Chapter 306: New Batman

Since November began with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and later Christmas activities, big cities like Los Angeles hosted various festivals and parades.

Arthur and Joan Wong enjoyed the sunshine, beaches, and movies in Los Angeles.

In a cafe on Universal CityWalk in Hollywood, Arthur and Joan Wong, having spent most of the day at Universal Studios, decided to take a break. "The Back to the Future attraction we just rode opened this summer!"

"I know. It's based on the movie Back to the Future, right?" Joan asked.

Arthur nodded, "Exactly. These movie-themed parks constantly build new attractions. The movie Jurassic Park, which was released this year, is so popular that Universal Studios is surely planning a dedicated Jurassic Park section."

If Arthur remembered correctly, the Jurassic Park attraction would become one of Universal Studios' flagship projects. Due to its prime location, Universal Studios Hollywood became a must-visit spot for tourists in Los Angeles.

Joan had a reminder, "Jurassic Park broke records with a 62 million Hong Kong dollars box office, topping the annual charts. Speed grossed 47 million Hong Kong dollars, placing second. For the first time, Hollywood movies dominated the annual rankings in the Hong Kong market!"

Arthur smiled, "The era of blockbuster special effects is arriving!"

Just like in the U.S., where there are hundreds of millions of people but only a few movies make over a hundred million at the box office each year, for many years, the only challenge Hollywood movies faced globally was from Hong Kong films.

After calling the waiter and paying the bill, he left the cafe with Joan, who wore a loose white shirt paired with denim shorts, showcasing her great figure. "There's a performance at the Hollywood Bowl soon. Let's check it out. Bob Dylan will be performing!"

Arthur strolled leisurely with Joan along CityWalk, observing that the Halloween decorations from Universal Studios' festivities were still up, and Thanksgiving and Christmas events were approaching.

"Are you not busy now? I also need to head to Australia soon and might have to return to Taipei," Joan said, linking her arm with Arthur's.

"Not too busy. I'm in Los Angeles anyway. They'd notify me if something important came up," Arthur wasn't concerned, though his company Galaxy did need another senior executive to share Amy Pascal's workload.

Truthfully, Arthur's time in the company was limited, as he was always out.

Actually, Arthur had someone in mind: Tom Rothman, the former president of Samuel Goldwyn Films.

Given Galaxy's current momentum, it was much stronger than Samuel Goldwyn Films; Rothman wouldn't feel much pressure joining Galaxy now.

"Let's go to Griffith Park first. The Griffith Observatory is pretty famous!"

They didn't need to rush to the renowned Hollywood Bowl, as they planned to go there in the evening.

"Okay, I'll follow your lead," Joan said as she walked with Arthur to the parking area.

After the concert, in the evening, Arthur and Joan Wong arrived at the parking lot of the Hollywood Bowl before the concert ended, ready to leave.

"Los Angeles has a nice night view," Joan leaned against the car, looking at the vibrant city lights below.

Arthur walked over and hugged the lady. "Later, when we get back to my villa in Bel-Air, we can appreciate the night view of Los Angeles even better. The view there is much nicer."

Of course, Arthur was having a new hilltop villa built in Beverly Park. Once it's done, it will offer an even better view of the entire Los Angeles!

"Okay, let's go back," Joan nodded.

...

Joan Wong stayed in Los Angeles for less than a week before flying to Sydney. Arthur, however, remained busy with Galaxy Films and the new stadium for the Clippers.

In Beverly Hills, at the Bel-Air Hotel, Paramount was holding a grand party, inviting many American celebrities; Politicians, entrepreneurs, bankers, athletes, and, of course, high-ranking executives from Hollywood film companies and movie stars.

"Look at that, Sumner Redstone looks so radiant," Arthur couldn't help but mutter to Amy Pascal while watching Sumner Redstone speak on stage.

Amy Pascal chuckled, "Viacom now holds Paramount, Blockbuster, Simon & Schuster, MTV, Showtime, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon International, and Lifetime among other cable TV channels. It's truly a media giant."

"Absolutely," Arthur had to admit, but the debt Viacom was carrying was also staggering. Selling assets to reduce debt was a must.

"Aurther, I'm going to talk to Blockbuster's head about the video tape rights. Would you like to come?" Amy asked.

