Chapter 153: The Fiery Filmmaking Set

The acquisition matters had temporarily come to a halt. Taking over these assets required a process, plus approval from the relevant departments. William White didn't have to handle these jobs personally; that's what a big team of lawyers was for.

The cast for the movie Speed was finally complete. Well, many sly folks guessed it -- Nastassja Kinski was going to be the female lead.

As for the reason? Everyone could figure it out.

Tom Cruise was very lucky as the male lead. This guy, whose height was almost a disaster, somehow got chosen.

Judging by the selection of the two main leads, this movie appeared to be a teen idol drama, but reality often differed from assumptions.

The bigwigs in Hollywood knew this was a major cop and crime film production. The special effects themselves were going to cost millions, and you couldn't say it wasn't big-budget.

No one questioned whether these two actors could carry the movie, unless they were new to Hollywood.

White Films was a startup, but it never failed even once. Every film it released in North America grossed over 100 million, which was a nightmare for other giants.

Every time Warner's new CEO thought about competing with one of William's films, a shiver would run down his spine. This was about as bad as it could get -- a complete mess.

Their gaming console venture looked like it might fail too, and they still had to face their movie with Superman. Making a profit this year was just a dream.

...

With a loud bang, a brand new elevator exploded into pieces, white smoke quickly rising. The scene was terrifying.

Though prepared in advance, many residents called the police. Watching the movie was one thing, but if the elevator really fell, it would've been a different story.

"Everyone, keep rolling, don't stop."

Since things were already like this, they decided to make the shot more realistic. Screeching sirens couldn't stop his madness.

Tom Cruise looked a bit pale; he was utterly bewildered, unsure if the director wanted to make or break him.

Alright, maybe he was overthinking it. He was just another young pretty face; West Hollywood had plenty. He didn't know how he'd got so lucky.

People envied him more than they envied Nastassja Kinski. There wasn't much to be done; actresses of that era were at a disadvantage, especially top stars.

"Cut! Everyone, clean up this mess. Suzuki, call the insurance company. Max, help me with the aftermath."

Although it caused considerable damage, no one was injured. As long as no one was hurt, he wasn't too worried about the rest.

"Does Lucas shoot movies like this?"

"No idea. Probably not before he had money. You know what, it did feel really thrilling."

Spielberg shook his head with a wry smile. When he made films, he budgeted meticulously, but in William's hands, they demolished half a building for the first scene.

To be fair, he was overthinking it too. It wasn't a main structure that collapsed, just some marble cladding.

"Tanner, did we use too much explosives just now?"

"Sir, cutting those cables does require this much. These guys are very professional. It's probably the marble installation at the hotel that's faulty."

"Good grief. This was just the first scene. How long is this gonna go on?"

The next day, when a bus was torn apart, Lucas was stunned. He finally understood why they needed so much money.

This version of the explosion scene was even more intense than the original. They not only turned the bus into scrap metal but also showcased the power of the shockwave, something the original didn't fully explain.

Watching a film and being on set were two different things. The force that shattered the glass left people wide-eyed.

"Lucas, what special effects are you handling? He's not really gonna destroy a subway and a plane, right?"

"I'm mainly responsible for the subway. As for the plane, he really bought a scrapped one. They're repainting it now."

"Maniac. He's a complete maniac."

"Haha, I love this movie. Might have some trouble with the rating, but whatever. Even if it's an R-rated film, it'll still be a box-office hit."

The central theme of this movie was explosions -- villas, subways, planes, all blown up.

As for the failure of the sequel, the reason was simple. An oil tanker explosion couldn't satisfy the audience. The only memorable part was that final bell-ringing moment.

If you asked William White, Speed 2 was a flop. Apart from the female lead's decent performance, it was almost worthless. The biggest issue was the high investment it demanded. If not for the good reputation of the first film, it would've made the audience sick.

The biggest mistake was suddenly changing the male lead. It wasn't impossible, but there was no explanation. If the female lead liked a tranquil life, she wouldn't marry another agent, which was absurdly unreasonable. Many were probably discouraged by this.

Why change actors?

Well, the answer was simple. With CAA, big-name actors' box-office draws skyrocketed. Movie studios simply couldn't afford them. With fees rocketing to tens of millions, it was maddening!

Though this era wasn't that crazy, don't forget a million now was as substantial as fifty million after 2010.

The original script for Beverly Hills Cop was intended for Sylvester Stallone. Even then, fees started in the millions, and most studios couldn't risk it.

...

This year, Hollywood was facing a major upheaval. United Artists had already gone under, and the conglomerate behind it was struggling, planning to sell United Artists.

Disney had already changed hands. Although the deal hadn't been completed, it was just a matter of days, now simply waiting for approval.

There would be no issue with it. Both the conglomerate and the government wanted the deal to succeed. Often, major mergers signal that the economy had bottomed out.

At nearly 4 billion dollars, this acquisition was significant news in any era. Coupled with William White being a newsmaker, staying out of the spotlight was impossible.

...

Journalists back then lacked ethics. Even without major incidents, they could fabricate a sensational headline with smoke billowing miles high.

Those scoundrels still had some bottom line, at least confirming no one was injured, but also noting that the insurance company planned to pull out.

Well, that was pretty much true. The insurance company was indeed frightened. The shooting hadn't even warmed up yet, but they'd made such a commotion, and there were still subway and plane scenes to come.

To put it bluntly, even if you could afford it, we couldn't keep up. The risk was simply too high.

Hollywood giants were green with envy. Your film had just started shooting, and it's already everyone's talk. If the box office doesn't do well, that would be surprising.

Even your small-budget films outperformed ours. Now that you've moved on to big productions, where could we possibly find a foothold? Help!

*****

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