Chapter 270: Turn of Events

"Let's talk about the Oscar campaign event by Disney Studios."

In the office of the talent agency, Helen Herman seriously said to Matthew, "You must attend these events. We have an agreement with Disney Studios."

Matthew nodded, "Yeah, I know."

Helen continued, "On December 2nd, which is tomorrow night, Disney Studios is hosting a thank-you cocktail party, inviting many film critics and veterans from the industry. On December 4th, Johnny Depp has a campaign party at Beverly Hills. On December 6th, Disney Studios will hold a screening of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and a sequel discussion session at the La Caldera Theater in Santa Monica. On December 9th, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards will announce the winners, and both you and Depp need to attend..."

The schedule arranged by Disney Studios was packed, clearly in full preparation for the Oscar campaign.

Listening to this long list of events, Matthew didn't say much. Having received his film salary, he now had to serve a series of activities for the film. The film salary in Hollywood never just meant the shooting payment.

Ring, ring, ring—

Before Helen could finish the lengthy list of activities, the office phone suddenly rang. She quickly answered it. After hearing a few words, her face hidden behind black-rimmed glasses showed a mix of surprise and astonishment.

"What?" Her voice clearly reflected her emotions, "James Franco's agent has terminated negotiations with Jerry Bruckheimer? Why?"

Matthew immediately thought that "National Treasure" must have encountered another unexpected issue.

This film, from the moment Jerry Bruckheimer conceived it, had faced various problems, including issues with the script and funding, especially the script. According to information shared by Anderson Martinez after auditions, the script had been overturned several times within nine months, just the male lead's character setting had swung between middle-aged and young types. If there was news now that the project was canceled, he wouldn't find it surprising.

Not to mention other aspects, just the choice of the male lead, Anderson Martinez told Helen Herman that Jerry Bruckheimer initially considered him, then liked Nicolas Cage for a while, later thought he was suitable again, but rejected him at the audition and chose James Franco. Now it seemed James Franco might also have encountered an issue...

Matthew was certain this was the most indecisive and dragging project he had encountered since entering Hollywood.

Of course, in Disney Studios, this dragged-out project that couldn't settle various aspects for a year was actually not considered dragging.

Over the years, Matthew had come to understand very clearly that most major Hollywood productions had a basic cycle of three years: the first year included scriptwriting among various preparations, the second year was for casting, shooting, and post-production, and the third year was for promotion and release.

Actors typically started participating in the second year, usually spending a few months to a few weeks in preparation before the shooting started.

Therefore, actors tended to be very productive, with some starring in two to three movies within a year being quite common. Film directors' outputs were much less by comparison, with those shooting a film every two years considered highly productive, and those producing a film annually deemed outright prolific.

Producers generally weren't too different from directors in this regard, but there were always exceptions, like Jerry Bruckheimer, who has maintained a pace of one or even two films a year since the mid-90s, a level of high-intensity production unmatched in Hollywood.

In some ways, Jerry Bruckheimer is very similar to Spielberg in the directorial world, leading projects that are quick, accurate, and highly successful.

They both are representatives of Hollywood's assembly line.

The delay of "National Treasure" was quite normal.

As for abnormal situations, Matthew had heard about an antique-level project within Disney Studios.

Edgar Rice Burroughs' famous science fiction novel "A Princess of Mars" had been a filming target for Disney Studios since the 1930s and 40s, intended to be adapted into an animated film like Snow White, but it was delayed for various reasons.

This delay lasted for decades. By the late 70s, Disney Studios decided to restart this movie plan, hired the then-emerging Robert Zemeckis, and the movie entered the substantial planning phase. Something unexpected happened, and Robert Zemeckis resigned from the director position, and the project was shelved again.

In the mid-80s, Michael Eisner, who had just taken control of Disney, also showed interest in this project, hired John McTiernan as director, and started formal negotiations with the then-rising star Tom Cruise. However, conflicts arose during negotiations, Tom Cruise refused to play the male lead, and the project was halted again.

