HOLLYWOOD WHAT IF

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to dmf!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 90


The influence of the MCU was so great that many film companies tried to copy it. Even foreign countries tried to dab their hands and copy the MCU and filmed their own Avengers.

The MCU movies made billions of dollars. The franchise may have been the reason why movie theaters were still thriving under the strong rapid rise of the Internet. Well, there were definitely many factors like the 3D, IMAX and increase of movie tickets.

But it didn't change the fact that MCU was the most successful movie franchise.

Now, Kazir understood that his Cinematic Universe could not have been as good as the MCU. Considering that his movies were original scripts and not based on comics. His Cinematic Universe didn't have a steady stream of fans.

"This is my starting point. We will take 40% of the North American box office. 20th Century Fox will only invest $2.5 million in promotion. These terms may change depending on how the movie does. However, I can't assure you that 20th Century Fox will give it the best schedule release. We have so many film projects this year and we have to prioritize them."

"I understand."

That was the main reason Kazir preferred Sony-Columbia. Sony-Columbia releases only a few movies a year, unlike the other Big Five. Kazir was confident that Sony-Columbia would give him a good release schedule.

"Also, I have to see the movie first. If it doesn't meet my criteria, I'm sorry, but 20th Century Fox will have to pass."

To be honest, Tom Rothman was not confident in the movie. He felt it would flop. The only reason he met with Kazir Grey this time was for the sequel to Napoleon Dynamite. After all, Kazir Grey was the brains behind the movie. He knew the Napoleon Dynamite story better than anyone.

'I'm sure Warner Bros feels the same way. Kazir is definitely a talented comedy director, but I don't know about action movies.'

"We will talk about international distribution once your "Taken" has proven itself in the North American market."

The Big Six would never distribute an uncertain film... Unless the movie was heavily invested. There were many movies that the Big Six distributed overseas in the hope that they could make a profit.

Warcraft was a movie based on a popular game. The movie only made $47 million at the North American box office. However, it made $391 million in the rest of the world.

Perhaps the game was one of the factors that made Warcraft(movie) successful, but it was still true that the movie made more money overseas.

Unfortunately, the usual situation was the opposite. If the movie horribly flopped in North America, it would flop in the rest of the world.

So Kazir understood why Tom Rothman couldn't promise international distribution for Taken. After all, they have to invest money just to distribute thousands of film copies around the world. Added that they also have to promote them.

'Well, that's good for me. At least I can negotiate with them again if Taken is good. Maybe I can get a better deal then.'

Sony-Columbia has already promised a 35% share of the worldwide box office. This offer was either good or bad for Grey Pictures.

But in Kazir's opinion, the deal was already good. As long as the movie made more money, everything would be better for both parties.

'I guess this meeting is fruitless again. It seems that Tom Rothman didn't want to repeat what happened last time. Maybe he thinks it was a mistake to give me a share of the box office for Napoleon Dynamite. Well, I'm still grateful for what he did for me.'

Fox Searchlight Pictures was his first partner. He had no problem working with them again as long as the conditions were met.

The truth was that the meeting was not fruitful. At least Grey Pictures knew the average terms of the two film companies. Besides, it was not wrong to ask for more. Especially if Grey Pictures was going to be the sole investor in Taken.

They have the right to agree or disagree with the film companies.

'... I actually have another company to ask from, but I'm not sure if they have the ability to promote my movie properly.'

Anyway, this thing could not be solved right away. First of all, the movie was still not made. No film company wanted to sign with Grey Pictures. Everything was just a 'promise' from now on. Nothing was certain.

"Well, thank you for accepting this meeting, Mr. Rothman."

"That's fine. By the way, if you have another comedy script you want to direct, feel free to contact 20th Century Fox. We will make sure to invest in your movie. Haha!"

As expected, Tom Rothman's prejudice against his talent was obvious. Besides, what Tom Rothman said was only a promise. No one knows if 20th Century Fox would really cooperate with Grey Pictures if Taken was a massive flop.

Everything depended on the outcome of Taken.

.........
......
...

"Make sure you eat healthy."

"I will."

"Huh! I know you always forget to eat when you are working on your movie. Don't try to fool me."

"I will try to eat healthy food."

"Good. Take care. Call me when you land."

Kazir Grey said goodbye to Reese Witherspoon. He wanted to take a flight to France with the crew.

March came and the preparations for the film were finished. Liam Neeson and the stunt men had already mastered their roles. In fact, Liam Neeson's body was impeccable at the moment. He got abs and toned biceps.

'I recommended him the gym I worked out in, and the result is satisfying.'

Apart from Liam, Kazir Grey's figure was also perfect. If not for his job as a director, he might be hired as an actor instead.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to KrOn and Simonki!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 91


Within three months of preparation, Kazir's crew finished the pre-production work.

The people under the props team started to choose the actors' appearances(costume design). This movie was a little different from the original Taken. Kazir added some easter eggs for the next movies. Especially for Enzo Park who was the ninja in this movie.

Enzo only had one scene in the movie, but his appearance was supposed to be remarkable. So that the audience would remember him.

While the props team was busy creating fashion for the roles, the camera department focused on their work.

The camera department, especially Rector who was the cinematographer, had the job of going over every possible shot and scene they were going to do. Rector even went to France for a week to check out the locations.

The crew already got approval from France to make the movie. But they didn't get any tax incentives. First of all, Grey Pictures was an unknown studio. Also, the film was about human trafficking in France. It was actually a miracle that the government agreed.

'Well, we cast two French actors, so the film industry in this country gave us some leeway.'

The so-called art film center of Europe. Paris, France. The country where the first movie was made.

The Lumière brothers were the first to present projected moving pictures to a paying audience in December 1895 in Paris, France. They used a homemade device called the Cinématographe, which was a camera, projector, and film printer all in one. (Credits to Google.)

The first movie.

That was the reason why many film directors in France had this arrogant attitude. They thought they were the center of art film.

But most of their "art films" are nothing but borderline pornography. The plots are dark and sometimes depressing. They are also very long.

Combined with these factors, the European film industry slowly lost its vitality. In the end, Hollywood overtook it.

'That is not my problem. I'm satisfied that they let me shoot the movie in the country.'

He had a plan B in case the government didn't give him permission. He would shoot the movie in the US. He would just take shots of relevant scenes from France and put them in the movie.

Many studios did this to reduce their costs.

But since they got the permission, Grey Pictures decided to shoot most of the relevant scenes in the movie. Like running on the highway. For this sequence alone, Liam Neeson practiced running without getting tired.

Three months was a short time, but Liam Neeson was strict about his work. He made sure his physique fit the role of Bryan Mills. A retired dangerous agent.

"Director, we already blocked the road."

Assistant Director Fremont Smith told Kazir, who was sitting in the chair.

