Chapter 216: Spider-Man

At night, in the Bel-Air estate, Arthur sat on a deck chair by the pool, drinking wine and admiring Nicole Kidman moving back and forth in the water like a mermaid.

Currently, Nicole Kidman just needed to wait in Los Angeles for the start of Speed, but Arthur was already contemplating the script for Se7en.

It was heard that the new director David Lynch, who just finished his debut Alien 3, seemed to be a bit disoriented due to the movie's mixed reviews and the unpleasant experiences during the filming; he even seemed to not want to direct anymore.

"Arthur, what are you thinking about? Come down!" Nicole Kidman in the pool suddenly shouted, then immediately unhooked her bra.

Arthur smiled, set down his wine glass, and said, "I'm coming."

With a splash, large waves rose in the pool.

Arthur went directly to Nicole Kidman, embraced her, and began to kiss her.

Nicole Kidman wrapped her long legs around Arthur's waist, embracing him passionately in response.

"Nicole, you are truly the finest export from Australia," Arthur couldn't help but exclaim as he held Nicole Kidman in his arms after the kiss.

"Is that so?" Nicole Kidman, her smooth and fair face shining on the water, replied playfully, "That's quite a high compliment!"

"Of course it is, you will soon become the pride of Australia," Arthur said as they moved to the edge of the pool, leaning against the pool wall.

"So, isn't it true that this Australian pride is your woman now?" Nicole Kidman said, clinging to Arthur. Moments later, two swim trunks floated up in the water.

Arthur chuckled, "Nicole, so you like this type of game? It's really exciting!" he said, then began to caress her body.

"You don't like it?" Nicole Kidman said, nibbling on Arthur's shoulder, and then mentioned, "I heard that Mel Gibson held a celebration party for Lethal Weapon 3 at the Wilshire Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard today, was it intentional?"

"Ah," Arthur replied casually, supporting Nicole Kidman's waist. "Why bother about that, Lethal Weapon 3 is the box office champion of the summer season, and it's normal to have a celebration party. However, with Tim Burton's Batman Returns about to be released, it won't be easy for Lethal Weapon 3 to maintain its position!"

"True," Nicole Kidman said, then leaned in for another kiss. The pool's romantic ambiance in the calm night made it all the more enchanting.

As late June approached, the most anticipated blockbuster of this summer season arrived, the sequel to Batman, titled Batman Returns.

Warner Bros. arranged for it to be shown in 2,650 theaters across North America, achieving a high box office of $45.7 million in the opening weekend!

Warner Bros.' sequel, directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer, maintained the dark and brooding tone, with an even stronger commercial atmosphere.

San Francisco Chronicle: "Following the Joker in Batman, the portrayal of the villains in Batman Returns is equally outstanding. The Penguin and Catwoman have undeniably become immensely popular screen characters."

Chicago Tribune: "Batman Returns once again proves director Tim Burton's undeniable prowess."

Los Angeles Times: "The most unforgettable part of Batman Returns is Michelle Pfeiffer's portrayal of Catwoman. Her seductive, bewitching demeanor, passionate and wild moves, and her complex love-hate relationship with Batman elevate the entire film to a level that explores human nature, making it more profound and lively."

At Galaxy Corporation, Arthur mumbled to himself while sitting in his chair, "Danny DeVito as the Penguin was great too."

Tim Burton set the tone for Batman with a dark style.

Shortly after, Amy Pascal hurried into Arthur's office, and he asked in surprise, "What's going on?"

"James Cameron signed a directing contract with 20th Century Fox for that movie Crowded Space, you know about it, right?"

Arthur nodded, "Yeah, he wrote a script outline for Spider-Man, then went to develop that movie. What's the issue?"

Arthur was surprised; could the movie be starting production? It shouldn't be, since James Cameron never directed that film.

Amy Pascal shook her head, "Crowded Space was aborted, but James Cameron signed an exclusive directing contract with 20th Century Fox. Yesterday, when Carolco notified us to prepare to sign Cameron as the director for Spider-Man, the people from 20th Century Fox showed up.

Galaxy, Carolco, and 20th Century Fox can jointly develop Spider-Man, but the distribution rights have to belong to 20th Century Fox."

Arthur was stunned and then widened his eyes in disbelief, "Doesn't Galaxy have its own North American distribution network now? 20th Century Fox wants to take away Spider-Man rights?

I worked hard to get the adaptation rights for Spider-Man from Golan, and now 20th Century Fox has the nerve to make such demands."

Arthur shook his head, "Impossible, Spider-Man adaptation rights are not for sale. Carolco is a film production company without its own distribution network, but Galaxy has one.

Carolco might not care which company distributes the film, but I do. The project is terminated!"

Amy Pascal agreed, "Not only that, besides 20th Century Fox stirring up trouble with the Spider-Man project and announcing that James Cameron cannot direct films for other companies without their approval. And Columbia TriStar is also getting involved!"

Arthur blinked, "What does Sony have to do with this?"

"Uh, Columbia TriStar is Carolco's distribution agreement partner, responsible for distributing all films produced by Carolco," Amy Pascal explained.

Arthur laughed, infuriated, "Could it be that 20th Century Fox and Columbia TriStar agreed to jointly distribute Spider-Man? One for North America and one for the international market?"

Amy Pascal nodded.

"So that means these two big companies now regard Galaxy as just an investor and producer for Spider-Man, the same as Carolco?" Arthur said, feeling speechless. "Today, go announce that Galaxy's Spider-Man will have the script rewritten and that James Cameron is not the director!"

Arthur was not going to put up with this nonsense. He initially intended to test the waters, but now he decided to proceed at Galaxy's own pace, waiting for Marvel to go bankrupt.

*****

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