Chapter 336: Coppola's Elephant

Like "A League of Their Own," John Hughes' "Home Alone" is also set to begin shooting soon.

Yesterday, busy with "A League of Their Own," "Ghost," and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," Simon spent most of today on the phone with John Hughes in Chicago, discussing various details of "Home Alone."

With Simon's push, the role of the lead actor in "Home Alone" was confirmed to be Macaulay Culkin, as in the original.

Macaulay Culkin, who is under contract with WMA, did not appear in John Hughes' "Uncle Buck" last year due to Simon's butterfly effect. However, the young actor had already made appearances in several films and TV shows and was also a child model under contract with Ford Models.

Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern were confirmed to reprise their roles as the bumbling thieves from the original film.

With the original cast confirmed, Simon did not need to worry too much about the project from here.

Lately, Simon had adopted this laid-back approach to many of the projects in his hands.

Daenerys Entertainment had become increasingly prominent over the past two years, or rather, glaringly so. Even if one or two of these projects failed, it would be inconsequential to Simon, or rather, perfectly acceptable.

After finishing the day's work, Simon drove directly from Santa Monica to Joe Roth's residence in Coldwater Canyon in Beverly Hills at seven in the evening.

Coldwater Canyon, part of Beverly Hills, lies adjacent to the west side of Trousdale Estates. The entire district stretches more than five kilometers from Coldwater Canyon Park near Sunset Boulevard at the foot of the hills up to Mulholland Drive at the crest. The canyon road is lined with various mansions, also part of Los Angeles' star-studded areas.

Arriving at the home of Joe Roth, president of Fox Studios, the sky had already darkened.

Joe Roth's villa, a two-story minimalist white building common in Los Angeles, occupies about a quarter of an acre. Given its location and other factors, this is considered a luxurious property in Los Angeles.

James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger had arrived early, and the courtyard was filled with numerous film industry figures.

After arriving and briefly greeting some of the guests, Simon joined Roth and Cameron on the villa's upstairs sun deck. Of course, there was no sun at this hour, but one could vaguely see a corner of downtown Los Angeles from the deck.

Sitting down next to the deck chairs, Roth spoke first: "I've already talked to Jim a few times, Simon. The budget for 'Terminator 2' is set at $50 million, with Jim still directing. However, if the project goes over budget, Jim will automatically forfeit his directorial fee. We'll also implement stricter financial controls to ensure the production does not spiral out of control. Do you think this works?"

Simon didn't respond immediately but looked towards Cameron, asking, "Jim, do you think you can manage it?"

Cameron, with a somewhat stiff smile, nodded: "Should be no problem."

Simon turned back to Roth without commenting and inquired: "What about Arnold's fee?"

Roth paused, then said: "15 million dollars." After seeing Simon raise an eyebrow, Roth quickly explained, "Stallone's fee for 'Tango & Cash' just went up to 15 million dollars. Arnold doesn't want to get less than Stallone."

With a total budget of $50 million and Schwarzenegger taking $15 million, despite Cameron's big flop with "The Abyss," a base fee of $3 million for him was inevitable.

Adding the other key creative figures, less than $30 million would remain for the actual movie production.

Given Cameron's extravagant nature, it would be a miracle to complete "Terminator 2" with less than $30 million.

Simon smirked coldly, "I just checked the box office data for Arnold's recent action movies. 'Predator,' Arnold got a $3 million fee, box office was $59 million. 'Raw Deal,' his fee was $5 million, box office $38 million. Last year's 'Red Heat,' his fee went up to $8 million, but box office dropped to $35 million. Following this trend, with a $15 million fee for 'Terminator 2,' should we expect the box office to just about cover that at $15 million?"

Roth responded, "Simon, Arnold's popularity was significantly boosted by the first 'Terminator,' his fee can't be compared with other standalone projects."

Cameron added from the side, "'Terminator 2' is different from those movies, I believe it will definitely be successful."

"I also have high hopes for the project," Simon continued, looking at Cameron, "but Daenerys Entertainment is not Carolco Pictures; we don't irrationally offer sky-high fees. Arnold is currently finishing 'Total Recall,' and if I'm not mistaken, he's only taking a base salary of $1 million for that, right? For 'Terminator 2,' he can choose between a similar base salary plus a profit-sharing model, or keep his fee at the 'Red Heat' level, just $8 million."

Roth and Cameron fell silent.

Simon didn't wait for them to respond and quickly continued: "Given the results of the last three action films, 'Total Recall' cost $65 million to make with Arnold almost forgoing his fee. Carolco is unlikely to recoup its investment. I believe after this film, no other movie studio will want to take a risk on Arnold. 'Terminator 2' could be his best chance to regain his popularity. So, these are the only two deals I can offer. Alternatively, we can wait for 'Total Recall' to come out, and by then, Arnold's fee might even be lower."

"Total Recall" grossed over $200 million worldwide.

While Carolco barely made a profit, it was considered a success.

Due to the success of "Total Recall," Schwarzenegger regained his status in the action movie realm, comparable to Stallone.

However, Simon would not mention this now.

Furthermore, Simon suddenly recalled that besides "Total Recall," Arnold also had another successful film during this period: "Kindergarten Cop."

In his memory, this was also a blockbuster that grossed over $200 million worldwide, similar to Arnold's unexpectedly successful comedy "Twins" from a couple of years ago.

Simon had not mentioned this film just now because the box office success of "Twins" was a surprise to many, and Schwarzenegger could not likely switch to being a comedy actor; action films were his bread and butter.

Thinking this, Simon decided to preemptively secure "Kindergarten Cop."

If necessary, he might even preempt "True Lies" and "Eraser."

