Chapter 116: Bad News Keeps Coming

After hanging up the phone, Murphy first took Carey Mulligan back to Stanton Studio, then returned to Century City to find Bill Rossi, who was waiting in the lobby of the CAA office building. The CAA agent had been waiting there since he finished his call. When he saw Murphy come in, he quickly waved him over.

"Over here, Murphy." He was sitting at a small, unoccupied oak table by the glass curtain wall. Murphy walked over and pulled out a chair, not even sitting down before asking, "Is the information reliable?"

Bill Rossi nodded seriously, "I have some connections with Robert Rodriguez's PR manager. A couple of days ago, I mentioned 'Saw' to her."

Murphy understood that Bill Rossi had pulled a lot of strings for this project.

"She just called me." Bill Rossi got straight to the point. "Robert Rodriguez gave an interview this afternoon, claiming he would temporarily set aside the last part of the Mexico Trilogy to collaborate with Miramax on a horror film..."

Murphy's expression became serious as his thick eyebrows gradually furrowed.

Bill Rossi's expression wasn't much better. He continued, "Robert Rodriguez also revealed a bit about the horror film's theme: a combination of gore and suspense!"

"What?" Murphy almost stood up but controlled himself in time. "What is Miramax planning?"

"I asked her to find out..." Bill Rossi added, "For now, it's just Miramax's intention; there haven't been any substantial negotiations."

As much as he wanted to rush over and bash Harvey Weinstein's head open to see what kind of shady things were inside, Murphy forced himself to calm down. After all, any film project needs some time from intention to preparation.

What was Miramax planning? He couldn't believe this so-called gore-suspense film had nothing to do with "Saw."

Murphy looked at Bill Rossi and could almost see the same doubts in his eyes.

Bill Rossi was more agitated than Murphy, saying, "It looks like they're treating me as if I don't exist!"

"Has this happened before?" Murphy asked, frowning.

"Many standout films have spawned numerous imitations. This is common in Hollywood." Bill Rossi shook his head while thinking, and some ideas gradually surfaced. "Miramax doesn't even need to mimic. They just need to borrow the highlights of 'Saw' with their resources..."

Miramax could be considered the leader among Hollywood's second-tier companies. With their capabilities in production and distribution, it wouldn't be difficult for them to cleverly mimic a film.

Would they really go to such lengths for a film with an uncertain future? Murphy knew that even if they did, and if they released their film before he found a suitable distributor, there wasn't much he could do. The guild wouldn't be of much help in such a lopsided power struggle.

Besides, as Bill Rossi mentioned, unless everyone at Miramax was completely foolish, they wouldn't fully imitate the film. They could make many changes while borrowing the film's concept and theme.

There were countless films in Hollywood that looked similar yet not exactly the same.

Whether it was worth it depended on the gains and losses.

Murphy speculated that if he were in Harvey Weinstein's position and received a film like "Saw," he might also be tempted to meddle.

But then he realized that something was off. He knew what "Saw" meant, but Harvey Weinstein didn't. He favored the film from a market perspective, not because of any inside knowledge.

How should he respond? Murphy didn't notice the glint of ruthlessness in his eyes as he considered this. The aggression he had suppressed since becoming a director began to resurface.

Bill Rossi suddenly felt that Murphy had changed, like Arnold Schwarzenegger slipping into the role of the T-800...

As an agent, he knew his client well, including Murphy's prison stint. He quickly knocked on the table to get Murphy's attention. "Murphy! Murphy! What are you thinking? Don't do anything rash!"

He genuinely worried that this guy might impulsively go to Harvey Weinstein's house and cause trouble. Even though it took a long time for that British director's head to become problematic after Murphy's prison stint, and there was no proof linking Murphy to it, Bill Rossi was still concerned.

Murphy snapped back to reality, thinking, am I that stupid? He admitted he had considered it but knew it was the worst option.

"You're a director now!" Bill Rossi warned. "Not a rogue journalist!"

"Hey, Bill, am I really the type to act recklessly?" Murphy spread his hands.

Bill Rossi thought for a moment and shook his head. Murphy's initial funds were obtained through less than legitimate means, though he wasn't sure how exactly. Knowing what he did about Murphy, it made sense. Someone struggling to survive often had a bolder approach and lower moral thresholds.

Such people generally took one of two paths: one where they spiraled further down until they were beyond saving, and another where they turned back in time and proceeded using legitimate means.

Murphy Stanton was undoubtedly the latter.

"I was considering other aspects." Murphy crossed his hands on the table. "Why would Harvey Weinstein do this?"

Bill Rossi looked at Murphy, full of confusion. In Hollywood, rebranding imitations wasn't uncommon, especially for big companies against small directors.

"I think it's possible," Murphy continued, "that Harvey Weinstein is deliberately leaking this information."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Compared to Miramax, Stanton Studio and I are insignificant. Hearing such news, the typical response would be panic. Panic leads to poor decisions. If Miramax renegotiates with us under such pressure, by slightly increasing the price or other terms..."

Bill Rossi understood, interjecting, "We might end up signing their contract."

Murphy nodded slightly.

Hearing this, Bill Rossi considered it. This possibility was not only plausible but also highly likely. If Murphy hadn't been calm and thought of this, who knows...

Reflecting on Murphy's behavior, Bill Rossi thought of himself. After hearing the news, he had immediately called Murphy. Sitting here, his face was calm, but only he knew how anxious he was inside.

Murphy tapped his fingers lightly on the table, thinking about how to respond. He might be wrong, but producing a film takes time. Even Miramax couldn't turn an intention into a completed film within a week, so there was some buffer time.

If he guessed right, they would continue negotiating with Miramax and gauge their sincerity.

The safest strategy was still to find a suitable distributor for the film quickly. He was too weak right now and couldn't do anything to Harvey Weinstein. Securing an excellent distributor was the best way to counter Miramax's possible negotiating ploys.

As for determining the truth...

Once the thought clicked, Bill Rossi's thinking became swift. "As long as Miramax contacts us for further negotiations and improves their offer, Murphy, your suspicion is correct."

"Keep an eye on Miramax." Murphy instructed, "Don't stop the negotiations with Fox Searchlight and other companies either."

With a hypothesis in mind, finding evidence became easier.

The next day, Robert Rodriguez's interview was published, aligning with what Bill Rossi had reported. Quentin Tarantino also mentioned in a media event that if Miramax collaborated with his friend Robert Rodriguez, he would join the project in any capacity—writer, actor, or producer.

To play along, under Murphy's direction, Bill Rossi called Miramax under the guise of CAA, vaguely protesting. Just two days later, Miramax's Jones Butler extended an invitation to him and Murphy.

To show his anger and unease, Murphy refused and let Bill Rossi handle it entirely. Just as he predicted, after applying pressure, Miramax offered a higher buyout price for "Saw," raising it to seven million dollars.

Honestly, it was a decent offer. Murphy had been negotiating with other companies, and Fox Searchlight's market estimate for North American box office gross was optimistic at around ten million dollars.

Based on their estimate, Murphy might not even get seven million dollars in the end, plus there was the additional director's contract with Miramax.

A week after the initial screening, "Saw" still hadn't found a suitable distributor, and Murphy had hardly heard any good news—only bad news kept coming.

Bill Rossi, ever the well-connected guy, had learned that Lionsgate was also planning a new horror film with a suspense element. Reportedly, their executives had already discussed it in a meeting.

These complex situations also reached James Franco, Jonah Hill, and Seth Rogen. Since their rallying cry of "sticking together," they had been close to Murphy and came to Stanton Studio, claiming they wanted to brainstorm and fight alongside him.

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