Chapter 133: The Shawshank Redemption

In Orion's conference room, the first full meeting for the movie A Few Good Men took place. Director Rob Reiner had everyone read through the script.

Tom Cruise, Sophie Marceau, and Anthony Hopkins had their first rehearsal!

"No wonder you like working with actors like Anthony Hopkins," Rob Reiner said to Arthur in his office, praising Anthony Hopkins' performance. "His command of dialogue and facial expressions is exceptional!"

Arthur lit a cigarette and smiled, "For British actors, theatre is compulsory. They almost all memorize Shakespeare."

"While young British actors focus on perfecting their pronunciation before debuting, American young actors are constantly auditioning for commercials!"

In A Few Good Men, the scenes between Tom Cruise and Anthony Hopkins, judging from the rehearsal effects, showed a considerable gap in their acting skills.

Tom Cruise worked with Paul Newman in The Color of Money, where Paul Newman won the Oscar for Best Actor. Later, he partnered with Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, and once again, Dustin Hoffman won the Oscar for Best Actor. Collaborating with these veteran stars highlighted Tom Cruise's acting limitations!

"By the way, how's the shooting location coming along?" Arthur changed the subject, not wanting to continue discussing the differences between American and foreign actors.

"The main sets are being built at the Columbia Studios in Culver City, Los Angeles, and location scouting continues. There's no problem with starting production in September," Rob Reiner's Castle Rock and Columbia TriStar had agreed on the distribution rights for Japan, Germany, Spain, and other regions. Galaxy handled the North American market, while France was negotiated with Gaumont, and PolyGram took charge in the UK.

"That's good," Arthur felt reassured by Rob Reiner's confirmation and congratulated him, "The comedy City Slickers produced by Castle Rock is doing quite well at the box office, reaching 80 million dollars last month!"

Rob Reiner smiled, "Castle Rock is mainly a production company; the major funding comes from Columbia TriStar. Unlike your Galaxy, with the distribution channels of Orion and bank funding, your integrated production and distribution strategy are indeed impressive!"

Hmm, look at Galaxy, their movie box office keeps climbing, and the reviews are also high.

"Oh, Arthur," Rob Reiner remembered something and said, "Recently, I received an interesting script adapted from a Stephen King novel. The script is adapted from the novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, and the director is a thirty-something newcomer, a fellow Stephen King enthusiast!"

"The Shawshank Redemption?" Arthur immediately recognized the movie, released in 1994, which had low box office returns and no awards, a film ahead of its time.

Later, through videotapes, DVDs, television, and internet discussions, it became a masterpiece.

Rob Reiner nodded, "Yes, Frank Darabont, a small-time horror writer and set designer, directed a short film adaptation of Stephen King's The Woman in the Room early on."

"Last year, he directed a low-budget thriller, Buried Alive."

"After nearly a decade of groundwork, he adapted Stephen King's Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, naming the script The Shawshank Redemption, hoping to direct it himself!"

Stephen King had a "Dollar Baby" program to support new directors, allowing them to buy a short story adaptation for one dollar, but the developed works couldn't be used for commercial purposes.

"The Woman in the Room was developed by Frank Darabont through the Dollar Baby program."

Arthur smiled, "I've read Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, Stephen King's works are always worth expecting."

"Exactly, we have a producer at Castle Rock, Liz Glotzer, who is obsessed with prison stories. She loved the script so much she said she'd leave the company if we didn't produce The Shawshank Redemption!" Rob Reiner said, shaking his head.

"So you read the script too," Arthur guessed the rest, "and liked it very much?"

Rob Reiner nodded, "Yes, though prison films aren't usually good commercial investments. But the adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption script is excellent. I even offered Frank Darabont three million dollars to buy this script and direct it myself!"

Arthur laughed, "He refused, didn't he?"

Rob Reiner spread his hands helplessly, "Who would imagine someone born in a refugee camp in France could resist such a temptation? Three million dollars is a fortune for him now.

Consider this; before, as a third-rate writer, he couldn't even pay his rent. Selling this script would have made him famous immediately. But he said he doesn't want to sell his dream; if he does it once, he'll do it again next time.

I even promised him that if he sold the script to me, Castle Rock would support his next film, whatever the genre."

Arthur tapped his fingers on the table, "Will Castle Rock support Frank Darabont's film?"

"That needs discussion," Rob Reiner was uncertain, "I actually showed the script to Tom Cruise, and he was interested, but he wasn't confident in Frank Darabont as a director."

"I see," Arthur understood. Castle Rock currently didn't have enough funds to support such a project and hoped to collaborate with Orion.

"Finding actors for The Shawshank Redemption will be tough, and a relatively unknown second or third-rate writer directing it? Arrange a meeting. I'd like to see Frank Darabont and read his script."

The Shawshank Redemption was excellent, but its release in 1994 was indeed unfortunate, with inadequate promotion and an unappealing title.

Moreover, a prison break story was hard to attract young audiences, lacking romantic elements and explosive action.

And competing against the American epic Forrest Gump, it had no chance at awards.

Nonetheless, the later success through videotapes, DVDs, and television broadcasts ensured The Shawshank Redemption gained fame.

Arthur saw an opportunity now and should seize it!

*****

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