Chapter 48: Baiting the Hook

Despite Cameron Diaz repeatedly pleading with Gilbert to let her play the female lead, he firmly refused.

"You're not suited for the lead role," Gilbert said.

"Why?" Cameron Diaz was puzzled. She believed she was quite good—she had gained some popularity, had a great figure, and was attractive.

"In short, it just won't work," Gilbert explained. "You can't always rely on me. You need to carve out your own path."

"But I don't know how to do that. What should I do?" Cameron Diaz asked.

She was aware that Gilbert couldn't always look after her, but without his guidance, she felt lost.

"Don't worry," Gilbert reassured his little sweetheart. "For now, just stick with Kate, take on some advertising endorsements, and try to land some roles. When the right opportunity comes, I'll let you know which film's lead role you should pursue."

"Really?" Seeing Gilbert nod in affirmation, Cameron Diaz understood that he wasn't abandoning her, which reassured her. "Alright then, I'll listen to you."

Thanks to Gilbert's involvement, Cameron Diaz found fame a bit earlier than she otherwise might have.

But Gilbert hadn't forgotten that in the previous timeline, Cameron Diaz's breakout role was in *The Mask*.

This film was adapted from a comic book released in 1980, but unfortunately, Gilbert didn't have enough money to secure the rights.

Moreover, the adaptation rights to the comic had long since been acquired by New Line Cinema, so it wasn't appropriate for him to try to compete for it.

Of course, if he were willing to direct the film, New Line Cinema might agree.

But to be honest, the biggest contributor to the success of *The Mask* was Jim Carrey, who was a four or five-line actor in Hollywood at the time, rather than the director.

Without Jim Carrey, *The Mask* would never have achieved its success.

Instead of directing *The Mask*, Gilbert preferred to proceed at his own pace, step by step.

New York was the final stop on their promotional tour. After finishing the New York leg, the team of *Final Destination* completed their entire promotional campaign.

Gilbert and the lead cast returned to Los Angeles, officially disbanding the crew.

Soon after, Robert Iger reached out to Gilbert to have coffee together.

"Gilbert, do you have any plans to turn *Final Destination* into a film series?" Robert Iger asked after exchanging pleasantries.

"A film series?" Gilbert thought for a moment and said, "This film is indeed well-suited for serialization. If Touchstone Pictures has plans to do so, feel free to find someone else to take over."

After all, he held a ten percent stake in the film and had corresponding rights, so Touchstone Pictures couldn't proceed with a sequel without involving him.

When the time came, whether he invested or sold his rights, Gilbert would have options.

Hearing Gilbert's response, Robert Iger understood his intentions.

"Rest assured, Touchstone Pictures will offer a fair price to acquire your share of the rights," Robert Iger assured.

It seemed that the massive success of *Final Destination* had made Touchstone Pictures eager to develop a sequel and unwilling to share the profits.

After discussing the sequel, Gilbert naturally inquired about the profit-sharing situation.

According to North American regulations, for a film with a long theatrical run, the theaters would pay the distributor their first share of the profits 28 days after the film's release.

Subsequent profit distributions would vary with the film's runtime. Generally speaking, most films receive their full profit share about a week after they leave theaters.

Of course, this was the situation in the North American market. Overseas profit-sharing was much more complicated.

However, the money being in the distributor's hands didn't mean it would quickly reach other investors or the production company.

It was common for distributors to delay profit payments for a year or more. Even the most reputable of Hollywood's major studios were known to delay or default on payments.

Such issues frequently ended up in the Delaware Court of Chancery.

Hollywood has never had a moral compass; in some ways, even Wall Street vampires are more ethical.

But Gilbert didn't want his money tied up for a year or more—he couldn't stand it, especially with so many plans requiring funding.

To address this, he had a major bargaining chip: a new project.

Everyone knew that the most talked-about director in Hollywood right now was Gilbert. Once he started a new project, the line of studios eager to invest would stretch down half of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

"Bob, I'm wondering if Touchstone Pictures might be interested in my next project?" Gilbert began to set the bait.

Robert Iger took the bait: "What's the genre? Is it another thriller?"

"No," Gilbert shook his head. "It's an action film. I'm planning to create a thrilling, explosive action movie."

Upon hearing it was an action movie, Robert Iger's heart skipped a beat. "Gilbert, wasn't it going well with horror films? Why switch genres?"

"Bob," Gilbert sipped his coffee before continuing, "Can't you see how saturated the market is with horror films right now?"

"But those horror films aren't as good as yours!" Robert Iger pointed out.

"They may not be as good as mine, but there are so many horror movies out there that they're wearing out the audience's enthusiasm," Gilbert asserted. "I'm sure if I continue making horror films, my career will be over."

A shift in genre is a choice every director who has achieved success in a particular genre must make.

To become a top-tier director, one must explore a wide range of genres and be able to direct any type of film.

Spielberg is an example of this—he can direct horror thrillers, family-friendly films, and even art films.

Gilbert didn't claim to have Spielberg's talent, but he wasn't content to be pigeonholed as a B-movie horror director.

Hearing that the next project wasn't a horror film, Robert Iger hesitated.

He wondered whether the "Prince of Horror" could continue to create magic in a genre he was unfamiliar with.

After some thought, Robert Iger said, "Submit the script, Gilbert. We'll need to discuss it with the higher-ups before making a decision."

The development of any film is never simple. Even independent films face many hurdles, let alone mainstream commercial movies.

Gilbert, of course, understood this and didn't find Robert Iger's response unreasonable; he nodded in agreement.

If Robert Iger had immediately agreed to have Touchstone Pictures invest, Gilbert would have suspected something was amiss.

After finishing his meeting with Robert Iger, Gilbert returned to his studio, where his agent, Sheena Boone, was waiting for him.

"Sheena, get me a PwC accountant to help with Disney's box office profit calculations."

"Alright, I'll find someone right away…" Sheena Boone responded.

Having your own accountant is essential. Without one, who knows if Disney's accounting would mysteriously lose tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

PwC accountants might charge high fees, but their skills and credibility were worth the price.

"In addition," Gilbert instructed, "reach out to other studios and let them know I have a new project in the works. See if they're interested."

"Things didn't work out with Robert Iger?" Sheena Boone asked.

"Not exactly," Gilbert explained. "It's about applying some pressure and keeping our options open."

Sheena Boone understood and nodded