C 15

In the conference room of the Fox Tower in Century City, the monthly regular meeting of 20th Century Fox has come to an end. The prominent figures who hold pivotal positions in Hollywood, after discussing film projects one by one, turned the topic to Lucasfilm.

"I have scheduled a sample preview of Speed tomorrow morning," said Tom Rothman, the director of the distribution department and the person in charge of contacting Lucasfilm and advocating for the film's introduction. "George himself will participate in the trial meeting. This is our opportunity. I suggest we emphasize the importance of Speed to win George's favor and allow him to restart the Star Wars series as soon as possible."

"Rosie..." CEO Jim Giannopoulos, who was sitting at the head of the conference table, said to his secretary, "Clear my schedule for tomorrow morning. I will personally receive George."

Opposite Tom Rothman sat Tim Fisher. Their relationship mirrored their seating positions, and Tim's brow had been furrowed. Although he had not cared much before, the constant mention of Speed brought some recollections to the forefront. He opened the file in front of him and quickly browsed the relevant information. Finally, he remembered the script he had tossed to his assistant casually.

The outcast of CAA had actually gotten investment and directed his own script?

Tim Fisher frowned tightly. As someone who had rejected this script, he never hoped that Twentieth Century Fox would sign this movie. However, the company had a strong interest in the Star Wars series, and for Lucasfilm, speaking out against it was undoubtedly very foolish.

After thinking for a moment, he tapped lightly on the table, attracting everyone's attention. "Jim, there's a situation you need to consider. Luke Rosenberg, the director of Speed, was terminated by CAA last year. We now have a close cooperation with CAA; they just packaged and produced Alien 3 for us and also helped us secure the rights to adapt Interview with the Vampire from the competition of Warner Bros. CAA and Fox will soon have a new packaging cooperation. Will this affect our good relationship with CAA? We should consider…"

George Lucas is an important partner, and the weight of CAA is significant. As CEO, Jim Giannopoulos had to weigh this carefully. He pondered for about half a minute. "Let's view the sample first. If the quality of the film is too poor, we'll directly push it to the video market. If the quality is acceptable, we'll arrange a trial screening and observe the market's reaction."

"Today's meeting is adjourned." He declared, bringing the meeting to a close.

No one disputed Jim Giannopoulos's decision. This was the most normal practice. If the film could not generate revenue, Fox would naturally not invest resources. If it could generate revenue, they wouldn't struggle over the profits.

This made Tim Fisher very satisfied. Was the work of a newcomer worthy of Fox's investment? In his opinion, even if Fox saw the film signed by George Lucas, they would arrange a week-long tour of remote theaters before directly pushing it to the video market.

Back in his office, he made a special call to Martin Bob, a giant at CAA.

"Speed? Luke?"

Martin Bob's voice on the phone made it clear that he didn't remember such a minor figure at all. After a long pause, Martin recalled, "That ineffective boy from the Rosenberg family? Who cares about him? Just a small role!"

It's really just a small character! Tim Fisher temporarily set this matter aside; there was no need to waste too much energy on someone so insignificant. He would know the outcome by attending the demo tomorrow.

...

When he walked into the Fox Building again, Luke enjoyed a completely different treatment. Several high-ranking members of 20th Century Fox waited in the lobby. Of course, these people were not there for him but were there to greet George Lucas. He could not attract the attention of Fox management.

Even when shaking hands with Luke, some of Fox's managers were merely going through the motions.

No one paid attention to him, and Luke was not foolish enough to say anything. He understood that he was not the focus of the preview. Alongside the staff with the sample, he silently followed George Lucas and Robin Grande, taking the elevator straight to the top floor of the Fox Building, where they entered a modest drawing room.

"Hello, George…" Luke greeted the person who extended his hand to Lucas. It was Jim Giannopoulos, the CEO of 20th Century Fox. When George Lucas introduced him, the other party merely nodded in his direction.

Perhaps because of George Lucas's personal visit, many senior officials of Twentieth Century Fox attended the preview. Luke could vaguely recognize CEO Jim Giannopoulos, distribution director Tom Rothman, Tim Fisher, and some unfamiliar faces that were likely Fox's film selection staff.

