Chapter 165: John Grisham's Novels

Philadelphia was a project Jonathan Demme loved dearly. Not to mention that he already had a partnership agreement with Galaxy; even if he didn't, Galaxy would still support him.

Besides the male lead, Tom Hanks, Arthur also remembered another actor was the African-American star, Denzel Washington.

Denzel Washington, now 37 years old, won the Best Supporting Actor award at last year's Oscars for the war film Glory, earning him some recognition as a capable actor.

At night, after returning to his residence, Arthur took a shower and went to the bedroom, finding Winona Ryder leaning against the headboard reading a novel.

"Not asleep yet?" Arthur climbed into bed and kissed Winona Ryder.

"Hmm, this is one of the novels you had Jessica acquire adaptation rights for, John Grisham's The Pelican Brief," Winona Ryder said, waving the book in her hand.

Arthur inquired, "What about John Grisham's other novel, The Firm? Its sales are much better than this one."

Arthur originally wanted to acquire John Grisham's The Firm, which would later become Tom Cruise's film.

"Jessica said The Firm's adaptation rights were bought by Paramount before it was even published; she managed to buy the adaptation rights for The Pelican Brief from another producer," Winona Ryder explained, leaning into Arthur's embrace. "Isn't this novel good?"

Arthur shook his head, "No, this novel is quite good. The young female law student's role is very impressive. Do you want to be the female lead in this movie? John Grisham is great at writing serious political thrillers like this. You're at the right age now, and after Edward Scissorhands, you can take the lead role!" Arthur joked as he massaged her chest, removing her nightgown.

"But, it won't be that soon. Galaxy has quite a few projects in development. The Pelican Brief will likely be produced next year, and released in the latter half of the following year," he said.

"Perfect timing," Winona Ryder said, placing the book down and caressing Arthur's hand. "I'll be in England filming The House of the Spirits in the first half of next year, so I can prepare for this movie in the latter half.

Although I turned down Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula and Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence, it's nice to be able to star in a project you favor.

The Silence of the Lambs has received high praise from critics and the media. Do you have confidence in winning the Best Picture Oscar? Though the genre - horror thriller - puts it at a disadvantage."

Orion just won its first Best Picture Oscar with Dances with Wolves. If it wins a second one, the impact would be even greater.

"Of course, I have confidence. I spent a lot of resources lobbying, and the movie is of high quality. This year, there don't seem to be any particularly outstanding films. It's impossible for the Best Picture Oscar to go to purely commercial films like Terminator 2: Judgment Day or Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," Arthur said, grabbing the book on the blanket and setting it aside.

"Alright, the night is long, let's not waste any more time."

With that, Arthur leaned over, pressing down on Winona. The passionate woman immediately clung tightly to the man on top of her, actively responding...

In November, the temperature in New York wasn't high, averaging below 50°F, requiring coats for outdoors. Scent of a Woman was being filmed in Troy, a city in Eastern New York State.

Arthur took the opportunity to visit the filming location at Emma Willard School in Troy.

In the office, Arthur and director Martin Brest were chatting. "By the way, Martin, why did you choose Chris O'Donnell to play the student Charlie? I heard his audition wasn't the best."

Arthur was somewhat puzzled. Among the auditioning group, Matt Damon, Brendan Fraser, and Ben Affleck performed well.

Moreover, Matt Damon, Brendan Fraser, Ben Affleck, and Chris O'Donnell had all recently finished filming the campus drama School Ties together and then came to audition.

Martin Brest chuckled and explained, "Because Chris O'Donnell's nervousness during the audition matched what we needed for the film."

"To be honest, Matt Damon and Brendan Fraser did pretty well. Though a bit green, they had some skill," Arthur agreed.

"I also thought Matt Damon and Brendan Fraser showed potential as actors after watching the audition tapes."

As for Ben Affleck and Chris O'Donnell, they were a bit lacking, perhaps due to less experience in acting compared to the other two.

In the evening, at the crew's hotel, Arthur ran into Hollywood producer Martin Bregman and director Brian De Palma, who were there to discuss a gangster film, Carlito's Way with Al Pacino.

It was a Spanish-language gangster film based on a novel. Brian De Palma and Al Pacino had previously collaborated on the 1980s classic gangster film Scarface. The producer at that time was also Martin Bregman.

The Al Pacino version of Scarface was a successful remake of a 1930s film, achieving great box office and critical acclaim.

However, Arthur hadn't studied gangster films much. The Godfather series was the quintessential epic representation among gangster films.

Arthur didn't believe that any gangster film could surpass The Godfather, and films with major stars in the gangster genre were generally highly expensive.

Just like if someone asked Arthur to invest in historical dramas or classical literature films, Arthur would almost certainly not consider it. 

In response to Martin Bregman's inquiry, Arthur naturally shook his head and refused, "Galaxy has several of its own films coming up, and we don't have enough funds to spare. However, you could consider partnering with Columbia TriStar or MCA Universal. These companies are quite generous now. As long as there are major stars or heavyweight directors involved, I don't think they will turn down such projects."

"That's too bad," Martin Bregman initially felt a bit helpless hearing Arthur's refusal. But then, hearing the latter part of Arthur's suggestion, he smiled, "I was planning to talk to Universal next anyway!"

*****

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