prioritize its own projects. Naturally, they would give the best schedules to their own movies. Since 2 Fast 2 Furious was scheduled for April, then Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 would be released in either September or October. These two schedules had already been planned last year based on the completion dates of the two CCU movies. That''s just how business worked. "Perhaps some people may believe that 20th Century Fox is sabotaging the CCU, but that''s not true. CCU has enough influence to make money in unpopular months. We''ve already proven that many times." In fact, Taken was released in September and grossed over $500 million. As for the grudge that 20th Century Fox was holding, Kazir had an idea on how to fix the relationship. Kazir was known as a talented director. All the movies he directed were box-office successes. Even his three old horror movies were now popular in the DVD and rental markets. However, Kazir was also famous for being a great screenwriter. The scripts he wrote were all profitable. "Tom Rothman might hate me because I decided to work with Warner Brothers, but surely his hatred will disappear once he reads these scripts." The documents Kazir was reviewing were scripts he planned to sell to 20th Century Fox at a reasonable price, lower than the market rate. Everything was an enemy in front of money. But everything was also a friend in front of money. As long as money was on the table, Tom Rothman would easily forgive Kazir. The director was confident of that. His value was high enough for that to happen. "I can''t believe I''m going to sell this kind of script. Well, they''re not mine anyway... I just copied them." He sighed. Final Destination. Paranormal Activity. 300. Two of the scripts were from the horror genre, while the remaining one was an epic based on comics/history. Kazir felt like it was time to take a step forward. He didn''t want to be a coward anymore. He was tired of hiding. This was his first move in the horror genre after so many years, the genre he ran away from. "One day, I''ll film a horror movie and face my fear." Final Destination never happened in this timeline because Kazir had been holding onto the script. Now, he wanted to sell it to 20th Century Fox. These three movies didn''t need large budgets. As long as 20th Century Fox understood how the filming worked, they wouldn''t have to spend much. "Hmm, now that I think about it, Tobey Maguire can be the protagonist of the first Final Destination. He fits the character." Kazir liked Tobey and wanted to help the actor. "What Tobey needs is to change his image. Horror movies can give him that. As long as Tobey won''t be compared to Peter Parker, then it''s a success." Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man left a strong impression on everyone and it destroyed Tobey''s career in exchange. He needed a transition. Final Destination could be the key to helping Tobey move his career forward. "I''ll recommend it to Fox later." There was a knock on the door, and Kazir stopped talking to himself... "The door''s open." "Sir, are you looking for me?" Erica entered the office. Kazir passed the documents to her. "I want you to personally send this to Tom Rothman''s office. These are scripts, and they''re confidential." "I understand." Erica placed the documents in a manila envelope and nodded seriously. "You can end your work for today once you''ve delivered the envelope to Tom Rothman." "Thanks, sir." Erica''s eyes lit up with excitement. ....... ... ... An hour later, Kazir received a call from Tom Rothman. "As expected, Tom can''t ignore it. Not when I gave him a delicious treat." The director smirked before answering the call. Grey Pictures wasn''t so simple anymore. Even the CEO/Chairman of 20th Century Fox would personally call him. ++++++ [I will post another chapter later so that we can reach the 400th chapter today.] Chapter 400 Chapter 400 Kazir''s script was expensive. Yet despite being expensive, many production companies would happily buy his scripts with open hands. For film companies, Kazir''s scripts were equivalent to profit. A few years ago, The Hangover and Napoleon Dynamite ended their trilogies respectively. It was estimated that both movies had a valuation of more than $1 billion, based on their box office earnings, videotape/DVD sales, and broadcasting rights. Even now, TV networks all over the globe are paying Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox top dollar just to get the chance to broadcast The Hangover and Napoleon Dynamite. It was a constant source of income. Just the idea of having a $1 billion-worth movie franchise was so fragrant. Surely, the Big Six and other studios wouldn''t be cheap when it came to paying Kazir the money he was worth. Last time, Lionsgate contacted Kazir to buy Now You See Me and The Expendables. The two sides struck a business deal. Lionsgate successfully bought Now You See Me. As for The Expendables, this franchise could easily fit into the Continental Cinematic Universe, no explanation needed. Kazir didn''t want to sell The Expendables. He was just waiting for the right time to hire Sylvester Stallone and the other action stars at a lower salary. In short, he was waiting for the old action stars to get washed up. Back in the ''80s and early ''90s, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger could command a salary of more than $20 million per movie... Kazir was not insane enough to hire them at that amount. In fact, an old actor contacted him a few months ago. Harrison Ford expressed his interest in being a part of the CCU. Harrison Ford was actually one of the actors who auditioned for the role of John Wick, but Kazir chose Viggo Mortensen instead. Anyway, Kazir wanted to use his scripts to make a truce with 20th Century Fox. "I''m glad we settled our differences that quickly." Kazir shook hands with Tom Rothman. The two had just signed the contract. "Come on, Kazir. I will never hate you. You are my friend, haha! By the way, Carl from Blue Sky Studio wants to meet you. He wants to talk about Kung Fu Panda." "Of course." The business transaction didn''t last long. Both parties wanted to close the contract as soon as possible. Tom Rothman understood that once the other studios heard Kazir was selling some scripts, they would start acting fast and compete to buy them. Kazir sold the script for Now You See Me to Lionsgate for $11 million. But for 20th Century Fox, Kazir sold the three scripts for $5 million each. Meaning, 20th Century Fox paid him $15 million. 20th Century Fox didn''t think twice. They immediately bought them, knowing the market value of these scripts. They understood that this was Kazir''s goodwill. They gladly accepted his goodwill. With no further ado, the contract was formed. "Kazir, what do you think we should film first? I think Paranormal Activity seems kind of interesting... Hmm, 300 is also not bad, but I''m not sure about your idea of making it in a complete 3D background," Tom gave his opinion. 20th Century Fox couldn''t start filming three projects at once. They had to study the profitability first before giving the go-ahead. "I think Final Destination is a good start." "I''ll take note of that. You said Tobey Maguire fits the male lead. We''ll invite him once the project starts. As for the director..." "Tom, don''t give me that look. You know I''m busy." "Haha, of course, of course. We''ll look for a director instead." Tom laughed out loud, but his expression turned serious again. "Kazir, you signed a contract with Warner Brothers to direct a trilogy. When will you do one for us?" "..." Kazir knew that this conversation would come. 20th Century Fox was only the distributor of Grey Pictures'' movies. They never acquired any copyrights. Even the upcoming MCU was not owned by 20th Century Fox. So this time, they wanted Kazir to also direct a trilogy for them, and it should be fully owned by 20th Century Fox. Of course, salary was not a problem. Kazir was worth hiring, after all. "Once I''m free, I''ll work for you." "Oh God, when will that happen? Your schedule is packed for five freaking years." ...... ... ... March had just passed by and Kazir was getting close to completing the post-production of Spider-Man 2. At the same time, the advertisement for 2 Fast 2 Furious intensified. The movie trailer aired on TV channels, billboards, and movie posters were all over the place. The cast of the movie also attended many TV shows and interviews. It was hectic, and the premiere day arrived. At the TCL Chinese Theater, a red carpet was laid out. Celebrities showed up one by one, and the fans were so enthusiastic. Most of the fans were wearing tuxedos. This had become the standard uniform of the CCU fans, derived from the uniform of Grey Fans. +++++ [Author''s Note: Congratulations to me, I guess. I started writing this novel in March 2023. I didn''t expect that I would reach 400 chapters. At first, I just wrote HWI as an experiment. I never thought of pursuing this novel that much.] [I also didn''t expect that HWI would be the novel that would help me the most. This novel helped me pay my younger brother''s college tuition, helped me build a new roof for our house (this means a lot because our country experiences a lot of typhoons), pay bills, and helped me put food on the table. I''m thankful for all of you guys. I''ll do my best to give you a great story, even though sometimes I''m absent and depressed. I appreciate all your support.] [By the way, I''m having the urge to write another story, and it''s about a Talent Agent this time. Although it''s an original universe, it''s heavily inspired by Hollywood. It''s still all in my head, but the plot is already clear. I just have to put it into words.] [Update: I''ve already written 19 chapters but it''s in haitus since I''m lazy as fuck.] Chapter 401 Chapter 401 April 1, 2004. It was late at night, yet some theaters were still busy because of the people who wanted to watch a movie. April was not a popular month for movie releases, but that didn''t mean there would be no audience at all. Besides, the movie that was set to be released tonight was a CCU movie. One of the most anticipated films of the year. CCU catered more to the male population, so most of the people in the cinemas were men. Although, some women also stayed up all night to buy tickets. ... ... ... Some paparazzi on the red carpet kept yelling and asking him about Angelina Jolie. After all, this was the first time Kazir attended a premiere without Angelina, so some people were naturally curious about it. Unfortunately, Kazir didn''t know how to answer the question. The two had ceased communication after the Academy Awards announced its nominations. Deep inside, Kazir understood that both of them had differences, and it seemed like it was difficult to compromise. They couldn''t find the perfect answer because both of them wanted something the other didn''t like. He decided to act deaf. He didn''t look at the reporters who kept asking him for gossip. There were rumors that Kazir and Angelina broke up, and this story spread to every corner of Hollywood. The two stopped appearing in public together, giving the media the idea that Kazir and Angelina were done. Kazir didn''t know how to define their current relationship. Perhaps they were indeed done. Thankfully, the reporter from News Corporation understood the atmosphere and didn''t ask him about Angelina. Kazir entered the theater in a not-so-good mood. He did his best to control his expression. He was greeted by the cast and important people from 20th Century Fox. Surprisingly, Kazir also found Carl Ludwig in the theater. Carl was the producer of Kung Fu Panda. He also held a high position at Blue Sky Studio. Carl was eager to talk to Kazir about the project. Perhaps that was the reason he attended the premiere... Erm, he was actually a fan of the CCU. Maybe he also wanted to watch the movie. Kazir nodded at Carl, who was approaching him. "Carl, let''s talk tomorrow. I''ll set up a schedule for us to have a conversation." "Thanks, Kazir. I''m having a problem with the character designs of some characters, such as Tigress..." Carl paused. He had also heard the rumors. Kazir was the one who recommended Angelina to voice Tigress in the movie. It seemed like that recommendation could backfire. Kazir just smirked, while Carl became uncomfortable. "Then... let''s talk tomorrow," Carl excused himself. Kazir found his seat, sat down, and sighed. Tonight''s red carpet had been uncomfortable for him. ''Hopefully, the box office result can give me good news. We spent $130 million on this project overall, with half of it invested in promoting the movie.'' Their budget for each movie was increasing, and it was understandable. The salaries of the cast and director had doubled, while the overall expenses were also huge. They had to rent more than 100 cars for this movie alone. It also didn''t help that inflation was getting worse. After thinking about some stuff, the screening started as the lights went off. The ads for the upcoming movies were shown first. Movies such as Garfield and Alien vs. Predator caught the attention of the audience. It was a standard procedure that before the movie began, movie trailers of upcoming films should be shown first. Then, the logo of 20th Century Fox, along with its iconic music, echoed. After that came the logo of Grey Pictures. ... ... ... Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, a live-action movie based on the popular cartoon, had been released a week before April 1 and could be considered a rival of 2 Fast 2 Furious. However, the first weekend of April was dominated by 2 Fast 2 Furious because there were no major movies released in the same week. Scooby-Doo 2 and 2 Fast 2 Furious might have had some competition, but because of their different genres, the audience had the chance to appreciate both. Families with children under 13 would probably choose Scooby-Doo 2, while men and teenagers would choose 2 Fast 2 Furious. April 2, Friday. The first 24 hours of 2 Fast 2 Furious grossed $21.25 million. Grey Pictures had grown numb to these results, to be honest. They felt like this kind of result was the norm whenever a CCU movie was released. When Kazir heard the box office result, he decided to relax his mind and focus on talking to Carl about the problems Kung Fu Panda was facing, such as character designs and stunt choreography. Yes, even movies like Kung Fu Panda had stunt choreography. April 3, Saturday. The movie made another $19.27 million. On Sunday, April 4, the movie made another $22.13 million. The first weekend of 2 Fast 2 Furious was a success, a term that had always been part of the CCU. After years of constant releases, it became a tradition for many people to watch at least one CCU movie per year. Combining the sales from each day, the first weekend of 2 Fast 2 Furious grossed $62.65 million. That week, Kazir received another batch of congratulations. ++++ [Author''s Note: This novel has reached chapter 576 in my Pa treon. You can check it out if you''re interested.] P@treon link: https://www.pat reon.com/Puji_maki Chapter 402 Chapter 402 Films started as moving images. Back then, films were only black and white and had no sound at all. Silent films were the norm from around 1894 to 1930. Dialogues were conveyed through muted gestures, miming, and title cards. The most famous actors of the silent film era was probably Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. As technology evolved, films also improved. Films began to include sound. In 1909, the first color film was released. From 1930 to 1950, studios started popping up in America, particularly in Hollywood. MGM, Warner Brothers, and Paramount were the major studios that survived that era and continue to exist today. Noir films became famous around the 1940s and were considered art films with dark and realistic themes. Once the 1950s arrived, internationalization began, and films started circulating around the world. When the era of New Hollywood (1960 to 1980) began, The Godfather, Taxi Driver, and many other films were widely recognized. The start of Hollywood domination probably began in this era. Jaws and Star Wars defined the term "blockbusters." Since then, blockbusters meant high-budget movies with strong appeal to the masses. And now, the present could be described as the Digital Era, where computer-generated movies such as Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings, and Spider-Man dominate cinemas. As the years passed, Hollywood became stronger and understood the importance of movies, especially great ones. For Hollywood, well, for the Big Six, movies that brought them profits defined the era. At the end of the day, money was responsible for Hollywood''s evolution. It wasn''t about art or any nonsense. But at the same time, art films also flourished because of Hollywood''s profitability. Studios funded movies because they made money. They prioritized and invested in movies that had a higher chance of making huge profits. This time, a certain studio proved its worth again. Unlike other studios that suffered losses due to bad investments, this particular studio only produced one or two movies per year, and they were always profitable. This studio didn''t divide its investment into many films. Their projects each year never exceeded five. Because of this, the studio never experienced losses. It was something that many production studios envied. They needed that clear vision, the understanding of the market, a talent that only a few people had. Kazir Grey started getting popular again because of his vision regarding how the box office market moved... As if he knew the future. However, while Kazir received positive news, he also received some negative news. ... ... ... On April 11, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, a movie released a week before 2 Fast 2 Furious, grossed $62 million. The movie was based on the cartoon Scooby-Doo. As for 2 Fast 2 Furious, unexpectedly, the movie had already accumulated $156.51 million after 11 days of screening. Movie ticket prices hadn''t increased much, and people could still afford to watch movies at the theaters. This fact was the reason why the box office each year increased, the affordability of movie tickets. On top of that, other countries also followed the trend, and more theaters were being built every year to accommodate the Digital Era. "Should I be worried?" Kazir was holding a newspaper. Reading newspapers was the norm before smartphones became a thing. Families usually subscribed to newspapers and paid newspaper boys who used bicycles to deliver newspapers or magazines to their homes. Being in the busy city of Los Angeles, Grey Pictures obviously received newspapers every day to read the latest news. This time, Kazir was looking for news related to 2 Fast 2 Furious. The box office results were great, but the critics gave negative reviews. The movie critics wrote that the CCU was getting stale and repetitive, with people using guns and fists to fight... "That''s not even bad. The Continental Cinematic Universe is an action-focused universe, so obviously it''s about guns and well-choreographed stunts. As long as the box office speaks well, then the critics are just spouting nonsense." However, he also found some valid points, such as the CCU''s longevity. A critic stated that the CCU could only last a decade at best because people would get tired of repetitive movies. He agreed, but at the same time, he didn''t. Avengers: Infinity War was the start of the MCU''s downfall. Marvel still released some amazing movies such as Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool, but the MCU was already in its dying state. But this was for different reasons. The MCU started releasing so many movies every year. They also released tons of TV shows that flopped. Each of the MCU TV shows was connected to the universe. So, once you missed one TV show or movie, it meant you missed a lot and might have trouble following the plot. The reason why the MCU flopped lately was that they released too much content, and people became overwhelmed and grew tired of it. People were busy, and they had personal things to do. They couldn''t just sit on the sofa and watch a 12-hour-long TV show just to keep up with the plot. The greatest mistake that the MCU made was releasing too many projects. They messed up. Having female protagonists in their latest projects and going woke were just side issues to their downfall. There was nothing wrong with casting a female actress as the protagonist of a movie. But the way the MCU did it left fans disappointed. Kazir understood that too much content could be harmful. So, he promised that the CCU would only film 2 to 3 movies per year and they would control their products. "But this won''t fix it. After all, people will still get tired of the CCU no matter how long it takes. The best decision is to reboot the universe, but let''s talk about it once that happens. Because I''m sure the CCU will still be relevant 15 or 20 years from now... That''s a long time to milk this project." He smirked... But his smirk didn''t last long. The critics'' negative reviews weren''t the reason why he was worried... It was because of some speculations about him. [Headline: Kazir Grey manipulated his cast. Taking advantage of his position as a Director.] Chapter 403 Chapter 403 Kazir was rarely secretive about his romantic relationships. He had dated Cameron Diaz. He also had a relationship with Reese Witherspoon, although neither of the two confirmed what their relationship really was. Currently, Kazir is dating Angelina Jolie... However, that might also change, knowing that Angelina had stopped talking to him. An article about his romantic relationships caught Kazir''s attention. He thought it was normal gossip, but the further statements made him frown. -- After working with Director Grey in Napoleon Dynamite, Reese Witherspoon and the director started showing up together at formal parties and movie premieres. -- Although it''s not confirmed, our team deduced that Brianna Evans also had a relationship with Kazir while filming Taken. The fact that the two were caught eating together and getting flirty in a restaurant meant a lot. -- Before Cameron Diaz was cast for her role in The Bourne Identity, she already had a scandal with Kazir. Some rumors said that the two did a "business" so that Cameron Diaz would have a role in The Bourne Identity. -- As for Angelina, Kazir''s current girlfriend, the two also started dating when Wanted was in production. -- After so many clues and obvious facts our team gathered, we concluded that Kazir is a predator. He likes doing "Casting Couch" and preying on weak women. He promised roles to actresses in exchange for sexual gratification. "Wow, what a bullshit conclusion. Who made this article? Probably a writer who''s begging for a hundred bucks." Being the person at the center of the gossip, Kazir knew that the article was a complete lie. In the first place, he never engaged in casting couch practices. He never offered roles in exchange for sex. His relationships with these actresses bloomed because they became close after working together on movie projects, except Brianna Evans, the two never had a romantic relationship. He never had hidden intentions. "This kind of article is asking for a lawsuit. I feel like the writer is desperate for something." Usually, this kind of gossip only appeared in unpopular tabloids but never in reputable newspapers. Newspapers took pride in their credibility. They rarely published articles that lacked valid information. However, after thoroughly reading the article, Kazir realized that some information was real while some were not and that was a huge problem. Because once you mix lies and truths, it becomes hard to determine what is real and what is not. In this case, average citizens might believe that the article was true. It could damage Kazir''s reputation. If people started calling him a predator, that would affect his projects. Kazir wanted none of that. This article was obviously trying to tarnish Kazir''s reputation. Someone wanted to destroy him... Kazir had some people in mind, but he couldn''t pinpoint exactly who it was. "Let''s see... This newspaper is owned by Comcast... Now that I think about it, Comcast would become the parent company of Universal Pictures a few years later. Did Comcast start their acquisition?" Vivendi''s acquisition of Universal Pictures was not fruitful. The losses that Universal Pictures incurred were too large for Vivendi to handle. "If I''m right, Vivendi will still hold Universal Pictures for a while before selling it." Production studios were profitable, but they also faced losses every year. Universal Pictures had incomplete projects that never reached theaters despite investing millions. Sometimes, the movies they invested heavily in never returned the expected profit. The best examples of these cases were Batman and Robin, John Carter, and Superman Returns. Warner Brothers and Walt Disney put too much into these movies, but the money that came back to them wasn''t satisfying. It would take at least a decade before they could recover from those losses. Vivendi couldn''t afford to wait that long not when Vivendi was already in a tight spot. The company was also suffering from massive debt. In their opinion, Universal Pictures should focus on movies with high profitability. Perhaps hire a director who could bring in profits... Unfortunately for Universal Pictures, their relationship with Kazir wasn''t that great. "Perhaps Universal Pictures is trying to attack me this time." He knew that the one responsible for Tobey''s scandal was Universal Pictures, and then Walt Disney and Warner Brothers joined in to spite the actor. The one who started the scandal was Universal Pictures. In fact, after doing some research, they found that the paparazzi who harassed Tobey were working under one of Universal Pictures'' small tabloid publishers. With that in mind, Kazir felt that this article could be the start of another attack from Universal Pictures. The studio was trying to destroy him. It didn''t matter whether the information was real. As long as the people believed it, then it became real. That was the incredible power of the media. They could turn a false story into a true one. "I probably have to contact the PR team before things get worse." This could turn into a battle between him and Universal Pictures. The next day, Kazir''s legal team delivered a cease-and-desist letter to the publishing company, telling them to stop the defamation or else they would settle it in court. The publishing company stopped... But stopping dozens of publishing companies all at once might be troublesome. Two days later, more stories about Kazir''s alleged misconduct surfaced. Some people were skeptical, while others believed the stories. To make matters worse, even news TV shows started talking about Kazir. They were clearly serious about destroying Kazir''s career. Terms such as "allegedly," "r*pe," "casting couch," and "domestic abuse" were used to describe Kazir. Kazir''s team was working hard to stop these allegations from spreading, but their enemies were two giant media companies. He was now a threat to some big studios because his talent was disrupting their business. Obviously, 2 Fast 2 Furious was also affected by this sudden wave of news. The box office showed a decline as Kazir''s name sank into the mud. Chapter 404 Chapter 404 The Continental Cinematic Universe was strongly connected to Kazir. He was the founder of this Cinematic Universe, and his name would always be associated with it no matter what. He had a cameo in every CCU movie, so people already knew him. The fact that his scandal surfaced around the time 2 Fast 2 Furious was released was not a coincidence. Someone was trying to tarnish his reputation and defeat 2 Fast 2 Furious at the same time, as if the enemy was holding a grudge. Kazir thought about anything that might have pushed Universal Pictures to do this. It was true that their relationship was not that good, but they didn''t have to go so far. ''Perhaps Universal Pictures is getting tired of Grey Pictures'' success. Not only Universal Pictures, but the other studios are probably feeling the same. They just can''t show their dissatisfaction because they still need me. Once I''m no longer useful, they will crush me.'' Only Universal Pictures and Walt Disney had shown animosity so far... But it wouldn''t take long for Paramount Pictures to target Kazir. Kazir had to stop this before it became irreversible. First, Universal Pictures targeted Tobey Maguire. Now, they were attacking Kazir Grey. Kazir glanced at the television that was reporting Hollywood news. He confirmed that Walt Disney had also started reporting about Kazir''s so-called sexual abuses. Hollywood was a terrifying place. The media could tell a lie, paint it as the truth, and people would easily believe it. Walt Disney had no clear evidence. They were just stating what was "happening" in Hollywood. A case of bad journalism. Kazir knew that they could file a lawsuit against the TV show, but the best they could do was get the news anchor and the journalist fired for spreading fake news. In the end, the people at the top were safe from the consequences. The result of 2 Fast 2 Furious in its third week was weaker than forecasted. It was obvious that the scandal affected the box office results. From April 10 to April 17, the movie only made $37 million. The current box office was $181.59 million after 17 days of screening. This week''s performance was 20% lower than expected. If the current problem was not resolved, 2 Fast 2 Furious would suffer even more. The movie was expected to reach at least $700 million at the worldwide box office. Unfortunately, it seemed that they had to lower their expectations. At best, 2 Fast 2 Furious would gross $500 million, which was already a success, especially in this current situation. "... Universal Pictures wants me gone, I guess. This is probably not the last time they will fester me." Honestly, Kazir could reconcile with Universal Pictures and Walt Disney, but he felt like that would be betraying himself. He had promised that he would never work with the two studios after what they did to him a few years ago. He never gave them scripts and never worked for them. In fact, Walt Disney invited Kazir to direct John Carter, but Kazir declined... Perhaps that was the reason why Walt Disney was attacking him. Anyway, Kazir had his dignity. He wouldn''t work with the two studios. The situation was different now, and Kazir was in a position where he could do what he wanted to do. He didn''t have to be afraid of them. Since he had no intention of working with the two studios, he had to solve this problem. Thankfully, he had an idea. "They are saying that I''m a predator, using my position to have sex with the actresses. Then why don''t we ask those actresses themselves if I''m really a predator?" Hollywood, this place has a lot of predators who take advantage of the weaknesses of small people. However, Kazir was definitely not one of them. He never used his position to get sex... In fact, the actresses in question were the ones who seduced him. How could a guy who''s scared of women even do that? Kazir was too afraid to make the first move. ...... ... ... "Those damn traitors..." Billy Baker cursed under his breath while looking at the Facebook page that their fan club had launched. Facebook was just a recent social media platform, but it had already gathered more than 20 million users. Of course, their fan club had to create a page where they could show support for Kazir and his films. R??NO??§£¦¥S? The internet was a powerful thing, and communication became easier. A few years ago, people still used letters to communicate, but now the internet had revolutionized society. Billy was the president of the Grey Fans, and his position was not that of a simple supporter anymore... He actually received cash from Grey Pictures to maintain the fan club. So yeah, this was technically his job now. Facebook and MySpace were both used by their fan club to communicate, and everything was going well... until the scandal happened. Most new members who joined the fan club started insulting Kazir, saying how bad of a person the director was. These new members were probably spies who joined the club to destroy its unity. In fact, some longtime members were also affected, and some even left the club. They didn''t want to support someone as horrible as Kazir. Billy couldn''t help but click his tongue while reading their comments. Most were insults. "I have to talk to Wallace later to control this situation... Hm?" While scrolling down, Billy read the recent comments. -- Haha, you fucking cunts! Open your TV and check Fox News right now! Your opinions are all baseless because the actresses denied all of the allegations! Director Grey is innocent! You fake fans, sowing discord in our fan club. I already have the list of all the bastards who disrespected Director Grey! I''ll block and kick you out of the fan club! Huhmp! Reading the comment, Billy immediately turned on his TV just to see what was happening. Chapter 405 Chapter 405 Reese Witherspoon was an actress who had been steadily gaining popularity lately. For actors and actresses, it was difficult to maintain fame in Hollywood due to the intense competition. Showbiz was a brutal industry where people constantly came and went. She hadn''t had any connections in the industry when she started. She was just a young woman who dreamed of reaching stardom. She had worked as a waitress in Los Angeles while searching for film roles to work. Her status was modest compared to other actresses who came from well-connected Hollywood families. She was not like Angelina Jolie or Drew Barrymore, who both came from celebrity lineages. Then, in September 1994, Reese met a director who was in his mid-twenties. The director was serious and mature for his age. He possessed remarkable patience, especially considering Reese''s dozens of NGs on set. His passion for filmmaking was genuine. Perhaps that was the reason Reese fell in love with the director. She was grateful for the things the director had done for her. Kazir Grey was one of the main reasons she had reached her current standing. She had no regrets about meeting him. She had no regrets about falling in love with him. She also had no regrets about moving on and taking the steps needed to heal her broken heart. The memories she created with Kazir were a blessing. This blessing of a man was something she never wanted to forget. One of her sweetest memories. And now, Kazir was facing a scandal that could damage his career. The media had begun painting Kazir as a predator. Knowing the director, Reese could say without hesitation that the allegations were untrue. In the grim, dark world of Hollywood, Kazir was one of the few people who still preserved his humanity. He hadn''t sold his soul to demons. She clearly understood that the media was spreading false information simply to destroy Kazir. After all, who cared whether the news was true? As long as the gossip was interesting, people would consume it. A famous director who had created one blockbuster after another was now being persecuted as a predator. His immense talent had become his greatest vulnerability. ...... ... ... Reese was walking down the streets of New York to attend a fashion show. She was one of the ambassadors of the clothing brand and was scheduled to walk the runway. In a way, she was practicing her walk and strut on the sidewalk to attract attention... If this had been around 2020, the streets of New York probably wouldn''t have been the right place to do so, as New York would be considered a dangerous city around that year. Regardless, Reese was practicing for a reason, not caring about the people glancing at her. That was her intention anyway: to draw attention. This was the job of a model, to draw attention as they strutted on the runway. While doing so, Reese noticed from the corner of her eye two people approaching her. One of them was holding a camera. "Tch..." Reese was no stranger to this. She immediately recognized that these two people were paparazzi. Reporters and paparazzi might technically share the same profession, but the first was generally respected, while the latter was not. Reporters typically worked for news agencies and maintained some level of professional reputation. However, some reporters resorted to contemptible tactics such as stalking and fabricating allegations. If reporters retained a shred of dignity, paparazzi had none at all. The word ''paparazzi'' was universally disliked by celebrities. Celebrities could never like paparazzi, as most of them were stalkers who invaded their privacy just to obtain juicy stories. Without hesitation, the cameraman pointed his camera at Reese. Reese showed no outward sign of disgust. She was an actress, after all. Though deep inside, she wanted to slap the two of them. Fortunately, it didn''t take long for her bodyguard to step in and block them. "Miss Witherspoon, can we ask you about Director Grey? Is it true that Director Grey forced himself on you in exchange for a role in Napoleon Dynamite?!" "Hah!" Reese let out a snort she couldn''t control. That was the most ridiculous thing she had heard all day. Kazir was never forceful... In fact, Kazir had actually declined Reese''s advances twice before their relationship ever blossomed. To Reese, those memories were beautiful. She couldn''t stand that these two people were trying to smear the wonderful moments she had shared with Kazir. She shot them a fierce glare. Most of the time, she would avoid engaging with these pests and simply walk away quietly. But not today. Today, she was angry. "What you''re claiming never happened. Kazir is a good man, and he never did that to me. The fact that this kind of false information is spreading just shows how idiotic the media is. I will sue your company if you try to twist my words." She quickly walked away after that, biting her lip in frustration as she entered her car. Her mood had plummeted. As for the two reporters, they looked at each other. "Is that enough?" "Yeah, she said Kazir''s innocent, so I think we''re good." "Did we really have to provoke her? Why didn''t we just send a formal request for an interview to her team?" "We had to capture her genuine emotions. Did you see her reaction just now?" "Yeah, I got goosebumps when she glared at me." "That explains it." The two reporters were actually from 20th Century Fox. Kazir was an important asset to the company, and they couldn''t allow the director to sink under these accusations. Since the allegations revolved around Kazir allegedly exploiting actresses, why not go straight to the actresses who had worked with him over the past decade to uncover the truth? ....... ..... ... That day, news about the actresses who had worked with Kazir was circulated by Sony-Columbia, Warner Brothers, and 20th Century Fox. To help clear Kazir''s name, they decided to interview and question every actress who had collaborated with Kazir over the past ten years. Chapter 406 Chapter 406 Three companies were backing Kazir at this moment. It was amazing that Kazir had signed a business deal with Warner Brothers before the scandal blew up. Perhaps Kazir already had an inkling that this situation would happen. Warner Brothers could not pass up the chance to make money. Kazir''s profitability was obvious. If the director took over the position of director and filmed the Dark Knight Trilogy, then Warner Brothers would rake in massive money. With great consistency, Warner Brothers knew that Kazir would also provide them with a huge amount of profit. The director never failed to do so. As for Sony-Columbia, Kazir was still working on Spider-Man 2 and they didn''t want any mishap. So, they had to protect Kazir''s reputation at all costs. Kazir had already finished the post-production. It might need a few minor adjustments, but the movie was complete overall. His name was connected to Spider-Man 2, and this incident could affect the outcome of the movie. Being part of 20th Century Fox, Kazir naturally received protection from the company. Heck, he had just sold three of his scripts to Century Fox as a kind of protection fee... Anyway, he was an important person, so he would be protected. The three companies decided to work together to stop these false allegations. Since the allegations were about Kazir''s "bad behavior," the three studios immediately found a way to address the issue and stop the false allegations. News and rumors about Kazir''s "rapey" behavior toward female actresses were spreading. To fix that, they just had to interview the actresses in question. Kazir''s filmography was well-known. They could easily list every actress that Kazir had worked with. The studios asked the actresses, some through formal interviews, while others used paparazzi-style methods, such as what happened to Reese Witherspoon. Formal interviews usually had prepared questions, and the actresses wouldn''t be caught off guard. But street interviews were different. The reporters would literally follow the actresses and ask them questions. Sometimes stupid, personal, offensive, invasive, outlandish, and repetitive. This kind of questioning was usually meant to upset the actresses and capture their raw emotions. So many actors had experienced horrible interviewers. Oprah once asked Mary-Kate Olsen about her eating disorder, making the actress visibly uncomfortable. Oprah even asked about her weight, making fun of her. At that time, Mary-Kate Olsen was still a minor, by the way. Ellen DeGeneres offered Mariah Carey a glass of champagne during an interview... By the way, there was a rumor that Mariah Carey was pregnant at the time and alcohol was bad for pregnancy. Reporters, paparazzi, and even talk show hosts, they would do everything just to get the stories they wanted to get. The news was broadcast by the three studios, and the interviews of many actresses caught the attention of the public. Reese Witherspoon said that Kazir was innocent. Brianna Evans also said the same thing. Cameron Diaz said that Kazir was a nice person. He always treated her right. Even Angelina Jolie, Kazir''s "current girlfriend", showed up in an interview to make things clear. They all testified that Kazir was not the person the media portrayed him to be. Kirsten Dunst and Keira Knightley also appeared in an interview and said that Kazir was never inappropriate on set. He was always calm and collected, rarely raising his voice. These interviews revealed another side of the scandal and divided public opinion. Some believed that Kazir was a bad person, while others believed he was good. Universal Pictures and Walt Disney tried their best. They claimed that the actresses had been paid and should tell the truth. Well, if this scandal continued, even the actresses might file lawsuits against the two studios for defamation. After all, the two studios were essentially suggesting that these actresses sold their bodies just to be part of the movies. It was the most degrading accusation that could be made against an actress. They had to protect their image. The two sides kept throwing news stories at each other. Universal Pictures and Walt Disney were at a disadvantage because the battle was 2 versus 3. Furthermore, it was also true that Kazir was never a bad person. They were just trying to destroy his reputation. It didn''t matter if the news was real, as long as people believed it. Michael Jackson and Johnny Depp had experienced the same thing, and their careers took a nosedive for a few years because of it. That was Universal Pictures and Walt Disney''s intention. However, the battle ended when the slowly crumbling balance collapsed. Paramount Pictures, a studio that had remained neutral in the situation, finally decided to take action. Paramount Network chose to side with Kazir Grey! The equilibrium vanished, and Universal Pictures and Walt Disney lost momentum. They couldn''t sustain their attack any longer. The two studios stopped attacking Kazir. There was no reason to continue. As long as cracks had formed in Kazir''s reputation, then their mission was accomplished. In this case, Kazir Grey was the one who had taken most of the damage. He could still file a lawsuit, though. Although, the two studios might manage to postpone the case. They had the power to do so. Well, at least, news about Kazir''s scandal stopped appearing. The damage was done, and Kazir had to face the consequences. Being a talented person was never a good thing. Many people would become jealous and hope to see your downfall. Just like what Kazir had done to mend his relationship with 20th Century Fox, he offered Paramount Pictures the same treatment. Nothing was more enticing than his library of scripts. In exchange for their help, Paramount Pictures received Clash of the Titans. Kazir said that the movie had the potential to become a trilogy. This convinced Paramount Pictures to accept the deal, knowing Kazir''s capabilities. This business deal was probably one of the easiest ones Kazir had ever made. After all, he had a lot of scripts to sell. Chapter 407 Chapter 407 Hollywood What If May arrived, and the box office of 2 Fast 2 Furious obviously slowed down. As of May 5, 2004, 2 Fast 2 Furious had grossed $219.78 million in North America after 35 days of screening. The scandal that had occurred affected the box office. However, the movie still prevailed. At the end of the day, 2 Fast 2 Furious didn''t have much to do with Kazir Grey. People would still watch the movie as long as it was entertaining. Now that the scandal was gone, there was nothing that could inflict damage on 2 Fast 2 Furious. Unfortunately, the current box office was slightly lower than what 20th Century Fox had expected. They believed that within a month, the movie would cross the $250 million mark at least. Well, things didn''t work out, and they knew the reason why. Universal Pictures and Walt Disney''s plan worked. "As expected of my son. He''s amazing even when faced with obstacles that could destroy his career. This incident will never stop him." Elizabeth smirked as she watched the replay of Game of Thrones. This show received so much praise from critics, it had positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. The average viewership rate of the show was 15 million households. This was a high rating. The Internet was still not that popular, so people still preferred watching television as a form of past time and hobby. Although once the Internet became a household name, the viewership rates of many TV shows would be affected. In the 2010s, having 5 million viewers watching a show was already a hard thing to achieve. Even the original Game of Thrones, which was originally released in 2011, only had a rating of 2.22 million viewers. That was already an amazing feat. And now, Grey Pictures''s version of Game of Thrones was a critically acclaimed TV show this year, receiving many praises and even awards. The show was nominated for Emmy Awards, Golden Globes, and Satellite Awards. The replays of the show had at least 2 million viewers per episode. Elizabeth had watched the show since it was released. She never missed any episodes. She recognized that her son was a talented person. "As expected, something like false allegations will never defeat my son." The one who actually offered the idea of spreading rumors was Elizabeth. She "talked" to one of the higher-ups of Universal Pictures while passionately hugging. R?A??oBE?S In exchange for her daughter being part of Dawn of the Dead, Elizabeth sided with Universal Pictures. Universal Pictures hoped that Elizabeth knew something about Kazir that could destroy his career. Unfortunately, Elizabeth was never close with her son, so she couldn''t find anything to use against him. Universal Pictures was disappointed. However, Elizabeth used her wits and experience to secure the role for her daughter. Elizabeth was good at seducing men, after all. She also heard that Universal Pictures paid a private detective to stalk Kazir, but the detective couldn''t find anything bad, except for the fact that Kazir and Angelina had stopped interacting. "Speaking of Angelina..." Elizabeth smiled. She had actually had a chance to talk to the actress. "Let''s just say that I told her that her relationship with Kazir will never work. My son will only love his career, but never a woman... Just like his father." Was it based on her own experience? That single interaction probably caused their separation. "I told her that Kazir doesn''t have any intention of marrying. It''s my deduction, but I''m probably right. I''ve seen so many men who became afraid of marriage after getting destroyed in a divorce. Nothing''s new." Game of Thrones ended, and Elizabeth turned off the television. Then, her daughter showed up with a big smile on her face. "Mommy, I got an interview!" "Honey, that''s amazing." Dawn of the Dead was released in March, and its performance was average for a movie backed by a big studio. Although the movie garnered fans, particularly people who loved watching zombie movies. Dawn of the Dead was different from the usual slow walking zombies. The zombies in Dawn of the Dead were fast and dangerous, making the movie unique from most zombie movies. Sadly, being a horror movie released in March, which was not a popular month for moviegoers, Dawn of the Dead only made $58 million after almost two months of screening. Elizabeth hugged her daughter. She already had an idea that the interview was from a small publisher, perhaps for tabloids. "The interview asked me some stuff, such as my job and how I act on set. Of course, I said that working on a mid-budget was an amazing experience." "..." Elizabeth listened. "You didn''t say that Director Snyder scolded you?" It was not something new on the set of Dawn of the Dead. In fact, the filming schedule was delayed because of Mara''s countless NGs. "...No. I wanted to, but you said that I shouldn''t talk about it to people. Gosh, that director is the worst!" "That''s good." Elizabeth knew her daughter''s capability. Mara was a spoiled brat, but Elizabeth made sure that her daughter would stay as innocent as possible. She didn''t want Clara to experience the disgusting truth of the world. So far, Elizabeth had been doing well at protecting her daughter. ... ... ... "How''s your day?" "I''m fine." Angelina and Kazir smiled at each other, but the atmosphere between them was awkward. "Congratulations on your movie." "I''m just one of the voice actors. I should congratulate you instead," Angelina replied. "What do you mean? Shark Tale grossed over $375 million. I think you deserve congratulations for being a part of it." "Thanks... 2 Fast 2 Furious is also doing well." "I guess so..." Kazir chuckled. The performance of 2 Fast 2 Furious was lower than their expectations, but they couldn''t change the fact that the movie had already grossed $219 million just a month after screening. A clear success. The two looked at each other, and things became awkward again. They didn''t know what to say. "Kazir... I..." Angelina bit her lip. "I want to break up with you. Let''s end our relationship." She looked into his eyes, and Kazir bitterly smiled. Chapter 408 Chapter 408 Hollywood What If "We both know it. We are not meant for each other." Angelina was trying to hold back her tears. "..." Kazir looked down. He couldn''t deny it nor agree to it. He was not sure. "We love each other, but we are not ready to give our everything. That''s what I realized after what happened on Oscar nominations night." She further explained. "You don''t want to marry, while I don''t want to have children. Sure, maybe our opinions might change later on, but I don''t think our relationship will go further than this. If we continue, we''re just forcing ourselves. Like we''re trying to stay in love even though we both know the endgame." Tears fell down and Angelina wiped them. She sniffed and sighed a long breath. Her chest felt heavy, and her throat couldn''t swallow at all. "Kazir, let''s not go any deeper." "..." It was a long silence, and it was deafening. Thankfully, Angelina had scheduled a private room for this moment, so no one could see their interaction. "Angelina, I''ve been thinking about it... I''m not sure if I want to marry. It''s not because of money or the possible division of properties. I feel like if I married someone, I would experience the pain of being heartbroken again. Marriage, for me, was a traumatizing experience." Marriage was a sign of eternal love for a couple. But some people never took it seriously, believing that marriage was just a phase of life, perhaps a repeated phase for some people. Kazir witnessed how his father almost lost his life because of divorce. Kazir promised that his marriage wouldn''t be like that. Yet, history repeated itself. He got divorced, lost his house, and started living in misery (in his past life). "I know. That''s why I wanted to show you how wonderful marriage is." "You don''t want a child." "My opinions can change," Angelina replied. "But definitely not now. Your career is more important than having a child, right now." Angelina''s popularity was skyrocketing. If she became pregnant, her momentum to stardom would be heavily affected. "..." "Angelina, you''re right. I don''t want to marry and you don''t want to start a family. The funny thing is that our contradiction is so ironic. Marriage is a way to start a family, and having a child is also a way to start a family... Perhaps we just don''t want to start a family." ?¦¡??O??E?s? Angelina sobbed. Marriage and having a child were never one-sided decisions. Both parties should agree to it, or else the foundation of the relationship would crumble. It shouldn''t always be about her, and it shouldn''t always be about him. It should always be about both of them. "Let''s end this relationship." "I love you." "I love you too. That''s why we should end things here, clear and clean. Angelina, I want you to be happy and healthy. Stay away from drugs and cigarettes." "You too, don''t work too much. Make sure you have a healthy sleep schedule." Kazir stood up and left the room. He knew that Angelina wanted to have her time to grieve. He saw the waiter who was about to enter the room and stopped him. He said that the person inside the room needed some time to be alone. The waiter reluctantly agreed after seeing a woman sobbing. Kazir left the place and found his car. He took a deep breath and decided to have a nice bottle of champagne once he reached home. When Angelina heard Kazir close the door, she started crying out loud. It was not easy for her to do it. After meeting Kazir''s mother, she realized that Kazir was more broken than she expected and she couldn''t fix him. She heard all of the trauma that Elizabeth dumped on Kazir and Aaron, and she was livid. The lack of love and empathy affected Kazir. That''s why Angelina didn''t say anything about Elizabeth. Because once Kazir heard that Elizabeth talked to Angelina, he might become more depressed. She wanted to be the light for him, but she couldn''t sacrifice herself. Perhaps her love for him was not strong enough. ... ... ... "Ohh, this place looks nice. I guess you really want to talk to me, huh, Harold." Elizabeth playfully smiled as she sat down. "Mrs. Cohen, this room is nothing but a place to talk. We can''t afford to talk in public after all." Harold Witsend sat down across from her. "Indeed. But Harold, I''d prefer if you call me Elizabeth instead. We''ve known each other for years... Is it because my daughter worked with Universal Pictures? Is that the reason you''re acting salty?" "Mrs. Cohen. We were never close." "But that''s not what I think." She leaned in and tried to talk more. She had a certain intention in her mind. Harold Witsend was an important connection that she didn''t want to cut despite forming an alliance with Universal Pictures. However, before she could even start her seduction, Harold slammed a thick envelope on the table. "Hm? What''s this?" "This is the information I painstakingly gathered about you after so many years." Harold was staring seriously. "Hoh? What is it then?" She didn''t even have the intention of touching the envelope. She didn''t care. "This is a list of people you had sex with over the three years we''ve been working together. Some of them are actually in high positions. I''m surprised." "Pfft-" She giggled. "Harold, are you trying to blackmail me? Don''t you know that using your beauty is the greatest weapon a woman could have? I take pride in what I did." "Perhaps, but after working with you and studying all of your moves, I found your weakness." "Mr. Witsend, you know that stalking is a crime." "I should say that to you instead. I also have proof that you sent a private detective to follow me around. That''s included in the envelope." "Interesting," Elizabeth smirked, crossed her legs, and leaned back in the chair. For some reason, she was not afraid at all. Chapter 409 Chapter 409 Harold had his reasons why he decided to work with Elizabeth a few years ago. ''Keep your enemies close.'' He had heard this saying many times and understood its meaning. After years of observing Elizabeth''s ways, Harold built up a good amount of information against the woman. First, Elizabeth formed connections through her ethnicity. If that didn''t work, she didn''t mind using her body. Yes, Elizabeth used her body. It might be more precise to say that she was prostituting herself, though she wasn''t openly showing it like that. She just had sex with powerful men in the industry to maintain their status. Most of the men she had sex with had connections to the projects that Mara worked on. This was Elizabeth''s way to make sure Mara would have it easy. Besides, Elizabeth was having fun doing it. She liked it when men became horny toward her, it gave her power. ''Elizabeth is right, prostituting herself is not her weakness. She''s even proud of it...'' Harold recalled when Elizabeth almost seduced him. Thank God Harold''s rationality overpowered his dick, or else he might''ve lost everything. Elizabeth was a dangerous woman. She was manipulative. Since Elizabeth had no intention of opening the envelope, Harold decided to do it himself. He first handed a certain picture to Elizabeth. "This is you and the production manager of Universal Pictures going to a hotel. This one is you getting into the car of a shareholder from Walt Disney. This one''s with the director, and this one''s with the general manager of--" "You don''t have to show them one by one. It doesn''t matter," Elizabeth giggled. "It does matter. What I''m trying to say is that we used these pictures to blackmail these people and blamed it on you. After all, I know that you also gathered your own evidence while having sex with them." "..." Elizabeth maintained her smile. "Elizabeth, I know you''re a smart person. You gathered quite a lot of evidence to blackmail them. I just started earlier than you. These people will cut contact with you... I''m one hundred percent sure they are looking for you right now." "Wow, you got me, huh? I guess I just have to spread that information, since they are useless anyway." "Your backers won''t protect you. I made sure." "Harold, the blackmail you have is not enough to scare me. They''re just a bunch of pictures of me having sex with them. None of them are stupid enough to send a killer or assassin to silence me. Because the information I have is also not crucial. I just saved some sex tapes against them." "That''s right. But that''s not my intention anyway. I just want to isolate you. To make sure that no one will protect you." Harold nodded. Killing a person wasn''t that simple, those old rich farts knew what not to do. At most, they would just stop communicating with Elizabeth, but that was enough. "So you''re saying you have more evidence against me?" "Not quite. I''ve studied you for a long time, and I realized that you are faultless overall. Having sex with different people is not a crime anyway." "That''s right." "But Mara is different." "..." "Here is a picture of Mara using crystal meth¡ª" Elizabeth quickly grabbed the picture and tore it to pieces. Harold was stunned. This was the first time he had seen the woman act like this. Elizabeth was always calm. Elizabeth glared at Harold. "Don''t you dare say her name in this conversation." Her voice was low, and Harold actually felt a bit scared. Elizabeth was not acting like herself. Harold controlled his emotions and continued the conversation. He was right. Elizabeth''s weakness was Mara. She was a strong woman with no weakness, except for her daughter. That''s why Harold started looking for Mara''s weakness that he could use against Elizabeth. Ra??o???E?S Unlike Elizabeth, Mara was still young and had done some illegal stuff. "It''s not just pictures. We also have video evidence to support it. I''m surprised. You managed to maintain Mara''s purity, but you didn''t know that she is addicted to drugs. Well, you also used drugs, so I guess it''s not surprising." "I told you to shut up." Elizabeth started breathing heavily. She was glaring daggers at Harold. "Not only that... I also have another thing to show you." It was a DNA test. When Elizabeth read the contents, her pupils trembled. She then looked at Harold. "That DNA test proves that Mara is not Mr. Thomson''s daughter." Mr. Thomson was Elizabeth''s second husband, whom she also divorced after she got tired... Mara and Mr. Thomson had a great relationship, and Mara loved her father. Elizabeth didn''t stop Mara from meeting her father every week. However, only Elizabeth knew the truth... Mara and Mr. Thomson were not blood-related. "H- How did you know?" If Mara found out that her father was not actually her biological father, then she would be devastated. Obviously, she would blame her mother, because Elizabeth was the one who knew the truth. There was one thing Elizabeth didn''t want to happen. She didn''t want Mara to hate her. If Mara found out the truth, then Elizabeth would lose her. Elizabeth would lose everything. Mara would stop loving her mother, and that would kill Elizabeth. "It took a long time for us to get Mr. Thomson''s sample. I even had to meet the guy at a party to get his saliva from a wineglass just to get it. Elizabeth, you are a deceiving person. You created so many lies that I thought even your daughter was made of falsehood. That was the clue I got and I decided to follow through. In the end, I found proof that Mr. Thomson is not Mara''s father." Elizabeth crumpled the DNA test and looked down. "...What do you want?" She would rather die than see her daughter hate her. "Leave this country and never return. You have no backers anyway. All of the connections you formed are useless now that they know how wicked you are. You''re rich, you can live in other countries without any problem." Honestly, Harold didn''t give a fuck where she wanted to live. As long as she was far from Kazir, Harold didn''t give a fuck. Chapter 410 Chapter 410 "What about Mara? Her life is in this place. She can''t just leave." "Elizabeth, I know that you have your means to convince your daughter." Elizabeth was the most manipulative woman that Harold had ever met. "As for Mr. Thompson... who cares? He''s not even Mara''s real father." Harold''s position was clear. He was on Kazir''s side. As much as possible, he didn''t want to sympathize with Elizabeth and her daughter. ''It''s a good thing that I heard the voice record from Mr. Victor Grey, or else I might have fallen for this bitch''s trap.'' Victor, Kazir''s father, had recorded his conversation with Elizabeth last time. Honestly, he had no idea how to use it. He decided to give it to Salvatore and Harold instead. The content of the voice recording was too harsh for Kazir to hear, so they kept quiet about it. When Harold heard the voice record, his decision became firm. Leeches like Elizabeth and Mara didn''t deserve his help. They were backstabbing bitches. He knew that Elizabeth sided with Universal Pictures. Perhaps she even gave them some information that could threaten Kazir. That was the last straw. Harold had no intention of letting it happen again. So he used all of the weapons he had to defeat Elizabeth. The woman stared at him and weakly smiled. "...You''re a nice friend, Harold. I''m happy that my son has a friend like you." "Please don''t talk like you care about Kazir. It gives me the chills." "Fufu, indeed..." She sighed. Elizabeth had grown up. She knew that the world was never a fairytale. She had to make her choice. "I understand. My daughter and I will leave this country. However, I can''t assure you that my daughter won''t return. She has her own life ahead of her." "I don''t care. Don''t touch my friend again, or I will destroy Mara''s life." "You''re a scary man, do you know that?" "I should tell you the same thing. If you had shown even an ounce of sympathy to Kazir, if you had shown your love to him, this might never have happened." r??¦Á?O?bE?S?? "It''s too late." She stood up and grabbed the envelope from Harold. Harold had copies of all the documents, so it didn''t matter. ''Elizabeth probably has a voice recorder in her pocket right now, but I also have one. Let''s see how things will happen.'' "It''s such a shame... I almost caught you in the palm of my hand. I thought we were really going to have sex today." "..." Harold didn''t react. From the moment he formed a business deal with Elizabeth, he was constantly seduced by the woman. He almost fell for her tricks twice, but he controlled his urges and remembered his purpose. The deal was to protect Kazir, not to have sex with his mother. Besides, Harold had a family. If he had sex with Elizabeth, the woman would probably use that as a way to blackmail him. Harold understood that spending more time with the woman would make him weaker... He might actually have sex with Elizabeth because the woman was truly beautiful and full of sex appeal despite in her 50''s. Probably the reason why she could seduce so many rich men. ''Thankfully, everything will end today. Kazir didn''t have to face his mother. He should maintain his peace.'' Unfortunately, before Elizabeth was defeated, she successfully destroyed Kazir''s relationship with Angelina. A simple "You''re not meant for each other. You don''t deserve my son at all." made Angelina falter. ...... .... ... On May 5, Van Helsing was released by Universal Pictures, and the reviews regarding the movie were mixed. Some movie critics liked it, but most people hated it. Many publishers stated that the movie was the most brain-dead film released this year. Universal Pictures tried to battle this opinion, but they were overpowered by the media. Universal Pictures was not stupid, this was payback for what happened last time. This was revenge. The movie grossed $51.74 million on its first weekend, but everything went downhill after that. The movie reviews that Van Helsing received were mixed and mostly negative. Even the CinemaScore was a B. That rating was considered average. In the CinemaScore rating, an A+ was a masterpiece. A''s were generally good. B''s were shaky. C''s were terrible. D''s and F''s... they shouldn''t have made the movie. This resulted in lower box office results for Van Helsing. On its second week, May 16, Van Helsing only reached $86.09 million. For seven days, the movie made just $34 million. It looked promising at first, but the whopping $160 million production cost turned it around. Furthermore, it didn''t help that Troy was released in the same week (May 13). It was a disaster for Universal Pictures. The ticket sales would split now that Troy was released. If Van Helsing made $34 million in its second week, Troy grossed $46.86 million on its first weekend. The gap would slowly widen until Van Helsing lost all of its strength. Unlike Van Helsing, which had a bad reputation, Troy had an A rating on CinemaScore. The biggest reason why Van Helsing had negative reviews was because of 20th Century Fox, Sony-Columbia, and Warner Brothers. 20th Century Fox didn''t like that Universal Pictures attacked 2 Fast 2 Furious. Sony-Columbia was holding a grudge over what they did to Tobey Maguire and Kazir Grey. As for Warner Brothers, Troy was produced by them, and they had to sabotage Van Helsing so that Troy would make more money. Business is business. In Hollywood, these six big studios always have head-on collisions regarding profits. +++++ [Author''s Note: Perhaps a letdown, yeah, I didn''t kill Elizabeth nor did I make her comatose... Unless I added a scenario where Elizabeth and Mara had a plane crash, but that would be overkill. Anyway, this will probably be the last time the mother and daughter will appear. I guess I have to find another antagonist, huh. Harold Witsend is the MVP this time.] [Also, if you want to read more, you can check out my Pat reon and Ko -fi. I''m poor and I need money.] P@treon link: https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki Ko-fi link: https://ko-fi.com/pujimaki Chapter 411 Chapter 411 "Christian, are you really serious?" Benjamin Davis looked at his client''s face with complicated thoughts. He wanted to shake his head, but his position as an agent stopped him. After all, the situation was good for them. "Benjamin, you know how important this opportunity is. I can''t let it go. I let it slip once, and I regret it so much." "But look at your body!" Benjamin understood that this big opportunity could change their lives, but he was not a heartless agent like the others. He cared for his clients. Money was important, but he didn''t want to be a slave to it. He wanted money to have a better and easier life, not to be a slave to it. "Benjamin... you know how devoted I am." "Yeah, I know it very much. That''s why I''m worried about you. Look at you right now! You''re thin as fuck. You look like a matchstick!" Christian Bale just smiled... He couldn''t deny what his agent said. He was indeed skinny. For his role in The Machinist, Christian Bale dedicated half a year to losing weight. His diet was water, an apple, and one cup of coffee per day... That was a very hard thing to do. This showed what kind of actor Christian Bale was. It was also one of the reasons why he was highly respected, his dedication to his art was real. From 180 pounds (81 kilograms), he lost more than 62 pounds (28 kilograms). And now, Christian Bale looked skinny as fuck. He weighed just 99 pounds (45 kilograms). With a height of over 6 feet, 99 pounds was not the optimal weight for him. He looked like a walking post. "This is Batman. A famous comic superhero! He''s buff, thick, and strong. God knows how much rigorous training you have to do just for the role! It''s very unhealthy if you try to lose weight and then gain weight in just a year. It could affect your health badly." Warner Brothers expected the actor to be at least 6 feet tall and 190 to 220 pounds (86¨C100 kilograms) for the role of Batman. For that, Christian had to start another hellish diet. "Benjamin... you remember what happened a few years ago, right?" "..." Benjamin sighed. In 1999, Christian Bale was just a young British actor without any idea how Hollywood worked. Benjamin became his agent at that time. Christian Bale secured a role in American Psycho as Patrick Bateman. He put importance on the role and studied it, despite his strong disgust for the character Patrick Bateman. Christian Bale publicly said in an interview that he didn''t like Patrick Bateman. After all, Patrick Bateman was a psychopathic serial killer. At that time, while in the process of working on American Psycho, Benjamin received a message that Kazir Grey personally invited Christian Bale to audition for the role of Wesley Gibson in the movie Wanted. Kazir was already famous at that time, and his filmography was successful. None of his movies flopped, making him one of the highest-paid directors in Hollywood. Benjamin was actually interested in working with Kazir. He heard that Wanted would be an important part of the CCU... God knows how much influence it brought to the history of cinema. ?a?o??bE?S? Wanted became the third movie to surpass the $1 billion box office worldwide. It was known to be the start of the never-ending success of the CCU franchise. That''s how powerful Wanted was... and Christian Bale passed on that opportunity. Christian Bale had the opportunity to work with Kazir Grey. He even received two-thirds of the script. Unfortunately, his schedule was too tight at that time. He knew that he had to pass on the chance. He didn''t attend the audition, he didn''t have the time to. He thought Wanted would only become an action movie with an above-average box office. His knowledge regarding the CCU was so little since he was from Wales. He had no idea that the movie he passed on would be a massive success. He didn''t know at all. Obviously, he regretted it. In his opinion, Wesley Gibson''s character was better than Patrick Bateman''s, a young orphan who was seeking his true identity, becoming a part of the secret society of killers. And now, Christian received another chance. He didn''t want to let it go. He didn''t want to regret it again. Besides, just like last time, the one who invited them to audition was also Director Grey. It showed that Director Grey saw something in Christian''s acting. "Benjamin, I want to be Batman. Even if I''m from Britain, I know Batman. That''s how influential Batman is. The whole world knows Batman." It was not an understatement. Batman was just that popular. "...Sigh, I''ll contact a dietitian and nutritionist. I have no idea what the difference is between the two, but it''s better to hire both just to make sure your transformation will be healthy." "Thanks, Benjamin." "Don''t thank me. I also want to close the deal. We are talking about Warner Brothers, Kazir Grey, and Batman here. The combination is too strong to disregard." Both of them chuckled. "The audition will happen two months from now, so we have time to prepare. You can relax for a while. Once we sign the deal, that''s the time to take your training seriously." "I understand." "Let me remind you that you''re not the only actor they invited. Don''t be overconfident. Based on what I heard, they also invited some famous actors such as Ethan Hawke, Heath Ledger, Cillian Murphy, Jake Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, Joaquin Phoenix, and even fucking 007 Pierce Brosnan!" "Of course, Batman is not a simple project. It''s an iconic character. I bet a lot of actors are eager to get the mantle of Batman." Christian nodded. It was within expectations. He knew that his chances of getting the role were slim against these actors, but it was better than not attending the audition. At least this time, he had a chance to prove himself. Chapter 412 Chapter 412 "This is fun." Kazir was holding a remote control, playing with a toy car and having fun. The toy car was moving fast, and Kazir couldn''t help but feel like his younger self again. The car was zooming around the studio, circling the miniature model of Gotham City. The toy car he was playing with was not an ordinary toy, it was a 1:100 scale replica of the Batmobile, specifically created for the film. "Kazir, better be careful... We only have two copies of the Batmobile," Enrico Pusi, the producer of this project, said, clearly worried that Kazir might destroy the Batmobile. This toy car was custom-made, and it would take a full week to produce just one. They intended to develop remote-controlled Batmobile cars to sell to children, but those would be made of cheaper materials before hitting the market. The toy car Kazir was playing with was one of a kind, made from premium materials and costing over $5,000. "Hm? But I thought we had three. I even said that." "The first one crashed into a wall and the front dented." "I see." "..." Enrico didn''t explain that he was the one who broke it. Just like Kazir, he had fun playing with the car and accidentally damaged it. Now, he was worried Kazir might make the same mistake he did. "Anyway, how''s the pre-production?" Kazir had been busy and could only visit the studio once a week. The release of Spider-Man 2 was approaching quickly, and he had to attend promotional events, including TV shows and interviews. "I already contacted the actors. Unsurprisingly, all of them wanted to audition when they heard that you would direct the movie. As for Liam Neeson, he is also interested... Although the negotiation will take some time." Enrico sighed. Because Kazir wanted Liam Neeson to play Ra''s Al Ghul, the villain in the movie, Producer Pusi had to contact the actor and begin negotiations early. After all, Liam Neeson was already a certified "Daddy" by the media, although Enrico had no idea what that actually meant. He just knew that Liam Neeson was expensive to hire now that he had a massive fan base worldwide. "If the negotiation isn''t completed before filming, we''ll have to find another actor for the role of Ra''s Al Ghul." Kazir wasn''t picky. Hollywood had plenty of older, talented actors. Heck, even Morgan Freeman could fit the role. However, Kazir wanted to stay true to the original version if possible. Since Kazir took over the project, Enrico naturally became the producer. Warner Brothers wanted a smooth production, and the two had better communication since they had already worked together a few years ago. Initially, Warner Brothers and Kazir had a verbal agreement regarding the filming of Batman Begins. Then Warner Brothers quickly moved forward with signing a formal contract. Kazir''s side wasn''t greedy this time, perhaps out of a sense of indebtedness for the help they had received. Kazir''s contract was set at $25 million + 17% worldwide box office share + 3% peripherals revenue share... That was actually a huge deal, but for someone as big as Kazir Grey, it was considered average at best. Only a few studios could secure that kind of deal with him. "The model is so realistic. It looks nice... Sadly, we have to destroy some parts of it." Kazir looked at the miniature model of Gotham City. The artists spent three months making it look like a real city, and now parts of it had to be blown up. The same applied to Wayne Mansion and even the Batmobile Kazir was controlling at the moment. Still, this was better than destroying a real mansion or an actual city... That would require clearance and permits. Christopher Nolan was known for never using CGI, which was false, by the way. He did use the technology to complement his films. He used CGI but never overly relied on it. If he had to use a miniature model to blow up a building, Christopher Nolan would rather do that than let computer graphics ruin the scene. As for which of the two was cheaper, both were expensive. R?a?N?bE?? Using a miniature model was costly and time-consuming. Using CGI was also expensive and time-consuming, as the technology still wasn''t mature enough. Given that, why not combine the two? Use miniature models and CGI together to make it look realistic. This was what Christopher Nolan did. "How about the real Batmobile? Did Lamborghini finish it? We already sent the design to them a month ago." "The Batmobile arrived yesterday. It''s working. Lamborghini wants to create ten copies and sell them, at a high price, of course." Lamborghini stepped up and became one of the sponsors of Batman Begins. They also created the Batmobile. In the movie, Bruce Wayne would use a Lamborghini Murcie?lago to promote the luxury car brand. Even the few copies of the Batmobile were immediately sold out after the movie''s release. Some luxury car companies like Ferrari and Porsche had also contacted them, but they ultimately decided to go with Lamborghini. In the first place, Ferrari never agreed to modify their cars, so the Batmobile would never have worked with that brand. "... I''m interested in driving it. Do you mind?" "Okay," Enrico agreed. The working Batmobile was meant to be used anyway. Crash--!! Suddenly, the toy car Kazir was playing with crashed into the wall and lost a tire. "Oops, I messed up," Kazir chuckled and stopped playing. "... On second thought, I think the Batmobile needs calibration. You''re not allowed to use it. I also have to call the toy manufacturer to send us a new copy of the Batmobile toy." Enrico began walking away, knowing that Kazir might ask another favor. Filming hadn''t even started yet, and they had already broken two toy cars? So yeah, the life-size Batmobile was now off-limits to both Enrico and Kazir... Kazir watched Enrico leave and laughed. He didn''t have to be worried, Kazir wouldn''t scratch the Batmobile... Right? Chapter 413 Chapter 413 "I can''t believe that I will return to this place." Kazir weakly smiled as he looked at the house. The house that he lived in for a few years. The house that he bought back when he married Cassandra. The house looked a bit different from what he remembered. It was renovated. Based on the car that was parked in the driveway, it seemed that someone was living in the house. Kazir and Cassandra reached an agreement where Kazir had to give the house to her just to finish the divorce. Even now, Kazir still believed that his decision was right. He knew how much his ex-wife pestered him just to acquire the house and Kazir had no time for that. Just as he expected, Cassandra sold the house one month after their separation. "It''s been a while, huh." Kazir looked through the window of his Mercedes Benz. He didn''t have anything to do today so he decided to do a road trip and travel around the city. He bought food in three restaurants just to kill time. He didn''t have anyone to talk to since most of his acquaintances were busy, they were all adults. Kazir was also single so no love life to pursue. While driving around, he recalled that he was close to his old house so he decided to check it out and take a look. Well, the house seemed preserved and someone was living in it. He drove away after checking, no need to stay longer. For him, the memories he had with Cassandra were all in the past. He had no feelings whatsoever towards his ex-wife. His love, hatred, and anger disappeared as the years went by. Still, he was happy that the house he bought and lived in for many years was still standing and being used by others. "All my savings working on horror movies went to buying that house so it has sentimental value for me." If the house was for sale again, Kazir might buy it just for the sake of it. ...... ... ... May passed by just like that. Kazir already finished the production of Spider-Man 2 a long time ago. Sony-Colombia was now busy promoting the movie, releasing movie trailers on many TV stations. Posting movie posters on the billboards. Giving movie flyers to people on the streets. Sony-Colombia spent millions just to make sure that Spider-Man 2 would be a box office hit. They knew that the scandal a few months ago would affect the box office of Spider-Man 2. They were even prepared if another scandal happened again. "Hm, looks like Walt Disney and DreamWorks are having a shit show." Kazir was amused as he read the contents of the newspaper in his hands. Shrek 2 was released on May 19 and it was amazing. DreamWorks realized that they found the franchise that would make them alive. In this industry, having a franchise to make you float was the best thing to have. Even Metro Goldwyn Mayer was still alive because of the 007 franchise. Anyway, Kazir agreed that Shrek was the biggest franchise that DreamWorks Animation ever had. It was worth billions. Shrek would be relevant even in the next two decades... Kazir knew because YouTube shorts and TikTok made a lot of memes regarding Shrek... Some people even wanted to marry Shrek for some reason. Walt Disney didn''t like it. Most of the animators of DreamWorks were from Walt Disney, they were the animators that Walt Disney fired after Pixar and 3D animation became popular. Walt Disney didn''t like that the trash they threw away had the potential to create a masterpiece. No, DreamWorks created a masterpiece. The influence of Shrek would remain for a long time. After 15 days of screening, Shrek 2 grossed $271.15 million. This information created a buzz. These days, Shrek was the most popular movie to watch in cinemas. Even 2 Fast 2 Furious couldn''t rival it, especially when 2 Fast 2 Furious only had 850 theaters to screen the movie. By the way, 2 Fast 2 Furious also grossed $230 million after 53 days of screening. It was amazing, but nothing compared to an animated movie with a green ogre as a main character... "Oh, looks like Tom Cruise''s movies will be released next year. Damn, they really promote it a year earlier... I forgot, he gave me two advance tickets to watch the movie." Scheduling two tickets for a movie next year was insane. Tom Cruise gave him two tickets because he thought Angelina would be interested in watching the movie. He didn''t about the breakup. Angelina and Kazir''s separation was still a secret. They stopped showing together in public and it seemed that the paparazzi started to have an idea. Perhaps next week, paparazzi and reporters would pester him and ask him about Angelina. Kazir might have to stay in the office for the time being. "Let''s see," Kazir read the newspaper. Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg worked together for the second time after Minority Report. War Of The Worlds was based on a novel written by H.G. Wells in 1898 with the same name. It was a sci-fi movie about an alien invasion. Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg. Two heavy hitters in the industry had worked together to create this movie. Perhaps that was the reason why the project got an early promotion by this newspaper, or perhaps it was not a paid promotion at all. Maybe the journalist just wrote an article about it. Kazir turned to the next page and found the three-day box office results of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This movie was also a heavy hitter. "Seems like Warner Brothers are having a blast." With no surprise, the third movie of the Harry Potter franchise grossed $93.68 million after three days of screening. Chapter 414 Chapter 414 Harry Potter was considered one of the most successful movie franchises in the industry. The impact it brought to the people was huge, so much so that it also became part of the culture. Being the third movie of the franchise, where Harry and the gang looked older, Prisoner Of Azkaban created a sensation by grossing $157 million in just ten days. Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban was a new image for the audience because the three leads were teenagers unlike the first two movies where they were still kids. The Prisoner Of Azkaban was the start of a serious plot from then on. Everyone knew that the story would continue to get serious from now on. Based on the movies scheduled to be released in three weeks, Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban would probably dominate the box office for almost a month. Not even The Chronicles Of Riddick, the sequel to Pitch Black, starring Vin Diesel could stop Harry Potter from spamming magic spells. Not even Garfield: The Movie, about a fat orange cat that was strongly addicted to lasagna. Not even The Terminal, starring Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. Steven Spielberg was known for making box office hits but even his directorship was not enough to stop Harry Potter. The Terminal was great, story-wise. Unfortunately, people tend to watch entertaining movies and Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban was very entertaining. The Notebook was also released in the same month(June), but this romance movie didn''t make much at the box office... A lot of people cried though. However, The Notebook received a strong reception in the DVD market. Women fell in love with the movie and they even bought the novel. Nicholas Sparks was already a best-selling author at that time since his two other books, Message In The Bottle and A Walk To Remember already got movie adaptations, and the reception was great. Even White Chicks, a movie about two black cops going undercover to become white chicks was incomparable to Harry Potter. Let''s just say that having two successful prequels made the Prisoner Of Azkaban stable at the box office. Harry Potter already gained popularity and had a massive fan base. This made it easier to make money. This was also the reason why famous movie franchises could make money whenever they released movies because many people anticipated watching their movies. CCU was the best example of it. ...... ... ... An interview with Oprah Winfrey happened and Tobey Maguire was the guest. Tobey Maguire was already a famous actor after the success of Spider-Man... This was his only famous role yet his face was recognized by many people all over the world. Everyone who watched the movie obviously knew his face, it was hard to forget. This was also the reason why Tobey had a hard time getting jobs outside of being Peter Parker/Spider-Man. So this time, when Tobey Maguire appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, he had black hair and wearing eyeglasses. He looked different from his usual appearance. 20th Century Fox already started planning on Final Destination. Being recommended by Director Grey, Tobey decided to take the role in Final Destination. He knew that changing his image as soon as possible was the best thing to do right now, or else he would be left in the shadow of Spider-Man. Peter Parker had light brown hair while Tobey had black had black hair right now. As for the eyeglasses, he was wearing golden golden-rimmed ones and the shapes were circles, unlike the one Peter Parker was wearing back when he was still a nerd. Tobey realized why Kazir was highly respected by his friends, he knew how to take care of his friends. Perhaps this was the reason why he was protected by people. Even his exes had a good opinion of him... Except Cassandra Hoecrap. ?a?O??¦¢§¦? "Everyone, let''s welcome, Tobey Maguire." Oprah introduced Tobey and the audience clapped their hands. Tobey showed in his new appearance. "You look different tonight, Tobey." "Yeah, I''m trying a new look." "It looks good on you." "Thanks." The two started with normal conversation. Slowly, the conversation turned serious and Tobey''s demeanor changed. The matter of the trespassing was opened up... All is according to plan. Being an actor, Tobey made sure that he was the victim and implied that the paparazzi trespassed his residence, invading his privacy and possibly hurting him. The evidence was clear and this interview was just for the sake of clearing his name. Since no more scandal was attacking Tobey, tonight was the time to clear his name and gain reputation, for the sake of his career. "I lost friends, people avoided me, fans are mad at me. I even have stalkers following me. I was also hit by an egg when I tried leaving my house..." He was actually not lying. The intensity of the scandal was strong, fanned by Universal Pictures and Walt Disney. "Before we end, do you have something to say to our viewers?" "Yeah, Spider-Man 2 will be released on June 30. You can watch it with your family and loved ones!" When the show ended, a three-minute clip of Tobey Maguire visiting hospitals and making kids happy was shown. In the video, the sick kids were happy to see their hero. Tobey showed a genuine smile and made them happy. He even announced that he would be part of the Make-A-Wish foundation to help unfortunate kids see the happiness in the world. He gained sympathy. Women even cried as they watched the video. It was heartwarming to see sick kids meeting their heroes. It might be a simple gesture but it meant a lot to the kids. "I thought I was just an actor, but I realized that my role as a Spider-Man can help people. I feel like I found my calling, I want to help them even if it''s small." Before the video ended, Sony-Columbia announced that they would give 5% of their profits to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help young kids who were in need of help. Despite being a week early, many people already booked tickets to their local theaters to watch Spider-Man 2. Sales accumulated to $17 million even though the movie was still not released! ++++++ [Important Announcement: I am now close to ending this novel, very very close. So from now on, I''m going to post 5 chapters a day till we reached the ending.] Chapter 415 Chapter 415 Since people knew that buying tickets could help unfortunate kids, they didn''t have any problem spending money. They believed that they were doing the right thing. It was a win-win situation. They could watch Spider-Man 2, and at the same time, help young kids. Helping others brought satisfaction to their egos, knowing that they did something good. Some people even donated directly to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. As for Tobey Maguire, most people already knew that he was the victim. They were not mad at him. Although there were still some haters who lashed out at Tobey. Haters would always be there to remind celebrities that they were hated for a reason. A celebrity would always have a hater. Heck, even the Pope and the Queen had haters. Tobey''s reputation was slowly recovering. The interview had a positive reaction, people knew that he was sincere when he helped the unfortunate children who were suffering from terminal diseases. Some weak-hearted viewers even cried when they watched the video. In just one night, Tobey changed his image for the better. He even showed up publicly, going to an orphanage and helping feed the kids... This was actually a publicity stunt arranged by Sony-Colombia, but Tobey gladly participated since he genuinely enjoyed doing so. 20th Century Fox also helped Tobey because of their upcoming project, which was Final Destination. Tobey would be the male lead in the movie, and good publicity would always benefit their upcoming film. ... ... ... Nothing much happened in June, except for President Ronald Reagan''s death. It was a sad day for America... Do Americans feel bad when one of their presidents dies, or do they feel happy? Anyway, before the end of June, Spider-Man 2 was officially released in theaters, on June 30, the last day of the month. Many kids were excited, some even wore Spider-Man costumes. Of course, even adults joined the fun. The adults were also wearing Spider-Man costumes. At the Mann Village Theater, more than a hundred people participated in the red carpet event, and many reporters were having a blast taking pictures. These reporters could sell the photos, especially if they looked bad. They even hoped one of the cast members would have a wardrobe malfunction... Easy money in that case. However, the main theme of this red carpet event caught the most attention. Even the people attending the premiere had teary eyes as they watched the red carpet. Each actor walked hand in hand with a child. These were kids who suffered from illnesses. They were fans of Spider-Man, and they wanted to watch the film. Sony-Colombia used this chance as a publicity opportunity while also helping young kids. The main reason was profit, but yes, at least they helped kids... They were really enjoying this publicity. They had to, because two of their big stars had scandals this year, Tobey and Kazir. The second-to-last person to appear was Kazir Grey. This time, Kazir didn''t show up with Angelina. News had already spread that the two had broken up. Some speculated that it was because of the recent scandal involving Kazir. Kazir didn''t care much. Instead, he was pushing a wheelchair for a kid who had leukemia. The kid was holding a Spider-Man toy. The child seemed excited as he looked around. Many people were taking pictures. It was a fun experience overall. At least it was different from his usual life in the monotonous hospital room. After that procession, someone took the child to the premiere while Kazir stayed outside to be interviewed. "Director, you look fabulous and handsome." "Thanks. You too, you look amazing." "It''s such a shame that Miss Angelina is not here to see your handsome appearance." Kazir chuckled... ''Fuck, is Sony-Colombia really that desperate for traction? They even prepared this kind of question.'' Perhaps Sony-Colombia was innocent. Maybe the reporter just wanted to get a juicy reaction from Kazir. Hollywood was not the place for privacy and respect. Celebrities rarely had privacy, especially if they were super famous. Obviously, Kazir was uncomfortable during the entire interview and excused himself once Tobey Maguire appeared. Just like the other cast members, Tobey was holding a young child as he walked the red carpet. Was Sony-Colombia doing something wrong by leading sick kids to the red carpet to watch Spider-Man? Perhaps yes, and perhaps no. After all, these children''s wishes came true that night. They were happy. However, it was also kind of messed up, especially considering the reason why Sony-Colombia did this publicity stunt. In the end, it all depended on public opinion. The next day, many people had mixed opinions regarding the premiere of Spider-Man 2. That night, the kids watched Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus''s battle. They witnessed how Spider-Man saved the people on the train. They were happy when MJ chose Peter over her fiance?... r?a???bE?? People stood up and clapped. The studio would surely make tons of money. As expected, Director Grey knew how to cook. Spider-Man didn''t stray from the usual formula Kazir used, and people liked his movies because of that. ... ... ... The next day, the media indeed had mixed opinions regarding the red carpet. Some said that Sony-Colombia was messed up, while others praised the company for granting the wishes of the kids. However, the red carpet wasn''t the main topic. Everyone was more curious about the box office! June 30, Wednesday. Spider-Man 2 grossed $40.44 million after 24 hours of screening. It was shocking but also expected. Even though the scandal affected the movie, more people still wanted to watch Spider-Man 2. Perhaps Universal Pictures and Walt Disney''s hard work was useless, since Spider-Man 2 was still doing great despite the scandal. It was hard to sabotage Spider-Man, especially when people were excited to watch it. ++++++ [For faster editing, I decided to use Chatgpt to fix the grammar, typos, and missing words.] [This is the second chapter of the day.] Chapter 416 Chapter 416 Overall, Spider-Man 2 was a standout film in the superhero genre, praised for its emotional depth, strong performances, and thrilling action. It was a blend of character-driven storytelling and comic book spectacle that set a high bar for superhero films that followed. --From a certain article. The pacing in the middle was lackluster. It mostly focused on Peter Parker''s development as his powers were waning and recovering. --A review from the website of IMDb. The CGI is fucking cool! 10/10! I''ll recommend it to my friends. --Another review from IMDb. Damn, Doctor Octopus'' tentacles look hot. I wonder if I can oil them up... --A review from a certain porn site. Spider-Man was the start of the superhero genre. Even though some superhero movies were released before Spider-Man, such as X-Men, Superman, and Batman, only Spider-Man received massive success all over the world. Gaining over $1 billion at the worldwide box office was clear evidence. People would consume the genre as long as the action and visual effects were stunning. Spider-Man 2 had flaws, but people didn''t care much about them. They were in for the action, not to be movie critics. Of course, some fans were disappointed that Peter chose Mary Jane instead of Ursula, his neighbor. After all, Ursula prepared food for Peter. She was also adorable. Over the years, more fans would agree that Ursula was a better woman than Mary Jane, who bitched around. Thursday, the first day of July, also the second day of Spider-Man 2 in theaters, casually pulled $23.81 million, increasing the box office up to $64 million... This was just the second day. As everyone in Hollywood understands, the first weekend of a movie is usually the best performance it could have. Sony-Colombia was already shaking just imagining the possibilities. They hoped that Spider-Man 2 would overcome its predecessor and make $1.2 billion at the box office! It might be hard, but hoping was free anyway. Besides, the director of this movie was none other than Kazir Grey. The director already had two movies that reached $1 billion, so adding another one was an open invitation. While Sony-Colombia was celebrating, its enemy, Walt Disney, was in a bad mood. Seeing the box office result of Spider-Man 2, Walt Disney understood that their upcoming movie would face problems. Walt Disney was set to release King Arthur, which was six days from now. Six days were not enough to weaken the performance of Spider-Man 2. That kind of movie would remain steady for a whole month. There were some rumors that Sony-Colombia intentionally released Spider-Man a week before King Arthur just to fuck with Walt Disney. The outcome of the battle between a historical figure and a superhero would be bad for Walt Disney. Walt Disney might have a problem recouping their investment. The production budget of King Arthur was $90 million, plus the undisclosed promotional budget, so Walt Disney might be in for a big loss. For Kazir and Tobey, it was karma that Walt Disney deserved. Fuck that studio company, anytime and anywhere. Fast forward to July 7, King Arthur was released in 3,000 theaters in the country. On its first day, King Arthur made $4 million... womp womp womp. On the same day, Spider-Man 2 casually grabbed $10 million. The accumulated box office of Spider-Man 2 already reached $202.12 million! The movie was just released for eight fucking days, yet it already surpassed $200 million. ?A?o§£E?¡ì As expected, once the media saw this outcome, they started praising Kazir again, saying that Kazir Grey was a once-in-a-lifetime talent in the history of cinema. That his works deserved a documentary. As if the media forgot about the scandal that Kazir was a predator. ...... ... ... "Sir, these are the list of the product placements." Erica pushed open the door and gave the documents to Kazir. The director thanked his assistant and read the contents. "Lamborghini, Nokia, American Express, Mountain Dew..." Kazir read the products and nodded. Being the director, Kazir had the power to agree or disagree regarding product placement/advertising. He had an artistic view of the movie, and he knew whether the products could fit the scenes and theme of the movie. For example, it would be stupid to add a product placement of Coca-Cola in a historical movie such as The Gladiator or The Last Samurai. At the same time, jewelry had been present since ancient times and could be promoted in historical movies with no problem. Knowing that Kazir would direct Batman Begins, many brands realized the potential of this movie. Imagine millions of people watching this movie many years from now, your product would practically have a permanent advertisement as long as people watched the movie. The list was long, and Warner Brothers chose just four because it would be too much if they added more than that. Now that Kazir had the list of brands to promote, it was his job to insert them into the scenes, subtly or not. Many brands were ready to pay top money since Batman Begins was promising. Their confidence rose after the box office result of Spider-Man 2. These brands paid $8 million overall to have their products featured in the movie. Batman Begins had a budget of $150 million, but now Warner Brothers only had to spend $142 million. This budget was actually big, but Warner Brothers was ready to spend as much as necessary, as long as their profit was worth it. They believed that Kazir would bring them another franchise to milk, so investing this amount was expected. Besides, Kazir was known for never overspending the budget! That was an amazing talent. Most of the time, directors couldn''t help but ask for more money just to see the scenes they envisioned. The budget for Titanic reached over $200 million because James Cameron overspent. This was a disease that Warner Brothers didn''t want. Thankfully, Kazir never overspent. This was also the reason why Kazir was one of the most in-demand directors. He knew how to spend the investment. ++++++ [Third chapter of the day.] [I''ll post in different timeslots to attract more readers.] Chapter 417 Chapter 417 A press conference was set up, and the reporters and guests who attended the conference clapped as the signing of the contract ended. This was a massive project for the company. They invested hugely and even hired a critically acclaimed producer. A huge poster of Lionsgate was pasted on the walls as an obvious advertisement and also an introduction. This production company was backed by a group in Canada and then decided to penetrate the Hollywood industry. So far, the company was just gaining a foothold and had produced movies such as American Psycho and Leprechaun. This year, the company announced that they would release two movies. One of these movies was written by Kazir Grey, while the last one was an adaptation of a Marvel Comic! Now You See Me was a script written by Kazir Grey and registered in the Writers Guild. The premise caught the attention of Lionsgate, and they decided to buy it from Kazir together with The Expendables, for the amount of $13 million. Unfortunately, Lionsgate could only buy one which was Now You See Me. Now You See Me had the potential to be added to the Continental Cinematic Universe, but Kazir decided to go against it. Now You See Me didn''t have that action-packed adrenaline rush. But The Expendables was different. The franchise consisted of nothing but action, shooting, and explosions. Definitely to be added to the CCU. So Kazir only sold Now You See Me to Lionsgate for $6 million. The initial price was $7 million and went down to $6 million after negotiation with Salvatore. Overall, Kazir was satisfied. The second film that Lionsgate planned to release was from Marvel, it was The Punisher. Every studio saw the potential of Marvel Comics, even Lionsgate. They had already bought the movie adaptation rights to The Punisher long before the release of Spider-Man at a cheap price of 300 thousand dollars. Lionsgate was just a start-up company, and they needed good movies to franchise. They contacted Marvel Comics to start the production of The Punisher... Unfortunately, the outcome was not that great. The movie was meant to make only $55 million despite having a $33 million production budget, a money loss. Anyway, today was a celebration and the announcement of their projects. Being the writer of Now You See Me, Kazir received an invitation. They hoped Kazir would attend because it would be great publicity. Despite the recent scandal, Spider-Man 2 still prospered and slapped the faces of many hateful people. Kazir''s status still remained as the most in-demand director in the industry. Having him at this conference was enough to hype the projects. Kazir sipped his wine as he looked around. He saw people from Marvel, such as Avi Arad, who became the producer of The Punisher. "What do you think?" Harold stood next to Kazir. Harold was not a simple producer anymore. "If you''re talking about The Punisher, I don''t know. I haven''t read the script," Kazir replied. He was lying. He knew the outcome of The Punisher, it was devastating. "That''s great to hear, I guess. The Punisher doesn''t have any superpowers, so he''s not fit for the MCU. Lionsgate won''t profit from it." Harold was not a simple producer. Working in this position gave him the vision to understand the complicated politics in the industry. Actually, Harold was hired by Lionsgate to be the producer of Now You See Me, and he agreed. This project was written by his friend, so he believed in it. Besides, this was also a good chance to expand his contacts. R?¦¡?????§°B?s?? If not for Harold Witsend, Kazir might not have attended the conference. He never liked this kind of socialization. "Looks like you''re getting famous, Harold. Lionsgate hired you. You can start your own production studio if you want." Harold chuckled and touched his receding hairline. "And what? Lose more hair because of stress looking for investors? Never mind, I''m good with my current position." He knew how hard it was to start a production company, it was not that easy at all. Sometimes Harold was amazed at how Kazir made Grey Pictures bloom in just a decade. He could never copy what Kazir did. ''If I have to start a production studio... I might have to resort to filming adult videos instead. The Hollywood industry is already too packed to have another small studio.'' Don''t look down on the porn industry. This market raises billions every year, and Harold could see the potential. Especially now when the internet is booming. Unfortunately, Harold loved his job too much to change his career. Life was tough for Harold lately, he had to communicate with many people just to make sure that Elizabeth wouldn''t ever return to the USA. He could blame most of the receding hairline on that woman... He had a hard time fighting the urge to have sex with her. Elizabeth was indeed a beauty, he couldn''t deny it. Thankfully, he was not stupid enough to fuck his friend''s mom, even if the mother in question was a MILF... "If I remember it right, Lionsgate is promoting a movie this upcoming October. I think the movie is called Saw or something?" "That''s right, it''s called Saw." Kazir nodded. "Have you heard of it?" "I was given a ticket." "I see..." Kazir actually thought of filming Saw as his first movie instead of Napoleon Dynamite. But he decided not to because he was afraid that he was not good at horror movies. He also thought of registering Saw with the Writers Guild but decided not to. The reason was also because of his trauma regarding filming horror movies. So following the timeline, Saw would still be released just like the original. As for Final Destination, because Kazir interfered with the timeline, the franchise would start late. "Are you doing well lately, Kazir?" "Hm, why did you ask me that? You should ask yourself instead. Your hairline doesn''t look fine." "Yeah, I know about that," Harold sighed and touched his forehead. "If you''re talking about me and Angelina, we are done. The media already caught up and knew about our separation." "If you need someone to talk to, you can call me." Harold felt guilty because he had an idea that Elizabeth had a part in why Angelina and Kazir broke up. He failed to stop it from happening. "I will. It''s a good thing that I''ll be busy this year to think about my romantic relationship. I''m probably going to be fine." He laughed and gulped his wine. +++++ [Fourth chapter of the day.] Chapter 418 Chapter 418 "Huuu... Haaa..." Kazir kept a steady breathing while doing deadlifts, holding 350 pounds of barbell in both hands. He hated doing deadlifts or any leg exercises. He preferred doing chest and arm exercises. However, he knew that he had to keep a balanced physique. "Huu... I fucking knew that my legs will probably go numb tomorrow," he muttered to himself. Thankfully, he didn''t have anything to do tomorrow. It was Sunday, and he was free from the job. He might have to spend all of his time watching movies. "Let''s watch Charlie Chaplin''s movies tomorrow while snacking on pizza and tacos." He wiped his face after putting down the barbell. Of course, he needed to take a rest after finishing a set. He looked around and found a few people in the gym, it was 4 a.m. in the morning, after all. He had been a member of this gym since 1995. That was a long time. He probably used every piece of gym equipment in this place. He suddenly recalled the first time he went to this gym. At that time, he still had a daddy bod, which meant that he had thick belly fat. He looked like he was in his 40s, and it didn''t help that he was suffering from a divorce. He was gasping for air while using the treadmill when someone asked him if he was okay. He was surprised to see Jennifer Connelly. They only talked for a short time, but it became a core memory for Kazir because it was really embarrassing. Yet now, despite being in his mid-30s, Kazir looked so good and healthy as he looked at himself in the mirror. He even did some poses, presenting his biceps in front of the mirror. "Kazir, what are you doing?" Kazir turned right and found a woman looking at him with confusion in her expression. The woman was wearing blue leggings that hugged her legs and waist and a white t-shirt. She was listening to music with her headphones in her ear. Kazir recognized the woman. "Scarlett, I didn''t know that you''re also going to this gym." "Salvatore recommended this gym. He said that it has better security. My last gym was not that good, some paparazzi stalked me and stole pictures of me doing squats." She explained while stretching. She had just arrived, and she didn''t expect to see Kazir doing poses... She took a glance at his sweating biceps before returning to her workout. "The membership here is expensive, so the security is also better." "As it should be," she nodded. Since the two met, they decided to have a conversation. "How''s your life?" "I''m doing well. Salvatore told me that I should try learning kickboxing. He said that he might have a role for me, but I have to train for at least a year." Kazir had an idea. He had a meeting with the Marvel team, and they talked about the comic characters and the actors who would play their roles. He recommended Scarlett Johansson for the role of Black Widow. RA?¦­o?b?S?? ''But her appearance should be in Iron Man 2, it''s still a few years from now,'' he thought to himself. "Aside from that, I''m working on some small-budget movies... Sigh." She sighed and dropped her shoulders. In her entire career, she mostly worked in small-budget movies. And most of the time, the reception was never good. She was only famous for being Bryan Mills'' daughter. Even her role in Lost in Translation didn''t have much of an impact. Bill Murray got the attention in that movie. Of course, her ass in the first five minutes of the movie also caught the attention of the audience, but that was for an obvious reason. She was thankful to Kazir for helping her career. After growing up, she realized that her role in the CCU was the reason why she was still relevant. She knew how desperate actresses would be just to get a role in the CCU because it meant steady projects. Realizing this fact, Scarlett wanted to find another franchise to maintain her fame. She couldn''t be compared to Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, and even Angelina Jolie, whom she didn''t like. She still hadn''t reached that stage of stardom. So, she was looking for big projects she could work on. In fact, Scarlett tried to audition for Spider-Man as Mary Jane but didn''t pass the second round. She also wanted to audition for Pirates of the Caribbean, but because of a conflict in schedule, she decided to drop the project. It was strange that these two movies were directed by Kazir. Scarlett had her reasons. The first was that she was confident in Kazir''s filmography. She believed that Kazir''s movies were always successful. He proved himself so many times that it became a fact. As for the second and third reasons, Scarlett was embarrassed to share them. She glanced at Kazir, who returned to deadlifting... She was thinking about something. "Hey, you have a new project, right? I heard it''s another superhero movie." The matter of the Batman Trilogy was still a secret, and only a few knew about it. Still, rumors would always spread no matter what. "Yeah, what about it?" he breathed as he dropped the barbell. "Why don''t you consider hiring me?" "You? You should ask first if there''s a role suitable for you." "Is there?" "Well, yeah, I think so." Kazir drank water while Scarlett glanced at him, waiting for an answer. "... Do women try to hit on you in this gym?" "Huh? Yeah, some women want to talk to me, but I was not single at that time, so I never entertained them... I''m single now, though." Kazir bitterly smiled. "I see, I see..." Scarlett repeated. "Anyway, let''s return to what you were talking about. I have a role that suits you. You can contact Salvatore. And make sure to set up a schedule for the filming once you sign the contract." "So what''s my role?" "You''ll be Batman''s love interest, but you will die in the second movie. Batman will have to choose between you and a prosecutor, and he decides to choose the prosecutor. You die in an explosion." He chuckled. "Huh? Wait, what? HUH?" Scarlett was surprised. Everything that Kazir said surprised her. ++++++ [Fifth and the last chapter of the day.] [If you want to read more, you can check out my Pat reon. I can probably end this novel within a week, perhaps in three days tops.] P@treon link: https://www.patr eon.com/Puji_maki K0-fi link: https://ko- fi.com/pujimaki Chapter 419 Chapter 419 Katie Holmes was the leading lady in Batman Begins as Rachel Dawes. Actually, this character was an original character that first appeared in the Dark Knight Trilogy. She was not based on a comic character. She was a new character created for the Dark Knight Trilogy. Usually, Batman''s common love interests were Vicki Vale, Talia Al Ghul, Zatanna, Catwoman, and even Harley Quinn... Yeah, Harley Davidson had a complicated relationship with Batsy. But in this case, for the first and intended second movie, Rachel Dawes was the leading lady. In the original timeline, Rachel Dawes was played by Katie Holmes. However, because of conflicting schedules and personal reasons, Katie Holmes didn''t reprise her role as Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight. She decided to work on a comedy movie called Mad Money instead. This caused a problem since Katie Holmes had already solidified her role in the first movie. But Warner Brothers and Christopher Nolan gritted their teeth and chose a new actress to be Rachel Dawes. In the second movie, Maggie Gyllenhaal became Rachel Dawes. That was also the movie where Rachel Dawes tragically died. Kazir was not stupid enough to repeat that mistake. Even now, Warner Brothers and casting directors were looking for actresses who could take the role of Rachel Dawes. Some of them even recommended Katie Holmes, which Kazir was against. If they gave the role to Katie Holmes again, history might repeat itself. Since Scarlett asked for help, Kazir decided to help her. The two knew each other, and they had the same agent. The role of Rachel Dawes would be in safe hands if Scarlett took the role. "You only have one month to prepare for the role. I''m sure you can do it. You don''t have to worry about the first and second rounds. With me as your backer, you''re automatically joining the last round of auditions." "Thanks, Kazir." Scarlett sincerely smiled. "You don''t have to thank me. At the end of the day, if your performance can''t convince me and the panel of jusges, then it''s useless." Rachel Dawes had an important role, both for Batman and Two-Face. Kazir wouldn''t easily give it to some actress who didn''t have the capability to carry the role. "I will work hard then." The two continued their exercises, and the gym slowly filled with more people. "H- Hey, look at that hunk. So tall and handsome." "You don''t know him? I guess you''re new to this gym. That''s Director Kazir Grey! He directed Wanted, Spider-Man, and Pirates of the Caribbean! He''s been a member of our gym for a long time." "Really!? Oh my God! I love his movies!" The women started gossiping around Kazir. They were looking at him with motives. Scarlett was speechless. She even saw a woman who wrote her number on a card to give it to Kazir. This gym was in Los Angeles, and Los Angeles had a lot of gorgeous actresses who were trying to get lucky. It was nothing new that Kazir loved spending time in this gym, he probably met some small-time actresses who tried to seduce him in the hopes of getting famous. Someone even flashed her tits as a greeting. Scarlett couldn''t help but be irritated by their giggles and murmurs, despite wearing headphones. She couldn''t focus on her set. She dropped her dumbbells and approached Kazir, who wiped his abs, unintentionally showing his six-pack. "..." Scarlett paused for a second before getting closer. She put down her headphones and talked to him. "I''ll treat you to breakfast." "Hm?" "I said I''ll treat you to breakfast." "I know, I heard you. But why?" "Isn''t it obvious? You''re going to help me get a project. Of course, I have to return the favor at least." "Nah, I''m fine. There''s a McDonald''s a minute from here. I''m going to eat there." "McDonald''s?" Scarlett frowned. Being an actress, Scarlett had to maintain her figure. She couldn''t eat food that had too many calories. Most of the time, she ate salad and water. This was the price of becoming an actress. She couldn''t get fat because it could change her facial features. McDonald''s was one of the restaurants she rarely visited because their food had so many calories. However... ''I miss eating burgers,'' she bit her lip. No matter what, burgers are delicious. She wanted to eat at least one burger. ''I burned some calories today, so I''m allowed to eat one. That''s right, I deserve to eat a burger because I worked hard!'' She was making excuses... She glanced at Kazir, who was sweating. She understood why many women were attracted to him. Kazir could pass as an actor. "Okay, let''s eat at McDonald''s. My treat." "Are you sure? You''re going to be fat-- Okay, okay, let''s eat." Kazir stopped mid-sentence when he saw Scarlett''s scary glare. Weight was a dangerous topic for women. Kazir was not ready to step into that boundary. Even his exes were like monsters whenever he talked about their weight. "Let me take a shower first." "It''s fine, you smell good." "Huh? Hey, don''t pull me like that. I need to change my shirt, okay." Scarlett couldn''t stand the place, because so many thirsty bitches were around. And as expected, one of the bitches made a move. "Hello, Sir, I''m Nadia Lopez. I''m an actress who starred in a stage play on Broadway. My vital statistics are 36-24-37. This is my number. You can call me anytime--" "Sorry, we don''t talk to nobody." Scarlett interrupted and slapped away the contact number. The two left the gym to eat at McDonald''s. "I thought you had a bodyguard?" "Everyone deserves a day off. Besides, I''m just going to the gym, it''s a small matter." Kazir explained while eating a cheeseburger. As for Scarlett, she had just finished her burger, and she couldn''t help but look at Kazir''s fries. "Here, take it. A burger is not enough for breakfast. You should eat more." "... Thanks." She blushed at that small gesture. ++++++ [First chapter of the day.] Chapter 420 Chapter 420 July 16, 2004. It had already been 17 days since the release of Spider-Man 2. Despite the scandal that Tobey and Kazir experienced, the box office performance of Spider-Man 2 was healthy. The movie grossed $284.63 million after 17 days of screening. Only a few movies could achieve this kind of feat, making Spider-Man 2 one of the potential top-grossing movies this year. A lot of factors contributed to this achievement. First was the movie''s predecessor. The prequel to Spider-Man 2 grossed over $1 billion worldwide, giving Spider-Man 2 an amazing reputation. Another factor was the director. Kazir Grey was a famous director who created unstoppable box office hits every year, being recognized as one of the best in the industry as a filmmaker. Articles about Kazir never disappeared. People in the industry talked about him no matter what. His artistic sense was lacking, but he knew how to captivate the audience by creating movies that most people loved. Students in art film courses even had to study his filmography because Kazir''s body of work was one of a kind. On the same day, July 16, Spider-Man 2 was released in the United Kingdom, and its first day grossed $4.18 million at the box office. This was just some minor news. After all, Spider-Man 2 had already been released in some countries on the same day as its premiere in America. Some of those countries included Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lithuania, Oman, U.A.E., Central America, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan. These countries had the same-day premiere as the United States, which was June 30. Same-day worldwide releases were starting to become common now that digital films were getting popular. No more heavy, bulky film reels to carry around. As for King Arthur (2004), which was produced by Walt Disney, by July 16, the movie''s revenue had increased to $33 million. It was impressive if compared to ordinary movies. Unfortunately, Walt Disney had spent more than $120 million just to create the movie. And the result was lower than what they expected. King Arthur didn''t make a name for itself in the month of July. Another loss for Walt Disney. In fact, Walt Disney didn''t have any strong live-action franchise this decade because Kazir stole Pirates of the Caribbean! This was information that Walt Disney would regret if they had understood how important it would be. Pirates of the Caribbean was an important franchise that helped Walt Disney maintain its position in the 2010s. This franchise was the reason why Walt Disney could stand toe to toe against Warner Brothers'' Harry Potter and The Dark Knight Trilogy. And now that this billion-dollar franchise was gone, Walt Disney couldn''t find any strong IP to use. They realized that their position might be in danger. Thankfully, Walt Disney was famous for releasing 3D animated movies. Because of this genre, Walt Disney maintained its relevance. In the original timeline, the approximate worth of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was more than $4.5 billion, and Walt Disney missed its chance. Well, this IP was owned by Grey Pictures now, and it depended on Grey Pictures if they had the power to reach that potential. To be precise, it depended on Kazir''s directorship. Currently, Walt Disney was trying to acquire a novel series. Harry Potter was a success, so Walt Disney was trying to follow Warner Brothers'' steps. The novel series they were trying to acquire was The Chronicles of Narnia. This series actually had the strength to be successful. But because of many factors, the franchise gradually lost its appeal, and Walt Disney dropped the project. Perhaps because they had already experienced the tragedy of John Carter, Walt Disney knew when to step back when it came to funding projects. And because they also experienced the suffrage of John Carter, Walt Disney was cautiously working on their projects, to make sure they wouldn''t experience another John Carter disaster. Too bad, the King Arthur movie they released this year was not working well at the box office. ...... ... ... "Cheers!" "Yeah¡ª!" Two people clicked their wine glasses as they sat on the balcony. A celebration party for the success of The Last Samurai, funded by Warner Brothers. The movie, starring Tom Cruise, grossed $456 million. Obviously, Warner Brothers prepared a party and invited the cast and crew members to celebrate. Formal parties were one of the events where people could form connections. Many small-time actors and actresses attended these parties in the hopes of getting lucky. r?aN?B§¦????? Particularly, many people had heard that Kazir would attend this party because the director was invited by Warner Brothers and Tom Cruise himself. The relationship between Warner Brothers and Kazir became better after they signed a trilogy contract. "Still, I can''t believe that you and Angelina broke up. I thought you two were going strong," Tom said. "Perhaps it''s fate. We don''t know the future after all. Maybe some people didn''t want me to be with Angelina. Haha, maybe a group of higher existence voted in a poll to determine my relationship." Kazir laughed, imagining that his life was like a novel controlled by an author. "You''re not living in a sitcom. This is not The Truman Show. Bruh, you''re just drunk." "I don''t think so." Kazir was confident in his alcohol tolerance. Kazir tasted his drink before saying, "What about you? Why did you break up with Pene?lope Cruz?" "Things didn''t work." Tom shrugged. He didn''t want to explain further. However, he was already tipsy, so his mouth betrayed him. "She wanted a baby, but I was against it. You know how hard it is if your child abandons you? I have a daughter, and we stopped talking." "What did she do?" "Well, she didn''t like my religion, so we parted ways." "..." It was more like Tom Cruise was the one who abandoned his daughter. +++++ [Second chapter of the day.] Chapter 421 Chapter 421 "Hiccup--! Hehehe! I tell you this, I can fly! I can really fly!" Tom Cruise was drunk. The party was already over, and Tom Cruise decided to go to a bar to continue drinking. Being a friend, Kazir didn''t have a choice but to look for him... He also wanted to drink. This year was tough for Kazir. The scandal and the breakup took a toll on him. If not for his maturity and love for filmmaking, he might have just stayed in his room and laid in bed, thinking about killing himself. "Bruh, you are drunk. You can''t fly. Humans can''t fly." "But I can!" "..." Perhaps this was some Scientology religion-related stuff that Kazir had never heard about. Anyway, earlier, the two had a conversation about cameos. Kazir said that doing cameos was fun, and Tom Cruise also agreed. It was fun to watch the audience''s reaction whenever a famous actor did a cameo in another movie unexpectedly. Then the conversation turned to Tom Cruise doing a cameo in Batman Begins. Kazir was not against it. Although this was just drunkards'' conversation and nothing was clear, Kazir might have to talk to Warner Brothers to give Tom Cruise a cameo. ''Maybe Tom Cruise getting beat up by Batman or something...'' He thought it was fun. After drinking until they became a mess, the two were sent by their bodyguards to their respective houses. Kazir woke up in the morning with a strong headache. He looked at the left side of the bed and sighed... He subconsciously thought that Angelina was sleeping next to him. He was not used to waking up alone... Perhaps if a small-time actress tried to seduce him, his weak mentality might fall for the trap and agree to sleep with the actress. "I have a job to do." He stood up to take a cold shower to wake himself from the depression. It was fortunate that he had a job to work on. His mind wouldn''t wander into depressing thoughts. ...... ... ... July was part of the summer. Obviously, the movies that were released this month were heavy hitters. I, Robot, starring Will Smith, was produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Kazir received an invitation to the premiere and decided to watch it. He didn''t attend the red carpet, though. He used the backstage entrance. At the I, Robot premiere, Kazir met Will Smith, and the actor seemed like a nice person. Unfortunately, Kazir also met Jada Pinkett at the premiere. Kazir could only say one thing in his mind: "Jada Pinkett, shut the fuck up. Nobody cares about your past relationship with Tupac. In fact, Tupac is lucky because he dodged a bullet of a red flag like you. Fuck you and your cheating habits." Disclaimer, he said that in his mind. In front of Jada and Will, Kazir acted like a nice person. People have two sides. The outer side is used for socializing, and the inner side is used for their thoughts that should never be spoken because these thoughts could offend people. RA?¦­o?????§¦?s? Having been cheated on, Kazir never had a good opinion of Jada. And Jada Pinkett was one of the worst-known cheaters because she was never ashamed of what she did. In fact, Jada even asked Kazir for a favor. She wanted to work on at least one of Kazir''s projects. Unlike Will Smith, Jada didn''t have a strong reputation in the industry. Well, she had a bad reputation, to be exact. Anyway, I, Robot was not a great experience for Kazir. He recalled the time when Cassandra Hoecrap cheated on him and took his property. He didn''t feel good remembering those memories even though he had already moved on. Aside from I, Robot, Catwoman was also released by Warner Brothers... Erm, this movie was a wreck of a result. Basically, Warner Brothers suffered a loss by producing Catwoman. Halle Berry also experienced a decline because of Catwoman. The Oscar-winning actress had a hard time finding a lead role after this. Thankfully, she had X-Men to maintain her fame. Catwoman only made $82 million despite a budget of over $100 million. It didn''t even make any profit at the box office. There were a lot of factors why Catwoman failed, such as a weak script, storyline, and character redesign. Negative reviews were poured onto the movie. It didn''t help that Catwoman fell short compared to Spider-Man, X-Men, and Blade. Because of this failure, Warner Brothers suddenly became afraid of their upcoming projects. Everyone in the company knew that Superman Returns and Batman Begins were in production. The only safe haven was the fact that Director Kazir Grey would handle Batman. That was an assurance that Warner Brothers was ready to spend money on. Studio companies hired directors like Kazir Grey, Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron for this reason, the assurance that the movie wouldn''t fail. Only a few directors could bring this kind of confidence, and Kazir was at the top of the list. "Yes, yes, I promise, Enrico Pusi. There''s nothing that you have to worry about. The storyboard is fine, and my vision for the movie is clear. Also, the storyline of Batman Begins has been approved not only by me but also by DC Comics. Huh? About my sleep schedule and mental health? Hehe, who gives a fuck about men''s mental health? We are men. We should tuck in our emotions and let them build up until we reach our limits and possibly kill ourselves. What? It''s too dark? Nah, I don''t think so." Kazir assured the producer. He knew what he was doing. In terms of creating box office hits, Kazir Grey was the right person to call. As for Catwoman, let Warner Brothers fix their own mistakes. They were too confident that they could create a superhero movie, trying to go with the flow and make money. +++++ [Third chapter of the day.] Chapter 422 Chapter 422 [A few months ago, I received an email from Patreon that Apple wants a 30% payment cut whenever a new patron subscribes using the iOS Patreon app. Basically, all creators will be affected by this change. If there are patrons here who use the iOS Patreon app to subscribe, I recommend that you pay on the Patreon website instead. Apple is doing greedy stuff. A 30% cut is a massive chunk for creators to bear. Apple really is monopolizing the market, and it''s not good at all. This is also the reason why Epic Games sued Apple.] +++++ Catwoman''s flop made Warner Brothers see the consequences of their decision. In the first place, they shouldn''t have hired a new director to direct the movie. Second, they fired the writers who initially created the plot. The villain was mediocre... A retired model who wanted to maintain her youth, it wasn''t convincing at all. It didn''t help that the movie was different from the source material. So many comic fans didn''t appreciate it. In Kazir''s opinion, the movie lacked many things. He had ideas on how to make the movie better, but he wasn''t confident he could change Catwoman''s failure. One of the reasons why he made sure to follow the original stories of most of his movies, if possible. If there was one thing he could change confidently, it was the action sequences. The stunt choreography in the movie was awful... Catwoman''s movement was awkward to watch. It didn''t help that the villain was just a woman who had no in-depth experience in battle. Even the final battle was lackluster. They should have changed the villain and made the action sequences better. "Kazir... How about we start the movie as Bruce Wayne is already Batman? The filming still hasn''t started anyway. We can still change the plot." Barry Mayer, the current chairman of Warner Brothers, didn''t look good. The loss they suffered from Catwoman took a toll on them. "Barry, the title of the movie is Batman Begins for a reason. We need to show the audience how Batman came to be." "At least we should shorten it." "Trust me. I know what I''m doing. This is the first time we''re working together, but I want you to know that I''m the best director and scriptwriter for a reason. Batman Begins will be a box office hit." "I hope so... I will trust you." The two started talking about things such as the new injection of funds. "If you were the director of Catwoman, do you think you could have changed its outcome?" "What kind of question is that? Barry, we can''t change the past. All we can do is move forward and think about the future." "I know, I''m just saying a ''What If.'' So, what if you were the director of Catwoman, would everything change?" "Probably. First, I would create better stunt choreography. The villain should have strong charisma. Selina Kyle needs a better backstory. In fact, they should have followed her original backstory. Many fans were confused when they realized the movie version was different from the source material." The failure of Catwoman was not because Halle Berry was black. Not at all. Halle Berry was a beautiful actress, and 10 out of 10 people would agree. Catwoman flopped because the movie was bad. That was the only reason. Barry slightly nodded his head. He sighed. He didn''t know how to explain this to the investors and the parent company. As for Kazir, he was satisfied that the plot of Batman Begins remained true to its original version. It would have been troublesome if Bruce Wayne in the movie was already Batman from the start without a clear backstory. In Batman Begins, Bruce was scared of bats after falling into a well as a child. After the death of his parents, he decided to face his fear of bats and went on a journey. On his journey, he met Ra''s Al Ghul and became his student. That was the beginning of how Bruce became Batman. It would have been foolish not to include that in the movie. ''It''s a good thing that my authority is strong. I also fought for the editing rights.'' He couldn''t let Warner Brothers touch this movie, or else it might follow the same trajectory as Kingdom of Heaven, where Ridley Scott didn''t have the editing rights, and 20th Century Fox botched the movie. ...... ... ... More than three weeks passed after the release of Catwoman. Spider-Man 2 had just grossed $358.50 million at the North American box office. At the same time, the international box office earnings for Spider-Man 2 were around $263 million, giving Spider-Man 2 a whopping $621 million worldwide box office. No explanation was needed, Kazir received congratulations from many people. Spider-Man 2 was a success, and the numbers would surely continue to rise. Sony-Columbia believed the movie would reach at least $700 million. The company was promoting the movie overseas, sending the cast all over the world. Kazir never left the soil of the U.S., though. It was technically a breach of contract, but both parties didn''t make it a problem. In the first place, Sony-Columbia didn''t want to cause trouble with Kazir, so they let it go. They didn''t even ask for money regarding the breach of contract. They knew that Kazir had sacrificed himself so that Warner Brothers wouldn''t harass Spider-Man 2. While this was happening, 20th Century Fox also released their ambitious crossover! Alien vs. Predator! This movie was the reason why 20th Century Fox couldn''t release Mr. & Mrs. Smith in the summer. Because 20th Century Fox prioritized their own projects instead of others. +++++ [Fourth chapter of the day.] Chapter 423 Chapter 423 Alien vs. Predator was 20th Century Fox''s way of knocking on the door of the Cinematic Universe. They hoped that with this movie, they would have a chance to create their own Cinematic Universe. It seemed greedy, considering that they already had Grey Pictures and Marvel Comics to take care of. However, potential profit was always a welcome endeavor. 20th Century Fox would never say no to money. Companies always seek profit. If Alien vs. Predator did a great job at the box office, then 20th Century Fox would have another franchise to latch onto. Besides, the movie seemed promising. Two different creatures facing off to determine who was the strongest. Alien and Predator were both famous movie franchises. They were known by many people, not only in the United States. And now that these creatures would appear together in one movie, it was super interesting. It caught the attention of many people. Actually, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had already done this kind of stunt last year with Freddy vs. Jason. That movie was a success. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer only invested $30 million, which was considered a small budget, and the final box office of Freddy vs. Jason was $116 million. For a horror movie, this result was amazing and something to be proud of! On top of that, the DVD sales of the movie were skyrocketing. Horror fans bought the DVD version without a problem. Unfortunately, the box office result was not enough for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to start a horror Cinematic Universe. In the first place, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was too poor to do so. They were on their deathbed, just trying to survive by constantly making 007 movies every year. Obviously, 20th Century Fox saw the potential of this "versus battle" and decided to make their own. Even if Alien vs. Predator couldn''t meet the standard of a potential Cinematic Universe, they believed the movie would still make a profit. There were a lot of fans of both movie franchises, after all. The studio already spent $55 million on production and another $15 million on promoting the movie. Yeah, 20th Century Fox chose their own movie to be released in August instead of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, which had the potential to top the box office chart. Century Fox had their reasons. They didn''t own the IP of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, so the action movie was not their priority. Furthermore, the management of 20th Century Fox had a bit of a scuffle with Kazir because the director decided to work with Warner Brothers. This small problem was already resolved because Kazir sold his scripts to 20th Century Fox. However, the schedule was already set, and they couldn''t change it anymore. Perhaps next year, the schedule would be advantageous to Grey Pictures. Without further ado, the first weekend (August 13-15) box office of Alien vs. Predator was $38 million! 20th Century Fox understood that the movie was a success. If the momentum kept improving, 20th Century Fox might give the go-signal for another sequel. In the original timeline, Alien vs. Predator had a sequel, which was Alien vs. Predator: Requiem. After this, 20th Century Fox would expand the universe of the Alien and Predator franchises by releasing Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, Alien: Romulus, Predators, The Predator, Prey, and Badlands. The good thing about horror movies was that the studio could spam so many sequels without a problem, and people would still consume them. The Big Six were never against the horror genre. In fact, they loved having an amazing horror movie franchise to milk. This year, one of the highest-grossing horror franchises would be released. Saw became the franchise that helped Lionsgate stand up against the Big Six. Saw. Nobody wanted to experience the tortures shown in the movie Saw. ... ... ... While this happened, 2 Fast 2 Furious ended its screening in North America. The movie grossed $416 million after being pulled out by the Cinema Alliance. S? As for the international screening, most countries had already released 2 Fast 2 Furious. The current complete worldwide box office of 2 Fast 2 Furious was $734 million. People in Hollywood had already grown numb. But they couldn''t deny that Grey Pictures'' business structure was amazing. Studios were jealous of the Cinematic Universe that Grey Pictures had. They hoped they could also have one. However, the massive failure that Walt Disney experienced gave them a good reality check. It was not easy to set up a Cinematic Universe. On top of that, Game of Thrones, the first TV show that Grey Pictures created, was also making good money. As if Grey Pictures never made mistakes. Their business structure and business decisions were something that many studios studied. They only understood one thing: Kazir Grey knew what projects to make. The director was truly one of a kind. It was unfortunate that this person decided to work with 20th Century Fox instead. .... .... ... The audition for Batman Begins was like the Olympics. The competition was so intense. Especially for the protagonist''s role. Many actors wanted to be Batman. Because Batman is based. The fact that Kazir Grey was also the director of the movie made the competition even more intense. Everyone in the building understood the importance of this role. With Kazir as the director, Batman Begins was a sure box office hit. Meaning, whoever became Bruce Wayne/Batman had a quick road to stardom. Once you became Batman, you would become part of the A-tier list of celebrities. This was the privilege of becoming the protagonist in one of Kazir''s movies. So obviously, the actors were all prepared... Some of them were even thinking of selling their bodies just to increase their chances of getting the role of Batman. This kind of transaction was always part of the business in Hollywood. The media just rarely tackled this topic, so some people might be oblivious to this fact. ++++++ [Fifth and the last chapter of the day.] [If you want to read more, you can check out my Patreon.] P@treon link: https://www.pat reon.com/Puji_maki K0-fi link: https://ko- fi.com/pujimaki Chapter 424 Chapter 424 Showbiz. The word came from the term Show Business, also referred to as the Entertainment Industry. It included fields such as film, television, theater, music, and other performing arts. Showbiz was all about glamour and fame. A world that ordinary people dreamed of and adored but found hard to reach. Since Showbiz was a business, transactions would always be a part of it. In the industry, there were many kinds of transactions. Some transactions were considered normal, while others were questionable, degrading, and unethical. Casting Couch might be the best example. The people in power would use this as a means of transaction, sexual favors in exchange for promising roles. The gender didn''t matter because there were many gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in Hollywood. They would sleep with someone if they checked the criteria. Handsome men might become tired of beautiful women, especially in Hollywood, where beauty was everywhere. So some curious men would try something different, such as having sex with the same gender. At the same time, this could also happen to women. Actresses might become tired of men since Hollywood had a lot of handsome men. So they decided to try something different. Of course, this was just an example. There were a lot of factors regarding sexuality. Anyway, the Casting Couch was real for actors and actresses. And now, Kazir was looking at the list of actors who auditioned for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Warner Brothers was not his turf. He couldn''t control everything on the set, unlike Grey Pictures, where he was the boss. Even the casting directors were from Warner Brothers, and Kazir had to collaborate with them on which actors they should invite. The possibility of some actors/actresses having sex with the casting directors was not low... In fact, he knew that Enrico Pusi had engaged in this kind of practice in The Hangover Part 2. Kazir was not the director of The Hangover Part 2, so he couldn''t control how the production did its job. He just heard that one of the female cast members had sex with Enrico Pusi to get the role. Could he stop it? No. At the end of the day, both were consenting adults, and they knew what they were doing. It was a transaction, albeit not a good one. But did he respect it? Absolutely not. He believed in talent. He believed that the role should be given to the one who deserved it, not because of sexual favors. Unfortunately, he knew that this kind of practice would never disappear. This was the real world, not some fairytale. As long as there were people who were ready to sell sex, the Casting Couch would never disappear. In fact, this kind of stuff was also present in other industries, the fashion industry, corporate world, journalism, sports industry, beauty pageants, and even in schools... Yes, let''s not be ignorant here. The world was never a fairytale. That was the sad truth. "I wonder how many of these people had sex with the crew members just to pass the audition..." He weakly muttered. The list was long. He understood why there were so many actors who were dying to get the role of Batman. In the late 1990s, the Big Six realized the potential of the superhero genre after the success of Blade, X-Men, and Batman Returns. However, they didn''t know the true potential of the superhero genre until Spider-Man was released, a movie that surpassed $1 billion. After the 9/11 incident, Americans longed for superheroes, and they found one in Spider-Man. Perhaps this was also the reason why Spider-Man 2 was not affected by the scandal and continued making money. Fantasy genres also became popular after the 9/11 incident. People wanted to find a way to escape the real world, and watching fantasy movies such as The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Pirates of the Caribbean satiated their thirst. In the next decade, the Big Six believed that fantasy and superhero genres would dominate the cinemas. So, it was better to set up a plan and prepare their initial movies as investments. Kazir couldn''t agree more. He also believed that fantasy and superhero genres would become popular. Although he leaned more toward the superhero genre, especially since he had an MCU to create. r?a?§à?§¦?S Liam Neeson was invited by Warner Brothers to become the antagonist of the movie as Ra''s al Ghul. The negotiation was already done, and the actor was just waiting for the training to start. Kazir had worked with the actor before, and he knew Liam''s dedication. Just like that, the audition for Ra''s al Ghul ended before it even started. Most of the actors auditioned for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The list was actually amazing. Actors such as Cillian Murphy, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Henry Cavill showed up. Kazir thought about Henry Cavill''s Superman but decided to remain quiet. It was futile anyway. He knew that Warner Brothers had already started the production of Superman Returns, and they had already hired an actor. Kazir also didn''t want to help DC Comics, since it was the rival of Marvel Comics. Filming a Batman trilogy was enough. The actors showed up and performed one after another. Kazir and the others were impressed. All of the actors prepared for the role. Their physiques matched Batman, and their acting was also great. Even Batman''s low growling voice, most of the actors passed this criterion. However, Kazir was not that excited, unlike most of the people in the audition room. He was waiting for the actor he had recommended to play Batman. Actually, when Kazir recommended this actor, most of the management didn''t show strong agreement. This actor''s last movie was The Machinist, in which the actor lost a lot of weight just for the role. The management was not confident that the actor could meet the requirements to become Batman. They just agreed because Kazir was the one who recommended him. At the end of the day, the actor had to attend the audition before he could get the role. +++++ [Important Announcement: I''ve posted a new novel titled Behind The Spotlight. Please check it out! It''s available on Webnovel, Scribblehub, RoyalRoad, and Questionable Questing. You can search for it by name or visit my profile to find it directly.] Chapter 425 Chapter 425 Kazir knew that most of the people in the audition room were aware that Christian Bale''s body had lost a huge amount of weight and that it would take extreme training to meet the criteria of being Batman. As for the remaining people who didn''t know about Christian''s situation, they simply didn''t have the time to watch The Machinist or research the actor. Most people were not updated on every movie that was released each year. They didn''t have the time to watch all of them. Most of them just knew about blockbusters. Even the members of the Academy (AMPAS) rarely watched all of the nominated movies for the Academy Awards. They just voted for the movies and actors they liked... They also voted for the movies and actors that gave them money. A lot of things happened in Hollywood every day, and people didn''t have time to know all of it. In this case, Christian''s status as an actor was not that important to these people. They were from the management of Warner Brothers, responsible for casting. The actors should respect them instead, because they were the ones who gave actors jobs. It was not surprising if some actors engaged in under-the-table negotiations. Probably, some of these people had sex with the cast. Kazir was sure about that. Suddenly, the people outside announced that a new actor would enter. "I''m Christian Bale." He introduced himself in his British accent. It brought a frown upon the management. But it was different for Kazir. He almost wanted to stand up and applaud. He already knew that Christian Bale would show up buff, but his appearance was better than what he expected. Christian Bale looked tough and strong. He was really prepared. This showed his dedication, and Kazir was impressed. Kazir controlled his emotions and just smiled instead. The interview went on, and Christian Bale also performed. The management was surprised when he switched to an American accent. After that, Christian Bale ended his audition... He was actually hoping that they would ask him more. But his audition didn''t last more than 15 minutes. He was disappointed when they called the next actor and asked him to leave. He spent months just to achieve this physique. He also read all of the Batman comics. He was prepared. He was confident that if they asked him about Batman and Bruce Wayne, he could answer them without any pause. When the door closed and Christian Bale was gone, Kazir clapped his hands, and all of the people looked at him. "That''s it, he''s the one." Kazir announced. Most of them agreed. Christian fit the role. His handsome appearance also checked the criteria. Furthermore, the aura around him was intimidating. He probably trained in some mixed martial arts or something. "Although I agree with you, we shouldn''t close our doors to other opportunities. Maybe we can find another actor that can impress us." One of the people from DC Comics gave his opinion. He looked nervous, and it seemed that he was against Kazir''s opinion. In this project, Kazir was given full authority to control the artistic sense of the movie. Choosing the actor was also part of that artistic sense. Kazir was a director who had bagged billions. No one would question his artistic sense regarding casting an actor. Kazir nodded. He had an idea why this person asked him to let more actors audition. One of the actors probably had sex with him and promised him the role. r?A??O??¦¥s? Too bad, Kazir didn''t give a fuck. Still, out of respect for the actors who spent their time auditioning, Kazir decided to let the audition continue. But in his mind, he had already found Batman. The audition ended close to 6 p.m. They compiled the documents and also watched audition tapes of each actor. Each actor had their own way of portraying Batman and Bruce Wayne. But one was above the others. "Looks like all of us made a choice." Kazir glanced at the person from DC Comics who was wiping his sweat. Since earlier, this guy kept promoting an actor, and Kazir was slowly losing his nerves. Kazir turned to Enrico Pusi, who had been quiet since earlier. The producer nodded and understood his intention. Enrico had worked with Kazir once. That cooperation brought him the position of Head of Production Management. And for that, Enrico was thankful. If not for Kazir, perhaps his career in this industry might never have flourished. His job this time was simple: to make sure that Kazir would never be affected by any outside interference and to give the director full control over how he would create the movie. Even DC Comics, the owner of Batman, had to agree to this condition. After the consecutive successes of Marvel movies, DC Comics felt threatened for the first time. Their position as the number one comic company in the United States was being threatened by Marvel Comics, which had suffered bankruptcy a few years ago. DC Comics understood that they also had to release their own movies to retaliate... But their first movie this century, which was Catwoman, was an absolute disaster. They even reprimanded the director for making rubbish. Even Warner Brothers stated that they would never work with Halle Berry again. That was the moment DC Comics and Warner Brothers realized that creating superhero movies was not simple. They were also reminded of what happened in the mid-90s when they released Batman and Robin, where Batman had a nipple armor. That was a disgrace that they didn''t want to experience again. They hated to admit it, but they needed a director who had a clear vision of how to make Batman popular again. Warner Brothers were not delusional. They knew that making $1 billion with Batman Begins was impossible. They would be happy if the movie surpassed $500 million... However, it would be a different thing if the director was Kazir Grey. The idea of surpassing $1 billion would be hard, but not impossible anymore. So far, they had two franchises that were worth billions, The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. It would be amazing if they had another $1 billion worth of movie franchise. And for that, Enrico didn''t care if one person from DC Comics was offended. "Let''s choose Christian Bale. He passed all of the criteria, and he had already trained in martial arts before even the audition. His dedication is amazing. Besides, we can afford his salary." "..." The guy from DC Comics gritted his teeth but kept his mouth shut. Two of the big shots had already stated their opinions. Kazir and Enrico were the bosses in this project. ++++++ [Second chapter of the day.] Chapter 426 Chapter 426 With Kazir and Enrico, the decision regarding the role of Batman ended with Christian Bale as the protagonist. They were the director and producer of this project, and it was hard for people to disagree with their decision. Besides, it was also true that Christian Bale fit the role. All of the actors prepared for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, but Christian stood above them. In Hollywood, handsome appearance was the norm, and most actors who auditioned were undeniably handsome. But Kazir just had to choose Christian to secure the future he knew. Of course, this decision was not yet finalized. The production had to negotiate with Christian Bale''s side regarding salary, an important aspect for both sides. If Christian Bale''s side didn''t agree with the terms that Warner Brothers gave, then the production had to choose another actor to replace him. If that happened, Kazir had a few actors who could play the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Hugh Jackman could fit the role. His physique as Wolverine worked well with Batman. Jake Gyllenhaal. His acting range was wide, and being Batman seemed like a possibility for him. In fact, Jake actually auditioned for the role, and the crew had a copy of his credentials. Keanu Reeves and Colin Farrell. Each of the two had the swag to be Batman. Although the crew might have to side with Colin Farrell more, since hiring Keanu would be a huge slump in their budget. ...... ... ... After ten days, Enrico Pusi miraculously pulled most of the cast into the project. Most of the cast had already signed their contracts. The first who officially joined was Liam Neeson as Ra''s Al Ghul. Warner Brothers had to pay the actor $12 million just to hire him. Liam was famous now that the Continental Cinematic Universe was thriving. Usually, the actor would settle for $15 to $20 million, but since he was invited by Director Grey, he decided to take the role. Christian Bale also didn''t hesitate to sign the contract. Christian and his agent understood that this was their opportunity to hit it big. If Christian became Batman, then his road to stardom would be sure. He was actually surprised when he found out that the management had chosen him. After negotiating with Warner Brothers, Christian''s salary was $8.5 million, with a 30% to 50% salary increase for every sequel. Christian Bale had already starred in some movies, so his salary was not low. It might be disheartening that Christian''s salary was smaller than Liam Neeson''s, who was only a supporting character. Well, this is how Hollywood works. They pay the top money for more famous actors and directors. The best answer to why studios were ready to pay the actors and directors top money was because of their box office appeal. Besides, the competition for the role of Batman was tough, so Christian''s side didn''t fight for more money because of the fear of getting replaced by another actor. In all honesty... $8.5 million and $12 million were both huge amounts of money. Ordinary people would surely find it nerve-wracking that actors would ask for more. Life is unfair. As for the role of Rachel Dawes, Scarlett Johansson miraculously got the role despite competing against Katie Holmes, Rachel McAdams, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Reese Witherspoon... Yes, Reese also auditioned for the role. Kazir and Reese were professional when the audition happened. None of them invited the other to dinner or anything. They both knew that their relationship was done a few years ago. However, the people inside the audition room felt awkward when Reese showed up. They couldn''t help it. They kept glancing at Kazir and Reese. Even Enrico felt awkward looking at the two, since he knew about their history. For the record, Kazir was the one who gave Reese her role in The Hangover. Anyway, Scarlett Johansson passed the audition and negotiated a contract of $2 million. Salvatore made sure to give his clients a satisfying salary. Yes, $2 million for someone like Scarlett Johansson was already top money. After all, she was still not the Black Widow, and her fame was average at best. Other than the three, Enrico also pulled in: Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne''s loyal butler. Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, the police officer who remained true to his job despite the corruption in Gotham City. Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow. Cillian actually auditioned for the role of Batman, but he got the role of a villain instead. Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, the person who provided Bruce Wayne with all of his hi-tech equipment. Stating that the cast was packed with veterans was an understatement. The cast was filled with amazing talents that would surely level up the production... Warner Brothers didn''t want this project to get fucked up, so they didn''t have a problem spending money. The cast alone had a strong box office appeal to pull so many audiences into the theaters. The filming would start in November, to give the cast time to prepare for their roles. Particularly the actors who had action stunts in their roles. Most of these action stunts would be performed by stunt doubles, especially the dangerous ones. But actors still had to participate in training to minimize accidents once the filming started. As for Kazir, he was just listening to the everyday box office of his movie Spider-Man 2. Also, he was waiting for the release of Mr. and Mrs. Smith in October. +++++++ [Third chapter of the day.] Chapter 427 Chapter 427 "And I will always love you~ I will always love you~" The bride was casually hitting all of the high notes while singing "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston. This song was a tough one to sing, by the way, yet she delivered it without any hassle while wearing a wedding dress. To make it more interesting, most of the guests were not shocked at all. They were having fun and cheering for the bride, but they weren''t surprised by her performance. As if this kind of talent was a normal thing to them. Like singing was just part of their culture. These people were Filipinos, and the bride was also a Filipina. That explains a lot, actually. Filipinos love karaoke and singing. You can hear them singing in the bedroom, in the toilet, in the classroom, in public. Like, they don''t have shame and just sing... To be fair, though, the ones who sing in public really have amazing voices to back it up. As for the other guests, they were shocked and amazed. Watching a newlywed bride sing one of the hardest songs with ease was astonishing. Most of the time, they only hear live singing performances in a bar or concert. But this was a wedding... Even MTV couldn''t compare to what they were seeing right now. "...Palenque, congratulations. I didn''t know that your wife has amazing talent." "Thanks, Director. I''m glad that you''re here. I heard you are busy with a new project." "You invited me and gave me a wedding invitation, I can''t say no to that. Have a nice honeymoon. You deserve it after your hard work filming Game of Thrones." Season 2 of Game of Thrones was already in pre-production, and Palenque Simone had fully taken the director''s position. In fact, some of the cast from Game of Thrones attended the wedding. A month from now, the project would start filming. At that time, Palenque''s honeymoon with his wife would be two weeks done. "Thanks, Director." Kazir just smiled. He wanted to say to Palenque that he should have dropped the honorifics since he was also a director now. But he knew that Palenque would keep calling him Director. Perhaps because he respected Kazir. This was also the same situation with Fremont. The wedding was fun. Kazir also saw Scarlett in the attendees. The actress was looking at the bride with happiness and a hint of envy, perhaps? Kazir was surprised that Scarlett got the role in Batman Begins. Well, she fit the criteria, but the actresses who were competing for the role were also top actresses. But in the end, after the management calculated her salary and box office appeal, they decided to cast her as Rachel Dawes. Batman Begins was about Bruce Wayne and how he became Batman. They didn''t need a strong actress for the role, and considering that Scarlett Johansson was still rising in the industry, she was worth the shot. Scarlett saw Kazir in the corner and waved her hand. Kazir also waved back. The actress walked up to him. "Hey, I didn''t expect to see you here." "Palenque was my assistant. It''s fulfilling to see people around you being happy." "Hm, you''re right." She agreed and looked at the podium. The bride had already ended her performance and another person took the microphone. It was the bride''s uncle. The uncle sang "Bohemian Rhapsody" alone! And he did it so well. Like, what the fuck, was that even possible? Could Freddie Mercury, the vocalist of Queen, sing this song alone in acappella and make it sound good? The guests were having fun and partying, while others were drinking and eating food. "..." Scarlett glanced at Kazir, who was smiling at the party. "Hey," she said. Kazir turned to her. "When are you getting married?" "Me? You know that I just broke up with Angelina. I have no one to marry me." He chuckled. He would be a fool if he said that he was fine. He invested so much in that relationship. He was allowed to grieve for that failed relationship. He planned to stay single for a while. "Perhaps..." Scarlett tried to say something, but Kazir cut her off. "Besides, I''m not sure if I will ever marry someone. My experience with marriage was not great. It gave me trauma." "I guess, never mind." She bitterly smiled before changing the topic. "By the way, congratulations. Spider-Man 2''s revenue just surpassed $800 million worldwide. Do you think it will break the $1 billion mark like the first movie?" "Probably not. The potential of Spider-Man 2 was already used up. At best, the movie can reach $900 million, but that''s also hard to accomplish because Spider-Man 2 was already released in most countries." "...Sometimes I think that you''re being arrogant by saying that. But you are Kazir Grey, the best movie director in Hollywood. Achieving $900 million at the box office might not be hard for you." She sighed. She recalled that the person next to her was not a simple man. "Thank you. I''ll take that as a compliment." "You''re going to attend the Mr. and Mrs. Smith Part 2 red carpet, right?" "Yeah." This was a movie he wrote with the help of five professional screenwriters. Of course, he was going to watch it. Kazir was not confident in making original movies without reference, so he never directed them. However, Wanted 2, The Hangover 2 & 3, and Napoleon Dynamite II & III were all originals, and their box offices were outstanding. Kazir was getting confident in writing original scripts lately... Although he was still not sure if he would direct one. "Do you have a partner for the premiere?" This time, Scarlett decided to shoot her shot. "Nope." A quick answer from Kazir. "Then why don''t I become your partner instead? I''m also part of the CCU, so it will not be a surprise if I attend the premiere with you." +++++ [Fourth chapter of the day.] [Also, you probably had an idea who won the poll.] Chapter 428 Chapter 428 Kazir was shocked and didn''t expect the conversation to reach that stage. He looked at Scarlett, who was waiting for his answer. In just a second, many thoughts were racing through his mind. He wasn''t that stupid. He had an idea why Scarlett invited him. At first, he wanted to say no and reject her invitation. There was no deeper reason, his mind just automatically wanted to blurt out, "No." Kazir had experienced two lifetimes, yet he never had a great relationship with the opposite sex. All of his relationships had failed. His past life was also a failure. In fact, he was relieved when he saw the oncoming truck that killed him. At least he thought his miserable life was finally over. He had experienced painful rejections that made him afraid of women. He opened his mouth and almost said "No." However, he looked at Scarlett and realized that the woman was actually embarrassed and anxious because of what she said. Her face was so red she looked like an apple. She was brave enough to speak her mind, even though the outcome might be heartbreaking. That took courage. Scarlett clenched her fists, her heart pounding and her body feeling incredibly warm. This might be the worst decision she would ever make in her life. Seeing her expression, Kazir closed his mouth and thought seriously about his answer. He knew how painful it was to be rejected and left behind. It would be awful to do the same to another person. He suddenly realized how badly he had handled things with Reese and Cameron a few years ago. At the very least, he should have been brave enough to face them head-on and express his true feelings. "Scarlett... I actually don''t know how the media will portray us once they see us walking together on the red carpet." "Um, okay, that''s not the answer I was expecting," she said with a meek laugh, trying to hide her nervousness. "But I''m also not a coward who will bow down to their ideologies. I''m tired of hearing so many people say I''m wrong just because I exist. Fuck them. At the end of the day, I''m the one living my life. I know I didn''t kill anyone, I didn''t hurt anyone, and I''m a good person." "Yes, you are a good person. Honestly, so many women would love to have you as their partner." "Is that a confession?" "W-What? H-Hell no! Look, I''m just trying to help you forget your loneliness because I don''t want Batman Begins to fail! Kazir, don''t misunderstand!" she exclaimed, stomping her foot in frustration. Kazir chuckled. He realized he wasn''t lonely anymore. This lifetime was fulfilling, despite the heartbreaks he had endured. There were people who cared about him, and he appreciated it deeply. It would be stupid to break their hearts just because he was depressed. At least this time, he didn''t want to hurt Scarlett, who had been brave enough to be honest. "I''m going to the red carpet with you. No, I want to go to the red carpet with you." "That''s great to hear... You made the right choice." Scarlett tried her best not to smile, but her lips were already curling upward. "Then I''ll contact you later to talk about our plan." She quickly bid farewell and walked away, clearly embarrassed. Her ears were burning red. "Take care." Kazir laughed, watching her retreating figure. Then he smiled to himself. "I didn''t know I actually had the capacity to feel bad for a woman." He had shown sympathy for women before, and he had shown love and affection to them. But he never really cared that much, not in the real, emotional sense. Not even for Angelina. Sure, he loved her, and he felt jealous whenever some actor worked with her, but he always believed that his decisions were right and that he was better than his partner. RA?