Chapter 152: Code Name X

Just as the morning workday began, Harvey Weinstein pushed open the door and entered the office, walked over to his spacious desk, pulled back the chair to sit down, and took a sip of the coffee his assistant had already prepared. He nodded in satisfaction, his eyes landing on the neatly arranged stack of pending files on the desk, ready to start the day's work.

The files were divided into two stacks: a thin few on the left and a thick pile on the right.

This was sorted according to his preference by his assistant: urgent or important matters were placed on the left, and the rest on the right.

On top of the left pile was a proposal, and beneath it, a copy of a screenplay. Harvey Weinstein glanced at the proposal's cover, surprised to find it was a project from CAA delivered to Miramax!

Despite his dislike for those "vampires," Weinstein was aware of CAA's capabilities. A project from them was guaranteed not to be trash.

The cover of the proposal didn't reveal much, aside from CAA's logo and the project's code name, "X."

This was a common practice in the industry. Many films, before officially being greenlit or entering a promotional phase, were simply known by a code name.

Following the code name "X" was a familiar name, the project planner—Murphy Stanton!

Seeing this name, Weinstein immediately thought of "Saw," which had just been taken off screens in North America. How much profit had that movie brought? And Miramax had just missed it.

It was impossible not to feel frustrated, but as he had expressed to Murphy at the celebration party, frustration was followed by reflection on how to learn from this experience.

He slightly turned his head, the note written by Murphy Stanton himself was still under the glass layer of his desk!

To bring Miramax to its current status, Weinstein was at least a competent business operator.

A new work from a director who had twice turned low budgets into high returns was worth his attention.

He took the screenplay from under the proposal, and as he read through it, the absurd setting of a beautiful woman battling zombies made him shake his head and laugh. By halfway through, he was convinced the script's content was ludicrous, with some parts hardly aligning with normal human logic.

However, it was clearly a cult film project with dark humor. If it weren't absurd, it would lose its appeal.

Beauty, zombies, blood, nudity... these elements, if handled properly, could definitely attract a significant audience segment.

But investment size needed control! Weinstein immediately thought this since cult films, by their nature, cater to a niche audience and could never become mainstream market leaders.

Seeing the part where the female protagonist triumphantly battles her way through, Weinstein couldn't help but slap the desk, a smile squeezing onto his chubby face, clearly entertained by the script.

If it were a new director, whether they could achieve the script's intended effect was questionable, but Weinstein had confidence in the script's author. "Hard Candy" and "Saw" had already proven Murphy Stanton's mastery of this genre.

Closing the screenplay, Weinstein opened the proposal again, this time with a more serious and meticulous attitude.

Clearly, this was a packaged project from CAA, including Murphy Stanton and the main crew members, all clients of CAA, a point clearly indicated in the project.

Having followed "Saw" closely, Weinstein recognized that most of these individuals had been involved in "Saw," ensuring a baseline level of competence.

He read the proposal very slowly, often pausing to ponder the feasibility of its terms, sometimes nodding, sometimes frowning.

For instance, the idea of casting Jenna Jameson as the female lead seemed inappropriate to Weinstein. There's a natural chasm between the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood, a gap best left uncrossed.

It took him nearly two hours to finish the proposal. Instead of moving on to other documents, he walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing at the distant scenery, deep in thought.

Undoubtedly, this was a well-planned, thoroughly considered, and highly feasible commercial film proposal, matched with a moderately above-average script, offering significant operability.

Moreover, the proposal clarified that this was not a CAA strategy but originated from the project initiator, Murphy Stanton.

Weinstein valued this highly. A project proposal written by a director was more important than one produced by an agency.

The director is the one leading the project.

As an experienced operator of independent films, Weinstein was well aware that, compared to mainstream commercial films centered around producers, these low-budget independents should revolve around the director. This was a lesson Miramax had learned over years of producing and investing in independent films: as long as the budget was adhered to and supervision was in place, the director had complete control over the film. To manage the budget, all staff members would work closely with the director, utilizing everyone's initiative and wisdom to ensure every penny was spent where it mattered most.

