I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1046: Girl, Interrupted]

The original version of Entrapment starred Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones. This time, while CAA was still bringing in Sean Connery for the male lead, the female lead was a less well-known actress under CAA named Angie Everhart.

Though Angie Everhart was quite beautiful, Eric naturally felt that sticking with the original lead, Catherine Zeta-Jones, was a better choice. After all, her charisma was perfectly suited to star alongside an older man.

Bill Mechanic nodded, noting it down, then Eric continued, "Also, what's the deal with the $40 million budget for Girl, Interrupted?"

Girl, Interrupted told the story of a girl suffering from borderline personality disorder who was sent to a mental hospital for treatment; the script was adapted from a true-life biography.

Eric had seen the film once; the two lead actors were Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie. Winona Ryder's performance was average, yet Angelina Jolie won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as a character with anti-social personality disorder.

Eric had simply not anticipated that the film's budget could reach $40 million.

Although the script and the film he remembered were outstanding, any film with a budget over $40 million would struggle to break even unless it was able to snag some heavyweight Oscars.

Bill Mechanic, clearly prepared, explained, "This is a script that Miss Winona Ryder really likes, and the director, James Mangold, was personally brought in by her. Howard is also quite optimistic about the film's Oscars potential, which is why he set such a relaxed budget."

Eric smirked slightly; Howard Stringer really was out of his depth.

Oscar-winning biopics either tell a redemptive story, like Schindler's List, or showcase some sort of spirit, like My Left Foot. Generally speaking, these films must convey positive themes that align with mainstream values.

A film like Girl, Interrupted, with its dark and pessimistic ending, would have trouble even getting nominated, let alone winning an Oscar. Designating it as an Oscar contender meant that Columbia's only hope lay in Winona Ryder successfully vying for the Best Actress award. But in Eric's opinion, even without his previous memories, he could see that Winona Ryder's character offered limited performing space, giving no hope of snagging an Oscar.

After a moment of consideration, Eric said, "We need to completely overhaul this project, cutting the budget to under $20 million. If Winona Ryder and her team think $20 million isn't enough to make it work, then we drop the project altogether. Also, send a copy of the script to Charlize Theron."

As a veteran Hollywood executive, Bill Mechanic knew that a $20 million budget was already more than sufficient for this film.

He was about to nod in agreement when he heard Eric's last sentence and was taken aback. "Charlize Theron? Eric, you mean, the part of Charlie's Angels?"

The Charlie's Angels trio had been the hottest new Hollywood stars in recent years. If Girl, Interrupted could land Charlize Theron, the film's previously non-existent box office appeal would instantly improve.

Eric nodded; he had promised Charlize that he would keep an eye out for any scripts that would really challenge her acting chops, and this role that once belonged to Angelina Jolie was just right for her. As for Angelina Jolie, she was not even on Eric's radar.

Bill Mechanic, having received Eric's confirmation, hesitated slightly. "But what about Miss Theron's fee? And would she even be willing to take on a role with such an anti-social character? Keep in mind, her image in Charlie's Angels has always been very positive. Even if she agrees, I think her agent would try to dissuade her."

"Her fee won't be an issue; I'm sure Charlize knows what kind of offer to make. As for the image problem, we needn't worry. We adults might see a character with anti-social traits as inappropriate, but to teenagers in their rebellious years, such a role is not only acceptable; they'll likely find it cool."

Seeing Eric's confidence eased Bill Mechanic's concerns momentarily, but he began to spiral back into his worries about the $20 million budget.

Winona Ryder's base salary was $7 million. If she was the only Oscar-level actress on the project, $20 million would be more than enough. However, adding someone like Charlize Theron, with her strong box office draw, signaled that they would at least need to raise the budget to $30 million to accommodate both actresses' star power.

After all, while Charlize Theron may not yet have an Oscar, her salary was likely higher than Winona Ryder's, even if she were willing to take a pay cut. Still, her fee would need to be around $5 million. The two leading ladies would take up $12 million of the budget, leaving a mere $8 million for supporting actors and production costs, which was clearly tight.

After sharing his analysis, Bill Mechanic suggested, "Eric, could we sign two profit-sharing contracts, or should we boost the budget to $30 million?"

Eric considered this for a moment and replied, "Let's lower Winona's salary to $5 million. For Charlize, let's offer her $3 million, plus set aside 10% of the North American box office for each of them. The remaining $12 million should suffice."

Bill Mechanic began to do the math in his head. Even though Eric's fixed salaries sounded low, this was quite normal for a niche project.

The 10% of the North American box office would be taken from what Columbia would earn from the film's box office revenue.

If Girl, Interrupted could gross $50 million at the North American box office, the earnings from their shares along with their fixed salaries would amount to about the figures Bill Mechanic had initially estimated. Meanwhile, Columbia could anticipate recouping its costs from this box office number.

If the box office went further up, the actresses would earn more, and Columbia would start to turn a profit as well. However, if the film made less than $50 million, there wouldn't be much else to say.

Considering all this, Bill Mechanic admired how Eric managed to make such precise adjustments to the film's budget so efficiently, while also spreading the financial risks fairly between the two leads. This type of pay structure meant that the actors wouldn't be receiving the kind of exorbitant salaries that Jack Nicholson did for Batman, but if the film performed well, the leads would still receive substantial compensation.