"Good. We only have three hours to shoot this scene. Make sure we get as many good shots as possible."

Kazir raised his megaphone and gave the go signal. This was not the studio, and his voice was hard to hear even when he shouted. So carrying a megaphone was the right decision. Besides, Kazir would never use the megaphone for useless things.

There were directors who would use a megaphone every damn time, unreasonably. As if they wanted to show that they were in control.

"Okay, let's start filming."

His voice resounded.

There was a rule in the show business. Never film a passerby. Or you would get sued. Every passerby, every car, every person the camera caught was hired by the production crew. These people signed a contract to be in the movie, even if they were just extras.

So yes, Grey Pictures hired all the people who would appear on screen. None of them were real passers-by. In fact, even the prank videos on YouTube were mostly staged. So yeah, don't believe those prank videos.

In this scene, Liam Neeson had to run a few meters to catch the handsome person who was related to the disappearance of Kim (Bryan Mills' daughter) and her friend.

"Impressive, Liam Neeson is not out of breath."

Kazir was pleased. Unlike the original version where Liam Neeson was older, the current Liam had a better physique.

'I decided to make Bryan Mills stronger and faster in this version because the Continental Cinematic Universe is a replica of superhero movies.'

The John Wick and Fast and the Furious franchises were basically superhero movies. Yes. Especially the latter of the two. Nobody could change that opinion because it was the truth. These movies had the same formula as superhero movies.

'The first three Fast and the Furious movies were realistic... But the sequels after that turned the franchise into a hodgepodge.'

As for John Wick, the first movie already had the formula of being a superhero, but a bit mild. The sequels gradually turned into one.

Anyway, on the screen, Kazir Grey watched Liam Neeson run like a cheetah.

He just sat in his chair while Fremont Smith ordered people around. Fremont was responsible for making sure that the filming of this particular scene went smoothly.

Fortunately, the three hours ended peacefully. Kazir and the film crew packed up, cleaned up and left. They got enough shots.

"D- Director Grey, a French director has invited you to his party tomorrow."

Kazir Grey still couldn't find an assistant, so one of the interns temporarily took over as his personal assistant. The intern was nervous and stammered.

"Hm? Who is this?"

Kazir knew a few French directors, since the film industry was still quite strong in the United States. He watched many films by European directors.

"I- It says here that the director's name is Roman Polanski."

The intern said.

"..."

Kazir became silent. Roman Polanski was in fact a famous director. He was the director of The Pianist. The Oscar-winning film, The Pianist.

But Roman Polanski was also famous for something else... He was a known rapist/pedophile.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 92


Roman Polanski. A famous director. He directed many movies and his most famous one was The Pianist.

However, he was wanted in the USA.

Nevertheless, he fled to Paris and continued his profession as a director.

Roman Polanski had influence in the French film industry and he invited Kazir Grey to his party for several reasons.

First of all, Kazir Grey was a Jew like him. Kazir's mother was from Poland and her parents lived through the horrors of World War II.

Unlike Kazir's mother, Roman Polanski lived through World War II. It was not a good memory.

The second thing was that he heard that Kazir Grey was going to make a movie in France. Maybe he could cooperate on something.

The third was Kazir's influence in Hollywood. Roman Polanski was wanted in the US and he could not get in. He had cooperation with the film companies in Hollywood. But he still wanted to get some information first hand from Kazir.

'If you ask me. It's a mystery how the Academy let Roman Polanski and The Pianist win the Oscar despite the scandal...'.

Kazir Grey had an idea why.

Most of the old members of the Academy were Jewish. They had this collective understanding that they had to help each other. Besides, The Pianist was about the plight of the Jewish people at the hands of the Germans.

The old men of the Oscars obviously liked the movie because of that. So much so that they ignored the fact that Roman Polanski had committed a crime. He was convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor (a 13 year old girl).

'Now, I still don't know the whole story and I can't judge a person based on these articles... I have to meet him before I make a decision.'

Maybe this is why the old men from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences let it slide... Because some of them might be pedophiles.

There were a lot of crimes going on in Hollywood, but they were protected by their halo. One of the reasons Jeffrey Epstein maintained his status for so long.

The stars shone, but they were overwhelmed by the blinding lights of the city. The hustle and bustle of the city continued despite the late hour.

Kazir Grey entered the party with Harold. They were the director and producer, so they had to make connections. The French film industry was quite strong and they had the home field advantage.

"Kazir Grey. It's nice to meet you."

"Mr. Polanski."

Kazir shook Roman's hand. It was a little uncomfortable, but he decided to accept it.

The Jewish director was 63 this year, and he looked old. But he was still active in the industry.

"Kazir, how about we go to a quiet place and talk."

"Okay."

Kazir motioned to Harold Witsend to make contact with the locals. Maybe they could find something interesting that would reduce their costs. They need local companies to help them.

The two directors walked into the garden. Kazir had a glass of champagne in his hand. He knew the French liked to drink champagne and cognac.

"Kazir, I hear you're a Jew."

"That's right."

As expected, Roman played the race card. Kazir decided to shut up and let Roman talk.

"I have a new project and I'm trying to find a distribution company. I was wondering if you could recommend a company."

"Well, I work with Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox. Maybe I can put you in touch with them."

"I had a relationship with Warner Bros. back in 1988. As for 20th Century Fox, this might be the first time."

He smiled.

The two began to talk about movies and their experiences making them. It seemed that Roman Polanski was having a hard time finding a distributor for his next film.

While talking to the old director, Kazir realized that Roman was not so bad after all. At least he felt that way about him.

Maybe he is just showing his good side. Well, nobody wanted to show their devils.

To be honest, that was not his problem. The only reason he attended this party was to make a connection with the local movie industry.

"Ah, by the way, I heard that you held an audition for young women?"

"... Mr. Polanski, I have already cast someone for the role. If you are referring me to someone else, I must decline."

"Ahahaha. No, I won't do that. It would be a breach of contract. I just want to introduce you to someone. She is the daughter of a friend of mine. She actually auditioned for the role of Kim Mills last December, but she didn't make it past the second round."

"Hm?"

Kazir was a bit curious.

"I'm just asking for a favor. Maybe you can help her. You can put her in touch with your agent if you want."

"I want to see her first."

"Of course."

A few minutes later a young woman appeared. She was beautiful, but clearly a minor.

Kazir was actually surprised to see the woman here.

"Hello Director Grey, I'm Eva Green. I went to America last year to audition for Taken. But they didn't like me because of my accent."

The woman smiled at Kazir.

'I didn't expect to meet the famous Bond girl of Casino Royal.'

Besides, Eva Green was also in the Kingdom of Heaven.

"I know a company that can help you gather extras, and their payment is lower than the average."

Roman Polanski added.

"Thank you, Mr. Polanski."

