Chapter 125: Harvey Weinstein

The following morning, a black Cadillac pulled into Warner Studios' parking lot. Harvey Weinstein, seated in the back, expressed his frustration, "I was in the middle of a divorce case, and I took a vacation with Georgina. When I returned, the director I had a good cooperation with launched a new project without informing me."

His companion, Stewart, explained, "Bob wanted to keep you undisturbed."

Harvey's mood improved slightly when he heard his brother's name and said, "I'll have a word with Craven."

Stewart offered, "I'll come with you. What do you think?"

Harvey waved it off, "No need, I'll go alone. You and Wes have been friends for years; no need to create conflict over this."

With that, Harvey stepped out of the car, gazed at Warner Studios, and furrowed his brow. Since the release of "Lord of the Rings 3" the previous year, he had been entangled in a copyright and profit dispute with Warner Bros. Now, Wes Craven had chosen this very place as his production office. Harvey wondered if he had pushed Craven too hard during the "Scream" trilogy. Still, given the trilogy's immense success, he would do it all over again.

...

According to the agreement made the previous day, the studio was set to sign an investment deal with Vincent and Sophia.

Early in the morning, Martin, accompanied by Mene and Bruce, arrived at their hotel to pick them up. Upon arrival, Bruce suggested, "You stay with them, and I'll follow behind in my car."

Martin jokingly patted Bruce on the shoulder, saying, "Brother, she's not interested in civilized people anymore."

Bruce warned Martin in a hushed tone, "Say one more word, and your brains will be on the floor."

Confused, Mene asked, "What? What are you talking about? I don't understand."

Bruce turned to face Mene, lifting his coat slightly.

Mene promptly covered his mouth in realization.

Bruce returned to his Volkswagen, intending to follow from a distance, just as he had done the previous day. Martin and Mene entered the hotel lobby, waiting for about five minutes until Vincent and Sophia descended from upstairs, accompanied by the bellboy, Scott.

After boarding a commercial vehicle, Mene drove them to Warner Studios. Sophia recalled the charming older man who had suddenly disappeared the day before and asked, "Martin, I had planned to treat Director Craven to dinner last night, but he vanished."

Martin explained, "Preparations for the film have already begun, and Director Craven is extremely busy. The burden of this project, with tens of millions of dollars invested, falls squarely on his shoulders. If he can't bear it, the entire project and investment could collapse."

Sophia understood the situation and glanced at Martin, her face slightly smiling. "We'll discuss it later."

Martin, intimidated by Sophia's expression, shrunk back into his seat. It seemed she was indeed the "hyena doctor."

Fortunately, they soon arrived at Warner Studios, and the group entered the facility. Sophia was immediately captivated by an unexpected sight.

Leading Vincent, Sophia, and the others deeper into the studio, Martin spotted a portly man through a transparent glass wall.

The man engaged in a spirited conversation with Craven. His voice was raised and authoritative, "Wes, if I hadn't heard through the grapevine, would you have kept this project secret from me? Aren't we the best of partners?"

Craven, with a resigned expression, replied, "Harvey, this is a last-minute project. Considering your personal issues and various troubles lately, I didn't want to bother you. There's an investor interested."

Harvey inquired, "Louise Meyer's Pacific Pictures? A company that merely produce without distribution capabilities?"

He smiled broadly, "Similar to the 'Scream' series, Miramax Film invests in production and distribution, leaving all the hassle to me. You can focus on making the movie."

Though it meant most of the profits would go to the other party, Craven didn't want to clash with Weinstein. "The studio is already established; exiting would be complicated."

Harvey waved it off, "Leave the sunk costs to me. Louise Meyer will see the potential..."

Not far away, Martin, Vincent, and Sophia halted. Vincent lifted his cowboy hat and asked, "What's that guy's deal?"

Martin had heard everything clearly. If the project changed investors, it would trigger a chain reaction, possibly causing him to lose his leading role. He had no prior connection with Harvey Weinstein. Not wanting to draw attention, he turned his back to the scene, using Vincent's cowboy hat to shield his face, and replied, "You heard it. He's competing for the project and investment. That man's name is Harvey Weinstein."

Sofia inquired, "Is he the man behind Gwyneth Paltrow?"

Martin confirmed, "That's right, he has had extensive collaborations with Craven. This movie has a distinctive character and style, which can be quite profitable, so thid might become troublesome for us." He glanced at Sofia, considering her strong character, and said candidly, "I'm just a member of this industry; there's little I can do against him, and it might even exacerbate the situation."

Sofia politely replied, "I'm not part of Hollywood."

