King of Hollywood-Chapter 278 - 6 The Next Target is Miramax
Chapter 278: Chapter 6 The Next Target is Miramax
Chapter 278 -6 The Next Target is Miramax
Weirdly shaped trees stood all around, their interlocking branches creating a series of somewhat eerie scenes. If the surrounding area were quiet as a painting and dimly lit, even the boldest of individuals walking among these trees would feel a chill at the back of their neck.
However, if one were to think this was some eerily scenic forest, they would be greatly mistaken. This was Stage 71, where everything was artificial, constructed for the purpose of filming movies. Real forests wouldn’t have such spooky spots, or rather, such spooky areas in real forests are typically found in rarely trodden places, which even professional mountaineers would struggle to reach, let alone a film crew. Basically, productions like “Sleepy Hollow,” with its eerie style and 18th-century setting, wouldn’t venture into actual forests for location shooting; they typically combine partial real scenes with CG.
“Lights, more intensity on the lights, I need the environment to be darker, to have an eerie atmosphere, and it’s clearly not enough right now,” Burton called out from the crowd, his hair messy and his clothes casual. At first glance, he looked more like a vagrant who had just emerged from a slum rather than a fairly well-known director.
Each director has their own style. For instance, Cameron looks equally unkempt when shooting, but commands an unmatched presence on set; Jonathan Demme is always neatly dressed on set, going over roles with the actors again and again, speaking sternly when necessary; Michael Bay enjoys mingling with the actors on set, appearing very approachable, though that’s mainly because he currently doesn’t have the authority to get angry.
So it was understandable that Burton, who seemed a bit scruffy and lacked a commanding presence while directing, was just superficial. If he truly lacked charisma and authority, how could he have directed the crew?
In any case, Adrian only needed to see satisfactory results, indifferent to the process. He had watched the shooting footage, and though it was still rough, it mostly aligned with what he had envisioned. As a director and producer who had made several movies, he possessed the necessary judgment.
“Honestly, your outfit is quite nice, very classical in quality with a touch of Gothic, it has a mysterious allure,” Adrian appraised Johnny Depp, who was dressed in 18th-century fashionable attire, a black coat enveloping his body, subtly revealing the white shirt underneath, indeed quite dashing.
“Thank you,” Depp smiled. Although the media did not know about the incident where Adrian saved River the previous Halloween, River’s friends, such as Reeves and Depp, were very much aware. Especially Depp, who had felt terrified after finding out; had River truly died outside his club, it would have been a huge blow for anyone. Therefore, his perception of Adrian had changed somewhat.
“Perhaps you could try playing more roles like this, it should be helpful for you,” Adrian suggested thoughtfully as he stroked his chin.
“Let’s talk about that another time,” Depp shrugged noncommittally. Although his view of Adrian had changed, it didn’t mean there were no barriers left, and he simply ignored any implied suggestions.
Adrian laughed and didn’t say much more, then turned to look at the beautiful young girl on the other side, “See, Liv, what did I tell you? This look suits you very well, doesn’t it?”
“Not bad,” Liv said with a beaming smile. She wore a pale green, lace-trimmed 18th-century dress with a waterfall of sleek, black hair flowing down, her azure eyes twinkling with light, exuding an ethereal and pure beauty.
This role indeed suited her well. Burton had already praised how Liv’s image and the character from the story were a perfect match. The only trouble was her height, being roughly 5 feet 10 inches tall, lacking a diminutive appeal that might invoke pity. However, the 16-year-old Liv made up for it with her innocence, especially with her blue eyes that hadn’t changed due to life or work, giving her an especially pure look. With Depp also being 6 feet tall, her height turned out not to be a major issue.
“By the way, Ed, could I have a word with you in private?” Liv suddenly said. Adrian, who was about to take his leave, raised an eyebrow in surprise, glanced at Depp, and then nodded in agreement, “No problem.”
Although Depp frowned slightly, he didn’t speak and considerately left after a greeting. Liv then linked arms with Adrian and walked intimately towards the back of the set. Moving behind a large set panel, Liv turned around, peeked out to make sure no one was watching, then stuck out her tongue and exhaled a sigh, looking quite adorable in the process.
“Is there a problem?” Adrian asked, seeing her state.
“No, nothing.” Liv quickly waved her hand, but the triumphant expression on her face didn’t have time to fade. Adrian, guessing something, didn’t point it out and simply asked, “So, what did you want to talk to me about, Liv?”
“Um…” The girl, obviously improvising, shifted her gaze and then came up with a topic, “I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity, Ed. Whether it’s Mom, my friends, or Mr. Burton, they all think this role is very suitable for me.”