A clear-headed person like Kazir Grey understood that this was just business. He didn't need to let his emotions get in the way of business.

[Author's Note: I did a poll to choose which actress should participate in Taken as Bryan Mills' daughter. The choices are Eva Green, Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Keira Knightley, and Jessica Alba. They prefer Scarlett Johansson so she got the role.]

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Dany B!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 93


The woman before him was still young. But that didn't change the fact that she was already beautiful.

However, Kazir was unaffected by beauty. In fact, many women at this party were giving him flirtatious looks. He didn't show any reaction.

There might be a simple reason for this. Kazir Grey might be afraid of women, especially beautiful women. It was hard for him to trust them.

It was a miracle that he agreed to Reese's seductive advances. He had turned her down three times before their current relationship.

So as much as possible, he wanted to keep his feet away from women who could be his downfall... Especially young women.

"Mr. Polanski, you're just asking for a favor. To help Miss Eva Green break into Hollywood, is that it? I have to be honest with you, I'm just a director. I may be a hot director right now because of the success of my last two movies. But I know that film companies will easily drop me if I make an irreparable mistake. I think my help will not be much."

"Kazir, don't worry. I'm not asking for much. Eva's father helped me when I was down, and I want to help Eva realize her dreams. I advise her to become famous in France, but Hollywood is not so bad. I hate to say it, but the European film industry is losing its edge. I'll be happy if you let Eva get some roles.

"... One of our actresses dropped out after realizing that her role was too dark. Is Eva interested?" Kazir decided that there was nothing wrong with helping.

"What do you think, Eva?"

Roman Polanski turned to the young woman.

"Ms. Grey, can I know the role first?"

Having heard that the role was too dark, Eva Green needed to understand if the role would bring her success.

"You are a kidnapped woman who was used by criminals. The protagonist rescued you from the sex den because he wanted to ask you about his missing daughter..."

Human trafficking was everywhere. Even in the United States and its closed regions. A few months ago, a young woman was missing after visiting Mexico and it seemed the Mexican gang was related to her dissapearance.

"Will I have nude scenes?" Eva Green asked.

"You're a minor, so of course not. I didn't want to bother the Children's Association."

In fact, there was another group of people from the Children's Association who attended the filming. They were responsible for making sure that Scarlett Johansson would study with her tutor.

Underage actors were required to have tutors while they were on the set. They also have maximum working hours that the production crew could not violate.

'Fortunately, people are tamed and reasonable this time.'

Grey Pictures didn't have a problem with anyone. Especially when Grey Pictures was still looking for a film company to distribute the film.

'Adding another minor is not a problem. Besides, I heard that the laws in this country are different from those in the US. Maybe they have more lenient laws.'

"I want to take the role."

Eva Green weighed the pros and cons. She thought her chances of going to Hollywood were very slim. So she decided to take a chance. Working with a famous director was a once in a lifetime opportunity for her. She might as well take the role.

"You need your parents' permission first."

"Thank you, Mr. Grey."

The woman smiled and happily left to find her parents.

.........
......
...

His interaction with the guests was easy. They chatted. Some of them were interested in him, especially after hearing that Kazir Grey was the director of Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover. Those movies were huge box office hits even in France.

He even met Sophie Marceau. But because of the woman's status in France, Kazir just greeted her and then stayed away.

Sophie Marceau was in the cast of Braveheart. She didn't have much influence in Hollywood, but it was different in Europe. Here, she was a famous actress.

"What have you got?"

Kazir asked Harold, who was standing next to him. They sipped alcohol in silence in the corner. They had already gotten what they needed.

"Some of them asked us if we needed filming equipment. They can promise us a 20% discount. As long as we include their store in the movie."

"An advertisement?"

"That's right." Harold nodded.

"I see... Let's think about it later."

Kazir thought that this condition was not bad. Unfortunately, they already have cameras and equipment for filming.

"This, I'm sure you'll be interested in. I met a person who can help us buy old cars."

There was a car chase scene in the movie and they needed old cars for it. Kazir wanted one or two cars for explosion scenes.

"Call them later. If the price is right, we can rent and buy old cars from them."

"Okay."

Having accomplished their goals and met new people, the two decided to return to the hotel where they were resting. The crew had to work tomorrow and it would be bad if the producer and director returned with a hangover.

Just as Roman Polanski had promised, a company contacted the crew and promised to bring extras at a good price.

Extras were important because they were needed in most of the public scenes. Grey Pictures didn't want to get sued if they accidentally filmed a real civilian and put him in the movie.

Just like that, the shooting started again. This time they shot at night.

"We have to shoot most of the difficult scenes this time."

"Sigh... Renting a huge yacht is expensive. Are you sure you can finish shooting in seven hours?"

They only have a few hours to finish the yacht scenes. To be honest, Harold was skeptical.

He had experienced Kazir's fast shooting before, but this time was different. He was going to shoot an action stunt and they had to execute it meticulously. It was a dangerous stunt, so Liam Neeson had to make way for his body double... The part where he had to jump and then roll onto the yacht to infiltrate the place.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Craig W., Aj, Cedric K., Tarabi Y., and Binrasas!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 94


Liam Neeson was insured, of course. Because of his profession, the insurance company had to make sure he was safe in every project he took on.

So all the dangerous stunts had to be done by his stunt double. It was a no-brainer. There were many actors who said they didn't use a stunt double, and most of them were lying... Unless it was Jackie Chan or Jet Lee. Those actors had different contracts.

But even Liam Neeson had to do some of the stunts. He just has to show his face. To make it look like he was the one doing the stunts. So his stunt double had to resemble him in height and weight.

"The cameras are all set!"

"The actors are all ready."

They shouted, since they were far apart.

Kazir switched on the megaphone and said.

"Start shooting!"

"Lights Camera Action!"

With cameras from different angles, Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) started running to the bridge. Bryan Mills had to jump into the approaching private yacht to save his daughter. Once the yacht was under the bridge, Bryan Mills made a decision and jumped!

"Cut! Stop the yacht and call the double!" Kazir stopped the filming right before Liam Neeson actually jumped.

Just like Liam Neeson, his stunt double underwent three months of rigorous training. His training was harder than Liam Neeson's because he was the one responsible for the difficult stunts.

After a ten-minute break, filming resumed. This time with Liam's stunt double.

The yacht that was under the bridge started to move again. The stunt double jumped and then rolled safely onto the yacht.

"Cut! Another ten minute break!"

"Are we going to reshoot?"

Fremont whispered next to him.

"Let me see the clips first."

Kazir Grey touched his chin and studied the shots. It was perfect. Even Fremont thought there was no reason to reshoot.

The two nodded to each other. It was useless to reshoot, since they had already captured a good one.

