Chapter 26: Neighbor Nicolas Cage

Kevin laughed heartily and said, "Jolie, you're the female lead, no doubt about it."

"But, you know, being the female lead comes with certain expectations," he added.

Not all of Jolie's actions were willingly coordinated during their intimacy.

However, now that Kevin had promised her the role of the female lead, all her shyness and reluctance were overshadowed by a tremendous thrill. At this very moment, without Kevin saying a word, Jolie began to give her all, striving to make Kevin experience pure ecstasy.

...

In early December, executives from New Line Cinema, including Dawson, Kevin, Dean, and Warner Bros., gathered in the company's conference room to attentively review Kevin's new movie project proposal.

The story of "Get Out" was simple, and the group quickly finished reading it.

Johnson was the first to ask, "Why use a Black actor as the male lead?"

"The reason is simple. If it's just a straightforward horror film, its box office potential would be at most $20-30 million," Kevin replied.

"But by using a Black actor as the male lead, we can symbolically represent the persecution of Black people by white people through this dark witchcraft element. And when the Black protagonist kills all the white people in the town, it will greatly resonate with the Black audience and motivate them to go to the cinemas."

"This way, the box office potential is significantly increased..."

Of course, Kevin couldn't mention the main reason: the Rodney King incident and the subsequent Black riots. He had to provide a plausible excuse.

As for whether Johnson accepted it or not, Kevin wasn't too concerned. With a production cost of $3 million, Kevin invested 30% of his own money and obtained a 30% share. The remaining 70% would be split between New Line Cinema and Warner Bros.

Johnson nodded, accepting Kevin's explanation. As a successful director, Johnson wouldn't easily question others, especially for a small production with a budget of less than $3 million.

Warner Bros.'s 40% investment, which amounted to $1.2 million, in a successful director like Kevin didn't require much consideration.

Dean had even more faith and trust in Kevin, as he had already committed to the investment.

After everything was settled, Kevin had CAA contact his team, scheduling the filming to begin after Christmas, on December 25th.

During this period, Kevin needed to choose a suitable location to serve as the specific setting of the desperate town in the story.

By April 31st, considering promotion and other factors, Kevin would have a maximum of three months for filming. However, based on the specific scenes he envisioned in his mind, two months would be more than sufficient. As for the cast, Kevin didn't need to worry about it this time.

Except for the female lead role, which he had already secured, all other roles were entrusted to CAA. Of course, he did request a charismatic Black actor.

...

"CAA is packaging a project for the latest masterpiece by the rising talented director Steve Kevin, 'Get Out,' and they need a male African American lead!"

Will Smith, who had debuted as a rapper, learned about this news through a friend. He immediately realized that this was the role he needed the most.

As a male African American, he deeply understood the exclusion he faced in Hollywood. Despite being famous for his singing career, the roles he could obtain in the entertainment industry were either villains, comedic supporting characters, or at best, the second male lead.

But those were not what he wanted.

He wanted to be the protagonist.

However, he knew all too well that there were very few films in Hollywood with African American actors as the lead.

As a well-known singer with connections in the film industry, Will Smith hurriedly made his way to the CAA building after hearing the news. After introducing himself, he met the requirements for the role, had no salary demands, and had the necessary fame. As a result, he was the first to be chosen by Dawson.

Kevin, upon learning about Will Smith's visit, promptly agreed to give him the male lead. In return, despite being a two-time Grammy Award winner, Will Smith could only receive a meager hundred thousand dollars as his salary.

However, Will Smith had no objections to this.

As a major music star, he wasn't in need of money at the moment. What he needed was an opportunity. After signing the film contract with Dawson, he obtained the script for "Get Out."

Will Smith promptly hired two seasoned actors to help him refine his acting skills.

Sometimes, a last-minute effort could also be effective.

...

In the distance, Kevin, enjoying Jolie's massage service, had no worries about Will Smith's acting skills.

As a future megastar, Will Smith naturally possess a certain level of artistic sensibility when it came to acting.

Moreover, "Get Out" was a thriller film that didn't require exceptional acting skills. Film is an art that is captured frame by frame, and as long as Kevin was patient enough, Smith would be able to refine his skills.

Ding dong!

The doorbell rang, interrupting Kevin's enjoyment.

Putting on his clothes, Kevin opened the door.

Outside, Nicholas Cage stood holding a pizza he made, and he casually walked in.

At 27 years old, Nicholas Cage had a cool and aloof look on his face that was intimidating to others. However, after spending these days getting to know him, Kevin knew that he was actually quite easygoing.

As neighbors, after exchanging a few words outside, Cage took the initiative to visit Kevin's place.

Unfortunately, Nicholas Cage was very interested in Kevin as a director.

Deep down, Kevin was an extremely proud person, too proud to rely on even a tiny bit of his uncle's connections.

And who was his uncle?

None other than the renowned Francis Ford Coppola, the director of "The Godfather."

The Coppola family had deep roots in Hollywood, and their network and influence went without saying.

If Nicholas Cage used his real name, Nicholas Coppola, in Hollywood, he would have many more opportunities magically appear.

But one thing remained: his pride kept him from doing so.

However, the genius and prideful Kevin had managed to impress Nicholas Cage with his demeanor and conversation.

Of course, it was his achievements that truly stood out.

With his first film, he had earned an estimated box office revenue of $160 million, with a meager investment of only $1.3 million.

This made Kevin unable to help but admire his younger brother, who was about three years younger.

"Hmm, this pineapple pizza is good, but Cage, you definitely shouldn't showcase this in front of Italians."

"Otherwise, it would have extremely serious consequences."

Kevin enjoyed the pineapple pizza while grinning.

"The thing I love doing the most is saying 'no' to certain people who try to prevent me from doing certain things."