Casting

It took Lyman roughly three days to finalize the inclusion of Guillermo's personal studio in the project. They then formally signed the cooperation agreement for the film.

Guillermo was to direct "Hellboy", with a salary of $4.5M, with no involvement in any post-release profit-sharing. He would also have a $10M investment share, proportionally enjoying a share of the box office earnings after the film's release. These terms had been discussed and agreed upon long before and were not a point of contention.

Instead, the disagreements arose concerning the director's various rights during filming and the editing during post-production. After some negotiations, Lyman conceded most of the creative freedom to Guillermo, except for the final say.

For instance, Lyman wouldn't interfere in how Guillermo directed the film as long as it stayed within the budget. Guillermo could participate in post-production, but the final version had to be reviewed by Lyman before deciding if it would be released in theaters.

At the same time, they signed another contract concerning the film's rights. Since Guillermo had acquired the adaptation rights to "Hellboy" years ago, Firefly Films needed to pay him $100,000 to buy out all the production rights for the comic book adaptation script. This included developing sequels and associated operations.

Guillermo understood very well that cooperating with a production company while retaining control of the project was a joke. Therefore, he willingly transferred the film and television adaptation rights to Lyman.

Lyman, in return, also bestowed upon Guillermo the title of co-producer, which would facilitate his role on the set during filming.

Once the budget funds were deposited into a dedicated bank account for filming after these agreements were reached, Guillermo, who couldn't wait any longer, began the preliminary preparations.

Meanwhile, Lyman was handling post-production work for the film "Million Dollar Baby" and assisting in coordinating the shooting crews for the company's new projects.

The filming team didn't need to worry too much because Guillermo's studio and Firefly Films' production department could easily form an experienced team. The main concern was the casting of the film.

Given the extensive use of special effects in this film and considering the quote provided by Wētā Workshop, the actor's salaries weren't a significant part of the budget. Therefore, A-list actors couldn't be hired. Of course, Guillermo hadn't even considered approaching top-tier actors for his film.

In the office, while sipping coffee, Guillermo and Lyman were discussing the next round of auditions based on a list of selected actors.

"For the male lead, do you want to go with Ron Perlman?"

"Why, is there an issue?"

"His salary is quite high."

"We can reduce expenses for other actors. He's genuinely suitable for this role," Guillermo suggested.

Ron Perlman was also a specialist in portraying monsters. He had played the role of Vincent, the lion-faced man, in "Beauty and the Beast" in his early years.

Furthermore, he was someone Guillermo was very familiar with; they had a long-standing working relationship. In fact, Ron had appeared in Guillermo's first feature film, "Cronos". Back then, the production didn't have much money since they were newcomers, and they were struggling to make ends meet. Ron had agreed to work almost for free because he believed in the script.

From this perspective, he owed Guillermo a significant favor.

Later, when Guillermo directed "Blade II", he promptly cast Ron.

By the time of the third installment, Ron was still the first person Guillermo thought of.

"Inform his agent then; the male lead is provisionally set as Ron Perlman."

Since the director, Guillermo, had such a high regard for him, Lyman saw no strong reason to object.

As a director, casting should ideally cater to the director's needs. After all, when it came to characters, no one had more ideas than Guillermo.

"What about the other roles?" Lyman asked.

"I don't have any specific targets in mind, but considering the budget, it might be better to look for some foreign actors," Guillermo explained. "Many actors from other countries have good acting experience, but when they come to Hollywood, they practically have to start over. Their worth and their talent are somewhat disproportionate. Hiring them would give us a solid foundation, and they often come at a relatively lower price."

"Good idea," Lyman continued, "Have CAA and ICM, and other talent agencies, come up with a list of British or Australian actors, and then we can make our selections."

Two days later, CAA, ICM, and other talent agencies swiftly drafted lists and submitted them.

These actors all had decent acting experience, and most of the supporting roles in the film were filled for just $150,000 in salary per actor.

After signing contracts with these agents, one middle-aged white man stayed behind.

"Lyman, it's nice to meet you. Allow me to introduce myself; I'm John Polman, a senior agent at ICM."

"Is there something you need?" Lyman was somewhat puzzled.

"I heard that Firefly Films' production of "Saw II" was managed by CAA, right?"

"Yes."

John continued, "Did they charge an additional packaging fee?"

His question was somewhat inappropriate, as both companies belonged to different talent agencies, and inquiring about each other's specific collaboration conditions was considered confidential within the industry.

However, they were in a private office, and Lyman had no intention of being evasive. He smiled and replied, "Five percent of the box office revenue, that was the packaging fee charged by CAA."

Back then, Firefly Films had just started, and the production team and talents were still lacking. To quickly film "Saw II", Lyman had agreed to CAA's packaging plan to provide personnel. In addition to their specific salaries, an additional five percent of revenue was given to CAA.

After learning the details, John suddenly asked, "Mr. Lattes, would you be interested in working with us? As long as it's a project from your esteemed company, we will give it our full support. Actors and production teams are not a problem, and there's no need for any additional packaging fees."

Lyman hadn't expected this man to come and recruit him, and the offer seemed quite attractive.

But CAA had it, and ICM didn't.

He politely declined, saying, "ICM is an established talent agency in the industry. But I'm afraid there's no need to go further."

CAA dared to charge this packaging fee because they had the capability.

They provided a comprehensive package, whether it was for music or filming, post-production, or promotion. Otherwise, why would Lyman give away five percent of the box office earnings for nothing?

Moreover, Firefly Films was beginning to establish itself, and they didn't require additional services from a talent agency at the moment. Switching agencies would be meaningless.

Unless ICM could offer a better deal. However, Lyman's economic contract was already top-notch in the industry. If ICM could come up with better terms, it would mean that CAA's top-tier resources would be poached. Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg... everyone wasn't a fool.

Furthermore, rules should be respected.

John wasn't disappointed by the refusal. He had come to sign a few British actors, and he wanted to test if he could lure away some of CAA's talent while he was at it.

If he couldn't, it didn't matter. There was nothing to lose.

By the end of February, all the filming equipment, props, costumes were ready. With input from the company's screenwriters and Guillermo's suggestions, the script was modified to de-emphasize the subplots and concentrate on the main storyline.

With everything in place, "Hellboy" entered the filming stage.