"This is the first time I've worked with Kazir, but I can't believe how fast and precise his shots are. Usually the actors make many mistakes, but under Kazir's guidance, the actors are all calm and serious."

Liam Neeson murmured while sipping hot soup. It was late at night and very cold. Liam's personal assistant gave him a towel to keep him warm.

"I heard that director Grey has a vibe that makes actors improve their acting." The assistant said without any assurance. In the first place, she didn't know what she was saying.

"It's because the director has a long patience and he didn't shout much."

Enzo Park appeared.

"Our ninja is here!"

Liam Neeson teased the young Korean. They trained together and became friends.

"Tell me more about Director Grey," Liam said.

"I only worked with director Grey once and I realized one thing... I didn't feel any pressure or nervousness. That's why I easily passed my scenes even though I had a lot of NGs when I practiced."

Enzo Park was dressed in very elegant clothes, all black. As if he was melting into the darkness.

"I see..."

Liam Neeson touched his chin. This was only the second day, and Kazir Grey kept his patience. There were times when mistakes were made. Instead of getting angry, Kazir encouraged them.

Even Liam noticed that Kazir Grey boosted his confidence by telling him that he was doing a great job even though his performance was sometimes mediocre.

"Will my acting be bad now that I know his tricks?"

"Tricks? No, I think it's a talent. Director Grey has a talent for building someone's confidence. Director Grey knows the whole movie as if it's already finished in his mind. I think as long as you meet his qualifications, there will be no problem.

Enzo assured him.

"Thank you, but I didn't feel any encouragement at all." Liam Neeson chuckled.

The shooting started again.

This time, Bryan Mills had to fight the guards of a certain rich Middle Eastern man.

In the movie, Bryan Mills' daughter was bought at an illegal auction by a Middle Eastern man. Kazir just followed the original movie as closely as possible.

'The High Table from the franchise John Wick has a member of a Middle Eastern man. I think I can do something to connect the two.'

Kazir thought as he watched Bryan Mills defeat the bodyguards one by one on the screen. Of course, they are shooting the scenes one by one with breaks. This was not a real fight. They just have to make it realistic.

"Liam, this is an important part of the movie, no, of my whole plan. I hope you can show me a fierce and fearless man."

"Don't worry Kazir. We have practiced this many times."

.........
......
...

Bryan Mills was shot in the abdomen, but that didn't stop him. He beat the crap out of the bodyguards until he reached the master bedroom.

When he opened the door, he was greeted by the Middle Eastern man holding his daughter.

The man had a gun to his daughter's head.

Kim Mills (Scarlett Johansson) was terrified. She was confused and scared. Her father had just appeared and fought the bodyguards. She stared at her father with tears in her eyes.

"..."

Bryan Mills pointed the gun at the man.

A few seconds passed.

The man felt he was at a disadvantage. So he decided to bargain with Bryan Mills.

"... Let's negotiate...!"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was shot in the chest.

He fell to the ground, blood flowing slowly.

"Y- You bastard! The High Table! Baba Yaga! They will all hunt you!"

The man shouted, spitting blood. He spoke in Arabic.

Suddenly, Bryan Mills kicked him in the chest and stared at him coldly.

"Then call them."

He replied in Arabic and shot him in the head.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to David K., AR3S, Atticus C., Alejandro O.!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 95


"Cut! This time I want to make a certain adjustment."

Kazir Grey didn't use his megaphone since they were inside the yacht. There was no need to shout.

This yacht was mainly used for filming. It was a yacht specially made for the purpose of renting to production crew to shoot movies or tv shows. So the corner of the rooms in the yacht had spaces for cameras and cameramen.

Roman Polanski recommended this yacht for them to use. Because of his connection, they rented the yacht for a better price.

There were some scenes where Bryan Mills was breaking glass walls while fighting the bodyguards... These scenes had to be shot elsewhere.

The production crew was not crazy enough to damage the rented yacht. There was a clause that they would have to pay if the yacht was damaged.

They only used the exterior of the yacht and some rooms for shooting.

Like now.

"Let's try a different approach this time."

Kazir also understood that introducing the High Table and Baba Yaga in the first movie could be a dangerous move. So he had a plan B.

After a ten-minute break, shooting resumed.

Bryan Mills entered the room to find his daughter being threatened by the Middle Eastern man.

The man pointed his gun at Kim Mills. However, the man knew he was in grave danger. So he decided to negotiate with Bryan Mills.

"Let's negotiate..."

Bryan Mills didn't bother to listen and shot him in the head.

Unlike before, the Middle Eastern man died instantly. He didn't say anything about the High Table and Baba Yaga.

Kazir Grey was still struggling between the two scenes. Introducing the High Table and Baba Yaga might cause confusion. So he decided to shoot the original version just to make sure he had two different scenarios to choose from.

Filming ended today and the crew dispersed. Working at night was obviously double pay for the production crew. As for the actors, they have different contracts, so they were pretty tame. However, there was a clause in the contract that the actors should have a comfortable place to stay during the night shoot.

In fact, Liam Neeson and Scarlett Johansson had their own trailers. Liam Neeson was a well-known actor, so he had his own trailer to rest in. As for Scarlett Johansson, she was an underage actress and she sometimes had to study in the trailer.

As for the extras... The crew could not give them their own trailers. Most of them have to share.

Obviously, since Kazir Grey was the director of this movie, he had his own trailer to rest in.

He leaned against the chair and watched the shots they had acquired today. They mostly focus on expensive shots for the first week to make sure they can control their cash flow.

There were instances where the money was spent before they even rented cars and such. So to make sure they knew what they were spending, the production crew decided to spend big and then gradually control their spending.

If they didn't have enough cash... They might have to ask for a loan.

Fortunately, Kazir's shooting was fast and precise. There were some mistakes along the way, but it was within expectations.

Besides, this time the situation was different from the last time. There was no WMA to interfere with his shooting. He was in a foreign country and William Morris Agency didn't have time to bother him.

As for the film companies, especially the big six, they kept their attitude. They just watch and see the results. Kazir's current project was an experiment and the film companies were not sure how to face it.

If his movie wasn't really amazing, they wouldn't approach him.

Kazir watched the shots many times. There were different angles to be used and he tried to find the best one.

A few minutes later, someone knocked on his door.

"Brother Kazir?"

"..."

Hearing the young girl's voice, Kazir sighed uncontrollably. Kazir looked at the entrance and found Scarlett Johansson together with her tutor. The tutor didn't enter the trailer.

"Scarlett, I'm busy. It's late now, I suggest you get some sleep because you have a scene tomorrow."

"I know. That's why I'm here. I want to ask you about it."

"... Come in."

Months passed after Kazir realized that Salvatore Barlowe had signed a contract with Scarlett Johansson. After their first meeting in the audition room, the little girl, for reasons unknown, started calling him brother.