Martin's mind raced, and he whispered, "We've put in so much effort; we can't just give up. We need to find a way to counter him. I may not have the ability, but you can, Sofia."

While Harvey couldn't be dealt with by Martin, Sofia was different.

Sofia signaled to Scott, saying, "Follow me."

Martin gestured towards the adjacent office, suggesting, "Let's go in and wait."

Several individuals entered the office.

Martin's simple idea was to avoid being in Harvey Weinstein's presence at this moment.

Sofia, not deeply ingrained in Hollywood and with her base elsewhere, was a straightforward woman.

"Could Sofia possibly pull out a gun and threaten that fat man?" Martin mused silently.

Harvey, in the midst of "advising" Craven, suddenly noticed an approaching figure. He turned and saw a person larger than life, with muscles that seemed inflated, dwarfing even Tyson and Johnson.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Sofia didn't hear him clearly and gestured, "Give it to me."

Scott, the bellboy carrying the bag, retrieved a pink water bottle from his bag and handed it to Sophia.

A Bottle! The pink water bottle again again!

Sofia was assertive, not foolish. With one hand, she grasped the kettle's handle, while her other hand flexed its muscles, vigorously rubbing the bottle from top to bottom.

Her smile was strained, her face trembling, as she declared, "You want to steal my investment? Either leave right now, or I'll shove this up your behind!"

Harvey, noticing her unfamiliar face, questioned, "Where are you from? Don't you recognize me?"

Sofia approached Harvey step by step, her eyes locked onto his considerable posterior. She thrust the kettle forward, then withdrew it, repeating the motion.

Harvey involuntarily clenched his buttocks, sensing that the person in front of him was not human but a female hyena.

From the corner of his eye, he caught Scott's peculiar pace, which gave him an unsettling impression.

Since founding Miramax, Harvey had been known for his aggressive nature and had never encountered such a situation.

This time, he genuinely felt the threat of impending disaster.

If he didn't leave, his posterior was truly in danger.

How could the boss suffer such a direct assault? Harvey swiftly avoided Sophia, "Wes, we can discuss this another time."

He darted away like lightning.

Craven, holding the pink kettle, watched in amazement, "Is this the bottle made by Martin?"

Sofia tossed it to Craven, "I'm giving it to you. It's quite popular."

Craven accepted it, examining the exaggerated style closely. "You were just joking, right?"

Sofia was firm, "Of course not. If he hadn't left, I would have definitely shoved it up him!"

Craven thought to himself, "Is she referring to a bottle or something else?" but refrained from commenting. Instead, he reminded, "Be cautious, he's a big shot in Hollywood."

Sofia responded, "I don't work in Hollywood. If he annoys me, I'll deal with him."

Craven turned to Martin, acknowledging, "You're from Atlanta, and she's not in the entertainment business, so you're in a different league."

The distributor Warner Bros. was discussing was Warner Bros., and Craven wasn't concerned about distribution.

Martin and Vincent entered the scene from outside, sharing a smile when they saw Craven holding the pink water bottle.

Craven swiftly placed the bottle on the table and glanced at Sofia, clarifying, "This bottle is hers, not mine."

Sofia was frustrated, "I gave it to you; it's quite useful."

Scott, whose previous smirk had disappeared, suddenly turned to Craven, smiling maliciously.

Craven suddenly realized a possible implication and discreetly checked his rear end. He hid his hand behind his back and rubbed it forcefully against his pants.

Martin, wanting to avoid any further trouble, proposed, "Boss, Wes, let's expedite the contract signing."

Vincent concurred, "Once the contract is signed, the crew can send people to Mexico, and the funds can be allocated accordingly."

"The tax bill is prepared and ready to be paid. There shouldn't be a single penny missing," Wes Craven assured. "I've got people preparing to sign."

He added, "Wait a moment; I'll use the restroom first."

Inside the restroom, Craven approached the sink, repeatedly applying hand sanitizer and disinfectant, scrubbing his hands thoroughly until they were red.

In the conference room, Martin looked at the kettle and asked Sofia, "Did you bring it?"

Sofia replied, "Yes, I brought it."

Scott's smile vanished without a trace.

Martin intervened, "Let's not dwell on this; let's focus on business."

Subsequently, Wes Craven, representing the studio, officially signed a contract with Sofia, becoming the primary investor in the "The Hills Has Eyes" project, with a total production investment of $12 million and priority access to publicity investments.

The crew immediately began large-scale recruitment, prioritizing those who had worked with Wes Craven and Alexander Aja.

As the lead actor, Martin didn't need to be involved in the crew's preparations. Instead, he delved into studying his character and preparing for filming, especially for the action scenes.