Chapter 463: Jim Carrey Troubles

[Chapter 525: Taking Over Jim Carrey]

20th Century Fox's Titanic was bound to go over budget, and now two water blockbusters have incurred huge losses. Then, the top executives of 20th Century Fox must be in a panic, and when they seek cooperation with other film companies, MGM can take advantage of the opportunity to get involved!

...

In a conference room at CBS headquarters in Rockefeller Center, Manhattan.

"CBS's falling ratings are the main reason for the decline in the quantity and quality of our affiliate stations," Arthur said. "Now we have cable channels like USA, Starz, and BET joining us, along with Galaxy's content support; I believe CBS's ratings will improve."

He then turned to Eric Ober, the president in charge of news. "News is crucial. What do you think, Eric?"

Eric Ober smiled, acknowledging the challenge. "I get it. We're going to face even more competition going forward," he replied. "I will develop new programming to boost CBS's revenue!"

Arthur nodded. "Now you can discuss the details with Nick and the rest of the team."

Nick Davis, formerly the head of USA Network, had just been promoted to chairman of CBS.

...

After returning to his office, Arthur gazed out at the New York skyline from his large floor-to-ceiling windows.

"CBS needs to reform; there are too many conservative forces within. Let's initiate layoffs," he said. "The internet is growing rapidly, and the future of news requires speed and accuracy. We must attract younger viewers."

The aging management at CBS had no idea what young people wanted. Nick Davis agreed, knowing that USA's successes proved innovative programs could capture good ratings.

With Galaxy Television's support, Arthur felt CBS could definitely improve its ratings and secure more advertising revenue.

...

Meanwhile, the horror-sci-fi film Species produced by Galaxy had just hit theaters, making $17 million on its opening weekend with its combination of sexy women and terrifying monsters.

Back at MGM, Arthur learned that United Artists had officially taken over Saul Zaentz's project, The English Patient. Suddenly, he remembered something. "Hey, Anna, what's up with Miramax, the art film distribution company Disney acquired?"

If he recalled correctly, The English Patient might have lost its backing from 20th Century Fox -- and Saul Zaentz likely persuaded Miramax to invest after that in the original time.

"Ah, Miramax?" Anna Walker recalled. "The Weinstein brothers aren't having it easy at Disney. They really value their family-friendly brand image," she responded. "Miramax likes to go off the beaten path, but they haven't produced anything noteworthy in the past two years. They're only surviving off some B-movies."

Arthur nodded. "Didn't you say Quentin Tarantino and Harvey Weinstein had some connections?"

"Oh, it was just a regular collaboration. Quentin has a deal with Galaxy, and the success of Pulp Fiction satisfied both sides," Anna explained. "Moreover, Quentin is quite fond of Kung-Fu action films. The action movies starring Jackie Chan that Galaxy released really catered to his tastes. This time, MGM's action-comedy Rush Hour was another project he was involved in.

By the way, the St. Denis Film Festival is celebrating a hundred years of cinema and organized an international film seminar. Quentin just went to participate. Pulp Fiction is one of the selected films for the seminar!"

"Quentin went to China," Arthur mused as he tapped the table thoughtfully. "Hmm, involving him in Rush Hour could work; his style doesn't fit, otherwise I'd have considered letting him direct it."

Arthur knew Quentin Tarantino loved martial arts films. He remembered how, during this past summer, Jackie Chan received the MTV Movie Awards' Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Tarantino himself.

Arthur's thoughts drifted back to Miramax. It once had a stellar reputation as a leading art film label, but it was now mostly silent. Losing out on films like The Crying Game, Pulp Fiction, and now The English Patient had completely robbed Miramax of its chance to rise again.

At least, Arthur figured he had saved many actresses from potential harassment by Harvey Weinstein, right?

"By the way, how did the Warner Bros. comedy film starring Jim Carrey, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, perform?"

"The numbers were impressive. It made $37.8 million on opening weekend and, in just ten days, accumulated a total of $65 million," Anna noted, aware of what Arthur wanted to hear. "They're still negotiating for Dumb and Dumber 2 because Jim really doesn't want to do another sequel!"

In the whole year, Jim Carrey only had Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and Batman Forever released. Last year, he had starred in three comedies that became huge hits, and this year, he had already signed on to shoot the comedy The Cable Guy for $20 million!

Now, if Jim was saying he didn't want to participate in another sequel, did that mean Galaxy's Dumb and Dumber 2 wouldn't get made?

"Constantly playing these goofy roles can drive a person nuts," Arthur understood that feeling but knew it was a matter of Galaxy's interests. "Have Amy Pascal talk to him about this and also show him the script for The Truman Show. I believe Jim will be very interested in this serious artistic drama. After finishing Dumb and Dumber 2, MGM could develop The Truman Show around him as the lead!"

The works Jim Carrey released were viewed as silly and lacking substance by critics and filmmakers. He surely understood that too; he likely wanted to be in a genuinely deep movie.

The Truman Show had significant depth and meaning. Arthur wasn't worried about him not being intrigued!

"The Truman Show is currently being adapted by Australian director Peter Weir, who seems to be resting back home," Anna mentioned. She was also fond of the script, considering it very meaningful.

"Good, let Jim work on Dumb and Dumber 2 next year. He could film The Truman Show the year after! Besides, we're offering him a paycheck of $20 million for Dumb and Dumber 2!"

Galaxy shouldn't have trouble securing one acting talent, right?

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.