Kazir let it go because he didn't really care. Besides, Scarlett Johansson was too young and he didn't want to reprimand her. So he let the girl call him brother.

But Kazir started to realize that Scarlett Johansson really treated him like one. That she started making fun of him like a real brother. It was cool at first, but the girl gradually lost her respect for Kazir Grey, the director of the movie.

'It is good that she is taking things seriously this time.'

Earlier, Scarlett Johansson had begged Kazir to buy her a croissant since they were France. Kazir didn't want to upset her and caused a mistake in the set, so he called one of the interns to buy one.

Scarlett Johansson was still young, but she was already displaying the arrogance of a superstar.

'To be honest, Scarlett Johansson is serious about her role. I can see that she has studied the role a lot. However, she is still young and her acting is unstable.'

This was one of the disadvantages of hiring underage actors/actresses.

If not for his promise to Salvatore Barlowe, Kazir might have chosen a young but legal actress instead. He only agreed because Salvatore Barlowe helped him most of the time.

"What question do you have this time?"

"About this one."

Scarlett Johansson pointed to a section of the script.

"Hm, page 36... Are you asking about the kidnapping of Kim Mills?"

"That's right, I want to know what emotion I should show. Should I be shocked or frightened?
how about both?"

Kazir chuckled as he listened to the young girl's thoughts.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 96


For a young woman, it was impressive that she took this job seriously. She should be at the age where she should be playing and having fun.

But her determination and passion for acting was real. Kazir Grey saw it. Scarlett Johansson wasn't a professional yet, and she didn't have the explosive acting to grab everyone's attention. But she was certainly hardworking... If not for her mischievous side, Kazir might be impressed.

"... Let's go outside and talk about it."

"Yes, Brother Kazir."

"Honestly, I don't like calling me that. Why don't you stop and call me director Grey or just Kazir instead." He frowned. At first he let her do what she wanted because he didn't want to cause a trouble in the set.

However, being called brother was not normal in their society.

Scarlett Johansson paused.

"My parents said that connection is the best weapon in this industry. You're a director who has potential, so I want to call you brother. So brother, give me roles when I need to."

'Am I hearing it right? This child is already scheming at such a young age? Back when I was 12 years old, I'm still addicted to Pokemon and Pac-Man.'

"Sigh, anyway, let's talk outside."

Of course, Kazir knew that rumors might start flying if they stayed in the trailer for too long. So it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Okay." Scarlett Johansson nodded and opened the door.

The two walked out of the trailer and found the tutor talking to the crew. Kazir and Scarlett had a conversation where people could see them.

"What question do you want to ask?"

"It's about the scene where Kim Mills was talking to her father when she saw unknown people showing up."

"Ah, that scene. I think you already have an idea about it."

"As expected, it should be shock and fear, right?"

"Give me your best reaction."

"I need a few seconds to adapt."

Scarlett Johansson thought seriously. Then she turned to Kazir and showed a frightened expression.

"... Passable, but not the best. First of all, why are you holding your shoulders? Remember, Kim Mills was holding a phone at the time."

"Let me do it again."

This time Scarlett's performance was better. Kazir did not ask for anything great from her. He was already satisfied that Scarlett could work without being a crybaby.

'Young children can be shy and timid in front of the camera. They usually cry when they're pressured, and they're hard to work with. I didn't want to work with young children as much as possible.'

He had the experience of working with a baby in The Hangover. The baby would cry at every break and it slowed the production down. Their schedule was behind the expected time. In addition, the children's association at that time also caused problems.

"I have to work hard, this is the scene we will shoot tomorrow. I don't want to cause trouble for the film crew." Scarlett muttered.

"I'm surprised that a little girl like you is aware of her surroundings."

"I'm not a little girl! I'm already 12." She kicked her foot in protest.

"That means you are a little girl."

"Geez!" She pouted.

She hated it when people made fun of her age. She tried to be mature. Well, her action was still that of a child.

"Kazir, does being a director fun."

"Thank God you stopped calling me brother. Anyway, what do you mean? I like my job and I love making films, so yeah, it's fun."

"Boys and girls at my age are snotty and act very immature. They fight and talk stupid things. I want to grow up fast and do what I want, something fun."

"Scarlett, boys and girls your age are very immature."

Kazir shook his head. This little girl was trying to grow up faster. In his opinion, Scarlett should see things from a child's perspective. She was still a child. She should cherish her childhood.

"Anyway, since you are making fun of me, you should buy me Chocolate Soufflés, if I pronounced that right. I heard there's a famous cake shop near our hotel."

She grinned, trying to be unreasonable again.

"Scarlett, you understand that I'm the director of this project. You can't order me around."

"Then I will not do my best tomorrow. Hell, I will even cry."

"... Are you threatening me?"

"That's right. You don't want your filming schedule to be late, right? Because it brings more expenses if the movie is late." She grinned like a little devil.

"You know I can fire you."

"That's true. But you have already shot almost 1/4 of Kim Mills' scenes. It will be expensive if you fire me and hire another girl. Maybe the girl you will cast is worst than me."

"..."

He was in the palm of a 12 year old girl, a 12 year old girl.

"Besides, I'm Salvatore Barlowe's client. You can't just fire me."

She crossed her arms condescendingly. For a little girl, she was too calculating.

'Now, my fear towards women is getting stronger...'

Adults respected him because of his authority and accomplishments. Most actors/actresses would even beg him just to be cast in his movie.

'Maybe this is proof that Scarlett Johansson is still a girl because she is immature.'

He decided to let it go. He massaged his forehead and finally agreed.

"Just to be clear, we start shooting at 7am and finish at 8pm. I can only take you to the shop when our work is done. We will take your tutor."

"Okay, no problem."

"You have to promise me that you will not cause any problems tomorrow."

"Do you want me to sign a contract?"

"No, just behave yourself."

'It was ironic that she was aware of her surroundings and yet wanted to use them to make trouble for me.'

He sighed. Even at the script reading three weeks ago, Scarlett Johansson got on his nerves. She kept changing her lines. People forgave her easily because of her young age. Luckily, she didn't cause any trouble when filming began.

'We also have to shoot in the USA. The first part of the movie was set in America and Harold has already found a cheap villa to use.'

They only had two months to shoot all the scenes in France. If they overstayed, they would have to invest more money just for accommodations.

"Hehe, you better keep your promise. Or I will keep pestering you until you agree. By the way, if you have a role suitable for me, cast me."

"Alright."

The little girl walked away, leaving Kazir alone.

The next day, Scarlett Johansson had a good performance, and she only made four NGs the whole day.

Since Scarlett Johansson kept her promise, Kazir obviously had to keep his.

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[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 97


Scarlett Johansson had a good performance this past few days. Even if she didn't have any explosive acting that would attract the audience, at least her work was efficient and made the work of the film crew easier.

