《Hollywood What If》


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1


    "Mr. Gray? Can you hear me? Do you understand what I''m saying?" Awyer asked him worriedly.


    "Huh?"


    Kazir Gray jumped out of his seat. He gasped as he looked around. Hiswyer 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 red at him hatefully.


    "Cassandra? Why are you here? I thought we were over?"


    "Yes, we are definitely over!"The woman, Cassandra, red at him for some reason.


    Suddenly, an unbelievable idea hit his aching head.


    ''... Have I returned to the past? ''


    Kazir Gray died in an ident 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 re, 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.


    ''This is the room where I will sign my divorce papers.''


    He looked at Cassandra''swyer.


    "I understand, Mr. Grey, but you have to realize that your wife doesn''t love you anymore."


    Thewyer sighed. He thought Kazir hadpletely lost his mind because of his suspicious behavior. Fortunately, Kazir seemed only shocked.


    "I know a lot of people who get depressed after divorce, but you have to be strong."


    "You don''t have to lecture me. You''re my wife''swyer, so fuck off."


    "Excuse me?"


    He was stunned because Kazir''s attitude had turned 180 degrees.


    The man regained hisposure and looked at his wife.


    "Cassandra, I just want to say that you are a big fucking whore. While I''m working hard to give you everything you need and want, you cheated on me with a rich guy and lost my trust. And now you want half of my money? What a fucking bitch you are."


    "Kazir Gray! Don''t talk to me like that!"


    "You are a fucking bitch. And you know what, I don''t care about you. Not anymore. If you want everything I have, go ahead. You can have it."


    "Huh!"


    She scoffed. She had to take his property after the divorce and she didn''t care about Kazir. The divorce settlement stated that Cassandra would not ask for alimony, but she would get the house and half of his savings.


    ''He''s poor, so he doesn''t have anything to give. I might as well take the house.''


    Their marriage was warm and loving at first, but Cassandra wanted more and Kazir could not give it to her. So she found a sugar daddy and cheated.


    "You want the house? Okay, fine."


    Kazir signed the papers. He didn''t bother to read them because he knew most of them. Hiswyer was next to him, and he was surprised that his client didn''t resist at all. He easily epted the terms.


    His only possession, the house, he didn''t need anymore. He was disgusted by Cassandra''s deception.


    ''They used my house while I was working. They can eat it all they want.''


    "Now that it''s over, I want to leave this ce."


    Kazir didn''t want to stay in this ce. His ex-wife''s face was so ugly that he wanted to break her nose.


    "..."


    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 dors 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 hiswyer parted ways after the meeting.


    "Thank God I''m still alive."


    Kazir knew the future, and the divorce casested 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 ce to sleep..."


    The remaining bnce in his ount 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 inpanies 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 sessful 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 wellst 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 frence 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 avable for him, they were original screenys of course.


    ''In this era, there are thousands of movies and some of them have a budget of over 100 million dors. 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 dors.


    "To be precise, my goal is..."


    If his n 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 minutester...


    "Thank you."


    Kazir smiled at the guard after leaving the Writers'' Guild. He asked the people inside and confirmed one thing.


    The script has not been registered yet. That means it hasn''t been created or is in the process of being created.


    The Writer''s Guild was the home of many scripts. Writers would register their scripts in the Writer''s Guild to get their scripts protected. There were cases of Hollywoodpanies making the same movies with almost the same plot. Such as "Deep Impact" and "Armageddon", "White House Down" and "Olympus Has Fallen".


    The Writer''s Guild protected the rights of screenwriters in Hollywood.


    "Great, now I know where to start!"


    Heughed like a madman, and people looked at him in confusion.


    Kazir rented a typewriter and began his work. He had to write the script, the proposal, and the budget for the movie. Hollywoodpanies wouldugh at him if he face them without these.


    His fingers tapped away at the hard keyboard. The typewriter was a bit clunky, and the sounds it made were repetitive but soothing, at least to Kazir.


    "This."


    He rubbed his eyes and looked down at his writing. Three hours had passed and he had only written 2500 words. He made typos on the way.


    "It will take me at least three to four days to finish everything."


    But it didn''t matter, Kazir was motivated. He easily forgot that he had just been divorced and that his house was no longer in his name.


    Well, for him, these things happened 2 decades ago and he had already moved on. Having lived his life, he became much more mature and calm.


    In the office of New Line Cinema, they had a meeting about their n for the next year.


    They have to make a proper n for the movies they have to release. They take this very seriously because one wrong move could put them out of business.


    "As of September 16, "The Mask" has grossed $106 million domestically and it''s expected to go up. The movie''s performance is strong and everyone likes Jim Carrey''s acting.


    They were happy to hear that their movie made a lot of money at the box office. They pped, a simple celebration at the moment.


    "Everybody, good job."


    As CEO of New Line Cinema, Robert Shaye was happy to see hispany win.


    Despite the fact that New Line Cinema had been acquired by Turner Broadcasting System, Robert Shaye was still in control of thepany.


    "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.'' Heughed.


    "Well, let''s go to anotherpany. I have three more targets."


    Kazir had already contacted the 6 giant Hollywoodpanies 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 thispany 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 n 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 hourter, 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 productionpany 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 thepany 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."


    Kopelson said indifferently after receiving the script and followed Robert Shaye.


    "Then..."


    Kazir tried to talk and convince them, but he realized they were too busy. They got into the car and left.


    "..."


    He was left alone, standing in front of the building. He gritted his teeth and thought about his next n.


    "If this doesn''t work, I have to go to n B."


    Kazir had printed out dozens of copies of the script to send to productionpanies. In addition to the Big Six, he sent his script to otherpanies like Miramax and MGM.


    ''MGM was actually one of the Big Five at the time, but lost its status after being acquired by Casino Tycoon.''


    Anyway, that was all in the past and only the Big Six had the most power in Hollywood. They could end someone''s career if they got together. A terrifying existence.


    Kazir spent his entire week contacting productionpanies, even the second-tier studios. He hoped someone would be interested in his script. Unfortunately, no one listened to him seriously.


    ''I spent $2,000 this week.''


    Nevertheless, he was too old to be depressed. In his opinion, his situation was nothing more than a game that he had to ovee. After all, he wouldn''t achieve his dreams if he didn''t work hard.


    ''I want to be a famous director, a superstar director.''


    Only a few people could be called superstar directors. They were Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Michael Bay, and James Cameron.


    ''Ah, I just remembered, James Cameron is not a superstar yet. Not until he destroyed a luxurious ship at sea. Same with Michael Bay.''


    With a few copies of scripts in his suitcase, Kazir found the post office. He wrote down the address of a certain director.


    ''It said that this script was discovered by this certain director after it was sent to him by mistake... I know the truth, it was nothing but a way to promote the movies. That probably never happened. Maybe the original writer contacted the director and begged him. However, I will make it happen. This script will be sent to his address by mistake... Let''s hope he contacts me.''


    Kazir may be 26 years old, but the experience he had gained in his past life was enough to change his mentality. He was excited to know that he was doing what he loved.


    "Are you seriously reading his script?"


    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 sess.


    "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 bing 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.


    Hisst 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 dors.


    "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 hourter, David Fincher was surprised after reading the script. The script caught his interest.


    Then he realized that this script had to be 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."


    Kazir Greybed through his hair, making sure he looked nice.


    "Unfortunately..."


    Heughed bitterly as he looked at his stomach. He had a fat belly and a dad bod, even though he didn''t have any children.


    He loved to eat fatty food and didn''t exercise much.


    "Let''s sign up for a gym as soon as I hit this pitch."


    He wanted to change his life. He got a second chance and he wanted to make his life better.


    Right now, Kazir was in a restaurant near the Hollywood Walk of Fame.


    ''One day, my name will be on one of those stars.''


    Getting your name on the famous walkway may seem easy if you have money, but it was only possible if you achieved sess in the entertainment industry. Someone like Kazir Grey would never get it unless he became a sessful director.


    ''But for now, I have to find a way to get an achievement first. I''m confident in my script. After all, this script has already proven its strength in my past life.''


    "Hello, are you Kazir Grey?"


    "Yes, Mr. David Fincher."


    David Fincher sat down across the table after greeting Kazir.


    "I saw your movie, Alien 3 is amazing."


    "Thank you."


    David smiled. He appreciated Kazir''s praise, even if it was a lie. It was enough that someone recognized him.


    Besides, he had to convince Kazir Grey to let him direct the movie.


    "Kazir, I''ll get right to the point. I want to direct your script and make it into a movie."


    "I''m d you like my script, David. To be honest, I contacted a lot of productionpanies, but they never took me seriously."


    "Is that so?"


    David was shocked. The script has a selling point and he believed that the productionpanies would see it too.


    "Well," Kazirbed 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 dors.


    "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 productionpanies. 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 sess, his moment of fame. He did his best to finance and create artistic and horror films, but he never got sess.


    However, he loved his job and Kazir never nned 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 sessful, 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 rtionships, but nonested long.


    ''Cassandra lost inte 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.


    "I believe this movie will bring us sess."


    "..." Arnold kept his smile and read their proposal.


    "To be honest, the script looks promising, but I need more to convince thepany to make this movie. Kazir, how much will you sell us the script for, including the copyright?"


    Productionpanies understood the importance of copyright. Most of their ie came from it, such as the sale of videotapes and rted merchandise.


    "How much do you think it''s worth, Arnold?"


    "We''ll buy it for $85,000."


    "Make it $95,000. I don''t have a problem with that. We can settle upter."


    "Nice doing business with you, Kazir."


    "I will call mywyer to read the contract, then I will sign it."


    They shook hands and confirmed the transaction. Kazir didn''t have an agent because he was dropped by hisst one. There was a conflict and now Kazir was on his own.


    Kazir was already happy with the money he would get. A writer could get 2-3 percent of the total film budget, if not, more. In his case, he had already earned a lot by turning his script into a movie.


    ''I''m still not famous in the industry and it''s impossible to negotiate a higher price. Besides, I don''t want to prolong the process. The sooner the negotiations end, the sooner we can prepare the movie.''


    His real intention was not the money. His purpose was to study David Fincher, the money came second.


    "Arnold, about the movie..." David joined the conversation after Kazir and Arnold finished their negotiations.


    "Don''t worry David. I will talk to thepany, you can join the proposal if you want. But I can''t assure you that your sry will be high. After all, "Alien 3"..." Arnold Kopelson was hesitant to continue the sentence.


    "You can talk to my agent, I know we can have a peaceful negotiation."


    Considering David''sst movie, he knew that he would never get a high sry.


    "No problem. Let''s talk tomorrow to make this movie sessful."


    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 y 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 dayter 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 saidst 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 dors, 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 thepany from the bottom up into a top-tier productionpany, just below the Big Six. Naturally, everyone in thepany 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 thest part, I can see you hate your wife very much." Robert Shayeughed. Thest 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 woulde from investors interested in the film.


    They decided that the actual budget of Se7en would be 33 million dors.


    Kazir sighed with relief when he heard that the board of directors had approved the making of Se7en.


    David Fincher, who was sitting next to Kazir, was also excited and happy. David''s agent negotiated with New Line Cinema and his sry was $1.5 million. Since he had experience in making a big-budget movie, thepany entrusted Se7en to him.


    Now the preparation of the movie officially began.


    After Kazir received his payment from New Line Cinema, he decided to enroll in a well-known gym in California.


    "Whew, whew, whew..."


    He was panting after using the treadmill. He was sweating a lot and felt like he was going to faint. He sat down on the bench and rested.


    "Are you okay?"


    "Huh? Yeah, I''m fine."


    Someone approached him because he looked like he was going to faint.


    Kazir looked up and his eyes trembled slightly as he recognized the person in front of him.


    The woman was definitely beautiful. She was in her 20s, but she looked young and blooming.


    "Excuse me, but are you Jennifer Connelly?"


    "I''m surprised anyone would recognize me." She smiled beautifully.


    "No, no. You are a famous actress. Of course I know you. By the way, I like Career Opportunities and The Rocketeer. You are really beautiful in person."


    Especially "Career Opportunities", Jennifer Connelly was a goddess in that movie. God damn gorgeous!


    The young Jennifer Connelly is the bomb! Of course, even in the 2010s, Jennifer Connelly was still a goddess.


    "Thank you." She smiled. She was happy that someone appreciated her.


    "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 ce 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 sry as a screenwriter.''


    A thousand dors 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 characterplex 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 hisst 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 y 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. Hisst 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 sessful. 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.


    "His acting is great, but this role is not for him."


    "Then let''s call the next one. Kazir, you rmended this actor for this role."


    "That''s right."


    They invited actors who would fit the roles of David Mills and William Somerset. So far they had met Al Pacino and Morgan Freeman.


    The studio had already decided on Morgan Freeman as William Somerset. He had the vibe and no one would question Morgan''s acting.


    ''I don''t know why, but I feel like Morgan Freeman always ys the role of the calm old veteran in the movies he''s in. Well, it really suits him. ''


    To be honest, we have never seen Morgan Freeman as a young man in his entire filmography. He is always an old and mature man.


    While he was thinking, the next actor appeared and everyone noticed his appearance.


    "Hello, Brad."


    "Hello, Director David."


    Brad Pitt''s demeanor was that of a young, impulsive, and headstrong man. Perhaps Brad Pitt was seriously preparing for the audition and his demeanor showed it.


    Se7en was actually a gamble for Brad Pitt''s career. This kind of bloody movie might flop at the box office. However, Brad received an invitation and he liked the script after reading it.


    David and Kazir nodded as they watched his movements. No question, Brad Pitt fits the role. If nothing bad happened, he would get the role.


    Brad Pitt''sst two movies grossed over 100 million worldwide and his sry would definitely not be less than three million.


    After showing his acting, they decided to ask Brad some questions.


    "Brad, what do you think about David Mills?"


    "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 ce. 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 sry 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 amercial movie, not an artistic one.


    Brad Pitt''s agent negotiated and Brad''s sry was 4 million dors. 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 Gwh 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 epted the roles.


    [Note: What I''m about to write may not be so urate 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 sry and such, I will trust Google. Unfortunately, I can''t find the exact sry 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 seed.


    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.


    ''To be honest, I have already finished my part here. The script is finished. As a screenwriter, my presence on the set is not necessary.''


    Because Kazir wanted to see the making of Se7en with his own eyes, he decided to join the production, even though his sry was minimum wage.


    At least I made 8 thousandst two months.


    Kazir looked around. He saw David Fincher talking to the cinematographer about possible lighting.


    They were in the studio where they were going to shoot the interior of the police station. That''s right, they turned the studio into a police station. It cost a lot to build that background. Unfortunately, they would destroy this ''police station'' when the shooting was over.


    Kazir stood in the corner and watched the shooting.


    Morgan Freeman came out of his trailer after being done with makeup.


    "Okay, is everything ready?"


    David looked around. He asked the cameramen, adjusted the lighting, and looked at the monitors. He nodded only when everything was good.


    "Okay, start."


    "Scene 82, lights, camera, action."


    ---------


    "Found this on the wall behind the fridge." Detective Somerset handed a picture to the captain, yed by Ronald Lee Ermey.


    "Hell leads to light?"


    "It''s from Milton''s Paradise Lost," Somerset said, looking at Detective Mills.


    "All right, I''m confused."


    "It means this is the beginning."


    Detective William Somerset pulled out two more pictures and showed the pictures to them. They were pictures of words written in blood.


    "There are seven deadly sins, Captain. Gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, pride, lust, and envy."


    --Ring ring.


    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 sry, he decided to stop there and have a drink.


    "No, not the disco bar where parties are banging around. I don''t like loud ces. I prefer a ce with a rxed atmosphere, a bar that ys jazz music."


    So he decided to enter the ce.

 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 - misceneous 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 seed.


    ''If Se7en is sessful in the cinemas, I will have achieved great sess 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 stic.


    "Se7en, back alley scene, act three..."


    The assistant said, closed the pperboard, 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 stter 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.


    Brad Pitt looked at David Fincher and wondered if he had made a mistake.


    "Brad, I''m sorry, I''ll talk to youter. I''m going to talk to someone first."


    "Okay, director."


    Even though he is a director who flopped "Alien 3" in theatres, actors and actresses still respect David Fincher.


    In filming, the director is always the king.


    Besides, making a good impression was the best way to get more roles. Brad Pitt believed that David Fincher had what it takes to be sessful.


    "Kazir."


    Suddenly, David called Kazir. Probably asking about things rted to the plot.


    "What do you think Mills should do in the face of death?"


    The answer was obvious, but it seemed that David Fincher was asking for something. He looked confused as if he had forgotten something.


    He watched the scenes and felt that something was wrong. As the writer and director of three films, David respected Kazir''s opinion.


    "David, this is just my hunch. But I think Mills is not afraid of death, he is afraid of something else."


    "What do you mean?" David frowned.


    "Let''s see... I think Mills is afraid of leaving his wife alone when he''s dead. But that''s just my opinion."


    Kazir understood that this wasn''t his movie and he had no control over it.


    "I see. Let''s try to film it that way. Thanks, Kazir."


    "No problem."


    Making a movie was not a one-man show. It was a team effort, and everyone respected each other''s roles. Kazir studied the crew and everyone had a tacit understanding.


    ''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 frencers 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 andworking 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 be a cult ssic. 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 exin it.


    Morgan Freeman didn''t force him andughed 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 thest scene would be the "what''s in the box" scene. Maybe David wanted everyone to see itst 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 screamsing from outside.


    He heard a group of people shouting and it seemed they were having a conflict.


    Kazir had chosen this apartmentplex because the rent was cheap. Of course, he knew that there were consequences of choosing an apartment near high crime rate area.


    A few secondster, themotion slowly died down.


    "Thank God I didn''t hear a shot. Last week they were shooting a few blocks away."


    He chuckled. This ce 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 ssic 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.


    It was March 2 and filming was nearing its end.


    Gwh Paltrow left the crew after shooting all her scenes. So did Ronald Lee Ermey.


    The only actors who joined the crew were the three main characters of Se7en. Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and David Spacey.


    "Unless something bad happens, today will be thest day of shooting."


    That''s why David was so serious. So serious that he didn''t sleep.


    "David, take care of yourself."


    "Kazir, I''m not that old." David Fincherughed.


    "Thank you for giving me the chance to make Se7en."


    "No, the honor should be mine. I''m happy to be working with the great David Fincher."


    Theyughed.


    Just like that, the end of the shooting came.


    "Now what?"


    Kazir asked himself after the shoot was over.


    David Fincher dispersed the crew and began editing the movie. Since Kazir''s job was done, he had no reason to stay. He had already been paid.


    But Kazir Grey had a crisis.


    He took a nk piece of paper and began to write down what he had learned.


    Kazir Grey watched David Fincher for four months. He could see that David was a great director and that he controlled his crew well.


    But Kazir Grey had enough experience of being a director. He was a director for almost 4 decades if you add hisst life.


    If there are things Ick, they are...


    Opportunity, luck, connections, and thick skin.


    After studying David Fincher for months, Kazir learned a few things.


    David took the opportunity to direct Se7en after his failure with "Alien 3".


    He was also a stubborn man. He didn''t care what people said to him. He kept working on his movie even though people lost faith in him.


    As for thest thing, luck... Maybe only God could manipte that power. But Kazir could say that David was lucky. His filming was smooth and easy, he didn''t have to face any difficult situations.


    Kazir nodded. Hecked those three things. As for connections...


    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 sessful."


    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!]


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    Clutch


    Jackson J Betts


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    Till Grothe


    Marlon Allen


    Greatface


    Eduardo


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    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 ir 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 theedy 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 ir 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 poprity of the Inte.''


    The ir Witch Project cost $50,000 to make. However, the publicity for the movie was over 10 million dors. Together with the viral marketing that fooled the citizens of North America, ''The ir Witch Project'' became a sess.


    Kazir understood that it was impossible to replicate that sess now.


    The Inte was just getting started and no one was taking it seriously.


    It was still 1995.


    Furthermore, he didn''t want to be hated. ''The ir 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...''


    To be honest, Kazir was confident in making horror andedy films. He was a small-time director and he had experience in making those kinds of movies. In his experience, he has a bad luck shooting horror movies. None of them were good.


    "... If I had to choose, it would be ''Paranormal Activity'' or ''Napoleon Dynamite''".


    Napoleon Dynamite was a huge sess in North America, but it was coldly received internationally. The main reason was simple: it was released in only two countries and veryte. It was almost five months before the movie was released internationally after its first premiere in North America.


    Also, people outside of America couldn''t understand the jokes in the movie.


    ''But Paranormal Activity was different... Not only did it revive the shaky found-footage format, but it also made a lot of money. ''


    "No," Kazir finally shook his head.


    "Paranormal Activity sounds good, but it has the same publicity like ''The ir Witch Project''. They use rumors and social media to promote the movie."


    Then Calix turned his attention to the other movies instead.


    "What about Saw?"


    The movie was known for literally torturing its characters.


    "I can do it. The filming is not difficult, but the budget..."


    The production budget for Saw was over $1 million. Kazir had to find an investor if he wanted to make ''Saw''.


    Just like ''Saw'', ''The Devil Inside'' had the same budget.


    "Even ''The Last Exorcism'' has a bigger budget, which was 1.8 million dors."


    He sighed. He understood that choosing a movie to make had to be taken seriously, otherwise his gamble would fail.


    If he was going to gamble, he would make sure that his chances of winning were high.


    "What about ''The Gallows''? But that movie has terrible reviews from the critics."


    ''The Gallow'' had the smallest budget in the list except for ''Paranormal Activity''.


    Paranormal Activity'' cost 300 thousand dors, while ''The Gallow'' cost only 100 thousand dors.


    Between the two, ''The Gallow'' had an eptable price considering Kazir''s money.


    Suddenly, Kazir dropped the pen and mmed 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 thest scene where Napoleon starts to dance... That was probably the main reason why Kazir chose it.


    He preferrededy 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,edy films made himugh and happy.


    So yes, ''Napoleon Dynamite'' it is.


    "The found footage format may sound great, but they all have something inmon. They are all shaky. People might get a headache watching them."


    To be honest, Kazir saw ''The ir 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 ir Witch Project'' was sessful 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 dors 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. Thest 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 thest 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 sessful 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.


    "Before the movie goes overseas, it has to prove itself domestically. Fox Searchlight Pictures is the one that took over the movie, and I want to keep it that way as much as possible."


    ording to his recollection, Fox Searchlight Pictures was only founded in 1994, which wasst year. After Disney acquired Miramax, 20th Century Fox decided to follow suit and create a film studio that would focus on independent films.


    Fox Searchlight Pictures had the copyrights to ''Slumdog Millionaire'', ''ck Swan'' and of course ''Napoleon Dynamite''.


    ''That''s from the future, there''s a chance it could change.''


    Kazir rested on his bed and closed his eyes. He wanted to get some serious rest so he would not look haggard in front of Fox Searchlight Pictures.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    "So, you''re Kazir Grey. I hear you''re the writer of Se7en, which ising out in September, is that right?"


    "Yes, Mr. Rothman."


    "I see..."


    The man opposite Kazir was Tom Rothman. The man had short hair and wore sses, he looked calm and mature. This man was the founder of Fox Searchlight Pictures. The CEO of 20th Century Fox.


    Kazir was actually surprised that he would meet a big shot like him.


    The new CEO, Tom Rothman, proposed a new studio that focuses on independeny films. Of course, he had to make sure the first project of this studio would be sessful.


    Tom Rothman read the script seriously. He learned that Kazir Grey had actually sent Se7en''s script and proposal in hopes that Fox Searchlight Pictures would invest in the movie.


    However, Kazir Grey didn''t have enough credits at the time.


    In fact, the only reason Tom Rothman met with him was because of Se7en, which would be released in September.


    If Se7en was sessful, it would mean that Kazir had talent.


    "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 sessfully finish the movie.


    ''He even wrote hisst 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 dors, do you think this amount is too much?"


    "No, sir. I think half a million dors 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 sessful. Otherwise, his position might be unsteady.


    ''The genre isedy, and it''s epted worldwide. The answer is whether this movie can entertain audiences.''


    "Mr. Grey, we will get back to youter."


    "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 nning. I willbine the John Wick, Fast and the Furious, Taken, Wanted, and Bourne series into one Cinematic Universe].

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13


    "500 thousand dors..."


    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 ie for Miramax.


    Anyway, Miramax prefers to buy usible 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 aedy.


    ''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 dors to make. Their profit was over a billion dors 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 moviepanies contacted him.


    "Just to be sure, I visited every moviepany I know. Unfortunately, no one seemed to take me seriously."


    Kazir shrugged. He had already epted 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.


    "What the hell is wrong with these people?"


    As expected from the area where gang fights usually took ce, even the phone booth was disgusting. It seemed that the phone booth was not maintained at all.


    In the end, Kazir decided to look for another ce. He could not stand the smell.


    "Hello, yes. Brother, this is me, Kazir."


    Kazir cut all ties with his family after he left 6 years ago. His father didn''t agree with his dream of bing a director.


    His father said that Hollywood was full of vanity, drugs, sex, and crimes that corrupted the mind. In a way, his father was right.


    But Hollywood was also the king of entertainment. It was a city of dreams and hope. Every year thousands of people came to Hollywood to be famous. No one could deny that fact.


    "It''s a miracle you called me. I thought you had forgotten you had a brother."


    Aaron Grey rubbed his forehead. When he heard that Kazir wanted to talk to him in person, he decided to get out of bed and book a ticket to Los Angeles just to meet him..


    "I''m sorry if I caused you any trouble."


    "No..."


    Aaron smiled bitterly. To be honest, he was just shocked that his younger brother contacted him after six years.


    "How is your work? I have seen your movies. How can I put it? They are pretty horrible. Hey, how about making aedy instead?"


    Kazir Grey''s shooting style usually revolved around noir films. He liked to use bloody scenes and dark themes.


    However, after no sess in his past life, Kazir decided to leave his usual shooting style. This time, he wanted to make action movies.


    "Well, about that..."


    Kazirbed his hair and ced a script on the table.


    "This is?"


    "It''s my script. Brother, I need your help."


    Aaron took the script and read the provisional title.


    "Dynamite? Kazir, don''t tell me you called me about this script?"


    Aaron flew from New York to Los Angeles because he wanted to see his younger brother. But he realized the real reason Kazir had contacted him.


    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 rtionship 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 aedy movie.''


    When Aaron read the script, he realized that his younger brother wanted to change his style.


    "Okay, let''s talk about the scriptter. 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 d 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 humannguage? 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 rtionship than to die slowly in madness. Thest thing they wanted was to see their father in despair.


    "Are you still not going to talk to Dad after all this year?"


    "... I don''t know."


    Kazir shook his head with a bitter smile. He had quarreled with his father because he wanted to continue being a director.


    In fact, he promised never toe back until he was sessful.


    In the end, he never became a sessful director. One day he heard that his father had died of a heart attack.


    Kazir lived in dark days after that incident. He felt that he had let his father down. He didn''t even see him for thest time. Even now, he regretted it.


    ''After that, Aaron punched me when I attended the funeral. He never contacted me again. I guess he held a grudge.''


    But Kazir was given a second chance, and he wanted to change his fate. He decided to talk to his brother before it was toote.


    "When will you see him?"


    "When I prove myself to Hollywood and the world."


    "Then how much do you need?"


    Aaron already knew the purpose of this meeting. Instead of being angry and disappointed, he was happy to know that his younger brother needed him. At least now Kazir was asking for his help.


    "Brother, half a million. We will sign a contract and you will invest in my movie. I will not ask for anything else."


    "Deal. I thought you were going to ask for five million or something. Even a businessman like me doesn''t have that much cash."


    Their family runs a marketing and promotional services business. They were based in New York, and their business was thriving enough to make their family rich.


    "I don''t have to sign anything, I trust you with everything. In fact," Aaron leaned in closer. "Dad decided to set up a trust fund, and we are both the beneficiaries. You don''t have to give the money back, it''s all yours."


    "No brother. We''re doing real business. I will definitely return your investment three times over."


    "Heh. What''s your ount number?" He waved his hand nonchntly.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to sign a contract?"


    "It''s okay. But I have one condition."


    "As expected, you have a different intention." Kazir sighed. He knew that this meeting had a different meaning.


    "Just listen to me. I''m thinking of getting married, and I want you to be at the wedding. I''m going to propose to my girlfriend this year, around Christmas."


    "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, d to hear his answer.


    "Then give me your ount number and I will send the money."


    Aaron nonchntly 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."


    Theyughed.


    After confirming that there was half a million in his bank ount, Kazir began his n. He contacted the crew he had worked withst 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 rtionships.


    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 aedy instead of a horror movie."


    Renner Hector. He was a cameraman who knew a lot about cameras and filming. He hoped to be a real cinematographer in a real production crew.


    As a person who loves to shoot movies, he understands that his best upation is to be 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, ourst three movies are B-grade horror films and none of them are sessful."


    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."


    "Where did you get the investment? We are talking about half a million. You know thest movie we made only cost 100 thousand." Renner narrowed his eyes and red at Kazir.


    "Well... I asked my older brother to invest in my movie." Kazir rubbed his nose.


    "Really? But I thought you had a falling out?"


    "No, my brother and I are on good terms. You mean my father. My father doesn''t want me to go to Hollywood."


    "Is that so? Then what''s your n? I''m in. I''m bored in the shop. All I see are endless film rolls."


    Renner Hector''s uncle owned a camera rental business. Maybe that was one of the reasons Renner fell in love with shooting movies.


    But Renner understood himself. He didn''t want to direct a movie, he just wanted to capture scenes on camera. So he didn''t have a problem with Kazir being the director. They have known each other for seven years and trust each other.


    "What about the others, Jane and Harold?" Kazir asked. The two people he said were important members of his crew.


    "They agreed. They both work in a restaurant as waiters just to get through the day. They are just waiting for you to start."


    "That''s good then." He grinned.


    He had 15 members in hisst crew and he wanted to hire them all as much as possible. The answer was very simple, he had experience working with them and the crew respected him.


    Authority was important to a director. If the crew didn''t respect the director and didn''t follow his orders, then the director''s creative ideas would never be used in the movie. His position would be nothing but a clown or a puppet.


    Of course, respect and authority had to be earned. Kazir wanted to prove himself to the world.


    "Contact them first, I have something to do. I will go to Idaho."


    "That''s far, will we shoot there?"


    "Yes, I have a ce in mind." He nodded.


    The filming of Napoleon Dynamite was done at Preston High School and various areas in Franklin County, Idaho. It has been said that some of the plots of Napoleon Dynamite were "loosely" based on director Jared Hess when he was in high school. But the time was different, it was still 1997, not 2004. Jared Hess was still a 15 years old guy.


    As for "stealing" the idea, Mark Zuckerberg stole the idea for Facebook from his ssmates. After a lengthy legal battle thatsted years, Facebook ended up paying Zuckerberg''s ex-ssmates $65 million between the three students involved.


    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 Guildst 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 wille 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 aedy. 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 exined 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 ce 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 sessful. 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 irreceable in Hollywood, even someone like Spielberg. There were many sessful 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 anyplicated 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 dors."


    "Thank you."


    Before the 2000s, Kodak film was the most popr 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 Nn. "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 irreceable 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."


    "I agree."


    Both Renner and Harold had experience working on a film crew. Every crew understood the importance of their expenses. They were in business, the less money they used the better.


    "I''ve already contacted the others and they agree to join us."


    "That''s good. Although I only need 15 people at most."


    "I understand."


    Kazir and his friends started making ns for the shooting. Fortunately, Kazir had already confirmed that Preston High School was okay with the filming. They even signed a contract.


    As for the other locations, Kazir could rent a house for filming.


    "Hayst..."


    Ed Helms sighed. He had just auditioned for a small part in The Nutty Professor. But he learned that his looks were not what they needed. In the end, he never got the role.


    He was just 21 and he hoped to be an actor, he knew that his age was young and people would not take him seriously. But hey, there was nothing wrong with trying. Maybe he would get a role.


    Disappointed, Ed Helms entered the Actors Guild''s building. He looked at the projects posted on the bulletin board.


    However, Ed Helms understood that the usual projects posted on the bulletin board were small-budget movies. He knew he would never get a chance to make money with these.


    ''I don''t need money. What I need now is opportunity.''


    He would even agree to ept a role without a sry as long as he could see his face on the screen. He was still young and he knew that what he needed was exposure... Of course, he also needed money.


    Ed Helms understood his situation very well.


    "This..."


    While looking for projects, he found an ad saying that a production team needed a young actor. The project was aedy. Except for a few pieces of information, there was nothing. The address and time were written at the bottom.


    Ed Helms narrowed his eyes as he read the project. He pulled out a small notebook and copied the address. There was nothing to lose if he tried the audition.


    Ed Helms decided to ept the project. Small actors like him had to work hard to make their dreamse 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 aedy, and it didn''t need much acting. In fact,edies like "Napoleon Dynamite" neededic acting, awkward, yetedic.


    Reese Witherspoon was confused. She didn''t know why the director had asked her to say that particr 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 audienceugh. This movie is aedy, so of course we have to make themugh.


    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 foring 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 be 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 epted.


    "Director Grey... Um, can I meet you after you finish your work?"


    A woman withrge 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.


    The casting couch was real. It was a fact. Although not literally.


    To be precise, they call it ''transaction.''


    The actress and Director/Producer would have sex. Because of ''favor'', she would be hire.


    There were many rumours of this kind of situation. Julia Roberts, just to get the role in Pretty Woman, she did some ''stuff.''


    Of course, it''s just rumours...


    Women would trade sex for a chance at a role. Hollywood was not, and had never been, the city of kindness. This industry was real, talent was not enough.


    Unfortunately for the big-breasted woman, Kazir took his job seriously. Between the big-breasted woman and Reese Witherspoon, Kazir decided to hire Reese.


    ''I know. I''m a man. It''s impossible for me to avoid the temptation and seduction of women, but at least not now. I have to make sure this project is a sess.''


    So he would never ept the seduction of the woman with big breasts.


    Besides, her expression is dull. She obviously can''t act.


    "This is a small project and I can''t give Reese a big sry."


    "Don''t worry Kazir, I''m sure she''ll ept the role even if you don''t give her any money. From what I can see, she seems like a woman looking for an opportunity."


    Renner would make sure the actors got the minimum.


    "That''s good."


    Musicians and artists hate "exposure," but it was different for small actors. They need that exposure.


    "Of course we''ll keep paying them, we''re not cheating."


    "Then this is over. Call the actors now."


    "Okay."


    There are two important roles to fill.


    The first was obviously the role of Napoleon Dynamite. The second was his friend, Pedro Sanchez. The third was Kip and they already found someone for that role.


    For Napoleon, Kazir needed a tall actor. Not that tall, but at least 5''11". If someone met the criteria and could act well, Kazir had no problem hiring him.


    As for Pedro Sanchez, this role was clearly a Latino role. The name alone speaks for itself.


    ''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 hister years. Kazir was quite surprised to see a well-known actor auditioning for the role.


    Kazir narrowed his eyes and realized something.


    It ispletely 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 secondster, Jane, the makeup artist, appeared. She fixed Pedro''s hair ording to Kazir''s description.


    A few minutester 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 famousedian 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... Whichplemented 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 sses." Ed Helms with sses, curly bob hair... Immacte. 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?


    ''Napoleon said ''idiot'' more than five times in the whole movie.''


    Kazir was pleased with Ed''s audition. As for his acting ability, Kazir needed an amateur actor.


    "Ed, before we finish this audition. I want to tell you something. You understand that this movie has a small budget and we can''t give you a big sry."


    "Yes, I understand very well."


    Ed Helms became nervous. Seeing the way the director talked, he could understand that his chances of getting the role of the protagonist were high. At least the director was interested in casting him.


    "I will ept any amount as long as I get the male lead." He was serious. Deadly serious.


    It was already a blessing for a small actor like him to get the male lead, of course Ed Helms had to take it.


    "That''s good to hear. Do you have an agent?"


    "Yes, director. I signed with William Morris Agency."


    Hearing that particr talent agency made Kazir remember something, but he didn''t care.


    "Can you dance?"


    "A little..." Ed Helms tilted his head.


    "Contact your agent, but tell him I will never ept a big sry."


    "Yes! I will, director!"


    Ed Helms delightedly left the audition room and immediately contacted his agent.


    "Are you sure you want to hire him? We haven''t seen the other actors yet?" Renner asked Kazir after Ed Helms had left.


    "Don''t worry. He fits the part."


    As a person from the future, Kazir knew that Ed Helms had taken on many roles inedy films. That fact alone showed that Ed Helms had talent in that area.


    ''I would rather cast an amateuredian than an unknown actor. At least I know that Ed Helms has a bright future.''


    They continued to ept actors and actresses to fill the roles. In the end, it took three days to finalize the roles.


    Ed Helms and his agent negotiated and Ed Helms signed a sry of 15 thousand dors. 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 freebor.


    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.


    Quesadi 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-assputer, 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 himugh 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 avable 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. ording to his calctions, 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.


    "Huh? What do you mean? Dude, I''m clean, I stopped hitting the bong after I married Cassandra."


    "That''s not what I mean," Harold chuckled.


    "Renner and I have noticed that you shoot faster thanst time. Remember how long it used to take to shoot a single scene in a day? But now three or four scenes are no problem."


    "That''s right. It''s almost like you know the scenes you want to shoot. You didn''t experiment at all. You just decided what angle to shoot, what cuts to make, and what transitions to use. I feel like the movie is already created in your head and you''re just following the shooting process."


    Renner touched his chin and said something incredible.


    "..."


    Kazir was shaken when he heard what he said. Renner was not wrong, he was right. That''s exactly what Kazir did.


    ''I just changed a few scenes to make it funnier. But overall, I strictly followed the plot and the exact shooting of Napoleon Dynamite.''


    "Hehe, of course I know that''s impossible. What are you? A man from the future."


    Both Renner and Harold started tough.


    "This is no time to joke. Let''s start shooting, I think most of the actors are already done."


    "Okay."


    The scene they were about to shoot was the first scene in which Napoleon first appeared.


    "Camera?"


    "Ready!"


    They didn''t have any lights because they were shooting outside. It was hot right now because the sun was shining so well.


    Kazir nodded to the man holding the pperboard.


    "Scene 2, take 4. Lights, camera, action!"


    A few seconds pause. The bus appeared and Napoleon entered the bus. Simple as that.


    "Cut! Get ready for the next scene!"


    Kazir rented this school bus just for today. So he wanted to finish each bus scene as quickly as possible.


    In the next scene, Napoleon sat in the back seat next to a boy.


    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 n."


    "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 practicedst 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 aedy.


    ''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 herplexion 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 identally 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,forting her instead.


    "You don''t have to apologize. Everyone makes mistakes. Even great actors like Nichs 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 rx. 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 ufortable for the crew.


    ''So for God''s sake, Reese Witherspoon, get your acting right! Don''t fuck it up!''


    Kazir kept his sanity by gritting his teeth.


    The ten-minute break ended and the shooting began again.


    Fortunately, Reese Witherspoon''s acting was better this time. At least she didn''t make any mistakes.


    "Cut! Reese, you did a good job. But I want to see more. Let''s take it again."


    The pperboard made another sound and the shooting started again.


    The background music was faint, enough for them to hear Napoleon and Deb''s conversation.


    Kazir watched the scene unfold on the monitors. He nodded after getting a nice scene.


    "Cut! This is good. Let''s move on to the next scene!"


    For three minutes of worth of scenes, Kazir and his crew decorated the hall like a real prom. After shooting all the scenes, they cleaned the ce. They wasted almost 5 thousand on the prom scene alone.


    Making movies has never been cheap. Even if the total budget of Napoleon Dynamite was only $500,000 and they wanted to make it cheap, they couldn''t cut costs.


    They would immediately move on to the next location once the preparation was done.


    "Tomorrow, if we''re lucky, we might finish the whole shooting."


    Renner stood next to Kazir, talking as he checked the camera.


    "That''s right. We''ve been here almost a month."


    "Yeah, I miss Los Angeles."


    "We both miss Los Angeles."


    The twoughed.


    Their next scene was in the hallway, the scene where Napoleon would meet Pedro for the first time.


    ''Pedro Pascal acts well. To make sure that this movie will have a better audience, I made sure that the way they deliver the lines is perfect. Especially the jokes.''


    "Okay, adjust the camera. Renner, turn up the lighting. Yeah, that''s right."


    Kazir motioned to the man holding the pperboard. The man blocked the camera with the pperboard. Then he said, "Lights, camera, action," and clicked the pperboard.


    Everything went well. The crew sensed how much Kazir had evolved his shooting. In just one year, during which they missed each other, Kazir matured a lot. His mentality was great.


    "Today is the day! Finally!"


    Thest day arrived. The crew had only one scene left to shoot. They nned to shoot this scenest because it was moreplicated 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 andbine them."


    "No problem, director."


    Ed Helms smiled. At least Kazir appreciated his hard work.


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 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 dors. The remaining 100 thousand dors 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 thepletion 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 rmend 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 sessful 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 upte 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 himter.


    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.


    Kazir had worked with Rector before and knew that Rector was good at his job. Unfortunately, Hollywood had a lot of talented editors and it was hard for them to get into big productionpanies. Networking was an important part of getting hired by thesepanies.


    "Rector, use J-cut here to show that someone is having a conversation a few feet away from Napoleon."


    "Okay."


    Movies were first invented around the 1880s, and a century had already passed. Almost all kinds of cuts and transitions had been invented.


    The mostmon cuts were the straight cut and the jump cut. Directors used these cuts all the time.


    After seeing the effect, Kazir decided to use J-cut in that particr scene.


    "By the way Kazir, I heard that your birthday is next week. Bted happy birthday then."


    "Thank you. But we''ll see each other on my birthday anyway, so you don''t have to greet me early." He chuckled.


    "You''re not nning on taking a day off?"


    "I''m going to call my brother, that''s all."


    "Wow."


    Kazir''s birthday was September 9th. He would be 27 then.


    "Let''s check the next scene."


    "Okay."


    Kazir had almost 800 minutes of footage. Kazir first had tobine the shots and make a movie. Then he would cut the length of the movie until it was less than 100 minutes.


    ''No one would watch a long film in a movie theater anyway. A long movie would be harmful and people would get bored.''


    120 minutes is already long. Napoleon Dynamite should be kept under 100 minutes as much as possible.


    While editing, Kazir heard his cell phone ring. He realized it was his friend David Fincher calling.


    The phone was new, and it was the first time anyone had called him on it.


    His brother begged him to buy one so he could call him anytime.


    Kazir left the editing room and answered the call.


    "Hello, David? How''s your work?"


    "I''m doing fine. That''s why I asked you. Kazir, Se7en is already finished. We are having a small screening tomorrow at the New Line Cinema. I want to invite you to watch it with us."


    Judging by his hoarse voice, it seemed that David hadn''t slept muchtely.


    "Of course I will be there. Tell me the time and I''ll be there."


    Kazir realized the importance of Se7en, his future depended on it.


    The call ended after a few words.


    "It seems I have something to do tomorrow."


    He was pretty excited to see the whole movie. Se7en was a cult ssic, it almost ended the whole detective genre.


    Of course, let''s not forget Primal Fear and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.


    There were other movies in detective genre, but it was hard to topple Se7en.


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 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 thest 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 rtionship.


    "How is your day Arnold?"


    "Everything is going well. David is working hard."


    A few minutester the people from New Line Cinema showed up. Robert Shaye looked at Kazir and nodded.


    Se7en began to y 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 ssics.


    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.


    Gone Girl, a pretty ironic movie, but this movie made more than 300 million dors at the worldwide box office.


    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, deep, a masterpiece in my opinion.


    Kazir thought that apart from Christopher Nn. David Fincher was the best noir filmmaker of the current era.


    ''Noir films...''


    In the past, Kazir dreamed of bing the best director of this genre. However, he failed miserably.


    So from now on, Kazir would change his style. As much as he could, he would never touch dark R-rated movies, especially horror movies. Instead, he would settle for PG-13 and action movies.


    ''Action movies, I will make action movies for the sake of action movies. For the sake of the audience, not for the sake of the critics.''


    Art films can go to hell. Kazir would makemercial films instead.


    But for now, the best he could do was use Napoleon Dynamite as a springboard.


    His budget was only half a million, so he decided to make the best movie he could. Once he had enough status and money, Kazir would definitely choose action movies.


    "Congrattions David, the movie is great." Kazir hugged David. He was happy to see the script he had written be a movie.


    "Don''t congratte me yet, we haven''t shown it to the market yet."


    "Don''t worry, I''m confident this movie will have a strong reception."


    Suddenly another person approached them.


    "David, the movie is great."


    "Me too, Mr. Shaye. I hope we can work together again."


    "Hm," then Robert Shaye turned to Kazir. The founder of New Line Cinema looked haggard.


    "I heard you''re shooting a movie."


    "Yes, I have already finished shooting. I''m editing it now."


    "If you''re interested, you can contact New Line Cinema."


    Robert Shaye would be happy to buy a movie that has a strong return on investment. If Kazir''s movie was worth it, of course he would buy it.


    "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 toe up with a marketing n 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 aedy? 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 aedy was like shedding a new skin for Kazir.


    "Changing for the better is a good thing. Send me a ticket when ites 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 myst choice".


    "Once Se7en bes popr, I''m sure manypanies 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 drinkst 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. Thest 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. Inedy, line delivery was important. Especially when the character was delivering the jokes.


    "Pfft--"


    Rectorughed 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 andughed.


    He hadn''t expected someone as serious as Kazir to make aedy. He also wrote the script.


    "Yes. It''s enlightening. Although I don''t know if I can write another one like Napoleon Dynamite.


    "In fact, in my opinion, this will be yourstedy. Don''t get me wrong, we''ve worked together three times now, and most of your movies are B-grade horror movies. I think you have more chances with horror movies."


    Considering that the script called Se7en was bought by New Line Cinema, Rector believed that Kazir had a talent for bloody movies.


    Kazir just smiled bitterly. His opinion differed from Rector''s. Horror movies did not pay him anything. That''s why Kazir wanted to break through in a different way.


    He dreamed of making an action movie. Unfortunately, action movies requirerge investments. It was impossible for a small director like him.


    Days passed and the celebration of Napoleon Dynamite came. Of course, it was only a small party. The big party would happen when the movie was released and was a big hit.


    Renner and Harold were the ones who prepared the party. Most of the actors were there.


    Just like thest time, Ed Helms and the other newbie actors thanked Kazir.


    Kazir began to lose his patience when he heard their repeated thanks. Once was enough.


    "Um, director?"


    "Reese, the shoot is over. You don''t need to call me director, Kazir is fine."


    "So, Kazir... Would you like to go on a date with me?" Reese was nervous after what she had said. Her face blushed.


    Luckily, they were talking far away from the party. No one could hear what she said.


    "Date? Sorry Reese, I''m busy." Kazir shook his head. He would rather spend his time editing the movie.


    "I see..." She bit her lip. It was embarrassing. She braved her heart to invite him, but Kazir turned her down. It was a bit painful for a woman to hear rejection.


    Kazir was no child. He knew what was happening.


    He had just gotten divorcedst October, and he didn''t want to get into another rtionship. At least not now.


    Besides, Reese was young. She was only 19 years old. He didn''t know if the woman was serious or if she had other motives.


    "See you around, then, Kazir."


    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 ising 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 wereing 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 ying myself?"


    Anyway, he didn''t care. A beautiful young woman like Reese would never take him seriously.


    Kazir had had bad rtionships 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 signedst year.


    "Have you heard about the movie Se7en?"


    The agent approached him.


    "Yes. I heard about it. That movie ising out this month, right?" Carl Morin was confused as to why his colleague was asking him about this particr 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 identally spilling water on one of the WMA''s vice presidents.


    "..."


    Carl touched his chin. ording to the article, Se7en had a budget of 35 million dors. 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.


    Carl Morin hoped that Se7en would flop at the box office. Otherwise, there was a good chance that he would regret his decision of letting Kazir go.


    "..."


    He was in a bad mood all the time when he realized that the egg he had dropped might have been a golden egg.


    "Wow! I didn''t expect the movie premiere to be like this! Hey, look, it''s Jennifer Aniston."


    "Yeah, Reese, I can see her. You don''t have to tell me right next to my ear."


    It seemed that Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt had a good rtionship even before they got married.


    "I can''t help it! I can''t believe I can see them so close." She whispered.


    Reese Witherspoon and Kazir Grey attended the premiere of Se7en. They saw Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt and Gwh Paltrow walk down the red carpet one by one. They waved their hands to the crowd.


    They were dressed in formal attire. Each actor showed his or her appearance to the public. Especially the actress, they posed well.


    Unfortunately, a screenwriter like Kazir didn''t have a chance to walk on the red carpet. Unless he became famous.


    Well, I don''t like being the center of attention. I like making movies, but being in front of the public is thest thing I want in this job.


    After the actors entered the theater, the reception slowly quieted down.


    Kazir and Reese entered the theater through the back door and found their seats.


    "Hey, I heard that this movie didn''t get a positive reaction at the test screening. The audience didn''t like the movie at all, I''m afraid Brad Pitt will have a problem starring in this kind of movie."


    Reese and Kazir overheard the conversation next to them. Reese wanted to talk to the man, but Kazir stopped her by grabbing her hand.


    They might as well shut up and watch the movie instead.


    The movie started and everyone focused on the movie. The ssic New Line Cinema opening credits appeared.


    [Note: If you don''t want to be spoiled, don''t read the ones in parentheses. I watched Se7en few years ago. So I just rewatched the movie summary in YouTube when I was writing this. A bit with chatgpt as well, but AI clearly makes mistakes.]


    [The story begins with the introduction of Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman). An experienced detective on the verge of retirement. Detective Somerset is a calm and reflective character who has seen it all. He has be disillusioned with the world.]


    "So this is Morgan''s role in this movie, as expected. He always ys that kind of gentleman."


    Reese frowned as she continued to hear the murmur next to them.


    [Detective Somerset''s recement is Detective Mills (Brad Pitt). A young and ambitious officer eager to make a name for himself in the city. ]


    "Waahh! Brad! How handsome!"


    Reese and Kazir heard a squeal behind them.


    [Note: If you don''t want to be spoiled, I rmend 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 borately and twistedly staged.]


    "Gueh--!" A faint vomites 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 be increasingly horrified by the brutality and depravity of the crimes.]


    [The murders are particrly 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 greedywyer 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 (Gwh Paltrow) told Detective Somerset that she was pregnant. She didn''t know how to tell her husband.]


    [The third victim is azy 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 calcting individual who is ying 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 toe. 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 minutester, 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 onest act to perform. And that is to force Detective Mills to be 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 be a criminal].


    ----------


    When the movie ended, the audience was shocked. It took a few seconds for someone to p their hands. Then more people followed until the entire audience was pping.


    Kazir smiled calmly as he watched their reactions. He knew in his heart that Se7en was already a sess. The only question was how sessful it would be.


    "Kazir, are you really the one who wrote this?" Reese whispered next to him.


    "Yeah, why do you ask?"


    "It''s just... I don''t know how to put this. Are you sure you''re okay?"


    Kazir chuckled when he saw her reaction. Reese looked at him with shock and concern.


    "Maybe I''m crazy."


    "I''m not even kidding right now."


    "Well, what do you see in me? Do I look like a madman?"


    "No, all I see is a calm man. Although I can see in your eyes that you are broken."


    "..."


    Kazir kept his smile.


    Let people judge him, but Kazir would continue to do what he loved.


    The actors and actresses went on the stage and bowed their heads.


    Brad Pitt really destroyed his image with this movie.


    Se7en was the kind of movie that had 50-50 odds. It would be hard to erase the image of Detective Mills if this movie failed.


    "Let''s go."


    Knowing that he didn''t have a ce in this theater, Kazir decided to say goodbye. Reporters and audiences usually focused their attention on the actors, sometimes the directors. Screenwriters usually worked behind the scenes, they were the brains of the movies.


    Kazir took Reese back to her apartment.


    "Kazir, would you like to stay? I can make you a coffee."


    "I''m sorry, Reese. Maybe next time." Kazir shook his head.


    "O- Okay then."


    Reese smiled bitterly and entered the apartment. She was a bit disappointed.


    As for Kazir, he knew he would not get the news until tomorrow, so he returned to his ce. He didn''t bother to stay up all night.


    Hey down on the bed and closed his eyes... But his mind betrayed him.


    "Damn it. I guess I''m still not mature enough to fall asleep when something important is happening."


    If he had known this would happen, he might have epted 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 rx.


    When Kazir asked the receptionist, he realized that it was already midnight. Only a few minutes until the results woulde.


    "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 secondster, 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.


    "Congrattions David."


    Robert Shaye congratted David Fincher.


    "Sir Robert! Thank you."


    Thest to receive the relevant information were David Fincher and Kazir Grey.


    "3 million! 3.60 million dors!"


    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, congrattions David."


    Of course, they were happy that their movie was a sess. 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., thepany naturally took over New Line Cinema.


    Of course, Time Warner would not interfere with New Line Cinema''s way of doing business. After all, thepany was making money.


    Besides, thetest 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 thepany 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 articte antagonist who has devised a terrible n for the conclusion of his sermon. (The actor who ys 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. Upromising 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 ce, all the characters are in ce, 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 me]. --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.


    On Friday, it went up to $4.2 million.


    On Saturday, it was $3.1 million.


    On Sunday it was $3 million.


    The opening week of Se7en grossed $13.9 million. In his opinion, this result already exceeded his expectations for the movie.


    Se7en was dark, gritty, and bloody. Obviously, families would never choose it to watch with their children.


    Still, it did well in its first week.


    "Kazir Grey? Have I ever heard of this person?"


    While reading the articles about Se7en, Terry Semel realized that the screenwriter''s name was Kazir Grey.


    Terry Semel decided to call his secretary instead.


    "Emily, do you know anyone named Kazir Grey?"


    "No, sir."


    "Is that so? How about checking with the other departments? Maybe they know this person."


    Everybody knows everybody in Hollywood. This circle is small. So there was a good chance that some people in the other departments would know Kazir Grey.


    "Yes, I will ask them, sir."


    The secretary named Emily was confused as to why the CEO was asking about this Kazir Grey. She didn''t know this person too.


    Anyway, it was an order from the CEO, and it was her job to ask the other departments. This kind of thing was not that difficult.


    Using the phone on her desk, she started to contact each department.


    "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 uing 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 me 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 filmpanies. 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 factforted 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.''


    Five days after its premiere, Se7en had grossed 23 million. That was already a big achievement in September schedule.


    Most moviegoers are usually stale during this time of year. This month is part of the school year and there are no major holidays.


    Unlike November, which has Halloween, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving.


    ''23 million in five days in September is good. ''


    So Kazir knew that Hollywoodpanies would start contacting him. But he didn''t expect his first meeting to be with an agent.


    "How long have you been an agent?"


    "Four years. I have three actors under me and they have bright futures."


    Hearing his answer, Kazirughed uncontrobly.


    "Mr. Grey?"


    "I''m sorry, haha. I just realized the truth after what you said."


    "..."


    Salvatore Barlowe bit his lip and started to sweat. In fact, his intention was quite obvious.


    "After the sess of Se7en, you believe that I have a great future, at least enough to attract your attention. You heard that I finished shooting a movie, right?"


    "That''s right." Salvatore nodded. There was no need to lie.


    "Mr. Grey-"


    "Call me Kazir. If you''re really serious about me having a good potential, then you''ll have to show me what you''ve got."


    "Kazir. If you agree, I will definitely make a contract that I will only ept a 3 percentmission."


    "Hoh."


    Kazir raised his eyebrows. To be honest, he was quite shocked to hear his proposal.


    The usualmission for an agent was 10 percent. Although agents who had superstars had a lowermission.


    ''But this kind of contract is good for an agent who has famous clients. Steven Spielberg earned more than 100 million after making Jurrasic Park two years ago. His agent made more than 3 million inmissions on that project alone.''


    A director who could bring in millions of dors a year. Any agent would fight to sign someone like that.


    Right now, Salvatore Barlowe was indirectly saying that Kazir was a good prospect. He had the makings of a superstar director.


    ''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 ept 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 ept 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 ie. But a strong, authoritative director would never ept that kind of arrangement.


    In the end, Salvatore decided to ept 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 be 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 yourmission 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 coboration." 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, filmpanies would contact him.


    The one who usually talked to thosepanies 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 themission to 3 percent was actually a tough move for an agent. It basically reduced his ie.


    Although if Kazir became a sessful 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 mywyer first and I will sign itter."


    "That''s good to hear."


    The two men shook hands firmly.


    Several yearster, 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.


    "Let''s call mywyer first so that he will not be surprised."


    Kazir contacted hiswyer when he returned to the studio.


    "Hello, Terrence? Yeah, it''s me. Ohe on, are you still mad at me for giving the house to Cassandra? What? You''re disappointed in yourself for not defending your client against a cheating bitch? Dude, let''s just forget about it. I have a job for you. Yes, it''s job-rted. Yes, you will get a contractter. Okay, thanks."


    He sighed. The first hurdle was sessfully ovee.


    The first five days of Se7en were a great start and Kazir could finally rx his nerves.


    "Hello, Director Grey!"


    "Hm?"


    Suddenly, before he could enter the editing room, a woman greeted him.


    Kazir turned to see Reese Witherspoon approaching him.


    "Reese? Why are you here?" He was confused.


    "I''m here for the dubbing."


    "Ah, I''m sorry, I forgot."


    Maybe because of too much pressure, Kazir didn''t remember that part.


    Reese and the other actors have to dub their speeches in the movie. So far, Ed Helms had the most lines, and he finished dubbing all of his lines in just two weeks.


    Reese was attending acting school, so she was very busy during those days. She also had a part-time job. She listened to Kazir''s suggestion.


    When shooting a scene, there was usually a problem with recording the sound. That''s why dubbing was needed.


    ''I hired a sound directorst week.''


    The sounds you heard in the movies were usually created by the sound director. I''m not talking about music, I''m talking about sound.


    The sound of punching might be created by sound directors by literally punching a piece of meat. Sound directors are an important part of post-production.


    "This will be myst day dubbing, so Director Kazir, can you please do me a favor?"


    Reese smiled sweetly and leaned closer to Kazir.


    Kazir caught her scent. If he was being honest, Reese smells so good. Of course, he was a man who appreciated the scent of a woman.


    He smiled bitterly. As a man who had just been divorcedst October, he wanted to stay away from rtionship as much as possible. However, a raging man like him couldn''t maintain his rationality for long.


    He needed a release. On the other hand, he wanted to keep his sanity.


    "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 dors..."


    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 littleplicated. 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 ept 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 theirpany.


    But who would have thought that Se7en, directed by David Fincher, would be sessful? 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 particr 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 epted 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 thepany 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 popcornedy. That piqued his interest more.


    Tom Rothman read the script.


    This kind of movie has a good chance of making a lot of sequels.


    Napoleon Dynamite didn''t have a history of sequels.


    But because of Kazir''s return, the timeline was already changed. In a way, this timeline was apletely different universe.


    The universe where Napoleon Dynamite would have sequels...


    "Sir, you called me?"


    Nancy Utley arrived a few minutester. She was one of the Vice presidents of Fox Searchlight Pictures. She was in charge of production management, which had no projects at current the time. Well, Fox Searchlight Pictures was just getting started.


    "Nancy, have you heard of Kazir Grey?"


    "Sir? Ah, no sir. I have never heard of this man." Nancy was puzzled and answered honestly.


    Tom Rothman nodded. Kazir Grey was not so well-known after all.


    "What about Se7en then?"


    "Sir, Se7en is a thriller that was releasedst week. As of now, the movie has about 40 million." Nancy Utley scrutinized.


    "47 million, Se7en has made 47 million dors in North America."


    "That''s..."


    For a movieing out in September, that was pretty big.


    "Nancy, Kazir Grey is the writer of Se7en. I heard he just finished shooting his own movie and he is currently editing it. I want you to contact him and see if he''s interested in working with Fox Searchlight Pictures."


    Since the newly formedpany didn''t have any projects, Tom Rothman decided to give them the project.


    A $500,000 investment didn''t faze him. 20th Century Fox would never look at this kind of movie.


    But there was always a "what if".


    Like what happened with Se7en. The critics said it would be a flop. But the exact opposite happened.


    Where are the movie critics who panned Se7en negatively? They just changed their minds and praised the movie as of now.


    Tom Rothman was worried about the "what ifs".


    "Yes sir, I will do my best to get this project." Nancy Utley noticed that thisedy 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 rtionship with Reese, the woman just asked him outst night... Of course, Kazir happily epted.


    The two had talked seriously about their rtionship. 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 rtionship. 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 rtionship was pretty good.


    "About five days and we can finish editing Napoleon Dynamite."


    Rector muttered beside him. The movie was nearingpletion. Napoleon Dynamite already had its music score. Kazir didn''t hesitate to spend money on the movie.


    "Congrattions Kazir."


    "Don''t congratte me yet, we haven''t released the movie yet."


    "I know, but with the result of Se7en, I bet filmpanies are looking for you right now. Besides, your movie is funny and wholesome. Unlike the usual vulgaredies 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 aputer 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 Hollywoodpanies 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 minutester, 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 be famous.


    An hourter, Reese Witherspoon showed up. She had been taking acting sses these days to improve her acting. She also has a "good" rtionship 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.''


    She realized that Kazir loved movies very much. Every transition, every cut, every angle, every lens, Kazir studied them seriously.


    They had watched a few movies in thest few days and she had learned more about him. She realized that Kazir was slowly bing more attractive. In her opinion, a man who loves his career is handsome.


    "Hm. I have to set up the projector. I''ll talk to youter, Reese."


    "..."


    If there was a problem, it was Kazir, who was too absorbed in his job. He didn''t care about anything, not even the beautiful woman next to him.


    ''Well, that''s why he''s attractive.''


    There was a study that women like men who ignore them. They were attracted to that kind of man because they love the thrill of making them fall... Maybe this study was not real. But there was a saying that "girls like bad boys".


    Then the next group showed up to help Kazir and cheer him on.


    "Salvatore."


    Kazir greeted his agent. While Kazir was busy editing Napoleon Dynamite, Salvatore was meeting withpanies that wanted to contact him. Kazir was grateful to have him.


    Even though Salvatore was young and had only rookie actors under him, he didn''t show any nervousness in front of the giant studios.


    "Kazir, this is my actor. His name is Park Hae-Won. He is half Korean like me."


    "Hello, Director Grey."


    "Hm." Kazir nodded at him.


    He nced at the Korean actor for a second before looking away.


    ''Asian actors didn''t have a strong influence in Hollywood, even in the future. Only a few Asian actors became sessful in Hollywood, such as Jackie Chan and Jet Lee.''


    To be honest, Kazir was confused as to why Salvatore signed an actor who had little potential under him. Was it because of his Korean heritage?


    Besides, the man had a hard-to-pronounce name. He didn''t even know which was his surname.


    ''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 filmpanies 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 filmpanies 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 werepletely 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 outughing 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 distributionpanies 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 talkter, Mr. Grey."


    A fat man approached him with a smile and shook his hand.


    "Mr. Weinstein, I''m d to hear that."


    Harvey Weinstein nodded. He could see that Kazir was interested as well.


    However, Harvey looked at the people from the other distributionpanies. 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 ce many actors yearn for. Even foreign actors were willing to die just to get a glimpse of their faces being filmed in Hollywood.


    This ce has been called paradise and sin city at the same time. It brings hope and despair.


    "A ce you don''t want to leave in the hope of reaching your dream."


    Kazir muttered.


    He looked at the managers from Hollywood distributionpanies 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 congratted 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 thesepanies.


    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 dors, 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 coffeeter."


    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.


    "I hope to hear good news from you, Mr. Grey."


    After the sess of Se7en, the people at New Line Cinema began to respect Kazir.


    The two shook hands.


    "What do you think?"


    As his agent, Salvatore listened to their entire conversation, but he didn''t join in. He respected Kazir''s decision. He just hoped he would choose the best offer.


    "You heard it yourself. New Line Cinema wants to buy out the entire copyright and worldwide distribution of Napoleon Dynamite for $2.3 million. That''s not bad, but that''s just the beginning. We can say that $2.3 million is the starting point."


    Salvatore nodded in agreement.


    "Worldwide distribution? They are pretty confident, aren''t they?"


    Even Salvatore felt like New Line Cinema was belittling the movie.


    "To be precise, they are too damn arrogant." Kazir muttered after the manager left.


    The film had a production cost of 500 thousand dors. But in just a few months it could be sold for $2.3 million. That was a huge increase.


    Have you ever seen a $500,000 investment turn into $2 million so quickly? Probably not. Even in the stock market and cryptocurrency, that rarely happens.


    In a way, making a movie is a great investment.


    As long as the movie is profitable.


    The first day passed. Kazir and Salvatore were contacted by fourpanies interested in the movie.


    They were sitting at the bar, a high-end bar to be exact. The peaceful jazz music in the background soothe them.


    "New Line Cinema wants to buy the overall copyrights for $2.3 million."


    "Universal Pictures, $2.5 million for North American distribution."


    "Miramax, $1.5 million. But they promise a 5% revenue cut of the North American box office."


    Note that the box office was different from the revenue. The revenue was much less.


    "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 fourpanies 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 ss of tequ after listing eachpany''s offer.


    It was a clear fact that thesepanies 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 sanepany 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 eptable, 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 thepetition became fierce.


    In the end, Kazir decided to keep the global and videotape distribution copyrights. He could use these chips to negotiate with Hollywoodpaniester.


    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 epted 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 vulgaredy. 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."


    Thetter 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.


    "Do you have any idea how much the otherpanies offered Kazir?"


    "Sir. I found out that New Line Cinema wants to buy all the copyrights of Napoleon Dynamite for $2.3 million. As for Miramax, it''s $1.5 million, but with a 5% cut of the North American box office revenue."


    Tom Rothman chuckled when he heard New Line Cinema''s offer. It seemed like they were trying to squeeze Kazir to death with an offer like that.


    "... Contact Kazir or his agent. Tell him I want to see the movie."


    "Yes sir."


    For a CEO of a giant moviepany, it was a surprise that Tom Rothman was interested in a small-budget movie.


    ''Maybe Kazir Grey made a big impression on me after I met him personally.''


    In his opinion, Kazir Grey was a starving wolf. He didn''t know how to exin it, but he could see that Kazir was hungry for recognition.


    However, Kazir kept his fangs hidden, and he could think better than anyone. At least that was how Tom Rothman saw him.


    ''If I knew I would be so interested in him, I should have invested in his movie.''


    He sighed.


    Well, the situation was not that simplest time. Even though Tom Rothman was the CEO, he could not make any important decisions without the acknowledge of the shareholders. Especially when Fox Searchlight Pictures was just getting started.


    One wrong move and the shareholders would berate him. Maybe even the Murdoch family would kick him out of thepany. Keep in mind that Rupert Murdoch had thergest share of 20th Century Fox. He basically owned it.


    If his intuition was right, Kazir Grey definitely had a n to make a sequel. If Napoleon Dynamite was a sess, Tom Rothman would have nothing to lose.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    "Mr. Grey, it''s nice to meet you."


    Brad Krevoy of Orion Pictures shakes hands with Kazir Grey. Orion Pictures had recently survived another bankruptcy. And they were trying to find another way to get back on their feet.


    ''I heard that MGM was going to buy Orion Pictures this year.''


    Knowing the future, Kazir Grey knew that MGM would sessfully buy Orion Pictures around 1997. As for other information, Kazir was clueless.


    Orion Pictures was known for producing Pulp Fiction, The Silence of the Lambs, Dances With Wolves, and The Adams Family.


    They were a major influence in the 1980s. However, like most moviepanies, they went bankrupt.


    Even now, Orion Pictures was still trying to survive.


    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 d 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 anotherpany...''


    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/filmpanies.


    Studio Companies.


    Film distributionpanies.


    There were a lot of ways to call them. But basically, they are known as movie/filmpanies.


    Some filmpanies based their business solely on making movies. Other filmpanies had distribution channels to distribute their films.


    Thetterpanies 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 moviepanies that had local distribution are DreamWorks, Lionsgate, and Miramax. They could freely distribute their movies in North America. Now, the filmpanies 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


    Thesepanies 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 be stronger. They bought Marvel and made billions from Marvel movies alone. They also bought 20th Century Fox.''


    Disney might be the strongest filmpany 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.''


    ording to Kazir, Disney and Warner Bros are the big brothers of Hollywood.


    But let''s not forget the runner-up.


    "20th Century Fox."


    Thispany had created many masterpieces.


    "Titanic, Avatar, Kingsman, Terminator and X-Men+Deadpool. When ites to movie franchises, 20th Century Fox canpete with Disney and Warner Bros."


    Unfortunately, this Hollywood giant was still acquired by the politically correct Disney.


    Perhaps this was one of Kazir''s greatest regrets in his former life. He saw one powerfulpany kneel before another.


    "Kazir Grey, good to see you again."


    Tom Rothman walked over to Kazir and shook his hand. They both had a good impression of each other.


    Nancy Utley stood next to him, keeping her silence.


    "I''m happy to know that a person like Tom Rothman wants to meet me."


    "Kazir, don''t lower yourself. I believe you will have a great future. So when do we start?"


    Tom Rothman saw that the projector was already ready and the screening could start at any moment.


    "I''m sorry Tom, can we please wait a few minutes? Apparently someone else wants to see this movie."


    "That''s fine with me."


    Tom Rothman nodded, but it was clear that he didn''t feel well. Knowing that another person wanted to see Napoleon Dynamite. Tom Rothman easily deduced that it was a rival.


    ''The question is, whichpany is it?''


    The answer didn''t take long. Another person appeared.


    "Terry, I can''t believe I''m seeing you here."


    Terry Semel, the CEO of Warner Bros. Another heavyweight came to the screening. Next to him was Enrico Pusi. Producer Enrico Pusi saw Napoleon Dynamite yesterday. He sent his summary to CEO Terry Semel.


    In the end, Terry Semel decided to see the movie. To decide if this Napoleon Dynamite was worth investing in.


    "It''s the same for me. Tom, it looks like we are both interested in this movie." Terry replied.


    "Indeed."


    The two maintained their smiles. But deep inside they were cursing each other.


    "Gentlemen, we are ready to start the movie," Kazir announced.


    "Hm."


    The two nodded. They realized that this meeting could be manipted by Kazir Grey.


    This unknown director had nned this meeting to increase his value. Very impressive, but it alles down to his movie.


    If Napoleon Dynamite was that good, they would give Kazir a nice offer.


    October 7, 1995. This year Kazir sessfully took a step toward stardom.


    The movie started and the two executives of Hollywood giants watched it seriously. Theyughed along the way and epted that Napoleon Dynamite was good. The delivery of the jokes was unexpected and funny.


    YoU''rE MoM GoEs To CoLLEgE~


    I shaved my hair because I feel hot.


    Napoleon''s bicycle ident.


    His uncle hit him in the face with a steak.


    It was a good form. At least the two CEOs had fun watching the movie. Plus, thest few minutes were funny because Kip sang a song horribly. They could not stopughing.


    "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 Pnd."


    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 easierpared 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 inmon, they were all Jewish.


    Yes, these bosses of giant filmpanies 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 dors 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.


    After all, Jewish businessmen were known to be greedy people.


    "I''ll have to think about it," Kazir replied honestly.


    Terry Semel''s condition was not bad. At least it was much better than what the others were offering.


    "Then I guess my time here is up. Kazir Grey, I look forward to working with you."


    "I hope as well, Terry."


    The two shook hands and Terry Semel stood up.


    Together with Producer Enrico Pusi, Terry Semel left the studio.


    "Enrico, contact Kazirter. If the negotiations with Tom Rothman fail, you can offer him $3.5 million. That''s already my highest offer. If he asks for more, you can stop."


    "Yes, sir."


    Terry Semel got into the car and drove away.


    "Kazir Grey... Interesting."


    Another director of Jewish descent. Terry Semel was d to know him.


    "Kazir. To be honest, you piqued my interest and I saw your three films. They are terrible."


    Tom Rothman''s honest opinion made Kazir grin.


    "Thank you, Tom."


    "$2.3 million and 5% of the North American box office. However, you can only get the 3% if the film grosses over $50 million. 5% if it exceeds $100 million. What do you think? Are you confident about your movie?"


    Tom Rothman smiled and spread his arms. He wanted to see Kazir''s reaction.


    Just as he expected, Kazir had a grin on his face when he heard his offer.


    ''This man is insane. I don''t know where he gets his confidence from. Maybe he is just hallucinating.''


    "I agree." Without hesitation, Kazir nodded.


    Napoleon Dynamite had never grossed more than $50 million in its previous life. Now that he had changed the movie, Kazir decided to gamble. He felt stupid and excited at the same time.


    "Fine. But I have to be clear. We will only open about 12 theaters for Napoleon Dynamite in the first week. We need to test the market response before we expand the release of Napoleon Dynamite."


    "I understand."


    This was a normal thing. Kazir had expected it.


    "It''s good to work with you. I hope we will have a sessful cooperation."


    "Me too. Thank you, Tom."


    When the negation was over, Salvatore Barlowe sighed. He had thought that Kazir would fight for more.


    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 sry.


    The next day, Kazir''swyer, 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 arge 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 himst 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 theaterpanies 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 millionst 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 ount. He had talked to Kazir and he had finally epted the money.


    He could not believe that his half-a-million-dor 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 dors 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 hiswyer, Terrence Downey, to register a studiopany in Dware. This was one of the best ways to evade taxes, it ispletely legal.


    From then on, Kazir was president of a small studiopany. He called hispany "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.


    As expected, the crew of Se7en was also present.


    "To be honest, I''m not confident that this movie will have a good market response. I was really nervous."


    Brad Pitt was talking to David Fincher. They were both holding wine sses. Maybe they had a couple of sses because their faces were red.


    They wereughing. Their movie was sessful, so they were celebrating.


    "Kazir! You''re here atst!"


    David Fincher turned to find Kazir joining the party.


    This was a formal party. So there were no drugs, no naked women dancing, and no deafening music.


    "David..."


    Kazir''s mouth trembled. Hisst drinking session with David Fincher had been a disaster. If possible, he didn''t want to drink alcohol today.


    "Congrattions! I heard your movie came out yesterday. I wish you the best."


    "David, I think you need to drink some water to sober up a bit."


    "Hey, I''m still sober," David replied with a red face.


    "Yeah right."


    "Kazir, I want to thank you for rmending me. I heard that you''re the one who rmended me for the role of Detective Mills."


    Brad Pitt joined the conversation and shook Kazir''s hand.


    "Brad, you are a wonderful actor. I think you will have a great career."


    "I heard you''re also a director. If you have a suitable role for me, you can invite me."


    "Of course."


    Kazir knew that this sentence could be nothing more than a respectful answer, a courtesy. Maybe Brad Pitt didn''t take his own words seriously.


    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 ept the invitation. Unless Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, or Ridley Scott invited him, Brad Pitt would never ept 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 sessful. 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."


    Robertughed. 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 sessful. 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 sessful.


    He was afraid that his father would be disappointed in him. By the time Kazir got a call from the hospital, it was toote. 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 sce.


    The cashier was confused by his appearance, but decided to give him a ticket. Kazir randomly chose a movie to watch. He didn''t care what kind of movie it was. He just wanted to disappear.


    He realized he had chosen Napoleon Dynamite.


    He didn''t get the jokes in the movie. In his opinion, it was boring and the delivery of the jokes was awkward. In fact, he didn''t like the movie at all. It was a horrible disastrous movie...


    However, his eyes didn''t leave the screen.


    Minutes passed and he reached thest sequence of the movie. Napoleon started to dance, his eyes were shining.


    "..."


    Kazir noticed that tears began to roll down his cheeks. He sobbed as the ending credits rolled. He cried out loud. Fortunately, there were few people in the theater and no one was bothered.


    He almost killed himself. He wanted to kill himself.


    But for some unknown reason, Napoleon Dynamite gave him hope. Since then, Kazir bought the DVD of Napoleon Dynamite. He watched it whenever he was depressed. It was hisfort movie.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    October 14th, 1995


    It had been two days since Napoleon Dynamite had been released. Kazir had promised Reese that he would see the movie with her.


    Reese Witherspoon and Kazir Grey had a good rtionship these days. But neither of them wanted a serious rtionship. Reese wanted to focus on her dream while Kazir was afraid of love.


    The two had never seen Napoleon Dynamite because they were both busy thesest two days.


    Kazir settled his contract with his brother. He talked to hiswyer about his newly formed studiopany. On the second day, he attended the Se7en celebration party.


    As for Reese, she was taking acting lessons and working part-time in the catering business. She only received a small amount of $8 thousand for her role in Napoleon Dynamite.


    Well, she was notining.


    "You promised me I would get a bonus when Napoleon Dynamite was released."


    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 sessful."


    He replied, inviting her to his car. Everyone needs money, especially poor people who have trouble feeding themselves.


    "So what kind of sess? 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 dors."


    "So why are you still using this car?"


    "I''m still having trouble deciding between Honda and Toyota."


    "Hm, I hope Napoleon Dynamite is sessful."


    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 popcornedy, 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 willugh when you see this movie. It''s awkward yet quirky, I don''t know how to exin 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 Wace 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 himugh, 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 secondster, the audience startedughing at Napoleon and Kip. Theirbination was funny.


    [Napoleon had three rtives. 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 ident 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 themugh.


    [Napoleon met Deb and Pedro. Pedro let Napoleon use his bike, and unfortunately Napoleon crushed his balls.]


    "This is stupid... Pfft--"


    [His first meeting with Deb was funny. Especially when Deb showed Napoleon a picture of a model.]


    Reese giggled as she watched the scene. She didn''t expect it to be so entertaining. When they shot that scene, they kept their job serious.


    [At school, Napoleon struggles to fit in with his ssmates. However, he finds sce in his love of drawing... His drawing was ugly.]


    "Pfft--ha-ha! I can''t believe he got a girl to go to the prom with a drawing like that!"


    [As Napoleon and Pedro campaign for ss president. They face many obstacles, including Summer''s poprity.]


    [However, the duo manages to win over the student body. With Napoleon''s memorable dance routine].


    This scene was simple, yet the audience giggled. Perhaps there was something unique about Napoleon''s dance.


    [In the end, Pedro was elected as the school president. Napoleon got chance to show off his dance moves. And Kip decided to move to Detroit with his girlfriend LaFawnduh. Napoleon also got closer to Deb.]


    The movie ended and everyone pped.


    "Woohoo! Nice movie! Nice movie!"


    The theater was only about 40% full, but everyone enjoyed the movie.


    Billy and Wace left the theater in a good mood.


    "Hi, guys. I''m just here to ask you a few questions about Napoleon Dynamite. From the highest rating of A+ to the lowest of F, how would you rate this movie?"


    There were usually people who interviewed moviegoers after they had seen a movie. They were from the Cinemascore.


    "A!"


    "A+. I rmend everybody see it!"


    Billy and Wace rated it pretty high. They were entertained, so they rated it pretty high.


    "Thanks, guys."


    Ramon was an employee of Cinemascore and his job was to ask people their opinion about movies.


    This time he was asked to interview people about Napoleon Dynamite.


    ''600 questionnaires. 47 gave it a B grade and the rest were A''s and A+''


    The average was rated A.


    "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 ie, 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 ie 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 firstputer-animated movie was released. Toy Story changed the animation industry and caused a rapid evolution. Because of its sess, Pixar has be one of the most respected animationpanies 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 mmed 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 toe 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 mediocrepared to his writing talent.


    He was dead wrong. Napoleon Dynamite was still digging for more gold!


    "Sir..."


    Clent entered the office with a nervous look on his face. He already had an idea why Robert Shaye was looking for him. It had to do with Napoleon Dynamite.


    Clent was the manager who had seen Napoleon Dynamite. He offered Kazir $2.3 million for aplete copyright buyout of the movie.


    Unfortunately, Kazir decided to work with Fox Searchlight Pictures for a better deal.


    "Clent, looks like you know why you''re here."


    Robert Shaye was clearly angry. He red at the poor manager. In his opinion, Clent was an ipetent manager and had failed to buy Napoleon Dynamite.


    "I''m sorry, sir," Clent bowed his head with no choice.


    He had no choice but to ept the abuse.


    "Useless! Do you know how much damage it does to thepany?!"


    Robert Shaye roared. Maybe he called Clent just to me him. He continued to curse and yell at the manager.


    When Clent left the office, he was bitter and pale. These were the usual scenes in corporate workces.


    The little people were med, while those in positions were free to live their lives.


    "Did I make a mistake?"


    Like Robert Shaye, Warner Bros'' CEO Terry Semel frowned as he looked at the statistics.


    Napoleon Dynamite had only been in theaters for two months, and it was still going strong. Especially now, with the Christmas holidays approaching. Families usually choseedies and heartwarming movies.


    Napoleon Dynamite was rated PG-13, so families could watch it without a problem.


    Terry Semel rubbed his forehead.


    Warner Bros'' biggest investment this year was Batman Forever. It cost $100 million to make. It was released in June.


    Warner Bros thought this movie would be sessful. However, its worldwide box office was $336 million in December.


    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 screeny, it''s also aedy, 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 screenys.


    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 moviepanies'' main revenue came from the sale of videotapes. /Puji_maki

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39


    While the otherpanies 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 exnation 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 exin 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 audienceugh."


    "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 sess in North America, Fox Searchlight Pictures began to promote it heavily. Thepany 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 epted 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 filmpanies. 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 andughed 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.


    ording 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.


    "Filmpanies 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.


    "Actually, Kazir... I want you to meet someone."


    Aaron scratched his head. He did not know when Kazir would meet their father, so he decided to n this meeting.


    "..."


    Kazir didn''t know what to say when he saw his brother fidgeting.


    Aaron opened the door.


    "... Dad."


    "Kazir?"


    Victor Grey, Kazir''s father, was confused when he saw his youngest son. He hadn''t expected to see him tonight.


    "..."


    "..."


    The two men had an awkward first meeting after so many years. They didn''t know what to say to each other.


    Victor sighed and walked over to Kazir. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "I''m proud of you, son. Napoleon Dynamite is a masterpiece."


    Victor regretted not supporting his son. As a father, he should have been there for him. Maybe he was too immature at the time. He wanted Kazir to take over the family business and help his brother.


    But now Victor was happy as long as his sons were happy. They are his pride.


    In fact, he wanted to contact Kazir, but he was afraid. He didn''t know what would happen if he showed himself.


    But this meeting was once in a lifetime and Victor didn''t miss it.


    They are family.


    "Dad... I''m sorry..."


    Hearing this simple acknowledgment, Kazir burst into tears and hugged his father.


    He was usually a quiet man. He rarely cried, but Kazir was showing manly tears right now.


    Even Aaron cried the whole time.


    The whole family was reunited and their first night together was healing. Victor began to talk about business. Kazir and Aaron also talked about their lives.


    The next day Aaron proposed to his longtime girlfriend and she said yes. They celebrated to the point of being drunk.


    Even their Christmas was celebrated with alcohol. They were dead drunk on those days.


    After reconciling with his family, Kazir returned to Los Angeles in a good mood.


    [I want to thank my patrons for supporting my Pat reon:


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 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 d 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 ept 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 sessful 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 sessful in a row.


    His next project had a budget of 35 million dors. It might be bigpared 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 insurancepany 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%.


    Producer Enrico Pusi gritted his teeth as he exined these terms. In his opinion, it was outrageous.


    Kazir is no Spielberg or Cameron.


    However,pared to the benefits they would receive, this kind of contract was eptable.


    In fact, Kazir''s terms were much worse than that.


    "Enrico, regarding these conditions, you need to talk to my agent." Kazir grinned.


    "..."


    Enrico''s eyes twitched.


    ''Fucking greedy!''


    But he kept his smile. Their first negotiation had gone well. Both sides had a clear intention to cooperate.


    But Kazir had to leave the negotiation to Salvatore Barlowe. That was an agent''s job.


    His first hour in Los Angeles began with negotiations. But it seemed that the next few hours would be negotiations as well.


    At the entrance to 20th Century Fox headquarters, Kazir met Salvatore Barlowe and his attorney, Terrence Downey. If his intuition was right, the first negotiation of Napoleon Dynamite''s copyrights would also be thest.


    Surprisingly, the venue was the 20th Century Fox building. Instead of Fox Searchlight Pictures.


    ''Perhaps Tom Rothman wanted to attend the meeting. ''


    As he expected, Tom Rothman was also in the room.


    "Tom."


    "Kazir."


    The two shook hands firmly. Their first coboration had been sessful.


    But this was business, and they had to take it seriously. Everyone was fighting for money.


    "As of December 26, 1995. Napoleon Dynamite has grossed $120 million at the North American box office. I''ll be honest, it exceeded my expectations. I don''t regret working with you, but I hate that I didn''t buy all the copyrights. Hell, I even gave you a share of the box office... Kazir, state your terms. Unless they are unreasonable, Fox Searchlight Pictures will give it to you."


    Tom Rothman was the lead negotiator.


    "$30 million for all the copyrights to Napoleon Dynamite."


    "$20 million and we''ll get the sequel."


    "29 million."


    "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 epted 25 million dors. 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 alreadypleted 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 otherpanies. 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-rted 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 uing box office share. He has the right to receive 5% of the North American box office. As of now, Napoleon Dynamite has 120 million dors.


    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 aedy. The title of the movie was "The Hangover."


    He first gave the scripts to 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. These twopanies studied the script''s profitability. In the end, they agreed that the film had a good chance of sess.


    Warner Bros. first showed their interest by inviting Kazir to direct the film at a sry 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 ept 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.


    Apparently, Salvatore Barlowe wanted Kazir to have a share of the box office as well.


    The copyrights to Napoleon Dynamite were sold for $25 million. As Kazir''s agent, Salvatore Barlowe is entitled to a 3%mission.


    This was the real reason why agents were crazy to have superstar clients. They would never go hungry with them.


    Salvatore Barlowe was so happy that his gamble was a win!


    750 thousand dors! This amount was almost ten times his annual sry. Salvatore Barlowe could hardly sleep. Knowing that his bank ount was filled with money!


    "Salvatore, contact 20th Century Fox as well. I''ll go to an ounting firm and settle the money."


    "Don''t worry Kazir, it''s my job to make sure you get good terms. If Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox don''t agree to our terms, I will go to Universal Pictures and Paramount. They are harassing me these days."


    "Hm, I leave the negotiations to you."


    Kazir stood up.


    Kazir hired an ounting firm to handle his money and taxes. He thought hiring a personal ountant was a bad thing. He heard about what happened to Nichs Cage. The famous actor was cheated by his financial manager.


    ording to the contract, Aaron was entitled to half of Napoleon Dynamite''s earnings. This kind of use was bad for Kazir because he could not take all of the ie.