Then, entering the 21st century, Robert Stanton remembered this decades-old antique and wanted to restart the movie adaptation of "A Princess of Mars," hired Joe Hamm to write the script and direct. The script underwent six revisions, and eventually, Joe Hamm, citing "the most exciting sci-fi elements in the original have already been 'borrowed' by George Lucas in 'Star Wars,'" opted out of the project.

To this day, the adaptation of "A Princess of Mars" remains in Disney Studios' plans.

Matthew knew about this antique project because Andrew Stanton from Pixar Studio was said to have taken an interest in it, but unfortunately, Pixar was in a dispute with Disney over an acquisition and couldn't get the adaptation rights temporarily.

After Helen Herman finished her calls, she made several more calls. Once she was done, Matthew asked, "Was there a problem with Jerry Bruckheimer?"

"From the initial auditions in early November to now, negotiations between James Franco and Jerry Bruckheimer have been ongoing for nearly a month, never reaching an agreement," Helen Herman said straightforwardly, "Then, James Franco refused the project."

Matthew was curious but didn't speak, knowing Helen Herman would provide a detailed explanation.

Helen didn't keep him waiting, saying, "James Franco's side asked for a $10 million salary, but Disney Studios and Jerry Bruckheimer think he's not worth that price. The two sides have been in a tug of war."

"That shouldn't have led to a fallout, right?" Matthew asked.

Negotiations over salaries lasting several months were common in Hollywood.

"It's just that James Franco has big plans," Helen suddenly smiled, "He wrote a script himself and has been wanting to direct, but couldn't pull in investments. Before Thanksgiving, it's said he met with David Ellison, Larry Ellison's son, who's planning to venture into Hollywood and decided to invest in James Franco's project called 'Monkey King,' on the condition that James Franco star in another aerial combat movie he's investing in."

"Larry Ellison?" Matthew had seen this name in the newspapers, "Is that the one who's always arguing with Bill Gates?"

Helen nodded, "That's right, David Ellison is his son, a super-rich second generation, to whom money is just a numbers game." She added, "After getting David Ellison's investment, James Franco actively terminated this negotiation."

Matthew understood, "The little green goblin wants to be a director."

"I've received information…" Helen had obviously gathered a lot of relevant info from her calls, "James Franco plans to direct and star in it himself."

Matthew nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "Do I still have a chance?"

"You could say

 that." Helen tapped her fingers slowly on the desk, saying, "The call came from Anderson Martinez. After the auditions, the production team had started preparations. The film is scheduled for release during next year's holiday season, and Jerry Bruckheimer needs to quickly finalize the male lead."

She looked at Matthew, "You are now one of Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney Studios' backup options."

Matthew was puzzled, "Didn't Jerry Bruckheimer say last time that my personal temperament didn't match the protagonist's setting?"

"Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney Studios are planning to change the protagonist's setting again," Helen shrugged slightly, "In the past nine months, they've already changed the script and character setting nearly ten times. Changing it once more isn't a big deal."

She stopped her finger tapping and said, "I just called a high-ranking official at Disney Studios. He said the Disney Studios review committee was originally dissatisfied with the script submitted by Jerry Bruckheimer, considering the film's intricate decryption too much and the action-adventure scenes too few, which would affect the audience's viewing experience. If it wasn't Jerry Bruckheimer, the last script would have been sent back for a rewrite long ago."

Matthew suddenly thought of Anderson Martinez, who made the call. Given his personality, if Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney Studios hadn't intended to adjust the script again, he wouldn't have bothered calling Helen Herman.

Helen stood up, walked back and forth in front of the window, and, synthesizing all the information, realized that Matthew, originally out of the game, had a chance to get back in.

She turned around, looked at Matthew, and said, "So, I'll accompany you to Disney Studios' Oscar campaign cocktail party tomorrow night."

"What do I need to do?" Matthew understood Helen's intention.

"You just need to fully cooperate with Disney Studios' work! Continue to show them you're a serious and professional actor who still wants to work with them," Helen said calmly, "Leave the rest to me to talk with Robert Stanton and Jerry Bruckheimer."

She knew Matthew, as he became famous, was becoming more thoughtful. As his agent, she also needed to demonstrate her capability.

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