As a result, Kazir's opinion of her improved a bit.

'Scarlett is still a brat, an immature brat. I should not take her seriously. '

"Director Grey, good morning."

"Oh, Eva, you're here."

Kazir was checking the storyboard when Eva Green greeted her. She had a scene today, about the time Bryan Mills infiltrated a sex den and found a drugged woman with his daughter's belonging(jacket).

Because of this connection, Bryan Mills decided to save the woman and ask her where she got the jacket.

"I hope I can do my role perfectly. I'm kinda nervous." The woman smiled.

"I believe you will do your job properly." Kazir replied, sketching at his storyboard.

Eva Green only got the role three days ago, and she didn't have any preparation. Luckily, her part was a minute-long scene at best. She didn't have to do much acting.

"Thank you for giving me this chance, director Grey. I will try my best."

"It's a small role. As long as you act well, it's all right. Besides, I promise Roman Polanski that I will help you. If you are interested in Hollywood, you can contact CAA. I will try to help you as much as I can."

"T- Thank you very much, Director Grey!"

Hearing this, Eva Green smiled and was grateful. She knew how hard it was to build a solid foundation in Hollywood. She was there for a year, but her search for roles was fruitless. She didn't get a role, so she decided to return to France and cultivate herself in the local entertainment industry.

Hearing Kazir's approval was the best thing she has heard this year.

'It is enough that I gave her a small role. I already kept my promise to Roman Polanski. I know Eva Green's future, so there's nothing wrong with helping her. Perhaps I will make another changes in the timeline...'

After greeting Kazir Grey, Eva Green went into the shared trailer to get makeup. She was a woman who had been captured by human traffickers and suffered a terrible fate. Obviously, her appearance had to fit the role.

"Who's that?"

Suddenly, Scarlett Johansson appeared next to Kazir and asked about Eva Green, who entered the shared trailer.

"Huh? Are you talking about Eva Green? She is just an acquaintance."

"Is that so? But the way she looks at you is a little different, ack--! Hey, why did you karate chop me? I almost bit my tongue." She hissed.

"That's because you don't know what you're saying. Eva Green is just an actress that was recommended to me by a Director here in France. I'm sure she's just grateful."

"Really? Then that is good to hear. Kazir, you have to understand that having a relationship with an underage person is a crime, even if Eva is 17."

"I know." Kazir just shrugged. There was no reason to argue.

"Heh, considering your relationship with that Reese, I bet you have a thing for young women."

She grinned and crossed her arms. Clearly making fun of him.

"You want me to karate chop your head again?"

"N- No." She shook her head hard.

"Scarlett, I met Reese Witherspoon when she was 20 and I was 25. I don't think that's a crime. Besides, Reese and I are just friends."

"Friends? Heh, that's too stupid to believe. Anyway, make sure you know what you're doing."

"Okay, okay. Just go back to your tutor and study."

Kazir left to talk to Renner Hector about their shooting plan. There was no reason to talk to an immature girl. If not for his friendship with Salvatore Barlowe, Kazir might have fire this little brat.

"Tch! People always treat me like a kid! I don't want to study! I don't want to go back to school, my classmates are all a bunch of immature brats!"

.........
......
...

The filming was a bit complicated. In the movie, after Bryan Mills found a clue to find her daughter, the sextraffickers showed up and chased him. There was a car chase that lasted a few minutes in the movie. Also, the traffickers' cars were destroyed in the chase. That means the production crew had to buy cars just to destroy them.

They could make miniature cars, but it was time-consuming and the result might not be acceptable.

Luckily, Kazir and Harold attended the party and found someone to lead them to a junkyard that recycled old cars.

Producer Harold was in charge of choosing the cars, since he had a knack for props. With his wit after cultivating his face to be thick, Harold negotiated 7 working cars for over 100 thousand dollars. That was very cheap. The performance of the cars was a bit low, but they were enough for the movie.

Kazir could just edit the scenes to make it look like the cars were moving fast. It was possible through fast editing. A film editing technique that refers to several consecutive shots of short duration, about 3 seconds or less. It could make the sequence impactful and jaw-dropping.

But first, Kazir had to shoot the interior scene. The scene where Bryan Mills infiltrates the sex den.

"We'll probably have to shoot in this place for two or three days."

Kazir muttered and began shooting.

Throughout the shoot, Scarlett Johansson kept eyeing Eva Green, who was trying to strike up a conversation with Kazir.

"That woman, she's probably trying to do something."

To make sure nothing happened, little Scarlett Johansson decided to watch over Eva Green.

 

[Pujimaki]

[A very important note: I just want to remind everyone that this is just fiction. Do not take it seriously].

Hollywood What If Chapter 98


"That woman... She's good."

Scarlett Johansson bit her nail while watching Eva Green's performance.

"She's just acting weak and drugged, but she did it with class. I wonder how she did that... Perhaps she did drugs or something?"

She tilted her head and muttered, but stopped when she noticed Kazir Grey looking at her. Kazir gestured for Scarlett to be quiet by putting his finger on his lips.

The set should be quiet within a few feet of the filming scene. Even though most of the movie would be dubbed, it was still standard procedure to be quiet during filming.

So Scarlett Johansson kept her mouth shut and watched the action unfold.

Liam Neeson had a steady performance and only had a few NGs a day. Well, Liam Neeson was a great actor who starred in many dramas. Although he was best known for his role in Schindler's List. That might have been the beginning of his well career.

Each take was usually over in a few seconds, and they did not do continuous shooting. Continuous shooting was quite difficult to achieve.

It could be called a long take, a continuous, uninterrupted shot over a long period of time without any editing.

'One of the best examples was the opening scene of 007's Spectre, where James Bond walked into the festival to the building without any interruptions.'

The film crew prepared a crane just to get a shot of the rooftop.

Kazir could do the same thing, but it could be cumbersome and time-consuming. The actors were not used to long takes and could make mistakes.

So every few seconds of shooting, Kazir would have to yell cut. These short takes would be spliced together to create a complete scene.

'Maybe I can do a long take next time, but our schedule and budget are pretty strict, so I can't experiment.'

Even a director like him wanted to expand his creativity. Maybe he could find enlightenment.

"Scene 34, the search for Kim Mills. Lights, camera, action!"

The clapperboard sounded and shooting began.

At that moment, Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) looked in every "dressing room" to find his daughter. Then he found his daughter's jacket on one of the drugged women.

Eva Green's complexion was pale from makeup. She only had a few lines because her character was drugged and couldn't speak well.

So Bryan Mills took the woman out of the place. He beat and shot the people who tried to stop him.

Then he got into the car with the drugged woman.

"Cut!"

Today Kazir said "cut" so many times that no one could count them.

"Now that this scene is over, do we have to prepare the cars?"