Arthur shook his head, "That's your responsibility. You go ahead!"

Afterwards, Arthur ran into Meg Ryan, Michael Douglas, Al Pacino, and Robert De Niro at the party;

Tom Cruise, Sylvester Stallone, and Arnold Schwarzenegger were also there, making it a star-studded event.

"Arthur," came the elegant voice of Nicole Kidman as she walked over to Arthur.

"Nicole, where did you just come back from?" Arthur felt he hadn't seen her for months. After Speed, she had gotten even busier; With her tall, sexy, and elegant black low-cut evening dress set against her white complexion, Nicole Kidman was truly dazzling.

"I had two movies to shoot, and one of the romance films I shot last year, My Life just premiered. I was attending the promotion." Nicole Kidman hugged Arthur intimately and whispered in his ear,

"Are you free tonight? Want to come home with me?"

Arthur replied, "Sure, nothing much going on. We can leave together later!"

Nicole Kidman nodded and then kissed Arthur on the cheek. "I heard Johnny Depp isn't feeling too well lately?"

Nicole Kidman had just collaborated with Johnny Depp on Speed, so she inquired about his situation.

"Well, River Phoenix was his good friend, and he's definitely feeling some sadness after his sudden passing," Arthur, who knew Johnny Depp fairly well, understood his situation a bit.

"By the way, how has Jessica been getting along with Tom Rothman from Samuel Goldwyn Films? I haven't heard any news?" Arthur asked casually.

"How would I know?" Nicole Kidman sighed, "But after the Cannes Film Festival, I heard Jessica mentioned that Tom Rothman might be thinking about switching studios!"

Jessica James, the agent for Winona Ryder, Nicole Kidman, and others, joined UTA after leaving CAA and has become a senior partner at UTA.

Arthur glanced at her, "So, I heard you're also auditioning for the female lead in Warner Bros.' sequel, Batman Forever?"

"Yes, after all, it's a commercial blockbuster, and it's the third sequel, with the director and lead actor both changing!" Nicole Kidman's fame from Speed certainly helped.

Warner Bros. was not satisfied with last year's Batman Returns. The global box office of 250 million dollars did not meet their expectations.

For the third sequel, they rejected the script submitted by director Tim Burton due to his dark style, which Warner Bros. did not like. They wanted a film that was closer to mainstream commercial blockbusters.

Therefore, Warner Bros. moved Tim Burton from the director's chair to a producer role and found a new director in Joel Schumacher!

After Joel Schumacher had someone rework the script, the original Batman, Michael Keaton, decided not to continue playing Batman due to the new direction of the film; Now, Val Kilmer is the new lead in Batman Forever!

"With such a big-budget blockbuster, it's a huge deal in Hollywood, especially with a well-known character like Batman," Arthur shook his head; such news was impossible to ignore.

Batman Returns already had an $80 million budget, and although Batman Forever had new director and lead actor, its budget would certainly not be less than the second film.

Clearly, Batman Forever was going to be a film with a budget of over one hundred million dollars. In today's Hollywood, besides James Cameron, who else had such big-budget projects?

Moreover, when Batman Forever announced it wouldn't use Tim Burton as the director, many directors were eager for the role.

Directors like Sam Raimi, known for the Evil Dead series and the Scream series, also applied to Warner Bros., but he didn't get the opportunity.

"There are many actresses competing for this role," Nicole Kidman smiled, "Before the male lead Michael Keaton resigned, the role was Rene Russo's; But after Val Kilmer took over, Warner Bros. felt Russo was too old for the part, so they want to choose a younger actress; Sharon Stone and Jeanne Tripplehorn are also contenders!"

Arthur understood that they were looking for a newly popular actress. Sharon Stone, especially, with last year's Basic Instinct and this year's Sliver, pushed the limits, so her chances were less.

Jeanne Tripplehorn and Nicole Kidman both gained fame this year - the former from Tom Cruise's The Firm and the latter from Speed!

Stars like Meg Ryan and Demi Moore probably wouldn't be willing to play just a mere decoration;

Otherwise, such roles wouldn't go to these rising actresses.

Arthur leaned close to Nicole Kidman and whispered, "Tom Cruise is over there. Want to say hello?"

"Arthur," Nicole Kidman pinched Arthur's waist playfully.

*****

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