Chapter 156

In the evening, Charles Capet received an invitation from Naomi Watts, whom he hadn't heard from in a while. He drove to the blonde's villa.

"It seems like you've taken on fewer projects this year?" Charles asked. Since her rise to fame, Naomi had always released at least four movies a year. Judging by this year's project plans, only two movies were expected to be released next year.

"King Kong took up a lot of time. We had to reshoot quite a few scenes this year. Director Jackson has very high standards for the film," Naomi laughed.

"There are also tons of special effects, so I had to be available to support the crew whenever needed!"

"True, King Kong is set to release this December. It's a monster blockbuster with a production cost of $200 million that audiences seem pretty excited about!" Charles finished his steak and wiped his mouth.

He gently lifted Naomi's golden hair and smiled, "Since Mullholland Drive, you seem unchanged."

Naomi, dressed in a white silk nightgown, looked up into Charles's eyes and explained with a grin, "It's only been three or four years. Give it a few more years, and it'll be different."

Charles leaned close to her ear, "Honey, protein helps with your complexion!"

Naomi playfully slapped Charles's thigh, then unbuckled his belt and lowered her head.

...

Hollywood was as decadent as ever, but another disaster had struck America.

At the end of August, Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama in the southern U.S., causing catastrophic damage. The levees in New Orleans, Louisiana, were breached due to the storm surge, flooding 80% of the city and leaving countless victims.

"New Orleans is in rough shape," Charles remarked in his office while watching the news, but soon turned off the TV.

They had donated and prayed, and both Capet Pictures and Charles himself had done their part, but poor government rescue efforts were beyond their control.

Charles's main focus was on the progress of the Iron Man movie, directed by Jon Favreau. His previous work, Zathura: A Space Adventure, was set to release at the end of the year.

"The list of candidates for the lead? Tom Cruise and Nicolas Cage have been ruled out since the boss said no superstar actors. Now the director and producers are torn between Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhaal," Phyllis Jones reported.

"Robert Downey Jr. has already undergone rehab twice, but the director likes him. Plus, Downey promises he's clean now and has no strict pay demands. He's even ready to sign on for a ten-picture deal!"

Charles looked at both profiles and set aside Jake Gyllenhaal's. Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Stark was too deeply ingrained in people's minds.

"Robert Downey Jr. it is. He's done enough auditions to win over quite a few people," Charles concluded and then shifted focus to the candidates for the female lead, Pepper Potts.

"Rachel McAdams is up in the air? Gwyneth Paltrow is a backup?"

Phyllis explained, "Rachel McAdams isn't keen on this kind of role."

With hits like Mean Girls and The Notebook, McAdams had become the new American sweetheart, despite being Canadian.

"Call Kate Beckinsale to audition," Charles preferred her over Gwyneth Paltrow. Beckinsale was not only more attractive but also a year younger.

"Let's cast Don Cheadle as Colonel Rhodes. No more haggling over paychecks with Terrence Howard in the sequels," Charles wanted to avoid those conflicts.

"Okay!" Phyllis noticed her boss seemed to have a soft spot for Kate Beckinsale.

"The script needs to be expedited. The movie has to be released in '07!" Charles reminded.

Phyllis nodded, inwardly thinking it wouldn't matter even if the script were done; they still couldn't start production due to insufficient funding decisions.

...

Kate Beckinsale, who had just finished filming her scenes for The Departed in New York, quickly received an audition invitation for the role of Pepper Potts in Marvel Studios' Iron Man.

Whenever she thought about who owned Marvel Studios now, Kate Beckinsale knew this surely had to be Charles Capet's doing.

At the same time, Capet Pictures released its low-budget road comedy Little Miss Sunshine in 1,600 theaters with the help of good reviews.

The North American box office surpassed 30 million dollars. A film with a budget of only 8 million dollars achieving such success was indeed delightful.

However, the biggest surprise of the year was definitely Capet Pictures' Wedding Crashers, which had already grossed over 150 million dollars in North America and was expected to surpass 200 million dollars by the end of its run.

Starting from August, Capet Pictures released one movie a month. Although they weren't major blockbusters, mainly consisting of art films and niche horror movies, it marked a good beginning for Capet Pictures.

In September, Hostel, produced and released by Matrix Pictures, was set to hit theaters. However, Charles had already crossed the Atlantic and arrived in London.