With his foreknowledge, it was easy for Simon to target a Hollywood figure's acting career.

As for "Terminator 2," Simon was in no hurry.

Moreover, although it was not yet public, Daenerys Entertainment and Fox had already signed a collaboration agreement, making it one of the ten-movie plans. Thus, Simon effectively held complete control over this project.

Roth thought for a moment, then said to Simon, "Shall I go down and talk to Arnold?"

Simon nodded, "I haven't

 had dinner yet, Joe. Could you please have someone bring some food here? Anything is fine."

"Of course."

Roth agreed and got up to leave. He glanced at Cameron before heading downstairs.

Cameron, unsure whether to take the initiative to leave, had admired "Batman: Battle Time" and its innovative details, and had hoped to discuss it with Simon.

However, the corporate mogul version of Westeros was not particularly likable.

Simon, observing Cameron's unease, suddenly said, "Jim, has anyone ever told you about Coppola and the elephant?"

Cameron looked puzzled.

Simon, realizing Cameron hadn't heard the story, explained, "This is about when Coppola was filming 'Apocalypse Now.' He wanted to use some elephants in the film, but the project was already over budget and delayed. Transporting the elephants to the set would not only be costly but would further delay the filming. The film's producer advised Coppola that not everything could be perfect, and some things had to be sacrificed. In the end, there were no elephants in 'Apocalypse Now,' yet the film was still very successful."

Cameron naturally thought Simon was referring to his last film, "The Abyss," and struggled to find words to counter, simply nodding, "Simon, I understand what you mean."

"I've seen the original 'Terminator,' more than once," Simon continued, "Jim, if you could create such a perfect film with $6.4 million then, there's no reason you can't complete another within a set budget now. 'The Abyss' cost $69.5 million last year, and I heard that put a lot of pressure on you, but that was just mental stress. Perhaps you don't realize, but Fox had to let a lot of people go because of that project's failure. They weren't fired because of the film's box office flop; this industry is inherently risky. They were let go because the budget was out of control. You should know that money for film studios doesn't just fall from the sky."

Cameron's expression fluctuated for a moment before he finally said, "Simon, I'll certainly be more careful in the future."

A waiter brought some food over at that moment.

After the waiter left, Simon gestured to Cameron, who shook his head, and Simon pulled the tray over, picking up the utensils, "I've looked into the special effects plan for 'The Abyss,' the CG alien technology could be used to create the liquid metal robot in 'Terminator 2,' right?"

"The Abyss" had its special effects undertaken by Daenerys' effects studio.

Moreover, whether it was "The Abyss" or "Terminator 2" in Simon's memory, the expenses on special effects weren't actually high.

The reason both projects were so costly was mainly due to Cameron's perfectionist procrastination.

"The Abyss" took five months to shoot. The original "Terminator 2" took six months, compared to the average Hollywood film shooting period of about three months, which was the main reason for budget overruns in these projects.

From a film fan's perspective, given Cameron's box office results, no amount of spending would seem unjustified.

However, for film studios, unless they are like Carolco, which burns through someone else's money without remorse, working with Cameron is definitely an ordeal.

Cameron, perking up when Simon mentioned the special effects from "The Abyss," began to engage more actively in the conversation.

Roth returned after more than ten minutes, sitting down and saying to Simon, "Arnold's agent insists on $10 million. He says Arnold is considering another movie and if we don't agree, we might have to push this project to next year."

Simon hesitated briefly before deciding not to dwell on the $2 million difference, "Let's announce it officially tomorrow."

If the dispute over this $2 million continued, Simon knew Schwarzenegger would indeed drag this project out, as the production company currently didn't have the upper hand.

Moreover, although he had just expressed skepticism about "Total Recall," Simon was the one who knew the outcome best. Once Schwarzenegger made a comeback with "Total Recall" in the summer, signing him would become even more difficult.

Roth breathed a sigh of relief, quickly nodding in agreement.

During this period, due to the unexpectedly massive box office success of "Batman: Battle Time," Fox had started to value the project Simon was optimistic about.

Now, with "Terminator 2" set, Fox had its major film for the next year sorted.

Simon concluded, then turned to Cameron, "Jim, hire someone to complete a full storyboard script for the sequel in the next few months. I want you to know exactly what you want before shooting starts, instead of developing hundreds of thousands of feet of useless film footage."

The original "Terminator 2" resulted in over a million feet of shot film, of which less than 1% was used. These films meant significant budget expenditures.

Simon absolutely would not allow such a situation to happen 'a second time'.

By strictly controlling Cameron's unrestrained spending during shooting, even if the project went over budget again, it definitely wouldn't reach the original's over $100 million.

Cameron naturally agreed.

The three continued to talk about some issues, and Cameron was the first to leave. Roth glanced down from the terrace, tentatively asking, "Simon, want to go down and chat with everyone?"

At that moment, the courtyard downstairs had at least thirty people, many of whom, though pretending to chat among themselves, were closely monitoring the terrace above.

Simon had only briefly met with the crowd when he arrived, and those downstairs were eager to talk more with him.

The success of "Batman: Battle Time," along with the vast resources at Simon's disposal, had elevated his status in Hollywood to a level not even he could fully appreciate.

Projects like "Batman: The Dark Knight," "Superman," "Wonder Woman," "The Flash," and other DC Universe movies were about to begin casting, drawing the attention of all Hollywood. Additionally, projects like "Terminator 2" and "Far and Away" from the ten-movie plan meant numerous opportunities.

Simon wasn't in the mood for flirtation tonight, but he didn't decline Roth's invitation either. Nodding, he stood up and joined him downstairs to mingle with the crowd.

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