Chapter 531: Are You Going to Switch to Comedy?

[Chapter 596: Are You Going to Switch to Comedy?]

In a bedroom at a townhouse on the Upper East Side.

Jennifer Connelly lay on top of Arthur, panting, as she caressed his chest. "So, MGM is officially developing Spider-Man, right?"

"Yeah, Sam Raimi has always wanted to direct Spider-Man. Once he wraps up Scream 3, he'll get started on it."

Arthur had no reason to hide anything; after all, Jennifer Connelly was no stranger to him. As he continued to stroke her, he asked, "What about you? What projects have you been working on lately?"

"Me?" Jennifer Connelly kissed his chest softly, her curves pressed tightly against him. "I've done some romantic comedies, or taken supporting roles in dramatic films. It's all about honing my craft."

At this point, Jennifer Connelly no longer relied solely on her bold figure to land roles; she embraced her supporting parts in indie films fully.

Arthur smiled and held her close, kissing her back with both tenderness and passion. "Darling, how about playing a Bond girl in the next 007 film? I know it involves some sensuality, but it's different from your previous roles," he proposed.

At least, the trophy roles in the 007 series received a lot of attention, and Jennifer Connelly had a bit of name recognition herself.

"Sure, I'll take your advice," Jennifer Connelly responded, having been a mere trophy in the past, she didn't mind at all. "This upcoming 007 film, Tomorrow Never Dies, hasn't even released yet, and you guys are already preparing for the next one?"

"Nothing concrete yet, but prepping for a 007 film is not complicated," Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Besides, Tomorrow Never Dies is set to premiere in May."

Jennifer Connelly smiled, then playfully dove into the covers...

...

In late March, the 69th Academy Awards ceremony took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

The film from United Artists, The English Patient, took home nine Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score, making it the biggest winner of the night!

The film's director, Anthony Minghella, shot to fame with this epic film, which was vast in scale, captivating in storyline, and featured outstanding performances.

The film's theme was about "love transcending race and culture, affirming love's healing power over painful souls. War creates boundaries, but only love can break down those walls. In the face of love, war and hatred seem incredibly insignificant."

...

At a villa in Long Island, Elizabeth Hurley leaned against Arthur as she perused the newspaper. "As expected, it's all praise and acclaim for The English Patient as Best Picture."

Arthur's hand slid under her nightgown to caress her 36C, chuckling, "What's wrong? Is The English Patient not good enough for you?"

"Of course it's good; Anthony Minghella's directorial skills are impressive," Elizabeth Hurley said, genuinely pleased for the British director. "The movie I was rooting for, Evita, seems to have missed all the major nominations, only snagging Best Original Song."

As she spoke, Elizabeth laid the newspaper down.

Evita wasn't a lost cause; Madonna, its lead actress, was one of the focal points of the awards ceremony, performing the film's theme song "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," earning enthusiastic applause from the crowd.

"Hmm..." Arthur suddenly leaned down and kissed Elizabeth Hurley passionately, their lips and tongues entwined.

Once they broke the kiss, Arthur managed to chuckle softly, "So, why did you suddenly come to New York?"

"Well, Liar Liar has released, and it opened with $31 million -- way better reviews than Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." Elizabeth Hurley laughed, "Jim Carrey is still Jim Carrey!"

The main stars in Liar Liar were indeed Jim Carrey and Elizabeth Hurley.

"It's in its second week now; it's been out for ten days, and the North American box office has surpassed $70 million!"

"Impressive," Arthur raised an eyebrow, recalling Jim Carrey had gone to Florida to shoot The Truman Show.

However, in July, MGM had a sequel of his -- Dumb and Dumber 2 -- coming out.

"Oh, by the way, Arthur," Elizabeth Hurley wrapped her arms around his neck, "last year, I took on a role in a New Line comedy, with a style quite different from Jim Carrey's humor. It's called The Spy Who Shagged Me; it parodies James Bond, a low-budget spoof comedy."

"A parody of 007?" Arthur seemed to remember this flick, and it apparently had a sequel as well.

The Scream series was set to release its third installment that year, and perhaps the parody version, Scary Movie, would finally meet its audience too.

Arthur considered this, feeling it was time for Orion to start prepping for Scary Movie.

Next, he glanced at the gorgeous Elizabeth Hurley in his arms, "So, are you looking to shift towards comedy now?"

"Just commercial films; The Spy Who Shagged Me is set to release in early May, two weeks ahead of Tomorrow Never Dies," Elizabeth Hurley said, giving him a quick kiss. "Right now, I've got to promote Liar Liar. If you need me, just give me a call."

"Sure, if I find the chance," Arthur replied as Elizabeth Hurley silenced him with a kiss and slipped off her nightgown...

...

With the Oscars wrapping up successfully, several films seized the opportunity, expanding their release scale.

After all, many films had released in December the previous year with minimal screening due to the Oscars' voting mechanism.

Beyond the awards, Arthur was also keeping an eye on the box office. As April arrived, Madonna's biopic Evita grossed $50 million in North America, $90 million overseas, totaling $140 million worldwide.

The English Patient, with its Oscar momentum, made an astonishing total of $230 million -- $78 million in North America and $150 million abroad.

In the meantime, MGM's romantic comedy, starring America's sweetheart Jennifer Aniston, My Best Friend's Wedding, was also set to hit theaters soon.

Having been monitoring the Far East financial markets from New York, Arthur finally returned to Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, the Titanic crew, having concluded their on-set shooting, dedicated themselves entirely to the film's post-production effects.

To avoid interactions with the press, director James Cameron had taken up residence in the effects studio.

*****

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