Fremont Smith asked him.

"Let's reshoot this scene twice, then we'll start the car chase. Tell the props team to prepare the set."

"I understand."

Fremont left to contact the props team.

The shooting started again and Kazir thought that the first shot was the best of them. It might look like he was just wasting hours and films, but no one would dare confront him. He had it better because of his authority and achievements.

Even if the actors got angry, they were professionals and would never speak badly in front of him.

"Liam, the first take is the best, so I guess I have to apologize for making you redo it twice."

"This is the first time a director has apologized to me after making that kinf of mistake." Liam Neeson was taken aback.

Directors ask for retakes to get more shots to choose.

"Is that so? Well, I just want to tell you because I don't want you to hold a grudge against me." Kazir chuckled.

"It's okay, Kazir. I understand your intention and I will not hold it against you. We are both doing our jobs."

The two men understood and nodded at each other.

"D- Director Grey, how was my performance?"

After Kazir spoke to Liam Neeson, another person approached him. Eva Green stammered because she was a little nervous. This was her first time working on a big project.

"Hm, you did a good job, Eva."

Kazir unconsciously patted her head because Eva Green was shorter than him.

"I- I see."

"She's much older than me, but she's nervous. Unlike me, I never felt nervous, even though this is my first movie too."

Kazir heard a cat murmur, but he ignored it. There was no need to throw gasoline into a fire. He just let the little girl think what she wanted to think.

"Okay, let's go to the next location!"

The film crew rented this big construction site for three days. Besides, they only needed this place every night. Because the scenes they were going to shoot were at night.

Even the editor will have a hard time editing a sunny day into a dark night. So it's better to use the natural background.

Shooting at night means that their scenes were set at night.

The cars were already prepared and this time they have to shoot the cars running and Bryan Mills' car being chased.

Obviously whoever was driving the car was a trained driver. There was a clause in the contract that Liam Neeson would not be involved in the car chase scene.

As for the interior shots of the car, that was the only time Liam Neeson had to show his face. But the person driving the car was a different person.

... Suddenly, an accident occurs.

*Bang!

One of the enemies' cars turned upside down after running over a concrete block. The impact was quite strong and left everyone terrified.

"Medic! Call the medic! Call an ambulance!"

When Kazir realized that the situation might be bad, he reacted immediately. He was the first to give orders.

The crew began to follow his orders. The medic on the scene pulled the man out of the car and administered first aid.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Robert W., Bonobo, Revan4Life, MMMCMXCIX, or 3,999, Johannes, Ivik hans kristian K., Saud B., Eduardo, Christian P., despot, Edward T., Wenxie, and Cherif D.!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 99


The car was on fire, and the pyrotechnics professionals immediately stepped in and stopped the car from exploding.

A few minutes later, an ambulance arrived and took the injured man away.

The crew became silent and didn't know what to do.

"... Let's end the work for today. I want everyone to be quiet about this accident!"

Kazir shouted at the people. Then he looked at Fremont and Harold. Since they were in high positions, they had to make sure that the film crew was intact.

"Kazir..." Scarlett Johansson was startled by what she witnessed.

She was not close with the injured driver but they had a conversation although she was the one who was talking(grumbling).

"Let's talk later Scarlett, I have a job to do. You should go back to the hotel."

"Y- Yes. Take care."

Kazir Grey rubbed his forehead. He turned to Harold to talk about the possible consequences of this accident.

Harold promised that the driver would be compensated by Grey Pictures... Of course, the driver would have to keep quiet about the incident. A contract had to be written.

They didn't want to jeopardize the project because of an accident. The future of Grey Pictures lies in this film.

The accident that night made the atmosphere depressing.

Fortunately, they rented the construction site for three days, and they still have two days to go.

Kazir couldn't sleep that night because of what had happened. He contacted Roman Polanski, hoping that he could prevent the incident from spreading. No one from the cast was injured, but Kazir felt like something was not right.

"We just have to shoot the car chase."

It seemed that Fremont didn't have a peaceful night either. His eyes were bloodshot after he had calmed everyone down. He informed everyone and made sure that news won't spread.

"That's right. These are the remaining scenes we need to shoot at this location. Tell everyone to be careful and stay safe. I don't want anything bad to happen again."

The next night's filming was much slower, but they completed the scenes. They left the site after completing all the scenes and went to their next location.

Unfortunately, the incident still spread, but not in France. The news that there was an accident on the set of Taken was picked up by the film companies in Hollywood.

As a result, reporters and paparazzi showed up and disrupted their filming.

"Hayst..."

Kazir sighed as he looked at the reporters watching the set from a distance.

"France didn't care about the accident because the driver is American, but it's different in Hollywood. They are interested in your movie because of your past performance. If you're unlucky, the Big Six might block your way."

Harold muttered next to him. Just like Kazir, Harold had the worst expression on his face. He was tired these days... He didn't like being a producer at all.

'Just as I expected, something is wrong. Accidents are common in the set and people shouldn't not be shocked that much. Reporters will definitely not cover this story... Unless someone is trying to cause trouble to us. Trying to sabotage our project.'

"We still don't know if the news came from outside or if one of our crew betrayed us. I'm sorry..."

"It's hard to keep this kind of information. I already know that this could happen. You should not blame yourself. What I didn't expect, is the involvement of media. For fuck sake, the driver didn't even die, yet these reporters are demonizing us!"

The driver was safe and suffered only minor injuries. However, the media wanted to make a big deal out of this, so they started using the word "allegedly" to make it worse.

Allegedly, Director Grey didn't care about the safety of the drivers.

Allegedly, the crew used cheap cars and made a mistake.

Allegedly, the production of Taken might be postponed because the driver filed a lawsuit.

So many rumors and so much trouble. But the truth was, the reporters were doing bullshit. They didn't care about the truth, they just wanted to find something interesting than would caught the attention of the people.

The only good thing about it was that they were in France and Americans could not cause trouble here. At least not that much.

However, it was obvious that their filming schedule would be affected by this incident.

"I heard that the paparazzi were harassing our crew at the hotel last night."

"I've already spoken to security. They will try their best to protect the hotel from paparazzi. The problem is today..."

"Indeed."

Kazir Grey looked around. Their filming location was in open place and the paparazzi and reporters could spy on them.

"We need to change our schedule. Let's shoot the indoor scenes first. I'm sure these people will stop bothering us once this incident dies down."

They didn't have any choice but to adapt. These people would try their best to get a good news scoop.

Especially paparazzi, they didn't care about a person's privacy. They would follow you all the way just to get interesting news.

"I'll call Fremont and the others." Harold understood the situation and agreed.

"Hm? What's going on?"

Kazir narrowed his eyes. He realized that a bunch of paparazzi and reporters were surrounding one person.

"Is that Scarlett?"

