Powerless

In the spacious office, the atmosphere was incredibly heavy.

The May sunlight was scorching, streaming through the windows and casting its rays on them, but it failed to provide any warmth.

Brad sat dazedly in his office chair, silently smoking a cigarette. His gaze remained fixed on those newspapers, as if these few pieces of paper possessed an irresistible attraction. The critical and mocking words, as if blades or knives, cut through his flesh. It left him numb and powerless.

Brad Grey, sitting on the opposite sofa, was also smoking, but his eyes were directed at the floor.

Neither of them spoke, as if they didn't want to break this silence.

"What about Warner Bros.? What's their plan?" Finally, it was Brad who spoke first.

"I don't know, but if they wanted to intervene, they would have done it by now," Brad Grey said, exhaling a puff of smoke, remaining composed. "Given the current situation, I think it's time for us to figure out what to do."

"What to do? You're asking me?" Brad squinted, looking utterly exhausted.

Indeed, even the media had spoken out. What more could they do?

They couldn't simply silence everyone, could they?

If the film had been well-conceived, they could have promoted its depth of storytelling and aimed for awards, but the problem was that even the film critics deemed it a flop, and the audience was dissatisfied. With both sides unsatisfied, they were truly at a loss.

"Well, "Troy" was definitely not going to recoup its investment, so we should think about investing in that new project," Brad Grey suggested.

Plan B did have some influence in the industry. As for the new project Brad Grey was talking about, it was a script that Tim Burton had been eyeing since the beginning of the year. Brad and Tim were also good friends, which was how this came about.

Furthermore, the losses from "Troy" definitely needed to be recovered. Since this film had already failed, finding a new profitable project was a very viable option.

"But isn't that script too niche? Although I highly regard Tim's directing abilities, I can't afford a second failure," Brad expressed some concerns.

"Hmm, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a bit niche, after all, it's an adaptation of a children's book. However, Tim Burton has a lot of ideas, and the plot is quite innovative, not geared toward a very young audience."

"What about Johnny Depp? What about his salary?" Brad continued.

To no one's surprise, Tim Burton's favorite actor was Johnny Depp. They had already collaborated three times, including "Beetlejuice", "Edward Scissorhands", and "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street". This time, for "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", Johnny was Tim's first choice.

In the past, Plan B wouldn't have had any doubts about this, because Johnny's price was not high. But since he played the popular role of Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean", his salary had skyrocketed. He wouldn't even open his mouth for anything less than several million dollars. This truly represented a significant risk and implied a substantial increase in the project's filming budget.

"We can negotiate with him first, offer him a larger share of the profits in exchange for a lower salary. How does that sound?"

Because it was difficult to accurately estimate the profit prospects for each film project, this suggestion was a common practice in the industry. In essence, it meant that if the film did well at the box office, the key actors would receive a larger share of the profits, but if the film performed just okay, this condition would be automatically nullified.

"Would he agree? I heard a few days ago that he signed three contracts with Warner Bros., all with a tiered salary increase. As long as the sequels to 'Pirates of the Caribbean' continue to perform well, his career momentum could become even more powerful. Johnny might not want to take the risk of gambling with us on the film's profit potential."

Brad Grey said, "Let's have Tim invite him over, and we'll have a meeting. After all, the filming of "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" is scheduled for next year, and there's still plenty of time left. He's bound to take on a role. We should show some sincerity, maybe even sound him out a bit."

"What about distribution?"

Plan B, like most star or director studios, hadn't established its own distribution channels.

"We can still go to Warner Bros.," Brad Grey analyzed once again, "The failure of "Troy" has already affected our relationship with them. We need a more ideal collaboration to make amends."

Brad remained silent, his expression melancholic.

He certainly understood this principle, but he couldn't help but feel a bit disgruntled.

"Let's go with that plan," Brad nodded.

He didn't have the strength to confront Warner Bros. yet, so even if he was unhappy, he had to endure it for now. He hoped that the new project, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", could salvage something for him.

Now, he had lost both fame and profit. He had truly hit rock bottom.

Thinking back to when "Troy" was in the early stages of development, everyone had been so confident, hadn't they? How had things suddenly gone wrong?

Brad couldn't fathom it, but he had to accept reality.

The reality was that the more beautiful the fantasy had been before, the more miserable the reality turned out to be.

"Mr. Grey, the TV interview you scheduled is here."

While the two of them were troubled, contemplating how to rescue the situation, an assistant knocked on the door and reminded them.

"Understood. Take them to the meeting room for now," Brad Grey instructed, extinguishing his cigarette. He sighed, "Let's go, see if we can get you out of this mess and shift some of the blame onto the director."

In the film industry, there was always someone who had to take the blame for a movie's failure.

And since someone had to bear it, why not let the director carry the heaviest burden?

This was Brad Grey's little scheme, after all, Plan B, strictly speaking, operated primarily on Brad Pitt's star power.

With the head of the house down, the effect of its existence was greatly diminished.

"I don't want to go," Brad sat in his chair, not yet having moved on from the situation.

"You have to go. We have to do this. If we can get the TV station to report it, at least we might be able to salvage some of your reputation with the audience."

"Even in this state, can it still be effective?" Brad remarked sarcastically.

"Even if it's not, we have to go and explain. Once something like this sticks, if we don't find a way to clear it up a bit, that would be truly foolish," Brad Grey said irritably. "I've already spoken to the people from the TV station. Just go along with the conversation."

Online, in the newspapers, and in private discussions among fans, the criticism was relentless, which was highly detrimental to a star like Brad.

If he didn't find a way to minimize this negative impact, it would spell the end of his acting career.

It was indeed a very serious matter.

Brad glanced at Brad Grey for a moment, not saying anything. Perhaps all his words had turned into a sigh.

Sigh...