Chapter 181: Completion of "Rain Man"

Over the weekend, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" saw a slight decline in viewership, but the program still boasted an average of 15.6 million viewers over a full week of trial episodes, securing its position as the highest-rated TV show in North America during the summer season.

However, ABC found it difficult to accept the $2 million per episode price tag insisted upon by Daenerys Productions.

After several unsuccessful negotiations, ABC's negotiation team, led by President Daniel Burke, returned to New York, seemingly prepared for a standoff with Daenerys Productions.

Daenerys Productions remained unfazed, turning their attention to negotiating with other networks for the remaining three reality shows.

On another front, after the Producers Guild issued a ban on production companies that signed contracts with the Writers Guild ahead of schedule, the WGA filed an antitrust lawsuit against the Producers Guild with the Supreme Court on the following Monday, seeking to halt the alleged monopolistic and unfair competition practices of the Producers Guild.

Both the entertainment industry insiders and the media were aware that the WGA's lawsuit was likely to succeed. However, it was also clear that the Producers Guild would not comply with the verdict straightforwardly, and those production companies that had signed early contracts with the WGA were destined to face retaliatory actions.

After a strike lasting over three months, instability began to emerge within the WGA.

Without any income for a quarter, some writers who couldn't endure the financial strain started requesting the WGA to relax the strike rules.

On June 27th, 16 WGA members proposed a temporary provision allowing writers to sign contracts with production companies during the strike without fulfilling them immediately.

This would enable writers to receive a portion of the advance payment to sustain their livelihood. The proposal was predictably rejected by the WGA.

However, this incident exposed the WGA's weakened state.

Many media outlets began to predict that if the situation continued, the strike could lead to disastrous consequences for the American Writers Guild, with the worst-case scenario being a mass exodus of writers from the guild, potentially leading to its disintegration.

There have been precedents in American history where strikes in industries such as textiles, automotive, and newspapers failed due to non-compromise from the employers, resulting in the disintegration of the unions.

However, such a scenario had not yet occurred in Hollywood.

As the situation progressed, the Producers Guild started to take a stronger stance.

After their new contract proposal was rejected by the WGA through a vote, the Producers Guild announced that the next negotiation would take place in August, with no contact with the WGA until then.

Additionally, they confidently stated that based on the success of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," more reality shows that do not require writers would be developed to fill the upcoming fall TV season.

This announcement almost guaranteed that the 1988 strike would become the longest in Hollywood history.

While the WGA faced dire circumstances, Daenerys Productions thrived, with media reports suggesting they could make hundreds of millions of dollars from each season of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and were continuously providing networks with reality shows that threatened writers' livelihoods.

Consequently, writers in distress quickly targeted Daenerys Productions.

In the last days of June, crowds expressing dissatisfaction appeared outside the headquarters of Daenerys Productions, attracting media attention and coverage. Despite this, the internal operations of Daenerys Productions were hardly affected.

The contracts for the lead roles in "Batman" were finalized in the last week of June.

Adam Baldwin, who was set to play Bruce Wayne, signed a 15-year, five-picture deal with Daenerys Productions.

His initial salary for the first movie was $300,000, a relatively high figure for an actor known for minor roles in films and TV shows. Considering the challenges of filming "Batman," Simon generously offered this salary. Daenerys Productions also agreed to cover Baldwin's physical training expenses for the next six months.

However, Baldwin's salary for subsequent movies would increase based on a maximum base of $3 million.

In simple terms, Baldwin could earn up to $3 million for the sequel, $6 million for the third installment, $9 million for the fourth, and $12 million for the fifth, with no profit-sharing clauses.

In this era, apart from stars who earned tens of millions through profit-sharing, no Hollywood actor had a base salary reaching tens of millions. Both WMA and Baldwin himself had no complaints about the contract.

Simon knew that with the rapid expansion of the European and videotape markets in the coming years, Hollywood stars' salaries would significantly increase.

Even based on the original timeline's global box office of $500 million for the first "Batman" movie, Baldwin might not be satisfied with a $3 million salary for the sequel.

However, Simon was not worried about Baldwin's potential dissatisfaction due to the 15-year contract duration and the pre-determined salary scheme. The contract also included many restrictive clauses to prevent Baldwin from taking on roles that conflicted with "Batman" during the contract period, unless approved by Daenerys Productions.

If Baldwin wished to terminate the contract early, it was possible, but he would have to pay three times his earnings during the contract and for three years after its termination. This severe and costly breach clause would effectively ruin Baldwin's career.

Valerie Golino, cast as Catwoman, signed for three movies with Daenerys Productions.

Considering Scarlett Johansson's second-highest salary of $20 million as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Daenerys Productions also included precautionary terms in Golino's contract.

Despite being the youngest winner of the Venice Film Festival, European actresses traditionally had lower value in Hollywood. Simon chose Golino for Catwoman partly because of her cost-effectiveness.

