Chapter 185: Life is Precious

The champagne was popped, bubbles fizzed out, and one by one, the glasses were filled. Then came the shrieks of Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen, "Saturn Award for Best Horror Film! We got the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film!"

Their howling echoed in the backyard, fortunately, the houses here were quite far apart, so Murphy didn't have to worry about disturbing the neighbors for now.

James Franco sat by the pool, raising a champagne glass to Murphy across from him, "Congratulations!"

Murphy downed his drink, "It's congratulations to us!"

Winning the Best Horror Film award made him very happy, which would also help his future path.

Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen continued their howling, not just howling but also starting to dance by the pool.

In the renovated courtyard, two unkempt men were going crazy, somewhat reminiscent of midnight howling.

"Both of you!" Murphy warned them loudly, "The poolside isn't slip-proof, be careful not to fall in!"

Since it was a rented house, he had moved back from the hotel after a simple clean-up.

Returning from the Los Angeles Music Center, the four of them were in good spirits, so they decided to have a small celebration here. After drinking quite a bit, Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen gradually calmed down and joined Murphy and James Franco.

After a few more drinks, Jonah Hill suddenly asked, "Heard your studio is adding a business department?"

"I can't just stick to small productions forever." Murphy, setting down his glass, shook his somewhat dizzy head, "Big commercial productions require major investments and definitely need advertising sponsors. I need a department that can pull in advertisements. But for now, it's just a preliminary idea."

"How about me?" Jonah Hill, obviously drunk, asked seriously, "Me, as the manager of your business department?"

Murphy raised an eyebrow, "Jonah, not to burst your bubble, but can you even sell?"

"Of course!" Jonah Hill slapped the table.

"Alright then!" Murphy fished out a pen from his pocket and tossed it to Jonah Hill, "Sell this to me."

Catching the pen, Jonah Hill thought for a moment and said, "This is a pen produced by the Parker Company..."

Murphy raised his hand, interrupting him, "Too cliché!"

Scratching his head, Jonah Hill held the pen before his eyes, unsure of how to proceed.

Murphy snatched back the pen and tossed it to James Franco, "Jim, sell it to me."

James Franco caught the pen, twirled it in his hand, then suddenly picked up a napkin from the table and handed it to Murphy, "Are you Director Murphy Stanton? I really love your movies, could you sign an autograph for me?"

Murphy, feeling in his pocket, willingly took the pen James Franco handed back, "See? Now I need a pen."

After throwing the pen back on the table, Jonah Hill blinked, seemingly understanding Murphy's point.

But Murphy went straight to the point, "Even Jim isn't cut out for this job. You all have the talent for acting, better suited for direct involvement in movie production, not as salespeople."

Seth Rogen picked up the champagne, refilling everyone's glasses, "Let's continue celebrating!"

After another round of drinks, Jonah Hill belched, "This is a special moment for us, do you guys realize?"

Murphy and the others shook their heads, and he mysteriously pulled out a small packet from his pocket, "I knew 'Saw' would win, so I prepared some celebration goodies in advance!"

He unwrapped the packet, revealing four white pills, "No fighting over them, only one each!"

James Franco picked one up, inspecting it closely, "What's this?"

Jonah Hill grabbed one, about to pop it into his mouth, but Murphy stopped him, "Wait, Jonah, planning to go crazy here and drown in the pool?"

"Uh..." Jonah Hill put the pill back down.

"You guys..." Murphy pointed at them, "Don't just take drugs willy-nilly!"

Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen didn't seem to care, even James Franco wasn't too concerned.

Although they were friends, no one really listened to such advice. This was Hollywood, where alcohol and drugs were rampant.

Murphy warned them once, seeing the trio not taking him seriously, he didn't bother to say more, out of sight, out of mind. He stood up to announce, "Party's over, you can go elsewhere to get high."

"Hey! Aren't you being too heartless?" Jonah Hill protested loudly, "Just kicking us out like that?"

Murphy walked towards the main house, leaving behind one last piece of advice, "Life is precious, be careful with drugs!"

