160 HWI 160
[Shout out to Thirdy D!]
Hollywood What If Chapter 160
"Haa..."
Kazir yawned after yesterday's tiring work. With the remaining money from the company, Kazir started the Bourne Identity project.
Their initial plan for the movie was $50 million, but they could adjust it depending on the situation.
Kazir wanted authentic scenes, so they had to fly to Italy, where Jason Bourne was first found. This increased the budget.
In his opinion, the movie could reach a budget of $60 million if they try to hire Matt Damon.
Matt was already a famous actor and his salary was between 3 and 7 million dollars. Depending on the negotiation.
Kazir Grey was willing to hire Matt Damon just to make sure that the movie would be successful. After all, Matt Damon was the original Jason Bourne.
"Did you sleep well?"
The woman lying next to Kazir whispered as she rubbed his chest. Cameron Diaz smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
"Good morning, Cam."
"Good morning, Kazir."
She giggled and stood up. She invited Kazir to her place for some fun, and she was not disappointed. Last night was very amazing.
"I have to go to training for Charlie's Angels... Thankfully, the training is not that harsh, or else my sore hips might collapse." She said, glaring playfully at Kazir.
"Let's go together." The chuckled.
Both of them were busy. Still, they had to maintain their relationship for the sake of promotion. Even if John Wick was over, they have another project that they might promote together.
Producer Harold Witsend was already contacting Paramount and Cinema Alliance to get the share of the pie.
40% for Cinema Alliance and 25% for Paramount.
In the end, Grey Pictures only received $36.08 million. The production cost of John Wick was $30 million... That means their profit was only $6 million.
The only good news was that the international box office was doing well. Maybe they could make about $20 million.
Then there were the videotapes.
'I remembered that John Wick was doing very well in the DVD and online movie rental market.'
The couple went into the bathroom together and stayed there for about an hour... They were both refreshed when they came out of the bathroom.
...
....
...
Grey Pictures planned to release two movies next year. They were The Bourne Identity and Taken 2.
The crew planned to shoot the Bourne Identity around January and then release it on the summer season.
As for Taken 2, they would release it on the September or November schedule.
"Our agenda for today is Liam Neeson."
At the long table the important people of Grey Pictures were talking.
"I've already spoken to Liam's agent, but they haven't responded."
Salvatore Barlowe told his story. Their current problem was Liam Neeson's opinion about these changes. It would be devastating if Liam Neeson cancelled Taken 2. That would affect the Continental Cinematic Universe.
"Um, I may be overstepping my bounds, but can I express my opinion?"
Harold Witsend joined the conversation.
"Harold, you are the producer. You have every right to speak."
"Then... Why don't we move Taken 2 to the year 2000? It will be hard for us to convince Liam Neeson that fast. We need time to convince him and his agent."
When Harold said this, everyone looked at Kazir Grey. He was the one who had pushed the plan to release two movies in one year.
"We can't do that. Otherwise our schedule will be slow."
Anyway, I only publish my novels on Webnovel, ScribbleHub, RoyalRoad and Questionable Questing, where you can read them for free. So if you're reading this on another site, it means this novel is being pirated.
"How about making John Wick: Chapter 2 first?"
"That's impossible, the plot should stay the same. Taken 2 has to be released before John Wick: Chapter 2." Kazir shook his head.
The room was silent for a while. Fremont listened to their conversation. He wanted to say something, but was afraid to open his mouth.
Suddenly Kazir told them something.
"I met Liam Neeson last week. He feels indebted to us after winning the Best Actor award. He said he could agree to our terms, but he had to meet the new director first."
This time everyone in the room looked at Fremont Smith.
"Fremont, you have to convince Liam Neeson. It's part of your job to make this movie a success."
"I understand."
Fremont nodded strongly, although he was nervous. This was his first project and it was a big movie for sure, he couldn't help but be nervous. Still, he wanted to take a chance.
"As for the salary negotiation... I think everyone here understands that Liam Neeson's team will do their best to get more money from us. Keep it within the expected budget."
"Alright, that's my job as a producer."
It seemed that Harold Witsend had already adjusted to his life as a producer.
The second round of auditions for The Bourne Identity had already been completed, and the crew was just filtering for the final audition.
So far, one role had already been filled by Cameron Diaz as Marie Kreutz.
When the meeting was over, Harold and Salvatore stood up to talk to Kazir about the situation with Matt Damon.
"Kazir, Matt Damon has enough training since he just did Saving Private Ryan. I think it will be no problem for him to do action stunts. But he is too skinny. Do you expect a man like him to bulk up in 2 to 3 months?"
Salvatore expressed his thoughts.
"Guys, we both know there's a way to get ripped fast."
Actors in Hollywood might try to hide it, but people were not stupid.
Anabolic steroids... Yes, many action stars use these drugs to enhance their physiques.
Fake Natties. Those hunk actors who had great physiques definitely used "medicine" to maintain their appearance. It was a well-known secret in Hollywood.
"I agree with Salvatore. I think Matt Damon's friend, Ben Affleck, is better suited for the role of Jason Bourne. At least that guy looks tougher."
"It will be fine. We contacted Matt Damon even before John Wick came out, which was four months ago. I think he's trying his best to put on weight within that time. The last time we saw him was four months ago, maybe he will look better when he attends the final audition."
Seeing that Kazir was adamant about his decision, Harold and Salvatore decided to trust him. They hoped that the young, skinny Matt Damon would have more muscles.
"As for his salary, keep it under 7, no, 5 million dollars and make sure he signs sequels and cameos."
"Alright."
+++++
[I found out that Matt Damon's salary for The Bourne Identity was a whopping $10 million and $26 million for the second movie. Of course, the current 1998 Matt Damon is not that super famous yet, and Grey Pictures can probably hire him for a lower salary. But still, now I'm wondering if it's worth it to hire Matt Damon. Should I hire him? And if not, do you know of any actors who fit the criteria of Jason Bourne? In my opinion there is no problem with Matt's acting, and I don't know anybody who can play the role of Jason Bourne except him].
