Chapter 152: Halle Berry

"Arthur, Mr. David Geffen seems a bit unhappy," Jennifer Connelly reminded Arthur, looking at the departing Geffen while holding onto Arthur.

Arthur squeezed Jennifer Connelly's waist and said, "This bald guy wanted to cooperate with me. I told him Galaxy wants to develop Marvel superhero movies, and because the investment is large, I asked if Geffen Films was interested in investing. Who knew this guy wasn't willing? What poor vision!"

Arthur laughed. Now all the movie investment companies wanted to cooperate with Galaxy. David Geffen was uninterested in investing in a big Marvel movie, afraid of being scammed?

"Do you have plans to develop superhero movies?" Jennifer Connelly asked. She had just experienced a failed superhero adaptation and had some authority on the matter.

"I was bluffing," Arthur whispered in her ear. "Currently, there's no such plan. But if someone really wants to invest in my superhero adaptations, Galaxy wouldn't mind trying out a superhero movie."

If Geffen Films were willing to invest $60 million in Spider-Man, Galaxy would directly add another $20 million, making it an $80 million superhero blockbuster. After all, Carolco Pictures invested $100 million in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Jennifer Connelly laughed, "That's billionaire David Geffen you're daring."

"This guy is gay. Who knows if he's interested in me?" Arthur continued shockingly.

"What?" Jennifer Connelly's eyes widened in shock. "But he has dated many women!"

Arthur shrugged and said casually, "What's the big deal? Liking women before, liking men now, it's normal."

At this point, David Geffen hadn't publicly come out yet, so someone like Jennifer Connelly wouldn't know the truth.

"Really?" Jennifer Connelly believed Arthur. He was now Hollywood's youngest billionaire, and his string of successful films had made him famous. Arthur Smith, who now headed Galaxy Films, was already a significant force.

"Hey, isn't that Barry Diller?" Jennifer Connelly suddenly pointed at a man chatting with Sigourney Weaver.

Arthur looked over. Indeed, it was Barry Diller, chairman of 20th Century Fox, and former chairman of Paramount, Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg's former boss. He helped Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. establish the fourth American TV network, Fox Broadcasting Company.

"That's the team behind Alien 3," Arthur immediately recognized Sigourney Weaver. This year, 20th Century Fox shot Alien 3, set to release next summer.

"I heard Alien 3 went through two directors and finally hired a newcomer," Arthur noted. That newcomer was the future famous David Fincher, now 29, just a director of music videos and commercials.

Alien 3 was originally set to be directed by Renny Harlin, who became famous with Die Hard 2. However, Fox's budget was too low, and Harlin opted out. The second choice, New Zealand director Vincent Ward, also left due to creative differences and Fox's limited control. Finally, Fox chose the novice David Fincher to start filming under rushed conditions.

Arthur took a good look at David Fincher standing beside Sigourney Weaver. This was undoubtedly another young talent. It wasn't easy for 20th Century Fox to find David Fincher. Alien was directed by Ridley Scott, and Aliens by James Cameron. For Alien 3, they chose an ad and music video director with no feature film experience, a bold move.

Young director Steven Soderbergh, who made Sex, Lies, and Videotape, had directed a French-American co-production this year.

Another director Arthur was keen on, Quentin Tarantino, was unknown to him at the moment.

Arthur closely followed the Sundance Film Festival, largely to discover Tarantino. These were the young directors Arthur believed in.

"Alright, let's go," Arthur kissed Jennifer Connelly on the cheek. Attending this party only to have Steven Spielberg ask for an extra $2 million in budget felt like a small loss tonight.

...

At Club 42 in West Hollywood, Elizabeth Hurley, who had come from the UK, invited Brad Pitt and Arthur for a drink.

Because they had a good relationship while filming, and now that Arthur Smith's status was rising, both Hugh Grant and Brad Pitt were eager to maintain their connections with Arthur.

"Hurley, have you finished shooting your scenes for Emma?" Arthur asked, as they had had deep conversations before.

Elizabeth Hurley nodded, "I didn't have many scenes. I'm here now to shoot Passenger 57!"

"Oh, this is your first Hollywood film, right?" Brad Pitt asked.

"That's right, even though it's a supporting role, it's my first Hollywood film," Elizabeth Hurley responded with a smile.

As for Hugh Grant, he was filming Roman Polanski's French thriller romance, Bitter Moon.

"Brad, what about you? I heard you filmed Robert Redford's A River Runs Through It," Elizabeth Hurley said.