    But Kazir and Aaron were brothers. Thest people he wanted to betray were his family.


    Half of the $25 million was wired to Aaron''s bank ount. Kazir had already contacted his brother about the money. Aaronughed hysterically when he received the money.


    Let''s not forget the 5% of the North American box office.


    Kazir was already talking to Salvatore. He was going to urge Fox Searchlight Pictures to give the 5%.


    Kazir was confident that Fox Searchlight Pictures would not cheat him.


    ''If they tried to do that to me, I would never work with them again. Simple as that.''


    There were six giant moviepanies in Hollywood. He could also work with DreamWorks and MGM.


    ''I heard that Steven Spielberg founded DreamWorks with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen to break the monopoly of the big six.''


    Thepany was formedst year and didn''t have any projects at the time.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    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 sry 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 moviepanies.


    20+20 was known as $20 million sry plus 20% of the box office.


    This was the reason why Steven Spielberg earned more than $100 million after the sess 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 sry."


    "Wow, both of them are really trying to squeeze me." Heughed.


    [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 filmpanies under Walt Disney.


    Walt Disney in the 90s was very much run by Michael Eisner. The Disney family gradually lost its authority over thepany. Michael Eisner held the throne of thepany 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 n to start anotherpany. 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 toplete.


    ''Well, their position will change once they acquire Pixar from Steve Jobs.''


    Pixar was the leader in theputer 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 dors. Many moviepanies were drooling over these numbers.


    In fact, manypanies 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 thesepanies after meeting their CEOs.


    ''Unfortunately, they didn''t show enough sincerity.''


    "Well, if they change their terms, maybe I can think about it."


    Kazir has the upper hand in this situation. Suddenly, his phone rang and he chuckled when he saw the caller''s name.


    "Reese? Oh, so you guys areing back tomorrow? Got any souvenirs from Australia?"


    The cast of Napoleon Dynamite signed a contract to promote the movie in various countries.


    Reese and the other actors went to different countries, they were tired but excited.


    "Okay, I''ll meet you at the airport tomorrow."


    He smiled.


    After meeting Salvatore, Kazir went to the theater to watch a movie.


    As a director, it was not bad to learn more shooting styles.


    As for his choice, he decided on Jumanji.


    "A great movie. Although the cost is quite high."


    The budget of Jumanji was 65 million dors. He took a step into the theater and spent almost two hours of his day watching the movie.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    Ed Helms was still an unknown actor. He was 21 years old and didn''t have much in life. He wanted to be an actor.


    But with his looks, he knew it would be hard to be a superstar.


    "Napoleon! Napoleon!"


    When he walked into a TV show, the audience was chanting his name. It was amazing, he felt he had made it.


    But he knew that this ''break'' would be useless if he didn''t star in another movie.


    Kazir cast him as Napoleon Dynamite. And Kazir wanted to invite him to do another movie.


    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 andughed 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 rmend 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 thest 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 firstputer 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 dors, to be the top 13 on the list. Unfortunately for Braveheart, it started to lose its edge after a few months. The movie was about Scond and most people didn''t know about William Wace.


    Although Braveheart could regain its poprity if it won an Oscar.


    As for Napoleon Dynamite. Because of its genre,edy, 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 be sessful 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! Exin to me why Kazir Grey left ourpany! You fucking retard, you let a talented director like him leave WMA! What is wrong with you?"


    Everyone would be angry.


    Kazir''s two movies made more than $500 million at the box officebined! In just one year! Of course, Vice President Lawlor Dean was furious.


    "..."


    Carl Morin kept his mouth shut. He just lowered his head and let the Vice President yell at him.


    "Tell me! Tell me!!"


    "S- Sir. You said Kazir didn''t deserve William Morris because he spilled water on your suit."


    Left with no choice, Carl Morin answered the question.


    "Hah!? So you''re putting the me on me!? Are you crazy!? Answer me!"


    "No, sir."


    He gritted his teeth.


    "This bastard... Directors are important."


    Vice President Lawlor Dean sat down with a scowl on his face. Whenever he looked at the newspaper, his face crumpled because of the good news about Se7en and Napoleon Dynamite. He felt as if he had lost a diamond.


    To make matters worse, Kazir Grey became a client of CAA! Their rival!


    WMA and CAA have a lot of friction with each other. Especially now that CAA is getting stronger.


    "I don''t care what you do, I want Kazir Grey toe back to WMA as soon as possible. Give him a suitable contract, something that will entice him to jump to another agency."


    "Yes sir."


    Carl Morin walked out of the office with a dark face.


    He was confused as well. He hadn''t expected that Kazir actually had a talent for filmingedy.


    ''Had I known, I would have forced him to doedy instead.''


    Like Vice President Lawlor Dean, Carl Morin also regretted it.


    If he had known that Kazir Grey would be sessful, he would have hugged his legs tightly.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t know the future. Otherwise he would be a great agent with a talented director under him.


    Carl Morin sighed and thought of a n to convince Kazir to change agencies.


    Anyone would kneel in front of money. Especially agents, these people have thick faces.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    "Congrattions Kazir!"


    "David!"


    "Cheers!"


    David Fincher and Kazir clicked their wine sses andughed. They were both sessful directors now!


    They were being contacted by moviepanies here and there.


    "David, I thought 20th Century Fox had emunicated you?"


    They got invited by 20th Century Fox. Napoleon Dynamite was a huge sess 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 Dous.


    "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 be famous and a superstar who has a billion-dor 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 bacsh 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-dor movie. It''s definitely the tyrant director James Cameron.''


    Hisst 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 screenys. He wanted to do something big.


    Thest week of January.


    Unlike thest time, when Kazir used a clunky typewriter to write his scripts, this time he used aptop. He has the money to buy gadgets.


    In fact, he decided to change his apartment. He now lived in a hotel near his studiopany(Grey Pictures). Of course, he was only renting the apartment for a year.


    Hisst apartment was too dangerous for him.


    He earned more than 12 million dors this year. Although he knew that taxes woulde for him.


    More than 30% of that amount would be eaten up by the government...


    "Salvatore, how was it?"


    Kazir heard his phone ring and answered it.


    "Kazir, Paramount wants to work with you. $5 million sry, but they want to talk to you about the box office share."


    "I understand. Set up a meeting tomorrow."


    "Okay."


    He ended the call.


    "Hm... Taken, John Wick, and Fast and the Furious."


    Those movies had small investments. Each one cost no more than $50 million to make.


    "If the moviepanies didn''t want to support me in starting action movies, then I would..."


    He closed his mouth.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    The next day came without a problem. Kazir and his agent, Salvatore Barlowe, walked into the Paramount Pictures'' headquarters.


    Paramount Pictures had Transformers and Mission: Impossible franchises. Although Tom Cruise had authority over the copyright of the Mission: Impossible.


    In terms of strength, Paramount was the second weakest of the Big Six. Right next to Sony-Columbia.


    Everyone knows that Sony-Columbia is the weakest of the Big Six. With only Spiderman as a profitable franchise.


    "Kazir Grey. Haha, I can''t believe I''m going to meet someone with the samest name as me!"


    The person in front of Kazir was the CEO of Paramount Pictures.


    His name is Brad Grey.


    "I heard that your father is actually my third cousin, I guess we are rted."


    "Indeed."


    Kazir kept his smile... He didn''t know that. He just found out today. Besides, the rtionship 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 filmpanies had broken down.


    "If I give you an $8 million sry, 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 toote 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 avable on Patreon. I just have to say it].

 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45


    [Kudos to Vasyl ?, 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 moviepanies 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 sess.


    "...Enrico, check the otherpanies. Our offer will be $5 million sry 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 sess. As one of the producers under Warner Bros, he wanted to take over the project.


    If the movie was sessful, his position would be better. He could be 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 threepanies. He knew they would do well in the 1990s.


    As for Google and Yahoo, these twopanies were unknown this year. Yahoo had just been foundedst year, while Google would be founded in 1998.


    Even though Kazir knew the future of thesepanies, he didn''t want to interfere in their management or be a shareholder. His passion was making movies.


    He didn''t know how thesepanies ran their businesses, so he was just going to invest.


    He believed that his $5 million would multiply before the new century.


    "Kazir, I have now contacted the other giants and they are interested in your movie. This is the list."


    Kazir had just rented a floor in the building a few blocks from his apartment. So far, Grey Pictures has 10 employees.


    Kazir hired his crew. Unfortunately, some of them were not confident in his future, so they were in a wait-and-see mode.


    Kazir already gave the crew a bonus, so they left without a problem.


    "Let''s see..."


    Kazir read the conditions one by one.


    Universal: $6 million


    Sony Columbia: $8 million


    Touchstone (Walt Disney): $7 million.


    Paramount: $5 million + 5% North American box office share


    20th Century Fox: $5 million + 5% North American box office


    Warner Bros: $5 million + 10% North American box office


    Kazir smiled. His n worked. At least he saw apany that was serious about working with him.


    "Salvatore, what are Warner Bros'' conditions?"


    "They are hoping that you can release the movie in the summer schedule. The movie must gross over $100 million at the North American box office before you can get your 10% share."


    "... Contact them. Tell them I want to work with them."


    Kazir didn''t want to wait any longer. Just like Warner Bros, he wanted to finish filming quickly and release the movie before the end of the summer.


    So Kazir Grey and Warner Bros began their first coboration.


    Kazir signed the contract and the project officially began.


    Warner Bros bought his script for $300 thousand and his sry as a director was $5 million.


    He received the $300 thousand and $2.5 million first. To get the other half of his sry, he had to finish shooting.


    "I hope we will have good cooperation, Kazir."


    "I will do my best to make the movie a sess."


    "I''m d 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 wasmon 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 shing 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 tforms. 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 rtionship. The two actors were serious about their work.


    The second thing is money. The sry for each of them will never exceed 2 million dors. 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 dors. But more than that could be a problem. I hope his agent understands that.''


    Usually it is the agents who negotiate with the moviepanies. Actors would never show their faces before everything is settled.


    The third reason for inviting them was that both of them would have sessful 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."


    "d to hear it."


    Enrico Pusi and Kazir Grey shook hands.


    Their first meeting was indeed memorable. Because Enrico Pusi was the one who epted 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 sessful 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 ofst 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 dors! This amount was enough to say that the movie was sessful.


    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 dors... 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 dors a year. Jerry Bruckheimer, Jeffrey Katzenberg and George Lucas were famous/rich producers.


    "Now, let''s start our audition."


    The two smiled. They acted like brothers.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    "I''ll take the role, I''ll take the role..."


    A fat man kept talking to himself in front of the mirror. Maybe he wanted to convinc himself.


    The person in front of the mirror was Jack ck.


    He was 27 years old this year. He started his career as an actor in 1992 in a movie called Bon Roberts... He was not famous.


    He had a role in Demolition Man with Wesley Snipes and Sylvester Stallone. It was a small role.


    He also had a part in Dead Man Walking. But it was a small part again.


    He also had a part in Waterworld... But his scenes were cut so nobody knew about it.


    Three days ago, his agent told him that a new project invited him to audition. It was The Hangover.


    Jack ck left the bathroom and sat down in the waiting area outside the audition room. He saw a lot of actors sitting everywhere.


    Every one of them was an enemy. They were ready to tear each other''s faces off to get the role...


    Unlike the other famous actors, Jack ck didn''t have a full copy of the script. He only has half. However, he was able to see that his role was an important part of the movie.


    He was lucky enough to make it to the final round of auditions. Auditions usually have three rounds.


    The first was to see if the actor/actress matched the look of the character.


    The second was to check their acting talent.


    Thest was when the producer and director would attend the audition to hire the best ones.


    Obviously, Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal, who has a connection with director Grey, easily passed the two rounds.


    If ck Jack got the part, his path to stardom would be clearer. He looked around and saw Ed Helms reading the script.


    Because of the sess of Napoleon Dynamite, the unknown actor became one of the known actors in Hollywood.


    In one movie, Ed Helms'' career became so bright.


    "Next, number 13, Jack ck."


    "Yes! That''s me!"


    Jack ck walked into the room and found a camera.


    "Good morning, Mr. Jack ck."


    "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 n 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 ck 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 identally 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 ck''s audition to reviewter. That was why there was always a camera in the audition room.


    "Thank you, Mr. Jack ck. You can go now."


    "Thank you, director."


    Jack ck 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 ck left the audition room, Kazir gave his verdict.


    "Well, of all the actors who auditioned for n''s role, ck 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 Nn 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 audienceugh.


    As long as the audienceughs, the movie is half sessful.


    ''You just have to make that half sessful 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 sry. 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 sess 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.


    To be honest, he didn''t know why he was invited. He had only a few interactions with the famous actor. In fact, he was not even sure if Tom Cruise remembered him. After all, Kazir was just a crew helper at the time.


    The audition was officially over and the crew had the list of actors they wanted to hire. Of course, they also have recement actors.


    For example, if Ed Helms didn''t agree to the sry and turned the role down, producer Enrico Pusi and director Kazir Grey could hire their second choice instead.


    After all, there is no such thing as irreceable in Hollywood.


    People say that Robert Downey Jr. is the only Iron Man. But everyone knows that the reason he became Iron Man was because Tom Cruise turned the role down. So basically, the first choice for the role of Tony Stark was none other than Tom Cruise.


    "No one else is calling?"


    Jack ck leaned back in his chair holding a bottle of beer. He had just finished his audition and decided to have a drink after a hard day.


    The audition has so many actors. It was a very stressful moment, especially for an unknown actor like him.


    "No, there''s no call..."


    His agent was sitting next to him. They were both nervous. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.


    Jack ck had been personally invited to the audition. So they believed his chances of getting the part were high.


    His part was one of the three main characters! Of course he was nervous.


    That was why they were drinking, to relieve their nervousness. Because the stress is killing them right now.


    Suddenly, the agent''s phone rang.


    They both jumped in surprise. The agent answered the phone and kept saying "yes, yes, yes".


    Jack ck listened next to him.


    When the call ended, they paused and looked at each other.


    "... You can have the part, but they can only offer you 25 thousand dors."


    "We both know the answer."


    Fuck the sry.


    What they need is the opportunity.


    Besides, they didn''t have the ability to negotiate the sry.


    If the agent tried to negotiate, the producer would probably choose another actor with a lower sry. It was that simple.


    "Don''t worry, I already said that you agree. You can''t refuse it now."


    "As if I would turn it down."


    "We''ll go to Warner Bros tomorrow and sign the contract."


    The two startedughing and ordered two more bottles of alcohol.


    Like Jack ck, 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 sry, 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 sessful director. Congrattions 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 be 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 d 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 sess 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 be 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 dreame 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 herpatriots 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."


    Heughed 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 be a director, Mel Gibson wanted to hear Kazir''s opinion.


    "Hello, Kazir Grey."


    "Good evening, Mr. Gibson."


    "No, just call me Mel."


    Mel Gibson has a slight Australian ent when he speaks. Perhaps the alcohol has awakened his mother''s tongue.


    "Kazir, congrattions on the sess of Napoleon Dynamite."


    "Thank you. It''s an honor to be recognized by someone like you."


    As an unknown director, Kazir was happy that the famous Mel Gibson knew him.


    In fact, Mel Gibson was surprised by his reaction. He thought Kazir was going to be arrogant.


    Suddenly he felt sorry for himself. He talked to the man for a few minutes before leaving.


    "How was it?"


    Russell asked curiously. As an actor, having a good rtionship with directors was the best thing.


    "Modest..."


    "Hm?"


    "He''s too humble."


    How can hesh out at a person who keeps saying he is a fan?


    Kazir began to list all the movies Mel Gibson had starred in. It was impossible to be angry in front of a man like Kazir.


    "I see. Then he''s not so bad."


    "..."


    Mel Gibson didn''t answer. He was still bitter that his movie was much worse than aedy.


    His only chance was the Oscar.


    That was one of the reasons why he came to this party. To make connections and ask people to vote for his movie.


    Kazir also said that Mel Gibson would win the Best Director Oscar. While Braveheart would win Best Picture!


    This sentencepletely changed his opinion about the guy.


    Ashamed of himself, Mel Gibson excused himself and left with a blushing face.


    How could he hate someone like that? Probably never.


    While Kazir enjoyed his champagne, the others looked at him.


    "Nicole, you mean this guy is the director of Napoleon Dynamite?"


    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, Ie from a broken family. Raised by my father."


    Kazir didn''t know where to start, so he decided to talk about his family. He realizedter 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 rtionship with a sessful 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 ring daggers at Naomi Watts, but the woman didn''t care.


    This is Hollywood. Thepetition 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 nothingpared 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 seed 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 be 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 Mulhond Drive. Then she starred in King Kong as the muse of the giant gori.''


    Her beauty is impable... 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.


    She thought the man would ask her to leave the party and take her somewhere quiet. Like a hotel or his house.


    But Kazir took her to the garden instead. She was disappointed. Especially since she liked the man.


    Kazir is handsome and fit. He looks like an action star with a stature of more than 6 feet tall.


    The reason Kazir didn''t invite Naomi to a quiet ce was simple. He knew what was going on.


    He likes Naomi Watts. Kazir didn''t have a problem with her. But he was recently divorced and didn''t want to get involved with a lot of women.


    He also respects Reese Witherspoon. He didn''t want to do something behind her back, even though their rtionship was tonic.


    Mind over dick.


    The garden was well lit. There were people in the garden, but it was not crowded, unlike the ballroom.


    Kazir Grey and Naomi Watts were having a nice conversation. The man is witty and he knows how to entertain a man.


    ''When he talks about filmmaking, he looks like a child excited to share his hobby.''


    She found him childlike and she liked it.


    "You''re a funny man, Kazir."


    "Is that so?"


    She smiled and twirled her wine ss.


    "So, Kazir... I hear you''re starting a project. Do you have a suitable role for me?"


    "I''m sorry Naomi, we already have a list of actresses who passed the audition. My movie only has small scenes with women. It''s not worthy of a beautiful woman like you."


    "..."


    She didn''t know what to say. Praised and rejected at the same time, she felt something strange in her heart.


    Suddenly she wondered what Kazir''s face would be like if she seduced him into the bedroom. She licked her lips at the thought.


    Unfortunately, their interaction ended when a person interrupted them.


    "Kazir, I am so happy to meet you!"


    A man with short brown hair entered their sight. The man was smiling, and he seemed to be a close friend of Kazir''s.


    "Congrattions, Se7en and Napoleon Dynamite are a big hit!"


    "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 identally dropped a tiny amount of water on the Vice President''s suit. He actually apologized, but the end was expected. He was cklisted 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 filmpanies 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 hisst card.


    "7%mission! As long as you signed a contract with me, I promise you that mymission will only be 7%!"


    "What about breach of contract?"


    "WMA will cover any damages."


    "Looks like you nned this seriously." Kazir touched his chin.


    "Of course. Can''t you see the sincerity of the WMA? Kazir, we want you back. Don''t forget your promise to be one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood!"


    Kazir didn''t forget his promise. In fact, he did his best to make this dreame true.


    Unfortunately, Kazir was not interested in signing a contract with Carl Morin. Especially after what he had done to him.


    "I''m sorry Carl, I''m not changing my agency. Even though my time at CAA is short, CAA has been so good to me."


    "That... 5 percent! Kazir, I think you will be tempted by that kind of deal! 5%mission. That''s the lowest I can offer you."


    Carl Morin felt like he was bleeding inside as he spoke. 5%mission was a very good deal. He was basically cutting off his livelihood.


    He stared at Kazir, hoping for a positive reaction.


    Unfortunately, Kazir didn''t react. He just stared at Carl Morin without any emotion.


    "Sorry, Carl, Salvatore Barlowe offered 3%mission. I don''t think you can do that."


    "What?"


    Carl Morin was stunned.


    ''3%mission? How can an agent do that? Salvatore Barlowe thinks Kazir Grey is worth that condition? This is insanity!''


    The sweaty agent cursed. He could not believe that an agent would offer something so great.


    He would understand if Salvatore was trying to lure Steven Spielberg or James Cameron. But Kazir Grey was just a lucky director. He had no substantial power to prove that he was worth a 3%mission.


    "...I understand," Carl Morin felt as if his mrs were bleeding.


    He clenched his fists and said...


    "3%mission! If Salvatore Barlowe can do it, so can I!"


    He roared and the other guests looked at him.


    "Sorry Carl, I trust Salvatore more than you."


    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 red at Kazir. He felt like he was being yed. 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 be 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 rtionship with Cassandra. But it seemed that Kazir already knew.


    He had been yed 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 insurancepany was. As much as possible, they would do their best to keep the production costs within the quota.


    Sometimes directors hate insurancepanies because they stifle their creativity.


    Perhaps one of the directors the insurancepany 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 clearmunication. 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 othermercial 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'' sry."


    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.''


    It was not a bad intention. Everyone has his own motives.


    ''At least he thinks The Hangover will be sessful.''


    "I don''t understand why they do that. Everybody knows Ed Helms is not that famous. Why are they asking for the impossible?"


    So far, only Napoleon Dynamite has been Ed Helms'' biggest role. In fact, most of the sess came from Kazir, who directed the movie. He had a good vision of what he wanted to make.


    Kazir just listened. He didn''t bother to exin why this situation happened.


    ''It''s probably because I rejected the "sincerity" of the WMA. That didn''t sit well with them, so they''re trying to kick me in another way.''


    However, both sides understood that this was not the right thing to do.


    Kazir was able to find another actor to y Stu. He didn''t have to be so attached to Ed Helms.


    WMA also understood it. If they tried to y tough, Ed Helms would lose this project. If things got worse, Ed Helms might jump to another agency. Because WMA kept messing with his decision.


    "Enrico, I suggest you tell them that Ed Helms is not our first choice. We have a lot of actors to choose from."


    "But I thought you wanted to hire Ed Helms?"


    "Let''s not kid ourselves. Yes, I want him to work with me again. But I put the project ahead of him. I think WMA and Ed Helms understand that, too."


    Kazir said while drawing the scene where Mike Tyson hits n.


    ''Speaking of Mike Tyson, the legendary boxer was released from prisonst year. ''


    Mike Tyson is a different animal after his time in jail.


    If there''s one person who can kill a person with one punch, it''s probably Mike Tyson.


    Fortunately, Enrico Pusi convinced Mike Tyson to make a cameo in the movie.


    Enrico told them that they could use the movie to promote Mike Tyson''s fight against Bruce Seldon.


    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 rmend 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 pervasivenguage 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 rtionship with Kazir had been good, and he wanted to keep it that way. He believed this would not be thest time he worked with Kazir.


    He sighed and left the room after telling him his problem with Ed Helms'' sry.


    "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 cement 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 moviepanies 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 moviepany for the next three decades. They used this advantage to take over theirpetitors.


    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 aedy. 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 aplicated 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 sry."


    John and Enrico negotiated the sry down to 3 million dors. 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 dors 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 sry. After all, 10% of that amount would be hismission.


    "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.


    Still, it was an order from the top. He had to carry it out.


    ''Of course I want Ed to be in the cast. But I''m looking for more money. That''s my duty as an agent.''


    He was not wrong... Agents are known in the industry as leeches. They will demand a higher sry, which will also increase the production cost.


    In fact, the main reason for the increase in production costs was the actors'' sries.


    While agent John Harris and producer Enrico Pusi were engaged in a tug of war, Salvatore Barlowe went to Kazir''s office.


    Since Kazir had started a studiopany that was currently shooting The Hangover, Kazir spent most of his time in the office polishing the script and storyboard.


    He didn''t even go back to his apartment that week. He slept and ate at his office. It was almost as if his office was his bedroom.


    When Salvatore entered the office, he was surprised to find so much rubbish on the floor.


    ''Dozens of sketches and many cup noddles... This is a terrible scene. ''


    ''I know that some creative people are like this, but it''s still a sight to see,'' Salvatore thought.


    He found Kazir tapping away at his keyboard.


    "How was it?"


    "I got it."


    "Phew, that''s good to hear. I thought it would take a while."


    "Well, n Shayne Productions wanted to sell it for $3 million, so I didn''t hesitate. You said that this copyright is important."


    Salvatore Barlowe ced the documents on the table.


    Kazir read only a few words


    "Bourne Identity."


    After realizing that Tom Cruise had bought the film version of Mission: Impossible, Kazir decided to buy the Bourne franchise before it was toote.


    ''No one thinks this movie is going to be a huge sess.''


    "Kazir, I can''t think of any reason why you would want to buy the rights to adapt this novel. A 3 million dors at that. Do you want to make an action movie?"


    n 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 andics 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 hisfort zone.


    Shooting aedy and an action movie is very different. An action film is much moreplicated.


    "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 heined.


    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'' sry was $1.7 million. It was arge amount, to be honest. A person who can make more than $1 million a year is considered part of the 10%.


    That''s right.


    ording to a YouGov survey from January 2022, America believe that ten percent of households in their country have an annual ie of more than $1 million. That''s the privileged ss.


    Ed Helms breathed a sigh of relief when his agent told him he got the part. Plus, his sry 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 sry. 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 ck belt Taekwondo practitioner."


    "Impressive."


    Kazir didn''t know what fifth dan meant. But he knew that ck Belt in Taekwondo was a high level.


    Judging by Hae-Won Park''s movement, the man clearly knew what he was doing.


    "Salvatore, have you ever talked to Hae-Won Park about changing his screen name?"


    "We''re actually thinking about it, but we''re still having troubleing up with a name."


    "How about Enzo?"


    To be honest, he wanted to suggest the name Bruce because Hae-Won Park reminded him of that certain legendary person.


    "Enzo? I''ll talk about himter regarding your suggestion."


    The reason they watched Hae-Won Park do stunts was because there was a scene in The Hangover where a naked Asian man got out of the trunk of a car and beat up the three protagonists.


    That''s right, the Asian gang boss was Hae-Won Park. That''s his role in the movie.


    That role was actually meant to be a gag, but he changed the script because Salvatore asked him to invite Hae-Won Park in his movie.


    So now the role of the Asian gang boss became badass. Especially when Hae-Won Park has beautiful features of Asian people.


    Since the script said that the gang boss would beat the three protagonists, Hae-Won Park wanted to show Kazir that he knew a lot about action stunts. Hae-Won Park''s older brother was a stunt director in Hong Kong.


    "Tell him to stop, I''ve seen enough."


    "Okay."


    Salvatore Barlowe walked up to Hae-Won Park. The Korean actor walked over to Kazir and greeted him.


    "Director Grey."


    "I''m entrusting you with the action scene. Keep your body healthy, I don''t want anything bad to happen."


    "I understand."


    Being Korean, Park Hae-Won knew his disadvantage in Hollywood. He could not get a good role because of his nationality.


    And although people might shrug it off, Asians were actually discriminated against in this ce.


    One time, when Hae-Won tried to audition for a role as an extra, the producer yelled at him and kicked him out of the crew. The producer kept saying that the Japanese were not allowed after what they did in World War II.


    Park Hae-Won tried to exin 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 sry was very small, 25 thousand dors, 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 rmend 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 thest movie signed a contract with me. I rmend 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 yer.


    "Director Grey."


    A young ck 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 Copp. 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 yer 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 sessful director, Fremont Smith needed experience. The best ce 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.


    Just as Kazir expected, the movie was about a person who kills people...


    The plot was simple, the shots were simple, and even the dialog was too monotonous.


    One thing was for sure. It was too bloody. Red blood here, red blood there, red blood everywhere.


    But he respected the fact that Fremont sessfully finished a movie. As long as the movie waspleted, it was a good movie.


    He knew so many movie projects that were stopped before they were finished.


    "It''s good."


    "This is our school project before we graduate. All the actors are my ssmates."


    "That exins their acting."


    "So what do you think?" Salvatore joined in.


    "I have no problem hiring him as my assistant director, but I have onest question."


    Kazir looked at Fremont Smith.


    "Director Grey, I will answer your question as best I can."


    Fremont nodded.


    "Fremont, how do you feel about action movies?"


    "Action movies? I think action movies are man''s romance."


    "You''re hired."


    "T- Thank you, Director Grey!"


    Kazir held out his hand and Fremont shook it.


    "Salvatore, contact producer Enrico Pusiter. Tell him to sign a contract with Fremont as my assistant director."


    "I understand... But I''m just wondering, why did you ask Fremont about action movies?"


    Kazir just chuckled.


    "I want to know Fremont''s opinion about action movies. Simple as that."


    "And you like his answer?"


    "That''s right."


    Kazir wanted to know if Fremont was interested in making action movies.


    Kazir was already preparing his n to make an action movie if all went well.


    If his Continental Cinematic Universe became sessful, Kazir would need a partner to help him make the franchise.


    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 popr.


    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


    n: Jack ck


    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 Pce, 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 rtionship but Kazir answered it well.


    "As long as it''s not rted to The Hangover, I will not answer it."


    "Director Grey, is it true that Ed Helms tried to ask for a sry of 5 million dors."


    "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 sessful movie. So filmpanies would invest so much money just to advertise their movies. As long as the movie was worth it,panies would invest in publicity.


    The best example might be thest 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 be like Superman or Batman.''


    With the invention of VCR and VHS yer, 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 Nn, Batman might be forever stayed in their film libraries.''


    The press conference ended and the reporters dispersed.


    Kazir and the crew started their shooting.


    "Scene 36: The Elevator. Lights, Camera, Action."


    The one who was holding the pperboard was Fremont Smith.


    -------


    With the four actors inside the elevator(three adult men and a baby), the camera started rolling.


    "... Why can''t we remember a Goddamn thingst night."


    Stu(Ed Helms) said while putting a towel on his mouth. He was confused about why he was missing a tooth.


    "Because, obviously we had a great fucking time."


    Phil(Bradley Cooper) replied, leaning against the wall.


    "Why don''t you stop worrying for just one minute?" Phil slightly raised his voice.


    "I don''t Phil, maybe because I''m missing a tooth. Or maybe, it''s because we have a tiger in our hotel room. Oh, wait, wait, wait, I know! Maybe because we found a baby in our room! A human baby! That''s it. That''s it. It''s because we found a fucking baby!"


    "I don''t think you should curse around the child."


    n(Jack ck) faced Stu. n was wearing a baby carrier and the child was on his chest.


    "Really? I don''t think you should be around a child."


    The elevator opened.


    ------


    "Cut! Ten minutes rest. Let''s reshoot this scene. Jane, call your team and retouched their makeup."


    "Okay."


    Kazir could say that the first scene was good.


    "How''s the baby?"


    "He''s cute... Although I felt like he peed on me."


    Jack ck bitterly smiled as he sat down. That''s right, the baby that he was holding was a real baby.


    For a close-up scene, it was impossible to use a prop(fake baby).


    "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 thetter."


    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 ck were part of the neers. They didn''t have any idea of how Kazir used his position.


    Was he a tyrant? A pacifist? Or a silent madman?


    Because Jack ck 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 rted 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 sessful. 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 sessful...


    "How''s the script for Napoleon Dynamite II?"


    The sess 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 wouldst 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 dors.''


    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 ount.


    "The creation of the script is halfway done."


    After Kazir sold the copyrights of Napoleon Dynamite to Fox Searchlight Pictures, thepany sent two writers to oversee the creation of the script.


    Kazir already gave the general plot of the movie and he let the writers turn it into aplete script.


    Of course, Kazir attended the script writing to make sure that the script would turn out great. Napoleon Dynamite had a very important part in his heart.


    "That''s good to hear... Since Ed Helms is still filming the movie, don''t contact him about the sequel of Napoleon Dynamite for now. No, I advise you to wait for The Hangover''s release week before contacting them."


    Ed Helms'' sry in Napoleon Dynamite was very small.


    But his sry in The Hangover was a whopping $1.7 million.


    For a small-time actor to a millionaire actor. That was the effect of starring in a sessful movie.


    ''As a businessman, I don''t want to give Ed Helms more than a million. If The Hangover flops, then Ed Helms'' sry would naturally decrease, and so is Kazir''s.''


    That was one of the reasons why Tom Rothman hoped that The Hangover would be a disaster.


    ''I can invite Kazir to direct Napoleon Dynamite II once that happened.''


    Everything depends on the result of The Hangover.


    If The Hangover turned well, then Fox Searchlight Pictures had to adjust its budget for Napoleon Dynamite II.


    But if The Hangover turned bad, then Fox Searchlight Pictures would squeeze Kazir and Ed for all their worth.


    "Hm, keep your eyes on The Hangover. Make sure to contact Kazir regarding Napoleon Dynamite II... And settle the ount. We don''t want Kazir to be angry at us."


    Unlike the actors, Kazir''s position as a director was far heavy. As long as he had strong profitability, 20th Century Fox would cooperate with him.


    "Yes sir."


    Tom Rothman was left alone in his office. He was actually having migraine these days because of a certain project.


    "Damn that James Cameron, I can''t believe that he is asking for something outrageous! He wants to make a real ship!"


    The investors in James Cameron''s project were 20th Century Fox and Paramount. The two filmpanies were currently gritting their teeth because of James Cameron''s wasteful idea.


    However, Tom Rothman couldn''t deny that James Cameron was a talented director.


    Three of his movies were distributed by 20th Century Fox and they were all sessful.


    Aliens.


    The Abyss.


    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 wholesomeedies, not vulgar ones."


    Tom Rothman sighed. His job as a CEO of a filmpany was exhausting. But the rewards were satisfying as well.


    His boss, Rupert Murdoch, contacted him and gave him rewards after the sess of Napoleon Dynamite.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    "What do you mean that I can''t get money from Kazir? I''m his wife!"


    Cassandra red at herwyer 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."


    Herwyer 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 be a sessful 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 mmed 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 bing a famous actress.


    With her beautiful appearance, she believed that achieving her dream was extremely possible.


    But when she entered Hollywood, her dreamspletely 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 rtionship from blossoming.


    Then, they decided to marry. At that time, she really loved him.


    But time passed and Kazir started to be 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 productionpany 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 bnce."


    Cassandra looked at herwyer. Hoping that thewyer could answer her problem.


    "Of course," thewyer nodded.


    He knew how to get money from Kazir. However, he was not sure if the oue would be good for Cassandra and him.


    "... We can contact the other filmpanies. Maybe some of them are interested to listen to your story."


    Money. As long as money is rted, people would throw their humanity to acquire it.


    All wrongdoing can be traced to an excessive attachment to material wealth. So yeah, perhaps money is the root of evil. Or was it greed?


    "Thank you,wyer... I promise to reward you for hard work."


    Cassandra yfully lowered her chest to show her cleavage.


    ''Fufu. As expected, I can get what I want as long as I use my beauty. It''s really good to be born pretty.''


    ......


    ...


    ...


    Children''s Association.


    The purpose of this association was the protect the rights of children under the legal age.


    In Hollywood, underage actors had a history of being maltreated. Perhaps the best example was Macay Culkin, a famous child star from Home Alone. Macay Culkin''s parents squeezed all of the penny from him. His father was abusive and forced him to take many roles without respect for his mental health. When he turned adult, he became depressed and almost killed himself.


    ''I''m asking... Where''s the Children Association at that time?''


    Kazir massaged his forehead.


    It was the third day of the filming. So far, he had filmed five scenes. All of the scenes were rted to the baby.


    ''The reason why we can''t film so many scenes is because of the Children''s Association... That''s right, someone called the Children Association.''


    To be honest, Kazir understood the reason why the Children Association visited his crew. As long as an underage actor would join a project, the Children''s Association would try its best to respond by sending some of its members.


    Children''s Association was a nonprofit organization so thepany could not prevent them from doing what they wanted.


    ''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 sses 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 smokeing out of the machine! I want this thing out of the crew. It''s bad for the kid."


    Kazir nced at Producer Enrico Pusi. The Producer sighed and nodded his head. It was tiring to exin 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 rtionship with Kazir.


    "I think it''s going to be okay. You just need to calm down."


    Reese smiled and ced 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 onest scene with the baby tomorrow. Once everything was over, Kazir could pick up the pace.


    "Rx. 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 calcting 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 rx. 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?"


    Reese leaned closer and let Kazir feel her breasts.


    "Okay." Kazir grinned.


    He had already forgotten about the problem after having a good time with Reese. Unfortunately, they didn''t go out that night.


    They decided to postpone their visit to a casino. They spent the night having "fun".


    Early in the morning, Kazir started work. The crew prepared the car that the three protagonists would use.


    Producer Enrico Pusi appeared and approached Kazir.


    "I got the information from Warner Bros. Apparently Paramount, Orion and Miramax are trying to sabotage our movie. They have movies they want to release this summer."


    "But we still don''t have a confirmed release date? Why are they trying so hard to sabotage us?"


    "I don''t know. In fact, even New Line Cinema wanted to cause a problem. But Terry Semel warned Robert Shaye not to mess around."


    "..."


    Kazir touched his chin.


    ''Those threepanies tried to buy Napoleon Dynamite from me, but they failed...''


    To be fair, Kazir knew this was going to happen one way or another. This was apetition after all.


    "I understand."


    After hearing this information, Kazir stepped away from the crew and called his agent.


    [Hello? Kazir?]


    "Salvatore, I want to know what Paramount, Orion and Miramax are doing these days."


    [I''ll fax it to youter.]


    Since Salvatore was his agent, he already had an idea why Kazir was asking him about the three moviepanies.


    "Thank you. Oh, if any of them try to contact you... Tell them I have a script they might be interested in."


    There was no eternal enemy. Everyone was willing to cooperate as long as there were benefits. Kazir understood this very well.


    [Okay.]


    Thesepanies 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 dors is too big to fuck around with. ''


    Just as Salvatore promised, the filmpanies 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 otherpanies were waiting to see the results of The Hangover.


    If the movie was sessful... Then there would be anotherpetition to buy his script.


    Se7en and Napoleon Dynamite were huge sesses, so they were confident in Kazir''s creativity at the least.


    ''It was as simple as that. I don''t want to antagonize any moviepany. 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 nned schedule.


    ''All because the Children''s Association didn''t make a fuss.''


    Since then, the movie had begun to pick up speed. Their n 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 sry went up, too. Everyone''s sry on the crew was under the budget of The Hangover.


    In fact, the sry of the entire crew was minusculepared to the other expenses. Not even 10% of the budget.


    In a way, the biggest enemies of moviepanies are the huge sries 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 packagest year rted to his divorce case, but it was toote 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 ce.


    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 sessful 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.


    n (Jack ck) weakly got up to go to the bathroom. He walked and dodged the ducks. The ducks flew around and nearly tripped him.


    He reached the bathroom and started to pee.


    While peeing, n heard a tiger growling behind him. He thoughtlessly turned around and found a tiger growling at him.


    He didn''t think much and continued peeing. But a few secondster, m panicked!


    He ran away and kicked Phil''s balls!


    "Augh!"


    "Gah!"


    They roll to the floor. With Phil (Bradley Cooper) in pain and n in fear.


    "God damn! You put some pants on!"


    "Don''t go to the bathroom!"


    n shouted.


    "n, just calm down."


    "Phil, there''s a tiger in the bathroom!"


    "What''s going on?"


    Stu (Ed Helms) looked at them in confusion. He had a hangover.


    Everyone had a heavy hangover.


    "There''s a jungle cat in the bathroom!"


    "Okay, okay, okay," Phil stood up. "I''ll check it out."


    He opened the door and the tiger roared at him. Phil immediately shut the door.


    "Woah! Fuck! He''s not kidding, there''s a tiger in there."


    "No, there isn''t," Stu replied weakly.


    ------


    "Cut! This is good. Ready for the next scene!"


    After three takes, Kazir was satisfied with their performance.


    The next scene was about n (Jack ck) getting punched by the champion.


    "He''s not really going to punch me, is he?"


    Jack ck nervously approached Kazir.


    "Don''t worry... You''ll have to stay in the hospital after this."


    "You got to be kidding me!"


    "No, I''m just kidding," Kazir shrugged.


    "Of course he won''t hit you. We still need you to shoot a lot of scenes. Remember, we need more than a month to shoot all the scenes.


    "What does that mean?"


    "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 ck, it''s called Nacho Libre. It was said that Jack ck 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 ck 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 insurancepany will never agree to such a decision.''


    If an actor was really injured, the insurancepany would have to pay so much money.


    Just like now...


    "Um, Director Grey. I just heard that Jack ck 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 ident happens and Jack ck 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 ck."


    He looked at him seriously. Kazir wanted to see as much real emotion as possible, so it was better to use Jack ck 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 wantedplete 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 ck was scared the whole time, and that was what Kazir needed.


    Luckily, the heavyweight champ knew how to control his punch and Jack ck 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 Bordend


    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 formted a n... 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 rtionship, 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 romanticedies that would hit the blockbuster.


    ''The other actors are Jack ck and Pedro Pascal.''


    After ying 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 impable. 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 ck, he was a funny guy. He just knew how to make peopleugh.


    For aedy actor, that was the best and strongest talent he should have.


    ''Maybe that is why Jack ck is one of the most famousedic actors of all time. He just knows how to make peopleugh.''


    Kazir doesn''t regret his choice.


    "This guy... Jack ck. I think he''s not bad."


    Producer Enrico Pusi whispered next to him, and Kazir agreed.


    "Indeed. If you have a role that suits him, please send him an invitation. I think he can make the role worth it."


    "Do you think so?"


    "I strongly believe so."


    It was already the first week of April and the filming was 1/3 finished. It was still within their calctions, so there was no problem.


    In fact, the shooting of a movie was always behind schedule. Only a few projects could be finished within the right schedule. There were many consequences in the shooting and it caused the shooting to bete.


    Fortunately, Kazir knew how to deal with these problems. He never showed nervousness or irritation. He kept his calm demeanor as much as possible, which made the crew feelfortable.


    Last week, one of the crew members fell from thedder and people got nervous. Kazir immediately ordered an ambnce.


    Kazir contacted producer Enrico Pusi to settle the matter. Fortunately, the man was not seriously injured. Of course, it was still Enrico Pusi''s responsibility to pay for all of his hospital expenses.


    The incident passed quickly and everyone returned to their work. Kazir made sure to remind everyone to stay focused and take everything seriously.


    So far, everything was going well.


    After his sess with Se7en and Napoleon Dynamite, the crew members never turned against him. They all respected his decision.


    "What do you think of this shot?"


    Renner approached him and showed him the camera angle. He was the crew''s director of photography(Cinematographer). He was in charge of the cameras and lighting. Perhaps his position was second only to the director and producer.


    "Let''s try this angle first. If it doesn''t work, we''ll find another angle or destroy the wall."


    "I understand."


    "Okay, let''s start shooting!"


    ......


    ...


    ...


    "And cut! Okay, guys, I announce that the filming of The Hangover isplete!"


    "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 rx. 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 thest week of February and finished in May.


    To be honest, their filming was fastpared to other projects. It was all because of Kazir''s n.


    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 footagester."


    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 filmpanies.


    Unfortunately, when Kazir Grey announced that he had a script that he wanted to sell, the filmpanies 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 dors 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 n.


    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 sessful after they kicked him out of thepany.


    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 sessful. 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, congrattions 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 sessful after leaving him. It showed that Carl Morin was ipetent.


    Still, John Harris wanted to make a connection with Carl Morin because he wanted his clients to be involved in his director''s next projects.


    "Thank you, John. Congrattions on Ed Helms too."


    Carl''s lips twitched. In fact, John''s position after the sess of Napoleon Dynamite was much better than his. His client received a sry of $1.7 million for The Hangover, and 10% of that would go to John Harris.


    "Leon Lau has finished filming Tales from the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood."


    Carl Morin smiled proudly. He believed that Leon Lau would be more sessful than Kazir Grey. He strongly believed it.


    "That''s good to hear... By the way, if Leon Lau has any suitable roles for my clients, please send them some invitations".


    "Of course. I will talk to Leon about it."


    Carl Morin chuckled. He loved the feeling of being on top. Because his client was a director, more and more people were asking him for suitable roles for their clients.


    This is the power of an agent who has a director client.


    "Thank you."


    John Harris left the office room after hearing this.


    "Tch, when I have roles, I give them to my actors first. Why would I even give them to others?... Unless they have something to offer. I heard that one of John''s clients is a young actress. Heh."


    He licked his lips.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    After filming in Las Vegas, Kazir returned to Los Angeles.


    "Ah, the smell of Los Angeles air... Polluted as always."


    He shrugged and walked out of the airport.


    "Kazir."


    "Good morning, Salvatore."


    On his way to the exit, he found Salvatore waiting for him.


    "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 ount. 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 sess. Kazir grinned.


    "5% of that is going to your bank ount."


    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 sess. Salvatore never regretted contacting Kazir. Lately, many of his associates had be 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 rtionship with Tom Rothman. He was grateful that Tom Rothman epted 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 rx. 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 epted 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 asion."

 Chapter 62

    Chapter 62


    "Kazir, when are you going to start the sequel to Napoleon Dynamite?"


    "Tom, you need to rx. 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 aedy 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 sry 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 circting? 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 sessful 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.


    He walked into the editing room.


    "Good morning, Kazir."


    "Nice to meet you, Mr. Hamilton."


    "Just call me Brody. You don''t have to be so formal."


    The man before Kazir was Brody Hamilton. He was currently 36 years old. He was one of the editors at Warner Bros.


    Warner Bros gave Kazir full creative control over The Hangover. However, Warner Bros would have to use their own editors. They would never let outsiders touch the post-production of their films.


    Although Kazir had a good rtionship with hisst editor, Rector, he knew that this was the way the business worked.


    Kazir was already happy that Warner Bros gave him full editing rights on The Hangover.


    "Let''s start our work."


    There was no proper introduction, the two just walked into the editing room to start post-production.


    Post-production was a very important part of the movie process. The footage Kazir shot was over 800 minutes. He had to cut the NGs and find the best shot for each scene. Then he would put them together to make a real story. Then he had to squeeze it down to 100 minutes.


    Sounds easy? Post-production usually takes more than a month. Sometimes more than half a year, especially for movies with CGI/special effects.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    "Are you sure he''ll show up here?"


    Cassandra asked her informant.


    "That''s what we heard. Anyway, my work here is done. You''re on your own."


    "..."


    The informant left after leading Cassandra to the rendezvous point.


    Cassandra heard that Kazir was going to buy a new suit because he was going to the premiere of Twister.


    Cassandra looked at herself in the mirror and fixed her appearance. Especially her cleavage, she wanted to emphasize how ample it was.


    "Good morning."


    The saleswoman greeted her as she entered the store. She was not thrown out because of her appearance.


    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 dors. 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 sessful. 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 shes.


    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?"


    "I think Twister will be sessful. It will be one of the top 5 movies at the worldwide box office this year."


    "Wow~" The reporter''s reaction was exaggerated. Then she asked another question.


    "When can we see your next project, everyone is hoping that you will create another funny movie."


    "Of course, it will be released this summer."


    "I see you have Miss Reese Witherspoon next to you. Would you like to tell us about your rtionship?"


    To be honest, Kazir and Reese already expected to be asked about their rtionship.


    They had already been briefed by their agents. Warner Bros and their agents were doing publicity for The Hangover.


    "We''re just friends."


    Kazir and Reese smiled for the camera before entering the theater.


    Their agents were actually trying to convince them to announce that they were officially dating. Everyone on the crew knew that Kazir and Reese were "close".


    However, they both disagreed. They didn''t want to use their rtionship as a publicity stunt. In the end, Warner Bros had no choice but to promote the movie in a different way.


    ''As much as possible, I don''t want to destroy my privacy. I want to keep my life as simple as it is.''


    Even though he knew it was just a dream. Once you be famous, you lose your privacy.


    "I received three scriptsst week, I wonder if you could give your opinion on them."


    Reese whispered as they entered the theater. Hundreds of people were already inside. Some of them were talking, probably about Hollywood.


    "You cane to my office tomorrow."


    "Tell me. Have you ever been to your apartment? It seems like you''re always in your office."


    "It''s a waste of time to go to my apartment."


    "What do you mean? Your apartment is only a few blocks from yourpany."


    Reese teased him.


    "Kazir, nice to meet you."


    Tom Cruise appeared and greeted them. Nicole Kidman stood next to Tom Cruise. Their height was too different, Nicole Kidman was too tall for Tom Cruise.


    But no one would try to say that in front of Tom Cruise. The superstar didn''t like to be called by his height.


    Even Kazir was taller than Tom Cruise. Kazir was over 6 feet tall.


    "It''s nice to meet you too, Tom. I heard your movie ising 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, insurancepanies 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 be 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 minutester 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 sessful.


    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 circte 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 muchtely.


    "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 hisplexion 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,e 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 pped his wife.


    "Of course, I''m only joking. Sean Connery is a great guy."


    Kazir said with a hint of sarcasm.


    "Kazir, do you have a n?"


    "Contact Warner Bros. This situation can be useful to us."


    Kazir was not stupid.


    "Okay."


    A few minutester, the important people involved in the production of The Hangover arrived.


    The atmosphere was actually awkward because no one expected Kazir to have a dirty spot. Some of them looked at Kazir with doubt.


    Terry Semel looked seriously at Kazir. He hadn''t expected the director to be involved in a scandal.


    "I suggest we stop this scandal before it gets worse."


    Producer Enrico Pusi was the one who had it worst. This project was his responsibility. If The Hangover flopped horribly, he would lose all his credits. He might get fired. He was having a hard time sleeping, to be honest.


    So the fact that this scandal came up made him lose his temper. He was furious. He didn''t know if he should "talk" to Kazir or find his ex-wife and convince her with money.


    "We can contact Cassandra Hoecrap and settle this quickly."


    He added.


    The atmosphere in the office was very gloomy. Salvatore was sweating and scared.


    Terry Semel looked at them all. He had been the CEO of Warner Bros for over five years.


    Of all of them, Kazir Grey is the calmest.


    Despite being in the middle of a fire pit, Kazir Grey didn''t show any nervousness.


    "Kazir, did you expect this to happen?"


    "To be honest, Terry. I never thought Cassandra would do something like this. However, I know that she will do anything to get more money from me."


    What he said was based on his past life experience.


    "Since you''re calm, I think you have a n."


    Terry Semel narrowed his eyes. He was like a hawk ready to w at its prey. If Kazir''s n was stupid, he would never work with Kazir again.


    ''This scandal could be his downfall.''


    "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 n?"


    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 ced 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 ept it. So he still lost his house in his past life.

 Chapter 65

    Chapter 65


    There were many kinds ofmercial ideas. Maybe tons of advertising ideas. Especially when the Inte 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 Inte was just booming and many homes in the U.S. didn''t have Inte).


    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 sess.


    To be honest, Kim Kardashian used the sex tape as a springboard to fame.


    Now, her 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 Cassandrast night. She was crying and said that you used to beat her whenever youe 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."


    Kazir and Salvatore reached the car and got in. Many reporters tried to ask more, but they failed.


    "Are you sure this n will work?"


    Salvatore was skeptical. It had been three days since Cassandra had started the usations. All the media covered the story. Even Warner Bros joined in. However, Warner Bros kept saying that Kazir Grey was the director of The Hangover.


    Whenever his name was in the news, The Hangover was always with him. So The Hangover had free advertising. They didn''t even have to pay for promotion because all the newspapers and news channels were already advertising their movie.


    "In two days, announce that we will have a press conference to address these allegations."


    "We have already filed awsuit for libel. Cassandra Hoecrap and herwyer have already been served." Salvatore added.


    "I don''t want anything from her, but she keeps bothering me. I want to send her to jail if that''s possible."


    Kazir leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He had just finished post-production on The Hangover. Everything was already done.


    Warner Bros already said they would release it next week. Which was June 28th. They decided not to do a test screening because the movie was on the hot seat.


    "I understand. Their side actually contacted us and said they would drop all thewsuits if we gave them $15 million."


    Kazir just chuckled. He had expected them to ask for money. That was the reason why they were doing this. Since the court had already announced that they were divorced, Cassandra was trying to find a way to siphon off his money.


    "Hm?"


    In the car, Kazir''s phone rang. He opened it to find his brother calling him.


    "Hello? Brother?"


    [Kazir, I heard the story. Are you okay?]


    "I''m fine, Aaron. Dad called yesterday and asked the same question."


    He chuckled.


    [That''s good to hear.]


    "Aren''t you going to ask me if I really beat Cassandra?"


    [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 bothughed.


    The call ended after a few minutes of conversation. Kazir was grateful to have his father and brother on his side.


    His father even rmended awyer. But Kazir trusted Terrence Downey, so he refused.


    ''Terrence Downey is going to have a field day with thiswsuit.''


    All these usations 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 usations, divorces, and DNA tests of their children. Many men have gone to prison because of false rape usations. 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 manywsuits."


    "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 usations 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 rx. 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 rtionship 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 dor North American box office... $140 million to be exact.


    Those who were active on this were ABC and otherworks 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 sh.


    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 bacsh. He believed that a person like Kazir Grey would never be stopped by a scandal. Tom Rothman met Kazir Grey while writing the screeny 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.


    She had just received a call from women''s rights organizations. They wanted her to be their spokesperson.


    The real mastermind behind this scandal was actually Carl Morin and WMA. They didn''t want Kazir to be sessful after he left theirpany. It didn''t sit well with them.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    The day of the press conference came. The people from Warner Bros. attended the conference.


    In front of so many reporters, Kazir looked calm andposed. It seemed that he was not affected by the scandal.


    "Before I answer all your questions. I just want you to watch this."


    Kazir said. He didn''t bother to exin.


    The press conference was being broadcast live and many curious people were watching the conference.


    On the screen they saw Cassandra and an old fat man in a restaurant. The video was clear enough to identify them.


    The people were curious, so they just kept their mouths shut and listened.


    [What about your husband?]


    [Kazir? He''s fine. He is useless to me. He is nothing but a man who works hard for nothing. Even his agent, Carl Morin, doesn''t think he''ll seed. I will file for divorce.]


    [That might be difficult.]


    [Of course, but I can use him of rape and assault].


    In the recording, everyone saw Cassandraughing arrogantly.


    [The justice system always favors the weak. In marriage, women are usually the weaker side. Especially when we have children. Mothers are the ones who suffer the most after a divorce, because it''s not easy to feed a child. So I''m going to use my position as a woman to get sympathy from the court. I''ll probably get more than his property. If that doesn''t work, I can charge him with rape and assault.] She chuckled and sipped a ss of wine.


    [But has he ever hurt you?]


    [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 rted to Time Warner. He knew they would paint him in a better light.


    ''Let''s cklist Disney and Universal Pictures. I have a limit too. They harassed mest 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 TVworks interviewed people and asked them about their opinions on the false usations Kazir received.


    "I feel sorry for director Kazir Grey. I hope I can do something to help him."


    One woman said.


    "Well, his movie ising 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 n 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 sessful movie.


    As for Cassandra, she received so much bacsh after the revtion.


    She was facing awsuit... 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 thestugh! I should be the winner!"


    Out of anger, she smashed the mirror in front of her. Not only that, she destroyed everything around her. All her possessions were destroyed.


    "I am beautiful. The world should revolve around me. My purpose is to make people unhappy, not the other way around."


    Tears streamed down her face. The makeup on her face was disturbed by the tears. Her eyeliner was smudged around her eyes.


    She began to cry, screaming out all her frustration. This was not the oue she had hoped for.


    She began to think about when everything went wrong.


    "... Carl Morin! That''s right, maybe he can help me!"


    She frantically grabbed her phone. She called Carl Morin, but he didn''t answer.


    Then she called him again. He didn''t answer again.


    She called him again and again until someone actually answered.


    "Carl, please help me! I swear I will do anything you tell me to do! You promised me I could be famous! That''s why I cheated on Kazir for you! Please take responsibility!"


    [Shut up, bitch!]


    "What? What did you say?" Cassandra was stunned.


    [Didn''t you hear what I said? Never call me again! I don''t know you! You don''t know me!]


    "What did you say!? Are you crazy!? If I''m going to be destroyed, I''ll take you with me! You''re the reason I became like this! If you had not seduced me, I would never have left Kazir! It''s all your fault!"


    [Fuck you! Don''t me me for your stupidity! You will never betray Kazir if you really love him!]


    "Fuck you!"


    [Fuck you!]


    The two began to argue on the phone.


    Like Cassandra, Carl Morin had a lot on his mind. WMA was seriously considering kicking him out of thepany. To make matters worse, Vice President Lawlor Dean was ready to me him for everything.


    If his director, Leon Lau, had a sessful movie, then this situation would be turned around. He prayed that his client''s movie would be sessful!


    "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. Thepany probably wanted to use Carl Morin as a punching bag to take all the me.


    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 ofwsuits. Even the women''s rights organizations are bashing her."


    "I have noment."


    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 d 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 toozy 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 rmend 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 canment 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, n Garner and Doug Billings - who go on a bachelor party trip to Las Vegas to celebrate Doug''s uing wedding. Their adventure in Las Vegas was eventful and something they would never forget.]


    [The first sequence of the movie was about Doug and n changing their clothes...]


    n''s (Jack ck) white briefs made the audienceugh. 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 endlessughs from the audience. After all, The Hangover was one of the most sessfuledy 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 Cruiseughed when he saw Jack ck''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."


    [As they try to piece together the events of the previous night, they encounter various clues and unusual situations.]


    [They find a tiger in their hotel room and a baby in their closet, and Stu discovers that he has married an escort named Jade].


    [Desperate to find Doug and make it back in time for the wedding, the trio retrace their steps from the night before, encountering entric characters and hrious misadventures along the way].


    [They visit a chapel, a hospital, and a police station in an attempt to uncover the truth about their wild night and Doug''s whereabouts.]


    [They also meet a Chinese mobster named Mr. Chow, who reveals that they stole his valuables.]


    The audience burst outughing when a young naked Korean came out of the trunk. The Korean starts beating the three of them with his taekwondo.


    [Eventually, they piece together their actions from photos and videos and discover that they had had a wild night of excessive drinking, gambling, and encounters with dangerous people.]


    "Wow! Even the champ Mike Tyson had a cameo-- Oh shit! He punched Jack ck! Hahaha! He fell to the ground! Haha!"


    That''s right, the tiger was actually legendary boxer Mike Tyson''s pet.


    [Through their hrious and often outrageous escapades, they manage to locate Doug on the roof of their hotel.]


    [With Doug safely recovered, the group returns to their normal lives, but not before forming a bond and reflecting on the unforgettable experiences they shared during their unexpected and unforgettable adventure in Las Vegas].


    The wedding was a sess despite the outrageous things they experienced.


    The audience began to p after the film.


    "It''s funny! Very funny! Haha! I will watch it again, but I will invite my friends."


    "I know, right? It''s just sad that it''s rated R because of the profanity."


    "Yeah, that was the only downside of the movie. I just hope it makes a lot of money because I want to see the sequel!"


    "Haha, I''m thinking the same thing."


    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 ck, 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 sessful 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 calctions and it was not the exact result. But it is very close to the possible results.


    "7.86 million dors! Is that correct?"


    Terry Semel was stunned.


    "Yes, Mr. CEO, these results could be even higher. The Cinema Alliance hasn''t calcted 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 Semelughed happily. /Puji_maki

 Chapter 69

    Chapter 69


    June 28th, 1996. Friday.


    Moviepanies 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 moviepanies would start nning how to continue the publicity. After all, publicity was the biggest part of a sessful movie.


    Even The ir Witch Project had very good publicity despite the horrible production... Erm, Maybe unique? Everyone in the publicity department took the ir 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 n 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 dors was a huge amount, especially when it was just the opening night.


    Even the otherpanies 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 dors.


    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."


    "Congrattions, 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 dors!?"


    He almost stood up out of shock. The plot of The Hangover was no stranger to him, as Salvatore Barlowe had sent Universal Pictures a copy of the script.


    "This kind of vulgar, profanitycededy has $7.86 million? Are you kidding me?"


    The reality, however, was often disappointing. The truth about The Hangover was just beginning.


    Ronald Meyer rubbed his forehead. He felt that everything he had done to destroy Kazir''s career was useless.


    "I heard he wants to sell his script..."


    Ronald Meyer called his secretary.


    "Give me the copy of Teddy Bear."


    Ronald Meyer was not interested in the script because he knew he had to find a teddy bearpany to solve the patent issues. Unless Universal Pictures was interested in making a teddy bear toy and making their own teddy bear.


    "Yes, sir." Although it waste at night, the secretary decided to call the people in the script library.


    Ronald Meyer was not interested. But if the profit was much greater than the cost, Ronald Meyer would not hesitate.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    Just like Universal Pictures, the other filmpanies were shocked when they heard the result of The Hangover.


    "Sigh, it will probably sh with Independence Day next week."


    Tom sighed and leaned back in his chair. As the CEO of 20th Century Fox, he looked at Kazir''s situation with the utmost seriousness.


    Kazir Grey was the director of Napoleon Dynamite, and Tom Rothman was eager to work with him again. As for the scandal, he was confident that it could be resolved with the help of News Corporation.


    "I should have agreed to his terms."


    He muttered weakly. This was exactly the feeling he had when he realized that Se7en was sessful, he regretted that he didn''t cooperate with Kazir. But there was always a second chance. Especially now that Kazir''s name had been cleared.


    "If he doesn''t like doing sequels, maybe we can work together on other projects.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    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 sessful movie. But because of The Hangover, it only got second ce for the week.


    Obviously, the box office champion of the week was The Hangover.


    "Congrattions, 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 sess 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 aboutter?"


    "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 congrattions.


    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.


    "Congrattions, Miss Hunt. Twister is a beautiful movie."


    Kazir and Reese shook hands with the famous actress. They also congratted 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."


    Heughed, 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 rtionship with Jon De Bont.


    "You know, Kazir. It took us almost three months to create a believable tornado usingputer animation. I almost thought the movie would be dyed. 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.


    After talking to the main stars of the party, Kazir and Reese said their goodbyes.


    A few secondster, Warner Bros executives appeared with happy faces. Especially Terry Semel and Enrico Pusi.


    The sess of Twister and The Hangover brought them big profits this year. Both Terry Semel and Enrico Pusi received bonuses from Time Warner.


    After greeting Jan De Bont and the others, Terry Semel approached Kazir with a broad smile.


    "Kazir, I''m d to see you! How''s your week going?"


    "Terry, The Hangover made $49 million this week. Of course I''m happy." Kazir chuckled.


    "Haha, that''s right. That''s right. I knew working with you was the best thing to do."


    Terry Semelughed and talked with him for a few minutes. Since the real purpose of this party was to make a connection, Terry Semel didn''t stay long and talked with the others.


    "About the Titanic, I actually auditioned for the role of the heroine."


    Reese Witherspoon whispered beside him.


    "Really?"


    "Yes. But I was eliminated in the first round of auditions. So many women audition for the role. I remember more than 1,000 small-time actresses going in and out of the room."


    "I think they have a different aesthetic for the role. Because I think you''re cute."


    "I guess so, and don''t use your pick-up lines on me. It''s not going to work."


    "Then why are you blushing?"


    "Shut up~" She giggled.


    "Don''t worry, you said you were auditioning for Face-Off and Scream. Have you been practicing your screamtely?"


    "Why do I feel like you''re asking about something else? But yes, I''m making sure my scream can break the ss. So you want me to join the Scream?"


    "That''s right."


    Scream was a famous horror sher series with so many movies. It was a better choice than Face-Off.


    "I''ll make you screamter." He teased her.


    "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 ept the handshake.


    Jeffrey Epstein saw that Kazir had no intention of epting 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 ind 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 ind 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 morized Hollywood, it didn''t change the fact that it was a ce 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 Ind 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 amon thing.


    After all, women prefer a sessful man. This statement was basically true. Some might say it was wrong, but it was hard to deny. Women like strong, good looking and sessful 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 used 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! Congrattions, 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 Ind.


    "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.


    ''Now that I think about it, Mel Gibson didn''t have any scandals other than being an alcoholic, yelling anti-Semitic rants, and beating his ex-girlfriend.... Right?''


    Perhaps he was wrong. But this man was known for telling the truth. There was an article about Mel Gibson warning people about the filth of Hollywood.


    "Thank you, Mel... I will keep that in mind."


    The organizer called a driver for Mel Gibson to take him to his mansion and everything went back to normal.


    As for Kazir and Reese... Well, that little incident didn''t stop them from "rehearsing" how to "scream" at Reese''s audition.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    The cast and director were required to promote their movie. Warner Bros had a number of publicity stunts to promote the movie. Like the actors appearing in public and doing stunts that caught the attention of people. Helping kids in orphanage, public feeding, and even throwing parties for the elderlies.


    Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal were invited to a TV show. That was all to promote the movie. Even Reese went to Canada and showed her face in one of the theaters.


    As for Kazir, he obviously wanted to go to New York. Since they were going to promote the movie in New York, Kazir took the opportunity to meet his family.


    He met his father and Aaron. However, because they were all busy, they only had one dinner the whole time Kazir was in New York. Their rtionship was good, so it was not a problem. Men should work hard for their future. His father was proud of him.


    As for Cassandra Hoecrap... She was getting so much bacsh these days. Kazir had already forgotten about her.


    As the promotion continued, Monday came and The Hangover grossed $7.65 million. Warner Bros was already expecting the big drop. Most people go to the movies on the weekend. So Monday through Thursday usually had a weak audience response.


    In fact, The Hangover did much better than expected on Monday. Warner Bros thought the movie would only make about $5 million.


    The next day, Tuesday, July 2, 1996. The movie grossed $6.58 million.


    Wednesday. It was $6.65 million.


    Thursday. It made $6.09 million.


    Friday. July 5, 1996. The movie grossed $10.31 million.


    Saturday. It grossed $12.60 million.


    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 ce.


    But no one thought that the movie was a failure. Instead, more and more filmpanies 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 aedy?"


    His two sessful movies were alledies, 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 sess and he was happy. But after the sess 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 y around and watch movies.


    Every filmpany understood how important the summer schedule was, because this was the season when filmpanies 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 veryrge 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 filmpanies 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 mes 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 thispany.''


    That was why he invited his friend Michael Ovitz to be the president of Walt Disney.


    Michael Eisner was the chairman of Walt Disney and he controlled thepany for about a decade. He was talented and led thepany to glorious years.


    But Michael Eisner understood that the hand-drawn animation industry was beginning to lose its edge.


    This is why we need to acquire Pixar.


    He thought about so many things.


    "Did Michael Ovitz agree with this decision to create a scandal about Kazir Grey?"


    "He was silent about it."


    Harvey Weinstein replied. Michael Ovitz was the founder of CAA. He obviously didn''t want to help Harvey Weinstein with his n. He just turned a blind eye.


    "So you''re saying that WMA had a way to smear Kazir''s reputation? They gave you Cassandra Hoecrap''s contact number and you started helping them?"


    "That''s right."


    "Now this is a bitplicated. I can''t believe you were manipted by WMA."


    "..."


    Harvey Weinstein gritted his teeth. He was the founder of Miramax and he had a great sense of pride. He didn''t like the fact that Napoleon Dynamite escaped from him, so he decided to smear Kazir''s reputation.


    "You don''t have to exin. I understand. You can leave now."


    "..."


    Harvey Weinstein had no choice but to leave. Walt Disney was the major shareholder of Miramax. They basically owned it. The fat guy left the office in a huff.


    "...I should probably kick the Weinstein brothers out of Miramax."


    Michael Eisner sighed. The people who controlled Miramax were the Weinstein brothers, not even Michael Eisner could interfere.


    Since Michael Eisner was an authoritarian person, he already nned to kick the Weinstein brothers out.


    "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 neer. But his current movie was very sessful.


    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 ofnguage simrities. 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 sess. 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 ne. The ne 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 thest 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." Kaziry 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 ces, 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.


    Filmpanies usually released movies that they were not sure about in that month. Like Se7en, it was released in Septemberst year.


    Speaking of Se7en, the movie officially ended its run. It earned more than 400 million dors. The movie was now on the videotape market and people could buy it for about $30. There was no deluxe version of the movie.


    ''A nk videotape is cheap. A few years ago I bought ten nk videotapes for $7. But prerecorded videotapes were the expensive ones. Almost 45 times as much as a single nk videotape.''


    This was the reason why the filmpanies made more money from the distribution of videotapes. The revenues were much higher than the expenses. Cinema Alliance had a huge cut of the box office. The moviepanies could only get 60 to 70 percent of the box office.


    For example, Napoleon Dynamite grossed $149 million at the North American box office. The Cinema Alliance (made up of AMC, Regal Cinemas, Cinemark and many smaller theaters) would get $59.60 million.


    This would leave Fox Searchlight Pictures with only $89.4 million. Note that Fox Searchlight Pictures bought the movie for $2.3 million and their advertising cost was about $5 million. So they had $82.1 million... To be honest, that was a lot of money for a start-uppany like Fox Searchlight Pictures.


    Unfortunately, thepany made a deal with Kazir Grey that he would get 5% of the box office. Not the profit, but the share of the box office. So Fox Searchlight Pictures was obligated to pay him $7.45 million.


    So their profit was 74.65 million dors. By the way, thepany also had to pay taxes, so...


    It was no understatement to say that the videotape market saved Hollywood. Because it really did. Without the invention of the VCR yer, movie studios would be facing bankruptcy.


    ''If I''m not mistaken, Fox Searchlight Pictures sold the videotape of Napoleon Dynamite for $27. And they sold 3 million copies in thest two months. That''s about $81 million...''


    Those numbers would continue to grow throughout the year. So thepany had a steady ie. On top of that was the video rental business. Fox Searchlight Pictures had a cut of that too.


    Kazir opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. He could not believe he would reach this status in just two years. He went back in time to November 1994. That was when he pitched his script to New Line Cinema and worked for them for almost five months. He then asked his brother for an investment and began filming Napoleon Dynamite. He sold the copyrights to Fox Searchlight Pictures and made millions.


    ''Maybe people will be disappointed that half the profits from Napoleon Dynamite went to Aaron... They can go fuck themselves. I will never reach that status without his help. Besides, I''m not giving it to anybody, it''s my brother. Maybe you didn''t have a good rtionship with your family. If you ask me, I''m willing to die for my family... Excluding mom, of course. I hadn''t seen her for almost a decade. I had no idea what she was doing.''


    ''People will hate me, but who cares? They can live their lives and suck their dicks.''


    But The Hangover was different. Kazirughed out loud. All 10% of the North American box office was for him alone.


    Kazir had already received his $5 million sry. 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 yed for more than 60 days. The movie made 261 million dors. Yes, he would get more than 26 million dors!


    "Not bad... Who am I kidding, it''s the best! Haha!"


    Heughed as hey 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 n..."


    Kazir knew he was taking a risk with his new project. In fact, many filmpanies were trying to contact him about his project.


    ''Terry Semel has already expressed his dissatisfaction with my next film not being aedy. He said it would be better if I directed the sequel of The Hangover instead. He has a point. It''s better to direct aedy 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 hisst two movies were sessful, 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 aint 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. Thepany 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 med him for Kazir Grey''s situation. After all, Lawlor Dean was the one responsible for kicking the director out of theirpany.


    Fortunately, Lawlor Dean was not fired, but his position in thepany 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 dors!"


    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 dors. I think generating 5.6 million dors is not bad."


    Carl Morin tried to exin.


    "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 dors 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!"


    Carl Morin roared.


    "Shut up. You don''t have to me others for your own mistakes. You are fired. You don''t have to show your face anymore. Pack your things."


    "What about Leon Lau''s contract?"


    "We will find another agent for Leon. Now go away. I don''t want to see you again."


    Lawlor Dean scoffed.


    "I see... So everything I have done is nothing. The hard work I did is useless. Hehe." Heughed madly.


    "Get out of my office."


    "No, not at all."


    Carl Morin approached the Vice President.


    "W-what are you doing? Stay away! I said stay away!"


    "I need to teach you a lesson first!"


    Carl Morin began to punch Lawlor Dean. This caused a huge scene in WMA. The police arrested Carl Morin for assault and battery. As for Lawlor Dean, his face was swollen and red. His nose was broken. Even his ribs were broken. As for his left knee... he might have a hard time walking without a cane.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    "You said Terry Semel wanted to see me?"


    Kazir walked down the building. Beside him was his agent, Salvatore Barlowe.


    "That''s right. I believe it has to do with the box office and your next movie."


    "I understand."


    The two walked down the parking lot. As they walked, they found amotion.


    "Let go of me!"


    "Ma''am, you are trespassing. We advise you to leave or we will call the police."


    "Then call the cops! I''m going to jail anyway! I just want to meet someone! I said let me go!"


    Kazir and Salvatore stopped. They recognized the woman. It was Cassandra Hoecrap, Kazir''s ex-wife.


    "K- Kazir! Kazir! It''s me! Baby, let''s talk! Baby? Baby!"


    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 eyshes... 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 thewsuit! 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 red 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 exin. 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 thest 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''swyer 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 youter, 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''vee 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.


    He was still sad about the child he never saw, but it had been more than 3 decades. He had already moved on and epted the truth.


    He could not stop it because it was already toote.


    His feelings towards Cassandra were nothing. She was just a stranger to him.


    What happened to her was none of his business.


    "Kazir, we are here."


    Salvatore Barlowe told him and Kazir returned to reality.


    "Let''s go."


    The two left the car and entered the Warner Brothers headquarters.


    On the way into the building, Kazir recognized a certain person. In fact, he paused just to make sure he wasn''t seeing the wrong person.


    "Hello, Mr. Neeson."


    Kazir made the first move and greeted the actor.


    "I''m sorry, are you...?"


    Liam Neeson hadn''t expected someone toe up and greet him. Judging by the man''s demeanor, he was a confident guy. But Liam didn''t know him.


    "I''m Kazir Grey. I directed Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover."


    "So you''re Director Grey. It''s nice to meet you."


    Liam Neeson knew of Kazir, but he had never met him. Liam was a man who rarely appeared in public. He was always quiet about his life.


    The two shook hands and smiled at each other.


    Liam Neeson visited Warner Bros because of his movie about Michael Collins. It was a biographical movie with Liam Neeson in the lead. It had a budget of 25 million dors. Yes, it had a smaller budget than The Hangover. Even Liam Neeson''s sry was never more than $3 million.


    After the sess of Schindler''s List, Liam Neeson got many roles, but none of them brought him sess...


    Kazir Grey and Liam Neeson talked for a few seconds before Kazir excused himself.


    ''Looks like we already met the protagonist.''


    Kazir grinned. Liam''s age was 44, and that was the right age for Bryan Mills, a former government agent.


    ''When Taken was first filmed, Liam Neeson was already 56. It was hard for him to do the stunts. But this time it''s different. It''s the best age for Liam Neeson to y a retired agent.''


    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 d to hear it. At least the negotiations will not beplicated 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 y the lead."


    "I''ll try to contact Chris Andrews."


    "Yes. I don''t want to experience what happenedst 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''tplicate 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 ck


    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 ce, 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 thanst 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 rmend that you continue to makeedies instead. Warner Bros will not hesitate to invest in Teddy Bear if you want, heck, we are ready to spend money on a betterputer 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 sessful. Kazir Grey has already proven his ability. He could make sessfuledies.


    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 inedy?''


    "I''ll think about it."


    "..."


    Terry Semel sighed. He knew he didn''t have the ability to convince him.


    ''If I had known this was going to happen, I would have convinced Kazir to sign two more movie deals. Now I can understand Tom Rothman.'' Terry Semel thought.


    "Anyway, what''s the plot of this movie? A man who rescues his daughter from human traffickers seems reasonable. But why do you have these ninjas, curving bullets, and Baba Yaga? What the hell is Baba Yaga?"


    Terry Semel frowned as he read the words. The plot of the movie was fine, but some of the ingredients didn''t add up. He wondered why Kazir added these unnecessary things.


    "Terry, I have a reason. Here."


    Kazir was prepared. He pulled out another script. He only showed this script to Terry Semel because of their rtionship.


    Terry Semel raised his eyebrows as he read the title.


    "John Wick? Never heard of that name."


    Terry Semel began to read the script. It was only five pages of script, it was not polished. He turned thest page and stared at Kazir.


    "Now I know why you want the rights to the sequel. These two movies are connected. You want to make sure you have authority over these projects."


    "That''s right." Kazir didn''t have to lie. It was obvious anyway.


    "I call it the Continental Cinematic Universe," Kazir added.


    "Cinematic Universe? Interesting..." Terry Semel''s eyes twinkled. Kazir''s idea was interesting.


    However, he had the feeling that this Cinematic Universe of Kazir''s would flop.


    ''So he''s trying to make connected movies like Quentin Tarantino? Kazir, I''m so disappointed in you. You can do better.''


    There was only one man that Terry Semel knew who made movies that were in the same universe. It was Quentin Tarantino.


    ''If I''m not mistaken, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction are connected.''


    At that time, in 1996, Quentin Tarantino had only made three movies. Only Pulp Fiction did well at the box office.


    So Terry Semel felt that this whole Cinematic Universe was not going to be sessful. If it was not sessful, Warner Bros would not touch a project like this.


    "The Cinema Alliance has already given us our share, we will send you the 10% on your ountter".


    "I''m d 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 otherpanies," 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. Manypanies 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 threepanies.


    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 sry after the movie waspleted. 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 threepanies (Microsoft, Cisco and Nokia) again. These were thepanies 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.


    After increasing his investment, Kazir decided to leave the firm.


    It was two months ago that he met Terry Semel about pitching Taken. Since then, Salvatore Barlowe began his work. He tried to contact the filmpanies interested in Kazir''s next project.


    ''I heard that Salvatore was having some problems with CAA.''


    CAA had a policy about famous clients. Typically, a client like Kazir Grey would have two or more agents working for him.


    This was part of CAA''s policy to make sure that the agent could not monopolize the client.


    ''If I''m not mistaken, Kevin Huvane is going to hire more agents to work with me. Of course, Salvatore will not like it. His sry will go down.''


    Personally, Kazir was already happy with a 3%mission. He didn''t want to change that. So if Kazir had another agent or two, Salvatore Barlowe would get a smaller amount of money.


    "Anyway, let fate do its work. I wonder how Salvatore will fight for more benefits."


    CAA policy was hard to break. The rules had been in ce since thepany''s inception.


    "I guess I''ll have to help with his actors and actresses instead, to make sure his sry is steady."


    That was the only way to keep Salvatore Barlowe happy, to make sure his other clients had sessful careers. Except for Kazir, all of Salvatore''s clients signed a 10%mission with him.


    As for Taken, 20th Century Fox set up a meeting about it.


    It took at least two months to get a project approved. Filmpanies had to study the profitability of the film to make sure they would not lose money.


    So Kazir expected that Taken would take time to get approved. The filmpanies took the project seriously, especially when it was not aedy genre that Kazir Grey was good at. They were hesitant.


    Also, Kazir''s demands were too much. He wanted a $10 million sry 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 sry and box office share could be negotiated, but thetter was difficult to ept. 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 moviepany would agree to.


    As for the rights to the sequels, that could be negotiated as long as the movie was sessful. 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 insurancepany wanted to make sure that the movie would bepleted 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 toote 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 ofpanies 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 moviepanies, 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, sessful, and had strong prospects. Kazir checked all the conditions.


    This kind of situation was verymon, 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 sessful 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 morepact. 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 sessful movie, they will invite me to the board of directors." Salvatore grinned.


    "I fucking knew it."


    CAA was a partnership of agents. Every agent was equal and could be part of the board of directors.


    If Salvatore was sessful in getting on the board, he would have a stronger voice in thepany.


    "I''m surprised Huvane promised you that."


    "We even signed a contract... I really had no choice but to agree. I don''t want to lose a big piece of the pie, so I might as well get a better deal. But it all depends on you."


    "I will try my best to get you the position. About themission?"


    "The contract will not change, 3% percentmission. Rafael and Stetson will each get 0.7%, while the 1.6% is mine. This kind of partnership is good for the client and thepany, but bad for the agents. Thepany is afraid that I will start my own agency and take you with me, so they make this change immediately."


    "You don''t have any ns to start one?"


    "For now? No... But if my clients have better careers, I might have to. Maybe they will try this bullshit again when Enzo bes sessful."


    "Don''t worry, they usually don''t care about second-rate actors."


    "Hey, if Enzo hears you, he might get heartbroken."


    "I''m just kidding."


    The twoughed. Fortunately, this incident didn''t have a strong effect on them. Now that their career paths were bing clearer, the ways to make money were also bing clearer.


    "By the way, Kazir, why don''t you hire an assistant? I feel like you''re treating me like one."


    "I don''t know about that. I can''t trust people."


    "Not even me?"


    "Yes, not even you."


    "Still, I think it would be better for you to have an assistant."


    "Do you have any suggestions?"


    "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 apany 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 cirction, even the script was not polished. Only Kazir had the perfect script, he would give it to the moviepany 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 filmpany 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 moviestely 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.


    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, congrattions 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 think I found the reason why you''re so adamant about the 30% investment and approval rights. Tell me, are you really afraid that the filmpanies will kick you out of your own project?"


    "I know that the Big Six won''t hesitate to destroy someone''s career as long as they can make a profit."


    Hollywood has buried so many people. It was never a paradise. Racism, pedophilia, drugs, sexual assault, and so many sins. Hollywood probably has them all.


    "Kazir, don''t make this difficult. I can increase your share of the box office, but don''t invest in the project. $25 million is an amount that 20th Century Fox can handle. If you invest even 10% in the project, we will be in a lot of trouble."


    Once that happened, Grey Pictures would have a huge profit from several methods. North American distribution, international distribution, videotape distribution, and even national television copyrights. Grey Pictures even had the right to the copyrights once that happened. Unless the contract was clear.


    But Tom Rothman understood that the person in front of him was tough. If he agreed to his terms, he would lose money.


    "You have to understand that''s not possible. This is an important project and I don''t want to leave it to apany, I need at least 30% investment and approval rights".


    "..."


    As Tom Rothman had expected, Kazir Grey was very stubborn.


    "I can only agree to these conditions, but you must sell 40% of your studiopany, Grey Pictures, to 20th Century Fox. Kazir, you have to understand, 30% is a big deal, and I can''t let you have it. Unless you agree to sell your studio."


    "..."


    Kazir grinned and realized his intentions.


    "Tom, are you interested in the copyrights we acquired?"


    "That''s right. I''m still skeptical about Hulk and Iron Man. Those kinds of movies are hard to make. But Jason Bourne Series has good profitability. I even heard that you are trying to acquire the copyrights to Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire.


    To be honest, Tom Rothman had no idea what A Song of Ice and Fire was. He just knew it was a book inspired by Lord of the Rings.


    ''The Jason Bourne and Lord of the Rings are famous novels in America. I think they can be profitable.''


    Tom Rothman thought. He was a businessman and he had to look at it from a business point of view.


    "..."


    Kazir didn''t expect Tom Rothman to want his studio.


    "I''m interested in working with you again. What do you think, Kazir? How about bing part of the 20th Century Fox family?"


    "Tom, let me think about it."


    "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."


    Thewyer left first. Then Rafael felt that he was still not trusted, so he decided to leave... He was disappointed that he didn''t get amission this time. Despite sharing a small percentage, Kazir''s project had a huge budget. His share was enough to cover his annual sry.


    "Kazir, what is your n? We already talked to the four bigpanies. 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 rxing atmosphere and they liked to drink in this ce.


    "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 studiopany. When I heard that, I backed out. The copyrights that the studio acquired will help us in the future."


    "What is your n then?" Salvatore Barlowe sipped a ss 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 productionpany. 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 dors. Especially if the Continental Cinematic Universe is a sess.''


    ''George Lucas did it with Star Wars. Steven Spielberg created DreamWorks. Heh, George Lucas sold Lucasfilm, Steven Spielberg sold DreamWorks. They sold thepanies, 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 likest time, Kazir Grey gambled. So he had to make the movie with his own investment. So that no one from Big Six would control himter. 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 filmpanies 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 theirpetitors. The Big Six are looking at DreamWorks right now because they didn''t want it to seed. 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, onepany absorbing the other.


    "What''s your n?" "My n? 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 mypany."


    Kazir grinned.


    That was the best example of this situation.


    Marvel Entertainment.


    The sess of The Avengers led Disney to buy Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion.


    ''Now, my studio doesn''t have anyics. But it will be the first sessful 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 sess of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or make it his own.


    ''Next month, Marvel is going to dere 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.''


    But he had to do it. He wanted to acquire his futurepetitor. After all, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was the most sessful cinematic universe of the 21st century. Not even the DCEU could beat it.


    So it was a good choice for Kazir to buy and acquire their superhero characters.


    "Let''s go Salvatore, we have a lot to do from now on."


    "Sigh. I wonder what you''re thinking. I know that setting up a distribution channel costs a lot of money and it''s hard to do, but why are you so negative about it? If you look at it from another angle, having a distribution channel is the best way to secure money."


    "My answer to that is simple... I never wanted to be the king of Hollywood. It''s not fun. I want to keep the Big Six on an equal footing. I want to be a director, not a chairman or a president. My passion is making movies, not controlling apany."


    "So you think selling part of yourpany is the best decision?"


    "... Let''s just say I want to see the Big Six fight over mypany. Go crazy over it.


    "That''s fucked up... But I want to see it too."


    They bothughed.


    The Big Six had a lot of power in Hollywood. But that didn''t mean that other productionpanies couldn''t make great movies and profit from them.


    In Kazir''s opinion, money was nothing more than status. Now that he was a millionaire, he didn''t want it to be his whole personality. He didn''t want his life to revolve around money.


    Since his youth, Kazir was fascinated by movies. He wanted to be a director and there was no in-between.


    ''If this whole n doesn''t work out, I''ll be fine as long as I can make movies.''


    He had faced a lot of misfortune, so facing another one would not make him falter. Instead, his blood was boiling to prove himself to the Big Six.


    .....


    .....


    ...


    "So, Mr. Grey, you''re asking for a loan?"


    The bank manager, Maria Ozzawu, looked at Kazir as she read his loan application. Lending money was not that easy.


    "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 aboutpound 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 himter."


    Marvel was facing bankruptcy and it was the best time to squeeze them dry.


    ''I heard they already sold ck Window, de 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 be a businessman. Once that happens, his attention will be divided even if he hires a professional manager to run hispany. 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, ck 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 theic 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 filmpanies 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 thepany.


    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 aedy. 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."


    "I understand..."


    Since Taken was a trilogy, Liam Neeson had to sign a trilogy contract. Also, Liam Neeson had to sign cameos in the other movies. This was all done to solidify the Continental Cinematic Universe. Liam Neeson had to show his face in other movies.


    "Is he not happy with the sry?" Kazir frowned.


    "He''s happy with the $3 million. I think this is the highest sry he has received so far. But he didn''t like the use for the next two movies."


    "..."


    With each sequel, Liam Neeson''s sry would increase by 35%. This means that in Taken 2, Liam Neeson''s sry would be $4.05 million. Then his next sry would be $5.46 million in Taken 3.


