112 HWI 112
Hollywood What If Chapter 112
"I'm just wondering, where's Erica?"
Scarlett asked after eating a chicken teriyaki. It was the first time she ate a unique chicken dish filled with sweet sauce. Totally different from the fried chicken she likes to eat.
"I gave her a day off. Her kids want to go to Disneyland."
"Wow, I can't believe Mr. Serious Grey is so generous to give someone a day off. I remember you being so strict with me that I can't hold back my tears."
"I never did. You were the one who kept crying because you needed to cry at that time."
The scene was about the time Kim Mills was about to kidnap.
"Are you sure you're okay with being generous? I mean, Erica looks like a hardworking person, but you can't be too soft on people. They might take advantage of you."
"I know what I'm doing. I'm not a kid like you."
"I'm not a kid!"
"All right, all right. Erica has twins, so I understand why she has to work hard. I'm not a brutal person, especially when it has nothing to do with the movie."
"Yeah, right~," Scarlett said sarcastically.
Kazir shrugged and let the little girl make fun of him. He was not petty enough to fight a child.
"Having an assistant has made my work easier, but I'm still not used to people following me around. I'm the kind of person who wants to be alone and let my brain work without any disturbance."
"That's depressing. Are you sure you want to be so lonely?"
"Scarlett, I've been lonely for a long time. I can say that my brain works faster when I'm alone. So sending Erica on vacation once in a while is not a problem."
Kazir started to eat sushi with chopsticks.
Scarlett narrowed her eyes and looked into Kazir's.
'He's not lying... I can't believe there are people who like to be alone. Is that normal?'
She felt as if the man across the table had witnessed so many things. Like he was an old man who knew the meaning of life, someone who already died. To be honest, Scarlett have no idea what the director was talking about.
"Kazir, what do you think is the meaning of life?"
"There are many ways to live a good life. It all depends on the person."
"What about you then?"
She frowned as Kazir added wasabi to his sushi. Scarlett never liked sushi because it tasted raw. But Kazir was adding another abomination of condiments to the food.
"As for me, I like making movies. I have longed to make an action movie for so many years. I know I'm not a talented director, but I hope to make a name for myself. Once people hear a movie, they will immediately think of my name.
Kazir looked ahead as if looking from a distance.
"Scarlett, what do you think of when you hear Jurrasic Park?"
"Dinosaurs."
"I think of Steven Spielberg."
"Meh, I don't think of old guys."
"Then what about Star Wars?"
"I'm thinking about lightsabers. Don't tell me you're going to say George Lucas?"
"That's right." Kazir nodded.
"You are too predictable."
She clicked her tongue. But that didn't stop her from eating the chicken teriyaki. Scarlett Johansson never liked rice, but the combination of chicken teriyaki and rice was impeccable.
"Well, now that you have finished filming Taken, I guess your dreams have come true."
"No, I still have to see it in theaters. Besides, I hope it grosses over $200 million worldwide."
The Hangover is the most successful R-Rated movie of all time, as of now, grossing over $500 million worldwide.
Kazir had that achievement under his belt.
Kazir was not stupid to believe that his first action movie would have such a success.
'Besides, the box office of Taken in my past life was also over $200 million. As long as the movie makes that amount, I'm satisfied.'
Too much expectation can lead to heartbreak. Kazir was too old to think that everything would revolve around him.
'... Sigh, I also have to find a distributor.'
He let out a long sigh. These problems plagued him all the time, even though he had to focus all his attention on editing the movie. He could not help it, he understood the importance of movie distribution.
"Hey, why are you sighing? Don't sigh in front of the food, it's disrespectful. You're an adult, be tough."
"You're right, Scarlett. I apologize."
"Geez! I said don't mess up my hair."
...
...
...
And that was the end of post-production on Taken. Grey Pictures' $25 million investment has already been spent. Now everything depends on the result.
Because of Kazir's status, some big shots from the Big Six showed up. Terry Semel postponed the board meeting just to watch this small screening. Only a select few were invited to see the film. CAA contacted them personally.
"Looks like CAA is serious about Kazir Grey.
Even Tom Rothman showed up. He was in a good mood because Napoleon Dynamite II was doing well. Tom Rothman was the one who started Fox Searchlight Pictures. He was the one who bought Napoleon Dynamite.
The credits were all on him. Because of that, Rupert Murdoch met with him personally and praised his performance. He promised a big bonus for this year.
In return, Tom Rothman decided to take some time off to see Kazir's new movie.
But the two CEOs of major film companies didn't expect another big shot to show up.
"Nice to meet you, President Ovitz."
"Are you Salvatore? You have a good eye for talented people. Keep up the good work."
President Michael Ovitz showed up just to see the movie.
Because of his presence, the other film companies realized that Walt Disney was interested in Kazir's movie.
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[Author's note: This question has already been answered on my Patreon, but you can still comment. I'll take all your criticism.]
[I have nine companies to choose from, which of them should distribute Taken in your opinion:]
Walt Disney
20th Century Fox
Warner Bros.
Paramount
Universal
Sony-Columbia
MGM(Metro Goldwyn Mayer, the lion logo one)
Orion Pictures
DreamWorks(they have been distributing movies since 1997, although their promotion is not that strong at the moment)
