Chapter 259: Forrest Gump

The office of Galaxy.

"3.5 million dollars?" Arthur heard his assistant report that The Piano cost the company 3.5 million dollars and appeared very calm. "If the North American box office exceeds 10 million, we'll be making a profit!"

Although there were still marketing expenses, the film could be broadcast on cable TV channels like USA later, and don't forget about the video tapes either!

By then, if The Piano gets a few nominations at Cannes and next year's Oscars, there will surely be some earnings. Besides, even in North America, The Piano should bring in not less than 10 million dollars at the box office.

Arthur leaned back in his chair, "How is Quentin Tarantino's new script coming along?"

"Still in revision, it's been named Pulp Fiction. Because Reservoir Dogs received quite favorable reviews and gathered a cult following, the plot of Pulp Fiction also follows a disruptive non-linear narrative structure, full of violence and dark humor. Everyone thinks it's worth investing in!"

Arthur chuckled, "I did read the first draft of the script; it was unreadable, with at least 9,000 grammar mistakes per page, and hardly any words were correct.

This guy's scripts, only he can understand them!"

While Reservoir Dogs did attract a small, devoted audience, it didn't achieve much commercial success and could only make a little through the video market over time.

Therefore, the budget for Quentin Tarantino's new film Pulp Fiction is also not high, certainly not exceeding 10 million dollars!

"And, the representative from Hong Kong's Golden Harvest has already discussed cooperating on a new film with us. Following our advice, the Hong Kong crew is searching for filming locations in Vancouver, Canada.

By then, the crew members will mainly come from Hong Kong, and we only need to cooperate with them locally for the shoot."

Is Jackie Chan's Rumble in the Bronx finally about to start filming?

"Approximately when will filming begin?" Arthur knew that Jackie Chan had three films released last year, especially the one where Galaxy bought the North American rights, Police Story 3: Super Cop," which performed the best.

"It's estimated to start shooting in the summer. The crew also needs to select a leading Chinese-American actress locally, and the other female role has already been decided, it's an actress from Hong Kong," Anna Walker responded.

"Plus, with some other preparations for the crew, it will take about three to four months," Anna Walker replied.

Arthur knew that Golden Harvest's Raymond Chow mentioned casting Joey Wong in a role in Jackie Chan's film. It must be that.

"Got it, keep an eye on it," Arthur said, putting down the script of Forrest Gump.

After acquiring the novel adaptation rights last year, they began script adaptation, and after more than half a year, it was finally completed.

"The producer Wendy Finerman and director Robert Zemeckis for Forrest Gump should be arriving at the company soon, right?" Arthur inquired.

Anna Walker looked at her watch, "The appointment is for 10 AM."

Not long after, Arthur met director Robert Zemeckis and producer Wendy Finerman in the reception room.

"You two, kidding me, right?" Arthur held the budget sheet, and the alarmingly red 60 million dollars made him tense.

Wendy Finerman, who was passionately pushing for the movie's production, quickly explained: "Arthur, Forrest Gump involves many historical events, with a substantial amount of special effects shots and CG processing.

Moreover, the film spans a long time period, telling a story over a significant length, which perfectly aligns with the current state of America; it will definitely resonate upon release!"

Wendy Finerman, only in her thirties, was a relatively young producer who had previously recommended Forrest Gump to Warner Bros, only to be rejected.

When she learned that Galaxy had acquired the adaptation rights, she immediately joined them and persuaded Arthur Smith to invest in the film urgently.

Last year, as Eric Roth was adapting the script, Wendy Finerman had begun searching for directors. Terry Gilliam refused to direct due to his opposition to the Vietnam War, and Barry Sonnenfeld was engrossed in preparing Addams Family Values and also declined, until Robert Zemeckis resonated with the project!

"There are quite a few special effects," Arthur admitted, acknowledging that the film's cost was indeed substantial, yet he didn't anticipate it being this high, mainly due to all the historical recreations.

"What about the lead actors?" Arthur asked the crucial question.

Robert Zemeckis smiled wryly and replied, "We approached John Travolta and Chevy Chase for the leading role, but both declined. We also reached out to Jodie Foster for the lead actress, but she wasn't interested either!"

Arthur could guess the reason: no one wanted to play a fool, and the leading actress was a promiscuous character, which was also unappealing.

"As for the lead actor, try reaching out to Tom Hanks, and for the lead actress, look for a second-tier actress with solid acting skills," Arthur suggested, waving the script in his hand. "I have high hopes for the Forrest Gump project, and you can preview Tom Hanks' recently starred drama Philadelphia."

"He's not just a comedy star; his acting skills are quite impressive!"

Robert Zemeckis nodded, "We were actually planning to show the script to Tom Hanks, but we haven't had the chance yet."

Last year, Tom Hanks starred in another comedy, A League of Their Own, which performed well at the box office, leading to a raise in his pay.

Philadelphia hasn't been released yet. Otherwise, after he wins the Best Actor Oscar next year, his pay will rise by millions!

...

After Robert Zemeckis and Wendy Finerman left, Arthur brought in Amy Pascal to personally oversee the production work for Forrest Gump.

"Are we really investing in this? A 60 million dollar production budget?" Amy Pascal clearly knew Arthur's intention to develop this project, but the high budget cost?

"Robert Zemeckis is a renowned director, Tom Hanks is a top actor, and Forrest Gump has a lot of special effects, it really can't be done with less investment!"

Arthur chuckled, realizing it wouldn't be possible to get both Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis to halve their salaries in exchange for a 10% profit share of the film, unlike in a previous life.

Such a profit-sharing deal is genuinely high-level; who could resist Forrest Gump's box office performance?

Tom Hanks' fee is 7 million dollars, Robert Zemeckis' fee is 5 million; even halving their fees would only save 5 million dollars - it's not worth it!

*****

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