Chapter 38: Annie's Shock

If the age range were expanded to under 35, several suitable names would come to mind immediately, such as Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman, who was currently in the midst of a divorce with Tom Cruise.

These were among the hottest A-list actresses in Hollywood at the time. Even for starring in indie or drama films, their salaries exceeded $6 million. For purely commercial blockbusters, they could earn between $8 million to $10 million.

It's worth noting that Julia Roberts rose to fame after starring in Marshall's *Pretty Woman*, and Anne Hathaway was about to gain popularity by starring in Marshall's *The Princess Diaries*.

In that sense, Marshall certainly deserved his reputation as a master of romantic films, with a remarkable ability to elevate actresses to stardom.

"Oh, I almost forgot about Kate Winslet!"

Wayne suddenly remembered Kate Winslet, who had been catapulted to fame as 'Rose' by James Cameron.

It wasn't entirely his fault for initially overlooking one of today's most popular actresses. After gaining fame for playing Rose, Kate Winslet had focused heavily on winning awards, gravitating towards the indie film scene, much like Leonardo DiCaprio.

It seemed as though she wouldn't feel fulfilled unless she won an Oscar.

She hadn't appeared in any major commercial productions since, so after a few years, both her fame and market value had somewhat diminished.

Though the *Bourne* series was a classic, it was still a commercial film, even considered a popcorn movie. Even if Wayne invited Kate Winslet, she might not agree to it.

After all, an actress's time is very precious.

She was probably busy shooting a few more indie or romantic films to continue her pursuit of an Oscar.

However, Wayne still decided to include Kate Winslet, along with Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman, on his shortlist. He planned to have Sarah and Mike contact their agents to see if they were interested and available.

Just as he pulled out his phone to call Sarah, who was not present and was busy with the company's day-to-day operations and the *Bourne* preparations, a familiar voice suddenly came from beside him, making him pause.

"Hey, Wayne, what are you up to?"

Wayne turned his head at the sound, immediately noticing a patch of pale skin that seemed to glow in the sunlight, along with eyes that resembled black pearls.

It was Anne Hathaway, who had arrived early on set for the afternoon's scenes.

Maybe she had overworked herself the previous night?

Despite her flawless makeup, Anne still looked slightly worn out, though it didn't detract much from her charm.

Her natural beauty, combined with her elegant and gentle aura, made her a perfect fit for princess roles.

If the competition were fair, she should be the most likely to be chosen for *The Princess Diaries* in the current auditions, meeting the director's requirements perfectly.

Otherwise, her agent wouldn't have taken such an interest in this project.

However, this was Hollywood, where fair competition only existed when connections and power were evenly matched.

Suddenly, Wayne realized that Liv Tyler would also be well-suited for such a role. She and Anne were similar types of actresses.

But Liv Tyler was a bit older, possessing more mature womanly qualities and less of the youthful innocence that Anne had.

She might not be able to play the young princess in *The Princess Diaries*, but she could probably star in *The Devil Wears Prada*, a film with a $35 million production budget that grossed $330 million worldwide.

However, the author of the novel *The Devil Wears Prada*, Lauren Weisberger, probably hadn't even started working at *Vogue* yet, let alone written the novel.

In fact, with the butterfly effect Wayne had triggered, there was no guarantee that the novel would ever be written.

"It's a shame it's a biographical novel; otherwise, it could be made into a movie in advance."

With these thoughts flashing through his enhanced mind, Wayne maintained a calm exterior, smiling as he greeted Anne.

"Annie, you're here. How was last night's party?"

Annie, still young, instinctively tensed up, her smile stiffening slightly.

"Nothing much, just the usual—drinking and chatting. Since I didn't know many people there, I ended up drinking alone to pass the time. I had a headache all night. By the way, what's that you're holding?"

Annie, trying to stay composed, quickly changed the subject.

But Wayne, sensing something, smiled and said, "Oh, this? It's the script for a new movie."

"A new movie?" Annie was stunned, her expression showing genuine surprise.

This time, she wasn't acting—she was truly shocked.

"Isn't *Happy Death Day* still about 20 days away from completion? You're already planning a new project?"

Wayne shrugged helplessly and said with a touch of humblebrag, "I can't help it. The investors have a lot of faith in me. Besides the $11 million for *Happy Death Day*, they've invested another $50 million."

"F-Fifty million?!"

Annie's eyes widened in shock, her words stumbling out.

"Yeah, and all that money has to go into making the new film. After thinking it over, I decided to shoot Robert Ludlum's classic bestseller *The Bourne Identity*. We've already acquired the rights and completed the script adaptation."

Annie couldn't help but gasp again.

Hollywood's guiding principle was to chase success. A renowned director and a bestselling novel IP both represented success, but most people would choose the latter if given a choice.

After all, even famous directors sometimes flop, while adaptations of bestselling novels and TV series were much less likely to fail.

What's more, to her knowledge, *The Princess Diaries*, for which she was about to audition, was a romantic film, while *The Bourne Identity*, from its title alone, conjured thoughts of *James Bond* and *Mission: Impossible*, making it clearly a commercial blockbuster.

Even in Hollywood, only about a dozen films a year had actual budgets exceeding $50 million. Some years, there weren't even ten.

Given a choice, anyone would pick the female lead in *The Bourne Identity* over *The Princess Diaries*.

"So, how's the new movie coming along? Have the roles been cast yet?" Annie, barely able to contain herself, asked directly.

Wayne smiled slightly, feeling a mischievous satisfaction as he replied, "I was actually torn between choosing you or Jessica for the lead role. You know, Jessica has already starred in two of my films. If we work together again, the audience might get tired of seeing her, so I was leaning toward you. But since you've already signed on to star in a big-budget Disney movie directed by a famous director, I guess I'll have to go with Jessica."

Annie was stunned, completely frozen in place like a statue.

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