**Chapter 117: Who Should I Choose?**

The most important decisions to make now were finding the right director and screenwriter.

"Damn, no time again? Alright, I got it, Mike. I'll think about other options," Wayne said, frowning as he hung up the phone while lying on the messy bed, having just had a heated encounter with Monica Bellucci.

Among his next three films, while *The Notebook* was a project he and Jessica were starring in, the most important one was undoubtedly *Taken*.

After all, if this movie was done right, it could at least turn into a trilogy. 

Even in his previous life, when the third film received poor reviews, it still managed to gross $326 million globally on a $48 million budget.

Clearly, it was a solid commercial blockbuster.

In the original version, the screenwriter and producer of *Taken* were the famous French director Luc Besson, while the director was Pierre Morel, a former cameraman who didn't start directing until 2004.

Obviously, Pierre Morel at this point couldn't handle directing *Taken*, so Wayne initially aimed for Luc Besson.

However, after Mike contacted Besson's agent, they found out he was busy shooting *Kiss of the Dragon* with Jet Li until the end of June, by which time it would be too late.

Wayne was a bit disappointed, but he didn't take it too seriously at first. After all, there were plenty of capable action film directors in Hollywood.

For instance, Joel Silver had the Wachowski brothers directing *The Matrix* series, Rob Cohen had directed hits like *Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story*, *The Fast and the Furious*, and *XXX*, and Michael Bay had already become a top-tier Hollywood director with *Bad Boys* and *Armageddon*.

But to Wayne's frustration, these directors either demanded a cut of the post-release profits, refusing a fixed salary, or were tied up with other projects.

A week passed, and he still hadn't nailed down a director.

The screenwriter situation wasn't much better. Although Luc Besson offered to write a script, it would take two months and cost $3 million.

Wayne was so angry that he nearly crushed his phone.

He was generous, but not a fool.

$3 million for an action movie script? What, was Besson writing a bestselling novel? For that price, Wayne might as well write it himself!

After checking with the system and learning that his screenwriting fee cap had risen to $2 million due to his involvement in writing *Accepted*, *Happy Death Day*, and *Gifted*, Wayne decided not to let the opportunity slip away and chose to write *Taken* himself.

"Honey, is there trouble with the new film?" Monica Bellucci asked, concerned. After all, this project was an important chance for her comeback.

"It's nothing, just that I haven't found the right director yet," Wayne replied honestly. "My agent has contacted a bunch of people, but most of the top action directors don't have any availability."

Action films were one of the hottest genres in Hollywood, and because they often required high budgets and were difficult to shoot, studios preferred to work with directors who had proven success. This made the schedules of these directors extremely tight.

Monica Bellucci, being in the industry, understood this as well.

"Can you tell me who you've contacted?" she asked.

"Of course. Luc Besson, Michael Bay, the Wachowski brothers…" Wayne listed more than a dozen names, covering almost every major action director in Hollywood at the time.

After listening, Monica thought for a moment, then asked, "What about John Woo?"

"Who?" Wayne was momentarily confused before realizing she meant John Woo, the famous Hong Kong director.

"John Woo, the director of last year's *Mission: Impossible 2*, which was the global box office champion," Monica explained. To her, John Woo, with his record-breaking box office hit, seemed like a top action director.

But Wayne frowned.

Sure, John Woo, a big director from Hong Kong, had made some classic action films.

*Face/Off* grossed $246 million worldwide on an $80 million budget, and *Mission: Impossible 2*, released in 2000, grossed $546 million worldwide, claiming the year's top box office spot. To most people, he was undeniably a top-tier action director.

But according to what Wayne remembered from his previous life, after the success of *Mission: Impossible 2*, John Woo's career began to decline.

His next two films, *Windtalkers* starring Nicolas Cage and *Paycheck* starring Ben Affleck, were both box office flops, losing millions despite high production costs. In both cases, John Woo was blamed for the failure, and Hollywood essentially abandoned him.

It was worth noting that *Windtalkers*' failure even contributed to MGM's financial problems and eventual sale.

After that, John Woo directed *Red Cliff*, which barely broke even, and *The Crossing*, which was a financial disaster.

So why would Wayne hire John Woo to direct *Taken*? Wasn't it hard enough already without adding more risk?

But of course, Wayne couldn't tell Monica all of this, so he offered a different reason instead. "The success of *Mission: Impossible 2* was all thanks to Tom Cruise."

"The first film grossed $457 million globally four years ago on an $80 million budget. The second film's budget increased to $125 million, but it only made $546 million. From the studio's perspective, that was a failure." 

(End of chapter)