Chapter 125: Catwoman

In the morning, Arthur woke up groggily to a sudden, intense sensation. He groaned, his hands reaching under the blanket to Jennifer Connelly's hair. Soon after, Arthur took a deep breath as Jennifer Connelly emerged from under the blanket, panting.

She licked her lips and smiled, "How's that for a unique wake-up call?"

Arthur smirked and pulled Jennifer Connelly close to his chest, running his hand down her smooth back. "Remember, only I get this special wake-up service."

"I know," Jennifer Connelly swallowed deliberately, "Just treat me well, and I'll make sure you have an even better time."

"What do you mean by 'even better time'?"

"Guess for yourself," Jennifer Connelly laughed, "I need to freshen up. I have to go with The Rocketeer crew to a TV show."

She got out of bed, her voluptuous figure perfectly displayed in front of Arthur.

"After The Rocketeer releases, if it doesn't do well, I'll stay at Galaxy and be your assistant, okay?"

"Of course," Arthur nodded, "Having someone trustworthy by my side would be perfect."

At noon, Arthur arrived at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank. Last year, after Time Inc. merged with Warner Bros., they formed Time Warner. Steve Ross, the former Warner Bros. chairman, and Nicholas, the former Time Inc. chairman, became co-CEOs.

At this moment, in Steve Ross's office at Time Warner, Warner Bros. president Ted Ashley brought Arthur in.

"I didn't expect you to be so young," Steve Ross said, looking at Arthur in surprise.

"Orion's early collaboration with Warner Bros. was always pleasant. Now that Galaxy has taken over Orion's assets, we can still continue working together. How about letting Warner Bros. handle Galaxy's international business?"

Arthur smiled, "Mr. Ross, currently, Orion has a close partnership with Columbia TriStar. Also, Galaxy isn't planning to sell overseas rights to raise funds, preferring to operate on a minimum guarantee sharing model."

Ted Ashley, the head of Warner Bros., laughed, "Arthur, it seems you're not only confident but also ambitious."

Galaxy's current approach was not typical for independent film companies.

"There's no choice. The international market is crucial for Hollywood," Arthur took the coffee handed by a staff member. "Galaxy plans to set up offices in key countries and regions, like Japan, Australia, and Western Europe."

Steve Ross shook his head, "Your idea is good, but an international distribution network requires a lot of personnel. Without enough content to support it, it won't last."

"That's why I'll take it slow. For now, Galaxy will still rely on other international distributors or agencies," Arthur knew setting up an international distribution network wasn't cheap. This was why Paramount, Universal, and MGM had jointly established the United International Pictures in the early 80s to share costs.

Ted Ashley chimed in, "For Galaxy's movie The Bodyguard, I think Warner Bros. can help with the overseas distribution..."

In the afternoon, when Arthur left Warner Bros. Studios, he couldn't help but admire the massive production base. After reclaiming the other half of the shares from Columbia, this production base was now entirely Warner Bros.' asset.

However, as Arthur walked to the entrance, he saw a woman in a homemade Catwoman costume angrily yelling at the Warner Bros. entrance.

"Well, that's something," Arthur shook his head and quickly left Warner Bros. Studios.

At Galaxy Pictures, in Arthur's office.

"Did you really hand over The Bodyguard's international business to Warner Bros.?" Amy Pascal asked.

Arthur nodded, "Steve Ross and Ted Ashley both expressed interest. They seem to have high hopes for Kevin Costner!" Arthur explained.

"Kevin Costner has two movies releasing soon with Warner Bros., Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves next month and the political thriller JFK at the end of the year," Amy Pascal reminded Arthur.

Arthur smiled, "No wonder. Anyway, Village Roadshow will handle Australia, and Warner Bros. can take the other regions. We've done several movies with Columbia TriStar, so it's time to collaborate with other major studios."

Moreover, Galaxy Orion didn't have its own international channels yet. It was better to let the major studios earn that money than some agencies.

"Of course. Even if we need to raise funds in the future, having good relationships with the big studios will be beneficial," Amy Pascal had no objections. "But what about the offices in Western Europe, Japan, and Australia?"

"We have to establish them," Arthur was firm about these key markets.

Amy Pascal nodded in agreement...

The next day, Arthur saw a news headline: "The Hollywood Crazy Lady!"

Hollywood actress Sean Young dressed in a homemade, low-quality Catwoman costume, angrily yelling at the Warner Bros. entrance, demanding the role of Catwoman in Batman Returns out of respect.

"Yesterday, that woman was Sean Young?" Arthur sighed. It was a pity. In 1982, her role as the replicant in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner had made her famous.

Sean Young not only made her own Catwoman costume but also flew to Los Angeles to sneak into Warner Bros. to audition. She stormed into production head Mark Canton's office in the Catwoman outfit and was thrown out by security, leading to the scene Arthur saw at the Warner Bros. entrance.

Sean Young had been out of the spotlight for years. She was originally cast as the lead in Tim Burton's Batman opposite Michael Keaton, but she injured her arm during rehearsals and was replaced by Kim Basinger. The huge success of Batman and Kim Basinger's resulting fame must have been a blow to her.

Now, Warner Bros. was preparing the sequel, Batman Returns, and Sean Young hoped to get the role of Catwoman to make up for not starring in Batman.

However, Arthur recalled that Warner Bros. had already decided Michelle Pfeiffer would play Catwoman in Batman Returns.

*****

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