¦­o??¦¥S? As for "cheating" on Reese, that was a situation that happened because Kazir showed his weakness. So Kazir would make sure it never happened again. It was a defense mechanism... Kazir never showed his vulnerable side to anyone. Because the last time he did, he suffered so much that the thought of ending his life didn''t seem so bad. So whenever he was in a relationship, Kazir always put up a barrier to make sure he wouldn''t be hurt too deeply. He always believed the relationship wouldn''t last forever. A kind of defense mechanism so that he wouldn''t be devastated when it ended. It might sound crazy, but he had brainwashed himself into believing that he would always be better than his partner. So for him to think about a woman and her feelings... was something Kazir never expected of himself. "I hope I''ll reach the point in my life where I can trust a woman again. I really hope so." He sighed. At least this time, he made sure not to hurt Scarlett. He didn''t do it because he was worried about his movie. He did it because he knew Scarlett would be heartbroken if he rejected her. See, nobody wants to experience rejection. It can destroy someone''s self-esteem, possibly even leading to depression. In Kazir''s case, it changed him into the person he was now. +++++ [This is the fifth and the last chapter of the day.] [If you want to read more, you can check out my Patreon.] P@treon link: https://www.pa treon.com/Puji_maki K0-fi link: https://ko- fi.com/pujimaki Chapter 429 Chapter 429 The red carpet was extravagant. 20th Century Fox didn''t spend money recklessly on this occasion, but they did ensure that the movie would receive outstanding attention from both the media and the public. Grey Pictures was already an established studio capable of generating hundreds of millions annually. Gone were the days when Grey Pictures had to piggyback on big studios to promote their projects. Now, big studios still promoted their own projects... but Grey Pictures had to spend its own money to do it. Stella Willow was in the process of building her own marketing team, even hiring Victor Grey''s company to handle online advertising, marketing, and PR. So far, their influence on major online platforms like Facebook had been widespread. They had the strongest online marketing presence, and even other companies had begun hiring Victor Grey''s firm for digital promotions. Stella Willow and her team decided to promote their movies on Facebook by offering special rewards: the 1,000th, 5,000th, and 10,000th people to like the Grey Pictures Facebook page would each receive five tickets to the premiere of Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2. Yes, they would get a chance to meet and greet the cast at the El Capitan Theatre. Fans went wild. They rushed to like the official Grey Pictures page and eagerly scrolled through the latest news about their projects. This kept them updated with every new post, an excellent example of free marketing. At the time, only a few companies were offering digital marketing services, and Victor Grey''s company stood at the forefront of this blossoming industry. The Dot-com bubble burst had been an economic disaster, leading many to believe that the future of the internet was bleak. But they were wrong. The internet''s true value was priceless. The internet had become the archive of humanity, the archive of a new century. No one could deny that fact. The volume of information available online far surpassed even the largest national libraries. With new data added daily, the internet''s potential was incalculable. Most of the cast had already made their red carpet appearance, with only a few left to arrive, among them were Brad Pitt and Jennifer Connelly. But before the lead cast showed up, the screenwriter of the movie made his entrance with his partner. Having made cameos in every CCU movie, Kazir''s appearance was nothing new to the fans. They immediately recognized the director and began cheering. At this point, Kazir Grey''s fame was comparable to that of an A-list celebrity. However, Kazir didn''t step onto the red carpet first. Instead, he walked around the limousine and opened the door for his partner. He extended his hand, and the actress accepted it with elegance. Kazir Grey and Scarlett Johansson walked together at the premiere of Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2. The female reporter in charge of interviews was having a blast. Being in a profession that often disregarded personal boundaries, she asked the obvious question. "Are you two dating?" "No," Kazir replied with a polite smile. "Scarlett and I are both clients of Salvatore Barlowe. I didn''t have a partner, and neither did Scarlett. We''re also both part of the CCU, so of course, we had to attend the premiere-" "We used the same limousine because it was cheaper that way," Scarlett interjected with a chuckle. "So we decided to walk together since it was more convenient. Salvatore''s been cutting costs lately and couldn''t find two separate limos for us." Scarlett was grateful that Salvatore Barlowe made for a convenient scapegoat when people questioned her relationship with Kazir. Talent agents were the last people to care about dignity. They had skin thick enough to endure a concrete slap, yes, a slap. "I understand, I understand," the reporter nodded, smirking. She could tell something was going on, though probably not a full-fledged relationship. Besides, Kazir was a billionaire, he could probably afford his own limousine. Truth be told, Kazir didn''t have a limousine. He only had two cars in his garage, a Mercedes Benz and an old Toyota. Regardless, neither of them had any reason to explain their relationship. Scarlett kept sneaking glances at Kazir as they entered the theater. "Is there something on my face?" he asked. "It''s nothing," she replied softly. A few minutes later, the premiere for Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 began. ...... ... ... Kazir was already preparing to launch the second phase of the CCU. Wanted was the final movie of the first phase, where the four protagonists fought against the Fraternity. Ra?o??BE?S?? Now, the plot for Phase Two was beginning to take shape. Kazir had planned it all from the beginning, planting foreshadowing clues in earlier movies. The central plot of the second phase revolved around a missing military weapon, an upgraded nuclear device. Dom Toretto''s team was hired to steal an unknown piece of equipment from a truck that was secretly transporting the weapon. Due to the weapon''s disappearance, Connor O''Brien was assigned to go undercover, infiltrating Dom Toretto''s family to track down where the weapon was sent. The mission failed, and Dom''s team escaped. Since then, the missing weapon had become an ongoing threat. This wasn''t an ordinary nuclear device. It was a new invention known to only a few. Still, the information had somehow leaked... There was a mole in the CIA, one of the few remaining survivors of the Fraternity. The Fraternity had begun defying the High Table, slowly forming a new organization to rival their power. This shadow group consisted of numerous criminal factions, all of whom bore a grudge against the High Table and the United States. The nuclear weapon they stole was extraordinary. It emitted no radiation, was undetectable by radar, and was small enough to fit inside a suitcase, yet powerful enough to wipe out an entire city. It didn''t need to be launched. Someone could simply leave it in a park and detonate it. This new organization had only one goal: chaos. The High Table, a global criminal syndicate with influence in every corner of the world, was completely in the dark about the weapon''s location. They knew of only two individuals who might help them find it, Jason Bourne, a former Treadstone agent, and Wesley Gibson, a fugitive responsible for countless deaths. However, the CIA couldn''t track either of them. But they did find someone who might lead them to Bourne and Gibson: Raizo. That was the plot of Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2, a husband and wife team hunting Raizo while navigating the threats of the High Table and the emerging organization. +++++ [Author''s Note: I want to say thanks for all of your support. You guys are one of the reasons why I keep writing this novel. It means a lot to me.] [This novel is officially completed as of today with the exact chapter of 600.] [From now on, I will post 5 chapters per day until we reach the ending.] Chapter 430 Chapter 430 Ladder 49 was a movie released by Walt Disney. To be precise, Ladder 49 was produced by Touchstone Pictures, which was owned by Walt Disney. Touchstone Pictures was Walt Disney''s go-to studio whenever the company wanted to make a live-action movie. Touchstone was completely controlled by Walt Disney, unlike Miramax, which had a fat Harvey who would fight for control. Anyway, Ladder 49 was about a firefighter who was trapped in a warehouse fire. The movie was not based on a real story but was heavily inspired by the heroism that firefighters demonstrated. Honestly, Walt Disney was not confident in this movie. That''s why they chose to release it in October, a stale month for cinemas. They had already spent over $60 million and couldn''t ignore the movie''s potential. They even cast John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix for the film... By the way, that casting was also the reason why the movie''s budget reached $60 million. Anyway, the response to Ladder 49 was mediocre. Sure, being a public servant was a respectable profession. Firefighters were among the most respected for a reason. Unfortunately, the public had already moved on from 9/11. That tragedy was heartbreaking, but people had to take a step forward and understand that life was not all about tragedies. If Ladder 49 had been released shortly after the peak of the 9/11 incident, it might have grossed $500 million. Too bad Walt Disney''s management was too busy forcing political views on the public instead of making heartfelt movies. Furthermore, it didn''t help that Ladder 49 was released on October 1, the same day as Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2. The possibility of this firefighter movie making huge money was low, now that its opponent was Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but 20th Century Fox and Grey Pictures decided to release their movie on the same day as Ladder 49. 20th Century Fox couldn''t sacrifice their schedule for Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2, so they settled on October 1. On its first day, Ladder 49, also released on October 1, grossed $7.46 million. An amazing amount of money for just one day. On the same day, Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 casually made $38.73 million. It was both frustrating and amazing to see how much money movies could earn in just a single day. Most of the time, the first-day box office result determines a movie''s trajectory. From that angle, it was obvious that Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 had a far higher return on investment than Ladder 49. Even the Cinema Alliance knew exactly which movie they should invest in next week. Two days had passed, and the first-weekend box office results for both movies were calculated. Ladder 49 grossed $22.08 million, while Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 grossed $76.08 million. The difference between the two was painfully obvious. The Cinema Alliance immediately allocated more theaters to Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2. Initially, the number of theaters screening Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 rounded up to 4,100 across the United States. As for Ladder 49, the film was screened in 3,200 theaters. The Cinema Alliance had the authority to reduce the number of theaters showing underperforming movies and reassign them to more promising ones. At the end of the day, the Cinema Alliance was running a business, not a charity. They had no reason to keep Ladder 49 around when Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 could generate far more revenue. In the second week, the number of theaters screening Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 increased to 5,200, while Ladder 49 dropped to 2,750 theaters. This business move made Walt Disney furious. But they couldn''t do anything about it, since this flexibility was outlined in the contract. The Cinema Alliance had the right to adjust theater numbers. Usually, they made these changes after three weeks. But this time, the Cinema Alliance wasn''t going to let the moment slip by. They took advantage of the situation. So yeah, more money for Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2. As everyone expected, Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 proved itself with a whopping $177.82 million after ten days in theaters. Meanwhile, Ladder 49 didn''t even touch $50 million after ten days. The firefighter movie only managed to earn $41 million. ... ... ... The competition for next year''s Academy Awards was becoming clearer as more films were promoted. The Big Six studios and many veteran filmmakers understood that more parties would be held toward the end of the year and into the new year. These parties were essential for garnering votes from Academy members. ?¦Á??O?B§¦?s? So far, several films had begun gaining attention. First was The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. This film marked the actor''s first serious step toward winning the golden statue. It would still take him more than a decade to get it, mainly because the Academy had something against him. Incidentally, after The Aviator, Leonardo gradually shifted the types of roles he played, even his facial features subtly changed. He aged, the simple explanation. The second movie was Finding Neverland, starring Johnny Depp. After failing to win Best Actor previously, Johnny set his sights on the Academy Awards and chose this project specifically to appeal to Oscar voters. The third contender was Million Dollar Baby, starring Clint Eastwood. A veteran actor who had been part of the industry for decades. The fourth contender was a musical, directed by Fremont Smith and starring Brianna Evans and Ryan Gosling. La La Land positioned itself clearly as an Oscar hopeful. People weren''t stupid. In Hollywood, it was easy to tell whether a movie was made to earn money or to win awards. [Second chapter of the day.] Chapter 431 Chapter 431 Kazir rarely saw Fremont and Brianna lately. The two were busy making their own movie. Based on what he heard, Fremont, Ryan, and Brianna were practicing constantly because the genre they were stepping into was not their forte. The time they spent on training was practically 24/7. They knew their weaknesses, after all. Fremont studied music and musicals, while Brianna and Ryan practiced singing and dancing. Thankfully, Brianna was a theater actress and already knew how to sing and dance. She just had to practice the dance steps and songs. Salvatore pitched the project to Paramount Pictures after 20th Century Fox disagreed with it. 20th Century Fox was the initial distributor and investor of La La Land, but the deal didn''t materialize. It was a good thing that Salvatore was a respected agent. He immediately found another studio to work with. For clarification, the production crew working on La La Land was no longer Grey Pictures. Grey Pictures couldn''t handle more than three projects per year. So Kazir decided to sell the script to Fremont instead. For $3 million. Then, Fremont and Paramount signed a contract and sold the copyrights to Paramount Pictures, since Paramount Pictures would shoulder all of the financial burden. Buying the copyrights was the usual formula in Hollywood, otherwise, the studio wouldn''t promote and distribute the movie. Anyway, Kazir got his money, and he would also receive some scrap money once a year, depending on the profits of La La Land. For someone like Kazir, a few thousand dollars was indeed scrap money. La La Land would probably be released in November or December, depending on how Paramount Pictures set the schedule. Even though La La Land was a script written by Kazir Grey, only a few studios were interested in acquiring the copyrights. After all, La La Land was a musical, and everyone knew that musicals were not Kazir''s forte. If the movie had been a comedy or action film, the studios might have gone crazy. The only good thing was that Fremont Smith was the director, and Brianna Evans was the leading lady. Together with Kazir as the scriptwriter, La La Land had a strong lineup and a powerful box office appeal. As for why La La Land was scheduled to be released in November or December, it was because they wanted to premiere the movie at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. One of the requirements for getting nominated for the Academy Awards was: 1. The film must have won a qualifying film festival award. OR 2. The film must have completed a weeklong theatrical run in a commercial theater of a qualifying metro area (LA County, New York City, the Bay Area, Chicago, Miami, or Atlanta). Paramount Pictures wanted to do both, so they decided to compete in a film festival... Paramount Pictures would probably pay money to make sure La La Land won some awards. The purpose of La La Land was to compete at the Academy Awards. But Paramount also believed that the movie would bring them profits. ..... ..... ... Advertisements for La La Land started appearing on the streets. Kazir even saw some posters of Ryan Gosling and Brianna Evans dancing. "Not sure if they''re going to win, though. I know La La Land is a strong card to play, but the Academy Awards might vote for other movies. It depends on how Paramount will promote the film to the old farts." R?¦ÁNO??¦¢E?s? Kazir was a member of AMPAS, so perhaps he was also part of those old farts. After all, his real age was over 80 years old if you included his first life where he was gruesomely sandwiched by a truck. October had just passed, and Kazir had already started filming Batman Begins two weeks earlier. Filming was going great, and next week they would travel to Iceland to shoot the winter scenes for Batman Begins, the scenes where Bruce Wayne met the League of Shadows for the first time. Since Kazir was single again, he didn''t have a problem going to foreign countries. He also missed traveling the world. While the trip to Iceland was confirmed, Kazir had to attend a meeting first before leaving the country. The fate of Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 was smooth sailing. The movie didn''t encounter any bumps at the box office. After 31 days of screening, Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 earned more than $276.16 million at the North American box office. October didn''t have a strong lineup of movies, except for a few. Shall We Dance?, starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez did well, grossing $33.94 million by the end of October. By the way, this movie was produced by Miramax, a subsidiary of Walt Disney. Aside from that, The Incredibles was also released by Pixar, or more precisely, by Walt Disney. The Incredibles was a well-known animated movie, and people loved it. It wasn''t a surprise that the film earned $93 million after just seven days of screening. Also, The Machinist, which starred Christian Bale in a shockingly thin state was released in October. The movie didn''t do well, earning only $141,000 in two weeks. Christian Bale was ashamed to show himself on set and stayed in his trailer most of the time. The Machinist didn''t have any box office appeal, so it was clear why it didn''t make money. Its genre and plot weren''t meant for wide theatrical release. The film might earn something in the DVD and rental markets, though. If there was one movie that surprised everyone in October, it was probably Saw. This small-budget movie made history. Even Kazir praised it in an interview. [Third chapter of the day.] Chapter 432 Chapter 432 The first movie of the Saw franchise was memorable for a reason. Despite having only a $1 million production budget, the movie grossed more than $100 million. That was a 100¡Á return on investment in just a year. That kind of investment was very, very hard to find in the entertainment industry. Only a few, such as The Blair Witch Project and Napoleon Dynamite, could do so. Furthermore, the storytelling of Saw was immaculate for being a horror movie. The plot twist at the end was unexpected, and the audience was so shocked to see a "dead" old man rising from the dead, revealed to be the mastermind behind the entire ordeal of brutal games. It made it even better that the movie tackled the morals and ethics of the victims while playing the death games. After all, Jigsaw never picked an innocent player. Furthermore, Jigsaw became an iconic horror villain, comparable to Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and Ghostface. There were a lot of factors why Saw became a box office hit, but it all came down to how entertained the audience was when they watched the movie. Because, low-key, Lionsgate didn''t promote this movie that much. Saw was not the kind of movie you wanted to promote on television. Even the posters were horrifying to look at. Mind you, one of the posters in circulation was a realistic chopped hand. Lionsgate discovered a gold mine in Saw. This movie would become one of their most successful franchises. Horror movies would always have loyal fans. Even if the box office returns weren''t huge, the DVD and rental markets would bring in so much profit for studios, and this was technically passive income at this point. ...... ... ... As for Kazir, his feelings regarding Saw were indifferent. It was true that he had the script of Saw before its original creation. It was one of his choices when he returned in 1994. He didn''t register it with the Writers Guild because he already had a lot of shit in his arsenal. Like, he could pull a script out of his ass because he had a lot of them... Metaphorically, of course. Right now, he was watching a banquet scene through dozens of monitors. In the banquet hall, an extravagant party was taking place. Bruce Wayne was looking around, clearly uncomfortable being surrounded by rich but disgusting people. But his discomfort worsened when he saw one of the members of the League of Shadows attending the party. He thought that was it, but it got even worse when he turned around. Bruce found the person he had saved, the man who taught him how to overcome his fear, standing before him. He thought he had destroyed the League of Shadows, but he was wrong. The person he had saved, Ducard, was Ra''s Al Ghul. Bruce was stunned as he hadn''t expected Ducard and Ra''s Al Ghul to be the same person. "Cut¡ª!" Kazir called for a break. He looked at Liam and Christian. "Guys, you''re doing well, but I need more than that." Kazir turned to Liam. "Liam, I know this is your first villain role. I just want to say, you don''t have to act sinister. Be a gentleman instead. Ra''s Al Ghul has a unique charisma. He has this heroic vibe to him." Ra''s Al Ghul wanted to see peace, but his method was not peaceful at all. He believed that "cleansing" Gotham was the best way to save it. "Christian. The Machinist is a great movie, but it''s not meant for cinemas. You didn''t fail your role, cinemas just weren''t meant for your movie. You need to relax your mind and forget about other things, such as your role in The Machinist. I want you to return to us. Where is Bruce Wayne? I can''t see him. All I see is Christian Bale being bitter about his plopped movie in cinemas." "... I understand, director." There were many ways to correct an actor. Most actors or actresses didn''t want to hear the truth and preferred to be told lies. But some people prosper after learning the hard truth. The Machinist was a movie made for DVD and rental markets. It was meant to plop, but Christian Bale was mentally affected and couldn''t return to being Bruce Wayne. Kazir did try saying sugarcoated words to Christian to maintain his mental state, but it failed. He then realized that Christian Bale was the type of actor who preferred hearing criticism instead. "Remember, this is your once-in-a-lifetime chance to make it big. I chose you because I thought you fit the role of Batman. Don''t let me down." "... I thought you chose me because of my low salary?" "That''s also one of the reasons. Now go back to your trailer and calm your nerves. I don''t care what you do, you can scream and brainwash yourself. Heck, you can call for a prostitute to calm your nerves, I don''t give a fuck. Just make sure that when you come out of that trailer, you''re not the bitter Christian Bale anymore. I want to see Bruce Wayne, Batman, and the Dark Knight of Gotham!" Some actors had their own bullshit rituals before stepping into the studio and playing their roles. If Christian was one of those, then Kazir would gladly support him, as long as the movie was successful. Filming this week seemed slow because Christian couldn''t keep his mentality aligned with Bruce Wayne, while Kazir had to make sure that the movie would succeed. "I''ll give you two hours. Don''t break my trust." "Yes, director." Christian Bale nodded and returned to his trailer. As for what he had to do to return to the zone, Kazir had no idea and he didn''t care. [Fourth chapter of the day.] Chapter 433 Chapter 433 The actor''s mental status was important, and Kazir couldn''t disregard it, at least not when it was affecting the filming. The budget of Batman Begins was around $150 million. The budget could go up if bad things happened. Kazir was known as a director who stuck with the budget and never increased it. This was a trait that big studios loved. It assured them that the production crew would never overspend. $150 million seemed like a lot, but for a big project like Batman Begins, this amount was just the passable requirement. Casting actors, actresses, crew members, and directors cost money. More than 35% of the budget went to hiring the cast and crew members, with the biggest salary of $25+ million going to Director Grey. Being the highest-paid person in the crew, Kazir had to make sure that his employer would never regret hiring him. Other expenses included sets and filming locations, equipment, special effects, costumes and props, editing, sound design, and music. $150 million seemed like a lot, but the expenses for creating a superhero movie were also huge. $150 million might not be even enough. But Kazir was the director of Batman Begins. He was confident in his skills. He was fast and knew what scenes to film. His responsibility and burden were so heavy, it explained why he had a huge salary. Unfortunately, things like actors'' mentalities could affect his filming and schedules. Christian Bale''s mediocre acting was affecting their filming badly. So Kazir decided to confront the actor and tell him to take a break and change his perspective. Kazir didn''t care what Christian had to do in the trailer, just as long as it got him in the zone. If the actor asked for a day''s rest, Kazir would frown, but he would still give it to him just to make the actor feel better. It would affect their filming schedule, but Kazir could shoot other scenes, so it was not considered a waste. However, if Christian Bale returned after a rest day and his acting did not improve, then Kazir wouldn''t have a choice but to find another actor to replace Christian Bale. After all, they had a long list of talented actors to choose from. The project had just started, and the production still had the power to change the protagonist. But everything was still a what-if. It all depended on Christian''s performance once he exited the trailer. ... ... ... The makeup artist excused herself after seeing that Christian Bale was not in a good mood. Being reprimanded like that in front of many people was embarrassing. He had heard that Director Grey was a great person and rarely confronted his actors. He never raised his voice or made fun of someone. R?a?O??¦¥? Christian understood where Kazir was coming from. The director had talked to him a few days ago and even encouraged him. Kazir had said that The Machinist was a great movie but not meant for cinemas. The director was indeed a good person and made sure that his actors were in the right mentality. But Christian couldn''t help but feel like it was his fault that the movie had plopped. So his mind was affected, and he couldn''t do his job at his peak. Director Grey reached his limit and decided to berate Christian in front of many people. It was humiliating. When the makeup artist was gone and Christian was alone in the trailer, he took a deep breath. He looked in front of the mirror. Christian was wearing an expensive suit since he was acting as Bruce Wayne, the billionaire. He had a handsome appearance, which explained why he could become part of the entertainment industry. By the way, Hollywood was saturated with handsome and beautiful people. You could see them everywhere. Christian looked in the mirror... Then, he slapped himself so strongly that his right cheek turned red. He understood it very well. It was his fault. So many people worked hard for this project. This was their livelihood. It would be a dick move if Christian just disregarded their livelihood just because he was suffering from depression. Once he signed the contract to become Batman, this was no longer just about him. This project was feeding hundreds of people, and they would be devastated if the project failed. He took a deep breath. He deserved it. Director Grey was just making sure that the project wouldn''t fail. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I need to get this." He closed his eyes and decided to forget about The Machinist. Fuck that movie. He had been so dedicated to The Machinist that he lost weight just to prove how committed he was. Perhaps that was the reason why he was so affected when the movie plopped. But now, he had another movie to focus on. He had to be dedicated to the role of Bruce Wayne and Batman. As for his bitter feelings toward Director Grey, he had to suck it up for now. If he had a chance later, he wanted to talk to the director about it. It didn''t even take half an hour when the trailer opened. Christian Bale showed up, and his demeanor was completely different. He was not affected by the gazes of the others, as if he were in his own world. When Kazir saw the change in Christian''s demeanor, he smirked and knew that Bruce Wayne was back. +++++ [Fifth and the last chapter of the day.] [Also, if you want to read the complete story, you can check out my Pa treon. I didn''t post the last chapter in Ko-fi.] P@treon link: https://www.pat reon.com/Puji_maki Chapter 434 Chapter 434 "You''re not Ra''s al Ghul. I watched him die." "But is Ra''s al Ghul immortal, or are his methods supernatural?" Bruce Wayne slowly turned around and saw Ducard, his mentor. The last time Bruce saw Ducard was in the Himalayan range, when he saved him from the destruction of the League of Shadows. There was a long silence between the two, a moment filled with unspoken meaning. This was the moment Bruce realized he had been deceived. The man he thought was Ra''s al Ghul was a decoy. The person standing before him now, Ducard, was the real Ra''s al Ghul. "A cheap parlor trick to conceal your identity, Ra''s." "Surely, a man who spends his nights scrambling over the rooftops of Gotham wouldn''t lecture me about dual identities." "I saved your life." "I warned you about compassion, Bruce." "Cut!" Kazir stood up and the filming stopped. He began clapping his hands, excitement evident on his face. He could feel it, the tension between the villain and the hero. He fucking knew it, Christian Bale fit the role of Batman. The chills running down his spine were the proof. He didn''t fail in choosing Christian. When the crew members witnessed Kazir''s standing ovation, they were stunned. The director rarely gave this kind of applause on set. The last time they saw Kazir clapping in amazement was when Brianna Evans portrayed the role of a worried mother in Taken. Kazir''s forte was comedy and action. These two genres rarely required intense dramatic acting. So when Kazir started clapping, the crew understood that this moment was a big deal. Some of them, who had been intently watching Christian''s performance, also felt goosebumps and joined in, clapping their hands. More and more crew members applauded and praised the performance. However, Christian Bale, the actor who was the focus of all this praise, felt nothing. He was in the zone. Right now, in this very moment, Christian was Bruce Wayne. A billionaire with a secret identity. A vigilante. He didn''t become a hero to receive praise. He did it selflessly, without expecting acknowledgment. He wanted to save people because of his morals and his deep sense of justice. He sacrificed himself to make sure Gotham would one day find peace. The praises he was receiving now meant nothing. "Bruce Wayne" simply smiled faintly and acted like the billionaire he was supposed to be, an eccentric playboy who used his money to get what he wanted. Kazir realized that Christian Bale was still in character, so he decided to continue with the next scene. He didn''t want to waste the momentum. Christian was at the peak of his performance. ''Later, I''ll apologize to Christian for what I did. Berating him in front of the crew wasn''t the right thing to do.'' Kazir recognized his mistake, but it was one he made with purpose. If he hadn''t humiliated Christian, the actor might never have reached this level of performance. "... This is the second time I''ve been overwhelmed by someone," Meanwhile, Liam Neeson shook his head and sighed. He was confident in his acting ability, but he admitted that Christian had outperformed him in this scene. "Maybe I should get reprimanded by Director Grey too... maybe then I''ll act better." Because of Christian''s outstanding performance, Kazir decided they would work overtime that day. He spoke with the crew and promised generous overtime pay. Even with Kazir''s famously fast filming pace, it was a miracle that the banquet scene had wrapped in just two days. The speed was so surprising that they even had to adjust the schedule to move some scenes forward. ...... ... ... The production of Kung Fu Panda continued smoothly. After 20th Century Fox gave the green light, the project received the necessary funds to begin the animation. The studio''s only real confidence in this movie came from the fact that it was written by Kazir Grey. Director Grey had developed a reputation for writing box office hits. Even though 3D animated movies were a different genre entirely, 20th Century Fox still said yes. Why? Because of their faith in Kazir Grey. The director had proven himself so many times that the trust he built with the industry was nearly unshakable. If Kazir wrote a bullshit story about two bulls taking a shit, the Big Six studios still wouldn''t hesitate to buy the script. That''s how confident they were in his ability. So even though 3D animation wasn''t Kazir''s usual arena, 20th Century Fox had faith in the project. As long as Kazir didn''t fail, 20th Century Fox would continue supporting him. And so far, their trust hadn''t been misplaced. Even though they were just the distributor of Grey Pictures'' films, 20th Century Fox was still making money. Even their TV network saw massive traffic when Game of Thrones was released. "Vogue Magazine actually interviewed Scarlett two months ago." Kazir was sitting in the lounge area of Blue Sky Studios, reading through newspapers and magazines. After finishing the paper, he turned to a magazine instead. The August edition focused on actresses, and one of the featured interviews was with Scarlett Johansson. Since Kazir had nothing else to do at the moment, he decided to read the Q&A section. A few minutes later, he was invited to check out the progress on Kung Fu Panda. As always, he served as the executive producer for the movie. Kazir would be leaving the country next week, so he had to wrap up some business matters while he still had time. Tomorrow, he planned to meet with Stella Willow to discuss their upcoming projects for next year. 2 Fast 2 Furious and Mr. & Mrs. Smith 2 had both received overwhelmingly positive responses. Their combined box office revenue had already surpassed $1 billion. [First chapter of the day.] Chapter 435 Chapter 435 Kung Fu Panda is an animated film. The story is about a fat panda named Po, who dreams of becoming a Kung Fu Master. Unexpectedly, Po is chosen as the Dragon Warrior and is trained by Master Shifu. Through training and trials, Po discovers his true strength and learns to accept himself. When the Furious Five and Master Shifu are defeated by Tai Lung, Po steps up and fights the villain to protect the city. The movie explores themes such as self-acceptance, action, comedy, perseverance, and self-belief. Being a master of comedy and action, of course, Kazir used his strengths to come up with the plot of Kung Fu Panda... Erm, he copied it from the original creators, but who cares? He had been doing the same thing since 1995. There was nothing to feel guilty about. For this project, 20th Century Fox invested $130 million in production costs. The Big Six realized the massive profitability of 3D animated movies, and they also understood the high costs required to produce them. So why was 20th Century Fox willing to spend such a large amount on a 3D animated film? Because, unlike most live-action films, 3D animated movies had strong merchandise-selling potential. Their toys, t-shirts, keychains, and other merchandise related to these movies were often sold out quickly. Blue Sky Studio experienced this firsthand when Ice Age became a massive hit. All of the toys on their shelves were gone in just a matter of weeks. As for the amount of money they made? It was definitely in the 9-figure range. That fact alone was enough for 20th Century Fox to invest in Kung Fu Panda. The profit they could make might be twice, or even three times of their investment. There was a reason why Walt Disney remained such a dominant force. Despite facing numerous setbacks, they were known for being family-friendly and having signature products, animated movies. And now, most of the Big Six were trying to replicate Disney''s accomplishments. Walt Disney had Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar under its banner. Warner Brothers had Warner Bros. Animation (responsible for Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, and the DC animated universe), Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera. Universal Pictures had Illumination Entertainment (which would be created in 2007) and DreamWorks Animation (acquired by NBCUniversal in 2016). Paramount Pictures had Nickelodeon Studios. Sony-Columbia had Sony Pictures Animation, which was known for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Emoji Movie, and Hotel Transylvania. 20th Century Fox had Blue Sky Studios. See what''s happening here? Most of the most famous cartoon and animation studios were under the control of the Big Six. This clearly showed how powerful their influence was, even in the animated media space. Even Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon were under the banner of the Big Six. They dominated the entertainment industry for a reason. Now that traditional hand-drawn animation was becoming less popular, 20th Century Fox understood that investing in 3D animation through Blue Sky Studio was essential if they didn''t want to be left behind by their competitors. Kazir entered the workshop and saw more than a hundred people glued to their monitors, animating the scenes they were assigned. It was a tough job. These people had to sit for hours creating scenes that the audience would only see for a few seconds. Although, not going to lie, the animators in the West had it better than the average animators in Japan. Japanese animators were often considered the epitome of corporate slaves. Truly, a cruel world we live in. Kazir and Carl Ludwig discussed the progress of Kung Fu Panda, which was already 80¨C90% complete. Perhaps due to 20th Century Fox''s confidence in the project, the funding was flowing smoothly, which significantly sped up production. Kung Fu Panda was expected to be released next year. The project had been in development since last year, around the time Pirates of the Caribbean was released. So it was no surprise that the movie was nearing completion. The voice actors cast in this project were actually A-list celebrities. Po was voiced by Jack Black. Tai Lung was voiced by Ian McShane. Master Shifu was voiced by Dustin Hoffman. Master Tigress was voiced by Angelina Jolie. Master Mantis was voiced by Seth Rogen. Master Viper was voiced by Lucy Liu. Master Monkey was voiced by Jackie Chan. The cast was stacked with top-tier actors. This clearly indicated how important this project was to the studio. Kazir smiled when he saw a recorded clip of Angelina voicing her character, Master Tigress. She was genuinely having fun. He was happy that she seemed to be doing well. It showed that their separation was the right decision. They simply weren''t compatible. Carl felt awkward, knowing Kazir was the one who helped Angelina land the role of Master Tigress. Anyway, their conversation continued, and both Kazir and Carl confirmed that production was proceeding smoothly. Once everything was finished, 20th Century Fox would select the best release schedule for the movie. Another several million dollars would be spent on promoting Kung Fu Panda. After his meeting with Carl and checking on the progress of Kung Fu Panda, Kazir had another meeting to attend. The next projects from Grey Pictures were extremely important, as they would determine how the entire Continental Cinematic Universe (CCU) would evolve. Naturally, Kazir, being the mastermind behind the CCU, needed to be present. +++++ [Second chapter of the day.] Chapter 436 Chapter 436 Stella Willow wore a cold expression as she strutted through the hallway. The way she walked radiated elegance and confidence. However, her icy demeanor was so intense that people were afraid of her. She gritted her teeth, exhausted and lost. Working as the CEO of Grey Pictures was incredibly tiring. However, she had no intention of giving up this amazing position. After joining Grey Pictures, Stella Willow gradually reconnected with her ex-coworkers, some of whom had once been her bosses. Their reactions were mixed. However, Stella recognized the envy and jealousy in their eyes. Unlike most of them who were stuck in their positions and slaving away in the corporate world, Stella had reached the top of her career after leaving NBC. Some of her former coworkers even begged her for a position at Grey Pictures. If the person was capable and talented, Stella would give them a chance. The reason she never considered resigning, despite the overwhelming stress, was power. The pleasure of being a powerful figure, someone few could trample, was intoxicating. It would be foolish to relinquish the CEO position to someone else. Even the Big Six held her in high regard due to Grey Pictures'' strong profitability. The authority she wielded was so addictive that she never once thought of stepping down. Of course, there were cons to being a CEO. The first was that the job was highly stressful. She had endless tasks and crucial decisions to make. The company wouldn''t move without her input. Her presence was essential. She cursed her boss, who was gone most of the time... She had to shoulder the majority of responsibilities because her boss was just a director who had no interest in business management. The second downside to being a CEO, for Stella, was her love life. Her last romantic relationship ended a year ago. Since then, she had been celibate, with no sexual relationships at all. With her tight schedule, she couldn''t find the time to date anyone. She also wasn''t a fan of hookup culture. So right now, Stella was at the edge of self-destruction. Her position as CEO made it difficult to find a suitable partner, not just because of her busy schedule, but also because of her preferences. You see, being a woman with high standards, Stella wanted a man who had a better career than hers. She didn''t want to "date down" at all. She wanted a man who was richer, more mature, stronger, and smarter than she was. That was her preference, and everyone is entitled to their own. As for the men "weaker" than her, she never glanced at them. Her last boyfriend had been the general manager of Alphabet, and he was the best man she had ever dated in terms of career success. Her previous relationships seemed mediocre in comparison. So yeah, Stella had a hard time. Even though she wanted to be the boss at work, it was a different matter when it came to dating. She wanted her man to provide for her, take care of her, and gently man-handle her... whatever that meant. Her preference checklist was as follows: A man richer than her. With a better career. Tall. Handsome. Strong. Healthy and with long stamina, for bedroom reasons. A man who loved her most. She must be his number one priority. A gentleman. A good personality. Respectable. Ambitious. Confident. And... a nice long sausage, for bedroom reasons again. For a woman, it was a pretty extensive list of criteria. Not going to lie, many women have long lists of expectations, and some of them are downright outrageous. Some women wanted a partner with green eyes¡ªonly 2% of the world population has that trait. How the hell is someone supposed to make their eyes green? Use colored contact lenses maybe? With preferences like these, it was no wonder Stella struggled to find a man. There were probably plenty of men interested in her, but she likely ignored them simply because they didn''t meet her standards. "Tch, that bastard. What the hell does he want this time? Why do I have to find someone again?" She clicked her tongue in frustration. Lately, the stress had been getting to her, and she couldn''t help but curse at her boss. She arrived at the meeting room and opened the door with the confidence of someone who owned the building. Then, she saw Kazir sitting inside, scribbling on his storyboard, probably working on yet another project. Stella scrutinized him and glared. Suddenly, she realized something. Kazir actually met most of her requirements for a boyfriend! Kazir was tall, handsome, richer than her, confident, and a gentleman. Heck, she''d even heard that Kazir was packing down there! Her pupils slightly trembled, but she quickly suppressed the thought and returned to her cold demeanor. Kazir was almost perfect. But there was one critical area where he failed. Stella knew that Kazir loved making movies more than he could ever love a woman. She would never be his number one priority. That was a massive red flag. For her, the most important aspect of a relationship was being loved above all else. Kazir couldn''t give that, not 100%. She scoffed and then glared at Kazir again. "Um, excuse me? Did I do something wrong?" Kazir noticed her mood and asked cautiously. "It''s nothing. I just remembered something. Anyway, let''s start our meeting." She sat down, pushing away her spiteful thoughts. She was highly professional, one of the reasons she was perfect for the role of CEO. "Okay." Kazir nodded. [Third chapter of the day.] Chapter 437 Chapter 437 "First of all, this," Stella put down the script for Taken 3 and flipped to the first page. She pointed at the second page, directly at the third paragraph. "This, what the hell is this?" "What do you think of it?" "Kazir, sigh," Stella rubbed her forehead. She had read the first version of the script, and the latest version of the first scene was different from what she remembered. "You do understand that our country just suffered a terrorist attack three years ago, right?" "I know. For the record, I didn''t write this scene to remind people of the tragedy of 9/11. What I want is to make people alert about their surroundings and understand that peace is such a fragile thing." "Still, this might make our movie Rated-R." "So what? If you''re talking about the highest-grossing R-rated movie, The Hangover is currently taking the fourth spot. And I''m the one who wrote and directed that movie. And if you''re talking about box office performance, The Matrix: Reloaded grossed more than $741 million. I think Taken 3 can beat The Matrix: Reloaded and take the number one spot." "It''s not about that. Taken is a pivotal franchise. It''s the movie that opened people''s eyes about kidnapping and sex trafficking. And now, the third movie is about a nuclear tragedy? A terrorist act? It doesn''t match the vibe at all." Stella had a point. In fact, one of the reasons she worked for Grey Pictures was because of how the studio helped the public understand the seriousness of human trafficking. Heck, when she went to France to meet Kazir for the first time, she had been alert to her surroundings because she had watched Taken. In her opinion, the Taken franchise was all about kidnapping... At least, the first and second movies were centered around that theme. "Oh, Stella, you just don''t know." Kazir shook his head. "Don''t know what?" The first and second movies were indeed about kidnapping, but the third movie was different. Taken 3 was about revenge. In the first part of the movie, Lenore, Bryan''s ex-wife, dies at the hands of some Russian mafia because Lenore''s current husband has a debt. Yes, the plot didn''t have much depth at all. But Lenore''s death caused Bryan to scorch the earth. Now, Kazir was just upping the ante. Instead of some Russian mob, why not make it a new terrorist group that only wanted to spread destruction all over the world? Overall, Kazir''s version of Taken 3 was different from the original. In a way, he was trying to overcome his fear of making his own script, and Taken 3 was one of the first steps. Kazir understood it. Copying movies might have brought him success, but he knew that his achievements were all built on lies. At least for once, he wanted to prove himself. Taken 3 was the start of his development. Perhaps one day, he would create an original film, something he could be truly proud of. "Never mind. You wouldn''t understand it," Kazir said, not bothering to explain further. Stella wouldn''t believe it anyway. He couldn''t just say that the original version of Taken 3 was more of a revenge movie than a kidnapping story. "Tch, I changed my mind. You are indeed a walking red flag." "I have no idea why you''re telling me that." The first scene of Taken 3 involved a massive explosion in San Francisco, during which Lenore died in the tragedy. Being a retired agent, Bryan Mills couldn''t help but take matters into his own hands. He started contacting people he knew. He even spoke with Luke Hobbs (The Rock) and John Smith (Brad Pitt). These two characters were investigating the case of missing technology and believed the explosion was related to it. Luke Hobbs was a character from Fast & Furious, while John Smith was from Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Just to uncover the truth and exact his revenge, Bryan Mills was ready to do everything. Even his daughter couldn''t stop him from pursuing vengeance. Taken 3 was the movie where The Syndicate was introduced. ''The Syndicate is actually one of the antagonists in the Mission: Impossible franchise, but they were first introduced in 2011. Sorry, Tom, but I have to steal the idea.'' Kazir had to. Besides, the Syndicate also tried to start a nuclear war in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. This time, the purpose of the Syndicate was nothing but pure destruction. The organization consisted of AWOL agents, ninjas, most-wanted criminals, hitmen, unknown billionaires, and the remaining members of The Fraternity. The Fraternity had broken their vow and secretly allied themselves with the Syndicate. This was the reason why the High Table gave the mission to destroy the Fraternity. While searching for more clues, Bryan Mills discovered that the stocks of weapons companies had skyrocketed after the nuclear attack. He realized this incident might not be so simple. "Okay, the plot is interesting, I admit that. You''re the one who wrote it, and I''m confident in you." Stella Willow continued the conversation. "Thank you." "But we have a problem. I''m not confident in the director you want this time. You should wait for Fremont instead." "Stella, you have to listen to me. Fremont is busy with La La Land. Even if he is a fast director, he usually makes a movie every two years. The pressure of making a movie per year isn''t that simple." "I know, that''s why I''m impressed with your mental strength. But it doesn''t matter. Christopher Nolan doesn''t fit the vibe of Taken 3." Yes, the number one candidate for the director''s position of Taken 3 was Christopher Nolan. Kazir had recommended the director. "With how serious Taken 3 is, I think he fits perfectly." "First, it was Justin Lin. Then you recommended more directors. And now you want Christopher Nolan, a noir film director, to direct an action-packed movie? Kazir, what are you thinking?" [Fourth chapter of the day.] Chapter 438 Chapter 438 "I''m thinking about the best way for our company to thrive. In my opinion, Christopher Nolan is the best choice to direct Taken 3." "Kazir, do you hear yourself right now?" Stella Willow was fuming. Perhaps her way of thinking was affected by her recent situation. However, she believed that she was right this time. And actually, what she believed was on point. "When you said that you wanted Christopher Nolan to direct Taken 3, I was already skeptical. I''ve watched all three of his movies, and they all have darker themes. Do you want Taken 3 to follow the same theme?" "Honestly, why not?" He shrugged his shoulders. "...I shouldn''t have asked that question." "Taken 3 is completely different from the first two movies. Besides, two of Nolan''s movies were crime thrillers, we can fit that style into Taken 3, since Bryan Mills is in full detective mode to uncover the truth about the terrorist attack." "Okay, fine. You''re the boss. I understand that, in terms of filmmaking, you''re more talented than me." Note that Stella Willow was a producer, so she had an idea of how filming works. Being the CEO of Grey Pictures, Stella had witnessed how the company flourished. She had also worked hard to make it happen. Now that Grey Pictures was doing well, she was afraid of making mistakes. In her opinion, the company should maintain its stability. Since the Taken franchise was all about kidnapping, she felt like adding a terrorist attack and revenge plots to the movie wouldn''t make it better. It might even become a problem. She didn''t like the plot at all. Furthermore, when she found out that Kazir wanted a film director like Nolan to direct the movie, she was dismayed. It made her even more stressed. Stella had worked hard for this company, and she didn''t want to see it fall. She basically treated it like her child, considering that she now had shares in Grey Pictures. Kazir''s decision didn''t sit well with her. However, being a professional and knowing that it was impossible to change Kazir''s mind, she decided to back down and accept it. She was not happy, though. She leaned back against her chair and sighed. Everything she did for this company was to make it prosper. She hoped Kazir''s decision was the right one. She hoped that adding a bit of a noir theme to Taken 3 would actually make it better. "If there''s something that annoys me, it''s the fact that you''re trying to help this British director for some reason. Tell me, have you met Christopher Nolan before?" "No, I''ve never met him." "...That makes it more confusing. You just trusted this man even though you''ve never met him." "..." Kazir just smiled. One of the biggest reasons why he wanted to hire Christopher Nolan was guilt. Yes, he felt guilty. Even though this was a different timeline and no one knew the truth, Kazir understood that he had stolen Nolan''s masterpiece, the Dark Knight Trilogy. And for that, he was sorry. So, he might as well hire the director to make things fair. At least Nolan''s career wouldn''t be affected, since Taken 3 would be added to his filmography. People would still respect him. By the way, Christopher Nolan was actually a talented director from the start. His filmography was so great that even someone like Kazir felt jealous. Christopher Nolan was undoubtedly the best director of the new century. His storytelling, his filmmaking, and the box office results of each movie, he was the best for a reason. His first movie, Following, only cost $6,000 to make. This was his debut movie, yet it grossed $126,000. It may look small, but the return on investment was clear. His second movie was probably the start of his fame. Christopher Nolan''s Memento grossed $40 million despite a budget of $9 million. His third movie was his knock on the door of the box office. Insomnia grossed $113 million while having a budget of $40 million. Considering that Christopher Nolan was still a newbie in the industry, his first three movies were all great. Noir films were not highly accepted in cinemas because of their heavier themes, yet Nolan''s movies were performing well. The start of his peak career was when he directed the Dark Knight Trilogy... Erm, this time, the start of his peak career was when he directed Taken 3. Stella stood up. She accepted the plan. "I will contact Nolan. I''ll offer him a promising salary." "Thanks, Stella. Oh, by the way, once I''m done filming Batman Begins, you can file for vacation. I know that you''ve worked so hard for this company, and you deserve a month''s vacation. You can plan ahead." "Sir, I think I changed my mind. You are not a red flag at all." For the first time in this meeting, Stella smiled. "I have no idea what you''re talking about. And by the way, did you just call me ''sir''? I thought we made it clear that we''re now on a first-name basis?" "Goodbye, sir. Have a great day." The woman left the room. "Hehe. Bora Bora, Bali, Maya Bay, Cayman Islands, Puerto Princesa, Santa Monica Beach... Hm, no, let''s erase Santa Monica Beach. I went there last time with my ex... Sigh." She started muttering the names of beaches. ... ... ... The private plane landed on the runway of Keflavi?k International Airport. The door opened, and the passengers exited the flight one by one. "Ah, the cold air of Iceland," Kazir muttered as the cold, dry breeze hit his face. Kazir and the crew had successfully stepped into Iceland. Now, it was time to go to the hotel and take a rest. ++++++ [Fifth and the last chapter of the day.] [Also, if you want to read the complete story, you can check out my Pa treon.] P@treon link: https://www.patr eon.com/Puji_maki Chapter 439 Chapter 439 Liam Neeson and Christian Bale were standing on a frozen lake. The strong breeze of snow blew by. The two were holding swords, ready to strike. They both had serious expressions, not caring about the fragile ice beneath their feet. Suddenly, Christian made the first move, and Liam Neeson went on defense. The two... the two were not really fighting. Even their swordfight looked mediocre if you watched it in person. They were moving slowly, obviously because the swords they carried were made of real metal. The swords were not sharp, to make sure they wouldn''t injure each other. Grey Pictures had so many weapon props in their storage that the crew could reuse them repeatedly. Despite their slow movement, it was true that Christian and Liam''s battle looked nice. They had trained in this exact choreography for weeks, taught by professionals. So even though it looked meh, the cameras that were capturing the scene made it look epic. This scene would also undergo editing to make it more action-packed, with captivating background music and the sound of swords clashing added. A Even the ice lake they were fighting on was 100% safe. The crew had checked it twice and confirmed that it could be used for filming... Also, a few meters away from the scene, some crew members were fishing on the frozen lake by drilling a hole. As for the soft snow breeze that lasted for three seconds, it was real. They didn''t use artificial snow. They were just lucky to capture that moment while Christian and Liam were fighting. Of course, Kazir decided to include it in the movie to make it more authentic. "Okay, cut--! That''s all for today!" When Kazir said the job was done, both Christian and Liam stopped fighting. Then, their assistants gave them hot towels and tea or coffee to warm their stomachs. It was cold, after all. Liam dropped all of the serious acting and started shivering once the cameras stopped rolling. "It''s really cold," the veteran actor muttered. "Yeah, it is." Christian replied. Even though Christian was cold, he still maintained his serious vibe, probably still in the zone of being Bruce Wayne, a person undergoing training under an organization. Bruce Wayne would feel cold, but he wouldn''t act weak. The two actors went to their respective trailers. Their trailers had heaters. Having a trailer and a heater in this cold place in Iceland was really a privilege. Kazir made sure that his actors would always be comfortable, no matter what the circumstances. He didn''t want them to feel any stress while on the filming set. Besides, Warner Brothers were rich, and they could send dozens of trailers with heaters for the crew to use. The crew cleaned the set while some prepared the tents. They were in the middle of nowhere, and the nearest city was a four-hour drive if the road wasn''t covered in snow. Thankfully, the production crew had everything they needed. Kazir looked around and saw a few people around the fishing hole, trying to catch fish. "I really have no idea what''s happening here." He approached them. "You don''t have any scenes to film here, so why are you here?" He stared at Scarlett Johansson, who was sitting next to her fishing rod while sipping hot chocolate. "I''m having a vacation. I''m tired of going to warm countries, so I decided to take a vacation in white snow this time." "You''re having a vacation in Iceland, very close to our filming set." "Nope. I''m part of the crew, so of course I''m going to stay with you guys." "..." He sighed. He sat on the unoccupied seat next to Scarlett. The woman was wearing a thick jacket and a beanie hat. "You''re fishing while the others are working. Don''t you know that you''re affecting our job right now?" "It''s not my fault. I''m just fishing. Look at Enrico, he''s also having fun." Scarlett and Kazir looked at Enrico Pusi, who was waiting for his fishing rod to move. "I''m having fun," the producer muttered. He already had five fish in his bucket. Kazir curiously looked at Scarlett''s bucket and found nothing. He couldn''t control himself and laughed. "You said you''re fishing, but you haven''t even caught one, haha!" The woman pouted. "This is my first time doing this!" "Yeah, right. Here, let me help you." "But what about your job?" Scarlett handed the fishing rod to Kazir, and the man checked if it had bait. Sure enough, there was none. "Today''s job is done. It''s not that bad to take a rest once in a while." "That''s great to hear." Scarlett passed him a cup of hot chocolate. "Thanks." A few minutes later, Kazir caught a fish. "We got one!" Scarlett was so happy that her bucket had a fish at last. This also made Kazir smile. More people arrived and looked at what they were doing. The crew decided to build a tent around the fishing hole to fend off the snow. Just like that, some people who were interested in fishing copied what they did and also tried to catch fish. Unfortunately, they only had a few fishing rods to use. When the sky turned dark, Enrico Pusi had caught the most fish, with 14 fish. Second was Liam Neeson, who also joined the fun, with 11 fish. Third was Kazir, who had 7 fish. Fourth was Christian Bale, who caught 6 fish. The crew decided to roast fish that night. The atmosphere was lively despite the cold. It felt like they were having a camp instead of working. Well, their two bosses were having fun, so they were going with the flow. This was a rare moment where the crew took advantage of the situation and had fun. Chapter 440 Chapter 440 The filming in Iceland went smoothly. They took some background shots and also took advantage of the situation to fish more. Kazir was consistent and never forgot any scenes. If he had an idea, he would talk to the crew and shoot it within their capabilities. "I didn''t know you could cook?" "Don''t underestimate me. Of course I can cook." It had been two weeks since the crew stepped foot in Iceland... Honestly, they were getting tired of the cold weather. It was a good thing that they never overextended, since Kazir was fast with his job as a director. Two days from now, they would return to the United States. While staying in Iceland, the crew members developed a hobby of fishing. So right now, on the table, Kazir was looking at freshly fried fish and chips. He was amazed by the woman who cooked the dish because he didn''t expect it at all. Scarlett remarked that she could cook, and Kazir unconsciously chuckled when he heard it. ''She was probably talking about microwaving some stuff.'' Kazir believed so. Scarlett was recognized as one of the most beautiful and hottest celebrities in Hollywood. Surely, she could hire someone to cook her food. Besides, actresses in Hollywood usually maintain their weight to ensure that their facial features wouldn''t change. She wouldn''t have the luxury of indulging in homemade cooking. When Scarlett heard his mocking laugh, she clicked her tongue and made a bet. "Let''s make a bet. You will do whatever I want once I show you that I can cook." "Okay, if you can really cook, I will do whatever you want." He grinned. ''She''ll probably ask me to increase her screen time in the movie.'' He had heard this favor so many times from actors and agents. Some even tried to bribe him. "Don''t try to escape once I prove myself to you." Scarlett was beaming with anger. This man dared her to cook. He didn''t know what he was stepping into. Believing that this bet was simple, Kazir was invited to a cookout. The production had hired a group of cooks to prepare food whenever the crew members were busy. Most of the time, people in the production crew didn''t have time to cook, so they owed a lot to these cooks. In front of witnesses, Scarlett entered the kitchen and started cooking. Kazir''s face was smiling at first, but his expression slowly turned into a frown as he saw how Scarlett cooked meals. Let her cook. A few minutes later, a plate of food was delivered right in front of him. The people around him were looking at Kazir, waiting for his response. Some of them also wanted to have a taste of Scarlett''s dish. He sighed and decided to taste it... It was actually delicious. It wasn''t Michelin restaurant-level, but it was definitely delicious. "Don''t try to make an excuse and say that fish and chips are simple dishes. If you want, I can also cook another meal. We have fettuccine pasta. I can cook Fettuccine Alfredo for you." "Nah, I''m not that petty. I admit that you can cook... Also, I have no idea what Fettuccine Alfredo is." Some Italians in the crew gasped when Kazir said that. "Okay, fine. You win. So what do you want me to do?" "..." Scarlett glanced at the people who were enjoying the scene. "I''ll tell you later." "All right." Kazir agreed. He also knew that it would be uncomfortable if Scarlett said she wanted more screen time in front of many people, especially when Christian Bale and Liam Neeson were also there. As for keeping his promise of increasing her screen time... Kazir would try his best to do so while not destroying the movie. After all, Batman Begins was about a superhero fighting crime, not a romance story... "Ah, I remember, there was no romance, only tragedy." Rachel Dawes died in The Dark Knight... Even Romeo and Juliet didn''t have an intense scene like that, where Batman had to choose which person he had to save. The filming in Iceland ended. For some reason, Scarlett never talked about the bet, and Kazir also forgot about it since he had a job to do. Despite staying in Iceland for more than two weeks, the crew didn''t have time to see the Aurora Borealis. Perhaps they might have a chance later. The crew returned to the United States, and many of them were happy to experience the warm weather of Los Angeles. Despite the winter, Los Angeles was still warmer than Iceland. November was a busy month for Hollywood, as six big movies were released that month. The Polar Express, from Warner Brothers. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, from Universal Pictures. Finding Neverland, from Miramax. National Treasure, from Walt Disney. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie, from Paramount Pictures. Alexander, from Warner Brothers. Some of these movies surpassed $200 million, while others stayed in the usual $100 million box office range. By the way, Angelina Jolie actually starred in Alexander. The actress was questioned about the reason why she and Kazir were no longer dating, and the woman just smiled and didn''t answer. Even though Warner Brothers was working with Kazir, they didn''t hesitate to use his past relationship as a way of promoting their movie. Kazir didn''t like it. But he didn''t have a say in this regard. He was also working under Warner Brothers, after all. Besides, it was too late when he heard the news, so he just let it go. He decided to focus more on his project. He also had to attend the premiere of La La Land this week. He was the screenwriter of that movie. [Second chapter of the day.] Chapter 441 Chapter 441 [Author''s Note: After looking at it again, I found that the distributor of La La Land was actually Lionsgate. I made a mistake last time, but I''m too lazy to edit.] La La Land was first released on November 25 at the American Film Institute Festival in Los Angeles as a small premiere. The movie didn''t win any awards, so the film crew had to settle for seven days of small screenings in Los Angeles, only having 5 theaters to release the movie on December 9. This was one of the requirements to get a nomination for the Academy Awards. The movie should have a theatrical release that must last at least seven consecutive days, with at least three screenings per day. So seven days passed by, and the movie grossed $1 million. For a movie that only had 5 theaters screening it for seven days, that result was not that bad. Lionsgate fought for more theaters. The Cinema Alliance was trying to assess the profitability of La La Land. They knew that the director of this movie was Fremont Smith. Fremont was known for making action movies, and this musical was definitely not his forte. Still, they decided to give the movie 200 theaters at the start of December 16. When the 200 theaters were announced, Lionsgate officially planned a red carpet. The cast of La La Land obviously attended the event despite the not-so-good publicity. After all, Lionsgate was just a second-tier studio. The company didn''t have much power to move the media. Thankfully, Lionsgate was gaining confidence in its business decisions, especially after the success of Saw at the box office. They spent money on La La Land, that was for sure. Kazir attended the red carpet but didn''t stay long. It was not his movie, and he was not part of the cast. He didn''t want the audience to focus their attention on him. Once the movie was done, Kazir congratulated Fremont, Brianna, and even Ryan Gosling. After that, he left the theater. Sixteen days after the screening of La La Land, the movie grossed $9 million at the box office with 200 theaters. The Cinema Alliance saw the profitability, so they decided to give it more theaters. They felt that the movie would do better compared to the other movies released in the same month. In December, the only movies that could compete with La La Land were Blade: Trinity, Ocean''s Twelve, Million Dollar Baby, and The Aviator. The matchups for December 2004 were kind of weak. There was no Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings to dominate the month. Most of the time, those two would be released in December. Well, the Lord of the Rings trilogy was completed, while Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was already released in May. Since the Cinema Alliance couldn''t find promising gems in the releases this month, they decided to assign more theaters to La La Land. When Christmas arrived, the number of theaters screening La La Land went up to over 700. That was the start of La La Land''s smooth sailing. Lionsgate was so happy when they saw the numbers going up. They were the investor and distributor of La La Land, so they would have suffered the most if the movie had failed. Thankfully, that didn''t happen. Even Fremont and the cast sighed in relief when they saw that their movie was doing well. Nobody wanted to see their hard work and art piece fail. While La La Land was having its screening, Fremont and the cast also promoted the movie. Not only that, but Fremont and Brianna also attended many parties in Los Angeles. Even Ryan Gosling joined the campaign in the hope that he would also get a nomination. God knows how hard it was to get a nomination. Most of the time, it was about how much money you were willing to spend. The Academy Awards were not about performing arts anymore. It was about who was going to spoil them. Kazir experienced it once and had no intention of trying again. Sure, the award was prestigious, but the Academy Awards were never fair. It was the money and politics behind the votes. ...... ... ... January arrived, obviously. Kazir didn''t have much time to spend on vacation. His vacation was making movies, that was the happiest moment of his life. But of course, he visited his family in New York. The filming of Batman restarted, and their schedule was moving forward at a fast but expected pace. While in that process, Enrico Pusi actually asked him about the possibility of adding Constantine to their DC Cinematic Universe. "What?" Kazir was confused at first. Yes, he knew about their so-called Cinematic Universe, but he didn''t take it seriously because he knew that Warner Brothers would have a hard time making one. The official start of the DCEU was in 2013, using Man of Steel. He chuckled. "Enrico, before thinking about a Cinematic Universe, you should make sure that the movies are profitable first. If the initial movies don''t make money, then the Cinematic Universe you guys are planning might not happen at all." "..." Enrico was speechless. Constantine. Superman Returns. Green Lantern. Catwoman. They all had similarities. One, they were all from DC Comics. Second, they flopped. They had huge production costs, but the box office they generated couldn''t return the investment. This is also the reason why they didn''t get sequels... Although there were rumors that Keanu Reeves was interested in Constantine 2, well, that movie might happen around two decades later. [Third chapter of the day.] Chapter 442 Chapter 442 Warner Brothers released so many DC movies, but most of them never had sequels due to obvious failure. This was different from Marvel Comics, which had successful superhero franchises. Heck, even Fantastic Four had two movies. This franchise had mixed reviews, yet it was still more profitable compared to Green Lantern and Catwoman. Perhaps the difference between the two comic companies lay in their investments. Unlike DC Comics, Marvel Comics was poorer, so they rarely invested much in their movies in the 2000s. So even if the box office wasn''t high, it was still profitable because the production cost was low. Unlike Superman Returns, which had an investment of more than $400 million including promotion, the worldwide box office was only $390 million... Warner Brothers were really confident that Superman would save them, huh? Let''s not even talk about Green Lantern. That was the definition of DC and Warner Brothers making a clear mistake. The production budget was $200 million, but the box office was only $220 million. Even Ryan Reynolds fucking hated the movie. The uncanny CGI, weak storyline, poor visual effects, and failure to establish Green Lantern as a character... Batman v Superman... The only people who could understand this movie were the comic fans. It didn''t make sense at all. Suicide Squad (2016). It had a confusing plot and inconsistent tone, and they completely messed up Joker''s portrayal. The fans didn''t like it, and the critics didn''t like it either. Birds of Prey. Shazam! Fury of the Gods. The Flash... Such a disappointment. Yeah, Warner Brothers and DC Comics didn''t know how to handle their projects. They had so much content that they could farm, yet they failed half of the time. Bruh, you have established superhero comics, and millions of people know them. How could you fuck up this much? "If Warner Brothers had bought shares in Grey Pictures and we became partners, I might have found a way to save the DCEU. Unfortunately, the DCEU is my enemy, and I don''t have any intention of helping them." In the first place, the reason why he took on the Dark Knight Trilogy was because he was doxxed last year. He decided to ally with Warner Brothers for the time being to receive protection. Whenever Warner Brothers and DC Comics tried to talk to him about possible cooperation regarding their Cinematic Universe, Kazir always said no. "If I were Warner Brothers, they should focus on making their superhero characters more solid and give them proper character development. Also, they should respect the source material. Keep the consistency of the theme and tone of the whole DCEU." ??NO?