Chapter 140: New Project

"Your mom called me."

On Monday morning, Duke reminded Scarlett Johansson as he dropped her off at school, "She'll pick you up after school today, so don't wander off. Understand?"

After getting out of the car, the little girl wobbled her way toward the school. Duke watched her until she entered the school gates before starting his car and driving away. By the time he arrived at Duke Studios, his agent Nancy Josephson was already waiting in the office.

Lately, Nancy had been focusing most of her energy on the negotiations to greenlight *Saving Private Ryan*, frequently meeting with the top executives of several major Hollywood studios. The negotiations were gradually yielding preliminary results.

"Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox both have clear investment intentions."

Sitting across from Duke, Nancy Josephson briefly updated him on the situation. "The two companies are interested in continuing their collaboration after the success of *Independence Day*, and they have the most confidence in you. The only complication is that Walt Disney also wants in, and like Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox, they've already moved the project into the preliminary review stage after receiving our script."

"What's Warner's and Fox's stance?" Duke asked.

"The revenue from *Independence Day* is just too high." Nancy Josephson gave a wry but somewhat pleased smile. "Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox don't want to easily share the profits of *Saving Private Ryan* with anyone else."

"When will they pass the review?"

This was Duke's primary concern. "I want to know roughly when the project will be greenlit."

"The earliest would be October." Nancy Josephson seemed a bit helpless as well. "You know as well as I do by now, Duke—every investment from a Hollywood production company is not a simple decision."

Duke could only nod. If it were as simple as the rumors claimed, where a Hollywood CEO could decide to invest millions or even billions into a film project with just a few words, he wouldn't have to go through so much trouble and waiting every time.

Unfortunately, every commercial company has a mature operational system and checks on power. Every investment is both risky and cautious.

"And one more thing, Duke." Nancy Josephson continued, "Disney isn't backing down either. Their team is still negotiating with Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox. Michael Eisner personally called me yesterday to ask about your attitude toward Disney's investment."

"What do you think of Disney?" she asked.

"Having another major film company on board could only benefit our movie."

Although Michael Eisner had a reputation for being autocratic, that didn't concern Duke. "As long as Disney doesn't interfere excessively in the film's production, I'm open to it. If they support my director's profit-sharing agreement, I'd be happy to welcome them."

By now, Duke receiving top-tier director treatment and gaining directorial authority, including final cut rights, was pretty much a given. The specific terms would be discussed by Nancy Josephson with the co-producers once the project passed the preliminary review.

According to Nancy Josephson, if Duke personally supported Disney's participation in the investment, they would owe him a small favor. In the future, if he needed Disney's help and his request wasn't excessive, Michael Eisner's credibility would likely ensure he wouldn't refuse.

Hollywood is a place of both competition and cooperation, and the relationships can be quite delicate. All of this hinged on the fact that, like Spielberg, Duke now had the clout to negotiate with major studios.

The difference in status between a new director and one who had grossed top box office earnings in Hollywood was so vast it couldn't even be described as a chasm.

After discussing *Saving Private Ryan* and the investors for a while longer, the conversation turned to other topics.

"I just got some news, Duke."

Nancy Josephson brought up ICM's competitor. "Michael Ovitz has officially left CAA. Starting next month, he'll take over as CEO of Walt Disney."

"Who's replacing him at CAA?" Duke immediately grew interested.

"An old acquaintance of yours, Martin,He beat out Enno Martel to become CAA's new leader."

Hearing Nancy's words, Duke slowly nodded. Martin was one of CAA's bigwigs, second only to Michael Ovitz in both experience and influence within the agency, so it wasn't surprising that he won the internal competition.

Now that CAA's leadership transition was complete, it meant their internal competition was over. The entertainment agency giant would continue to move forward under its established model, and they were likely to attract even more Hollywood stars and directors.

If Duke remembered correctly, the internal strife would now shift to Walt Disney. Though he didn't know exactly when Michael Ovitz would assume and leave his position, the man, once hyped by the media as Hollywood's most powerful agent, would soon fade from Hollywood's stage and be forgotten.