The Red Bus Movie Company he acquired was reorganized into Capet International Pictures UK, and Charles sat in his office chair, shaking his head helplessly at the small number of staff.

"Being an independent film company in the UK isn't easy, huh?" Charles asked the current manager, James Took.

James Took replied with a wry smile, "Red Bus has been losing an average of 1.8 million pounds a year over the past two years. The movies we participated in weren't very popular."

Charles nodded, "Let's focus on distribution in the future. Films produced by Capet Pictures are quite well-received. Little Miss Sunshine has good reviews, so let's arrange for its release as soon as possible. After that, we can arrange for Saw III and No Country for Old Men."

James Took nodded in agreement; this plan sounded better to him.

"Actually, I recently watched a British film, The Last King of Scotland, that premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, and I thought it was quite good," Charles continued.

James Took responded, "You mean the movie about Ugandan ex-President Idi Amin?"

Charles nodded, "Unfortunately, the North American distribution rights belong to Fox Searchlight!"

"Forrest Whitaker and James McAvoy are starring, and Kevin Macdonald, a renowned documentary director, is directing," James Took added with some knowledge.

"The production company is a small firm, DNA Films!" Charles nodded again and then instructed, "Actually, my trip to the UK this time also aims to acquire the film adaptation rights for the stage play Mamma Mia! Capet Pictures wants to bring this stage play to the big screen."

"Mamma Mia! has had over 1,000 performances, but it's an 80s family comedy. Is it suitable?" James Took expressed some doubts, noting that many film companies wanted to adapt it, but mainly to make a quick buck from the stage play's audience base.

"The producer of Mamma Mia!, Judy Craymer, won't agree easily."

Charles stood up and walked to the window, smiling as he explained, "We can reassure them that Capet Pictures is genuinely interested in the adaptation. Judy Craymer can even serve as the film's producer. Remember how successful My Big Fat Greek Wedding was!"

James Took also smiled. Charles Capet had broken into Hollywood with My Big Fat Greek Wedding, becoming a well-known figure among independent film companies.

"I'll do my best to persuade Judy Craymer and work with Capet Pictures on the film version of Mamma Mia!" James Took didn't want to leave a bad impression with his new boss.

"Alright. Mamma Mia! is still being performed, so Judy Craymer can take her time preparing. Adapting such a popular stage play into a film requires a lot of preparation," Charles noted, recalling the success of stage-to-film adaptations like My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Chicago. Then there would be Mamma Mia! and La La Land in the future.

As for the rest, they were mostly flops!

In the evening, Charles returned to his hotel, the Wellington Farm Hotel in Westminster.

He was accompanied by his assistants, Dona Williams and Phyllis Jones, and five bodyguards for his safety.

Only two months had passed since the 7/7 bombings, so Charles couldn't take any chances with his life.

In the hotel suite, Charles relaxed on the sofa with Phyllis Jones in his arms while Dona massaged his shoulders.

"Will the movie adaptation of Mamma Mia! be popular? Musicals are fading out nowadays!" Phyllis Jones was no longer a novice and had a good understanding.

Charles, caressing the woman, replied with a smile, "When have I ever been wrong? Though musicals are declining, there's always a hidden gem!"

However, Charles felt a bit guilty toward Tom Hanks and his wife, as this Mamma Mia! musical's future film adaptation was supposed to be their production company's project.

Charles had a hand in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but with Mamma Mia!, he was taking full control.

Additionally, he even replaced Tom Hanks's version of The Da Vinci Code with a Nicolas Cage.

"Boss, have you been following the new casting for 007? It seems they'll announce the new James Bond by the Thames in a few days," Dona suddenly smiled and said.

Charles grinned and replied, "Do I need to follow it? I can tell you right now, the new James Bond is Daniel Craig!"

"Daniel Craig? No way! He's blonde, not handsome, and not tall enough," Phyllis Jones didn't believe it at all.

"Well, you should ask Barbara Broccoli, the producer of the 007 series," Charles chuckled and continued, "Besides, Daniel Craig isn't as bad as you think. Moreover, after so many films featuring the tall, handsome James Bond dating sexy Bond girls, beating up bad guys along the way, the series needed something new."

"But will fans accept Daniel Craig as James Bond? It's such a drastic change," Phyllis shook her head, unable to comprehend.

"Maybe, we'll know the answer when the new 007 movie releases next year!" Charles himself was eyeing the rights to the 007 series, but that meant he had to acquire MGM first.

*****

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