The party ended with Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, and James Franco leaving together. Murphy saw them out and reminded, "It doesn't matter if you don't listen to me, but if you're going to do drugs, find a proper place, don't make me pick you up from the police station tomorrow."

"You're such a nag!" The three waved him off and left.

Murphy shook his head, closed the door, and prepared to rest. It was not his place to say much; the industry's atmosphere was such, and the drug they mentioned was just one of the lower-end substances popular in Hollywood.

Used clinically for insomnia, long-term use can lead to addiction, and it's banned in most countries worldwide.

Murphy didn't touch these substances, but having been in Hollywood for so long, he wasn't surprised by it. Not just on-screen stars, many behind-the-scenes staff also used it, often with alcohol, enhancing its effect and causing delirious abilities, a substitute for inducing hallucinations.

Taking small doses of the drug can turn a person from a state of depression to extreme neuroticism and excitement. Long-term use leads to dependency, resulting in addiction.

The next morning, barely over his hangover, Murphy first called the trio, hearing they were all at James Franco's house, he felt relieved. After a quick wash, he had breakfast and drove to the Century City Death Star Building as previously arranged.

"Hello, Director Stanton."

Stepping out of the elevator, a CAA staff member immediately stopped in his tracks, warmly greeting Murphy, who nodded and passed by, heading towards Bill Roscius's office.

On the way, he encountered two agents whose names he couldn't recall. They greeted Murphy enthusiastically, treating him like their most important client.

As Murphy walked away, the two agents whispered among themselves.

"Bill really hit the jackpot having Murphy Stanton as a client."

"Do you think Bill Roscius's skills are average? His current position is entirely because he's Murphy Stanton's agent!"

"Exactly, the first time handling a package project for the company and securing a huge profit, it's not that Bill Roscius did something great, but Murphy Stanton's directed films have a strong selling point! Even if it were us handling 'Horror Planet', as long as the director is still Murphy Stanton, we could profit too…"

Murphy reached Bill Roscius's suite office, where an assistant immediately opened the door for him.

Bill Roscius, sitting behind the desk, came over, "I thought you'd come later, have a seat."

He ordered his assistant to make coffee and sat down with Murphy on the sofas separated by a coffee table, "Didn't party too hard last night?"

Murphy rubbed his forehead, "Ended before one, drank too much, didn't feel great in the morning."

"Heard you won Best Horror Film," Bill Roscius said with a smile, "The company's senior management called me first thing today, you need any support, just ask."

Although "Horror Planet's" North American box office wasn't as high as "Saw," the profit exceeded expectations, a box office success for a director to have back-to-back hits, naturally making the agency pay more attention.

The female assistant brought in two cups of coffee, placing one in front of Murphy and Bill Roscius each, then left.

"Smells good," Murphy noted, "Looks great."

"A gift from a friend in Jamaica." Bill Roscius directed to the office outside, "Nancy, prepare a pack of the new coffee for Murphy."

Murphy didn't refuse the casual offer, "Thanks."

They then moved on to the main topic. Bill Roscius pointed to a box in the corner, "This is fan mail for you from the mailroom, includes some crazy admirers, want to see?"

Murphy shook his head, "No time, don't you have a department to handle these?"

Bill Roscius understood, suggesting, "Then I'll have Grace take care of it?"

"Handle it," Murphy wasn't concerned about these matters; he was a director, not an on-screen star, "Just pick some to reply to."

"I know what to do," Bill Roscius nodded.

Switching topics, Murphy asked, "How's the thing I asked you to check? How's the copyright distribution?"

"The comic's rights mainly lie with the author and Dark Horse Comics," Bill Roscius frowned, "Convincing Dark Horse Comics is just a matter of offering enough money, but Dark Horse made an agreement with the original author that any film adaptation must have the author's consent!"

He sighed, "You know, that guy is tough."

"Leave it to me for now." Murphy thought for a moment, "Help me find out where he'll be appearing soon, if necessary, I'll make a trip to Manhattan to visit him."

___________________

(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)

If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters

Read Ahead

Patreon.com/INNIT