In reality, compared to media company titans like Michael Eisner, Michael Ovitz was inferior in both ability and other aspects.

While Duke and Nancy Josephson were discussing his next movie project, over at CAA's headquarters in Century City, many people were entering a conference room, preparing for one of CAA's major package deals.

"Mel, long time no see."

Dressed sharply in a suit, a refreshed Sean Connery walked over to embrace Mel Gibson. "Thanks for the invite."

"There's no one in all of Hollywood better suited to playing a Scottish nobleman than you."

Mel Gibson laughed heartily as they stepped back from the embrace. "This film tells the story of Scotland's fight for independence. How could I forget someone who's always been a champion of Scottish independence?"

Hollywood directors and stars often had their own political stances and agendas. This had been the case for many years, and films wrapped in political messages often achieved unexpected success.

The last to enter the conference room was Sherry Lansing, CEO of Paramount Pictures, showing how much Paramount valued this package deal.

After brief pleasantries, the meeting officially began.

"The confirmed cast so far is myself and Sean."

As both director and lead actor, Mel Gibson quickly got to the point. "For the female lead, I'm planning to invite French actress Sophie Marceau. She fits the character profile, has a certain international reputation, wants to break into Hollywood, and won't demand a high salary."

No one objected to this suggestion. As the project's lead producer, Mel Gibson clearly had considerable influence. He continued, "The film's production budget is estimated at 55 million dollars. The official title will be *Braveheart*, and the primary shooting location will be in Ireland. The Irish military has agreed to provide us with the necessary support."

He then turned to Sherry Lansing. "Has Paramount set the release date?"

"We're going with your recommendation," Sherry Lansing responded directly. "The North American release will be scheduled for the weekend before Memorial Day."

This is another prime slot outside of the Independence Day holiday, with Memorial Day being the last Monday in May. It's a federal holiday that forms a three-day weekend and is a highly coveted release window for commercial blockbusters.

"Sherry, CAA will coordinate with Paramount."

This being the first major package deal led by Martin Baum, he naturally wanted it to succeed. "I believe we should start pouring resources into publicity as soon as the film enters pre-production, to make sure the market is aware that there's a major release coming next Memorial Day."

"Paramount has already prepared a comprehensive promotional plan."

Though Paramount's *Forrest Gump* had been a massive hit, it was a legacy project from the previous CEO. Sherry Lansing needed a big success of her own to cement her position. "In fact, starting next week, the film's pre-release marketing campaign will begin. Viacom will utilize all its media resources, including CBS."

A 55 million dollar investment is considered a big-budget production in this era. With Mel Gibson's star power, as long as the marketing is well-executed, attracting audience interest won't be a problem.

"Are there any strong competitors releasing films at the same time?" Mel Gibson suddenly asked.

"Not at the moment…"

Martin Baum flipped through the documents in front of him. "According to the currently announced schedules, there's no major production slated for that period."

"Mel, with your track record over the past few years,"

One of CAA's other agents chuckled. "Plus the full support of CAA and Paramount, as soon as we announce the film's release during Memorial Day weekend, I believe any other projects planning to release around that time will likely adjust their schedules."

Mel Gibson, known for his rebellious nature, readily agreed with a nod. Given the consecutive hits he'd had in recent years, such praise wasn't unwarranted.

As the new week began, CAA and Paramount Pictures jointly held a press conference to officially announce their collaboration on *Braveheart*. They also revealed the film's release date. Although they didn't divulge much about the plot, the news of Mel Gibson directing and starring caused quite a stir.

Duke, however, wasn't paying attention to these developments. Lately, Sofia Coppola, Zack Snyder, John Schwartzman, and others had returned from their vacations. Duke had reassembled his team, drafting storyboards and script outlines while waiting for Nancy Josephson to finalize negotiations with the film studios.

Of course, Duke was also closely monitoring *Independence Day*'s box office numbers, as they directly affected his earnings, especially the international box office. If it met expectations, the revenue would surpass the domestic box office earnings.

.....

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