Golino's salary for the first movie was $200,000, slightly less than Baldwin's. For the next two movies, her salary would increase with a base of $2.5 million, up to $2.5 million for the second and $5 million for the third movie.

Simon did not plan for Golino to play the leading female role in all three movies.

If her performance in the first movie was outstanding, Simon considered making a standalone "Catwoman" movie from her three-picture deal.

Of course, all these plans depended on the market performance of the first "Batman" movie.

With the casting of "Batman" closely watched by North American media, keeping the news secret was nearly impossible.

Despite Daenerys Productions' attempts to keep the news under wraps, details about Baldwin and Golino's roles leaked to the media before the contracts were finalized.

As with every "Batman" casting in the original timeline, the confirmation of the news led to dissatisfaction among comic fans, who did not see Baldwin as their ideal Batman. Daenerys Productions received a multitude of similar letters almost daily.

Golino also faced similar scrutiny.

Daenerys Productions ignored these controversies. Once the contracts were signed, the company held a press conference to officially introduce the two leads to the public.

After the press conference, Simon sent them to Australia for the first stage of training to avoid media pursuit. With one and a half years until the film's release, excessive exposure was undesirable. This also allowed the actors to familiarize themselves with the filming environment.

Indeed, the first "Batman" movie would be filmed in Australia.

The comic's setting for Gotham City leaned towards Chicago. However, the creation of a fictional city was meant to convey that 'Gotham' could be any city in the world.

Simon initially preferred filming in Chicago. However, considering the filming schedule, this was impractical.

"Batman" was set to begin filming early next year, when Chicago would be in the midst of its coldest winter, with temperatures easily reaching below zero and the possibility of blizzards. Such conditions would prevent the crew from working.

In contrast, the Southern Hemisphere would be experiencing summer at that time.

After choosing between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's most bustling cities, Simon, influenced by Janet, decided on Melbourne. Janet's family was based in Melbourne, and the city's river-crossed layout somewhat resembled Gotham City.

Most importantly, as the base of the Johnston family, filming in Melbourne would ensure maximum administrative support for the "Batman" crew.

Filming a movie also required connections, a fact undeniable by anyone.

Simon did not shy away from utilizing such profound resources and connections.

Of course, filming for several months meant Simon would frequently interact with other members of the Johnston family, likely a desired outcome for Janet.

Amidst the turmoil, June 1988 quietly passed.

July 1st, coincidentally a Friday, marked the end of "Pulp Fiction's" four-week run since its release from June 3rd to June 30th.

Following its first week's $27.53 million and second week's $23.38 million, "Pulp Fiction" earned $17.3 million and $15.03 million in its third and fourth weeks, respectively. Thus, its cumulative North American box office reached $83.26 million in June, nearing the $100 million milestone by less than $20 million.

Given the film's robust box office trend, "Pulp Fiction" was expected to surpass $100 million in the following two weeks, seamlessly transitioning to "Basic Instinct's" release on July 15th.

Despite various major events in Hollywood, the controversy and discussion around "Basic Instinct" continued, driven by Fox and Daenerys Productions. The companies consistently released various messages to maintain the film's media momentum.

During "Pulp Fiction's" release, Disney's "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" also premiered as scheduled on June 24th.

This $70 million animated and live-action hybrid movie opened with $21.56 million, not as spectacular as previous releases like "Crocodile Dundee II," "Rambo III," and "Pulp Fiction." However, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" received unanimous praise from media and audiences, promising impressive long-term performance.

Sandra Bullock, who reduced her salary for a profit-sharing deal in "A Fish Called Wanda," saw its release on July 1st. As the lead actress in the previous year's top-grossing film, her involvement led MGM to prioritize the film, investing heavily in marketing and securing 1,129 screens for its opening.

"A Fish Called Wanda" received widespread acclaim in pre-release screenings, leaving the film's box office performance eagerly anticipated.

Beyond these events, Daenerys Productions' $25 million project "Rain Man" wrapped up filming at the end of June without dragging into July, despite challenges with the lead actors.

However, "Rain Man's" $25 million budget was nearly depleted by the end of filming.

The salaries for Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise were $6 million each, with director Barry Levinson receiving $3 million due to a prior contract signed before the release of "Good Morning, Vietnam" last year.

"Good Morning, Vietnam" not only propelled Robin Williams to stardom but also established Levinson as a top director. If the contract had been signed after the movie's release, Daenerys Productions might have had to offer a salary comparable to the leads or include profit-sharing clauses.

With $15 million allocated to the main creators, the remaining $10 million was spent over three months of filming, leaving less than $3 million for post-production.

Fortunately, "Rain Man," a drama, did not require substantial post-production investment, primarily focusing on editing and scoring. Thus, the remaining funds, though tight, should suffice for completion, with minimal potential for overruns.

However, another critical issue persisted.

"Rain Man" was not a high-concept film with a straightforward plot. As a counter-typical road movie with a slow narrative, the editing and scoring were crucial for replicating the original timeline's success. Without careful attention, the film, composed of numerous minor scenes, could deviate significantly from the original version.

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