    "His agent is asking for a higher percentage increase. They are fighting for a 60% raise per movie."


    "Make it 50%... But you have to sign some cameo contracts."


    "Okay. I''ll contact Rafael."


    The negotiations with Liam Neeson went well. At least Liam''s agent was much easier to convince than WMA''s.


    In fact, after the problems with The Hangover, Kazir decided that he would not hire actors from WMA. He didn''t want that agency interfering with his movie.


    "By the way, I heard Enzo''s brother is here. I want to see him."


    Enzo''s older brother was a stunt director in Hong Kong. He worked in many movies. He was a martial artist and knew many attack patterns. Kazir needed a professional stunt director to help him with the action sequences.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    Tae-Won Park. He is the brother of Hae-Won Park (Enzo Park). He was 32 years old at this time. He worked as a stunt director for seven years.


    Just like Enzo, Tae-Won Park dreamed of going to Hollywood. However, he felt that his profession was not respected in Hollywood.


    The action stunts in Hollywood are different from those in Hong Kong.


    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-handbat 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 Cantonesenguage 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 bing an assistant.


    ''I need to hire an assistant, huh.''


    Kazir was embarrassed because Salvatore had been his "assistant'' for thest 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 tond 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 epted 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.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    Enzo Park wipes off his sweat after doing push-ups.


    The sess of The Hangover never gave Enzo Park a big break.


    Ed Helms and the rest of the cast began filming Napoleon Dynamite II. The budget for the sequel increased to 15 million and Fox Searchlight Pictures was getting salty about it. The sess of The Hangover increased the sries of Ed Helms, Pedro Pascal and Reese Witherspoon.


    Jack ck also received an invitation to do anotheredy.


    Even Reese Witherspoon passed the audition for Scream.


    Only Enzo Park had no job at the moment. Because of his race, he had a hard time finding roles. He heard there was a project called Rush Hour, but the cast was mostly done. He tried to audition for the role but didn''t get it. Jackie Chan got the part instead.


    So Enzo Park was grateful that Kazir Grey hired him back even though his role in Taken was very small. At least he had something to do.


    To be honest, Enzo Park felt bitter because he felt he was being left behind. He wanted to prove himself so he was currently doing weight training. He bench-pressed 405 pounds, which was quite remarkable.


    ''I heard that once this movie bes sessful, I will have a role every year.''


    Kazir Grey nned to cast Enzo Park as a ninja. He was the equivalent of ck Window of the MCU, where he would appear in many Continental movies.


    In fact, Kazir already had a movie that was perfect for Enzo.


    In John Wick Chapter 3, there was a group of ninjas that John Wick fought. So Kazir Grey decided to add a certain movie to the Continental Cinematic Universe.


    It was Ninja Assassin. This movie could fit perfectly into the Continental Cinematic Universe.


    The movie had a low box office, but Kazir Grey believed that he could change that by adding the movie to a perfect Cinematic Universe. Maybe the movie could also have sequels.


    Although this project would not start until the Continental Cinematic Universe was firmly established. Maybe around the year 2000.


    Enzo was grateful that Kazir Grey had already assured him that he was part of the crew. He didn''t have to audition. After all, Enzo Park was already perfect for the role. All he had to do was make sure his acting was perfect, too.


    .......


    ....


    ...


    A weekter, 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% sry 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 sry 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 2/3plete.


    All that remained were the roles of Bryan Mills'' daughter and ex-wife. Most of the roles rted 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 studyter.


    Since Kazir was a famous director with two sessful 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 sry, I''m fine.''


    "Most of these actresses are from CAA or frencers."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 007st 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 sry 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."


    The woman smiled at Kazir and walked away.


    "That smile... it''s so sexy."


    Harold, sitting next to Kazir, murmured.


    "Yeah, I guess." Kazir shrugged.


    "Dude, that smile is clearly aimed at you. I bet 1 out of 10 she''s waiting for you outside." Harold added.


    "10 percent? That''s a very small chance."


    "But it''s still a chance."


    Harold, the prop master, became a producer after Kazir convinced him to.


    Kazir knew that Harold had strong discipline after working with him for years. He always made sure that the props, set, and background were meticulously prepared.


    So Kazir knew that Harold had what it takes to be a producer. And he was right. Harold knew most of the crew members and easily gained their respect. Working with a reliable person who had good rtionships was the best thing for this crew. Harold was trusted by everyone and he proved himself.


    ''He made my job easier.''


    To be honest, Kazir wanted Harold to be a producer from the beginning. But Harold was too stubborn to stay on the props team. This was the only time Kazir convinced him.


    Renner and Harold were his trusted friends who had been with him since the beginning of his directing career.


    He wanted to make Harold a producer and Renner a director. Because they both had talent.


    ''Unfortunately... They didn''t have a strong sense of ambition, just like me, hehe.''


    Harold was one thing, but Renner Hector was much harder to convince.


    "Thest actress will appear."


    Kazir nodded after reading the list. Thest one was a frencer. She didn''t have an agency.


    "Brianna Evans, a stage actress from the Sydney Opera House. That''s kind of interesting."


    The Sidney Opera House was a famous theater in Australia. Kazir didn''t expect to meet a stage actress today.


    ''Although I have heard that some theater actresses have exaggerated their acting. Considering that this woman passed the second round, she probably has good acting skills.''


    "Hello, I''m Brianna Evans."


    The woman had a simple appearance. Not beautiful, but not ugly.


    But Kazir sensed a mother''s gentleness in her.


    ''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 apuse.''


    ++++


    [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 ce 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 y 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.


    Kazir knew someone he both respected and feared. When he curiously watched The Dark Night (Nn''s 2nd Batman movie), Kazir saw the terrifying explosiveness of a method actor.


    The Joker gave him goosebumps throughout the movie. As a director, Kazir realized that the real protagonist of The Dark Night was the Joker, not Batman. Heath Ledger stole the audience''s attention and it was fucking beautiful... Kazir cried as he realized that the film industry had lost someone like him.


    ''... I wonder. Where is Heath Ledger now?''


    "Director Grey, you called for me?"


    Liam Neeson showed up wearing a fresh T-shirt. He had a schedule ofing to the studio three times a week to work on stunt choreography with Tae-Won Park. Most of the difficult stunts would be done by the stunt doubles, but Liam Neeson still had to participate.


    "Right timing, Liam, I just wrote a short script. I wonder if you could act it with Miss Evans here."


    Kazir handed the script to Liam Neeson and the actor began to read it.


    "Director, give me a few minutes to prepare my mood."


    "No problem, Miss Evans. This is your copy. Please read it."


    "Thank you, director." The actress respectfully epted the script.


    For the record, Liam Neeson was a talented actor. He was disciplined and respected. His discipline in working in show business was impable. Kazir witnessed Liam Neeson''s serious work after signing the contract.


    Schindler''s List shook the hearts of many people and Liam Neeson''s performance was satisfying.


    One thing was clear, Liam Neeson was a great actor.


    "Are you ready?"


    "Yes."


    Anyway...


    The whole scene went silent until Harold started to cry next to Kazir.


    Even Renner was wiping away tears as he kept the camera on Brianna Evans.


    When the short scene ended, Liam Neeson was shocked. He touched his chin.


    "I was overwhelmed."


    He looked at the woman ying the role of the heartbroken mother.


    "Cut... Brianna, someone will be in touch with youter. 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 ufortable."


    "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 exin. 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 herter 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 herter].


    "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 ck 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 youter."


    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 sry. We can always hire other actors."


    "I''ll try my best."


    Harold nodded.


    "Don''t worry Mr. Producer, we will try to make sure that your responsibility will not be heavy."


    "Shut up Renner, you are not helping at all!"


    "Hahaha."


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The end of 1996 came and New Year''s parties were everywhere.


    This time Kazir received invitations from many people. Mostly from prominent actors who wanted to get in touch with him.


    The sess of hisst film was amazing.


    This year''s box office champion was Independence Day with $817.40 million. 20th Century Fox had thestugh this year. It sold the most tickets worldwide.


    In second ce was Warner Bros.'' Twister with $494.47 million worldwide.


    The third was The Hangover. The movie grossed $469.30 million worldwide. And yes, it was also from Warner Bros.


    Warner Bros. had the second and third highest grossing movies of the year. Combined, the two movies made $963.77 million. In a way, Warner Bros. won much bigger tickets than 20th Century Fox.


    Fourth was Mission: Impossible with $457.69 million.


    Fifth was The Rock, starring Nichs Cage, with $335.06 million.


    In sixth ce 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 ce came from Disney again. This time it was Ransom starring Mel Gibson with $309 million.


    ces 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 ce was taken by Universal Pictures with The Nutty Professor. The film earned $273.96 million.


    In tenth ce 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 regr 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 dors.


    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 moviepanies 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 mest 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 rtionship. 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 prominentpanies in the industry, this particr filmpany 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, thepany sent me an invitation. Now that my project is starting, I need apany 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, thepany focused on distribution. Jerry Maguire was the best example of this. The productionpany 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. Thepany 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 sess, so Sony was still raking in money from thisic 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 Nn''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 dors is not a box office flop.''


    The trilogy was a huge sess. 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 thepany.


    Kazir Grey and Frank Price shook hands. Unfortunately, this was not the ce to talk serious business. Still, their meeting was peaceful and rtively 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.''


    "Director Grey."


    "Good evening, Miss Roberts."


    "Director Grey."


    "Good evening, Mr. Carrey."


    "Director Grey."


    ...


    ...


    ...


    He received greetings from many people. He also received so many business cards. This was the effect of being a sessful director, actors and actresses would approach you first. Even superstars like Julia Roberts and Jim Carrey greeted him with good intentions.


    After all, there was nothing wrong with a conversation between a director and an actor. They were all in the same business.


    "Hm, those girls are flirting with you."


    "Who? Julia Roberts? She''s too famous and I don''t like the way she looks."


    Kazir shook his head.


    "Of course not. I''m talking about other actresses. You got a lot of business cards from them, they even wrote a few words just for you. I saw some of them write their hotel room numbers."


    "Is that so? I didn''t see that."


    "I know. You are too weird."


    Reese Witherspoon giggled. The party got her attention, too. She got some invitations to audition for roles.


    "Thanks for helping me."


    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 particr 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 rted 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 hisposure. 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 rtionshipsted a decade. For celebrities tost that long was very impressive. Most celebrities simply divorced their partners after a few years.


    Although there was a rumor that Nicole Kidman only stayed with Tom Cruise to ride on her husband''s fame. Which may be true. Because in thete years of the 2010s, Nicole Kidman would start using her ex-husband''s name to gain traction with people.


    ''Anyway, this thing is still uncertain. Especially when I''m slowly changing the trajectory of this timeline.''


    Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover were not supposed to be released in this era. But Kazir decided to do it anyway, despite the consequences. He gambled on the sess of the two films.


    "I heard you''re going to invest in your own movie. How about I invest in your movie?"


    Tom Cruise said.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll contact you when we run out of money."


    "Haha!"


    The two had conversations. The rtionship between Tom Cruise and Kazir Grey got better after Kazir was invited to Tom Cruise''s party. Since then, they met a few times and talked about their jobs.


    Kazir was an intern on Rain Man. He met Tom Cruise in that project for the first time and their meeting was simple. Tom Cruise just talked to the intern.


    But Tom Cruise didn''t expect Kazir Grey to actually break into the industry.


    "I know damn well you will never let me invest in your movie. That''s why you didn''t agree with any filmpanies." Tom Cruiseughed.


    As a superstar, he heard a lot of news about Hollywood. He knew that even second-tier filmpanies were eager to contact Grey Pictures. Even though Kazir''s current project was an action movie, they were willing to bite the bullet.


    Kazir now had a very good chance of sess. He was a well-known screenwriter with three blockbusters under his belt. Se7en, Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover were all profitable. The filmpanies believed that Kazir''s action movie could also be profitable.


    Unfortunately, none of them satisfied Kazir. The moviepanies didn''t want to let Kazir enjoy a 30% investment because they didn''t want their overall profits to decrease.


    Naturally, Kazir Grey decided to produce the movie on his own without any outside investment.


    Tom Cruise knew that Kazir would never agree to his terms.


    "You already know me, so why did you ask me?"


    "Nah, I just hope you agree."


    "Anyway, congrattions 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 sry 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 ount.


    For the filmpanies, 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 filmpanies 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 meugh. 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, thest 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, thest 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 sry 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 seed.''Truthfully, Kazir Grey had no idea about the oue 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 sessful movie.


    "Kazir, don''t give me that face. Your sense of being a serious bastard ising 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-Columbiast time. Sony-Columbia wanted to take 35% of the worldwide box office as the sole distributor of the film. Thepany 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.


    ''As long as the conditions are right, I don''t have a problem with 20th Century Fox distributing my films.''


    "I heard that 20th Century Fox is in a bind right now. Their budget for this year is a little tight because of James Cameron''s new movie."


    "..."


    Kazir just listened. Titanic was still causing problems for the two filmpanies, Paramount and 20th Century Fox. Not his problem.


    ''... But I have to make sure that Taken is not released in December. Every movie will lose its power against the giant ship.''


    "We are here."


    Harold confirmed the number of the studio. He opened the door and saw many people preparing for the scene.


    They began to take down the set to set up the next one.


    "LIGHT! ADJUST THE FUCKING LIGHT! CAN''T YOU SEE IT''S TOO DIM? FUCKING SHIT! FUCKING SHIT! HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU MAKE THIS MISTAKE!"


    Kazir and Harold quietly entered the studio. They heard a strong roar from a certain person. This person had a unique ent.


    Since Kazir had stepped down as director. Of course, someone had to take his ce.


    Kazir had no idea who the director was that Fox Searchlight Pictures had hired. All he knew was that the director was from France and had made so manyedies. Fox Searchlight Pictures hired him for a very small sry, probably an unknown director.


    The crew for Napoleon Dynamite II was put together by a different group of productionpanies. Fox Searchlight Pictures didn''t want to spend a lot of money on the production, so they decided to hire people with cheap sry.


    Kazir found Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal trying to smile as they listened to the director''s banter.


    ''I think they realize the truth about directors... That most directors will never hesitate to humiliate people.''


    Directors suffered from intense pressure, causing their behavior to be extreme.


    Judging by their expressions, the actors were definitely not used to this kind of atmosphere.


    Kazir''s filming had a calm and collected atmosphere. Most of the crew respected each other. They were working together to make a sessful 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 minutester, 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 manyedy 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 sessful."


    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 sess 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 betterposure 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 sess. 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 twopletely different genres.'' Tom Rothman nodded.


    ''Aedy 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 sessful''.


    A long rant from the CEO of 20th Century Fox, but a valid one.


    In fact, Kazir''s production crew did suffer a bacsh. Now that the film had no studio backing, Grey Pictures had to take responsibility and work hard. Fortunately, they had experience working with big-budget films. The pressure was not that much. Just enough to make them tense, but serious.


    ''I heard that Warner Bros was going to start the sequel to The Hangover in midsummer. The Hangover made over $400 million at the box officest year.''


    ''They are probably working hard to make sure the results are better. I bet the actors are negotiating for sry increase... If Napoleon Dynamite II was a sess, Warner Bros might have to increase the budget of The Hangover Part 2 to appease the actors.''


    An obvious thing that would surely happen. In fact, that was the reason Napoleon Dynamite II went from $500,000 to $15 million. All because the actors'' sries went up.


    "Sigh... Those goddamn agents. They are disgusting leeches, sucking blood to the limit."


    Tom Rothman said with his teeth gritting. In fact, Ed Helms'' agent even asked for a share of the box office! It was outrageous.


    "The reason Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover are sessful is because of Kazir Grey. The actors have no reason to keep up their bravado! I''m sure they know that."


    The life of working in the showbiz industry is to make sure that your movie/show attracts the attention of the masses. Filmpanies were willing to ept outrageous conditions just to increase the likelihood of sess. But they were not stupid.


    A few minutester, Kazir and Harold walked into the office. The reason Kazir showed up was to assist Harold, since the producer was still new to the job.


    :I can use Rafael too, but this is rted to mypany, so I have to make it worthwhile.''


    Harold worked for Grey Pictures while Rafael was a CAA agent. Of course, Kazir had to trust his old friend.


    "Good morning, Mr. Rothman."


    "Kazir, how''s your work?"


    The two shook hands and sat down a few secondster. Smiling like they were close friends.


    "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 n 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 sessful. 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 sessful is because everyone is afraid to do so. Once I prove that Cinematic Universe is possible and profitable, many filmpanies will try to copy me."


    Kazir grinned.


    When the Marvel Cinematic Universe became sessful, 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 sessful one was MCU. Even Warner Bros'' DCEU was a fucking flop in terms of quality. The movies of DCEU and MCU were notparable at all.


    In the next century, Marvel would be 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 filmpanies 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 dors. The franchise may have been the reason why movie theaters were still thriving under the strong rapid rise of the Inte. 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 sessful 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 onics. 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 talentededy 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 popr 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) sessful, but it was still true that the movie made more money overseas.


    Unfortunately, the usual situation was the opposite. If the movie horribly flopped in North America, it would flop in the rest of the world.


    So Kazir understood why Tom Rothman couldn''t promise international distribution for Taken. After all, they have to invest money just to distribute thousands of film copies around the world. Added that they also have to promote them.


    ''Well, that''s good for me. At least I can negotiate with them again if Taken is good. Maybe I can get a better deal then.''


    Sony-Columbia has already promised a 35% share of the worldwide box office. This offer was either good or bad for Grey Pictures.


    But in Kazir''s opinion, the deal was already good. As long as the movie made more money, everything would be better for both parties.


    ''I guess this meeting is fruitless again. It seems that Tom Rothman didn''t want to repeat what happenedst time. Maybe he thinks it was a mistake to give me a share of the box office for Napoleon Dynamite. Well, I''m still grateful for what he did for me.''


    Fox Searchlight Pictures was his first partner. He had no problem working with them again as long as the conditions were met.


    The truth was that the meeting was not fruitful. At least Grey Pictures knew the average terms of the two filmpanies. Besides, it was not wrong to ask for more. Especially if Grey Pictures was going to be the sole investor in Taken.


    They have the right to agree or disagree with the filmpanies.


    ''... I actually have anotherpany to ask from, but I''m not sure if they have the ability to promote my movie properly.''


    Anyway, this thing could not be solved right away. First of all, the movie was still not made. No filmpany wanted to sign with Grey Pictures. Everything was just a ''promise'' from now on. Nothing was certain.


    "Well, thank you for epting this meeting, Mr. Rothman."


    "That''s fine. By the way, if you have anotheredy script you want to direct, feel free to contact 20th Century Fox. We will make sure to invest in your movie. Haha!"


    As expected, Tom Rothman''s prejudice against his talent was obvious. Besides, what Tom Rothman said was only a promise. No one knows if 20th Century Fox would really cooperate with Grey Pictures if Taken was a massive flop.


    Everything depended on the oue 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 yound."


    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 impable at the moment. He got abs and toned biceps.


    ''I rmended 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 Lumi¨¨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 Cin¨¦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 n 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.


    But since they got the permission, Grey Pictures decided to shoot most of the relevant scenes in the movie. Like running on the highway. For this sequence alone, Liam Neeson practiced running without getting tired.


    Three months was a short time, but Liam Neeson was strict about his work. He made sure his physique fit the role of Bryan Mills. A retired dangerous agent.


    "Director, we already blocked the road."


    Assistant Director Fremont Smith told Kazir, who was sitting in the chair.


    "Good. We only have three hours to shoot this scene. Make sure we get as many good shots as possible."


    Kazir raised his megaphone and gave the go signal. This was not the studio, and his voice was hard to hear even when he shouted. So carrying a megaphone was the right decision. Besides, Kazir would never use the megaphone for useless things.


    There were directors who would use a megaphone every damn time, unreasonably. As if they wanted to show that they were in control.


    "Okay, let''s start filming."


    His voice resounded.


    There was a rule in the show business. Never film a passerby. Or you would get sued. Every passerby, every car, every person the camera caught was hired by the production crew. These people signed a contract to be in the movie, even if they were just extras.


    So yes, Grey Pictures hired all the people who would appear on screen. None of them were real passers-by. In fact, even the prank videos on YouTube were mostly staged. So yeah, don''t believe those prank videos.


    In this scene, Liam Neeson had to run a few meters to catch the handsome person who was rted to the disappearance of Kim (Bryan Mills'' daughter) and her friend.


    "Impressive, Liam Neeson is not out of breath."


    Kazir was pleased. Unlike the original version where Liam Neeson was older, the current Liam had a better physique.


    ''I decided to make Bryan Mills stronger and faster in this version because the Continental Cinematic Universe is a replica of superhero movies.''


    The John Wick and Fast and the Furious franchises were basically superhero movies. Yes. Especially thetter of the two. Nobody could change that opinion because it was the truth. These movies had the same form 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 form 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 particr 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 Pnski."


    The intern said.


    "..."


    Kazir became silent. Roman Pnski was in fact a famous director. He was the director of The Pianist. The Oscar-winning film, The Pianist.


    But Roman Pnski was also famous for something else... He was a known rapist/pedophile.

 Chapter 92

    Chapter 92


    Roman Pnski. 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 Pnski 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 Pnd and her parents lived through the horrors of World War II.


    Unlike Kazir''s mother, Roman Pnski 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 Pnski was wanted in the US and he could not get in. He had cooperation with the filmpanies 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 Pnski 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 Pnski hadmitted a crime. He was convicted of uwful 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 thete 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. Pnski."


    Kazir shook Roman''s hand. It was a little ufortable, but he decided to ept it.


    The Jewish director was 63 this year, and he looked old. But he was still active in the industry.


    "Kazir, how about we go to a quiet ce and talk."


    "Okay."


    Kazir motioned to Harold Witsend to make contact with the locals. Maybe they could find something interesting that would reduce their costs. They need localpanies to help them.


    The two directors walked into the garden. Kazir had a ss of champagne in his hand. He knew the French liked to drink champagne and cognac.


    "Kazir, I hear you''re a Jew."


    "That''s right."


    As expected, Roman yed the race card. Kazir decided to shut up and let Roman talk.


    "I have a new project and I''m trying to find a distributionpany. I was wondering if you could rmend apany."


    "Well, I work with Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox. Maybe I can put you in touch with them."


    "I had a rtionship with Warner Bros. back in 1988. As for 20th Century Fox, this might be the first time."


    He smiled.


    The two began to talk about movies and their experiences making them. It seemed that Roman Pnski was having a hard time finding a distributor for his next film.


    While talking to the old director, Kazir realized that Roman was not so bad after all. At least he felt that way about him.


    Maybe he is just showing his good side. Well, nobody wanted to show their devils.


    To be honest, that was not his problem. The only reason he attended this party was to make a connection with the local movie industry.


    "Ah, by the way, I heard that you held an audition for young women?"


    "... Mr. Pnski, 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 Millsst 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 minutester 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 Americast year to audition for Taken. But they didn''t like me because of my ent."


    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 apany that can help you gather extras, and their payment is lower than the average."


    Roman Pnski added.


    "Thank you, Mr. Pnski."


    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 rtionship.


    So as much as possible, he wanted to keep his feet away from women who could be his downfall... Especially young women.


    "Mr. Pnski, 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 sess of myst two movies. But I know that filmpanies 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 be 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 Pnski 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 sess.


    "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 rted 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.


    Underage actors were required to have tutors while they were on the set. They also have maximum working hours that the production crew could not vite.


    ''Fortunately, people are tamed and reasonable this time.''


    Grey Pictures didn''t have a problem with anyone. Especially when Grey Pictures was still looking for a filmpany to distribute the film.


    ''Adding another minor is not a problem. Besides, I heard that thews in this country are different from those in the US. Maybe they have more lenientws.''


    "I want to take the role."


    Eva Green weighed the pros and cons. She thought her chances of going to Hollywood were very slim. So she decided to take a chance. Working with a famous director was a once in a lifetime opportunity for her. She might as well take the role.


    "You need your parents'' permission first."


    "Thank you, Mr. Grey."


    The woman smiled and happily left to find her parents.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    His interaction with the guests was easy. They chatted. Some of them were interested in him, especially after hearing that Kazir Grey was the director of Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover. Those movies were huge box office hits even in France.


    He even met Sophie Marceau. But because of the woman''s status in France, Kazir just greeted her and then stayed away.


    Sophie Marceau was in the cast of Braveheart. She didn''t have much influence in Hollywood, but it was different in Europe. Here, she was a famous actress.


    "What have you got?"


    Kazir asked Harold, who was standing next to him. They sipped alcohol in silence in the corner. They had already gotten what they needed.


    "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 itter."


    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 themter. If the price is right, we can rent and buy old cars from them."


    "Okay."


    Having aplished 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 Pnski had promised, apany 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 identally 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 ce.

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94


    Liam Neeson was insured, of course. Because of his profession, the insurancepany 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 Neeson murmured while sipping hot soup. It waste at night and very cold. Liam''s personal assistant gave him a towel to keep him warm.


    "I heard that director Grey has a vibe that makes actors improve their acting." The assistant said without any assurance. In the first ce, she didn''t know what she was saying.


    "It''s because the director has a long patience and he didn''t shout much."


    Enzo Park appeared.


    "Our ninja is here!"


    Liam Neeson teased the young Korean. They trained together and became friends.


    "Tell me more about Director Grey," Liam said.


    "I only worked with director Grey once and I realized one thing... I didn''t feel any pressure or nervousness. That''s why I easily passed my scenes even though I had a lot of NGs when I practiced."


    Enzo Park was dressed in very elegant clothes, all ck. As if he was melting into the darkness.


    "I see..."


    Liam Neeson touched his chin. This was only the second day, and Kazir Grey kept his patience. There were times when mistakes were made. Instead of getting angry, Kazir encouraged them.


    Even Liam noticed that Kazir Grey boosted his confidence by telling him that he was doing a great job even though his performance was sometimes mediocre.


    "Will my acting be bad now that I know his tricks?"


    "Tricks? No, I think it''s a talent. Director Grey has a talent for building someone''s confidence. Director Grey knows the whole movie as if it''s already finished in his mind. I think as long as you meet his qualifications, there will be no problem.


    Enzo assured him.


    "Thank you, but I didn''t feel any encouragement at all." Liam Neeson chuckled.


    The shooting started again.


    This time, Bryan Mills had to fight the guards of a certain rich Middle Eastern man.


    In the movie, Bryan Mills'' daughter was bought at an illegal auction by a Middle Eastern man. Kazir just followed the original movie as closely as possible.


    ''The High Table from the franchise John Wick has a member of a Middle Eastern man. I think I can do something to connect the two.''


    Kazir thought as he watched Bryan Mills defeat the bodyguards one by one on the screen. Of course, they are shooting the scenes one by one with breaks. This was not a real fight. They just have to make it realistic.


    "Liam, this is an important part of the movie, no, of my whole n. 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 Pnski rmended 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 ss 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 use 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 n 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.


    Filming ended today and the crew dispersed. Working at night was obviously double pay for the production crew. As for the actors, they have different contracts, so they were pretty tame. However, there was a use in the contract that the actors should have afortable ce to stay during the night shoot.


    In fact, Liam Neeson and Scarlett Johansson had their own trailers. Liam Neeson was a well-known actor, so he had his own trailer to rest in. As for Scarlett Johansson, she was an underage actress and she sometimes had to study in the trailer.


    As for the extras... The crew could not give them their own trailers. Most of them have to share.


    Obviously, since Kazir Grey was the director of this movie, he had his own trailer to rest in.


    He leaned against the chair and watched the shots they had acquired today. They mostly focus on expensive shots for the first week to make sure they can control their cash flow.


    There were instances where the money was spent before they even rented cars and such. So to make sure they knew what they were spending, the production crew decided to spend big and then gradually control their spending.


    If they didn''t have enough cash... They might have to ask for a loan.


    Fortunately, Kazir''s shooting was fast and precise. There were some mistakes along the way, but it was within expectations.


    Besides, this time the situation was different from thest time. There was no WMA to interfere with his shooting. He was in a foreign country and William Morris Agency didn''t have time to bother him.


    As for the filmpanies, especially the big six, they kept their attitude. They just watch and see the results. Kazir''s current project was an experiment and the filmpanies were not sure how to face it.


    If his movie wasn''t really amazing, they wouldn''t approach him.


    Kazir watched the shots many times. There were different angles to be used and he tried to find the best one.


    A few minutester, someone knocked on his door.


    "Brother Kazir?"


    "..."


    Hearing the young girl''s voice, Kazir sighed uncontrobly. Kazir looked at the entrance and found Scarlett Johansson together with her tutor. The tutor didn''t enter the trailer.


    "Scarlett, I''m busy. It''ste now, I suggest you get some sleep because you have a scene tomorrow."


    "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 disying 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 ying 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."


    This time Scarlett''s performance was better. Kazir did not ask for anything great from her. He was already satisfied that Scarlett could work without being a crybaby.


    ''Young children can be shy and timid in front of the camera. They usually cry when they''re pressured, and they''re hard to work with. I didn''t want to work with young children as much as possible.''


    He had the experience of working with a baby in The Hangover. The baby would cry at every break and it slowed the production down. Their schedule was behind the expected time. In addition, the children''s association at that time also caused problems.


    "I have to work hard, this is the scene we will shoot tomorrow. I don''t want to cause trouble for the film crew." Scarlett muttered.


    "I''m surprised that a little girl like you is aware of her surroundings."


    "I''m not a little girl! I''m already 12." She kicked her foot in protest.


    "That means you are a little girl."


    "Geez!" She pouted.


    She hated it when people made fun of her age. She tried to be mature. Well, her action was still that of a child.


    "Kazir, does being a director fun."


    "Thank God you stopped calling me brother. Anyway, what do you mean? I like my job and I love making films, so yeah, it''s fun."


    "Boys and girls at my age are snotty and act very immature. They fight and talk stupid things. I want to grow up fast and do what I want, something fun."


    "Scarlett, boys and girls your age are very immature."


    Kazir shook his head. This little girl was trying to grow up faster. In his opinion, Scarlett should see things from a child''s perspective. She was still a child. She should cherish her childhood.


    "Anyway, since you are making fun of me, you should buy me Chocte Souffl¨¦s, if I pronounced that right. I heard there''s a famous cake shop near our hotel."


    She grinned, trying to be unreasonable again.


    "Scarlett, you understand that I''m the director of this project. You can''t order me around."


    "Then I will not do my best tomorrow. Hell, I will even cry."


    "... Are you threatening me?"


    "That''s right. You don''t want your filming schedule to bete, right? Because it brings more expenses if the movie iste." She grinned like a little devil.


    "You know I can fire you."


    "That''s true. But you have already shot almost 1/4 of Kim Mills'' scenes. It will be expensive if you fire me and hire another girl. Maybe the girl you will cast is worst than me."


    "..."


    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 calcting.


    ''Now, my fear towards women is getting stronger...''


    Adults respected him because of his authority and aplishments. 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 vi 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 amodations.


    "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 Pnski 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 Pnski. I know Eva Green''s future, so there''s nothing wrong with helping her. Perhaps I will make another changes in the timeline...''


    After greeting Kazir Grey, Eva Green went into the shared trailer to get makeup. She was a woman who had been captured by human traffickers and suffered a terrible fate. Obviously, her appearance had to fit the role.


    "Who''s that?"


    Suddenly, Scarlett Johansson appeared next to Kazir and asked about Eva Green, who entered the shared trailer.


    "Huh? Are you talking about Eva Green? She is just an acquaintance."


    "Is that so? But the way she looks at you is a little different, ack--! Hey, why did you karate chop me? I almost bit my tongue." She hissed.


    "That''s because you don''t know what you''re saying. Eva Green is just an actress that was rmended to me by a Director here in France. I''m sure she''s just grateful."


    "Really? Then that is good to hear. Kazir, you have to understand that having a rtionship with an underage person is a crime, even if Eva is 17."


    "I know." Kazir just shrugged. There was no reason to argue.


    "Heh, considering your rtionship with that Reese, I bet you have a thing for young women."


    She grinned and crossed her arms. Clearly making fun of him.


    "You want me to karate chop your head again?"


    "N- No." She shook her head hard.


    "Scarlett, I met Reese Witherspoon when she was 20 and I was 25. I don''t think that''s a crime. Besides, Reese and I are just friends."


    "Friends? Heh, that''s too stupid to believe. Anyway, make sure you know what you''re doing."


    "Okay, okay. Just go back to your tutor and study."


    Kazir left to talk to Renner Hector about their shooting n. There was no reason to talk to an immature girl. If not for his friendship with Salvatore Barlowe, Kazir might have fire this little brat.


    "Tch! People always treat me like a kid! I don''t want to study! I don''t want to go back to school, my ssmates are all a bunch of immature brats!"


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The filming was a bitplicated. 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 thatsted 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 eptable.


    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 dors. 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 ce 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 ss. 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 aplete 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 pperboard 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.


    Eva Green''splexion was pale from makeup. She only had a few lines because her character was drugged and couldn''t speak well.


    So Bryan Mills took the woman out of the ce. He beat and shot the people who tried to stop him.


    Then he got into the car with the drugged woman.


    "Cut!"


    Today Kazir said "cut" so many times that no one could count them.


    "Now that this scene is over, do we have to prepare the cars?"


    Fremont Smith asked him.


    "Let''s reshoot this scene twice, then we''ll start the car chase. Tell the props team to prepare the set."


    "I understand."


    Fremont left to contact the props team.


    The shooting started again and Kazir thought that the first shot was the best of them. It might look like he was just wasting hours and films, but no one would dare confront him. He had it better because of his authority and achievements.


    Even if the actors got angry, they were professionals and would never speak badly in front of him.


    "Liam, the first take is the best, so I guess I have to apologize for making you redo it twice."


    "This is the first time a director has apologized to me after making that kinf of mistake." Liam Neeson was taken aback.


    Directors ask for retakes to get more shots to choose.


    "Is that so? Well, I just want to tell you because I don''t want you to hold a grudge against me." Kazir chuckled.


    "It''s okay, Kazir. I understand your intention and I will not hold it against you. We are both doing our jobs."


    The two men understood and nodded at each other.


    "D- Director Grey, how was my performance?"


    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 ce 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 use 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 ident urs.


    *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 ambnce!"


    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 minutester, an ambnce 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 ident!"


    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 talkter 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 ident.


    Harold promised that the driver would bepensated 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 ident. The future of Grey Pictures lies in this film.


    The ident 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 Pnski, 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 theypleted the scenes. They left the site afterpleting all the scenes and went to their next location.


    Unfortunately, the incident still spread, but not in France. The news that there was an ident on the set of Taken was picked up by the filmpanies in Hollywood.


    As a result, reporters and paparazzi showed up and disrupted their filming.


    "Hayst..."


    Kazir sighed as he looked at the reporters watching the set from a distance.


    "France didn''t care about the ident because the driver is American, but it''s different in Hollywood. They are interested in your movie because of your past performance. If you''re unlucky, the Big Six might block your way."


    Harold muttered next to him. Just like Kazir, Harold had the worst expression on his face. He was tired these days... He didn''t like being a producer at all.


    ''Just as I expected, something is wrong. idents aremon in the set and people shouldn''t not be shocked that much. Reporters will definitely not cover this story... Unless someone is trying to cause trouble to us. Trying to sabotage our project.''


    "We still don''t know if the news came from outside or if one of our crew betrayed us. I''m sorry..."


    "It''s hard to keep this kind of information. I already know that this could happen. You should not me yourself. What I didn''t expect, is the involvement of media. For fuck sake, the driver didn''t even die, yet these reporters are demonizing us!"


    The driver was safe and suffered only minor injuries. However, the media wanted to make a big deal out of this, so they started using the word "allegedly" to make it worse.


    Allegedly, Director Grey didn''t care about the safety of the drivers.


    Allegedly, the crew used cheap cars and made a mistake.


    Allegedly, the production of Taken might be postponed because the driver filed awsuit.


    So many rumors and so much trouble. But the truth was, the reporters were doing bullshit. They didn''t care about the truth, they just wanted to find something interesting than would caught the attention of the people.


    The only good thing about it was that they were in France and Americans could not cause trouble here. At least not that much.


    However, it was obvious that their filming schedule would be affected by this incident.


    "I heard that the paparazzi were harassing our crew at the hotelst night."


    "I''ve already spoken to security. They will try their best to protect the hotel from paparazzi. The problem is today..."


    "Indeed."


    Kazir Grey looked around. Their filming location was in open ce and the paparazzi and reporters could spy on them.


    "We need to change our schedule. Let''s shoot the indoor scenes first. I''m sure these people will stop bothering us once this incident dies down."


    They didn''t have any choice but to adapt. These people would try their best to get a good news scoop.


    Especially paparazzi, they didn''t care about a person''s privacy. They would follow you all the way just to get interesting news.


    "I''ll call Fremont and the others." Harold understood the situation and agreed.


    "Hm? What''s going on?"


    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 themotion.


    "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 hupped.


    "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 awsuit?"


    "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 themotion.


    ''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 shorings. 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 sessful.''


    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 red 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 rtionship with the film crew. She respects them... I wonder why she keeps bothering me?''


    "Why are you looking at me like that?"


    "Nothing."


    "I went to see Paul because I was afraid he would try to spread lies to the media. This is my first movie and I want it to be a sess." Scarlett muttered while wiping her tears.


    "Don''t worry, Harold has already taken care of that. You''re a kid, so it shouldn''t be your problem. I''m more surprised that you''re so worried about this movie."


    He hadn''t expected that this little girl would actually visit Paul just to make sure there wouldn''t be a problem.


    "Of course. I want to be famous."


    Scarlett wiped away her tears and stood up.


    "Did your totur take you to the hospital?"


    "Yes. She''s a good person. I saw that Paul is in good health and left after. I was afraid to ask him not to betray us, so I left after visiting him."


    "What about Karen and Judas from the Children''s Association? Are they not with you?"


    Kazir was interested to hear this.


    "No, they are not with us. I heard that they will bring more people to make sure I''m okay."


    ''... I see.''


    "Then where is your tutor? She was not with you when the paparazzi harassed you earlier."


    "Karen talked to her and I had to go by myself."


    "..."


    Listening to Scarlett''s answers, Kazir realized that the Children''s Association was really doing its "job" well.


    "As soon as your tutor arrives, you can return to the hotel. I have already prepared a car for you."


    Scarlett''s parents were busy. Kazir didn''t know the exact story, but he''d heard from Salvatore Barlowe that Scarlett''s parents weren''t having a good rtionship right now.


    ''Well, they''re not in the set to take care of their daughter, that''s enough for me to understand the situation.''


    Kazir had no idea about Scarlett Johansson''s personal life. He only knew her as ck Widow.


    "Thank you." Scarlett thanked him.


    A few minutester, the tutor returned with a paleplexion. She was worried when she heard that Scarlett had been involved in an incident. She sighed with relief when she realized that Scarlett was fine.


    "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 exin. He watched as Scarlett got into the car and left.


    ''idents 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 particr 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 dayster, Paul, the driver, showed his face to the media. He announced that the film crew was not to me 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 twopanies 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 writingedies. The two filmpanies needed his creativity for the sess 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 rted 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 likest 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 thest 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 ce. 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.


    Just like that, the days in France slowly ended until they finished shooting all the scenes.


    As the protagonist, Liam Neeson had a lot to do. He might be one of the most exhausted people in the crew, along with Kazir Grey, Harold, Renner and Fremont. They had a lot of responsibility and their jobs were difficult, so the pressure was real.


    When the crew returned to Los Angeles, Kazir gave them three days to rest before resuming shooting.


    They still had a lot of scenes to shoot, especially the first part of the movie. They were set in America and Kazir had to respect that fact a little.


    Anyway, the crew did their best to control the budget and there were a few million left. If things went well, they would have enough to throw a wrap party.


    "Salvatore, you''re here."


    Kazir paused when he realized that his agent was waiting for him at the airport.


    "I have to." The agent shrugged.


    "Salvatore!"


    The little girl got excited when she saw her agent. She ran to greet him.


    "Good evening... Ah, it should be morning here. The time difference really is a thing. Anyway, good morning Salvatore."


    "Scarlett! I''m d to see you healthy and active."


    "Hehe."


    Scarlett sensed that Salvatore wanted to talk to Kazir alone, so she said goodbye. Her mother was waiting for her.


    "I''m sure you have something to say to since you''re at the airport waiting for us tond."


    "It''s about the WMA, Vice President Lawlor Dean has been demoted. I think he''s angry and caused this problem."


    "Is that so? Watch their moves, I don''t want another incident."


    "Okay. Ah, I just remembered. 20th Century Fox wanted to invite you to the premiere of Napoleon Dynamite II."


    "It''sing out this month?"


    Kazir was surprised.


    "Maybe you are too tired. Kazir, Napoleon Dynamite started shootingst 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 ne, even though he was in business ss. However, he could not stretch his limbs without restraints, so it was notfortable. 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 thest 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 secondster, 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 bing a manager at a fast-food restaurant.


    ''I wonder why she left herst job.''


    "I quit because the sry 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.


    "Drop the sir, just call me Kazir or Director Grey."


    "Alright, Director Grey."


    Even her posture was upright and perfect.


    "It says here that you served two years in the military. Do you have any experience with firearms?"


    "Yes, I have."


    "Can you drive?"


    "I can drive, I have a license."


    "Okay. That''s good. You are hired."


    "Sir?" Erica tilted her head in a confused manner.


    "You''re hired."


    "..."


    Erica was confused at first. Then she realized that Kazir had hired her. Her eyes were shining as she recovered from her confusion.


    "T- Thank you!"


    She said and almost saluted, but she realized that it was not the right thing to do. So she bowed her head instead.


    "Just go to Grey Pictures tomorrow and sign the contract. You can read it first and talk to yourwyer. As for your sry, I can assure you that you will be satisfied. Of course, you will have to work hard."


    "Yes! Director Grey."


    The woman''s face beamed and bowed again before leaving the room.


    "Looks like I didn''t need to keep this interview long after all."


    He signaled to the people outside that the interview was over. There were three people left, and Kazir didn''t bother talking to them.


    Erica Mendez was already a good fit for the job.


    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 quitemon. Lots of filmpanies 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 ssestely because of my movie. Still, it''s better to have someone who knows what they''re doing.''


    Without any anti-climatic plot, Erica Mendez epted the job after reading the contract. Everything in the contract was what she expected. Herwyer 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 andment that the MC was boring as fuck.


    As for her sry, Erica Mendez was shocked when Kazir kept his promise of a six-figure annual sry. She also had an annual bonus. There was also a use that her sry 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 ownnguage.


    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.


    "To be honest, yes. I never thought making a movie would be boring."


    What they were doing was shooting different shots that wouldst a few seconds at best. Then Kazir would yell cut.


    Erica Mendez thought that shooting a movie was like watching a y. Where actors yed their roles perfectly.


    But now Erica was seeing a lot of NGs(No Good). Sometimes the actors would make mistakes and say their lines wrong. Sometimes the actors could not hold their expressions andugh.


    Well, the atmosphere in the crew was rxed, and Kazir didn''t like to put too much pressure on. Laughter was amon urrence during the shooting.


    This was different from what Erica had expected. In fact, they spent half the day filming Kim Mills'' birthday party. This scene onlysts a few minutes in the movie, yet the crew spends so much time on this one or two minute scene... Then they have to tear down the set after filming is over.


    ''A waste... It''s a big waste.''


    Erica could not believe that the crew spent over $25,000 just for this scene. They even rented a pony, a small breed of horse, a real live pony to appear in the movie.


    "Let''s finish shooting for the day."


    Kazir announced and the crew was happy to hear it. The shooting ended early today and they have time to rest or y.


    The reason why Kazir ended early the shooting for today was because of one thing - the premiere of Napoleon Dynamite II.


    "Sir, let me take you there." The woman stepped in.


    "Are you sure? Will your kids be okay?"


    "Don''t worry, sir. My mom loves taking care of my twins."


    Erica smiled. She was already grateful that Kazir had hired her. She wanted to work hard to prove to Kazir that his choice was not wrong... She wanted to work hard because she also wanted a sry raise.


    "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 theaterter. 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 ount, 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 thepany''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 eyshes, 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 elerated.


    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 carpetst 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 sessful?"


    "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 ufortable. 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 itter."


    "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.''


    Napoleon Dynamite has never had a sequel in the past. It had a TV show, but it ended quickly without sess.


    But now Kazir got to the point where he was writing the sequel. Frankly, he had no idea how this sequel would go.


    This was the reason why Kazir didn''t want to direct the sequel, because he was afraid. It was normal to be afraid, people have these emotions for survival.


    Instead, he made anotheredy movie to increase his chips, which was The Hangover. It was a worldwide sess.


    ''I''m not going to lie, I''m a coward. I''m not going to make a movie that I''m not confident in.''


    He decided to give full authority to 20th Century Fox and let them decide. He was only responsible for the script... Even the script was made by the heads of five people. He hired writers just to make sure it would not fail.


    50-50 chance. That was what he deduced.


    Tom Rothman found him and nodded. The CEO of 20th Century Fox approached him and shook his hand.


    "Let''s hope this movie is sessful."


    "Tom, you should be confident in your movie," Kazir replied.


    "That is true. However, I will be more confident if you are the one directing it."


    "..."


    Kazir didn''t know how to answer because he could see that Hugo Lameire had an ugly face a few meters away.


    It seemed that Hugo Lameire was trying to talk to Tom Rothman about something, but Tom Rothman wasn''t having it.


    He was clearly angry. As if he had been taken advantage of.


    ''... Not my problem.''


    This thing had nothing to do with him. First of all, Fox Searchlight Pictures chose Hugo Lameire to be the director. Kazir had no authority over that. So that kind of thing was not his problem.


    ''Although I''m not sure if he''s looking at me or Tom Rothman.''


    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 makingedies.


    ''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 n B if he has no other choice. He''s not going to let Taken be a flop. The movie was sessful in his past life, he just had to make sure it would be sessful 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 rted 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 bothedies, 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 sess. The Hangover was one of the top 5 moviesst 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 ring 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 writingedies, 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 wereedy 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 ce 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 hrious, 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 particr 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 ayed when The Hangover was released.


    Napoleon Dynamite II and The Hangover had some simrities, 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 evenughing.


    "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 intoedy or action.


    When he wrote Napoleon Dynamite, Kazir understood that it was not his real creation. He just giarized it. He was a thief, a bastard.


    But this time it was different. The idea was all his. Sure, it was inspired by The Hangover, but it was still something different.


    Kazir felt like he was on to something big.


    "Kazir, are you okay?"


    Reese suddenly asked him worriedly, touching his arm.


    "Huh?"


    "You''re crying."


    Kazir touched his face and realized that he was indeed crying. In the midst of a long round of apuse from the audience, Kazir shed tears.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    June 5, 1997. It was Thursday night. Actually, it was almost midnight.


    The summer schedule was always packed with blockbuster movies and the month of June was not so easy.


    The heavy movies released today were Con Air from Walt Disney and Napoleon Dynamite from 20th Century Fox.


    The two movies were released at the same time and it was obvious that the collision was going to happen.


    "Kazir, I didn''t expect you to stay. I thought your job was already over after you passed the baton to Hugo Lameire."


    Kazir could not sleep. Not with this film attached to him.


    "Tom, don''t be like that. Napoleon Dynamite is like a child of mine. I want it to seed."


    Kazir nced around the corner. He found Hugo Lameire sipping expresso vigorously. His anger was long gone and only nervousness remained. Right now, Hugo Lameire was hoping that the movie would be a hit. Otherwise, all the promises Warner Bros had made him would disappear. Everything depended on the oue of Napoleon Dynamite II. So he was nervous instead of angry.


    "Sir, the result is here."


    "Give it to me."


    Tom Rothman got the stats.


    "$3.8 million. Not bad."


    This was already within their expectations and Tom Rothman didn''t have a problem with the result. After all, there was another heavy movieing out today.


    "How about Con Air?"


    Kazir asked.


    "It says here that Con Air made $4.3 million."


    Con Air had Nichs 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 mmed 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-budgetedy!


    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 sess. 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.


    "Let''s see." Fremont watched the shot again and found it worthy.


    "Okay, let''s wrap it up."


    "Phew..."


    Harold sighed in relief at the approval.


    "You had 8 NGs. Not bad." Kazir praised him.


    "Not bad my ass. Anyway, are you sure you want to include this cameo in the final cut?"


    "It all depends."


    Kazir was not sure, to be honest. He knew that Stan Lee hadeos in many Marvel movies... Kazir copied those tidbits as well.


    "But what about our conversation? Why did you add those nonsense lines in the first ce?"


    "I''ll just turn the volume down and mix it into the background."


    "Okay, you''re the director, not me. Sigh... I really want to get back on the props crew and make props again."


    "Sorry, you''re probably going to be in that position for a long long time."


    "Just make sure my sry is right."


    The producers could have a share of the profits, depending on the contract. Kazir would never betray his friends.


    As for the cameo, he might have to decide once post-production started. If Taken became a box office hit, he would have to do cameos to keep the audience entertained.


    ''When I saw ck Panther in the theater, the audience started screaming with joy when they saw Stan Lee''s cameo in the casino. I hope to get that reaction.''


    There was a trend in the MCU to find Stan Lee''s cameo in every movie.


    ''I''m not sure which movie Stan Lee''s cameo started, but it''s really entertaining.''


    After their cameo scene ended, Kazir took over the director''s chair and resumed filming. They only had to shoot a few scenes and the filming would be over. Maybe in two weeks they could start post-production.


    The crew have enough money to hire an editor and a sound director. Maybe they could hire a movieposer along the way. Although it would be impossible to hire Hans Zimmer. The budget was not enough...


    ''Harold is definitely not lying when he says that the budget is not enough.''


    Kazir chuckled.


    "Kazir, there''s someone trying to contact you."


    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 uing movies. However, all the projects wereedy rted. Kazir''s talent foredy 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 Nichs Cage caused the budget to go way up.


    ''In my opinion, $51 million is not bad for a two-week gross. It''s a sess. But with Napoleon Dynamite IIing out at the same time, they could not help butpare 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 cane."


    ''... 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 releasedst year.''

 Chapter 107

    Chapter 107


    Just as Kazir thought, Disney was going to celebrate Ransom, which ended its run today. Thest 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 sessful 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 dors 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 rtionship 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 ind.


    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.


    They even talked about their projects, since they were both directors.


    To Mel Gibson, Kazir was a neer to the industry, untainted by the sins of Hollywood. As much as possible, he felt bad to see Kazir go down the dark path. Although it was ironic for Mel Gibson to think about it, he knew damn well that he was no saint.


    ''... It''s really embarrassing when there''s no one to protect me from the fierce gazes of women.''


    Kazir sighed inwardly. Normally, Reese Witherspoon would be at the party with him.


    Unfortunately, she was on a promotional tour with the cast of Napoleon Dynamite. They had just finished promoting their film in North America and were flying to Europe.


    One of the tedious jobs of being part of the cast was signing a contract that they should join the promotional tour.


    In fact, even a director like Kazir had to participate in such things. He had to attend TV shows in many countries just to increase ticket sales, even if it was one percent.


    ''Well, one percent of $100 million is $1 million, so I think it''s a job that should be done.''


    But the cast of Napoleon Dynamite was not that famous. Maybe Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal had a little bit of clout because of The Hangover, but they didn''t have a loyal fan base to support them.


    Fans were built slowly until their presence was enough to increase box office. Tom Cruise had so many fans all over the world that moviepanies were willing to sign a losing contract just to hire him.


    Anyway, Kazir was having trouble because so many women were trying to flirt with him. He kept his cool and smiled. He even saw some actresses blush at his attractive smile.


    In fact, Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie and many uing big actresses gave him their numbers. These actresses were not so famous yet and they were looking for an easy job.


    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 sessful 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 rtionship 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 wasmunicating 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 wasplicated. 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 gotplicated 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 n 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, congrattions on The Hangover. It''ste, but it''s the thought that counts."


    ''Harvey, you''re the bastard who tried to sabotage The Hangover. Yet you have the nerve to congratte me. You are shameless, as expected.''


    "Thank you, Harvey."


    Since Harvey Weinstein used a first-name basis, Kazir followed.


    "I hear you''re producing your movie this time. What about it? You can work with Miramax, I will make sure to promote your movie."


    Harvey just said that, but he was not sure about Kazir''s action movie. He might be interested if it was aedy. Still, he wanted to ease their rtionship at least a little.


    "Maybe. If you lower your box office share to 20%, I will sign a contract with you."


    "..."


    The corner of his lips twitched when Kazir mentioned his condition. 20% was too low.


    "We can talk about it when you sign a distribution contract with Miramax."


    "I''ll think about it."


    "..."


    Harvey realized that Kazir had no interest in working with Miramax.


    "Kazir... You know it''s just business. Don''t take it to heart. We are both Jews, we should help each other."


    "Don''t take it to heart? Harvey, I almost went to jail. My reputation was almost destroyed. And you''re telling me I should just let it go?"


    Kazir''s voice grew heavier.


    "Come on. nder and scandal aremon 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 rtionship. Or maybe I caused another change in the timeline.''

 Chapter 109

    Chapter 109


    The two old menughed 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 sess 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 nned 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 aedy franchise.


    "Kazir, congrattions on Napoleon Dynamite II. Even though you didn''t direct it, I think your presence is the reason it was a sess.""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 apany 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?"


    Michael Eisner raised his eyebrows. A little curious and offended.


    "The filming of Taken is not yet finished, and I cannot sign a contract with an unfinished film."


    "That''s a very good answer. Well then, I guess we will have another meeting when Taken is finished."


    "That is correct. I will contact Walt Disney again, hopefully Chairman Eisner will be able to watch it at that time."


    "Very well. Since I can see that you are sincere, I must be sincere as well. I can promise you that Walt Disney will never take more than 40% of the box office as a fee. If you want, we can sign a contract right now."


    "Thank you, Chairman Eisner, but I believe someone as great as you will keep his promise."


    Michael Eisner''s condition may seem simple, but Kazir sensed his sincerity.


    There are moviepanies that demand 60% of the box office for a fee.


    To be fair, more filmpanies would actually buy the entire copyrights of a film before releasing it.


    Kazir''s position was too weak in the past, so he signed a contract with Fox Searchlight Pictures and got a small share of the box office. But now that he had a strong reputation, he was able to negotiate a better deal.


    So 40% of the box office was not bad, but not good either.


    ''If Walt Disney takes 40%, then the Cinema Alliance will take another 40%. Grey Pictures will only get 20% of the box office. That''s not bad, but it''s not good. At least Michael Eisner has promised that the deal will not exceed 40%. That means there is room to make it lower. The terms are...''


    "Kazir, I hear you have dozens of scripts registered in the Writers Guild. I wonder if you would be interested in selling some of them."


    ''As expected, it was all about scripts.''


    It was understandable, since 20th Century Fox got another movie franchise because of Kazir.


    In fact, not only Walt Disney, but also Paramount and Sony-Columbia were eager to buy his script. As for Universal Pictures... Kazir didn''t want to hear their terms.


    "I want to know what scripts you are interested in, Chairman Eisner."


    Browsing the general plot and titles of scripts was not illegal. The Writers Guild could show that much.


    Some writers would visit the Writers Guild to make sure that the scripts they were writing didn''t bear a strong resemnce to any of the registered scripts. Otherwise there would be awsuit.


    "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 ss 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 yourpany. 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 calcting. He probably expected this meeting and nned 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.


    This man, Kazir Grey, was trying to convince them to cut Harvey Weinstein out of Miramax.


    "It''s understandable because Harvey Weinstein is one of the people who caused Kazir trouble."


    Michael Ovitz added.


    "Ovitz, I can see that you have a favorable opinion of Kazir Grey. What do you think of him?"


    "The reason I like him is because he signed a deal with CAA. Simple as that. Even though I''m not the president of CAA anymore, I''d rather work with them than WMA."


    Michael Ovitz was kicked out of the William Morris Agency and had a grudge against thepany. He formed CAA with the others and slowly built up the agency.


    Of course, he would never help WMA destroy Kazir''s career. When the scandal started, Michael Ovitz did his best to maintain his neutral position.


    ''Phenomenon and The Hangover were shing at the time, so Walt Disney agreed with Harvey Weinstein''s decision to destroy his career.''


    Michael Eisner thought. There were two sides to the coin, and he knew why Walt Disney had partnered with WMA.


    Buttely, Harvey Weinstein had be an eyesore.


    "Harvey Weinstein is getting closer to the shareholders. He is trying to consolidate his position." Michael Ovitz recalled.


    "On top of that... He reached out to Roy Disney."


    "..."


    When Ovitz said that, Chairman Eisner got serious.


    There was only one person in Walt Disney who could challenge his authority. It was the Disney family, specifically Roy Disney.


    "The Disney family has already lost control of thepany, and you already have the ultimate authority. But let''s not forget that thepany is owned by the major shareholders of Walt Disney. It will be problematic if they start to act."


    "I understand."


    Michael Eisner could not agree more. The Walt Disney of the Disney family was already gone. Now it was Michael Eisner''s Walt Disney.


    Still, the chances of the Disney family taking over thepany were obvious.


    "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 rtionship. 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 thepany 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 rtionship 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, especiallyedies.


    "Kazir''s new project is an action movie, right?"


    "That''s right." Michael Ovitz nodded.


    "What a waste... If he chooses aedy, 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 idents 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 andbined 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 aplishment 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 uing 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."


    "Scarlett, I have things to do. What about you? Have you finished dubbing your scenes?"


    "I''m done for today, an underage actress like me has to follow strict working hours. Unlike you, Mr. Grey, who looks like a panda."


    "All right, all right. Just leave the room when you''re done exploring. Don''t touch any buttons."


    "What am I? A child?" She pouted.


    "That''s right."


    "Geez! Don''t change the subject! You need to eat something healthy."


    She was irritated and kicked the floor. Principal Grey was a stubborn guy.


    "...I''m hungry for some vegetables."


    Kazir recalled a certain dish called Sushi. Unfortunately, he had to continue working.


    "Um, Kazir... How about we finish work for today? My wife keeps calling me."


    The editor, Rector, smiled bitterly and apologized. Because he was working too hard, he forgot to talk to his wife.


    "Is that so? I don''t mind. Let''s take a break."


    They left the studio at 4:21 pm.


    "Where are your parents?"


    "They are busy. Salvatore dropped me off at the studio. He left after that because he has a job to do. Probably something to do with your movie."


    "Maybe."


    Four of his clients were working on Taken, and Salvatore hoped the movie would be sessful.


    Salvatore''s clients were: Kazir Grey, Enzo Park, Scarlett Johansson, and Brianna Evans. These people were his main source of ie, so he was working hard.


    ''I think this time he is trying to get in touch with Warner Bros. My influence at Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox are getting better after the release of Napoleon Dynamite II.''


    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 wille out this year, while The Hangover 2 wille out next year, maybe around March or April.


    "Hey, where are we going to eat?"


    Since Scarlett was new to the ce, 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 y 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 Disnend."


    "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.


    Kazir looked ahead as if looking from a distance.


    "Scarlett, what do you think of when you hear Jurrasic Park?"


    "Dinosaurs."


    "I think of Steven Spielberg."


    "Meh, I don''t think of old guys."


    "Then what about Star Wars?"


    "I''m thinking about lightsabers. Don''t tell me you''re going to say George Lucas?"


    "That''s right." Kazir nodded.


    "You are too predictable."


    She clicked her tongue. But that didn''t stop her from eating the chicken teriyaki. Scarlett Johansson never liked rice, but thebination of chicken teriyaki and rice was impable.


    "Well, now that you have finished filming Taken, I guess your dreams havee true."


    "No, I still have to see it in theaters. Besides, I hope it grosses over $200 million worldwide."


    The Hangover is the most sessful R-Rated movie of all time, as of now, grossing over $500 million worldwide.


    Kazir had that achievement under his belt.


    Kazir was not stupid to believe that his first action movie would have such a sess.


    ''Besides, the box office of Taken in my past life was also over $200 million. As long as the movie makes that amount, I''m satisfied.''


    Too much expectation can lead to heartbreak. Kazir was too old to think that everything would revolve around him.


    ''... Sigh, I also have to find a distributor.''


    He let out a long sigh. These problems gued him all the time, even though he had to focus all his attention on editing the movie. He could not help it, he understood the importance of movie distribution.


    "Hey, why are you sighing? Don''t sigh in front of the food, it''s disrespectful. You''re an adult, be tough."


    "You''re right, Scarlett. I apologize."


    "Geez! I said don''t mess up my hair."


    ...


    ...


    ...


    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 filmpanies 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 filmpanies 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 stillment. I''ll take all your criticism.]


    [I have ninepanies 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-anding 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/productionpany, so they have equipment rted 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-rted 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 thest 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.


    "You''re still as busy as ever. Haha, don''t forget to read the revisions we made to the script of The Hangover Part 2."


    Terry Semel didn''t forget to tell him. Kazir finished writing The Hangover Part 2 a year ago. He had already given the script to Warner Bros.


    Like a normal filmpany, Warner Bros was skeptical about the context of the script, so they decided to write a backup script just in case. Although they chose his script immediately after the release of Napoleon Dynamite II.


    They even hired many writers to polish the script. But they felt it was not enough. Kazir''s presence was important. Warner Bros believes that Kazir Grey had to read the script before giving the go signal.


    They believe in his ability to make a script. Of course, they would pay him for his work.


    "Don''t worry Terry, I''ll make sure to attend at least one script meeting this month."


    "That''s reassuring to hear."


    Pre-production on The Hangover Part 2 began. Warner Bros had no choice but to increase the budget now that Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal had established their names.


    Their agents demanded a raise! Which was understandable.


    ''If there''s just one problem, it''s...''


    "Kazir, are you sure you''re not interested in directing The Hangover Part 2? I can give you a better deal if you want."


    Terry Semel said. The importance of a talented director in making a sessful movie was obvious. Everyone in Hollywood believes that Kazir Grey can produce another sessfuledy film. For that, Warner Bros was willing to ept any terms, as long as they were possible.


    If Kazir wanted 15% of the North American box office, Warner Bros would say yes. If he wanted 20%, Warner Bros would nod its head.


    Kazir Grey as the director of The Hangover Part 2 was the best assurance they could get.


    "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 filmpanies? 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, filmpanies 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-handbat. It was also pretty brutal.


    Also, Kazir was a neer 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 sries were on the rise.


    Kazir also weed Tom Rothman and Michael Ovitz. Just like Terry Semel, the two big shots wanted to make a connection with the up-anding 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 alles 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 y 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.


    Now it is up to the filmpanies. It depends on them if they are interested in distributing the film.


    ''One of them will give us a satisfactory contract. They can''t get over the what-ifs.''


    Sony-Columbia wanted 35% of the North American box office.


    Walt Disney settled for 40% of the North American box office. It was funny because Walt Disney never lowered their contract. At least they kept their promise to keep it under 40%...


    ''Although Touchstone, Disney''s subsidiary, contacted me. They want to buy the movie for $50 million. Walt Disney knew how to do things right.''


    Warner Bros didn''t respond positively, so the deal was 40% as well. Maybe Terry Semel was disappointed that Kazir didn''t agree to direct The Hangover 2.


    As for Universal Pictures... They didn''t bother to attend the screening. Their rtionship with Grey Pictures was non-existent. Especially after the scandal.


    If there was one thing that surprised Kazir, it was the contract that 20th Century Fox gave him. He thought Tom Rothman would never agree to it. Maybe the results of Napoleon Dynamite II changed that.


    20th Century Fox agrees to a 30% North American share of the box office. The lowest... As of now.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Sir..."


    "What is it?"


    Terry Semel was reviewing documents when his secretary arrived. It was already three days after the screening of Taken. Warner Bros had already dropped their intention to sign a distribution deal.


    In their opinion, Taken was not worth it. Also, they could not give the movie a good release date. The summer schedule was always full.


    "It''s about Taken. Grey Pictures has found a distributor.


    "As expected, they chose 20th Century Fox, right? Tom Rothman gave them a good deal."


    Terry Semel dropped his pen and listened.


    "No, sir. It''s not 20th Century Fox. Grey Pictures had a deal with Paramount. It says that Paramount will distribute the three Grey Pictures films, including Taken."


    "What?"


    Terry Semel wasn''t expecting it. Kazir had a good rtionship 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 samest 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 n kept changing, but he had no choice but to adapt. The Meet The Parents trilogy was smallerpared to the Continental Cinematic Universe entity. He was willing to sell it as long as he could get a better deal.


    "d 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 productionpany created by Marvel Comics to try to revive theirpany. 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 theics, merchandise (costumes, toys, etc.), and games.


    Marvel made a profit after the release of Spider-Man. Theics rted to Spider-Man increased in sales and even products rted to Spider-Man sold out.


    It was a win-win situation for both Marvel and Sony-Columbia. After that, many filmpanies 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 ns 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 sry 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.


    On top of that, they agreed to sign two more movies for the same deal. It''s a very good deal.


    A 25% box office deal was hard toe by. Even Kazir was shocked when he heard Paramount''s intentions. Well, it was good for Grey Pictures. At least they didn''t have to worry about their two uing projects. Their problem was solved for a while.


    With the exchange of the Meet The Parents script, Kazir felt that the negotiation was worth it. Unlike Meet The Parents, which had three possible films, Taken was the first film in the Continental Cinematic Universe. It was very important, because there are billions in that movie alone. Although Kazir was the only one who thought so.


    So far, nobody thinks that Cinematic Universe was profitable. But once it was pioneered, every moviepany would salivate.


    "Paramount will release the movie at midnight on July 24, 1997. Two weeks from now."


    It was actually July 25th because it was released at midnight, but whatever.


    The thing was that Taken had to face a strong opponent. Air Force One with Harrison Ford would be released the same day.


    ''Sigh... I can''t help it. Paramount already has a schedule for their movies. They can''t put Taken ahead of their own movies. They can''t give us a good release date because their summer schedule is already packed.''


    It was already a good thing that Taken had a release schedule. Besides, Paramount already showed their sincerity by giving Grey Pictures a good distribution deal.


    ''The initial advertising budget for Taken is $4 million. If the movie doesn''t do well, they''ll stop advertising it.''


    So for now, Kazir could only trust in his movie... He was actually scared because Air Force One was a strong opponent. It was one of the top 10 grossing films of 1997.


    ''I hope Sony-Columbia will not do anything bad. I can''t protect myself because Taken is under Grey Pictures. If Sony-Columbia tries to make trouble, I can''t defend myself against the media.''


    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 umbre 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 filmpany. 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 thepanies 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 theirpetitors.


    ''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 apany.''


    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 ce. 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 d 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 de 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 menughed 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."


    They confirmed that Harvey Weinstein was siding with the Disney family, and that was bad for Michael Eisner. He wanted to retain as much authority as possible.


    He was the one who brought Walt Disney to its current status. He is the tyrant Michael Eisner. He even stopped the production of hand-drawn animation and fired Jeffrey Katzenberg.


    From now on, he focused his attention on luring Pixar. He tried to convince Steve Jobs to sell his Pixar''s shares to Walt Disney.


    In the middle of their conversation, Michael Ovitz received a message from his secretary.


    "Chairman, we have a TV here, right?"


    "Hm, here''s the remote."


    Chairman Eisner was confused as to why Ovitz was interested in watching television.


    Michael Ovitz changed the channel to a news channel... As the two Michaels watched the news, they immediately realized they had made a mistake.


    [Breaking news: An underage girl missing for eight months has been found in Mexico. She had been kidnapped by human traffickers and sold to the Mafia... They found dozens of young American girls in an underground facilities.]


    As they watched the news, the two old men were stunned.


    "Ovitz, is this a Paramount movie promotion for Taken?"


    "I''m afraid not. This is ABC. Our own televisionwork. Paramount has no control over it. This is real news... I heard that even the President is going to address this problem in his speech."


    "Shit."


    Chairman Michael Eisner rubbed his forehead. This was a fucking coincidence, a good coincidence for Paramount!


    "Ovitz, when is the release date for Taken again?"


    "July 24th, midnight. Three days from now."


    Michael Eisner sighed.


    "I think we made a mistake."


    "..."


    This time the two agreed. This news alone was covered by every news channel. The missing girl had already be famous a few months ago, because her disappearance had already been reported by news channels.


    And now this topic was revived again. The poor girl was caught in a crime of human trafficking!


    That day, the whole of North America dealt with the news rted about the missing girl and the other kidnapped underaged girls.


    While this was happening, the moviepanies 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, Paramountunched an all-out attack! They used the news of human trafficking while promoting Taken.


    Paramount''s parentpany was Vi.


    Vi was a big mediapany 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 hadplicated 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 sess.


    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 p 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 filmpanies.


    "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 Grey, this is me, Shirley Lansing."


    "You maye in."


    Shirley Lansing walked into the office with a document in her hand. She was the head of Marketing Management.


    Her job right now was to promote Taken.


    "This is the report for yesterday''s event."


    Shirley Lansing handed the documents to Brad Grey and the man took them.


    He read the papers and frowned slightly.


    "Shirley, are you the one who came up with this n?"


    "No sir, it''s Kazir Grey. I felt that his n was possible, so I decided to ept his suggestion."


    "I see..."


    The context of the documents was about the organization that was recently founded to help people who suffered from human trafficking.


    Kazir Grey suggested that Liam Neeson should be the organization''s ambassador. In fact, Liam Neeson appeared in front of the reporters just to announce that he wanted to help these poor people.


    As for Liam Neeson''s sincerity, it was not important. Well, he has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2011. He is probably a good guy.


    Another thing, Grey Pictures announced that they would donate 5% of the North American box office of Taken to the young women who were rescued from the Mexican Mafia.


    Because of this, their status became positive and many people supported them.


    "5%? Looks like Grey Pictures is doing some goodwill. Not my problem. As long as they don''t touch our money, Grey Pictures can donate all they want.


    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 ovee 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 rtionship. 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 rtionship 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 regr 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. Thest time he protected a famous singer from a crazy fan].


    [After the birthday party, a few dayster, 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.


    As an actress, Nicole Kidman realized that Brianna Evans could be a difficult opponent. She had the power to grab people''s attention with her acting alone.


    In fact, even her husband, Tom Cruise, was staring intently at Lenore (Brianna Evans).


    Nicole Kidman bit her lip and squeezed the man''s hand.


    "Huh? Are you okay, honey?"


    "I''m fine." She smiled.


    [To make sure Bryan could contact Kim, he reminded her to call him every day.]


    [The two young girls, Kim and Amanda, went to the terminal and flew to France. Bryan had no idea that Kim was actually lying. She wasn''t interested in going to the art exhibit, she was going to see her favorite band in concert].


    [As Kim and her friend came out of the airport, they met a handsome man named Peter. The man was a gentleman and captured Amanda''s heart. But this man was actually a scout. Someone who scouts out a potential target for kidnapping.]


    [Amanda told Peter where they lived and that they were alone in the house. This information was the cause of their suffering.]


    The audience clicked their tongues at the obvious plot. But this kind of thing was why they were here in the theaters. To see movies with obvious plots and be entertained.


    "Kids, don''t talk to strangers. Even if they are handsome."


    A father reminded his daughter. They watched the movie because of current events.


    "Yes, Dad."


    This movie was a good way to educate young women. They shouldn''t believe people so easily.


    [Bryan Mills waited for his daughter to call him, but she never did. So Bryan decided to call her instead. After a few minutes of ringing, Bryan picked up the phone.]


    [Kim: "Dad. Let me go to another room. My friend''s ying music too loud."]


    [Kim went into another room. There she could see her friend dancing to the music through the window. Kim had a conversation with her father, but it didn''tst long.]


    [Kim: "D- Dad, something is going on!"]


    [At the window she saw her friend being kidnapped by a group of men!]


    "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 areing. 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 note 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 rted 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 rmend 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 ent. 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 ce 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.]


    [Distraught and with no choice, Bryan decided to contact a certain person].


    This scene was not in the original movie. This scene was the introduction of a person from the underground society.


    [Bryan Mills had had some interactions with these people through his work. He knew that behind the peaceful world there were shadows, a group of people who specialized in assassination and crimes. Criminals who could destroy a country if they wanted to.]


    [Bryan Mills knew about the High Table].


    "Cool..."


    A teenage boy was fascinated. He thought Asians were cheeky nerds who knew the most about math. But the person Bryan Mills met was different.


    [A person wearing nothing but a dark leather jacket, quiet, but with a unique vibe around him. He was there, but not there at all].


    ["Raizo", Bryan Mills found the person he was looking for.]


    ["That''s not my name."]


    ["I need your help." Bryan Mills tossed a certain coin and Raizo caught it. This coin had a fixed value.]


    ["Bryan, you''re not of this world. You are already retired. You should live your life to the fullest."]


    ["My daughter is missing. She was kidnapped by sex traffickers."]


    [Raizo looked at the coin in his hand. A few secondster, he put the coin in his pocket. "There''s a sex den at a construction site to the north, maybe you can find a lead there."]


    ["Thanks." Hearing the term "sex den" was disturbing, but Bryan had to keep hisposure. He left the ce after getting what he wanted.]


    [In the darkness, Raizo remained seated but his aura merged with the darkness as if he disappeared].


    "Cool. Dad, I want to know how he did that!"


    The teenage boys in the audience liked edgy dark characters. The fathers just chuckled and continued watching the movie.


    [Raizo was not lying. There was a sex den hidden in the middle of the construction site.]


    [Bryan Mills infiltrated the ce. 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 sessfully revealed the location where Kim and Amanda were being held. Atst, 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 ent 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 urate. He defeated them easily. Even though he was outnumbered, Bryan Mills was thest 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 ve 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 ce 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 pping 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 viin.''


    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 pping 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 Vi.


    "When I read the script, I was interested because I can rte 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".


    Even the women''s organizations promoted the film, which was good free publicity.


    Kazir Grey was not left out, the reporters started asking him about his reason for writing the script and making the movie. Kazir answered their questions without any problem.


    Although there was one reporter who asked him something unexpected.


    "Director, your ex-wife was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Do you have an opinion on this?"


    "Noment."


    Kazir replied. Fortunately, the reporters inundated him with questions, and the particr reporter didn''t have a chance to cause trouble again. He was immediately escorted to the exit.


    Overall, the premiere night of the movie had a positive reaction. Kazir knew their movie was hot right now because of the sex trafficking incident.


    ''I won''t lie, this news helps us a lot.''


    The premiere ended and the cast left the theater. After the premiere, people could start watching the movie again with no problem. The screening of Taken would continue.


    Paramount fought Sony-Columbia over the number of theaters. They talked to the Cinema Alliance to make sure that the number of theaters would not be reduced.


    Air Force One had 2,919 theaters on opening day. As for Taken, it got 3,603 theaters because of the current situation.


    The Cinema Alliance had a limited number of theaters. The United States has only 7,000 theaters in 1997.


    Note that North America includes Canada, the United States, Bermuda, Mexico, the countries of Central America, the Caribbean Inds and Greend. Although Cinema Alliance''s main source of revenue came from the United States and Canada.


    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 nned 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 butpare 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 : // . pat reon. / Puji_maki

 Chapter 121

    Chapter 121


    "So what''s Sony-Columbia''s decision?"


    Harrison Ford sat down with a ss 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 couldpete 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 waspeting 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 ss and rubbed his forehead. He had been expecting this oue.


    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 youpare it to other movies that were released that year, it was an amazing achievement. Harrison Ford was happy with the amount.


    Unfortunately, Air Force One was released the same time as Taken. By August 3, 1997, Taken had grossed $122.15 million. It was only ten days, but Taken had already crossed the $100 million mark.


    Paramount would receive 25% of the box office while Cinema Alliance would receive 40%. Grey Pictures would receive only 35% of the gross.


    Paramount has already guaranteed $30.53 million in the cake. While Cinema Alliance would receive more than $48.86 million. Grey Pictures assured $42.75 million.


    However, Taken''s box office was steadily rising. These three divisions would get more as time went on.


    Paramount, Cinema Alliance and Grey Pictures were all happy.


    Especially Kazir Grey. As a director, the best he could get was 20% of the North American box office. Well, he never had the experience of having that kind of treatment. Kazir Grey got 10% of the North American box office for The Hangover, that was the highest contract he got so far.


    Even though Kazir Grey owned Grey Pictures, it was a legitimatepany and he couldn''t bully it. So his sry was $5 million and 10% worldwide box office... Not North America, but worldwide.


    Which means that 10% of the box office would go into his private bank ount, 10% worldwide box office.


    The production budget of Taken was 25 million dors. More than that would be pure profit... After taxes.


    "Damn." That was all Harrison could say.


    "Harrison, you need to think seriously about this. You and Kazir are both Jewish, you have a good chance of working together. I heard that Grey Pictures is going to start another project, maybe you can contact Kazir and get the script."


    Harrison Ford sighed and leaned against the chair, closing his eyes to think about the situation.


    "You''re right, Brittany. It''s not like I lost. The performance of Air Force One already exceeded my expectations. Brittany, try to get in touch with Grey Pictures. I want to read their script."


    "I understand."


    The two ended their conversation. Even though Harrison was still bitter, he knew that having bad blood against a talented director was not good for him. He became famous in the first ce because of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.


    Star Wars and Indiana Jones were movies that would never be forgotten, even three decadester.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Sometimes no one would expect the oue 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 sessful, so they wanted to buy the action scripts, either for good or bad reasons.


    Of course, Kazir didn''t want to sell any scripts rted to the Continental Cinematic Universe. He was just getting started.


    As for the other scripts, such asedy 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... Firste, 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 ces 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 dors. 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 hisptop 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 nned 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 Inte 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 ying a father.


    Well, as long as the sry 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 topete 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 andy 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 rmended 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?"


    "That''s right. The director was going to cast Cameron Diaz. But due to some circumstances, they decided to choose me."


    "..."


    Kazir had an idea about the possible reasons why the crew chose Reese Witherspoon instead.


    ''Among the best possible reasons, it''s probably the sry. The two sides could note to an agreement. If my deduction is correct, Cameron Diaz''s side wanted more money. Well, that''s the obvious thing to do. Cameron Diaz is a first-rate actress. She is not a superstar, but she is getting there.''


    As a director himself, Kazir could see the intention of the production crew. More specifically, the producer was the one responsible for casting the actors/actresses.


    Because of his interference, Reese Witherspoon became famous much earlier than in the past. Now Reese Witherspoon could be ssified as a semi 1st ss actress.


    Napoleon Dynamite, The Hangover, Scream. These three movies were sessful and she was part of the cast of these three movies. Reese Witherspoon''s fame was recognized by Hollywood.


    And now she was the protagonist of There''s Something About Mary.


    ''One thing is clear. I made a huge change. No, I made a huge change from the moment I regressed. This is not the original timeline, not anymore.''


    "Reese, what''s your sry?"


    "My sry for There''s Something About Mary is $1.3 million. Although they will pay the other half when the filming is finished."


    ''As expected, it''s all about the sry.'' He thought.


    "I''m happy for you, Reese."


    "Let''s celebrate tomorrow. I will treat you, Mr. Director."


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "This is getting out of hand. Are you sure this is the result?"


    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 rtable, 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 congratted 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 ying 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 ce''s security was whack.


    Two paparazzi ran up to him after he finished ying 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 ring 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."


    Thatst line was directed at the paparazzi, but they didn''t get it.


    Paramount and Grey Pictures made a marketing n. 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 rmended the whole family to see Taken. Paramount never let go of the idea and incorporated it into their marketing n. 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."


    The two paparazzi nodded.


    "If you''re finished, you can go now."


    "Thank you, Mr. Ford."


    Harrison Ford waved nonchntly. He didn''t like paparazzi.


    The guards apologized to Harrison Ford and kicked the paparazzi out after they were done with the upfront interview (harassment).


    Once the paparazzi were gone, Harrison Ford grabbed his golf club and swung it with pure force. He was clearly angry.


    ''Kazir Grey... If his next project is interesting, maybe I can take a look at it.''


    But to be honest, he didn''t like Kazir Grey. Well, they never met, so their impressions might change.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    As September slowly passed, Kazir and the cast of Taken went to various countries to promote the film.


    Kazir loved making movies. Directing films and editing movies were his favorite things to do.


    The least he liked about being a director was being in front of a lot of people and being the center of attention. He prefered a peaceful life.


    To be honest, Kazir Grey never liked interviews. He didn''t like going to dozens of countries to promote his films. He didn''t like parties either.


    He preferred to write his script or draw storyboards.


    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 ne, 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 rtionship 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 Nichs Cage or Tom Cruise."


    Kazir listened to Liam. He felt that their rtionship would be better after this conversation.


    "I''m actually scared when I heard that Taken ising 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."


    "Congrattions, Director Grey."


    "Congrattions also, superstar Liam Neeson."


    The two began tough. 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 thepany.


    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 exin.


    "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 needsputer graphics and it could cost a lot of money."


    Enrico Pusi sighed weakly. This problem had been bothering him sincest year.


    In fact, he had contacted Kazir Grey and Salvatore Barlowe so many times. Finally, thest hurdle was Kazir Grey.


    The director was done with directingedies. He wanted to focus on his own projects, which were the films rted 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.


    "..."


    The Management went silent when they heard about the problem with The Hangover Part 2.


    Frankly, they were not confident about TED because the budget for this movie might exceed $50 million. They might push it to two to three years if they couldn''t find a director.


    But The Hangover Part 2 was different. That movie was their best moviest year (1996). This was the highest grossing R-Rated movie of all time, unless another movie upied the position. They have to make sure it does not flop.


    Usually, sequels do better than the first movie. But some sequels failed at the box office.


    The sequel of The Mask(1994) which was called The Son Of The Mask(2004) was amercial failure. Well, Jim Carrey was not in the cast, so that might have been the reason why the sequel flopped.


    Predator(1987) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger was a box office hit but its sequel Predator 2(1990) didn''t get the same treatment. Well, Arnold Schwarzenegger was not in the cast, so that might have been the reason why the sequel flopped.


    The management of Warner Bros understood how this industry works.


    Kazir Grey was a talented director and he was the brain of the project. His aplishments and skills give them confidence, even the crew members and the cast like him.


    And now that he was no longer part of the project, it could cause them irreparable harm. Warner Bros was not prepared for that.


    "What about Hugo Lameire? He is the one who takes over Napoleon Dynamite II and the movie is a sess. Why don''t you contact him?"


    One of the directors expressed his opinion, and most of them agreed. Napoleon Dynamite was still making money. It grossed over $200 million worldwide on a budget of only $15 million.


    "I actually did that and director Hugo Lameire agreed. Unfortunately, he signed a three-movie deal with 20th Century Fox and they are already preparing Napoleon Dynamite III. His schedule is packed."


    Kazir Grey and 20th Century Fox decided that Napoleon Dynamite would be a trilogy. Anything more would be too much and bad.


    "I see..."


    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 recement... 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 n."


    "Yes sir!"


    Terry Semel said, and the meeting ended a few minutester. 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 uing 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 nner and let her do most of the work, thepany 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 abined $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 differentws regarding foreign films. In some countries, Hollywood could only get 15% of the box office and the local theaterpanies would get the rest.


    So the profit was quiteplicated in that regard. Still, the bigger the box office, the higher they can get. So Paramount would still work to promote their movies.


    "Congrattions 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 thepany, 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.


    "Congrattions on The Game too. It''s a great movie."


    "Kazir, let''s not joke around here. The influence of The Game is nothingpared 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 studiopany. 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.


    The movie was released on September 12 and it was a cold schedule. September was not the best month to release movies. One of the reasons why The Game didn''t do well.


    So far, the movie has grossed more than $44 million as of October 20. It was not bad... However, the production of The Game cost $80 million. One month had passed and they had not even recovered their investment.


    "I heard you have a new script, can I read it?"


    "That''s actually my problem right now. I''m trying to pitch this script to the Big Six, but none of them are interested."


    "I''ll try to contact my friends at the 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers." Kazir Grey''s influence was growing.


    "Thank you, Kazir. My next movie is a little different, I''ve decided to call it Fight Club, but it''s still an experimental name."


    "Of course. Do you want me to invest in your movie?"


    "That depends."


    Kazir grinned. He remembered that the box office of Fight Club was not that great. However, it''s videotape/DVD sales were different.


    ''Maybe we can get a share of the videotape profits.''


    It would have to be negotiated, and he knew the Big Six would be tough on that kind of thing.


    "Let''s enjoy the party."


    "Okay."


    The two clinked wine sses.


    The face of the party was none other than Kazir Grey. He was the owner of Grey Pictures and the director of Taken. He had to greet a lot of people to make sure they felt wee. That was his duty as the main star of the party.


    He said hello to the people from Warner Bros who kept pestering him about The Hangover Part 2.


    He talked to the people from 20th Century Fox who asked him about the script for Napoleon Dynamite III.


    Even Sony-Columbia and Walt Disney came to the party to ask about his next project.


    All in all, his job was very tiring. Especially when there were so many beautiful women staring at him. He felt like a weak prey in the wilderness, surrounded by wolves.


    "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 hisposure. 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 thepany''s contact information."


    Kazir pulled out a business card and handed it to her.


    "Is that so? Maybe we can meetter? 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 nothingpared to a famous actress like Cameron Diaz.


    Even though his lower half was screaming, Kazir kept hisposure 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


    [Congrattions to SK Tel 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 sry, so her agent tried to negotiate.


    Unfortunately, her side didn''t expect that the production team had a second choice and the actress'' performance wasparable to Cameron Diaz. In thest 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 n. Kazir Grey made a good impression. A respectable man who didn''t flinch in front of a beauty.


    "Perhaps we will meetter."


    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 borate than in Taken.''


    Kazir decided to give the crew a month off before officially starting the John Wick project. They deserved it after working so hard, especially Harold Witsend, the film''s producer. The man was as exhausted as Kazir.


    Kazir went down to check on two people who were busy experimenting.


    ''Of course, there are some people like me who love their work so much.''


    Even though he gave his crew a month off, Enzo Park and Tae-Won Park were choreographing for John Wick.


    Especially Tae-Won Park. After he learned that the choreography he created was going to be an important part of the movie, he felt he had to work hard. He learned different types of martial arts just to show deadly yet cool action sequences.


    The two brothers worked together to polish the choreography.


    Actually, his friends from Hong Kong asked for a favor to help them find a job in Hollywood. Tae-Won wanted to invite them to Grey Pictures, but he learned that the movie industry in Hong Kong tried to block the small stunt directors.


    The sess of Taken made Hollywood hire stunt directors from Hong Kong and they tried to raise their price. They regret that they let Tae-Won Park go to Hollywood so easily. They should have maintained their rarity and negotiated a better deal.


