I am Hollywood

Chapter 559: Chapter 560: It's All Mine



[Chapter 560: It's All Mine]

In the days that followed, Braveheart garnered more and more attention in Hollywood. When it was revealed that Mel Gibson did not immediately accept the terms proposed by Firefly Films, several other major studios examined the script for Braveheart and rushed to reach out to Gibson.

Both Braveheart and the monumental movie Ben-Hur that released thirty years ago fell into the epic genre, and the plot shared several similarities. In a fascinating coincidence, the screenwriter for Ben-Hur was named Lew Wallace, while Randall Wallace penned Braveheart, with the last names being the same. Due to some misleading information, some began to compare Braveheart to Hollywood's second Ben-Hur.

Released in 1960 at a ticket price of 50 cents, Ben-Hur grossed over $70 million. Adjusted for an average ticket price of around $4 in 1993, that would equate to about $560 million today. In a time when entertainment became increasingly diversified, even the idea of a $560 million box office for a Hollywood film seemed far-fetched. Nevertheless, even half of that amount would send every studio in Hollywood into a frenzy.

Eric never expected events to unfold as they did. Perhaps influenced by the media and Hollywood's united hype, Mel Gibson's confidence soared. He started presenting a list of tough demands to the negotiation team sent by Firefly, including increased pay, a larger stake, and absolute control over the film. Big-budget productions typically aimed for profit, and the Oscars were simply the icing on the cake. Braveheart's box office in the original timeline had never displayed anything remarkable. It would take a stroke of madness for Eric to agree to Gibson's conditions, so in the face of a stalled negotiation, he decided to abandon the project altogether.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

As for Sophie, the day the news broke, Eric called her again. He honestly informed her of the unexpected changes. Sophie straightforwardly expressed her annoyance and even took the opportunity to mock Eric, although her tone carried a hint of playfulness.

While Braveheart was a hot commodity for other studios, it was merely an unintentional detour for Eric, who had far too many pressing matters on his plate.

...

In early August, Kathryn Bigelow's long-prepped Saving Private Ryan officially started filming in Ireland. Though Eric couldn't travel to Europe, he still kept a close eye on the movie, checking in with Kathryn every few days to discuss shooting issues.

At the same time, True Lies began shooting in Washington. Cameron's films always assured quality. Eric only intervened as a routine check when he felt Cameron was burning through too much cash, although it generally bore little effect.

Additionally, a considerable amount of production progress had been made on the 2D animated feature The Lion King, which had been overseen personally by Katzenberg. While the film could have been ready by the end of the year with some overtime, Eric insisted on postponing its release until the following year.

All of these films were set to be major offerings for the summer of 1994. The year's end slate, which included Ace Ventura 2, Interview with the Vampire, and Quentin's Pulp Fiction, was also progressing steadily.

Moreover, the sequel to Jurassic Park was naturally included in Firefly's production plans. Roland Emmerich had begun gearing up for Independence Day after completing his work on Deep Impact. Eric also had to keep tabs on several films still in the pipeline with Sony Pictures, and lastly, the newly formed DreamWorks was getting underway with Charlie's Angels, having already confirmed the three leading actresses and the director, with casting calls for minor roles beginning soon.

Though ninety percent of this work did not necessitate Eric's direct involvement, the financial stakes of these projects combined exceeded a billion dollars, keeping him perpetually busy.

...

Outside of film, after days of consideration, Murdoch reluctantly agreed to most of the conditions outlined by Firefly's proposed buyout, and both parties began haggling over the final details. It was expected to wrap up by mid-September, and to avoid drawing too much attention, everything was proceeding quietly, with neither Murdoch nor Eric personally involved in the talks.

At Firefly's headquarters, Eric found himself on the phone with Chris, who was far away in Northern Europe. After a month of negotiations, the Nokia acquisition was nearing its final stages. Chris successfully obtained a 51% stake in Nokia's mobile communications division for $420 million, achieving absolute control. Although the premium was over 20%, Eric viewed the deal as an exceptional value.

While discussing tax-avoidance strategies such as setting up a company in Ireland with Chris, the office door suddenly swung open. Eric looked up and saw Elisabeth entering with red- rimmed eyes, followed closely by an upset Drew. Tina Fey timidly followed behind, and upon noticing Eric looking at her, Tina winked playfully, as if suggesting something.

Honestly, even without her indicating, seeing Elisabeth and Drew approach his desk, standing far apart and sulking, made Eric almost immediately realize what had transpired.

He briefly wrapped up his call with Chris and hadn't even spoken when Elisabeth pointed accusingly at Drew, saying, "Eric, you tell her whether or not you talked to my dad about the financing."

Just as Eric began to nod, Drew interjected indignantly, "I know you talked about it, but Eric didn't agree to your dad's terms at that time; you're lying to me!"

Elisabeth sniffled in exasperation, glaring at Eric, "You clearly gave him the nod!"

After that morning's call, the little woman had vanished for several days. Eric thought the situation had been resolved, but evidently, things had taken a turn for the worse. During that phone call, Eric neither agreed nor disagreed -- it could be interpreted in numerous ways. Now, as he faced two pairs of eyes intensely locked on him, he realized he couldn't lean to either side. He stood up and pulled both women toward the sofa in the reception area to address them. "Alright, what's going on with you two? Let's sort this out." Drew immediately raised her chin defiantly and complained, "She refuses to admit she lied to me!"

"Why should I admit to lying? Eric clearly gave the nod," Elisabeth replied, equally agitated. "You're a total liar!" Drew quipped once more, prompting Elisabeth, feeling utterly aggrieved, to spring from her seat and lunge at Drew.

