HWI 318
Hollywood What If Chapter 318
Unlike the Maldives with its fresh and warm breeze, Los Angeles has a slightly cold breeze right now. Not because of winter, but because of heavy rain.
Angelina and Kazir returned to Los Angeles and found that the sky was dark and rainy. This weather could last for a week.
"Did you bring an umbrella?" Kazir asked his assistant, Erica Mendez, who waited for her boss at the airport.
"It's been raining since yesterday, so I prepared two umbrellas for you." Erica nodded.
There was a space between the airport entrance and the road that had no canopy to block the rain.
"That's good to hear."
Kazir passed the umbrella to Angelina, but the actress shook her head and grinned mischievously instead.
"I want to share an umbrella with you." She grabbed his arm.
The little incident in the Maldives faded from their minds as they spent most of their time having fun on the island. No reason to be angry with strangers.
"What about the other umbrella?"
"Give it back to Erica."
Well, Erica already had her own umbrella, but she got another one. The umbrella tax...
Kazir and Angelina shared a small space under the umbrella. They were like a young high school couple. Well, as long as they were happy.
Erica followed suit and took the driver's seat. Being an assistant, she also became Kazir's driver.
Looking at the rain and the wet road, Kazir suddenly thought of something.
"Erica, do you know a bodyguard?"
"Bodyguard, sir? A professional bodyguard or someone who just knows how to fight?"
"It's better if he's a professional and has experience in protecting people."
"I'll start looking for one, sir." It seemed that Erica had someone in mind.
"It will be even better if he knows how to drive," Kazir smiled... He realized that he was being too cheap right now.
He was already a millionaire and his life was important. It wouldn't be bad to hire some bodyguards to protect him.
"Sir?"
"Congratulations, Erica. You will no longer be my driver once I find a bodyguard."
"Will I have a salary deduction?"
Erica's salary last year was over $450,000 and it was the biggest amount she ever had. She loved her job because it allowed her to provide for her twins.
If she stopped driving for Kazir, she might lose part of her salary. She would rather continue driving if she had to keep her salary.
"You don't have to worry, Erica. You're my trusted assistant and I'll make sure I never do anything bad to you. Your salary will not be affected."
In fact, Kazir was thinking of raising her salary. Erica knew many of the company's secrets, and Kazir wanted to make sure the woman would remain loyal to him and Grey Pictures. A non-disclosure agreement was an important aspect, but loyalty could make it better.
As Angelina began to nod off against Kazir's shoulder, Kazir decided to ask Erica about his schedule.
"So what's my schedule this week?"
"Sir, Sony Colombia wants to meet with you." Erica started to list important meetings that Kazir had to attend.
Kazir nodded.
"It's probably about 21 Jump Street and the acquisition."
Sony-Colombia's recent performance has been improving. They acquired a profitable franchise called Spider-Man. This franchise alone made Sony-Colombia relevant for decades to come.
'Spider-Man can be compared to Metro Goldwyn Mayer's 007. I say James Bond and Peter Parker carried their respective studios.' Kazir thought.
"Another meeting is about the pre-production of Wanted 2 and..."
"Go on," Kazir muttered. Angelina was already asleep and Kazir gently laid the woman's head on his lap. The flight had been long and the woman was jet-lagged.
"Pirates of the Caribbean..."
"Do you have anything to say, Erica?"
"Sir, a lot of people in the company are afraid that this project could be disastrous."
Kazir just shrugged. He had expected this outcome and was not surprised that some people would react badly.
What they didn't realize is that Pirates of the Caribbean is going to be a huge franchise worth billions of dollars.
In his opinion, it would be too wasteful to let Walt Disney produce this franchise. Besides, Walt Disney didn't care about the cast of Pirates of the Caribbean anyway.
The fact that Walt Disney just fired Johnny Depp without hearing his side of the story was very Disney-like.
"Erica, do you trust me?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you think Pirates of the Caribbean will flop?"
"Sir, you are not God. Not everything will go your way."
"That's right."
Kazir admitted it. Even now he was afraid that he wouldn't be nominated for the Academy Awards. The Golden Globes were one thing, but the Oscars were on another level.
Maybe he really needed this vacation because he was free of stress for a week... Although he missed the feeling of stress, nervousness and thrill.
He wanted to make another movie and prove himself to the industry.
"What about the other CCU movie?"
Grey Pictures released two CCU movies a year. Last year, The Bourne Supremacy and Mr. And Mrs. Smith were released. The performance of both movies was above average. Both were probably in the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2002.
"Ah, about that. You know..."
Erica didn't know how to explain. This particular project was still in the process of casting.
Compared to Wanted 2 and Pirates Of The Caribbean, the last project was quite late.
Wanted 2 would be directed by Fremont Smith, while Pirates Of The Caribbean would be directed by Kazir Grey.
One of the reasons why the last project was late was that it took Grey Pictures a long time to find a director to direct the movie. Many aspiring directors inquired, but only a few could meet the criteria.
It was not easy to be a director. Many of them suffered from too much stress and began to lose their hair.
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[Author's note: I actually have no idea which movie I should choose as the new part of the CCU. So I'm going to ask you for your choices instead. As long as the movies are reasonable and can be added to the CCU, then I have no problem with it. I will list them and make a poll tomorrow].
The Equalizer
The Expendables
Raid
Nobody
[Edit: The poll has already closed and the next franchise has been chosen.]