    Anyway, both Park brothers were enthusiastic about their work. They studied the best way to show cool action sequences in front of the camera. They recorded different "fights" and watched them afterwards.


    Kazir was impressed by their hard work. He helped them every other day and watched their progress.


    Kazir was the director, but he did not do all the work. It was best to hire a professional stunt director.


    ''I just show them some examples and they make better ones.''


    Liam Neeson had no reason to visit Grey Pictures this year because Taken 2 would be released in 1999, two yearster.


    "Phew, this is very fun."


    Tae-Won Park was eager to teach people action stunts.


    "Kazir, I know it''s too much, but when will we meet the protagonist of John Wick?"


    "About that. Maybe you will meet him at the end of the year at best."


    The month of November was a vacation month to recharge his crew.


    Then they would start the project in December. Their first mission was to find the lead, and Kazir had already invited a few people to audition.


    "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 sry. 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 ount.


    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 nk videotape was cheap.


    A nk videotape cost one dor, but a movie videotape could be sold for 30 dors.

 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 dors while the luxury version cost 60 dors. 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 yearter, however, these coins would be 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 ce in Novemberst year.''


    Kazir chose only threepanies 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 Nokiast year.


    Unlikest year, Nokia''s stock price increased only 21.78%.


    So this year his investment in Nokia increased to $6.9 million.


    "Nice," Kazir muttered as he looked at the specific number.


    As for Cisco, his $2.7 million plus $3.3 million went up 31.4%.


    That made his stake in Cisco $7.8 million. It was not bad to see his investment increase by another million dors. It was actually a good thing.


    As for thest one, he had $3 million in Microsoft, plus he invested $3.3 millionst year. As always, Microsoft was one of the best investments of the ''90s.


    With a 56.44% increase in value, his money in Microsoft was now $9.8 million. There was a reason why millionaires and billionaires would never lose money, because they had many ways to make it. They would never reach a point where they would be poor and homeless.


    With the three investmentsbined, Kazir had $24.5 million. His money grew even though he did nothing.


    Seeing that his money was growing again, he decided to invest another $30 million and split it three ways. The investment firm he chose was very trustworthy and he was confident about his money.


    He also nned to withdraw all the money around thest quarter of 1999. He knew that the Inte bubble would burst around 1999 and 2000.


    He nned to buy a house at that time.


    ''I didn''t need a house because I''m a workaholic type, but it''s not bad to buy a few houses.''


    After his visit to the investment firm, Kazir Grey returned to his office as usual. While most of the employees were working, Kazir Grey was doing his job as a director. Writing the script and drawing the storyboard.


    He was pretty lonely these days, but he was used to it anyway.


    Reese Witherspoon joined the crew of There''s Something About Mary, and it might take three or four months to finish shooting.


    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 ck 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-handbat 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 frencers 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 sessful blockbuster. The film has already crossed the $500 million mark. Kazir Grey became a billion-dor 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 waspletely 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.


    The casting director and other people nodded their heads. They started to write something on their papers and wrote down his name.


    ''He didn''t have abs, but his body has a good figure. He can take a few months to train his body to get the right fit.''


    At the current, Viggo Mortensen had long hair and a short beard. His age was 41 years old, which was within their requirements. Furthermore, his facial features also met the requirements.


    Viggo Mortensen passed the first round of the audition. He put on his shirt again and thanked the production team. He left the room.


    When he was a few meters away from the Grey Pictures, he turned and looked at the building. Actually, he also auditioned for the role of Bryan Mills. Unfortunately, Viggo Mortensen didn''t get the part. He didn''t even pass the first round of auditions.


    When he saw the movie, he regretted that he didn''t work hard enough. Especially when Taken was the highest grossing movie of the year as of now... No one knew that Titanic, which was to be released on December 19, would be this year''s winner.


    Only Kazir Grey knew that his movie could only get second ce this year because Titanic would drown the world. Although many people congratted him, Kazir just smiled.


    Technically, Titanic was a 1997 movie because it was released on December 19, 1997.


    "Maybe this time the role of John Wick will be mine."


    Viggo Mortensen said to himself. He had been depressedtely because Taken had taken a toll on him.


    So he didn''t cut his hair and forgot to trim his beard. So now he had long hair and a beard. He was actually scared about it because it might affect his audition.


    He didn''t know that his exact appearance was the reason why he passed.


    The first round of auditions ended around 10 p.m. More men came to participate in the audition. As for the people who didn''t make it to the audition room, it was unfortunate, but they should have gone to the audition earlier.


    Tomorrow, the crew''s job was to set up audition for other casts. The demand for the protagonist was stronger, so they have different schedules for it.


    While Viggo Mortensen was watching a TV show, his phone rang. He didn''t recognize the number, but he answered it anyway.


    -- Hello? Is this Viggo Mortensen?


    "Ah, yes, this is Viggo Mortensen."


    He got up and left the apartment to get better reception.


    -- We want to tell you that you have passed the audition. We rmend 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 y an old veteran assassin.


    2.) He is busy with The Matrix.


    3.) His sry 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 ept 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.


    And for the same reason, they would be shooting John Wick in the United States.


    Paramount had already given them a studio to rent to shoot some indoor scenes. They also found some houses. The only thing they had trouble with was the Continental Hotel.


    That hotel was iconic in the John Wick universe. It was a ce where assassins could drop their guns and talk like human beings.


    There''s no killing at the Continental Hotel. John Wick suffers for this reason throughout Chapter 2 and the next sequels.


    "It''s my job, so I''ll take care of it."


    Usually the person in charge of this kind of job was the director and the cinematographer. These two positions were usually obsessed with the beauty of a picture/scene. So they would never choose a mediocre location unless they didn''t have the budget.


    If there were important locations that they had to focus on, it would be John Wick''s house, the Continental Hotel, and the road they would use for the car chase scene.


    The crew had already contacted the city of Los Angeles. Los Angeles was the ce of Hollywood and this city had many film projects every year.


    "Let''s not talk about my vacation. Instead, let''s solve our problem regarding the investment".


    "Our investment is still between 30 and 40 million dors. It all depends on the cast we are going to hire."


    The main reason for the increase in production costs in these years was the sry of the actors. Agents realized the importance of first-rate actors and used them to make money. Now, agencies were thepanies that protected and prioritized the concerns of actors/actresses.


    Back then, in the early years of Hollywood, studiopanies used actors as if they were disposable.


    Acting in the rain. Giving actors pneumonia.


    Forcing underage actors to kiss. No work limits for underage actors.


    Using dangerous chemicals as props.


    Thews regarding actors were iplete at the time. Studiopanies 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 sry.


    Grey Pictures decided that they had to sign the actors to a trilogy or more contracts so that they wouldn''t have problemster.


    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 sry for this movie.


    If they signed Harrison Ford for a single movie, their n 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''mzy].

 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 yed 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, theirst 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 ck suit. He looked like the incarnation of John Wick. The production crew almost nodded their heads and gave him the part.


    But Gary Oldman didn''t want to sign on for a trilogy for a starting sry of $1.4 million... He wanted more. Well, that is how business works.


    Kazir Grey didn''t want a long negotiation because the actors needed training as soon as possible. So Kazir looked at the other actors who had passed thest round of auditions.


    Then Viggo Mortensen caught his eye. The man also passed the appearance of John Wick. To make it better, Viggo Mortensen promised to learn Russian. And his sry was only 1 million dors.


    In the end, Kazir Grey decided to let go of Gary Oldman. He chose Viggo Mortensen and signed five films and cameos. The increase in sry per film was 40%.


    Just before thest week of 1997, the cast of John Wick wasplete. Grey Pictures got a holiday break as Christmas and New Year''s wereing up.


    All work would resume the first week of January.


    As for Gary Oldman... Unfortunately, he might regret his decisionter.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Phew... Phew..."


    Now that the cast wasplete, the actors began their training in early January.


    The training studio was filled with equipment for them. Grey Pictures hired professional trainers.


    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 sessful, 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 reced.


    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 toplete a project, but Kazir couldplete one film a year. And his films were all sessful. 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 ://  . pat reon . / Puji_maki

 Chapter 131

    Chapter 131


    Kazir Grey was in high demand at the moment. Right after New Year''s, Kazir was contacted by threepanies 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 sessful.


    The script of The Hangover Part 2 was already done and the screeny 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 ce since the first movie.


    The only major issue with The Hangover Part 2 at the moment was theck 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 sry.


    Warner Bros was still skeptical, so they kept quiet for the moment. Mel Brooks didn''t have a movie in thest few years. Hisst movie was Robin Hood: Men In Tights and it was released in 1993. His $5 million sry 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 rmend Todd Phillips, the original director of The Hangover trilogy but he''s still not a director. It will be stupid to rmend a person who''s not even a director yet.''


    After hearing Kazir''s opinion, Enrico Pusi quietly left thepany after causing a scene. For the sess 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.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The next person to appear was none other than Paramount''s Shirley Lansing. The head of publicity management.


    The woman started to ask her about the possible promotion methods for Meet The Parents. Shirley asked Kazir Grey to visit Paramount at least once.


    The project began its first round of auditions that week. Although Kazir was only the screenwriter, his opinion and wisdom could not be ignored. Kazir was now the most sought-after directortely.


    With three years of sessful films in a row, his opinions regarding the cast were relevant.


    "Jim Carrey, Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler are all interested in the project."


    Shirley Lansing added as she watched the man sketch.


    "I''m sure Paramount didn''t have a problem with the budget for the sry."


    "Actually... We are suffering from Titanic. The movie needed constant investment and our budget is very tight right now. Furthermore, the movie seems negative... We will probably lose a lot of money, but we can''t back out now."


    "... We''ll see about that next month," Kazir muttered.


    "Anyway, are you still okay with Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro being the leads?"


    "I''m sure. But it all depends on your decision. I''m just the screenwriter."


    He only sold the script for $500,000. It was the terms they agreed to so that his three movies would be distributed at a lower fee. Frankly, Paramount took an L on this one. Perhaps they were gambling, believing that Kazir''s magic was still strong.


    "I''ll get back to you, no, I''m going to take you out of your office and force you to attend the final round of auditions. Make sure you take a shower that day. As for the marketing n, I want to hear your responseter."


    "Shirley, I''m not your employee. You should ask your team."


    "I know, but I won''t lose anything by consulting with you. I''ll buy you donuts if I like your suggestions."


    "I don''t like donuts."


    "Donuts then, Dunkin Donuts."


    "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 threepanies 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 threepanies was quite cumbersome. But as long as it was rted 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 unrted 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 jetgged. 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 regrly, 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 rtionship 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 cappino.


    "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 ie than I do?"


    "Yes, but my cash and liquid assets are nothingpared to yours, Mr. Billionaire Director."


    "You know that''s not true. My ie is not even 1/10 of that amount."


    "I''m just kidding. Anyway, she wants something from you. I feel sorry for you. You know how Mom roasts a person until she gets what she wants."


    "You''re going to help me, right, Aaron?"


    "Brother, you''re an adult. I''m sure you can handle it. Besides, I''m kind of busy."


    Aaron yawned for the second time. He hadn''t gotten enough sleeptely.


    "By the way, congrattions. I didn''t congratte you personally. Am I going to have a niece or a nephew?"


    Aaron''s wife was pregnant. They marriedst year. Kazir attended the wedding but left the next day. Taken was still airing at the time, so Kazir was busy.


    "It''s still not confirmed."


    Aaron smiled slightly. He felt like his outlook on life was changing.


    "What do you mean?"


    "My wife hopes she''s carrying a daughter. We are still waiting for the gender test."


    "So you''re not going to have a gender reveal party?"


    "Huh? I never heard of that... But now that you mention it, maybe we can do something like that."


    "Let me know when. I''ll buy a ne ticket."


    "All right, Mr. Billionaire Director."


    "Damn it, I said don''t call me that."


    "Hahaha."


    The two brothers began to talk about life and how they had grown up to face the world.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Congrattions, Director."


    "Director Grey, congrattions."


    "Kazir, congrattions, man."


    During the pre-production of John Wick, Kazir began to hear congrattions from everyone.


    Kazir kept his expression and epted their praise. To be honest, he wasn''t expecting this oue. 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 theplicated 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 moviepanies 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 unsessful 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 thest week of January, and news of the Titanic was slowly sinking in the media. No one expected the oue 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 theke. Thest 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 dor 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 dors 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.


    The people who congratted Kazir scratched their heads in embarrassment. They didn''t think that Taken''s performance would be so easy to beat.


    However, unlike them, the director himself was not affected.


    For someone who knew the future, Kazir remained calm. He went about his work meticulously. He met with the cast, checked the props, attended their rehearsals, and searched for shooting locations.


    They even hired a professional dog actor for the film. This meant that the animal rights organization would visit the crew.


    Grey Pictures also contacted severalpanies for possible product cement.


    Rolex agreed to pay $1 million to promote their new watch. They would pay another $1 million if the movie grossed more than $300 million worldwide.


    Even Ducati and Coca-C agreed to pay $1 million each.


    The investment for John Wick was confirmed to be $30 million. But it seemed that Grey Pictures only needed to invest $27 million.


    The threepanies didn''t trust the movie. They only believe in the abilities of director Kazir Grey. Hollywood epted the fact that Kazir Grey has what it takes to sell movies.


    The threepanies understood that the movie would have a positive performance and investing $1 million was not a problem.


    "Are these the real numbers?"


    "That''s right." Erica Mendez assured her boss.


    "I''m not good at math. In fact, I hate math. Still, seeing numbers like this makes meugh."


    Kazir Grey grinned as he looked at the videotape sales. Even though Paramount took a 25 percent profit cut, the money going into their bank ount was still impressive.


    They started selling the Taken''s videotapes at the end of Novemberst year.


    Now, after almost four months, the profit that went to Grey Pictures was nothing less than $98 million. This includes both the rentals and the sales of the videotapes.


    "... Tell management they will get a bonus this quarter."


    "Uh, sir, are you sure about that? You just gave them a bonusst December."


    Erica Mendez looked at Kazir Grey. She had an idea how much thepany had spentst 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 sry 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 d you stay in one ce 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 ces. 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 thepany 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 epted 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 decadester, 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 andpanies 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 universalnguage.


    ......


    ...


    "Aren''t you angry that your movie didn''t be the champion of 1997?"


    "Me? Of course not. I know my movie is nothingpared to Titanic."


    "Is it humility orck 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 beganst week, and the cast was starting to get into the spirit of working.


    "I got a part in Deep Impact. I heard that you rmended this movie to Salvatore after reading the script.


    "It''s actually a partial script."


    "Whatever... Anyway, thanks for that."


    After Scarlett said her thanks, she looked around and saw some people she recognized. She waved to them and said hello. She even saw the stunt actor who was injured in a car chase scenest year. It seemed that Grey Pictures had rehired him.


    "I''m going to leave now. My mom is going to take me to Disnend."


    "Take care."


    Kazir shrugged and watched the little girl act mature.


    ''She really has the guts to say Disnend in a Paramount studio.''


    As for the sh between Titanic and Taken, Kazir didn''t bother.


    "William, are you ready? This is a close-up, so it''s hard to use a body double."


    "I understand, director."


    William Dafoe smiled. His smile was sincere, but Kazir could not help but remember a certain goblin.


    This was William Dafoe''s first big role after acting in the theater stage. He could not help but be nervous and excited at the same time. He did his best to understand his role so that he wouldn''t disappoint the director who chose him.


    That''s right, William Dafoe received an invitation from Grey Pictures to audition for the role of Marcus. The sniper who saved John Wick from death.


    William Dafoe was grateful for the opportunity director Kazir gave him. Within three months, he spent his time training in hand-to-handbat and firearms. He was confident in himself. Although there were some things he was skeptical about... Technically, it was impossible for bullets to bend their trajectory.


    But since William Dafoe was just a hired actor, he decided to keep those things to himself.


    "Okay, let''s start shooting."


    The room went quiet and the cameras started rolling. Fremont Smith announced the start of the shooting.


    In front of Kazir were four monitors to see different angles of the scene.


    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 n 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 andbining 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 oue, 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 bing 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 sry 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 sleepst 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 andcked 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 hisst movie.


    If a movie was a disaster, everyone would me 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."


    "Alright."


    Fremont nodded seriously.


    Unlike the original version, the Waldorf Astoria contacted Grey Pictures and offered their hotel as the Continental Hotel. The amodations were free as long as they advertised their hotel. They also gave Kazir Grey and the crew VIP cards. Kazir''s card could use the VIP room at a 50% discount while the crew could get up to 30%.


    Kazir was not picky about the hotel, so there was no reason to say no. However, he stated that the hotel might appear in many sequels and rted movies, so he signed an agreement with the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.


    In the next movie, if the Waldorf Astoria Hotel wanted to promote their hotel again, they would have to pay the crew $1 million. Of course, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel had the right to refuse. Although it could be inconvenient for sequels.


    The good thing was that the Waldorf Astoria Hotel was in Los Angeles and Grey Pictures could easily contact the management. Grey Pictures believes that both parties would have a good cooperation.


    For the sake of their business, cooperation was not a problem.


    "Huh? What is it this time, Erica?"


    Kazir saw his assistanting towards him. He already had an idea, maybe it had to do with his scripts again. People kept pestering him about it.


    "It''s Warner Brothers"


    "Warner Brothers? Are they talking about The Hangover Part 2 again? I thought they had a director already?"


    "No sir. It''s different this time... It''s The Bourne Identity."


    "... Tell me more about it."


    Hearing something unexpected, Kazir became serious. Even though his eyelids were quite droopy, he knew that the subject was too important to ignore.


    "They want to buy the copyright of the Bourne Identity movie that''s in our film library."


    "..."


    Kazir knew that Warner Bros had a im 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 n seeded. So they decided to stop his n 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 dors, I''m not crazy enough to sell something that big.''


    Even though his rtionship with Warner Bros was good, he had to draw the line. Otherwise, it would be problematicter 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 ind 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 linespared 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 sry, 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 sry and his unwillingness to sign a trilogy, but Grey Pictures should try to negotiate! They didn''t even hesitate and chose an unknown actor.


    Harrison Ford was angry, although he understood why. His heart and mind were at odds.


    One thing was certain. He didn''t want the movie to have a good result. At least his current movie "Six Days, Seven Nights" should do better than John Wick. That was the only way he could feel better.


    "After this, we will shoot another scene!"


    The director announced and everyone started to prepare.


    Even though Harrison Ford was a superstar, he knew that he was an actor who should take every movie seriously. Six Days, Seven Nights was not his first choice, but at least his sry was much better. He showed dedication equal to the sry he received.


    He sipped his coffee and hoped that Kazir Grey would have a flop movie.


    ''I don''t want to experience what happened in Air Force One again.''


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Okay, lights, camera, action!"


    With Fremont off shooting the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, another person took his position holding the pperboard.


    The crew rented a bar to shoot the most action-packed part of John Wick.


    This was the scene where John Wick showed up at the bar to take revenge for the death of his dog.


    The bar was filled with bodyguards, but John Wick killed them all... Well, except for one person.


    Filming started and Viggo Mortensen started shooting with his fake gun. They rehearsed this action sequence a long time ago.


    Tae-Won Park stood in the corner and watched the actors do their jobs. He was proud to see that they were doing well. Especially Viggo, he looked like a different person.


    "Cut! Adjust the lighting, it''s too dark."


    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 ce 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 ount.


    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 rtionship with the Animal Organization to avoid unnecessary hassle.


    ''Let''s deal with thatter,''


    "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-handbat, 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 safending. 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 waspletely 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 rxed crew they have ever worked with.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Kazir Grey didn''t have time to go back to his apartment or thepany. He decided to spend the night at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.


    As for reviewing the footage, he would have plenty of time for that tomorrow.


    He closed his eyes and let the sleep sink in.


    He woke up early, around 6 a.m., and started reviewing yesterday''s footage after eating breakfast from the hotel. Reviewing the footage was mostly about checking if the shots were good and could be used.


    After that, he decided to go back to thepany to check some documents he has to sign.


    He drove his Honda car easily through the traffic. However, his eyes caught something interesting.


    The movie theater near his office was showing a brand new movie called City Of Angels. He saw on the poster that Nichs Cage and Meg Ryan were the stars of the movie. Nichs Cage and Meg Ryan were superstars back in the 90s.


    Kazir Grey believed that he had seen this movie before, but his memory was a bit fuzzy.


    Since he was interested in the movie, he decided to watch it before going to the office. He spent almost two hours watching the movie.


    ''The movie is about an angel and a surgeon who fall in love with each other...''


    Kazir thought and entered the office. The receptionist greeted him and told him that someone was waiting for him.


    "Huh? Someone is looking for me?"


    Erica Mendez had Sunday off, so she was not working today. Perhaps that was why Kazir hadn''t received any information about it.


    He went to his office and found an old man waiting at the door. He was about 70 years old.


    Kazir Grey had a premonition... He recognized the person because he had met him once. To be precise, he met him two years ago, after he bought the Bourne Identity film rights from n Shayne Production.


    Robert Ludlum. The author of the Jason Bourne series.


    "Mr. Ludlum. It''s nice to meet you."


    Kazir smiled and greeted the old man.


    "Haha, nice to meet you too, Kazir."


    The two shook hands. Kazir invited the old man into his office. He had a feeling that the subject they were about to discuss was rted to The Bourne Identity.


    "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 gettingplicated.


    "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 minutester 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 dors."


    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 mest time."


    "Of course I will keep that promise."


    Kazir Grey sessfully 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 epted 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 rted 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 sess 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 manughed, 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."


    "All I want in this life is to see Jason Bourne on the big screen."


    n Shayne Production produced a movie of the Bourne Identity, but it was only shown on television. It was a TV movie. And it didn''t do well.


    Robert Ludlum was so disappointed after he sold the copyrights to them. He felt that his movie could be better in the cinema. Unfortunately, the copyrights of The Bourne Identity wouldst ten years before he could get it back.


    Everything changed when Kazir Grey contacted him and said that he had acquired the copyright to the film version of Bourne Identity.


    He was happy, to be honest.


    He was a sessful author, and the royalties from his books were enough to give him a good life. He was happy with his sess. However, he could not help but dream of seeing his book made into a movie.


    The best author of his time was Stephen King. But the reason why his career had a sessful run was because of the movie adaptations of his books. This was the stepping stone that made him famous all over the world.


    The Shining


    The Shawshank Redemption


    Carrie


    The Green Mile


    IT


    These are just a few of the films based on Stephen King''s books.


    Robert Ludlum would be lying if he said he was not jealous. He wanted the same sess.


    The money? Robert Ludlum already had a sessful career. Besides, he was past the age of 70 to be thinking about materialistic things. The money was for his family, not for him.


    Robert Ludlum lived a life.


    "Kazir, keep your promise. I didn''t like Walt Disney''s offer, but we can negotiate if I want to."


    The old man stood up.


    "But you have to buy back the copyrights from Grey Pictures." Kazir replied and shook his hand.


    "Of course, I bet Walt Disney can help me with that. They will not let another moviepany flourish. I hear they are trying to sabotage DreamWorks these days."


    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 thepany. 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 thest 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 toe 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 themon 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 med. 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 sessful 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 sess was due to the human trafficking that happenedst 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 insurancepany. 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 n 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."


    Fremont Smith would perform better if he recognized the people he was working with.


    Kazir had Fremont build a small team for him to take over when he started his own project.


    Kazir was confident he could handle new people.


    ''To be honest, I thought about giving Renner Hector the chance to direct Taken 2, but the fire in his heart is still not enough. It needs to be ignited. As long as Renner is not ready to make his own movie, I will let him do what he wants.''


    It was funny that the veteran wanted to stay in his position while the rookie was hungry for recognition and wanted to start his own movie.


    "I need to talk to Liam Neeson before Grey Pictures starts the project."


    -- I have an idea. How about you go to the Academy Awards?


    "Huh? I thought that was over. The Oscars are always in March."


    -- Something happened so they changed the date to April 12th. There was a small fire at the venue, so they changed the schedule.


    "I understand."


    Kazir felt that this change was because of him, but he decided not to think about it.


    "I will attend."


    --That''s good.


    "I will call you again." Kazir ended the call.


    Maybe because he was too busy, he didn''t think about the Oscars. He hadn''t noticed that the Oscars werete this year.


    ''If I''m right, Taken has three nominations. Best Actor, Best Original Screeny and Best Sound Editing.''


    Even though they got three nominations, it would be hard for them to win even one of the categories. First of all, Grey Pictures never invested in PR(Public Rtions). Well, except for Liam Neeson.


    In his career, Liam Neeson has only received one nomination in the Best Actor category. It was none other than Oskar Schindler in Schindler''s List. That was the only time he got it.


    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 be conservative and afraid of change. They will stick to their old school ideals and reject others. They will try to ept changes and be 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 pped 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 orter].

 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 gettingzy. 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 tes. 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 sessful except Kazir.


    "That''s enough." Viggo Mortensen nodded.


    "Viggo, before we talk about it, the two movies I rmend to them are still not in theaters. There are no clear results for you to trust me. So I advise you not to believe everything I say."


    "I understand. I want to ask your opinion because you are one of the best directors I know."


    "Viggo, you know I can''t increase your sry no matter how much you praise me."


    "How about you give me more screen time?"


    "But you''re already the lead."


    The two menughed. Mild jokes were good to lighten the atmosphere.


    "Go ahead, you can ask me."


    "Actually, my agent contacted me and said he received an invitation for me to audition for a project. I''m skeptical about whether this project can help me further my career.


    "Can I hear the title of this project?"


    "It''s nothing new. It''s the Lord of the Rings."


    "..."


    Kazir almost coughed. It seemed that New Line Cinema and Miramax were in negotiations.


    Actually, Kazir Grey tried to buy the copyrights, but it was impossible to acquire them. Miramax owned the copyright and they didn''t want to sell it to Grey Pictures. Harvey Weinstein still held a grudge and so did Kazir Grey.


    Thest time he heard, New Line Cinema contacted Miramax about The Lord of the Rings. The two studios decided to work together on the project, but Miramax stepped back because they felt it was impossible to adapt the ssic novel.


    In the end, Miramax sold the copyright to New Line Cinema and let them take responsibility.


    ''Harvey Weinstein would probably regret that decision.''


    ording to Kazir''s recollection, The Lord of the Rings had two years of pre-production. The pre-production took two years for obvious reasons. The budget and props take time to prepare.


    "I know The Lord Of The Rings is a ssic 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 ssic like The Lord Of The Rings. The bacsh 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 ording 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 uing 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."


    "d I could help."


    The two parted. Of course, they would meet again tomorrow.


    Maybe next year Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) will go to New Zend 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 regr 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 ount! Why don''t you buy yourself a luxury car?"


    If Salvatore Barlowe made 7 figuresst year, Kazir Grey made 8 figures. The difference was astronomical. Furthermore, Grey Pictures'' profit for thest 8 months was over $100 million.


    "Meh, my Honda works fine. Why do I need to buy another one?"


    Kazir shrugged and found it pointless. He didn''t like luxury cars in the first ce, especially Ferraris.


    ''I can''t customize a Ferrari car, so it''s garbage.''


    His opinion about cars might be iplete.


    "Kazir, I have a suggestion. Try to contact the important members of the Academy. They can help you."


    "I know."


    The members of the Academy are old men from the old era of Hollywood. Because of their age, they have made many connections.


    Another thing to note was that the higher-ups of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science (MPAS) are mostly Jews. It was rted to the migration back in World War 2, Jews gradually set their roots in Hollywood and some sectors of the US.


    "Do you understand what I mean?"


    "Of course Salvatore, if there''s a chance I''ll talk to them."


    Just like that, they reached the Shrine Auditorium. The arrival of the actors was arranged, and Kazir''s limousine was the 22nd car to arrive.


    As usual, Kazir Grey walked the red carpet, waved, posed for cameras and was interviewed by an ABC reporter. Standard procedure.


    "Our most handsome director, Kazir Grey! Where is the muse of our handsome director?"


    This time the reporter was a flirtatious woman. She was wearing a red dress, her cleavage was quite obvious because she has massive ahem--!


    Anyway, Kazir Grey was already a famous director, and many actresses tried to seduce him. Most of the time he attended parties and movie premieres alone. Only Reese Witherspoon was the woman who could be his partner.


    Well, many women tried to break this record. Hollywood was a ce where beauties were everywhere. If Kazir Grey is a real man, the time wille when he will have a rtionship with another woman.


    "I''m single, so I think I''m allowed to go to the Oscars with myself."


    The reporter giggled and slipped her contact number into his pocket. Kazir kept his smile on, but he didn''t like it at all.


    "Are you confident that you will win Best Screeny? 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." Heughed.


    Taken was nominated for Best Screeny, 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 be 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 y Jason Bourne.


    ''Anyway, it''s just a screeny. 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 ce 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''rete."


    "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 poprity of an actor or actress. It was a sign that the industry epted 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 sry increase... Actors/actresses who have won the Oscars have a significant sry increase in their careers. They have a better position in the film industry, the best position to choose roles, and filmpanies 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 form 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 Rtivity.


    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 Iugh 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 twoughed 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."


    Baker Saylor was the sound editor of Taken. He was introduced by Salvatore Barlowe. He was a hardworking man and the sound editing was perfect.


    Taken received three nominations.


    Best Actor: Liam Neeson


    Original Screeny: Kazir Grey


    Sound Editing: Baker Saylor


    Best Original Screeny and Best Actor are major awards, while Best Sound Editing is a minor award.


    More people from the industry showed up in morous attire.


    Fortunately, fashion sense makes sense these days... Unlike next two decades when a garbage bag would be a sense of fashion. Balenciaga was crazy for selling a trash bag for thousand dors.


    The ceremony began with a parody of Titanic, hosted by Billy Crystal... From the moment the show started, everyone already knew the biggest winner of the 1998 Oscars.


    Everyone was expecting it in their hearts, considering that Titanic had already crossed the $1 billion mark. The second movie to make $1 billion worldwide. They definitely got the Best Picture, for sure.


    The awards ceremony continued. The presenters came out one by one and announced the winners.


    Of course, no one forgets the performances. The best performance at the Oscars this year was My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion, the theme song from Titanic.


    Then the presenter for Best Sound Editing came on stage. It was none other than Cameron Diaz.


    Kazir Grey didn''t expect the woman to be the presenter.


    The woman said a few things before opening the envelope. She looked over the audience until her gaze stopped on Kazir Grey.


    ''Is it my imagination or is she looking at me?''


    Kazir Grey didn''t avert his gaze and looked at her eye-to-eye. He had no reason to look away.


    The woman smiled and said the nominations like Titanic, Taken, Air Force One, Con Air and Contact.


    "Congrattions, Gary Rydstorm and Tom Johnson of Titanic for winning Best Sound Editing!"


    Cameron Diaz ended the suspense and everyone in the room pped. Titanic has won 4 awards so far.


    Before leaving, Cameron Diaz looked at Kazir and winked.


    "..."


    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 Screeny appeared. The presenter was Walter Matthau, an old veteran actor.


    Walter stood on the stage.


    "The nominees for Best Original Screeny 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 Screeny is... Kazir Grey! Congrattions!"


    The people began to p.


    "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 apuded. 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 Rtions).


    "Sir, you can go back to your seat when themercial starts."


    The coordinator said while another presenter introduced the nominations for Best Actress.


    "Congrattions, Director Grey."


    Robin Williams reached out for a handshake. "Thank you, Mr. Williams." Kazir epted his handshake.


    The two were at backstage waiting for themercial. 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 Screeny, 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 bing useless against the unpredictable flow of time.


    "By the way, congrattions 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 Takenst 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 be 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."


    Well, Liam Neeson was famous for having roles that involved saving people. The Taken trilogy, Non-Stop, and Schindler''s List. Just some of the movies he was in that were about saving people.


    "Honestly, I''m skeptical about only getting three nominations. With the good influence that Taken has spread, I think you deserve a Best Picture nomination as well."


    Robert Williams added. He had no grudge against Kazir Grey or the Taken crew. In his opinion, making a connection was better than holding a grudge. Making a good impression was the best choice. Maybe they could cooperate next time. After all, Kazir Grey was a great director.


    "I have only one answer: Paramount."


    "Understood, have a nice day."


    With one word, Robin Williams knew the answer.


    Paramount was one of the investors in Titanic. It could not share its resources, especially for a movie like Taken. Taken waspletely owned by Grey Pictures, it would be pointless for Paramount to promote the movie.


    Besides, Kazir knew that Titanic would win most of the awards this year, so he had no reason to waste his money on PR.


    ''It is impossible to beat Titanic. So it''s better to choose a better year topete instead of facing a huge boat.''


    That was the best answer in this situation. However, Kazir didn''t expect to win an Oscar without any PR.


    ''I guess this is another achievement I can be proud of.''


    Perhaps Kazir was not confident in his movie. He didn''t expect that he would win even though Taken had a very strong influencest year.


    A few minutester, the audience started pping again.


    Helen Hunt went backstage. She saw Robin Williams and Kazir Grey talking. She smiled and greeted them, and they congratted each other on the awards they had won.


    Unfortunately, Helen Hunt didn''t have time to talk to Kazir Grey because the coordinator told them to return to their seats.


    Kazir Grey sat down and sighed. He was happy, of course.


    "Congrattions, Kazir." Liam Neeson was happy for him.


    "Liam, I think you are going to win Best Actor."


    At first, Kazir was skeptical about Liam Neeson''s chances of winning the statue. But after what he experienced, he felt that Liam Neeson would win.


    Robin Williams was right, the impact of Taken was not just a simple action movie. It opened a lot of people''s eyes. And for that, the Academy deserves to give them an award.


    ''I regret that I didn''t give Liam too many emotional scenes. The Academy loves explosive acting.''


    "I hope so."


    Liam Neesonughed 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 twoughed.


    When themercial 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 ://  . pa tre on. /Puji _ maki

 Chapter 144

    Chapter 144


    The whole ce 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.


    "Congrattions, 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."


    Kazirughed.


    ''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 sry 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!". Peopleughed and apuded.


    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.


    Of course, knowing James Cameron''s skills, no one could deny that he was the king. The king of the blockbuster. Since then, his onlypetition for the biggest box office was himself. My man kept outdoing himself.


    Then came the final award, and it was no shocker. Titanic won Best Picture with no suspense.


    Titanic got 11 awards while Taken only got 2. Well, that was not bad.


    When the ceremony was over, Kazir was invited by the old members of the Academy.


    He had an idea when he saw a person he recognized. One of the old members approached him.


    "Kazir Grey, I believe this is the first time we have met. I''m Frank Pierson. You can call me Frank."


    "Nice to meet you, Frank."


    "Hm, you look like a strict and uptight guy. We are happy to know that a person like you is bing famous. Keep it up. You are one of us."


    "Yes," Kazir said.


    Now he understood why he had won. Most of the old members of the Academy were Jews, and despite their age, they had a strong influence.


    Since Kazir was one of them, it was not a bad thing to give him an award. It was his award for spreading awareness in society.


    The two ended their conversation, leaving each other with impressions.


    ''... Looks like I can win the Best Director award if I try hard.''


    That was the only thing he realized when he talked to Frank Pierson, the current president of the Academy.


    "Hm?"


    Suddenly Kazir saw some people out of the corner of his eye. He turned around and saw three people staring at him.


    Three people. Harvey Weinstein, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.


    ''Now that I think about it, Miramax is the distributor of Good Will Hunting. I heard they spent a lot of money on PR to win some awards. ''


    Unfortunately, Titanic was their biggest obstacle.


    ''But I guess they didn''t like it when Taken won two awards.''


    To be honest, Kazir felt good seeing Harvey''s unfiltered resentment. He looked ugly with that expression. The fat in his face was quivering angrily.


    Still, Kazir didn''t like that Matt Damon was staring at him, too. He could not read Matt Damon''s feelings because the guy was just staring, Ben Affleck was doing the same.


    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 ce. 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 hupped 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 ss 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 Screeny 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 ss 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 nk. 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 sses of water. She grabbed two sses 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 sses 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 sses.


    "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 productionpany and the prospects were good.


    But all she got was endless flirting from the opposite sex.


    "Ah? I think you misunderstand, I have no intention of doing that."


    "Okay?" She tilted her head.


    She helped the man to his feet. The light on the balcony was too dim, so she had to get close to see his face.


    Suddenly, the woman remembered a scene in the gym three years ago. She could not forget this memory because it was quite funny.


    "Ah, now I remember. You''re the fat guy who was wheezing in the gym!"


    "..."


    That was embarrassing. Sober for a while, Kazir remembered that scene as well.


    "You''re Jennifer Connelly."


    "That''s right. Wow, I can''t believe you look so good now. Looks like you work hard."


    "I''m proud of my aplishments."


    "It looks that way."


    They both looked into each other''s eyes before realizing that they were quite close. Jennifer was the first to step back. She smelled the terrible smell of alcohol on Kazir.


    "Anyway, what''s your name? It seems you''re part of this industry too."


    "I''m a director."


    "Oh really?"


    "I''m Kazir Grey."


    "... You''ve got to be kidding me."


    Jennifer Connelly was stunned. She didn''t expect to hear that name from the man who threw up.


    When she attended the party, her agent told her to flirt with Director Grey. To be honest, she didn''t like the idea.


    But now that she saw Kazir''s performance... She had second thoughts, no, third thoughts.


    "W- Well, I guess I have to go now. See youter."


    "Okay, take care. Thanks for your help. You can go to Grey Pictures if you''re interested in working with us."


    Kazir waved his hand without a problem. He was shocked to see an actress alone on the balcony, but that was all.


    He didn''t have to act starstruck, he was a famous person too.


    In fact, his name is probably more famous than Jennifer Connelly''s. Especially after the scandal two years ago. Almost everybody knows his name.


    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 waste.


    "Fuck!"


    Kazir had never beente 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, congrattions on the Oscar."


    "Thanks." He said and ended the call.


    Kazir Grey smiled. He was happy to have won Best Original Screeny...


    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 congratted him on the award he had wonst night.


    Kazir was grateful. He hadn''t expected to win, but he epted 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 itter. For now, keep doing what you''re doing."


    "Huh?"


    Kazir tapped him on the shoulder.


    "You are the director today. You know the schedule, so it will not be a problem. Just think of this as your training."


    "O- Okay, boss!"


    ''Boss? Am I in mafia or something?''


    Fremont smiled and nodded. He returned to the director''s chair and watched the footage.


    "What about you?" Harold looked at Kazir.


    "I''m going to take a rest. I can''t think straight with a hangover. What about you? You drankst night too."


    "Not as much as you."


    Harold chuckled. He knew Kazir was drunk deadst night. A very rare moment to see his friend not sober.


    "How do you like your job? Do you enjoy being a producer?"


    "I still like doing props, but it''s not bad. It''s actually quite good... I realized thatmanding people is not so bad."


    "You sadist."


    "Haha."


    Harold didn''t deny it.


    "So are you okay with supervising two projects in one year?"


    "It depends, if the two projects are filmed at the same time, it might be difficult. I prefer both to be set in the US rather than abroad... Wait a minute!"


    Harold paused and stared at Kazir, who was casually sipping coffee.


    "Kazir, don''t you dare..."


    Kazir didn''t answer. Instead, he walked away and went to the trailer reserved for him.


    "Damn it!" Harold cursed. He already had an idea of the impending doom he would face.


    "Well... The pay''s not that bad."


    Last year his sry was 7 figures. He might as well take on another project to make more money. He was currently dating a woman and was thinking about their future.


    House, engagement ring, wedding, children and so many things. He had a lot to think about.


    He scratched his head.


    Now that Kazir had passed the baton to Fremont, the man started shooting again.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    John Wick stopped at the gas station. His jolly dog looked out the window. The dog was professionally trained and could perform well when not under stress.


    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 dors! 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 willpete 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 Screeny, but Kazir won it instead. It was a big p 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?"


    Ben Affleck asked his friend, who was depressed after what had happened the night before.


    The two were the screenwriters of Good Will Hunting. But Matt Damon had invested so much in the project more than him. He was deeply affected by the oue.


    "I''m sad. What about you?" Matt Damon looked at Ben Affleck.


    "Same as you."


    They both chuckled.


    "Honestly, I thought I had a chance to win Best Original Screeny and Best Actor."


    "Nah, you are too young to win Best Actor."


    "Haha, maybe you are right."


    The two were silent for a minute. What happened at the Oscars was still fresh in their minds.


    "I thought Good Will Hunting was our door to fame." Matt Damon said as he looked away.


    "We''re just unlucky. Titanic is so strong, while Taken is trendingst year. Besides... We are not Jewish."


    There were instances why people hated Jewish people. Probably this was one of the reasons.


    "..."


    "Anyway, this is no time to be sad. In fact, I have to congratte you. Congrattions on getting a role in Saving Private Ryan. How scary is director Steven Spielberg?" Ben Affleck joked.


    "You don''t want to know."


    "All right. Let''s not think about it. We did our best. Besides, maybe we can work with Director Grey."


    "Yeah..."


    Matt Damon had aplicated look on his face, but he knew how important it was to make a connection. It was already a miracle that he got a role in Saving Private Ryan.


    "If they have another project, how about we audition for the important roles? Luckily, we are both under CAA."


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Is everything ready?"


    Kazir asked into his megaphone. The crew gave him the go signal.


    "Graveyard scene, Take 5, Lights, Camera, Action!"


    A sprinkler was used to create artificial rain in front of the camera, making the whole scene look deste and depressing.


    Everyone wore ck clothes.


    John Wick (Viggo Mortensen) stood in front of a grave. He watched as his wife''s casket slowly descended to the ground.


    Holding a ck umbre, his eyes never left the grave.


    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 ce is not safe for you."


    "I know."


    After those two lines, the man walked off into the darkness and disappearedpletely.


    "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 me 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 thest 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 ce 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 :// . pa tre on. / 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 rtionship 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 slowlying 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 rtionship 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 sessful.


    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 rtionship, 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.


    The main cast of There''s Something About Mary was Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller, Lee Evans and Chris Elliott.


    In the movie, these men were obsessed with Mary (Reese Witherspoon). They did their best just to get Mary''s attention.


    Some famous actors also attended the premiere. Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal were at the premiere to support Reese. Another reason why they were at the premiere was to promote Napoleon Dynamite III, which will be released in December.


    Even Hugo Lameire was there. He was the director of Napoleon Dynamite II. He was smiling and letting the press take pictures of him. The attention he got was so-so.


    The limousine arrived and Kazir Grey was the first to get out. He was wearing a neat gray tuxedo. He held out his hand to a beautiful woman.


    Reese smiled and took his hand. The two walked down the red carpet, looking nice together.


    Reporters bombarded them with pictures and questions, but the two just posed and smiled.


    Most of the reporters were from News Corporation, maybe 2/3 of the reporters.


    Of course, the interview from a major TVwork would ask them before they went to the theater.


    "Wow, you look good together." The reporter said.


    The two giggled. Showing their affection for each other.


    "Ahem, I know I''m crossing the line, but I have to ask this question. Are you two dating?"


    Reese and Kazir were expecting this question. They looked at each other before answering.


    "Reese is very important to me."


    "I feel the same way about Kazir."


    "Aww..."


    After that, the reporter let them slide into the theater. Their answer was enough to make a topic.


    "I must apologize." Reese smiled bitterly.


    "They made you dirty." She added.


    "What are you talking about? It doesn''t concern me. Besides, it''s good for John Wick as well, another method to promote my movie."


    "I see. So only John Wick is all in your head." She pouted and tightened her grip on his arm.


    "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 rtionship, so there was no need to y 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-dor contract.


    However, while others were celebrating the movie''s sess, 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 toozy to correct them. I publish this story in four tforms and I''mzy 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 sess. And Reese Witherspoon was bing 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 ept the reality that she didn''t get the role. But it was still painful to think about it.


    ''I should have epted a $1.5 million sry! 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 rtionship. Some spected 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 canst.''


    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 rmended 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 rtionship knocked on the door of Grey Pictures.


    The entrance to thepany 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 thepany. He was stunned to see so many people waiting for him.


    In the end, he decided to y with them for a few minutes.


    ''I am not lying anyway.''


    "Director Grey, is it true that you and Reese Witherspoon are dating?"


    Kazir nced at the reporter asking him the question. He recognized the man.


    ''I think he''s from News Corporation. As expected, 20th Century Fox is stubborn.''


    He just smiled and got into the car. He had entertained the reporters/paparazzi enough. They tried to block Kazir, but the man was quite strong.


    "Phew... This is getting out of hand."


    "Sir, it''s because you''re famous. You are one of the people in Hollywood who has a normal life and people are interested in you."


    Erica Mendez said to him during the ride.


    "..."


    The life of a celebrity was dangerous. He didn''t want to shower himself with fakepliments and be a narcissist.


    There are so many narcissists in Hollywood. People who live in lies. People who think they are gods and goddesses to be worshipped.


    Fortunately, Kazir Grey knew the reality and he would never sumb.


    Drugs, sex, vice, pedophilia, abortion, even rape. Hollywood has it all.


    "Take me to Paramount."


    Today was his meeting with Brad Grey. He gave Hector a day off after three days in that dark room. They both need a break to rx their minds. When ites to editing, the two of them put their heads together toe up with transitions and cuts that are perfectly in sync with the theme of the movie.


    So yes, rest is important.


    "It will take 15 minutes."


    "Alright."


    They arrived at Paramount''s headquarters within the expected time.


    "Hm?"


    Kazir turned around and noticed that some people were following his car.


    They are acting normal, but it''s obvious that they are paparazzi.


    "Don''t mind them, sir, they can''t get any closer." Erica Mendez knew there were some cars following them.


    "Okay..."


    Ah yes, the paparazzi who didn''t care about privacy. There must be a ce in hell for these people.


    Kazir shook his head and left them alone. They could not enter the Paramount headquarters 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 epted Brad Grey''s warm hug.


    "You can sit down. And you too, Miss Mendez."


    The two began to talk about their coboration. As for Erica, she was just there.


    "Kazir, thest 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-inw 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 sry. 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 thest 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 myziness].


    [Anyway, shout out to Leonardo N, Toros S, zwarrior0596, Tibokas, Arka B and Phil!]


    The Truman Show was releasedst 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''reing 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 wasrgely 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 rmended are sessful.""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 ck, 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 rtionship.


    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 ept 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 sessful career and there was no point in helping them. They would be superstars sooner orter.


    "That exins a lot, because you are also a good director. You can tell if the movie will be good or bad. Ah, now that I remember, can you read this for a few minutes?


    Brad Grey pulled a script from under the table and handed it to Kazir.


    "This is a movie we are going to release in 1999 or early 2000. It''s already been approved by the higher-ups. It''s our major project for next year. Gary Marshall is the director of the film. He is the one who introduced us to the project."


    Kazir opened the script and narrowed his eyes when he read the title.


    "Runaway Bride?"


    "That''s right."


    Brad Grey nodded.


    ''Damn, they really mean it.''


    Of course Kazir recognized the movie. And of course he knew who Gary Marshall was.


    ''Gary Marshall is the director of Pretty Woman, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.''


    To make it more interesting, Runaway Bride also starred Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.


    ''This is the second time the three veteran performers have worked together, and the result is expected. Runaway Bride is one of the top 10 box office hits of 1999.''


    The fact that CEO Brad Grey had Kazir read the script was truly amazing. He could not believe that he had reached the point where he could read heavily invested screenys like Runaway Bride.


    "Hm... it looks promising. If Brianna Evans can''t pass the audition for Meet The Parents, how about you give her this role instead?"


    Honestly, he wanted Reese Witherspoon to take the role, but she was too young for the part. She would definitely be rejected.


    "Haha, Kazir, you are being greedy."


    "I know."


    There was no need to hide it.


    "How about this, I will let Brianna Evans go straight into the final round of auditions."


    "That''s good."


    Now that Kazir had given the script a good review, Brad Grey felt the movie had a good chance at the box office. He even wants Brianna Evans to star in it.


    :If I''m not mistaken, the production cost of Runaway Bride was $70 million because of the sries of Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.''


    Both of them were superstars who had many fans all over the world. It was understandable that their sries were huge.


    Anyway, let''s look at it from a different perspective. Brianna can keep up with her talent.


    Thest 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 schedulepared 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 ://  . pat reon . / 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 sessful 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 hisbors 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 screenys 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?"


    "It''s from 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers. They want to hear your opinion, so they approve it."


    "..."


    Kazir decided to entertain Salvatore.


    "Listen, I''m not a god. I don''t know if a movie can be sessful just by reading the script."


    "Sure, I just want to hear your thoughts."


    Kazir raised his eyebrows and read the script... He didn''t expect to read a very famous movie.


    ''What the hell? Paramount let me read Runaway Bride, and now Warner Brothers is giving me the chance to read The Matrix!?''


    He realized that just like Paramount, Warner Bros main investment for the next year would be this R-rated science fiction movie.


    "Let me guess, you want Enzo Park to audition for the male lead?"


    "Nah, I heard Keanu Reeves is interested in the movie. I just want Enzo to have a supporting role."


    Kazir nodded. Asian aesthetics were not well epted in Hollywood. Not even for the next 3 decades. Asian actors/actresses have so few roles to take.


    "So? What do you think?"


    "Hm, it''s interesting. If they can pull it off, this movie could be good."


    "Okay. Then what about the next one?"


    Kazir looked at the second script. He almost jumped when he read the title.


    "What the hell is wrong with 20th Century Fox? They are basically giving me a spoiler. I''m a Star Wars fan!"


    He didn''t even read the script and immediately put it on the table.


    "Why don''t you read it? Tom Rothman asked me personally for your opinion!"


    "Fuck no! This is Star Wars! Of course it''s going to be sessful. There''s no need to hear my opinion."


    "But still..."


    It seemed that LucasFilm wanted to start a Star Wars trilogy. However, they were not sure if this would be sessful. So 20th Century Fox was interested in Kazir''s opinion regarding the script.


    Thest Star Wars movie was released in 1983, even nostalgia had its limit. If the plot of the uing movie was not great, then the whole franchise might be affected.


    "Salvatore, take these scripts away. If you''re interested in this project, why don''t you audition your other clients?"


    "You mean Scarlett Johansson? That''s what I''m thinking."


    Their conversation turned to Star Wars. Kazir never read the script because he already has an idea of the plot.


    ''Star Wars Ep. I: The Phantom Menace (1999)''


    Enough for Kazir to remember.


    ''Now I know why Liam Neeson was practicing swordy 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 ce was the park. The one who chose this ce 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 herst husband was quite wealthy for her to maintain a beautiful lifestyle.


    "Ms. Cohen, do you remember thest 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. Thest 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 sessful 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."


    As expected, the woman was unreasonable. Still, Kazir had no choice but toply, for he wanted the conversation to continue.


    "That''s good. What is it, my son?"


    "Why are you here? After so many years, this is the first time you have contacted me."


    "Because you never answer my letter. Don''t you feel sad? Your mother wrote so many letters for you, but you didn''t answer any of them." She pouted.


    ''You only started sending letters when Taken became sessful. You never contacted me before that. Besides, you didn''t try to phone call me at all.''


    "So what is the reason why you are here?"


    "As always, you don''t love me."


    She touched her cheek.


    "Mom, you''re the one who doesn''t love me."


    "What do you mean? Of course I love you. I always love you." She tried to touch Kazir, but the man pped her hand away.


    "I guess you don''t believe me."


    She looked sad.


    "When is my birthday? For God''s sake, prove to me that you have an ounce of motherly love in your heart."


    "Isn''t it October-"


    "Don''t speak. I don''t need to hear it anymore."


    "Aha, it''s December, right? Hehe, it''s already 29 years, so I guess my memory is a bit confused."


    Kazir didn''t bother to answer.


    ''My birthday is September 9th, 1968. But I guess that''s too much for you to remember.''


    "This is thest time I will ask you. Why are you here?"


    His eyes stared at her gravely. It was hard not to be angry in this situation.


    "I guess I have no choice but to answer you this time."


    Eliza turned to her side and looked at the teenage girl standing a few feet away from them.


    "This is Mara Cohen Foster. She is your younger sister. She is 15 years old."


    The teenage girl looked exactly like Eliza. They could be mistaken for sisters instead of mother and daughter.


    "You want me to see your daughter with another man?"


    "Of course not. I''m here to ask you to help your sister be an actress. She is not an amateur. She is a model and has been on a local TV show in Vermont."


    "..."


    This is aplete joke.


    "Mara, say hello to your brother."


    "H- Hello director, I mean brother Keith. I''m Mara, Mom''s told me a lot about you."


    "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."


    Kazirughed. 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 theplete 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 thest 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. Heughed 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 untilst 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 rtionship 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 ent 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 ce. 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...?"


    Kazir tilted his head. His eyes staring at her yet not.


    "Cameron Diaz."


    "Hm." The man nodded...


    Cameron giggled. She found his reaction funny. She realized that a drunk Kazir was a cute Kazir.


    "... Oh, you''re Cameron Diaz." Took him a few seconds to realize.


    "That''s right! I''m d you remembered my name." She smiled and sat down beside him.


    "How could I forget? You''re a beautiful woman." He muttered, quite drunk.


    "Thank you."


    "I mean it. I''m not kidding... Cameron Diaz, you are sexy and beautiful. Don''t demean yourself. I think you should take care of yourself and keep being healthy, stay away from harm..."


    "..."


    Cameron Diaz was speechless. The man was quite honest. No, he was adorable.


    Her opinion of Kazir was that he was a big director who loved to work. A workaholic who didn''t care about the looks of women.


    She saw him at some formal parties and she witnessed how many times actresses tried to flirt with him, but Kazir was an immovable object. He didn''t respond to any of their advances and maintained a gentlemanly demeanor... Perhaps Cameron was attracted to this type of man.


    ''I thought he was gay because I never saw him flirt with a woman... Except for that bitch.''


    Cameron Diaz held a grudge against Reese Witherspoon for stealing her role. They never had a real meeting in person, but her opinion of Reese Witherspoon would never change.


    ''Oh well...''


    She looked at Kazir. The man drank another swig of vodka like it was nothing.


    "Bartender! Give me another one!" He yelled.


    "Kazir, how many bottles have you had?" Cameron narrowed her eyes.


    "Huh...? Wait... Let me count..." With his fingers, Kazir began to count. "4... 5... 6... I think 7 bottles of vodka."


    "7 bottles? How is that possible?"


    She was stunned. Was it even possible for one person to consume 7 bottles of vodka in one night? Was the alcohol content not that high?


    "Sir, I think my friend is already drunk. Please don''t give him any more."


    She stopped the bartender and he nodded. He, too, was afraid to give Kazir another bottle. The prices of alcohol in their bar were expensive and he was happy at first because Kazir spent so much money in one night. But the bartender got scared because Kazir wouldn''t stop drinking.


    "Kazir, you have to stop. Get up, I''ll take you to your apartment."


    ''I want to seduce him, but I think I have to do it next time... I can''t take advantage of a drunk man. He can''t even talk straight.''


    Maybe she wanted to make a real move, not something like this.


    "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 minutester, 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 Mulhond 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 toote 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.


    "I don''t hate women. In fact, I like attractive women... But I''m afraid of them. I feel like I''ll get hurt again if I get close to a woman."


    "..."


    That exins why. After the scandal, Kazir had a hard time trusting women. Cameron Diaz realized that this man was actually fragile.


    She thought Kazir Grey was a perfect guy who could make masterpieces without any problem. A talented director who made over 1 billion dors with his movies.


    "My ex-wife, my mother..."


    After that, Cameron Diaz decided to be quiet and gave Kazir peace. She could not speak when the man next to her was crying.


    They reached the building. Kazir could not walk straight, so Cameron helped him.


    They got into the apartment after so much trouble. It was the first time she had been in his apartment and it was minimalist as hell.


    There was almost nothing. The only thing that caught her attention was the TV and VHS in the living room. The ce looked lively... Not.


    Kaziry down on the bed, but he was still awake.


    "Are you going to leave now?" He asked.


    "Yes," Cameron replied. She started to close the door.


    "Don''t go."


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    She turned around to see Kazir undressing.


    "Wh-what-!" She thought she had seen everything already, but one look at Kazir''s body stunned her.


    Kazir got up and approached her. She gasped, Kazir''s presence was so strong. She realized something very important. This man is the definition of a hunk. His body was very attractive that her heart started beating faster just by taking a nce.


    "Don''t go. You asked me earlier if I find you attractive, the answer is yes."


    "Y- Yes." She replied with a squeal. She nodded her head, quite tranced.


    The door closed, but Cameron Diaz never left. One thing was for sure, she never regretted her decision. Because this was the best night of her life.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Haaaa~~ This night is very boring."


    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 dors 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 wasughable.


    ++++


    [I almost failed to update today because of my sickness calledziness. 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 trantion of this story and posted it on Qi(dian), a very popr site in China. The title is "Return to Hollywood". Yes, the title has changed as well.


    So I want to rify 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 elerated 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 happenedst night. Kazir may have been drunk, but the way he caressed her was satisfying and breathtaking.


    Honestly, she slept peacefully after that. It waste 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 rtionship. 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 thest 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 thepany 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,ics, TV series and so on. The fans on these tforms were already formed, so there was no problem getting the audience. These fans were willing to buy tickets just to see their favorite novels orics made into movies.


    Charlie''s Angels had this factor. So Grey Pictures did not get the copyrights.


    Well, not everything would go ording to his n. 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.


    ''I didn''t mean it, but I guess I''m still a guy.''


    In fact, Kazir Grey is just a simple man. He feels pain, happiness, sadness, and joy.


    "The world does not revolve around me..."


    He sighed. As a man, he knew that he would make so many mistakes, no matter how much he tried to avoid them, such was the life of a man.


    All he could do was face the obstacles and ovee them. If that wasn''t enough, he had to destroy them so that they wouldn''te back.


    ''I wonder if I have the strength to do that.''


    He got up and went to the shower. His legs were quite shaky after a long sessionst night.


    ''Good thing I never skipped leg days.''


    He would be lying if he said he was not depressed. He was damn depressed. His mother basically told him that she hated Kazir''s existence because of the name she gave him.


    He didn''t know what happened to his mother, but she was certainly not a good person. He''s not going to sympathize with her, not after what she did to their family.


    ''And yet she has the audacity to talk to me about helping her daughter, wow.''


    The water poured over his body, cooling his mind.


    That day was like any other, he was attending a meeting about the promotion of John Wick at Paramount headquarters.


    The meeting was going well when Kazir Grey and Brad Grey received a text message at the same time.


    "Open the TV!"


    Brad Grey announced.


    On the screen was a reporter talking about thetest happenings in Hollywood.


    The two Greys listened as the reporter gossiped about the rtionship between Kazir Grey and Cameron Diaz.


    The pictures were on the screen. Although the resolution was not good, every person could recognized the people in the pictures.


    "Kazir... Are you dating Cameron?"


    Brad Grey asked. This situation could be good or bad. He thought that Kazir Grey and Reese Witherspoon were in a rtionship.


    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 happenedst night and things went that way."


    "Care to exin?"


    "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 bes 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 rtionship 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 ce.

 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. Hisst 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 rtionship, 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 rtionship 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 rtionship with him. But it was clear that Kazir didn''t want a serious rtionship.


    "..."


    Kazir was silent for a few seconds.


    "So you expect me to ept this contract without getting anything in return? Extend the rtionship 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."


    "Hm? And what kind of role? For the record, I won''t ept a small role. It should be an important role."


    "I have the script here."


    Kazir Grey handed her a hardcopy of the script.


    "The Bourne Identity? I think I heard that title somewhere. Is it a novel?"


    Cameron asked him.


    "That''s right. I bought the movie adaptation of The Bourne Identity."


    "But I thought you preferred to film original screenys."


    "I never said that."


    He could not recall an interview where he said that. Perhaps people just thought of it naturally.


    "Well, all your movies are based on original screenys. So I thought you didn''t like adaptations."


    She began to skim the script. Her agent looked at the script and was skeptical.


    ''It''s based on a novel, so it has a good chance of being a box office hit.''


    "What''s my role?"


    "You will be Marie Kreutz."


    "Hm, I see I have many scenes and lines. I''m interested."


    Cameron Diaz didn''t have any moviesing out before November 1999. She knew that Kazir Grey had a fast shooting schedule. It wouldn''t be a problem if she took two to three months to join the shoot of The Bourne Identity.


    Charlie''s Angels would be released in 2000 and it was not urgent. So far, she was just training for the role.


    Anyway, Cameron was sold on the idea of working with a sessful director like Kazir Grey.


    ''Fufu, I can use this opportunity to seduce Kazir. How fun.''


    She looked at Kazir. In fact, this man might be the best she ever met.


    Cameron Diaz looked at her agent and nodded. Her agent didn''t have a problem. Director Grey had the best filmography of thest three years. The agent liked that Cameron Diaz had an interaction with him.


    "Okay, I agree. As for the sry, let our agents negotiate that."


    "I understand."


    The two shook hands and signed a 6-month rtionship contract. Of course, they listed their conditions, likes, and dislikes.


    This kind of promotion was never old.


    This was still a spection but rumors said that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson became a couple to promote Twilight. This was also the same with Tom Hond 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 rtionship 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 Vi-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 Vi.


    "Director Grey! Director Grey! Can you please tell us about your rtionship with Cameron Diaz?"


    A Vi 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 rtionship 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 exin 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 minutester, 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 thatsted 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."


    "Geez, you bad guy."


    She pinched his shoulder and Kazir chuckled. Cameron had actually tried to put in the contract that they were going to live together, but Kazir had denied it.


    Actors are professional liars. It was amazing that Kazir could keep up with Cameron''s acting.


    "Anyway, when are you going to buy a house in Beverly Hills? You are richer than me, I think you can afford a nice house."


    "Most of the money will be invested in our next projects. I don''t know if I''m going to buy a house this year." He replied.


    "Pfft-- Do you expect me to believe that? Kazir, your annual sry as a director is at least five times higher than mine. Your bank ount is definitely full."


    Kazir just smiled and didn''t answer. It was private information and he kept his mouth shut.


    Kazir Grey wanted to buy a house when the market bottomed out. The right time to buy a house would be around the year 2000. That was the year the dot bubble burst and many industries were affected. One of them was real estate.


    The house could wait, especially if he lived in his office anyway. It was already a fact that his office was his home. Even the employees of Grey Pictures felt ufortable because their boss literally lived in thepany 24/7.


    The month of September was a dismal time for Hollywood. The Big Six usually released their weak movies during this month. So John Wick didn''t have any strongpetition, except for one.


    ''I heard that Rush Hour ising out next week.''


    Starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, a movie distributed by New Line Cinema. Rush Hour was the September 1998 winner.


    Even Kazir was not confident that he couldpete with Rush Hour. Because to be honest, his movie didn''t have any selling point except for the action stunts... But the thing was, Rush Hour had great action stunts, too. Jackie Chan was known to do his own stunts.


    Even John Wick''s connection to Taken was not heavily emphasized. Maybe the only selling point was Kazir.


    So his rtionship with Cameron Diaz was the main method of promotion. Paramount didn''t care much about the movie, and the resources they gave it weren''t great either. They only care about director Kazir Grey, not John Wick.


    Viggo Mortensen and the cast showed up one by one. Reporters were obviously taking pictures of them. The cast did their best to act normal and pose in front of the shing cameras.


    The interviews would happen and the important cast would be asked some questions rted to the movie.


    Usually the interviewer would ask "How is it working with director Grey?", "What do you think about the movie?" and "What is your role in the movie?


    Nothing fancy or controversial. After all, this premiere was overrun with Vi reporters. Unless Vi was interested in making things spicy.


    Just like that, Kazir Grey and Cameron Diaz arrived on the red carpet. They smiled and stood close to each other as if they were deeply in love.


    "Director Grey! Please look into the camera!"


    "Miss Cameron, please hug Director Grey!"


    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 Abe Boham. You''re the one I interviewedst 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 anding 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 exin your rtionship 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 rtionship 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 rtionship."


    He smiled for thest 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 thest one to greet you. Make sure I''m yourst."


    Holding Cameron''s hand, Kazir was asposed 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].


    "Wace! Hurry up! Take your damn popcorn and sit down! Seriously, why are you even buying popcorn in the Cinema, popcorn in this ce sells like 3 dors!"


    "Calm down, okay."


    Billy and Wace 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 Wace saw Napoleon Dynamite four years ago and thought it was funny. Since then, they have be 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. Wace and Billy watched the screen as they munched on popcorn that Wace 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''sst 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 Wace, 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 ce, 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].


    [When John Wick refused to sell his car, a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1, and responded in Russian, Iosef decided to break into his house, attack John Wick, and steal his car.]


    [Iosef was the son of a Russian Mafia boss, so he thought he owned the world].


    [Iosef seeded and stole the car. He and his friends beat up John Wick and killed his dog. That was thest thing they should have done.]


    The audience felt sad when they realized the dog had died.


    [After this incident, the audience began to understand that John Wick was not so simple! He was the Baba Yaga! The one sent to kill the Boogeyman].


    "So John Wick is actually a professional killer!" Wace who was stuffing popcorn in his mouth realized that fact. He was still unsure how this movie would unfold.


    [Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat. A tattoo on John Wick''s back. In Latin, it means "Fortune favors the bold."]


    [With his ck tuxedo, John Wick entered the world of assassins once again to seek revenge.]


    [He returned to the Continental Hotel. Met Winston. Talked to Viggo Tarasov on the phone and began his vendetta of killing people].


    Although the movie was still in progress, Billy and Wace saw another cameo by Kazir Grey.


    This time, Kazir Grey was talking to a ck man with an afro. The two were at the Continental Hotel. A small cameo but cameo nheless.


    "Kazir showed up again!"


    The sound of their conversation was faint and the audience could not hear them. It looked like they were talking about some serious stuff because their expressions were quite serious. It was as if Kazir was giving Fremont a chance to prove himself.


    [At the Continental Hotel, they used gold coins as currency. Just like what Bryan Mills did to get information from Raizo].


    [Just like what the audience expected, the movie was full of action, fights, and gun battles].


    "Cool! This is so freaking cool!"


    [But unlike the over-the-top action movies that use heavy and big guns and simple action stunts, the action sequences in John Wick were realistic and blood boiling, as if the audience was watching a real battle. The technicalities, the professionalism of being assassins.]


    "That''s what I like! Action movies these days don''t even have a magazine reload scene! No gun has endless bullets! Of course you have to reload!"


    Wace roared, stuffing a handful of popcorn into his mouth for the nth time.


    [John Wick was taking on a Mafia organization and he was at a disadvantage. He was thrown from the second floor of the bar, shot in the abdomen, and nearly suffocated after being caught.]


    [Fortunately, Marcus saved him with his sniper rifle. Marcus was a true friend. He wouldn''t betray John Wick for two million dors in exchange.]


    [After receiving help from Marcus, John Wick killed his way until he found Iosef Tarasov and got his revenge. After that, John Wick found another dog and decided to adopt him.]


    [The End...]


    "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.]


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    [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 yourments and take your opinions very seriously, except when ites 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 rtionships with other women, one at a time. A lot of people also want Kazir to have a rtionship 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 Takenst 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 n might fail before it happened.


    They were talking about movies that costs millions to make. It was not that easy toplete 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 moviepanies 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 sessful. 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 rted 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 rtionship to promote the movie. Something he didn''t like to do.


    Maybe it was lucky that they didn''t have anypetition 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.


    Saturday, September 12, 1998. The movie overall grossed $22.52 million.


    Sunday, John Wick''s box office was $30.03 million and easily won the box office champion of the week.


    Just like the usual forecast, the performance from Monday to Thursday was dismal. John Wick only rose to $41.08 million. Meaning, in that five days, the movie only made around $11 million.


    "What do you think, Ovitz? Will John Wick cross the $100 million mark in North America?"


    Michael Eisner dropped the newspaper and looked at his right-hand man. The two old Michaels watched every move Grey Pictures made. It would be a lie to say they were not interested. After all, Grey Pictures was doing something new.


    "The best it can do is $90 million.


    Michael Ovitz shook his head. He watched the movie on his own time and didn''t like too much violence. Maybe his age was one of the reasons he didn''t like the movie. The schedule, the promotion and the movie itself were too weak to produce a good result.


    "It can make over $100 million internationally, but it might be hard for the movie to make the same result here in North America."


    "So you think John Wick can make at least $190 million worldwide? That''s not bad, considering the movie''s budget is only $30 million."


    "Indeed. But it all depends on Paramount''s decision. Will they distribute it internationally?"


    The two old men are not interested in this movie, so they won''t contact Grey Pictures. They don''t think the otherpanies will either.


    While people specte, John Wick crossed the $50 million mark on its second Sunday, September 19, 1998. The movie grossed $54.48 million to be exact.


    Unfortunately, John Wick didn''t win the box office champion of the week because it was beaten by Rush Hour. Rush Hour grossed $33 million and obviously knocked John Wick off its throne.


    After that, Paramount decided to cut their advertising budget and let fate decide the oue. Grey Pictures had no say in the matter unless they used their own money, which would be detrimental to their next projects.


    Overall, everyone involved with John Wick was happy. Even Viggo Mortensen was happy that his first movie as a protagonist didn''t flop. Plus, he heard from Kazir himself that there would be a sequel in the next two or three years. He even had cameos in a couple of movies.


    Viggo Mortensen was still not famous and almost nobody knew his name. He was still a nobody. He hoped that his appearance in Lord of the Rings as Aragorn would bring him fame, but after attending the script reading, Viggo realized that he was not the protagonist at all. The plot of Lord of the Rings didn''t revolve around him. In a way, he was a supporting character. He was only protagonist in name but the movie focused on so many people.


    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 be 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 thepany, Kazir started the Bourne Identity project.


    Their initial n 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 sry was between 3 and 7 million dors. Depending on the negotiation.


    Kazir Grey was willing to hire Matt Damon just to make sure that the movie would be sessful. 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 ce 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 copse." She said, ring yfully at Kazir.


    "Let''s go together." The chuckled.


    Both of them were busy. Still, they had to maintain their rtionship 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.


    ...


    ....


    ...


    Grey Pictures nned to release two movies next year. They were The Bourne Identity and Taken 2.


    The crew nned to shoot the Bourne Identity around January and then release it on the summer season.


    As for Taken 2, they would release it on the September or November schedule.


    "Our agenda for today is Liam Neeson."


    At the long table the important people of Grey Pictures were talking.


    "I''ve already spoken to Liam''s agent, but they haven''t responded."


    Salvatore Barlowe told his story. Their current problem was Liam Neeson''s opinion about these changes. It would be devastating if Liam Neeson cancelled Taken 2. That would affect the Continental Cinematic Universe.


    "Um, I may be overstepping my bounds, but can I express my opinion?"


    Harold Witsend joined the conversation.


    "Harold, you are the producer. You have every right to speak."


    "Then... Why don''t we move Taken 2 to the year 2000? It will be hard for us to convince Liam Neeson that fast. We need time to convince him and his agent."


    When Harold said this, everyone looked at Kazir Grey. He was the one who had pushed the n to release two movies in one year.


    "We can''t do that. Otherwise our schedule will be slow."


    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.


    "How about making John Wick: Chapter 2 first?"


    "That''s impossible, the plot should stay the same. Taken 2 has to be released before John Wick: Chapter 2." Kazir shook his head.


    The room was silent for a while. Fremont listened to their conversation. He wanted to say something, but was afraid to open his mouth.


    Suddenly Kazir told them something.


    "I met Liam Neesonst week. He feels indebted to us after winning the Best Actor award. He said he could agree to our terms, but he had to meet the new director first."


    This time everyone in the room looked at Fremont Smith.


    "Fremont, you have to convince Liam Neeson. It''s part of your job to make this movie a sess."


    "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 sry 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 beenpleted, 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. Thest 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 sry, keep it under 7, no, 5 million dors and make sure he signs sequels and cameos."


    "Alright."


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    [I found out that Matt Damon''s sry 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 sry. 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 y 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 te, 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 rtionship 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 sry, Harold Witsend had to take the position and make sure that the contract they signedst 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 nonchntly 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.


    "That would be great."


    Kazir agreed.


    The two looked at each other and the awkwardness remained. In the end, they didn''t know what to say.


    Kazir''s seat was a bit away from Reese''s, so the two went their separate ways.


    As usual, a sessful director like him would be greeted by many actors. He was used to it anyway, but that didn''t mean he liked it.


    The Hangover Part 2 began. Kazir wrote the original version, but he knew that Warner Bros would try to "polish" the script. Either by adding some scenes or changing some scenes.


    Fortunately, the overall plot of the movie was close to the original. Judging by the reaction of the audience, the movie was entertaining.


    The theater was filled withughter. Even Kazir could not help butugh. The fact that Mike Tyson reprised his role as himself in the movie made it even better.


    After the screening, the cast associated with the movie stayed to be interviewed by reporters and fans.


    Reese Witherspoon invited Kazir to dinner and they went to a high-end restaurant with heavy security. No paparazzi could follow them.


    The two sat down. Even though they were talking, you could feel the awkwardness between them.


    Suddenly, Reese stopped and looked at Kazir, who was cutting a medium-rare steak.


    "Kazir, I don''t think we should see each other for a while."


    Kazir clearly heard what she said. He carefully put down the utensils and stared at the woman.


    "Why?"


    Reese smiled and continued.


    "I know your rtionship with Cameron Diaz is fake and it''s just to promote John Wick. Still, it would be bad if the media caught us together while you''re having a rtionship with Cameron Diaz. Your reputation will be tarnished.


    "Is it because of me?"


    "No. Of course not..."


    Reese Witherspoon decided not to tell him all her feelings. She couldn''t ept 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 rtionship 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 rtionship 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 te 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 theirte dinner... But neither of them said a word.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The first week of The Hangover Part 2 was terrifying. By Sunday, so many moviepanies 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 y League again... And now I decided to y 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 sses 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. Aplete 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. Workce 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 thepany 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 ce 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 y the long game. He had the upper hand anyway. And he also didn''t like Universal Pictures.


    "3 million dors."


    "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 happenedst 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..."


    Camille probed. 3 million dors for a script was too much. Unless it was an adaptation of a novel or aic book, Universal Pictures wasn''t going to open their pockets for that amount easily.


    An original screeny is a huge gamble because there is no fan base willing to spend money to see the movie.


    Lately, Hollywood has been focusing more on buying the rights to adapt novels andic books, as this type of genre has a safe profit model.


    "Miss Camille. I think you heard that Walt Disney tried to buy Meet The Parents for $3 million."


    "That''s right, but I heard you sold it to Paramount for half a million."


    "I bet you know why I did that."


    "..."


    ''Indeed I do. Because of that transaction, Paramount decided to sign a three-movie distribution deal with Grey Pictures for a 25% share of the box office. In a way, Grey Pictures got more out of that negotiation.''


    "I am not petty enough to interfere with Universal Pictures. If they want to buy it, they can buy it. But they can only buy it if the price is right."


    "I need to contact my supervisor."


    Camille Green was just a producer in production management. Her purchasing limit was $2 million at best, and anything more would require approval from higher-ups.


    "I don''t have a problem. But you have to be quick, the price goes up by the hour." Kazir smiled.


    "Meet The Parents will be released in January. If the movie is a sess, the price of my scripts will be more expensive."


    "What if it flopped?"


    Camille Green asked back.


    "Then my price will go down. It depends on Universal Pictures'' decision if they want to wait."


    Kazir had the advantage. Meet The Parents was a sessful movie in his past life, so the chances of it flopping were very small.


    ''If you want to wait and see the results of Meet The Parents, no problem. But you have to take responsibility for your actions.''


    In fact, his opinion of Universal Pictures hasn''t changed. He hates thepany.


    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 dly 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 thepany for a billion dors."


    He controlled his urge. At least not until the Continental Cinematic Universe was sessful.

 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 bing more and more sessful, 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 clich¨¦d and simple. But bybining 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 sess.


    So people started congratting 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."


    He knew that Kazir was a hardworking person. Now that his talent was blossoming, Harold expected Kazir''s filmography to be amazing in the next five years.


    ''If there''s one thing I''m confused about... I don''t know why he''s so confident that Matt Damon is going to ask for $7 million. Matt Damon is still a neer to the industry. He only has two leading roles. The Rainmaker and Good Will Hunting.''


    In a way, Matt Damon was not qualified to ask for $7 million.


    Saving Private Ryan and Ocean''s 11 have not been released yet, so Matt Damon''s sry should be within $4 million at best. Well, it seems that Kazir Grey made a mistake. He is a human being after all.


    "Good morning Harold."


    "Oh, hello! Wilson!"


    Harold realized that the person he had been waiting for had arrived. However, he was confused to see that Agent Wilson Marrera had apanion.


    "I''m sorry, but this is...?"


    He looked at Wilson and asked.


    "I guess you never met him, this is Matt Damon."


    "Nice to meet you Harold."


    Matt Damon extended his hand for a handshake.


    "It''s nice to meet you..."


    Harold kept hisposure, but deep down he was shocked.


    ''Excuse me? Matt Damon? Nah, dude, you''re not Matt Damon. Matt Damon is fucking skinny!''


    The man in front of him had gained dozens of pounds. The innocence was gone and he looked mature and strong. Indeed, Matt Damon was serious about ying Jason Bourne!


    To be honest, Harold didn''t expect Matt Damon to show up. He also didn''t expect the big changes.


    ''This is my second meeting with Wilson and we already have a baseline to discuss.''


    "By the way, Harold. Congrattions on The Hangover Part 2! It''s a great movie!"


    "Thanks."


    Harold''s lips twitched. This was the fourth time this had happened today.


    ''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 sry 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 dors! They are only asking for a $4 million sry!''


    Harold was d that Kazir was wrong. Still, Harold Witsend won''t let things go ording to Wilson Merrera''s n.


    "Wilson, your client has only had two leading roles in thest 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 Screeny at thest Oscars. Maybe his age was a factor.


    "Hehe, let''s not talk about that. 2 million dors! 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 aplishments 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 sessful 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 Screeny 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 Irnd, 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 ttery 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 minutester, Kazir showed up, getting out of a Honda car. They agreed to meet at a cafe to discuss the project.


    Matt Damon stood up and greeted Kazir and shook his hand.


    "Nice to meet you, Director Grey. Ah, congrattions, John Wick passed $200 million at the box office."


    "Thank you." Kazir grinned.


    The worldwide box office has already passed $200 million. To be exact, it was $213 million. The movie was still ying in some countries. Maybe Paramount would pay the money next month.


    Grey Pictures has already contacted a videotape manufacturer to produce 10 million copies of John Wick for the first batch.


    Luckily they have enough money. The money Taken brought in was pretty good and enough for Grey Pictures to rx for at least two years. The budget for The Bourne Identity and Taken 2 was no problem for Grey Pictures.


    In addition, Kazir Grey had his personal bank ount to invest in the two films if they ran out of money.


    He had more than $30 million in his bank ount. Maybe he wanted to invest in the stock market again. Microsoft and the otherpanies were doing well this year.


    His least problem right now was money, he had a lot of it. He didn''t like to spend extravagantly, he was very cheap with himself. He didn''t like to buy things, his hobbies revolve around movies. He would buy old movies from time to time to fill up his library, but even that didn''t exceed $1 million.


    "Let''s talk about your character. I know you have already read the script. I just have a few questions, have you read the novels?"


    "Yes, Jason Bourne was supposed to be an old man..."


    In the novel, Jason Bourne was in his 50s.


    "I decided to change the age. Don''t worry, Robert Ludlum agreed with that decision."


    Robert Ludlum was the author of Jason Bourne series and Matt knew about it. Never met the guy though.


    "I see..."


    Matt Damon recalled that the two movies Taken and John Wick had old protagonists, between 40 and 50 years old.


    ''But it seems that Kazir is trying to do something different...'' For a second, Matt Damon was worried about this decision.


    ''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 sessful, 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, exining 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 n 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 nning. He believed that once the Continental Cinematic Universe was a sess, 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.


    "Is that so? Are you interested in working with him?" Agent Wilson saw the underlying intent.


    "That''s right. Wilson, I want the role. Please do your best."


    "Don''t worry, I will never put you at a disadvantage. We will get a better deal from them."


    "No," Matt Damon shook his head. "What I mean is... I want to be part of the Cinematic Universe that Director Grey is creating. Sign a contract with lots of sequels."


    Well, Matt Damon is a great actor, but he is best known as Jason Bourne. In fact, some people call him Jason Bourne instead of his real name...


    "What?"


    Agent Wilson was stunned. Signing such a contract would be detrimental to Matt Damon! You won''t have a chance to negotiate the sry if that happens.


    "Of course, leave the sry negotiation forter and don''t put it in the contract. It''s enough that we can sign a contract with many sequels of them. No, at least a trilogy."


    He believed that Kazir Grey wasn''t nning to make a trilogy for Jason Bourne, but more than that. At least four movies, Kazir Grey would make at least four Jason Bourne movies.


    He felt that Kazir Grey wanted to use this character a lot to create the world-building of the Continental Cinematic Universe.


    He didn''t know that every Jason Bourne had a good box office, so that was why Kazir Grey wanted to make a lot of movies about the character. Added to that was the profit he could make from the videotape market.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    A weekter, in thest month of November, Matt Damon signed a trilogy contract with Grey Pictures. Unfortunately for them, Harold Witsend was quite good at his job. In each sequel, Matt Damon''s sry would increase by 65%. He also didn''t have the power to negotiate his share of the box office.


    After all, Matt Damon was not that famous yet. He was different from Liam Neeson, who was a veteran and had won a Best Actor award. His position in the industry was not strong.


    Even his sry for The Bourne Identity was only 1.9 million dors. 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 sry from $7 million to $1.9 million was amazing...


    He didn''t know that the starting sry 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 sess 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 rx.


    This was thest 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 wasplete, 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 sessful 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.


    ''Hah, I was too confident. Now Paramount has shot me in the back without knowing it.''


    In fact, Grey Pictures had already contacted a number of filmpanies about distributing Taken 2, and their response was positive.


    Based on the box office sess of Taken, they believe that Taken 2 will not be a disappointment. They were willing to sign a 25% to 30% box office fee to distribute the movie. The reputation of Taken 2 was very good and the profit was obvious.


    But if Paramount decided to distribute Taken 2, then Grey Pictures had to find a moviepany to distribute The Bourne Identity.


    And unlike Taken 2, The Bourne Identity had no clear profit. The moviepanies won''t be confident in distributing it because they think it will flop. First of all, The Bourne Identity was based on a novel, not written by Kazir Grey. Another factor they have to be aware of.


    ''If a moviepany agrees to distribute The Bourne Identity, the box office fee might be 35% to 45%, which is not good for us.''


    This was the reason why Kazir was having trouble these days. No one had confidence in his current movie, a movie based on a novel.


    ''Hehe, it''s ironic that they prefer an original script more than an adaptation of a novel.''


    "There is only one thing to do - calm down and forget about this problem for now. I have to focus all my mind on making sure that the movie will be sessful. I have to leave this problem to Harold and Salvatore..."


    Was he holding a grudge against Paramount? Yes, a little bit. Last month they already had an agreement that Paramount would distribute The Bourne Identity. Unfortunately, they were still trying to close the deal when Paramount decided to back out. The rats got them and they became cowards.


    After a few hours of calming down, Kazir decided to return to the audition room. He drank the Monster energy drink in one sitting without hesitation.


    When he returned, he realized that most of the cast had already been chosen and the crew would contact themter or tomorrow to announce that they were hired.


    The crew decided that pre-production wouldst 60 days before shooting began. This would include preparation of props, script readings, and training.


    The props were not a big problem as their costumes were simple. Even the locations were already nned.


    As for the script reading and training, most of the actors were professionals. In addition, Cameron Diaz and Matt Damon had taken training sses 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 be 48 million dors. Of course, Kazir was happy to see his money growing. So he decided to invest another 15 million dors. He knew that as long as the year 2000 didn''te, he would be safe from the bursting of the  bubble.


    -- Hey, Kazir! When are youing to visit? I know you''re busy, but Christmas ising! 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 yourpany. You can do whatever you want. In the first ce, 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 yed 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.


    Kazir smiled at her. He had a chance to be a father, but fate was cruel to him.


    Yet now that he was a sessful director, Kazir was still afraid to start a family. He knew that he was a busy person and he was not sure if he could make his family happy.


    In the first ce, the reason why Cassandra cheated on him was because he was always busy.


    After all, he was not sure about that part of his life. Well, he was living happily, and having a baby might bring him another source of stress.


    He felt that looking at a cute baby and taking care of a baby were two different things.


    Suddenly, baby Alissa burped and white saliva flew onto her baby dress.


    "Um, guys, I think your baby spit up on her dress."


    "Is that so? Kazir, can you help her burp?"


    "I don''t know how to do that," Kazir replied honestly.


    "Sigh, you insignificant guy who only knows how to make movies! You don''t even know how to help a baby burp?"


    "Yes." Kazir nodded. To be honest, he was afraid to carry the baby.


    "Honey, just do it yourself."


    Aaron stopped what he was doing after his wife looked at him. He approached the baby and held her in his arms, against his chest. Then he gently patted the baby''s back.


    A few secondster, the baby burped, and both her mother and father celebrated because she burped... Even Kazir was happy. In a way, Alissa was like an animal adored byrge adult monkeys.


    While in her father''s arms, Alissa waved her hands at the door for the third time.


    Just then, someone knocked on the door. The three adults paused.


    Kazir was the least busy, so he got up and opened the door. He found his father standing in the doorway.


    "Dad!"


    "Kazir!"


    The two hugged each other. Then his father put his things down. Most of the things he brought were toys for the little girl. He obviously loves his granddaughter very much.


    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 bubble burst.


    He was not a heartless man and the employees of Grey Pictures had a holiday just like him. Thepany 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 med 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 toote. Maybe that was the beginning of the breakdown of our rtionship..."


    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 me 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 moviepanies were interested in this movie. Disney tried to buy this particr film and everyone knew it. The oue 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 Abe Boham who had interviewed himst time. Maybe that was the reason.


    "I''m kind of d 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 thest sentence. She felt indignant.


    "Cam, did you say something?"


    "Nothing." She rolled her eyes and gripped his arm. Since they were in a rtionship, 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 oue. Especially when there was a massive change in the cast.


    Despite their original n, 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 sess. This meant that Brianna''s sry 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 Greyughed 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.


    "Brad, I''m 29 years old. Of course I''m young."


    "Haha, I thought you were in your 40s. I''m sorry, you look more mature with a beard."


    He nodded and left the couple. He had more people to greet at this premiere. Even the higher ups from Vi were there and Brad Grey had to suck up to them.


    Maybe the reason the Vi executives were here was because they believed the profitability of this movie would be impressive. Well, no one could tell.


    Anyway, Kazir saw Brianna Evans and talked to her for a few minutes. The woman was different from the first time he met her. The woman was alive and vibrant. It was like she was a different person.