Seeing this, Eric quickly stepped in to separate the two as they tried to reach for one another, desperate to grab hold. Stifling a laugh mixed with frustration, Eric said, "You can fight, but no scratching on the face; that's off-limits. They're both mine."

As the last word left his lips, Elisabeth bared her teeth and sank them into Eric's arm. This made Drew immediately dissatisfied since she hadn't wanted to bite him before, so she started gnawing on his arm as well.

A seemingly tragic scream resounded through the office. A short while later, Eric found himself again seated on the sofa, his shirt sleeves rolled up, staring at the crescent-shaped red marks on his arms, and sighed. Ignoring Tina, who was still stifling giggles beside him, he looked back at the now much quieter girls across from him. "Alright, I'll admit this was my mishap. I didn't clarify things properly. Can we just stick to the agreement I discussed with Rupert? Any objections?"

Drew only pouted and turned her head away in silence.

Elisabeth shook her head and glanced at the red imprints on Eric's arm with guilt, suddenly dropping her gaze. She was already feeling somewhat guilty and knew deep down that her dad had put her in a bind. Despite being a strong character, she didn't want to admit to lying, but she also couldn't turn on her father. Thus, they remained at an impasse for several days before feeling compelled to confront Eric.

"Since there are no objections, let's leave it at that. Drew, Tina, you two can head back. I need

to talk with Liz."

The little woman huffed audibly, miffed, and marched toward the exit, while Tina Fey, though feeling a tad reluctant, quickly followed her out.

As soon as the office door clicked shut, Elisabeth spoke in almost a whisper, "Eric, I'm sorry. I didn't know my dad would do this."

"Don't worry. I'll deal with your dad in due time," Eric smiled at her. "Rest assured; it

certainly won't be a physical confrontation."

Elisabeth suddenly recalled a question Eric had asked her before, laughed slightly, but chose not to plead on behalf of her unscrupulous father. After all, in their moneyed elite tier, even in a fit of rage, complete financial ruin for the other party was unlikely. Hesitantly, she glanced at Eric's arm and asked meekly, "Does... does it still hurt?"

Eric rubbed one of the bite marks and replied, chuckling, "It's alright. I'll just go get a rabies

shot later."

Elisabeth let out a light laugh and reached for something to throw at him, but finding no cushions on the office sofa, she settled for rolling her eyes at Eric instead. "You just backed out of Fox; are you planning to acquire the network now?"

"Yeah, that plan has been locked in place. We're exiting Fox to sidestep legal issues."

If Firefly retained its shares in Fox, it would keep their relationship somewhat closer. Even though Elisabeth felt a little sad about it, she understood the reasoning behind it, letting out a soft sigh. "Now that the financing's over, does that mean we have no connection anymore?"

Eric chuckled, "What? You're trying to dump me, huh?"

Elisabeth looked back with feigned hurt. "With so many women in your life, I heard you've been spending a lot of time with those Spanish sisters lately. What do you need me for?"

Without hesitation, Eric immediately replied, "Of course, I care about each and every one of

my women."

Elisabeth felt her heart skip a beat but retorted defiantly, "Wow, that's pretty shameless of

you."

"I'm not denying it; after all, you all know now." Eric shrugged. "And what about you? Drew mentioned you're going to 20th Century Fox as vice president. What exactly will you be doing

there?"

"The film company hasn't performed that well in recent years, so Dad asked me to take charge of production while still remaining CEO of TG Films."

Speaking of TG Films reminded Eric of a longstanding issue. "Did you nail down the deal with

Jim Carrey?"

"Yeah, it's done. He signed for three more films with a $15 million salary plus 5% of the profit

share."

Hollywood's top stars were increasingly demanding profit sharing in their contracts, and Eric didn't find this figure surprising. While other A-list actors might get similar deals, companies were often hesitant to lock them into three films at once. However, Jim Carrey's box office draw had remained strong even as he reached his peak with The Mask; he was still in his prime,

and given his low-cost films, 20th Century Fox wouldn't assume too significant a risk signing

this deal.

Thinking further, Eric asked, "I haven't heard any news about Buffy the Vampire Slayer in a while. What's the plan with that series?"

"It's set to premiere around September 28," Elisabeth mused. "Yes, definitely September 28. Given its niche vampire themes, while some thought it might align with the coming-of-age genre, we initially proposed using Friends as the lead-in. However, we ultimately decided on The X-Files as the better lead-in. It just feels safer. Eric, how much viewership do you think

this series can achieve?"

The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer had caused quite a sensation on the smaller WB network under Time Warner. Now with the distribution on the already prominent Fox, and a viewer base cultivated through The X-Files, it shouldn't be a problem to match its ratings.

Yet, Eric didn't want to make any promises. "Joss Whedon's script is outstanding, and as long

as you don't alter it as drastically as the movie version, your viewership should hold up. Beyond that, it's hard to say."

Elisabeth noted the uncertainty in Eric's voice but dismissed it. High viewership wasn't easily

attained. With the big four networks airing at least ten shows during prime time, aside from performance specials and holiday events, it was often only one or two shows that made a ratings splash.

Changing the subject, Elisabeth asked, "You said earlier you wanted to discuss something with me. What was it?"

"Oh, nothing major. Just catching up. It's been a while since I visited your place. How about

tonight?"

"Julia's not home," Elisabeth blurted out before realizing her words were awkward, her cheeks turning a shade of red as she averted her gaze from Eric's.

*****

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