Chapter 470: Dust Settled

[Chapter 470: Dust]

Successful people often have their stubborn side. Tim Berners-Lee was not only the one who introduced the concept of the World Wide Web but also invented the world's first web server. If this man had wanted to establish a company and commercialize his research, he would have undoubtedly become a billionaire long ago. However, as an idealist, Tim Berners-Lee chose to share his findings with the world for free, which certainly made him a person worthy of respect.

Eric spent an entire day discussing with Tim Berners-Lee. Although they both enjoyed their conversation and admired each other, Tim remained unwilling to abandon his commitment to free sharing.

Eric could have completely set aside Tim and founded his own company to develop a graphical web browser, Internet Explorer. However, doing so would mean forfeiting the opportunity to directly engage in setting the Internet protocol standards.

By the evening, the two men quieted down. Chris sat silently beside them, gazing at the sunset over the ocean. Tim picked up his coffee cup again and crossed his legs, following Chris's gaze toward the burning sunset. He sensed that Eric was about to make a final decision.

After a long pause, Eric finally said, "Mr. Lee, I can agree to make the Internet Explorer browser available for free."

Tim Berners-Lee smiled, and Chris looked at Eric in surprise. Among the three proposed projects, Chris had always believed that Internet Explorer had the most commercial potential. If Eric chose to make this project free as well, the loss would not be small. However, Chris refrained from raising any objections at that moment.

The strategy of offering free software was becoming an inevitable trend in the industry. Although Eric wasn't well-versed in the browser software business, he understood that software sales revenue often represented just a minor portion of many Internet companies' earnings. The key was user accumulation. Once a sufficiently large user base was developed, driving value-added services on their own platform would constitute the major profit source for Internet companies.

"However, I have a few conditions," Eric continued.

Tim Berners-Lee gestured for him to go ahead.

Eric stated, "First, Mr. Lee, I hope you can serve as the senior technical advisor for Internet Explorer."

"I can agree to that," Tim Berners-Lee replied readily with a nod.

Eric went on, "The second condition is that when the Web Consortium develops Internet protocols, it needs to lean toward the technical standards of Internet Explorer to some extent. In return, Internet Explorer will contribute research and development funds to the World Wide Web Consortium every year. At the same time, although Internet Explorer will be free for public use, we still retain the right to apply for technical patents."

Tim Berners-Lee had given up on patenting the web server and World Wide Web technologies, sacrificing the chance to become a billionaire. However, Eric did not possess that kind of altruistic mindset. His philosophy was that the software he developed with his own funding could be free for you to use, but it remained his property. You could use it, but you couldn't claim it as yours.

Tim recognized that Eric had not given up on the idea of monopolizing, yet this seemed to be the best solution. He was unwilling to commercialize his technical achievements but could not impose his standards on others.

"Eric, from my personal standpoint, I can agree to your second condition, but I'll need to discuss this with the other members," Tim said.

"Of course, that's no problem," Eric nodded. He knew that Tim Berners-Lee held high prestige within the Web Consortium, and since he had verbally agreed to these terms, there likely wouldn't be many unexpected developments.

...

The next day, Tim returned to MIT. Although the fallout from the Los Angeles riots continued, the situation had stabilized. By the following week, people began returning to their jobs, and Eric resumed his preparations for Jurassic Park.

The most crucial dinosaur models for the film had all been confirmed, and the CG effects artists in Digital Domain had begun developing the special effects technology for the dinosaurs.

As the producer of Jurassic Park, Jerry Bruckheimer had been actively seeking filming locations during this time. The primary shooting location on Kauai in Hawaii had been established, and during the riots, Jerry was scouting amber mines in Central America for the film's opening scenes.

Meanwhile, Eric focused on the all-important casting process for the film.

Perhaps because the memories in his mind were still so vivid, he found none of the many audition tapes for the male lead appealing. In the end, they reached out to Sam Neill.

Sam Neill had entered the film industry in the 1970s. Though he was a decent actor, he had never truly risen to fame. Other than taking on supporting roles in various mainstream films, he mostly lurked in the indie film circuit.

When Firefly reached out to Sam about Jurassic Park, he was ecstatic. Without having seen the script, he personally called to accept the offer.

However, another problem soon arose. Before receiving the Jurassic Park invitation, Sam had already signed on as the male lead in Warner Bros' sci-fi project, Memoirs of an Invisible Man. This film reportedly had a budget of $40 million, but Eric had no recollection of it -- likely a result of being a flop.

Though Memoirs of an Invisible Man could barely be considered a big production, its male lead position couldn't be compared to that of Jurassic Park's protagonist.

Sam quickly decided to break his contract with Warner Bros. It's not uncommon for actors to be replaced during production, but upon learning the reason for Sam's contract termination, the savvy Warner executives were less than amenable. Internally, there had been ongoing disputes regarding Memoirs of an Invisible Man project. Therefore, even with a $40 million investment, the casting was lackluster. Among the actors, only Daryl Hannah, who had appeared in Wall Street, Steel Magnolias, and Blade Runner, possessed some notoriety. The male lead, Chevy Chase, was a middle-aged actor of Sam's same generation and had faced a similar lack of stardom.