Arthur explained, "Brad's performance in this year's Thelma & Louise was great. Though his screen time wasn't much, he was captivating. It's only natural that he got the lead role in Robert Redford's film."

Elizabeth Hurley smiled, "I read the news about Brad's rumored affair with Geena Davis."

Geena Davis, one of the leads in Thelma & Louise, had shared intimate scenes with Brad Pitt.

Brad Pitt shook his head, raised his glass, and clinked it with the others, "I got that role in Thelma & Louise thanks to Arthur's recommendation. But it looks like Arthur didn't need such a small role himself!"

Arthur looked at Brad Pitt and suddenly asked, "Filming A River Runs Through It, you must have learned a lot from Robert Redford?"

Robert Redford was a seasoned Hollywood actor and an Oscar-winning director. He also founded the Sundance Film Festival in 1984 and served as its president.

"I learned a lot," Brad Pitt nodded, "His techniques and methods were incredibly insightful."

Seeing David Fincher at the party earlier had reminded Arthur of the film Se7en.

"Wait for a while. I have an idea for a script. Once it's finished, I might cast both of you," Arthur said.

"Really?"

"Both of us?"

Brad Pitt and Elizabeth Hurley were surprised.

Arthur nodded, "Yes, it's a crime thriller with religious undertones."

"Arthur, when do you think you'll have the script ready?" Brad Pitt asked eagerly.

Elizabeth Hurley also looked at Arthur expectantly, her eyes bright.

"Probably by the middle of next year. Let's see if we can start filming in the second half," Arthur said casually, taking a sip of his drink. "Don't worry, the script will be great!"

Arthur loved the story of Se7en, which had strong male roles. The female lead was a minor character, so casting Elizabeth Hurley wouldn't be a problem.

"The more you talk about it, the more excited I get. Make sure to send me the script as soon as it's done," Brad Pitt said eagerly.

After a while, Elizabeth Hurley ran into Wesley Snipes, the male lead of Passenger 57, at the club.

Arthur decided to leave. He figured there were quite a few members of the Passenger 57 crew here tonight. Brad Pitt also planned to meet his new 18-year-old girlfriend, Juliette Lewis.

In the club's hallway, Arthur lit a cigarette and saw two people arguing, a man and a woman. The man slapped the woman hard, knocking her to the ground. "You bitch!"

Arthur widened his eyes and saw the man walk away without looking back.

Arthur walked over, "Miss, your ear is bleeding. Do you need an ambulance?" That slap was hard enough to make her ear bleed.

The woman looked up, with tears welling in her eyes, and shook her head, "No, thank you!"

She looked at Arthur, "Hey, are you Arthur Smith, the owner of Galaxy?"

"Yeah," Arthur finally recognized the woman, a young Halle Berry. No wonder she had such a hot and sexy figure!

The woman stood up and introduced herself, "I'm Halle Berry, 25, an actress. This year, I appeared in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever; it's my first Hollywood film!"

Meeting Arthur Smith here seemed to excite Halle Berry, making her forget the pain.

Arthur nodded. Halle Berry had been a Miss USA contestant a few years ago and had good looks and a great figure. Spike Lee was a well-known African-American director. Jungle Fever, released by Universal, was a film about an interracial affair, but nothing special.

"Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?" Arthur offered her a cigarette.

"Forget it," Halle Berry smoked and wiped the blood from her ear, not seeming to care, "That guy was Wesley Snipes, the male lead of Jungle Fever!"

Okay, Arthur got it. Halle Berry had made her debut in Jungle Fever and hooked up with the male lead, Wesley Snipes.

"If you're fine, I'll be going," Arthur said, thinking about how he might not cast Wesley Snipes for the Marvel Blade series in the future. This guy had a bad temper and would eventually go to jail for tax evasion.

"Mr. Smith," Halle Berry hurriedly walked over, "Could I have a chance to be in one of your movies?"

"Let's see. If there's a suitable role, there might be a chance," Arthur said as he left the club.

Who would have thought the future only African-American Oscar-winning actress, Halle Berry, was in such a tough situation now?

Halle Berry watched Arthur Smith leave, stunned. She did everything to leave a lasting impression on him.

As the owner of Galaxy Pictures, Arthur Smith's fame was growing, and Halle Berry didn't know if he would remember a young African-American woman. However, this rare encounter was valuable.

As long as Arthur knew there was a 25-year-old African-American actress named Halle Berry in Hollywood, that was enough. Maybe one day, Galaxy would need a young, sexy African-American actress and think of her.

*****

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