These people would determine the release strategy and treatment of Speed! Different announcements would elicit completely different market responses. If 20th Century Fox did not invest the necessary resources in Speed, the film would struggle in theaters. Although Luke was a newcomer in Hollywood, he was not naive enough to believe that an exciting movie would sell well on its own.

If he wanted Fox to invest resources, he needed to showcase the film's selling points and illustrate its potential profitability. For a profit-seeking business, even the name George Lucas was not as convincing as solid profit.

Fortunately, the selling point of Speed was very, very obvious.

Sitting in the back row near the left corner, Luke patiently observed and waited. Twentieth Century Fox was one of the largest companies in Hollywood, and professionals there were far above the pass line. Pulling George Lucas's tiger skin as a banner could also minimize the inevitable contempt these people felt for a newcomer's work.

Accompanied by Lucas, Tom Rothman suppressed his impatience. This impatience was certainly not directed at George Lucas but rather for the film he was about to see.

Frankly speaking, he had advocated for Twentieth Century Fox to release Speed from a strategic perspective. As the director of the distribution department, Tom Rothman wanted to promote the restart of Star Wars to secure capital for next year's competition for the CEO position after the current one stepped down. He was also a smart man. From the film that Lucasfilm strongly recommended from the outset, he sensed something unusual.

He then had people investigate it a little, and the situation became clear. The director of the film was the son of Leah Rosenberg, who had experienced Hollywood in the 70s. Who didn't know that these two were very close?

In his heart, Tom Rothman concluded that this was merely a work by a young man like Sofia Coppola trying to use connections to gain power.

Such people and works were not uncommon in Hollywood and often didn't hold much value. However, he still urged Fox to sign a distribution contract. The reason was simple: he wanted to improve his relationship with George Lucas. The current CEO was about to step down. If he could promote the restart of Star Wars, he would undoubtedly be the strongest contender for that position.

Although his eyes were fixed on the big screen in the screening room, most of Tom Rothman's energy remained focused on George Lucas. However, when the film started, this situation changed immediately.

He had seen countless movies, but he had never encountered one with such a fast pace and strong sense of urgency. From the moment the building's security fell, he felt as if his heart had been picked up. The film was incredibly short. The rapid switching of shots brought a rare freshness to Hollywood films in recent years!

In particular, the quick scene changes between the police, criminals, and elevator passengers continuously conveyed their emotions and demeanor. Although it was predictable that the passengers would ultimately be rescued, he still felt anxious about their fate.

The opening scene, lasting less than twenty minutes, completely changed Tom Rothman's view of Speed. The film far exceeded his highest expectations…

This is an A-level commercial film! This thought struck him strongly.

Collett Singher sat in the back row behind Tom Rothman. He was one of the film selection experts at Twentieth Century Fox and had significant say over which films the company wanted to distribute. He was a true professional. Not only did he have to watch a large number of new films every year to select those worthy of release to recommend to the company, but he also needed to keep abreast of market dynamics instead of merely critiquing them like professional film critics. He had to analyze what kind of films the market needed most.

At first, he thought this was a mere favor—a work directed by a newcomer under the age of 22. Was it worth mobilizing the top players in the industry?

As a result, he and two colleagues with similar knowledge had been talking in low voices about the latest developments in Hollywood, showing no interest in the film being presented.

It wasn't until the screeching sound of the elevator sliding down on the screen that they cast a slight glance toward it. Their eyes were immediately glued to the screen, unable to look away.

The film easily stirred emotions from the outset. The tense and dense drum soundtrack, the crazily extreme car chases and collisions, and the massive explosions that filled the entire screen were all effects that top commercial films strive for.

"Have potential?" Collet Singher asked his companion.

He used a questioning tone that implied confirmation.

"With potential!"

The voices of the two colleagues were not loud but extremely positive.

"This is not an action movie in the traditional sense," one person on the left couldn't help but say. "This dazzling and thrilling scene is simply breathtaking."

"And…" the person on the right added, "The explosions, car chases, and collision shots that appear in it seem to use new filming techniques. They're all fresh and exciting!"

"How did he do it? This seems to be filmed from within an explosion and a car accident."

Turning his head, Collett Singher looked at the calm young man sitting in the corner, and inspiration struck him. "Did he place expensive wireless high-speed cameras inside the scene of the explosions and car accidents? It's crazy!"