Warner Bros recognized this as a significant opportunity since Eric's films often catapulted lesser-known actors to stardom. Consequently, they used their hold on Sam's contract to raise demands, stating that if Eric wanted Sam, he would need to receive an executive producer credit on Memoirs of an Invisible Man. Eric's projects rarely failed, and Warner clearly sought to leverage Eric's box office draw. Moreover, they elevated Sam's role to the lead.

Contractual matters like these often operate smoothly if not pursued too seriously, leading to amicable resolutions -- after all, a movie investment often ran into the tens of millions, with none having the luxury of dragging their feet.

However, should anyone decide to take such matters to court, complications could arise, and lengthy legal battles were not unheard of.

Eric certainly wouldn't affix his name as executive producer for a project he'd never heard of. Once he acquired the script and found it lacking, especially given its disjointed plot and gimmick of an invisible man, he refused even more.

Nonetheless, Warner had already invested significant resources in the project, having spent millions in preliminary work. There was no way they could back out now; all they could do was grit their teeth and carry on.

After a week of negotiations, both sides finally reached a reluctant agreement. Eric would receive an executive producer credit on another Warner film, while Sam was officially signed on as the lead in Memoirs of an Invisible Man. Once filming for Jurassic Park wrapped, he would continue shooting this project.

After some careful deliberation, Eric ultimately selected to receive an executive producer credit on a Warner film currently in production, featuring none other than Kevin Costner, who had just won Best Director and Best Actor for Dances with Wolves. The film was titled The Bodyguard.

The executive producer role carried vastly flexible authority; one could either manage everything or be hands-off. The most famous executive producer in Hollywood was undoubtedly Steven Spielberg, who typically credited himself on at least five films each year.

...

While wrangling over Sam Neill's contract with Warner Bros, Eric was simultaneously busy with casting for the female lead and supporting roles. For the two young child roles, Eric chose a young boy from Spielberg's Hook and accepted a girl role recommended by Jerry Bruckheimer, gladly granting Jerry that favor.

However, Eric didn't tell Jerry that this little girl would become the least popular character in Jurassic Park. He remembered that the original version of Jurassic Park had become a worldwide hit with a thriving merchandising line. Yet due to John Hammond's granddaughter's series of foolish actions in the film, she became the most disliked character, leading the producers to eventually cancel the production of her action figure.

During the auditions for the female lead, a very busy Nicole, currently filming Mr. & Mrs. Smith, personally came to Eric with Pat Kingsley. She recommended a recently signed actress from Pat Kingsley's roster. After parting ways from Tom Cruise, Pat Kingsley swiftly signed several promising actresses. Originally, Pat Kingsley planned to land the role of the male lead in Jurassic Park, and paperwork had already arrived at Eric's desk. However, since Eric already had his perfect candidate in mind, Pat Kingsley settled for the lesser position of pitching for the female lead.

Interestingly, upon seeing the actress Pat Kingsley recommended, Eric was pleasantly surprised. The actress appeared to be in her late twenties, tall, with smaller eyes that brightened wonderfully when she smiled. Most importantly, this actress named Helen Hunt was also the female lead in Twister in the original timeline.

From Pat Kingsley, Eric learned that Helen Hunt's career had not been thriving in the film industry. She had been planning to act in television shows. However, with Pat Kingsley's encouragement, she quickly decided to take a chance, transferring her contract over to Pat Kingsley and actively vying for the female lead role in Jurassic Park.

Although Eric understood Nicole's subtle intentions, he threw them to the back of his mind. Over the years, he had come to realize that Hollywood was very much a small circle of relationships. Though the standardized audition processes for selecting actors continued, it was far more common for actors and directors or producers to chat casually over meals and have roles decided, so Eric did not oppose Nicole cultivating her own circle.

Moreover, Helen Hunt had won an Oscar for Best Actress for As Good as It Gets in the original timeline, illustrating her acting prowess. After the auditions, Eric was more than satisfied. Soon after, they finalized a contract.

...

As May passed, the summer blockbuster season of 1992 approached while the aftershocks of the Los Angeles riots gradually faded. Although media extensively covered stories of some Black individuals saving White lives during the uprising, providing some mitigating narratives for racial conflict, many things remained unchanged. In fact, the aftermath of the riots led to an increase in discriminatory behavior. Numerous business owners in Los Angeles fired Black employees, deeming them as unstable factors.

Additionally, Los Angeles County announced it would revisit the Rodney King case. Eric knew this case would have only one outcome: guilty. Moreover, the trigger of the riot, Rodney King, who had a leash of robbery charges, recklessly drove drunk, was now seeking substantial personal compensation. Reports indicated that Mr. King demanded $54 million from Los Angeles County, pricing each blow he endured in the infamous footage at $1 million (he had reportedly taken 54 blows).

Upon seeing these developments, Eric could only chuckle bitterly. Nothing would change; the county could never afford the exorbitant $54 million compensation. However, it was certain the ultimate payout would still amount to millions, all of which would be footed by taxpayers. Yet this time, Eric was confident that the battered taxpayers wouldn't dare voice any claims of injustice.

*****

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