Chapter 166

On Greenwich Street in Manhattan, Arthur had lunch with director Chris Columbus, discussing the shooting of Mrs. Doubtfire.

Chris Columbus was in New York specifically for the launch event of the sequel, Home Alone 2.

"Home Alone really is the most successful family comedy at Christmas," Arthur smiled.

The leading actor Macaulay Culkin, an 11-year-old kid, was paid 4.5 million dollars, making him the highest-paid child star in history.

Chris Columbus shook his head, "This time, the filming of the sequel isn't as smooth as the first one. Culkin's parents have made too many demands, and Culkin himself has changed, becoming more arrogant and unreasonable. From the script to the actors, there are many more issues than the previous film!"

The script for Home Alone 2 began to be adapted this spring, but negotiations regarding Culkin's salary with his parents and 20th Century Fox took a long time.

To make it in time for next Christmas, Home Alone 2 must start filming now.

"No worries, Mrs. Doubtfire is scheduled to start filming next summer, so there's plenty of time," Arthur wasn't concerned about his own movie. Mrs. Doubtfire didn't have a large budget, nor did it require too many location changes, making it easier to produce.

Anyway, it's set to be released in the summer of the year after next.

As for Home Alone 2, Arthur knew a bit about it. Macaulay Culkin's parents were not easy to deal with.

Now, Macaulay Culkin could be described as a golden goose laying dollar bills. Movie roles, advertisements, and various commercial activities had suddenly turned the once poor Culkin family into a wealthy one. Would it be normal if there were no issues?

"Okay, after finishing the filming of Home Alone 2, I will immediately set up the crew for Mrs. Doubtfire and start shooting," Chris Columbus was satisfied with the script, and family comedies were indeed his forte.

With a 25 million dollar production budget, the filming of Mrs. Doubtfire would go smoothly!

In the afternoon, Arthur returned to his office at the Galaxy Building and made a call to Jessica James.

"Ha, Saul Zaentz just wants more money, doesn't he?" Arthur leaned back in his chair.

"Just bring him to see me directly!"

Saul Zaentz even found the 12 million dollar offer too low. Despite knowing that the Lord of the Rings series had a vast world view, many were skeptical about the novel's adaptation.

So far, the Lord of the Rings series only had an animated adaptation from the late 70s.

"Alright, the day after tomorrow afternoon, I will come to New York's Galaxy Headquarters with Saul Zaentz," it seemed Jessica James had expected this. "By the way, you've arranged for Winona Ryder to star in The Pelican Brief next year, but Nicole Kidman's role in Speed won't be canceled, right?"

Jessica James was the agent for both Winona Ryder and Nicole Kidman.

"Of course not, Speed is a major project that Galaxy is developing next year; there's no chance of cancellation," Arthur reminded her.

"Right now, the Dutch director Jan de Bont is preparing for the film. The prep work for an action movie isn't as quick as that for a romance or comedy!"

"Got it, I understand..."

After chatting with Jessica James, Arthur called Jim Cort to inquire about the Hearst Corporation's updates.

He learned that they were still discussing whether to compete with Galaxy for KKR's shares or to partner with Galaxy to buy 20% of ESPN's shares.

"I have already visited a few of the responsible people at KKR Capital. KKR is indeed interested in investing in Hollywood movies, and Galaxy is trending high right now.

It is definitely attractive to KKR, but for now, KKR only wants to sell its ESPN shares to get more cash. They'd surely prefer to see us compete with Hearst.

We understand this, and certainly, so does Hearst Corporation. Right now, this 20% ESPN share is worth hundreds of millions of dollars!"

After listening to Jim Cort's explanation, Arthur was a bit frustrated, "Go ahead and offer KKR a hundred million dollars for the entire 20% share. If Hearst raises the price again, we'll go up to 200 million.

Then, I'll have Ms. Anne Depp arrange financing for another billion from Bertelsmann and Siemens!"

Arthur wasn't afraid of high debts; as soon as The Addams Family and The Bodyguard were released, Galaxy would immediately earn large sums of money.

There was a brief silence from Jim Cort on the other end of the phone before he spoke, "Alright, I'll place the bid with KKR as soon as possible!"

After hanging up, Arthur went to the window, lit a cigarette, and watched as free food was distributed at a nearby church doorway.

"A bunch of slackers," Arthur shook his head. He despised lazy people; too many of them were a burden on American society.

Soon, Arthur's assistant knocked and came in to report next week's premiere of The Addams Family. "Will you be attending, sir?"

"The premiere of The Addams Family is in Los Angeles," Arthur shook his head. "Forget it, I'll be staying in New York for this month. With Amy Pascal at the company, nothing will go wrong. By the way, when will Galaxy Studios in Hollywood be completed?"

"It will be ready in April next year," the assistant quickly responded.

April next year - renovations have taken nearly a year. "Alright, I got it."

"Oh, and, Nicole Kidman called. After finishing Billy Bathgate's promotional activities, she plans to come over to discuss the Speed project," the assistant reminded him.

Arthur paused, then realized his phone battery had died, and nodded. "Let her come directly to my office when she arrives."

Meanwhile, at the Hearst Headquarters in New York, William Randolph Hearst III was reviewing various materials collected on Arthur Smith over the past two years.

Sleepless in Seattle, Sleeping with the Enemy, The Silence of the Lambs, and Scream were all produced by Arthur Smith. American Pie and To Die For were also his screenwriting credits!

"With Dances with Wolves, Galaxy Orion won the Oscar for Best Picture this year. No wonder he's the golden boy of Hollywood." William Randolph Hearst III realized that Arthur was only 22 and had indeed underestimated him.

Then, William Randolph Hearst III picked up the phone on his desk and instructed, "Set up a dinner appointment with Mr. George Roberts of KKR Capital for tonight!"

No matter what, William Randolph Hearst III wanted to acquire the 20% of ESPN shares for himself.

*****

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