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“It’s nothing, the script actually had your character first before the whole story came about. If it weren’t suitable for you, I might as well not write scripts anymore.” Adrian shrugged his shoulders, speaking rather arrogantly.
Liv blinked, apparently thinking of something, suddenly moved in front of Adrian, displaying a sweet and innocent smile, “Anyway, I should express my thanks, so…”
Before she could finish her sentence, she leaned in with a giggle and lightly touched Adrian’s lips. Adrian, surprised once again, raised an eyebrow and touched his own mouth before he said, “That’s quite an unexpected way of saying thanks, but am I allowed to respond to your gratitude?”
“If you want to… of course, you can.” Liv’s smile became somewhat enigmatic, with that carefree air emerging once again.
Is she flirting with me? Adrian narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling earlier how coldly she had treated Johnny Depp’s advances, and what had just happened. He then cradled her face in his hands, kissed her rosy lips, and effortlessly pried apart her teeth.
Liv immediately widened her eyes, her hands involuntarily resting on Adrian’s shoulders, her little tongue instinctively trying to push out the sudden intrusion, but after a few times, it began to yield, twining and teasing in rhythm with him. After they passionately kissed for several seconds, they parted, and the girl, with a dazed look in her eyes, leaned weakly on Adrian, issuing a long sigh from her throat.
“Hey! That’s not polite at all!” Liv pushed Adrian away abruptly after catching her breath, though her tone was playfully reproachful, and her pretty face was flushed with a faint blush, adding an exceptional charm to her 18th-century lady’s attire.
“I asked you, and you said it was okay,” Adrian said with an innocent look.
Liv huffed lightly, crossing her arms and pouting, looking quite adorable: “I never said that. I said you could respond to my gratitude if you wanted to, but I didn’t say you could do it like that!”
Despite her words, the carefree air about her didn’t seem to subside, and Adrian couldn’t help but smile slightly, feeling like he had managed to touch upon this young lady’s thoughts.
“Then, how do you think I should act? Throw a party? You always leave the parties early. Or should I ask you out? I don’t think Miss Bibi would agree, and besides…” Adrian blinked without finishing his sentence.
“It’s because I thought it was inappropriate, so I rejected,” Liv defended.
“Yeah, even you think it’s inappropriate,” Adrian raised his hands, “Alright then, it seems like the shooting is going to continue; we’d better hurry over so we don’t worry Tim.”
Taking Liv by the shoulders, he walked toward the set. A few steps later, Liv suddenly looked up at Adrian, “Okay, then I’ll give you a chance. How about we go on a date?”
“We go on a date?” Adrian raised his eyebrows, “Are you sure, Liv? Your mother probably wouldn’t agree.”
“My mother is my mother,” Liv said quickly, with a somewhat provocative and curious gaze at Adrian, “What I want to do doesn’t necessarily need my mother’s approval.”
“Is that so,” Adrian stroked his chin, “I’m only in Los Angeles for a few days, and I’ll have to go back to Alabama soon to continue shooting the new movie. So we’ll have to wait until I finish that work.”
“No problem,” Liv agreed without hesitation, “Then I’ll wait for your call.”
She then ran off with a giggly smile, her silhouette holding up her skirt gracefully. After a few steps, she made a point of turning around and gestured to her ear as if she was waiting for a phone call.
“Fascinating girl,” Adrian murmured, after going over to greet Burton and Depp, he then left the “Sleepy Hollow” set. He had come here firstly to understand the situation of the filming, and then to see how Liv was doing, wanting her debut to be dazzling, which had taken quite an effort to pick from his memories.
Since there were no problems with the shooting and Burton was handling everything well, and Adrian had previously promised not to interfere with the actual filming, it was naturally time for him to leave, especially since, as Charlize had said, his schedule for the coming days was packed.
“Summer is also a season of harvest,” Adrian mumbled to himself as he got into the car, knowing that the date after coming back from Alabama wouldn’t be the only one. Charlize, who was getting into the car and closing the door, heard this and frowned but simply sighed, as she knew why Adrian had come to the “Sleepy Hollow” set and why he said that.
“We’re going to have lunch now, then head back to the club,” Adrian, seeing her expression, smiled and shook his head, then signalled for Glover to drive as his phone started ringing in his arms.
“Hey Crow, I was just lamenting that summer is a season of harvest, and then you call — it must be good news,” Adrian said, surprised, as it was Claude calling about the progress of the latest acquisition.
“I have no objections, if you think it’s good for the company then go ahead, but I must remind you, after arranging this, consider Laverne’s position,” he continued after listening to the gist, “Yes, of course he deserves it, just don’t make empty promises like Paramount did… Okay, let’s leave it at that.”