    Kazir admitted that Brianna was a talented actress, but he felt that the way she did things was dangerous.


    ''... Should I talk to Salvatore about hiring a psychiatrist?''


    He joked. He didn''t feel anything bad about the woman anyway.


    After the critics and the rest of the audience sat down, the movie started.


    Meet The Parents is aedy in which a man named Gaylord "Greg" Focker (Ben Stiller) ns to propose to his girlfriend Pam Byrnes (Brianna Evans). However, things go hriously wrong when he meets her overprotective and intimidating father, Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro).


    Greg attempts to impress Jack and gain his approval leading to a series of hrious and embarrassing situations, misunderstandings and mishaps that put their rtionship to the test.


    Paramount did the right thing by hiring Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro. They were the original cast of the movie, which made it authentic in Kazir''s eyes.


    As for how much they paid to cast them, Kazir Grey has no idea.


    ''The budget for Meet The Parents is $55 million. So I don''t think they went overboard. Still, $55 million is a mid-range movie budget.''


    Still, their investment was nothingpared to James Cameron''s Titanic, which cost more than $200 million! Byparison, Meet The Parents was very mild.


    Afterughing and seeing a happy ending, the audience was satisfied with the movie and pped their hands when the credits rolled.


    The cast and director of the movie have to stay to be interviewedter 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 releasedst 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 oue 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, thest 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 de, 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 ring 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 dors and for a cheapskate like him that was already expensive.


    "Me? I''m just interested in the vase. It looks good. What do you think of me, a maniac? Of course, I won''t use it to attack these bastards, that would be barbaric."


    "Phew. That''s good to hear..."


    "I have my own fists to use. I will smash their faces with my bare hands!"


    "..."


    Looking at the situation, it seemed that something had happened while Erica was away.


    Kazir looked at Erica and his assistant shook her head. She had no idea what was going on.


    "Okay, calm down. Let''s talk about this. Like civilized people."


    "Civilized? Kazir, they are ready to pounce on you just to get your scripts. I think being civilized is not an option. Look at that bitchy producer, she''s wearing an office zer, but she''s obviously entuating her cleavage by unbuttoning her zer!"


    Camille Green just giggled. There was nothing wrong with her dress code, she firmly believed...


    Seeing the situation, Kazir sighed. He thought his expectations were exaggerated, but this was much worse than he expected.


    "Let''s all sit down first. Enrico, drop the vase. It cost 450 dors with the flowers."


    "That''s okay, I can pay."


    ''Of course you can! I heard you got a 7-figure bonus from Warner Bros for The Hangover Part 2! The Hangover Part 2 has already grossed $254 million in North America!''


    Kazir replied in his head. That should be at least $1 million. Maybe that was the reason why Enrico Pusi was willing to fight for a contract with Kazir Grey. Because his script is a sure way to make money.


    ''Unfortunately, Grey Pictures is too small to film these projects. Even two films in one year is difficult. All I can do is sell these scripts and negotiate a better deal with the Big Six.''


    The Big Six were the Big Six because of their ability to distribute movies worldwide. One of the best reasons why they were better than any other moviepany in Hollywood.


    There were hundreds of productionpanies in this industry, but only six could monopolize the market, it was impossible to be equal next to them.


    Not even the old Metro Goldwyn Mayer or the blossoming DreamWorks. Not even Lionsgate of the future.


    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 oue 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.


    +++++


    [Whichpany 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 rtionship 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 theirpanies 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 dors 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 giarize 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 n was to buy the script along with the sequels. If they giarized the first movie and it was sessful, 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 yers and DVD discs was getting stronger. The DVD yer 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 anotherpany would bring trouble.


    Kazir took a deep breath and sighed. He leaned back in his chair and rxed. It was very early in the morning, but he was already being harassed by 5 moviepanies.


    ''Five producers... Now that I think about it, no one from Sony-Columbia was there. Maybe they are toote to react. Or maybe they are waiting for the right moment to contact Grey Pictures.''


    His first negotiations with Sony-Columbia were unsessful. At the time, he was hoping that Sony-Columbia would distribute Taken, but the negotiations didn''t go anywhere. In the end, Grey Pictures worked with Paramount instead.


    Sony-Columbia wanted 35% of the box office as a distribution fee at that time, and that was too much for Grey Pictures.


    ''Sony-Columbia doesn''t have a strong presence in Hollywood and is always being outbid by the other giants. What they need is a big movie that can produce sequels.''


    Whenever he heard of Sony-Columbia, all Kazir could think of was Spider-Man. Other than that, Kazir had few movies to associate with Sony-Columbia.


    Besides, thepany rarely produced its own movies. They would only invest if the movie looked promising.


    Most of the time, they make a profit by buying movies and distributing them, or distributing movies from studios that didn''t have the ability to distribute their movies.


    Having a distributionwork was very difficult to achieve. It takes time, a very long time. Even buying apany that had a distributionwork was very hard to find, because they would be bought by the Big Six as soon as possible.


    Especially for international distribution, it was almost impossible to acquire one, because it was a valuable thing. The ability to distribute your products to many countries to reach the consumer is not that easy.


    In a way, the Big Six have the right to demand a 30% share of the box office. Still, Kazir didn''t give a damn.


    ''You want my scripts? Lower the distribution fee.''


    He closed his eyes for a second and calmed his mind. There was no need to make a decision today. He had to think about it seriously.


    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 rmendations 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 dly agreed to sign a contract with the insurancepany 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 be 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:// . patr e /P uji_m aki

 Chapter 171

    Chapter 171


    The building had a training room. This was the ce where Tae-Won Park trained the cast of Taken 2 and The Bourne Identity.


    Kazir Grey checked the ce 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 amercial today and would not be back until tomorrow.


    As for Liam Neeson, he woulde 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 sessful 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.


    Like preparing the scenes. The director should have a clear vision in his mind of what he wants to portray. If possible, the director should draw it in the storyboard to have a proper understanding.


    For example, if the director wants to film a scene with an overhead view, he may need to prepare a crane depending on the distance.


    If he wanted to capture an explosion from different angles, he had to prepare dozens of cameras in different locations.


    Let''s not forget the theme of the movie. The color palette was the best way to portray it.


    The blue color palette represents cold, istion, mncholy and calm in the movie. An example was when Officer K (Ryan Gosling) was staring into the mirror after losing something important to him in de Runner 2049. The color palette in this scene was blue.


    In the same way, the orange color palette could represent warmth, sociability, friendliness, and happiness.


    "Thank you, director. I learned a lot."


    "No, unlike me, who didn''t graduate from a film/performing arts university, I''m sure you already studied these subjects in college."


    "Still, thank you, director. It''spletely different to hear it from a professional director."


    "You''re just praising me. Anyway, we are both directors now. I guess I will have to call you Director Smith." Kazir chuckled.


    "You can after the sess of Taken 2." Fremont Smith replied.


    "It will be a sess. Definitely."


    "That''s right."


    It was a mystery where this confidence came from. Perhaps every director should be confident in their films, or there would be no reason to make them.


    After talking to Fremont Smith, Erica Mendez contacted Kazir and told him that another person was looking for him.


    ''As expected...''


    Kazir said he would be there.


    When he reached the lobby, he found a person sitting in a chair. The man was nervous and was wiping his sweat.


    Kazir didn''t know who he was. However, he could tell from the man''s appearance that he might be of Asian descent.


    "Director Grey. I''m Lee Himura from Sony-Columbia. We would like to work with you on The Bourne Identity."


    ''Exactly what I expected. He''s from Sony-Columbia.''


    Kazir nodded. The man''sst name alone meant that he was from Japan, which was understandable. After all, the parentpany of Sony-Columbia was none other than Sony, a hugepany 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 otherpanies 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. Thepany 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 bing 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 bestpleted 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 rted to Spider-Man like Venom, Spider-Verse, and um, Morbius? Maybe? Men In ck is great, but its influence was weakerpared 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 moviepanies.


    In the first ce, the reason for thepany''s weakness was theck 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 bnce 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 alledies 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 romanticedy 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 nopany 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 theirpetitors 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."


    "I''m d to hear that." Lee Himura smiled. However, he didn''t feel good about this negotiation. Obviously, Sony-Columbia was the loser in this transaction.


    If it weren''t for his boss'' nagging, Lee Himura wouldn''t be doing this. If there was one good thing, it was that the responsibility for negotiating a 20% box office share with Grey Pictures was not his. It came from higher up.


    If that negotiation leads to disaster, he is innocent... Although he could be fired if that happened. So his mood was not good. He only hoped that Kazir Grey would not ask for a lower distribution fee.


    "Still, I have to think about it. Just like I said before, I need three days to think about it."


    ''If another moviepany offered me a better deal, of course I would sign with them.''


    Kazir smiled. There was nothing wrong with his decision.


    ''Even if I upset one or two of the Big Six, I still have otherpanies to work with. Of course, let''s pray they don''t work together to destroy me like they did with DreamWorks. Splitting thepany in two.''


    "I understand."


    Lee Himura bowed. He had already done his best. Anything less than 20% would be detrimental. This was the lowest they could offer. If Kazir Grey still said no, so be it.


    The Sony-Columbia producer shook Kazir''s hand before leaving.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    While the negotiations were going on, 20th Century Fox invited him to participate in the pre-production of Napoleon Dynamite III, which was to be released in the summer orter this year.


    Kazir was no fool, he knew this was just a way for Tom Rothman to talk to Kazir personally.


    He had already done his job and turned most of the work over to the writers. In fact, Kazir didn''t touch the Napoleon Dynamite III script that much. He just made some suggestions.


    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 thest movie. Completion of the trilogy. The actors'' sries are getting higher and higher and Fox Searchlight Pictures can''t afford them anymore. Before the sry got bigger, they decided to finish the trilogy and get as much money as possible.''


    As for the oue 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, congrattions 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 thest 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 screenys. 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 screeny he sold. More than $300 million at the worldwide box office.


    Meet The Parents, thest 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 sessfully 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 dors, but we have to subtract the publicity and the prints. So the profit we can get is only 10-20 million dors. 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 form 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 ns to distribute."


    "Two to three films. That''s the best we can do."


    Anything more would be too much for 20th Century Fox.


    "I understand." Kazir nodded.


    He could sense Tom Rothman''s sincerity... Unfortunately, his sincerity was not enough to convince him.


    "Tom, there are still two days before I can make a decision. I hope you understand. I need to give this some serious thought."


    "Okay. I just hope you choose 20th Century Fox. Kazir, we have a good working rtionship and the firstpany to distribute your movie is none other than 20th Century Fox."


    "Yes, and I''m grateful for that."


    After visiting the studio and talking to Tom Rothman, Kazir Grey returned to Grey Pictures.


    Tomorrow they have a script reading to familiarize themselves with their roles.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "We''ve met for the second time, Director Grey."


    Sony-Columbia CEO Frank Price shook hands with Kazir.


    After three days of negotiations, Kazir chose the best option.


    Many filmpanies contacted him, hoping to work with him. Unfortunately, only Sony-Columbia satisfied him.


    For 20% of the box office, Sony-Columbia would distribute his four films. In return, Sony-Columbia paid Kazir $3.5 million to buy his three screenys. Of course, if Kazir was interested in writing the sequels to these films, Sony-Columbia would pay him more than $1 million per sequel.


    In addition, Kazir Grey agreed to write a screeny 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 sry."


    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 dors.


    "I see. So you want Jim Carrey to be the male lead? Honestly, considering the role of Bruce Nn and his hrious 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 apany to distribute them.


    As for Paramount''s grumbling, Kazir didn''t care. Once Taken 2 came out, their rtionship would be over.


    ''Damn it, I''m like an orphan living in different ces every night. I have no ce 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 rxing, 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 ir Witch Project was the first kind of its genre that became sessful. It basically poprized the genre.


    Besides ir 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 be 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 sess. 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 sry and bonus were amazing. Since all the films that Director Grey made were sessful, 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.


    In addition, he signed a contract with Salvatore Barlowe, which made his way easier. One of the reasons why Kazir Grey decided to help him.


    ''At least my sry increased...''


    To be honest, Palenque was interested in making a movie, but his experience was not enough. He needed more time to gain experience and knowledge to be a director. Not that being a director is easy.


    Before bing an assistant director, Palenque was part of the props team, responsible for making and preparing background scenes.


    "Hm?"


    Suddenly, he realized that the horror movie was over and stood up as the credits rolled. He was still confused as to why he was here and why he had to buy the movie.


    ''Director Grey watched the movie two days ago while hiding his identity. Then he called me and said that I must buy the movie, but I must not show any intention of being interested in the movie so that the price won''t be high.''


    In order for this to happen, Director Grey told him to buy the film on thest day of the screening.


    The Sundance Film Festivalsted ten days, and today was thest day.


    The audience pped tiredly and left. In fact, only a handful of people watched the movie. The answer was obvious, the movie was not good at all!


    Still, Palenque Simone decided to face the director of The ir Witch Project just to finish the job.


    With a business smile, Palenque found the director and opened his mouth.


    "Hello, are you the director of this movie?"


    "Me? Yes, I''m one of the directors of this movie. I''m Daniel Myrick."


    Palenque nodded. Most of the time only one director is credited in a movie. That might have something to do with the Director''s Guild rules that only one director be credited on a movie.


    Still, others have co-directors in movies, such as the Coen brothers and the Wachowski sisters.


    In The ir Witch Project, two directors could be credited because they were not registered in the Director''s Guild of America.


    "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 thepany 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 exin 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 rtionship with Cameron Diaz. Well, their rtionship 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 kes or even shredded white stic. These items have a simr appearance to snow once captured by the camera.


    This time, the crew decided to use paper kes.


    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 kes) 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 Switzend for authentic scenes, but Kazir decided against it...


    Frankly, he never likes to move. Even promoting his films around the globe was thest 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?"


    Matt Damon asked the director. Matt Damon was a professional actor and was even nominated for the Best Actor Award.


    For this role, Matt Damon even interviewed people who suffered from amnesia. On this basis he built up his character as Jason Bourne. Of course, he still needed the director''s approval.


    "It''s good."


    Kazir nodded and decided to let him watch the clip. Most of the time the directors didn''t want to show the monitors to the actors.


    Some actors would be aware of their appearance and facial expressions if they watched their acting on the monitor, especially if they made a mistake.


    In Matt Damon''s situation, Kazir decided to show him his acting in order to praise him and show him that he had to maintain the role of a clueless/depressed man suffering from amnesia in the hope of finding his true identity.


    "Um, director. Do you mind if we reshoot? I feel like I can rte to Jason Bourne more now."


    Seeing Matt Damon''s reaction, Kazir shook his head and agreed.


    ''As expected, some actors will pester their directors just to get a perfect shot. Maybe Matt Damon is the type of actor who uses his understanding to get into a role.''


    "Fine, but Matt, you have to understand. This movie is an action movie, there''s no need for too much drama. You don''t have to be too expressive unless you have to be. Don''t push yourself too hard. Hell, as long as you can act cool, I don''t have a problem."


    Adrien Brody in The Pianist got super depressed and even broke up with his girlfriend.


    Shia Labeouf in Fury. Just to experience the real suffering that the soldiers went through, the guy literally didn''t shower for a month... What a fuckingmitment.


    Of course, let''s not forget Heath Ledger in his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight.


    Kazir didn''t want Matt Damon to go through the same thing, because this movie wasn''t serious at all. This movie was meant for men''s entertainment, nothing else. So Kazir didn''t need an Oscar performance.


    "I understand." Matt Damon nodded. He took a deep breath.


    Just like that, they decided to reshoot the scene. Even though it was only a 30-second scene.


    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 whatnguage 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 foreignnguage.


    "I-I''m sorry, director."


    Efren Reyes, the prop master, apologized and immediately signaled his crew. He had be 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 hardtely because he had important positions within thepany 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 nced at the group of models attending this particr 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 sess of The Truman Show.


    Kazir was invited to the party because of his recent association with thepany. 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.


    However, because he decided to take some time off, the crew took some time off as well. Today, filming ended early.


    The box office of The Truman Show was 264 million dors. This gives Jim Carrey another achievement in the industry. Of course, the plot of The Truman Show was amazing. Even Kazir praised the movie.


    The mood at the party was very good. Especially when another movie that Paramount invested a lot in did well recently.


    Meet the Parents grossed $160 million in North America this April. On top of that, the international box office was $75 million. That brings the total to over $235 million. Everyone knows that the movie would still go up, especially the international box office.


    "Haa-choo!"


    With that, Kazir Grey decided to go to the bathroom and blow his nose. After he threw the tissue into the trash, he felt great that he could breathe again.


    It was ufortable to have a stuffy nose. He washed his hands and spent a few minutes in the bathroom to get ready.


    This was not his first time at a party. He had seen people trying to talk to him, trying to get to know him. Of course, Kazir understood that this process was important. But it was tiring.


    On top of that, some girls tried to flirt with him even when he was with someone else.


    Just as he expected, as soon as he returned to the party, people started approaching him.


    Luckily, the first people to greet him were someone he knew.


    Salvatore Barlowe and Brianna Evans were talking to Kazir. Their rtionship was more like business partners, Kazir respected them both.


    "I can''t believe you got the Paramount to agree."


    "What can I do? I just showed them all the benefits if they cast Brianna."


    Salvatore was now a famous agent and many actors and actresses hoped to be his clients or get a better role in a movie. Hell, even men might not hesitate to go to bed with him just to get a nice role.


    Like Kazir, the agent suffered from endless flirtations from the opposite sex.


    Unfortunately, Salvatore Barlowe''s aesthetic was on the Asian side. He was attracted to Asian women. His standing in the industry improved after he signed Kazir.


    As for Brianna Evans, she contacted Kazir to thank him for rmending 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 sessful 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 topete 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 sry. 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 congratted 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. Congrattions, 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 rted 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 rmended 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 rmended him... Maybe the lips of the people in management are hard to shut.''


    Anyway, it could be a good thing. Having a rtionship 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.


    What you watched on television controlled you, in a mild or angry way.


    Anyway, Jim Carrey appreciates the fact that Kazir Grey rmended him.


    First of all, Bruce Almighty looks promising. After reading the script, Jim Carrey understood that the movie would be a box office hit. In addition, the script was written by Kazir Grey, a talented screenwriter in theedy genre. This means that the movie has a higher chance of bing a blockbuster.


    Unless a bad thing happened, such as the production being shut down due or a wrong release date, Bruce Almighty would definitely be a sessful movie.


    Jim Carrey and Sony-Columbiamunicated for days and their intention was clear. Both sides wanted to work together and make Bruce Almighty a movie. They were just negotiating other terms like sry and other demands.


    Unfortunately, Jim Carrey was not the only actor Sony-Columbia was looking for.


    Robin Williams, Adam Sandler, Steve Martin, Will Ferrell, and even Ben Stiller. When Paramount announced that they had bought three scripts from Kazir Grey, these actors, known in theedy genre, expressed their intentions.


    Although Jim Carrey was the first choice, he might not get the part.


    Honestly, Jim Carrey could drop Bruce Almighty and find another movie to participate in, a movie that could pay him more. However, he was not sure if that movie would be better than Bruce Almighty. After all, Bruce Almighty was written by Kazir Grey.


    So he decided to talk to Kazir Grey, hoping that he could talk to Paramount and increase his chances of getting the role.


    "I heard that you''re not going to attend the audition. That''s sad because I want to show you my acting." Jim Carrey said.


    "I''m going to Italy to make a movie." Kazir replied.


    The auditions for Bruce Almighty would begin in May, but Kazir would not be in the U.S. at that time. Those responsible for judging the actors were the director, the producer, and the higher-ups at Sony-Columbia.


    Sony-Columbia hoped that Kazir would watch the audition, but his schedule said no.


    "Is that so? Then I hope we can meet again. As an actor, I want to work with someone like you."


    Jim Carrey didn''t push the subject of casting too much. It was good that he talked to Kazir. Besides, this matter would reach the ears of Sony-Columbia, which would give him a higher chance of getting the role.


    After the two of them talked about things they could rte to, other people started to show up. Most of them were interested in Kazir Grey because of his position.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    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 shing 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 mmed 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 hisst 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 rxing 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!"


    "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."


    "Thank you, ma''am."


    The maid wanted to leave this mansion and return to her country, but she had to feed her family. Besides, the pay here was better than in her own country.


    Shenna started to fix the table that had fallen over.


    "Anyway, your ent is not that good, I don''t like it. I suggest you practice your English more. Better yet, don''t speak at all."


    Eliza Cohen muttered.


    Shenna nodded and silently cleaned up the mess Mara Cohen had made.


    "Honey, why are you mad? Who did this to you?"


    "This! Look at this newspaper! That woman! She stole my role! It''s all her fault!"


    The shy Mara Cohen whom Kazir metst year was nothing more than a false persona. Perhaps Kazir dodged a bullet by cutting ties with his mother. After all, his half-sister was no innocent girl.


    "Aww, let me take a look at that newspaper you''re holding."


    Mara Cohen handed her mother the newspaper. Mara was angry when she read the article earlier.


    The top-grossing domestic films of 1998 were:


    1.) Titanic -- $488 million.


    2.) The Hangover Part 2-- $254 million.


    3.) Armageddon-- 198 million dors.


    4.) Saving Private Ryan-- $190 million.


    5.) There''s Something About Mary-- $174 million.


    6.) The Waterboy-- $147 million.


    7.) Doctor Dolittle-- $144 million.


    8.) Deep Impact - 140 million dors.


    9.) Godzi-- 136 million dors.


    10.) Rush Hour-- $136 million.


    These ten movies were the highest grossing movies ofst year.


    Titanic was very impressive, the movie already surpassed 1 billion dors 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 sess 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 sess.


    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 aet 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 epted it.


    Erica and the other executives were interviewing people for the general manager position. Grey Pictures was a recently formedpany, and there were only few employees who had experience running a business.


    Most of the employees were rted 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 thepany.


    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 apany; his ambitionsy 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 onest gamble by creating a Cinematic Universe, and their decision paid off handsomely. Of course,ic book sales were still not that good. In fact, for the next three decades, Japanese manga would be more popr in the West than Americanics.


    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 sess, Kazir would work with animation andic bookpanies to adapt his movies to other forms of media.


    As of now, the "gold" coins that appeared in Taken and John Wick are getting recognition. Some movie enthusiasts bought them and pretended they were part of the Cinematic Universe. Total sales of the Gold Coins have already surpassed $50 million.


    Just like Marvel, Grey Pictures was trying to find another way to make money.


    One of the reasons Grey Pictures needs a general manager is that Kazir could never manage all that while directing a movie.


    "Call thest one."


    Erica told the person outside.


    A woman entered the office. She wore gold-rimmed sses, but she didn''t look like a geek. Instead, she looked like a ssy and intelligent woman. It was not because of her appearance, but because of her manners and demeanor.


    Erica raised her eyebrows and realized that she could not take her eyes off the woman for some reasons.


    Of the three people who passed the requirements, this person was the only female.


    Most of the requirements were simple, but Kazir had a special requirement.


    The person should have worked in showbiz... Yes, very understandable.


    As long as the person met the criteria, Kazir had no problem. But because of the intense screening, only three people passed. These three people managed important management rted to showbiz.


    The first guy was the ex-CEO of a cablework.


    The second guy was a TV producer. His resume stated that he had created four TV shows.


    As for thest person...


    "Your name is Ste Willow, is that right?"


    "That''s right. I''m Ste Willow. I worked at NBC for five years before I quit."


    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 televisionworks in the United States."


    "It''s not that simple. Thepetition, 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?"


    Ste 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 ident. His body was crushed by a truck and he died horribly. Apparently his break didn''t work." Ste grinned.


    "..."


    The room was silent for a second.


    "Fufu, of course I''m kidding. He was fired for sexually harassing one of his employees."


    Sheughed. Then another personughed awkwardly until everyoneughed.

 Chapter 180

    Chapter 180


    A flight attendant gently pushed the cart into the first-ss section of the ne.


    This section of the ne had many small rooms that were upied by people who could afford first-ss tickets.


    The room was tiny, and at best only one person could use it. Still, in that situation in a ne, to have that kind of privacy was a luxury. In fact, only a few airlines had first-ss 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."


    Ste 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 ne.


    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 hourster, she would bending in Italy.


    After leaving her position at NBC, Ste 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, Ste Willow realized that Kazir''s filmography didn''t have any simrities 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.


    Directors always have an artistic sense/style in them, it is their signature.


    David Fincher loves to use gray and brown tones in his movies, which reflects the dullness/heaviness theme in his movies.


    Director Tim Burton, his movies were always gothic style. Whenever someone thought of gothic style movies, Tim Burton was always on the list.


    As for Quentin Tarantino. A famous director known for his portrayal of extreme violence in his movies. And he loves filming actresses'' feet for some reasons...


    After watching all of Kazir''s movies, Ste Willow realized that Kazir Grey evolved when he created Napoleon Dynamite.


    His previous movies before Napoleon Dynamite are small-budget horror movies, and they are all sher movies with blood sttering everywhere.


    His first three horror movies had simrities, but he changed his style when Napoleon Dynamite came out. How could a director who made bloody horror movies make a wholesomeedy? Where did the inspiratione from?


    As for Se7en, which Kazir wrote and sold to New Line Cinema, she didn''t feel anything strange about it. After all, Se7en was also a bloody movie.


    ''But his writing has definitely improved since Se7en.''


    When she decided to work for Grey Pictures, Ste Willow began researching Kazir. Then she realized that Kazir''s life had changed after his divorce.


    "He is probably an interesting guy."


    Slicing the medium-rare steak with a knife, Ste Willow recalled how she was hired.


    The management of Grey Pictures chose her because she was the most qualified for the position. The two people before her had experience in show business, but their aplishments were nothingpared to hers.


    As a production manager, she was responsible for so many TV shows on NBC. The performance of NBC was better because of her leadership.


    At the age of 36, she was a career woman who proved herself to the world.


    ''With my savings, I didn''t have to think about working anymore, and I even bought an RV to travel around the country. But I realized that my passion for my work is very strong and I want to work. At the very least, I want to prove to the people at NBC that I can do better.''


    When she heard that Grey Pictures was looking for a general manager, she used her connections to apply.


    First, she was interested in the production studio because Kazir Grey was nning 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 ns 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 n.


    She was interested to see the result. No, she wanted to see the sess 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 thepany bought her a first ss ticket to Italy.


    After eating her breakfast/dinner, Ste Willow realized that the ne was about tond.


    The flight attendant smiled and said goodbye to her. Once at the airport, Ste 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."


    Ste 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


    Ste 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 Ste Willow got into the car, she looked at the license te.


    Then she sent the te 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 Ste Willow were talking. Ste 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 Ste was hired.


    A few minutester they reached their destination.


    In a wide alley, Ste 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 rx and change their makeup and appearance.


    A few meters away from them, Ste 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, Ste 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.


    Ste Willow silently approached the set to get a better view.


    She adjusted her gold-rimmed sses. She saw two people acting in front of the cameras.


    Cameron Diaz and Matt Damon had a scene together.


    After Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) arrived at the bank indicated by the bullet, he realized that his name was indeed Jason Bourne.


    But his happiness quickly faded when he realized that he had so many identities and passports that he could not be sure which identity was real or fake. Or maybe all those identities were fake.


    Nevertheless, Jason Bourne decided to use his "Jason Bourne" identity.


    He wanted to go to the United States to find out more about himself. But he found that the police were looking for him. Moreover, even the people in the US embassy were looking for him. On top of that, a certain secret organization was also looking for him.


    Jason Bourne felt as if the world was against him.


    After escaping from his pursuers, Jason Bourne found Marie Kreutz (Cameron Diaz) and tried to convince her to help him get out of the ce.


    Marie Kreutz was reluctant at first, but Jason Bourne gave her ten thousand dors to convince her to use her car to get out of town.


    In the end, the woman could not say no. The two traveled together.


    "Cut!"


    Kazir announced and the shooting paused. The weather was a bit chilly. Matt and Cameron''s assistants quickly came over and gave them warm towels.


    Then the actors didn''t have much interaction and went to their respective trailers. They were obviously strangers.


    This was normal in the industry.


    On The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, Will Smith and J Hubert, the original Aunt Viv, didn''t like each other despite their interactions on camera. At the end of season 3, J Hubert disappeared and another actress took over her role.


    After all, actors and actresses were people. They could like or hate another person. That was nothing new.


    Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in The Notebook. They didn''t have a good rtionship during the making of the movie. In fact, they hated each other... But the thing was, during the release of The Notebook, they became a couple! Maybe this was a promotional method to hype the movie. It was a good move because The Notebook was a sess.


    There were many cases of actors having secret fights on the set.


    Luckily, it seemed that Matt Damon and Cameron Diaz were just strangers and there was no obvious beef.


    ''Maybe Cameron Diaz is aware that her boyfriend is the one directing the movie.''


    Ste 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 Ste Willow. He rose from his seat and greeted the woman.


    "Miss Ste 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 Ste 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 toe to an agreement right now." Kazir became serious.


    The two found a table they could use.


    "Sometimes allies be enemies," Ste muttered after nudging her sses.


    "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. /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 inte July or early August.


    Sony-Columbia didn''t have a problem with that schedule and agreed. As long as they didn''t have a movieing 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 nning 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, thepany was expanding and the Big Six were rmed.


    Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox and Paramount were three filmpanies that Kazir Grey worked with. Their rtionship 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 filmpanies couldn''t help but block its way.


    If there was something good, the three moviepanies 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 moviepanies 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 thepany copsed.


    "I hear rumors that Star Wars will be released inte 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 Ste 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, thetter 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.


    Thest Star Wars movie was Return Of The Jedi, which was released in 1983.


    If Star Wars Episode 1 and The Bourne Identity had a fight, the oue would be obvious. The Bourne Identity would be knocked out.


    ''However, I''m confused as to why Kazir is nervous about this so-called Matrix... I heard that this movie is rated R. Taken 2 can easily beat that movie if they are released at the same time.''


    Taken 2 was a PG-13 movie and the expected box office for that movie was at least $400 million. Surely this Matrix from Warner Bros would be kicked out of the theaters, right?


    Well, Ste Willow didn''t know the future, so she was confident that Taken 2 wouldn''t be bullied...


    ''The toughest enemy will be Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.''


    Indeed, she thought so.


    As for Paramount, their attitude was unknown. They showed no intention of joining the alliance, but they weren''t against it either.


    Taken 2 would be distributed by them and they didn''t want the movie to suffer. Of course, if things changed, Paramount would use their own means to sabotage Taken 2.


    Even though the two sides had signed a contract, Paramount had many ways to ruin Taken 2. They could extend the payment, they could make the number of theaters low, or they would make a minimal investment in terms of promotion.


    "The reason I''m telling you this is because I want to hear your opinion. When you return to the United States, you will be the official general manager of Grey Pictures."


    ''So this is like thest test or something?''


    Ste Willow nodded.


    "These are just rumors, and the three moviepanies haven''t made any official announcements about the release of their movies. That means they are still waiting. Waiting for your answer."


    Kazir agreed. He also thought about it.


    "If you don''t do anything, the three moviepanies will go ahead with the n and sabotage The Bourne Identity and Taken 2."


    "Based on my understanding. We have three things to consider." The woman nudged her gold-rimmed sses.


    "First, you can express your intention to work with them. The scripts you''ve written have shown positive results, and the three moviepanies 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 rtionship with the three moviepanies is important. I don''t want to be their enemy."


    "I understand."


    Ah, theplicated 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 thepany 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." Ste 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 sessfully 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, Ste and Kazir knew that the Big Six would focus more on DreamWorks.


    Last year, 1998, Saving Private Ryan was a massive worldwide sess. Its impact was just beginning. In fact,st 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.


    That is one of the reasons why the Big Six have to be aware of DreamWorks. Steven Spielberg can make good movies and he knows how the business works.


    Not only that, but DreamWorks Animation did well with Antz and The Prince of Egypt. Antz was DreamWorks'' first 3D animated feature, and thepany slowly gained a foothold inputer animation.


    ''In my opinion, MGM (Metro Goldwyn Mayer) has already lost its status and DreamWorks can take its ce in the top 7 of Hollywood.''


    MGM was slowly going downhill in these days, with bankruptcy. They were only alive because of James Bond: 007.


    After their conversation, Kazir decided to give the woman some time to rest. The only purpose of this meeting was to talk to Ste Willow before she started work.


    She could leave tomorrow if she wished.


    As Kazir stayed in the tent and watched the footage they shot today, he could not help but think of Star Wars and The Matrix.


    ''I know it sounds like I''m being arrogant, but I want to direct Star Wars and The Matrix...''


    Unfortunately, all rights to Star Wars were owned by George Lucas and Lucasfilm. Also, Kazir was not close enough to George Lucas to work with him.


    Kazir didn''t like to leave the office, and his rtionship with people in Hollywood was tenuous at best. He rarely attended parties and was usually quiet.


    As for The Matrix, the Wachowski sisters registered the script before he could make his own version. Moreover, the Wachowski sisters were determined to direct the film.


    ''Well, I''m busy too, I have to say no even if they try to pitch the script to me.''


    Maybe he would have a chance to direct Star Wars in the next decade...


    He knew that Star Wars would expand its universe, from movies toics to animation. However, his opinion of the franchise wasplicated.


    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 ck 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 red 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 rtionship 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 ufortable.


    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.


    Everyone on the crew understood that Kazir would ask for another kissing scene if the first shot didn''t satisfy him.


    As for Cameron Diaz, she felt that Kazir Grey was not serious about her at all... Maybe she was right.


    From Kazir''s point of view, they were not a real couple. As long as Cameron Diaz didn''t sabotage The Bourne Identity, the man would let her be.


    Frankly, Cameron Diaz was hurt by this. Her pride as a woman was hurt.


    Fortunately, Kazir gave her a great experience that same night, so she easily forgot about it.


    ''Yesterday, however, a beautiful, elegant woman appeared and spoke to Kazir. The woman seemed to be smart and she talked to Kazir about business. ''


    Although Cameron Diaz knew that the woman was just doing her job, she could not help but be jealous.


    She knew she was bing childish as well. Affected by this, her performance yesterday went down.


    Again, after this incident, Kazir focused his attention on her. Cameron Diaz realized a way to get the man''s attention.


    ''Unfortunately, he will easily realize my intention if I try to cause trouble.'' She sighed in defeat.


    Kazir Grey picked up the phone and realized that Salvatore Barlowe was calling him.


    "Salvatore? Yes, I''m in the hotel room. I see... Thanks, I''ll call youter."


    Kazir grinned and hung up the phone.


    "Why did your agent call you?"


    Cameron Diaz was curious.


    "If it''s not important, you don''t have to tell me." She added.


    "It''s okay. It''s about a movie I tried to acquire. Unfortunately, someone bought the movie before I could get it."


    Cameron Diaz raised her eyebrows. She was interested in the movie that had caught Kazir''s attention.


    "Hehe, it''s actually not a good movie." Kazir felt the woman''s gaze and exined further.


    "It''s shaky footage about college students who went into a forest and disappeared."


    "Sounds interesting..." Cameron lied.


    "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 ir Witch Project was a huge sess because of its viral publicity. It was the first sessful "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 ir Witch Project wasing out this year, he decided to try his luck and make the most of it.


    "Salvatore said that The ir 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 ir Witch Project. The answer was obvious.


    ''They are afraid of the bacsh.''


    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 sses woman anymore. All she wanted to do was have some fun with Kazir.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    A month after Ste 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 sry 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 Ste 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 moviepanies. 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 romanticedy 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 sry 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.


    Fortunately, The Bourne Identity was not full of CGI scenes. In fact, there was no CGI at all.


    Kazir didn''t have to waste his time hiring a special effects team to render some scenes.


    That was a good thing. Because if there was a CGI scene, it would take Kazir at least two months to create the special effects.


    Time was now his enemy. He had signed a contract with Sony-Columbia for his film to be released inte July or early August. If he missed that, he would have to pay the penalties.


    Even though Kazir was good at his job and he was fast. He couldn''t help but feel a sense of urgency. Time was pressuring him.


    Editor Rector was suffering from the same thing.


    Rector was sleeping on the keyboard. His drool was dripping and his face was emaciated. It seemed that proper rest did not exist in him.


    "... We finally finished the editing."


    June was a busy month for many, and Kazir spent the month in the editing room. Even Erica Mendez was free most of the time.


    Kazir sighed when he knew his month of suffering was over. He had to apologize to Rector''s wife for kidnapping Rector for a month.


    ''I have to give this guy a bonus.''


    Kazir left the room to get some fresh air, he looked out into the hallway and noticed that there was no one around.


    ''It''s still early.''


    Kazir went upstairs and went into his office. His office had a bathroom he could use. To freshen up, he decided to take a bath.


    ''20th Century Fox showed their goodwill by rescheduling Star Wars. As for Warner Bros, The Matrix was released in June. It seems that Warner Bros never intended to be on our bad side. It''s understandable because I''m still in the process of writing The Hangover Part 3.''


    Even though his position was only screenwriter, no one belittled Kazir. He was good at his job and everyone epted 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 hourster, 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 thepany.


    ''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 Ste 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, thepany that acquired The ir Witch Project was Artisan Entertainment.


    However, perhaps because of Kazir''s interference in the timeline, the one who got The ir Witch Project this time was Miramax.


    In the newspaper there was an article about a group of college students who went to Burkittsville, Marnd and went missing. They interviewed people about the mythical ir Witch and decided to go to the ck 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 ir Witch.


    -- A group of college students went missing in Burkittsville, Marnd. 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 exined, 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 ck 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 ir 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 filmpany was owned by the Weinstein brothers. Particrly, 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.


    Note that over 80 women stood up about the allegations of sexual abuse and rape against Harvey Weinstein. This incident sparked the #MeToo movement in social media.


    Obviously, everyone knows about Harvey Weinstein''s crimes but they were just chill as fuck. Just like what they did to Jeffrey Epstein.


    For Kazir, this was a disgusting move. From the bottom of his heart, he felt like it was unfair that people would buy tickets for The ir Witch only to get deceived by Harvey Weinstein and Miramax. It didn''t sit well with him.


    With a cold gaze at the ceiling, Kazir Grey decided to fuck the timeline more.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    While people started talking about the missing students, another batch of movies were released in the theaters.


    On July 9, seven movies were released simultaneously. However, only one movie got a good reception. It was none other than American Pie.


    An R-ratededy with strong sexuality and foulnguage. Yet this movie made $18 million in its first week at the box office. It seemed that Universal Pictures had a goodedy to milk this time. Perhaps they were salty that Grey Pictures had never sold them aedy script.


    The newsworks realized that a lot of people were interested in the missing students and the mythical ir Witch in Burkittsville, Marnd.


    One news channel sent a team to interview the people of Burkittsville, Marnd, but they had no idea about the missing students. There were some stories about witches in theirmunity, but no one really believed they were real. Even the police tried to investigate the hill, but they found none.


    But now that the news about the ir Witch was getting stronger, the people of Burkittsville, Marnd decided to stay in their homes just to be sure.


    The news crew decided to enter the hill where the missing students werest found. However, as they walked deeper into the woods, the team felt strange and as if someone was looking at them... Uh, maybe it was a cebo effect. Their minds believed that there was indeed a witch hiding in the forest.


    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 rted to witches.


    In addition, some people were interviewed by the media saying that their rtives 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 ir 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, Marnd. 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 ce, causing some trouble for the locals. Because of this, the local government decided to close the hill and let the police inspect the ce for the third time.


    But some people didn''t care about the authorities. They wanted to infiltrate the ce and that caused trouble. A group of thousands of people in a small ce, 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, Marnd and formed arge 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 ced the newspaper on Harvey Weinstein''s table and red at the fat man.


    "ABC News is under Disney, you used that connection to promote your movie. But instead it causes an incident."


    "Michael, you need to calm down. I''m innocent. I didn''t know people were going to die because of this. This is my first time doing publicity like this!"


    Harvey Weinstein was defending himself and he was indeed innocent. He never expected people to die. This project was actually an experiment and he could not believe it would work. But now a lot of people believe that witches are real!


    Look at that! That''s the power of the media! Media can hypnotize people. That''s the truth.


    Once the media thinks you are guilty, then you are basically guilty. Just like when the media made Michael Jackson out to be a predator and Johnny Depp out to be a wife beater. There was no clear evidence and they were never sent to jail, but the media deemed them guilty just because.


    And now the media was telling people that witches might be real.


    "..."


    Michael Ovitz didn''t talk about it anymore. He knew it was toote. A lot of people already believe that the ir Witch was real.


    "When are you going to end this farce? Release the movie this week and end this quickly."


    "Rx, I have already contacted a distributor and they agree to distribute the movie."


    Miramax used this method to get out of the mess.


    "As for the actors and directors of The ir Witch Project, they are in South Africa. No one can find them in the United States at this time."


    "Alright."


    Michael Ovitz nodded. Even though he didn''t like this kind of publicity, he admitted that it was amazing. This publicity would trick the citizens into seeing the movie.


    If this n worked, it was possible for The ir Witch Project to make over $100 million at the box office. The movie was worth $10,000, but the profit it could make was 10,000 times that!


    "How much did you spend on this project?"


    Michael Ovitz asked curiously. As president of Walt Disney, he had many sources of information.


    "I signed a contract with Cinema Alliance two days ago and they agree that The ir Witch Project will open in over 4000 theaters on day one." Harvey Weinstein smiled.


    "4000 copies of the movie will cost me more than $3 million. Along with some advertising to help the media focus on The ir Witch, I spent more than $10 million."


    Harvey Weinsteinughed 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 exin.


    "Fox News and CNN have found the truth about The ir 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 ir 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, Marnd had simrities 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 manipting 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 ir 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 exined.


    "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 me 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 ir Witch Project. If our deduction is correct, he is the one responsible for the movie''s publicity."


    The news anchor exined.


    Then another person was interviewed. This time it was a middle-aged woman. She was crying, sadness clearly in her eyes.


    Suddenly, Harvey''s chubby cheeks twitched ufortably.


    -- "My son is a good man! He never did drugs! He never drank alcohol or smoked cigarettes! His friends are only interested in visiting Burkittsville, Marnd, and yet I can''t believe this will be thest time I see him alive! All because of a movie! Just because of a fake witch!"


    She cried at the top of her lungs and looked miserable on camera. It was very painful for a mother to lose a child.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    July 14th, 1999. It was Wednesday and many people were lining up to enter the movie theater.


    While they were peacefully trying to buy tickets, some protesters were causing trouble outside the theater.


    "Justice for John, Meredith, Angelito and Roel!"


    These were the slogans they kept repeating. Well, the moviegoers didn''t care. They were only interested in the movie.


    Two days ago, the truth was revealed that The ir Witch Project was a movie and the witch and the missing students were not real.


    But that didn''t stop them from trying to see the movie. Maybe it would be an exciting experience? The hype could never be erased, even when the truth was revealed. People were easily persuaded by peer pressure or perhaps social pressure.


    The ir Witch Project had already made so many headlines and people were now interested, even though the movie was fake.


    But when they entered the theater and spent at least 10 minutes watching the movie, their expectations were thrown into the dirty trash can.


    The movie, The ir Witch Project, was boring at best. The cinematography, the unfocused scenes, everything was so amateurish.


    "I can''t believe I spent more than 1 hour watching this movie. I thought something interesting was going to happen. Damn, I wasted my $7 on a ticket".


    "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 exin himself or a lot of people are going toe after him."


    The first day of The ir 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 ir 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,pared to the original timeline, people were not angry at the two directors and actors of The ir 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 ir 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 hourster. Tomorrow, I will also post two chapters.]

 Chapter 189

    Chapter 189


    Two decades ago, Harvey Weinstein was used of sexual harassment, even though he was "innocent".


    He never did anything bad like that, ording to him. He was innocent! He was free from the sin of sexual harassment. He had many "friends" who could testify against the usations.


    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 bacsh.


    The Miramax team predicted that The ir 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 ir 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 nning 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 ir Witch Project. This unique viral marketing caused four deaths after the riot that happened in Burkittsville, Marnd.


    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 thewsuits.


    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.


    The avable cash that Harvey Weinstein could take out of the bank was only $50 million. That was already a generous amount.


    It was a good thing that his talented attorney lowered the amount to $10 million, any less and the four families would have continued thewsuit instead.


    Harvey Weinstein gritted his teeth and epted the deal. The situation could send him to prison, so he had no choice but to ept reality.


    Obviously, the profit he made from The ir Witch Project was non-existent. In fact, he might lose about $50 million instead. Truly a pathetic endeavor.


    Another thing, the current situation has caused the women around him to make trouble again. Just like what happened in the 1970s, the women who had used him were reappearing... He recognized most of them, but his lips were tightly sealed.


    Fortunately, this matter was overshadowed by the riot incident and The ir Witch Project. The media focused more on The ir Witch Project and the four families who lost their loved ones. Of course, the women who used him were also interviewed in the media.


    In those days, Harvey Weinstein felt like the world was against him. He wondered what he had done. If there was one good thing, it was that he was protected by his "loyal friends" for the time being. More specifically, his position in the industry protected him.


    "Fuck the ir Witch Project!"


    Suddenly, Harvey Weinstein could not help but curse the film, ming it for his own misdeeds.


    This movie had brought him nothing but bacsh. Now he had toy low until the media forgot about it.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Coincidence was all Kazir Grey could say. Actually, he had no intention of exaggerating the situation. He just wanted to tell the truth about The ir Witch Project.


    That is why Kazir decided to contact the people who had seen the movie to testify. That was his real intention.


    He then found a couple who took a picture while watching the movie as evidence... Kazir Grey didn''t expect Harvey Weinstein to be caught on camera! He had no idea that the fat guy actually watched the movie personally!


    Kazir wanted to use the picture as a way to make trouble for Harvey Weinstein. Use it to show that Harvey Weinstein was actually the mastermind.


    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 ir 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 rtionship 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 inte, 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 ir 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 ir Witch Project could do it.


    If not for the fact that Harvey Weinstein was caught in a bind, this movie might have been ssified as a sessful film. Too bad for Miramax, they didn''t make a profit even though the movie was a sess.


    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 thewyer 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 rted to The ir Witch Project slowly faded away as the matter was already over.


    John F. Kennedy Junior, his wife and rtives were killed in a ne crash. This terrible news alleviated the matter of The ir 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 ir Witch Project came out. Eyes Wide Shut was released on July 16, just two days after the release of The ir Witch Project. This movie, starring Tom Cruise and his wife, Nicole Kidman-Cruise, was affected by The ir Witch Project and only grossed $21 million in its first week.


    Eyes Wide Shut was thest movie the couple appeared in together. 2 yearster the couple filed for divorce.


    A week after The ir Witch Project, The Haunting starring Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones was released. The influence of The ir 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.


    Next was Deep Blue Sea. This movie was kind of a Jaws rip-off about smart sharks eating people. If there was anything interesting about this movie, it was that Samuel L. Jackson got eaten by a shark while giving a Ted talk. A great moment indeed...


    In the month of July, the biggest winner was none other than The Runaway Bride starring Richard Gere and Brianna Evans. Because of the rmendation Kazir made to Paramount, Julia Roberts did not get the part. Instead, it was Brianna Evans who became the female lead in Runaway Bride.


    Runaway Bride grossed $35 million in its first week at the box office. The difference between The ir Witch Project and Runaway Bride was the production value. Unlike horror movies that were rated R, Runaway Bride was a PG-13 movie and it had a better audience than The ir Witch Project.


    In the long run, Runaway Bride would make more money than The ir Witch Project.


    Kazir''s interference in the timeline caused changes such as Liam Neeson''s status and Brianna Evans'' appearance. One thing was for sure, it would not be thest time.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    August was the least popr month in the summer schedule. The Big Six usually didn''t release their profitable movies in this month, just like in September.


    Sony-Columbia didn''t have any major movies to release this month. They agreed to release The Bourne Identity in the second week of the month and put their resources behind the movie.


    The initial promotion for The Bourne Identity began a month ago and intensified throughout August.


    Billboards of Matt Damon and Cameron Diaz on many buildings. The Bourne Identity flyers stered on walls. Moviemercials on television.


    Even though The Bourne Identity was not owned by Sony-Columbia, they cared about the movie and did their job faithfully.


    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 nopetition. There was no big movie topete 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 sess of Matrix a few months ago, the fashion sense of young people was affected. They were wearing ck tuxedos, ck pants. They look like professional office workers...


    Knowing that The Bourne Identity was rted 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 minutester. Let me have a dinner first.]

 Chapter 191

    Chapter 191


    Billy and Wace 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 uing movie, was about to be released. The group decided to meet and watch the movie together. Many of them were excited.


    Billy and Wace said that to make things interesting, they should wear simr clothes. They chose a suit that looked like John Wick. Having a ck suit was not that new, but having a group of people wearing the same outfit was definitely eye-catching.


    Some of them were literally cosying 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 rted to the Continental Cinematic Universe attended the premiere. Even the protagonists of thest two movies were there.


    Liam Neeson smiled and kept hisposure under the eyes of many people. After the sess of Taken and winning the Best Actor award, Liam Neeson''s life improved and almost everyone knew him.


    Now he was no longer known as "the guy in Schindler''s List". He was recognized as Liam Neeson, the actor.


    After him came the appearance of Viggo Mortensen. It was none other than John Wick.


    Even though Viggo Mortensen didn''t be super famous after John Wick, his status was much better. Back then, almost no one knew about him.


    But now some people would look at him and call him John Wick, and some of them would ask for autographs. That was the moment Viggo Mortensen knew he had made it.


    The production of The Lord Of The Rings was still going on and he spent most of his time in New Zend. The production of The Lord Of The Rings was actually longer than that of John Wick, which onlysted three months.


    Maybe the difference in genre was one of the reasons. The preparation for The Lord Of The Rings was moreplicated than John Wick.


    Another factor was Kazir Grey''s shooting style. His crew was consistent and they could finish a scene very quickly. He knew what he wanted to shoot, so there was no waste in the middle.


    The two protagonists were invited because of their roles. Taken 2 would be released in November or December of this year, and attending the premiere of The Bourne Identity was also a kind of promotion for Liam Neeson.


    Almost the entire cast of The Bourne Identity attended the premiere.


    Thest people to walk the red carpet were none other than Robert Ludlum and his son. The author of the Jason Bourne series.


    Sony-Columbia and Grey Pictures agreed to promote the movie with nostalgia. They remind people that the movie is based on bestselling books from the 80s.


    Of course, they also used Robert Ludlum as a means of publicity. Even though Robert Ludlum was old, he did his best to participate in the movie. He felt young again.


    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 dreame true."


    "My pleasure, I''m d 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 sess."


    "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 woulde up with a promotional n 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 sry 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 chapterter.]


    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 nk, but his instincts were there.]


    [He found a smallser projector imnted in his hip with the number of a Swiss bank ount 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 oue, 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 rtionship to other continental movies. What was Jason Bourne''s role in this big universe of assassins, criminals, and spies?


    [The protagonist traveled to Zurich, Switzend, and went to a Swiss bank to get a safe deposit box, which was coordinated in theser 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 arge 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.]


    [Because he was surprised, he decided to leave the gun in the locker while he took all the money and passports].


    [While Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) was having an identity crisis, CIA headquarters was trying to locate him. The mission failed and they lost contact with Jason Bourne. The CIA was afraid that Jason Bourne would betray the United States and reveal important information.]


    [When the CIA confirmed that Jason Bourne was alive and in hiding, they deemed him dangerous to keep alive. What they didn''t know was that Jason Bourne had lost his memories after failing toplete the mission. The CIA contacted the members of Treadstone.]


    [Treadstone, or rather Operation Treadstone, was a top secret ck ops program. Recruiting talented soldiers in the military and turning them into superhuman assassins who would do the will of the CIA. The United States had an act of Congress that prohibited the United States from participating in any assassinations. Operation Treadstone was secretly funded in response to this.]


    [However, the CIA didn''t know that there was a mole in their organization. Some of the soldiers they recruited were working for the Fraternity and the High Table. The Fraternity was part of the High Table, like the Continental Hotel and the Bowery, buttely this particr organization was trying to do something.]


    [When the CIA contacted the Treadstone assassins, someone intercepted the message].


    [In a dark room, a wounded man moaned in pain. He was a member of Treadstone, but he also worked for the Fraternity.]


    ["Looks like you have a mission." An Asian man threw a cell phone at the Treadstone member.]


    ["Open it. You have a set of codes tomunicate and I have no idea what it is." Raizo (Enzo Park) held a katana and sat in front of the wounded Treadstone member.]


    After two movie cameos, it seemed that Raizo would have a bigger role in this movie.


    The audience felt that the plot was speeding up. Finally, they saw someone they recognized. Even though Raizo only appeared twice, the audience knew him because of his features. Enzo Park is a handsome Korean and his face is uniquepared to Western men. People remembered him because of his face.


    [The wounded man opened the cell phone and read the coded message.]


    ["So what did it say?"]


    ["... 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 epted.]


    [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 wlessly. He suffered no serious injuriespared to the man who jumped off the building so he wouldn''t tell the secret.]


    [Knowing their location waspromised, the two left the apartment. They decided to stay with Marie Kreutz''s rtives 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 sessfully 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 thest 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 audienceughed. A very smalledy in this serious action movie.


    [The protagonist didn''t let things go ording to n. 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 final battle took ce and Jason Bourne exchanged fire with the enemy. Suddenly, a man from the shadows appeared and helped him. He used his katana to deflect the bullets.]


    [Bending the trajectory of bullets was normal in this universe, and it seemed that deflecting bullets was also the norm].


    [The two work together to defeat the dozens of assassins. It was a hard fight, but they won.]


    ["Tch, Conklin is dead and my lead is gone..." Raizo did not feel well. This mission was a failure. He looked at the wounded amnesiac.]


    ["Looks like you have it rough. Go, leave this ce."]


    [Jason Bourne nodded and walked away.]


    [Several monthster, in a tropical country, Marie Kreutz was thrilled to see Jason Bourne again. The two shared a passionate kiss and the credits rolled.]


    "It''s kind of awkward that Director Grey had Cameron Diaz kiss Matt Damon. They are dating, right?" Wace muttered as the audience pped their hands.


    "Maybe Director Grey is thatmitted and professional to his work," Billy replied.


    "Or maybe he has no feelings at all for Cameron Diaz."


    "Or maybe, hehe, he has some kinky fetish and likes to watch his girlfriend make out with another guy."


    The two started tough. To be honest, they didn''t care about the answer. They didn''t be fans because of Kazir''s personality. They just like his movies.


    Some actors act like they are saints, but they were actually devils in disguise.


    Ellen DeGeneres was famous as aedian and host, but in real life she was a mean person. Still, her show got recognition because it was good.


    Jennifer Lawrence admitted in an interview that she could be rude to her fans. But hey, her movies were good. The Hunger Games series was a sess.


    Anyway, unlike thest time, most of the audience didn''t leave and waited for the post-credits scene. It was already a fact that Kazir''s movies would have post-credit scenes.


    "Damn it! This credits are very long! Why do they even show these names? They are useless to us!"


    The credits were not for the audience. It was for the productionpanies. 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 ck 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 ck man grinned. "I will serve, I will be of service."]


    The movie ended right there and the suspenseful music began again. People pped onest time before leaving the theater.


    Billy and Wace 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 sunsses, 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 sunsses 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 sunsses. The first was to prevent people from recognizing her. The second was to hide her tired eyes. She didn''t get enough sleepst 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 ce 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 sessful 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 sess.


    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?"


    "Where is your lingerie department?"


    "Let me show you, ma''am." The saleswoman said with respect. She had a quota to meet.


    Cameron Diaz began to pick out the best pair to get Kazir''s attention. She smiled as she imagined Kazir''s reaction once she showed off her "outfit".


    While looking for some sexy lingerie, another woman came out of the dressing room.


    "Miss, I''ll take this dress."


    Reese Witherspoon smiled at the saleswoman. Her fame was growing and more and more people recognized her. Still, she wanted to go shopping at least once in a while.


    "Thank you, ma''am. Are you going to wear it now?"


    "Yes, I''ll wear it."


    She handed the credit card to the saleswoman before cutting off the price tag.


    Reese Witherspoon looked around and her face turned solemn when she saw Cameron Diaz.


    "Looks like you''re shopping, too."


    Cameron Diaz smiled at Reese Witherspoon. The two women didn''t like each other.


    Reese Witherspoon took over Cameron Diaz''s role in There''s Something About Mary. That''s why Cameron Diaz didn''t like Reese Witherspoon.


    As for Reese Witherspoon, she didn''t like Cameron Diaz because she was dating Kazir Grey. Maybe she was jealous.


    "That''s right."


    Reese Witherspoon kept her smile and walked away. There was no reason to stay in this store since she had already paid.


    "Wait a minute, which one do you think Kazir will like between these two bikinis?"


    Before Reese could leave, Cameron Diaz stopped her.


    Cameron Diaz was showing off two pairs of bikinis and they were all sexy and provocative.


    "..."


    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 nothingpared 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 Wace 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 Wace agreed, already knowing what answer to write.


    "A+"


    They gave The Bourne Identity an A+.


    Afterpiling 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 tabted 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 ce, 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 rmended 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 epted 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 popr 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.''


    If the movie did well in North America, it would definitely do well internationally. That would be the case with The Bourne Identity.


    If Kazir''s deduction was correct, The Bourne Identity would have made $200 million internationally. People all over the world like to see action movies, hehe.


    ''In that case, our profit for The Bourne Identity will be over $100 million. As long as nothing bad happens, The Bourne Identity will bring us more than $100 million.''


    It was amazing that a situation like this could happen. Investing in movies was a quick way to make a profit, but it was not a sure thing. There were cases where the movie flopped.


    ''A movie can be finished in a year and the investment will be returned quickly. As long as you know the trick, you can make it big.''


    The fourth week (September 5, 1999) came and The Bourne Identity grossed $107 million.


    In four weeks, The Bourne Identity crossed the $100 million mark. This was an obvious answer that the movie was sessful.


    "These people... I swear, they always try to harass me when my moviese out!"


    Kazir muttered, rubbing his forehead.


    "Well, every movie you direct is sessful. They want to congratte you." Cameron Diaz sat next to him and rubbed her skin against him.


    "Congrattions my ass, they want me to work with them."


    "That''s a good thing."


    "I know... It''s just that some people are trying to invite me to those parties again and I never like going to parties."


    Cameron just smiled and let the man grumble.


    "Besides, a lot of agents are trying to contact me. Most of them are trying to offer me a better contract and leave CAA."


    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%mission! 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 rtionship 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 me 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 sry and better position.


    ++++


    [Author''s note: I know it''ste, 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 dayying 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 sries.


    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 ir Witch Project, and Harvey Weinstein probably knew about it.


    Harvey Weinstein knew the person who destroyed his n. With a little research, he would definitely find out that Kazir Grey was also interested in The ir Witch Project.


    ''We never had a good rtionship 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 Inte age. The #MeToo movement would happen with the help of the inte.


    After a rare day off from work, Kazir Greyy down and rxed his mind. Cameron Diaz let him rest his head on herp. 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 sess for the Continental Cinematic Universe was bing 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 rx instead. But I can''t help thinking about work...'' Kazir sighed.


    Maybe thinking about his movie projects was indeed a way to rx.


    The month of September didn''t have any strong contenders except for American Beauty, produced and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures, Blue Streak, produced by Sony-Columbia, and Double Jeopardy, produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures.


    Of the three, American Beauty, produced by DreamWorks, was the top performer in August aside from The Bourne Identity.


    General Manager Ste Willow reminded the Big Six that DreamWorks'' films were getting better and their local distribution channels were bing morepact. She did this to distract them from Grey Pictures. Still, Ste was not lying. DreamWorks was showing its influence.


    Saving Private Ryan, Prince of Egypt, Antz, and The Haunting, which came out in thest few years, did well at the box office. DreamWorks released two to three movies a year, but they were all good.


    The Big Six began to look at DreamWorks with seriousness. The Big Six would never be the Big Seven, it could only be the Big Five. That means one of the Big Six would merge... Rest in peace, 20th Century Fox of the next two decades. Disney would acquire you for $71.3 billion and possiblyter screw you over and steal all your profitable franchises.


    Anyway, that was in the distant future, and it could change now that Kazir Grey was creating a butterfly effect all around him.


    Kazir closed his eyes andid his head on Cameron''sp. The woman giggled andbed his hair, knowing that Kazir had been on the edgetely.


    Every director had a heavy responsibility to make sure the movie would be a sess. They didn''t get enough sleep, or to be more precise, they couldn''t sleep because of the pressure.


    It was a miracle that Kazir could handle the pressure well. He wasn''t impatient, he didn''t shout much, and he didn''t resort to verbal violence whenever he entered the set. It was as if Kazir Grey was used to high pressure, as if he had been in this situation all his life.


    Still, a man was fragile. Even someone like Kazir could sumb to stress. Now that The Bourne Identity was a sess, Kazir could breathe and rx.


    Cameron leaned over and kissed his forehead.


    "Sleep well, Kazir."


    ...


    ...


    ...


    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 urrence 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 ssic 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 rtionship and this was their second time working together.


    This would not be theirst time working together, a few yearster 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 ce. 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 Festivalsted 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 congratted 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 oue 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.


    Obviously, F*ght Cl*b was the kind of movie people preferred to watch at home, not in a movie theater. Shawshank Redemption was in that category.


    "Kazir, I''m d to see you again." Brad Pitt was the one who approached Kazir this time.


    "You too, Brad."


    Kazir Grey shook Brad Pitt''s hand. The two were acquaintances, and they had had some interactions in the set of Se7en.


    Brad Pitt didn''t expect Kazir Grey to be a sessful director after Se7en. He thought Kazir would be a screenwriter at best.


    He thought Napoleon Dynamite would be a fluke and his next movies would flop.


    But his expectations were not fulfilled. Instead of falling, Kazir Grey kept rising.


    The Hangover, Taken, John Wick and The Bourne Identity. These four movies did well at the box office. Taken had an impact on society and won Liam Neeson his Best Actor Award!


    For an actor like Brad Pitt, of course he wanted to get an Oscar statue. That was true for everybody who was part of this industry.


    They wanted to be recognized by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science. Frankly, Brad Pitt was jealous. Not just him, a lot of actors have been jealous of Liam Neeson''s sesstely. Heck, Liam Neeson got a huge sry in Star Wars this year! The effect of the Oscar!


    Knowing that Kazir Grey had strong skills, Brad Pitt decided to deepen their friendship.


    ''Even Morgan Freeman got a role in Kazir''s so-called Cinematic Universe.''


    Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman starred in Se7en.


    "Your movies are very good, Kazir. I saw The Bourne Identity and it gave me an adrenaline rush."


    "Haha, thanks, Brad."


    "See you around."


    Brad Pitt didn''t have to be so obvious. One thing was clear... He could audition for Kazir''s next movie. Maybe he could get the role, why not?


    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 ording 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 minutester.]

 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 seed.


    "... 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 exnation 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-handbat.


    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 sessful.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Another two weeks passed and Kazir was busy again. October passed and November was there to greet them with a bunch of horror movies.


    F*ght Cl*b grossed over $72 million and is already considered a box office hit.


    As for The Bourne Identity, it grossed $147 million after three months in theaters. However, the movie was already losing steam and had only 500 theaters. Maybe two weekster, The Bourne Identity would be dropped by the Cinema Alliance. Well, it seemed that The Bourne Identity would cross the $150 million mark within those two weeks.


    Grey Pictures had already received their 40% share of the $100 million from Cinema Alliance. The remaining money would be sent once The Bourne Identity finished its run.


    Sony-Columbia only received $20 million because of the contract. Honestly, Sony-Columbia was losing money on this. They were bleeding and gambling with their future. Bruce Almighty was still in the filming stage and needed more time in post-production because of the special effects it needed.


    Some of the higher-ups at Sony-Columbia were not happy about the deal. Sony-Columbia invested more than $15 million in prints and advertising for The Bourne Identity.


    The fact that they could get more money from Cinema Alliance, at least $10 million, eased their minds a bit.


    In addition, the international performance of The Bourne Identity has been astounding.


    In just 50 days of release, the film had already grossed $138 million.


    $17 million in the UK.


    $14 million in Germany.


    $15 million in Italy.


    $13 million in Spain.


    $27 million in Japan.


    $9 million in Australia.


    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 sess, many people would be interested in buying the videotapes toplete 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 smallpared 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 tform, 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 thestugh. 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 ittely. 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 bing a director. Now that he had be 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 andsh 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 forshing 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 rted 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.


    Fremont was nervous because the current movie they were watching was edited by him and his editor team.


    If this version was liked by Grey Pictures and Paramount Pictures, then this version would be the official film.


    If not, then Grey Pictures would hire new editors and make another version based on their image.


    Fremont Smith cared so much about this project because it would affect his future.


    If the movie was sessful with his version, then he would have more influence on his next movie. He would have more freedom to explore. He could fight for editing rights, something few directors could do.


    Frankly, Fremont Smith was grateful that Director Grey gave him the chance to direct a big project. Remember, Taken was the second highest grossing movie two years ago and it had a huge impact on society. Of course, Fremont didn''t want the movie to flop.


    With his hands clenched tightly, the movie ended and the conversation in the small theater continued.


    The higher-ups at Paramount nodded and began to talk about their n. How to do the promotion and what to do with it. Trailers, advertising, anything that could help Taken 2 make more money.


    Fremont looked around, a little confused and nervous. He didn''t know if their reaction was good or bad.


    Suddenly, both Brad Grey and Kazir Grey stood up and shook hands.


    Kazir looked at Fremont and motioned for him to speak to them.


    "Brad, this is Fremont. He is the director of Taken 2."


    "Nice to meet you." Brad Grey shook his hand before he left. People like Brad Grey were always busy.


    "Um, Director Grey, the result... Should we edit the movie?" Fremont muttered weakly, very nervous.


    Kazir chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.


    "Fremont, can''t you see that everyone around you has started taking notes? Even the critics are thinking about the articles they will write based on the movie. Don''t worry, I haven''t seen a single person who had a negative reaction to the movie. You did a good job. We don''t need to edit the movie. So you are responsible for making the trailer. Congrattions."


    "Y- Yes! Director!" Fremont Smith smiled sincerely. God knows how many sleepless nights he spent just to edit the movie.


    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 thest time Paramount would distribute their film since their contract ended, thepany put a lot of importance on Taken 2.


    After seeing Taken 2, they believed that the box office would not be bad.


    "Congrattions 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 Ri and directed by none other than Tim Burton.

 Chapter 200

    Chapter 200


    [Congrattions 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 Oand. When it was built in 1931, it was thergest 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 shes 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 dors for Good Will Hunting.


    Matt Damon stepped onto the red carpet and weed 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 amon urrence 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 sessful. 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.


    They both stopped and looked at the person stepping out of the limo. It was none other than award-winning actor Liam Neeson.


    Liam Neeson had so many projects these past few years and they were sessful.


    Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace. This iconic franchise produced a $1 billion ($1.027 billion) movie this year.


    The Haunting was another movie starring Liam Neeson. The Haunting grossed $180 million.


    Perhaps this was the effect of the Best Actor award on Liam Neeson''s career.


    Liam Neeson was the star of the night, so Matt Damon ended the interview and entered the theater. Before he left the red carpet, people were still screaming and calling out Liam Neeson''s name.


    Matt Damon chuckled and shook his head. For a moment, he imagined what would happen if he were the one to win the Best Actor award. Maybe the future would change. Well, the what-ifs were always there to fuel his imagination.


    Still, he understood the present. His situation was not that bad. Just like Liam Neeson, Matt Damon was getting recognition and his status was betterpared tost year.


    One thing was for sure, working with a talented director was the best move he made in recent years. Working with Steven Spielberg and Kazir Grey made him open his mind. An actor was only there to y the character, but a great director could make great movies with a bad actor.


    Using different editing, cutting, and transition techniques, as long as the footage wasplete, a director could make a movie.


    Someone like Kazir Grey was a very rare talent. His films were all sessful... Aside from his first three horror movies. People already forgot about those.


    Even Steven Spielberg and James Cameron had bad movies, and so does Kazir Grey.


    Maybe Kazir was still in his prime.


    After all, no one was perfect, and Kazir would reach the point where he would have a bad movie. The question was, when would it happen?


    Matt Damon was in the theater and found Ben Affleck talking to the people he knew.


    This was a very small industry and most people knew each other.


    Ben Affleck saw his friend and excused himself.


    "Kazir is here. Let me introduce you."


    "Thanks, man."


    Armageddon was releasedst 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 nothingpared 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 popr.


    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 sess. 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 rtionship in the public eye. But the couple had already decided when to separate. They were adults and knew that this rtionship was just a fake one. Of course, the two had fun while in a rtionship. Kazir Grey was a nice lover and Cameron Diaz could testify to that. In truth, she wanted to continue the rtionship, 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 wasing 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 rtionship.


    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 thest few years. But he was nothingpared 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.


    The man who flew the ne at Pearl Harbor.


    The man who was looking for his wife in Gone Girl. That movie was directed by David Fincher.


    Last but not least, Ben Affleck was famous for his role in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice. He took up the mantle of Batman.


    Although Ben Affleck was much younger, Kazir Grey still recognized him.


    Ben Affleck smiled when he realized that Director Grey had an idea about him.


    From the actors'' reactions, Kazir deduced their intentions.


    ''Let''s see... I have no particr actor to choose as Wesley Gibson, the protagonist of Wanted.''


    James McAvoy, the original actor, was already acting industry in 1995 and he had a role in a British movie called The Near Room.


    Kazir Grey was able to contact the man and invite him to y the protagonist. But James McAvoy was still young, only 19 years old.


    He didn''t fit the role of a depressed office worker. He was too young to get the role.


    Brad Pitt''s agent expressed that Brad Pitt was interested in his next project.


    However, Brad Pitt was too much for Grey Pictures. After the sess of F*ght Cl*b, Brad Pitt''s status rose. They could pay Brad Pitt around $4 to $7 million for the first movie, but it would be hard for Grey Pictures to sign a trilogy with Brad Pitt.


    Brad Pitt and his team would never agree to a trilogy contract. For a famous actor like him, it would be detrimental to be tied to a project for a few years, especially if the sry was not advantageous.


    In this case, Grey Pictures had to choose actors who were known but not famous. Someone who wouldn''t cause them any trouble. Someone they could sign for a trilogy. Someone they could cast and not have a problem with the sry they were offering.


    Ben Affleck fits this category. At least the sry won''t be a problem once they cast him.


    As for his acting ability, Ben Affleck could do it. The guy didn''t have explosive acting, but he had enough experience to take on the role.


    Of course, Ben Affleck had to pass the 3rd round of auditions first. The crew had to make sure that Ben Affleck was right for the role.


    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 Ondo Bloom.


    Ewan McGregor could also be invited. The uing 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 sry. For small actors like them, exposure was more important than sry. 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 rtionship 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 feelfortable 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 be 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."


    "I''m sorry Director, I guess I''m just too stressed right now."


    "That''s normal. I''m also nervous before the premiere. But I started to love the pressure and stress of filmmaking. Once you get used to it, you will look for it every time." Kazirughed.


    The stress before the release of his films was indeed suffocating. But once the box office results were announced, that stress and nervousness turned into euphoria. An addictive pleasure Kazir didn''t want to let go of.


    "Thank you, director... Although I''m still nervous."


    "That''s good. It means you love what you''re doing. If you''re not nervous, it means you don''t love your creation."


    Fremont Smith nodded, learning something else from his mentor.


    As they talked, a person approached them and said hello.


    "Hello, Director Grey and Director Smith."


    Scarlett Johansson appeared. Unlike two years ago, the little girl was now taller and looked much more mature.


    After greeting the two directors, the teenager nced at Cameron Diaz and gave her a sweet smile before greeting her.


    A few minutester, Scarlett Johansson left to greet other people.


    "Are you okay, Cam?"


    Kazir looked at Cameron Diaz and noticed that the woman''s expression had changed.


    "Me? I''m fine." Cameron Diaz chuckled and kissed Kazir on the cheek and leaned closer.


    "Come to think of it, are you having trouble working with Scarlett Johansson? The brat is very uncooperative."


    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 rtionship 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 rtives. Unlike the Arabst 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 rted 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 n". 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 Identityst 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 pped 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.


    [After cleaning the car, Bryan Mills went to see Lenore. Lenore (Brianna Evans) was Bryan''s ex-wife. They got divorced because Bryan Mills was too focused on his job and forgot about his family.]


    [When Bryan Mills knocked on the door, he found Lenore and hugged her as a form of greeting].


    [Bryan Mills asked about his daughter, "Where''s Kim?"]


    ["She''s with her boyfriend." Lenore said, inviting Bryan into the house.]


    [The two talked. Lenore said that her rtionship with her current husband was crumbling and it seemed that they were going to separate.]


    "Looks like Bryan has a shot."


    One of the audience membersughed, knowing that Lenore''s rtionship with her husband was unstable.


    They were watching the movie and Bryan Mills was the protagonist, of course they would support him.


    [The two talked and Bryan Mills left the house. Before Bryan left, Lenore reminded the man not to follow Kim. Lenore knew that Bryan had be overprotective after the incident.]


    [Bryan said, "Don''t worry, I''m not going to do anything," and said goodbye].


    [A transition happened. In this scene, Kim Mills kissed her boyfriend.]


    Yes, underage actors can do a kissing scene. Although there were a lot of restrictions most of the time, the film crew needed parental permission.


    The crew could use a body double for the kissing scene if the parents didn''t approve. They could also erase the kiss in the script.


    This time the kissing scene was short and not sensual at all. Just enough to send the message that Kim Mills was older.


    [Right after their kiss, a knock on the door caught their attention and the couple stood up.]


    [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 me 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''tst long.


    [A few dayster, 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 rtionship, 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 ce 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 rtionship with the Fraternity wasplicated, but he epted the mission anyway. After all, the power of the Fraternity, one of the pirs 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-handbat, 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 rtives 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 rtionship 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 ursed 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...]


    [With this as hisst mission, Marcus intended to aplish it].


    "Hey, who do you think will win, Marcus or Bryan Mills?"


    It was a question that got the audience''s attention. If the audience was right, in this film Marcus and Bryan Mills could go head to head.


    Well, if Marcus had the distance advantage, he might win. He was good with sniper rifles.


    But if the fight is close enough for the two to have a gunfight or hand-to-hand, then Bryan Mills could win.


    But would Marcus win? Nah... No one knows the answer.


    Either way, the oue will be decided tonight.


    [The family of three were on holiday in Istanbul, and so far their holiday had been fun.]


    [But the fun ended abruptly. As he walked around the hotel, Bryan Mills felt someone looking at him. At first he thought it was nothing.]


    [But his gut feeling changed after he and Lenore decided to go on a date. The two of them left Kim Mills at the hotel.]


    [In a taxi, Bryan confirmed that a car was indeed following them. He deduced their intentions and decided to flee with Lenore.]


    [Bryan Mills and Lenore each went in different directions to escape. Then the action officially began.]


    [Bryan fought criminals associated with the traffickers and sessfully killed some of them].


    [But he couldn''t fight freely because there were snipers. One almost shot him in the head, but fortunately Bryan ducked and escaped their sights. There seemed to be only five snipers at most.]


    [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''lle for you too. Leave this ce 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 popr 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 sessfully 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].


    [Then there was another action sequence. Bryan Mills came out of the room and started shooting people.]


    [Two of the five snipers were resting and failed to use their rifles at close range. They died at the hands of Bryan Mills. But a gunshot reverberated and Bryan Mills instinctively moved.]


    It was a slow motion scene where a rifle bullet flew by close to the actor''s head.


    [Bryan Mills would have been shot in the head if he hadn''t ducked. He looked around and saw a man on the roof of a three-storey building. The location was not far.]


    [Determined to finish what he had started, Bryan Mills sprinted into the three-storey building. Little did he know that this time his opponent was Marcus.]


    [Marcus and Bryan Mills had a confrontation and started shooting in the stairwell. They easily dodged each other''s bullets.]


    [But the situation changed when Bryan Mills sessfully reached Marcus and fought him hand-to-hand. Even though Marcus was a professional killer, he was weaker against someone like Bryan Mills. Someone who had a particr set of skills.]


    [In the end, Marcus made it out of the building, but he was wounded in his left leg. Bryan Mills had clearly won this fight].


    The crowd had mixed feelings about this one, but most of them were cheering for Bryan Mills.


    In this situation, Bryan Mills had the upper hand from a moral standpoint, while Marcus was a clear enemy. In this film they found the duality of Marcus'' character.


    Marcus was a good friend to John Wick, he saved his life. But that didn''t change the fact that Marcus was a killer. Maybe Marcus wanted to end that career, but for now his status as one of the enemies in this film was clear.


    The audience had a great time watching them fight because both Marcus and Bryan Mills were experts. The action choreography in the scene was satisfying.


    In the corner of the theatre, Tae-Won Park could not help but smile at the product he had made. He was the stunt director of Taken 2 and The Bourne Identity and his name was bing famous. Lately, more and more people have been trying to hire him for their projects.


    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 ce 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 sessfully located the ce 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 de 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 pped, 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 poption 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 arge 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 rtionship 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.]


    [The post-credits scene ended with Marcus disappearing into the waves].


    This scene was a bit of a shock as they thought Marcus'' appearance in the film had already ended. Now the audience became interested in the Fraternity and how this organisation would affect the next films.


    The audience pped and people started to stand up and leave the cinema in excitement. Some of them were greeted by the people from CinemaScore to count up the film''s ratings.


    At the Paramount Theatre, the cast of Taken 2 stood up and received a standing ovation from the audience.


    It was known that the cast and director of the film would be interviewed after the premiere.


    Most of the questions were directed at Liam Neeson and Brianna Evans. These two actors had given good performances this year and their box office appeal was appreciated.


    Of course, some reporters and film critics asked Willem Dafoe and Scarlett Johansson a few questions.


    They were curious about Willem Dafoe''s role in the next film, as the post-credits scene was about him.


    Willem Dafoe was actually clueless about his role in the next film. Although he knew that his screen time in the next film would be a lot. Director Kazir Grey assured him.


    As for Scarlett Johansson, the questions about her were quite mild as she was still a minor.


    The other star of the film was none other than the director, Fremont Smith. This young director proved that he could handle the pressure and sessfully make a big budget film.


    "I just want to thank director Grey for giving me the chance to direct this film. God knows how happy I am right now. Of course, I want to thank my parents for believing in me. I believe that with strong determination and a lot of hard work I can do anything. I have to dream higher and bigger."


    Fremont looked at his parents, who were at the premiere. His mother was crying, while his father was rubbing his wife''s back, smiling and proud of his son.


    Fremont Smith smiled and waved his hand, trying his best not to cry.


    The premiere was over and the first hurdle had been taken.


    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 caf¨¦ and talk about their future. Knowing the oue 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 bing 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 ced any importance on her and their rtionship.


    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 oue 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.


    Thest script that caught Kazir''s attention was Erin Brockovich. This film was based on a true story. This was the kind of film the Academy(AMPAS) liked to promote. If Cameron Diaz got the part and Erin Brockovich was a sess, she might get an Oscar Award.


    Frankly, Cameron Diaz was interested in winning an Oscar statue, but she knew that her credentials were not enough.


    The three scripts seemed good, but Cameron wanted a different role.


    "Kazir, I heard you sold a script to 20th Century Fox."


    "Yes, they have been trying to buy this script from me for a year."


    "Do you mind if I participate in this film? I want to y the lead in the film you wrote."


    Cameron curled her lips and leaned towards him. She had heard a rumour that Kazir Grey had rmended his ''friend'' Reese Witherspoon for the lead.


    "That''s fine. You can do whatever you want."


    Kazir didn''t have a problem.


    "Thank you, Kazir. Can you please rmend me to 20th Century Fox as well? Please~" She said seductively.


    "I''ll try my best."


    Knowing that Kazir always kept his promises, Cameron Diaz smiled sincerely and thanked him.


    Incidentally, the title of the script Kazir sold to 20th Century Fox was "Legally Blonde".


    Yes, this time Cameron Diaz wanted to go head-to-head with Reese Witherspoon. Women, they are scary creatures.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Are you sure about this?"


    Ondo Bloom asked his agent on the phone. Ondo Bloom was still in New Zend 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 productionpany, but the films they were producing were all box office hits.


    For a small actor like Ondo 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 Ondo Bloom was grateful for it.


    However, Ondo Bloom felt that he needed a better tform.


    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, Ondo Bloom wanted to talk to Kazir Grey personally.


    Unfortunately, there was a huge obstacle.


    Ondo Bloom was a client of WMA. Everyone knew that the rtionship between WMA and Grey Pictures was very bad.


    It was a miracle that Ondo Bloom was invited. So he hoped his agent would do the right thing.


    -- Don''t worry Ondo, 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." Ondo Bloom said.


    But Ondo 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 rtionship 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 sessful 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 caf¨¦ 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 Ondo 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 Ondo Bloom could y the role of Wesley Gibson in Wanted, so he decided to invite the guy.


    Most of Kazir''s actors were from CAA, UTA, frencers or small agencies. However, he never invited WMA to his project after the Ed Helms controversy.


    It was a very rare moment for WMA. Kazir had already lost his grudge when he found out that Carl Morin and Lawlor Dean had been kicked out of thepany. He was not petty enough to hold a grudge forever...


    "So you''re Ondo Bloom''s agent? If you''re asking for the script, don''t worry, we''ll fax it to you tonight or tomorrow. Although I would like you to remind Ondo Bloom to keep the script confidential".


    "I understand Director, I will call Ondo Bloomter."


    Kazir nodded and opened his car, ncing at the agent and noticing that he wasn''t leaving.


    "Do you have something to tell me?"


    "Director, do you mind if we talk for at least five minutes? I have something that might interest you."


    "... Alright." Kazir raised his eyebrow and decided to ept the invitation. He didn''t have anything to do today.


    The project would start in two weeks and Kazir was taking his time, rxing and living a simple life.


    Now that he had hired a general manager to take care of Grey Pictures, Kazir was free most of the time. He never liked being a CEO anyway.


    Agent Franklin Maxwell was pleased that Kazir had agreed. He immediately took him to a restaurant with private rooms.


    Kazir was curious about the agent''s intentions. He already had an idea why the agent wanted to talk to him.


    ''Maybe it''s something to do with Ondo Bloom.''


    There were many ways to get the roles besides auditioning. Connections were one thing.


    But there was another method, something that Hollywood was trying to hide, but it was very obvious.


    The casting couch...


    Yes, this thing happened a lot, but mostly hidden.


    The actors or actresses would sleep with someone from the crew, usually people in high positions such as directors and producers. Even casting directors had their fair share of "fun".


    If Kazir was right, this agent would take him to a private room where beautiful women were waiting to be eaten.


    Suddenly, Kazir felt that this could be a trap.


    "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 ovee 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 be famous a few yearster.


    But Kazir never intended to y 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 rxed." 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 ckmail 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 ckmailed 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, Ondo 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 ss 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 be 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.


    But today Kazir was free and he was thinking about changing agencies... Or so.


    "What will I get?" Kazir asked.


    "Y- Yes." Franklin Maxwell got excited when he heard the director''s answer. His face blushed slightly.


    He had heard that Kazir Grey had been contacted by many agencies but had never epted their offers. He exined that he was happy with the way CAA was helping him.


    Franklin pulled an envelope from his suit. It was warm from his body heat...


    The agent handed the contract to Kazir and let him read it. Franklin wrote only the important things that Kazir could get if he signed a contract with the WMA. Of course, this contract was not official. Most of the time contracts were as thick as books because of all the uses and conditions.


    Franklin Maxwell only included the conditions that could attract Kazir.


    Reading the contract, Kazir raised his eyebrows and read the first line.


    ''A 2%mission? Damn, that''s basically a robbery, from them. Have I reached the point where I am on a par with Steven Spielberg and James Cameron in terms of importance?''


    This kind of contract was usually for top directors like them.


    The contract stated that Kazir Grey had full control over his project and could hire whoever he wanted. However, they hoped that Director Grey would prioritise WMA''s clients first. A very typical condition.


    Other than that, nothing really caught his attention. Kazir was not a fussy person and the conditions were within his expectations.


    But when he read thest use, he couldn''t help but smile.


    Every week, the WMA will send one of their female clients to his apartment to serve Kazir.


    ''This is crazy... I don''t even know if WMA is crazy enough to do this. But it''s not impossible, they can send a newbie actress who has no foundation in Hollywood and leave it at that.''


    If he was right, thatst use was added by Franklin Maxwell himself.


    ''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 andugh.


    "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 Ondo Bloom to get ready for his audition. The final round of auditions for the lead role will take ce in 12 days".


    Kazir wanted to y a little with WMA and CAA. Although he already had an idea of the oue.


    "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 wee him with open arms.


    A director who could make blockbuster after blockbuster would be epted 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 toment].

 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 Ondo Bloom, who had sessfullynded the role of Legs in Lord of the Rings.


    To be honest, he was still not sure about Ondo 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 Ondo Bloom as the protagonist of his new project. This would be a big break for a small actor like Ondo Bloom.


    His second n was to find a way to convince Director Grey to return to WMA and be his client. He honestly felt that this n would not work.


    However, never say never, he made a n 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 thest 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 rtionships with him over the years went on to have good careers.


    Reese Witherspoon.


    Brianna Evans.


    Cameron Diaz.


    Two of these women became his girlfriends... Um, his rtionship with Reese Witherspoon was unclear, but Franklin Maxwell got the gist of the story. In fact, he believed that Brianna Evans also had an affair with Kazir Grey.


    Any woman who wanted to reach the pinnacle of fame would never hesitate to do anything! This was the truth. Pride and dignity were rare in this industry full of liars.


    As he walked to the street, Franklin Maxwell could not help but imagine the future once Kazir Grey became his client! He didn''t care about themission.


    He had a way to get money once Kazir became his client. Not only that, he had so many ways to get bitches once Kazir Grey became his client!


    Hollywood. Thend of show business. Where truth and lies were so hard to distinguish.


    Kazir Grey sneered as he looked in the direction where WMA agent Franklin Maxwell was walking.


    ''He''s a fool if he thinks I''m interested in changing agencies. I want stability and CAA has given me that. There''s no reason to leave the agency, at least not now.''


    Grey Pictures was at a point where they needed stability. The project this time was very important and it would determine the destiny of Grey Pictures.


    There was only one movie that Grey Pictures would release the next year. It was none other than Wanted.


    Fremont Smith finished Taken 2 and he wanted to direct John Wick Chapter 2 as well.


    However, Fremont Smith was hoping to get at least four months off. Making a movie was very exhausting and stressful. He wanted to enjoy the sess he had before he started John Wick Chapter 2. The movie could be released in 2001.


