Chapter 356: How Many More People Are You Planning to Harm

[Chapter 356: How Many More People Are You Planning to Harm]

Seeing that Eric was unwilling to let go, Connelly nodded and didn't add anything more.

"It's getting late; just look outside," Connelly said after a while, glancing out the window.

Eric checked his watch and remembered he still needed to finalize the lead actress for Point Break today. As for the two lead actors, Kathryn Bigelow had already signed Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. Keanu had even started immersing himself in the role by spending time with a police department in Los Angeles.

Looking at the woman in his arms, Eric quickly made a decision. He picked up the phone and called Kathryn Bigelow, casually making an excuse that he wouldn't be attending the audition for the lead actress today, leaving the decision to her.

Of course, he was met with some teasing from Kathryn, who thought his evasiveness was due to the awkwardness he felt from her blunt comments the day before.

After hanging up, Eric turned to Connelly, who had been listening intently. "Well, that's it for today. We've got a whole day free now."

Connelly tucked her chin in, asking, "You were just talking about casting, weren't you?"

"Yeah, I'm producing a film titled Point Break. It's a cop thriller about some criminals robbing British Airways and an undercover agent. However, the film features a lot of parkour and extreme sports, so it's going to be really cool once it's done. You should check it out when it comes out," Eric explained casually.

Noticing the expression on the woman's face, he quickly added, "The lead role isn't right for you. Kathryn wants someone with a wild persona, which you definitely don't have."

Caught with her thoughts laid bare, Connelly felt a bit embarrassed, only to hear Eric continue, "Actually, there's a great opportunity tonight. Robert is throwing a celebration party for the success of the box office for Sleeping with the Enemy, and a lot of Hollywood producers will be there. I can ask around to see if there's a suitable movie for you. I bet quite a few people in Hollywood would still be willing to do me a favor."

"Honestly, there's no rush," the woman replied, trying to maintain a level of modesty but soon couldn't help asking, "Do you have plans for your next film?"

"I have a story about tornadoes, but we can't start filming until the special effects issues are sorted out. It'll probably have to wait until next Spring," Eric said casually without going into too much detail. He knew she wouldn't be interested in his grand plans like Cameron would be.

He had already given the lead role in Twister to Joanna Pacula. Joanna was currently taking English speaking classes. After being in the U.S. for so many years, her speaking still wasn't perfect. Although Eric inexplicably enjoyed her accent when she said "I'm sorry," the lead role was a native-born American, and it would be laughable if her speech had a strong European immigrant accent.

Additionally, filming for Twister wouldn't begin until next Spring at the earliest. To minimize the time the large budget was tied up in the project, it might start as late as Summer next year. This was common for many films in Hollywood.

Spring and Summer were the peak seasons for tornadoes. If they chose to shoot in the Fall or Winter, it would be testing the intelligence of North American audiences. With special effects technology at the current level, outdoor shoots would surely not be feasible. Combined with post-production effects, the production timeline for Twister would stretch to a whole year, aiming for a release as a summer blockbuster in 1992.

At that rate, Eric's directing frequency would revert to the standard rhythm of most directors, making a film every year or two. In the next couple of years, Eric wouldn't be able to devote all his energy to Twister. He would need to oversee Cameron's Terminator 2 and Point Break personally later this year. Once those two projects were completed, and the special effects for Twister sorted out, he could start preparing that film.

Even though special effects films would become mainstream in the future, and Eric would focus his main efforts on their production, he wouldn't neglect the smaller films with shorter turnaround times and high returns. However, he planned to adopt Spielberg's work style, directing one film while producing multiple others.

Jennifer Connelly, realizing Eric had drifted off after a moment, mildly expressed her dissatisfaction: "Eric, what are you thinking about?"

Eric suddenly snapped back to the present, realizing he had neglected the beautiful woman in his arms. "Nothing."

"Let's get up then," Connelly said, attempting to sit up, only to be pulled back into his arms again by Eric.

"I just pushed my work for today aside, and you must not have any plans either, right?"

Connelly chuckled and replied, "Well, Eric, I'm actually hungry."

Seeing her expression, Eric relented. "Alright, what do you want to eat, or we could go out. There are quite a few nice restaurants in Malibu."

"Aren't you afraid of being seen?" Jennifer Connelly asked with a smile.

...

"Another one, you really are busy," Elisabeth said as soon as she saw Eric that evening at the Hilton banquet hall.

Eric glanced at the woman heading toward the restroom before turning to Elisabeth. "Of course, especially after hearing someone complain like a scorned wife. I find it rather satisfying."

"Ha, a scorned wife -- are you talking about me?" Elisabeth laughed, as if he had made the grandest joke.

Eric shrugged, "Whoever it is knows in their heart. I'm just curious why you seem to be everywhere I go."

"This is a celebration party for Sleeping with the Enemy. I'm good friends with Julia, so isn't it reasonable for me to be here?" Elisabeth clarified coherently.

"It seems reasonable, but it still feels a bit off," Eric admitted. "Between you two..."

"That's none of your business," Elisabeth quickly interrupted Eric's speculation. "I happened to overhear that you were talking to James Brooks about a movie?"

Eric candidly revealed, "Yes, I'm looking for a suitable film for Jen to star in."

Elisabeth smirked, teasingly adding, "How many more people are you planning to harm this time?"

Eric felt confused. "I don't understand what you're getting at."

*****

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