Hanging up the phone, Adrian exhaled and a playful smile appeared on his lips; Claude was starting to take action, which was a good thing. With the integration of TBS complete, Claude had shifted his target, and after several considerations and consulting Adrian’s opinion, he had chosen Miramax.
Yes, that very Miramax which was currently experiencing a shift due to Adrian’s entry, having some of its independent film glory taken away. Founded by the Weinstein brothers in the ’70s, this film company had a decent reputation in Hollywood, and despite Bossworth taking away some of its realm, it was still an independent film company not to be underestimated.
Originally, since last year, Disney had been discussing the acquisition with them, but the Weinstein brothers wanted to maintain the company’s independent operational rights. Together with the emerging collaboration between AC Media and Viacom as well as the acquisition of TBS drawing Disney’s attention, the deal had dragged on up to this point without conclusion.
Claude therefore set his sights on Miramax. He was no longer the young man from a few years prior who was still unfamiliar with the media industry; he had his own additions and expansions to the plan he had discussed with Adrian. Initially having only Bossworth Film Company under his control was one thing, but with TBS now in the bag, and New Line, previously acquired by TBS, becoming a subsidiary of AC Media, he had conceived the idea of integrating the film companies.
“Bossworth will handle the investment and distribution of riskier productions, New Line will handle co-productions with other companies, and Miramax will produce and distribute low-budget independent films and art films,” Claude had said to Adrian at the time.
Adrian had no reason to disagree; Claude’s idea matched perfectly with his initial intentions. The only difference was that initially, New Line was to be responsible for co-productions, Bossworth for art films and low-budget independent films, and big productions were for him to choose, with New Line and Bossworth alternating production and distribution until then.
Acquiring Miramax wouldn’t have much of an impact. As long as Adrian’s vision was realized, Bossworth could just produce and distribute medium investment films. Besides, Miramax had a library of five to six hundred films, which, along with New Line and Bossworth, meant they would not fall short in quantity compared to the major companies.
However, there were two problems to solve. The first was Disney’s attitude. Given Michael Eisner’s despotism, he would certainly not tolerate AC Media snatching the food from Disney’s mouth, especially since negotiations had been going on for so long.
But Adrian wasn’t too worried. First, given the current situation, Miramax was not essential; getting it would be nice, but not getting it would not be a disaster. Secondly, the Weinstein brothers were both types fixated on money. He remembered someone describing the two as the kind who would even strip on the bar tabletop if the price was right.
And what AC Media was currently not lacking was funding. The acquisition of TBS had been well-handled and, along with the situation Adrian had created for Claude, had ended up costing only 5.5 billion US Dollars, while Miramax was worth at most 200 million US Dollars. Moreover, after discussing with Claude, they both agreed that it was possible to retain Miramax’s independent operating rights, while Michael Eisner, the tyrant who liked to control everything, would not compromise unless absolutely forced to do so.
The second issue was reconsidering Laverne’s position. If the acquisition of Miramax were successful, allowing this venerable independent film company to produce and distribute art films and low-budget independent films would undoubtedly be more suitable. Moreover, with the Weinstein brothers’ public relations skills, combined with the resources now available from AC Media, they would certainly be much stronger than Laverne. Laverne’s ability to score so many nominations and awards owed a lot to the films Adrian produced.
But this wasn’t to say Laverne lacked ability. Without skill, even with high-quality films, it would be impossible to secure much. It’s just that the Weinstein brothers were even more formidable, capable of securing nominations for films of average quality.
Nevertheless, since Laverne had made significant contributions, if it weren’t for him, even with Adrian, Bossworth Film Company would not have achieved its current development. So those who should be won over still needed to be won over.
Of course, all of these were predicated on the successful acquisition of Miramax. Therefore, after once again sighing, “Summer is also a season of harvest,” Adrian promptly put the matter out of his mind.
After having lunch at an Italian restaurant, Adrian and Charlize took a walk nearby and exchanged their schedules for the next few days, before driving back to the Fitch Club. Seeing that there was still some time before the scheduled appointment, Adrian found a room to rest for a moment, then sat energized on a sofa in the lobby to wait.
Before long, a young lady and her female agent, led by Roger, appeared at the entrance of the lobby. Her golden-red hair hung down smoothly, and even though her face was somewhat square and had some freckles, she looked refreshing and attractive. Dressed in a tasteful black knee-length dress, paired with the same color silk jacket and pointy leather pumps, there was an added sensuality about her.
“Hey, Ed, it’s nice to finally see you again,” the lady approached Adrian in a few steps, smiled, and extended her hand, with a different sparkle flashing in her grey-green eyes.
“Yes, I’m delighted to see you again, Gwyneth,” Adrian stood up, sharing the same smile, and shook hands with Gwyneth Paltrow.
(To be continued. For the rest of the story, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)
