Chapter 86: Barry Diller

[Chapter 86: The First Flirter]

Once the champagne was popped, the party officially kicked off. As a film project that, along with its related video tape revenues, could lead to over a hundred million dollars in profits for Fox, even Barry Diller, the president of Fox at the time, had to personally attend the celebration.

In addition to the cast of Pretty Woman, Fox had also invited dozens of stars, both big and small, to attend the event, making the party a dazzling affair. With so many important figures present, the banquet hall, filled with over a hundred guests, maintained a sense of order as groups of three or four gathered to chat on various topics.

"Eric, about the Super Bowl trailer, the marketing department really played it too safe. I assure you, when it comes time for your next film release, Fox will back you all the way," Diller said.

"Why wait for next time? This one can count too, just get me reimbursed," Eric thought silently while smiling on the outside. "Mr. Diller, let's not dwell on that. The $1.5 million Super Bowl ad fee was indeed a hefty expense, so Fox's conservative approach was understandable."

Barry Diller chuckled, clearly not wanting to bring it up again.

That old fox!

The conversation shifted back to Eric's next film. Although there were no concrete plans for his follow-up to Pretty Woman, Fox had already slated it for the summer blockbuster season.

This summer was shaping up to be packed with major releases like Warner's Batman, Paramount's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Columbia's Ghostbusters 2 -- these were all sure to be box office hits.

Fox, having diverted so much attention to the development of its TV network, had only produced a handful of films that year, ranking last among the six major studios.

In order not to fall behind in movie performance, Fox undoubtedly had to fully support Eric's project, especially after the tremendous success of Pretty Woman.

With summer box office competition fierce, it wouldn't be easy to rake in high earnings. Eric wasn't about to go head-to-head with these blockbusters by trying to compete with a sequel to Home Alone, which had already made a name. After a lot of contemplation, he settled on an idea he had previously toyed with.

"I already have a preliminary storyline for my next film. I plan to invite Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise. It will be a film about two male characters clashing," he announced.

Barry Diller's eyes narrowed slightly. If it worked, just the star power of the two Toms combined with Eric's box office draw ensured the film would easily break the $100 million mark. Plus, with the year-end release of Home Alone 2, Fox would have three major hits in a single year, making their film performance beyond reproach. He could then focus on developing the TV network without concerns.

"Eric, if you're bringing in both Toms, their combined fee is going to be no less than $10 million, right? What's your budget looking like?"

Eric thought it over. "It shouldn't exceed $30 million. This is a drama without any big special effects or action sequences; it will rely entirely on the performances of the two leads. So a $30 million budget is already quite generous, and it's likely we may not even spend it all."

"I heard you just spent a fortune acquiring that studio from Jobs?"

Although Barry Diller's question seemed a bit out of context, Eric quickly grasped his implication. Fox still wanted to have a stake in the film investment.

"Yeah, I had Pixar make a logo for my film company and was really pleased with it. I heard they were in trouble and looking to sell, and since I had a growing interest in animated films, I seized the opportunity to buy it. But animation takes a long time, and with 3D still in its infancy, I don't know when we'll be able to produce the first animated film."

Eric ignored the faint resignation on Barry Diller's face. After all, if he circled around, he could still enjoy the ride.

Listening to the little fox ramble on, Diller finally got to the point. "Eric, I mean, if your next film needs some financial support, Fox could take a part in investing. It could also mitigate risks. And rest assured, Fox won't tie the investment funds to marketing costs; our previous revenue-sharing agreement stays unchanged."

Barry Diller laid it all out clearly, and Eric had no grounds to outright refuse it; but he also wouldn't willingly give away his own interests. Eric knew exactly what Diller was getting at. If they succeeded in getting both Toms, they wouldn't be able to fail.

In the end, Eric could only say, "No problem, Mr. Diller. If I need outside investment, Fox will definitely be my first choice."

Diller sensed Eric's insincerity, realizing that the possibility of Fox investing was practically zero. But he wouldn't resort to any desperate measures like Columbia had, as both parties were still in their honeymoon phase of cooperation. Although according to their previous tiered agreement Eric earned slightly more than Fox, the studio still reaped substantial profits that others envied.

They discussed a few more topics before parting ways to mingle with others. Just as Diller walked away, Eric felt a multitude of eyes hone in on him.

...

'Alright, ladies, throw yourselves at me. Whoever makes the first move today gets a role in my next movie,' Eric slyly entertained a somewhat ridiculous thought while relishing the attention. At the end of the day, he was still a regular guy; if he didn't have a bit of vanity, what was all this fuss about?

Before long, he found himself face-to-face with the first person.

A bald, bald, 5'8" tall, with a broad back and a broad waist, and a smile on face that looked obscene no matter how you looked at it. The kicker? it was a man.

...

"Eric, you finally made it back! I want to know what you're thinking. I felt several of Julia's film offers were pretty solid, but you turned them all down?"

Finally deciding to let loose for a change, Eric found himself being pulled aside by Kepler.

"Kepler, don't you get the feeling of being stabbed in the heart by a thousand arrows?"

"Huh?"

"Look around you."

Kepler shot a puzzled glance around, noticing a few striking girls eyeing him with a distinct sense of hostility.

Despite being a workaholic, Kepler was savvy when it came to social cues; otherwise, he wouldn't have made it as a manager. He shrugged, "Sorry, Eric. I'll let you hunt for the ladies later. But you gotta make it clear to me here or I can't rest easy."

Eric wanted desperately to clear things up with him. Most of Julia's successful films had been romantic comedies, and after just wrapping Pretty Woman, it wouldn't be appropriate to dive into another rom-com. Hence, he couldn't bring up any movies from her future just yet. He figured the best fit for Julia would be Steel Magnolias, which had garnered her a Golden Globe nomination and became a box office success with rave reviews.

Unfortunately, when he checked, it seemed TriStar Pictures wasn't working on that project; it might've been lost to the butterfly effect, or they hadn't even started development yet.

He certainly couldn't write the script again. For the previous three films, he had only felt comfortable borrowing material when he was 100% certain that the original had either not been made yet or had little connection to his films. That wasn't the case this time.

"Kepler, just wait a few days. I plan to check in at the Writers Guild to see if there are any registered scripts that would suit Julia," he said.

Kepler winced, "Eric, do you have any idea how many scripts are registered at the Writers Guild? Thousands! It's like saying I'm off to San Francisco to dig up some gold -- it's unrealistic!"

If he knew where the gold was buried, digging it up would be easy. Eric merely wanted to see if the script for Steel Magnolias was registered or not.

"Trust me, Kepler, just be patient; I'll have an answer for you soon."

Eric had set his mind that if he couldn't find Steel Magnolias, he would sift through his memory for films that had performed well at the box office and find one suitable for Julia. Given her rising fame, as long as the role suited her and she showed interest in acting, no production team would turn her down. Eric believed many production companies would be willing to increase their budget to accommodate her.

*****

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