Chapter 204: Wonder Woman

After settling on a package deal worth a total of $150 million for the next three seasons, along with several additional conditions offered by NBC, both parties began to negotiate important details such as payment settlement.

To minimize its own cash flow pressure, the strategy of delaying payments as much as possible is commonly adopted by television networks during the process of outsourcing TV programs, a practice identical to that of Hollywood film distributors. Most independent producers can only recoup their funds from the networks after the series has aired.

In the case of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," produced in collaboration with ABC, where Daenerys Entertainment held a clear advantage, ABC was willing to pay only 30% upfront before the first season aired, with the remainder of the payment to be split into two parts: another 30% during the winter break and the final 40% after the first season concluded.

As for "Survivor," after several hours of repeated arguments and discussions, NBC finally agreed to pay 50% before and after each season aired.

The meeting ended, and everyone had lunch together before Robert White hurried back to the East Coast. He needed to personally oversee the network's marketing adjustments for the subsequent airing of "Survivor," in order to maximize the reality show's impact.

The specific contracts required the staff of both companies to draft them based on the meeting minutes, with the official signing expected to take about a week.

Being away from Los Angeles for two weeks, Simon maintained remote control over Daenerys Entertainment through phone and fax. After handling "Survivor" in the morning, Simon did not rush back to Malibu but personally checked the production progress of several films.

"Scream" had finished post-production and was submitted to the MPAA for rating at the beginning of the month, and they were now awaiting the results.

Taking over the post-production of "Rain Man" from Barry Levinson, after more than a month of busy work, the film's re-editing was complete. During his time in Melbourne, Simon also personally composed the score for the film.

The original "Rain Man" score was composed by Hans Zimmer, who later became a renowned film score composer, earning his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score. However, at this time, Zimmer was relatively unknown. The score for "Rain Man" was not complex, and with the version from his memory as a basis, Simon was able to complete it easily, hence he did not bother looking for Zimmer.

The post-production for "Mulan" and "Dead Poets Society" was progressing smoothly. Without any surprises, "Rain Man," "Mulan," and "Dead Poets Society" were all set to be completely finished by the end of September.

After inspecting the post-production of several films, another series of production meetings discussing the progress of various film projects Daenerys Entertainment was pushing forward lasted for over two hours.

The meeting ended in the evening.

After reporting the preparation status of a series of projects like "The Sixth Sense," "The Bodyguard," "Big," and "Uncle Buck," the executives and producers attending the meeting left early, leaving Simon and Amy alone in the conference room.

Sitting by the window and enjoying the golden sunset streaming into the conference room, Simon closed the folder in front of him and turned to Amy on the other side, saying, "Now that we've secured 'Wonder Woman,' let's have the major agencies send over a list of potential candidates. Like with 'Batman,' I need newcomers, aged between 20 and 25, around six feet tall." Noticing Amy's puzzled look, Simon added with a smile, "I'm not planning to start shooting this film right away. 'Batman' and 'Superman' come first. However, I do want to start training several candidates from scratch. After we decide on someone, we'll arrange some minor roles for them to hone their acting skills in the next few years. In hindsight, the choice for Batman was a bit rushed."

Having secured the big three of DC, the obstacles to advancing the DC cinematic universe were largely removed. As for introducing other DC superheroes in the future, Simon did not see this as a problem. With Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman in his grasp, Warner Bros. had little choice. Since Warner Bros. was given the option to invest and share profits, Simon did not think they had the courage to use second-tier heroes to create a new cinematic universe like Marvel once did.

However, Simon recalled that Hollywood currently lacked a suitable candidate to play Wonder Woman; he hoped to find someone akin to Gal Gadot's portrayal of Diana Prince. The launch of "Wonder Woman" would at least have to wait until after "Batman" was released, giving ample time to train someone from the ground up.

Amy nodded in understanding and then said, "Do we also need to recast Superman? Christopher Reeve is definitely no longer suitable."

Simon agreed, "Yes, let's have the agencies pick some candidates for that too."

Amy noted this down in her memo and then looked up again, saying, "Someone between 20 and 25, around six feet tall, isn't Miss Kidman just right?"

"You remind me," Simon said, shaking his head lightly. "When I visited the 'Horizon' set in Australia, Nicole turned down the role in 'City of Angels.' She has her own ideas about her acting career."

Hearing Simon say this, Amy just smiled and nodded, saying, "Then, shall we have the candidates for Wonder Woman try out for the female lead in 'City of Angels'?"

"We'll see," Simon replied noncommittally, then asked, "How's the script for 'City of Angels' coming along?"

"The first draft is done. I'll have someone prepare a copy for you tomorrow," Amy said. Seeing there was nothing else to discuss, she started packing up her folder. After a moment, she looked up again and said, "There's one more thing, Simon. With 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' and 'Survivor' being so successful, should we celebrate this weekend?"

Having "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and "Survivor," two of the hottest reality shows, made Daenerys Entertainment the envy of all television program producers in Hollywood. Hosting a celebration party to reward the creators was only fitting.

Moreover, maintaining connections was always crucial for a film company's development.

Many Hollywood movie company executives almost weekly hold various parties and receptions to network with industry stars and celebrities. Compared to them, Simon was not very keen on such activities, attending others' parties far more often than hosting his own.