    The sry that Fremont Smith got in thest project was $1.9 million. Less than the main actors. It was understandable because it was his first project. It was a miracle that he got this amount in the first ce since he was a newbie with no credentials.


    Fortunately for him, Grey Pictures was not that cheap and promised to give him another $1 million if Taken 2 made more than $200 million domestically, which had a good chance of happening. If not, Fremont Smith would get $200,000 instead.


    The average sry for men in 1999 was about $36,000 for a full-time job. But Fremont Smith got more than that in a single movie.


    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 sry, so I decided to type in a random number. If I did write one, it means I forgot. I will edit his sry 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 superheroic 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 exin.


    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.


    "You have one minute to talk." He announced.


    "Director, can I get in your car? I don''t feelfortable in my dress right now." Jessica Alba smiled even though her cheeks were blushing.


    "I''m sorry. You should talk now or I''ll leave."


    "Alright, alright. I auditioned for your project and passed the first round."


    ''Now everything makes sense... But my project only has a few female characters.''


    The biggest female role in the movie was Fox, Grey Pictures tried to contact Angelina Jolie to audition for the role.


    The second was the fat female boss who bullied Wesley Gibson.


    The third was Wesley Gibson''s girlfriend who was cheating on him.


    ''For Jessica''s age, it should be hard for her to get past the second round. Maybe that''s why she attended this ''meeting'' today, to convince me... This Jessica is not the Dark Angel Jessica, she''s probably desperate to enter the industry.''


    Dark Angel was still not existing at this time.


    The first round of audition was about the appearance check, while the second round was about the acting ability. Although most of the important roles were taken by actresses who had connections with the crew. That was the way it usually worked.


    "I hope you can give me a chance to prove to you that I can y the role of Fox in your movie..." She bit her lip and leaned closer to the car. "I can go to your apartment if you want. Don''t worry, I''m 18."


    "..." Kazir didn''t answer.


    As a man, Kazir was aroused. This was basic biology. It would be gay for him to say that he was not affected by the woman''s seduction.


    Unfortunately, Kazir had seen so many beauty traps in this industry that he was used to this kind of situation.


    He shook his head and apologized.


    "I''m sorry, Jessica, but I never resort to that kind of transaction."


    "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 rmended that she audition for movies that had a good chance of doing well at the box office.


    Everyone in Hollywood knew about the up-anding productionpany 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 verymon 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 epted 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 sumb 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 dotely.


    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 thebined 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 nothingpared 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 p 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.


    Money.


    People would do anything to get a lot of money.


    Just like straight men said, 20 dors is 20 dors, so it''s not gay... Ahem,pletely irrelevant, but you get the point. Money can make a person go crazy and do something stupid.


    Not only Paramount, but also the other moviepanies that Kazir Grey contacted four years ago had regrets.


    Apparently, the outrageous n Kazir called "Cinematic Universe" was a big hit! The four films released by Grey Pictures were doing well at the box office and at the videotape market.


    That was proof enough that the Cinematic Universe was profitable.


    Suddenly, Warner Bros. had an epiphany, or to be more precise, they itched to follow Kazir''s footsteps and create their own Cinematic Universe. In fact, they already had the best subject to use. It was none other than DC Comics! The Justice League! Where heroes from differentics formed a superhero organization to protect the Earth from disaster.


    However, there was something that worried them... They had no idea where to start. They felt they needed to invest money in these projects, but money was not enough to achieve sess.


    You need someone who can make sure that the project will be a sess! That''s right, they need someone like Kazir, or more precisely, they need Kazir Grey!


    The man, the myth himself, the director who made the impossible possible, director Grey...


    The said director was having a good time, watching old movies. Today he was watching the iconic Gone with the Wind, the best movie of the 1940s.


    Kazir Grey didn''t know that his status was improving again. He received so many invitations from different personalities in the industry, but as usual, he refused most of them. He didn''t like parties and talking to strangers, especially if the strangers were only interested in his status and money.


    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 itter, 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 linestely.


    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 investmentpany. He had heard that his investment had already surpassed $120 millionst 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 bing a millionaire was earning the first 1 million.


    In his past life, his 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 bubble would burst next year, and Kazir was not stupid enough to continue investing in Intepanies. He knew that once the dot 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 ce 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 Intepanies, 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 otherpanies, 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 hismission would end...


    "... Can I hear the reason?"


    Vance Goodhood asked dejectedly.


    "I want to buy a house," Kazir replied honestly.


    "..."


    He suddenly remembered that his client didn''t actually have a house! Hisst house was acquired by his ex-wife!


    This director lived in his office most of the time! Even his apartment was just a decoration. God knows how often he used the apartment.


    "Don''t worry, Vance. I will still contact you when I decide to invest again. You are a trustworthy person."


    "That''s very nice to hear." Vance sighed, but it didn''t felt better. He still lost amission. Well, he would get amission when Kazir took all the money, and it was pretty big. Vance wondered whatpany he should invest in once he got hismission.


    "By the way, Vance, you said you invest in Microsoft and AT&T, right?"


    "That''s right."


    Most stockbrokers were betting on the Intepanies because of their rapid rise. They were making money every day.


    "I feel that the dot bubble burst will happen any moment, and I am afraid that my money will disappear. That''s why I want to take my money and put it in something else."


    "..."


    Vance Goodhood was quiet.


    Everyone in the industry understood that the dot bubble was real. The real worth of the Intepanies was far less than the stock prices. As soon as something big happened, the prices woulde down.


    However, almost everyone said that the bubble would burst, but no one knew exactly when. Some of his colleagues said the bubble should''ve burst two years ago, but the dot industry was still thriving.


    "Your opinion makes sense." Vance Goodhood nodded. Suddenly he had the feeling that he should take at least half of his investment, just to be on the safe side. After all, he had already made a lot of money. There was no need to be greedy... Or else he might jump off the building.


    Spoiler alert: A few monthster, 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 manypanies that would redefine the era. Apple, Google, and Amazon were just a few of thepanies he wanted to invest in.


    Hell, even if he invested $10,000 in Amazon today, he knew he would be a millionaire ten yearster.


    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 ount.


    Vance Goodhood has his documents rted 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 dors to his bank ount, 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 housest 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 thest movie in the franchise because the cast''s sries were getting expensive. Maybe a decadeter, 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 ying 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 rtionship 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 quitepliant this time.


    Hugo had worked with Universal Picturesst year to make aedy, but the result was terrible.


    Hugo Lameire was trying to break into Hollywood. He was free to work with otherpanies... 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 likest time, Kazir Grey hired a bunch ofedy writers to do the script. He read it and then approved it before giving it to 20th Century Fox.


    Then, if the script did not meet 20th Century Fox''s expectations, they have the authority to change the script orpletely throw it out and make a new one.


    Kazir Grey looked at the cast. Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal came up through the ranks of actors after the sess of Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover.


    They got some big roles, although most of them didn''t have much of an impact on the audience.


    As for Reese Witherspoon, she had perhaps the most sessful career of the cast. Even her sry was equal to that of Ed Helms.


    Moreover, 20th Century Fox reached out and invited Reese Witherspoon to y the role of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde.


    Cameron Diaz also expressed interest in the project and the two were currently on apetition.


    Kazir decided to let fate decide the oue of thepetition. Both women were of equal stature and had box office appeal.


    After watching for a while and being greeted by extras hoping to make a connection with the director, Kazir Grey decided to leave the set.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Hey, are the rumors true?"


    Harold Witsend asked Kazir in a low voice.


    "Hm, what do you mean?"


    "I''m talking about you! People are saying that you want to leave the agency and return to the WMA!"


    "Ah, so that''s what you''re talking about. What do you think?"


    "What do you mean what do you think? I''m asking you, so don''t throw the question back at me."


    The rumors spread quickly, and it seemed like some were spreading them on purpose.


    The WMA said that Kazir already had an agreement with them and all they needed was a proper signing of a contract.


    "Kazir, you have to remember what they did to you."


    "Rx. I''m just trying to do something. I want to see the reaction from both sides."


    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 circting.


    "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 thepany, it was impossible to have nopetition between the three.


    Bryan Lourd was currently the co-chairman and CEO of thepany, 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 circting in the industry. Rising star director Kazir Grey was nning 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 thepany. 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 thepany continued to improve. Kevin Huvane was the one who rmended him to join the board after the sess 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 sess. 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 bnce 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.''


    Another client under Salvatore was Enzo Park. This Korean actor was still trying to find stardom. He got some good roles, but they were all supporting roles. He was never invited to y the lead.


    Of all the clients Salvatore Barlowe had, Kazir Grey was the most important. First and foremost, Kazir was the reason that all of Salvatore''s clients became famous. The director paved the way for them.


    An agent who had a director like Kazir was really lucky. Well, Kevin Huvane had Steven Spielberg, so there was no reason to be jealous.


    Anyway, Kazir Grey was an important client and they didn''t want to let him go. Kazir was a workaholic director and he had a movie every year. His projects were profitable and the actors and actresses he cast in his movies were mostly from CAA.


    If Kazir Grey left CAA, it would affect many of the agency''s clients.


    Frankly, Kevin Huvane felt that Kazir was gambling if he actually changed agencies. His productionpany was just getting started and needed stability.


    Still, Kevin Huvane took this matter very seriously, and he had toe up with a solution before things went south.


    A few minutester, Kevin Huvane''s secretary informed him that agent Salvatore Barlowe had arrived.


    The half-Korean agent entered the office and greeted Kevin Huvane. Salvatore Barlowe had a better rtionship with Kevin Huvane than he did with Bryan Lourd and Richard Lovett. The three of them had an inside war in thepany.


    "Salvatore, I was hoping to hear some good news."


    "I''ve already spoken to Kazir. He trusts me, so our conversation is not so bad."


    "So what are his conditions?"


    Kevin Huvane was no fool. He knew that Kazir''s contract would expire next year, and the rumors were spreading at the right time. Obviously, the director was trying to say something.


    "He only has two conditions."


    Salvatore raised his fingers and began to speak.


    "First, he wants to reduce themission to 2%."


    "No problem, we can do that."


    Kevin Huvane agreed easily. He knew this moment woulde. 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 thatmunication won''t be difficult."


    "..." Kevin Huvane closed his mouth.


    "If Fremont Smith changes his agent, the new agent will definitely ask for an outrageous sry and the negotiation might be difficult. We don''t want that to happen." Salvatore Barlowe exined 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 n, but they certainly knew how to silence him before he could even start.


    For now, his n 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,tely 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 ie 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.


    The 2%mission was not that enticing to him, even though he was making millions. If there was one thing he was worried about, it was the future of Grey Pictures and Continental Cinematic Universe.


    As a veteran of the industry, Kazir knew that Fremont Smith was an important individual for CCU. It would be hard to rece him. It would affect their ns.


    A change of agent would possibly affect Fremont''s contract with Grey Pictures. Notice that Fremont Smith has a trilogy contract with Grey Pictures, and he has to make three movies for Grey Pictures in a decade.


    Now the "new" agent could pester Grey Pictures to change the contract... The thing was, Kazir didn''t want that to happen.


    It may sound bad, but Kazir didn''t want that to happen. He wanted to keep the trilogy deal. As for the sry, Fremont Smith had every right to ask for more. He deserved it anyway, and Salvatore was there to negotiate between the two of them.


    So he used the situation to ask one of the co-chairman to agree to his request. Again, Kazir was no longer just a director. He had the status to negotiate with CAA.


    So fast forward... He got what he wanted. CAA lowered theirmission rate and decided to keep quiet about Fremont''s possible agent change.


    Kazir won that battle without having to face Kevin Huvane. That was a victory.


    As for the WMA and other agencies, he didn''t give a fuck if they wanted to make a deal that would satisfy him. Kazir, of course, had already signed the extension contract with hiswyer Terrence Downey.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "... So you really passed."


    Kazir muttered weakly as he looked at the woman who was sitting pretty on the waiting chair.


    Thest round of auditions for female roles was today. Kazir decided to take a break since they had been going on for half a day now. As he left the audition room, he looked at the actresses waiting in the hallway.


    The women began to pose, quite seductively, keeping theirposure and giving the director their sweetest smiles.


    This was not the first time this had happened, so Kazir was used to it. Although, he admitted, everyone in the corridor was beautiful.


    Unfortunately for them, the leading female role was already taken by Angelina Jolie. She didn''t bother toe 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 sry was eptable, 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. West 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 oue 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 blossomedte in this industry.


    +++++


    [ I will post another chapterter. 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 prated 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 thest 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 te of waffles with syrup and French fries. Then his drink was a bottle of Sprite.


    Jessica was a little surprised. She thought the director would eat something extravagant, like steal or something.


    "Jessica, someone already got the female lead, so you don''t have to work hard."


    "..." Jessica bit her lip, she wasn''t expecting that. "Can I know her name?"


    "It''s Angelina Jolie."


    This thing was going to spread anyway, so there was no reason to keep it a secret.


    "Angelina Jolie? If I''m not mistaken, she should have a movieing out next week. I saw the trailer, I think the name of the movie is Girl, Interrupted. I remember the trailer because Winona Ryder is the main character, I love Winona Ryder. She''s so beautiful.


    Kazir nodded and respected her opinion... Winona Ryder really was beautiful.


    "Tell your agent to find you another role. The actress we were looking for is over 20 years old and ready for a nude scene. Jessica, you are too young to do a nude scene. You should take your time and rx, you are still young and have a bright future".


    So Kazir agreed to take Jessica Alba to the cafeteria. He wanted to tell her not to rush. There were many opportunities for her, but certainly not Wanted.


    "I... I can''t. I..."


    Jessica began to stutter.


    "Jessica, do you..."


    Kazir could tell that something was wrong with the young woman. When he said that Jessica wouldn''t get the part, she became nervous and discouraged.


    "Jessica, did you sleep with someone just to get through the second round?"


    Everything became clear. First of all, Jessica Alba was too young for a movie like Wanted. The casting director should have known that, unless...


    "N- No, I didn''t." The woman immediately shook her head.


    "Then why are you stuttering?" His voice got heavier and Jessica hupped.


    She decided to tell the truth.


    "I didn''t have sex with anyone on the crew. But my agent did. He had sex with the casting director so I could pass the audition."


    "Wait a minute. He did?"


    Kazir frowned. The casting director for this project was a man!


    "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 rtionship 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, thetest 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 ormercials. 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 superiorityplex. Because people around them treat them like gods and goddesses.


    The other reason might be rted 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 Ondo 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 y the elf Legs in Lord of the Rings.


    Ondo Bloom was new to the industry. He started only two years ago, in 1997. That year, Ondo 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.


    Ondo Bloom was lucky to be part of the movie project. But he has to be realistic. Ondo 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 Ondo 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, Ondo Bloom was excited. If Kazir became a client of WMA, then Ondo Bloom had a better chance of bing the protagonist of Wanted.


    However, the reality was often disappointing, Kazir Grey renewed his contract with CAA and decided to stay with them.


    "Ondo, 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 Zend and most of my scenes are already done. I think there will be no schedule conflicts." Ondo did his best and smiled. He assured the people in the audition room that he would be loyal to Wanted and work hard.


    The one who interviewed him was Harold Witsend. The acting part was already over and they went to the interview part.


    Actually, Ondo Bloom passed the appearance of the protagonist - based on Kazir''s drawing.


    Moreover, the Ondo Bloom in front of them looked depressed... Just like the protagonist in the first part of the movie.


    "Thanks, Ondo. We will call you back."


    Harold Witsend announced and Ondo Bloom understood that his moment in the audition room was over.


    "Thank you."


    The actor left, leaving the people in the room to talk.


    "Fremont, what do you think of Ondo''s acting?"


    Fremont had just returned to the US and decided to attend this audition out of curiosity. He was no longer part of the crew since he had his own, but his opinion counts.


    "Ondo Bloom consciously acts handsome all the time. I''m not sure that''s necessary." The young director said and Kazir agreed.


    Wesley Gibson was an office worker who was tired of his boring life. It would be embarrassing if he spent most of his time posing handsomely.


    "What about Ben Affleck?


    "The one before Ondo Bloom? He has short hair and it didn''t match the sketch of Wesley Gibson you provided. Also, if Ondo Bloom acts handsome in front of the camera, then Ben Affleck acts manly and tough. Like he puffed out his chest and stood like a soldier. Ready for battle."


    The people in the room chuckled.


    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 Ondo Bloom was still affected by his role as Legs, 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 Ondo Bloom or Ben Affleck.


    "... Let''s go with Ben Affleck. Unlike Ondo Bloom, Ben Affleck has box office appeal and people can recognize him."


    The box office for Armageddonst year was over $500 million worldwide. Obviously a lot of people saw the movie. Ben Affleck was a better choice than Ondo 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 Ondo Bloom''s agent."


    Producer Harold Witsend had tough. He had heard from Kazir that Ondo Bloom''s agent was the one who had tried to lure the director. Maybe this was a big p in the face for the agent.


    That night, one group had a celebration while the other had a gloomy atmosphere. In the end, Ondo Bloom returned to New Zend.


    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 be 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 red 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 hadst met in an audition. The movie was called Ghost World. It was a ckedy, a small-budget film costing between 7 and 10 million dors.


    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 productionpanies prefer 18 year olds to cast in their group age. Scarlett Johansson was still 15. If the productionpany had to choose between a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old, they would easily choose thetter. Underage actors were difficult to work with.


    Scarlett Johansson suffered because of it.


    Fortunately, she was cast in Ghost World. The sry was not important, as long as she kept working hard, she knew her time woulde.


    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 be a nameless vase!"


    "What did you say!?"


    The two shouted at each other.


    "I can''t believe my brother hired a spoiled bitch like you!" Mara Cohen sneered.


    They continued to use the term "bitch" to insult each other.


    After experiencing life in Hollywood, Mara realized that her brother was actually a great guy. He was respected by everyone.


    In that sense, Mara Cohen was proud of her brother. She wanted to get closer to her brother, but their first meeting was very bad.


    It seemed that her brother held a grudge against her mother. Which was confusing. Because her mother was great. Elizabeth Cohen treated Mara preciously, and she loved her mother for it.


    Mara Cohen didn''t know why her brother hated her mother.


    "Brother? I have no idea who you''re talking about."


    Scarlett frowned. She knew the bitch''sst name was Cohen and Scarlett never knew anyone with thatst name.


    Mara Cohen smiled and raised her chin arrogantly.


    "My brother is Kazir Grey. You should be grateful that someone like you was hired by my brother."


    "I don''t believe you."


    Scarlett Johansson shook her head. She studied Mara Cohen and admitted that the bitch was beautiful, but she didn''t resemble Kazir at all.


    ''Kazir is a rugged, handsome, tall and talented man. It is impossible for someone like him to have a sister like this bitch.''


    Scarlett thought it was impossible. She giggled and gave Mara a pitiful look.


    "I can''t believe you''re bing delusional. You''re still young, but you''re already suffering from a mental illness, what a poor bitch."


    "You...!"


    "What''s going on here?"


    Suddenly Elizabeth Cohen appeared. Next to her was Mara''s agent from UTA (United Talent Agency). Elizabeth hugged the old man''s arm as if they were close... Well, Elizabeth was still single after herst divorce. She dated a few men and had many one-night stands.


    Now that she was free from marriage, she could do whatever she wanted. She was not doing anything wrong.


    "Mom! Tell this spoiled girl that she''s ungrateful! She said she didn''t respect my brother, Kazir Grey!"


    "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 herte 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 d 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''mfortable 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."


    "...I''m sorry."


    "I knew your father."


    "My father left me when I was born, so..."


    "Your father died yesterday on the roof of the Metwopowitan Building-- Pfft, I''m sorry. Let me repeat, your father died yesterday on the roof of the Metropolitan Building."


    Angelina Jolie giggled and then apologized after making a mistake.


    The cast of Wanted had a script reading and most of the cast was present. If someone was missing, one of the film crew would say their lines to keep the flow going.


    Director Kazir Grey watched and listened as they practiced. He let the mistake pass, since it was still a practice. No reason to be angry about it. There was not even a camera to film the scene.


    So yes, the actors were rxed. They were having a rxing moment as they read their lines.


    A few hourster their session was over. They have two more script readings before they start filming... Well, the crew and cast would have two weeks of vacation as Christmas and New Year''s wereing up.


    Already seven weeks have passed after the premiere of Taken 2 and the movie has currently grossed more than $172.39 million.


    The budget for Taken 2 was $45 million. In North America, the box office is almost 4 times the production budget. This means that the movie was a sess.


    In addition, Paramount intended to release the movie internationally next year. Taken and other movies rted to the Continental Cinematic Universe had a good reputation worldwide, and Paramount expected the movie to earn at least $200 million from foreign countries.


    "Kazir, can I have your moment?"


    Kazir was about to leave the studio when someone called him. He turned to his right and saw Angelina Jolie smiling at him.


    "Of course, Angelina. You can ask me anything as long as it''s rted to the project."


    "As expected from our director, you never leave a blind spot."


    The woman giggled.


    Kazir could not help but stare at the woman''s sexy pouting lips. Her lips were seductive...


    Angelina sat down next to him and Kazir decided to sit down as well.


    "I just want to know if my expression looks fierce enough."


    "Hm, let me have a look."


    For a moment, the woman''s sunny expression disappeared. But then she started giggling again.


    "How was it?"


    "Well, if you didn''tugh, 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 ying 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 certainpany that were very famous in the industry. To be precise, it was apany that produced special/visual effects for Hollywood movies.


    Thispany was founded by George Lucas. The purpose of thispany 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.


    Thepany''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 couldpete 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 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 ce he could turn. Weta Workshop was based in New Zend, 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 arge studio where a group of people were editing the trajectories of bullets on theirputers.


    Frame by frame, they were building the scene. ILM already had a frame animation of the bullet from a long time ago, so they didn''t have a hard time replicating it.


    "This is our progress for ten days, what do you think?"


    Jerome Dawson set up aputer for them to watch. The scene ying on theputer was of a sniper''s bullet flying through the air in a cool motion.


    "It''s not that bad. Let''s set up the contract. Mywyer and agent will be at the studio tomorrow."


    "That''s good to hear, director."


    There was no need to dy. Kazir had already chosen to work with ILM. They were the best VFXpany for decades toe. He trusted them.


    After watching the minute-long scene for the fifth time, Kazir stood up and looked around at the crew. Most of them were using a program whose name he had no idea.


    Kazir left the studio and Erica Mendez followed him.


    "Sir, is that all? We just spent half an hour here."


    "Erica, you have known me for almost four years now. I''m sure you know why."


    "Well, you''re an introvert and you never leave your office unless it''s rted to your movies."


    "That''s right."


    The two walked down the hall.


    As they walked, Kazir saw two people he recognized. However, he didn''t have much interaction with them. One thing was for sure, he respected one of them.


    Three people were talking near the exit of the building. One was a stranger to Kazir while the two were known personalities.


    "I think, I think I know that girl. Where have I seen her before?"


    Erica muttered weakly, wondering.


    George Lucas was talking to a middle-aged woman who seemed to be trying to convince him.


    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 ck Swan.


    Natalie Portman had appeared in many films, but Kazir knew her best as Padme Amid 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 y in the trilogy."


    ''Indeed, Padme Amid ys 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, ire, 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 d 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 ire 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.


    ire 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." ire exined.


    "Then I''ll say goodbye, ire, George and--"


    Kazir nced 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 exin it well.


    One thing was for sure, she was interested in him. Kazir''s appearance fulfilled all her needs in a man. Besides, Kazir was a sessful man who had made box office movies in thest few years. He was a famous man.


    If there was one thing that Natalie Portman was sad about, it was the fact that Kazir Grey was a busy guy and never liked to go to parties. This meant that their chances of seeing each other again were slim.


    Another thing was that Kazir Grey had his principles. He would never have a rtionship with a young woman under 20 years old. Natalie Portman deduced this from the man''s actions and the rumors about him.


    Her eyes followed the man as he left the building with his assistant. For some obvious reason, her heart quickened. She unconsciously touched her chest and felt her heart pounding.


    The sensation was strange, but she didn''t want to forget it.


    "Nat, are you okay? Your face is flushed."


    ire, who was standing next to her, asked her client worriedly.


    "Me? Yeah, I''m fine ire."


    Natalie Portman smiled, trying to hide her emotions, and her blush gradually faded. But her heart was still beating fast.


    "I''ll try to talk to George, you can wait for me at the entrance."


    "Thanks, ire."


    A few minutes after ire talked to George Lucas, the agent studied her client, who was staring out of nowhere, perhaps thinking about something.


    ire sighed and walked over to Natalie.


    "Natalie, let''s go."


    "Alright."


    "I apologize if you need to see this. You see, it''s my job to make sure you''re never bullied or taken for granted. You''re young, and I have to protect you. Star Wars is a culture, and it''s your biggest chance to be famous."


    ire had to be shameless to get her client more screen time. She believed Natalie was a talented girl.


    For that, ire would never hesitate to use her race as a Jew to make a better impression. Maybe she took advantage of it, but she had to. This business was brutal to little people.


    "I understand ire. I''m grateful for your hard work. I promise I''ll do my best on this project. I love Star Wars too."


    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 yfully 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 y 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 rtionship!


    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 ying 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 popr 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 aplishments 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 notpete with that, grossing only $465 million.


    That in itself was something to be proud of. Working with the directorst week and watching his work, Angelina Jolie noticed that Kazir was very attractive while he was working.


    She couldn''t exin 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 waste because the actress had decided to go to work early without informing her assistant.


    "Hey... Erica, order a ck coffee today. I feel like I need some strong caffeine to wake me up."


    Angelina turned to her right and found Kazir yawning. It seemed that he hadn''t slept properly again.


    Well, it wasmon for directors to be sleep-deprived when they were working on their film projects. It was a fact that everyone in the industry knew. Directors were always sleep-deprived.


    "Good morning, Kazir."


    Angelina greeted the director bubbly and leaned in gently.


    "Good morning, Angelina."


    Kazir waved and then looked at his schedule for the day.


    "..."


    Angelina couldn''t help but pout when Kazir didn''t bother to look at her. She wore that dress just for him.


    ''... He didn''t even look at my cleavage.


    Her pride as a woman wouldn''t let her. She continued to smile and moved closer to him.


    Kazir caught her scent and cocked his head.


    "Do you have a question?"


    "Tch, nothing."


    She rolled her eyes and left. As expected, Kazir Grey was basically stupid when it came to his job. He didn''t care about anything that wasn''t rted to his job...


    What a strange guy. She thought in frustration.


    Kazir looked at the woman and decided to call her.


    "By the way, Angelina."


    "What is it?" Angelina asked irritated.


    "Nothing, I just wanted to say that you look pretty in that dress. Well, you are always pretty. Go to your trailer and talk to the costume designer about changing your clothes, we have a rehearsal."


    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 nced 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 Zend. 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 ckedy 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 oue of this movie.


    ++++++


    [I will post two chapterster. There was a typhoon here in my country, and the Inte 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 myziness...]


    [Reading this chapter makes me want to m 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 rke 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 rke 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 thest 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 umted $68 million at the box office, only one million for it to be 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 rx 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 nevere 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 definitelye and I''ll be celebrating the new year in my office watching Titanic... A very fun thing to do, alone.''


    Kazir Grey sighed... Aaron and his family went to Boracay to celebrate Christmas.


    As for his Dad, he has a business venture in Europe and will not return until next year.


    So yes, Kazir didn''t choose to be alone. His rtives have their own lives and he respects them. He was happy that his brother and father were living their lives without worries.


    "H- Hey, you, I want you to take these pearls! This is the only way for you to survive the Day of Judgment! Don''t worry, it will only cost you 50 dors!" The man tried to sell his dirty beads to Kazir, he had the eyes of a fanatic who believed he was doing something right.


    "No thanks."


    ''I can buy a Kodak film for that amount.''


    Kazir didn''t bother to listen and entered the bar. As he entered the bar, he realized that many people were having a lonely Christmas Eve just like him. He felt better knowing that some people were suffering the same as he was...


    He looked around and found an empty seat. Comforting jazz music yed in the background.


    Kazir ordered a gin to remind himself that his life was very lonely and bitter. But he didn''t regret it.


    It was better for him to live a lonely life than to have a rtionship that would lead to his downfall. His marriage to Cassandra Hoecrap didn''t end well.


    Two hourster, another person entered the bar to have a drink. It was a woman wearing a ck cocktail dress and red heels. She had a fashionable winter jacket over her cocktail dress to keep out the cold.


    She was a little tipsy. She was probably at a Christmas party, but left after losing interest in the party.


    She was none other than Angelina Jolie. The woman found this bar and decided to drink more.


    "I want a white wine," she said, unknowingly sitting next to Kazir.


    "Coming right up." The bartender said, preparing her drink.


    "Christmas... My Christmas is cold. Everyone in the party had a partner... So I have to leave early because it''s embarrassing, I have no partner." The woman sighed. It was awkward to bring another man in a formal party especially when Angelina just recently divorced.


    "Yeah, I have the same problem," Kazir muttered.


    Suddenly they recognized each other''s voice. They looked at each other and they were both surprised.


    "Hm?"


    "You?"


    "Angelina, what are you doing here?" Kazir asked.


    "Tch, don''t ask me why. It''s obvious I want to drink." She clicked her tongue... blushing slightly.


    "... Okay." The man nodded and left her alone.


    Angelina took her wine and sipped it, then stole a nce 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 nced 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 rtionship with a married woman."


    "Huh?"


    "Huh?"


    "Huh?"


    They stared at each other for a moment. Then Angelina started tough.


    "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 rtionship. 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, bted 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 dors to make a professional movie. Napoleon Dynamite, Kazir''s firstedy, 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 be 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 be a director. He was young anyway.


    ording to stereotypes, directors were old because they had to gain experience before they could start their own projects.


    He was happy if he could be 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. Thispany 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.


    "You did a good job."


    "Thank you, Director." Simone was pleased to hear Kazir praise him.


    "Kazir, babe? Have you found my thong? I can''t find it, I thought I bought a pair. It seems I only bought one, too bad, it''s soaking because of you."


    A woman''s voice sounded from Kazir''s room. This office had a room and a shower since the director lived here.


    Angelina came out of the room in her nightgown. She looked bright and fresh after waking up, there was something about what happened yesterday that made her feel better. She was in a good mood after a good d*cking from Kazir.


    "Babe, have you seen my..."


    Angelina stopped immediately when she saw that there was another person in the room.


    She looked at Kazir and blushed. She returned to the room and closed the door.


    "..."


    Simone was stunned. His mind almost stopped working.


    "Is that... Is that Angelina Jolie?


    He then looked at Director Kazir Grey. Looking for answer.


    "You can go now."


    "Yes." He replied quickly and walked out of the office in a second.


    "Wow, that''s crazy."


    Simone muttered. He remembered that Director Grey was still working on Christmas Eve before he left the building.


    Two dayster, Angelina Jolie had already spent a night in his office!


    "It''s really amazing to be a director." The young assistant was determined to be one.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Kazir, what the hell? Why didn''t you say there was actually a person in your office?" Angelina was angry as she came out of the room and confronted him.


    "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. Sheid 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 arrivedter 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 Novemberst 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 ording 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 rmend 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 sessful.


    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 dors 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.


    Sony-Columbia was confident that Bruce Almighty would be the face of this year''sedy, other than Napoleon Dynamite III, of course.


    Morgan Freeman had always had the role of the old, mature guy, and frankly, he always nailed that role. Studios would usually hire him just to be that mature old guy in their movies.


    Morgan Freeman took advantage of that, and now he had a lot of roles that had to do with being a mature old guy.


    He heard from Sony-Columbia that Kazir had rmended him for Bruce Almighty.


    "I said that I want to work with you again, and I didn''t expect the time toe."


    With an invitation and a good sry from Grey Pictures, Morgan Freeman happily epted the role of Sloan. Kazir''s films were all hot, and Morgan wanted to be a part of it.


    "I''m happy to hear that."


    The two talked for a few minutes before Morgan excused himself. He didn''t expect the screenwriter he met a few years ago to be the most-sought director.


    Even Michael Bay could notpete with Kazir in status and fame. The explosion-lover director began his film career in 1995, the same year as Kazir.


    Michael Bay directed Bad Boys, The Rock and many action movies. While Kazir focused onedy for two years, Michael Bay became influential among action movie fans.


    However, this position was overtaken by Kazir Grey. There was a discussion about both of them, people could not help butpare them as they became famous at the same time.


    If Michael Bay focused on explosive scenes where everything explodes and burns to pieces, then Kazir focused on realistic hand-to-handbat and shootouts. They have different styles.


    Kazir looked around and his eyesnded on the woman wearing a brown tank top and pants.


    Angelina Jolie noticed someone staring at her. She turned and found Kazir. She bit her lip and grinned, then returned a flirtatious look before talking to the makeup artist again.


    "... Did something happen while we were on vacation?"


    Harold Witsend appeared beside Kazir. He noticed that something was different between Kazir and Angelina.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Angelina was stealing nces 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 y the female lead in Legally Blonde."


    Legally Blonde was another script Kazir sold to 20th Century Fox.


    He rmended 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 rtionship with Kazir.


    Frankly, Harold was impressed that Kazir would rmend them even though their rtionships 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) nced 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''tst 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 nothingpared 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 thepany 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 uing Ondo Bloom.


    Ben Affleck nodded earnestly as he watched his expression on the screen... He didn''t deliver it right.


    "Ben, what do you think would happen if something like this happened in real life? If this happened to you in real life, knowing that with one trigger your brain matter would stter all over the floor? What would you do?"


    Kazir asked him gently. The filming had just started and there was no need to scare the young man... Uh, Ben Affleck was only three years younger than him, by the way.


    Ben was 28, while Kazir was 31.


    "I will probably get scared and my heart rate will go up. My face will turn red or pale with fear and nervousness... I may beg for my life." Ben Affleck said, thinking deeply.


    "Well, that''s the normal reaction. In this case, Wesley Gibson is still an ordinary office worker. He never touched a gun, and he has a depressed life."


    Ben Affleck''s current appearance reflected this. The man had an unshaven face and his hair was unkempt.


    Even his mood was depressed. It seemed that Ben Affleck was taking the role seriously. As for how he did it, Kazir had no idea. But he loved the devotion.


    "Try to move your eyes around, keep your breathing thin. I''m sure you can control your face to open up some veins and make your face red."


    This kind of acting was usually taught in acting sses. Controlling your breath to make you face red... Surely Ben Affleck took acting sses, right?


    Before filming resumed, Kazir caught Angelina Jolie stealing nces at him... Kazir frowned slightly, but decided to keep hisposure.


    His job as a director was to keep the filming going and get as much footage as possible and put it together into a movie. It was not that easy.


    "Shoot the flies, take 9, lights, camera, action!"


    The pperboard signaled the start of the shoot.


    This time, Ben Affleck did better. Kazir didn''t stop filming, and the scene reached the moment when Sloan handed Wesley a gun.


    "I-I can''t even see it!"


    "One... Two..." The hitman started the countdown. His gun on the back of Wesley''s head.


    With extreme nervousness, a pathetic grunt escaped Wesley''s mouth and he pulled the trigger.


    Wesley Gibson began firing bullet after bullet into the trash can, hoping for a miracle.


    He gasped and leaned against the wall. He searched for the medicine that kept his heart rate normal. He wanted to devour a handful of pills to ease the pain.


    While he was having a nervous breakdown, Sloan grabbed the flies and inspected them.


    He handed the flies to a gasping Wesley, and the man was stunned.


    "That''s impossible." He muttered between inhtions.


    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 p, 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 tough.


    ++++


    [I''ll post another chapterter.]

 Chapter 228

    Chapter 228


    January in the year 2000 had no good movies, nothing promising. Small productionpanies 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 thest six years.


    While Kazir was busy with his project, Fremont Smith, the director of Taken 2, received so many offers from differentpanies.


    Fremont was mostly busy preparing for the Taken 2 celebration party that would take ce 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 popr 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 dors.


    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.


    Only a monster like Kazir had the willpower to make a project every year without having a nervous breakdown... His mental strength was amazing.


    And this mental strength was known by everyone.


    "So... is the nude scene still in?"


    Angelina Jolie asked beside him. The two were having breakfast at a restaurant near the set. They had just woken up together after a night of "fun".


    Angelina Jolie was wearing sunsses because her makeup was not done. Her hair was in a messy bun.


    "Yes, the nude scenes are included. But I will only add them to the DVDS, the R-rated/extended version, it will probably cost 60 dors."


    "I thought so. It will be hard for Wanted to pass the PG-13 rating if we add the nude scenes to the movie.


    Angelina Jolie said after taking a sip of Kazir''s coffee. Kazir didn''t mind the woman drinking his coffee and just left her alone.


    "Are you okay with me being naked on camera?" That was the question Angelina wanted to ask.


    In the script, Kazir pointed out, Fox (Angelina Jolie) would walk naked out of the ice sauna and Wesley Gibson would get a glimpse of her perky ass.


    "You''re such a pervert for putting that scene in."


    She teased the man, only to realize that Kazir was actually serious...


    "I never thought of a perverted idea while writing the script." He said honestly.


    "Again, are you okay with me being naked in front of the cast and crew?"


    "Angelina, it''s your choice. You are a star, you can refuse and we will use your stand-in instead. I only want to capture the backside and the butt, you don''t have to show your face."


    "..."


    Angelina Jolie bit her lip sexily and stared at him.


    "What do you want me to do?" Maybe because she was intoxicated by the man opposite the table, she wanted to please him every time.


    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 notfortable 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 rtionship 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 m 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 rtionship? 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 rtionship 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 rtionship. She had no idea what to call their rtionship.


    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 rtionship would definitely be printed in the tabloids and newspapers!


    Which was a good thing! A lot of people would know that Angelina Jolie and Kazir Grey were a thing. They were dating.


    Thisbel was an insurance policy, something she was happy to have. Now she knew where she stood in this rtionship.


    She squeezed Kazir''s hand, happy that they were officially dating.


    "Kazir, I also want to get to know you better. I''m attracted to your serious expression, your chiseled jawline, hot body... Ahem, and your personality, too. I want you as a person."


    She replied, smiling at him. Kazir nodded and the light turned green.


    She giggled for obvious reasons and held up his hand, then weakly bit his finger in happiness.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Unlike January, which didn''t have any movies that surpassed $100 million this year, February had one movie that surpassed $100 million.


    The movie was none other than Scream 3. This movie was quite famous. The Scream franchise was directed by Wes Craven until Scream 4. The director passed away in 2015, so Scream 5 hired another director to fill the spot.


    Wes Craven was a great director and expert in horror movies, especially the sher genre. His most famous franchises were Scream and Nightmare Of Elm Street.


    This movie would be thest time that Reese Witherspoon would participate in it. Her sry was getting bigger and bigger and the studio could not afford her sry anymore. Obviously, Reese''s character would die in this movie as a closure.


    Since February came, some people were excited to celebrate Valentine''s Day. Kazir and Angelina spent that day close to each other, almost no distance at all.


    News of their rtionship spread after the media took an interest in their story. They even have some pictures together. In the pictures, Kazir was shielding Angelina and trying his best to protect the woman. This earned him affection and positive opinions from people.


    While the couple was busy, another ex-couple decided to meet on Valentine''s Day.


    "How long has it been since west saw each other?"


    Elizabeth Cohen smiled and licked her lips as she stared at the man in front of her. She hated to admit it, but her ex-husband was doing well. He seemed to be doing well even in his forties... She hated that the man was living a happy life while she was not.


    "Fifteen years, I think."


    Kazir''s father, Victor Grey, answered her question.


    The two stared at each other before Elizabeth chuckled and drank a ss 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 rtionship 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 yfully 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 ovee 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 itter 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 mmed her fists on the table, ttering tes 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 ring 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.


    Victor worked his ass off just to give his children a better future... It cost him his marriage.


    "Ah, yeah, I guess that''s not so bad since we got rich afterwards, ahahaha." She giggled. Elizabeth was still getting money from her ex-husband. Maybe Victor felt bad about their separation.


    "After that, all my love for you disappeared... As for our children, Aaron grew up well, I heard he is married now. I felt bad about naming our second son Kazir, but I can''t go back to the past to right the wrongs. I have no intention of doing so. Kazir was one of the reasons I''m fucked up in the head. Giving birth to him made me lose my mind."


    "Elizabeth, he is your son," Victor replied.


    "That''s why there''s nothing wrong with using him for a few favors."


    "You really have changed."


    "What did they call it? Postpartum depression? Unfortunately, that kind of illness cannot be diagnosed 30 years ago. If I had known, my rtionship with Kazir might have been much better."


    Postpartum depression (also called PPD) is a condition that many women experience after having a baby. It''s strong feelings of sadness, anxiety (worry), and tiredness thatst for a long time after giving birth. These feelings can make it hard for the mother to take care of herself and the baby. (Source: Google)


    Elizabeth tried to touch the wine ss but decided to pull her hands away.


    "I endured another 15 years of suffering, taking care of the children even though my feelings for them were non-existent. When the children were old enough to understand, I knew it was the right time to end our rtionship."


    "You should have filed for divorce first instead of cheating on me. Maybe our separation would have been much better if you had done that."


    "Fufu, Victor, I did this on purpose to break your heart. I me you, Kazir, the god, and possibly Aaron for all my suffering."


    "Elizabeth, you need to see a therapist."


    "Is that an insult? But I don''t care. I will do what I want. My daughter wants to be an actress and I will do my best to give her a beautiful life, something I was robbed of."


    "And you will use Kazir to do that?"


    "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 be 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 bing 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 congratted 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 Zend 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 rxed, 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.


    "It seems you are still young. Look over there."


    Liam Neeson pointed in a certain direction and found Kazir talking to Angelina. They were smiling, Angelina giggled yfully and patted Kazir''s shoulder.


    "So you mean... That''s the reason?" Matt asked. He hadn''t expected this situation. Last year, Kazir had been dating Cameron Diaz.


    "I think so. Whatever it is, Kazir and Angelina are fine. I''m not sure if they really love each other, but their rtionship is definitely good news for both of them. They have been smiling a lottely."


    As the eldest of the trio, Liam Neeson had a better understanding.


    "But... I heard Angelina''s a sex addict." Viggo muttered weakly. This rumor was almost everywhere and it could be true or false. Angelina Jolie was known to be a sex addict. Some of her exes confirmed it.


    "Whatever it is, Kazir can definitely tame her."


    The three knew the importance of this movie. The oue of this movie would be the result of three years of hard work that Grey Pictures had put into this massive project.


    Kazir and Grey Pictures were risking their future just to realize this outrageous n that could be good or bad. Nobody knew the future.


    The three actors got a career boost after working with Kazir. They were grateful for it. So they wanted the movie to be sessful.


    Besides, their contracts were not over yet. So if this Continental Cinematic Universe was a sess, it means they have secure projects to work with when they reach the bottom of their careers. It also gives them more leverage to negotiate with thepany because their roles are important.


    In a way, the future of the Continental Cinematic Universe was their future. Heck, even though their screen time in this movie was only 10 minutes, the contract already stated that they would earn 4 to 9 million dors. Liam Neeson, of course, had the highest sry of the three.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Wanted started shooting in January and finished in April. Four months of filming. That was very fast by Hollywood standards. However, if youpare 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.


    Thews 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 ce, 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 diator, 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 ce. 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 umtion, just like the Big Six and Metro Goldwyn Mayer did.


    Since Steven Spielberg had a good rtionship with Universal Pictures because they worked together on Jurassic Park, the international distribution of diator was taken over by Universal Pictures.


    The first week of diator grossed over $49 million at the box office. It was an amazing achievement. But DreamWorks could not rest easy.


    Because the anticipatededy 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 sess. 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 sessful 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 thest 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 sry 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 yfully 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 diator."Obviously." She rolled her eyes.


    "My rtionship with Reese has beenplicated."


    "Yeah, yeah, you don''t have to exin. 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 rtionship in public. But he believed their rtionship was more than that. He actually had feelings for Reese.


    The two stepped out of the limousine and epted the attention from the reporters and cameras shing 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 circted everywhere.


    If anything was surprising, it was the fact that Kazir was ying with Angelina. He didn''t push her away, he kissed her back.


    Even the reporter who was supposed to interview them was stunned and could only ask them trivial questions.


    "Angelina, you are very brave to do this. You know this is the premiere of Napoleon Dynamite III, yet you stole the media''s attention for what you did. What if it affects the box office of Napoleon Dynamite III?" Kazir whispered in her ear and Angelina felt ticklish.


    "Then let it be. I believe the changes it will bring to Napoleon Dynamite III will be positive. Kazir, I know Napoleon Dynamite III was written by you, and I want it to seed. I want to see you happy." She giggled and squeezed his arm tighter.


    "Thank you..."


    As for the script of Napoleon Dynamite III, Kazir hired a group of professional writers. He just gave his opinion and let them write the general content.


    Honestly, Kazir didn''t know the oue of the movie. He just hoped that more people would see Napoleon Dynamite III because of the previous sesses of the franchise.


    The theater was packed, as usual.


    Kazir recognized so many people, most of them were the cast of Napoleon Dynamite he worked with six years ago.


    One person in particr caught his eye.


    "Why don''t we say hello?" Angelina suggested with an innocent smile.


    "Angelina, what are you going to do this time?"


    "Me? Nothing, of course."


    But her intention was clear, and Angelina pulled Kazir over to Reese Witherspoon, who was wearing a tight pink dress with a low v-cut that revealed her cleavage. Legally Blonde was in the making, and it seemed that Reese was influenced by the aesthetic.


    Of course, Angelina also wore something special. A backless velvet dress with her hair in a bun. Perhaps Angelina wore this on purpose to attract attention andpete with Reese Witherspoon.


    "Hello, I''m Angelina Jolie." She was the first to introduce herself.


    "Hmm? Oh, hi! I''m Reese Witherspoon." Reese looked at Angelina before she looked at Kazir.


    Her expression was... normal. She didn''t react much and her reaction was nothing special.


    "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 moviesing out this summer that have a strong connection to Kazir. They are Napoleon Dynamite III, Bruce Almighty and Wanted.]

 Chapter 233

    Chapter 233


    The form was the same, almost the same. Just likest 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 form.


    While diator 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. diator, 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 Nichs Cage and John Travolta.


    Maybe John Woo was influenced by hisst 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 sess.


    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 yearster 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. diator with $451 million at the worldwide box office.


    3. Napoleon Dynamite III with $356 million worldwide.


    For these three, earning more than $300 million was already a victory. To begin with, this kind of performance was not that easy.


    As expected,edy movies were good to watch, but more people prefer action movies. The novelty of watching action movies will never go away, no matter how many years pass. Most of the highest-grossing films of all time were action/adventure films. Only an abomination like Titanic couldpete with them.


    Everything was within 20th Century Fox''s expectations, and they were not bitter at all.


    Napoleon Dynamite III cost $50 million to make and $24 million to promote. Even if the Cinema Alliance took 40% of the box office, Fox Searchlight Pictures would still make a lot of money. No reason to be sad.


    There was a trend that whenever one of Kazir''s scripts was made into a movie and became a box office sess, many filmpanies would revive their interest in buying his scripts.


    The price of his script was now over $5 million. Somepanies like Disney and Universal offered him $10 million just to acquire one of his scripts.


    Kazir had worked with four of the Big Six. 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures and Sony-Columbia.


    Only Universal and Disney had the misfortune of never getting a piece of the pie. After all, Universal and Disney were the ones responsible for spreading the rumors that Kazir was a wife-beater. Even though their rtionship thawed and Kazir had conversations with their management, the twopanies never had a chance to sessfully buy his script.


    The timing and the situation were never right for them. Now they realize that it was a huge mistake to trample on Kazir when he was new to the industry. They didn''t expect him to reach the level where he could use his scripts as bargaining chips.


    Making movies was like gambling, nobody knew if the movie would be a sess.


    But moviepanies loved profits, and they didn''t want to make movies that would only bring them losses. In other words, they hate gambling and experimenting.


    So they prefer to buy Kazir''s scripts instead. After so many years, every one of his scripts has proved that they can make a huge amount of money.


    So why bother making a movie that has a chance of flopping?


    Instead, buy Kazir''s scripts and turn them into movies.


    Yes, this kind of statement was circting throughout the industry.


    That Kazir''s scripts were a sure way to make money. If you look at the statistics, it was not a lie at all.


    Moviepanies 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 ns 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 sess. 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 chapterster. 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 herte 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.


    The thing was... Salvatore Barlowe did know about Harold''s n. He agreed to help him because he knew it was for the betterment of Kazir''s mental health.


    Even though Kazir seemed healthy and well, he was a fragile man. Even a strong man would fall if his weaknesses or insecurities were used against him.


    This was true of Kazir''s situation two years ago. When Kazir met Elizabeth after a long time, the woman tore a hole in his heart. This caused the man to drown in alcohol and have sex with Cameron Diaz.


    Harold Witsend ced a man envelope on the table.


    "All I want is a simple agreement."


    "If you''re offering me money, I''m going to be disappointed. My exes offer me plenty."


    Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and picked up the man envelope.


    "It''s a script for a small-budget movie. They need a young woman to y the female lead. I think your daughter needs experience and exposure."


    "..."


    Elizabeth knew Harold was right. First, Mara had to understand how the industry worked before she could work on big projects. This movie seemed like a good project for Mara to start.


    "If you don''t like the script, I can find another project for your daughter. Of course, I can''t guarantee that your daughter will be the female lead."


    Actually, Salvatore was the one who found this project with his connection.


    "And this?" Elizabeth found another application in the envelope.


    "It''s a modeling job."


    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 d 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./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 form 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 onlyst 0.2 seconds each. -- Background music intensifies.


    -- Another line that seemed cool.


    -- Viin close-up shot.


    -- Wide shot, massive destruction with SFX boost.


    -- Reveal cover song.


    -- Change the location, somewhere beautiful, h h h.


    -- Hyping the strength of the viin/organization. The minor characters tell how dangerous the mission would be.


    -- h h h.


    -- 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.


    Honestly, Kazir Grey used every element he could to hype the movie. This time, he used Bryan Mills, John Wick, and Jason Bourne as the hook to lure in the audience.


    These three characters already had a huge fan base, so they were easy to draw attention to.


    "I''m going to fucking see this movie! It''s going to be awesome!"


    A man with a thick beard announced, raising his beer in excitement. Even though the movie didn''t have much relevance to his daily life, he was still excited to watch it. He was a little groggy, probably from drinking a lot.


    "Hell yeah! I''m going to ask my son to watch it, we haven''t had any father-son bondingtely! I''m sure he''ll be happy!"


    Another man agreed.


    The men nodded and decided that they had to see this movie. They hadn''t expected something as ambitious as three superstars in one movie to happen! This was a piece of movie history! The biggest crossover!


    Wace chuckled as he listened to their banter. He was also drinking in the pub.


    ''They didn''t know that I''m actually the vice president of the Grey Fans. A group of fans who support Kazir Grey, the director of Wanted.''


    Wace had already graduated from college and was now an office worker. Being an adult was not so easy, it was even worse. Wace sometimes dreamed of being a kid again. Away from responsibilities, bills, and serious human rtionships.


    When he was a kid, all he had to think about was how to beat the Elite 4 in Pokemon, how to be a Super Saiyan, and how to chokem like Undertaker.


    Watching movies was his way of escaping reality, and his favorite movies were produced by Kazir Grey.


    The Grey fans had already rented a movie theater in Los Angeles. They would watch the movie in tuxedos, in keeping with the John Wick aesthetic.


    Wace was very excited about the movie. He believed that this movie would be the culmination of thest four movies produced by Grey Pictures.


    He drank his alcohol and hoped that the days would pass quickly so that he could watch the movie.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "This could be good or bad for us."


    Michael Eisner narrowed his eyes as he stared at the television that was showing the trailer for Wanted.


    As the chairman of one of thergest filmpanies in the world, Michael Eisner sensed the impending doom or blessing of this endeavor.


    If Wanted was a massive sess, it could open up another way for moviepanies to make money. If Grey Pictures could make one, so could they.


    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 worth will be around 1.5 billion. The sequels of their movies are promising, so thepany 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 thepany is acquired by one of ourpetitors, 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 sessfully purchased the copyright to an old novel.


    "Good. ''A Princess of Mars'' looks promising."


    Recently, a rumor had circted 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 moviepanies 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 ce 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.


    Angelina giggled.


    The two kissed. When their lips parted, Kazir frowned and looked at her seriously.


    "Did you smoke?"


    "Hm, but only one, I can''t help but feel nervous and I need something to calm me down."


    "You know our agreement. You promised me you''d stop smoking and stop doing drugs."


    Kazir knew many rtionships that fell apart because of drugs and alcohol. Smoking might seem okay, but it never had any health benefits. Smoking would destroy your lungs.


    "I know, please forgive me. This will be thest time." Angelina nodded quickly.


    "... All right. But I don''t want it to happen again."


    "I promise." She whimpered, kissing his cheek to make him feel better.


    "Let''s go."


    Kazir sighed. Tonight was a very important night and he didn''t want to cause any problems.


    The two of them entered the limousine. A secondter, Angelina was kissing Kazir again. A sensual one with tongue movements.


    "You''re not afraid of smearing your lipstick?"


    "Hm." She nodded.


    When the two reached the carpet, Angelina gasped slightly. Her makeup seemed fine. Unfortunately for Kazir, the man had red lipstick on his neck, suggesting what had happened... He wiped the evidence just to be safe.


    The cast of the Continental Cinematic Universe attended the premiere. Even Robert Ludlum, the author of the Jason Bourne series, was there.


    When Liam Neeson, Viggo Mortensen, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck appeared one after the other, the fans shouted their names in deafening screams.


    The impact of this film would be sensational, and it would go down as the most sessful franchise of all time, referring to the entire Continental Cinematic Universe. Because after the release of Wanted, every movie connected to the Continental Cinematic Universe had an amazing performance at the box office.


    This was the moment where the Big Six, the six studiopanies 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 sessful 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 ande up with a n next time.


    Marvel? Unfortunately for them, Kazir acquired most of their 2nd tier superheroes. Actually, they were waiting for Kazir''s next n, hoping that the great director would try his hand at their superheroes next time.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    --A thousand years ago, a n 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 ount 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 dayster. 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 toplete... 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 particr 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.]


    "Rx, if your namees 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 sessfullynding safely in the building, he killed thest 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?"


    "You know that."


    "Why don''t you confront me yourself? Never send sheep to kill a wolf."


    "They''re bait."


    [Suddenly, Mr. X realized his impending doom. He looked down and found that he had stepped on an X-mark. This meant that he had fallen into a trap.]


    "Goodbye, Mr. X."


    [Even a strong assassin like Mr. X could not escape the wrath. His head exploded as the non-manufactured bullet pierced his head.]


    [The bullet came from a difficult ce. It bypassed a small space between the trains and flew for miles just to reach its target.]


    [On the other side of the phone, Marcus (Willem Dafoe) had a bruise on his face as he pulled the trigger, killing Mr. X.]


    ......


    ...


    ...


    [Wesley Gibson woke up to another boring day. His cheating girlfriend nagged him early in the morning.]


    [Even his work was not that interesting, especially when he knew that his office buddy was the one banging his girlfriend. It didn''t help that his fat boss also made fun of him.]


    [His life was miserable. Even his inner monologue was filled with negative thoughts].


    [He had an anxiety disorder, and his head and heart felt like they would explode whenever he experienced anything stressful. All he could do was take pills after muttering apologies to anyone who made his life miserable. Yes, Wesley was the "sorry" type.]


    [Days went by and his life didn''t get any better... What did he expect?]


    [Wesley went to a pharmacy to buy the prescription that calmed him whenever he felt anxious.]


    [But tonight, a woman he met for the first time would take him to another world he never expected].


    "I''m sorry?"


    [Wesley said to the woman standing next to him].


    "You apologize too much."


    "I, um, I''m sorry."


    [The woman continued to stare at him and Wesley felt ufortable].


    "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 amotion 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 sessfully ttened 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 themotion, Wesley subconsciously yells, "Sorry."]


    [Luckily for Wesley and the woman, they were able to flee the scene in their t-tired car.]


    [Marcus did not follow them, but watches them from a distance. Withplicated 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 ck 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 fromck of cirction. 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 ount."


    "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].


    [Wesley sessfully returned to his home...]


    [When he awoke in the morning, he was surprised that it was not all a dream. Everything that had happenedst night was real. The fact that he had a gun under his pillow blew his mind. Wesley quickly hid the gun in the toilet bowl.]


    [Out of curiosity, Wesley checked his bank ount. He was stunned to find more than seven digits. This confirmed that Sloan was not lying... Maybe his father really was a killer].


    "Jesus H. Fucking Popsicle. I still don''t have my billing report."


    [Unfortunately for Wesley, his fat boss was there to ruin his morning].


    "Yet you have time to sit here and Google your ass off. Well, I know one thing. Your evaluation is due next week."


    [The female boss, Janice, used her stapler and made irritating clip sounds. Making Wesley angry]


    "Attitude, poor. Performance, poor. Management skills, poor! Well, what are you looking for on the Inte? Huh, some fucking loser lost his head on the rooftop of the Metropolitan Building?"


    [That was the fuse.]


    "SHUT THE FUCK UP!"


    [Wesley yelled at the top of his lungs. Everyone in the office fell silent].


    "I understand that life is hard for you, Janice, because no one invited you to the prom. But that doesn''t give you the right to treat your workers like horseshit."


    [The fat boss was speechless.]


    "I know weugh at you, Janice. I want you to know that if you weren''t such a bitch, we would feel sorry for you. I do feel sorry for you."


    [Wesley grabbed his keyboard and walked out of the office. His friend tried to talk to him, but Wesley smashed his face with the keyboard. Intentionally creating a "fuck you" in the air.]


    "I''m the man."


    [Wesley muttered.]


    [As he left the building, he realized that Fox was already waiting for him. Wesley got into the car without a problem. He had already decided that his old life was over.]


    [When he returned to the textile factory, he realized that everyone there was not simple.]


    [Wesley epted 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 sessfully 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 revtion 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.]


    [Bryan Mills pulled out a pistol and turned their car into a beehive.]


    [The Gunsmith stepped on the gas and sessfully fled the area].


    [Bryan Mills looked at the fleeing car.]


    "This is going to end now."


    [Bryan knew his family would be in danger if he didn''t do something.]


    ...


    ...


    ...


    [Some of the members of Treadstone were from the Fraternity. They had already infiltrated the CIA, and the higher-ups in the CIA had a connection to the High Table.]


    [The Treadstone was a failure, and the Fraternity was involved in eliminating everyone who knew about it].


    [That''s why Jason Bourne had to die...]


    "This is why I hate people with a strong sixth sense! How does he know someone''s going to kill him? Is it because he has a lot of experience in assassinations?"


    [The Repairman cursed and jumped out of the window. He and Fox split up to give themselves a better chance of survival. Unfortunately for The Repairman, he became Jason Bourne''s target.]


    [Jasonnded safely and followed him. The two exchanged bullets. Despite his advantage with firearms, The Repairman realized that it was impossible to kill Jason. The guy was a veteran at this, he was basically a superhuman.]


    [In the end, The Repairman lost his life. Jason Bourne was not a man to be trifled with. Even though he lost his memories, his physical strength and intelligence never went away. In the first ce, Treadstone was a project to create killing machines. Training talented men and turning them into assassins who would clean up the country''s dirty deeds].


    "Looks like they won''t stop."


    [Raizo, a man who was expected to be a ninja, appeared after the aftermath. He looked at the Repairman who lost his life and recognized the man.]


    "Who are they? Why are they trying to kill me?"


    [Jason Bourne met Raizo when he was on the run from the CIA. Raizo helped him escape them.]


    "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 epted 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 oue].


    [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 epted 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 ce. 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. Themotion 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. Unlikest time, this bullet is traceable. I found the man who made that bullet. Sloan, I want this mission."


    [Wesley ced 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.]


    "I don''t know where Marcus is... But I can help you arrange a meeting."


    [The bullet maker called Marcus and announced that they would meet at the train station].


    [Wesley and Fox wait for the meeting. Watching the area, waiting for Marcus to show up. To finally end this.]


    [But this was actually a trap for Wesley and Fox. Marcus deliberately used a traceable bullet so that Wesley and the others would locate him. He used that moment to get a chance to talk to Wesley.]


    [The old bullet maker began to run. Fox and Wesley followed.]


    [Suddenly, Wesley realized that Marcus was actually on the train, looking at him.]


    [Wesley stopped on the tracks and entered the train. Their target was Marcus, there was no need to go after the old man.]


    [Fox realized that Wesley had entered the train, but the train was already moving. To follow the train, she used a car and chased after it.]


    [Wesley and Marcus had a fight on the train. Wesley noticed that Marcus kept dodging his bullets. But he never intended to hurt Wesley. Too bad, Wesley was so consumed with revenge that he didn''t think about it].


    "Wesley, listen to me."


    [Marcus tried to talk to Wesley, but Fox almost shot him from outside. The woman was beside the train, her gun pointed at Marcus.]


    [Fox crashed her car into the train, causing the train to fall into a steep ravine.]


    [Half of the train fell into the canyon and Wesley almost fell as well. But Marcus grabbed him and tried his best to save Wesley.]


    [Wesley Gibson was drowning in revenge, he didn''t hesitate to shoot Marcus even though he was trying to save him].


    [With thest of his strength, Marcus pulled Wesley up and saved him.]


    "Wesley..."


    [Marcus knelt and coughed blood. Then Wesley punched him in the face and pointed his gun at him.]


    "Sloan is... lying to you."


    "You bastard, you killed my father."


    "No Wesley... You''re my son."


    "What? Huh? What the hell are you talking about? Answer me!?"


    [Wesley was stunned and asked the man, but Marcus was already dead. Hisst breath ended after saving his son.]


    [A few secondster, Fox appeared. Her head was bleeding, but she seemed fine, at least better than Wesley, who was confused and shocked.]


    "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 ce.]


    [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 ck 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 oue. Wesley was already tainted by the hidden side of the world and it was impossible for him to leave.]


    [Marcus saved John Wick thest 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 haspromised them."


    [This was the reason why The Fraternity was adamant in killing everyone rted 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 dayster, two people entered an abandoned building. They were Jason Bourne and Raizo. Inside the building, Wesley Gibson and John Wick awaited their arrival].


    "What''s the n?"


    [Raizo trusted John Wick. As for Jason Bourne, he realized that the people in the building were not so simple, especially the old man.]


    "Simple, we break down the door and get in there. End this all at once."


    [What they didn''t know was that there was one person who had the same intention as they did. Bryan Mills found the location of the Fraternity after extensive research].


    [D-Day arrived and the group began their n. A huge truck crashed into the textile factory and thousands of rats infested the factory.]


    [This was the wee gesture. Once the rats spread around, the detonation happened and destroyed the building.]


    [Bryan Mills, who was watching from the apartment, was a bit shocked when he realized that his mission was being taken over by others. As a veteran agent, Bryan knew how to use sniper rifles... It was funny that he was the one who was going to snipe them this time. But unlikest time, Bryan Mills would never miss. He set up his rifle and started to help the unknown group.]


    [The team gathered and began the riot. Wesley and the others had their respective enemies, they were strong, but the protagonists were far stronger.]


    [Wesley found the Sloan and Fox, along with the Fraternity members he thought were his family].


    "Sloan lied to you, the code in the cloth was fake! He only used you to kill people, like hired killers."


    [Some of them hesitated when they heard Wesley''s confession. Fox stared at Sloan, gun still raised].


    "Is it true?"


    "All of you, all of your names came out of the fabric, but I saved you."


    "..."


    [The members argued, not knowing who to believe. In the end, the Fraternity members bend the trajectory of their bullets and kill everyone in the circle. Fox lost her life.]


    [The battle ended after that, but Sloan sessfully escaped].


    "Sloan--!!!"


    [Wesley screamed at the top of his lungs. The person he wanted to kill escaped.]


    ...


    ...


    ...


    [A few monthster, the stuff about the Fraternity started to disappear. Just like John Wick said, the High Table emunicated 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 doingtely?"


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Woohoo!!"


    The apuse 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 pped 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 sry 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 contemte 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 andst 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 histe 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 wasing to an end and Sony was happy with his performance. If Wanted was a huge sess, Frank would definitely get a bonus. Maybe he could be invited to be a director or president of the parentpany, 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 sess."


    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 sess 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...


    ...


    ...


    ...


    June 1st, the very first day of June, was Thursday. Thursday night was the best time to start a premiere because the next days were the weekend and it would help the movie to boost its sales. That''s why most movies were released on Thursday night.


    On June 1, only one movie had the potential to give Wanted trouble. It was Big Momma''s House, produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was aedy about an undercover cop who dresses up as a fat, gentle olddy to find a criminal... It was actually a very funny and good movie.


    But obviously, it failed topete with the Wanted. Big Momma''s House lost to a blockbuster.


    The posters referred to Wanted. The trailers were always on TV. The hype about it was huge. Every TV channel was talking about it. And the response was all positive.


    In the first 24 hours, June 2, Big Momma''s House grossed $7.66 million. On the first day box office, it was a big amount.


    But Wanted was a different breed. On its first day of release, it made a fucking $55.83 million! On the first day alone. The 5,000 theaters that were showing the movie were packed. Nearly 90% full in every round.


    The movie was 110 minutes long. That means the theaters could only repeat the movie 13 times in one day. And each time, the seats were full.


    On the second day, June 3, Wanted grossed another $44 million.


    On the third day, it was $35 million.


    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 uing 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 ted 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 ssics].

 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 dor 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 rtionship with Kazir.


    Her second project was Gone In 60 Seconds, with Nichs 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, Nichs Cage had already indicated that he would be the protagonist, so Angelina and her agent epted the role. The sry was not bad.


    It was crazy that the production cost of Gone In 60 Seconds was $103 million, perhaps casting a superstar like Nichs Cage increased the budget a lot. It is estimated that Nichs Cage''s sry 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.


    "Promoting a big movie is super hard."


    In fact, Kazir wanted to be with Angelina, but he was invited to be on The Oprah Winfrey Show and couldn''t make it. Also, his rtionship with Disney was not so good after he kept denying their intention to buy his script. On top of that, Wanted and Gone in 60 Seconds had a rivalry based on their release dates.


    In fact, even Angelina Jolie felt the scrutiny of her co-stars. Her roles in both movies were important and she clearly had a side she supported the most... She felt unwee at this premiere. But she had to walk the red carpet because she had signed a contract to do so.


    Life was hard... But not for Wanted.


    The first day (Friday, June 9) of Gone in 60 Seconds grossed $8.40 million.


    Wanted grossed $18.54 million on the same day.


    The second day (June 10, Saturday) of Gone in 60 Seconds grossed $9.47 million.


    Wanted grossed $24.84 million on the same day.


    The third day (Sunday, June 11) of Gone in 60 Seconds grossed $7.45 million. The first week of the movie had a total of $25.33 million at the box office.


    As for Wanted. The film grossed $18.95 million on Sunday. The second weekend of Wanted grossed $62.33 million.


    The total ten-day screening of Wanted was $258.36 million.


    There was no need topare the two movies. Based on the numbers alone, Gone in 60 Seconds faced a strong opponent and easily lost the battle.


    The studiopanies felt that the moviesing out in June would be heavily influenced by Wanted. Wanted would dominate June, that was for sure.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "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 bing 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 studiopanies.


    "Those bunch of ingrates sabotaged me and voted for the schedule of Gone in 60 Seconds. They want to me 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 moviepanies 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 thisedy 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 opinions of movie critics were mixed, one side felt that the movie had no substance and the plot was boring. The other side praised the movie and said that Wanted would open up another field for the movie industry to make money from.


    If there was one thing that was certain, it was the fact that everyone realized that Kazir Grey was not just a director. He belonged to the group of directors who have written their names in the history of cinema as the best.


    In fact, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which is responsible for the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, invited Kazir and hoped that he would add his name to the historicalndmark.


    So yes, if you visit the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, you will see Kazir Grey''s name on one of the brass stars.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    While all this was going on, a certain couple decided to look for a house.


    "This ce is nice. The house got a pool, a big garage, a living room, seven bedrooms, and a big ballroom we can use if we want to have a party. But knowing you, I''m sure you don''t like parties." Angelina giggled, making fun of Kazir.


    "We can have a party to celebrate the new house. I''ll invite my family."


    "I''d like you to do it. I want to see your sweet cute niece."


    Angelina met Kazir''s family while they were promoting the film in New York. The little girl was so adorable that Angelina fell in love with her. Kazir''s sister-inw and Angelina had a great meeting.


    "Well, since we both like this house, what''s your decision?"


    Kazir was known to be a cheap person, but Angelina knew the whole story. Kazir just didn''t like spending money on useless things. The man was actually sincere and loved to take her to expensive restaurants and Kazir also bought her expensive gifts.


    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 ce. 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 ce 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 ept 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."


    "Thanks, babe."


    The reason Kazir was hesitant to ept the deal was because of what he knew about the future. He was actually surprised that Disney wanted to make John Carter very earlypared to the original timeline. Well, he knew that one way or another, the reason was because of his interference with the timeline.


    John Carter was a box office disaster. Walt Disney tried to promote it overseas to recoup their losses, but it was useless. In the end, they shut down the project with no intention of making a sequel.


    Another reason was that--


    "Warner Brothers also contacted me. They want me to direct Harry Potter. It''s a children''s book."


    "I haven''t heard about that. You know I''m busy."


    Angelina replied, ruffling the man''s hair.


    "They said they would give me preferential treatment, a 20+20 deal, and a 5% profit share on videotape/DVD for five years."


    The first five years of a movie''s life in the videotape/DVD market were the best for profits. After that, sales would slow down.


    In his estimate, Kazir would make about $20-40 million on the videotape/DVD profit share alone. That was a huge stake that Warner Brothers was willing to take.


    "I''m speechless."


    Indeed, Angelina didn''t know what to say. She was quite famous and her worth was over 7 figures, but she didn''t expect her boyfriend to make ten times her annual sry. She was so proud of him.


    "Then I guess you''ll choose this Harry Potter."


    "You''re not afraid I''ll fail?"


    "As if. We are talking about you, the talented director Kazir Grey. Of course you will do well. I believe in you."


    Kazir smiled and nuzzled against her breasts...


    "Actually, I have an offer from Sony-Columbia as well."


    "Let me guess, their offer is more tempting than Walt Disney and Warner Brothers. You know what, I think 20th Century Fox also contacted you, right?"


    "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 congratted 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 epted it and didn''t bother to exin himself.


    "What about Sony-Columbia? What do they want from you?"


    "You know Spiderman?"


    "Thatic book superhero? I read a few issues."


    "Sony-Columbia is hoping I''ll direct this project. Well, it''splicated, actually. Even Marvel is trying to talk to me."


    Grey Pictures bought a lot of superhero movie copyrights from Marvel, and thepany 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 ce because Marvel might be my enemyter 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 quiteplicated. Sony-Columbia and MGM felt that bothpanies 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 Supaid¨¡man, also referred to as Japanese Spider-Man or Toei Spider-Man. The productionpany of this TV series was Toei Company. Also produced in the 70s.


    So yes, the copyrights of this superhero character wereplicated.


    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 whichpany should acquire the movie adaptation. In the end, the twopanies 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 n 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 rmended 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 sess 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 sry.


    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.


    Work on a movie would take months or a year toplete. Sam Raimi knew this, so he decided to turn down the project and focus on his wife.


    Was this an intervention? Or maybe the original timeline was already over in 1994. The year a certain man started his career and slowly became sessful.


    In any case, Sam Raimi was now out of the picture. So Sony-Columbia struggled to find a director to take over the project.


    Thepany had already invested nearly $5 million in the early stages of the project, and that amount would be wasted if they postponed production. It was painful for them.


    Suddenly, the current CEO of Sony-Columbia, Frank Price, remembered that Grey Pictures had a good rtionship with them. Moreover, Marvel Comics indicated that they wanted to meet Kazir Grey.


    Yes, Frank Price was interested in Kazir Grey as the director of Spider-Man. The man said he wanted to work with the Big Six again. As long as the terms were right, maybe Kazir would agree to direct Spider-Man.


    For the record, Kazir Grey had a better portfolio than other directors. All of his films in thest five years have been blockbusters. None of them lost money, not even John Wick.


    Frank Price felt that Kazir had the talent, the charisma and the authority to be the director of this movie.


    Sony-Columbia knew they were the lowest of the Big Six and needed a franchise to save them from destruction. Bruce Almighty was set to be released the following month, but that was another story.


    All Frank Price and the management at Sony-Columbia wanted was for their projects not to lose out to thepetition.


    Since Kazir Grey was the hottest director right now and his filmography was amazing, Sony-Columbia had no problem hiring him.


    Well, here was the problem. Apparently Warner Brothers, Walt Disney and 20th Century Fox had the same intention as Sony-Columbia.


    They wanted Kazir to direct their respective films.


    In Frank Price''s opinion, 20th Century Fox would be the strongest opponent. After all, the sess 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 rted to Spider-Man."


    "..."


    As expected, Salvatore Barlowe was asking for something extravagant. Well, his client had the right to do so, considering that histest 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 onlypany that wanted to work with Kazir Grey. The otherpanies 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 sess.


    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 arge 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 sry 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."


    "d 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 havee 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.


    The old man sat down and sighed in defeat. He did his best. He promised Kazir a contract that only a few directors had the privilege of receiving. But it seemed that the guy was more interested in working with a washed up superhero from a bankrupticpany...


    "Anyway, the project is still going on. We can hire other directors... Try contacting Fremont Smith and see if he is interested. As long as the conditions can be met, we can work with him."


    Most of Kazir''s films were original screenys, except for The Bourne Identity. Since that was the case, they might as well look for others.


    Fremont Smith was associated with the Continental Cinematic Universe, and he had an idea of how Cinematic Universe worked. He fit the criteria.


    "Yes, sir."


    The secretary left, quite tense because the chairman was clearly in a bad mood.


    "Kazir, are you still upset about what happened?"


    Walt Disney and Universal Pictures joined hands to defame Kazir, and behind them was the WMA.


    "Or maybe you didn''t like that we didn''t kick Harvey Weinstein out of thepany?"


    Honestly, he should have. Now Harvey Weinstein was like a rat in a wooden wall, slowly destroying the house he built. The fat guy was still sucking up to Roy Disney.


    Harvey was still trying to hide from the public after the ir Witch Project incident. But he was active in corporate politics.


    Now, Chairman Michael Eisner felt that his days in his position wereing to an end... Maybe it was time to retire.


    "No, I love the authority I have. It''s impossible to leave this job, this drug that keeps me and my ego high."


    This John Carter, this movie should be sessful.


    "I should also talk to Steve Jobs. Walt Disney needs Pixar."


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Having a contract like the one he has now was the highest and most absurd contract he had in his life.


    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 ount when the project waspleted.


    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 sidespromised 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 thanics.


    The de 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 productionpany 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 sess of the Continental Cinematic Universe made them realize that Kazir Grey definitely had a n 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.


    "Um... Actually," Jezebel Salome, the producer of this project, nudged her sses and said her opinion.


    "I think the Green Goblin looks silly. The audience will make fun of our viin if we make the Green Goblin look like this. We should go with the earlier one, his designs are great."


    Jezebel smiled at the designer, but her eyes were not so sympathetic.


    "..."


    Kazir stopped speaking for a second. He looked at the designs instead.


    ''This is actually the costume that Willem Dafoe wore in the movie. Except for some color schemes, they are basically the same,'' Kazir recalled.


    Now the question was. Should Kazir go along with the producer?


    ''As expected, working with people you don''t know will have someplications.'' He thought.


    "Jezebel, the designs are very close to theic counterpart. Although I agree with you."


    "I''m d we have the same idea..."


    "We should drop the purple color and make the suit all green, shiny green."


    "..."


    Jezebel stopped talking. She looked down at the art pages and nodded weakly.


    "Okay... Okay, we can do that."


    The mood in the room improved after that. Now they have costume design references. They should now look for the cast who would use these costumes.


    Kazir knew that keeping the original cast was the right thing to do. The original movie was sessful and he admitted that the cast was part of the reason.


    So Kazir personally invited Willem Dafoe to audition. Willem Dafoe was thete 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 y the viin in a superhero movie, the actor was hesitant. Actors must maintain their image. If he epted the role, it might affect his public image.


    After all, people hate viins. 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 dors to Willem sry if the negotiations didn''t work out. If that amount is not enough, then go with n B.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Now that the role of Norman Osborn was in good hands, the crew began looking for Mary Jane. In theics, Spider-Man had many lovers. His most famous ones were Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy. Unfortunately, most of his rtionships 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 n to create a Cinematic Universe.


    "Yes, I can do it."


    Kirsten nodded. She knew that Mary Jane Watson had red hair in theics. Because she wasn''t sure if she could get the role, Kirsten didn''t dye her hair yet.


    "Miss Kirsten, I can see that you''re not at all serious and passionate about this role. At least the other actresses dyed their hair and showed their clear intentions. I''m sorry, but I''m going to give you a minus for that." Jezebel said.


    "I-I understand."


    Kirsten Dunst stammered, blushing slightly with embarrassment. But she didn''t want to damage her hair without the assurance that she would get the role.


    Stan Lee did his best to keep the atmosphere peaceful. As for Kazir, he was quiet the whole time, always thinking and rarely speaking.


    ''If I''m not mistaken, Kirsten Dunst had a kissing scene with Brad Pitt in Dance With The Vampire. To be clear, Kirsten was only 12 years old at the time.''


    Kazir couldn''t remember the exact story, but Kirsten did kiss Brad in the movie.


    As for hiring Kirsten Dunst... Kazir was not sure what to do. Again, he had trouble making a decision, especially when the producer next to him was making passive-aggressivements. Well, her criticism was not so bad.


    "We have a wig. You can wear it and we will discuss if you fit the role. There''s no problem with the acting, we just want to know if red hair works for you."


    A few minutester, a male make-up artist was doing his best to give Kirsten a makeover. Yes, most of the crew members were not from Grey Pictures.


    The head of the Grey Pictures make-up team was Jane, not a man. Jane might have trouble working in this kind of atmosphere.


    The people looked at the actress and nodded. Well, it was not that bad. Not that great, but not that bad.


    When Kirsten Dunst left the room embarrassingly, knowing she had messed up, Kazir announced something.


    "Put Kirsten Dunst on the top list. She''s our first choice for now."


    "Wha-- Okay, I get it."


    Jezebel was shocked at first. She gritted her teeth, but decided to keep her cool. Obviously, she was not to me this time.


    Unlike original script, this movie was based onic 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 sd, 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 ssmates 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 ovee 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 be 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 wascking. But because of Kazir''s past sesses and his eye for casting, they decided to ept his decision.


    The main reason Kazir cast Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson was because of his knowledge.


    Spider-Man was a huge sess 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 eptable. Still, Jezebel was against Kazir''s decision to choose the female lead.


    After that, the subject of the protagonist, the person who would be 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 rmended 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 ce 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 themon 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 quitete.


    "I will say it again, I think Tobey Maguire fits the role. He is not an unknown actor, he is part of many TV series and some movies. He has the knack for acting and his looks are nice, he looks like a good guy."


    Kazir announced. Although he knew that Tobey was famous for being known as Bully Maguire. Tobey hates the paparazzi, and frankly, he was right to hate them.


    Maybe Tobey''s career has been affected by that bully scandal. But he is actually a great actor, he knows how to act. Too bad he is only famous for being Spider-Man. He didn''t have a memorable role after that.


    Kazir sighed inwardly. He thought that Tobey was just misunderstood.


    "Yes, I agree with Kazir this time."


    Stan Lee nodded. Tobey made a good impression and seemed promising.


    Stan Lee had the highest authority on the Marvel staff. Besides, Stan Lee was the creator of Spider-Man, so his opinion was not to be taken lightly.


    "I''m okay with that, too."


    Even Jezebel agreed. Tobey Maguire''s portfolio was good.


    Surprisingly, everyone actually agreed to cast Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker. Kazir thought some opposition would happen.


    Tobey Maguire agreed to sign a trilogy and his first sry was $3 million. His agent even fought just to get that amount. Regarding sry, Kazir clearly had the highest one in this project.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The management of Grey Pictures became the responsibility of Ste Willow, the general manager of thepany. The business matters, the hiring of staff, and finding people who would take over the projects.


    Next year, Grey Pictures intends to release two movies. The first was The Fast and The Furious while the second was John Wick Chapter 2.


    Fremont Smith already expressed that he would direct John Wick Chapter 2. The budget was already approved and the pre-production would start next week.


    Actually, Walt Disney was trying to contact Fremont Smith in the hope that he would direct John Carter.


    Fremont Smith already signed a contract with Grey Pictures. However, there was no use that he couldn''t work with otherpanies. 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, Ste Willow was looking for someone to direct the movie.


    In fact, Kazir wanted her to look for a Taiwanese director. Honestly, Ste 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.


    Ste 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 sessful. 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 sessful 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 rmended Jim Carrey and Morgan Freeman for this movie?"


    "Jim is the face ofedy 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 beplete without interviews.


    "Congrattions, 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 dors.


    But internationally it was different, the movie just passed its first month of international release and it already grossed $322 million.


    In fact, even though all of Kazir''s movies have been sessful, none of them have crossed the $800 million mark. But from the looks of it, Wanted definitely had the power to do so.


    No, the prediction was that the movie could surpass $900 million or maybe even $1 billion. If that happened, Wanted would be the fourth movie to gross $1 billion!


    Kazir had been in the business since 1988, when he worked as a crew member on Rain Man.


    Then he signed with Carl Morin and made horror movies until WMA kicked him out of the agency. Then his ex-wife filed for divorce... Then the memories of his future life overtook him and he started his real journey.


    Napoleon Dynamite


    The Hangover


    Taken


    John Wick


    The Bourne Identity


    Wanted


    ''I can''t believe I''m getting to this moment where one of my movies has a chance to go over $1 billion.'' He was genuinely happy.


    That was one of the hardest things to aplish in this industry, making more than $1 billion box office.


    Kazir and Angelina went to the theater to see the movie.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    The summer schedule was packed, no doubt about it. Every week new movies would be released topete in this lucrative schedule.


    August was thest 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 wouldpete for first ce.


    ... 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 diator.


    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 productionpanies, 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 apany 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 ce had a green background all around.


    Kazir wanted to use green screen technology for some scenes. This technology was also called chroma keypositing or chroma keying.


    A visual effects and post-production technique forpositing yering) 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 ces, 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 popr. 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.


    Pirates of the Caribbean.


    ''Sony-Colombia made a huge investment in Spider-Man, spending some of it on a green screen is not a crime. Besides, I''m not spending my money anyway. A win for me.''


    He grinned slightly. That was the power of respect. Sony-Columbia respected him because he could make a lot of money.


    So yes, he was milking thepany to learn green screen technology.


    Speaking of respect...


    Kazir nced around and noticed that Kirsten Dunst seemed ufortable. The actress tried to act as if nothing was wrong, but Kazir could see through her lies.


    The set was full of men. The reason for this was that many women quit their jobs after being berated by the producer.


    Three people had the most authority in this project. Kazir Grey, the Marvel representative, and Jezebel Salome.


    Unfortunately, Jezebel loved to demean the women in the crew. One by one, the women left the crew until only a handful remained.


    From the looks of it, Kirsten Dunst seemed to be suffering from the producer as well.


    Kazir thought about firing the producer, but he knew he could not do it without a real reason.


    Jezebel was put in the position by Sony-Colombia to control Kazir in case the director ran amok.


    ''I can''t say that she is affecting the production because there is no substantial effect. Production is going as smoothly as possible.''


    Kazir admitted that Jezebel had bad blood with the women, but overall her work ethic was good. The production was on the right track because of her.


    The producer was responsible for keeping, organizing and managing the crew. So far, Jezebel was doing the right thing with no w.


    ''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 actressforted 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 sry 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 asions 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 topete for this role, and I don''t want to be reced."


    The woman touched her t 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 Rosemaryforted 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 notte. Kazir had this passive ability that made the filming faster. He knew what to shoot and his n 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 negativements would be bad.


    "Kirsten,e 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 asting impression."


    The director sighed...


    This is the typical mentality of Extra and Vase.


    Extra and Vase characters were background characters. They didn''t have lines and they weren''t important at all. So these small-time actors/actresses had this mission to make a sting impression'' so that they would have a chance to work on another project.


    But Kirsten had already passed that stage before she became an adult.


    She was part of the cast of Interview with the Vampire along with Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas and Brad Pitt.


    She was also in the cast of Jumanji. She was not a fucking Vase.


    Kazir could scold the woman right now. But he knew that would be the wrong thing to do.


    The best response was to give her the confidence she needed.


    "Kirsten, do you know why I decided to cast you even though some of the crew were against it?"


    "Director?"


    "Because I see something in you. I see potential in you. You''re young and your future is limitless. Besides, you''re beautiful. The way you smile makes me smile. So don''t worry about leaving asting impression. Because in my opinion, you are already making a strong impression on everyone in the cast."


    Kazir didn''t give a fuck about what he said. He was basically lying. Sounds heartless, but Kazir would never hesitate to praise a literal shit if that shit would bring him a huge box office.


    "Don''t think about some people making fun of you. In my opinion, they are trying to destroy your mentality because they don''t want to see you seed. They are jealous of you."


    So yes, he was lying with a straight face. Kazir never liked Kirsten Dunst, that was the truth. But business was business and he would do his best to make things work.


    ''... Am I a sociopath or a psychopath? I didn''t study psychology and I never knew the definitions. Maybe Palenque knows the answer, my assistant director knows a lot about human psychology.''


    Suddenly Kirsten''s eyes widened as if she realized the truth. She looked at Kazir, blushing slightly, and nodded.


    "T- Thank you, director!"


    Kirsten nced in the direction where Jezebel stood. She gave the producer a smug smile and returned to the set.


    Jezebel just tilted her head. The producer was actually angry that Kirsten kept making a mistake. She reminded Kirsten that she was supposed to be perfect on camera and yet she had so many NGs.


    Surprisingly, after this conversation, Kirsten Dunst rarely had NGs. Even her smile and expressions seemed genuine. It was as if she was a recent college graduate blossoming in society, ying Mary Jane in the movie.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    "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 areing in half an hourter--"


    "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 nced 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 dyed 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 hadplicated 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 otherpetitors. He was also unhappy that Grey Pictures was making massive profits.


    A billion dors... A veryrge 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 veryplicated 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 theyck. Acquiring thispany 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 hispany, 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 thepany 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 bacsh, 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 anotherpetition.


    ''I should ask management to do some research on Grey Pictures and determine its worth.''


