Chapter 237: Steve Ross

In Los Angeles, after Min left California, Arthur began his busy work, and the new film Se7en completed its pre-production phase.

In the reception room of Galaxy Films, Arthur had a delightful conversation with the young director David Fincher, who had just turned 30 this year.

Arthur couldn't help but praise, "This script, you seem to have adapted it very well!"

After reading the script modifications made by David Fincher, Arthur was indeed very pleased with his understanding of Se7en - religious elements and suspenseful plots were his forte.

"Thank you," David Fincher smiled. "I have already met Brad Pitt, and he is very satisfied with the script. Moreover, for the role of the veteran detective, I favor Morgan Freeman, and he is willing to take on the challenge!"

"Morgan Freeman? isn't he currently filming The Shawshank Redemption in Ohio?" Arthur was clear about this.

"Yes, but The Shawshank Redemption is about to wrap up. The antagonist in Se7en is still not decided, and the shooting is scheduled to start in November. Morgan Freeman's schedule is fine. Currently, I need to quickly determine the actor for the antagonist role!"

After hearing David Fincher's words, Arthur nodded and said, "The budget for Se7en is $28 million, and its release is scheduled for the second half of next year. Try to avoid any delays!"

"Understood," David Fincher did not have any objections to this request. At least Galaxy didn't interfere with his movie like 20th Century Fox did; they were willing to let him take the lead on this film.

The experience of shooting Alien 3 was something David Fincher never wanted to relive.

In the evening, Arthur left Galaxy and went to the seaside villa in Malibu. Jennifer Connelly had just returned to Los Angeles after promoting Scent of a Woman in New York.

In the bathroom, Arthur and Jennifer Connelly soaked together in the bathtub. Apart from Monica Bellucci, Jennifer Connelly had the most voluptuous figure.

To Arthur, although Jennifer Connelly wasn't as endowed as Monica Bellucci's 36D, her 34D was already very impressive!

"Arthur, Scent of a Woman has received very positive reviews and high praise," Connelly turned around, lying in Arthur's arms with a smile on her face. "When is it going to expand?"

"No rush, Scent of a Woman is still in limited release, but next week it will expand," Arthur wasn't worried at all, since Scent of a Woman was an art film.

With a $14 million investment, it began limited screenings and participated in film festivals last month, with a smaller scale than Schindler's List.

This is how low-budget art films are distributed; otherwise, marketing costs would be too high.

After two weeks in theaters, it was only shown in around 200 cinemas. But with the word-of-mouth growing and the presence of a big star like Al Pacino, expanding the release of Scent of a Woman would be much easier than Schindler's List.

"The number of cinemas showing Scent of a Woman next week will exceed 1,000," Arthur said, gently touching Jennifer Connelly's face, and smiled, "You were just a guest star, why are you so happy?"

Jennifer Connelly, hugging Arthur and rubbing her excitement, said, "Although my screen time was short, my presence was striking, just like Brad Pitt in Thelma & Louise. The tango scene in the movie received a lot of praise!

However, Al Pacino's performance is the highlight of Scent of a Woman. Critics are raving about his portrayal of the blind retired lieutenant colonel. And the young actor Chris O'Donnell also did a great job and was well-received."

After the bath, back in the bedroom, Arthur poured a glass of red wine for Connelly. "When Mrs. Doubtfire is released next year, your influence will grow even more. Be careful when selecting scripts. Avoid those that overdo the sexy angle. Some commercial films may seem silly, but they can boost your popularity!"

Jennifer Connelly had previously accepted several independent drama films, almost creating a stereotype.

"Got it. The scripts I've been receiving are increasing, and Scent of a Woman has indeed changed my image," Jennifer Connelly then drank her glass of wine and hugged Arthur. "This year, Galaxy's performance has been great. Don't you want to celebrate?"

Arthur smiled, removed her nightgown, and kissed her directly...

...

The next day, a Hollywood newspaper published an obituary about the Time Warner Group;

Steve Ross, the CEO of Time Warner, passed away last night at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

This Hollywood mogul, who built the Warner Communications Empire, finally left after successfully merging Warner Communications and Time Inc.

Subsequently, many prominent figures in Hollywood, like David Geffen, Michael Ovitz, and Mo Ostin, chairman of Warner Records Group, expressed their condolences on Steve Ross's passing.

Of course, as a famous film company in Hollywood, Galaxy's president Amy Pascal also released a statement acknowledging Steve Ross's contributions to the film and music entertainment industries.

"Time Warner is about to enter the era of Gerald Levin," Arthur said, sitting on the villa's sofa, watching the news of Steve Ross's death on TV.

Within a year, Time Warner Group's two co-CEOs had left - Nicholas departed and Steve Ross passed away, leaving Gerald Levin to smoothly take over Time Warner Group.

Arthur then received a call from his assistant, Anna, notifying him that Time Warner had invited him to attend Steve Ross's funeral.

"Invite me? Isn't Amy representing Galaxy enough?" Arthur was puzzled. He wasn't even of the same generation as Steve Ross, let alone had any encounters with him.

"Sir, this is a special notice from Mr. Gerald Levin's assistant at Time Warner!"

"Got it, I will attend," Arthur seemed to understand that Gerald Levin probably wanted to have a conversation with him.

It appeared that more and more big companies were eyeing Galaxy Films now. Turner Broadcasting, Paramount Communications, News Corp, Disney, Bertelsmann, and PolyGram were all interested, and now Time Warner likely had the same idea.

Gerald Levin, like Steve Ross, was also an acquisition enthusiast. Despite Toshiba and Itochu being the major shareholders of Time Warner now, Gerald Levin had become the CEO and president of Time Warner, meaning he held significant power!

However, since Galaxy wasn't publicly traded, Arthur wasn't too concerned.

*****

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