Therefore, the most crucial question was whether the director was worth the investment.

Just as he had supported Quentin Tarantino wholeheartedly, Weinstein had the decisive power to make such calls.

Returning to his desk, he picked up the phone and dialed his assistant, "Schedule a meeting with CAA's Bill Roscis and Murphy Stanton, the sooner, the better! Also, move the 'X' project to the market research department, have them start analyzing it right now."

Weinstein was not one to make blind decisions, especially on a potential investment nearing ten million dollars. Even for a company at Miramax's level, this was a significant figure.

He planned to first meet with CAA and Murphy Stanton.

CAA had a vast network in Hollywood. The 'X' project and its proposal had been sent to several suitable companies, including Fox Searchlight, who received a copy that same morning.

That morning, Fox Searchlight's market and distribution head, Godin Clyde, was also reviewing the screenplay and proposal in his office.

"It's not a sequel to 'Saw'?" He browsed through it, frowning, "What is Murphy Stanton thinking?"

With the huge profits from "Saw" right before him, how could Clyde let go of this series? Moreover, it was clear the story wasn't finished, and sequels were planned. Instead of pursuing sequels, he was exploring other projects...

New projects meant new risks.

Compared to the beautifully crafted new project proposal, Clyde was more interested in the sequel to "Saw."

After some thought, he found a number, and dialed it.

"Hi, Murphy," he said with a smile as the call connected, "It's Godin."

On the other end, Murphy was house hunting, asking Carey Mulligan to continue while he stepped through the large living room into the front yard, lush with green grass.

"Hello, Godin," he stood under a palm tree, in the shade, "What's up?"

"I've seen the new project proposal CAA sent over from you," the voice on the phone seemed displeased, "Why isn't it a 'Saw' sequel?"

"I've only completed the script outline for the sequel," Murphy explained briefly, "It needs time to write..."

Godin Clyde interrupted, "Are you still directing?"

"No, no," Murphy shook his head, "I won't have time for now. If the new project goes ahead, it might be delayed until next summer."

Godin

Clyde wanted to say more, but Murphy quickly added, "Godin, don't you think it's more appropriate to wait a bit?"

There was silence on the other end. Clyde must have understood that rushing a sequel wasn't wise at the moment.

A director also needs a good network. After a moment, Murphy said, "Once the script is complete, I'll send it to you first. We can discuss the investment then. Finding a director for a horror film shouldn't be too difficult."

The silence lingered before a voice came through, "Let's leave it at that for now. We'll stay in touch and communicate any changes."

"Saw" had just begun showing in overseas markets like the UK, Germany, New Zealand, and Australia. There was no need to rush the sequel.

After hanging up, Murphy went back inside to find Carey Mulligan and continued listening to the real estate agent introduce the house.

This was a four-bedroom house, comprised of two connected two-story buildings, with a courtyard surrounded by green trees at the front, and a tall white fence all around, shielding from external influence and prying eyes. The back of the house featured a small green space, surrounded by palm trees and other typical Californian vegetation, next to a not-too-large swimming pool.

"How do you like it?" Murphy asked Carey Mulligan.

This wasn't their first visit. After viewing several properties, they found this one most satisfactory.

"It's okay," Carey Mulligan said, still looking around, seemingly undecided.

Murphy, on the other hand, was quite pleased.

The house was not far from Stanton Studios, located on the quiet outskirts of the Santa Monica valleys, built in the 1920s with typical Spanish romantic flair.

The first floor featured archways, vaulted ceilings, hand-hewn beams, a stone fireplace, a spacious entertainment room, with hardwood floors and Saltillo tiles. A circular staircase beside the living room led up to the spacious master bedroom and three additional bedrooms.

From a staircase on one side of the secondary bedrooms, one could enter the annex building, which housed a gourmet kitchen on the first floor. The kitchen, primarily granite, led to the dining room, which overlooked the backyard swimming pool and garden views, including an in-built barbecue area and cozy courtyard, perfect for relaxing after a busy day.

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