    Since Wanted had grossed over $1 billion plus the overall performance of CCU, Grey Pictures'' worth would probably be over $1.5 billion. Thepany had profitable movies to exploit, and it seemed that it had a lot of superhero copyrights as well.


    But Grey Pictures was only founded a few years ago and it had already gained a good reputation. The fact that thepany had $1.5 billion was really amazing.


    Suddenly, Tom Rothman felt bitter. He realized that Kazir might be richer than he was.


    ''Kazir is low-key rich, damn it.''


    Before he could get in touch with management, his secretary informed him that George Lucas had arrived.


    LucasFilm was only a productionpany and didn''t have the ability to distribute its films like Grey Pictures.


    However, LucasFilm was much bigger than a youngpany like Grey Pictures. Even though LucasFilm only focused on a few movies such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones, thispany was far more important than Grey Pictures. The profit that LucasFilm made each year wasparable to the Big Six. Especially now that the new Star Wars trilogy was underway.


    In fact, 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney were trying their best to acquire thepany. George Lucas was still biding his time.


    Although spoiler alert, the damn woke Disney acquired LucasFilm. The result of this acquisition wasplicated. Either Star Wars fans loved it or they hated it. Not gonna lie, Star Wars fans were a little toxic.


    Tom Rothman agreed and met with George Lucas. The two greeted each other with respect and began to talk business.


    "It''s unfortunate that Kazir didn''t agree. I really hope he will direct Star Wars. With him, I think Star Wars will have a great performance." George Lucas sighed.


    The subject went to Kazir for reasons unknown.


    Tom Rothman kept his mouth shut, but he agreed. Kazir was super dedicated to his job and the chances of Star Wars getting bigger would be high if he directed it.


    George Lucas and Kazir Grey had a good rtionship after their first meeting. George then tried to offer the job to Kazir, but the young director was not sure.


    In the end, Kazir decided to make a superhero movie... Nobody knew the oue of his decision.


    "$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 sry and contract. Because Kazir got a good contract from Sony-Columbia. His sry alone was 25 million dors. Can you believe that?


    ......


    ...


    ...


    "Congrattions, director!"


    "Hey Willem, I should congratte 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 congratted 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 Dous 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 bes 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 Hollywoodpanies. 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 areplicated. Someined 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 rted 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 Pce 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 uing 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 dors. 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.


    Usually when an actress is the protagonist in an action movie, it doesn''t end well.


    ''I guess that is why Paramount Pictures invited me to audition for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.''


    She thought. She talked to Kazir about the project, knowing that Kazir had the eyes to tell if a script was good or bad. Kazir said the script was promising and she should go for it. Besides, the sry Paramount was offering her was quite generous.


    In this industry, actresses were usually paid less than actors. Only a few actresses had the ability to demand huge sries, such as Julia Roberts, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jodie Foster, and Winona Ryder. These women were the most famous actresses of the 90s.


    A few minutester, Angelina heard someone approaching and turned around. She saw Kazir and ran to give him a hug.


    "I miss you."


    "Angelina, we just met earlier." The man chuckled. He had a gift bag in his hand.


    "Yes, and I miss you."


    "Let''s go to my house. I''m going to cook to celebrate the sess of Wanted."


    Angelina was a little surprised that Kazir wanted to go to the newly renovated house instead of the usual office. Maybe Wanted made him happy.


    Kazir took her hand and led her to the parking lot.


    "Now that Wanted is a huge sess, Grey Pictures is having a celebration party in December."


    "I''m part of the cast, so of course I will be there," Angelina replied.


    With more than $300 million in his bank ount, Kazir had no idea what to do with it, so he decided to buy a nice car. Yes, goodbye to his Honda.


    The couple got into a ck Mercedes-Benz.


    "By the way, what''s with the gift bag?"


    "Oh, this?"


    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 ced 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 yboy. 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 difort.


    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.


    Particrly was the Times Square.


    One of the most popr 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 andnding. Of course, they use it mostly when Spider-Man and Green Goblin need screen time in the sky ornding 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 Maguirended 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 thending 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 ufortable to spend most of the day in the costume.


    Fortunately, they were done for today. Apparently, Director Grey wanted to meet his rtives, 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 thend of the free. People could carry guns for protection. Unfortunately, there were people who used guns for the wrong purposes.


    Gun control was quiteplicated...


    As Kazir started to leave, he found Kirsten fidgeting and quietly following him. The woman realized that the director sensed her.


    "Is something wrong, Kirsten?"


    "Um, director, I baked some cookies. I hope you''ll try them."


    "Thank you." Kazir casually epted the gift.


    "By the way, is Jezebel still..."


    "Unfortunately, yes. Although I''ve gotten used to her. What she says always makes sense, but she''s very strict with me," Kirsten replied.


    "Tell me if something happens."


    "Yes, director."


    Kazir and Erica got into the car. As the assistant/bodyguard/driver, Erica was responsible for driving the car.


    Kazir looked at the box of cookies and decided to take a bite.


    "Not bad. Maybe my niece will like it."


    Kazir was not stupid. He knew what Kirsten was up to.


    He was responsible for the movie and he didn''t want any mishaps, so he decided to let things be. However, Kazir had no intention of flirting with the young woman. He just wanted to make sure that Kirsten was in her right mind so that the filming would go smoothly.


    The actress'' mental health has been very delicatetely.


    Kazir wanted to do something about Jezebel, but the woman had no faults other than being strict with women. In fact, she was good at her job.


    So to bnce things out, Kazir decided to ept gifts from the actress, but made sure to keep the proper distance and create a boundary between them.


    If Kazir flirted with Kirsten, Angelina would definitely be upset. They had a great rtionship and Kazir didn''t want it to crumble.


    ''The watch Kirsten gave me is missing. I can''t find it after my night with Angelina. She probably did something with it.''


    Well, Angelina made up for it by buying Kazir a Rolex, a much more expensive watch.


    "I prefer G-Shock, but whatever," he looked at the Rolex he was wearing and confirmed that it was 4:45 pm.


    The traffic in New York was terrible and they were still in Manhattan. Then Erica decided to take a new route and they reached Wall Street...


    Not a minuteter, the two heard a thud and then a loud scream.


    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!"


    "Ambnce! Call the damn ambnce!"


    "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 bubble burst?"


    The man was probably someone who worked in the financial sector, maybe dabbling in stocks. But because the dot 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 ce 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 ce 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 ent 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 quiteplicated. Well, Kazir Grey made it veryplicated.


    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 simrities 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 awsuit. Grey Pictures bought the said article for an amount of 50 thousand dors. 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 insurancepany 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 Ste 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.


    He signed a contract and got a sry of $1 million. It was actually the highest sry he ever had.


    After that he signed with CAA and had an agent to help him. Salvatore Barlowe was already in a tight spot after having two directors, so it was impossible for him to get Justin Lin. CAA would not let that happen.


    "Haha, L- Let''s start the script reading."


    Justin Lin announced in his unique ent, wiping his sweaty brow. He was actually nervous.


    Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, still strangers, stared at each other and wondered.


    ''Can this guy even direct this movie? He looks like he''s going to pass out from sweating so much.''


    All the actors in this movie were new to the industry. None of them had established their status.


    Vin Diesel had been in some projects like Saving Private Ryan and even starred in Pitch ck, but the guy was still not that famous. Grey Pictures could afford his sry, so yes, he was not that famous...


    The biggest reason why these actors and actresses auditioned for this movie was because of the influence of Wanted and the previous CCU movies. Hollywood predicted that the movies produced by Grey Pictures had a high chance of making a profit.


    For new actors/actresses who didn''t have a steady career in the industry, this was the chance they didn''t want to let go.


    What they didn''t know was that Kazir understood the importance of this franchise. Because he knew how much money Fast & Furious could make.


    As for why Kazir didn''t hire Rob Cohen, the first director of The Fast and The Furious movie. The first filmcked unrealistic stunts.


    The Continental Cinematic Universe was filled with spies, assassins and even ninjas. The movie needed spice to make it interesting.


    Justin Lin was the director of:


    The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (3rd sequel)


    Fast & Furious (4th sequel)


    Fast Five (5th sequel)


    Fast & Furious 6 (6th sequel)


    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 airne? 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 rtionship, 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 rtionship over a year ago. They had their first night together in December, Christmas Eve to be exact. After that, they decided to be a thing.


    And now the year 2000 has just passed and it was already February 2001. Time sure flies when you''re that busy.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    "Congrattions. Not only Wanted, even the Bruce Almighty you wrote had a great performance."


    "Thanks George. I have to stay motivated to stay relevant. I''m not like you, who created a culture in the United States. The influence of the Continental Cinematic Universe is nothingpared to Star Wars."


    Kazir visited Industrial Light & Magic to see the progress of the special effects. The special effects project was 85%plete and just needed a few tweaks. Of course, Kazir had to put all these shots together into aplete movie before everything was done. So he probably had to spend another month or two in post-production.


    "Give it a few years, your movies will get the same treatment."


    Kazir shrugged at George Lucas'' answer.


    "Anyway, I know you turned down Star Wars Episode 2 because you were interested in Spider-Man. But what about Episode 3?"


    "You really want to hire me?"


    "I can''t help it. You''re the most profitable director right now. If you direct Star Wars, I''m sure the box office will be over $1 billion."


    "I can''t promise you anything."


    In his opinion, the romance between Padme and Anakin was somewhat forced. He had an idea how to fix it, but wanted to keep it to himself since he was not sure if he would be working with Star Wars. The plot of the new trilogy wascking.


    The special effects for Spider-Man were going in the right direction. Most of it involved Spider-Man swinging past buildings in New York as if he were Tarzan.


    ''I can''t believe we spent millions of dors on that eight to ten minutes of detailed animation.''


    CGI was very expensive in the early 2000s. But if youpare 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 sessful director. Everyone believed your movie would make money.


    Perhaps the only thing Kazir could be proud of was his strong memory of things rted 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 hase. Honestly, I''m still sticking to my opinion to sell at least 30% of Grey Pictures so that thepany can join one of the Big Six. Because realistically, if Grey Pictures continues to make sessful 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, thatpany 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 chapterster, 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 be part of News Corporation and leave the position of CEO of 20th Century Fox. He worked hard for thatpany, 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 umted 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 Inte and telmunications.


    "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 ept 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 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 tradedpany, so they had to determine the 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.


    n Frederick Horn would be the COO of Warner Brothers while Barry Mayer would be the Chairman now that Terry Semel nned to end his job at Warner Brothers.


    ''This is strange, this guy should have focused on training his sessor instead of trying to acquire Grey Pictures. Was this ordered by Time Warner? Are they interested in Grey Pictures?'' Tom couldn''t get it.


    Unlike him, who had at least a year to move a job, Terry Semel was already in hisst quarter at Warner Brothers. Yet the guy contacted Grey Pictures.


    Tom Rothman narrowed his eyes and thought seriously.


    ''Should I contact Rupert? News Corporation might also be interested in Grey Pictures.''


    Unlike other productionpanies, Grey Pictures had a good chance of bing a world-ss studio.


    ''Kazir is a smart guy, he didn''t try to create a distribution channel at all. Maybe he expected this oue... Is he really confident about CCU?''


    Well, Kazir proved himself right, and now Grey Pictures'' worth was over $1 billion, even though it was less than a decade old. It was already making millions in profits, sometimes over $100 million a year. Last year''s revenue was over $1 billion because of Wanted, the box office of Wanted was now $1.21 billion and some countries were still showing the movie.


    On top of that, Bruce Almighty ended its run with more than $484 million worldwide. The movie premiered in Augustst year and seven months have already passed.


    Do you know a director who could write a script that had a 100% chance of making a profit at the box office? No, because being a director and a screenwriter are two different jobs.


    But Kazir had the two talents, theyplemented each other and made a fantastic chemical reaction.


    ''Most of his movies were original screenys, except for The Bourne Identity and the uing Spider-Man. Well, the guy had the talent to make the movie a box office hit.''


    Tom Rothman admitted as much.


    The first time was nothing but a bluff. The second time was interesting. But the third, fourth and even fifth were no miracles. It was talent and consistency, and Kazir has been making sessful movies for years.


    But Grey Pictures is useless without Kazir.


    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 wereing to an end and Grey Pictures had to find anotherpany to hang on to. Grey Pictures also had no distribution channel. They also didn''t have Vi, 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 worth of Warner Brothers in the 2000s, so I decided to use the current worth, which was $27 billion.]


    [This is the second chapter for today].

 Chapter 260

    Chapter 260


    "Warner Brothers is interested in mypany. 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. Thispany 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 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.


    Because of Wanted, the other movies also had an increase in sales. In total, the profit from videotapes and peripherals reached more than $180 million. This was the profit of the previous year (2000).


    However, the profits of videotapes became smallerpared to DVDs. The DVD sales ounted for more than 50% of the peripheral profitst year.


    In addition, Grey Pictures worked with clothing brands to promote their CCU clothing, such as T-shirts with the faces of the protagonists. Then Hasbro hoped to buy their copyrights to make action figures of the CCU characters. This business coboration was part of the $180 million profit.


    Hasbro was the toypany that made Transformers, G.I. Joe and Beyde.


    Yes, Hasbro now had the license to produce toys for the Continental Cinematic Universe. Everything from action figures to paper toys and stuff.


    "Ste Willow seems to be very activetely, maybe because of the bonus and the shares I promised her, she''s working harder."


    Kazir had no intention of taking hispany public because it would affect thepany. As for selling some shares to one of the Big Six for protection, that was Kazir''s intention all along. Otherwise, thepany wouldn''t survive that long.


    Grey Pictures didn''t have distribution, didn''t have a media backer, and didn''t have a seat in MPAA film rating.


    But unlike other studios that lost money on some of their films, all the films Grey Pictures produced were profitable. That was the biggest difference between them and Grey Pictures.


    Perhaps because of this and the news that Warner Bros. was interested in Grey Pictures, some of the Big Six felt that Grey Pictures was worth acquiring. More specifically, they wanted Kazir Grey, the brains behind thepany.


    Was creativity really so important? In Hollywood, creativity means a huge risk of loss. Hollywood was not made for art, it was made for business. So a movie with too much artistic sense would never work. All they wanted were movies that would make them more money.


    And surprisingly, Kazir''s creativity fit in well. Using realistic action stunts and creating a cinematic universe. It was creative, but it didn''t turn them off. Instead, they wanted more.


    Kazir Grey is a perfect fit for this industry. That was why the Big Six wanted him.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    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. Thepany could notpete 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 topete with them. Marketing and promotion were difficult because they didn''t have any connection with the media (television, radio and newspapers).


    ++++


    [This is thest 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://.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.


    Anyway, The Mummy Returns grossed $435 million. You see, the franchise was amazing.


    In its second week, The Knight''s Tale barely passed $100 million. It was produced by Sony-Columbia.


    In the third week, the chad of the movie called Shrek was released. This was an animated film produced by DreamWorks Animation. This was proof that Disney was not the only one that couldpete in 3D animation. The film grossed $491 million.


    Pearl Harbor premiered in the fourth week. This was the first project Ben Affleck worked on after Wanted. His fame levelled up and more people recognized him. The film grossed $449 million.


    As a result, the summer schedule was verypetitive. Every week, big movies were released and tried to fight for the box office ranking.


    The schedule was very tight and everyone was vying for the best week. Sometimes there were situations where two or three big movies were released in the same week, unfortunately they had to face each other.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Midnight, June 1st, Friday.


    The premiere of Spider-Man ended with such a bang. So many kids, teenagers and even adults were wearing Spider-Man costumes. They were so happy as they left the theaters one by one.


    Every theater had satisfied customers. The Spider-Man movie would define the meaning of the superhero movie.


    "I''m going to give it an A+! I don''t care what anybody else thinks! This is the best movie I have ever seen! Dude, did you see that scene where Spider-Man swings from building to building? That''s a shot that will never leave my mind! Trapped in my childhood memories!" proimed by an avidic book reader, and many passersby agreed. Interested, they decided to answer the survey. They thought the movie deserved it.


    The word-of-mouth about Spider-Man was so influential. Perhaps its influence wasparable to that of Wanted, which was releasedst year.


    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 sess. 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 outst 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 ce 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 somepanies 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 wereing 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 Antis: The Lost Empire. A very underrated hand-drawn animated film.


    DreamWorks would release Evolution, aedy.


    While Warner Bros. released Swordfish, an action movie.


    These movies did well during the week. Unfortunately for them, it was hard topete 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 hugest 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 y a viin, had a good day. Now the studios realized that the guy could y many roles, from a good assassin to the viin of a superhero movie.


    Unfortunately, while Spider-Man was at his peak, Kazir Grey could not help but be sad about some things.


    On June 15, Paramount Pictures joined the battle with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie... A very hard time for the couple.


    In fact, Kazir and Angelina had a little fight.


    "This is the second time this has happened. Last time it was Gone in 60 Seconds. And now it''s Lara Croft."


    Angelina grumbled as she cuddled with her man. She hated that Paramount chose June as release date. They should have rescheduled it away from Spider-Man. Angelina was confident that Kazir''s movie would dominate the month.


    "We can''t help it. We''re just a worker and we can''t influence management. Besides, Paramount can''t find the right week to release the movie. In July, Legally Blonde, Jurassic Park 3, of the Apes and Cats and Dogs will be released."


    "So are you saying that I should stomach it instead?" She raised her brow.


    "Of course not, you can cry on my shoulder instead."


    He teased the woman by touching her nose.


    "Tch, I can''t hate you because you''re so hot."


    The woman touched the man''s abs and yfully pinched them. Well, the first week of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was pretty good. It made $47.73 million in its first weekend.


    But theparison with Spider-Man was pretty brutal. The superhero film grossed $289.88 million.


    Numbers. Looking at those numbers was numbing, but the amount it represented was outrageous. You could buy 170 McLaren Elva''s with that amount!


    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 nothingpared 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 oue. 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 rtionship, 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 sess of Avengers, most of the Marvel movies made good profits.


    If his calction 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 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 eximed 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 ident, Paul Walker was not even the driver. He was just the passenger.


    ''Paul didn''t die on the set, but I still have to be sure.'' Kazir didn''t want to see people around him die.


    Honestly, Paul Walker''s death brought something positive and something negative to the franchise. But Kazir was not crazy about it. Life was something he would never joke about.


    On June 22, the first day of Fast and The Furious, it grossed $17.05 million. And yes, this was a clear sess based on 24 hours of screenings. Now all they had to do was keep that trend going. As long as Fast and The Furious didn''t suffer too much from other movies, it would be fine.


    But surprisingly, Dr. Dolittle 2, released on the same day, actually beat Fast and The Furious!


    With $27.63 million, Dr. Dolittle 2 secured the top spot for the day! Even Spider-Man could notpete with only $7 million.


    Well, Spider-Man already made $305.07 million, so no big deal. Sony-Columbia recouped their investment in just 22 days, which was a good thing.


    It was a surprise that Dr. Dolittle 2 beat Fast and The Furious.


    People didn''t remember that the protagonist of Dr. Dolittle 2 was Eddie Murphy! This guy had strong box office appeal. 48 Hours franchise, Beverly Hills Cop franchise, and The Nutty Professor franchise. Man, the guy was a famous actor.


    Compared to a bunch of new actors in Fast and the Furious, of course Dr. Dolittle would do well. The question was, for how long? The genres of the two movies wereedy and action. Twopletely different genres, which one wouldst long?


    Grey Pictures was a bit on the edge and even Kazir was nervous. If Fast and The Furious flopped, it would be bad for them.


    The following week, Kazir had trouble sleeping. It was funny that Spider-Man was doing well while Fast and The Furious was still hanging. The publicity for Fast and The Furious was weakerpared to Spider-Man, which could be one of the factors.


    Some critics even used Grey Pictures of bing arrogant and believing that their movies would always be box office hits. They even med Taiwanese director Justin Lin.


    Fortunately for Grey Pictures, the seven days showed that Fast and The Furious was just filling the gas tank to speed up.


    Dr. Dolittle 2 grossed $56.27 million after seven days.


    As for Fast and The Furious, it was $69.18 million!


    With that, the movie critics started to shut up. Besides, who cares about the opinions of movie critics? Most of their opinions are biased anyway.


    If people liked certain movies, then the critics would fucking hate those movies. It was as simple as that.


    In the new century, critics became less relevant. The inte 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 busypeting 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 ovee.


    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 werepeting 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 evenment down that the author is so fucking stupid because he can''t post chapter everyday.]


    [Anyway, thest 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. Thepany 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 screeny.


    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 amission 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, histter 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. Likest 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 ame ck 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 feelfortable.


    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 moviesing out this July and August that some movies would suffer from ack 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.


    They were a perfect couple and they had chemistry. Well, they had been in a rtionship for over a year and it was not that long to understand each other clearly.


    The two didn''t stay on the "red" carpet for long and instead went into the theater.


    "Kazir, nice to meet you. I didn''t expect to see you tonight."


    "Tom, this movie was written by me, of course I''ll be here."


    Kazir shrugged and replied to Tom Rothman.


    "Have you thought about ourst conversation?"


    After the Warner Bros. news, Tom Rothman contacted Rupert Murdoch, and 20th Century Fox got the green light to acquire Grey Pictures. Of course, this was just the beginning and there was no official statement from thepany.


    However, Tom Rothman had already given Kazir some indication of their intentions.


    ''I say that 20th Century Fox is helping me a lot. There''s no news about Time Warner and AOL, so I think Warner Brothers is really interested in mypany. But now that 20th Century Fox has joined thepetition, the chance of getting a better deal is higher.''


    If he sold at least 30% of his shares, he could get $1 billion from one of them. But Kazir was not interested in money.


    What he wanted was shares. That was the only way he and Grey Pictures could survive. As long as he had stock in Warner Bros. or 20th Century Fox, he could sit on the board and influence their decisions. He could protect hispany and his profession.


    ''You have to be part of the family to be treated like one. So I''m not going to sell it, I''m going to trade it for shares instead.''


    For someone like him, who made millions every year, money was just part of the excitement. But the main source of his happiness was making movies.


    Just as chairman Michael Eisner had a hard time kicking out Harvey Weinstein because the brothers had shares in Walt Disney, Kazir would grab the leg and never let go of the protection.


    "I''m still thinking about it."


    Kazir smiled and answered briefly. He wanted to wait a year or two before looking for the bestpany to join. Even Walt Disney or Universal Pictures were no problem, he would be happy to work with them if the price and conditions were right.


    "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 ce. Angelina hadn''t forgotten why she was at this premiere, to tease Reese...


    The actress found Reese talking to someone and grinned.


    "Hi, Reese. Congrattions 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 congratted the woman.


    Kazir also approached Reese and greeted her.


    "Congrattions 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, ying By Heart, and Cruel Intentions.


    "I''m a fan of your movies, director."


    "Is that so? I''m d 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 ufortable, but she saw none of that.


    ''She moved on. Wow...'' Angelina didn''t expect that oue.


    Feelings and emotions can change and disappear. Kazir and Reese had not seen each other for almost three years. It was enough for a person to change.


    "Aren''t you going to say anything?"


    Angelina and Kazir sat down.


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "About Reese and her boyfriend."


    "They look perfect together. I can see they are in love. I''m happy for them."


    Kazir wished his friends and rtives a good life. No one deserves to suffer.


    "...Kazir, you really are a nice person."


    Angelina sighed and kissed him on the cheek. She loved that about him. She knew that Kazir meant it when he said it.


    ''That''s good, because I don''t want him to be jealous that his ex got a boyfriend. His feelings should only be for me.'' she giggled.


    In thest few months, she heard a lot of rumors that Kirsten Dunst was trying to get closer to Kazir. Angelina could testify that the rumors were true, she witnessed it herself when she visited the set of Spider-Man. Of course, she signed a non-disclosure agreement before entering the set.


    Anyway, she saw Kirsten trying to flirt with Kazir. The good thing was that Kazir was always serious about his work and had no intention of ying with the actress. However, Angelina was still mad about it, so she dominated Kazir in bed... for a few seconds.


    Kazir was not a toxic person, and he was genuinely happy that Reese had found someone to love.


    ''He is not toxic, but he just loves movies so much. I think he loves movies more than I do...''


    "Angelina, why are you looking at me like that? Why are you sulking?"


    "Nothing, don''t mind me."


    She said.


    A few minutester, the movie started and the theaters went dark. Movie trailers for uing movies began to appear one by one.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    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 theedy or action genres. Unfortunately for the studios, Kazir never sold any of his action scripts. He only soldedies, 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 ne.


    Sony gave them a private ne 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 be 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 ne. Tobey Maguire and James Franco had a showdown to see who could drink a bottle of beer the fastest.


    Tobey Maguire was rmended 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 epted 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 theynded 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 rtionship 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


    WantedSpider-Man


    These four films were distributed by Sony-Columbia and they were all sessful. 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 sessful franchise. If Sony-Columbia acquired Grey Pictures, that problem would be over.


    Sony was promoting their DVD yers 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 n. Besides, Grey Pictures was just a start-uppany and the highest worth it could get was $4 billion... Unless the Big Five decided topete and increase the value of Grey Pictures.


    Threepanies had already agreed to acquire Grey Pictures. Although there was no official announcement and they were all still in the watch and listen stage.


    Another reason why Frank Price let Kazir leave the promotion earlier was because John Wick Chapter 2 was also going to be distributed by Sony-Columbia. If Kazir''s presence would help the movie sell more tickets, then Sony-Columbia would let the guy attend the premiere.


    ording to the contract, this was thest time Sony-Columbia would distribute their films. Grey Pictures and Sony-Columbia signed a deal for four movies.


    After that... Kazir''s ns were unknown at the time, and it was not certain that he would renew the contract.


    One thing was for sure, Sony-Columbia would not fall for another 20% of the box office as a distribution fee. This contract was a terrible deal for Sony-Columbia.


    In exchange for Bruce Almighty and writing the screeny for 21 Jump Street, Sony-Columbia bled a lot. Although working with Grey Pictures has given them something good as well.


    Now more audiences are realizing that Sony-Columbia is getting better because their recent movies have been mostly sessful.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    Late on the night of August 16, 2001, at the Dolby Theaters in Los Angeles, the lobby was filled with fans eager to see the movie.


    Also, most of the fans were wearing ck tuxedos. They looked professional and neat. Most of the men in tuxedos had shoulder length hair and beards. Some of these were fake, but most were real hair and beards.


    Kazir heard that his fans were starting to get a reputation. He decided to reach out to the fan base and invited 100 Grey fans to the premiere.


    This was the first time Grey fans were officially invited to a premiere. Kazir also promised Grey that he would sign autographs after the premiere in the building next to the Dolby Theater. The fans could get their merchandise signed by the famous director himself.


    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 poprity 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 rtionship between them is already over.


    Maybe Eyes Wide Shut (1999) made their rtionship rocky because that was thest 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 topete 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 apuse 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 ck 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 congratte you, Spider-Man is a box office hit."


    "d to hear it."


    Kazir nodded.


    "I hear The Lord of the Rings ising out in December."


    "That''s right."


    New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. had already announced that they would release the epic fantasy film on December 19, 2001.


    This should make the other studios back out of that date and find another date to release their movies. So far, none of the Big Six has announced that they will release their movies on December 19th. Which means their n worked.


    Monopolizing a week of theatrical release was good for The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings.


    Everyone knew about the movie and New Line Cinema had invested so much money in the movie. If all went well, they would make a profit.


    New Line Cinema only invested in the first movie because they were not sure if The Lord Of The Rings would be sessful. If the movie was a hit, they would approve the investment for the 2nd and 3rd sequels.


    This was the same situation with The Matrix. Warner Bros. was not sure if the movie would do well, so they only invested in the first movie. But after knowing that The Matrix was sessful, Warner Bros. didn''t hesitate and immediately approved the filming of The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.


    "I heard there was some trouble on the set."


    "Well, how can I exin it? Fans of the novel protested and infiltrated the set, destroying some of the props. They felt that the movie would tarnish the reputation of the story that J.R.R. Tolkien spent his life telling."


    "You know, these people grew up reading the series and they are afraid that their childhood memories will be reced with something bad if The Lord Of The Rings is badly adapted. However, it''s fucked up for them to cause trouble on the set."


    "Some of the crew got hurt because of them. Sometimes you can''t be civil with obsessed fans. They will not hesitate tomit crimes."


    Viggo sighed as he spoke.


    "Seems like you speak from experience."


    "Well..." Viggo smiled weakly. "An obsessed fan followed me to my hotel room and entered the bathroom while I was showering. She was naked and hugged me from behind. I swear, not a good experience at all."


    The woman was beautiful, but that didn''t make things any better. Viggo forgot to lock his room because he was too tired. A few minutester, a female stranger hugged him.


    Viggo almost had a heart attack when this happened. Fortunately, he calmed down and handled the whole thing peacefully. He called the guards and threw the woman out.


    The woman kept saying she was John Wick''s wife, which was not funny at all.


    "I realized that being famous is not so easy... At least this shows that I''m already a famous person, haha."


    He tried to lighten the atmosphere with a joke, but he noticed that Kazir was looking at him seriously.


    "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 sessful."


    Kazir muttered confidently.


    "It''sforting to hear that from you. I''m nervous about The Lord of the Rings. I spent two years in New Zend 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 ttery 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.


    Thest 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 Englishnguage. "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 movieplete was none other than John Wick himself.


    His fights were all amazing and there was never a boring moment in the theater. Thest few minutes were even more exciting after the High Table announced that John Was was "emunicated".


    The audience stood up and pped their hands. As always, CCU movies always delivered. They stuck to their form, 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 thest time, when Fremont was in tears, the ck 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 sessful movies in a row, Fremont seemed to be climbing up thedder 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 topete 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 topete for the Oscars.


    Tom Cruise has been nominated for four Academy Awards in his entire career, but he has never won.


    He was nominated twice for Best Actor for his roles in Born On The Fourth Of July and Jerry Maguire.


    Have you ever seen Tom Cruise in a wheelchair with a thick mustache and long, bald hair? Yes, the handsome young actor tried to destroy his career for his role in Born On The Fourth Of July, which earned him a Best Actor nomination. But oh well, his sacrifice didn''t win him a golden statue.


    Tom Cruise was famous for choosing safe roles and maintaining his image as a good-looking guy. He rarely chooses roles that could destroy his image.


    Seven years after Born On The Fourth Of July, Tom Cruise took the role of Jerry Maguire, but that was not enough for him to win a golden statue either.


    Last year, in 2000, Tom Cruise was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his supporting role in Magnolia... He didn''t win either.


    As for his fourth nomination... It woulde 23 yearster, a Best Picture nomination for Top Gun: Maverick.


    None of his four nominations won him a statue. Everyone admitted that Tom Cruise was a superstar, but the golden statue was not meant for him.


    Kazir has long been a fan of Tom Cruise, even in his former life. The fact that Rain Man was Kazir''s first job in the industry added to that.


    Kazir and Tom had a brief conversation on the set of Rain Man, and that memory stayed with Kazir, giving him the truth that actors and actresses are human: An ordinary person like him had the chance to talk to Tom Cruise as if they were just two ordinary people.


    After that, Kazir decided to be one of his fans. It was as simple as that. Maybe Tom Cruise was one of the reasons why Kazir decided to be a director.


    Even if it sounds silly, Kazir wanted to return the favor by inviting the actor to be the protagonist of his project... Um, he was still not sure what kind of movie he wanted to produce.


    First, he had to ask Tom about his opinion on attending the Oscars.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    "The premiere is not over yet, but you already left the ce, 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 andughed at each other. They nked their winesses, 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 epted 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 sessful 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 couldpete 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 ie. Another thing was the 27% share of the worldwide box office! Damn, that was huge.


    Kazir had already received his $27 million sry directly into his bank ount... He had so much money, but he didn''t know what to do with it. Maybe he should also start investing inpanies. 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 thepany''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 ept this outrageous result.


    Although they admitted that Kazir was worth the contract because the movie was a massive sess. They just didn''t expect to lose a huge amount of money. In fact, hiring big directors is quite difficult.


    Sony-Columbia wondered if someone from the Big Six could break their record of 27+27 contracts.


    If one of the Big Six hired Kazir, maybe.


    A lot of big movies were released in August because it was thest month of summer.


    The Princess Diaries and Rush Hour 2 both released in the first week.


    American Pie 2 and The Others in the second week.


    John Wick Chapter 2 in the third week.


    Each of these films crossed the $100 million mark at the box office. Considering the circumstances, surpassing the $100 million mark was already an achievement. More than 40 movies were released this month, but only 5 movies reached $100 million, so it was something to be proud of.


    Just like that, the summer season ended and September arrived.


    After being so busy for so many years, Kazir decided to invite his family to his new house to celebrate his birthday.


    Kazir''s birthday was September 9th. Kazir was now 33 years old. He should probably take things seriously because he was really getting old now.


    His birthday was extravagant, he spent his money on this special asion. He rarely used his money and this was basically a miracle at this point.


    "Happy birthday, baby!"


    Angelina kissed his cheek after Kazir blew out his birthday cake, which had 33 candles.


    Many of his friends came to celebrate his birthday. His new house was big enough to host a party for about 100 people.


    "This is my gift."


    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 pped him yfully 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 unted 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 hugework 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. Yourments, likes, powerstones, and pa tre on subscriptions motivate me to keep going despite my mentality. I appreciate all your support].


    [By the way, speaking ofments, 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...]


    [Yourments and reviews, no matter how positive or negative, are allowed in my novel. Because all of yourments 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 epted 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 particr 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 y 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 y 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."


    Her eyes were red and she tried to stop herself from crying.


    The three men returned to the clubhouse and the atmosphere was very cold. A lot of people were quiet, all looking at the television that was broadcasting the event.


    "Huh? What happened?"


    Aaron frowned, recognizing the building that had a huge hole in it and was belching smoke. It was one of the Twin Towers.


    Even Victor could notprehend the situation. The eldest Grey decided to contact his friends and ask them about the situation.


    Suddenly, people were screaming and gasping as they saw another ne hit the second tower.


    Some panicked, some fell silent, and some were shocked.


    Aaron hugged his wife and their crying baby.


    As for Angelina, she held Kazir''s hand tightly.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    Kazir''s family thanked him. Without him, they might have died. Apparently, Victor and Aaron had a business meeting near the Twin Towers today, but they postponed the meeting because they were both taking a week''s vacation.


    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 televisionmercials. They were trying to expand their business into online services as well. Theirpany 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 yearster, 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 nned 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 nes 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 ce 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 nes were hijacked.


    Two nes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York. The third ne crashed into the Pentagon just outside of Washington, DC. The fourth ne crashed in rural Pennsylvania after the passengers fought the hijackers and prevented the ne from reaching the White House.


    After a long time, everyone in the United States of America helped each other to ovee 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 itsst 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 rmended 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 rmended his friends to audition for a role, each of them got a better career.


    Suddenly, a lot of new actors and actresses were trying to befriend the guy. Unfortunately for them, they would never find the guy at parties and bars.


    Even the bar Kazir usually visited became famous because so many actors hoped to meet Kazir in the bar. They waited in the quiet atmosphere of jazz. Too bad Kazir didn''t feel like going to the bartely.


    He was thinking about which of the two scripts to adapt. Next year, he wants to make a movie that couldpete at the Oscars.


    His first choice was The Revenant. He has already bought the rights to adapt this novel/autobiography. The life of American frontiersman Hugh ss in the Missouri Territory in 1823.


    His second choice was ck Hawk Down. The moment the journalist published this book, Kazir immediately bought the rights to adapt it. The book was based on real life.


    Both films were based on real life. Something the Academy Awards loved to see. The members of the Academy had a strong bias against fiction and blockbusters.


    Both films had a good chance of winning Best Director and Best Picture if they were done right. Kazir was confident in his filmography, so this was not much of a problem. Besides, even if he wanted to deny it, his race was another assurance that he would win Best Director. Most of the old members of the Academy were Jewish.


    Kazir already had the best form to make sure he would win Best Director.


    But since Kazir was already going for the Oscars, why not fight for more?


    That is one of the reasons why he invited Tom Cruise. Because he wanted his friend to win his long dream of the Best Actor award.


    He helped Liam Neeson win the Best Actor Award, maybe he could do it again.


    Kazir nned to include perfect emotional scenes in his movies so that Tom Cruise would have a chance to be nominated. As for winning the Golden Statue, they both have to do a lot of PR to get it.


    So, yes, they might be attending a lot of parties next year and in 2003. That was the life of people in this industry, making connections.


    With two scripts in his hands, Kazir decided to make the best choice. He decided to sell ck Hawk Down to Ridley Scott. Ridley Scott had tried to buy the script, but Kazir stopped him. So the result was obvious, the release of ck Hawk Down would be dyed for a year or two.


    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 ying 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, thetest chapter of HWI on my P@treon is chapter 441. Using calction, you can read about 170 chapters on my P@treon... I won''t lie, that''s a bit overwhelming and I can only me myself.


    Also, for some readers who can''t use P@treon, I have a Ko-fi ount 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 rmend 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://.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 burst".


    "We will ovee 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 secondster, 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 n.


    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 ce 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 rtionship 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 be a better person. Anyway, what''s the reason why you want toe 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 talkedst time about the Academy Awards and our dreams of winning gold statues."


    "Of course I remember. You want the Best Director Award, while I want the Best Actor Award."


    "We both have our own desires, but our mission is basically the same, to get into the Oscars. So how about we work together this year?"


    "Kazir, you know I was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awardsst year, I don''t think the Academy is interested in nominating me this time."


    "But there''s nothing wrong with trying. What do you think, are you in?"


    "I want to see the script first."


    Tom Cruise was confident in Kazir''s decision regarding script selection and filming, but he had to be sure first. Frankly, Tom Cruise was thrilled when he realized that Kazir wanted to work with him.


    God knows how long he waited for Kazir to invite him to star in his movie. They had been friends for a long time, but Kazir never invited him to be in any of his movies, not even for a cameo. Well, his sry was too high for Grey Pictures to afford, so that was another factor.


    "Here."


    Kazir handed the script to Tom Cruise, and the actor seriously turned every page.


    "I have two scripts I''m considering adapting and I''ve decided to go with this one. The other one is a group y and there''s no particr protagonist, so I know you won''t like it."


    ck Hawk Down was about a group of U.S. Special Forces stranded in the middle of heavy firefights after two of their helicopters were shot down, trying to find their way out.


    It was an amazing movie and was nominated for so many awards, but Tom Cruise is not going to have his one-man show in that kind of movie.


    "I guess I should be grateful, huh?"


    "You''re my friend, let''s just say I want to see a future where you win an Oscar and change the future I''ve been thinking about."


    "I have no idea what you''re talking about, but I''m interested," Tom chuckled.


    In his opinion, Kazir was one of the biggest factors in Liam Neeson winning the Best Actor award a few years ago. Taken had very few emotional scenes, yet Liam Neeson won the award because of the impact it had on society - showing the truth about human trafficking. Hell, Brianna Evans had a morepelling scene than Liam Neeson in that movie.


    But who cares, if Kazir did itst time, he could do it again.


    "I know you have a n. 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 sry 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 ns 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 thest one was not.


    Another problem was the distributor for his three movies.


    Well, Tom has a close rtionship 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 exined 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 Actorst 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 ns topete 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 oredy 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 sry was $15 million without box office participation. This was the highest sry 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 sry instead of getting a share of the box office.


    As for Kazir, he decided to take a $5 million sry for this project. He could say he wanted a $1 sry just to improve the budget, but that would be disrespectful to the four agents who worked with him. They make money onmission.


    Now that both sides had negotiated and agreed on the sry, 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.


    Well, someone like Kazir who never took a vacation was an abomination in this industry.


    Kazir already had people in mind to direct Mr. and Mrs. Smith and The Bourne Supremacy.


    Doug Liman was the original director of The Bourne Identity, but Kazir directed the movie for three years, so it affected Doug Liman''s filmography. To make up for it, Ste Willow invited Doug Liman to direct Mr. and Mrs. Smith this time. After all, Doug Liman was also the director of this movie in a past life.


    As for The Bourne Supremacy, Kazir rmended Paul Greengrass to direct. Like Doug Liman, Paul Greengrass was also the director of The Bourne Franchise in Kazir''s past life.


    Kazir just recruited the original directors.


    The two directors could be categorized as B-tier directors, if you want to call them that. They were professional directors and had made a few films, but they were not prominent.


    Just like what Grey Pictures did with Justin Lin, the production studio gave Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass a three-picture deal. That means they were legally allowed to make three movies for Grey Pictures. As for the raise, that use could be bent but not broken.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    November.


    Two weeks after the release of Monster, Inc., which grossed over $133 million at the North American box office, a new series of films were released.


    November 15, 2001. That was Thursday just before midnight. Harry Potter and the Philosopher''s Stone was released for the first time. The first installment of the fourthrgest franchise in the history of cinema.


    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 dors. 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 sess. 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 butpare 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 n was already in motion. First of all, they are promoting J.K. Rowling and her books just for the uing 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 twopanies never merged. Also, New Line Cinema had its own distribution. There was nothing Warner Bros could do about it.


    In thest 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 hade 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,paring 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 sess. 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.


    By the end of the month, only Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone had earned $202 million at the box office. The movie was only in theaters for 15 days and it already made that amount of money.


    Hehe, too bad, but Spider-Man made over $252 million in 15 days.


    Someone from Warner Bros. curiously did aparison and was disappointed with the results.


    It seems that some people at Warner Bros. were bitter about it. They couldn''t help butpare the two.


    December 7th and another batch of movies were released. Warner Bros. had another movie to promote and it was Ocean''s Eleven.


    For this movie, Warner Bros. invited so many big personalities. They invited George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt. Yes, it was like a dream team. To aplish this task, Warner Bros. invested $85 million in this project.


    Ocean''s Eleven was a heist movie about a group of people who stole money from a casino to get revenge.


    Actually, Kazir was very interested in this movie, but he could not get the rights.


    Ocean''s Eleven was a remake of Ocean''s Eleven (1960). Some things did not go ording to his n. Ocean''s Eleven was not meant for him and Grey Pictures.


    The one who bought the movie copyright was Warner Bros. Well, Grey Pictures would have to invest a lot of money to make this movie. Also, Ocean''s Eleven was supposed to be a trilogy and Grey Pictures might have trouble casting famous actors. After all, they were not one of the Big Six.


    Grey Pictures was at least a B-tier studio. For them to be an A-tier studio, they should have distribution. But from the looks of it, Kazir Grey, the owner of thepany, has a different future for thepany.


    The first weekend of Ocean''s Eleven was good, but not the best. It managed to make $38 million... Not at allparable to Harry Potter or even Spider-Man.


    But again, this performance was already amazing. Very few movies could do that in three days. People just couldn''t help butpare it to the best. Just like basketball fans alwayspared yers to Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Lebron James... These three were themon topics of who was the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT).


    12 days after its release, Ocean''s Eleven grossed $76 million. Again, an amazing feat... But nothingpared 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 y by the book and keep her stomach as t 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 rtionship with Kazir. The man was different from the men she usually dated, Kazir was sincere and serious. The type who didn''t like to y games had a clear vision of his future. Besides, the guy was cute and good in bed... Thest statement was the biggest reason why she liked him.


    Their rtionship 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 calcting 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''de 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 rtionship was not that easy, even if it was only for three or four months. A lot could happen in that time.


    Angelina had two projects. The first was Life or Something Like It. Kazir read the script and was not impressed. However, the production team was willing to give Angelina a sry of $7 million, so Angelina''s agent begged her to ept.


    Then she received another script called How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. This time Kazir had a good opinion of it, so Angelina decided to audition. Even though her sry for this movie was only $5 million, Angelina felt it was worth it.


    It was important to keep her fame.


    Coincidentally, the said project, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, would start shooting in March, just like The Revenant. How climatic...


    Kazir felt that Angelina was sad. He took her hand and held it.


    "Look, we''ll spend our days together when I''m back. I promise you that."


    "Promise?"


    "Yes, I promise."


    "Take me to a nice restaurant tomorrow, no, for a week."


    "Babe, I''m doing that right now."


    "So you''re backing out?"


    "Of course not." Kazir chuckled.


    Kazir had already spent a week with his family back in September. Even though half of that vacation was pretty dark because of 9/11, he had still spent a week with them.


    So now, on Christmas Eve, Kazir decided to spend it with Angelina. Just like two years ago.


    "Remember our first Christmas Eve?" He asked.


    Angelina didn''t answer. Instead, she smiled and blushed. Of course she remembered. That night had been amazing and out of this world. God, she didn''t regret making a move on Kazir back then.


    "Actually, this is our third Christmas Eve together and our second anniversary. We should have fun."


    "I love you." Angelina squeezed Kazir''s hand.


    "I love you too."


    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, veryte.]


    [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 exin, 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 ounting department: to calcte the box office.


    But since the acting CEO Tom Rothman waste, and the guy from the ounting 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 ounting 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 calcting the box office. The movie has already grossed $502 million, excluding some countries that are still calcting the numbers...""Do you think that the box office of these movies is due to the sess 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 wellst 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 itst 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 officest year.


    20th Century Fox alone made over $1 billionst 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 constion was that Grey Pictures had no distribution channel.


    ''This means that Kazir is open to negotiations, but my initial statement of $1.5 billion is definitely out of the conversation. At the very least, 20th Century Fox will have to acquire Grey Pictures for $2 billion. Damn, I guess Kazir really is a billionaire now, huh?''


    Companies that could make a billion a year were hard toe by. But Grey Pictures did it twice in a row.


    "You can go now." Tom Rothman pinched his be as the secretary scurried out of the office like a mouse.


    "I guess times are changing, well, we are at the beginning of a new century. Even DreamWorks is doing well. Fortunately, we managed to create cracks in the rtionship between Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg. They''re friends, but they can''t ovee the terror of the Big Six. They will split, we will make sure of that."


    Hisst statement would technically be reality a few yearster. Inside DreamWorks, two dragons decided to lead their own armies. Jeffrey Katzenberg had the authority over DreamWorks Animation, while Steven Spielberg reigned over DreamWorks Pictures.


    "Spider-Man''s box office has already surpassed $830 million. Some countries are just starting to release the movie, and most believe that the movie will surpass $900 million. But after that, it will be a miracle. No one seems to think that Spider-Man will make $1 billion at the box office..."


    But knowing Kazir, the idea was not impossible.


    If Spider-Man indeed surpassed $1 billion, Kazir Grey would be the only director to have made two $1 billion movies, and to do it in two years. This was history. A world record that was impossible to beat.


    Two movies.


    $1 billion each.


    In just two years.


    "No, no, no, let''s not jinx it. Let''s not fucking jinx it."


    He gritted his teeth.


    The acquisition was his job, a responsibility given to him by Rupert Murdoch. It would be harder if Kazir made another miracle.


    "... The first thing to do is to make contact with Kazir and Grey Pictures."


    After only a minute of monologue, he called his secretary again.


    "Tell Grey Pictures that 20th Century Fox will distribute their three films worldwide for 25% of the box office as a distribution fee. Tell them clearly."


    "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 willst 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 ABCst 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 pped 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 Zend and how director Peter Jackson was a good director.


    "By the way, I want to congratte 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 moviesst 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."


    Viggo exined.


    The news regarding Spider-Man was quite positive for Sony-Columbia and Kazir. The film was close to $900 million after three weeks in January. The movie had already finished its run in the U.S., but it was doing well overseas.


    The Spider-Man hype was still going strong. Merchandise rted to the movie was selling like hotcakes. The factories had to work overtime just to keep up with the demand.


    You see, Spider-Man was for all ages. Even 50 year old men like the movie. The character of Spider-Man was created in the 1960s and slowly gained fans. And now that Spider-Man is in theaters, the hype around the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man has just exploded.


    Jimmy Kimmel and Viggo Mortensen chatted a few minutes before the end of the show.


    "You''re friends with Matt Damon, right?" Jimmy Kimmel asked.


    "Ah, yes, we are friends. We worked together in Wanted two years ago." Viggo replied, knowing where this was going.


    "Then can you please tell him that we are sorry and that the show is over, we ran out of time and he have toe back next time."


    Viggo chuckled and nodded.


    "Okay, I''ll tell him about it."


    The fake beef between Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon may have been the longest running gag in the history of television. It started with Jimmy Kimmel calling out Matt Damon as a joke, until Matt Damon himself decided to y along.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    Kazir stopped directing CCU movies, but that didn''t mean he abandoned the project. Hell no, he is usually involved in the production when he has time.


    He was the executive producer... Actually, his position was not so simple. After all, Kazir was the sole owner of Grey Pictures and he was the boss. Even Harold Witsend, the current producer of CCU, worked under him.


    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 nchett 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 sess of Wanted two years ago, so many actresses/actors in Hollywood became interested in this particr 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 nchett 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 themitment, 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 Mulhond Drivest 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 nced 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 Anta?"


    "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 sries 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 coboration this year.


    Since Doug and Kazir were interested in casting Brad Pitt, negotiations began. Brad Pitt agreed to a trilogy and cameos, but the sry was still being negotiated.


    Since there was no official Mr. Smith at the moment, someone had to step in to apany 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 nchett showed up.


    Kazir sat across from Naomi, who was poised and beautiful. The two began to act.


    He was not a professional actor, so he could not keep up with Naomi. Just like in the dinner scene, Kazir and Naomi talked peacefully at first until the guns came out... Fake guns, of course.


    They had a scuffle until they both admitted that they loved each other and didn''t want to kill each other. Naomi was so close to Kazir, it was a miracle that Kazir kept his sanity.


    "Too bad, this is just an audition and I can''t kiss you... Unless you want me to."


    Naomi whispered in his ear and Kazir blushed slightly. After that, the actress thanked Kazir and the acting ended.


    "Miss Naomi, are you okay with the trilogy and the cameos?"


    "Yes. I want to be part of the Continental Cinematic Universe."


    Amon response. All the actresses who auditioned had almost the same answer.


    "You have to sign up for three to four months of training if you get the role, are you prepared for that?"


    "I''ve been working out and I''m confident in my body."


    Perhaps these questions were so obvious because CCU was all about action movies.


    All the actresses who auditioned were fit and went to the gym to work out.


    "That''s good to hear."


    Doug Liman ended the audition and told Naomi that she would get a call today or tomorrow with the results of her audition.


    As Naomi left the room, people began to talk about her and share their thoughts on Naomi''s audition.


    ''This is going to be tough. Each of them is amazing to work with. I prefer Charlize and Naomi in terms of looks, but I prefer Cate when ites to acting.'' Kazir was in dilemma.


    Charlize Theron might be the first choice because her uing movies are Aeon Flux and Mad Max: Fury Road. But we can''t be sure that she''s fit for action movies right now.


    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 topete 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 thest 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 steadytely... 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 mostpelling scenes in the movie.


    +++++


    [If you want to read more, you can subscribe to my P@treon or Ko-fi.]


    P@treon link: https://.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 goodpared to the other three. We can hire her for a cheap sry."


    "..."


    Kazir realized that Harold was starting to be 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 sry than the others.


    ''Naomi Watts'' career would take off after the sess of Mulhond Drive. She would be in King Kong, The Ring, Le Divorce and other films. If we cast her, her next sry could be at least $5 million.'' He calcted.


    Charlize Theron and Cate nchett were the same way.


    Cate nchett would win Best Supporting Actress in 2004 and Best Actress in 2013.


    Charlize Theron also won Best Actress for her role in Monster (2003). She would also star in many blockbusters like The Italian Job, Hancock, Snow White and the Huntsman and many more.


    ''... I guess it''s a good thing I bought the rights to the Hulk movie from Universal Pictures. Otherwise, Jennifer Connelly might be back in Hulk (2003), which was a box office flop.''


    Kazir''s butterfly effect changed Jennifer''s career slightly.


    "I think we should cast her. What do you think, Doug?"


    "I''m fine with it."


    Doug was just starting his career in the industry and didn''t have much authority over Kazir and Harold, so he agreed.


    "Harold, get in touch with Jennifer and her agent. Get them to sign a contract as soon as possible because she needs to train."


    "Alright."


    The negotiations between the two sides would start again... However, Kazir forgot that Jennifer Connelly had actually been nominated for an Oscar this year for her role in A Beautiful Mind.


    Anyway, they would tackle the problem when they got there.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Unlike Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Bourne Supremacy didn''t spend much time casting. After all, it was a sequel and most of the cast was already in ce.


    Kazir knew this moment woulde, so he decided to attend the script reading, and just as he expected, he met Cameron Diaz.


    Cameron Diaz already has a good career and she could get out of her contract if she wanted to. She could probably afford to quit, but Cameron Diaz decided to keep her role.


    The sry that Grey Pictures offered was $5 million because Cameron was not that simple anymore. Charlie''s Angels, The Invisible Circus and Vani Sky with Tom Cruise. Cameron continued to grow as an actress.


    She could ask for more, but Cameron decided to agree so that the production wouldn''t be dyed... Maybe she had another reason.


    She read the script and was shocked to find out that her character would actually die in the movie.


    She contacted the writers and found out that Kazir and Robert Ludlum both agreed that her character should die to give Jason Bourne character development.


    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''ste but congrattions on yourtest 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 Vani 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://.patr /Puji_maki


    Ko-fi Link: https://ko /pujimaki

 Chapter 280

    Chapter 280


    Kazir''s time with the cast of The Bourne Supremacy was ufortable. 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 te 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 wasmitted to the Continental Cinematic Universe, a sessful 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 toe 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 thepany 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.


    "Nice to work with you again, director."


    "Me too."


    The person on the other side of the table was James N. Gianopulos. This guy was not that simple. He was the President of 20th Century Fox International. It was rumored that he would be Chairman/CEO of 20th Century Fox when Tom Rothman''s term ended. Unless Tom Rothman decided to keep his position by achieving something great that shareholders would want him to stay.


    The two shook hands.


    "I hope this will not be thest time we work together. 20th Century Fox is serious about Grey Pictures."


    "I understand."


    ''... By the looks of it, 20th Century Fox is going to start moving this year. Probably because Tom Rothman''s term is ending and they need some good news to reassure the shareholders.''


    Well, 20th Century Fox was one of the best studios around. They made hundreds of blockbusters in the history of cinema. Thispany has been in the business since 1935, it has a long history and a strong foundation.


    Kazir had no problem selling shares in hispany. He was not suited for the role of a businessman. It would only cause him stress. But he wanted to sell the shares to someone he could trust.


    He knew that unlike Disney, which would corrupt the franchise, 20th Century Fox would be a better option... Warner Brothers, Paramount and Sony-Columbia were all good too. Just not Walt Disney. Disney would have its heyday, but by the 2020s, people would be tired of all their shit.


    So Kazir''s had no reason to disagree, but the price should be worth it. The biggest weapon of Grey Pictures was the CCU movies and so far all the movies have been box office hits. Last year, two CCU films grossed $1 billion worldwidebined.


    Even though the money that Grey Pictures got was only $350 million and after expenses, thepany still had a profit of $120 million. Also, the DVDs sold a lot. People were already losing interest in VHS and loved using DVD yers instead.


    Also, the rentals were profitable as well, they made $62 million from the rentals of Blockbusters, Walmart and movie stores.


    Anyway, Kazir wanted to sell at best 40% of the stock to one of the Big Six for protection and distribution security.


    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 theter 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 dorpany would take at least a year toplete. 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 be 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 mypany, 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 uing 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 sess 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 Vani 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 rtionship for almost two years. Have you shown Cameron anything of your true self?"


    "I have trust issues," Kazir muttered as he looked through the lists of actors and actresses.


    "Did... Did you just say that?"


    "Yes. Besides, Cameron and I are over."


    "She''s a great kisser, though."


    "She is."


    "Damn, I didn''t expect you to react like that. I thought you would at least be angry. So you''re really done with her."


    Out of curiosity, Tom wanted to tease Kazir about his past rtionship, but he didn''t expect Kazir to be as stoic as an old tree. The guy didn''t give a damn.


    "All right, I''m sorry for what I said." He admitted his mistakes.


    "It''s okay."


    Kazir knew that superstars usually had arrogant attitudes, and Tom''s behavior was in line with what Kazir expected.


    Many celebrities were arrogant, Gwh Paltrow, Will Smith, Lindsay Lohan, and even James Cameron. These people were quite known for having arrogant attitudes, some of this was because of the superstar syndrome. Where they think the world revolves around them.


    Fortunately, even though Tom had that attitude, he knew when to apologize.


    "Kazir, I have someone to rmend for Hugh ss'' wife."


    As expected, Tom was going to rmend someone.


    Kazir stopped reading the list. The female roles in this movie were basically non-existent, except for Hugh ss''s wife, but even that was a supporting role. In fact, the woman didn''t even have a real name.


    There were only four major characters in this movie, and they were all men.


    "Tom, you know that Hugh ss'' wife is a supporting character. I have no intention of changing the script to amodate anyone."


    "Of course I understand that. I have no intention of doing that either. Just think of it as a cameo. She''s a fan of yours, so I decided to give her a chance to work with you, even if the role is small."


    "What''s her name?"


    "She''s Penelope Cruz. I''m sure you know her."


    ''Of course she is.'' Kazir thought.


    Kazir knew Penelope Cruz, though he knew her only through her rtionship with Tom.


    Unless Kazir was mistaken, Tom met Penelope Cruz in Vani 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 sry."


    "We don''t expect a sry 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 ck 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 diator. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards for his role as Commodus in diator.


    A few yearster, 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 ck 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 anding 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 usation 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 rmended 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 monthster.


    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.


    For these reasons, Kazir felt that casting these three actors was not a problem.


    One thing was for sure, Tom Cruise had no problem with the cast. None of the actors were more famous than him, and he was confident in his acting abilities as well. He had been in the industry since 1981. His experience was enough to face such talented actors.


    Besides, Tom knew that Kazir would never betray him. He would definitely give Tom more screen time and let him showcase his acting skills.


    ... It was actually written in the contract. For this role, Tom decided to grow a beard for the first time. He even studied bears to understand them.


    He might even go so far as to meet a real bear and possibly have a boxing match with it. Tom Cruise was a professional actor and he was known for his stunts. (Note: I''m still skeptical about this. If it''s true, no insurancepany is going to sign a contract with Tom Cruise. He probably only does stunts that are safe).


    ......


    ...


    ...


    "Nice to see you again, sir. I thought you had forgotten me." Vance Goodhood greeted Kazir after three years of no contact.


    Kazir became busy and didn''t have much time to return to the investment firm. However, when he contacted thepany, he found that the investment firm had been hit hard by the bursting of the dot bubble and 9/11. As a result, they filed for bankruptcy.


    So Vance Goodhood decided to apply to Goldman Sachs, and he was epted. His credentials were good. Because of Kazir''s warning, Vance pulled out his investment before the stock market crashed. He made millions and was very grateful for Kazir''s opinion.


    As expected, Kazir Grey was a genius. He was a genius director and even in the financial sector he was making money.


    So Vance visited Grey Pictures because Kazir wanted to invest in tech/intepanies again.


    This time Kazir was willing to invest $150 million. This was a huge amount, and Vance met with Kazir in person because of the seriousness of the situation.


    "Are you sure you want to invest in thesepanies, sir?"


    Kazir had threepanies 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 thesepanies would be worth billions or trillions of dors.


    As for Apple, now that Steve Jobs had returned to Apple, Kazir knew that thispany 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 thepany 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 eachpany.


    ''As for Netflix... Meh. I''ll only invest when their online streaming service happens. Right now, Netflix is still a smallpany 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 hase, 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 ce 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 rtionship 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 rted to Sony-Columbia.


    People congratted Kazir for his outstanding ability to create blockbuster after blockbuster. Just as they predicted, Spider-Man sessfully surpassed $900 million in the first week of February.


    To date, Spider-Man is the highest grossing film of 2001. John Wick Chapter 2 came in second with $621 million.


    In third ce was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone with a current worldwide gross of $620 million. This was followed by The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring with $582 million.


    2001 was a bad year and people used movies to escape reality and have fun. Many of the audience preferred these four movies mainly because of their special effects, magic or supernatural aspects and cool action stunts.


    Hehe, it was also funny that the two currently highest grossing movies of 2001 were strongly rted to Kazir Grey.


    Kazir was the director of Spider-Man and he was also the writer/executive producer of John Wick Chapter 2.


    However, with John Wick Chapter 2 already finished its run, there was no chance for the movie to increase its box office. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer''s Stone would soon surpass this CCU movie.


    "Congrattions Kazir!" Said Tobey Maguire, who was slightly tipsy.


    "Congrattions, director." Producer Jezebel Salome was strict as always and didn''t touch alcohol tonight.


    "Yow, are money maker has arrived!" Willem Dafoe said jokingly and gave Kazir a big hug.


    Angelina was happy to see her man doing well in his career. She was proud of him. At the party, Angelina decided to look around for someone.


    Angelina was the type who loved to make fun of someone. It helped her boost her self-esteem and confidence. You see, she loved it when someone was jealous of her.


    So yes, she was going to look for Kirsten Dunst. She knew that Kirsten had a crush on her boyfriend and she loved to jab Kirsten with that fact.


    That was the reason why Angelina wanted to see Reese''s reaction thest time. Too bad, it seemed that Reese had already moved on. Well, Angelina had a new target.


    "Babe, I''ll be right back. You can talk to your friends while I''m gone." Angelina told Kazir and the man nodded.


    "Okay, take care."


    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 sessfully acquired all of the MCU characters. Most notably the original Avengers: Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, ck 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 rtionship. However, if the result changes and the current winner is overthrown byndside votes, there could be aeback. If you''re interested, you can check it out. I respect your votes and I respect the oue].


    [One more thing, what do you think about Marvel movies? Should Kazir direct them? The winner of the pollst time was (redacted) and I think thatpany can acquire Marvel and Grey Pictures together so that the MCU will happen].


    [My P@treon has a wider range of contentpared to Ko-fi, so I rmend 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://.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 thepany at the time and they made the arrangements and sold the characters for a few million dors.


    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 sessful. Marvel was impressed, but not enough to be excited or ted. After all, the film only grossed $296 million worldwide.


    The impact of Spider-Man, however, was far greater. No, this was the most sessful movie toe 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 fromic 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 sess. Now every character in this Cinematic Universe has be 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 andic books about CCU. They were also talking about possible animated series.


    It was still a rumor, but Ste 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 sess of X-Men and Spider-Man... especially Spider-Man.


    However, the characters Walt Disney was looking for were Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and Hulk, who were already owned by Grey Pictures.


    Walt Disney was willing to pay tens of millions just to acquire their copyrights, which was shocking but expected.


    Even Universal and Paramount were interested in their characters after the sess of Spider-Man.


    So now Marvel Comics was facing some problems. They need money.


    ''We need to acquire these characters and resell them, or we can...''


    Avi Arad stopped thinking. He was not sure of the oue of this conversation. First of all, he knew that this was just their first conversation and no promises would be made. Especially when Kazir Grey was known for his cunning behavior.


    While Avi Arad was busy thinking about business, Stan Lee''s thoughts were all about the hopes of Marvel characters having their own movies.


    Stan worked with Kazir on Spider-Man and saw the directory the groundwork for the movie to be released.


    In his opinion, Kazir was the main reason for the film''s sess. His clear vision for the film and his strict but consistent shooting. His authority and the respect he got from the people. Despite his achievements, Kazir was perfect for his career.


    ''If we are really serious about making a Cinematic Universe, then Kazir is the best option we have. He has already proven himself, and his credentials are unparalleled in that regard.'' the oldic creator thought.


    Kazir could make another Cinematic Universe with a high chance of sess. That was for sure.


    So yes, the two higher-ups at Marvel Comics have their own opinions.


    Avi Arad wanted the characters back, while Stan Lee hoped that Kazir would start working on Marvel characters as he had promised.


    Note that for Grey Pictures to acquire the copyrights for a small amount, they made a contract that Grey Pictures has to make a Marvel movie within 10 years, or else the characters would naturally return to Marvel Comics.


    In addition, Grey Pictures must invest at least $50 million in the Marvel movie or the contract would be void.


    Grey Pictures acquired the copyrights in 1997 and the deadline was 2007. If the studio failed to make a Marvel movie, the characters would return to Marvel Comics.


    The two executives followed Kazir nervously into the garden, but they hid their emotions well.


    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 sessful and no one couldpete 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 n.

 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 thepany. "I want to hear your thoughts."


    "Cinematic Universe. I want to make sure that Grey Pictures ismitted to a Marvel Cinematic Universe. With at least one Marvel movie a year."


    Kazir was not surprised.


    ''Well, since MCU was a massive sess 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 theics."


    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 viin, 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 theics, 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.


    Avi Arad knew this. It was just a threat, but a threat that would never happen unless they were backed into a corner.


    They love every character and they didn''t want to make them bad.


    "Avi, I know your intentions and I assure you that I''m sincere."


    "We will extend the copyrights up to 15 years if you agree with our terms." Avi said.n


    "I guess you want to use some of your people for this project."


    "That''s right, the writers should be from Marvel Comics."


    "No problem with that. That''s my n anyway."


    "Marvel wants to increase the 13% profit share to 15%. We need money."


    Marvel was in a near death situation.


    "The numbers should be discussed by our agents and so on. But I also have my proposal."


    "Tell me about it."


    Looking at the grin on Kazir''s face, Avi knew that it could affect them.


    "Marvel will shoulder at least 30% of the production cost."


    Now this condition could be a double-edged sword. It could be good or bad for them.


    "I agree, but Marvel should increase its box office share to 20%"


    "No, our original agreement is that Marvel Comics can only get 13% of the box office."


    "Then investment could be a problem."


    "Then there''s no Cinematic Universe."


    "..."


    Avi Arad and Kazir had a stare-down.


    As for Stan Lee, he just stood there. He was a creative person and a great artist, but business was never his strong suit.


    Actually, it was impressive that Kazir could do business. He had a talent for business management, otherwise Grey Pictures would not have reached its current greatness.


    Too bad, because Kazir disliked doing business. If he had a choice, he would have let his agent handle those kinds of negotiations.


    But after the Big Six declined to invest in Taken, Kazir decided to strike out on his own and form a productionpany 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 n 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 sessful. 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 sessful 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 th as fuck.


    Avi excused himself and answered the call.


    Kazir and Stan were left alone.


    "S- So Kazir, what''s your n if you''re going to make Iron Man?"


    "I have some in mind, but I''m not sure yet, I''ll tell youter, maybe when Spider-Man 2 starts production. I''ll give you a clear n. 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 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 sessful 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 thepany''s debt. If News Corporation was really serious about this acquisition, then the bank would be happy to have anotherpany 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 sess of Spider-Man was the reason. After the sess 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 thepany''s future would be prosperous.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    Kazir was a little confused as to why the two left the party so quickly. They hadn''t even had a ss of wine.


    ''Maybe their only reason for attending this party was to meet me.''


    Knowing how big the MCU was going to be in the next decade, Kazir would never say no to Marvel Comics'' terms. However, Grey Pictures would fight for better terms.


    ''It was a good thing that we acquired the copyrights to the MCU characters and can start at any moment. However, I''m still waiting for at least two or three years so that the CGI technology will be better and ready to take Iron-Man or The Incredible Hulk.''


    Technically, the second movie in the MCU was The Incredible Hulk, but the contract with Edward Norton fell through. Luckily, Iron Man, the first movie of the MCU, was sessful and kept the whole franchise alive.


    Of course, Hulk was still in the Avengers, but it was very hard to connect him with the Incredible Hulk. The Incredible Hulk was connected to MCU, plot wise, but sort of not.


    Since the original actor (Edward Norton) left and was reced by Mark Ruffalo. People couldn''t help but see the difference between the two.


    So in this timeline, if Grey Pictures and Marvel (Studio) were serious about creating another Cinematic Universe, then Kazir would choose Mark Ruffalo from the very beginning so there wouldn''t be any mishaps. Also, Mark Ruffalo was a great actor. He at least seemed more approachable than Edward Norton.


    ''Now that I think about it, The Incredible Hulk''s box office was not bad. It made about $260 million at the box office. However, the production cost of the movie is $150 million, so I guess they didn''t make a profit at all.''


    Things happen and life has always been like that. Even in the 2020s, the influence of the MCU waned after the original Avengers disappeared.


    ''I also have to be careful about oversaturation. People will get tired of superhero movies, and the Continental Cinematic Universe can suffer the same thing.''


    So far, action movies have done well, but that could changeter. After all, the era of the 2010s was dominated by superheroes.


    ''Keeping two CCU movies a year is the best choice. That way, people will not get tired of our movies.''


    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 actpletely fine.


    The woman walked towards Kazir, who tried to find a ce 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 ce, 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 ept. 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 exnations.


    "Well, I found her and decided to talk to her. I told her how great our rtionship 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?"


    "Ohe 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 rtionship 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.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    "I didn''t expect you to show up at Grey Pictures with this intention."


    "Kazir, don''t be like that. I know you''re smart. You already expected this to happen."


    "Indeed."


    Enrico Pi came to Grey Pictures for a formal business meeting. The reason: Warner Brothers was interested in acquiring shares of Grey Pictures, which was solely owned by Kazir... Well, Ste Willow held 1.3% after working in thepany for 3 years. She started working at Grey Pictures in 1999, around the time of the production of The Bourne Identity.


    "Our initial proposal is $1 billion for 40% of thepany, but that will probably not work..."


    Enrico sighed. This was not his forte in the first ce. He was a producer, not someone from Morgan Stanley or Goldman Sachs who was used to acquisition deals. Well, Warner Brothers was contacting J.P. Morgan for this job right now.


    "Hm, you have to keep up with the numbers." Kazir smiled.


    After the sess of the Continental Cinematic Universe, the worth of Grey Pictures rose to five billion dors. Especially when there were rumors that Grey Pictures was going to start another Cinematic Universe based on Marvel superheroes.


    "Yeah." That was all Enrico could say.


    On February 10, 2002, Warner Brothers began their acquisition. It was a great move that seemed promising, after all, Grey Pictures was now the most sought after studio in Hollywood.


    However, one weekter, Sony-Columbia also started their acquisition! They announced that they were ready to buy 35% of thepany for $2.1 billion. It seemed that Sony-Colombia was in desperate need of high quality movies that Kazir could provide. Especially after tasting the greatness of Spider-Man, which Kazir produced.


    Now, Warner Brothers and Sony-Colombia had their battle over who would acquire Grey Pictures.


    This could go on for months or even a year. Apparently, Grey Pictures didn''t turn down the acquisition, but they weren''t adamant either... It was as if Grey Pictures was waiting for something more.


    The two studios that dominated Hollywood started their battle, even making deals with J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs for this acquisition.


    This news was published in newspapers and some TV channels. The opinions of many people were divided.


    People in Hollywood knew that the oue of this acquisition would affect Hollywood tremendously. Once Grey Pictures worked with one of the Big Six, thatpany would have an advantage at the box office.


    In fact, people knew that the answer to this question was none other than Kazir Grey. He was the one who was able to aplish 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 hadplicated 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 whichpany 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 st 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 ce was John Wick Chapter 2 with $621 million.


    In fifth ce 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, bing 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 be 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 couldpare 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 thepany outright, thepany 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 thepany at best. They would never go beyond that. Because if Kazir felt he was being bullied, he might leave thepany altogether and work with another studio. That would be awkward.


    You see, Kazir has already made two movies that did very well at the box office, $1 billion each.


    Sony-Columbia and Warner Brothers knew this would not be thest time. They could sense that Kazir was still at the top of his game, or maybe he was climbing even higher, and his chances of failure were slim.


    How could they not be tempted? Have you ever seen someone like Kazir who could make a billion dors with one movie? Yes, two other people have done it, Spielberg and Cameron. But Spielberg worked mostly with Paramount and Universal.


    As for Cameron, he worked with 20th Century Fox and Paramount, but he only makes movies every few years. In fact, James Cameron''s next movie would be in 2009, 7 years from now. His art took a long time to create, unlike Kazir who consistently made one movie a year. That was the most scious fact about this acquisition.


    Even if they could only acquire 20-30% of Grey Pictures, it would still be a profit. And from the looks of it, Kazir was not interested in money. It was just a way for him to preserve his career.


    ... Because Kazir was not interested in money, the negotiations became a bit difficult. Kazir wanted a stock swap instead.


    That is, Kazir would receive stock in Sony-Colombia or Warner Brothers in exchange for stock in Grey Pictures.


    The current worth of Warner Brothers was $27 billion while Sony-Colombia was around $21 billion.


    As for Grey Pictures, thepany''s worth has ballooned, or should I say increased, after the recent sess of their many movies. Sitting around $7 billion.


    After all, Grey Pictures grossed over $1 billion at the box officest year, and John Wick''s Chapter 2 and Fast and The Furious together grossed over $1 billion. In addition, the profit from merchandise/DVDs sold by Grey Picturesst year was over $150 million. The estimated value of thepany was not wrong at all.


    To acquire 40% of thepany, Sony-Columbia or Warner Brothers would have to bleed $3.4 billion. That could affect their business, but it was a risk they were willing to take. After all, bothpanies were backed by giant corporations. Sony and Time Warner were powerfulpanies in their respective industries.


    So far, Sony-Colombia was interested in a 35% stake for $2.1 billion. It was a huge amount, but Kazir was not interested in that kind of money. He was not the type to spend money. He could invest in somepanies, but he preferred to focus on Hollywood. Besides, Kazir could wait.


    Kazir had a feeling that Sony-Columbia and Warner Brothers wouldn''t be the only onespeting. 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 dors 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 toote 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 uing 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 TVworks, 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, Wace, 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 Wace, but airlines have different rules now. She might spend more time in the terminal than with Wace.


    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 Wace met two years ago in the premiere of Wanted. Wace 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 rtionship.


    Now they were 1 year and 4 months into the rtionship.


    The two knew that distance could affect their rtionship, 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 ne, so they used business flights instead. Maintaining a ne was very expensive and Kazir didn''t find the novelty of having one... Even though he was making a lot of money.


    Jane had heard that Tom Cruise flew to Canada in a private ne, but that was only natural since the actor was a true superstar.


    The crew had to go to a snowy part of Canada to shoot the movie. Kazir first sent Renner Hector to check out the possible locations, and Renner already found suitable spots. He also talked to themunities and got permission to shoot.


    Most of the scenes would be shot in Sudbury, Ontario. Renner already confirmed that even though summer wasing, the ce was still cold and snowy white, an important aspect of their choice.


    "I''ll miss you."


    "Me too."


    Jane said goodbye to her lover, she would miss him. She went to the terminal area and found most of the crew. They greeted each other. Then Jane approached Kazir, who seemed busy as usual.


    The man had always been like that since the first time they met, when Kazir was still a rookie director and had trouble doing his job, which made him busier. But now, the rookie director was nowhere to be seen.


    Just a mature man who seemed to be engrossed in his reading.


    "Good morning, Kazir."


    "Oh, good morning, Jane. Wace brought you here to the terminal?"


    "That''s right."


    "Is he still here?"


    "No, he has a job. So he left after he sent me here."


    "Is that so? Too bad, I want him to contact some members of Grey Fans to visit our movie set to promote the movie. I think some of the members of Grey Fans are amateur movie bloggers."


    Movie critics might be the right term, but movie bloggers were more focused on the Inte. 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 Wace 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 Waceter."


    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 sess of Spider-Man and Wanted. Hisst 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 anothernguage, 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 be a director, perhaps he would work inics or other hand-drawn rted 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 minutester.


    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 be the norm a few yearster.


    Films would be 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.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    In a dark, deep forest with little greenery and tall trees, a man walked quietly, aware of his surroundings.


    The forest was almost silent, as if there were no life in it.


    In his thick fur clothing, Hugh ss sensed that something was wrong. He raised his old long rilfe as if danger were closing in.


    He had unkempt hair around his face, showing how haggard he was. His thick beard was quite greasy.


    Breathing slowly but deeply, Hugh ss turned slowly to look around.


    He saw two bear cubs walking. The bear cubs were just passing by, looking adorable.


    He lowered his rifle and turned around, only to see a huge grizzly bearing at him.


    The bear pounced on him and knocked him to the ground. His gun flew out of his grasp. Hugh ss grunted and struggled back.


    The bear began to attack him on the ground without mercy.


    "OK, cut!"


    Suddenly the bear stopped moving and Tom stood up with a bit of dirt on his face. He wiped his face and looked at the bear.


    "Sorry about that, Tom." The bear said. There was someone inside the bear, a real person. Kazir knew that the bear didn''t look realistic, but they were going to use motion capture technology and edit it.


    The technology was expensive, but Kazir was willing to spend money on it. The grizzly bear had to look realistic and scary. They need that wow factor.


    "No, it''s fine," Tom replied to the man in the costume. He knew this scene was going to be dirty. He didn''t like dirt, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was an actor and he had to do his job.


    Fortunately, the clothes he was wearing were clean and smelled good despite their dirty appearance. The costume design team should be thanked for that.


    "Let''s take a break." Tom said. He didn''t have a problem with what was happening.


    First of all, he liked his current appearance. He could feel that he was deep in the act, and for a few seconds he felt like he really was Hugh ss.


    Perhaps the atmosphere in the crew affected him in a good way.


    He saw a strong camaraderie between them. They all worked together perfectly. The trust they had in Kazir Grey might be the reason.


    It was a trust that had slowly built up over the years. They followed Kazir''s orders without hesitation, knowing that Kazir could provide them with another masterpiece. Moreover... The bonus they received after the filming waspleted and the film was sessfully released at the box office motivated them to work hard.


    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 sessful. 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 sessful. 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 yground. The novel was popr 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 worth of Grey Pictures was only $1-2 billion at best, but the sess of Continental Cinematic Universe changed everything. Thepany''s worth skyrocketedst year, especially when John Wick Chapter 2 and The Fast and The Furious grossed more than $1 billion at the box officebined, giving Grey Pictures a higher status.


    Despite the infighting at Walt Disney, executives and chairman Eisner agreed that John Carter should be taken seriously. Everyone wanted to make money.


    After months of preparation, from buying amercial slot on the Super Bowl to stering the film''s posters everywhere, Walt Disney did everything to make sure the film would be a sess.


    The plot was good.


    The special effects were good.


    The hype seemed promising.


    If there was a downside, they cast an unknown actor... They copied what Grey Pictures had done and cast an unknown but young actor as John Carter. They originally wanted to cast someone like Matt Damon, but he was busy with Bourne Supremacy, which wasing out in July.


    The executives also argued over the title of the film, but decided to go with Michael Eisner''s. Chairman Eisner was a tyrant, but it was true that he was the one responsible for the current sess of Walt Disney. In the end, they agreed to call the film John Carter instead of its original title, Princess On Mars.


    So John Carter was born.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    The premiere of John Carter was quite lively, Walt Disney paid a lot of attention to this film.


    The audience seemed excited and watched the film... Only to be left unsatisfied.


    Why was that? Because thest part of the film was left unanswered.


    Basically, Walt Disney focused too much on possible sequels instead ofpleting the plot of the film.


    Did John Carter really return to Mars or not?


    A question that would be impossible to answer because, surprise, surprise, the film didn''t get a sequel!


    Walt Disney screwed up. There were rumours that Michael Eisner was micromanaging almost everything about the film, and the executives med him.


    At first, their expressions were full of excitement. Their faces lit up when they heard the good news. They waited 24 hours to hear the first day''s results... And they were greeted with utter bullshit.


    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 dors! 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 calctions 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 rtionship with Kazir would change for the better. The director could have worked with Walt Disney. But s, 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 popr in thete 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 sessful 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 popr 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 p 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.


    They could not ept that John Carter was a box office flop, a tragedy. They still decided to promote the film for a week.


    Furthermore, Walt Disney had international distribution. Maybe they could recoup their investment internationally.


    So yes, Walt Disney continued to burn their money. Historically, this is probably the biggest box office flop that Disney has had in either timeline... Apart from The Lone Ranger, of course. Note that this film was also produced by Walt Disney and their investment wasrge. But just like John Carter, The Lone Ranger didn''t have much to show for it, but that''s another story.


    As many expected, when Star Wars Episode 2: Attack Of The Clones was released, the first day box office was astounding.


    On May 16, the first day of Star Wars Episode 2, it made over $30 million.


    It was meant to be. This was a sign that the film would do well at the box office, unlike John Carter, which only made a mediocre $9 million on the first day.


    Furthermore, the production cost of Star Wars Episode 2 was only $115 million. That was smallpared to John Carter''s $250 million. It even did better at the box office.


    One thing was clear, there was something wrong with the film. Who would want to see a film that had no clear ending?


    Walt Disney focused too much on possible sequels and this was the downfall of John Carter.


    When Disney felt that their promotion was useless, they decided to keep a low profile... They hope that the reaction of foreigners to John Carter was worth it, or else...


    In May, only one film dominated the month, and that was Star Wars Episode 2.


    By the end of the month, Star Wars Episode 2 had already earned 216 million dors. The film made back its investment in just one month and may have even put more profit.


    As for John Carter and Walt Disney... Meh.


    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 rtionship after Tom officially divorced Nicole Kidman.


    Since Penelope was part of the cast, they could use their rtionship 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 ce 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 med Michael Eisner, of course. Even though they had all agreed to the project in the first ce. Well, they had to me 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 screeny 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 rtionship 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.


    ''... No time to think about it.''


    Kazir thought as he realised that the limousine had stopped in front of the Westwood Vige Theatre. The theatre where The Hangover Part 3 would have its premiere.


    Kazir smiled as he got out of the limousine. With cameos in all the CCU movies, Kazir was already recognised as an "actor". People knew and recognised him.


    So when he appeared on the red carpet, people immediately started shouting and cheering his name. There were even some female fans screaming his name like fanatics. Well, Kazir was a good-looking guy, so it was obvious why.


    Kazir spent only a few minutes on the red carpet before entering the theatre. He didn''t bother to talk to the reporter because he wasn''t in a good mood. The fact that he could smile right now was amazing. Perhaps being an actor could suit him, if not for his love of filming and creating movies.


    When he entered the theatre, he saw the actors, some sitting, some talking to people. These actors changed their future because of this franchise. Now most of them had promising careers and got annual projects with a sry of at least $1 million.


    Of all of them, Reese had the best career at the time. Legally Blonde made her a superstar, earning more than $5 million per film.


    The fact that The Hangover and The Hangover Part 2 are in the top 10 highest-grossing R-rated films of all time speaks volumes.


    The Hangover Part 2 took the top spot with $586 million.


    Second was diator (2000) with $503 million.


    Third was The Hangover with $502 million.


    Fourth was Saving Private Ryan with $486 million.


    Fifth, with a slightly lower gross, was The Matrix with $465.37 million.


    Around 1996, The Hangover was the highest-grossing R-rated film, but a few yearster 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 notst 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 wille. When I started out as a director, I didn''t have much sess 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 seed.


    Nevertheless, Enzo epted 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 ce in this industry... Maybe he would concentrate more onedy 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 ck and Bradley Cooper greeted him with good evening.


    Kazir also saw Reese in the corner of his vision, sitting a few meters away from him. The woman turned to him and smiled, Kazir smiled back and their interaction ended.


    They were already over, and that was the right thing to do. Reese already had a boyfriend and it would be scandalous to talk to another man, especially if he was her ex-boyfriend... They weren''t officially dating, though. Kazir and Reese didn''t publicly announce if they were in rtionship.


    Kazir found his seat, which was in the front row of the theatre. Next to him was the current Chairman/CEO of Warner Brothers, Barry Mayer.


    Terry Semel had already left Warner Brothers for Yahoo. He resignedst month and his tenure ended amicably.


    The shuffle of authority and politics within thepany continued, but so far Barry Mayer has done well.


    On top of that, Time Warner also hired a COO (Chief Operating Officer) to help Barry Mayer execute orders in the studio. His name is n Frederick Horn.


    By the way, as people expected, Barry Mayer was Jewish. People had another reason to hate this novel, let''s go!


    Because Barry Mayer and Kazir were of the same race, the President had a good impression of Kazir and was sincere in working with him... The main reason was Kazir''s ability to make a blockbuster. A mega-hit film. Something that could bring them profits for decades...


    So Warner Brothers wanted to buy Grey Pictures, or at least part of it. At first, Time Warner, the parentpany of Warner Brothers, was interested in acquiring AOL, but a whopping $100 billion was too much for them. Besides, it was obvious that AOL was inted and its real value was 10 times less than $100 billion.


    So instead, what about buying a smallpany with a promising future like Grey Pictures? Warner Brothers could buy all of Grey Pictures for $10 billion... Although they would suffer for a few years. Besides, Kazir would definitely not agree.


    If Grey Pictures were sold outright to Warner Brothers, Kazir might leave thepany altogether. That would be detrimental, the real value of Grey Pictures was Kazir himself.


    "Kazir, I assure you this film is going to be a big hit," Barry said to Kazir, who was sitting next to him.


    So far, the acquisition job was still ongoing and J.P. Morgan was researching the real value of Grey Pictures and its divisions. They needed to understand how thepany worked and how it would affect bothpanies.


    Warner Brothers had no intention of merging, they wanted Grey Pictures to have autonomy and continue to make profitable films. That was the n.


    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 thest 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-ratededy.


    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://.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 sessful.


    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 thepany 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 n.


    "I say we make a live-action Snow White."


    "..."


    Simple, but it seems good. At least. The executives were listening.


    "Of course, there''s a catch. We''re going to make Snow White Hispanic, and the seven dwarfs aren''t dwarfs at all, they''re just regr people." Robert Iger added.


    "You''re out of your mind if you think that will work. In the first ce, Snow White is named Snow White because of her white, pale skin! What''s your second idea? You want to make the Little Mermaid ck?" Michael Eisner replied.


    "I know, that''s why we have to be innovative. By the way, your idea also seems to have merit. We can make a ck Little Mermaid."


    "The audience isn''t stupid, Robert. We''re just being racist at this point. They know we are making fun of them. Disney is making fun of them!"


    "No, the audience are stupid. People are stupid, and they''ll buy tickets just to see our stupid movies. Why is that? Because we are Walt Disney. We can make any kind of movie and we will call it revolutionary, no, woke is a better term. We will make woke movies." He paused to take a breath.


    "Remember, the founder of Walt Disney is a racist and Nazi supporter."


    "This is outrageous. This is not how Hollywood works!"


    Robert was like a delusional man, believing that people were mindless creatures who would follow the will of the media.


    "When ites to 3D animation, I say we teach kids how to twerk. Damn, I suddenly want to see She-Hulk twerk."


    Yes, Walt Disney is crazy, and they deserve all the bacsh they are currently suffering.


    "I have an idea," the unnamed executive said, raising his hand slightly to get the attention of the executives.


    The man began to speak, and his n was more pleasing.


    "Since we''re looking for a cinematic universe, why don''t we just acquire Grey Pictures? They''re the first in the industry to make one. I''m sure they can keep up a steady stream of movies. We can also hire director Grey to make movies for us."