However, Simon understood that such events were inevitable and could not be avoided. If he left these responsibilities entirely to executives like Amy, any unexpected changes in the company's management could leave him in a vulnerable position regarding connections.

After a moment of consideration, Simon said, "Let's host it at the Palisades villa, set the date for Saturday. You can draft an invitation list."

On the first day of its airing, "Survivor" achieved over 20 million viewers, quickly becoming a hot topic in the media.

NBC swiftly adjusted its marketing strategy for "Survivor," and to avoid falling too far behind, ABC also intensified its promotional efforts for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." FOX and CBS were eagerly anticipating the simultaneous Wednesday premiere of "Big Brother" and "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

However, as expected, "Big Brother" and "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" failed to replicate the viewing miracle of "Survivor" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." On their Wednesday premiere, "Big Brother" on FOX at 8 p.m. averaged 15.35 million viewers, and "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" on CBS at 9 p.m. had an even lower average viewership of 11.7 million.

Of course, these numbers were only relative to "Survivor" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."

Compared to most series premieres of that era, both reality shows breaking the ten-million viewer mark was outstanding, with "Big Brother's" 15.35 million viewers even reaching an excellent level. With growing popularity, the show's future viewership could even challenge the 20 million mark, and its average viewership over the next few seasons should remain around 15 million.

As for "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," although it ranked last among the four reality shows, its over ten million viewership exceeded Simon's expectations. In the original timeline, due to being a basic cable show, "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" only managed two to three million viewers at best.

Moreover, although they didn't explode like "Survivor" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," FOX and CBS expressed their desire to renew the shows after their premiere.

Faced with the sudden wave of reality shows, Hollywood production companies began scouting for similar TV programs, and North American media extensively analyzed the shows.

Undoubtedly, Daenerys Entertainment's success with these four reality shows in the fall season was primarily due to the Hollywood writers' strike.

Without the five-month-long writers' strike, the four major networks would not have conceded so much to sign such favorable contracts with Daenerys Entertainment.

Now, the industry was catching on.

The writers' strike was a lose-lose situation for the Writers Guild of America and the four major networks, with other production companies also suffering to varying degrees. Only Daenerys Entertainment significantly profited from the strike.

Not just the four highly profitable reality shows, but the end-of-year film schedule also benefited Daenerys Entertainment due to the long strike halting many film projects, giving them access to more market resources.

Fully understanding this, Hollywood's traditional powers began instinctively protecting their interests.

On the following Friday, Daenerys Entertainment received the MPAA rating report for "Scream," demanding modifications to the film's excessive violent and gory scenes, or else it would be rated NC-17, the most restrictive classification.

"Scream" was targeted at audiences over 16, and Simon never intended to earn ticket sales from children aged twelve or thirteen. However, an NC-17 rating meant not just prohibiting viewers under 17 but also limiting the film's screening to specific theaters and preventing widespread promotion.

In the original timeline, "Scream" indeed went through multiple modifications to avoid an NC-17 fate, but Simon, very familiar with the Weinstein brothers' operations, knew this was mostly a publicity stunt.

From the beginning of their careers, the Weinstein brothers effectively used this rating controversy for promotion. Sometimes, they even deliberately submitted NC-17 standard films for MPAA review, creating media buzz with the news before modifying them to R standards for reevaluation. Audiences were generally more interested in a film 'almost' rated NC-17.

However, Simon was clear that this time, the new "Scream" faced more than a publicity stunt; it was a warning from the MPAA rating committee, controlled by the seven major studios, aimed at Daenerys Entertainment. With only one and a half months left until "Scream's" release, facing such a situation forced director Wes Craven to urgently modify the film over the weekend, with Simon also having to get involved.

Busy as they were, time flew until September 17, Saturday.

As evening approached, people from all over the city began converging on Simon's Palisades mansion for the celebration party hosted by Daenerys Entertainment for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," "Survivor," "Big Brother," and "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

However, not only the creators of the four reality shows but many Hollywood celebrities also received invitations.

Since Daenerys Entertainment was actively scouting actors for its various projects recently, many stars who didn't receive invitations tried various means to attend the party, hoping for a chance to connect with Simon Westeros or other Daenerys Entertainment executives.

Simon and Wes Craven, busy with "Scream's" modifications, spent the entire day in the editing room and arrived at Simon's Palisades mansion close to eight o'clock.

After greeting the guests briefly, the hungry duo headed straight for the buffet.

Choosing a full plate of food, Simon and Wes Craven continued discussing the film's modifications in a corner when Sandra Bullock approached, wrapping her arm around Simon's and greeting Wes Craven before whispering to Simon, "I didn't see Jenny here tonight. Is she not coming?"

Seeing Wes Craven leave with an amused look, Simon offered Sandra a grilled shrimp, saying, "Was there really a need to make your intentions so obvious? We're all respectable people here."

Sandra rolled her eyes, blocking the shrimp Simon was offering and nibbling on it herself, her arm still not leaving him, saying, "I regret not being as proactive as Jenny back then. Now a good man has been taken. But really, where's Jenny?"

Simon, taking Sandra to a table near the cliff edge, looked out at the Los Angeles night scene and explained with a smile, "She went to France."

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