Of course, Bill Mechanic was aware that in recent years, a flood of capital had led Hollywood studios to spend extravagantly while also raising the stakes for star salaries. Most celebrities would undoubtedly resist sharing the "risk" with studios.

This ideal pay model may be within reach for many producers in Hollywood, but getting stars to accept it was another matter entirely.

Eric could see Bill Mechanic's thoughts, saying, "Bill, since you've joined the Firefly system, you should be firm on one thing: we are the masters of Hollywood. Stars wanting unreasonable pay, we cannot stop, but they should not expect to get these from the Firefly system. If Hollywood stars refuse to participate in our projects, we can, just like in the days of the major studios, create our own stars. Firefly, MGM, Fox, and now Columbia -- the four major studios combined allow us not only to set the rules but also to punish those who try to break them."

While it was true that controlling film projects had become more feasible for Hollywood studios since the onset of big-budget films, the studios still had to placate the stars who brought box office power.

Hearing Eric speak this way filled Bill Mechanic's heart with a sense of empowerment, feeling somewhat inspired.

Yes, they truly were the masters of Hollywood.

Stars were ultimately built by studios through a succession of films, and with control over the major studios, along with Hollywood's powerful film industry, they could create stars at any level.

After a moment of simmering emotions, Bill Mechanic returned to business, saying, "Didn't you mention three projects? What about the last one?"

"The last one is the animated feature Final Fantasy produced in collaboration with Square in Japan," Eric stated decisively, "Scrap it. We won't invest nor seek the distribution rights; let the Japanese find whoever they want. We aren't getting involved in this project."

Bill Mechanic was caught off guard when Eric suddenly targeted Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

He remembered that this animated film, with over $100 million in production costs, had flopped dramatically at the North American box office. This failure nearly brought Square, which had produced the eight classic Final Fantasy games, to the brink of bankruptcy, leading to a complete management overhaul and their subsequent acquisition by Enix. Columbia Pictures, which was involved in the production and distribution, also suffered significant losses.

Bill Mechanic hadn't expected Eric to be so forceful about Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. In recent years, 3D animated films had gained popularity in the market, and Sony Pictures wouldn't want to miss out on that slice of the pie. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy was a beloved game franchise in Japan, and Sony's higher-ups were excited about the animated adaptation of this game.

However, without further probing, Bill Mechanic nodded in agreement.

After all, when it came to 3D animated films, no one in Hollywood could claim second place to Firefly.

Only Firefly had two successful 3D animation studios. Regardless of Eric's motives for making this decision, Bill Mechanic felt no need to question his judgment.

Confirming this, Bill Mechanic then asked, "Eric, what should we do next about the script for Pirates of the Caribbean?"

Bill Mechanic's tone was somewhat guilty; recalling everything that had occurred in recent times, he felt this script was likely just bait tossed out by Eric. Sony had bitten on it, and now they would be losing their film division.

"Let's put it on hold for now. We'll reconnect on this film once Columbia has regained its strength in a couple of years."

Having already secured Columbia Pictures, Eric no longer planned to bring Pirates of the Caribbean back to Firefly, as Columbia needed a flagship project.

As for Firefly, in the original timeline, the project had been conceived to promote the Disneyland attraction related to Pirates of the Caribbean.

However, at this point, even Disneyland hadn't yet created the Pirates of the Caribbean tour. Eric discovered the concept for this attraction in a blueprint for the California Disneyland Adventure Park, but with the adult-oriented Firefly theme park already under construction, the Disneyland Adventure Park project was scrapped to avoid overlap.

Eric had already submitted the design plan for the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction to the design team for Firefly's theme park, as this project seemed to fit better with the adult-oriented concept that Firefly was working to integrate into its brand.

Hearing Eric's response, Bill Mechanic knew he had stumbled onto a no-win situation and nodded before asking, "Also, Eric, shall we put the salary negotiations for Men in Black 3 with Will Smith and the others on hold as well?"

"That can proceed, but as for salaries, we won't make any concessions. Additionally, after the completion of Enemy of the State, unless both sides can come to an agreement on Men in Black 3, the Firefly system won't collaborate with Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones again."

Eric had given Will Smith the lead role in Enemy of the State solely due to production time constraints. After this film, it was time for the Firefly system to flex its muscles.

Bill Mechanic began to envision the scene Eric had painted as he considered the consequences. If Will Smith and the others refused to compromise, they would find themselves collaborating only with studios outside the Firefly system.

Simultaneously, the Firefly system would adopt the same stance towards other A-list stars. If these stars, who insisted on high salaries, all turned to Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, and Paramount, perhaps the other three would enjoy some short-term glee, but in the long run, whether they could continue to pay such high salaries was uncertain.

They didn't have enough resources for all those A-list stars to share. Eventually, some stars would find themselves without roles for a prolonged period, facing the threat of declining popularity that would force them to relent and negotiate with the Firefly system.

With time, seeing the benefits of the balanced cost control within Firefly, the other major studios would also begin to follow suit.

Within the Firefly system, frankly, whether it was animated films or high-concept blockbusters, the dependency on big stars was minimal. Moreover, pooling resources from the four studios meant they could easily craft a new generation of obedient stars, just like in the heyday of blockbusters.

*****

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