    When he said that, a lot of people nodded their heads and thought it was a great idea.


    But one person didn''t agree.


    "Fuck no! I''d rather rape no-name actresses than agree to that!" A fat guy mmed his fists on the table in anger. His saliva flew around out of rage.


    "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 ir Witch Project. He was still the CEO of Miramax, but he usually hid from the media because of the bacsh from the ir 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 dorpany was not that easy, so this vote was just an initial proposal.


    A few minutester, 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 toplete 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 form 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. Thest 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 ce.


    There was a reason for that. Thest pirate film was released in 1995 and it was terrible. The title of the film was Cutthroat Ind. A film that cost $98 million to make, a huge investment. It was thest film that Carolco Pictures distributed before they went bankrupt.


    In fact, Cutthroat Ind 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 Ind 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 likeedy and action. These were Kazir''s strengths. Kazir could probably make a profit if he madeedy or action.


    However, Harold also felt that if there was anyone who could make a sessful pirate film, it would definitely be Kazir.


    As Harold was only an employee and his sry was quite high, he decided to trust his friend. He watched as Kazir slowly made a name for himself.


    Besides, one mistake is not enough for Kazir to lose face in Hollywood. That mistake can also humble him.


    Kazir gave him just one job: to find apany that makes wooden ships. The pirate ships had to work and float in the water/ocean.


    The sketches and designs were just the basic image, but they could be changed for future reference. Harold didn''t know why Kazir insisted on starting this project.


    As he thought about it, Harold felt his phone vibrate. When he opened it, he frowned and decided to reject the call. The person who kept calling him was very insistent and Harold was beginning to lose his patience.


    ''I''ve already given them projects to keep them busy, what do they want now?''


    A few secondster the phone vibrated again and Harold sighed. His position in the industry was quite high and some studios wanted to hire him, but Harold stayed with Grey Pictures.


    After some thought he decided to answer the call. He controlled his emotions and tried his best to be calm.


    "What do you want?"


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "I''m so happy to be working with someone as talented as you."


    "No, I''m sure it''s not that great. I also heard that you''ll be working with Steven Spielberg for the second time. I think that''s an honour. It means that director Spielberg likes your acting".


    Tom Cruise''s side made an agreement with DreamWorks that the actor would star in two of their films. The first film was Minority Report, based on a novel. The film was released on 21 June, two weeks ago. So far, Minority Report has grossed $84 million at the box office.


    The second film was War of the Worlds. A film based on a science fiction novel written by H.G. Wells between 1895 and 1897. A century-old novel.


    "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 toe back to Los Angeles with me? We can drink in the private ne while we wait for it tond."


    "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 sries. If there was one good thing, it was that they were all good at acting, despite their low sries.


    ''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 rx. 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 rtionship with Angelina was rather rocky).


    Pose for the cameras, making sure he looks presentable.


    The reporter will ask him a few questions.


    Then Kazir would enter the theatre and wait for the screening.


    There was nothing new, so Kazir didn''t make any mistakes on the red carpet.


    He entered the theatre with confidence. He was actually grateful that the reporter didn''t ask him about Angelina, because Kazir didn''t know the answer either.


    He looked around, the lights were still on so he could see quite well.


    "Hey, Kazir. It''s nice to meet you tonight!"


    Matt Damon saw him and greeted him with a smile. The two shook hands and Matt Damon assured him of something.


    "Don''t worry, I heard Cameron Diaz won''t be here tonight."


    Apparently, the woman was filming a perfumemercial.


    "Huh? Where did you get the impression that I was avoiding Cam?"


    "But I thought you didn''t like her." Matt tilted his head.


    "It''s not that I don''t like her. I just want to stay out of trouble. That''s the best thing to do."


    Kazir was afraid that Cameron had weak self-control and that she might do something wrong in public. He didn''t hate her, he just wanted to be free of any stress.


    "That''s good then." Matt Damon looked around and realised that Kazir was at the premiere alone.


    It seemed that Kazir and Angelina were over.


    Kazir saw Paul Greengrass. The man was in his 40s and this was his first big film. He was sweating and nervous as he greeted Kazir.


    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 wasing. 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 ce. 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 toote... 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 apuded 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 hourster, 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 rted to filming and stuff.


    Last but not least was Matt Damon.


    Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel shook hands and sat down.


    "Matt, so how''s it going? We really reserved a time slot for you this time."


    "Oh yeah, I have been waiting for this moment for years, because clearly you never want me here."


    The audienceughed at their banter. A few minutes into the conversation, a siren rm echoes across the set and catches Matt''s attention.


    "Huh? What''s that sound? What''s happening?"


    "Well, I''m sorry Matt, we''ve run out of time. It''s time to end the show." Jimmy confirmed.


    "What? I just got here. You can''t just do that." Matt pretended to be angry and the audienceughed again.


    "Come back next time."


    "Come back,e back what? I''ve been waiting for this moment for two years and you''re just going to leave it like that. You know what, go fuck yourself."


    And with that, Jimmy Kimmel Live! ended. As the credits rolled, Matt Damon in the background was choking Jimmy Kimmel out of his seat...


    The longest running joke on television was sailing. This episode was very funny and the people who watched it live on TV were more than 15 million people.


    Because of this promotion, the next day (Saturday, July 6th) the box office for The Bourne Supremacy was $25.50 million.


    On Sunday, The Bourne Supremacy added another $19.46 million in ticket sales. Combining the three days, The Bourne Supremacy''s first weekend gross was $72.61 million.


    The movie clearly did well.


    But on Monday, while Kazir was busy editing The Revenant, he got a call from Robert Ludlum''s son.


    "... My condolences. I''m sure Robert was happy to see The Bourne Supremacy before he died."


    Robert Ludlum died peacefully in his bed. He had a satisfied smile on his face when his family saw him.


    The call ended shortly thereafter. Kazir knew it was hical, but he knew both studios would take advantage of the situation.


    Just as he expected, Ste Willow worked with 20th Century Fox to announce Robert''s death and add it to the promotion of The Bourne Supremacy.


    Suddenly, pictures of Robert and the cast appeared on the Inte 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 andpletely 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 ced 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 epted the fact that Kazir was over her. The man saw their rtionship 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 ck dress as she approached the newly nted grave.


    Kazir also saw the woman.


    The woman ced red roses and then walked in Kazir''s direction.


    "Angelina..."


    "Kazir, can we talk?" Angelina was wearing sunsses 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 ck 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 feelfortable 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 woulde today.


    "I tried to avoid you, I know I''m quite childish. And I also know I''m arrogant. Maybe I didn''t take this rtionship very seriously, I thought you were just someone I would forget as soon as I was done with you. I thought I didn''t love you." Angelina began to sniff, her nose red and congested as she sobbed.


    "But when I heard that Robert Ludlum, a friend of yours, had died, my heart suddenly tightened and I felt like I couldn''t breathe. I started thinking about you and how sad you will be. My heart can''t take it." She cried and Kazir felt his chest grow warm.


    He didn''t know why, but he wanted to cry, too.


    "I want to be there for you. It hurts me that you are in pain. So I took courage and came to the funeral to meet you and talk to you again."


    Kazir hugged Angelina tightly as tears ran down his cheeks, both of them crying.


    "I''m sorry that I hurt you. I''m sorry for avoiding you, I''m arrogant and proud, I thought you''de back to me once you realized I was the best thing that ever happened to you."


    "No, Angelina, don''t look at it that way. Being with you is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I should be the one to apologize. I let you down."


    Kazir was not lying. The woman was indeed one of the best things that had happened to him. His whole life had been lonely, but Angelina gave him warmth.


    Maturity.


    Admitting your mistakes and doing your best to fix them was a sign of maturity.


    "I''m sorry I bullied Kirsten."


    Honestly, Angelina was like a crybaby right now. Her snot evennded on Kazir''s suit, but that didn''t bother Kazir at all. He just wanted to keep hugging her.


    "You can bully whoever you want, I will always be there for you. I want you to know that I love you and I don''t want to leave you."


    "I love you too."


    The two looked at each other, their faces streaked with tears and snot. Kazir smiled weakly and kissed Angelina on the cheek.


    The sunsses that Angelina was wearing fell off and Kazir saw what she looked like.


    Angelina''s eyes were swollen, as if she had been crying all night. Kazir felt bad. He thought he was the only one suffering from their breakup.


    No one was perfect and Kazir knew that they both had their faults.


    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 rtionship.


    +++++


    [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,ment your thoughts because yourments 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 possibleeback. 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 rtionship 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://.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 Inte 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.


    Ste 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 Ste 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 atmosphere between them was hot, or so they thought, because they both felt it.


    Angelina wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Her lipstick smeared Kazir''s lips before they pulled apart.


    "Let''s go... Or we might not make it."


    She hinted that both of them could stay in the house all night if they did something more.


    Kazir chuckled and followed suit, seeing that Angelina was blushing so much that even her blush-on seemed non-existent.


    Angelina and Kazir were invited to attend Meet The Fockers, the sequel to Meet The Parents. Aedy Kazir wrote himself.


    Actually, only Kazir was invited by Paramount, but Kazir was allowed to bring another person. As if Paramount would say no to Angelina Jolie.


    After all, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days was also invested by Paramount and it would be good promotion for the movie if Angelina showed up.


    Another thing was that Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was produced by Paramount and they have no problem with Angelina supporting their movies.


    The only way to stay relevant in this industry was to be remembered by the audience. As long as the actor/actress was famous, jobs would keeping their way.


    For this premiere, Kazir decided to use his Mercedes Benz. Yes, the famous director, who was known for being cheap, bought a Mercedes Benz two years ago and it became his go-to car since then.


    His Honda was still in his garage but he rarely used it. However, he still cherishes it.


    The driver of the car was Erica, who worked overtime just for this premiere.


    Angelina and Kazir rekindled their love and it seemed that their rtionship was stronger, Erica was happy for her boss.


    A happy boss means a happy bonus, right?


    Anyway, the couple had a yful time in the car while Erica kept her eyes on the road... She had to be professional and do her job.


    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 minutester, 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 exin 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 bes 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 y this psychotic role.


    A lot of actors/actresses were traumatized by the roles they yed, and someone like Brianna who did method acting was susceptible.


    Shelly Duval in The Shining.


    Adrien Brody in The Pianist.


    Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.


    These people suffered from their roles. One of them even died.


    If Brianna continued down this path, her fame would notst.


    "Babe?" Angelina sensed that Kazir was staring at Brianna too much, so she squeezed his arms.


    She didn''t like him staring at other girls...


    Kazir came to his senses and apologized to Angelina. The woman sulked but let it go.


    Then Kazir talked to Salvatore, who was waiting for his answer.


    "Did she get the role or is she just going to audition?"


    "She''s going to audition, but from the looks of it, the producer is interested in casting her," Salvatore replied based on the information he got.


    "Salvatore, don''t let Brianna take that role. I say she fits into bubbly girl roles and sweet girl type roles. Not something serious like as a serial killer."


    Kazir didn''t want to hear a news that Brianna killed a man because she couldn''t perceive reality.


    "That''s what I told her, but she said she was tired of it. She said she wanted something serious, something that would challenge her acting."


    "I understand. If I find a role that suits her, I''ll let you know."


    "I''m up for anything, as long as it''s not a serial killer... I''m afraid of Brianna right now, to be honest."


    Kazir nodded and agreed. He looked at Brianna and found the woman talking to Ben Stiller, but her demeanor was not cheerful. Ben Stiller felt ufortable and didn''t know how to act. He also felt that Brianna was acting differently.


    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 sessfullyunched 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 peopleugh.


    On Sunday, July 27, Austin Powers in Goldmember grossed $55.65 million. In fact, Austin Powers was one of the bestedy 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 bestedy 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 thepany with his brother, and so far their business has been good.


    They couldn''tpete 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 bing obsolete, and most people had been using DVD yers 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.


    Thest 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 ir 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 ir 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.


    The Inte was the reason the #MeToo movement was sessful in the first ce.


    Actress Virginia Rappe was sexually assaulted in 1921. The rapist lost his career.


    Director Roman Pnski raped a 13-year-old girl. The director fled the United States. He was filming The Pianist this year. It was a mystery how the Academy allowed the director to participate in the Oscars.


    Patricia Dous, a movie extra, was r*ped by an employee of MGM. The actress was cklisted in Hollywood after this incident.


    Injustice at its finest.


    These are just some of the information about sexual harassment in Hollywood. If we were to list them all, this chapter might not be enough. I just wanted to say that Hollywood was never a paradise. A lot of creepy people lived there. Epstein Ind and Diddy''s parties were probably just the tip of the iceberg.


    You know, the Inte was a fucked up ce, but it did some good. At least people had tforms to speak their minds. Unlike the newsworks that were bought and would never tell the truth.


    Too bad a lot of social media tforms got filtered in the next decade. One day, people were no longer allowed to express their feelings.


    "Fucking shit--!"


    Harvey Weinstein pounded his fists on the table. No matter how much he tried to calm down, he could not get over the fact that Grey Pictures had screwed up his business again.


    Grey Pictures and 20th Century Fox announced that they would release Mr. And Mrs. Smith on August 7, 2002.


    That sounds about right... But this would be a disaster for Miramax. Because their movie would also be released on the same day.


    Spy Kids 2: The Ind of Lost Dreams was produced by Miramax. Mind you, the production cost of this movie was $38 million. Obviously, Miramax had put a lot of money into this project.


    However, Grey Pictures decided to release their movies on the same day. This would hurt the box office of Spy Kids 2 tremendously.


    CCU movies always have a good opening.


    It was impossible to change the release schedule because Miramax had already talked to the Cinema Alliance.


    Their initial agreement was that Spy Kids 2 would get 4000 theaters, but earlier Cinema Alliance told him that Spy Kids 2 could only get 3300 theaters.


    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 thest 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 toe 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 aeback? 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 rtives 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 nevere 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 ept 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 worth was $105 billion. Walt Disney owned ABC Studios, ESPN, Disnend, part of Pixar since Steve Jobs was still alive, Touchstone, part of Miramax, and Hollywood Records.


    In some ways, Walt Disney wasparable to Time Warner and News Corporation. Moreover, thispany would be 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 release of Mr. And Mrs. Smith was extravagant as many actors from CCU showed up. Most of them were there to promote their own movies, and Kazir had no problem with that.


    In fact, that was the reason why he attended the premiere.


    After the reconciliation, Kazir and Angelina became close again and showed their affection to each other in front of the public.


    They were holding hands when they attended the premiere of Mr. And Mrs. Smith.


    "Kazir!"


    Brad Pitt greeted Kazir and his partner Angelina.


    ... Actually, Kazir felt ufortable seeing Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie together. He knew he had changed the timeline, but he could not forget that they had actually be a couple and gotten married.


    Anyway, Kazir was mature enough to understand. Brad Pitt didn''t stay long after greeting them. He knew that Kazir and Angelina wanted their own time.


    Brad Pitt met Kazir in 1994. At that time, Kazir was nothing more than an unknown director/screenwriter.


    Honestly, Brad Pitt epted the role in Se7en because the sry was enticing. He also knew the consequences of joining Se7en, a mystery thriller.


    But he didn''t expect his choice to be the right one. Se7en was a sess.


    Since then, every project Kazir has touched has been a sess.


    Everyone in Hollywood had high expectations for the man, and Kazir always made sure to deliver. Once his name was attached to the movie, the chances of it being a box office hit were higher.


    Kazir also saw Jennifer Connelly in her dress... He immediately looked away when he felt that the woman next to him was staring at him with a cold gaze. He smiled and kissed Angelina''s forehead to calm her down.


    Kazir felt bad that Angelina was not part of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. After all, Angelina was the original female lead in the movie. But since Kazir added this movie to CCU, and since Angelina and her role in CCU was Fox, it would be impossible to cast her as another character.


    Kazir promised to make it up to her. He knew that How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days would be a box office hit and that Angelina would keep her fame.


    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 Ind 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 ce, Miramax used a safer way to make money.


    As everyone expected, Mr. And Mrs. Smith easily won first ce 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 familyedy and a light-hearted plot.


    As for Mr. And Mrs. Smith, it was more of a serious action movie with a dash of romance andedy. Maybe that''s why the two movies didn''t have much of an impact on each other.


    Even though August was thest 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 y 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 FuriousxXx


    Pitch ck/Riddick


    Guardians of the Gxy


    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.


    Kazir had already proven that he could make billions at the box office, and Sony-Colombia didn''t want to end their rtionship because of a small dispute.


    Another thing was that Vin Diesel was also a cast member of CCU and Sony-Colombia''s feelings towards Mr. And Mrs. Smith wereplicated.


    After the release of xXx, nothing big happened in August and most of the movies that were released were mediocre and nothing surpassed $100 million at the box office except Spy Kids 2, Mr. And Mrs. Smith and xXx. Thetter two dominated the month.


    By the end of August, Mr. And Mrs. Smith had earned $146.08 million, while xXx had earned $117.26 million.


    Of course, the cast of Mr. And Mrs. Smith had to travel around the world to promote the film, even though it had only been in North America for a month. The international screening was a serious money.


    If Sony-Columbia''s home court was Japan, then Australia was 20th Century Fox''s home court. In fact, most of the movies 20th Century Fox invested in were filmed in Australia because the studio could get a tax break there. After all, Rupert Murdoch was Australian, and he could snap his fingers to make way for 20th Century Fox.


    September came and the cold treatment in theaters obviously happened. Most students and people went back to their usual things.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    After almost half a year of waiting, Sony-Colombia has already made its payment to Kazir Grey. Calcting the worldwide box office for Spider-Man took a long time because the movie made a lot of money.


    After some math-thingy, Sony-Colombia confirmed that Spider-Man actually grossed $1.09 billion.


    Now, do not be shocked, but Kazir actually earned $294.3 million as his box office share! This was just one project, but he made that much.


    Of course, Sony-Colombia paid this amount per round and not as a single payment.


    Kazir already received $27 million from them as his sry and the $294.3 million was his box office share.


    In the contract, both parties agreed that Kazir would receive $27 million as his sry and 27% of the worldwide box office, he also had a 7% peripheral profit share.


    The amount he received from Sony-Colombia was already over $300 million.


    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 sess 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 seed 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 dors? 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://.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, thest 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 andrgest 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 ve


    La La Land


    Green Book


    These movies won the festival''s People''s Choice Award, and these movies made a name for themselves at the box office.


    And guess what? All of these movies received nominations/wins at the Academy Awards (Oscars).


    In a way, for a movie to get Oscar nominations, it had to participate in film festivals and award shows like the Golden Globes.


    This was the method used by Grey Pictures. Like the others, The Revenant had its first screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. This was the beginning of their knock on the door of the Academy Awards.


    Even Tom Cruise attended the screening. Mind you, the Toronto International Film Festivalsted 12 days. From September 5 to September 17. The actor knew the importance of this film festival, so he attended the 12-day festival even though their movie would be released on thest day. You know, a kind of promotion and publicity.


    Not going to lie, Tom Cruise did a lot of selfies and autographs for the fans within 12 days.


    Tornado International Film Festival hosted 343 movies this year and it was a lot of movies. Why 343 movies? Because many movies from different countries were screened in this film festival. Differentnguages, different regions and different races. The Toronto International Film Festival was for everyone. One of the reasons why this film festival was famous all over the world.


    Also, one of the reasons why the Toronto International Film Festival was famous was because of the superstars who came. This year the biggest actor who showed up was Tom Cruise.


    The opening film was Ararat, while the closing film was Brian De Palma''s Femme Fatale.


    As for The Revenant, it was the second to thest movie.


    Kazir had already finished post-production on The Revenant and made sure it would be at the Toronto International Film Festival. Kazir followed the usual procedure.


    He knew film festivals were biased against Hollywood movies, but that didn''t stop him.


    Their goal was to win the People''s Choice Award and gain positive recognition from the members of the Academy Awards.


    The days passed and the festival went well. Many viewers stayed throughout the festival, appreciating the art they saw.


    However, thest day was quite crowded and almost all the seats were taken.


    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 ept 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 ss (Tom Cruise), a frontiersman and fur trapper who faces a series of harrowing challenges. The story begins with a brutal bear attack that leaves ss badly injured. Fighting for his life, he is betrayed by his own expedition team, led by John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy).]


    [Left for dead, ss 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, ss''s resilience bes 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 pped 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 tost, 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 eptance 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 aboutedies, 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 sessful 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


    2) The film must havepleted a one-week theatrical run in amercial theater in a qualifying metro area (LA County, New York City, the Bay Area, Chicago, Miami or Anta).


    In addition, the film must have been released to the public between January 1 and December 31 of the previous year.


    The Revenant was already eligible, and all that is left is for the members of the Academy to vote for it to be nominated.


    And for that, Salvatore Barlowe and Pat Kingsley had already prepared a PR n.


    Both Kazir and Tom were willing to spend money just to get their respective awards. Because honestly, the only way to get nominated for an Oscar was to use money and connections.


    And yes, the members of the Academy could be bribed, but people don''t usually give them money. They gave them gifts instead.


    The Academy had to keep the image that they were partial and fair. They want to keep the ''artistry'' of Hollywood, even though they cannot help but be biased sometimes.


    Another fact was that Tom Cruise and Kazir Grey were actually members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences(AMPAS).


    Membership in the Academy is by sponsorship, not application. Nominees must be sponsored by two Academy members from the branch in which the nominee seeks membership. In addition, Academy Award nominees are automatically considered for membership and do not require sponsorship. (Google)


    Since they were both nominated for Awards a few years ago, they were automatically members of the Academy. Obviously, they could vote for themselves and their film.


    However, their two votes were not enough to secure nominations. In the first ce, there were more than 9000 Academy members, so two votes didn''t matter at all.


    So yeah... Your vote doesn''t matter at all, so stop voting, ahem... Nah, I''m just joking.


    Anyway, they passed the first hurdle and their movie met the requirements to be nominated.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    September and October were rxing months for Kazir. What he did in September was to attend the 12-day movie Toronto International Film Festival, but after that everything was rxing.


    He was not busy as he had already finished most of his work. Sometimes he visited thepany, 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 woulde and he just had to wait.


    So far, after valuation, the worth of Grey Pictures has risen to 7.5 billion dors.


    So 30% of his shares in thepany 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 ce 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


    Ondo 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 ss wrestling with a grizzly bear, and Ondo admitted that it was terrifying.


    His heart was pounding as he watched that scene. The grizzly bear was a dangerous beast and Ondo witnessed Hugh ss 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 sess.


    Ondo Bloom wore sunsses despite the dark night. He was a famous actor now that Lord of the Rings had be sessful. People easily recognized him, although they usually called him Legs... 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 Ondo Bloom was facing. He was grateful that Lord Of The Rings was sessful 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 sry, and now he was getting many jobs with a starting sry of $10 million. How great was that?


    The Lord of the Rings may be over, but John Wick was different. This franchise could be milked for many years toe. When Viggo started to lose his clout, he could just start another John Wick movie... Ondo was jealous of that fact.


    Because he didn''t have a franchise to hold on to. Once he made a mistake, his career was over. The cast of CCU was very lucky because they could have jobs whenever they wanted.


    "Continental Cinematic Universe..."


    Ondo Bloom muttered after stepping on the cigarette he had just finished puffing.


    Ondo actually had a chance to be part of the CCU, but he didn''t get the part. He auditioned for the role of Wesley Gibson and he thought he had a chance, he was very excited and happy about it.


    Unfortunately, Ben Affleck took the role and the result made Ondo jealous.


    Actually, Ondo Bloom was also a cast member of ck Hawk Down just like Tom Hardy. But now Tom Hardy had a chance to work with director Grey and Tom Hardy''s performance in The Revenant was amazing.


    ''Wanted and The Revenant...'' Ondo shook his head.


    Wanted became the 3rd movie to gross over $1 billion at the box office! It was a great movie and people loved it.


    If given the chance, Ondo wanted to go back in time and correct his mistake. He didn''t care if he lowered his sry to $100,000, Wanted was his gateway to stardom and he was willing to sacrifice his first sry just for that.


    Now Ondo heard that Wanted 2 was in pre-production and that the director would be Fremont Smith.


    Ondo could not help but sigh. He was jealous and he admitted it. This year he only had Legs as a source of ie... The amount was great, but he wanted more. You know, as a person living in the expensive city of Los Angeles, he knew he needed more money to survive.


    He rented a nice apartment, but he still didn''t have his own house.


    He thought of signing any kind ofmercial just to make more money. Shampoomercials, 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. Ondo hoped it was good news.


    "Frank, yeah, it''s me. Hm, I just left the theater. Of course I''m wearing sunsses... Yes, some people are confused why I''m wearing sunsses, but they didn''t bother me. What? You think I look like a junkie because I''m wearing sunsses? Nonsense, with my handsome face, no one will think that. So? What''s the reason you called mete at night?"


    Ondo 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?"


    Ondo''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 Ondo 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, maybepete for the Best Director Award.


    Kazir had already won Best Original Screeny, 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 Revenantcked heart-pounding scenes, perhaps the movie''s selling point was Hugh ss 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 urate 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.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    The Santa use 2 was a movie produced and distributed by Walt Disney. It was a heartwarming movie about Santa us and his family. You know, the usual form of Disney movies. A movie the whole family could enjoy.


    The movie had a budget of 65 million dors and Walt Disney believed that this movie would do well at the box office... Thepany suffered a huge loss after the release of John Carter. At the time, executives wanted to roast Michael Eisner alive.


    Unfortunately for them, The Santa use 2 had a strong opponent.


    Both The Revenant and The Santa use 2 were released on the same day. The Santa use 2 had an opening of 3,350 theaters while The Revenant had 3,375 theaters.


    The two seemed promising because the former was a sequel while thetter was directed by a famous director and the male lead was a superstar.


    24 hourster (November 1, 2002), the results were tallied.


    The Santa use 2 grossed $7.51 million at the box office. A good start, Walt Disney thought this movie would have a lower box office since itspetitor was The Revenant.


    The Revenant grossed $15.90 million. Compared to Wanted and Spider-Man, both of which grossed over $30 million on their first day, The Revenant was very weak. Perhaps that is why The Santa use 2 had room to breathe.


    For Grey Pictures and Tom Cruise, this result was already in line with their expectations. The Revenant was not meant for the public, it was an autobiographical film for the purpose ofpeting at the Oscars.


    Three days after the premiere, which was Friday, November 3, the results of the two movies were counted again.


    Only these two movies were promising that were released this week, and they did well at the box office. Everything else that was released this week was mediocre and didn''t make enough money.


    The Santa use 2 grossed $29 million after three days in theaters. It came in second ce this week.


    As for The Revenant, the movie got the first ce this week as the highest grossing movie with $41.38 million.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    "Congrattions 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 sess 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 feelfortable at those kinds of parties. He would rather watch the 3 hours of The Godfather. At least that movie was worth seeing.


    "Let''s talkter, 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 ufortable, 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 winess 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 Amid of Star Wars.


    "Hi. We metst time, right?"


    Kazir recalled meeting her when he visited Industrial Light & Magic.


    "I''m Natalie Portman, nice to meet you." The actress gave the sweetest smile she could and seemed very sweet and cute. The young actress extended her hand for a handshake, which was quite trembling.


    "Nice to meet you too."


    Kazir shook her hand.


    "I''m a fan and I''ve seen all your movies, even your horror movies like The Haunted Potatoes and Zombie Pajama Dance Party--"


    "Okay, okay, you don''t have to list them all."


    He stopped the woman immediately because he was never proud of his horror movies... They were something he didn''t want to remember.


    Hearing their titles, Kazir wanted to drown himself in embarrassment. In fact, he also wanted to forget a certain horror movie that Sony-Colombia was still trying to acquire from him. Kazir wrote the script back in 1994 when he was thinking about his first movie after his regression. He listed a lot of horror movies, but decided on Napoleon Dynamite instead.


    Kazir was talking about Final Destination. In this timeline, Final Destination was never made. Kazir used his knowledge and wrote a lot of scripts to horde, so Final Destination never saw the light of day.


    Recently, Sony-Colombia and New Line Cinema tried to contact him about the script... Kazir just didn''t want to do it because his feelings about horror movies wereplicated.


    It was the genre he had pursued but not seeded in. He could sell scripts, but horror movies were a different story.


    Funny, because he didn''t know why he had that feeling.


    "Can this be called trauma?" he asked himself.


    New Line Cinema bought Se7en from him and they were interested in Final Destination because it was a movie that had a good chance of bing a franchise with at least a trilogy.


    In fact, New Line Cinema regrets that they ended Se7en with only one movie. Maybe if they consulted with Kazir, the director woulde up with something interesting.


    "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 nned 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 n 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 epted her card. He didn''t mind Natalie''sments 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 be 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 oue 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 topete 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 themittee 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 ept the gifts, why are you so bitter?


    Gifts were amon 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 rted 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 othermittee members would vote for The Revenant.


    ......


    ...


    ...


    "This is interesting..." Kazir muttered after sipping a hot coffee in the morning.


    He was in an expensive hotel room because he had a local TV interviewst night.


    While reading the newspaper, Kazir noticed some interesting news.


    Apparently, News Corporation had decided to buy Marvel Comics. As for the details, Kazir had no idea how the negotiations went.


    Such a thing had never happened in his previous life, and he understood that he was one of the factors in the oue.


    Instead of being acquired by Walt Disney, this time Marvel Comics was acquired by News Corporation.


    "Is this one of the reasons why 20th Century Fox is keeping quiet?"


    So far, four major studios have tried to acquire Grey Pictures. Only Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox remained silent.


    Universal Pictures had an obvious reason, Grey Pictures never really liked thepany.


    But 20th Century Fox was different. Grey Pictures and 20th Century Fox were very close. In fact, the current distributor of their films was 20th Century Fox.


    ''I think Tom Rothman is going to leave Fox this year or early next year. Someone will take over as CEO of 20th Century.''


    With this acquisition, Kazir realized that 20th Century Fox could start its own Cinematic Universe with Marvel Comics... Though there were some problems.


    Most of the known Marvel characters were in the hands of Grey Pictures. Marvel Comics would have to buy back the copyrights if they wanted to start a sessful Cinematic Universe.


    Or Marvel Comics could create another batch of superheroes and use them as movie characters, but this method had a low chance of sess.


    The reason Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men were sessful in the first ce was because they were famous.


    Kazir stood up and looked out the window. The city was very foggy, even though it was early in the morning.


    "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. Heughed 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 tomunicate 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 ising up and we have a bill to pay... I apologize if I have to beg people on the inte 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 sess.]


    [Haha, gwang 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-dorpany 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 uing ns. Remember, Grey Pictures wanted to make two sessful 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.


    Thepetition for Grey Pictures intensified now that 20th Century Fox had entered the fray.


    That fact alone increased the 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 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 thepany outright, but they knew that would be detrimental to their n 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 ind in the Pacific.


    "That''s right." Vance Goodhood nodded. He had been Kazir''s financial advisor long before the dot bubble burst. Vance worked for Goldman Sachs now, and Kazir was still his client.


    For this job, Vance and his small team of elites would receive a 4%mission when he closed the deal.


    Kazir would be a major shareholder in 20th Century Fox, if this acquisition went through. He had the power to be part of the board of directors and make a decision for himself and 20th Century Fox.


    Thergest shareholder was still Rupert Murdoch, and the guy had just bought Marvel Comicsst week.


    "Vance, I think we know where this is going," Kazir grinned.


    "I understand." Vance understood immediately.


    20th Century Fox was lighting the dynamite, and that dynamite would affect the other major studios. Even if one of them was interested and increased the offer, it would be great for Grey Pictures.


    "Secretly spread the word that 20th Century Fox is willing to buy 30% of Grey Pictures for $300 million and 3.38% stock. I know Goldman Sachs had their ways of making it look like this information didn''te from us."


    It was actually 33%, but that little difference didn''t matter, did it?


    "I understand."


    The two shook hands. This was an important deal that Vance didn''t want to miss.


    Just three days after 20th Century Fox extended its willingness to partner with Grey Pictures, rumors began to circte in Hollywood that 20th Century Fox was willing to buy 30% of Grey Pictures for $350 million and 3.50% of the stock.


    Apparently, Goldman Sachs upped the ante for their own agenda... Bigger numbers mean biggermissions.


    Kazir just chuckled when he heard the news and decided to go back to bed. Angelina, who was in bed, giggled when she saw how active Kazir wastely. The guy was satisfying her in and out of the bedroom.


    As everyone expected, one of the Big Six also made an offer. It was none other than the desperate Walt Disney. Thispany had lost a huge amount of money this year, but it seemed they were willing to bleed even more just to acquire Grey Pictures.


    Chairman Eisner called Kazir personally. The old man offered him a seat on the board, he would also receive $375 million and 2.4% of Walt Disney stock. Keep in mind that Walt Disney''s worth was $105 billion.


    Those 2.4% shares were worth $2.52 billion.


    If Kazir''s calction 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 thepetition 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 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 sess, 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 sessful 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 sess of the franchise, aplete 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 thest 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 rmended 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 notpare to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The Revenant''s first weekend grossed only $41 million.


    Some articles made fun of Kazir Grey because of this result. His movie this year was nothingpared to Harry Potter.


    Kazir''sst two movies grossed over $1 billion at the box office and the expectations for his next movie were higher.


    However, Kazir Grey decided to deliver a biopic movie. The movie had its highlights, but it was mediocrepared to Wanted and Spider-Man.


    For some people, art was important. For others, the box office was more important.


    In this situation, Kazir decided to focus more on the art because his goal for The Revenant was to win at the Oscars. As long as The Revenant was not a box office flop, it was fine.


    As of this writing, The Revenant has already grossed $115.57 million. The total budget for The Revenant was $135 million, plus the promotional budget.


    Even though the box office hasn''t surpassed the budget yet, The Revenant has already done well, and only fools would believe that The Revenant is a flop.


    If some newspapers bashed Kazir, most film critics praised the director instead.


    The Revenant was different from the usual movies Kazir made. It was inspiring to see someone as talented as Kazir step away from mainstream genres.


    Biopics are based on real people and real events, sometimes not historically urate, but it still sends the message.


    One week after the release of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 007: Die Another Day was released by MGM. The movie grossed $47.07 in its first weekend.


    Unfortunately, the box office champion of the week was still Harry Potter, as the movie grossed $148.35 million after ten days in theaters.


    No promising movies were released after 007: Die Another Day and the days passed by until December arrived.


    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, thest 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 sess 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,ughing and talking. They looked professional in their tuxedos.


    Everyone was waiting for the announcement.


    +++++


    [I know it''s not rted, 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 ce, they would only stay in this ce 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 mighte 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 samest names.


    The two women seemed to have a good rtionship, 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 oceanter. Tom Cruise had a yacht they could use.


    "It all depends on whether we get nominated."


    "Come on Kazir, don''t be so negative. We both know we will be nominated. You were even nominated six years ago in the Best Director category for Taken."


    "I didn''t attend the nominations or the award ceremony because I knew I wouldn''t win," Kazir muttered... Actually, he forgot. He didn''t even remember who won that year. He was too busy to even think about winning an award.


    Maybe Kazir never took the Golden Globes seriously.


    "But this time I think we have a chance," Tom told him and Kazir nodded. Their movie and their performance was better this time... The fact that Taken won Best Actor and Best Original Screeny was very puzzling. Well, it was true that the movie influenced a positive movement in society, so it deserved to win the awards.


    And this time Kazir and Tom were prepared. They didn''t mind spending money as long as they got their long-awaited awards. The two were rich anyway.


    "Babe," Angelina whispered in Kazir''s ear. "If you don''t get a nomination, I''ll do my best to make you happy tonight." She giggled weakly and kissed him on the cheek.


    Kazir smiled and nodded his head. He knew that the Golden Globes were not their goal, so even if he didn''t get a nomination, it would be okay. But it would be a different matter if he didn''t get nominated for the Academy Awards. That would mean that all his hard work was for nothing.


    "Tch, she''sing," Penelope muttered and everyone understood what she meant.


    The four saw a tall and beautiful woman approach their table... It was none other than Nicole Kidman.


    Tom Cruise kept his jovial smile on, but it was clear that he didn''t like the fact that Nicole was getting closer.


    "Our divorce just ended and now you''re dating someone." Nicole smiled. She was also there to hear the nominations.


    "Nicole, we are already divorced. I''m allowed to date whoever I want."


    "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 nced at Kazir before eyeing Nicole, who returned to her seat.


    Nicole Kidman wasposed 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 topete 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 circting.


    Kazir didn''t care, because he knew that Tom Cruise would remain popr in the 2020s. The actor was still healthy when the old Kazir died in a road ident.


    As for Nicole Kidman... Let''s just say that her poprity was nothingpared 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 Pnski, Robert Bunmussa, and in Sarde, producers


    ----------------------------[BEST DIRECTOR]


    Roman Pnski ¨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


    Nics Cage ¨C Adaptation as Charlie Kaufman / Donald Kaufman


    Tom Cruise ¨C The Revenant as Hugh ss


    Daniel Day-Lewis ¨C Gangs of New York as Bill "The Butcher" Cutting


    Jack Nicholson ¨C About Schmidt as Warren R. Schmidt


    --------------------------


    [BEST ACTRESS]


    Nicole Kidman ¨C The Hours as Virginia Woolf


    Salma Hayek ¨C Frida as Frida Kahlo


    Diane Lane ¨C Unfaithful as Constance "Connie" Sumner


    Julianne Moore ¨C Far from Heaven as Cathy Whitaker


    Ren¨¦e Zellweger ¨C Chicago as Roxie Hart


    ----------------------------


    [BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY]


    The Pianist ¨C Ronald Harwood (based on the book by W?adys?aw Szpilman)


    About a Boy ¨C Peter Hedges, Chris Weitz, and Paul Weitz (based on the book by Nick Hornby)


    Adaptation ¨C Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman (based on the book The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean)


    Chicago ¨C Bill Condon (based on the y by Maurine Das Watkins)


    The Revenant ¨C Kazir Grey (based on the book The Revenant by Michael Punke)


    ------------------------


    Aside from that, there were still a lot of awards that the Golden Globes offered, such as Best Supporting Actor/Actress, Best Makeup, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Animated Short, etc.


    From the looks of it, The Revenant was nominated for four major awards. The film was also nominated for Best Film Editing and Best Costume Design. In total, the movie was nominated for six awards. Something to celebrate.


    Getting nominations was an aplishment in itself. Note that only a few select films could get nominations, and The Revenant was nominated in six categories.


    The crew of The Revenant had a reason to celebrate this week... Yeah, another party to mingle with, something Kazir was ufortable with. Well, a party was a way for him tomunicate with the other Academy members. CAA and Grey Pictures must have a lot of people to invite.


    And yes, Nicole Kidman also received a nomination. The actress was happy, of course. Like I said, getting a nomination was already an aplishment. To get one was already a hard thing to do.


    Out of all the movies, Chicago got the most nominations with 13 nominations in different categories. By the way, this movie was produced by Miramax...


    Gangs Of The New York came in second with 10 nominations. And yes, this movie was also produced by Miramax.


    The Hours came in third with 9 nominations... surprise, surprise, this movie was also produced by Miramax.


    Wow.


    The Pianist received seven nominations. It was not produced by Miramax because the director of this movie was Roman Pnski and the guy was not allowed to set foot on the soil of the United States... Frankly, it was a mystery how he got nominated in the first ce.


    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 Screeny. 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 aplishment. 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 ufortable 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 ce 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://.pa /Puji_maki


    Ko-fi link: https://ko /pujimaki

 Chapter 315

    Chapter 315


    December was thest 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 sess this year. They had a party on December 21, and a lot of workers attended the party, because thepany 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. Thepany 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 Inte 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.


    The moviepleted its worldwide release after five months. Mr. And Mrs. Smith grossed $487.28 million. Too bad, because the movie didn''t cross the $500 million mark before it was put down by theaters. But honestly, that amount was already amazing.


    Just like Mr. And Mrs. Smith, The Bourne Supremacy finished its worldwide run and the movie grossed $710.68 million. An amazing performance. The performance was affected positively because of the death of its creator, Robert Ludlum.


    Sequels to a sessful movie usually do better at the box office because there was already a fan base for the movie.


    In the case of The Bourne Supremacy, the series was part of the Continental Cinematic Universe and the whole franchise was very hot at the moment.


    This had a positive effect on the performance of The Bourne Supremacy. Some fans were even hoping that John Wick or Bryan Mills would face off in the next film. That would be exciting to watch.


    The Revenant has now grossed over $343.09 million!


    Mr. And Mrs. Smith finished its run with $487.28 million at the worldwide box office!


    The Bourne Supremacy has also grossed $710.68 million worldwide!


    Together, the three movies grossed a whopping $1.54 billion. A huge amount of money...


    Unfortunately, Grey Pictures only got about 40% of that amount. While Cinema Alliance and 20th Century Fox got 60% of that amount.


    If the calction is correct, Grey Pictures could possibly get $616.40 million. Still a lot of money.


    Unfortunately, the IRS would definitely want at least 30% of that $616 million, because the IRS is a daylight robber, I mean, a daylight blessing.


    Furthermore, if you subtract Grey Pictures'' investment in the three movies, thepany''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 ss 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 n 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 screeny 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 sessful 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 sess 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 famousedy screenwriter and all the movies he wrote were sessful. 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 screeny 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 tough." Lee Himura apologized for his behavior. He read the script seriously, but he didn''t expect tough instead.


    He realized that Kazir was indeed a talented screenwriter. The story was just on paper, but it already made Lee Himuraugh. 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 aedy. If I remember correctly, 21 Jump Street is a police, crime, drama TV show. May I know who thought of making it aedy?"


    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 toe 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."


    "I see..."


    Fortunately, Kazir saw the two movies, 21 and 22 Jump Street. Both movies were funny. Too bad the trilogy never happened. Kazir didn''t know the exact reason, but he heard that the cast didn''t agree. But he was not sure.


    When Lee Himura realized that he was disturbing Kazir, he excused himself. He wanted to read the script in afortable ce. He could just ask Kazirter if there was anything Sony-Colombia wanted to change about the script. However, Lee Himura felt that the script was already perfect the way it was.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Christmas Eve was an important date for many families in the United States. They celebrate this holiday. Many parents prepared gifts for their children to surprise them. Most of the time, the parents would tell the children that Santa us visited their homes to give them presents.


    Like many young children, Alissa believed that Santa us was real.


    "Sister Angel, will Santa bwing me a pwesent tomorrow?"


    The little girl asked Angelina Jolie about Santa us. Her speech was very adorable.


    Alissa was Aaron''s daughter. Kazir and Angelina decided to spend their Christmas Eve in New York with Kazir''s little family.


    Kazir had already met Angelina''s family on Thanksgiving, so this time the couple spent time with Kazir''s family.


    "Are you a good kid or a bad kid this year?" Angelina asked her while holding a Barbie doll.


    "I think I am, I''m gwood to my mommy and daddy. I also learned how to use the potty." The little girl said excitedly.


    "Wow, you''re such a nice girl!" Angelina gently pinched her cheek and Alissa giggled.


    "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 y 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 minutester, 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 Inte had a great future. Kazir gave them the idea of creating an advertising team to promote products on the Inte. In fact, Grey Pictures wanted to hire theirpany to promote Pirates of the Caribbean on the Inte.


    This year was fruitful for all of them. Especially when youpare it to the tragedy they experiencedst year. New York was hit by 9/11, luckily Victor''spany 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 ind. 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 ce. The ce had beautiful inds and tropical weather, a nice ce to take a vacation.


    Kazir was actually interested in building a vi on one of the inds 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 amodations, 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 thendscape. The couple rented a nipa hut and sipped coconut juice while gazing at the pearly white sand and endless blue ocean.


    They both wore sunsses 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 ind. They lived in the noisy city of Los Angeles, and the atmosphere between the two ces 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 ce.


    Kazir was famous because he always had a cameo in every CCU movie, but his fame was still nothingpared to superstars. At least in terms of celebrity, Kazir was nothingpared 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 ufortable.


    Note that three women were wearing nothing but bikinis, so the woman''s skin brushed against him and he didn''t feelfortable at all. This sudden skin interaction makes him shiver, but in a negative way.


    "I''m sorry, but I think you should..."


    "I love all your movies, from Haunted Potatoes to Zombie Pajama Dance Party to The Mummy Makeover..."


    "All right, all right, that''s enough."


    Angelina separated the two by "gently" pulling the woman off Kazir''s chest. Angelina kept her smile on, but Kazir knew his girlfriend was angry. Luckily, Angelina was wearing sunsses, so her death-staring eyes were covered. Otherwise the three women might run away in fear.


    "And who are you anyway?" The woman red at Angelina.


    "Me? I''m Angelina Jolie, Kazir''s girlfriend."


    "Oh, so you''re really Angelina Jolie? Looking at you in person, you''re actually not that beautiful."


    "Bitch what?" Angelina was enraged and ready to pull the woman''s hair.


    The other two Caucasian women felt that their friend was acting crazy, so they tried to mediate.


    But the woman was too hot-headed to listen. Kazir stood between them to stop her.


    "I''m sorry, but Angelina and I are on vacation, I hope you will respect our privacy."


    "Of course, of course I respect you, Director Grey." The woman nodded.


    "But before I go, could I have your autograph, please? My friend here has a permanent marker."


    "... Okay?" Kazir tilted his head, a little confused. He looked at Angelina and the woman clicked her tongue, but decided to agree, as long as the bitch left them alone.


    "Can you sign your name on my chest, oh, sign on my left tit instead! Please!"


    "I think I''ll sign on a newspaper instead." Kazir had a newspaper and decided to write on it instead. Besides, he knew that Angelina would be angry if he signed on someone''s breast or tit.


    "Okay, that''s fine too."


    The three women left a few minutester.


    "... 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 toe 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 couldst for a week.


    "Did you bring an umbre?" Kazir asked his assistant, Erica Mendez, who waited for her boss at the airport.


    "It''s been raining since yesterday, so I prepared two umbres 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 umbre to Angelina, but the actress shook her head and grinned mischievously instead.


    "I want to share an umbre 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 ind. No reason to be angry with strangers. "What about the other umbre?"


    "Give it back to Erica."


    Well, Erica already had her own umbre, but she got another one. The umbre tax...


    Kazir and Angelina shared a small space under the umbre. 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?"


    "Congrattions, Erica. You will no longer be my driver once I find a bodyguard."


    "Will I have a sry deduction?"


    Erica''s sryst year was over $450,000 and it was the biggest amount she ever had. She loved her job because it allowed her to provide for her twins.


    If she stopped driving for Kazir, she might lose part of her sry. She would rather continue driving if she had to keep her sry.


    "You don''t have to worry, Erica. You''re my trusted assistant and I''ll make sure I never do anything bad to you. Your sry will not be affected."


    In fact, Kazir was thinking of raising her sry. Erica knew many of thepany''s secrets, and Kazir wanted to make sure the woman would remain loyal to him and Grey Pictures. A non-disclosure agreement was an important aspect, but loyalty could make it better.


    As Angelina began to nod off against Kazir''s shoulder, Kazir decided to ask Erica about his schedule.


    "So what''s my schedule this week?"


    "Sir, Sony Colombia wants to meet with you." Erica started to list important meetings that Kazir had to attend.


    Kazir nodded.


    "It''s probably about 21 Jump Street and the acquisition."


    Sony-Colombia''s recent performance has been improving. They acquired a profitable franchise called Spider-Man. This franchise alone made Sony-Colombia relevant for decades toe.


    ''Spider-Man can bepared to Metro Goldwyn Mayer''s 007. I say James Bond and Peter Parker carried their respective studios.'' Kazir thought.


    "Another meeting is about the pre-production of Wanted 2 and..."


    "Go on," Kazir muttered. Angelina was already asleep and Kazir gentlyid the woman''s head on hisp. The flight had been long and the woman was jetgged.


    "Pirates of the Caribbean..."


    "Do you have anything to say, Erica?"


    "Sir, a lot of people in thepany are afraid that this project could be disastrous."


    Kazir just shrugged. He had expected this oue and was not surprised that some people would react badly.


    What they didn''t realize is that Pirates of the Caribbean is going to be a huge franchise worth billions of dors.


    In his opinion, it would be too wasteful to let Walt Disney produce this franchise. Besides, Walt Disney didn''t care about the cast of Pirates of the Caribbean anyway.


    The fact that Walt Disney just fired Johnny Depp without hearing his side of the story was very Disney-like.


    "Erica, do you trust me?"


    "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 exin. This particr project was still in the process of casting.


    Compared to Wanted 2 and Pirates Of The Caribbean, thest project was quitete.


    Wanted 2 would be directed by Fremont Smith, while Pirates Of The Caribbean would be directed by Kazir Grey.


    One of the reasons why thest project waste 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 forrge 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 apany 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 sry 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 thepany assures us that it works well."


    Kazir touched his chin and inspected the ship. It wasrge, but not superrgepared 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 be 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."


    Thepany 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 monthster when he saw the finished products, he realized that ghost ships were not so bad. Old ships had something unique about them.


    "How are the negotiations going with Johnny Depp?"


    The topic changed to the cast.


    "Their side is asking for quite a bit more. Although I can see that Johnny Depp is interested in the role of Jack Sparrow."


    "What about Ondo Bloom? Did WMA do anything?"


    "As far as I know, no."


    Kazir Grey was once a client of WMA, but things happened and he was kicked out. Since then, the rtionship between the two has never been good.


    WMA regretted that Kazir had changed agency and they couldn''t work with him anymore. Kazir was no longer just a director, he was a superstar.


    CAA became the strongest agency in the industry and Kazir influenced this oue. Now more actors/actresses want to end their contracts just to join CAA. At least CAA had someone like Kazir who could make blockbusters year after year. Perhaps that was Kazir''s greatest talent. He made movies every year and they all did well at the box office.


    "Ondo Bloom seems excited. We haven''t reached an agreement yet, but the negotiations are already down to $4 million... Ondo Bloom? Wasn''t that the actor who auditioned for Wesley Gibson? Damn, I just remembered that." Harold realized it just now.


    Kazir chuckled. In fact, when Kazir saw Ondo Bloom''s name when he was auditioning for Wanted, he suddenly remembered Pirates of the Caribbean. Ondo Bloom was the catalyst for Kazir''s obsession with the pirate movie. He remembered that Pirates Of The Caribbean was worth billions of dors.


    "As for Keira Knightley, her team had no problem with our offer. First of all, they are happy to get an invitation from Grey Pictures."


    Keira Knightley was not new to the industry. She had been acting since 1993 and was slowly gaining a foothold. The woman had steady jobs over the years, but Pirates of the Caribbean was no easy film.


    Kazir intends to invest at least $100 million in the film. That alone was enough to get a lot of actors/actresses interested.


    In fact, Kazir wanted Angelina to star in this movie since Pirates Of The Caribbean was not part of the CCU. However, Angelina had Lara Croft: Tomb Raider ¡ª The Cradle of Life and Beyond Borders to film. She didn''t have enough time to join Kazir''s project. Besides, Angelina also had to promote How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days this year.


    "That''s good to hear. Lower their sries as much as possible, we both know that if this movie is a sess-"


    "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 sries as a starting point."


    "I''m d 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 thepany 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 minutester, 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 Baneers 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 romanticedy starring Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy. Ashton Kutcher was cast in many romanticedies 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.


    Thework 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 zer, white shirt and ck 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 ted 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.


    After the hustle and bustle, the two slowly made their way to the entrance of the Golden Globes. As they found their seats, Angelina whispered to Kazir.


    "By the way, I''m actually wearing a golden g-string tonight."


    "..." Kazir''s lips went stiff like another part of his body. He turned to Angelina, only to see the woman smiling beautifully.


    The camera was pointed at the couple and Angelina immediately used her perfect smile. As for Kazir, he realized that Angelina was making fun of him, so his reaction was slow.


    When he saw the camera, his smile was still stiff. As if he had heard something interesting.


    ''... Well, the golden G-string is not so bad. I can sniff it once in a while... Ahem, what am I thinking?''


    Tonight he lost to Angelina.


    A few minutester, Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz appeared and sat down at the table with Kazir and Angelina. This table was set up for the crew of The Revenant (the people who were nominated).


    It was not easy to get an invitation to the Golden Globes because the space of the venue was limited. However, CAA and both Kazir Grey and Tom Cruise had strong connections in the industry, so they sessfully got invitations for Angelina Jolie and Penelope Cruz.


    The table next to them was also for the crew members of The Revenant, Harold Witsend was also at that table.


    "I think we have a chance tonight," Tom told Kazir.


    "Confidence is a must," Kazir replied.


    Their movie was now being recognized by the media. God knew how many movie critics and shows they had to bribe to get positive reviews. Well, bribing was not the best term, it should be giving gifts.


    The box office performance of The Revenant was also great. After almost three months in theaters, the movie had already grossed $429.83 million worldwide.


    A few minutester, 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 epted the trophies they had worked so hard to earn.


    Finally, Jack Nicholson epted 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://.patre /Puji_maki


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 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 screeny 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 tform 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 cklist the actor. Since then, Richard Gere could only ept 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.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Ste Willow opened her eyes after a night''s rest. She had an apartment near the building where Grey Pictures did business... Thepany still rented the building for obvious reasons.


    Thepany decided to think about buying the building, or building one instead, once Grey Pictures and one of the Big Six signed the contract.


    So far, five of the Big Six were interested in thepany. This inted the worth of Grey Pictures to $10 billion, although its real value was only around $4 to $5 billion.


    The acquisition made Grey Pictures important. It showed that the Big Five were interested in thepany.


    Well, a single studio that could make revenue of more than $1 billion a year was worth their attention.


    Ste Willow was active in this part. She now had a stake in thepany, so she considered this deal important.


    When she opened the door, she noticed that there were already three newspapers from different publishers lying on her front door. She decided to start with the Los Angeles Times.


    After skimming through some of the useless gossip and information she already knew, her eyes stopped on one particr article. It was about the results of the Golden Globesst night, Ste Willow already heard from the phone that The Revenant won nothing despite having 6 nominations. It was very sad news... The fact that they invested millions in PR and yet it was pretty useless.


    As expected, Miramax''s PR team is the winner this time. They know how to keep the old foggies interested.


    Miramax had already solidified its position in the industry in terms of making Oscar-worthy movies.


    In fact, if Ste Willow hadn''t known about the bad blood between Kazir and Harvey, she might have rmended that Kazir work with Miramax instead. After all, Miramax had distribution channels.


    If Kazir and Harvey worked together, winning an Oscar would be a piece of cake, no problem at all.


    Well, things happened and Miramax and Grey Pictures would never get a chance to work together, not in a million years.


    The article said that Chicago won 5 awards, the biggest winnerst night.


    About Schmidt, Gangs of New York, Adaptation and The Hours also won 2 awards each.


    Chicago, Gangs of New York and The Hours were all distributed and invested in by Miramax.


    Obviously, Miramax was the biggest winner at the 60th Golden Globes. All they had to do was put "Award Winning Movie" on the covers of the DVDs and people would be interested in buying the DVDs.


    That was the way Miramax made money. Since they could notpete with the Big Six at the box office, they used the DVD market instead.


    Miramax had a chance topete with the Big Six in thete 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.


    Ste Willow dropped the newspaper and started to eat breakfast. She had something else to do today.


    Kazir and the management of Grey Pictures were nning to start a TV show this year. Ste Willow was a little excited. After all, Ste 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 n needed some polishing. Luckily, Ste 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 woulde up with something.


    Now Ste 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.


    Ste knew about A Song of Ice and Fire. She hadn''t read it, but its poprity increased after the release of Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter.


    Fantasy novels became the most popr genre, and A Song Of Ice And Fire was the best of the genre when it came to dark fantasy.


    As for Breaking Bad, Ste 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. ording to Ste''s calction, each episode could cost more than 1 million. And that was just for the first season.


    If the TV show became a sess, then the second season would have an increased budget, which might not be good for Grey Pictures.


    Still, in Ste''s opinion, A Song Of Ice And Fire had a better chance of being sessful 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 Ste 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 itsck of mass appeal. It didn''t have a fan base. It might not be sessful. The first season was not enough to caught the interest of the audience. Furthermore, they were not sure if a TVwork 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 Ste 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. Ste Willow entered thepany 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. Ste Willow was promised to be the CEO of Grey Pictures.


    From General Manager to CEO. In addition, her shares in thepany and her sry would increase.


    Ste''s former co-workers at NBC were actually jealous of her. NBC might be a biggerpany than Grey Pictures, but that didn''t change the fact that they were just workers. Unlike Ste, who became the boss, there was only one person above her, and that person was too busy shooting movies to care about Ste''s management.


    Well, Kazir was never a fan of management. He also trusted Ste Willow.


    The future of thepany was looking great. The revenue from the three movies they releasedst 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 Ste reached the meeting room, Kazir and his assistant director Palenque Simone were already there.


    Ste already expected that Kazir might be earlier than her... The man was famous for staying in his office almost all the time when he didn''t have a project to work on.


    But Palenque Simone was a different story. The man was not so strict with his schedule.


    ''Maybe...''


    Ste knew that this was just the initial n and they hadn''t started anything yet. She was still looking for a director for the uing project.


    Kazir promised to shoot the first three pilot episodes. But after that, he would step back and remain only as one of the members of the writing team.


    By the looks of it, Palenque might be the director who would take over the project.


    ''Now that I think about it, Palenque is a psychology graduate, and both A Song Of Ice And Fire and Breaking Bad are heavily focused on drama.''


    "Good morning, Director." Ste greeted her boss. She was already used to calling Kazir Director.


    "Hm, good morning." Kazir nodded.


    "Good morning, ma''am." Palenque greeted Ste.


    "Good morning." She replied.


    "Let''s wait for the others," Kazir said to them.


    Ste was a little curious about Kazir''s opinion of the Golden Globesst night. Kazir had attended the ceremony, but he hadn''t won anything.


    She looked at the man and noticed that he was not affected. In fact, he looked happy. As if he had received something greatst night...


    A few minutester, Harold Witsend, Jane Kendall, Renner Hector and other important people in thepany showed up.


    Harold and Renner were nominatedst night, but they didn''t win either... Their expressions were not good at all. After all, the Golden Globes was a prestigious award show and they wanted to win.


    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 calcted. 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 sh 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."


    Ste 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."


    Ste 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. Ste 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 histe 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." Ste 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 sess were higher, so Ste 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 rted 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."


    "Thank you, sir!" Palenque blushed with happiness and thanked Kazir sincerely. He knew this was his chance to prove himself.


    Excited, he left the room. He left thepany immediately after telling HR that he would be taking a week off. Kazir gave him permission to take a week off. He went to a bookstore and bought the three published novels of A Song of Ice and Fire.


    He began to read them seriously, immersing himself in them. As the pages turned, Palenque knew he might fall in love with the project. The characters in the novels were deep andplex.


    He imagined a woman with pale skin and white hair, the mother of dragons.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Nothing much happened in January, except that Kazir attended meetings and talked to the representatives of Big Five, who wanted to acquire a part of Grey Pictures.


    After many meetings, their projects for the year were Pirates Of The Caribbean, Wanted 2 and The Equalizer.


    Pirates of the Caribbean would be directed by Kazir Grey.


    Wanted 2 would be directed by Fremont Smith.


    As for The Equalizer, Grey Pictures has hired Antoine Fuqua to direct.


    Antoine Fuqua was the director of Recement Killers, Bait, Training Day, Tears of the Sun, King Arthur, Olympus Has Fallen, Southpaw, Bullet Train, and The Equalizer. His filmography was amazing.


    But as of 2003, Antoine Fuqua had only made three movies in his career. He was still a new director in the industry and Kazir sessfully hired the guy for $5 million. Antoine happily epted the sry because it was the biggest offer of his career.


    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 nned 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 ufortable?" 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 minutester.


    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 romanticedy. 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 romanticedy 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 hrious and heartwarming story full ofedic 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 rmended 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 sry 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 sry 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 sry 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 sries 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 notfortable with this. She and Matthew were just co-workers and didn''t have a rtionship. 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.


    All of Kazir''s movies since 1995 have been sessful. Even though it was a pirate movie, as long as Kazir was directing it, the chances of it being sessful were higher.


    The Revenant was already running out of gas and had only screening in a few countries. The film grossed more than $512 million at the worldwide box office.


    While that was less than hisst two films, Wanted and Spider-Man, it didn''t change the fact that The Revenant was a sess. Making over $500 million at the box office is a sess no matter how you look at it.


    So obviously Matthew McConaughey was interested in Kazir''s next project. It didn''t have to be $1 billion. As long as Kazir''s next project made more than $500 million, that would be enough for Matthew to take it seriously.


    Matthew decided to hide the awkwardness as he greeted the director. Matthew and Angelina had kissing scenes in the movie, so of course it would be awkward to meet the real boyfriend.


    Luckily, Kazir was a professional. He knew how to keep work and rtionships separate.


    "I know it sounds like I''m overstepping my bounds, but can I get a copy of the script for your pirate movie, director?"


    The title of the project was still unknown, only a few people knew about it.


    "I''m sorry, Matthew. I''ll be honest with you, I have a role suitable for you, but someone else got the part."


    "I see... Is that so?"


    Matthew McConaughey excused himself. It seemed that he had been rejected. He was a little disappointed.


    "Did you reject him for that reason?"


    Angelina whispered after Matthew was gone.


    "What do you think? I turned him down because I''m jealous?"


    "I didn''t even say anything." Angelinaughed.


    "Well... That''s one of the reasons."


    He admitted. No matter how professional Kazir was, it was still ufortable 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 minutester, 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 sess 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 Pnski 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 hertest 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.


    Unlikest 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."


    "Don''t joke. We both know that Grey Pictures can only acquire 30% of that amount."


    "And that''s still huge! Look, The Revenant''s budget is $100 million, and now its box office is over $500 million. Even if you can only get 30% of that $500 million, it''s still huge. So Kazir, at least give me a chance to invest in your new project. We are friends, right?"


    "Fuck off, Tom."


    The two snickered at each other. They were used to making fun of each other by now.


    Even if they didn''t win the Oscars, they weren''t going to be bitter about it. After all, The Revenant was considered a blockbuster.


    They might be sad about their loss at the Oscars, but they couldn''t help it.


    The two looked around and recognized some of the actors and directors. Richard Gere, Martin Scorsese, Adrien Brody and many actors who were nominated at thest Golden Globes were present at this small party.


    In a way, both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards had the same list of nominees. However, the winners of the two awards were different.


    Last year, the winner of the Golden Globes for Best Actor in a Motion Picture was Russell Crowe for his performance in A Beautiful Mind.


    But the winner of the Academy Award for Best Actor was Denzel Washington for his performance in Training Day.


    Both actors were nominated for the same two awards. Unfortunately, in terms of weight and importance, Denzel Washington had the better of the two because he won the Oscar for Best Actor.


    Speaking of Denzel Washington, he asked for $10 million as his starting sry in his role for The Equalizer.


    The Equalizer was still in pre-production and the crew was in the process of hiring the cast. Knowing the future, Kazir decided to rmend Denzel Washington. Grey Pictures was not a smallpany anymore, and they could afford to hire superstars now.


    Still, it depended on what the result would be. After all, there were plenty of cheap but talented actors who could take the lead.


    "Is that Pat?"


    "Yes..."


    Kazir looked around and found Pat Kingsley talking to some people in the corner of the theater. Pat Kingsley was Tom Cruise''s agent.


    "She''s here because Nicole can''t make it." Tom Cruise kept his smile on, but it was obvious that he didn''t feel good about it.


    Kazir just went quiet after that. He knew that Pat Kingsley and Tom Cruise would split in the early 2000s. He was just not sure when it would happen though.


    Their conversation stopped when Frank Pearson appeared with another person. They began to announce the list of people nominated in their respective categories.


    Kazir was not surprised to find that the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes had almost the same list of nominees.


    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 rted, but I''ll list my top 10 anime ending songs here. No particr 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


    Nics Cage - The Adjustment as Charlie Kaufman / Donald Kaufman


    Tom Cruise - The Revenant as Hugh ss


    Daniel Day-Lewis - Gangs of New York as Bill "The Butcher" Cutting


    Jack Nicholson - About Schmidt as Warren R. Schmidt


    [BEST DIRECTOR]


    Roman Pnski - The PianistRob Marshall - Chicago


    Martin Scorsese - Gangs of New York


    Kazir Grey - The Revenant


    Pedro Almod¨®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...


    ......


    ...


    ...


    Two dayster, Kazir was still bitter about the results. He did his best, the whole crew did their best to make an artistic film to satisfy the members of the Academy, but it was useless.


    It was good that the crew members were busy at that time and none of them attended the party. Because they would also be angry if they found out that their movie only got two nominations.


    In fact, some of them were angry at the Academy when they got the news. Renner Hector and Harold Witsend were unhappy, which slightly affected their work.


    As for Kazir, he decided to focus on his current project. He continued to polish the storyboard to make sure he knew what to do when shooting began.


    Suddenly there was a knock on his door. It was Erica Mendez.


    "Sir, Tom Rothman is here to see you."


    "... Let him in."


    Kazir knew why Tom Rothman was here. And to be honest, he was just waiting for their answer. He knew that Grey Pictures'' current worth was inted, and it was time to make a decision.


    The real worth of Grey Pictures should only be around 4 to 5 billion dors. However, because of thepetition from the Big Five, the value of Grey Pictures went up to $10 billion. For a recently established production studio, this amount was already huge.


    Tom Rothman entered the office and found Kazir on his desk with some sketches. He was not surprised, Kazir was indeed a director.


    "I think you know why I''m here." Tom found a seat.


    "Indeed."


    "Kazir, News Corporation has decided to extend my term if I get you to agree to our terms."


    "I see..."


    ''What does that have to do with me?'' Kazir thought to himself.


    Tom Rothman had two choices for his career. He could join News Corporation and be a top executive, perhaps even a member of the Board of Directors. But that was still nothingpared to running apany.


    Being the CEO of 20th Century Fox was still better than any position at News Corporation. Well, Tom Rothman could find another job at anotherpany, just like Terry Semel did when he jumped to Yahoo. However, it was a tough thing to let go of your past creations.


    "I know what you''re thinking, my problem is not your problem. But I think it''s better for you if the CEO has a good rtionship with you and Grey Pictures. Kazir, you and I have known each other since 1994. We trust each other."


    "I''m not going to deny that. 20th Century Fox is the reason I am where I am. They chose to trust me and Napoleon Dynamite."


    Kazir nodded. Still, it was not enough to tempt him. If he was that simple, this situation would never have happened.


    "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 timepanies 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 oue.]


    [I have decided to end thepetition 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 bing 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 Weinsteinughed 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 ckmail me? Haha. My friend, I know many dirty secrets here in Hollywood. Your ckmail will not work on me. Why do you think I avoided jailst time? Well, just send your niece to thepany 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 nothingpared 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 rtions.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    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.


    However, Kazir was in a dilemma because two other actresses were trying to get the role. The first was Julia Roberts, a superstar since the 90s. Even though Julia Roberts'' fame was waning, it didn''t change the fact that she had a wow factor.


    In fact, Kazir was impressed by her performance. Julia Roberts was still 36 years old, so she met the age requirements. But her sry was expensive. If they hired her, the production studio could pay her at least $10 million.


    Kazir and Julia were not friends, unlike Tom Cruise, who was willing to lower the sry. The Revenant was meant topete at the Oscars, so Tom Cruise didn''t have a problem with a low sry.


    ''We already spent a lot of money casting Johnny Depp.'' Kazir said to himself.


    As the iconic Jack Sparrow, Johnny Depp was the one who best fit the role. Kazir was ready to spend as much money as possible just to hire him... As expected, the result was terrifying.


    Initially, Johnny Depp wanted a sry of $10 million + 5% of the North American box office.


    Based on Kazir''sst three films, Pirates of the Caribbean could make $300 million at the North American box office at the least.


    If Kazir''s pirate movie did well and made $300 million, Johnny Depp would get about $15 million as his share... This was too much for Kazir and Grey Pictures.


    This was just the beginning of the trilogy and Grey Pictures could not afford it.


    But Johnny Depp wouldn''t just sign the trilogy deal if it was bad for him.


    Johnny Depp was a famous actor and he could easily find another project to work on. Also, pirate movies were usually cursed, and Johnny Depp wouldn''t easily risk his career if the pay wasn''t worth it.


    In the end, Grey Pictures signed Johnny to a $23 million contract. This was only for the first movie. They would have another negotiation when the second movie went into production.


    Was it worth it?


    Based on Kazir''s opinion...


    ''Yes, it''s worth it. There are no irreceables in Hollywood, but Johnny Depp is the only Jack Sparrow I will recognize.''


    So, yes, the budget for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the ck Pearl was reduced from $140 million to $117 million.


    Over 15% of the budget just disappeared to pay Johnny Depp.


    Fortunately, signing Ondo Bloom was much easier. The actor''s team and the production had an agreement for $8 million. Ondo Bloom also signed a trilogy contract.


    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 sry 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 thest DVD disc into the DVD yer. This was thest 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 exin myself? I''ve been listening to this song since 2017. This song is so overyed bute 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 rmend 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 animest 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 thest 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 ylist 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''tpete 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 nces at you?" Angelina frowned slightly at the TV. On the screen, Natalie was ncing 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."


    "Yes?"


    "I just realized that I''m ufortable with you doing that... I''m sorry."


    "Aww, don''t be, babe." She hugged Kazir and began to kiss his cheek.


    "Anyway, I don''t like this Natalie, so you should hire Keira Knightley instead."


    "... Alright."


    Kazir finally nodded. Keira Knightley''s sry was affordable and it was no problem for Kazir.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Goldman Sachs, represented by Vance Goodhood, and someone from Morgan Stanley finish their negotiations.


    Morgan Stanley was the firm hired by 20th Century Fox to acquire Grey Pictures.


    Both Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley were famous investment firms on Wall Street, and they had theirmission when this deal was done.


    After thinking about it and talking to the executives at Grey Pictures, Kazir decided to work with 20th Century Fox instead.


    After much tug-of-war, Grey Pictures would sell 30% of its stock for $3.5 billion in stock and cash. $1 billion in cash and $2.5 billion in stock, the equivalent of 3.5% of 20th Century Fox.


    Now Kazir was the secondrgest individual shareholder of 20th Century Fox, after Rupert Murdoch, who owned the majority of the shares.


    Most of thepany''s shares were spread amongpanies and investment firms. Only two individuals have their own piece of the percentage.


    The negotiations were already finished and both sides signed the contract. Now Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley began to perfect the transactions.


    Kazir and many of his acquaintances kept quiet about the acquisition. None of the Big Five knew about it... Yet.


    A few hourster that day, a piece of news suddenly broke that shook Hollywood, no, the whole country.


    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 mmed 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 hisst 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, thepany 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 me 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 thergest mediapanies in the world was over.


    Walt Disney, Paramount, Sony-Columbia and Warner Brothers weren''t expecting this oue. They were trying to make ns on how to increase their chips to get Kazir''s interest, yet they were pped by the news.


    As for the other news, Grey Pictures'' uing 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 absenttely, 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 ce 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 twopanies 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 thest 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 theycked 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.


    "The project will continue, I just have to prepare the production and negotiate with the cast. I''ll make sure that Spider-Man 2 is released in 2004."


    Kazir assured the CEO of Sony-Colombia. He knew it was the right thing to do to keep his promise. He didn''t want to tarnish his reputation.


    After all, Kazir still had a chance to jump to another house if the 20th Century Fox deal didn''t work out.


    "Okay, I will contact Jezebel about the negotiations. By the way, why don''t we keep your contract the same? ... You know, $27 million + 27% worldwide box office + 7% peripheral profit share is a lot, right?"


    "Frank, you should talk to Salvatore about that. Not me."


    "Okay, fine..."


    Judging by Frank''s voice, the guy was suffering from overwork.


    Kazir was not stupid enough to promise anything about his sry. Only Salvatore and Kazir''s other agents could do that. These people would probably do their best to get a better amount of money for a highermission. Kazir decided to trust them and let them do their job.


    The call ended and Kazir slipped the phone into his pocket. Tonight, Grey Pictures decided to celebrate the sess of The Revenant.


    Since the movie had already ended its worldwide run, Grey Pictures decided to throw a party and invited a lot of people. The Revenant has grossed $532.95 million at the worldwide box office.


    As the 5th highest grossing movie of 2002, The Revenant gained a good reputation.


    By the way, here are the top 10 grossing moviesst year:


    The 1st highest grossing filmst year was The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. It grossed $936.68 million.


    2nd was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Earning $878.97 million at the worldwide box office.


    3rd was The Bourne Supremacy with $710.68 million.


    4th was Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. Grossing $645.25 million.


    5th was The Revenant with $532.95 million.


    6th was Mr. And Mrs. Smith with $487.28 million.


    7th was Men in ck II with $441.81 million.


    8th was Die Another Day with $431.97 million.


    9th was Signs with $408.24 million.


    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.


    "Congrattions, Kazir. You''re now a certified billionaire!"


    "Thanks, Tom."


    Tom Cruise and Kazir Grey hugged andughed. 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 mypany, 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!


    +++++


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    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 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 mary value. It was hisst possession when he divorced Cassandra Hoecrap, and it had a special ce 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 famouspany. Theranos was a healthcare technologypany founded by Elizabeth Holmes in 2003. It imed 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 waster revealed that the technology didn''t work as imed, leading to a scandal and the eventual copse of thepany. (Chat GPT)


    Kazir understood where this conversation was going. He had no intention of ying 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 thepany 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?"


    "I-I didn''t say anything about blood tests." She stuttered.


    "I heard it from the other people. They said there was an immature teenager begging for money while talking about blood test kits and such. Now that I look at you..." Kazir looked at the woman from head to toe and said. "You don''t even look like a 19-year-old. You look like an old hag."


    "Wha--!"


    Elizabeth was too stunned to speak. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she sobbed weakly.


    As a movie director, Kazir knew her tears were real. Kazir made her cry. He didn''t feel bad at all.


    "Just leave this party and don''t show up again."


    Kazir didn''t care. He knew this woman''s oue, and crying was not enough for all the crimes she hadmitted.


    ''The fact that Elizabeth Holmes was only sentenced to 11 years in prison was disgusting. Like, she stole $700 million from the people and yet she only got 11 years in prison? Where is the fairness in this country?''


    ''Just because you are rich, you can easily evade thew? Fuck that. She should be sentenced to more than 20 years instead. ''


    The woman walked away as if someone was chasing her. Elizabeth was gone and Kazir hoped he won''t see her again.


    As for Kazir, he didn''t care about the other people who looked at him with strange eyes. Well, they didn''t know the exact reason why Kazir made the young woman cry, so they just stayed on the sidelines.


    Tom Cruise showed up, a little concerned about his friend. They couldn''t afford to destroy their image now that they werepeting for the Academy Awards.


    "What happened? Why did the girl cry? Did she do something that made you ufortable?" Tom Cruise knew that Kazir would never hurt a person without a good reason. Kazir was not a bad guy, he knew that. Tom believed the woman had done something wrong.


    "Did she ask for a one-night stand in exchange for a role?" He asked.


    This was themon motive of some actresses/actors in the industry. They would offer their bodies in exchange for movie roles. At the end of the day, it all depends on the consent of both parties.


    "No, much worse than that." Kazir chuckled. It would be easy if Elizabeth asked for a one-night stand, because Kazir would definitely say no. He was not attracted to someone as thin as she was.


    "She asked for an investment. She wants me to invest in her so-calledpany. It''s probably a scam. By the way, tell your contacts about a woman named Elizabeth Holmes who ask for investment for her blood-testingpany. Tell them to seriously research herpany before investing, or else they would regret it if thepany is actually a scam..."


    Knowing the future, Kazir was sure that the investors regretted investing in Theranos.


    ''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 minutester.


    Tom Rothman appeared with a ss of wine, a little ufortable. 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 ufortable?"


    The CEO was sweating a little.


    "Nothing... It''s a good thing I haven''t rmended 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 regretter. Luckily, Kazir was there to tell him the truth before he spent more money on investments...


    A dayter, 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''tmitted 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''tmit a crime, he was safe. Everything would change, however, once the Inte took over...


    Cancel culture would be a prominent part of the Inte. Where one wrong word and you would be canceled by a bunch of people. Luckily, it was still 2003, Facebook had not evenunched 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 Pnski 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 uing n 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, thest 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. Aedy 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.


    Many of these celebrities started showing up at a lot of parties, greeting people and making sure their names were relevant.


    In fact, Tom Cruise and Kazir Grey did the same thing.


    Just like that, the 75th Academy Awards officially took ce on March 23, 2003.


    The Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles was buzzing with celebrities and directors showing up one by one.


    The show was broadcast live on ABC and was watched by 32 million Americans... Usually, the Oscar''s ratings are around 40-50 million, but this time the ratings were below average. Maybe people were tired of the Oscars.


    Still, the show must go on. Many celebrities don''t care about the ratings. They just want to get their awards and prove their worth.


    Kazir, of course, attended the Oscars with his girlfriend. Angelina Jolie wore a red and white halter dress while Kazir wore his usual ck pants, tuxedo and white shirt.


    The couple smiled for the camera as several reporters interviewed them. Kazir hoped he would win the Best Director award.


    "Director, how do you feel if you win the Best Director award tonight?"


    "I will be happy if that happens. I have already prepared my speech in case I am on stage," Kazir and Angelina giggled.


    "What do you think about the Academy''s justification that they are partial and fair? That they don''t control the nominations."


    "I''m a member of the Academy too, and I believe them."


    Kazir apparently voted for The Revenant.


    The Revenant only received two nominations, and it was the biggest disappointment the Academy made this year. Some news outlets even said that the Academy cooked the nominations against The Revenant.


    Of course, members of the Academy denied this and said that their organization is always fair and just... Obviously a lie that everyone knows.


    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 nce 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, in and simple.


    Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz showed up a few minutester 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 yfully tapped him on the shoulder. They just giggled instead.


    "I can say that no matter what happened tonight, I''m d to be working with someone like you," Tom said to Kazir.


    "Me too, Tom." Kazir nodded.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 332

    Chapter 332


    "By the way, why didn''t you invite me to star in yourtest 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 pped their hands. Steve Martin was a famousedian 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.


    Unlikest 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.


    Best Supporting Actor went to Chris Cooper for his role in Adaptation.


    Catherine Zeta-Jones won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Chicago.


    Then, a few minutester, Tom and Kazir got serious because this particr part of the show was important to one of them.


    Halle Berry appeared with an envelope in her hand. She smiled and gave a short speech before announcing the list of nominees for Best Actor.


    "Adrien Brody, Nics Cage, Tom Cruise, Daniel Day-Lewis and Jack Nicholson. These are the actors nominated for Best Actor Award."


    Kazir''s lips were tight as he waited for the result. He knew that Adrien Brody had the best chance of winning the Best Actor Award because that was what happened in the original timeline. In fact, Kazir admitted that Adrien Brody deserved to win the award because his performance was amazing.


    However, he wanted Tom Cruise to win because they were friends.


    As for Tom, the actor kept hisposure and didn''t show any nervousness. He kept his smile on, knowing that a camera was pointed at him, broadcasting his reaction live for people to see.


    Halle Berry opened the envelope. The nominated actors'' hearts beat faster as they waited for every second.


    Then the actress announced the winner. Halle Berry bit her lip, adding to the excitement.


    "Congrattions! Tom Cruise. The Revenant."


    The audience erupted in apuse, and even Kazir began pping vigorously. Tom Cruise took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second before standing up.


    He hugged Kazir, Penelope, and Angelina before heading to the stage.


    "Thanks, Kazir."


    "Nah, you deserve it." Kazir patted the actor on the back.


    The other actors also pped and congratted Tom Cruise on his win. Deep inside, they were seething in disappointment for not winning the Award.


    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 bacsh.


    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 ss 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 sess.


    The camera focused on Nicole and her reaction was amazing. Her lips were pursed, clearly not happy. Although her reaction onlysted 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.


    eptance speeches could onlyst 45 seconds, it was a rule that the Academy set and reminded people to follow. So Tom''s speech didn''tst long before he went backstage.


    Kazir could not help butugh. 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 canment 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,monly 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 sries up to $20 million, well, depending on whether some studio paid them that amount. But it was true that the Oscar winners had a sry increase.


    The same was true for directors. But in Kazir''s case, he didn''t care about the sry 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 seeded.


    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''spetitors 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 fourpetitors for the Best Director award.


    Roman Pnski, 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 Almod¨®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 Almod¨®var himself. The movie was about two men who form an unlikely friendship while caring for two women who are both inas.


    As for The Revenant, well, it was about Hugh ss...


    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 ce.


    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 themercial and hugged Kazir again.


    "Thanks, Kazir."


    "You just said that earlier."


    "I don''t mind saying it again." Tom grinned as he held the golden statue in his hands.


    The show went on and this time Denzel Washington was the host. By the way,st year''s Best Actor winner was Denzel Washington, while the Best Actress winner was Halle Berry.


    If Halle Berry was the Best Actor presenter tonight, then Denzel Washington was the Best Actress presenter.


    "Here are the nominees for Best Actress..."


    Nicole Kidman - The Hours as Virginia Woolf


    Salma Hayek - Frida as Frida Kahlo


    Diane Lane - Infidelity as Constance "Connie" Sumner


    Julianne Moore - Far From Heaven as Cathy Whitaker


    Ren¨¦e Zellweger - Chicago as Roxie Hart


    These five actresses suffered the same fate as the actors before them, with cameras trained on them. Their expressions recorded live on television.


    Denzel Washington wasted no time in announcing the winner.


    "The Best Actress Award goes to... Nicole Kidman!"


    Kazir was not even surprised. He knew that the future could be changed, but some aspects still remained. And it seemed that Nicole Kidman winning the Best Actress Award was an unchangeable future... Now Kazir also felt that his chances of winning the Best Director award were diminishing.


    He looked to his side and saw that Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz had mixed feelings. Especially Penelope, she seemed to hate the fact that Nicole Kidman won.


    The next segments, the Best Adapted Screeny and Best Original Screeny were announced.


    Ronald Harwood won for Best Adapted Screeny. He wrote The Pianist.


    Pedro Almod¨®var won the award for Original Screeny. He directed and wrote Talk To Her.


    And just like that, the most anticipated part of the Oscars for Kazir happened.


    The presenter of the Best Director Award was Harrison Ford. The actor had someplex opinions about Kazir after what happened a few years ago. Nevertheless, Harrison Ford remained professional and read from the teleprompter.


    "The nominees for Best Director are..."


    Roman Pnski - The Pianist


    Rob Marshall - Chicago


    Martin Scorsese - Gangs of New York


    Kazir Grey - The Revenant


    Pedro Almod¨®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 hade.


    "Congrattions. 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 simplements 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://.patr /Puji_maki


    Ko-fi link: https://ko /pujimaki


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 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 pping. 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 suddenlyughed when one of the management gave him the golden statue.


    He also hugged Harrison Ford despite their cold rtionship. 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.


    "Congrattions," Harrison said.


    "Thank you," Kazir replied.


    Then Kazir found the podium. He pulled out a small card on which his eptance 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 dreame true!"


    The audienceughed.


    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 pped 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 sessful 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."


    "..."


    He was embarrassed and immediately wiped away the tears. He didn''t know that he was crying.


    Kazir was a depressed person who had lost his reason for living. He had lost everything and had nothing left.


    Maybe he had to thank the truck that killed him... Because he understood that he was currently living the life he wanted.


    ''If this is a dream, I don''t want to wake up.''


    He was a director who fell in love with making movies, and he dreamed of being recognized by the Academy. And now he had reached that point.


    He was an award-winning director now. He couldn''t help but smile.


    "I did it... Haha, I did it!"


    He shouted happily as if losing his mind. Fortunately, the people understood his reaction.


    The Best Director Award was the second to thest segment and Kazir was free to return to his seat as themercial began.


    Kazir was congratted by many people as he returned to his seat. Tom Cruise was smiling from ear to ear as he waved his golden statue.


    Kazir yed along and waved his own. They were like boys ying with their toys.


    "I didn''t remember thatst part of the speech. It wasn''t written on the card."


    Angelina said to Kazir, blushing a little.


    "It just came out of my mouth."


    Angelina giggled and put her head on his shoulder.


    "You should contact Salvatore and Harold about the party tonight."


    "They probably know what to do, they don''t need confirmation from me."


    Actually, even if The Revenant didn''t win any awards, the crew would still be preparing for a party. From the looks of it, tonight''s party would be festive.


    "Don''t drink too much, I need you tonight."


    "Of course."


    After their little conversation, thest segment of the show began.


    Kirk Dous and Michael Dous were presenting the Best Picture Award.


    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 Pnski, Robert Bunmussa and in 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 Pnski 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 Pnski 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 st 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 topete, 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 thergest mediapanies 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 thepany.


    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 thepany.


    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 thepany, 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.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "The what?"


    Kazir raised his eyebrows slightly as he listened to his assistant, Erica Mendez.


    "Lionsgate, sir. They want to contact you about buying a script."


    Kazir and Erica were in the process of interviewing people for the bodyguard position.


    After the incident in the Maldives, Kazir felt he needed to hire at least one bodyguard for security purposes.


    So far, Kazir had met two professional bodyguards who were on his top list. He was just waiting for thest three contestants to show up so he could decide which one of them would be his bodyguard.


    Erica was an experienced soldier and had seen wars and skirmishes in foreignnds, so Kazir knew that hiring a bodyguard was a stretch but also important.


    However, in the course of the interview, Erica received a message. Erica was the one responsible formunicating business deals to Kazir. She was also the go-between whenever anyone wanted to contact Kazir.


    "Lionsgate... I think I heard it."


    Kazir lied... Of course he knew Lionsgate. It was basically the 7thrgest studio in Hollywood.


    Lionsgate had only been founded in 1997, and it was slowly gaining a foothold in Hollywood. It acquired small studios and distributors and merged them into one.


    Lionsgate distributed a lot of sessful movies like Saw, The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Twilight Saga, Step Up, The Expendables and John Wick...


    "Ahem."


    Kazir coughed as he remembered that John Wick was originally from Lionsgate.


    "That studio, if I remember correctly. It''s funded by Canadian banks, right?"


    "Yes, sir. I have done some research on this studio before. It''s originally from Canada, founded in Vancouver. But they moved their headquarters to California."


    "I see..."


    Lionsgate''s sess could rival the Big Six. Unfortunately, it was foundedte and failed topete and fight for resources in the industry. It would take thepany a decade to build a worldwide film distributionpany.


    "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 ce, distributing movies was not so easy. Sometimes they even suffer losses.


    "I heard that the Big Six are looking at thispany. 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!]


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!