¦¢E?S Find better villains and flesh them out. Don''t chase Marvel... This was probably the biggest reason why the DCEU failed. They tried to copy Marvel''s blueprint. ... ..... ... "Haa... I think I need a little stretching." Liam Neeson said, and people around him chuckled. The man was doing an action stunt. This was the set of Taken 3. The project was already approved in October before Kazir went to Germany. Stella Willow quickly contacted Christopher Nolan and signed him with a contract worth $10 million, this was Nolan''s biggest contract so far. The Batman Begins crew only stayed for three weeks in Iceland. So when the filming was done, Liam Neeson immediately joined the set of Taken 3 to practice his choreography. In November and December were Taken 3''s pre-production, and their filming would start in the third week of January. As for Liam Neeson''s role in Batman Begins, as expected, he had already finished filming. Kazir knew that Liam was needed in Taken 3 the most, so he finished all of his scenes before Taken 3 started production. In fact, Batman Begins was now close to completion. The project officially started filming in September. In just four months, Kazir was almost done filming Batman Begins. This was the kind of talent many studios were craving. Fast yet profitable. Being an executive producer of Taken 3, of course, Kazir decided to check the progress of the movie. He also spoke with Christopher Nolan, and the two started sharing their ideas and thoughts regarding filmmaking. Kazir watched from the sidelines while the cast was training. He saw Scarlett Johansson sweating and holding two bottles of water. Just like Liam Neeson, Scarlett was also in Taken 3. This time, she had some tough stunts to do... They were probably done by professional stunt performers. Anyway, the woman approached Kazir and gave him a bottle. She wiped the sweat off her forehead. She was only wearing a tank top, and Kazir subconsciously glanced at her figure before quickly averting his gaze. Scarlett was hot. She was so sexy that many of the men on the set were glancing at her body. It was no surprise that Kazir also glanced at her. "Thanks for the water." "You''re welcome. You don''t look fine, so I decided to give you one. You probably need sleep," the woman muttered while gasping. Kazir lacked sleep. Well, most directors working on their projects lacked sleep. This was standard procedure at this point. "You too. I think you also need rest." Kazir replied. Because Scarlett jumped from Batman Begins to Taken 3, she was also tired from working. "Rest, huh? I know the best way to quickly fall asleep." She smirked, playfully staring at him. "Yeah, what is it?" "It''s se¡ª" "Sigh¡ª!!!!" Before Scarlett could say it, Harold Witsend showed up with a haggard face. If Kazir and Scarlett looked tired, then the producer looked devastated... His balding was getting obvious. "Sigh¡ª!!!" Harold let out a long sigh. He seemed to be facing some problems. [Fourth chapter of the day.] Chapter 443 Chapter 443 "Sigh, I don''t know what to do." Harold weakly muttered and leaned against the wall next to Kazir and Scarlett. He looked like a young teenager suffering from puppy love. He glanced at Kazir. "Kazir, tell me what to do." He looked at Kazir and Scarlett. Kazir was confused, while Scarlett was just staring. The woman was actually disappointed at Harold. Harold had just shown up while Scarlett was flirting with Kazir, shooting her shot. Of course, she didn''t like it when the balding producer disturbed their conversation. "I have no idea what you''re talking about, Harold. Can you please elaborate? Are you talking about the production budget of Taken 3? I thought we all agreed that the budget should be $80 million. Is it not enough?" For a second, Kazir thought that Grey Pictures didn''t have money. But that should be impossible because they generated more than $1 billion every year... Although around 30% of that was their profit. Anyway, it was still a huge amount of money. "No, it''s not about Taken 3. The production is going great. It''s about my wife. She believes I''m cheating." "Damn, that''s tough," Kazir replied. He didn''t have a good experience with the term cheating... No one ever had a good experience with cheating spouses. "But are you though?" Scarlett joined in. "Of course not. She doesn''t even have any evidence because I''m really innocent. I''m not cheating." "Then why does she think you''re cheating?" Realizing that the topic was about relationships, Scarlett became interested. "I don''t know. She said I was acting strange last year. And now that I''ve returned to being normal, she thinks I ended my relationship with my mistress." "What were you doing last year that made your wife think you were cheating?" Scarlett was basically interrogating Harold at this point. "I just did what I normally do. Which is my job. I was just busy, that''s all." Harold wasn''t insane enough to explain that he had been entangled with Elizabeth Cohen, Kazir''s mom. That would never be a comfortable topic to talk about. "...I see." Perhaps Kazir had an idea of what happened last year, so he decided to give advice. "Why don''t you tell her that you love her and that you''re not cheating at all? Maybe take her on a date or something," Kazir said. "I did that, but she''s still grumpy." "I don''t know, man, I''ve never cheated in my entire life." Kazir shook his head, and Scarlett glanced at him. This time, it was Scarlett who sighed. "What about you and Cameron Diaz? You cheated on Reese with her, right?" "Huh? Reese and I never dated. Neither of us ever made it official. We also ended on good terms." "Aha, so you need a label to make sure that you''ll never cheat." "Of course. If I have a girlfriend, I''ll never cheat." Kazir felt bad about what he did. He was vulnerable at that time and fell for his own mistake. He knew that he wasn''t a perfect person, but he would make sure never to make the same mistake again. R?a?????o?E?S? "I see, I see... I guess I have to make it clear." She whispered that last sentence. The two looked at Harold, who was slumping against the wall. "What I don''t understand is that she said I''m not her type. I''m not her type anymore. God, I don''t know what to do." Well, Harold had gained weight. He also had a receding hairline. He was so busy with his job that he probably didn''t have much time for his wife and children. "You should probably communicate with your wife more. Oh, and buy her some chocolate and flowers. Maybe she''ll like it." Kazir was just offering some common techniques at this point. "You should apologize. It doesn''t matter if you''re right or wrong, you should apologize to your wife. Go to the gym and lose weight. Oh, you should also cut your hair and go bald instead. It''s better to be bald than to have an obvious receding hairline and bald spots," Scarlett added. "I''ll take note of that... I''m not sure if I''ll look good bald though." The producer sighed for the fourth time before excusing himself. Spoiler alert: Harold and his wife didn''t divorce. They had another child instead. Harold''s wife was just looking for excuses and reasons so that Harold would work hard for their relationship. It worked, but it was manipulative though. "I hope his relationship with his wife gets better," Kazir said while looking at Harold walking away. He didn''t want to see his friends getting depressed because of heartbreak. After all, Kazir had also experienced it, and it was painful. "Speaking of type, what about you, Kazir? What''s your type in a woman?" Scarlett curiously asked. She''d probably take note of it. "Me? Hmm, let me think. I don''t have high standards. I just want a woman who will love me and support me. Someone who can give me peace." "That''s it? What about her looks and appearance? Vital statistics?" "Scarlett, at this point in my life, I''m done looking for beautiful women. As long as I love her, it doesn''t matter if she''s beautiful or not." "That''s... That''s romantic." "Thanks, I guess." Kazir chuckled. "What about me? Are you not going to ask me what my type is?" "Nah, I know your type. I read it in Vogue magazine." "..." When Scarlett heard it, she blushed and fanned her face. "Scarlett, are you okay? You''re getting red. Do you need water?" "I- I''m fine." She replied, then drank from her water bottle. She didn''t know why, but Kazir''s answer made her blush. [Fifth and the last chapter of the day.] [Also, if you want to read the complete story, you can check out my Patr eon.] P@treon link: https: //www .patre on .com /Puji_maki Chapter 444 Chapter 444 Scarlett cupped her cheeks. She was embarrassed because she knew that her face was blushing red right now. She kept glancing at Kazir, who was looking at her worriedly... As expected. He''s really handsome. She hated to admit it, but she wanted to squeeze his cheeks. He''s so cute and handsome. The corners of her lips curled up without her knowing. She had been facing this feeling for years now. She had to admit it. At first, it was just a crush, but the attraction grew stronger the more she got to know him. Kazir was probably the best man she had ever met. And it would be such a waste if other women acquired him. You know, even finding love was a competition. Since you''re going to look for a life partner, why not settle for the best out there? Scarlett had met so many men in the industry, but no one could compare to Kazir and the achievements he had under his belt. That was super attractive, and there was nothing wrong with that. "Scarlett? Are you okay?" Perhaps being curious, Kazir decided to touch the woman''s forehead, and Scarlett felt like she was struck by lightning. Her already red face turned even redder. She looked like a tomato at this point. "I- I''m fine." She took a step back, afraid of what she might do. She took a deep breath. She was an actress, for god''s sake. Her blushing face returned to normal, and her demeanor also returned to its usual calm. Now, she was staring at Kazir normally. Although she knew deep inside that her heart was beating so fast. "If you know my type, then you probably know that I like men who are older than me." "Yeah, I know about that," Kazir replied without hesitation. He had already read the article, and he respected people''s preferences. People are allowed to have preferences, after all. "Hm, that''s good." She smiled and passed him the half-empty bottle she had been drinking earlier. "Huh? Why are you giving me your bottle? I have mine." "Nothing. That''s my gift to you. You pass." She giggled and returned to the training. She was noticeably more cheerful and energetic. "... I have no idea what''s going on in her mind. But I''m happy that she''s happy." Taken 3 would continue their training this month. They would start filming in February. ...... ... ... The list of the highest-grossing movies of 2004 was a bit surprising. Who would have thought that the Green Ogre would actually dominate the worldwide box office? 1. Shrek 2. The movie almost surpassed $1 billion! It grossed $935 million. DreamWorks Animation was surely celebrating right now. And Jeffrey Katzenberg was probably giving the middle finger to Walt Disney. 2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, with $795 million. Well, there''s nothing to be surprised about here. Harry Potter had been a strong franchise from the start. The Prisoner of Azkaban was the third movie in the franchise, and it had a solid fanbase who watched the films every year. Warner Brothers was surely happy. 3. Spider-Man 2. Compared to the first movie, which created history, the second movie had a slightly lower box office, with $783 million. Well, the movie suffered from scandal. Both Tobey Maguire and Kazir Grey received criticism because of fake allegations. But overall, the result was still positive since $783 million was never a small amount. Also, the biggest profit came from merchandise sales, so Sony-Columbia was not disappointed at all. 4. 2 Fast 2 Furious. As always, Grey Pictures solidified its position in the industry. The studio kept releasing blockbusters every year. 2 Fast 2 Furious grossed $751 million at the worldwide box office. 5. The Incredibles. Created by Pixar Animation Studio, this movie grossed $631 million at the box office. 6. Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2. This was the second Continental Cinematic Universe movie on the list. The movie just ended its screening with $624 million. Now that the CCU was becoming more relevant, studios were seriously studying the business structure of the cinematic universe as a whole. 7. The Passion of the Christ. Directed by Mel Gibson, this movie about Jesus Christ''s crucifixion garnered mixed reviews all over the globe due to controversies. Overall, the movie grossed $612 million. 8. The Day After Tomorrow was a disaster movie about climate change that caused a second ice age and covered the world in snow. This science fiction film caught people''s interest and grossed $552 million. 9. Troy was produced by Warner Brothers. A historical epic starring Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, and Orlando Bloom, it grossed $497 million. This was Brad Pitt''s second movie to reach the top 10 this year. The actor''s popularity surged, along with his salary. 10. Shark Tale was another DreamWorks Animation film. It grossed $374 million. Again, DreamWorks Animation was going to have a celebration, and Jeffrey Katzenberg was probably giving the middle finger to Walt Disney. This was the top 10 highest-grossing list created by Forbes Magazine. However, this list was still incomplete since some movies released late in the year still hadn''t completed their screening, such as Ocean''s Twelve and La La Land. The top 10 movies this year were occupied by: DreamWorks Animation: 2 movies (Shrek 2, Shark Tale) Warner Brothers: 2 movies (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Troy) Sony-Columbia: 1 movie (Spider-Man 2) Grey Pictures: 2 movies (2 Fast 2 Furious, Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2) Pixar/Walt Disney: 1 movie (The Incredibles) Newmarket Films: 1 movie (The Passion of the Christ) 20th Century Fox: 1 movie (The Day After Tomorrow) ++++++ [First chapter of the day.] Chapter 445 Chapter 445 January was in its last week, and several things had happened such as Batman Begins finishing its filming. Now, Kazir had to spend most of his time in the editing room. Another tiring month for Kazir, but it was something he loved to do. The 31st People''s Choice Awards also took place, with Johnny Depp and Julia Roberts winning as the Most Favorite Motion Picture Actor and Actress, respectively. In the same month, the 62nd Golden Globes Awards were held. Leonardo DiCaprio won Best Actor in a Motion Picture, while Hilary Swank won Best Actress in a Motion Picture. A lot of people kind of expected these results at the Golden Globes Awards. Some were sad, while others were happy. However, the most devastated were probably Leonardo DiCaprio and Hilary Swank, because most of the time, the winners of the Golden Globes don''t end up winning the Academy Awards. It was considered a curse, though not a foolproof one. There were exceptions, like Cate Blanchett, who won both the Golden Globes and the Academy Award for her leading role in Blue Jasmine. Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Lawrence, and Natalie Portman had similar experiences. Anyway, Leonardo DiCaprio and Hilary Swank still had a chance... Erm, Leonardo might have a lower chance though, because for some reason, the Academy Awards just didn''t like the idea of Leonardo winning. Aside from awards shows, La La Land was also one of the most promising movies released late last year. As of January 28, La La Land had already surpassed $100 million, grossing $103.26 million. Lionsgate was so confident in the movie''s future that they had already contacted their international distributors to prepare for global screenings. Lionsgate wasn''t confident enough to say they had a worldwide distribution system, but they did have solid distribution lines in Europe, Australia, South America, parts of Africa, and major regions of Asia. So yeah, they had the capability to release movies internationally. With the success of La La Land, a certain studio couldn''t help but be grumpy. That studio was none other than 20th Century Fox. La La Land was initially pitched by Salvatore to 20th Century Fox, but the studio wasn''t confident in the genre that Fremont wanted to explore. He had many genres to choose from, yet he decided to go with a musical. Even though the script was written by Kazir Grey, 20th Century Fox still wasn''t sure about it. And now, they regretted it so much. They even approached Kazir to ask if he had another musical script in his arsenal. They were willing to buy it at a high price. Kazir simply shook his head. "I can''t believe we have the chance to promote here. I thought Warner Brothers wouldn''t agree." Ryan Gosling whispered under his breath. Kazir heard what he said and chuckled. They were at the party hosted by Warner Brothers to celebrate the success of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The actor and the director had nice conversation. Both Ryan and Kazir were approachable and good people, so the two became close after just one conversation. Ryan Gosling had been in the industry since 1996, but he only got the biggest break in his career when he starred in The Notebook last year. That was his biggest role so far, aside from La La Land. "You have to understand politics. Warner Brothers agreed to let Fremont promote the movie on their turf because of me and Salvatore. The network we built is so wide that we have connections with every studio. Fremont''s purpose is to talk to Academy members at the party in hopes of getting their votes. Brianna is doing the same thing." Ryan nodded. He was still new to this game. "Another thing. You have to understand that there are no eternal enemies in this industry. Everyone might be enemies tomorrow but can be friends today. Warner Brothers understood that Fremont had potential. They''re using this small favor to make an impression, hoping Fremont will sign a movie contract with them. I''ll tell you this, Fremont is in demand." "Just like you, Kazir." "Nah, don''t flatter me. It won''t work." The two laughed. "By the way, why aren''t you trying to introduce yourself to them? Maybe some members will give their votes to you." Ryan gave a weak smile. "My agent determined that we might have a hard time winning Best Actor this year. I''m still a nobody, after all." "But there''s still a chance though." "Yeah, but I probably can''t beat Leonardo DiCaprio or Clint Eastwood." "There''s nothing wrong with trying." Ryan shook his head, and Kazir didn''t push the topic further. After all, he had an idea why Ryan Gosling wasn''t trying his best. It was probably because of his agent and PR team. They felt it would be a lost cause to promote Ryan since his chances of winning were low. Doing PR (Public Relations) costs money, especially when it comes to bribing Academy members. Yes, they had to bribe those old farts in many ways just to get their votes. Ryan was still new to the limelight and didn''t have many resources. "Ah, I just remembered, is it true that you and Rachel McAdams are dating?" Since the topic of "Enemy Tomorrow, Friends Today" was mentioned, Kazir decided to ask about Ryan''s relationship with Rachel McAdams. Kazir had heard that Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams'' relationship was nothing but pure publicity. He had seen a lot of actors and actresses getting into relationships to promote their movies. Kazir looked at Ryan Gosling''s expression and realized that the actor was actually blushing! "I''m sorry, I overstepped my boundaries." Realizing his mistake, Kazir apologized. "N¨C No, it''s fine. I do like Rachel, but I''m not sure about her feelings." "..." ''So they''re still not dating? I guess the tabloids and magazines are hyping their relationship, huh? But it''s strange because I thought they hated each other. I guess some rumors are fake after all.'' He realized that rumors couldn''t be trusted. He had to believe in what he saw. [Second chapter of the day.] Chapter 446 Chapter 446 The Academy Awards... well, was this award show really relevant? Like, does it even matter if it exists or not? After so many dramas that the Academy Awards created, it could be said that the Academy Awards were indeed relevant, because it was entertaining. Seeing a host get slapped in the face and being made fun of was probably the most devious thing that happened at the Academy Awards. Furthermore, instead of berating the perpetrator, the Academy Awards decided to give the Best Actor Award to the said slapper instead. You know, Will Smith had a fucking run at the Academy Awards. And everyone in that building was insane for sympathizing with him. Clearly, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith were the wrong ones, yet they received a massive standing ovation from the fucking audience. Bruh, bruh, bruh, I''ll repeat it till you cringe. Hollywood is downright insane, and people are slowly realizing that. Anyway, despite the dramas that the Academy Awards created, it didn''t change the fact that for most actors, this award show meant everything in their career. At the end of the day, earning that golden statue proved that they were recognized as one of the best actors or actresses in the industry. It means that they made a name for themselves. It was not surprising that the Academy Awards became the most prestigious award show in the world. Gaining recognition on this platform was something to be proud of. ... ... ... It was February 3rd. Frank Pierson and Adrien Brody stood on the stage of the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California. They announced the nominations for the upcoming 77th Academy Awards. The people who attended this small party were interested in these nominations because most of them were competing at the Oscars. Fremont Smith, Brianna Evans, and the cast of La La Land were at their tables, waiting for the announcement. One by one, the names of movies and people were announced. Some were sad, some were happy, and some were happier because they had received many nominations. Brianna and Fremont sighed in relief when they heard their names. Their hard work paid off after socializing for months. They were nominated for Best Actress and Best Director, respectively. Even Ryan Gosling was a bit surprised when he heard his name. He thought the Academy Awards would disregard him. Well, in the original timeline, Ryan Gosling was indeed nominated for the Best Actor Award for starring in La La Land. La La Land got five nominations: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Original Song. The Aviator got 11 nominations. Finding Neverland and Million Dollar Baby both got 7 nominations. Ray got 6 nominations. Sideways and La La Land both got 5 nominations. Surprisingly, Spider-Man 2 received 3 nominations despite being a mainstream movie. Although the three nominations were all minor awards. Spider-Man 2 received nominations for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing. The news quickly spread. ... ... ... "Is that so? I didn''t expect that Spider-Man 2 would get nominated. Congratulations on getting a nomination. Please congratulate Brianna for me. Nah, you don''t have to thank me. What I did was just give you the script. You did all of the hard work. You deserve every achievement because you earned it. Yeah, if you need help, you can contact me or Salvatore." Kazir ended the call. Fremont had just called him to tell him the good news. Indeed, Kazir was surprised that Spider-Man 2 received 3 nominations. However, he kind of expected that they would be minor awards at best. After all, he knew that the Academy Awards had extreme disgust for mainstream movies, even though mainstream movies were the reason why Hollywood was still relevant. Hollywood was not built to spread art. Hollywood was built because there was profit to be earned. Kazir rubbed his eyes and looked at the dimmed monitors in front of him. The editor that Warner Brothers sent to help him was already on the cold floor, sleeping without a care. They had been editing the footage for two weeks straight now. He yawned and checked his phone. It was 9 p.m. Before sleeping, he decided to take a walk to calm his nerves. He had a lot of stuff to do, and he hadn''t had much rest. He was happy that everyone around him had a good life. Even Harold Witsend, who was depressed a month ago, was now beaming with happiness after he found out that his wife was pregnant again, for the third time... Anyway, Harold decided to go bald and take some time for his family. He was also training in the gym to lose weight. Even Salvatore, who was still single for some reason, was having a great time at CAA. Yes, Salvatore was now a Co-Chairman of CAA after Bryan Lourd stepped out of the company. Once Bryan Lourd was gone, Kevin Huvane got the CEO position. Now, Kevin was the CEO and Co-Chairman of CAA, while Salvatore became the new Co-Chairman. It took more than a year for this inside politics to end. Kazir''s family was also doing well. The new business endeavor that Victor and Aaron promoted was making money. Their company was responsible for the online marketing of Batman Begins... Kazir recommended their company to Warner Brothers. Kazir was happy that everyone around him was happy. He took the elevator to reach the ground floor. Being alone in the elevator, Kazir''s mind was in deep thought. "This is not bad. I''ve been alone my entire life. At least this time, the people around me are happy." He smiled at the thought. Then, the elevator opened, and Kazir was surprised when he saw Scarlett holding a lunch box. She was wearing sunglasses despite it being nighttime. She was in her loose T-shirt and baggy pants. "Scarlett?" "K-Kazir?" The woman stuttered for some reason, as if her mind stopped working when she saw Kazir. +++++++ [This is a note I posted in Patreon a year ago.] [Author''s Note:] You''ve been reading this novel since Chapter 1, and you know how the plot usually advances, except for the love interest. You see, I''ve given you, my Patrons, the power to choose which actress you want Kazir to be with through polls. At first, I was really interested in Jennifer Connelly, since you know she is my crush. I even wanted to insert Kate Beckinsale because she''s also my crush. However, through polls and comments, I realized that the majority of you here like Scarlett Johansson, which I''m not surprised about. She is Scarlett Johansson after all, one of the most gorgeous actresses in Hollywood. Of course, since you helped me and my family improved our lives, I decided to write the best that I can do regarding Kazir''s romance. [For the nth time, I want to thank you for all of your support. I hope you will continue supporting me.] Chapter 447 Chapter 447 "I cooked too much..." Scarlett muttered to herself while looking at the dish she had prepared. She made Fettuccine Alfredo because she remembered that she had promised Kazir she would cook it for him later... Well, she didn''t exactly promise anything, but she just wanted to prove to Kazir that she could cook. She had decided to practice making the dish to ensure she wouldn''t mess it up later. However, she didn''t expect that the amount she prepared would be far too much for her to eat alone. Scarlett was an actress, and she had to maintain her weight. That was one of the many curses actresses usually suffered from. Hollywood was cruel to women and had so many expectations regarding their appearance. "Geez, what to do? I already ate my share, and I can''t eat everything on my own... It''d be a waste to throw it out." She touched her flat stomach... She had to brainwash herself into thinking she was full. Otherwise, she might gain a few pounds if she ate any more. She recalled the times when Kazir took her to restaurants. She smiled. Even though Kazir was serious most of the time, he encouraged Scarlett to eat whatever she wanted. He said eating a delicious meal was a luxury that everyone should experience. In fact, while filming Batman Begins, Kazir had told Scarlett that she didn''t need to worry about eating because she would still look beautiful no matter what. "...That guy. He just said it without any hesitation. He didn''t even know I was blushing the whole time." She sighed, feeling a bit happy. Anyway, she kept thinking about Kazir and couldn''t help herself. Perhaps she was love-struck. Kazir was a caring person, the only man who told her that eating until she was full was totally fine. "I wonder what he''s doing right now?" Scarlett sat down, looking at the Fettuccine Alfredo that was getting colder by the minute. "Knowing Kazir, he''s probably in the editing room at Warner Brothers. He''s been spending most of his time editing the movie. He probably eats instant noodles and pizza all the time... That''s so unhealthy." Scarlett was spot on. She wasn''t wrong. The whole time Kazir was in the editing room, he had been editing the movie and eating instant noodles and pizza. He even ate donuts for sugar. "Hm." She bit her lip and looked at her watch. It was 8:20 p.m. "He''s still awake, right?" She asked herself. "Should I? I mean... I have kind intentions, but... Really? Should I go there? Like, I know he needs nutritious food. So..." After a few minutes of inner monologue, Scarlett was in turmoil. In the end, she decided to follow her heart. She reheated the pasta, grabbed her car key, wore sunglasses, and drove to Warner Brothers. She knew what room Kazir stayed in since she had visited there thrice for dubbing lines. As expected, rush hour traffic hit when Scarlett got in her car. She was so sad when she finally reached Warner Brothers because the pasta had already gone cold. Anyway, there might be a microwave she could use. She spoke to the receptionist, and the receptionist let her in. She stopped in front of the elevator and pressed the button. "Gosh, Scarlett, what are you doing to yourself?" While waiting for the elevator, embarrassment struck her, and she started questioning herself about what she was doing. She touched her cheeks... Then the elevator doors opened, and Kazir was inside. "Scarlett?" "K-Kazir?" She stiffened and squealed. "Why are you here?" "I¡ªuh, I cooked too much pasta, so I decided to give you the remaining share so it won''t go to waste!" she said quickly, like she was rapping. She shoved the lunch box into Kazir''s hands. ?§ÑNO?¦ÂE?s "Thank you, I appreciate it." Kazir was surprised at first. He accepted the lunch box and took a look at it. There was an awkward silence for a moment. "Then, I guess I''ll leave now¡ª" Growl~ It was a long stomach grumble. The sound came from Scarlett''s stomach, revealing the truth that she was still hungry. Fortunately, there was no one else in the elevator except the two of them. Still, it was embarrassing for Scarlett. Kazir remained silent and looked at Scarlett, who was blushing and pouting. Her sunglasses couldn''t hide it. She looked like she was going to cry at any moment and she looked adorable... She wanted to slap herself, though, because what happened was just too embarrassing. "How about we share? This food is too much for one person." Kazir offered, trying to stop himself from laughing. "Yes, let''s eat together," she replied, her face still blushing. Warner Brothers had a cafeteria downstairs. Kazir asked for plates and utensils from the canteen. The two of them found a microwave and reheated the pasta. "You need to eat to maintain a healthy body." "Thanks." "Nah, I should be the one thanking you. This dish is delicious. I''ve only been eating noodles and pizza this week, so this whatever Alfredo is a game changer." "Fettuccine Alfredo." "Yeah, yeah." The two laughed and finished eating. They chatted for a while before wrapping up their meeting. "It''s cold outside, use my jacket." Scarlett was surprised when Kazir put his jacket around her shoulders. She glanced at Kazir, who acted as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "You really know how to make a woman''s heart beat faster," she whispered under her breath. "Did you say something?" "Nope." She sighed. The two walked to the parking lot, where Scarlett''s car was parked. "Have a safe drive." "I will... Hey," Scarlett stopped walking and turned around. She looked at Kazir seriously. "Do you remember the bet we made in Iceland?" "...Yeah, I remember that." Kazir lied. He didn''t remember it at all, he just recalled it now. "Since I won that bet, you have to do what I say, right?" "Yeah, I promised." Scarlett smirked. "I want you to take me seriously. Don''t act like you don''t know what''s going on. Kazir, you''re better than this." "..." Kazir didn''t know what to say. Scarlett got in her car and drove away, leaving Kazir speechless. "...She got me." +++++ [Fourth chapter of the day.] [Now that I''m reading this chapter, I fucking cringed... God, why did I make it like a Shoujo manga or something?] Chapter 448 Chapter 448 Kazir was stunned as Scarlett''s car left the building. A few seconds later, he chuckled and shook his head. It was true that he had forgotten he owed Scarlett regarding the bet in Iceland. He had actually thought Scarlett would use that bet to increase her screen time in the movie. Oh boy, he was wrong. He didn''t expect that she would use it like this. "I guess I have to be honest as well." Kazir was not stupid. He knew what was happening. He had an idea why Scarlett was doing all this. Although he was oblivious when it came to complimenting her, he was simply stating his honest thoughts. "...Yeah, I should move on now." Kazir had no reason to mourn a dead relationship. He had to move forward and build his future. "Since that''s what you want..." He opened his phone and called Erica, his assistant. "Erica, I want you to cancel my plans on February 14. Hm, yeah, tell Lionsgate to adjust the schedule. I have a date that day." ... ... ... January and February didn''t have much of a lineup of heavy movies. Only Hitch, starring Will Smith, had been released during those two months and made money. Hitch was actually a romance movie despite its title. It was released on February 11, very close to Valentine''s Day. There wasn''t much to look at in the box office during these weeks. Even La La Land had lost almost half of its theaters after more than two months of screening. So far, the movie had grossed $124 million domestically and $67 million internationally. The movie was actually in a great spot despite the slow progression. Because once February 27 arrived and La La Land won awards at the Academy Awards, the movie would get a second run at the box office. People would become more interested in La La Land once they found out the movie had won at the Oscars. Cinema Alliance would probably increase its number of theaters since it would never turn down more profits. Of course, this scenario would only happen if La La Land won awards at the 77th Academy Awards. If not, then they would have to be happy with what they got. The movie would probably surpass $300 million worldwide, so it was still a successful film. "I''m really happy to meet you today, Director." A man was beaming, grinning as he looked at the star-studded director across the table. "Yeah, me too." Kazir thought he wouldn''t be meeting anyone from Lionsgate this week. He had moved the schedule, rather, Erica had spoken to Lionsgate to move the schedule. But instead of postponing it, Lionsgate decided to advance the meeting instead. ra????¦¯¦¢¦¥s So today, on February 11, Kazir had to meet one of the producers from Lionsgate. The guy responsible for Now You See Me. Now You See Me was a script that Lionsgate had purchased from Kazir. They knew that to start a big franchise, they needed a script that had a strong chance of winning at the box office. Everyone in Hollywood knew that only Kazir Grey had that in his arsenal. Kazir never failed to deliver a good product to his customers. That was the reason he was in such high demand. "Um, before we start the meeting, can I get an autograph, please?" The producer, Mason Aiden, who would be forgotten a few chapters later since he was not relevant, pulled out a DVD case from his suitcase. The title of the movie was Zombie Pajama Dance Party. Kazir almost cringed. ''Out of all my movies, he wants me to sign an autograph on this corny horror movie of mine...'' He smiled, or at least tried to. He pulled out a pen and signed his signature... He didn''t even know this movie had a DVD version. He had sold the rights to this movie to a small studio. Well, the royalties from his horror movies were sent to his bank account, but he never looked at them because they were insignificant compared to the millions he made every year. After that cringe-worthy signing, the two parties began talking about Now You See Me. Kazir was the executive producer on paper, but he never attended the filming at all. He had been busy. Yet the fact that Lionsgate still paid him $1 million as his salary was mind-boggling. Lionsgate was probably trying to make a good impression so they could get more scripts from Kazir. This was a bribe. As for how Now You See Me would perform at the box office, it would probably do well. "Ah, I almost forgot. Congratulations on La La Land. Thanks for investing in this movie. Please help Fremont and Brianna to win the Academy Awards." Fremont and Brianna were his friends. He wanted to see them win. All of them were clients of Salvatore Barlowe. If the three of them won, then Salvatore would have three award-winning clients. Even though this agent was in demand, he never accepted any new clients anymore, because he didn''t have to. Some celebrities would love to become Salvatore''s client because of the intensive network he had, but the agent had stopped accepting anyone new. "You don''t have to thank us, Director. If La La Land wins at the Academy Awards, it''ll also be a good thing for us. Lionsgate will make more money if La La Land wins at the Academy. Besides, you''re the scriptwriter of La La Land. We should be the ones thanking you instead. Thanks for writing La La Land." Mason Aiden, a nameless producer, shyly replied. He was shy because his idol was asking him for a favor. [Fifth and the last chapter of the day.] [Also, if you want to read the complete story, you can check out my Pat reon.] P@treon link: https://www.pa treon.com/Puji_maki Chapter 449 Chapter 449 Kazir couldn''t deny that. He was the writer of La La Land and a major factor in its success. However, the box office already made a clear statement, and Kazir was confident that La La Land was profitable. What he needed from Lionsgate was their influence. Despite being a second-rate studio, they had the power to help Fremont and Brianna win their respective awards. "If Fremont and Brianna win the Best Director and Best Actress Awards, I don''t mind working with you... I might even direct a movie for Lionsgate." Kazir smiled, trying to increase the benefits. The benefits of winning at the Academy Awards were significant. It could boost the box office performance of La La Land, and it could also increase its DVD sales. However, what Kazir offered was a benefit that Lionsgate would have a hard time achieving on their own. They had tried multiple times to hire Kazir to direct their films. God knows how many times they had tried and how much money they had offered to convince the director, but Kazir was no longer moved by money. At this point in his career, what he sought was fun and the joy of directing movies. It didn''t matter which studio he worked with. "...Gulp." Mason Aiden, the producer who might play a role in this novel, swallowed hard. He couldn''t help but gulp down the saliva stuck in his throat, or else he might suffocate from sheer shock. He had heard it clearly and understood what Kazir was saying, but his mind took a second to fully process it. "...We will do our best." Winning an Academy Award was not simple. So many movies and celebrities were fighting for those honors. Lionsgate would have a tough time winning even one. They were supporting La La Land and hoped it would win, but Lionsgate had not been going all out. They were still relatively new in the industry, and their social network was not as vast as Miramax''s. But now, Lionsgate had a reason to go all in. Just like the lottery, despite the low odds, the prize was well worth it. "I''m glad to hear that." The two shook hands. Despite being a verbal agreement, Mason knew that this was the best outcome they could hope for from Kazir. The director had a strong reputation and wouldn''t back out of his promise. "You don''t have to worry, I won''t break my promise. I can either sell another script to Lionsgate or direct a movie for Lionsgate." "Of course, of course." Mason nodded twice, wiping his sweaty forehead. He didn''t expect this small meeting to end up like this. He felt like his seat was on fire from all the pressure. Actually, Kazir''s next movie was already planned for 2006. It was none other than Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest. The props had long been prepared, and even the cast had signed their contracts. They were, in fact, undergoing training at that moment, particularly Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. This was also the reason why Grey Pictures only had one CCU movie. They would overextend their resources if they attempted to produce three movie projects and a TV series in a single year. That was a problem Grey Pictures had faced two years ago. Back when they believed they could handle four projects per year. God, that had been a bit of a nightmare, even for Stella Willow. In 2003, Grey Pictures arrogantly released Wanted 2, The Equalizer, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and their TV series Game of Thrones. Thankfully, despite their overconfidence, all four projects were successful. Each one had generated millions in profit. So now, Grey Pictures returned to their usual two-movie-per-year strategy. As for Game of Thrones, Fox TV was taking care of the series. They had no intention of letting it jump to another network. ''If both Fremont and Brianna win, I have no problem working with Lionsgate. But they''ll have to wait. Of course, I''ll pick the movie I direct. Maybe the script will come from me too.'' ...... ... ... The Cinefamily. A nonprofit cinema exhibition. A silent movie theatre on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. The Cinefamily mostly featured silent films and old, obscure cult classics that didn''t receive much attention. The Cinefamily also held live score screenings, where silent films were accompanied by live musicians. Tonight, on Valentine''s Day, Scarlett was smiling ear to ear while sitting next to Kazir. Of course, she was happy that the man had finally made the first move and invited her on a date. And now, she was having fun because the silent film they were watching was The Circus (1928), starring Charlie Chaplin. Despite being almost a century old, the movie still made her laugh. The musicians accompanying the silent film made it even livelier. At first, she had been skeptical about the venue Kazir chose, but she didn''t expect it to be this enjoyable. Even Kazir, who was serious most of the time, was laughing. The two had a great night. They had dinner at an expensive restaurant and shared interesting conversations. "I had fun." "Me too." Scarlett blushed. They agreed to go on another date next week. Scarlett was so happy. Now, she didn''t regret pushing Kazir to take her seriously, because she liked being taken seriously. ++++ [I know it''s not relevant, but do you want Fremont and Brianna to win the Oscar, or only one of them? I''ll make it a poll so you can vote.] [First chapter of the day.] Chapter 450 Chapter 450 Wearing a light blue suit, Ryan Gosling stepped out of the limousine and extended his hand to Brianna Evans. The woman placed her hand in Ryan''s and gracefully stepped out of the limousine. Brianna was wearing a sleeveless silver sequin A-line dress that reached below her knees. She looked gorgeous. Brianna was known for her exceptional acting talent, not necessarily her looks, but tonight, she was truly stunning. Brianna and Ryan had chemistry in the movie La La Land, and some fans even shipped them in real life. However, Ryan was dating Rachel McAdams, so that scenario was impossible. Ryan was simply Brianna''s partner for the Academy Awards tonight. Nothing deeper was happening between them. Both of them received nominations at the Oscars, so they were doing great. Even Ryan''s PR team was surprised when the actor secured a nomination. The two walked along the red carpet, posed for cameras, and were then interviewed by the reporters. These scenes would be repeated by countless celebrities tonight. It was the standard procedure whenever a red carpet event took place. 1.) A celebrity would step out of an expensive car, usually a limousine. 2.) He or she would wave at the fans, and the fans would go crazy, screaming their name. 3.) He or she would pose for cameras, despite the blinding flashes that never stopped. 4.) A reporter would ask questions about the event, the celebrity would respond, and then head into the theater. However, unlike movie premieres, the pressure of stepping onto the red carpet at the Academy Awards was on another level. The 77th Academy Awards was broadcast live by ABC. So not only the fans present could witness the event, but millions of people across America were watching it live. If someone made an embarrassing mistake, millions would see it. Unless the network was airing a commercial break. Still, reporters hoped for such slip-ups. They loved writing juicy articles. Some even went as far as fabricating stories. Thousands of celebrities attended the 77th Academy Awards. Some were invited by the Academy and received tickets, while others were there to compete for awards. By the way, if someone got nominated or won an Oscar, they became eligible to be a member of the Academy (AMPAS) without needing a sponsor. If Ryan Gosling applied to be a member, he would easily be accepted. With Brianna Evans holding Ryan''s arm, showing their closeness, the two entered the Kodak Theater. "Aww, they look sweet." Scarlett "aww''d" as she watched Ryan and Brianna wave to fans before entering the theater. She was watching the program on television. She hadn''t attended because she wasn''t invited. "You think so?" Kazir asked, sipping a beer. "Of course. Brianna is my friend, and I want her to find happiness... I haven''t seen her dating anyone, and I''m worried." The two were watching the 77th Academy Awards in Scarlett''s apartment. This was their third date, and Scarlett had offered to cook dinner for the two of them at her place. Kazir wasn''t sure if this invitation carried a deeper meaning, but he happily accepted. Her cooking was amazing and delicious. They had just finished dinner, which Kazir thoroughly enjoyed. Lately, he''d mostly been eating junk food. A home-cooked meal was heaven-sent. They both knew tonight was the 77th Academy Awards, so the TV had been on the whole time. Kazir was friends with Fremont and Brianna, and so was Scarlett. All four of them were clients of Salvatore Barlowe, so they had met on occasion. If Fremont and Brianna won their respective awards, it would be a great boost for Salvatore. It would also help Scarlett indirectly, as people would start taking her more seriously once they realized she was one of Salvatore''s clients. As for Kazir, well, he didn''t need a boost anymore. In fact, he was the one providing the boost at this point. He was the writer of La La Land, after all. The script had secured Academy Award nominations for Fremont, Brianna, and Ryan. Scarlett offered him a beer, and Kazir thanked her. Since then, they had been watching the program, drinking, and munching on snacks. Scarlett decided to forget about dieting tonight, not when she and Kazir were having such a fun time. The two of them were talking and laughing. They were seated close to each other, their skin occasionally brushing, sending sparks through them. While commercials aired, they remained in their own little world. "I''m having fun. Thanks, Scarlett." "Hm, me too." The woman nodded, blushing. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or maybe the lack of space between them, but Scarlett was definitely blushing. Then, they looked into each other''s eyes. A quiet moment passed between them. Alcohol can make a person brave, and this time, it did. Scarlett leaned in and kissed Kazir on the lips. The man responded and kissed her back. He gently placed a hand behind her head while Scarlett wrapped her arms around his neck. "Mmm~" They shared a passionate kiss that lasted over a minute. When they finally parted, they were breathless and intoxicated. Scarlett giggled and bit her lip. The sensation of the kiss still lingered. Then, the 77th Academy Awards resumed. Kazir and Scarlett giggled again and turned their attention back to the screen. This time, Scarlett leaned her head on Kazir''s shoulder as they watched. They held hands while the show introduced Chris Rock as the host of the Oscars. This year''s Academy Awards didn''t have many heavy hitters, so most of the buzz revolved around La La Land, The Incredibles, and Spider-Man 2. [Second chapter of the day.] Chapter 451 Chapter 451 Despite having few heavy hitters, the 77th Academy Awards still received a good reception. Every year, millions of people watched this show. The Academy Awards were about rich celebrities receiving accolades, and for some reason, ordinary people loved watching it. Perhaps they just wanted to see the celebrities they supported win awards. The ratings of the program, telecast by ABC, averaged 42.14 million viewers. It was 3% lower than the previous year. Well, The Lord of the Rings trilogy had ended last year. LOTR fans had supported the movie passionately, hoping that The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King would win multiple awards. Their hard work paid off because the film won 11 awards. It took home Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Film Editing. Honestly, it looked like someone from The Lord of the Rings had bribed the Academy to shower the film with awards. But considering how The Lord of the Rings lost many awards in the past, it was fitting that it won last year... Sort of like the Academy (AMPAS) pity-fucked the movie out of guilt. The show went on, and more awards were presented and announced. So far, most of the awards were being won by The Aviator and Million Dollar Baby. "The Best Visual Effects Award goes to..." Jake Gyllenhaal, the presenter of the Best Visual Effects Award, opened the envelope to announce the winner. As the award for Best Visual Effects was being revealed, Kazir, who was sitting on the couch next to Scarlett, sat up slightly straighter. He wanted to hear which movie would win the award. Spider-Man 2 received a nomination for Best Visual Effects, so he became interested. The Best Visual Effects Award was given to films that delivered stunning visuals. Spider-Man 2 was one of the frontrunners of visual effects in the early 2000s and deserved appreciation. You couldn''t deny that Spider-Man 2, a movie released in 2004, had better CGI than most films in the 2020s. The Spider-Man trilogy undoubtedly had better CGI than MCU Phase 4. So yeah, Kazir had a good idea which movie would win. Spider-Man 2 only had two real competitors in this category: Harry Potter and I, Robot. "The Best Visual Effects Award goes to... Spider-Man 2!" Just as he expected, Jake Gyllenhaal announced Spider-Man 2 as the winner of Best Visual Effects. "Woohoo! Yeah¡ª!" Kazir celebrated by punching his fist in the air. Winning this relatively small award was still a major victory. Scarlett giggled as she watched him. She thought he resembled a small child sometimes. Most of the time, Kazir was a serious person, so it was entertaining to see the director act so joyfully. The people responsible for the film''s visual effects stood on stage and thanked the Academy for acknowledging their work. Kazir was proud of them. They truly deserved to win that award. The show moved on to the major awards. Morgan Freeman won Best Supporting Actor for his role in Million Dollar Baby. Cate Blanchett won Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Aviator. Then came the announcement for Best Actress. Brianna Evans faced tough competition. She had to compete against Hilary Swank, Kate Winslet, Annette Bening, and Imelda Staunton. Sean Penn was the presenter of the Best Actress Award. "Congratulations, Brianna Evans, for winning the Best Actress Award!" The camera focused on Brianna''s expression. From shock to joy to excitement, she glowed as she accepted the award and held the golden statue. "I want to thank everyone who supports me. Thank you to Director Fremont Smith for creating an amazing musical. Thank you to Ryan Gosling for being such a great partner on set. To my agent, Salvatore, thank you. And to Director Grey, for writing a masterpiece!" The audience clapped. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" If Kazir had been happy earlier and raised his fist, then Scarlett was practically bouncing around the room. She was celebrating joyfully. She was thrilled that Brianna had won the Best Actress Award. Kazir smiled, finding her absolutely adorable. When Scarlett came back to her senses, she realized how childish she had just acted. She glanced at Kazir, who was grinning at her. "...Don''t make fun of me." She was blushing, clearly embarrassed by her excitement. "Of course I won''t. You''re adorable." She pouted and returned to her seat which happened to be Kazir''s lap... Then, she kissed him on the lip before turning her attention back to the show. The award show continued, and the Best Actor Award was about to be announced. Ryan Gosling''s facial expression was being closely monitored by the cameras, waiting to catch his reaction when the winner was announced. Of course, all the nominees were being filmed the same way. They were all under scrutiny. Charlize Theron, last year''s Best Actress for her role in Monster, was the presenter for the Best Actor Award. "Congratulations, Jamie Foxx!" Another standing ovation erupted. The actors who didn''t win still clapped respectfully. Ryan Gosling kept his composure despite the disappointment. There were five nominees, but only one winner. The four actors who didn''t win were clearly not happy, even if they smiled. Ryan Gosling, Don Cheadle, Johnny Depp, and Leonardo DiCaprio, none of them looked genuinely pleased. And now came the final two major awards: Best Director and Best Picture. Julia Roberts held the envelope. Inside it was the name of the Best Director winner. Fremont was nervous, and so was Kazir. As Fremont''s mentor, Kazir wanted nothing more than to see him succeed. Unfortunately, Fremont''s competition was tough. He was up against veteran directors like Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Taylor Hackford, and Alexander Payne. Julia Roberts opened the envelope, smiled at the audience, and announced the winner. "The winner of the Best Director Award is... Fremont Smith!" The Black director stood up, shook hands with Ryan Gosling, and hugged Brianna before heading to the stage. "Yes!" This time, both Kazir and Scarlett cheered together. They both said "Yes!" at the same time. +++++ The result of the poll was that both Fremont and Brianna would win their respective awards, so here it is. By the way, I''ll post a poll tomorrow about a possible new movie franchise for the CCU. I feel like the CCU needs another movie injection or something. You can comment on which action movies you want me to include in the poll. [Third chapter of the day.] Chapter 452 Chapter 452 A moment that deserved celebration. Two awards were won by La La Land, Best Director Award and Best Actress Award. These two awards were both important honors in the industry. Gaining this recognition would give Brianna and Fremont a massive boost to their careers. Their salaries would undoubtedly increase. These awards might look simple, but the importance they carried in the industry couldn''t be measured by money. Winning an award at the Academy Awards meant that your name would be forever remembered in history. Whenever people thought about the best actresses or the best directors, Brianna and Fremont would become part of the conversation. One thing was clear, there would be a party for the cast and crew members of La La Land tonight. Champagne would pop... and probably some drugs as well. The last segment of the show was the Best Picture Award. The movie that won Best Picture was Million Dollar Baby. With that, the show ended, and the credits rolled. "They''re going to have a party tonight," Kazir thought. "They sure are." "Well, they won two important awards, so they''re going to celebrate. I''m sure Fremont and Brianna won''t act cheap tonight. They''ll go all out and spend a lot of money." Having experienced this kind of celebration, Kazir had an idea of what would happen tonight... a lot of people would get drunk. "We can also celebrate their success in our own way," Scarlett teased. "Oh sure, we will." "Yeah, we will." Scarlett, who was sitting on Kazir''s lap, purred and leaned closer, sniffing Kazir''s neck. She tried to kiss his neck, but a phone rang and disturbed their peace. It was Kazir''s phone. "..." The two were silent for a second. Kazir sighed and put down the beer. He reached for his phone and answered the call. "Salvatore? Ah, yeah, it depends. I''ll answer you later," Kazir said with a bitter smile. "What did he say?" "He invited me to go to the party." "You''re the scriptwriter, so I''m not surprised he invited you... So, what''s your decision?" "Salvatore or Brianna will probably call you later." "You didn''t answer my question," she said firmly, pressing her weight down on his lap, obviously teasing him. "Above that..." Scarlett giggled because she could tell Kazir was conflicted. "I''ll tell you this, if you don''t make a move tonight, I''ll hate you. So make sure you don''t regret your decision," she said with a seductive smile. "I think we should turn off our phones." "Good idea." Scarlett yelped playfully as Kazir carried her to the bedroom. Well, let''s just say that they didn''t get much rest when the sunshine came around. ...... ... ... Vance Goodhood. He was a stockbroker who worked for Goldman Sachs. After working in the stock industry for years, he was confident enough to say that he knew how to be a millionaire. To be fair, he was indeed a millionaire. In his opinion, the best way to become a millionaire in this industry was to not be greedy. You had to understand when to pull out your investment. The second important factor was to understand the stocks you were buying. Other than that, don''t be stupid. Vance was going to meet one of his most important clients. In fact, this client had helped him further his career at Goldman Sachs. When Grey Pictures and 20th Century Fox had their agreement, Goldman Sachs had played a part in that $3 billion worth of transactions between the two studios. Of course, Goldman Sachs made money, and so did Vance. Because of that, Vance was noticed by upper management, which gave him a better position. "Kazir, these are the documents." Vance passed a thick stack of papers to Kazir. Kazir yawned and rubbed his eyes. He stretched his arms, which had been hugging a soft, tiny waist earlier. He glanced at the documents and shook his head. He had no patience nor intention to read documents that weren''t related to movies. "Vance, this document is too thick for me to read. Can you tell me the important contents instead?" "Of course." Vance wasn''t surprised. Most of his clients preferred it this way. His clients were rich, and they usually handed these documents to their financial advisors and accountants to calculate the numbers. (Note: I have no idea what I''m writing. I''m not rich, so I don''t know how they settle their finances. Heck, I don''t even know how they calculate their taxes. They probably hire people.) Vance started explaining. "So basically, my stocks are worth more than $4.3 billion now?" "That''s correct. These past few years, you''ve invested in Amazon, Apple, eBay, and Google. Furthermore, you''re one of the shareholders of Facebook. Facebook''s valuation this year is $180 million." In addition to that, Kazir also invested in Nvidia, Intel, and Microsoft. He had also been buying public shares of 20th Century Fox. Kazir was the second individual shareholder of 20th Century Fox, the first being Rupert Murdoch. It was an understatement to say that Kazir was rich. He was wealthy. His descendants would have a great life for three to five generations... unless some of them screwed up and squandered everything. "...Wow." That was the best response Kazir could give. He hadn''t expected that he would reach this point in life. He was damn wealthy. He wasn''t poor in his past life, since he had residual income from his movies and had also inherited money from his father. But this amount, $4.3 billion, was something that had always been out of reach. [Fourth chapter of the day.] Chapter 453 Chapter 453 Kazir invested almost all of his money in stocks, so it was not a surprise that his wealth increased to over $4 billion. Still, this amount of money was terrifying. He had no idea how to spend it. He was not a materialistic type. Except for his library of videotapes and DVDs in his house, he was never interested in material things... For a moment, Kazir thought of buying another house and a car. "Speaking of cars, Lamborghini gave me a replica of the Batmobile last week... I should probably try it once Batman Begins is released." The Batmobile was still not allowed to be shown to the public... unless Warner Brothers agreed to use it as a way of promoting the movie. Lamborghini had been one of the sponsors of CCU, and Grey Pictures had a close relationship with the brand. Because of the popularity of CCU, the cars that were advertised in the movies were easily sold. The cars that were sold were all limited editions, with only a few units circulating in the entire world. Meaning that each car cost more than $1 million minimum. Especially when the Fast and Furious franchise was released, so many car enthusiasts became interested in CCU. Kazir wanted The Fast and the Furious to have at least one street racing scene in every movie. Because that was the initial essence of the movie, street racing. The first three movies of Fast and Furious revolved around that. "Batmobile... Yeah, I should probably buy a car this year. I want to drive Scarlett around L.A." Lamborghini decided to give one of their limited editions to Kazir as a way of improving their relationship. Lamborghini had actually heard that Ferrari was trying to get a spot in the advertising lineup of CCU, and Lamborghini didn''t like that, hence the gift. "Thank you, Vance." "I should be the one thanking you, Kazir. You helped me so much in my career. I owe a lot to you. I''ll make sure to never give you up, and never let you down." "You know the rules, and so do I," Kazir nodded. If not for the warning that Kazir had given to Vance in 1999, perhaps the stockbroker might have also been one of the people who jumped off the building. The two shook hands, and Vance bid farewell. "...Looks like I have to consult my financial advisor this month. God, taxes will probably haunt me again this year." Kazir used every legal method to lessen his taxes, such as charities, business deductions, and many more. However, taxes still cut him millions every year. People were mad and jealous of the rich, but it was true that rich people were the ones who paid the most taxes... Well, yeah, it was obvious why. ... ... ... After that meeting with Vance, Kazir returned to Warner Brothers to edit Batman Begins. The movie was near completion, and Kazir had time to take a rest. February was a great month for many people. Brianna Evans and Fremont Smith got the awards they had been dreaming about. Kazir had already called Fremont and apologized for not attending the party last night. Fremont just laughed it off. His voice was hoarse because he had been partying all night. The Black director was not mad. He even invited Kazir to a barbeque party next week. ... ... ... On the streets of Los Angeles, a Bugatti Veyron was vrooming. It was making a noise that caught the attention of the people walking down the street. Some of them shook their heads because it looked childish. Some were looking at the car with jealousy, hoping that they would also have one. Some women were staring at the man who was driving the car. The man was wearing sunglasses to hide his identity, but it was obvious that he was handsome. Kazir decided to buy a Bugatti Veyron just because he had money. When you have so much money, it feels like spending a million on a car is not that expensive anymore. By the way, Kazir could have bought a sports car in his past life, but he never did because he was not the type who wanted attention. He was a director, not an actor. Besides, he had a Dad bod in his past life. That meant he had a fat belly and looked unhealthy. But now, Kazir, who was holding the steering wheel, looked like a hunk. The description of an alpha male fit him. He was tall, handsome, fit, and rich. He was oozing with confidence, and the women who were staring at him became attracted to him. One of them even had the courage to approach him. The woman had blonde hair, thick pouty lips, a thin waist, huge boobs, and was wearing a short skirt... She looked like a bimbo, not going to lie. "Hey baby, what are you looking for? Are you looking for fun? How about you take me for a ride?" Called it. She might be a hooker. Perhaps she was interested in Kazir because he looked rich. He was also handsome and tall. It was not a surprise that she wanted him. "I can help you touch your gearshift. Or should I call it a gear shaft?" she giggled, leaning closer to show her huge tits. "Can you step aside? You''re blocking my way." A cold voice came from behind. The bimbo turned around and found a gorgeous woman. Just like Kazir, Scarlett was also wearing sunglasses, but that didn''t stop her beauty from showing. "Huh?" The bimbo tried to say something, but she stopped when she saw that Kazir had opened his car door for Scarlett. "You''re looking gorgeous as always." "Of course," she scoffed. "..." Kazir realized that the woman was in a bad mood. It seemed that he had to make her feel good today. The Bugatti left the place, leaving the dumbfounded bimbo behind. "...Wait a fucking minute? Is that Kazir Grey and Scarlett Johansson?" Kazir and Scarlett were both famous, so it was not surprising that they were recognized. The sunglasses didn''t do a damn thing. +++++ [Fifth and last chapter of the day.] [If you want to read the complete story, you can check out my Pa treon.] P@treon link: https://www.pat reon.com/Puji_maki Chapter 454 Chapter 454 The sizzling of steaks and hotdogs was like music to the ears. It was a small party after Fremont won the Best Director Award. He invited his friends in the industry to have a barbecue party. Being invited, Kazir was at Fremont''s house. Kazir was proud to see that Fremont had acquired his own property in Beverly Hills. In Hollywood and showbiz, it was basically a status symbol if you could buy a house in Beverly Hills. Because most of the rich people and celebrities were living in this place. It had better security and was free from stalkers and paparazzi. At the back of the house, Fremont was cooking steak, hotdogs, bacon, and all kinds of meat that American households eat, except for pork. Kazir, Scarlett, Brianna, and Enzo were also at the party. They were all Salvatore''s clients and they could be considered friends. "This place is great. I''m kinda jealous that you found a nice house with a swimming pool," Brianna teased the young director, and Fremont just laughed. Being a director, he made millions every year. Of all of Salvatore''s clients, Fremont was the second highest-earning client. First was Kazir, obviously. Even though actors and actresses were the faces of the movie, their salaries were incomparable to top-notch directors. Well-respected directors like Kazir and Fremont could make $100 million every year, depending on the project they chose. In fact, Fremont had a 7% worldwide box office share for the movie La La Land. As of March 25, the movie had already grossed more than $362 million worldwide. It meant that Fremont would earn $25 million at least once the screening of La La Land ended. So it was not a surprise that Fremont could find a nice house in Beverly Hills. "I got lucky. The real estate agent I talked to showed me this house and offered a low price, so I decided to buy it." "How much?" Both Brianna and Scarlett were interested to hear the price. Perhaps they both wanted a house with a pool in Beverly Hills. "Around $7 million." "Hiss..." Scarlett was speechless, while Brianna was irked. Brianna could probably afford it since she was in demand. She also won the Best Actress Award, so she could ask for $10 million per movie if possible. As for Scarlett, her usual salary per movie was around $1¨C2 million. So yeah, it might take a while for her to afford a $7 million house. On top of that, properties increase in price every year. Inflation was something that people would never escape. The real estate properties in Los Angeles were expensive. "New York is more expensive than California. The apartment that my brother lived in five years ago cost $2.3 million. It''s in Manhattan. They decided to live in a house after 9/11. The house they bought cost $16 million, also in Manhattan." When Kazir said that, all of them shut their mouths because of the expensive prices. They couldn''t believe that a house in New York would cost so much, more than in Beverly Hills. While they were talking, more people arrived at the small gathering. Most of them were Black people and Fremont greeted them with enthusiasm. Some were rappers, some were actors, and some were people whom Kazir didn''t know. The industry was small and most people knew each other. It was not a surprise that Fremont was friends with rappers. When more people showed up, the house became livelier. Fremont didn''t have time to accommodate all of them, so he had to converse with every group to make sure everyone felt comfortable. Being the host of this party, Fremont had to entertain his guests. Or else he would get a bad reputation. Overall, 30+ people attended the party... Was this still considered a small party? "Hey, Enzo? Are you okay?" While the girls decided to have fun in the pool, Kazir found Enzo quiet and in deep thought. The Korean actor was silent the whole time, he was just drinking alcohol. "I''m fine... I think." "We are friends, you can tell me your problem. Perhaps I can help you." Enzo looked at Kazir and found that he was serious. Kazir wanted to see the people around him happy. If he could help them, he would help them. Enzo chuckled and chugged down his beer. The rap music in the background was getting louder. Out of Salvatore''s clients, Enzo was probably the lowest one. He had projects every year and he was known, but he knew that the roles he could get were limited. Most of them were related to his race as an Asian. Whenever a movie needed a handsome Asian or even just an Asian male, Enzo Park would be invited to audition. Sometimes, he got the roles, and sometimes, Jackie Chan or Jet Li would get the roles. ...He was tired of it. He was tired that the only roles he could get were all about being Asian. He was also devastated that he couldn''t get a leading role. So last month, he decided to audition for a gangster film. This film was going to be directed by Martin Scorsese. The movie was called The Departed. Enzo auditioned for one of the two protagonists. Yet the moment he entered the audition room, most of the people were not even interested in talking to him. He just performed in that suffocating room and left. "I see." Kazir listened to what Enzo said and realized the problem. Kazir tapped his shoulder and tried to encourage him. "Enzo, do you want to hear my opinion?" "Of course, you''re one of the most talented directors in the industry." "Thanks for the compliment... But you won''t like what I will say." "..." Enzo turned to Kazir. The director was staring at him with clear yet cold eyes. "Don''t be fucking stupid." "Huh?" Enzo was stunned. "Don''t be such an arrogant prick and believe that you deserve everything." "..." Enzo swallowed hard. He rarely saw Kazir talk like this... He was actually scared right now. Chapter 455 Chapter 455 Enzo Park was speechless as Kazir started his lecture. "Enzo, do you know why I never film horror movies anymore?" Kazir looked at the sky. The blue sky was no more, changed into red-orange as the sun was setting on the horizon. The loud rap music was getting more prominent. Kazir saw Scarlett and Brianna playing around the pool, talking to other girls. "It''s because I know what I''m good at." He smiled. He was not good at filming horror movies, so he preferred doing action movies instead. "I''ve experienced hardship, failures, and betrayals. There was a point in my life where I wanted to end everything." This was the first time Enzo had heard Kazir talk about his life. He decided to listen. "I can say you''re lucky. You are far better than me." Kazir chuckled. Unlike him, Enzo was talented. At least he never copied anyone''s movies and claimed them as his own. "There are times when I want to make a horror movie, an original movie that I painstakingly wrote with all of my brain cells but I''m afraid." "Director, I believe you can change. I''ve worked with you since The Hangover. You''re the best director I''ve worked with. I believe you can change and overcome your fear." Enzo tried to encourage Kazir. "You''re right. You should also say that to yourself. Enzo, what are you afraid of?" "...I, I want to become the best version of myself." After thinking about it, Enzo realized what he was afraid of. "I''m afraid that I will lose my place in Hollywood." "Everyone is scared of something." Kazir took a sip of his beer and sighed. "There are thousands of Asian actors who are trying to enter Hollywood, but most of them fail. Only a handful of Asian actors are known in the industry. You should feel blessed that you can easily audition for roles in movies. Because I can tell you this, a lot of actors are ready to kill just to be in your place. I''m not even joking. Some people sold their souls just to get into the industry. I can say that you are fortunate to have met me and Salvatore." Enzo nodded. For that, he was thankful. "What you''re mad about is not the rejections in movie auditions. What you''re mad about, or should I say afraid of, is the fact that your presence in Hollywood is insignificant. And for that, you can only blame yourself. Don''t be mad at the casting directors, they are just doing their jobs." "Then what should I do?" "You have to understand that Hollywood will forever be catered to Western audiences. They will rarely accommodate Asian actors in their projects. I hate to say it, but you should lower your expectations." Kazir grabbed a chicken wing and ate it. "You got a role in Final Destination, right?" "Yes." Final Destination was a script that Kazir wrote and sold to 20th Century Fox. The movie would be released in April. "Actually, there were no Asian characters in the script that I wrote. Yet you still passed the audition. Do you understand how lucky you are?" "...." "Yet the fact that you''re sulking because you didn''t get a role in a gangster film made you mad? Grow up. Of course Martin Scorsese will not hire you. You didn''t fit the movie as the protagonist at all." Perhaps because of the alcohol, Kazir was saying hurtful things. "Let me guess, there is a supporting character in the script and they offered you that role instead. But you didn''t accept it." "H- How did you know?" When Enzo heard that, he was surprised. He could understand if Kazir started berating him and telling him that he was arrogant. However, he didn''t expect Kazir to know about the fact that he rejected an offer to work on the movie The Departed. He never told anyone about it, not even Salvatore. "It''s just a guess. But I guess I''m right." Kazir was actually bluffing. He was trying to probe Enzo''s intention. "Enzo, you should understand that actresses and actors in Hollywood are not irreplaceable." The actor was ashamed of himself. Indeed, he was getting too full of himself. He was so focused on getting a leading role that he forgot his occupation. He is an actor, and he loves acting. He had just denied himself what he loved. "Perhaps you forgot how hard it is to find a job in this industry." "...Since when did I become arrogant?" Enzo asked himself. He tightly held the bottle in his hand because he was mad at himself. He wiped his eyes, immediately controlling the tears so that he wouldn''t make a scene. "Director, I... I think I''m losing myself. I was scared that I would lose my job, and I thought starring in the lead role would help me solidify my status. Yet I turned down a role because I was too attached to being a protagonist. I apologize." He weakly muttered. "Since you know your mistake, I guess I''m going to help you. First, I want to tell you that my promise last time is true. I''m going to film a CCU movie starring you, but that will take a while. Second, you''re a handsome actor, Asian aesthetic-wise. We must show the audience that you''re not just a pretty Asian boy." Kazir laughed and had an idea. "I will make you a pirate. A fucking ugly pirate that has scars all over his face, so people won''t recognize you for your appearance but because of your acting." There was a role in Pirates of the Caribbean about an Asian pirate captain. Kazir decided to cast Enzo as Captain Sao Feng, a pirate lord who would appear in the third movie of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End. The plan for Pirates of the Caribbean was that both the second and third movies would be filmed all at once. Enzo would work on Pirates of the Caribbean this year. +++++ [Second chapter of the day.] Chapter 456 Chapter 456 "There''s a role in Pirates of the Caribbean about an Asian pirate captain. We still haven''t found an actor to fill the role since he''s going to show up in the third movie. Since you talked about finding your place in Hollywood, how about taking that role? Show that you can act." Appearance was the first factor to win in Hollywood for actors and actresses. The second factor was connections with people. The third was acting. Enzo already checked the first two. He was handsome, and he also had an agent who could help him form a network in the industry. As for acting, Kazir knew that the Korean actor could act. He had worked with him, after all. However, his acting was getting overshadowed by his appearance and stunts. Kazir planned to butcher Captain Sao''s face to the point that no one would recognize that the one acting was Enzo Park. In that way, the audience would recognize Enzo as an actor, not just a pretty face who could do stunts. "You''re still not in. You have to go to the audition. I''m just showing you the path, but you have to trudge on it. If you fail our requirements, let''s forget this conversation." Enzo naturally agreed. They were hiring him for his acting capability, not his face. So if his acting didn''t pass their criteria, then he was not meant for the role. "Oh, and you''ll have a bald head, so it''s your decision if you want to cut your hair or use a prosthetic wig instead." A prosthetic wig might not be the term. It should be a bald cap prosthetic makeup. "Yeah, I''m not even surprised." Enzo laughed. The two started talking and laughing. They might not be considered that close, but they were friends for sure. Whenever they met, they greeted each other with a smile. Kazir was different from most directors. He was well-respected, but he was also approachable. He liked it when actors asked him for advice and guidance. There was something about him. Perhaps it was the fact that, from the bottom of his heart, Kazir wanted everyone around him to be happy. Kazir tapped Enzo''s shoulder. "Man, you don''t have to worry. I will make you the most famous Asian actor in Hollywood. No, we will help you become the most famous Asian actor in Hollywood. We''ve been in the industry for more than a decade. Our influence is not that simple anymore." First, their agent was now one of the Co-Chairmen of CAA. That was an influential position that could change the future of a person. This was the reason why there were so many actresses and even actors who wanted to offer sexual favors to Salvatore Barlowe. His position alone was enough to determine their careers. Second, Enzo was close with two big directors, Kazir and Fremont. With them around, Enzo didn''t have to be afraid of losing jobs. Third, well, the two reasons were enough justification that Enzo had it better than most Asian actors in Hollywood. Perhaps his luck happened when he signed the contract with Salvatore before Kazir joined their group. At that time, the reason that convinced Enzo Park, or to be precise, Park Hae-Won, was because of what Salvatore said. Salvatore said that he wanted to see a Korean actor make it big in Hollywood. Park Hae-Won was just starting in Hollywood at that time, and he didn''t know where to start or what to start. Yet what Salvatore said resonated in his heart. Maybe this was the reason why Enzo was so adamant about finding a place in Hollywood. By the way, both Enzo Park and Salvatore Barlowe were half-Koreans. "Thanks, Director. I feel better now." "Kid, you have time, so don''t feel pressured. Men age like fine wine for a reason. I bet once you hit your 40s, you''ll get a better career." This was not a baseless opinion. Most men hit their peak in terms of career and financial status around their 40s. They have experience, expertise, and accumulated knowledge that help them. Actors such as Samuel L. Jackson, Steve Carell, Tommy Lee Jones, Jeremy Renner, Terry Crews, and Peter Dinklage became famous around their 40s. "...It''s because we are not that different in age. I''m just younger than you by a few years." "Yeah, I know about it. Sometimes I just can''t help but forget my age," Kazir honestly said. Because of his true age, he sometimes acted like an old, mature man who had experienced everything in life. One of the reasons why he was not affected by most situations and faced them head-on instead. After that conversation, Enzo felt better and decided to have fun. Kazir watched as the "younger" actor stopped thinking about negative stuff. The party went on. Then, Fremont returned after mingling with the guests. "Phew, hosting a party is hard. I can''t believe this small gathering is tough!'' I feel like hosting a party for a hundred people is not a small party at all." "That''s why I don''t like parties." "Nah, I like parties, but not hosting one. It''s too much work. Oh, but I can''t deny that I had fun. Hehe, I''m actually excited. Someone invited me to attend Diddy''s party!" "Kahak¡ª!" Kazir choked. He started coughing. "Kazir, are you okay?" "No, I''m fine. Can you repeat what you said?" "I''m invited to Diddy''s party. Isn''t that great? I heard his party is amazing." "...Diddy, you mean Sean John Combs?" Kazir''s expression didn''t feel right. There was a reason why. "You don''t have to call him by his real name. He is known as Diddy, Puff Daddy, or P. Diddy." ''Yes, he is also known as the Diddler, if you know what I mean,'' Kazir internally said. "Fremont, if you want to keep your career, I advise you to stay away from Diddy and any of his parties. If you hear that the party is hosted by Diddy, I recommend you leave that party immediately!" He raised his voice on the last part. "Huh, but why? I heard there''s no party like Diddy''s party?" There''s no party like Diddy''s party because of a reason. The only parties that can be compared to Diddy''s parties are the parties happening on Jeffrey Epstein''s island. That''s not okay at all. "Allegedly," Diddy regularly hosted "sex-trafficking parties" with underage women and illegal drugs. That''s disgusting as fuck. [Third chapter of the day.] Chapter 457 Chapter 457 P. Diddy. To make it simple, this rapper was not a good person. His parties, which he was so confident about, had some illegal stuff happening. By the way, he liked men and baby oil, for obvious reasons. Kazir was seriously staring at Fremont. They were at the party, and some people might hear them. "Fremont, do you love your life?" "Of course I do." "Then don''t go to Diddy''s party." "...Okay, I understand." Fremont had no idea why Kazir was so adamant about stopping him from going to Diddy''s party. However, he could trust his mentor. Fremont had so much respect for the guy, and he knew that Kazir was just trying to protect him. Fremont had an idea about the possibilities that could happen at Diddy''s party. Perhaps it was something that could destroy his life. "I will talk to Salvatore. He will tell you what he knows. Just stay away from Diddy." If an agent agreed to let you attend Diddy''s party or go to Jeffrey Epstein''s island, it meant that the agent wanted to choke you by the neck. It meant that the agent wanted to blackmail you or the agent didn''t know the truth regarding Diddy''s party. Why would an agent do that? To make sure that you wouldn''t find another agent to work with. An agent might work with you, but that same agent could be the reason for your downfall. Thankfully, Salvatore was not that kind of person. Instead of convincing his clients to commit crimes as a form of blackmail, Salvatore would make sure that his clients would never have any scandal... He had experienced how hard it was to protect Kazir from scandals. Their PR team had evolved every time Kazir tackled a scandal. P. Diddy probably has dirty secrets on a lot of people. That''s why his true colors never showed for more than two decades. Imagine two decades of illegal parties happening in Hollywood, yet almost everyone was quiet about it. They were scared that once the truth came out, their names would be on the list. A prime example was the list of people who went to Jeffrey Epstein''s island. Everyone in Hollywood understood how disgusting that place was. Yet some of them sold their souls just to become part of it. They couldn''t let go of fame and money. To be fair, not everyone in Hollywood was a bad person. But most of them probably knew what was going on and decided to shut their mouths. Maybe they were afraid that they would be silenced if they talked about it. "...I know it doesn''t matter anymore, but they also invited you to Diddy''s party." "Hell naw." Kazir shook his head firmly. Some people hated him. They might use this information to bury him. "If you don''t want your asshole to get busted, or get oiled up, or get freaky with underage, do not go to Diddy''s party." There''s no party like Diddy''s party. Unless you go to hell. Fremont was doing well, and his career was set on the right track. It would be devastating if he made a mistake that could cost him his future. The party went on until it reached 9 p.m. Salvatore showed up late, but he made sure to bring something to eat. Pizza sounded nice. Kazir took this moment to talk to Salvatore about Enzo and Fremont. Particularly Fremont, he won the Best Director Award, and his career was promising. "Don''t worry, I''ll take care of it. I became a Co-Chairman to protect you guys from this kind of situation." "...That''s, that''s kind of sweet. Are you sure you''re not our father or something?" Kazir was dumbfounded because Salvatore just dropped a sweet line like he was a hero. "We are almost the same age. What are you talking about? I''m not your father!" "I''m just joking." "Then, I''ll talk to Fremont later." ... ... ... A few days later, Fremont called Kazir while he was in the office. The young director thanked him for stopping him from going to Diddy''s party. Apparently, one of his friends attended Diddy''s party and he couldn''t walk afterward. ... ... ... Sin City was a movie based on a comic that was set to be released on April 1. Miramax acquired the movie adaptation rights to this comic after making a business deal with Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics was a comic publisher established in 1986, around the time when comics were still relevant and many people read them. This comic publisher released some famous fiction such as Sin City, Hellboy, 300, and Ninja Gaiden. Dark Horse Comics was also the company where Kazir signed a deal to acquire the movie adaptation rights of 300... This publisher was actually pestering Kazir to film 300. DC Comics and Marvel Comics were already having a feast at the box office. Yet Dark Horse Comics, which was also a good publisher, was still taking scraps. It was understandable why Dark Horse Comics was eager to see their creations on the big screen, especially when the one who acquired 300 was none other than Director Kazir Grey. Hellboy, one of their famous characters, had already made its first appearance in theaters last year. The result was positive. The movie grossed $99 million while having a $66 million production cost... Erm, the DVD sales and rental sales were high, though. They didn''t lose money, they made a profit. And now, Dark Horse Comics was excited for Sin City. They believed it would make a difference... until they heard that 20th Century Fox would release their movie on the same date, April 1. The movie in question was Final Destination, starring Tobey Maguire. Chapter 458 Chapter 458 Final Destination was a movie that Kazir Grey wrote, well, in this timeline. It was about unforeseen accidents that seemed coincidental, yet killed every person who tried to escape death. Of course, Miramax didn''t feel good that this horror movie would have the same release date as Sin City. Sin City was a great artistic film and that was true. It was like a comic, but in a film. Unfortunately, it was hard to face a movie that was written by the best scriptwriter in Hollywood. If the script was written by Kazir Grey, then it was 100% profitable. That was the slogan people created whenever they heard that a studio had acquired Kazir''s script. Some studios were jealous, while others were seething with anger. Actually, Miramax wanted to buy at least one script from Kazir. But Harvey Weinstein held a deep grudge against Kazir. He knew it was better to forget everything and make friends with the director. But the fat fuck was too arrogant to accept that. Besides, Kazir might not accept his apology. The two sides had already shown their intentions. On April 1, Final Destination was released, and the movie created a unique horror genre. Accidents. In our everyday life, accidents could happen that could end lives. A slippery floor, a wrong step on the stairs, even choking on food. These accidents, things people didn''t think of seriously, became the main topic of Final Destination. This unique approach to the horror genre made people scared and more aware of their surroundings. That was the essence of Final Destination, an amazing concept that Kazir Grey had written. As expected, Director Grey cooked again. "I''m scared to take a shower after what happened to Tod!" Scarlett shivered while wearing a towel around her body. Kazir just chuckled, listening to her cute voice. "Enzo really delivered an amazing death." Enzo took the role of Tod Waggner, the student who died in the bathroom, getting strangled by a curtain cord. The first victim in Final Destination. His death was one of the most memorable in the franchise. Imagine dying in the bathroom, getting strangled by a cord. It was scary. It was understandable why Scarlett was afraid to take a shower alone. Kazir checked the internet, and sure enough, many people were complaining because of Final Destination. The terror it gave to the audience was realistic, and it could happen to anyone. Kazir also checked articles related to Tobey Maguire. After the scandal, Tobey was doing great. He changed his image and now had dark black hair, just like his role in Final Destination. Kazir was satisfied helping the actor. After all, Kazir also hated the paparazzi, so he could relate to Tobey''s situation. He stopped surfing the internet and decided to continue writing a script. "Babe, how about we take a shower together? I''m scared." The actress hugged his neck from behind, slightly putting weight on her breasts, and Kazir could feel them. "What are you writing?" "It''s a script... A script for a horror movie." Kazir slightly smiled. The script he was writing was original. He wrote it in his past life and decided to write it again this time. ''This is not just a simple script. It''s a script that I turned into a horror movie. It was released in a few theaters in Los Angeles before going to streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu.'' This script was already a movie... Perhaps one of his greatest regrets. He believed this movie had a chance to break through at the box office. He thought it would become his stepping stone to stardom. He put his soul, blood, and time into creating this movie. Yet he failed. It became his trauma instead. "Are you okay, babe? You look sad?" Scarlett was worried as Kazir''s expression didn''t feel right. She rubbed his cheeks to make him smile. "How about we play some games in the shower?" she teased. "Final Destination is just a movie." Kazir saw through her intention. "But I''m scared. Accidents can happen everywhere. I blame you for what I''m experiencing right now." "Why?" "You''re the one who wrote the movie. So you deserve to make it up to me by showering with me." "Okay, fine." Kazir carried the woman, and Scarlett giggled. Kazir knew how to make Scarlett''s heart beat faster. Instead of getting into an accident, the shower became an amazing experience for the couple. ... ... ... The first weekend of Final Destination was $42 million. This Final Destination had many factors that made it perform better compared to the original. First was the cast. Tobey Maguire was the leading male. Second was the scriptwriter, which was Kazir Grey. Third was the difference in the release year. The original version was released in 2000, while Tobey''s version was released in 2005. These factors created a good result, giving Final Destination $42 million on its first weekend. As for Sin City, the movie had great reviews, and critics loved it because it stuck with the essence of the comic. Unfortunately, its black-and-white style became one of the reasons why only a few people watched it. Its first weekend was $29 million. The two movies'' first weekends made millions, but everything came down to word of mouth. An important factor that determines the trajectory of a movie. Unfortunately for Sin City, Final Destination had a better reputation. Because of its new approach to horror movies, Final Destination pulled many people to watch the film. Final Destination had around a $35 million production cost, and Tobey Maguire was the most expensive actor they hired. In just three days, the movie already surpassed its production cost, which was a great thing. One thing was sure, 20th Century Fox was having a party because horror movies were the best franchise to milk. Horror movies needed a small budget, yet the profit they could bring was ten times the amount. There were millions of fans of horror movies in the United States alone. ++++++ [Fifth and last chapter of the day.] [If you want to read the complete story, you can check out my Patr eon.] P@treon link: https://www.pat reon.com/Puji_maki Chapter 459 Chapter 459 "Let''s see. This movie has few female roles, and most of the important ones are already filled." Kazir was looking at the list of cast members. He was trying to find a suitable role for a woman, someone Kazir didn''t like. Kazir hated a cheater. He knew that the future could change, but he couldn''t erase from his mind that this woman had cheated on her partner. "You said that one of the actresses who was supposed to slap me in the movie backed out? How about we give her that role?" Johnny Depp was in his pirate costume, and his demeanor was different from usual. Whenever he was in his costume as Captain Jack Sparrow, he would always act tipsy. Kazir didn''t want to interrupt his immersion, but he had to tackle this topic. "So let me get this straight, you want your girlfriend to slap you in the face?" "In the film." "Alright, in the film." "Come on, Kazir. We are professionals here. I''m an actor. If the script says I have to be slapped, then I have to." "You sure there''s no kink to this?" Kazir asked. "Maybe, maybe not. Hey, why are you looking at me like that? You''re the one who wrote the script, not me." "Okay, fine." Kazir sighed and agreed, even though he didn''t want to. Kazir didn''t want to hire Amber Heard, for some reasons. But because Johnny was asking for a favor, Kazir didn''t have a choice but to agree. He wanted to make sure that Johnny would be at full capacity while filming. If Kazir didn''t agree, the actor might hold a grudge against him, and it could cause a problem for the movie. Kazir needed Johnny Depp to finish this trilogy. The first three movies of Pirates of the Caribbean were the peak performances of the franchise. No one could deny that fact. ''As for possible fourth movies, well, maybe I can sell the franchise to Fox instead? They''re looking for movies that can turn into franchises.'' By the way, 20th Century Fox was having a blast because Final Destination was a huge hit. The horror movie dominated April, earning $122 million at the North American box office within 20 days of screening. Kazir admitted that the toys and merchandise related to Pirates of the Caribbean were making them tons of money, but Kazir had no interest in making a fourth movie. If Grey Pictures and Fox wanted to make a fourth movie, then they would have to look for another director. ''Hm, now that I think about it, Pirates of the Caribbean is my first official trilogy... Damn, am I really that choosy?'' Kazir asked himself. Even in the Spider-Man franchise, Kazir only signed on for two films. For the last movie, Sony-Columbia had to find another director. As for his old movies, Kazir never filmed any of their sequels. He was just responsible for the first movies. "Thanks, Kazir. I appreciate it." "Ah? Ah, yeah. No problem, Johnny." Kazir was so deep in thought that he forgot he was actually talking to Johnny Depp. For the record, Captain Jack Sparrow was slapped in the franchise many times. He deserved some of the slaps, while other slaps were not. Either way, Jack Sparrow getting slapped was a comedic scene in the movie. And now, one of the actresses who would slap him was actually his current girlfriend, Amber Heard. Kazir didn''t know what to feel about that, because he knew that Amber would do much worse than that in a few years. "So, how''s your relationship with your girlfriend? Based on how you want to help her climb the ladder in Hollywood, I guess you guys are doing great." "Oh, absolutely. She''s one of a kind. The best thing that ever happened in my life. Although for some reason, whenever I wake up next to her, the bed smells like shit." "..." Kazir suddenly had an epiphany. ''Am I doing God''s work if I make them break up?'' he asked himself. Perhaps while filming this project, Kazir would have a chance to change the future. He actually didn''t know the exact, specific reasons why Amber and Johnny tried to destroy each other''s careers. He was also not sure if Johnny was completely innocent. However, Kazir decided to side with Johnny Depp, just for the simple reason that he liked the guy. Now that most of the cast was filled, the crew would have a script reading to make sure the cast understood their roles. ... ... ... April only had a few movies that surpassed $100 million. Final Destination was the only one that created a sensation. So when May arrived, which was the start of the summer schedule, cinemas started getting packed with moviegoers. Kingdom of Heaven was released in the second week of May... It didn''t have a good reputation because the plot was messy, it was constant war. Some blamed Ridley Scott, but the director didn''t hold the editing rights. Ridley Scott''s version was better, but 20th Century Fox decided to go with a different tone. In 20 years, some scenes in Kingdom of Heaven would become memes. Anyway, everyone agreed that Ridley Scott''s version of Kingdom of Heaven was way better than the theatrical version. Aside from Kingdom of Heaven, 20th Century Fox also released a huge movie! This movie was the most anticipated Star Wars movie! Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. This was the last movie of the second trilogy. The movie that completed the Star Wars saga. Many people were so excited to watch this movie. Even 20th Century Fox was putting in effort even though they didn''t own the IP of Star Wars. Star Wars was owned by Lucasfilm. A lot of people were not confident in Star Wars when it was released, so none of the studios even bought the copyrights. That decision led to Lucasfilm retaining ownership. Some fans were disappointed in the last movie, while others were just fine with it. At least they knew how Anakin Skywalker went to the Dark Side. Either way, Star Wars obviously made money. It was not even surprising at all. ++++ [Author''s Note: Since this is fiction, might as well save Johnny Depp from the trouble.] Chapter 460 Chapter 460 The fans of Star Wars kind of love and hate the franchise. The old fans who watched the first trilogy, which was released in the 70s to 80s, had mixed opinions on the second trilogy. They were the first generation of Star Wars fans, and they felt like the second trilogy didn''t give Anakin''s development enough justice. The second-generation fans were also having the same mixed reviews regarding the franchise. They were those who were young when the second trilogy was released. As for the third generation, which were the ones who watched the third trilogy with Rey Skywalker as the protagonist... Well, they were the youngest ones, and their humor was different from the other generations. But overall, everyone could agree that Star Wars fans had toxicity in it, and so does every fandom. It was just that the toxicity in the Star Wars fandom was a bit higher. Such as now that Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was released, oh boy, many fans were a bit disappointed in the movie. Anakin''s corruption by the Dark Side was not explored enough. It was too rushed. The dialogue was lower than mediocre. People acknowledged that the dialogues in Star Wars'' second trilogy were not that great. The pacing of the movie was underwhelming. But hey, at least the fans found the reason why Anakin Skywalker became the iconic Darth Vader. Despite the criticism, Star Wars Episode III grossed more than $158 million on its first weekend. Everyone could agree that people loved Star Wars. ... ... ... Since there were many loyal fans of Star Wars, some of them started thinking of the "What If''s." What if Anakin''s development was further explored... (The Star Wars animation would answer that question.) What if Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi had a proper fight in the original trilogy? Wouldn''t that be sick to watch? What if... What if Director Kazir Grey directed the trilogy, what would happen? Many questions that sometimes didn''t have answers. Kazir and Scarlett were having a date in a fancy restaurant. They were having fun until they came out of the restaurant and were blocked by two people. One was holding a camera, while the other was holding a small microphone. "Director Grey, what do you think of Star Wars Episode III?" Kazir didn''t listen and decided to hold Scarlett''s waist, shielding her from the paparazzi. The actress was surprised by his gesture, but didn''t stop him. Instead, she was blushing hard. "Director, we heard that George Lucas tried to hire you to be the director of the Star Wars trilogy?" "Uh, yes. But I turned down the offer because I had other projects to film." Kazir heard the second question and decided to answer. "Then, isn''t it your fault that the trilogy is in shambles right now?" "Nope, not at all. You''re crazy if you''re going to blame me for that." As always, there was a reason why celebrities didn''t like paparazzi. The worst career in Showbiz. It was understandable why Tobey Maguire hated these people. Thankfully, his bodyguard, Anderson, showed up and blocked the paparazzi. They tried to ask more questions, but they couldn''t pass the bodyguard. Kazir and Scarlett entered the car, and then Anderson sat in the driver''s seat. "Thanks, Anderson." "It''s my duty, sir." This was not the first time this situation happened. Every week, Kazir would experience unexpected interviews with the paparazzi. Anderson was there 90% of the time to protect Kazir. The remaining 10% was when Kazir was trying to live his life peacefully, but paparazzi would show up to pester him. This was the life of a famous person. "Gosh, I can''t believe they blame you because they didn''t like Star Wars." Scarlett was mad. "It''s fine. Haters will always find a reason to hate me." "Maybe it''s a good thing that I didn''t pass the audition for Padme?. I don''t want to be pestered by paparazzi." Scarlett Johansson auditioned for the role, but Natalie Portman got the role. Being Padme? Amidala helped Natalie Portman, and it boosted her career. "It just shows that you''re not famous." Kazir teased her. "What did you say to me?" She asked. "I said you''re so gorgeous that I feel lucky to have you as my girlfriend." "You better be," She pouted, but then hugged Kazir''s shoulder. "You don''t have to worry, I will make you a star." He pinched her nose, and Scarlett clicked her tongue before playfully biting his finger. "I know." She replied. .... ... ... Since May was the start of the summer season, Star Wars was not the only movie released in that month. The Longest Yard and Madagascar were also released in May and performed well at the box office. When June arrived, the atmosphere changed, and more of the moviegoers became focused on the upcoming superhero movie, which was Batman Begins. The billboards for Batman Begins looked menacing and dark. People even saw a Batmobile circling Los Angeles. Warner Brothers was spending money on marketing just to make sure that the movie would be a success. They didn''t want to experience another Catwoman failure. Even Kazir had to attend programs to promote Batman Begins. He showed up on The Tonight Show and even participated in game shows such as Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? The money he won in the game shows was given to the charities he supported, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Pirates of the Caribbean was in the preparation stage, so Kazir had the time to play his part in the promotion of Batman Begins. [Second chapter of the day.] Chapter 461 Chapter 461 Throughout the history of cinema, there were 7 Batmans that had been released to theaters. This superhero character was famous for a reason. Warner Brothers kept rebooting the franchise because it was profitable. It brought them constant profit throughout the decades. 1. Batman (1966) ¨C Adam West 2. Batman and Batman Returns (1989¨C1992) ¨C Michael Keaton 3. Batman Forever (1995) ¨C Val Kilmer 4. Batman & Robin (1997) ¨C George Clooney 5. The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005¨C2012) ¨C Christian Bale 6. DCEU Batman (2016¨C2023) ¨C Ben Affleck 7. The Batman (2022) ¨C Robert Pattinson The simple fact that the Batman franchise was getting rebooted showed how much Warner Brothers loved to milk it. From toys to comics to other merchandise, Batman was a money-making machine. And now, after the last failure of Batman, which was Batman & Robin starring Batman''s suit with nipples, Warner Brothers decided to reboot the franchise and hired an outstanding director. From that moment alone, people already acknowledged that the upcoming Batman Begins would be a box office hit. No one believed that the movie would fail. The confidence in the movie showed Kazir''s worth. As long as his name was plastered on the movie, it was a sure way to make money. This kind of situation was not a rare stance. In other industries, such as sports, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Tom Brady, and other athletes could bring the same assurance. In the gaming industry, FromSoftware and Rockstar Games were considered the peak game development companies. In a way, Kazir was the recognized MVP of making movies. Once he was part of a movie project, the movie was already considered a winner. "From what I remember, Batman Begins only surpassed $300 million at the worldwide box office. I wonder what will happen in this timeline." Kazir asked himself. He didn''t change much regarding Batman Begins, only adding Scarlett Johansson to the cast. However, for some reason, he felt like the performance of Batman Begins would be different from the original. The only difference was that he was the one who directed the movie. Batman Begins was now a different movie just because he was the one who directed it, even though he didn''t change anything at all. When Christopher Nolan directed Batman Begins, he was considered a nobody. Together with Christian Bale, who was also an unknown actor at that time, Batman Begins received average attention. "At the end of the day, it''s all about box office appeal." Just like how Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts could create movie hits by starring in films, Kazir was also a star who could bring his fans to watch a movie. If Kazir decided to film a wacky, senseless movie, people would still watch it because of his last success. However, his fans would lose interest in him once he scammed them like that. Kazir checked his watch and knew that the limousine was getting close to Scarlett''s house. Tonight was the premiere of Batman Begins, and Kazir and Scarlett decided to step on the red carpet together. They still hadn''t announced their relationship publicly. Tonight was their first official appearance together as couple. Scarlett was the one who offered the idea because she didn''t want to hide their relationship. She wanted to announce to the public (and to the bitches around) that Kazir was not single. She knew that many actresses were still interested in Kazir, so she was trying to make it a formal relationship before others could even think of seduction. ...... ... ... Billy and Wallace were just two meters away from the red carpet. They were with the Grey Fans who were supporting their favorite director. Billy and Wallace were the founders of Grey Fans, and they had a high position in the organization. They had been in contact with Grey Pictures whenever the company needed a favor from their fans. Fan clubs could actually make money through many methods, by the way. So Billy and Wallace were actually making money by being the founders of Grey Fans. However, they still had their own respective careers since the money they made was not huge at all. Wallace was actually in a relationship with someone from the crew of Batman Begins. To be precise, Wallace was Jane Kendall''s boyfriend. Jane was the head of the makeup artists team in Kazir''s production crew. The woman was already in the theater, waiting for the premiere to start. Unlike most of the time when the Grey Fans were wearing suits, the fans this time were wearing Batman costumes. Billy and Wallace were also wearing Batman costumes. Whenever one of the cast members would show up, Grey Fans would cheer for them with enthusiasm. It was tiring, but they didn''t hate it. They were having fun, and they loved what they were doing. Most of the people in the fan club were adults who had their own lives. This was one of the rare moments when they could forget their lives as adults and have fun attending a red carpet event. A few moments later, something surprising yet kind of expected happened. A Batmobile showed up in front of the red carpet. The car opened and Batman came out! Christian Bale was wearing his Batman suit, and he looked cool as fuck... Although it was obvious that his attire was hot and uncomfortable. Still, being a professional actor, Christian Bale didn''t show any awkwardness and walked to the red carpet with swag... This would be the last time he would wear this Batman costume on a red carpet. This was a marketing technique that Warner Brothers "suggested" for him to do. He would receive a bonus if he showed up on the red carpet while wearing his Batman attire. He decided to go for it. ++++ [Yeah, I''m having a mental block while writing this chapter.] Chapter 462 Chapter 462 "Congratulations, Director. It seems like you will have another successful movie on your list. As expected of someone as talented as you. You never miss. I still haven''t watched the movie, but I''m confident that it will be a blast!" The reporter was glazing at this point. "Haha." Kazir just laughed... He didn''t feel good at all. He couldn''t just say yes and admit it. At first, out of desperation to become famous, Kazir was ready to steal as many movie hits as possible. He wanted to experience the life of a successful director. The dream he wanted to achieve. The dream he didn''t achieve before he died in a traffic accident. The biggest regret of his life. So when he returned to the past, Kazir promised that he would do everything. He didn''t care if Se7en was created by someone else, he wanted to become famous, so he stole it. He didn''t care if Napoleon Dynamite was meant to be created in the next decade. He wanted to achieve his dream, so he also stole it. Just like The Hangover, Taken, John Wick, and many more. Kazir didn''t feel guilty about what he did. Life was tough, and he had to do it to survive, and so did everyone. One way or another, people would step on each other just to get to a higher level of living. He was satisfied with what he achieved. He never regretted one of them. He reached his status because of what he did. Of course, he put love into all of his creations. He didn''t disregard them and made sure that every movie would achieve success. He was happy... at first. But now, after a decade of repeating the same thing, Kazir felt empty. Happiness didn''t last forever. Sure, he was happy whenever his movies made money, but he couldn''t get the satisfaction he was looking for. He felt empty. Kazir knew that Batman Begins grossed more than $300 million at the box office in the original timeline. And now, he was more confident that the movie would perform better because of his box office appeal. Despite that fact, Kazir couldn''t feel the joy. Happiness was there, but joy was missing. He couldn''t explain it well, but he knew that something was missing. He was numbed to constant success. ''I''m a fucking hypocrite. If someone is in the same shoes as me, they will probably be more than happy to say that they filmed Batman Begins.'' To be fair, Kazir did a good job by filming and copying the successful movies. Not only did he make them, but some of the movies were also performed better than the original version, such as Napoleon Dynamite, Wanted, and Spider-Man. No one could probably do what he did. Furthermore, Kazir created a Cinematic Universe that didn''t happen in the original timeline. Who would have thought that a bunch of action movies could be put into one universe to create a Continental Cinematic Universe? Kazir was talented. No doubt about that. He remembered all of the movies he watched and even copied them to perfection! However, no matter how successful and talented a person is, they will always have insecurity. Perhaps it was human nature. ''... I''m being greedy despite the achievements I acquired.'' Kazir knew the problem, and he also knew the solution. He had to film his own movie, a script that he wrote and turned into a movie. A movie that he could confidently say was his own. "Thanks for the interview." The reporter smiled, and Kazir excused himself. The interview was simple, the reporter just asked some questions, and they were comfortable. The reporter asked Kazir and Scarlett questions related to Batman Begins. The reporter even respected his boundary and never asked why Kazir and Scarlett were walking on the red carpet together. "Are you okay?" Scarlett worriedly asked. Even though the reporter was respectable, Scarlett felt like Kazir was uncomfortable with the reporter''s praises. As if Kazir believed that he didn''t deserve it. "I''m fine." Kazir shrugged, acting like everything was all right. Scarlett bit her lip and hugged his arm tighter as they entered the theater. "Thank you, Scarlett. You''re a good person." Kazir felt her concerns. "... I''m only a good person to you, not to everybody." She grumbled. "Pftt¡ªhaha. Okay, okay. That made me laugh. So I guess I''m special, huh?" "Of course! Wait, W-what are you doing?" Scarlett stuttered and blushed as Kazir leaned closer and kissed her lips. She was stunned. Then, the cameras behind them started flashing like crazy. They were still close to the entrance, and the reporters witnessed what happened. They didn''t hesitate at all and took pictures. "I thought you wanted people to know that we are dating?" "Yeah..." She meekly replied, very shy. She lost all her energy with just one peck on the lips. "Want me to kiss you again?" "Hm." She nodded. "Let''s do it later." "Geez! You playboy! You''re making fun of me!" She playfully slapped Kazir''s shoulder. The two found their seats. Next to Kazir was none other than Barry Mayer. Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming that the Chairman of Warner Brothers was sitting next to Kazir. Most of the time, the director and the cast of the movie were in one or two rows, while the executives had their own rows. But Barry Mayer personally talked to the organizer that he wanted to sit next to Kazir. "It''s nice to meet you, Barry." "Good evening, Kazir." Kazir and Scarlett sat down. A few seconds later, Barry started the conversation. "Kazir, what do you think of starting the production of Ted?" As expected, it was about business. ++++ [I''m not going to lie, I watched The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, but I never watched Batman Begins. I only watched some clips. So yeah, there is no summary about this one either. After writing this novel for more than a year, I realized that most readers didn''t like movie summaries unless it''s related to CCU.] Chapter 463 Chapter 463 Ted. It was a comedy script that Kazir sold to Warner Brothers a few years ago. The script had been in their library, but they hadn''t touched it for years... They almost forgot about it, not going to lie. Terry Semel was the CEO at the time when Ted was bought by Warner Brothers, and so Barry Mayer didn''t know anything. He was just informed that Warner Brothers bought a script from Kazir when he talked to the production team of the company. At that time, Barry was talking about how they needed to buy a script from Kazir. It didn''t matter if it was a comedy, horror film, or musical. Final Destination was a huge hit, and so was La La Land. It was obvious why Barry wanted to buy a script. Then, when he talked about their plans, someone said to him that Warner Brothers had a script that they bought from Kazir and hadn''t produced as of yet. Back in the late ''90s, using special effects was expensive, and Warner Brothers felt like filming Ted would be a tough one. Especially when Kazir said that he didn''t want to film Ted. Warner Brothers decided to make the movie once the technology for CGI was cheaper and better... which was now. Warner Brothers could afford to produce Ted on a less expensive budget. Barry Mayer read the script for Ted... and he was laughing out loud when he read it. The script was a complete package. It didn''t need revision because the script was already perfect. When Barry Mayer read it, he knew that he needed to make it into a movie. So tonight, he talked to Kazir about Ted. He had his reasons why he wanted to talk to Kazir. He informed Kazir that Warner Brothers was going to make the movie. The second reason was that he wanted Kazir to direct it. Money was not the problem. Knowing how Kazir did his job, Warner Brothers was elegant enough to invest more than $100 million. If Kazir asked for a 30+30 deal, Warner Brothers would also agree. Barry Mayer could see the potential of Ted. It could become a movie franchise with many sequels. "That''s great to hear, Barry." Kazir nodded. He also expected that Warner Brothers would start filming Ted. "Huh?" Barry was confused. "Are you not going to say anything about it?" "Nah, I''m cool." Kazir had long received the payment from Ted, and he didn''t have much connection with it. If Warner Brothers wanted to hire him as executive producer, then he might agree. That was the best he could do. "... All right." Barry realized that Kazir was not interested. He could understand why. Kazir was so busy that his schedule was three years full. In the end, Barry didn''t force his interest. He was already satisfied that the director signed a trilogy contract with them. He was actually proud that Warner Brothers was the first studio that Kazir signed a trilogy with. Sony-Columbia could only force the director to sign two movies, which were Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. Barry slightly smiled as more people filled the theater. He looked around and found the actor, Christian Bale, in his tuxedo. It seemed that wearing a huge armor-like costume with a cape was uncomfortable. Christian Bale returned to wearing a suit once he was done on the red carpet. ... ... ... [A masterclass in rebooting a beloved franchise, Batman Begins offers a fresh take on the iconic superhero while staying true to its roots. Kazir Grey''s direction is superb, grounding the story in a gritty, realistic Gotham that feels more tangible than ever. Christian Bale''s portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman is nuanced and compelling, capturing the inner struggle of a man trying to overcome his fears and avenge the death of his parents.] [The film excels in its exploration of Batman''s origin story, giving weight to his journey from traumatized orphan to Dark Knight. The supporting cast, particularly Michael Caine as Alfred and Liam Neeson as the formidable Ra''s al Ghul, add to the emotional depth of the story. Hans Zimmer''s score is powerful and perfectly complements the film''s darker tone and thrilling action sequences.] [The action is intense and well-choreographed, particularly the car chases and fight scenes, which showcase Batman''s ingenuity and physical prowess. Batman Begins manages to be both an engaging character study and a high-stakes superhero film. It''s a fresh start for Batman and sets the stage for one of the best superhero trilogies of all time. Highly recommended for fans of the comics and newcomers to the franchise.] "... This article was written by an AI or something? Is this written by GhatGPT? Man, writers these days are getting tired of thinking and just asking an AI to create a movie review about Batman Begins. The author should be honest whenever he uses AI." Kazir thought as he read the movie review. Ahem, anyway, the movie review seemed positive. Batman Begins received a great result on its first day. Kazir was there and witnessed how the fans loved the movie. As he expected, the performance of Batman Begins was better than the original version, which only grossed $300 million. If his calculation was right, his version of Batman Begins would gross around $500 to $600 million, depending on how fans all over the world react to the movie. The first day just earned $20.58 million. Warner Brothers was satisfied with this result, knowing that the last Batman movie was a disaster. They also couldn''t help but compare it to Catwoman, which grossed only $6 million on its first fay. They couldn''t help but be satisfied. Warner Brothers was great at starting franchises, but they were bad at making sequels. Matrix had a wonderful start, but the second and third movies had a bad reputation. Joker was a masterpiece, but Joker: Folie a? Deux was like a man getting rap*d by another man and musical... Ahem, that was how horrible it was. The Fantastic Beasts suffered the same fate, with negative reviews. The DCEU had so many movies overall, and most of them were hated by the fans. So yeah, Warner Brothers was not that good at making sequels. To be fair, many studios were not good at making sequels. Every studio in the industry was not perfect. People would always find faults in them, it was just a matter of how bad the problems were. +++++ [Author''s Note: Yes, the movie review is from ChatGPT because I don''t know how to write a movie review and I''ve never watched Batman Begins. Anyway, I want to say thank you guys for all of your support. I appreciate it so much.] Chapter 464 Chapter 464 Despite having wack sequels, Warner Brothers was also famous for having amazing franchises. Harry Potter. The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit. Mad Max. The Hangover. Lethal Weapon. Ocean''s. And, of course, The Dark Knight Trilogy. These were just some of the franchises that Warner Brothers produced. It was not a surprise that Warner Brothers was a well-known studio. On the second day of Batman Begins, which was June 16 (Thursday), the movie grossed another $17 million. Friday, June 17, the movie earned another $15 million. Saturday, June 18, $16 million. Sunday, June 19, $13 million. The first five days of the screening of Batman Begins grossed $83 million. Batman Begins had a premiere on Wednesday. More movie reviews were popping up, most critics were giving positive opinions. Some bloggers also posted their reviews of the movie... Warner Brothers made sure to pay most of them to convince people that Batman Begins was amazing. Warner Brothers was confident in the movie, but they had to make sure. They didn''t want to experience another Catwoman failure. Furthermore, they were expecting that Batman Begins would be the start of their Cinematic Universe. Everyone was so eager to have their own Cinematic Universe. But they knew the danger of making one. Nobody wanted another flop like John Carter. John Carter was the first movie that Walt Disney intended for their Barsoom series. Batman Begins was also the first movie that Warner Brothers intended for their DC Cinematic Universe. So it was understandable why Warner Brothers was working hard to make sure that the movie would be successful. It didn''t matter if they had to convince the movie-goers by paying the critics. At the end of the day, as long as the movie was considered a box office hit, the DVD sales would also follow suit. Not only the DVD sales, but most movie cinemas were also selling merchandise related to the movie they were currently screening. Since Batman Begins was a hot topic in the cinemas, it was not surprising that stores close to the cinemas were selling merchandise related to Batman. Toys, comics, t-shirts, you name it. These peripherals were sold out in just a matter of days. The stores were excitedly contacting Warner Brothers to send them more products. Warner Brothers would then contact the manufacturers to make more products. Either way, they were making big profits. Batman toys were already selling well before Batman Begins even happened. After all, Batman was an old yet famous superhero and had gathered so many fans all over the world. But now that Batman Begins happened, any products related to Batman were getting sold out. Lamborghini, the car company responsible for creating the Batmobile for the production, created 15 copies of the product and sold them for $7 million each... Kazir had one, and Lamborghini gave it to him for free. Of course, the Batmobile that Lamborghini sold was different from the one in the movie. It was not high-tech, it just copied the appearance, nothing else. Still, the 15 Batmobiles were sold out... Kazir felt like Lamborghini would also make another version of the Batmobile once The Dark Knight was released. Money, money, money. It was the reason why Warner Brothers was doing this, all because of money. As for Kazir, he would also make money. Kazir''s contract was $25 million + 17% worldwide box office share + 3% peripherals revenue share. He already got the $25 million. As for the 17% worldwide box office and 3% peripherals revenue share, these two aspects have to take time to accumulate. But oh boy, once the calculation was done, Kazir''s overall salary might reach $100 million! However, the director in question had already forgotten about the specified contract. The one who was responsible for taking care of that was his lawyer and accountant. The moment Kazir got $1 billion from 20th Century Fox was the moment he didn''t think much of money. Instead, he focused more on his artwork than his financial vision. Lately, Kazir felt like buying another house and perhaps a jet for traveling purposes. He was already wealthy enough to not think of his salary... That was a cold statement. ...... ... ... "Life is tough, huh?" Zack Snyder sadly muttered while reading the articles related to Batman Begins. His life was not okay. After Dawn of the Dead, Zack felt like his career was on a downward spiral. The box office of Dawn of the Dead was outstanding, considering that it was a horror movie. Earning more than $100 million was a feat. However, for some reason, he couldn''t get a job after Dawn of the Dead. He tried to pitch some projects to the Big Six, hoping that he would get an investment. But so far, none of them had called him. The salary he received from Dawn of the Dead was not that great either, considering that he was just a rookie director. "Maybe... Sigh." For a moment, he thought of contacting Kazir... He didn''t know why he agreed to Universal Pictures'' contract. Perhaps he was enticed when the studio promised that they would have three projects for him. It was bullshit. They didn''t even sign a contract. At that time, he was having a hard time choosing between Universal Pictures and Grey Pictures. He felt like his career would be better if he worked with Universal Pictures. And now, he was in the lowest part of his career. He tried contacting his last job, but they didn''t rehire him. "I should have chosen 300. I liked the comics, and I''ve read it." He sighed. He didn''t know his future after this. Suddenly, his phone started ringing. He didn''t recognize the number but decided to answer it anyway. "Hello? Yes, 20th Century Fox!? Ah, yes, yes! I''ll be there! Director Grey recommended me. I will, I promise I will!" He was so excited that he kept nodding his head while having blushing cheeks. "... I should probably apologize and thank Kazir." Once the phone call ended, Zack felt guilty. Chapter 465 Chapter 465 Even though Zack declined Kazir''s offer to direct 300, and the new director chose Dawn of the Dead instead, Kazir still recommended the director to 20th Century Fox to direct 300. Because of what happened a year ago, when Kazir suffered from a scandal and chose to work with Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox felt jealous and asked for "attention." In the end, to solve the problem, Kazir sold three of his scripts to 20th Century Fox. These were Final Destination, Paranormal Activity, and 300. 20th Century Fox already released Final Destination, and the movie was a success. So far, after two months of screening, Final Destination had grossed $158 million at the North American box office. Unfortunately, the competition in the summer season was tough, so Final Destination would probably end its screening two to three weeks from now. Even the theaters that were screening the horror movie were down to 400. Aside from Final Destination, 20th Century Fox also had Paranormal Activity and 300. After some discussion, 20th Century Fox decided to invest in 300 and Paranormal Activity. The company was confident in both movies, so they might as well do it. Because they had high confidence in Kazir''s recommendations, 20th Century Fox decided to contact Zack Snyder. This was not a final decision, and 20th Century Fox could change their minds if Zack Snyder didn''t pass their criteria. In a way, Zack had to attend a job interview. Well, Zack''s last movie did great at the box office for a zombie movie standard. It was a profit. However, they still had to know the director before giving him the project. While the two sides were negotiating, Kazir''s opinion on the matter was a bit different. "Zack Snyder is crucial for the DCEU to happen. If he''s not working with Warner Brothers, then his chances of being part of the DCEU will be slimmer." 300 was a profitable movie, but it was not the main reason why Kazir bought the movie adaptation. What he wanted was to make Zack Snyder stay away from Warner Brothers. Kazir was making chess moves. He recognized that the DCEU was a rival that could affect the CCU and MCU. He didn''t want that to happen. So he might as well entice Zack Snyder to work with him or 20th Century Fox so that the director wouldn''t have the time to work with Warner Brothers. As for Zack''s movie projects, Kazir knew a lot of movies that he could direct. "If he wants, I can give him the script for Rebel Moon." If there was one thing that Kazir deeply regretted, it was the fact that Zack Snyder might not direct Watchmen in this timeline. In his opinion, Watchmen was Zack Snyder''s masterpiece. Man of Steel, Batman vs. Superman, Justice League, and not even Justice League Snyder''s Cut could be compared to Watchmen. That was what Kazir believed. "Everything depends on Zack''s decision. He will have to make a choice. In my opinion, the DCEU is a rival I don''t want to face. But if DCEU and Zack Snyder worked together, then I don''t have any choice but to face them." ...... ... ... "It''s nice to meet you again, director." "Yeah, I didn''t expect that we would meet twice in a year," Kazir replied nonchalantly. He had an idea, but didn''t think much of it. The person across the table was Mason Aiden, a producer working at Lionsgate. It seemed that this person had some relevance in the story since he appeared twice. Anyway, their conversation today was quite different from the last time. A few months ago, Mason and Kazir talked about the completion of Now You See Me. Mason was the producer while Kazir was the executive producer (in-name), so it was not a surprise that they had a meeting. But this time was a bit different. Mason was facing Kazir as the representative of Lionsgate in buying another script from Kazir. They hoped that Kazir would work for them as a director, but that dream was too much, so they settled on buying a script instead. Buying a script from Kazir was complicated. Because he didn''t sell scripts even if the price was high. It all depended on his feelings, whether he would sell the script or not. Kazir''s position as a scriptwriter was that high to have that kind of selling power. Not everyone in Hollywood could buy his script. Two of the Big Six, which were Walt Disney and Universal Pictures, never tasted Kazir''s grace. It showed that Kazir''s status was not simple. "I promised that if Fremont and Brianna won their awards at the Oscars, I would sell one script to Lionsgate." "That''s right," Mason nodded. An opportunity like this was very rare. "I won''t break my promise. I even let you choose which one you want to buy." Kazir gave Mason a document listing the movies he intended to sell and their summaries. Lionsgate specifically asked for horror movies because horror movies had a small budget yet big profits. They were not looking for big investments that could fracture their company. So Kazir had four horror movies for them. A Quiet Place. The Conjuring. Annabelle. Get Out. Kazir wrote short summaries for each script. There might be chances that Lionsgate would copy his horror movies, so he couldn''t give the scripts or the detailed summaries. It might look like Kazir was disrespecting Lionsgate. But at this point, it didn''t matter. Kazir was not that weak anymore. Lionsgate should be happy that Kazir gave them a chance to buy a script from him. Only selected companies had the chance to do so. "... Can I bring this document back to the company?" Mason''s voice trembled. He didn''t feel disrespected at all. He was excited instead. Four scripts! The last horror movie that Kazir sold was Final Destination, and it was making money even now. "You can, but you have to sign a non-disclosure agreement." "I''ll contact the management right now, please excuse me." Mason stood up and dialed on his phone. "You can take your time." Chapter 466 Chapter 466 After a few minutes of waiting, Mason returned and sat down. The first thing he said was: "Is it possible to buy all four of the scripts?" When Lionsgate heard that Kazir listed four scripts, they went crazy and hoped that Mason could convince him to sell all four scripts instead. This was a very rare opportunity! These four scripts could determine their future for a decade! There were countless fans of horror movies all over the world! God knows how much money they could make if they acquired the four horror scripts. They believed that Kazir''s strength in scriptwriting could do that. He had proven himself so many times that Lionsgate trusted him with their hearts. "...You can buy two, but the prices will increase to $7 million each." Kazir felt nothing selling more scripts. He knew the importance of these scripts, but he didn''t mind it anymore. He was way past that stage. These scripts could determine a studio''s future and Kazir was cool with it. Kazir usually set his prices around $5 to $6 million whenever selling a script. There were times when he had to increase the price, but that was rare. And now, instead of lowering the price for a double deal, Kazir decided to increase the price. There was no discount, only an increase in prices! That was so disrespectful. Kazir was probably the only one who could do it. Even if he increased the price up to $10 million, a studio would still buy it. When Mason heard that Kazir had no problem selling two, he couldn''t help but smile. While on the phone, the CEO promised him that he would get a commission if he convinced Kazir to sell at least one more script to Lionsgate. He fucking did. As for the expensive price, Lionsgate wouldn''t feel that it was a waste. If one of the Big Six were in their situation right now, they would agree to buy Kazir''s scripts at top dollar. Mason even heard that Universal Pictures and Walt Disney were getting close and desperate just to buy one of Kazir''s scripts. The scandal they spread last year didn''t work, and Kazir was still standing. It might not be a surprise if Universal Pictures and Walt Disney did the unthinkable, which was to plagiarize Kazir''s scripts. Most of Kazir''s scripts were registered with the Writers Guild with short summaries. Someone from Universal Pictures and Walt Disney could cook something if they wanted to... No, they might do it if they hit the corner. "It''s nice meeting you, director. I promise you that you will hear our answer within this week. We will contact your secretary if you''re busy." "That''s good to hear." Kazir nodded. Kazir had an office secretary because he felt that Erica''s job was getting heavier than normal. Especially now that Kazir and the production crew of Pirates of the Caribbean would leave the country to film the second and third sequels of the franchise. ... ... ... The month of June ended just like that. Batman Begins grossed $152 million when the month ended. The movie had been in theaters for 16 days. Around the last week of June, Batman Begins'' box office started slowing down. Especially when another box office hit was released around that time, which was War of the Worlds, starring Tom Cruise and directed by Steven Spielberg. Kazir and Tom were making fun of each other when they realized that their movies were set to be released in the same month. Both were confident in their movies, which was understandable. War of the Worlds had Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg, while Batman Begins had Kazir Grey. The two movies would do well. Kazir even knew that War of the Worlds would surpass $600 million worldwide. The two made a bet that whoever made the highest box office worldwide would buy the winner a yacht... For rich people like them, the yacht was just a betting chip. Kazir didn''t know the exact box office that Batman Begins would gross, but he decided to trust his creation. When July arrived, another batch of movies was released. 20th Century Fox released Fantastic Four, a superhero movie. Fantastic Four and X-Men were the copyrights that 20th Century Fox bought from Marvel Comics back in the 90s. The production for this movie was already planned before News Corporation bought Marvel Comics. The script was already prepared. The budget had been made. Even the cast was filled. After some communication, Marvel and 20th Century Fox decided to release the movie. They decided not to include the movie in their upcoming Cinematic Universe and gave it its own franchise instead, just like X-Men. Other than Fantastic Four, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was also released in July. This film was based on the 1964 novel of the same name. The movie was directed by Tim Burton, which explained the gothic style of the movie. Of course, it was also not a surprise that Johnny Depp was cast as Willy Wonka. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp were recognized as a tag team in the industry. Aside from Fantastic Four and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a comedy film titled Wedding Crashers was released in July. Starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, it was about two friends who decided to sneak into weddings to meet women. It led them to a humorous adventure. This movie received a positive response from the audience, based on its high box office results. While this was ongoing, a stranger visited Grey Pictures to meet Kazir. The meeting was scheduled for a week, making sure that Kazir would be informed about the meeting earlier. Kazir was a bit surprised, but he also expected it. Few people could pull off this kind of project. He was staring at a document, a script, to be precise. The script had a title: Transformers. Chapter 467 Chapter 467 "It''s nice to meet you, I''m Jacob Sterling. I''m excited to meet you, Kazir, the best director of the century. I''ve seen all of your movies, and they are masterpieces. They have a strong selling power that is indescribable. As if you, the director, can see the future of Hollywood and know how to catch the attention of people." Jacob stated his opinion, showing no shyness in his expression. Many people respected Kazir because of his achievements and looked up to him. ''But this Jacob is different. I can see that he doesn''t respect me, he sees me as a director who can make box-office hits. Other than that, he just sees me as a person.'' Kazir thought to himself. Honestly, he preferred these kinds of impressions instead of being fangirled too much. Sometimes, he felt like people around him saw him as a god who could perform miracles. That was not true at all. He knew that he could fail. He had experienced it so many times. Kazir stared at the script after Jacob introduced himself. Based on the title, Kazir already knew Paramount''s intention. "Just to be clear, I represent Hasbro more than Paramount. I''m their contact whenever Hasbro cooperates with a production studio." "I heard that Hasbro and Paramount Pictures are trying to make a G.I. Joe movie. Is that true?" "It''s confidential information. I can''t answer you," Jacob replied. "I understand." Kazir had an idea about the truth. Hasbro owned a lot of toys, board games, and tabletop games. They were trying to penetrate Hollywood to popularize their products internationally. Their toys were famous in the West, but it was different in other countries. They had cooperated with 20th Century Fox, New Line Cinema, Warner Brothers, and other B-list studios to create movies for their products. Movies based on toys and tabletops were released, such as Clue, Power Rangers, and Dungeons & Dragons... They didn''t perform well at the box office. Everything changed when Hasbro worked with Paramount Pictures to create Transformers. It was an ambitious goal that had a strong chance to fail. God knows how much CGI and special effects would be needed just to create realistic scenes of cars turning into giant robots. For the project, Paramount Pictures hired a well-known director, Michael Bay. Michael Bay was the director of Bad Boys, The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, and Bad Boys II. He had a strong box office appeal... His movies also had high production costs because Michael Bay preferred using special effects. Oh, he also loved explosions. In his opinion, the bigger the explosion, the better. Both Hasbro and Paramount Pictures understood Michael Bay''s strengths and decided to put their trust in him. And yeah, Michael Bay created one of the most famous movie franchises in the world, Transformers. The success of Transformers increased the popularity of Transformer toys, and Hasbro was making lots of money. After that huge success, Hasbro decided to entrust another franchise to Paramount, which was G.I. Joe. The first movie was amazing, while the sequels were shit. Anyway, that was the original story that Kazir knew. But it was different now. Because Kazir showed up. Michael Bay was still a respected director. But Kazir was the best director when it came to making blockbusters. Of course, Paramount Pictures and Hasbro wanted Kazir to direct Transformers rather than Michael Bay. ''If I''m not wrong, I''m their first choice, while Michael Bay is the second choice.'' Kazir slightly smiled. He was a fan of Michael Bay''s movies because Kazir loved watching action movies. And now, he was above Michael Bay. He scratched his nose. He felt nice. "You are our first choice," Jacob said. ''As expected,'' Kazir nodded. "We know how hard it will be to produce Transformers, the money, the technology to create special effects, and the right director... We believe that if there''s a director who can bring life to our Transformers, it should be you, Director Grey." At the end of the day, everyone knew that for a movie to be successful, it needed a talented director. Most of the time, the status of the director equated to the success of a movie. There was a reason why studios hired veteran directors. Directors who had box office hits had the experience, they also knew how to work under pressure, and their vision to create a movie was compact. Being a director was not simple. It was a tough career. It was understandable why Paramount Pictures and Hasbro wanted to hire Kazir. His ability was proven and tested. Money was not a problem. They could offer a 25+25 contract to Kazir with no problem. In the first place, Hasbro wanted to make a successful Transformers movie to sell more of their toys. "Your flattery sounds nice to hear. But I have to apologize. You probably heard that I''m currently filming Pirates of the Caribbean. I have no time for Transformers. I recommend you contact Michael Bay instead." "We are also interested in Michael Bay, but we wanted to talk to you first. Transformers is still in its initial stage, and the movie is planned to be released around 2007 or 2008. We still have two years. We know that you finish your projects fast, so it''s probably not a problem for you to start Transformers at the end of 2005 or early in 2006. Director, all we want is for you to take your time to think about our offer. We promise that we will provide you with the best contract." "... I''ll think about it." That was the best that Kazir could promise. The meeting ended, and Jacob Sterling left. "Transformers, huh..." Kazir had a lot of things to do. His schedule was packed, and he didn''t know if he would have time to dabble his hands in other projects. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest was set to be released next year, 2006. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End was set to be released in 2007. The Dark Knight was set to be released in 2008. For the next three years, Kazir''s schedule was packed. Furthermore, he was interested in filming Ninja Assassin and an original horror movie once 2008 passed. ++++ [I remember when I was in elementary school, when Transformers was released, many vendors in our area started selling cheap copies of Transformers, around PHP 5 for each. I loved assembling those toys when I was young. Now, it''s hard to find those kinds of toys even online. Man, I miss those cheap lead-filled reassembled toys, lol.] [I was interested in Transformers, but looking through Kazir''s schedule, I found it inhumane if I added Transformers to his filmography. I decided to let go of this franchise.] Chapter 468 Chapter 468 After ending the meeting with Jacob Sterling, Kazir had another thing to do. Kung Fu Panda was going to be released in the first week of August. Kazir was the executive producer of this animated movie, he was also the scriptwriter. It was not a surprise that Kazir received a ticket to watch the movie. He was also invited to the red carpet. However, Kazir was having some thoughts about attending the premiere. He was now a high-status person in Hollywood, and even 20th Century Fox couldn''t stop him if he said that he didn''t want to attend the premiere of Kung Fu Panda. In the first place, he didn''t participate much in the creation of this movie. It was not important whether he would attend or not. The box office always relied on the movie itself. If the movie was entertaining, people would spend money and watch it. If the movie was boring, people had no reason to watch it. The reason why he didn''t want to attend was that he didn''t want to make Scarlett uncomfortable. Angelina was part of the cast of Kung Fu Panda, she voiced Tigress in the movie. There might be a strong chance that the actress would attend the premiere. If Kazir attended the premiere alone, Scarlett would be uncomfortable knowing that Kazir could meet Angelina at the event. If Scarlett and Kazir attended the premiere together, she still might become uncomfortable with the thought that Kazir''s ex was in the same theater as them. So, to avoid that situation, Kazir wanted to talk to the management of 20th Century Fox and inform them that he couldn''t attend the premiere of Kung Fu Panda. However, before he could even contact the company, Kazir received a text from Scarlett. -- Babe, I want to see Kung Fu Panda with you. I love you, muah~ "..." Reading the message, Kazir sighed and decided to reply with: -- Okay. Scarlett texted a second later. -- Are you not going to say more? Kazir read it and had no idea what she implied. ''I mean, I texted "okay" because that''s all I have to say.'' He typed back. -- I''ll take you to a nice fashion boutique to find a dress for the premiere. -- Thanks, babe, but that''s not what I''m asking for. Kazir had no idea what to say, so he decided to reread their conversation. He then texted: -- I love you. There was no response for a few seconds until Kazir''s phone started ringing. Scarlett was calling him. "I love you too, muah~" She giggled before ending the call. ''I almost fucked it up by typing, "I miss you, and I miss your tits."'' Kazir chuckled. He felt great for some reason. He finished his job that day, and even Stella and Erica were surprised that Kazir came out of his office. Most of the time, when Kazir didn''t have anything to do, he would stay in his office and finish his work. ... ... ... Robert "Bob" Iger confidently strolled into the building of Walt Disney. People greeted him with respect as he passed them by. He became the face of the company four years ago when Michael Eisner "left" the company. When Robert successfully acquired the position of Chairman once Michael Eisner was gone, Walt Disney started going on the right track. The failure of John Carter in 2002 was the biggest disaster that Walt Disney suffered. They spent more than $400 million on John Carter, including worldwide promotion, but the outcome was a painful slap to their faces. When John Carter didn''t make any money in the United States, Walt Disney decided to push the release internationally and invested heavily in promoting the movie... The outcome was the same. John Carter meagerly earned $284 million. If not for the high investment, this movie could have been recognized as a box office hit. Anyway, Walt Disney promised never to touch the franchise again. They even blacklisted the actor who took the role of John Carter because they didn''t want to be reminded of their own failures. Whenever Robert remembered John Carter, he couldn''t help but frown. He admitted that he also supported the production of John Carter, but he didn''t expect that they would suffer a negative profit once the movie was released. It was nightmare-inducing. ''But everything will be fine from now on.'' Now that Walt Disney had learned from the past, it had become stronger. ''I''m the Chairman of this company, and I will make sure that we will succeed.'' Robert was getting close to convincing Steve Jobs to sell the shares of Pixar to Walt Disney. He was confident that the guy would agree and sell Pixar to Walt Disney. After all, Walt Disney was the best choice for Pixar to prosper. Walt Disney was family-friendly. The company also had distribution lines worldwide, not only for movies but also for selling toys. Walt Disney was not just a production studio, it was a pop culture. This company created so many childhood memories for people all over the world. The cartoon movies it released created unforgettable experiences for many people. Even adults who were born in the 1950s admitted that they liked Walt Disney. Furthermore, Walt Disney had a strong connection with toy factories. Walt Disney also had Disneyland, a place where children loved to visit. It would take a long time for Pixar to acquire these kinds of advantages. So, for Pixar and Walt Disney, it was a win-win situation if they worked together. Pixar didn''t have a choice anyway, no one in the Big Six could satisfy Pixar. Only Walt Disney, the biggest animation studio in the world, could answer every need of Pixar. Robert smiled. Once the negotiation ended, he would acquire another achievement, and the management would respect him again. This would solidify his position as the Chairman of the company. +++++ [This novel currently has 132 chapters in my Pat reon. If you can''t wait longer, you can subscribe and support me. You can also read 26 advanced chapters of Behind The Spotlight, I''m cooking this new novel right now.] P@treon link: https://www.patr eon.com/Puji_maki Chapter 469 Chapter 469 Robert found his seat and read the newspaper. Younger people these days had stopped reading newspapers and preferred watching television as a means of entertainment instead. Perhaps only old people appreciated the novelty of reading newspapers. ''Hm, I heard that Kazir also loves to read newspapers. Maybe he''s an old man deep inside.'' He turned the page and frowned when he saw the box office of Batman Begins. After 47 days of screening, Batman Begins grossed over $210 million. It was a success, but some movie critics criticized Kazir because, out of his recent movies, Batman Begins had the lowest performance. "People always expect too much from a person who keeps spamming blockbuster movies every year. Batman Begins'' performance is amazing on its own. There''s nothing to be sad about." Robert sighed. It would be a lie if he said that he was not jealous. Walt Disney had an amazing lineup of animated movies. However, their live-action movies were getting stale as the years went by. They didn''t have any strong movies lately. They didn''t have Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. They didn''t have Spider-Man. They didn''t have Pirates of the Caribbean... Ahem, Robert was clueless about the fact that this franchise was meant for Walt Disney. Disneyland had an attraction ride called Pirates of the Caribbean. Kazir also admitted that he found inspiration when he rode that ride. Robert thought of filing a lawsuit, but he felt like they would lose the case. They did not own the trademark for Pirates of the Caribbean. If Robert pushed the lawsuit, he was afraid that Kazir would completely close his door to working with Walt Disney. Yes, Robert was still hoping. He knew the truth regarding the industry. The best way to make money was by hiring Kazir Grey. He didn''t want to follow Michael Eisner''s path by acting arrogant. He wanted to work with Kazir. That was one of the reasons why he agreed to buy the shares of Grey Pictures. Unfortunately, the acquisition failed, and 20th Century Fox won the race. As for the scandal that Walt Disney spread with the help of Universal Pictures, Robert went along with it because of his position. In a way, Robert wanted to work with Kazir. But if Kazir didn''t want to, then Robert had no problem dirtying the director''s reputation. At the end of the day, this was business, and Robert was standing on business. "Our live-action movies don''t have strong power to compete with the other studios. We need to level up." Walt Disney was the giant of the animation industry, but he didn''t want to let go of live-action movies. Because live-action movies could also bring them a lot of money. Robert could see the trajectory of the company. If they failed to make interesting live-action movies, their market shares would decrease. If that happened, Robert would be blamed and possibly kicked out of the company, just like what happened to Michael Eisner. Robert didn''t want that to happen. "I have plans. First, ask Kazir if he''s interested in working with us." He heard that Paramount Pictures asked Kazir to work with them on a project, and Walt Disney could do the same, with a thicker face. "If that doesn''t work, we will invite Fremont Smith or Palenque Simone." Fremont was currently relaxing after the success of La La Land. The award-winning director was having a blast and attending many parties in Los Angeles, except for Epstein and Diddy parties, of course. As for Palenque Simone, Walt Disney was ready to shoulder the expenses if the TV show director decided to break the contract. Palenque Simone didn''t have experience directing a movie. But at this point, Walt Disney was ready to gamble just to achieve success. After all, Kazir Grey was Fremont and Palenque''s mentor. The director taught the two how to direct a project, and the two also adapted Kazir''s fast style of filming. Robert was also interested in Renner Hector, Kazir''s director of photography, or cinematographer. After working with Kazir for more than a decade, Renner Hector probably learned so many things from Kazir. However, this cinematographer never stepped into making a movie. He stayed in his position and followed Kazir in every movie he created. "If my second plan doesn''t work, maybe I can make live-action versions of our fairytale movies. Just like I said last time, we can start with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." To be fair, the idea of live-action versions of fairytale movies was not bad. It was actually a great idea... once done right. It was true that Robert reached his position because he was talented and smart. His way of thinking was on the right track, but it didn''t mean that every project he partook in would be successful. "... Maybe I can start with Cinderella instead?" ... ... ... Mascots of characters from Kung Fu Panda were parading in front of the El Capitan Theatre. Po, Master Shifu, Master Oogway, Tigress, and many more were waving their hands adorably (the people inside the mascots were probably showering in sweat). Tonight was the premiere of Kung Fu Panda. 3D animated movies were well-received even by adults, so people ranging from 5 years old to 50+ years old were eager to watch the movie. Especially when Kung Fu Panda was written by none other than Kazir Grey. ++++ [And yeah, this chapter is a bit of a filler I guess. I''m still waiting for the results of the poll regarding Ninja Assassin and Transformers before adding Kazir''s next step. The poll was tough because the two almost have the same number of votes.] [Edit: It has a clear answer now.] Chapter 470 Chapter 470 Kazir and Scarlett entered the theater after the hustle and bustle. Tonight was a new beginning for Blue Sky Studio to greet their rivals, proving that they could also create an amazing 3D animated movie. DreamWorks and Pixar didn''t have one thing, Kazir Grey. In Hollywood, Kazir''s name was the definition of success. Even though this was his first time working on an animated movie, people were confident that Kung Fu Panda would deliver. So far, DreamWorks and Pixar were the 3D animation studios that dominated this small but profitable industry. Other studios were trying to follow in their footsteps, hoping to get a slice of this delicious market. Blue Sky Studio''s first 3D movie, Ice Age, was a commercial success, and 20th Century Fox decided to invest more in the company, especially when their second project was written by Kazir Grey. "Kazir! I''m happy to see you again!" Jack Black showed up and gave Kazir a tight hug. Kazir couldn''t breathe for a second before the fat actor let go of him. Jack Black was an approachable actor, and Kazir didn''t have a hard time becoming friends with him. Kazir and Jack rarely met, especially after The Hangover franchise ended, but they still considered each other friends. Furthermore, Jack felt indebted and grateful that the director had hired him in The Hangover as one of the three protagonists. It meant a lot to him. That was the start of stardom, and he was thankful to Kazir because of that. Since then, Jack always had positive opinions about the director. When the scandal two years ago happened, Jack was one of the people who defended Kazir. Jack Black voiced the protagonist of Kung Fu Panda, which was Po. He heard that Kazir was the one who recommended him to voice the character. In this industry, connection was very important. It was hard to find a steady job, even for someone like Jack Black. So getting hired in an animated movie like Kung Fu Panda was great. Jack Black was 100% sure that this movie would have sequels, so it meant that he had secure jobs for the future. Besides, he had fun voicing Po. Voice acting and being an actor were different. To be clear, dubbing was a normal thing in movies because it was hard to record sounds in open spaces. Jack Black and the other actors already had experience in voice acting in that regard. Some actors couldn''t dub their own roles in the movie for various reasons. The best example was Arnold Schwarzenegger. In Arnold''s early movies, his accent was so thick that the director hired another person to dub his lines in the movie. "It''s nice to meet you, Jack." Kazir replied and also introduced Scarlett to Jack Black. After that, more actors and actresses introduced themselves to Kazir. There were more than a thousand seats in the theater, and the venue was packed. Some fans had luckily won tickets to join the premiere, while others held high status in the industry and were invited to watch the movie. Movie critics were also present, invited by 20th Century Fox to praise Kung Fu Panda... They were probably paid. "Hi, director, it''s nice to meet you." People were approaching Kazir. He was the type who rarely showed his face, so this was a rare opportunity for some people to introduce themselves, particularly the small-time actors and actresses. "Director, here''s my card. Call me if you want a good time." A young, beautiful actress casually inserted her business card into Kazir''s pocket and winked. "Excuse me!?" Scarlett was stunned. She was also surprised by what had just happened. "How can someone like her get into the theater?" she fumed. "Probably through the back entrance?" Kazir replied and then shut his mouth when Scarlett glanced at him. She pulled out the card and tore it apart. She didn''t bother reading it. Sometimes, some actors and actresses used premieres to introduce themselves to the director and producer, hoping that they would get their attention. Their agents used many ways to get into theaters. Sometimes, the actors and actresses themselves used their appearance to get into the premieres. To be fair, Scarlett also used her connection to get into the theater, since she was not part of the cast. "Are you teasing me?" Scarlett asked. "I like it when you''re angry. You''re so cute." "..." She was speechless, but her expression couldn''t hide her blush. The reason why Scarlett attended the premiere was because she knew that Kazir and Angelina would meet, and she wanted to know if Kazir still had feelings for his ex. "... She''s not here." Scarlett was surprised when she realized that she couldn''t find Angelina Jolie. The woman was not in the theater. Apparently, Angelina had a commercial to shoot, so she couldn''t attend the premiere. However, she promised that she would participate in promoting Kung Fu Panda. ...... ... ... August 4, 2005 The first 24 hours of Kung Fu Panda grossed $20.30 million. The movie had a simple plot, and it was perfect. After all, Kung Fu Panda''s target audience was kids before adults. Unlike most 3D movies that focused more on wholesomeness, Kung Fu Panda had action, which made it unique in its era. Kids loved it, and adults also loved it. At least they didn''t feel bored taking their kids to watch Kung Fu Panda, because they themselves had fun watching it. With this, Kung Fu Panda was a success, and nobody could deny that Kazir was talented. Chapter 471 Chapter 471 "I got a jar of dirt~ I got a jar of dirt~" Jack Sparrow sang while waving the jar of dirt in his hands. He fell down the stairs of the ship, and the people around him cringed in pain. Even Davy Jones saw what happened. "Got it!" Then, he raised his hands, still holding the jar as if nothing had happened. "Come to negotiate, ay, have you, slimy git? Look what I got?" Jack Sparrow was holding the jar, taunting Davy Jones while singing. "I got a jar of dirt~ I got a jar of dirt~ and guess what''s inside it!?" "Enough!" Davy Jones roared, and the ship, the Flying Dutchman, released its cannons right in front of Jack Sparrow''s ship. Jack Sparrow''s expression winced. "Hard to starboard." "Cut¡ª!" Kazir clapped his hands while the whole cast was confused. They were in a green screen studio with fake ships shaking the way real ships moved on the ocean. The whole cast was confused... because that entire scene was not in the script. Even Orlando''s face had a "what the hell is going on" expression. What Johnny Depp did was an ad-lib. But because the film was rolling, the cast stayed in character. Ad-lib was not a new thing, and they understood that the show must go on. And surprisingly, they managed to keep in character. "Johnny, that was impressive." "I forgot my line, so I decided to go with random bullshit instead?" Johnny Depp was slurring his speech, perhaps still in character as Captain Jack Sparrow. "Keep it going. Let''s reshoot that scene to make it more intact. Orlando and Keira, just repeat your acting like you guys are confused. And Bill, keep the stern face." Bill Nighy, the actor who played Davy Jones, didn''t have any tentacles slithering around his neck. Instead, he was wearing a motion capture suit, and his face had some dots, particularly around his mouth and eyes. He didn''t look menacing at all. He looked goofy in his skin-tight suit and clown-like painted face. The ones responsible for creating Davy Jones''s iconic look were the visual effects editors, who would also spend months working on that. For these two movies, Grey Pictures might have to spend around $400 million combined. And that was just the minimum, the biggest factor they had to focus on was the visual effects. Once successful, the first and second movies had the chance to surpass $1 billion at the box office, each. The shooting restarted, and the cameras began recording the scenes again. Kazir turned around and saw some of the cast, who were not part of the scene, watching from behind. Kazir recognized one of them. Amber Heard, this small actress only had a minor role in the movie. She was one of the hookers who slapped Jack Sparrow. That was it. Normally, small actresses like her couldn''t stay long on the filming set once they were done with their jobs. The production crew was strict in keeping the project protected from the noisy presence of paparazzi. They made sure that no outsiders knew the plot of Pirates of the Caribbean. Even most members of the crew didn''t know the whole plot of the movie. Only a few selected people had the privilege to know it. Sometimes, if necessary, the director had to keep the final part of the script hidden so that the actors would experience true surprises once they were close to the ending. But that kind of thing usually happened when the filming used a chronological order, and that was expensive as hell. Kazir didn''t follow that method because he had no intention of wasting money. So today, he was filming a scene that was in the middle of the second movie, even though the filming had just started a month ago. Anyway, Kazir was not comfortable with Amber Heard staying on the set. The woman had already finished her role two weeks ago, and there was no reason for her to remain. Unfortunately, Amber and Johnny were currently dating, and Kazir couldn''t stop the famous actor from bringing his girlfriend to the job site. He didn''t want to make Johnny mad and possibly affect their relationship while filming the movie. Kazir put importance on the mentality of the cast. So Kazir didn''t have a choice but to let Amber Heard sign a non-disclosure agreement instead. While thinking about it, Kazir thought of finding fault with Amber so that Johnny would realize his girlfriend was a walking red flag. The actor should break up with the woman before things got worse. It was better for both of them. Johnny would be free, while Amber wouldn''t suffer from backlash. It was fortunate that they were still not married. The thing was that Kazir had no idea how to do that. He had never done anything like that before. If not for the betterment of Johnny''s life, Kazir would never even consider it. Once the filming was done that day, the crew started packing up the equipment while the actors left one by one. They were in the city, so the cast could do what they wanted... as long as they didn''t affect the project. Scarlett was waiting for Kazir to leave the studio. When Kazir came out, the actress hugged him. "I miss you." "I miss you too." While they were hugging, Scarlett saw a certain woman walking next to Johnny Depp. "Kazir... why is that woman on your set?" she asked. "Are you talking about Amber Heard?" "Yeah, that bitch." "She is Johnny''s girlfriend, and she has a small role in the movie. Why did you ask?" "Babe... you probably didn''t know, but that woman is friends with your half-sister." "..." That was the first time Kazir heard that news. Chapter 472 Chapter 472 Kazir knew that his mother and half-sister stayed in Hollywood, although he hadn''t heard from them lately. He also knew that his half-sister went to college, striving for a degree in Fine Arts in Acting. However, he didn''t know that Amber and Mara were friends. He had no intention of knowing anything about his mother''s side after he realized the truth. It was understandable that he didn''t know about Amber''s relationship with Mara Cohen. If not for Scarlett, he wouldn''t even know it. "I met Mara at an audition, and that woman, Amber Heard, was with her. At that time, my relationship with Mara was already at its worst, so our interaction was never that great. Mara and her friends bullied me. Of course, Amber Heard was included." Scarlett already knew the truth about Kazir''s relationship with his mother and his half-sister. Kazir was honest about it. She was not surprised that Mara and her mother were bitches, but when she heard the full story from Kazir, her expression turned livid, and she wanted to find the mother and daughter just to smack their faces. Elizabeth Cohen had basically said that Kazir''s existence was a mistake, and Scarlett would never agree with that. In fact, Scarlett tried to find them, but she realized she couldn''t. Apparently, the mother and daughter had decided to go to the United Kingdom to pursue a different career for Mara. The last time she heard, Mara was working as a weather reporter at a local TV station. It was a surprise because Scarlett was confident that Mara was too stupid to become a reporter. Perhaps her mother helped her find a job. Anyway, her hatred toward Mara and Elizabeth was over the top. She hoped that the mother and daughter would never step foot in the country again, or else they might receive a pair of smacks on their cheeks. Scarlett was fuming. So when she saw Amber Heard coming out of the set of Pirates of the Caribbean, her expression was not good. "They bullied you?" When Kazir heard that, his expression became serious. "I fought, of course, but it was a 1 vs. 5 situation, so I didn''t win." To be fair, they didn''t lay hands on Scarlett, they just mocked her throughout the whole audition. "I see... Don''t worry, I''ll take care of it." When Kazir heard that Amber Heard had bullied Scarlett, all of his pity vanished. At first, he felt like destroying Amber''s relationship with Johnny was the right thing to do since he knew the outcome would be horrible for both sides if they continued the relationship. But now, he didn''t give a fuck about Amber''s situation. ''From the looks of it, she''s already a bad person since college. I have no reason to feel bad at all.'' He would make sure that Amber would never find her place in Hollywood. It was no longer about Johnny Depp, not anymore. Kazir didn''t like that Amber Heard bullied Scarlett, and this was his way of protecting his girlfriend. "You don''t have to worry. She will leave the project." "Kazir, don''t do anything that will hurt you. I feel like you''re going to do something about Amber. I''m fine. That was in the past, and I don''t care about it anymore. Just don''t hurt yourself." Scarlett could see that Kazir was thinking of something. She touched his chest and comforted him. Kazir smiled. "I will. I won''t do anything." ''I will not hurt myself, but Amber will definitely hurt herself because of her own decisions.'' Based on what he remembered, Amber had a history of cheating. Kazir would put that to the test. Kazir condemned doing bad things to others. He had experienced getting cheated on and being accused of things he never did. He didn''t want anyone else to experience what he had suffered. Perhaps he was being affected by the curse of Hollywood, or perhaps he was just a hypocrite. But at this point, he hated Amber. She hurt Scarlett, so Kazir hated her, simple as that. As for the other women who bullied Scarlett, Kazir would make sure they would never find a career in Hollywood. ...... ... ... August ended, and Kung Fu Panda grossed over $182 million at the North American box office by the end of the month. As for Batman Begins, it grossed $217 million at the North American box office. The movie had been screening for 78 days, and it was losing steam. However, the international box office for Batman Begins grossed $257 million, and it was increasing as the days passed. Combined, the box office for Batman Begins was $474 million. As Batman Begins had a budget of $150 million, including promotion, Warner Brothers concluded that the movie was a success. Although they felt like the movie''s performance was average considering Kazir''s recent movies. They didn''t express that disappointment to Kazir because they wanted to maintain the cooperation. Even though Batman Begins'' box office was average, they knew that only Kazir had the power to revive this dead franchise. It was a good thing that they didn''t speak badly to Kazir, because their opinions would change once the sequel, The Dark Knight, was released. A minor spoiler, but Warner Brothers lost their shit when The Dark Knight started tanking the box office. ...... ... ... In 2005, Kazir had five movies related to him. Final Destination. Batman Begins. Kung Fu Panda. Now You See Me. Taken 3. Now You See Me was scheduled to be released in November. As for Taken 3, since 20th Century Fox was just the distributor, they couldn''t prioritize it. So Taken 3 was scheduled to be released in a less popular month, which was September. Yet despite the fact that Taken 3 was scheduled in September, many fans were still excited to watch it. They saw the trailer, and they knew they were in for a ride. Taken 3 was expected to be one of the heavy hitters this year, especially when they heard that the next movie would be the next assembly of the protagonists of the CCU. It meant that something happened in Taken 3 that triggered the scenario. This information was leaked by Grey Pictures as a promotion. +++++ [Author''s Note: Kingsman won the poll, so it''s the next CCU movie.] Chapter 473 Chapter 473 The CCU was a Cinematic Universe about hitmen, assassins, spies, agents, and ninjas. It was the main topic of the franchise. The audience loved it when different professions met and had a face-off. The audience loved it even more when the pinnacles of these professions met and showcased their skills. Wanted reached $1 billion because of the hype, and also because the protagonists of the CCU showed up in one movie. It was the most ambitious crossover that they had witnessed. It was justified why Wanted grossed over $1 billion. And now, Grey Pictures announced that the second assembly of these protagonists would happen in the next movie, after Taken 3. Surely, this news would make the fans excited. And it did, even though Taken 3 was still not in theaters, many people had already booked tickets to watch it. So far, the Cinema Alliance had earned more than $6 million on ticket sales that people booked online and $13 million through phone reservations... This was the first time the Cinema Alliance witnessed how online booking brought them a huge amount of money. Booking movie tickets online did start in the early 2000s, but it was not a popular choice because it was not convenient. Many people still preferred buying tickets upfront or making phone reservations. Only in the 2010s did online reservations become mainstream. Still, the Cinema Alliance was surprised by the profit they gained from this movie alone. They decided that they would give Taken 3 better treatment by increasing its number of theaters. ...... ... ... While Taken 3 was busy with promotion, Kazir didn''t know why, but his car took him to his old place. Kazir was just driving around. Scarlett was promoting Taken 3 together with the cast, so she was busy. Kazir decided to spend some time unwinding and used his very old bumpy car. This was his first car that he bought using his hard-earned money... Not going to lie, it was so old that he couldn''t recognize its brand. He was not sure whether it was a Honda or a Toyota, there were no indicators. He just knew that it was a Japanese car, and that explained why the car was still working despite its old age. Even now, Kazir had no clue about its brand. He just called it his old bumpy car. This car was special to him. He made sure it was always clean and well-maintained. Kazir drove the car, going with the traffic, looking around the city. Then, perhaps feeling nostalgic while driving the old car, it took him to his old neighborhood. The place where he bought his first house, the place where he and Cassandra lived for years. A place that Kazir once treated as his home. After his divorce from Cassandra, Kazir never returned to this neighborhood. He also had no intention of buying back the house because he didn''t want to be reminded of how Cassandra dirtied the house with her infidelity. He had no idea what happened to the house that he once lived in. A few minutes later, he stopped in front of his house, and he was shocked and heartbroken by what he saw. The house was gone. All he could see was a plot of land, with a sign that read "Lot 4 Sale." Kazir had spent his earnings on that house because he believed he was investing in their future. And now, that house was gone. Kazir knew that Cassandra had sold the house, but he didn''t know the house would actually disappear in just a little more than a decade. He saw a couple of teenagers walking by and decided to ask them. "Excuse me, do you know what happened to the house on this lot?" "I heard the house was caught in a fire because of an electrical malfunction. The owner decided to leave and put the lot up for sale." "I see... Thanks." "Um, you remind me of someone. Are you an actor or something?" "No, I''m not." The teenagers excused themselves, leaving Kazir staring at the land lot. Kazir weakly smiled and realized the truth. He realized that some things won''t last forever. He decided to call his father. "Dad? Ah yes, it''s me. I''m doing fine. Yeah, I just want to say that I love you. What, haha, no I''m not depressed. I just want to say how much I love you. And no, I''m not going to kill myself. Don''t overreact." Kazir chuckled. He then called his older brother. "Yow Aaron, I love you bro... Look, just because I said I love you, it doesn''t mean I''m gay." He sighed. He then called Scarlett to share his feelings. "I love you, and I''m so happy that you''re in my life." He smiled and talked to Scarlett for a long time. The two promised to spend time with each other once Scarlett returned to Los Angeles. Kazir glanced at the land lot one last time before driving away. He had no intention of buying the lot. He had moved on. Besides, now that he saw the place again, he realized that it was actually too small. There was no space to build a pool at all. He could find a better place to build another house. He was a billionaire, for God''s sake... Well, a billionaire who was currently driving an unspecified old bumpy car. One thing was certain, Kazir was happy with his life. He had achieved his dream. He was at the top of Hollywood, recognized by the people as one of the best directors of all time. He still had some things he wanted to achieve. But so far, he never regretted his decisions, just like he never regretted leaving his house. +++++ [Final chapter of today.] Chapter 474 Chapter 474 September, the schedule where 2nd tier studios loved to release their movies. This year alone, 2005, there were a lot of movies created by 2nd tier studios that were released. Transporter 2 was produced by EuropaCorp, and they signed a contract with 20th Century Fox to distribute the movie. For production studios that didn''t have distribution power, they didn''t have a choice but to sign a distribution deal with the Big Six. After all, the Big Six were the only companies that could distribute movies worldwide. Aside from Transporter 2, The Exorcism of Emily Rose was also set to be released in September. This was a movie produced by Lakeshore Entertainment and distributed by Sony-Columbia. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was an animated movie created by DreamWorks, a famous 2nd tier studio. DreamWorks had local distribution lines, but they still had to sign an international distribution deal with Paramount so that their movies would reach foreign countries. Just Like Heaven was also another movie produced by DreamWorks that was set to be released in September. Corpse Bride was a famous movie in stop-motion animation, produced by Laika Entertainment and distributed by Warner Brothers. Lionsgate also had a movie this month, which was Lord of War starring Nicholas Cage. Their other movie, which was Now You See Me, was scheduled to be released in November. In a way, September was the battlefield for 2nd tier studios. Obviously, Grey Pictures was part of the picture. Grey Pictures was also a 2nd tier studio despite its continuous success. It didn''t have distribution lines to stand on its own and needed the power of the Big Six to distribute its movies. This was the decision that Kazir implemented. He had no intention of going against the Big Six because he knew the consequences. So far, working with 20th Century Fox was the best decision he had made. At least he didn''t have to worry about distribution anymore. DreamWorks, Lionsgate, Grey Pictures, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer were at the top of 2nd tier studios. But in terms of influence, Grey Pictures would only be in fourth place. The three studios above Grey Pictures had distribution lines, after all, even if they could only distribute their movies locally. Did Kazir care about it? No. Competing with other studios for supremacy was something he didn''t want. At the end of the day, Kazir was not ambitious. His ambition was all about making movies and impressing the audience. If Grey Pictures failed and lost along the way, as long as Kazir could make movies, then it didn''t matter. Everyone has their own dreams in life. Kazir had his own dream. People may judge him for his decisions, but Kazir knew he was happy with where he was. ...... ... ... A huge explosion shocked the hearts of the audience. They were utterly shocked and speechless as they witnessed a whole city turning into ashes. The scene showed Lenore talking on her phone when a deafening explosion filled the screen, and a red flame spread around. It was so fast that it surprised the audience. They didn''t expect it at all! The movie had just started, yet they were already greeted by a huge explosion! It hadn''t even been 10 minutes. Bryan Mills and Lenore were having a conversation on the phone. Bryan and his daughter, Kim, were at the bowling alley. However, while on the phone, Bryan heard a static sound, then the call ended. He tried to call back, but no one answered. Suddenly, every glass and window in the bowling alley shattered. A strong aftershock hit them. Bryan Mills was stunned and had a premonition. He hoped he was wrong. Bryan and Kim ran out of the bowling alley. As they came out, they saw a small mushroom cloud forming in the sky thousands of kilometers away from them. They were far from the explosion, but they still felt it. The audience''s hearts were beating fast as they witnessed the first massive event in the Continental Cinematic Universe. "D-Dad, Mom is in that city." Kim''s expression turned ashen, and she started calling her mother. It was futile. Bryan crushed the phone in his hand as he stared at the dispersing mushroom cloud. The news spread rapidly. The explosion didn''t emit radiation, but it was dangerous nonetheless. Bryan asked everyone he knew about the incident and decided to uncover the truth. He experienced obstacles, such as the FBI trying to stop him from muddying the waters, and even some criminal organizations hindered him. Along the way, he uncovered the truth about the missing military weapons. At last, after almost dying, suffering a punctured abdomen and a gunshot wound to the shoulder, Bryan got his revenge. He found the people responsible for the atrocity and killed them. However, he knew that his revenge was not over. This was just the start. There was a hidden conspiracy unfolding, and he had to get to the root of it. In the mountain of dead people he had murdered, a phone suddenly rang. Bryan Mills found the phone and answered it. With a bloodied face, he said his iconic line. "I don''t know who you are. I don''t know what you want. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you..." Bryan looked at the camera. "I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you." When the movie ended, all of the people in the cinema stood up and clapped their hands. They were cheering and clapping so loudly. They spent the whole credit scene clapping nonstop while standing. This was probably the best CCU movie they had watched so far. The pressure was so intense that they even thought Bryan Mills would die. It was different than usual, the risks were bigger this time. Chapter 475 Chapter 475 Taken 3 was an amazing movie, and almost all of the audience were affected by it. There was something about the movie that touched their hearts. Perhaps because they witnessed how people lost their loved ones, or perhaps because they realized the true danger of a nuclear attack. Taken 3 was the type of movie that both Hollywood and the military loved to promote. Hollywood loved promoting anti-war propaganda. They didn''t like war, like most people. As for the military, they loved movies like Taken 3 because they could use them to stir the hearts of young men and convince them to join the military. It was a fact that when Top Gun was released in theaters, so many young men applied for the Air Force and other branches of the military. They supported Taken 3 wholeheartedly. Some of the audience even cried when Kim, Bryan''s daughter, started losing herself after realizing that her mother was gone just like that. Christopher Nolan, the director of Taken 3, did a great job of showing the humanistic side of the tragedy. He knew how to stir the hearts of the audience. Kazir didn''t make a mistake in casting him as the director of Taken 3. Despite the heavy hearts of the audience, they didn''t leave even as the credits rolled on the screen. They were waiting for the post-credit scene. Just as they expected, there was one last scene for them to savor. [A month before the terrorist attack] [Jason Bourne was gasping as he did his best to stop his wound from bleeding.] In the last scene of The Bourne Supremacy, Jason was wounded as he escaped the pursuit of ex-members of Treadstone. The audience didn''t forget this fact because it left a strong impression when the movie ended. In fact, The Bourne Supremacy was released in 2002, and since then, Jason hadn''t shown up in any movie, not even as a cameo. The fans were curious about what happened to the protagonist. And now that Jason showed up in the post-credit scene of Taken 3, they realized that the movie was the next project of Grey Pictures. The production of this movie, The Bourne Ultimatum, was already happening with around 30% completed. The post-credit scene was actually filmed three years ago, and they had just used it as hype. Not only The Bourne Ultimatum, but also The Kingsman was in production. Kazir didn''t have to attend most of the meetings because that was Stella Willow''s job. He was just responsible for signing some documents and approving the projects. Then, the suspense was over, and the audience clapped again. This time, they were cheering even louder as they left the theater. On their way out, some of them were interviewed by CinemaScore, a survey that determined the ratings of movies. Most of the audience gave the movie A+ ratings. It showed that they had fun and fell in love with Taken 3. Most of the movies that had A+ ratings had amazing box office performances. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Rocky III Die Hard Lethal Weapon 2 Wanted As of 2005, 51 movies had received A+ ratings. CinemaScore ratings were determined by the surveys of people''s enjoyment of the films. It was different from Rotten Tomatoes, which focused more on movie reviews done by critics worldwide. Based on this, Grey Pictures and 20th Century Fox didn''t have to worry. Taken 3 was on the right track. Some people believed that the movie might reach around $700 million at the worldwide box office at least. September 7, Wednesday. The opening day of Taken 3 grossed $58 million after the heavy promotion that Grey Pictures did. The reputation that the movie achieved was so outstanding that the other movies released in the same week lost their momentum. On the second day, Thursday, September 8. The North American box office of Taken 3 went up to $80 million after making another $22 million. Then, on the third day, the movie unsurprisingly surpassed $100 million. Taken 3 grossed $107 million in just three days of screening! The influence it created in that short amount of time was massive. People started recommending the movie to others. Fans were so excited about it that some of them had already watched the movie three times in that short span. Word of mouth was a terrifying power. Word of mouth was a terrifying weapon, especially if the movie was amazing. In this case, Taken 3 fit the criteria. It was comparable to the hype of Wanted five years ago. So it was not a surprise that Taken 3 casually surpassed $100 million in that short amount of time. This was an overused statement, but the Big Five regretted the fact that they had failed to acquire Grey Pictures. They regretted the fact that they had rejected Taken when it was offered to them by Kazir Grey himself. A long time ago, Kazir Grey offered a joint production of Taken to the Big Six, together with the promise of the so-called CCU. However, the Big Six rejected the offer because the concept that Kazir imagined was too hard for them to understand. And now, back in the present, they couldn''t get any slices of this delicious cake. Since Taken 3 was a success, its director, Christopher Nolan, also became famous overnight. Big studios started looking at the man''s filmography and realized that Christopher Nolan was a promising director. He had strong potential. Studios began recruiting Christopher Nolan, hoping that he could make another box office hit. Kazir didn''t have any problem if Christopher Nolan decided to work with other studios. He was trying to help Christopher build his career in Hollywood by letting him direct Taken 3... He still felt bad for stealing The Dark Knight Trilogy from him. Chapter 476 Chapter 476 Speaking of the Dark Knight Trilogy, Batman Begins had already grossed $500 million worldwide since its release in June. The movie was only showing in a few theaters in North America. Warner Brothers felt like Batman Begins would probably not surpass $600 million based on the current statistics. It was disappointing, considering they had hired Kazir to direct the movie. Some members of management even believed that Kazir was trying to sabotage Batman Begins, claiming that $500 million was too low. Since Kazir and Marvel Comics had a close relationship, they suspected Kazir of being a spy. They were crazy if they truly believed that. In the first place, a movie grossing $500 million at the box office was a very tough achievement. So far, there were only six movies that had grossed more than $500 million this year. For Batman Begins to be part of that roster was already considered a victory. Secondly, Kazir''s passion for the Batman Trilogy was real. This was the first time he had signed a trilogy contract. Sure, it was true that Kazir had no enthusiasm for working with DC to create a Cinematic Universe, but he never did anything that could endanger the franchise. Compared to their past DC movies, Batman Begins was the best-performing film. The people who were disappointed in Kazir''s performance were simply expecting perfection. Perhaps they hoped that Batman Begins would be like Spider-Man, a movie that grossed $1 billion. They needed to set realistic standards. Aside from Batman Begins, which grossed $500 million: Final Destination had already ended its screening. The movie grossed $282 million worldwide. Final Destination was a horror movie, and this kind of performance was already outstanding. There were a lot of horror movie fans, but the genre was also not popular with most audiences, especially for the whole family. The third movie that had a relationship with Kazir was Kung Fu Panda. He was the scriptwriter and executive producer of the film. At the North American box office, Kung Fu Panda had already earned $214 million as of September 10. Furthermore, the movie was released in some countries and had accumulated over $100 million. At this point, the blessing wouldn''t be broken. Whenever Kazir''s name was written in the credits, the movie would perform well. Some studios even thought of adding Kazir to their post-credits, just hoping that their movies would make money. Fortunately, they were in the right mind and not desperate enough to do it. ...... ... ... Orlando Bloom was one of the leading cast members of Pirates of the Caribbean. His role was Will Turner, a blacksmith who was searching for his father. His role in the series was a bit ambiguous. He was sort of the leading male because he had a lot of lines, and even his screen time exceeded 30 minutes per movie. Still, he acknowledged that the actor who truly carried the movie was none other than Johnny Depp. And honestly, Orlando understood why. There was something unique about the role of Jack Sparrow. Lately, Orlando felt like his roles in movies were being underappreciated. Now that Lord of the Rings was done, Orlando Bloom had starred in many movies. Some of the projects he worked on were Troy and Kingdom of Heaven. In Troy, his role as Prince Paris was hated by the audience. Prince Paris was a coward who seduced a married queen and basically started a war. It didn''t help that Paris was the one who killed Achilles, the protagonist in Troy. As for Kingdom of Heaven... Orlando thought the movie would be successful because he read the script, and it was amazing. Furthermore, the director was Ridley Scott. But because of interference from the management of 20th Century Fox, Kingdom of Heaven lost its essence and failed at the box office. Orlando Bloom sighed as he felt like his career had been rocky over the past few years. If there was a saving grace, it was the fact that he was part of Pirates of the Caribbean. No one believed that this franchise would fail. Kazir Grey was acknowledged as the director who never missed. Orlando''s confidence in this project was close to 100%, especially since Director Grey was the one handling the set. But lately, Orlando felt like something strange was going on during the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean. For some reason, the male extras they hired were all handsome. Like, damn, was this a gay party or what? He had seen a couple of hot men shirtless around the beach, and the female crew members were having a feast for the eyes as they stared at them. Orlando even noticed that some of the female actresses were staring at the extras as well. ''Who hired these people?'' Orlando thought to himself. Orlando was a handsome guy, but he admitted that some of the extras were hotter than him. He didn''t like that at all. Some of these extras might become a threat to his career as a handsome actor. "Orlando, haha, I can''t believe we''re seeing each other again. Man, you''re really famous now." Suddenly, one of the extras approached Orlando with a wide smile. "Oh yeah, you''re..." Orlando recognized the face, but he couldn''t remember the name. "I''m Aquino. We were in the same acting class in 1997." "Yeah, I kinda remember that." Orlando nodded. It was around the time when he decided to take acting seriously. Orlando recalled that this Aquino guy was an arrogant prick who kept saying he had a close connection to Universal Pictures and used that to sleep with innocent actresses... Based on his current status, that "close connection" was pretty useless. "Being hired in a movie like this is amazing. Orlando, can you introduce me to some of your contacts? Maybe your agent would be interested in signing me. We''re friends, right?" The heat of the sun was getting uncomfortable, so Orlando excused himself and returned to his trailer. Being the lead role in the movie, Orlando had his own trailer with an air conditioner. Orlando was still confused as to why they hired so many handsome men as extras. Chapter 477 Chapter 477 "Tch, arrogant prick. Just because he got lucky and landed a role in Lord of the Rings, he''s acting like he''s better than me now. His recent movies aren''t that great either. Pwe--!" Aquino spat out the bad taste in his mouth. He had been left behind by Orlando Bloom as the actor went to his trailer without listening to his request. "Well, I''m on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean, and there are so many famous people here... Maybe I can convince them to introduce me to their agents. Hehe, I heard there are some beautiful actresses too." It was true that Aquino had some connections with Universal Pictures... He had been the boy toy of an executive producer. However, their relationship ended when the executive producer realized that Aquino was sleeping with women. "Hehe, it''s showtime, baby. Let''s see if I can seduce some actresses this time. Johnny Depp''s girlfriend is not bad, Keira Knightley is such a beauty. Oh, I remember, Scarlett Johansson sometimes visits the set to meet the director. Hehe." He was rubbing his hands as he turned around. He was smiling at first, but his expression turned sour when he realized that someone was standing behind him. It was a tall person, over six feet. Based on his stature and muscular build, he probably went to the gym at least twice a week. The man was handsome, and Aquino believed that he could become an actor if he wanted to. The person behind him was Kazir Grey. "G-Good morning, Director," Aquino stuttered. He was scared shitless. He hoped that Kazir hadn''t heard what he said. "You''re fired. Pack your bags and leave," Kazir muttered. He wasn''t joking. He had heard everything Aquino said, and he wasn''t happy at all. He actually wanted to punch the guy. When Aquino said that he wanted to try seducing Amber Heard, Kazir had almost nodded his head. However, the extra then started talking about Keira Knightley, who was an important actress in the franchise. And he also mentioned Scarlett Johansson. Kazir didn''t need to hear an explanation, Aquino had to leave. "I-I, Director, let me explain¡ª" Kazir contacted the guards to kick out the unknown extra. Aquino was grabbed by the security guards. The incident caused a bit of a ruckus but was quickly forgotten. From that point on, Aquino was blacklisted from Grey Pictures and 20th Century Fox. Kazir clicked his tongue as he looked around. He admitted that he might have made a mistake this time. The set was filled with handsome men... It didn''t help that they were at the beach and most of them were showing off their physiques. When Kazir became determined to destroy Amber Heard''s chances of breaking into Hollywood, he had decided to start cooking up a plan. He talked to the casting directors about hiring handsome actors as extras... The casting directors gave Kazir a weird look, but they didn''t ask why. They trusted the director. Kazir wanted to use these men to seduce Amber Heard and possibly destroy her relationship with Johnny Depp. So far, the plan seemed to be working because he sometimes saw Amber biting her lips while staring at the extras. The problem also arose when the female crew members and the extras started flirting. It affected the mood on the set. "...Should I stop it?" Amber Heard was still getting lovey-dovey with Johnny Depp. The woman only had a small role in Pirates of the Caribbean, and she hoped that her boyfriend would introduce her to better jobs, perhaps starring roles in future movies. That explained why the woman was still on the set, even though her scenes were already finished. "Shut the fuck up!" Suddenly, a commotion happened and caught the attention of everyone nearby. Johnny Depp came out of his trailer, followed by Amber Heard. The woman was crying as she tried to touch Johnny''s shoulder, but the actor, still in his pirate costume, moved away from her. "Babe, I''m sorry. Let me explain." "You don''t have to explain anything. I know what you did. You think I didn''t notice how you''ve been staring at those extras with lust." "Please, listen to me," she tried to approach him, but Johnny just stared. "I also know that you''ve been flirting with James Franco!" ''Damn, it happened already?'' Kazir was surprised. He knew that James Franco and Amber Heard had a history while the woman was still married. "We''re just friends!" she sobbed. "Yeah, right. And you know what, my maid said that you shit in my fucking bed!" "My dog stepped on a bee!" Johnny was fuming with anger. "We''re done." "No~ Baby, don''t do this to me! I need you." Johnny glanced at Kazir, and the director nodded. Immediately, two guards restrained the sobbing woman and kicked her off the set. Many people witnessed what happened. Kazir grabbed his megaphone. "I just want to remind everyone that you signed a non-disclosure agreement. Make sure to make the right decision." The crowd dispersed after that. Kazir approached Johnny. The actor was in bad condition and found a chair to sit on. "Man, if you need rest, I can give you a week." Even though he wanted Amber and Johnny to separate, he didn''t want to negatively affect Johnny''s mental state. After all, he needed the actor to finish the project. "It''s fine. I don''t want to affect others just because I feel sad. There are so many people who will suffer if I take a week off." "Thanks, Johnny. I appreciate your goodwill. Still, you can take today off to calm your nerves. We can film the other scenes while you''re resting. Just return tomorrow." "Yeah, that will do." Johnny excused himself. ''...I didn''t expect that they would break up just like that.'' Kazir said to himself as he watched Johnny return to his trailer to remove his makeup. It was too fast. But Kazir felt good knowing that he had prevented a scandal from blowing up. At least this time, Amber Heard was still a nobody, and the damage she could do to Johnny was minimal. Chapter 478 Chapter 478 The small incident quickly faded. Although some tabloids discussed Johnny Depp''s relationship, they weren''t strong enough to generate a buzz. At the end of the day, Amber Heard was still not famous, and people didn''t care about her. Besides, many people on the set had witnessed what happened, and they knew that Johnny was mostly innocent. He did raise his voice, though. Kazir knew that someone on the set had spread the word, but since the outcome wasn''t too bad, he decided to let it go. It would also take time to find the person responsible for sharing the information. Once Kazir confirmed that Johnny and Amber were done, he decided not to invite the handsome extras again. After the production crew paid them their salaries, they stopped showing up altogether. As for the scenes he had filmed while the extras were in the background, he decided to cut most of them from the movie. Kazir was the director of Pirates of the Caribbean, and he had the power to decide whether a scene would be included or not. These actors and actresses simply had to act in front of the cameras. There was a reason why big studios entrusted the editing to Kazir, because he never missed. ''Those actors might be looking forward to watching their scenes in theaters, but they will probably be disappointed.'' When Kazir was still a nobody, he could relate to the hardships of small-time actresses and actors who were hoping to make it big. They would work in a movie, hoping they might get at least a single line, hoping that their faces would be captured by the camera, hoping that they would get noticed. But now that Kazir was a famous director, he understood why background actors were hardly noticed. First, the movie had time constraints. Films were usually around 100 to 120 minutes long, depending on the progression. That time was too short to focus on minor background characters. They didn''t have screen time at all. Second, the movie wasn''t about them, obviously. The movie always focused on the leading characters. Third, they were extras. They were nothing more than background characters meant to make the environment look realistic. Kazir felt bad, but he was past the point of being a nobody. As the director of a movie with a budget of over $100 million, he had no time to babysit nobodies. "Sad to say, but they''ll be disappointed once they watch the movie in the theater and fail to find their scenes." ... ... ... September was the month of Taken 3. The movie dominated the month and grossed $278 million after 30 days of screening. As for October, The Legend of Zorro and Saw II were the movies that made a lot of money. When November arrived, Chicken Little, which was a movie produced by Walt Disney Pictures, was released in the first week and easily won the box office that week. In the second week, Now You See Me joined the party. The premiere was spectacular, as the cast performed some magic tricks. Kazir also attended the premiere, he was paid $1 million by Lionsgate just to show up... Imagine getting paid that much just to attend a red carpet event and have fun watching a movie. The third week was another banger because Warner Brothers released Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This was the movie that transitioned the franchise into a more serious tone after Cedric Diggory died, one of the major characters. This was also the film where Voldemort was fully resurrected. The Goblet of Fire was an important part of the franchise, and its box office performance clearly showed that. Things slowed down at the end of November and the first week of December, but people knew that Hollywood would soon release another batch of movies to entertain the public. While things were getting hectic in the film industry, many fans of Game of Thrones were excited to watch the second season. The first season of Game of Thrones was still being aired, and many fans loved to rewatch it. Some even bought the DVD so they could enjoy it anytime they wanted. When season 2 was released in the first week of December, it became the center of attention and the main topic of conversation. Overall, the season had so many interesting plots. The Battle of Blackwater, Tyrion Lannister''s rise to power, the introduction of Brienne of Tarth, Daenerys'' story progression, and many more. Fox TV''s ratings exploded again when season 2 was released. The network''s situation was improving, and more people were starting to notice their programs. ... ... ... "...Did I hear that right?" Kazir was a bit surprised when he heard Stella''s announcement. "Do I have to repeat it again?" "I''d love to hear it again, just to be sure." "This year, Grey Pictures has a revenue of 1.4 billion dollars." "Wow..." "That was also my reaction when I first heard it. I called accounting to recheck, but there''s no mistake. The company really made that amount of money." Kazir knew that the company could generate a billion a year, but he didn''t expect that, despite having only two projects this year, Taken 3 and Game of Thrones Season 2, the company would still make over a billion dollars. "...I''m getting richer. No, I''m getting wealthier." +++++ [Thanks for all the support, guys. I appreciate it a lot.] Chapter 479 Chapter 479 He couldn''t help but smile as he looked at the numbers that represented the revenue they earned this year. He clasped his hands as if he were praying that everything was real. His eyes gazed at Stella. "This is incredible. With only two projects this year, I''d say we outdid ourselves." Stella also smiled, pleased that the boss was satisfied. She knew that the board of directors would also be happy once they heard about this outcome. After swapping shares with 20th Century Fox, Grey Pictures had a board of directors, but their presence was not that important. They were more like inspectors, particularly the people who represented 20th Century Fox. Most of the time, the board of directors helped with the production of their projects. They were sort of like executive producers. "Indeed, our strategic investment and partnerships have paid off," Stella agreed. Working with 20th Century Fox to have a steady distribution of products helped them a lot. They couldn''t ignore the fact that 20th Century Fox might absorb Grey Pictures in the long run, but as long as Kazir was in the company, Grey Pictures was safe. Kazir was the heart of Grey Pictures and the key to their success. 20th Century Fox wouldn''t take the copyrights of their projects, such as the CCU and Pirates of the Caribbean, as long as Kazir was providing them benefits. The fact that Final Destination was a box-office hit satisfied their hunger. It was a win-win situation for both sides. Kazir''s mind drifted to the possibilities. "What''s the breakdown of our revenue?" "Taken 3 grossed over $780 million after four months of screening worldwide. Forty percent of that $780 million became our revenue, which was $312 million. So far, Game of Thrones Season 2 has generated more than $350 million. And the remaining $740 million came from merchandise, DVDs, and peripherals that were sold this year." It was $1.4 billion in revenue. Taken 3 was so strong because of its amazing plot, and the word of mouth was positive. Even now, despite four months of screening, the CinemaScore was still A+. Grey Pictures believed that the movie could surpass $1 billion! It might become the second $1 billion movie of the Continental Cinematic Universe. Christopher Nolan became a hot topic in Hollywood, and many studios expressed their intention of working with the director. It was true that Taken 3 grossed $780 million, but it had to be divided among three sides. Cinema Alliance and 20th Century Fox got 60% of that amount, while Grey Pictures was left with 40%, which was $312 million. The accounting was still not done because Taken 3 was still making money. Although Grey Pictures had already received $250 million from them. The money they invested in Taken 3 was $150 million, including promotion, and the box office returns were worth it. As for Game of Thrones Season 2, since it only had 10 episodes, Grey Pictures spent $135 million to create it. The two projects generated money, but the profit would only range between 30 to 20 percent. If there was good news, the profit from DVDs and peripherals was more than 50%. The accounting department computed that the profit in 2005 was $600 million. Kazir clapped his hands. "Stella, you better expect a bonus. The employees as well." Stella started thinking about her vacation... but she realized that she had already taken one this year, so her mood dampened a little bit. Well, she could go to a singles mixer during the holidays to find a boyfriend. $1.4 billion in revenue might be a lot, but it was nothing compared to the Big Six. On average, the Big Six had a revenue of $10 billion per year. Walt Disney''s average revenue in the 2010s ranged around $30 billion. Still, for Grey Pictures to have a steady income per year was amazing. ...... ... ... The completion of Pirates of the Caribbean was smooth sailing. Dead Man''s Chest had 90% completion, while At World''s End had 70% completion. If the schedule didn''t suffer any bumps, the two movies would probably finish filming in February. So far, Kazir had been focusing on the filming of Dead Man''s Chest, since this movie needed editing and special effects. Kazir''s life was steady and didn''t suffer hiccups compared to a few years ago. His last movie, Batman Begins, had ended its screening worldwide. The movie grossed $549 million at the box office. Warner Brothers naturally invited Kazir to their Christmas party to celebrate the success of Batman Begins. Scarlett and the other cast members of Batman Begins were also invited. Even though some people in the management were disappointed, most were happy that they had broken the curse of their superhero movies. Catwoman was... Ahem. Also, the last Batman movie had a bad reputation, and it was fortunate that Kazir changed the perception of people when it came to Batman Begins. At least Batman Begins had a positive reputation. Kazir attended the party together with Scarlett and mingled with the others. ...... ... ... "Nice yacht." Tom and Kazir were fishing together in the ocean, hundreds of meters away from the shore of Santa Monica Beach. "What do you think of it?" Kazir tapped the yacht that he had recently bought. "It''s amazing," Tom chuckled. "I''ll add it to my collection." "You better be, I spent $8 million just to buy this yacht," Kazir grumbled. The two had made a bet. Nothing big, just a small wager to have fun. The bet was about their movies, which were Batman Begins and War of the Worlds. The highest box office would win a yacht. Batman Begins grossed $549 million, while War of the Worlds grossed $603 million. Obviously, Kazir lost the bet and had to gift a yacht to Tom. And now, they were using said yacht to fish in the ocean. They were having fun fishing, as they had already filled one of their containers. "Haha, looks like we''ll have sushi tonight. I''ll contact my chef." Since Tom received a new yacht, he decided to celebrate. Honestly, he thought he was going to lose, but it seemed that Kazir also missed sometimes... if the definition of failure was only earning $549 million at the box office. Chapter 480 Chapter 480 When the sunset arrived and Kazir saw the orange glint of the sun, the two decided to return to the shore. The fish they caught were taken into the kitchen, where a group of cooks prepared them. Kazir knew that he wouldn''t always win. The bet he played with Tom Cruise showed that. It was good sportsmanship, by the way. Sometimes, he couldn''t believe that he would wager millions of dollars just for fun. The two started talking about their lives and their projects. After they won the Best Actor and Best Director Awards at the Oscars, the relationship between the two became closer. Both of them were not perfect people, and they suffered from scandals every other year. So they could relate to each other. As for their personal lives, they respected each other''s boundaries and never talked about sensitive topics. Tom said that his next project was Mission: Impossible III. The movie was already in production. Kazir was not surprised because he was already aware of it. Mission: Impossible was a well-known franchise at this point after releasing two movies. "I still can''t believe that you didn''t agree to direct Mission: Impossible. Paramount is ready to pay you top dollar." Tom laughed. "We''ve had this conversation so many times now. You know I''m busy with other projects, and my schedule is full till 2009," Kazir replied. They had this conversation years ago, even when Kazir was just making action movies. Paramount Pictures and Tom Cruise had already expressed their interest in hiring Kazir. Unfortunately, things didn''t happen. While they were filming Revenant, Tom also popped the question once in a while, but Kazir kept saying no. "How about a cameo? Hm, this sushi is delicious." Tom expressed his appreciation to the chef. "A cameo?" Kazir felt like Tom was just tipsy and saying random stuff. "Nah, I''m serious. This is the third installment of Mission: Impossible, and there''s nothing wrong with doing the best. I believe if you have a cameo, the audience will like it." "Aren''t you afraid that they''ll misunderstand the movie? What if they think that Mission: Impossible and the CCU are connected?" Kazir frowned. He was sort of a mascot of the CCU. People would think that Mission: Impossible and the CCU were connected if he had a cameo in Mission: Impossible III. "Then I''ll also have a cameo in any of your CCU movies. I can also have a cameo in Pirates of the Caribbean. Don''t worry about the money, just think of it as my thanks after you gifted me a yacht." "You should talk to your agent, the director, and the producer first. Maybe they are not comfortable with what you''re thinking." "Nah, I''m the producer of Mission: Impossible III. I can do whatever I want. Also, Mission: Impossible is my franchise. Tom Cruise and Mission: Impossible will never separate." "Fine, fine. Talk to me tomorrow once you''re sober." The next day, Tom Cruise said that Paramount Pictures was not comfortable with the idea because it could confuse the audience. They might believe that Mission: Impossible was part of the CCU. It could be used as hype and a great promotion to increase the box office of the third movie. However, it could also affect the franchise negatively if the audience truly believed that Ethan Hunt was part of the CCU. Paramount Pictures decided to go with the safe side. Kazir told Tom that he could do a cameo in his next project instead. ... ... ... 2006 came by and the holidays passed. January released some interesting movies such as Hostel, Hoodwinked, Underworld: Evolution, Big Momma''s House 2, and Nanny McPhee. None of these movies surpassed $200 million because January was never a great schedule to release movies. The Big Six usually released their unpopular movies in January. As for the other studios, they released their movies around this month because the competition was less. Anyway, Kazir had some free time and decided to watch Underworld: Evolution. Kate Beckinsale was truly a gorgeous actress. Truly one of a kind. This year, many movies were released that were related to him. Grey Pictures alone had three projects to release: Pirates of the Caribbean, The Bourne Ultimatum, and The Kingsman. The Kingsman was a new franchise that was part of the CCU. It was a surprise movie that Grey Pictures was quiet about, as this movie would become the next assembly of the CCU protagonists. Grey Pictures could handle three movies in a year since they had a bigger budget now. For other movies, 20th Century Fox would release 300, directed by Zack Snyder. Kazir also heard that 20th Century Fox was looking for the director of Paranormal Activity. Ted was also in production, but Warner Brothers couldn''t confirm if they would release it in 2006. As for Lionsgate, after meticulous thinking, the studio decided to buy The Quiet Place and The Conjuring. Lionsgate bought the two scripts for $15 million. Kazir was satisfied with the transaction. It was not bad working with Lionsgate since he knew the potential of this studio. In his opinion, Lionsgate was the studio that DreamWorks failed to be. In a few years, Lionsgate would become the uncrowned Big Seven because of its continuous success. ++++ [My mind is clouded while writing this chapter, and I paused so many times just to find ideas to write.] Chapter 481 Chapter 481 November babies were usually created in February, specifically on February 14... But this fact had no relation to the fact that February 2006 had a lot of movies that surpassed $100 million. One movie even surpassed $200 million, which was an achievement for this kind of schedule. Bambi II from Walt Disney. Curious George from Universal Pictures. Firewall from Warner Brothers. The Pink Panther from Sony-Columbia. Date Movie from 20th Century Fox. Eight Below from Walt Disney, the movie that grossed over $200 million. There were clear similarities between these movies: they were all from the Big Six. Forty-six movies were released in February, yet only a few selected movies did great. The small studios couldn''t stand at all because they never had the chance to do so. The Big Six had the complete package in this kind of business dealings. That was the reason why it was impossible to stand up against the Big Six. Not even DreamWorks could do so. The Big Six monopolized the industry, and it was hard to break through. Only a few selected studios achieved it. However, movies surpassing $100 million were not the main topic in February. There was more important news, such as the Winter Olympics, the Hajj stampede in Saudi Arabia, and the launch of YouTube''s public beta (this news didn''t make a ruckus, but it would be an important part of internet history in the next decade). Aside from that, Hollywood also experienced another shocking piece of news. The second $1 billion box office from Grey Pictures! The second $1 billion box office of the Continental Cinematic Universe! When Wanted created history a few years ago, everyone in Hollywood already understood the power of the new genre called the Cinematic Universe. It was an accumulative type of franchise where the more content was released, the more the audience would consume it. Taken 3 surpassed $1 billion after seven months of screening. The movie grossed $1.07 billion at the worldwide box office as of now. This kind of news created another sensation in Hollywood. It was very, very hard to achieve this kind of accomplishment, almost impossible. Yet a rookie director who had only produced three movies actually did it! Taken 3 and Christopher Nolan became hot topics in Hollywood. Of course, Grey Pictures was also happy. Now they had another trophy to brag about. After this achievement, the rankings for movies released last year were updated by a magazine. 1.) Taken 3 ¨C $1.07 billion. Grey Pictures/20th Century Fox. 2.) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ¨C $895 million. Warner Brothers. 3.) Star Wars: Episode III ¨C Revenge of the Sith ¨C $849 million. Lucasfilm/20th Century Fox. 4.) The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ¨C $745 million. Walt Disney. (In my opinion, this franchise has the potential to become like Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings.) 5.) Kung Fu Panda ¨C $631 million. Blue Sky Studio/20th Century Fox. 6.) War of the Worlds ¨C $603 million. DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures (International distributor). 7.) King Kong ¨C $556 million. Universal Pictures. 8.) Batman Begins ¨C $549 million. Warner Brothers. 9.) Madagascar ¨C $542 million. DreamWorks. 10.) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ¨C $474 million. Warner Brothers. ... ... ... "Another win for Grey Pictures and Kazir Grey." Ronald Meyer dropped the newspaper and sighed. The fact that Grey Pictures had another $1 billion movie didn''t sit well with him. He felt like all the things he did were useless. Two years ago, Universal Pictures tried to destroy Spider-Man 2 and Kazir''s career. They even talked to Kazir''s mother just to find any information that could destroy the director. Instead, the woman said that she could destroy Kazir''s will by making him brokenhearted. In this regard, Elizabeth kept her promise. She managed to break up Kazir and Angelina. But this breakup didn''t make Kazir slack off. He didn''t lose motivation, he didn''t go to bars and parties all night, he didn''t do drugs, and he also didn''t hurt anyone. Instead, because of heartbreak, Kazir became focused on his career. They couldn''t find any fault at all. No matter how many scandals they threw at Kazir, the director managed to stand up. At this point, the only way for Kazir to stop succeeding was by killing him. However, this kind of solution was never respected in Hollywood. Everyone acknowledged that Hollywood was nothing but business, and no one deserved to die. It would also be a huge loss to the culture of filmmaking if Kazir was killed. No one would forgive the mastermind. "...The only way to end this conflict is by fixing things with Kazir. But I''m not sure if that can happen. The conflict became deeper after what happened with Spider-Man 2." Did Ronald regret it? No, he was doing it for the betterment of Universal Pictures. "For now, let''s hire Christopher Nolan to make a film for Universal Pictures. This director is promising. He just made a $1 billion movie. Maybe he''s interested in the person who invented the atomic bomb?" Universal Pictures had to move fast, though, because they were not the only studio interested in Christopher Nolan. In fact, Walt Disney was also desperate to hire Christopher Nolan. Walt Disney was suffering from its past mistakes and needed a movie franchise that could carry them into the next decade. In this timeline, Walt Disney didn''t have Pirates of the Caribbean. "Since Christopher Nolan is still a rookie, I''m sure he won''t disagree with a 20+20 contract?" Only a few selected directors could enjoy this kind of offer. Christopher Nolan''s agent was probably dying from happiness since many studios were trying to work with Christopher Nolan. As for the outcome, no one could predict it. Kazir had changed the timeline so much that no one could expect what would happen next. Maybe Kazir would have a child in November? We don''t know. One thing was for sure: Pirates of the Caribbean had ended its production. Kazir had now put his attention toward post-production. Perhaps Kazir was also trying to film a small-budget horror movie. Chapter 482 Chapter 482 Kazir had a trauma that he wanted to overcome. In his past life, he spent his whole career making horror movies. They were all failures at the box office. There were so many movies released in a year. His horror movies could only secure dozens of theaters to release his films, and none of them brought in profit. Still, making horror movies was profitable. He sold his films and made a million that way. He also received residual income from those movies. Studios loved acquiring films to expand their film libraries. This trend intensified when online streaming became mainstream. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services loved to buy small-budget movies to expand their content libraries. Sometimes, these streaming platforms even invested in producing their own films. Netflix created Bird Box, Enola Holmes, and other movies and TV series just to make sure their customers had content to watch. So, even though Kazir''s movies were not box office hits, he had a constant source of income. In fact, despite his old age, some actresses were interested in him because of his career as a director. In his past life, after his divorce from Cassandra, Kazir had a few long-term relationships with women, but none progressed to the next stage, which was marriage. He had girlfriends in his past life. However, he understood that they were only interested in him because of his profession. It became a bane for him. He had a hard time trusting the opposite sex after that. Anyway, Kazir had been making horror movies his whole life, and he knew the formula. Before his death, he had written a script that he wanted to produce. He even convinced Netflix to invest in his project, but he died before the production began. "Shadows Beneath." Kazir muttered while staring at the script on his table. Kazir was scared. He wasn''t scared of the script, he was scared that he would fail again now that he was trying to make an original horror movie. He admitted that he had a trauma, and he had to face it. He was way past the point of being depressed about his decisions. He had to do it, or else he would stay stagnant and truly never move forward. He planned to film it in just two months. Editing was also not a problem since the movie didn''t require many special effects. This was a small project. He wanted to hire his friends for this movie, but he knew that it would be tough to do so. In the first place, this movie only had a budget of $15 million. This film required two months of filming, and those two months were important to everyone. They couldn''t waste two months of their time for such a small amount of money, their agents wouldn''t agree. Even Salvatore wouldn''t approve from a business standpoint. He had free time this year, and that was the only window he had to film this movie. Because after this year, Kazir had to work on The Dark Knight. "I should call my assistant director. We will have an audition. In the meantime, I should focus on editing the footage of Pirates of the Caribbean." Kazir had a new assistant director after Palenque Simone left his crew. ...... ... ... "Yes, yes? Director... I''ll do what I can." Everest Thorne put down his phone as he looked at the ceiling... He had just woken up. He had partied all night now that he had more time for himself. Two years ago, Everest was lucky to be hired by Grey Pictures as Kazir''s assistant director. It was a huge honor. He had many rivals trying to get the position, but Everest landed the job. He thought he was the luckiest person alive. Director Grey had two assistant directors before Everest, and those two assistants got their own projects after working with Director Grey. It showed that Director Grey was the kind of person who trained his assistants for better careers. He took care of his people and helped them grow. Everest was so happy at that time. But after working with Kazir, Everest realized something important, Director Kazir Grey was a workaholic! Every year, he had a new project to make. It was exhausting. Especially this time, when they traveled to the Caribbean to film Pirates of the Caribbean. Everest was sleep-deprived for half a year because of Pirates of the Caribbean. Being the assistant director, he was Kazir''s right-hand man in managing the production crew. It was not easy at all. Thankfully, now that Pirates of the Caribbean had wrapped filming, Everest had more time for himself. He still had to go to Grey Pictures to help Kazir with editing the movie, but at least he didn''t have to go around managing people anymore. Last night, he went to a party to have some fun. And today, while lying in bed, he was forcefully awakened by a call. He looked at the clock and realized it was already 1 p.m.... He was fucking late for work! He immediately answered the call when he realized it was Kazir calling him. Everest was nervous at first when Kazir said he didn''t need to go to the editing room. He thought he was going to be fired. But before Everest could explain himself, Kazir dropped a bombshell. ¡ª You don''t have to go to the building. Instead, form a small production crew. I want to film a horror movie. I also want you to start an audition. "..." Everest was speechless. They had just finished a project, yet the director wanted to start another one! Damn, like, damn! "At least he didn''t fire me." ++++ [I''m not going to lie. The script for Shadows Beneath is written by ChatGPT. I can write a horror script, but my imagination and knowledge are incomparable to ChatGPT''s. In the first place, I accepted that I''m an average writer. I feel like if Kazir is going to make a horror movie, I want it to be a real horror. Some of you guys might not like it, so I''m just saying it ahead of time. In my case, as a writer, ChatGPT is useful. But don''t worry, 99% of this novel is created, imagined, and written by me, except for some movie summaries, I fucking hate movie summaries.] Chapter 483 Chapter 483 While Kazir was busy with the editing of Pirates of the Caribbean, even going to Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to check the special effects, Everest focused on the pre-production of the new project. Most of the crew members expected that this year would be a sort of rest for them since Kazir had no announced projects. Oh boy, they were wrong. Some of the crew members signed up, while others decided to take a rest for the year. Because of this, the production crew had missing positions to fill. Everest talked to Kazir, and the director agreed to go talk to the CAA to fill in the missing positions. Since the project was unexpected, the crew couldn''t help but be disorganized. Thankfully, CAA sent them a producer who would help manage the project. When everything was in line, the crew asked CAA to provide them with actors and actresses for the movie. At this point, Grey Pictures had hired CAA on a package deal. In this ordeal, Grey Pictures already spent $9 million of its budget. It was more than half of the production cost. Kazir had never experienced overspending on his movies, and this might be the first time. Because the movie would be directed by Kazir Grey, it was impossible to keep it a secret. The news quickly spread, and other agencies also heard about it. Some actors and actresses applied and even sent in their resumes and audition tapes. Unfortunately, the production crew had already signed a contract with CAA for a package deal. CAA already had a cast for the movie. When the news came out, many actors and actresses within CAA talked to their agents and hoped that they would have a chance to get cast in Kazir''s new project. No one believed that Kazir''s movie would fail. Working with Director Grey meant instant success. He had proven himself many times, and many actors and actresses became celebrities after working with him. Because the budget of the movie was limited, CAA had to match the salaries accordingly. They also sent small actors and actresses for the roles. Despite being unknown, it didn''t mean that these actors and actresses weren''t talented. They were simply people who had failed to find opportunities. And this time, they received an opportunity they couldn''t let slip away. Before hiring these small actors and actresses, the production crew had to test them first through auditions. The actors and actresses accepted this fact. It was standard practice that they had to audition before getting the roles. However, there was a massive problem... The script was missing! Yeah, the actors and actresses had no idea what scene to act out because they didn''t have the script. They only knew that Kazir''s small project was a horror movie. Only Everest had a copy of the full script. He read it and could say that it was promising. The plot twist was pretty cliche?, but Hollywood was full of cliche? movies anyway. Hollywood is never truly innovative, they just keep recycling stuff and making it look new. Kazir specifically said that no one should get the complete script, not even the actors and actresses. He also stated that the actors and actresses could only receive one-third of the script in the audition room. As for why Kazir gave these complicated orders, Everest had no idea. He simply followed them. Everest didn''t know that the reason Kazir didn''t want to share the script was because he was embarrassed. This was an original script he wrote himself, and he was afraid the cast might think it was mediocre. Because of this complicated situation, the actors and actresses attended the audition with no clue what to expect. Before the audition, they practiced their acting. They performed frightened expressions, some actresses even practiced their screams. When the audition ended, most of the cast passed and signed their contracts. As for those who failed, CAA sent more people to fill the remaining roles. It was tough for Everest because the project had been announced unexpectedly. Most of the old crew members were absent, either on vacation or working on other projects. This caused a bit of a slowdown in production. The props preparation, costume designs, and filming locations all had to be ready before Director Grey officially joined the project. Everest realized that being an assistant director was never easy. He had a lot of responsibilities. Sometimes, he wondered how his seniors, Fremont and Palenque, had survived this kind of job. ... ... ... March was the third month of the year. Just like in previous months, new movies were released in March. Movies like Deep Sea 3D (Documentary), Failure to Launch (Romantic Comedy), The Shaggy Dog (Comedy), V for Vendetta (Action), Inside Man (Thriller/Suspense), and Ice Age: The Meltdown (Adventure) were released in March. These movies surpassed $100 million at the box office and were released in March 2006. Ice Age: The Meltdown was created by Blue Sky Studios. After the success of Kung Fu Panda last year, Blue Sky Studios received better treatment from 20th Century Fox. Everyone believed that another animation studio could rival Pixar/Disney, aside from DreamWorks. The competition during that month was tough, despite March not being considered a prime release schedule. Out of all the movies, Ice Age: The Meltdown and V for Vendetta made the most money. After March, April arrived, and another batch of movies was about to be released. First on the list was none other than The Bourne Ultimatum. It was obvious that 20th Century Fox couldn''t release the movie in a more popular schedule, so Grey Pictures had to settle for April, the month before summer. Yet, despite The Bourne Ultimatum being released during a less popular window, it was amazing that movie theaters were packed with people eager to see it. This was the effect of Taken 3 on the audience. Because of the massive success of Taken 3, grossing over $1 billion, the next movie of the CCU also became a box office hit. The excitement still hadn''t died down. [Last chapter today. Thank you for your support.] Chapter 484 Chapter 484 The Bourne Ultimatum was released in the first week of April, which was April 6, at midnight. The premiere was extravagant, as Grey Pictures was no longer a simple studio. Despite being only a decade old, Grey Pictures had already solidified its position in the industry. The company had a constant source of profit and made hundreds of millions every year. Furthermore, the huge success of Taken 3 last year gave the studio confidence. Fans started cheering as the cast showed up one by one. Kazir also attended the premiere despite his busy schedule. He had spent most of his time in the editing room, polishing the movie. He was also part of the cast since he had a cameo. This time in the movie, he was just a passerby that Jason Bourne bumped into while walking. He yelled at Jason, saying: "Hey, that''s not nice! Don''t you know that people are busy? Man, I can''t even sleep because I spent most of my time editing a movie!" Some might have found that interaction funny, while others felt it was forced. But it didn''t matter, people were allowed to have their own opinions. Paul Greengrass was still the director of The Bourne Ultimatum. Paul had taken over the franchise after Kazir directed the first movie. While looking at the excited fans who attended the premiere, Kazir had a premonition. Every hair on his skin stood up. He got chills. For some reason, Kazir felt that The Bourne Ultimatum would deliver a powerful performance. "I suddenly remembered the movie, Captain Marvel..." Captain Marvel was an MCU movie released in 2019. It came out between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Because of this phenomenon, Captain Marvel experienced strong hype that helped the movie perform impressively at the box office, earning more than $1.1 billion. "Honestly, in my opinion, Captain Marvel is average at best. It''s just a normal popcorn flick from the MCU. But because of its schedule, it was lifted by the massive hype of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame." That was how Kazir saw it. At best, Captain Marvel could have earned around $800 million at the box office if it had been released in a different window. This was the sensation Kazir felt while looking through the hectic crowd of fans excited to watch The Bourne Ultimatum. They just wanted to see how it would connect to the tragedy that happened in Taken 3. It was all about curiosity. Kazir didn''t change much of the plot of The Bourne Ultimatum, although he connected it to the terrorist attack. This simple connection made fans satisfied. When the movie ended, the post-credit scene was about a new movie franchise called The Kingsman: The Secret Service. The first 24 hours (technically April 7) of box office sales for the movie were calculated. Accounting was faster now that technology had improved. Kazir, Stella, and the other people from Grey Pictures were on the top floor of the building. They were already celebrating. Some were popping champagne and drinking wine. They were confident that the movie wouldn''t fail. The question was how much it would earn. When the stats arrived, Stella Willow smiled and announced that they would have a dinner party. She had heard of a Korean restaurant that offered samgyeopsal. The expenses were covered by the company. This was just a small celebration. On the second day, April 8, Saturday, The Bourne Ultimatum made another $35 million. On Sunday, the movie made another $29 million. In just three days, The Bourne Ultimatum grossed $103 million at the box office, probably the fastest $100 million of 2006. When that news spread, Hollywood became lively again. They were excited and scared about the development. Excited because this kind of performance was extraordinary. Scared because they didn''t know how this movie would affect the industry. The Cinematic Universe had proven to be a profitable way of making money. And so far, only one company had succeeded in doing so. Rumors were going around that Warner Brothers was preparing its own Cinematic Universe, but no one could confirm whether it was real or fake news. ... ... ... Kazir yawned. He had just come out of the editing room to talk to his assistant director. He lacked sleep, he had only slept three hours that day. Well, one of the reasons he failed to sleep was because Scarlett had visited the company last night, and the couple decided to spend their time in Kazir''s office, wink wink. Kazir''s office had a bed, a bathroom, a toilet, a bathtub, and even a kitchen in case he wanted to eat. Kazir spent most of his time on the filming set or in his office. "Everest, you did a great job," Kazir praised the young guy. He knew how hard it was to manage a group of people. Everest smiled, pleased that his work was appreciated. It had been a month since Kazir announced that he wanted to film a small project. Everest and his team had immediately implemented the plan. Now, they had completed the cast after a month of auditions. This was probably the shortest preparation they had ever done. "Here''s the cast. First on the list is this new actor, Henry Cavill." "... Um, who?" Kazir paused for a second there. "Never mind, continue." Kazir realized his awkward expression. "Second is Megan Fox. She''s a model." "... Ah?" Kazir paused for two seconds. "Nothing. Maybe I just lack too much sleep, so my mind can''t process things right. Go on, continue." "The third is Chris Hemsworth. Also a newbie actor." "... What the hell?" He paused for three seconds. "The fourth is Gal Gadot. She''s a beauty pageant contestant and participated in Miss Universe. She''s trying to find a career in Hollywood." "Wow. Sometimes I have no idea how life plays around." Everest gave documents to Kazir. Everest was confused by Kazir''s reaction, but he believed it was because Kazir lacked sleep. "Thanks, Everest. I''ll read this later. While I''m gone, take care of the production. Set up a script reading and make sure they attend. Make them practice rehearsals." "Yes, sir." Kazir was shocked when he realized that these four upcoming celebrities would be working with him on this small-budget horror movie. Chapter 485 Chapter 485 Kazir had heard of each actor that Everest mentioned. He knew them because they would become famous in the next decade. "Let''s see, it''s understandable that they are still not famous. After all, they are just starting in the industry." If there was one thing that caught him off guard, it was that he didn''t expect these four would actually work with him on a small-budget horror movie that he had written. It was an honor, but at the same time, it was pressure for him. He knew the future of these four actors, they would become well-known celebrities. He didn''t want to negatively affect their careers because of his horror movie. He looked at their documents after Everest excused himself. "I can say that their agents worked hard just to give them a slot in the audition." CAA was the strongest agency in Hollywood right now, and they had a lot of clients. Most of those clients probably fought for the roles in his horror movie, but these four new-face actors got them. At this point, it didn''t matter how much the salary was. Any actor would be elated once they got a chance to work with Kazir. Perhaps some celebrities even offered to lower their salaries, but Everest and the crew still chose these four. Out of the four actors, Megan Fox and Henry Cavill had the highest salaries. Megan Fox signed a contract for $450 thousand, while Henry Cavill signed for $250 thousand. As for Gal Gadot and Chris Hemsworth, they both received a meager $100 thousand as their salaries. Megan Fox had the best filmography out of all of them, as the model/actress had already worked in three movies, although as side characters. Her biggest role was in Bad Boys II. ''I''m not going to lie. 2000s Megan Fox was the definition of beauty. She was so damn gorgeous that everyone would fall in love once they saw her. This was not even an understatement. Especially in the Transformers franchise, she gained a lot of fans because of her super sexy role... Yeah, men were simple, no one could deny that.'' As for Henry Cavill, he had already worked on four projects, but his roles were also side characters. His biggest project was The Count of Monte Cristo. Chris Hemsworth and Gal Gadot got their debut movies in 2009, which was three years from now. So it was already amazing that they received $100 thousand as their salaries. Obviously, they didn''t have credentials to back themselves up. Kazir was actually surprised they got the roles. Anyway, Everest would take care of them while Kazir was spending his time on Pirates of the Caribbean. He was close to completing Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest. The special effects were already done, and they just needed polishing and trimming to make the movie theater-worthy. As for the third movie, which was Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End, ILM needed two to three months to complete the special effects. Kazir had already compiled the scenes that didn''t need special effects into chronological order. Once the special effects were done, he would return to editing it. ...... ... ... Aside from The Bourne Ultimatum, the month of April also had some interesting movies such as Scary Movie 4, The Wild, Silent Hill, and R.V. However, only The Bourne Ultimatum performed amazingly at the box office. Yes, amazing was the best word to describe the movie. Because despite being released on a weaker schedule, The Bourne Ultimatum grossed $318 million by the end of April. Most of the time, this kind of performance could only be seen in the summer season. Yet The Bourne Ultimatum achieved it in April. Furthermore, a movie that usually surpassed $300 million in a month ended up around $900 million once the screening ended. In fact, the worldwide box office of The Bourne Ultimatum was already at $450 million as the movie was released in other countries. In just a month, The Bourne Ultimatum was already close to reaching $500 million. Just as Kazir expected, The Bourne Ultimatum could be compared to Captain Marvel, a movie that followed the hype and experienced huge success. "If The Bourne Ultimatum grosses over a billion dollars, I would buy a mansion in California." Kazir gambled on himself in a fun way. Either way, Kazir and Grey Pictures were all winning. Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass were also winning. The two had solidified their positions in Hollywood, and more studios would hire them, especially once the movie grossed $1 billion. They would also experience the hype that Christopher Nolan experienced. Kazir had finished the post-production of Pirates of the Caribbean, and the promotion of the movie was ongoing. The marketing team of Grey Pictures was going all out. Furthermore, they were working with Victor Grey''s company, which was top-notch at online marketing. Kazir stepped into the rehearsal studio, where he found the four actors practicing their lines. The four actors unconsciously fixed their postures when they realized that Director Grey was back. "Chris, state your lines without stuttering. I know you need to express that you''re scared, but you can show that using your expression... Besides, you look too tall to be stuttering." "I will." Chris nodded and repeated the line. To be fair, both Chris Hemsworth and Henry Cavill were over six feet. Kazir was also over six feet. The three men in question were tall. So whenever Megan and Gal talked to them, they had to slightly raise their heads. +++++ [Author''s Note: I can''t remember if I named Victor''s company or if I just left it with no name at all.] Chapter 486 Chapter 486 "Henry, your accent is showing. Repeat that line again." Henry Cavill nodded and looked at Megan Fox. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her to calm her down. Megan was screaming after what she experienced. She saw an illusion where she was tied to a bed while the doctors experimented on her body. "You''re doing great." Kazir nodded and gave it a passing mark. Three days from now, they would start the filming. Everest and Kazir''s trusted friend, Renner Hector, found a filming location where they could shoot the movie. It was a real abandoned mental hospital in Ohio. Ohio had some crazy stuff going on, or so the internet and memes stated. The production crew had already talked to the municipality, and they agreed. They just hoped that the crew wouldn''t make a ruckus, as the mental hospital was near the woods and could possibly start a fire if the crew made mistakes with their props. Also, the mayor wanted an autograph from Kazir. Kazir looked at the script... He was nervous and excited at the same time. He was afraid that this movie might fail, which could cause his extreme depression. It would prove that he had no real talent as a director and that the only reason why he was successful was because of the plagiarizing he did. ''If that happens... I might kill myself.'' He joked. He was mature enough to overcome this kind of challenge. However, he knew that his mentality would be affected if this original script indeed failed. He glanced at the four actors. This movie was a small project, and these were the only important characters in the movie. The others were just background characters that Kazir could hire at any moment. He clapped his hands and announced that the practice for the day was over. "I can see that all of you have potential. I believe your career in Hollywood will be amazing." Knowing the future, these four actors made names for themselves. When the four heard Kazir''s praise, they couldn''t help but smile. It meant that the director could see a future where they became famous celebrities. To be fair, they were kind of celebrities lately. The fact that they got hired to be part of Director Grey''s horror movie qualified them to be celebrities. Even though this was only a small-budget horror movie, almost everyone in Hollywood became interested in it. It was because of the simple fact that the director of this small-budget horror movie was Director Grey. It gained a lot of attention. Furthermore, Kazir even said to his agent that he wanted to sell this movie to a studio! It meant that Kazir planned to let go of these copyrights and let another studio take care of the franchise... If there was a franchise. Well, Kazir''s scripts usually had a sequel or two, so this horror movie could probably have a sequel. Perhaps? This news immediately shook Hollywood. Salvatore received so many phone calls from people. As for the intention behind why Kazir did that, he was the only one who knew the answer. Kazir wanted to sell the copyrights because he treated Shadows Beneath as his first real business deal in Hollywood after so many years. Back in his past life, he also sold his movies to other studios and platforms, such as Netflix, to make money... Let''s just say Kazir wanted to experience that kind of transaction. He probably missed it. ...... ... ... "This place is scary..." Scarlett Johansson frowned as she stepped into the woods. A couple of meters into the woods, she found an old abandoned mental hospital. The place was so eerie that it gave her the chills. If not for the tents in front of the building, Scarlett might have turned around and left the place. She was wearing a thick jacket and a bonnet. She was done with her job and had free time to visit her boyfriend. As she got closer, she saw Kazir talking to a beautiful woman. The woman was hot and sexy, and her eyes were playfully gazing at Kazir. ''If I remember it right, that actress is only two years younger than me.'' Scarlett raised her brow. This was not the first time this kind of thing happened. Despite having a bombshell of a woman next to him, Kazir kept talking as if he didn''t care at all. He gave his opinion, and the actress left with a hint of disappointment in her eyes. It was hard not to be attracted to a tall, mature guy who had a successful career. In Hollywood, most of the actresses treated Kazir as the peak of masculinity because the director almost checked all of their preferences for a man. In fact, Kazir was featured in a magazine as the hottest man of 2007. It might not be an exaggeration if people fapped to his pictures... Tall, handsome, mature/older, billionaire, hot, and ahem, had a huge manhood. The last description was just rumors circling around, but there is no smoke if there''s no fire. Scarlett chuckled when she witnessed the whole scene. She found it funny that the actress tried to flirt with Kazir, but she was left disappointed instead. Scarlett got closer until Kazir saw her. The man stopped the filming and announced an hour break and approached Scarlett. The woman saw how the man''s expression turned happy and excited to meet her. "I have a nice and cozy trailer. Let me make you a hot chocolate." He gently took her purse and carried it. He then leaned closer and kissed her. "Thanks, babe." Scarlett giggled and hugged Kazir''s arm as they walked to the trailer. The crew was a bit surprised as they witnessed how Kazir transitioned from being stoic and serious to having a smile on his face. Most of the time, they rarely got to see him smile. Chapter 487 Chapter 487 The filming of Shadows Beneath didn''t have much of a problem. However, the production crew faced a problem regarding the budget. You see, the crew had to work against time and props. The announcement of this project was abrupt, and they had to finish the filming within two to three months... They couldn''t help but blame Kazir for that. Still, money is money, and they couldn''t deny that their salaries were quite good, so they were not bitter. Anyway, they faced problems such as the props and background settings. They needed to make props if those specific props couldn''t be bought, which required time and perhaps money, especially if they needed to hire more prop makers. Also, the background settings. The movie was not only filmed in a single location like the mental hospital. The production crew also needed to make a hospital room in the studio for specific scenes. Making the background required time, but most importantly, it required manpower. To make sure that background settings were done before the start of filming, the production crew had to spend money to hire more manpower. Because of this, they overspent... The expected budget of Shadows Beneath was only $15 million. Yet, they had already spent $17 million. This was the first time that Kazir overspent on his movie. His clean record was no more. But Kazir was not angry about it. He was also not angry at his crew. In the first place, he started this project unexpectedly, and most of his long-time crew members couldn''t join, hence the slow progression. Furthermore, the time to prepare the props and background settings was too short. Just to keep up with the schedule, they needed to spend more money. Kazir understood it. His record of never overspending was not meant to be taken seriously. At least Kazir didn''t take it seriously. Thankfully, except for the small problem of adding another $2 million, their filming was smooth sailing. The cast didn''t experience mental blocks while on the set, they were performing great. Just like that, two months passed while Kazir spent time filming Shadows Beneath. The premiere for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest would happen in a week. Kazir finished the filming of Shadows Beneath two days before the premiere, and he quickly returned to Hollywood to join the promotion of the movie. He attended many shows together with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley to promote the movie. Johnny Depp never talked to Amber Heard after the incident, at least that was how Kazir saw it. He hoped that the two were done in this timeline. By the way, while Kazir was busy with Shadows Beneath, many big movies were released in the summer. In May, movies such as Mission: Impossible III, The Da Vinci Code, Over the Hedge, High School Musical, and X-Men: The Last Stand were released. These movies received great reception when they were released. In June, movies such as The Break-Up, The Omen, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, The Lake House, Nacho Libre, Click, Superman Returns, and The Devil Wears Prada were released. These movies received great reception when they were released. And now that July has arrived, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest would have an introduction on July 6, Thursday. Superstars such as Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, and Director Kazir Grey showed up on the red carpet. Considering that they had constant projects in Hollywood every year, they were qualified as superstars. The premiere was spectacular as Grey Pictures didn''t hesitate to spend money. The Bourne Ultimatum, which was released in April, already grossed $406 million in North America and $382 million internationally. The movie grossed $788 million worldwide. It was a success that the Big Five jealously stared at because they couldn''t get a piece of it. Because of the success of The Bourne Ultimatum, Grey Pictures had no problem spending for the promotion of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest. After all, this movie was directed by Kazir Grey. ... ... ... "Did we get scammed?" Barry Mayer, the person who currently held the highest position in the management of Warner Brothers, weakly muttered while staring at the newspaper. The first weekend of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest was a whopping $135 million. On Friday, the movie grossed $55 million. On Saturday, it grossed another $44 million. On Sunday, it grossed another $35 million. Making the movie gross a total of $135 million. "The Pirates of the Caribbean is going to make a lot of money," Barry easily deduced. "As for us..." He sighed. One of their biggest movies this year was Superman Returns. This superhero had given them so much profit back in the ''70s and ''80s. They believed that Superman would perform well in this era. But the statistics said the opposite. Superman Returns grossed $199 million after 9 days of screening. It looked promising, but the experts determined that the fuel of the movie was quickly disappearing. People didn''t like it, and the ticket sales quickly went down. Furthermore, the CinemaScore of Superman Returns was an average B+. It was not a good sign. "People just bought tickets for the hype, but they are not satisfied or excited to watch it again." Barry muttered the statements of the data experts in the company. Superman Returns had all of the formulas to succeed, except for one thing. Superman didn''t have an enemy, an enemy that could pose a threat to the godly being. That was the biggest factor why the audience didn''t like it. It didn''t help that the production cost of Superman Returns was a whopping $270 million, the promotion budget was not even included. The movie would have a hard time making a profit. Compared to Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean had a better reception. "That damn Kazir. He made an amazing movie this year, but his performance last year was mediocre. Batman Begins just barely made money at the box office." That was the reason why Barry Mayer felt like Warner Brothers was scammed. Chapter 488 Chapter 488 Last year, Batman Begins was released, and its box office was $549 million. The production cost was $150 million. The movie earned more than twice its investment, so it made a profit. However, just like the management, Barry couldn''t help but be bitter that Batman Begins only made that amount. They expected a bit more, around $600 million at least. Especially when Kazir Grey was the one who directed the movie. And now, his current movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest, grossed $135 million in just three days. Compared to Batman Begins, which only grossed $54 million in three days, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest had twice the profit in the same timeframe. It was devastating to compare them, but he couldn''t help but do so. Both movies were made by the same director. Sure, the genre of the two movies was different, but still... Barry sighed. He felt like Kazir was not taking their cooperation seriously. Perhaps he was indeed sabotaging their projects. And now, Barry was thinking if he should hire Kazir for the sequel to Batman. In the contract, Warner Brothers had the upper hand, and they had the power to stop working with Kazir. The director didn''t have a say about that. "...No, let''s wait for a while. Based on the performance of Superman Returns, we might have to postpone our plans of making a Cinematic Universe, as we can''t afford the losses. For the time being, let''s keep the Batman Trilogy. As long as the contract is in effect, Kazir will surely work with us." The Batman Trilogy was the first trilogy contract that Kazir signed. "I heard the director filmed a small-budget horror, and he wants to sell the copyrights to a studio. Maybe Warner Brothers can acquire it." As much as he wanted to deny it, Kazir''s movies were profitable. He never had a movie that failed except for his first three movies, which were also horror movies... "Hm, let''s watch it first before making a move." Barry recalled that Kazir''s weakness was horror movies, so he had to think about it seriously before buying the movie. ...... ... ... Being part of the summer season, July had some movies that surpassed $100 million. Aside from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest, movies such as Little Man, You, Me and Dupree, Monster House, Little Miss Sunshine, John Tucker Must Die, and Miami Vice were released, which grossed more than $100 million. However, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest smoothly dominated the month. No other movies could face it head-on. When July ended, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest grossed $361 million at the North American box office. The movie was only in theaters for 25 days, yet its box office hit was that tremendous. The word of mouth and the CinemaScore ratings of the movie helped a lot. People just knew that if Kazir made a movie, it was a sure box office hit. While the director and his movie were the topic of the month, the director in question was busy with the post-production of Shadows Beneath. After a month of promoting Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest, Kazir left the scene and let the cast do their jobs. After all, directors were meant to stay behind the spotlight. No matter what people say, the cast will always be the face of the promotion. Jack Sparrow will always be the face of Pirates of the Caribbean. Even if a certain animation studio decided to fire Johnny Depp from his role, people would still acknowledge the fact that Johnny Depp was the face of Pirates of the Caribbean. So yeah, Kazir was not the face of promotion, and he was happy about that. At least now he could focus on editing his horror movie. "Yeah, another sleepless month." Kazir yawned as he looked at the monitors that replayed the scenes. Next to him was Rector, the head of the editing/post-production team. The post-production team consists of many positions. Film Editor. This position was taken by Rector, the oldest editor whom Kazir worked with. The guy was now a permanent editor at Grey Pictures, responsible for editing Grey Pictures'' movies. Aside from the Film Editor: There was an Assistant Editor, who organized the footage, managed media files, and synced sounds. Sound Editor, who was responsible for editing dialogues, sound effects, and ambient sounds. Colorists, who adjusted the colors and tone of the footage. This created a specific mood for the movie. Music Editor, who worked on background music that was aligned with the movie narrative. They also had Visual Effects Artists, but Grey Pictures usually hired ILM whenever they needed heavy special effects scenes. Again, Grey Pictures was not a simple studio anymore. After years of success, it became one of the best B-list studios in Hollywood. "I still can''t believe that you reached this height. Sometimes I feel like you''re not even living in the same timeline, I feel like you''re from the future," Rector muttered to Kazir who was happy now that he had time to work on his movie. Rector remembered the time when Kazir was still an unknown director who hired him to edit Napoleon Dynamite. It was a memory that sparked the start of their long-term cooperation. And now, the unknown director was no more. Only a successful director who was addicted to making movies. "Kazir, when was the last time you took a long-term vacation?" "I think it was four years ago, back in 2002." "..." Rector sighed. It was impossible to fix the guy. Just like that, two months passed, and big news shocked Hollywood. The Bourne Ultimatum surpassed $1 billion at the worldwide box office! It was the first movie that surpassed $1 billion this year and probably the only movie, unless another miracle happens! ++++ [If my prediction is right, I can probably end this novel around 600-700 chapters. Haha, let''s see how I will cook.] [Edit: This novel is already completed.] [By the way, which studio should I sell Kazir''s horror movie to? I''ll make a poll for that.] [Edit: The poll ended.] Chapter 489 Chapter 489 It was amazing that The Bourne Ultimatum grossed $1 billion. However, after some studies, the Big Six discerned the biggest reason why the movie performed so well. It was the hype. What happened in Wanted 3 set the hype so high that people were ready to consume every piece of content that the CCU released. This was the factor that made the movie gross over $1 billion. Because of this, another event occurred, and experts in movies and box office trends started studying Grey Pictures'' marketing techniques and Kazir''s miraculous ideas. Particularly, they wanted to know what was happening in Kazir''s mind and how he could come up with such amazing ideas. The hype for the CCU was still not over. As of September, Grey Pictures had already started promoting the next movie, which was Kingsman. Furthermore, Grey Pictures showed in their trailer that this movie was where the CCU protagonists would assemble! Hollywood had already witnessed this kind of scene, and they had already seen what it could do. If things ran smoothly, then Kingsman would also surpass $1 billion! The movie was set to be released in November, and fans were already booking tickets, even though Cinema Alliance had just started releasing bookings. It was an experience that Hollywood rarely saw. Grey Pictures could probably have another movie that would surpass $1 billion. While this excitement was happening, Kazir was nearing the end of finishing The Shadows Beneath. However, Kazir had no time to rest after that. Now that the special effects for the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie were done, Kazir had to lead the team again to edit the footage into a complete story/movie. Some of the editors resigned because the workplace was so toxic and suffocating. The editors who resigned said that they couldn''t rest at all because it was awkward to rest while their boss was working so hard and never even thought of resting. Kazir was not just the director, he was the big boss of Grey Pictures. The workers were so conscious of their surroundings that they couldn''t rest at all. Furthermore, they had another project to work on, which was Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End. They realized that they had to keep up with the heavy workload for at least two more months before getting a breather. It would be hell. Because of that environment, they decided to resign instead. Kazir was not cheap when it came to paying salaries, but they couldn''t keep up with Kazir''s work ethic, so they might as well find another employer to work with. When Kazir heard that, he felt bad and decided to give the editing team a week to rest before starting Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End. The Shadows Beneath was finished, and it only needed polishing. It was ready to be presented to the distributors. ... ... ... "The Bourne Ultimatum grossed $1 billion, and Kingsman: The Secret Service might also surpass $1 billion because it''s the movie where the CCU protagonists will assemble..." Ronald Meyer read the headlines and sighed... Lately, he had been sighing a lot. The position of being the CEO of Universal Pictures was amazing, but the responsibility it carried also put a lot of pressure on him. Just like Walt Disney, Universal Pictures was having a tough time finding a franchise that they could milk. They didn''t own a comic publisher like DC Comics or Marvel Comics as sources of franchises. Universal Pictures was also not a family-friendly animation studio that could spam cartoons every year. Since its creation, Universal Pictures had focused on live-action movies. And now, they couldn''t find live-action franchises to milk. They were in dire need of huge movies. Ronald looked at the newspaper for the nth time. He might have been old-school because he preferred reading the newspaper rather than watching the news on television. Perhaps most CEOs and Chairmen liked reading newspapers. Anyway, the headline didn''t sit well with him. Based on his understanding, Continental Cinematic Universe wouldn''t just have three movies that would exceed $1 billion at the box office. The franchise would probably have four movies that would exceed $1 billion at the box office. On top of that, Grey Pictures had a franchise apart from CCU that earned a lot. Based on the numbers that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest was showing, this once-unpopular pirate-themed movie had already grossed $841 million at the worldwide box office as of September. And it was obvious the reception was still strong because the fuel of this movie was still pumping. It wouldn''t be a surprise if Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest surpassed $1 billion. This fact made Ronald absolutely livid. "If this so-called Kingsman: The Secret Service performs well, it''s obvious that it''s going to surpass $1 billion." Two years! Three movies! Three fucking movies were created by Grey Pictures, and each one grossed $1 billion in just fucking two years. That was so painful to watch. Wanted 3 The Bourne Ultimatum. And Pirates of the Caribbean was getting there, near $1 billion. At this point, Ronald thought of trying to destroy Kazir and Grey Pictures again, but he held back. Why? Grey Pictures had just announced that they would have a small screening of Kazir''s horror movie in November, and Ronald Meyer was invited... Ronald didn''t want to disrupt Grey Pictures'' business because Universal Pictures was interested in Kazir''s horror movie. "Whoever thought of this plan is a genius. This way, the Big Six will refrain from sabotaging Kingsman: The Secret Service, which is going to be released in November." Stella Willow was the person who thought of it. Kingsman: The Secret Service would be released in the second week of November, while The Shadows Beneath would have a small screening in the last week of November. ++++ [Author''s Note] [I have a favor to ask, please support my new novel Behind The Spotlight by giving it Power Stones on Webnovel. I want to see if it''s possible to break into the Top 10 in the Last 30 Days ranking. This ranking is for new novels that are not a month old.] Chapter 490 Chapter 490 Kazir''s busy life never stopped. This year, he finished filming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End. He had been filming these two movies and he just finished them in the first quarter of the year. The duration of filming a movie has a lot of factors to consider. If a movie doesn''t need much preparation, it can be finished in just two to three months depending on the situation. Sometimes, a movie can also take years to finish... This movie needed a lot of preparation and special effects. Most of the time, a movie needs a year or two to be completed. In Kazir''s case, his filming was probably the fastest. Especially with scenes that didn''t require many special effects, Kazir could easily finish them. Furthermore, Grey Pictures made complete preparations for Kazir''s projects every year. The set, filming locations, studios, and props were done before the filming even started. Kazir could make a movie every year because of that. When Kazir was done filming Pirates of the Caribbean, he had to move to the next step, which was post-production/editing the movie. This was a time-consuming task that required a couple of sleepless nights. When Kazir finished the second movie, Dead Man''s Chest, everyone thought he would take a break and rest. But no, Kazir Grey decided to make another movie, a fucking horror movie! Rest was probably the last thing Kazir wanted to do. With the help of his assistant director, another crew was assembled. Unlike usual, the preparation for the horror movie ran into a bit of trouble because of time constraints. Thankfully, Kazir still finished the filming before the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest. After joining the promotion, Kazir returned to editing Shadows Beneath. It was around September when Shadows Beneath was completed... Everyone thought Kazir would take some time to rest. But fuck no, the director heard that the special effects for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End were done, and he decided to edit the movie after two weeks of rest... This rest wasn''t for him, but for his editing team, who were spent after finishing an exhausting project. In fact, two more people resigned because of Kazir''s relentless schedule. When the two weeks of rest ended, Kazir started the post-production of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End. It would probably take three to four months to complete this movie. While Kazir was busy in September and October, new batches of movies were released. In September, movies such as The Queen, Jackass: Number Two, The Guardian, and Open Season were released. These were the movies that surpassed $100 million. In October, movies such as The Departed, Flags of Our Fathers, The Prestige, Babel, and Saw III were released. These were the movies that surpassed $100 million. ...... ... ... "Woohoo¡ª!!! Liam, please impregnate me!" "Daddy Liam! I want you to be my Daddy!!" Kazir and Scarlett turned around when a deafening noise struck them from behind. Kazir and Scarlett were attending the premiere of Kingsman: The Secret Service. Both were part of the CCU, as Kazir had a cameo in every movie while Scarlett played Liam''s daughter in the film. The two saw Liam Neeson stepping out of the limousine. The actor waved his hands and smiled at the fans. After the massive success of Taken 3 last year, Liam Neeson was recognized as one of the best actors of all time. Well, he indeed was. Taken was the movie that helped people realize the seriousness of kidnapping and human trafficking. Taken was also the movie where Liam Neeson won his Best Actor Award at the Oscars. This was the highest award an actor could receive in his lifetime. Since then, Liam Neeson had steadily become a globally recognized celebrity. Even his role as a villain in Batman Begins didn''t affect his status. In fact, it further helped him. Liam Neeson was recognized as the hottest daddy in Hollywood. As for whoever gave him that title, he or she was clearly down bad and thirsty. Liam Neeson gradually approached the two. The actor smiled at them. He shook hands with Kazir and then hugged Scarlett. The flashes of the cameras rained down on the three as they smiled. The three posed in front of the cameras, showing that they were close. Well, they truly were close. "I heard from Harold that you spent most of your days in the editing room. You should move around sometimes. Taking in sunlight is good for your health," Liam said to Kazir while the fans were going crazy over their interaction... Yeah, for some reason, women were screaming about that. "Don''t worry, the building has a gym that I can use to keep fit," Kazir replied. "Going to the gym isn''t enough. You should eat healthy foods, too." Scarlett joined the conversation. "I know, I appreciate it every time you visit me and bring food." The director chuckled and whispered to Scarlett. The actress smiled and whispered something back. Liam Neeson watched their interaction. Honestly, Liam had some questions regarding their relationship, but he decided to respect their boundaries. After all, it seemed that the couple were happy. The couple bid their farewell while Liam had to do an interview before heading to the theater. Kingsman: The Secret Service was the movie where the protagonists would assemble. It was not a surprise that Liam had to do an interview. After all, this would probably be his last time acting as Bryan Mills. Chapter 491 Chapter 491 The audience sobbed as their gazes remained fixed on the screen, where Bryan Mills was piloting a plane up into the sky. "I''m sorry, Kim... I can''t attend your birthday." Bryan Mills weakly smiled as the plane flew further away from the city. "Dad! Dad, please don''t do this to me." Kim cried out loud. It was futile. A powerful shockwave struck the city, and the glasses and windows cracked. However, the city was not destroyed, and only a few people were hurt by the explosion. Kim Mills looked up at the sky and saw a giant red fiery ball slowly disintegrating. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she realized what had happened. She dropped the phone and kneeled. She cried as the people around her panicked because of the explosion. The other protagonists witnessed the explosion, and they had mixed emotions. ... ... ... "That kind of scene is so overused! I''ve watched so many movies where the good guy always sacrifices himself to save the others. Armageddon, Deep Impact, The Iron Giant, Titanic, Saving Private Ryan. I''ll tell you this: that trope is so fucking overused!" "Then why are you crying?" "Because it hurts! So you''re telling me that Bryan Mills died because he saved a city from destruction!? He is a hero, but God damn, it hurts!" People were happy yet sad as they left the theater one by one. The workers from CinemaScore asked them to rate the movie, and almost all of them rated it A+. Most of them said the same thing: "The movie was amazing." Despite the sad part of the movie, the audience liked the overall film. It resonated with them. The first 24 hours of Kingsman: The Secret Service were so hectic because every theater that screened the movie was full. The first-day box office hit of Kingsman: The Secret Service was $75 million... This was currently the highest first-day box office hit in history. The second was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest, which grossed $55 million on its first day. See the similarities? Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest and Kingsman: The Secret Service were released in the same year. The two movies were also released by the same production studio. Grey Pictures! This fact would make some people go crazy. The second day of Kingsman: The Secret Service was undoubtedly great. It made $44 million. On Sunday, which was the third day of screening, Kingsman: The Secret Service made $40 million. The first-weekend box office hit of the movie grossed $160 million. Stella Willow was receiving so much praise from people. The management of 20th Century Fox also expressed their congratulations to the woman. She had been one of the key reasons why the performance of Grey Pictures was getting better every year. As for Kazir, Hollywood couldn''t find the director, so the only person they could praise was Stella. ... ... ... In the first week of November, Borat, Flushed Away, and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause were the big movies that were released. In the second week, only Kingsman: The Secret Service was the big movie that was released. No one was stupid enough to release movies in the same week as Kingsman: The Secret Service''s release. They made the right choice because Kingsman: The Secret Service dominated the month with no hassle. In the third week, 007: Casino Royale, Happy Feet, and De?ja? Vu were released. In the fourth week... Nothing much happened except for the fact that Grey Pictures prepared a theater that could house only 100 people to screen a movie. This small screening was not extravagant, but the audience who attended the movie were all important. Ronald Meyer from Universal Pictures. Robert Iger from Walt Disney. Barry Meyer from Warner Brothers. Tom Rothman from 20th Century Fox. Brad Grey from Paramount Pictures. Frank Price from Sony-Columbia. Jon Feltheimer, the CEO of Lionsgate. Harry E. Sloan, the CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Even Director Steven Spielberg, the representative of DreamWorks, showed up. The CEOs looked around and greeted each other. They were all here to watch a movie, and also for business. Despite their amiable smiles, they were ready to tear each other''s faces off just to win the copyrights. These were just some of the people who showed up. Together with them were their entourages and the higher-ups of their respective companies. "First of all, I want to thank all of you. I''m honored that almost every decision-maker in Hollywood showed up for this small presentation of mine. Now, I will not waste more time. The movie shall begin... For those who have heart problems, I recommend you be prepared." Kazir announced the start of the screening. It was a 90-minute-long movie. There were scary and disgusting scenes, but the audience could stomach them. Overall, it was an entertaining movie. The plot twist was also unexpected. Still... It wasn''t that great. Or, to be precise, they had watched better horror movies than this. It was above average but not enough for people to fall in love with it. Suddenly, most people in the audience felt like they had been scammed. Kazir kept his smile... Actually, he didn''t expect that the CEOs from the Big Six would show up today. He had the intention of selling his movie, but not like this. He was actually nervous. One thing was sure, despite the average reception, the movie would still make money. After all, this was Kazir''s horror movie. Chapter 492 Chapter 492 Despite his nervousness, Kazir kept his smile. Although he was nervous, he couldn''t deny that he was also excited. Shadow Beneath was the horror movie he failed to film in his past life. He put everything he learned about filming horror movies into this project. This was his dream and also a burden. Since his regression, he had been haunted by the fact that his past profession as a horror movie director had failed. This was his biggest regret. This was also the thing he feared the most. Now, Kazir was trying to take a step and face his fears. He looked at the leaders of Hollywood who had personally attended this screening just to watch his movie. Some of them were skeptical. Some were calculating the profit, and some were against the idea of buying it. But overall, their expressions showed that they appreciated Kazir''s movie. He was nervous as the lights turned on. Some of the people who attended the screening left, while some stayed. It didn''t mean that the people who left were not interested in Kazir''s movie. They were probably analyzing and talking to professionals regarding Kazir''s new film. They could see the potential in his movie, but they didn''t know the endgame. Furthermore, they also had to determine what offer would satisfy Kazir enough to sell the copyrights to them. ... ... ... "The movie is entertaining. I must admit, the plot twist caught me off guard, but it''s also not that mind-blowing." Robert Iger spoke to the people in the limousine as they returned to the company. They had just spent around two hours at Grey Pictures before heading back to the Walt Disney headquarters. The other people from the management and board of directors agreed. "It has potential. If we do it right, the box office can reach at least $300 million." "We can use Kazir as the center of our promotion," one of them added, and many agreed. To be fair, the reason why the movie could possibly reach $300 million at the box office was because of Kazir''s box office appeal. Whenever people heard that Kazir was related to a movie, they knew that the movie was worth watching. If Shadows Beneath had the same plot but a different director, the movie would hardly make money at the cinema. "But let''s be honest here. We know that Kazir''s career started with filming horror movies. His three horror movies never made money at the box office. I admit that their DVD sales skyrocketed, but it was because people considered them cult classics after they found out that Kazir filmed them. Overall, his first three movies are just average horror films." They also agreed with that fact. Being the best director in Hollywood, the management of Walt Disney studied Kazir''s filmography seriously. They knew Kazir''s strengths and weaknesses. His strengths were: His fast filming, where he could make a movie every year. His strong budget control. He never overspent, except one time. His understanding of how to catch the audience''s attention. He knew what movies people liked. His weakness: Kazir didn''t have any clear, original style. All of his movies didn''t follow a strict filming style. Horror movies were also considered his weakness based on statistics. As for the other bad traits, they couldn''t really say those were Kazir''s weaknesses. They were more like things they didn''t like about Kazir. Kazir loved selling his scripts at an expensive price. Kazir also loved to negotiate contracts that were quite painful on the pockets. Lastly, Kazir was hard to convince... This was probably the hardest hurdle they would face in this negotiation. Robert listened to the management seriously, making their opinions valid. Robert was respected by the management as he slowly acquired ownership of Pixar, one of the foundations of 3D animation in the entire world. Furthermore, Robert was also the person who pushed for the production of many 3D movies. This year, the money they earned from toys from 3D movies were immaculate. It grossed $462 million. This might look simple, but it wasn''t at all. The profit they gained from the franchises were immense. It all came down to toys. The sales of toys related to Toy Story alone exceeded $1 billion. It was obvious that kids liked the movie. In fact, in 2011, which was five years from now, the the Toy Story franchise would generate $5 billion in merchandise sales. Robert Iger was one of the keys to why these projects became successful. After listening to them, and once the limousine stopped in front of the Walt Disney headquarters, Robert stepped out of the car and said to his entourage: "Contact Kazir and express that we are interested in buying his movie. I heard that this movie cost $17 million to make. We can double or triple that amount. It doesn''t matter if we lose some profit. Our intention this time is to form a positive impression on Kazir. We are not investing in his movie, we are trying to fix our relationship through money. Understand that." "Yes, sir." Robert stepped into the elevator. "Well, if we get this movie and it surpass $1 billion, it''s going to be a miracle... Titanic did it, so it''s not impossible for another miracle to happen." Robert shook his head. He was already surprised that Grey Pictures and CAA had invited him to watch Kazir''s horror movie. It meant that they had a chance to fix their relationship. ++++ [First of all, this is a What-if, so I might as well go all out. Since most of you voted for over a billion dollars at the box office, I will do it. Let''s make the impossible possible. After all, this is just fiction.] [Edit: The patrons voted that the horror movie will surpass $1 billion at the box office... Sorry about that.] Chapter 493 Chapter 493 On the other hand, a few people stayed in the screening to talk to Kazir and his representative, Salvatore Barlowe, regarding the copyrights of the movie. Salvatore rarely experienced this kind of job when it came to Kazir. Kazir had his own production studio, and he rarely needed to negotiate with other studios. But this was different. This was a negotiation that Salvatore loved to participate in because he had a commission to earn. Sure, a 3% commission looked small... But what if the negotiation went up to $100 million? Does 3% look small anymore? The agent smiled and joined the conversation. The people who remained were from Lionsgate, Universal Pictures, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The first to offer a price was the representative of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. MGM was a dying company and needed another source of income. They desperately needed a new franchise. Aside from 007, MGM also owned Carrie, Poltergeist, and Species. The company also distributed some cult classics such as Silence of the Lambs. In a way, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was good at handling horror movies. The one who stepped up was the representative of MGM. The CEOs of each studio had already left after giving instructions to their people. CEOs didn''t have to do the negotiations, at least not in an informal setting like this. After all, everyone understood that this was just the beginning of the negotiations. Kazir was tough to crack, and this cunning director would probably wait until he got the deal he was looking for. "$35 million." The MGM representative said. This was just the opening, yet someone had already offered to double their production cost. No matter how you looked at it, that was a positive sign. Kazir''s horror movie had its appeal. Salvatore grinned and glanced at Kazir before looking at the representative. "We can talk about that in a better place. For now, let the workers clean this room." Salvatore excused himself, and Kazir nodded. This kind of stuff should be left to the professionals. As for the contract, at this point, Kazir was too rich to even care. He would still choose the best deal, though. ...... ..... ... In November, some strong movies were released, such as Borat, Flushed Away, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Casino Royale, Happy Feet, and De?ja? Vu. Out of these movies, Kingsman: The Secret Service dominated the month. In just 15 days, the movie had already grossed $328 million. When December arrived, many production studios joined in on buying the copyrights of Shadows Beneath, as this was one of the few movies that Kazir personally filmed but planned to sell. In his career, Kazir had a few movies that he directed but were not owned by Grey Pictures. Napoleon Dynamite. The Hangover. Spider-Man. Spider-Man 2. Batman Begins. These were the movies Kazir directed but didn''t hold the copyrights to. Yet all of these movies were profitable. Obviously, just because of that simple fact, many studios believed that Kazir''s new horror movie would also be profitable. The problem was how much money they could earn. Three days after the small screening, the highest bidder was $62 million from Sony-Columbia. Three days was enough for people to study the potential of Shadows Beneath. In their opinion, if promoted right, this horror movie could make about $300 to $600 million, depending on the schedule. Because of that, $62 million was the base payment Sony-Columbia concluded to pay to get the copyrights. Some believed it was too small, considering that this movie was directed by Kazir Grey. However, looking at it seriously, Shadows Beneath had no chance to become a franchise. The story was completed in just a single movie. Kazir also expressed that he had no intention of writing a sequel... To be precise, he had no idea what to write, as this was different from his usual ways. He realized that writing a script was not easy at all. While this was happening, big news shocked Hollywood. Some people already expected this, but they were still shocked. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest successfully surpassed $1 billion at the worldwide box office after six months of screening. For those who had no idea, they just thought this was normal because Grey Pictures was known to make amazing movies. But for those who had been in Hollywood for a long time, it was shocking to see a B-tier studio that didn''t have distribution lines achieve two movies that surpassed $1 billion at the box office in a year. It was not easy at all. As of now, only Warner Brothers could replicate that kind of success, since Warner Brothers had Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings to rely on. However, even Warner Brothers could only make two movies reach $900 million each in a year. Furthermore, as they studied Grey Pictures'' three movies this year, they realized that Kingsman: The Secret Service had a strong chance to surpass $1 billion. Can you imagine that? Three movies owned by a single studio, each surpassing $1 billion. That was hard to imagine, and everyone thought it was impossible. But this year, Grey Pictures was trying to break the impossible... They kept breaking the impossible. Because of this, Hollywood further understood how important this chance Kazir gave them was. This ignited their will to compete and acquire the copyrights of Shadows Beneath. That single piece of news made them look at the horror movie from another angle. Perhaps they could use this chance to ask Kazir to work with them. Kazir had already given Sony-Columbia its first billion-dollar movie. aybe he could work with another studio to help them achieve that milestone too. +++++ [Thank you guys for all of your support.] Chapter 494 Chapter 494 When Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest grossed over $1 billion, every capable studio in Hollywood became active in trying to buy Kazir''s latest movie. Sony-Columbia offered $62 million. The reason why Sony-Columbia was active was that they hoped Kazir would direct Spider-Man 3. This was the franchise that they had to maintain. Sony-Columbia was not that confident in Shadows Beneath, but they wanted to use this chance to convince Kazir to sign another project with them. Warner Brothers offered $64 million. Warner Brothers still had a contract with Kazir regarding the trilogy of Batman, so they were not that active. Still, they were participating in the bidding since why not? Perhaps they had a chance to buy Shadows Beneath. 20th Century Fox didn''t participate, as they already got two horror movie franchises from Kazir, which were Final Destination and Paranormal Activity. They were currently putting the focus on Paranormal Activity, as this found-footage genre was a bit difficult to maneuver. Paramount Pictures offered $69 million. Noice. The reason why Paramount Pictures offered this nice amount of money was that they wanted Kazir to direct the trilogy of Transformers. They already got the copyrights from Hasbro, but they were still looking for a director. They invited Kazir last time, but the director didn''t express any interest. They were using this chance to convince him. Lionsgate and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer both offered the same amount, which was $70 million. The two studios were considered second-tier studios because they were less popular. Still, they had the capability to participate in this kind of auction. The two were looking for a franchise that could help them revive or popularize their respective studios. As for DreamWorks, which was also a second-tier studio, the company was currently in shambles, as Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg wanted to lead their own teams and divide the assets of DreamWorks. This decision happened because of interference from the Big Six to ensure that DreamWorks wouldn''t rise up to become a new giant studio. It also didn''t help that Jeffrey and Steven were leaders who had no intention of lowering their heads to one another. The company didn''t offer any amount. Walt Disney was also interested in Shadows Beneath, but for different reasons. They wanted to use this chance as a peace talk. They understood that their studio was losing spark regarding live-action movies. They hoped that Kazir could help them with that. Walt Disney generously offered $82 million. However, out of all of them, someone was crazy enough to offer $100 million! Universal Pictures was gambling at this point. Everyone had different reasons why they were interested in Kazir''s horror movie. They were indeed affected by the success of Grey Pictures'' last two movies, which surpassed $1 billion at the worldwide box office. They were experiencing impulse buying, as if they would regret it if they didn''t buy the copyrights for Kazir''s horror movie. Everyone believed that Kazir''s horror movie would easily surpass $300 million. That was just the assurance based on the director''s strong box office appeal. However, none of them were insane enough to offer $100 million. That was more than five times the amount of Shadows Beneath''s budget. Anyone would be happy with that kind of profit. Grey Pictures could easily double the whole cast and crew members'' salaries with that amount, and the company would still have millions of dollars left. Everyone was crazy, but Universal Pictures lost all of its reasoning. Instead of backing down, just to make a statement and ensure that no one would compete, Universal Pictures added another freebie! $100 million + 5% of the North American box office! That was so fucking stupid. A stupid, stupid move! It needed to be repeated twice just to emphasize the term stupid. Universal Pictures basically put a nail in the coffin. That offer was too much to handle. Even if Shadows Beneath earned $300 million, it would still be considered a loss for them. However, that decision also stopped others from the game. They decided not to compete anymore, as they didn''t want to gamble more than $100 million. Walt Disney was having second thoughts before admitting defeat. They wanted to use this opportunity to make amends with Kazir, but it seemed that they had to find another chance. When Universal Pictures said that and even prepared a proper contract, Kazir and Grey Pictures were also happy to have a business deal with them. Kazir knew that this was business, and he didn''t mix it with his personal emotions. He was professional, after all... However, he admitted that he didn''t like Universal Pictures because of what they did to him. While signing the contract, there were cameras that took their pictures. In the pictures, Kazir and Ronald Meyer were smiling while shaking hands. It looked like their bad blood had vanished after this business deal. Actually, Ronald Meyer was not the one who initiated the offer of $100 million + 5% North American box office share. The mother company initiated it. General Electric currently owned Universal Pictures, but they were not happy with the situation. There were some rumors that General Electric wanted to sell Universal Pictures to Comcast. This move was a way to invigorate the stocks of Universal Pictures to increase its worth while General Electric was selling it to Comcast. That''s why Universal Pictures suffered a loss from this business deal. The only way to make this deal worthwhile is if Shadows Beneath surpassed $1 billion. But it should be impossible. After all, no horror movie made that amount of money. Ronald Meyer sighed as he left the signing of the contract. He actually tried to invite Kazir to a party, but the director respectfully declined. It was obvious that Kazir didn''t like him. "...If Comcast acquired Universal Pictures, they will probably change the CEO, which means I will lose my job." He felt bad... despite earning millions and using his authority to his advantage. Well, it was indeed sad losing your position as one of the most respected people in Hollywood. Chapter 495 Chapter 495 The day after the signing of the contract, there was a meeting that happened in one of the offices in Universal Pictures'' headquarters. This was the third time Kazir went to this place. The first was when he personally sent his script, hoping that Universal Pictures would be interested in it. The script in question was Seven. From the moment the script readers and analysts confirmed that the genre was dark thriller mystery, they immediately put the script into their script library. Kazir believed that his old script was still rotting in their library... He was wrong. When Seven became a huge hit, the higher management asked to have the script delivered for them to read. The second time he visited Universal Pictures was when he was looking for investors for his first action movie, titled Taken... the first movie that introduced the Continental Cinematic Universe. Universal Pictures believed that this experimental project called a Cinematic Universe would obviously fail, so they didn''t work with Kazir. At that time, Kazir didn''t want any status to acquire the full rights to Taken, so the highest he could offer to the investors was a 70% investment. Universal Pictures didn''t like that, so the deal didn''t happen. And now, Kazir didn''t believe that he would step into this building for the third time. What happened in the past made him believe that it would be impossible to work with Universal Pictures. Some things were impossible to predict. "Let''s start our meeting." The presenter was Stella Willow. She had prepared for this meeting because she was the type who never backed down. Even though Grey Pictures only made more than $80 million as an initial profit, the company still had a 5% box office share to feast on. It was small compared to the usual shares they received whenever they worked with 20th Century Fox, but it was still pure profit on their side... Honestly, Stella had no idea why Kazir wanted to do this deal. This was considered a loss for them. If they had kept the copyrights, Stella had so many methods to make money out of it. Sure, it would take a longer time compared to an upfront payment of $100 million, but Stella was confident she could make more than that if given more time. Unfortunately, Kazir wanted to experience nostalgia... a selfish reason for a billionaire. Kazir had nothing to lose anyway. In the first place, he was too wealthy to even care. Grey Pictures was also not in a poor situation, and the company was not desperate for money... At least that''s how Kazir saw it. The reason for this meeting was for them to come up with a promotion plan. Stella was the one who planned this promotion. Truth be told, she didn''t want to present this promotion to a rival company, but she also didn''t want another person to take credit for her hard work, so she might as well do it herself. This was the promotion plan that Grey Pictures offered. If Universal Pictures had a better idea, naturally, they would use the better idea. But for now, Stella Willow was going to explain the plan. Even Ronald Meyer was present because he was partially responsible for buying Shadows Beneath. He wanted to know how talented this so-called Stella Willow of Grey Pictures was. Stella had already proven herself, but she still wanted to make a statement. She loved it when people around her looked at her with respect and awe. That was her pride. Her assistant gave the documents to the people present in the room. "After doing some research, I found these pictures from the mental hospital where Kazir filmed the majority of the movie." The people curiously looked at the pictures. "They were taken in different years, but you can see that there are people in the pictures who resembled our cast." Kazir nodded. Having a resemblance was true, but Kazir could also see the difference between these people and the cast. "Based on what you''re telling us, you want to follow the promotion that Titanic did a few years ago?" In one of the many promotions for Titanic, there was a picture of a couple on the ship who resembled Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. "Sort of." Stella nodded. "Sort of?" "Here, I have another thing to show you guys." The projector lit up and a video started playing. In the video, the crew members were busy with their jobs. Suddenly, one of the cameras fell off, and the guy near it paused as if he saw something before turning around and running fast. The people who witnessed it also ran away from the scene. The clip ended with that. "See what I did there?" The people in the room were interested in what happened next, but the clip ended. They looked at Stella, they were waiting for an explanation. "If you watch it out of context, you''d think they saw a ghost and ran away, right?" Some of the people in the room nodded, while others kept waiting for an explanation. "Kazir, explain to them what happened." "The crew found a snake and they ran away. If I''m not wrong, they started screaming about snakes after that video clip." Ronald now had an idea about Stella''s promotion. The woman didn''t wait anymore and started explaining. "My promotion is that while filming, the crew realized that the mental hospital is haunted. We can make things up and tell people that the cast sensed some unknown entities were watching them while they acted in the set of Shadows Beneath. There was a small accident while filming the movie. We can also blame that on ghosts or whatever. We will promote that the people in these pictures are still in the mental hospital, repeatedly experiencing the tragedies." Everyone in the room had watched the movie, and they were impressed when Stella came up with a promotion that could connect to the film. "We will make it look like that mental hospital is a haunted place where spirits lingered." "So basically just like The Blair Witch Project?" "That''s right." "Are we not afraid that we will experience another incident like The Blair Witch? Besides, aren''t people going to see through our lies?" "So what?" Stella grinned. "I believe it would be better if someone died because of the movie. That way, more people will be interested in the movie. However, I don''t want anyone to die, just to be clear." Hollywood... Their main focus was making money instead of thinking about other people. "It doesn''t matter if they believe it, as long as more people watch our movie, then it''s fine." This promotion was built on a lie. The cast and crew members also signed a contract about this promotion. From now on, they had to say that the mental hospital they filmed in was eerie. The snake incident didn''t happen, it was an act of the supernatural. The stunt double didn''t fall from the second floor because of equipment malfunction, he fell because a supernatural entity pushed him. Of course, Grey Pictures had to pay them money to make sure they would keep the lies. +++++ [I just kept writing for an hour until I realized that I wrote more than 1200 words. Anyway, this is the best method I can think of as a way to promote the movie.] Chapter 496 Chapter 496 When the management of Universal Pictures understood Stella''s promotion plan, they agreed to it. Even Ronald was surprised by the woman''s meticulous planning. With that, the promotion launched, and December became an active month for Universal Pictures and anyone related to Shadows Beneath. The cast also showed up for many interviews. The cast was paid to say that the mental hospital they visited was terrifying. They signed contracts to ensure that they wouldn''t reveal the truth. The same also applied to the crew members. A video circulated online, showcasing supposed supernatural acts that occurred on the film set. In one clip, a camera fell, prompting many people to run away. Another story emerged about the stunt double who had an accident. He claimed he felt like someone pushed him. His medical expenses were covered by the production studio. Furthermore, Kazir promised him a role in the CCU, perhaps as a side character. Some people suspected that these incidents were just clever marketing tactics devised by Grey Pictures and Universal Pictures. But it didn''t matter, many people loved supernatural stories that defied scientific explanation. Why do you think some people believe that the Earth is flat? Why do you think people believe that Santa Claus is real? Santa Claus was a real person, but he surely didn''t have reindeer that could fly across the sky and deliver gifts to every child in the world. Why do you think people believe in aliens? To be fair, the existence of aliens might actually be real. People choose to believe and that was enough for Shadows Beneath to cause a stir. As long as people were interested, they would watch the movie. December marked the final month of the year, and Hollywood celebrated by releasing big movies such as Apocalypto, Blood Diamond, The Holiday, Charlotte''s Web, Dreamgirls, Eragon, The Pursuit of Happyness, Rocky Balboa, The Good Shepherd, and Night at the Museum. Out of all these films, Night at the Museum sold the most movie tickets, grossing $735 million. Speaking of Eragon, this was the movie 20th Century Fox used in an attempt to replicate the success of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. Eragon was based on a novel, and fans hoped it would be the next big fantasy franchise. Unfortunately, the movie underperformed. It even lost to Blood Diamond, which was released during the same week. Walt Disney also had a fantasy franchise based on the novels titled Narnia. The franchise had a strong start but quickly faded after three movies. Only a few novels have had successful film adaptations, such as The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games, Dune, and perhaps The Maze Runner. While all this was going on, Universal Pictures and Grey Pictures actively promoted Shadows Beneath. Universal Pictures knew they would lose money if they didn''t release the movie soon. So, when January arrived, they announced that Shadows Beneath would be released at midnight on January 5. Universal Pictures was worried they would lose money on this endeavor... They had already spent more than $10 million promoting the movie in the United States alone. To summarize, Universal Pictures had already spent more than $110 million. And they knew this was only the beginning. They just hoped to break even. However, Universal Pictures also understood the reasoning behind their decision. Their stock value increased when news broke that they had acquired Kazir''s movie. General Electric and Comcast were in negotiations regarding the future of Universal Pictures. General Electric wanted to sell Universal Pictures at a profitable price, which is why they decided to buy Shadows Beneath. The cast and the director of Shadows Beneath showed up on the red carpet. Typically, the red carpet was reserved for big-budget films rather than horror films with a budget of $17 million. Megan Fox, Chris Hemsworth, Gal Gadot, and Henry Cavill were clearly enjoying the moment as cameras flashed all around them. Everyone knew they would become instant celebrities after starring in Kazir''s film, but the experience was still surreal. They finally understood how hard their agents fought to secure audition opportunities for them. The four appeared close, like friends, when the cameras were on them... but the crew knew none of them were truly close, especially the two actresses. ...... ... ... Shadows Beneath. A group of urban explorers, led by Ethan(Chris), a charismatic yet skeptical leader, embarks on their latest adventure: exploring an abandoned mental hospital on the outskirts of a forgotten town. The group consists of Ethan''s girlfriend Sara(Gal), thrill-seeker Carly(Megan), and cameraman Kyle(Henry), who loves using vintage cameras. The hospital, known as St. Dymphna''s Asylum, had a notorious reputation for brutal experiments on its patients during the 1950s. Rumors of hauntings and paranormal sightings make it an ideal location for their next web episode. Act 1: The Setup The group arrives at St. Dymphna''s on a cold, foggy evening. The towering asylum looms against the darkening sky. The building has been abandoned for decades, its windows shattered, overgrown vines crawling up the walls, and an eerie silence filling the air. Inside, they find old patient files, grim medical tools, and graffiti left by previous trespassers. Despite the unsettling atmosphere, they laugh it off, thrilled by the footage they''re capturing. Odd things begin to occur: Sara''s camera malfunctions, picking up static-laced audio filled with distorted voices; Carly hears faint whispers in the corridors; Ethan, though normally grounded, feels an unshakable unease. The group splits up to cover more ground. Kyle sets up stationary cameras hoping to capture paranormal activity. Sara begins to have vivid visions of past events she shouldn''t know: doctors in blood-stained coats and screaming patients. Act 2: The Descent As night falls, the temperature drops and the atmosphere thickens. Paranormal phenomena intensify. Ethan sees fleeting figures out of the corner of his eye and discovers a hidden room not listed in the asylum''s blueprints. Inside are photos of former patients, all with their faces scratched out. Carly becomes increasingly distressed, claiming she saw someone watching them. The others dismiss her concerns as paranoia until Kyle''s hallway camera records a figure in a hospital gown staring at it before vanishing. The group begins to unravel. Ethan insists they continue filming, but the rest want to leave. When they try to exit, they find the doors sealed and the windows unbreakable. Their phones have no signal. It''s as though the asylum won''t let them go. Act 3: Unraveling Reality The group is separated. Each faces a personal nightmare. Sara finds a room full of journals detailing Dr. Isaacs'' horrific experiments meant to "purge" mental illness by destroying the soul. These experiments ended in the slow deaths of many patients, whose spirits now haunt the hospital. Kyle finds a patient''s journal describing a ritual used by Dr. Isaacs to bind souls to the asylum. The writer claims anyone who enters becomes part of a cycle, reliving trauma endlessly. Carly is lured into the basement by a child''s cries. In a vision, she''s strapped to a bed while doctors conduct experiments. She awakens in the present but is now convinced the spirits are trying to consume them. Act 4: The Twist Kyle vanishes. His camera is found recording but no sign of him. Reviewing the footage, they see him being pulled into the shadows by a dark figure. Sara and Ethan reunite. They find a locked room that Sara believes holds the truth. Inside are old photos and records of themselves. They realize the awful truth: they were never alive. They are the spirits of former patients, doomed to relive their deaths over and over. Their memories of being explorers were fabrications created by the asylum. "Kyle" was just a remnant of their collective memory, erased when he fulfilled his torment. Sara remembers her death: strapped to a hospital bed, subjected to Isaacs'' cruelty. The hospital feeds on fear, forcing its victims to forget and suffer anew. Act 5: Eternal Torment The group''s memories return. They see their past lives, each a patient tormented by Dr. Isaacs. The asylum is alive, feeding on the souls trapped within. Sara and Ethan realize they''re part of an endless cycle. The final shot is of Sara staring into a mirror, her reflection turning into her true, tortured form. As the screen fades to black, the sound of a new group entering the hospital echoes. Final scene: A fresh group of explorers arrives, unaware of the cycle. The camera pans across Ethan and Sara standing silently in the dark, hollow-eyed, watching the newcomers, themselves, the next victims, begin the journey they''ve already lived countless times. ...... ... ... Anyway, the premiere occurred without issue. Because the movie was directed by Kazir Grey, the first 24 hours of Shadows Beneath grossed $18 million. On the second day (January 6), it made another $23 million. Then Sunday, the third day, it earned another $14 million. The opening weekend grossed $58 million. When Universal Pictures saw these results, they breathed a sigh of relief. Based on the movie''s performance, there was now a high chance of making a profit. +++++++ [Author''s Note: Shadows Beneath was written by ChatGPT. Honestly, ChatGPT can cook up some intriguing scripts, I wouldn''t be surprised if Hollywood started using AI to write screenplays(I heard they are already doing it). I edited it a little, but there might still be plot holes. I admit I can''t write a script like this.] [This chapter is over 2,000 words¡ª1,100 words of Shadows Beneath and 900 words written by me. I apologize for using ChatGPT for making a script.] Chapter 497 Chapter 497 [The story is amazing! I feel like a computer wrote the story! I didn''t expect the plot twist at all! I''m losing my shit all the time. Man, I want to invite my friends to watch Shadows Beneath because I want them to be scared too. But most of them are weak-willed, and they''ll probably cry if they watch it... On second thought, I''ll probably invite them just to see them cry.] ¡ª You are crazy! Update us once that happens. ¡ª Lmao, I''ll also do that to my friends. I''ll even recommend this movie to my professor just to mess with him. ¡ª You guys are bad. Don''t you feel bad about doing this? ¡ª The commenter above me is gay. ¡ª Let''s gooo¡ª!! Shane smiled as he looked at the comments. He was one of the employees of Grey Marketing Company. Grey Marketing Company was the business led by Victor and Aaron, Kazir''s father and older brother. The company specialized in printing ads and producing commercials for local TV networks and radio stations. Their business started getting better after the turn of the century. The company began exploring the internet, and their new business endeavor turned out to be successful. They were one of the first marketing companies that popularized online marketing. The idea of online marketing came from Kazir Grey, and people realized that the director was not just a talented filmmaker, he also understood how to market effectively. His ideas greatly improved the company''s growth. Shane was hired two years ago, during the time when Facebook and other online platforms were rising in popularity. They had been hired by many companies to promote products online. As one of the pioneers in online marketing, Grey Marketing Company had a solid foundation in the industry, so many businesses preferred to work with them. In fact, 20th Century Fox also hired them whenever they needed people to promote their movies online, especially on IMDb and other movie rating sites. Right now, Shane was promoting Shadows Beneath on Facebook. He was using one of his ten Facebook accounts to market the movie by posting content related to it, commenting on other movie-related posts, interacting with users, and persuading them to watch Shadows Beneath. They were likely the first generation of the so-called "water army." The term referred to a group of people who manipulated public opinion and subtly promoted products online. While doing this job, Shane realized that as long as he wrote something with a tone of credibility and added a bit of falsehood or exaggeration, people would still believe him. For example, there was a study claiming that vaccines were bad for health and could lead to death. Some facts seemed to support this, but most were about side effects and allergic reactions with extremely low probabilities of fatal outcomes. Such cases were rare. Nevertheless, some organizations used this tactic to convince people that vaccines were harmful. They cited isolated incidents and cherry-picked information to support their claims. Thankfully, Grey Marketing Company focused on advertising and avoided getting involved in politics. Politics was usually the field that thrived on spreading misinformation... or at the very least, twisting the truth into something worse. Shane was part of a ten-person team that promoted Shadows Beneath on Facebook and other platforms. Other teams were also promoting the movie online, but Shane''s group specialized in socializing with users and persuading them to watch the film. Suddenly, their team leader arrived with a thick stack of documents. "We have a new job," the team leader announced. He handed out the documents to each team member, and they began flipping through the pages. There were pictures of abandoned hospitals, people restrained in hospital jackets... and even disturbing images of lobotomies and other unethical experiments. One of the female employees almost vomited and quickly shut the folder. Even Shane frowned as he turned the pages. "Our task this time is to spread this information globally... We''ll also need to hire translators to help us. For now, just start spreading these pictures, videos, and information." The internet was still in its early stages, and censorship was difficult to enforce. You could even upload porn and beheading videos on YouTube. The materials they were distributing focused on the cruelty and medical experiments carried out by doctors in mental hospitals. As for how their clients had obtained all of this data, no one knew. One thing was certain, people who were interested in this type of content would eagerly consume such morbid facts. This was yet another promotional strategy for Shadows Beneath. At the time, Shane didn''t realize how massive this promotional campaign would become. ... ... ... Kazir was very nervous. He hadn''t been able to sleep lately. This wasn''t like his usual sleepless nights where he stayed up working on movie projects. This January, Kazir had so much free time that he could lie in bed without any problem... The issue wasn''t about having free time, it was the growing anxiety about his original film. Universal Pictures and Grey Pictures had done their best to promote the movie, but Kazir couldn''t help but feel uneasy. He had worked hard to promote the film, appearing in interviews and talk shows. Now that the movie was showing in theaters, Kazir felt like he needed to do even more to ensure the movie''s success. Honestly, he would already be happy if Shadows Beneath surpassed $300 million. But deep down, he also wanted to push harder in hopes that the movie would earn even more. Unfortunately, there was only so much a director could do. Lately, all he could do was lie in bed, doing nothing but feeling nervous. Even sleep became difficult. Even Scarlett grew concerned about Kazir. She considered inviting him somewhere remote. Someplace without internet or phones, to give him peace of mind. Chapter 498 Chapter 498 "Babe, you said that you have three weeks of free time before you start the filming of The Dark Knight, right?" "That''s right." Kazir nodded. He was still deep in thought regarding Shadows Beneath. Warner Brothers had already started the pre-production of The Dark Knight a year ago. The props, locations, scripts, and cast had already been prepared by the studio. Of course, Kazir also checked on the project once a week while he was working on Pirates of the Caribbean and Shadows Beneath. The only time he couldn''t visit the studio was when he was far from Los Angeles. Most of the time, Kazir stayed updated on everything happening with The Dark Knight. When Superman Returns flopped last year, Warner Brothers realized that their plan to launch a Cinematic Universe had to be put on hold for a while. Because of this, their future projects had to be restructured. Kazir spoke with Warner Brothers and asked them to make the Batman trilogy a stand-alone franchise with no connection to their DCEU plans. Warner Brothers reluctantly agreed since the DCEU was still not happening. As a result, Kazir convinced Warner Brothers to change the theme and essence of the trilogy. He also changed the title to The Dark Knight. He wanted the movie to focus on more realistic and deeper themes. When he sent the unpolished script to Warner Brothers, the studio was initially against it. They weren''t stupid, they read the script once and immediately understood that the lead role of the movie was the Joker, not Batman. This went against common practices. Perhaps this was also the reason why Kazir changed the title to The Dark Knight, deliberately shifting the tone and theme of the movie. If they added "Batman" to the title, people might think it seemed childish or cartoonish. Perhaps Superman Returns also suffered from that perception. Hence, the title was changed to The Dark Knight. However, the script was another issue. Warner Brothers wasn''t sure how to proceed with it. Kazir personally adjusted his schedule to meet with the management of Warner Brothers and DC Comics to convince them. He explained that he wanted to change the tone of the franchise since it was going to be a stand-alone anyway. Furthermore, he believed they could attract more fans if they went in this direction. Some people said that Rachel Dawes didn''t need to die, but Kazir insisted on keeping that scene. He even discussed it with his girlfriend, and Scarlett had no issue. In fact, she liked the scene because it was so heavy and dramatic that it could help her career as an actress. If it weren''t for Kazir''s credibility as a scriptwriter and director, Warner Brothers probably wouldn''t have listened to him. Anyway, after a year of negotiations and pre-production, The Dark Knight was ready to go. And since they still had three weeks before filming began, Scarlett invited Kazir to go on vacation. "We didn''t go on vacation last year. Let''s go and relax." She clung to his arm and kissed his cheek. Kazir weakly smiled. Honestly, he''d been on edge lately because of Shadows Beneath. He admitted that he needed a proper vacation. As for the results of Shadows Beneath, he believed that the movie would surpass $300 million at least. He was already satisfied with that. It proved to him that he wasn''t a failure. Perhaps because all of his previous films were highly successful, he wanted Shadows Beneath to receive the same level of recognition. "Yeah, let''s go. I''ll move my schedule." "Hmm, I love you, babe." "Love you too." January obviously wasn''t the summer season, so their best choice was a winter vacation. The two decided to go to Hokkaido, Japan, to go skiing. Kazir and Scarlett promised not to use their phones or the internet while on vacation. They referred everything business-related to their assistants. The couple had fun, and Kazir slept soundly throughout the trip. Occasionally, they saw news about mental hospitals and mental health in the headlines, but they didn''t think much of it. Just like that, three weeks passed. Two days from now, Kazir would officially start filming The Dark Knight... But that wasn''t the current concern. Kazir and Scarlett sat in silence in the limousine after a nice a vacation in Japan. "Where the fuck have you been? I talked to Erica, and she said you went on vacation! You didn''t even bring Anderson with you, so I had no way of contacting you. I almost called for a police search." Stella clicked her tongue in annoyance. The more she learned about Kazir, the more she realized he wasn''t her type at all. "...Did something happen?" Kazir felt guilty even though he hadn''t done anything wrong. He had spoken to Stella before going to Japan, and the CEO even told him to take care of himself. Yet now, Stella was fuming. "You need to see this." Shadows Beneath Weekly Box Office: 1st Week: $58 million. Kazir nodded, recalling the number. He was already satisfied that the movie earned over $50 million in its opening week. 2nd Week: $49 million. This was the week when Kazir left for Japan. He had read the second week''s results and wasn''t surprised, it aligned with their expectations. "Hmm?" However, he was caught off guard when he saw the third week''s performance. 3rd Week: $67 million. Kazir was stunned. The box office should''ve gone down. That was the typical trend. Movies usually started losing momentum around the second or third week, and only a handful ever made a comeback. Then Kazir looked at the fourth week... "What the fuck? Are you sure this is the right document?" Kazir glanced at Stella, and the woman nodded. Scarlett curiously looked at the document and was just as shocked. "Fourth week, $72 million," Scarlett muttered. "While you guys were gone, our promotion started gaining traction until TV networks picked it up. Even the President wants to promote Mental Health Awareness Month this coming May. While you were away, the topic of mental health, mental hospitals, and asylums became huge. It''s a serious subject, the World Health Organization even released a statement." "What?" Kazir and Scarlett looked at each other. They had only been gone for three weeks, yet so much had happened without their knowledge. "Shadows Beneath grossed $246 million while you guys were away. Next week, Universal Pictures will release the movie internationally, right when mental health awareness is at its peak." ++++ [Last chapter today.] Chapter 499 Chapter 499 Universal Pictures didn''t expect this outcome. Even the other big studios didn''t expect this outcome... They had an inkling about the marketing strategy that Grey Pictures and Universal Pictures implemented, but they didn''t know it would become this big. Videos, documents, and posts started spreading on social media about the cruelty of mental asylums. Because of this, other countries also followed the trend, and curious people began searching for the dark secrets of mental asylums in their respective countries, which led to TV networks and newspapers covering the topic. Subjects such as mental health, mental hospitals, and cruel experiments on patients became the most searched topics on the internet, and people also discussed them in real life. The mental hospital that Shadows Beneath''s production crew used as a set for the majority of their filming became a hotspot and tourist attraction. Grey Pictures also confirmed that some diabolical experimentations had occurred in the abandoned hospital. The curious visitors who came to the abandoned hospital believed the souls of the patients were still trapped there. These visitors offered food and other items to appease the spirits. There was no clear explanation, people simply believed that the souls lingered within the mental hospital. The public was also heavily influenced by the movie, so they were emotionally affected by the supernatural themes. It didn''t help that Grey Pictures spread pictures of real patients, and the cast members bore a resemblance to them. Obviously, Shadows Beneath was having a blast. The Big Six were flabbergasted, and even second-tier studios were amazed by what had transpired... The fact that they once had a chance to acquire Shadows Beneath made it a bitter pill to swallow. Why? Because after six weeks of screening, Shadows Beneath had grossed $583 million worldwide. North America contributed $386 million to the box office, while the international box office reached $197 million. The response from other countries had been quiet, yet Shadows Beneath managed to pull in $197 million in just two weeks. The numbers didn''t lie. This year, the topic of mental hospitals as horror hotspots had become the trend. Young people began visiting abandoned mental hospitals just for the thrill. They were influenced by the film Shadows Beneath and its extremely effective marketing strategy. Universal Pictures was elated, even Ronald Meyer received congratulations from General Electric''s headquarters. Comcast was even considering retaining Ronald as the CEO of Universal Pictures. Overall, the situation at Universal Pictures was going very well... Of course, they had to pay a 5% box office share to Kazir Grey, but who cared? Based on current statistics, Shadows Beneath would likely gross between $750 and $800 million. After all, horror movies typically couldn''t surpass $1 billion... Unless Kazir made the impossible possible. And if there was one director who could, it was Kazir Grey. Well, Shadows Beneath was going well, so it didn''t really matter. ...... ... ... "Fuck, I forgot about this fact. The Mishimas are ruthless once they put you on the wall." Pause. That statement could have had another meaning. "You''re talking about their endless combos, right?" "Huh? Do I look like I''m talking about something else? Of course I''m talking about their combos," Christian Bale replied, unaware of what Kazir was implying. Kazir and Christian were playing Tekken. Christian specifically requested that his trailer be equipped with a PlayStation. Christian Bale was the lead actor in the project, and people obviously respected him. Christian invited Kazir over to discuss the project, but they ended up playing Tekken instead. They forgot all about work once they picked up the controllers. After half an hour of spamming a single button, Kazir ended up winning most of the matches. Christian was actually irritated but held it in since he couldn''t lash out at the director. He suddenly regretted inviting Kazir in the first place. When they were done, Christian finally brought up the main reason he called Kazir. "Kazir, don''t you think we need to change something in the filming?" When Kazir heard that, he smiled knowingly, already anticipating where the conversation was headed. This wasn''t the first time someone brought this up. Even the producer, Enrico Pusi, had asked the same question. The highlights of the movie were mostly centered around the Joker. Kazir and nearly every Dark Knight Trilogy fan agreed on that. The Joker was the biggest reason The Dark Knight was a success... Erm, Heath Ledger''s death was also a significant contributing factor. Kazir wanted to maintain the same energy, so the script naturally emphasized the Joker''s scenes. Since Christian was the star and protagonist of the movie, it was understandable that he felt uncomfortable with another actor seemingly taking the spotlight. "Don''t worry, I''ll make sure this movie will be a success." Kazir patted Christian on the shoulder before leaving his trailer... He didn''t want to discuss the script any further, he was tired of hearing the same concerns over and over. Kazir was the highest authority on set, and not even Warner Brothers could stop him from doing what he wanted. Christian was left speechless as he watched the director walk away. "There''s probably a misunderstanding... I wanted to talk about my costume. It''s so suffocating wearing it all the time. It''s so uncomfortable and hot, my sweat can''t even dry while I''m wearing it." Christian sighed. He would probably have to bring it up to Kazir again later. ++++ [Please support my new novel Behind The Spotlight by giving it power stones. HWI is already near its end and it doesn''t need power stones anymore.] Chapter 500 Chapter 500 "If there''s a miracle, then what I''m seeing right now is a miracle." Barry Mayer frowned as he looked at the miraculous statistics on his table. He had been in the industry for more than a decade, and these kinds of numbers were impossible to achieve. Even his Warner Brothers, the current number one studio in Hollywood, could only replicate two $900 million movies. That was the best achievement they had accomplished so far. But the statistics he was looking at proved that two $900 million movies were just child''s play. Have you ever seen a production studio with three $1 billion movies in just one year? Probably not. However, Grey Pictures was close to doing exactly that. After five months of screening, Kingsman: The Secret Service had grossed $926 million worldwide. A great movie could last six to eight months in theaters as long as people remained interested in watching it. In the case of Kingsman: The Secret Service, the movie was making at least a million dollars per day. That explained why it had already earned $900 million. Barry could see that Grey Pictures would have three $1 billion movies. Kingsman: The Secret Service would be the third to reach that mark. He realized that 2006 was the year of Grey Pictures. The other studios had lost this particular year, and they didn''t like that. Warner Brothers was recognized as the current number one studio in Hollywood because most of its movies in recent years had been box office hits. Even low-budget movies from Warner Brothers were earning more than $100 million. Walt Disney couldn''t compete at all. Disney was going strong with its 3D animated movies, but their live-action films weren''t selling enough. As for the other big studios, they couldn''t consistently release box office hits like Warner Brothers. Only Grey Pictures could match that level of performance. Honestly, if Grey Pictures decided to compete against the Big Six and acquired distribution lines, it would probably have the power to face them head-on. But that kind of threat would easily get plucked out, just like what had happened to their other competitors. So far, only Lionsgate had shown steady performance year after year, but even Lionsgate couldn''t match the Big Six. Barry turned the page, and his expression worsened as he realized that Shadows Beneath had grossed $635 million after nearly three months of screening... It didn''t sit well with him that the horror movie he had dismissed was performing so well. Warner Brothers had been content that Kazir had a trilogy with them. They also didn''t think that Shadows Beneath would make that much. They had been too full of themselves. ''If I had known this would happen, I would have increased the bid. At least I''m confident that we could have acquired the copyrights if we had offered more than Universal Pictures did.'' $100 million plus 5% of worldwide shares was a contract that Warner Brothers could easily handle. The fact that Shadows Beneath''s copyright had been acquired for that amount was almost laughable. A movie performing that well could bring far more profit. ''It''s because of those disgusting experiments on the internet...'' People were so intrigued and curious that they began searching for gruesome content. There was even this thing called the Dark Web that many became curious about... Barry admitted that Grey Pictures had pulled off an amazing marketing strategy. Even though their own marketing department was studying the secret behind it, Barry had reprimanded them and forced them to study it more seriously. Regarding The Dark Knight, there were some questionable elements that Barry didn''t agree with, but he decided to trust Kazir. The script was a bit too dark for a superhero movie... Barry had to use his influence to convince the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to rate The Dark Knight PG-13. Warner Brothers had a seat in the MPAA, and that helped them protect the ratings of their movies. If The Dark Knight had received an R-rating, it would automatically mean a loss for them. Warner Brothers was already preparing to make sure that never happened. By the way, the six members of the MPAA were the Big Six. Their seats in the MPAA were also one of the reasons why other studios couldn''t surpass them. Being part of the board that decided movie ratings, they had the power to sabotage competing studios. "If not for his credibility, I would never have agreed to Kazir''s plot. This kind of script is too much for the fans to handle. I''m not sure they''ll want to see their superhero lose..." Management had been strongly against it even now. But the recent performance of Grey Pictures'' movies was so outstanding that they eventually agreed to Kazir''s idea. ...... ... ... "Hey, so I want to ask, is it all right that you''re letting Heath do his own makeup?" Jane, the head of the makeup team, asked Kazir about his opinion regarding Heath Ledger''s decision to do his own makeup. Kazir glanced at her before turning his attention to the trailer where Heath was currently staying. He paused for a second before nodding. "Let him do what he wants." Jane narrowed her eyes and whispered something. "Hey, are you sure that actor is doing fine? I talked to him earlier and he gave me creepy vibes." Kazir just chuckled. That only showed that Heath Ledger was doing well... as an actor. It showed he was fully immersed in the role. "Don''t worry, I''ll handle it." Some people had been against hiring Heath Ledger because of his past role. Two years ago, Heath starred in a movie called Brokeback Mountain, his role in that film was a gay cowboy. To be precise, the movie was about two gay cowboys who periodically went to Brokeback Mountain to rekindle their love. Some people were against hiring Heath because they feared it would negatively affect The Dark Knight''s performance, but Kazir had been firm in his decision. In his opinion, Heath Ledger was one of the main reasons why The Dark Knight became successful. ++++ [First, I''m sorry if my uploads haven''t been consistent lately. I have no excuse.] [Second, I want to celebrate the fact that this novel has reached 500 chapters. Thanks to all of your support, guys. I appreciate it a lot.] [Third, I''m quite confident that this novel will end around chapter 100 to 200. Let''s be honest, almost everything in Kazir''s bucket list has been completed, except for Ninja Assassin. As for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Dark Knight Trilogy, I''ll probably not go into too much detail about them.] [Fourth, the reason I want to end this novel within 200 more chapters is that I feel Kazir''s story is nearing its conclusion. I don''t want to lose the essence of this novel just because I want to milk it for money. No, this novel needs a proper ending, instead of me spamming plots just for the sake of it.] [Fifth, as for the days I missed, I''m not going to promise anything anymore, because it feels like a heavy burden that''s hard for me to carry. I feel stressed whenever I owe chapters. All I can say is I''ll try my best to write this story until we reach the end.] [Sixth, this is my second novel that will be completed. It''s the second novel of mine where I can clearly see the ending. I hope you''ll continue supporting me until the very end.] [If you have any questions, feel free to comment. I''ll do my best to answer them.] Chapter 501 Chapter 501 Hollywood had a lot of gays and lesbians, so they were not that much against the idea of same-sex relationships between two men. However, Hollywood also had a lot of straight people. When Kazir first invited Heath Ledger to become the Joker, some people in the management of Warner Brothers were against the idea. They were afraid that the controversies surrounding Brokeback Mountain would affect the performance of The Dark Knight. Despite being an award-winning film, some people still criticized the movie because they couldn''t let go of their ideologies while watching it. Some LGBTQ+ activists didn''t like that the two gay roles were performed by two straight men. They wanted gay actors to take gay roles. But acting is a profession where a person acts as someone else or portrays a character. For a straight actor to play a gay man was not wrong, because that was his job. Another criticism that Brokeback Mountain faced was the backlash from conservative and religious organizations. In a way, Brokeback Mountain was fucked from both sides... Ahem. Yet despite the criticism, the movie won Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score at the 78th Academy Awards (Oscars). The management tried to talk to Kazir, trying to convince him that Heath Ledger''s current reputation was a bit tricky for the role of the Joker. Kazir stood by his opinion. He said it didn''t matter since Heath Ledger would always be in clown makeup, and no one would recognize him as the cowboy from Brokeback Mountain. The two roles were vastly different anyway. He also knew that even the audience would be surprised when they realized that Heath Ledger was the Joker. The usual roles Heath Ledger took were nothing like the Joker. The Joker was a psychotic and dangerous character. Just like that, Kazir proved he was right. The interrogation room was dimly lit, the crew had built an interrogation room in the studio just for this scene... It cost a few dozen thousand dollars. The camera operators were ready. They had already checked every angle. Kazir was sitting a couple of meters away, staring at the monitor that showed every angle of the interrogation room. Heath Ledger was in full makeup as he sat at the metal table. The crew members felt a dark vibe around the actor, and they kept their mouths shut. The dim room suddenly lit up. Christian Bale, in his Batman suit, appeared and slammed Heath Ledger''s head onto the table... His head didn''t actually touch the table, but the camera angle made it look like the Joker''s face slammed against it. "Never start with the head, the victim gets fuzzy..." "You wanted me, here I am." Batman and Joker started the conversation. The confrontation between the hero and the villain. Kazir liked where this was going. He could see that the two were performing excellently. "I don''t wanna kill you. What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no, no. You complete me." The Joker started giggling. Batman grabbed the Joker''s collar and asked, "Where''s Dent?" "Okay, cut¡ª!" Kazir had to cut the scene even though he wanted to continue it. The next scene was about Batman slamming the Joker against the wall, and they needed a stunt double for that. They couldn''t afford to hurt any of their cast, so they obviously needed a stunt double for physically demanding scenes. When the scene was done, some of the crew members stared at Heath Ledger in amazement. They got goosebumps just watching him. They felt like they were looking at the real Joker. Kazir looked around and saw the management from Warner Brothers and DC Comics. They were also impressed by Heath Ledger''s performance. Some of them were the very people who were against casting the actor. When the management saw Kazir, they avoided his gaze and walked away. Kazir smirked. In his mind, he gave them a double invisible "fuck you." These people had been on his nerves for a while. They were trying to interfere with his project. ''If I''m right, they didn''t want to cast Heath because they had another actor in mind to play the Joker... Probably one of their buttlickers or something,'' Kazir thought. Another reason why the management was irritating was that they were bitter. They didn''t like that Kazir''s last two movies were performing amazingly while Batman Begins had an average $500 million box office. By the way, $500 million was not average. Only a few movies in the history of cinema had reached that amount in ticket sales. But compared to Kazir''s filmography, Batman Begins was indeed on the average side. Especially when Shadows Beneath was getting close to $800 million. Some people from the management were holding a grudge against him. Nothing new. ...... ... ... While Kazir was busy with The Dark Knight, Grey Pictures announced their movies for 2007, which were John Wick: Chapter 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End. After the success of La La Land, Fremont Smith decided to film the third movie of the John Wick franchise. In fact, he had been filming it since last year. Grey Pictures only had two projects this year, as the third season of Game of Thrones had a buffer of two years because the production cost of that TV show was almost comparable to a movie. As for how to solve the financial trouble, Grey Pictures either had to use their own money or take out a loan from the bank. Well, Stella was a great leader, so she probably had an idea of what to do. Chapter 502 Chapter 502 From January to March, Kazir did nothing but work on The Dark Knight. His schedule was so packed that his sleep routine was only five hours at best. If there was something great, it was the fact that Scarlett was in the same workplace to support him. Kazir was known as a professional director, and he made sure to stay professional even though he was working with his girlfriend... Although there were some instances when they cuddled in the trailer. While Kazir was busy with the project, Hollywood kept spamming movie releases every week, particularly on weekends. Movies such as Stomp the Yard, Epic Movie, and Shadows Beneath were released in January. Hannibal Rising, Norbit, Music and Lyrics, Bridge to Terabithia, Ghost Rider, Hot Fuzz, and The Number 23 were released in February. Bridge to Terabithia was a great movie, but this movie was not for depressed people. As for Ghost Rider, this Marvel character was currently in the hands of Sony-Columbia, long before Marvel Comics was acquired by News Corporation. Obviously, Marvel couldn''t include Ghost Rider in their upcoming Cinematic Universe because of copyright issues. As long as Sony-Columbia was interested in Ghost Rider, the character would stay with them. Sony-Columbia realized the power of a superhero movie, so they decided to make another franchise, hoping that they would have another Spider-Man-like success. They spent $110 million on the budget just to make sure Ghost Rider would have a better outcome. Well, the box office of Ghost Rider was $334 million worldwide. Sony-Columbia cast Nicolas Cage just to make sure the movie would have strong box office appeal... Sony-Columbia was dissatisfied, but they could understand why the movie only grossed $334 million. After all, the director of Ghost Rider was not Kazir Grey. Perhaps this dissatisfaction was one of the reasons why the sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance took five years to happen. The movie was enjoyable though, and $334 million was not a bad performance. In March, Wild Hogs, Zodiac, 300, Premonition, Shooter, TMNT, Blades of Glory, and Meet the Robinsons were released. Zodiac was a movie directed by David Fincher. The movie was based on a true story, about the Zodiac Killer. Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo starred in this movie. Another important thing was 300. The movie adaptation rights of this comic were first acquired by Grey Pictures before Kazir sold them to 20th Century Fox. Kazir''s intention in buying the rights to 300 was to hire Zack Snyder and indirectly stop him from working with Warner Brothers to produce the DCEU. His plan had some rough surfaces, but things happened, and now Zack Snyder worked with 20th Century Fox to direct the movie. The movie would perform great at the worldwide box office, grossing $456 million. A few months from now, 20th Century Fox would probably thank Kazir again and act friendly with him. As for the premiere, Kazir didn''t attend it since he was busy. He was also not comfortable meeting Zack Snyder because their last meeting was kinda awkward. Kazir invited Zack to work with Grey Pictures, but Zack Snyder chose Universal Pictures. To be fair, Zack was the one who was embarrassed to meet Kazir after that meeting. When April arrived, news broke out and Kazir received many congratulations from people. In April, Kingsman: The Secret Service successfully grossed over $1 billion. This news broke on almost every TV station as news shows covered it. Kingsman: The Secret Service was the third movie that grossed $1 billion among those released last year. The Bourne Ultimatum grossed $1.03 billion. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest grossed $1.06 billion. Kingsman: The Secret Service grossed $1.01 billion. These three movies easily occupied the top three highest-grossing movies last year. Furthermore, these three movies were all from the same studio. It meant that Grey Pictures released high-quality movies with high success at the box office. "Flabbergasted" was not enough to describe how shocked Hollywood was. The Big Six also regretted their decisions for the nth time. There were some posts on the internet about kidnapping Kazir to force him to write movie scripts and direct movies. Of course, these posts were just humorous jokes... Right? The only one from the Big Six who won was 20th Century Fox because 30% of that $3 billion went to their pockets. They were just the distributor and couldn''t maximize the profit since they didn''t own any copyrights of the three movies. Still, 30% of $3 billion amounted to $900 million. Only insane people would be dissatisfied with that amount of money. With that, Grey Pictures became the center of attention again. Even Sony-Columbia offered another acquisition plan just to convince Kazir to sell another portion of his company. Of course, Kazir didn''t entertain it, so the acquisition didn''t happen. Another fact was that Shadows Beneath was slowly crawling up to $900 million. The Big Six shuddered as they realized that Grey Pictures could make another $1 billion movie this time. But if that happened, the biggest winner would probably be Universal Pictures since Grey Pictures could only get 5% of that amount... But does it even matter? Shadows Beneath only spent $17 million, yet it already profited $80 million from the get-go plus a 5% worldwide box office share. A win is a win, no matter how small it is... After that jaw-dropping news, Hollywood slowly adapted to Grey Pictures'' monstrosity and focused on the summer schedule instead. When May arrived, almost all moviegoers were excited to watch three particular movies. Spider-Man 3 would be released on May 4. Shrek the Third would be released on May 17. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End was going to be released on May 24. It was clear that May was packed with strong movies that could easily surpass $900 million at the box office. Chapter 503 Chapter 503 Spider-Man 1 and Spider-Man 2 were directed by Kazir after the director signed a two-movie deal with Sony-Columbia. It was the best decision they had made, as this business deal elevated their studio. It helped them discover how they could survive in the industry. Kazir changed how Hollywood looked at superhero movies. Now, many studios were interested in trying the genre because of what Kazir did. The success of Spider-Man allowed Sony-Columbia to keep up with the other giant studios and maintain its relevance. Kazir was a major factor in that. Unfortunately, Kazir expressed that he wouldn''t direct the third Spider-Man movie because he had other plans. Sony-Columbia did its best to convince the director, but he wasn''t budging. They offered him a better contract, but Kazir was already a billionaire at that point. A lot of people were disappointed to hear that Kazir wouldn''t direct the third movie, including the fans. Sony-Columbia was disappointed, especially the executives. Even the management of Marvel Comics was disappointed. They had a good relationship with Kazir, but feelings were hard to control. In the end, Sony-Columbia had to hire another director for Spider-Man 3. It was sad news for Spider-Man fans all over the world... Perhaps Sony-Columbia could find a way to include Kazir in the project. They did try. Sony-Columbia hoped that Kazir would participate in the project. They even wanted to hire him as the head of the editing team for Spider-Man 3. They resorted to competing to buy Shadows Beneath just to convince Kazir, but their plan didn''t work. Universal Pictures got the last laugh. By the way, Sony-Columbia was actually not confident that Shadows Beneath would be successful at the box office considering its genre. Horror movies were also considered Kazir''s weakness in his filmography. Sony-Columbia didn''t expect that the horror movie would become the highest-grossing horror movie of all time. They regretted not doing their best to acquire the rights to this movie. Everyone believed that The Sixth Sense, the best horror movie of all time, would lose its position as the highest-grossing horror movie after Shadows Beneath was released. After all, The Sixth Sense had an amazing plot twist that shocked people even today... But Shadows Beneath also had a plot twist. This just proved that Kazir was THE GUY. The director was breaking records after records like it was a Sunday morning. At this point, fans may hype the director, but he would still be recognized as underrated. The stats were not lying. As of now, Shadows Beneath had grossed $891 million at the box office after five months of screening. It made the movie the highest-grossing horror movie of all time... unless another movie could defeat it. The second highest-grossing horror movie was now The Sixth Sense, which grossed $672 million at the worldwide box office. If something was terrifying about these facts, it was the fact that Shadows Beneath would probably continue making more money as the movie was still screening all over the world. Anyway, Sony-Columbia released Spider-Man 3 on May 4, and it was a success. In just three days, the movie casually grossed $151 million. No one would deny that the movie was a success. Spider-Man 3 was almost the perfect copy of the original Spider-Man 3 from Kazir''s timeline. Kazir worked with Marvel Studios to write the script, and Kazir had strong authority in making decisions. Also, he was the best scriptwriter in Hollywood, so it was easy to convince Sony-Columbia to make the original version of Spider-Man 3. As for why Kazir didn''t change the plot of Spider-Man 3? He had a simple reason. He had no idea what to write. He also had no idea what to change. Kazir was just a person, after all. He couldn''t come up with great stories like Artificial Intelligence, sad to say. In his opinion, Spider-Man 3 was perfect the way it was. Sure, it had a lot of downs, but it was still a great movie, and Kazir enjoyed it. Because of that, some fans had mixed reviews regarding the third movie. Still, Spider-Man 3 was making huge money. In just ten days of screening, Spider-Man 3 grossed $240 million. It was close to recouping their production cost, which was $258 million. It cost a lot to make Spider-Man 3. Sony-Columbia kept promoting the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man on many platforms. When May 17 arrived, the movie grossed $258 million... Now they were starting to make a profit. Too bad because a strong rival was released on May 17. It was none other than the most handsome ogre of all time, Shrek! To be precise, Shrek the Third! Shrek the Third was a computer-animated movie produced by DreamWorks Animation, led by Jeffrey Katzenberg. Shrek was the first computer-animated movie that DreamWorks released, and it was a massive success. Since then, Shrek became one of the franchises that made DreamWorks Animation relevant. If not for this bad-mouthed green ogre, DreamWorks Animation would be long gone. Shrek the Third grossed $122 million after four days of screening. It was weaker compared to the performance of Spider-Man 3, but it was still an amazing feat. Also, because of Shrek the Third, Spider-Man 3 only grossed $29 million between May 17 and May 20. Having two powerful movies released in the same month was tough to look at because one would lose while the other would win. This month of May was tougher to look at because three big movies would compete to dominate the month. When May 24 arrived, Shrek the Third had grossed $150 million, while Spider-Man 3 had grossed $289 million. And on the same day, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End was released in cinemas. Chapter 504 Chapter 504 Under the warm summer evening, fans lined up at the theater while wearing pirate hats to pay homage to the franchise. Most of them were Grey fans, while others were avid fans of Pirates of the Caribbean. It was an amazing night for many of them. It was memorable, the atmosphere made them excited as they knew that a few hours from now, they would witness the third installment of Pirates of the Caribbean. The red carpet was dazzling as the flashes of cameras were everywhere, almost blinding the evening. Next, a ten-foot pirate ship became one of the centers of attraction on the red carpet. The pirate ship was a prop created just for this event to make the red carpet match the theme of the movie. The cast of the movie arrived in grand fashion, as usual, exiting from expensive cars or limousines, depending on the kind of entrance they wanted to make. Even Geoffrey Rush, aka Captain Barbossa, stepped onto the red carpet with a small monkey on his shoulder. The small monkey was also cast in Pirates of the Caribbean as Jack the Monkey... The main attraction on the red carpet was undoubtedly the famous cast, such as Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, and Kazir Grey. However, most fans were most excited to see Johnny Depp. They started screaming like crazy when they saw the actor stepping out of the limousine. Johnny was wearing a tailored suit just for the occasion. Johnny Depp had been in the industry since the ''80s, a few years before Kazir also started his career in showbiz. Johnny had many significant roles that boosted his career, such as Edward Scissorhands, Willy Wonka, and Donnie Brasco. However, he could say that his role as Jack Sparrow was probably the best thing that had happened to him. People started going crazy over him when Pirates of the Caribbean was released. Everyone acknowledged his talent after he performed as the unique pirate captain. And for that, he thanked Kazir for giving him a chance to be part of the massive success of Pirates of the Caribbean... It was true that Johnny had never watched his own movies, but he decided to watch the third installment of Pirates of the Caribbean since he knew it would be a box-office hit. The movie was directed by Kazir Grey, after all. The media were having a blast as they took pictures upon pictures of the cast. The cast also interacted with their fans. Some signed autographs, while others took pictures with the fans. Overall, the red carpet was a memorable experience for everyone. ...... ... ... Ten days had just passed since the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End. The movie grossed $217 million as of June 3, which was the tenth day of the movie''s screening. Nobody was surprised by this fact, as they knew that the movie would perform amazingly at the box office. The second movie, Dead Man''s Chest, grossed over a billion dollars, and it determined what kind of success the third movie would achieve. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End would probably gross over a billion dollars, not just because of its past success but because of the movie itself. At World''s End was a masterpiece that perfectly tied the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy together. The fantasy element, the stunning visuals, the exciting action stunts, everything was perfect. No one could deny how great it was. Fans would 100 percent recommend the movie to anyone, no matter the age. This factor was also one of the reasons why Pirates of the Caribbean was well-received, the movie was for all ages. At the moment, Kazir was on his way to the filming set of The Dark Knight. He was looking at documents regarding Pirates of the Caribbean while his bodyguard, Anderson, was driving the car. "With this kind of success, people will watch another sequel of Pirates of the Caribbean..." Kazir only intended to direct the trilogy of Pirates of the Caribbean. As for the next movie, he wanted to hand it off to another director. In fact, he was thinking of selling the copyrights of Pirates of the Caribbean to another studio. He knew that the huge sales of the franchise came from the first three movies. As for the fourth and fifth movies, they were just sequels made for the sake of making money... Well, Walt Disney still made a lot of money from the fourth and fifth movies. The problem with the latter movies was that they were mediocre compared to the first three, and even the fans could agree to that. For now, Kazir wouldn''t make a hasty decision. The copyrights of Pirates of the Caribbean would remain in their film library. "Sir, did you say something?" Anderson looked in the rearview mirror. "No, I''m just talking to myself." Kazir chuckled. The two were peacefully going about their day until a speeding car came up behind them. "Sir, hold tight¡ª!" Anderson saw what was coming and prepared Kazir for a collision. Kazir instinctively grabbed the handle next to his seat. A second later, a strong impact sent their car spinning through the air and crashing a few meters away from the road. The crash was so loud that Kazir was left with a lasting tinnitus. Everything happened so fast that Kazir lost his senses, and his vision went dark. Kazir groaned as he closed his eyes. The impact had been so strong that he stopped breathing for a while, the air was forcefully expelled from his lungs. His senses were slowly returning. The creaking of their broken car could be heard along with faint screams from the surroundings. When he opened his eyes, he realized that his blurry vision was upside down, no, the car was upside down. As his vision cleared, Kazir saw a man approaching their car. It was their attacker. Kazir felt like he recognized the person. However, that information didn''t process well in his mind because the attacker was holding an AK-47 in his hands... +++++ [Honestly, I already had a thought of adding a bit of an accident/incident to the novel, and I recalled some information that could make this attack believable. Do you think Kazir will survive?] Chapter 505 Chapter 505 Kazir was scared, his breathing erratic. It didn''t help that his body was aching. He probably had some broken ribs. Blood was flowing from his forehead, obscuring his left eye, making his vision half-red. He coughed. The sound of footsteps jolted him awake. After a long time, he felt like death was knocking on his door again. He had experienced death before, and it was something so painful. Getting hit by a truck was excruciating. The blessing was that after enduring the pain for a few seconds, Kazir had returned to 1994 to redo his life... This time, Kazir was not sure if that would happen. Having another second chance was too much to believe. Once in a while, Kazir felt like everything was just a dream. Perhaps this whole regression was merely a fantasy his brain created before he died... Maybe he was already dead, and there was no regression at all? However, the fact that he felt a sense of dread at this moment gave him the understanding that he wanted to live. This also made him understand that he was alive... He was not dead, he was alive, and everything he had experienced was real. And today, he didn''t want to die. His will to live ignited, and Kazir forgot about the physical pain he was suffering. He pulled off his seat belt, and his head fell first onto the ceiling of the car. Some of the glass shards cut his head, but he didn''t care at the moment. He then proceeded to kick the cracked window to escape. He wanted to live. He was desperate. He kicked the window twice with more strength. The cracked window shattered. The attacker saw that Kazir was still alive. He roared and aimed his gun at him. "Kazir¡ª!! You motherfucker¡ª!!" These words were so frightening to hear in this situation. The attacker had a grudge against Kazir for some reason. If words could kill, the attacker would have already won. Kazir shuddered and heard the gun clattering. He instinctively closed his eyes. He squeezed a breath. He hoped that his death would be quick this time. Then, a gunshot reverberated, and he flinched. Kazir was breathing hard. His body was shaking. His heart was beating so fast that he felt like he was having palpitations. The silence lasted for two seconds before Kazir realized he was still alive. He opened his eyes and looked at his body. Except for the injuries he suffered from the car crash, he was fine. He didn''t find any bullet holes. He looked at the attacker and found him lying on the ground... Blood was slowly spreading beneath the body. The attacker was dead, unmoving. "Director, are you okay?" Kazir looked around quickly. He saw Anderson walking with difficulty, limping toward him. The bodyguard had a hard time moving his left foot, almost dragging it. Anderson was holding a pistol, the firearm he had used to kill the attacker. ??NOBE?S?? "Anderson! Thank you! Thank you!" Kazir''s voice cracked as he sobbed. Kazir didn''t know why, but tears just rolled down his cheeks as he frantically came out of the car. He thought he was going to die. This was probably one of his most traumatic experiences. The first was his mom, the second was his first death, and then third was this incident. Anderson nodded when he confirmed that his boss was fine. When the car hit them, Anderson had flown out of the windshield and rolled down the road. His left leg was broken. Still, he immediately stood up to find Kazir despite his injury. When Anderson saw the attacker carrying a firearm, he pulled out his pistol and didn''t hesitate to shoot him. People started approaching them. Some of these bystanders had witnessed the whole scene, and it was like an action movie, but a terrifying one. Some of them started calling the police and the ambulance. Others were murmuring and curious about the incident. Kazir weakly sat down, followed by Anderson, who had also lost his adrenaline. They were both in pain right now. He stared at the attacker... Now he remembered. He recognized this person. This man had left a strong bad impression on Kazir. He was one of the extras in Pirates of the Caribbean. The reason Kazir recognized him was that this person had been speaking badly about him and Scarlett. Kazir had kicked him off the filming set because of that. In fact, Kazir also remembered his name. "Aquino..." Kazir weakly muttered. ...... ... ... A few days before the incident, Aquino slammed his fists against the table out of anger. "Why!? Why didn''t they include my scenes in the second and third movies!?" Aquino was one of the extras that Grey Pictures had hired to work on Pirates of the Caribbean. However, his job on set quickly ended when Director Grey fired him... He kinda understood where the director was coming from. But because of that incident, Aquino lost the remaining favor of his Sugar Daddy, the person who helped him find jobs in Showbiz. Since then, Aquino had held a grudge against Director Grey. Aquino was also a cocaine user, and that didn''t help. He had been a heavy user since he stepped into the industry. Hollywood was famous for drugs, after all. At first, Aquino was so delusional that he believed Kazir would include him in the movies. He had a couple of scenes where his face was shown. He hoped that this opportunity would give him a comeback... He was super high on cocaine when he thought of these scenarios. When the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie was released, Aquino was angry that he was not included... Thankfully, his rationality was still active, and he kept his composure. He believed that Director Grey was saving the best for the last. Aquino believed his scenes would be in the third movie. But when the third movie was released, Aquino decided to personally fix things. He would settle the grudge. John Lennon. Christina Grimmie. Rebecca Schaeffer. Tupac. Gianni Versace. Sharon Tate. The Notorious B.I.G. There were so many celebrities who were killed by their fans or haters. Aquino wanted to be part of that list. +++++ [Author''s Note.] [Yeah, what are Hollywood celebrities if there are no crazy fans/haters?] Chapter 506 Chapter 506 The incident blew up. The media became so excited with this news that every news station talked about it. This was a big scoop, something that would catch the interest of America. Especially when there was footage of the incident, although most of the footage was in the hands of the police. Assassination was not a new thing in showbiz. Heck, four U.S. presidents had been assassinated in the history of America. So it was not a surprise that celebrities could experience the same thing. And actually, many celebrities had been killed for varied reasons. In Kazir''s case, it was revenge. The suspect attacked Kazir because he was fired from his job. These were the headlines that were circulating in Hollywood... They made it look like Kazir was a bad person. The CCTV cameras near the incident caught almost everything, from the car crash up to the moment when Aquino, the suspect, stepped out of his dented car holding an AK-47. By the way, owning an AK-47 was not legal in Los Angeles, so Aquino probably got it from someone. Kazir was in the hospital while the media were having a blast with the news. Some of the reporters and paparazzi tried to infiltrate the hospital, but Grey Pictures hired guards to make sure that no one could disturb Kazir and Anderson, the bodyguard, who was currently in the ICU having surgery for his left foot. Some people who lived in constant defeat saw this situation as a way to cancel Kazir. This was one of the rarest moments where they could pull Kazir into deep waters. Obviously, the news painted Kazir with a bad reputation. They said that Aquino was justified because he lost his job. It was also disappointing that Aquino died... "He didn''t deserve it," the media quoted. In the mid-2000s, when the internet was still just starting, the media was the strongest entity that influenced people. Most people heard information from television. Right now, the media giants were making sure that they would control this situation in their favor. They didn''t care if Kazir was a good person. If they wanted Kazir to be the most vile person in Hollywood, then they would make him one. Hollywood blacklisted Brendan Fraser for speaking about sexual harassment, Richard Gere because he spoke about Tibet. They also canceled Johnny Depp, Janet Jackson, and many celebrities who obviously didn''t deserve it. Now, Kazir was being labeled as one of the worst bosses in America because he fired an extra. As for the reason why he did that, who gives a fuck!? Right? Only Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox helped Kazir and protected his name. Not even Universal Pictures helped Kazir. Funny, because Shadows Beneath had just grossed $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Universal Pictures acted like they weren''t even doing business with Kazir. Perhaps Universal Pictures believed that Kazir wouldn''t survive this ordeal. Anyway, Universal Pictures could afford to pay Grey Pictures that 5% box office share, then consider it done. Unfortunately, the media giants had a hard time convincing people. From the footage they saw, it was clear that Aquino was the bad guy. He was clearly insane. Furthermore, it was heartbreaking to see an injured man fighting for his life under the threat of an AK-47. They saw how Kazir crawled out of the car just to survive. Now that was amazing. It was hard to paint him as a villain when he was doing his best to crawl in order to survive. The footage spoke for itself, Kazir was the victim. Kazir''s will to live and his determination despite the terrifying weapon before him, everything resonated with the people. Even those who were doubtful about whether Kazir was a good person admitted that the director displayed courage, something they were amazed by. R?a?o?E?S?? As for the grudges between the two... Who gives a fuck? At this point, Kazir was too famous to get canceled. ... ... ... Scarlett was in tears as she stared at Kazir sleeping. The guy had bruises on his face and some stitches on his head and arms. Based on his appearance, he had suffered a terrible accident. Kazir slowly opened his eyes and found Scarlett crying. "You''re awake," Scarlett''s voice was trembling as she sighed in relief. Kazir weakly smiled and wiped her tears. "Don''t move, I don''t want your wounds to open up," Scarlett muttered and wiped her own tears instead. She was happy that Kazir woke up. "I''m fine. They''re just small cuts." Kazir chuckled, a faint smile on his face... But deep inside, he was scared. He recalled what had happened a few hours ago and his face subconsciously paled. "What about the filming today?" To forget about the terrible memory, Kazir decided to change the topic. "You''re hurt, you don''t have to think about other things. Enrico canceled the shooting." Scarlett was part of the cast, so she heard about it firsthand. "Good thing that we are just a week away from finishing the shoot, we can afford a few days of day-offs," Kazir muttered, but he shut his mouth when he saw that Scarlett was concerned about him. "Don''t think too much," she said. She had already been on set when she heard that Kazir was in a car crash. When she heard that, she immediately asked if Kazir was okay. She went to the hospital the moment she found out he was staying there. "It''s fortunate that you weren''t with me at that time. I don''t know what I''d do if something bad happened to you." He smiled and looked at the ceiling. Then, Scarlett sobbed again and kissed Kazir''s hand. "Don''t talk like that." "Sorry." The two stared at each other before they shared a kiss. A moment later, Kazir''s relatives and friends also showed up. The room had been quiet for a reason, and the couple were acting awkward when the people showed up to check if Kazir was doing fine. ++++ [Honestly, I have no idea what to do about the aftermath, but I decided to just think of it in a way that Hollywood will use this chance to erase their strongest rival which is Kazir.] Chapter 507 Chapter 507 The room was a bit lively as more people visited. Kazir was not in a grave situation, so he was allowed to have more guests. Besides, he was in one of the most expensive private rooms in the hospital, where he could host up to 50 people if he wanted to. Honestly, Kazir preferred this lively situation compared to being alone. If he were alone, there was a strong chance he would recall the traumatizing incident. Most of the people who visited him were from business dealings, such as the people from Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox. These two studios didn''t show any hostility despite having a chance to demean Kazir. Well, Warner Brothers needed Kazir to continue directing the Batman Trilogy. They could also afford a week or two of vacation for Kazir. Kazir was thankful for that. As for 20th Century Fox, they were considered partners since Grey Pictures and 20th Century Fox exchanged shares. Even though 20th Century Fox was just the distributor of Grey Pictures'' movies, Fox was still making a lot of profit. Furthermore, they needed Kazir to continue writing scripts for Final Destination and the upcoming Paranormal Activity. Kazir''s family also showed up. Victor and Arron were so happy to see that Kazir was not badly injured. A day after the incident, so many people showed up to check on Kazir that the hospital had to implement a strict policy. Scarlett realized that there were people who cared about Kazir, and she was happy about it. She wiped her tears, but this time, they were tears of joy. When Kazir started feeling tired, the people bid farewell. Only Scarlett and the Grey family members were left in the room. Kazir had been through so much, and this incident was probably one of the toughest obstacles in his life. Kazir weakly smiled as he returned to sleep. He decided to place importance on his life... Once he was done with The Dark Knight, Kazir would go somewhere nice and peaceful. The next day, Kazir heard that Anderson''s operation was successful. His left foot was saved, but he needed three months of recovery, which Kazir gladly gave his bodyguard. Kazir also promised that he would cover all of the expenses... He even thought of buying Anderson a house and a car, he could afford to buy them anyway. No amount of money was comparable to his life. But since Anderson needed time to recover, Kazir needed to hire another bodyguard. In fact, Kazir believed he needed at least two bodyguards. Salvatore and Erica were looking for the best people, they had to make sure their moneymaker was safe and sound... Yeah, it was true that Kazir was the reason why Salvatore and Erica earned so much money every year. Kazir was their friend, so they also didn''t want him to get hurt. ...... ... ... The horrifying attempted murder of Kazir was so huge that police had to intervene and take it seriously. When the incident happened, the giant studios just thought it was simple revenge. They heard from one of the ex-employees (he got fired and paid fines because he broke the NDA) from Kazir''s production team that Aquino exacted revenge on Kazir because he was kicked out of the project. That was clear, and everyone thought it was mostly the truth. As for the reason why Aquino was hired, no one cared about it... The media didn''t explain it at all for obvious reasons. Because of that, the Big Four took this chance to try and destroy Kazir''s career. So many people believed them, but many also sympathized with Kazir. Just because he fired someone, it didn''t mean he deserved to die. Kazir had experienced so many scandals in his career, yet he survived all of them. People believed he was innocent since he was still not blacklisted in Hollywood. But everything came to a halt when the police found something interesting on Aquino''s computer and phone. At first, the police were curious how Aquino got an AK-47, since that kind of firearm was illegal in Los Angeles as of 2007. They confirmed that the AK-47 came from Aquino''s "friend," an executive from Universal Pictures. The AK-47 was meant to be used as a prop and should have been destroyed after being used in a movie, but the executive left dozens of AK-47s as "collectibles"... They were not registered, by the way. Sometimes, production teams needed to use real guns as props, although they used blank bullets. Furthermore, it was cheaper to use real guns that making fake ones. ?¦¡?No??b¦¥s?? This executive gave one to Aquino as a gift. Everyone thought the incident would end there. But no, there was more to it. The police found an interesting conversation between Aquino and the executive. ¡ª He humiliated you. ¡ª Kazir thinks he is above everyone, that''s why he didn''t include your scene. You deserve better. ¡ª Don''t ask me why your asshole is itchy, we''re done since last year. ¡ª No one would blame you if you were going to teach Kazir a lesson. That arrogant director needs a proper lesson. ¡ª I know we''re not friends anymore, but if you need money to do it, you can ask. It was mild and hidden, but the executive was indirectly pushing Aquino to kill Kazir by blaming Kazir for Aquino''s failure. The executive said that Kazir intentionally didn''t add Aquino''s scene because he offended the director. Aquino was a cocaine addict and didn''t realize he was being manipulated. The executive told him their conversation should be deleted, but Aquino was too high to do that. Another thing, the executive gave Aquino a car and even told him Kazir''s usual locations. Yes, this was an assassination! The public thought this was just a simple tragedy, not a planned assassination! Even the Big Four didn''t expect this outcome. To make it worse, the executive was a close friend of Harvey Weinstein! ++++++ [Note: I don''t hate Universal Pictures. They are amazing studio and I like their movies, they are far better than Walt Disney at any angle. Unfortunately, the plot went this way so I might as well stick to it.] Chapter 508 Chapter 508 The revelation shocked Hollywood. The police were hesitant at first, since this information could put their careers in jeopardy. You know, this was not a simple assault but an assassination that involved an executive from Universal Pictures. The Hollywood and Showbiz industry was so deep that some information was not allowed to spread. Thankfully, the LAPD gave the go signal. They were doing the right thing, and they had nothing to fear. Hence, the situation became chaotic. Who would have thought that this incident was instigated by one of the higher-ups at Universal Pictures? An executive planning to kill a director, a shocking situation. News stations and publishers loved this moment and went all out. The news spread so fast that when Kazir woke up the next day, he sensed that something was going on. His father and brother were acting strange. Even Salvatore and Erica were in the hospital room, whispering. Scarlett made tea for them. If something was surprising, it was the fact that Stella Willow was also in the room, waiting for Kazir to wake up. For the record, Stella and Kazir were friends, but Stella was so busy that she probably didn''t have time to visit the hospital early in the morning. "...What''s going on?" Kazir asked them. The group of people looked at each other. Scarlett sighed and gave a cup of tea to Kazir, she then passed a newly published newspaper to him. Kazir actually preferred coffee or cappuccino, but it seemed Scarlett was going for a healthy beverage. The tea was a gift from Stella. Anyway, Kazir read the newspaper and bitterly smiled, well, the bitter tea was one of the reasons why. "People will go as far as to kill someone just for profit," he said. Scarlett held his hand. "This is not simple. The culture of this industry is so toxic that they feel like they can get away with anything. Don''t worry, I''ll do my best to make sure this will not happen again." Stella was the first to reply. She was disgusted by the fact that Hollywood let something like this happen. "Thanks, Stella." Kazir smiled. ...... ... ... Just a day after the news spread, Universal Pictures acted fast and fired the executive. They even stated it publicly in front of the media. They announced that they had no connection with the assassination and that they promoted healthy competition. Many people were mad about it, and even the movie critics felt disgusted. Universal Pictures had to solve this problem and protect its image. The executive was caught by the police and admitted the crimes. Except that, he didn''t say anything else and kept his mouth shut. He accepted every backlash from the public as if he was threatened to take full responsibility. Truthfully, Universal Pictures had no intention of killing Kazir. They never resorted to killing people, this was America, and they never liked violence. Unfortunately, stuff just happens. The scandal also made the Big Four face some backlash. People were not stupid. The Big Four tried to destroy Kazir''s career after the director suffered a near-death situation. People realized that the Big Four would do anything just to bury their rivals. As for Kazir''s side, the director was advised by his PR Team to stay quiet and away from the spotlight. He just released a statement that was crafted by his PR Team. The one who delivered the words was Erica, who faced the reporters in front of the hospital. "Director Grey said that he is grateful to be alive. He thanks the people for supporting him." A very short statement. Kazir''s PR Team advised him not to speak about the Big Four, as Kazir might have a chance to work with them again... This was from a business viewpoint, and Kazir understood. In Hollywood, there was no eternal enemy. People in the industry would always do things for their benefit, and Kazir understood that. However, he would probably not work with Universal Pictures anymore after this. He thought their relationship would improve after Shadows Beneath, but it seemed that he was wrong. Brad Grey personally talked to him on the phone and said that Universal Pictures never thought of killing him. Based on Brad''s voice, he was probably not lying. Still, Kazir was determined to keep his promise this time. This was a painful betrayal that he didn''t want to experience again. As for the other studios, it depended on the circumstances. He had to accept the fact that Hollywood would never change. This industry was so messed up from the roots that it was impossible to change it. No one could change Hollywood, not even Kazir, nor the Big Six. Hollywood was always the city of sin. ...... ... ... Kazir asked for a two-week break from Warner Brothers, and the studio gladly supported him. They were already happy that their studio was not part of the scandal. Furthermore, they used this chance of public sympathy to promote The Dark Knight. Whenever they talked about news related to Kazir, Time Warner always included that Kazir was the director of The Dark Knight. Yeah, a free promotion. Nothing to be surprised about. Within those two weeks, Kazir spent his time away from the paparazzi. He was in the house most of the time, together with Scarlett. His family and friends visited him once in a while... Kazir was actually bored the whole time. He realized that he preferred working on his film instead of staying at home and doing nothing. Well, taking a rest was not that bad once in a while. On top of that, he and Scarlett cuddled a lot, so definitely not that bad. +++++ [Author''s Note.] [For the record, I don''t hate Universal Pictures. Universal Pictures is actually a great studio. It''s just that the plot went on against them, so I can''t help but make them bad. If there''s a studio I hate, it''s only Walt Disney. Also, I just want to remind everyone that this novel is fiction and fake. Not related to real celebrities. Don''t take it seriously.] Chapter 509 Chapter 509 "Dear God, why are you doing this to me!? I''ve never been a bad person!" Harvey Weinstein stared at the ceiling, talking to a higher existence, asking why he was receiving suffering after suffering despite being a good person. Harvey was a narcissistic bastard who couldn''t see the wrongs in himself. In his opinion, he was one of the good guys in Hollywood. Yet the fact that he was being judged didn''t sit well with him. After his friend went to jail because of a failed assassination, people started looking at him like he was a criminal. For the record, Harvey Weinstein wasn''t part of the crime. It was true that he wanted Kazir dead, but he wasn''t crazy enough to hire a hitman. This was an unwritten rule in Hollywood, no killings. He was indeed friends with the executive and had attended some nice parties that included illegal dealings. They were also friends with Jeffrey Epstein and Diddy, but that didn''t mean Harvey Weinstein was a bad person, right? Just like he believed, he was on the good side of Hollywood... Harvey believed there were far worse people in Hollywood, and what he did was incomparable to their monstrosities. Anyway, now that his friends had been caught, people were blaming him for some reason. He became part of the scandal, and reporters and paparazzi kept pestering him like he was some kind of rapist who deserved to go to jail. Because of this incident, Harvey Weinstein had no choice but to lay low again. He decided to hide from the media and rarely left his house. Harvey felt like the social connections he had worked hard to build were crumbling as his reputation kept sinking lower and lower. He had an inkling that if he got into another scandal, the people around him wouldn''t help him anymore. He would probably go to jail the next time. ...... ... ... After two weeks of rest, Kazir was so excited that he woke up early just to greet the day when the production of The Dark Knight would restart. He looked out the window, the sun was just rising, and the sky was still dark blue. He kissed Scarlett''s forehead. The woman was still sleeping. All of Scarlett''s scenes had already been filmed, so there was no reason for her to attend the shoot. "Take care. I''ll visit you after I wake up," Scarlett grumbled and returned to sleep. Kazir chuckled and left the house... In front of his home, three tall men seemed ready for action. These were the three bodyguards that Salvatore and Erica had found to protect Kazir. Anderson was still in the hospital. Kazir nodded at them, a bit awkward that these three strangers would be following him to every event from now on. The three bodyguards were Dane, Ronan, and Vince. Their presence was a bit intimidating. Kazir knew that they could beat a person in a gunfight or a street fight. Either way, it seemed that Kazir would be safe with them. "Sir, I''m your driver/bodyguard, Dane Fan. The car is ready," Dane introduced himself. "Oh, thanks," Kazir said as he entered the new car. This car was a bulletproof vehicle that he had recently purchased. He had to admit he was traumatized by the incident and didn''t want to experience it again. R?a?????O?B?s?? As for the other bodyguards, they would follow in another car. Both vehicles were bulletproof. Kazir spent $2.4 million to buy these two cars for his safety, it was a great investment. After all, he only had one life... Erm, he had experienced two lives, but it didn''t matter, the meaning was still there. Life is important. When he reached the studio, the crew members were already busy. They were checking equipment, adjusting the lights, setting the cameras, and even preparing snacks and drinks in each cast member''s trailer. When Kazir showed up, they greeted him with good mornings and expressed their concern about what had happened. Kazir smiled and said he was fine. He had suffered a few injuries from the car crash, but he was doing well. Even the stitches on his head were mostly healed. His hair covered the wounds, so they weren''t obvious. Kazir started the day with three bodyguards around him, scanning the surroundings and looking at Kazir, making sure there were no hidden threats. The crew members felt awkward, but they had to adapt. This was their new normal now that Kazir had almost died in an assassination attempt. Kazir could also see that the crew members were afraid to approach him because of the stern gazes from his bodyguards. However, he couldn''t stop the bodyguards from doing their job. They just had to adapt until everything became normal. It was normal for the cast to show up later than the filming crew. Most of the cast of The Dark Knight were famous celebrities, so they had the privilege to do what they wanted. Filming was scheduled to start around 9 a.m. But most of the cast who were part of the scene were still not present... Kazir was used to this. Most celebrities showed up late for some reason, as if they wanted to be the star of the set by arriving last. It was 11 a.m. when filming finally started. The cast first greeted Kazir and asked about his well-being, Kazir answered truthfully. Because Kazir had asked for a two-week break, the schedule was adjusted. It was fortunate that there were only a few remaining scenes to film before the production moved into post-production. Chapter 510 Chapter 510 A week later, with Kazir''s fast and consistent filming, the production of The Dark Knight was on its last day. The sky was dark that night, and the cold breeze was all around. The crew members felt the chill, but they remained quiet. The set came to a halt, and everyone kept their mouths shut. Kazir was sitting behind the scene, staring at the monitor that displayed the scene from six angles. They were filming in an old building in Los Angeles that had been rented by the crew. The building was scheduled for demolition in a few months, and its desolate atmosphere was the perfect vibe to depict Batman''s decision to throw away his mantle as Gotham''s vigilante. "Batman, Batman¡ª!" James Gordon''s son shouted at Batman, the hero who had saved their lives. However, Batman didn''t respond and continued running away. "Why is he running, Dad?" the young boy asked. "Because we have to chase him." "He didn''t do anything wrong." The child was confused, remembering how Batman had jumped in to save him. "Because he''s the hero that Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we''ll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he''s our hero. He''s a silent guardian, a watchful protector. The Dark Knight." The whole place was quiet. Everyone looked at Kazir. He was the boss. They had already filmed this scene four times and were just waiting for Kazir''s approval to know if the scene met his criteria. One of his bodyguards stood next to Kazir, tall and strong like a pillar. The other two bodyguards were dozens of meters away, checking the perimeter as if they were in a war zone, expecting possible attacks... Honestly, the tension on set was still present, even three weeks after Kazir had almost died. The crew members were still not used to people monitoring their every movement like they were some kind of criminals. In fact, one of the bodyguards also had to taste-test the food and beverages given to Kazir whenever the director was hungry or thirsty. Fortunately, this would be the last time working with Kazir this year, since the director only filmed one movie per year... One movie per year was amazing, by the way. It was even more impressive that Kazir had filmed two movies the previous year, and both had grossed $1 billion. Kazir was the abnormal one here. Kazir frowned while rewinding the tape... The people around him waited for the verdict. Even the cast, such as Christian Bale and Gary Oldman, were waiting. Christian Bale was still in his Batman suit and sweating quite a lot. A few seconds later, Kazir clapped his hands. "Okay, that''s it. The filming of The Dark Knight is done." The crew members screamed in joy and cheered. "We prepared a small party back at the studio tonight. I hope everyone will attend. Let''s all have fun." Enrico Pusi, the producer of The Dark Knight, stepped in and announced the party, prompting another loud cheer. They would eat and drink till they couldn''t anymore. R?a¦­?BE?s Kazir also smiled... He had promised that once filming was done, he would apply for a month''s vacation before starting the post-production of The Dark Knight, which was the editing stage. He had already spoken with Warner Brothers, and the studio understood why he asked for the break. He really needed it after the incident. Two weeks hadn''t been enough to calm his nerves. He still experienced mild PTSD whenever he stepped into a car. Scarlett said she was interested in visiting Europe, especially Italy and France. ...... ... ... May had been a rough month for Kazir. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End was released and became a massive success, but that wasn''t the reason May was rough for him. A week after the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean, Kazir was almost killed by an extra. The motive behind the crime was that Aquino was angry about not being included in the final cut. Also, Aquino had been subtly brainwashed to kill Kazir. After that, June served as a rest month for Kazir, since he only worked for a week during that time. He spent most of his time recovering at home from the injuries he had sustained. However, while Kazir was recuperating, blockbuster films such as Knocked Up, Ocean''s Thirteen, Surf''s Up, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, 1408, Evan Almighty, Live Free or Die Hard, and Ratatouille were released in June. Fantastic Four was a property 20th Century Fox had acquired a decade before Marvel Comics became part of the Disney family. Hence, 20th Century Fox had already approved the project and filmed it a year before the MCU was created. It would have been a waste of money not to release the movie, instead of trying to include it in the MCU. Surprisingly, Fantastic Four was a success, so 20th Century Fox and Marvel Studios decided to make a sequel, which was Rise of the Silver Surfer. The movie grossed $353 million at the box office. As for Evan Almighty, it was the sequel to Bruce Almighty, a film Kazir had written. When Jim Carrey announced he wouldn''t reprise his role as Bruce Almighty, Kazir knew the franchise''s future was bleak. Therefore, he barely participated in the scriptwriting. Because of this, he wasn''t included as the screenwriter for the movie, which was fine with him. Regardless, Evan Almighty grossed $214 million at the box office, not bad. "... Something is strange. I feel like I forgot something." Kazir said to himself while reading a newspaper in a pastry shop in Italy. "Perhaps you''re talking about tipping. I''m not sure if Italy has a tipping culture or if that''s just a U.S. thing," Scarlett replied while enjoying her croissant and latte. "I''m not sure. I feel like another big movie should be released this month..." Chapter 511 Chapter 511 Kazir looked at the newspaper for the second time, frowning as he felt like he had forgotten something big. ''It''s probably a big movie in my past life... Strange. I''m confident in my memory whenever it''s about movies.'' Scarlett saw that Kazir was thinking seriously. However, they were on vacation right now, and both of them had promised that they wouldn''t think about their jobs. They had been busy for a year, and Kazir had also experienced a terrible accident, so they needed to detox from Hollywood. The two were currently wearing shades to hide their identities, as both of them were quite famous. Scarlett passed a cheesecake to Kazir and said, "You''ve been stressed since we got on the plane; maybe you''re just jetlagged?" "Yeah, I think you''re right," Kazir sighed and grabbed a spoon to munch on the cheesecake. The reason why he had been uncomfortable the whole flight was because of his trauma. It had only been three weeks since the incident, and Kazir was still trying to heal from his mental trauma. He glanced at the next table and saw four people drinking coffee but constantly on the lookout. These four were Erica, Dane, Ronan, and Vince. They were following Kazir and Scarlett on their vacation... just for safety purposes. Erica was no longer a bodyguard, now serving as an assistant, but she had decided to follow Kazir on his vacation because she felt guilty for not being present when her boss was attacked by a lunatic. To make up for it, she chose to protect him on this trip. Unsurprisingly, the three male bodyguards didn''t belittle Erica. They showed her respect. Well, Erica had a scar on her face, and her 6-foot height was enough to intimidate people. Kazir returned to his cheesecake after looking at the four tough-looking bodyguards. He wasn''t used to this kind of situation, but he didn''t have a choice other than to compromise. One assassination attempt was enough, he had no intention of disregarding his life just because he didn''t want bodyguards following him. ''...I should probably try learning how to use a gun.'' Kazir didn''t have a license, so he would have to apply for a permit. Now he understood why having a gun for self-protection was a valid opinion. He didn''t want to experience another moment of helplessness, unable to defend himself during an assassination attempt. At that time, he had deeply regretted not having a gun to protect himself. After eating, the couple decided to walk around and go window shopping. The four bodyguards followed them a few meters behind. "Does this dress look good on me?" Scarlett asked while holding a white dress that ended above her knees. "Babe, everything looks good on you." "...Did I tell you how much I love you?" Scarlett blushed and decided to buy it... The shop didn''t accept credit cards, so Scarlett had to count the cash before paying. Of course, the people who carried their shopping bags were the male bodyguards. "I think hiring some bodyguards isn''t so bad," Kazir said while looking at the shopping bags the bodyguards were carrying. All of them had been bought by Scarlett, who loved shopping... Kazir knew that his two arms wouldn''t be enough to carry everything she bought. Now, he was thankful that he had brought the bodyguards. "Babe, I promised I''d buy your niece a toy." "Alissa likes Barbie dolls," Kazir reminded her. They found a toy shop. Scarlett looked around for toys to buy for Alissa while Kazir glanced at the front door. Then, Kazir suddenly recalled the big movie that should have been released this month after seeing a toy model of Optimus Prime at the entrance. "Transformers!!" he shouted. "Babe, are you okay!?" Scarlett rushed back when she heard Kazir yell. "N-No, I''m fine. I just remembered something important." Kazir was embarrassed when he realized his mistake. Even other people were staring at him because of the commotion. "Is it about movies again?" Scarlett gave him a stern look. "Yeah... I''m sorry, I can''t help but think about my job. I know I promised that we wouldn''t think about anything job-related while on vacation." "Aww, it''s all right. Don''t be sad." Scarlett approached him and cupped his face. "You''re right, I should be relaxing right now. But you know how my brain works." "That''s why I like you," Scarlett giggled. "Your love and strict passion for filmmaking impress me. You''re so attractive whenever you''re focused on your goals." "Thanks." "But this time, we should enjoy and relax." "I will," Kazir nodded. "So, what were you thinking earlier, and why did you shout?" Scarlett curiously asked. ''I thought we weren''t going to bring our jobs on this vacation?'' Kazir glanced at her and chuckled. Scarlett was so adorable that it didn''t matter. He just kissed her forehead before answering. "It''s about Transformers. I remembered that Paramount wanted to make a movie adaptation of this famous toy line. I thought they were going to release the movie this month." "Isn''t that the project Michael Bay is trying to get?" Michael Bay''s last movie, The Island, had been a failure at the box office, so the director''s career was on the edge. Kazir stared at Scarlett. He knew that Scarlett had starred in The Island and had worked with Michael Bay. "Hey! It''s not my fault that the movie was a disaster. I''m just an actress. You should blame the editor and director for making a boring plot like that!" she defended herself. "But you earned 2 million dollars starring in that movie." "That''s right. But it''s still not my fault." She pouted. The Island had a cost of $126 million but only grossed $162 million at the box office. DreamWorks had been so disappointed that they had no intention of working with Michael Bay again. +++++ [Yeah, this chapter is quite chill since the next chapter is about the release of John Wick: Chapter 3.] Chapter 512 Chapter 512 "You''re so cute when you''re angry." "Hmph! I''m not gonna fall for your trick this time," Scarlett grumbled and started looking for Barbie toys. Kazir followed closely. "Of course, I''m not blaming you. Most of the time, the reason why a movie fails is because of the wrong decisions the directors make. You''re just an actress, all you can do is follow the script. You can''t control how the movie will be created," Kazir tried to appease the woman. "Besides, it''s amazing that you got $2 million." She gave him a playful glare. "I do know that I was blamed in that movie for being an emotionless actress who can''t perform well." "I''m sorry, I made a mistake." Scarlett sighed and passed a box of Barbie dolls to Kazir. Her frustration was gone as she realized that she was actually being childish. "I forgive you. I always will... Now make sure you make up for it," she added. "Okay, cool. I''m gonna eat that thang later, okay, okay, I''m just joking." Kazir chuckled as he saw Scarlett glaring at him for making a dirty joke. Kazir followed Scarlett while holding a few boxes of toys for little girls. "Anyway, Paramount invited me to direct Transformers, but I''m kinda busy. However, they decided to adjust their schedule, hoping that I could direct Transformers," Kazir explained their meeting. "If you didn''t agree, Paramount Pictures would hire Michael Bay instead?" Scarlett giggled while looking at Kazir, who was doing his best carrying the toys. "That''s right. I have no problem with it. I already have a lot of projects to do." "So what''s your decision? Are you not interested in directing Transformers?" Scarlett asked. Based on Kazir''s tone, it was obvious that he was interested in directing the movie. Kazir paused after paying for the toys. He used cash again. He slightly smiled at Scarlett. "At first, I was interested. I can see the potential in Transformers. It has the potential to make billions at the box office. Furthermore, Hasbro will pay top dollar just to hire a director like me... But I decided that it''s not for me." "But why?" "Because I don''t like Paramount Pictures. For now, I won''t work with that studio." Scarlett nodded and understood Kazir''s reasoning. When Kazir was in the hospital, getting treated for his injuries, Paramount Pictures was one of the studios that berated the director and tried to cause a scandal. Paramount Pictures expressed that Kazir was an arrogant director who kicked out a poor extra, and he deserved what happened to him. Even Scarlett had been livid while listening to that news report. Their team already filed lawsuits to those people but it would probably take a while for a result to happen. Everything comes down to who has more money. Thankfully, Kazir had still been asleep when that news aired. But based on Kazir''s decision, it was obvious that he held a grudge against what Paramount Pictures did. "I guess Paramount Pictures regrets what they did. Now they closed the negotiation before it even happened," Scarlett said, making fun of Paramount Pictures. "I guess so." They were not far from being right. As of now, Paramount Pictures felt like they had shot themselves in the foot after the revelation about the assassination attempt on Kazir. Even the public was making a mockery of Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney, Sony-Columbia, and Universal Pictures. Kazir suddenly laughed. "I just remembered something. It''s so ironic that a few years ago, Sony-Columbia and 20th Century Fox protected me when the scandal involving Tobey Maguire and me spread. At that time, Warner Brothers was one of the studios that tried to destroy my career. But now it''s the complete opposite, Warner Brothers is protecting me while Sony-Columbia is lashing out at me." Ra?¦­¦¯?§¦?s? It was all about benefits. For now, Walt Disney could see the benefit of helping Kazir, so the studio did its best to protect him. There were no eternal enemies or allies in this industry, everyone was doing it for their own benefit. The industry itself was a hypocritical system filled with lies, yet people couldn''t help but adore Show Business. Many wouldn''t hesitate to sell their souls just to become celebrities. Honestly, some famous people indeed had sold their souls, ahem, such as the people related to Diddy. "If Paramount Pictures tries to invite me again after this incident, I''ll give them a massive middle finger." Kazir was not some weakling that the Big Six could bully, not anymore. He could determine his own future without bowing his head. As for Transformers, unfortunately, Kazir decided to drop that project from his hands. If Paramount Pictures decided to hire Michael Bay, so be it. But since the release of Transformers was delayed, Kazir was not sure if the movie would experience the same success as in the original timeline. ....... .... ... Scarlett and Kazir returned to the United States in the last week of July. Kazir had a premiere to attend around this time, so their vacation only lasted one month. Furthermore, Kazir had to start the post-production of The Dark Knight. Once Kazir stepped on American soil, his mind immediately shifted back to work-related matters. Despite the incident, it was fortunate that some things never changed. While Kazir was gone, movies such as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Hairspray, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and The Simpsons Movie were released in theaters. 20th Century Fox was the distributor of Grey Pictures'' movies, but Fox also couldn''t disregard their own projects. Because of that, Grey Pictures'' movies were usually released in late July, August, or September, depending on the schedule. This time, John Wick: Chapter 3 ¨C Parabellum would be released on July 31, Tuesday. A rare date to release a movie. The promotion was in full force: tabloids, billboards, and movie trailers were almost everywhere. +++++ [Author''s Note.] [Since most readers prefer Ninja Assassin, I decided to say no to Transformers. Besides, Kazir and Paramount Pictures are not on good terms, so yeah, I decided to write it down.] Chapter 513 Chapter 513 On July 31, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End grossed over $361 million at the North American box office after 70 days of screening. The movie also grossed $423 million internationally. The franchise achieved massive success internationally following the outstanding performance of the second movie last year. Since then, the franchise has gained millions of fans all over the world. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl grossed $650 million when it was released in 2003. At that time, it was considered a miracle since pirate movies were typically regarded as box office failures. Last year, in 2006, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest grossed over $1.06 billion. It was a worldwide success that launched an amazing franchise beloved by people everywhere. And now, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World''s End has grossed $784 million... No one would deny that the third installment of the franchise would gross over $1 billion. Because from the looks of it, the movie would indeed surpass the $1 billion mark. So far, Kazir has made four movies that grossed $1 billion at the box office. They were Wanted, Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man''s Chest, and Shadows Beneath... No one could replicate what he did. Perhaps only people like Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, and Michael Bay could follow in his footsteps, as these four directors had strong selling factors in their filmographies. Anyway, despite this good news, Kazir had complicated thoughts regarding the success of Pirates of the Caribbean... He was unsure if he should sell the franchise or perhaps milk it until it was dry and dirty. At first, Kazir wanted to keep the copyrights since it was a successful franchise. But the tragedy he experienced left him traumatized. The police concluded that Aquino held a grudge against Kazir because he didn''t include his performance in the final cut, which was sort of useless, by the way. After all, Aquino only had a 2-second scene where he was walking and carrying a box. That was it. Fucking not relevant at all. Because of what he suffered, Kazir felt like Pirates of the Caribbean would always remind him of that terrible experience, and for the sake of his mental health, he considered selling it. By doing that, they would lose most rights regarding merchandise sales and other peripherals. "I gotta talk to Stella and the management regarding this... But they will probably be against selling such a gold mine." The best compromise they could reach was that Kazir wouldn''t direct the sequels, and Pirates of the Caribbean would be shelved for a few years. They wouldn''t film another installment until perhaps 2011. "What are you thinking?" Scarlett sensed that Kazir was deep in thought and worried it was about the incident a month ago. Kazir chuckled and shook his head. "It''s nothing. I''m thinking of Pirates of the Caribbean. I wonder what the next step should be." "I''m sure you''ll figure it out. You''re the best director in Hollywood, after all." Hearing his girlfriend''s praise, Kazir couldn''t help but laugh. Indeed, everyone recognized him as the best director. Not even the newcomer Christopher Nolan, the once-a-decade James Cameron, nor the explosion addict Michael Bay could be compared to him. Kazir was at the top of the filmmaking industry. Even if Kazir suffered a career-ending scandal and lost everything, studios would still hire him because of his profitability. His name alone was enough to attract audiences to buy tickets. "Thanks." Kazir held Scarlett''s hand. The two were in a limousine, on their way to the red carpet for John Wick: Chapter 3 ¨C Parabellum. Tonight was a busy night for them as the premiere would be filled with avid fans ready to watch another action-packed movie. Then, the two reached their destination. They already saw people lining up and reporters snapping pictures at the limousine, waiting for the next celebrities to show up. Kazir was the first to open his door and extended his hand to Scarlett, who followed after grabbing his hand. Another deafening cheer echoed as the two walked the red carpet, quite literally. The scene was spectacular. Fans lined the streets, screaming and waving posters and pictures of the cast, particularly Viggo Mortensen with his iconic long hair and beard. Kazir and Scarlett, fresh from their vacation in Italy, stood at the center of this applause. They were calm and composed as they followed standard procedure. They had attended movie premieres so many times that they were accustomed to what to do. Still, they had to admit that every CCU red carpet was always hype and energetic. After posing for pictures, the couple reached the next stage, interviews. "Director, does the assassination attempt make you think of how to respect your employees better?" A very bold question, but not surprising. Of course, interviewers loved asking scandalous questions that could trigger celebrities. At this point, this was the career path of most reporters and paparazzi. They loved making celebrities mad so they could make money off it. Kazir smiled at the reporter who asked the question. He nodded. "Yes." One word, but it could imply many things. "What do you mean, yes?" Kazir didn''t bother answering because Scarlett pulled him away from the scene. She glared at the reporter before walking off. Kazir was still suffering mentally from the incident, and that low-class reporter decided to remind him of that terrible experience. Of course, anyone close to Kazir would be angry. Chapter 514 Chapter 514 Scarlett was fuming as she held Kazir''s hand. The two went to the theater, and Scarlett was clearly in a bad mood. Kazir smiled slightly. He realized that the woman cared about him. "Those hyenas, they ask anything just to get a reaction." Hyenas, vultures, parasites, names that could describe paparazzi and low-class reporters. Sometimes, they would ask about topics not even related to the celebrity, such as politics, gender studies, race, and religion. Why did they even have to ask an actor about gender studies and race? It had no connection to the movie at all. Scarlett stomped her feet, and Kazir couldn''t help but laugh. He was not offended by what the reporter asked. It wasn''t that deep. "It''s fine. Let''s just focus on watching John Wick. The fans are excited to see the movie." This time, it was Kazir who took Scarlett''s hand and led her to their seats. ... ... ... The plot of John Wick: Chapter 3 ¨C Parabellum was almost the same as the original, although some CCU scenes were added. If there was something that caught people off guard, it was Winston''s "betrayal" in the last part of the movie. Winston shot John Wick, which caused John to fall from the building... Honestly, it was a miracle that John Carter survived. As expected of the Baba Yaga. One thing was certain, the fans loved the movie. They kept chanting John Wick''s name as they came out of the theaters. When the first 24 hours ended, John Wick: Chapter 3 grossed $36 million. It wasn''t a surprise. This was the average performance of CCU movies. If anything was surprising, it was the fact that the figure was lower than expected. The last three movies that Grey Pictures released each grossed over $1 billion. So it was a bit surprising that John Wick: Chapter 3 only grossed $36 million on its first day. Perhaps it was because the excitement had ended with Kingsman: The Secret Service. The protagonists defeated a strong organization, and thus, the fans were less excited to watch the latest movie. Also, Bryan Mills died in Kingsman: The Secret Service, so many fans were still mourning. Anyway, $36 million was a huge amount of money no matter what angle you looked at it. Five more days passed, and it was now August 5, Sunday. John Wick: Chapter 3 had grossed $133 million after five days of screening. It was a success for everyone who worked on the project. The budget for the movie was only $75 million, plus a $25 million budget for advertising. Overall, Grey Pictures spent around $100 million on John Wick: Chapter 3. In just five days, the movie had already surpassed its production cost, and anything beyond $100 million would be profit. Everyone knew this was just the beginning of John Wick: Chapter 3''s performance. The movie would surely make more money. Within the same week (August 1¨C5), Underdog was released. It was a superhero movie about a dog. The movie was produced by Walt Disney... The studio was desperate to make relevant live-action movies. Unfortunately, Underdog was easily beaten by John Wick: Chapter 3. Underdog only grossed $11 million in the same week that John Wick: Chapter 3 was released. This $25 million movie lost to John Wick: Chapter 3. It couldn''t compete against the CCU movie, which had a steady fanbase that watched it daily. If there were movies that could threaten John Wick: Chapter 3''s domination of August, they were probably Rush Hour 3 and Mr. Bean''s Holiday. These two were the big movies scheduled for release in August. However, analysts believed that John Wick: Chapter 3 had a higher chance of earning more than Rush Hour 3 and Mr. Bean''s Holiday, since CCU movies averaged $500 million at the box office. Just like that, days passed, and it was now August 12. Within the same week, Rush Hour 3 was released and it grossed $49 million... The movie had only been in theaters for three days. Compared to John Wick: Chapter 3, Rush Hour 3 had a better opening weekend. As for John Wick: Chapter 3, the movie made another $79 million, bringing its total to $212 million at the North American box office. Despite having a weaker first-three-day performance compared to Rush Hour 3, John Wick: Chapter 3 was still making steady money. Another week passed, and it was August 19. Underdog grossed $31 million. Rush Hour 3 grossed $87 million. John Wick: Chapter 3 grossed $256 million. Also, the movie was released internationally in many major countries, earning another $92 million. Another week passed, and it was now August 26. Mr. Bean''s Holiday was released and grossed $9 million... This comedy couldn''t compete against John Wick: Chapter 3. As of August 26, John Wick: Chapter 3 had grossed $281 million. Additionally, the international box office reached $172 million. That made John Wick: Chapter 3''s total gross over $453 million after 27 days of screening... That was a great performance. Based on statistics and common sense, John Wick: Chapter 3 dominated the month of August and was the movie that earned the most money. Grey Pictures celebrated this success, and Kazir had to take some time out of the editing room, as he had spent almost a month in post-production for The Dark Knight... He had to talk to Heath Ledger for the nth time this month. When the dubbing of lines started, Kazir decided to talk to Heath Ledger more often to keep the man lively... Unfortunately, Kazir was not the outgoing type, so he wasn''t sure if his methods were effective. One thing was certain, Heath Ledger was still affected by the heavy role of the Joker. Chapter 515 Chapter 515 The success of John Wick: Chapter 3 ¡ª Parabellum brought happiness to Grey Pictures, of course. They worked hard to produce a high-quality movie and hoped that it would bring them profit. Even though John Wick: Chapter 3 had a lower performance compared to the last three movies they produced, it was still undoubtedly a huge amount of money. So far, the movie had already grossed $600 million worldwide at the box office after 50 days of screening. At the same time, the summer season had ended more than two weeks ago, and the major studios hadn''t released any huge movies except Resident Evil: Extinction and The Game Plan. While the September days rolled on, and some people were asking to be woken up once September ended, Kazir focused his time on the post-production of The Dark Knight. Kazir attended the dubbing sessions of the cast and listened to how they delivered their lines. Sometimes, due to poor audio recording, the cast had to re-record their lines in a cleaner version. Hence, Kazir spent time with the cast. He also had the chance to talk to Heath Ledger. They even had a drink together at a bar that Kazir loved to visit. Knowing the future, Kazir was worried about the impending doom that could happen to Heath Ledger. Kazir understood that he was not a superhero, and he wasn''t exactly a good person either. He followed his own set of morals. If doing good things endangered him, he wouldn''t do them. Examples: preventing 9/11 and saving Princess Diana. Once in a while, Kazir wondered whether things might have changed for the better if he had saved Princess Diana or prevented 9/11... But he was just a human. And he was afraid of the consequences. He didn''t try to meet Princess Diana a few years ago nor save her... because he had an idea about the "people" who were behind her death. Everyone had an idea of what happened. So Kazir didn''t want to be part of that complicated mess, because he could die if he tried. As for preventing 9/11, Kazir could have contacted the CIA and told them that a group of people was planning to attack the country, but that could have cost him his career. These professional CIA agents could trace the message back to him. Also, he was afraid of being interrogated by the CIA. There were also rumors that the CIA already had intel that a terrorist attack was coming, but they failed to prevent it. See, even the CIA knew about the impending doom but failed to stop it. Also, if the information Kazir provided prevented Al Qaeda''s terrorist act, there was a possibility that he would be assassinated the next day. A single person like Kazir couldn''t prevent some things from happening. He was not a god, after all. Perhaps it was the wrong decision, but putting yourself first before others was not a bad thing. In this case, Kazir just placed more importance on his own life than the strangers who had no obvious connection to him. So I''m going to ask you the same question: if you traveled back in time and became successful in your career, became a millionaire, and had a great loving family, would you endanger your life, your family, and your career just to prevent a tragedy? Rich people can''t get assassinated? Sorry but a CEO of an insurance company was assassinated so that statement was false. Kazir had made his decision... But Heath Ledger was a different story. Heath Ledger didn''t die from assassination or a terrorist attack. If Kazir saved Heath Ledger, no one would be mad at him or try to kill him. So this time, Kazir decided to save someone''s life. Besides, he was working in the entertainment industry, and this place was already far from his original timeline, so no worries about changing things. While looking at the dozens of monitors, with editors cutting scenes, Kazir was thinking about Heath Ledger and his role in The Dark Knight as The Joker. ''Was Heath Ledger''s role as The Joker one of the factors in his untimely death?'' Kazir asked himself. He also had an answer to his question. The answer was yes. The Joker was a role that placed a heavy burden on Heath Ledger''s mental state. The role was mentally taxing. A crazy clown mass murderer who lacked empathy. For Heath to embody this role, he sometimes had to assimilate his mind with how The Joker thinks... It was a frightening experience, hence, Heath suffered and began experiencing sleep deprivation. This was a factor in why Heath relied heavily on sleeping medication. Heath Ledger died from an overdose of prescribed painkillers, anti-anxiety drugs, and sleeping pills. ''However, Heath''s role as The Joker is not the major reason he died. It''s because he was too reliant on medications that he succumbed to death.'' Kazir concluded. Although The Joker was a factor, based on his recent interactions with Heath, he knew that Heath''s mental state was strong and that he could overcome the role. R?¦Á??O?BE?S? In fact, Heath Ledger was actually working on another project currently, which was The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. "Kazir, should we add this scene?" The editor asked about the scene where The Joker pushed his head out of the car window to feel the wind. It showed his carefree attitude despite the abominations he had committed. Kazir looked at the scene... He was still amazed at how Heath portrayed The Joker. Heath Ledger deserved the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor that he won... Unfortunately, he wasn''t there to receive it. This time, Kazir decided to change the future so that he would witness the moment when Heath stood on the podium to accept the award.