Kazir frowned and clicked his tongue. Judging by the situation, the paparazzi and reporters were disturbing the little girl.

"I can't believe they would do this to a child! I swear, these people."

Even Harold was disgusted.

The two ran toward the commotion.

"Miss, are you a member of this crew?"

"I-I..." Scarlett didn't know what to say. She was overwhelmed by the situation.

"Is it true that Director Grey intentionally made the driver suffer?"

The reporter uttered such non-sense, truly a normal day for a reporter, spouting bullshit questions.

"N- No..." Scarlett stuttered.

She was nervous. In front of these crazy people who wanted to tear her apart, Scarlett felt weak.

Tears began to flow as she hiccupped.

"What are you doing to a child? If you have any questions, ask me instead! I can sue your news stations and your publisher for harming a child!"

Scarlett turned to find Kazir Grey standing behind her. The man had a stern expression on his face.

"Director Grey, what do you think will happen when the driver gets out of the hospital? Will he file a lawsuit?"

"There are rumors that you don't care about your crew and only feed them cheap food, is it true, Director Grey?"

The paparazzi and reporters surrounded Kazir like flies.

Kazir motioned to Harold to take Scarlett away from the commotion.

'Where the hell is the Children's Association? This is the moment they are needed! They just let Scarlett face these demons.'

Kazir gritted his teeth.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 100

[Author's note: 100 chapters? Let's go...! I would like to thank everyone who supports this novel. Also, I want to apologize to everyone who sees my shortcomings. Thanks guys, I'll try to do better.]

Kazir faced the reporters. He knew that most of their questions were shitty and mostly meant to annoy him.

They wanted to see Kazir make a scene. Unfortunately, Kazir answered their questions without showing any nervousness or anger. It was as if he was not afraid of the media.

'The media can make trouble and spread rumors, I'll concentrate on my job instead. I have to make sure that Taken is successful.'

After Kazir entertained the reporters and paparazzi, he left the set.

They changed their location to shoot indoor scenes instead. They adjusted their schedule just to hide from the media.

"Are you okay?"

Kazir saw Scarlett with teary eyes. It seemed that she cried a lot, judging by her red eyes.

"It's a good thing you don't have a scene today. The make-up artist will have a hard time hiding your swollen eyes."

"Kazir, you are being rude!"

"I know."

Scarlett glared at him. But in the end, she sulked. She knew that Kazir had protected her earlier.

"Thanks." She said and looked away.

"You should keep being a sweet little girl so people will treat you better."

"I'll try."

"Anyway, why are you here? You should be at the hotel right now, learning from your tutor. The paparazzi don't care about people's privacy, so you shouldn't be around them."

"I went to visit Paul."

"Paul? Are you talking about Paul Arker? The driver who was injured?" Kazir was confused.

"That's right. Paul is a nice guy and he likes action movies. I heard he wanted to be an action star, but his short height is a problem."

"..."

Kazir didn't expect that Scarlett was actually close to the driver.

'Well, this brat has a good relationship with the film crew. She respects them... I wonder why she keeps bothering me?'

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing."

"I went to see Paul because I was afraid he would try to spread lies to the media. This is my first movie and I want it to be a success." Scarlett muttered while wiping her tears.

"Don't worry, Harold has already taken care of that. You're a kid, so it shouldn't be your problem. I'm more surprised that you're so worried about this movie."

He hadn't expected that this little girl would actually visit Paul just to make sure there wouldn't be a problem.

"Of course. I want to be famous."

Scarlett wiped away her tears and stood up.

"Did your totur take you to the hospital?"

"Yes. She's a good person. I saw that Paul is in good health and left after. I was afraid to ask him not to betray us, so I left after visiting him."

"What about Karen and Judas from the Children's Association? Are they not with you?"

Kazir was interested to hear this.

"No, they are not with us. I heard that they will bring more people to make sure I'm okay."

'... I see.'

"Then where is your tutor? She was not with you when the paparazzi harassed you earlier."

"Karen talked to her and I had to go by myself."

"..."

Listening to Scarlett's answers, Kazir realized that the Children's Association was really doing its "job" well.

"As soon as your tutor arrives, you can return to the hotel. I have already prepared a car for you."

Scarlett's parents were busy. Kazir didn't know the exact story, but he'd heard from Salvatore Barlowe that Scarlett's parents weren't having a good relationship right now.

'Well, they're not in the set to take care of their daughter, that's enough for me to understand the situation.'

Kazir had no idea about Scarlett Johansson's personal life. He only knew her as Black Widow.

"Thank you." Scarlett thanked him.

A few minutes later, the tutor returned with a pale complexion. She was worried when she heard that Scarlett had been involved in an incident. She sighed with relief when she realized that Scarlett was fine.

"Miss Tutor, please take care of Scarlett."

"Y- Yes, Director Grey."

"By the way, stay away from the Children's Association."

"Y- Yes?"

Kazir didn't bother to explain. He watched as Scarlett got into the car and left.

'Accidents like this happen all the time, but this one attracted a lot of attention... Unless...'

Suddenly his phone rang and the caller was Agent Salvatore Barlowe.

"Salvatore... What did you find?"

Kazir's voice was cold and heavy.

[Three letters, WMA.]

Salvatore's voice was static, but Kazir understood enough.

As expected, this particular agency was still bitter about the mistake they had made.

WMA had a lot of influence in the media, and they could make trouble to Kazir.

"You know what to do."

[I understand. It's good that only one stuntman was injured. It could be problematic if an actor was injured. This kind of thing is easy for the CAA. Three days, the news about this will disappear within three days.]

Salvatore Barlowe had a strong voice at CAA after The Hangover. He had enough clout to talk to the PR team and influence this matter.

"Hm, that's good to hear." Kazir nodded.

[However, now that your filming has attracted attention, some reporters will keep track of you and follow you].

"I will take care of it. As long as they can promise to sign a non-disclosure agreement, I will let them join the film crew. It could be good for us too."

At least they got free publicity. They didn't have to bother paying money to the news stations and news publishers.

All they have to do is change the minds of the masses.

A few days later, Paul, the driver, showed his face to the media. He announced that the film crew was not to blame and thanked Director Grey instead. As a result, the news about the matter quickly died down.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Adjarho k!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 101


Filming resumed. To avoid the eyes of reporters and media, the crew decided to shoot the indoor scenes first.

Just as Salvatore Barlowe had promised, the news gradually died down and no one heard about the incident again.

Many reporters and paparazzi left and only a few remained. They were those who were interested in the movie, probably from Time Warner and News Corporation.

Kazir had been working with Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox. Those two companies didn't want to cut ties with Kazir because of Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover.

Kazir is in charge of these projects. Specifically, he was responsible for writing the scripts.

Kazir Grey has already proven that he has a talent for writing comedies. The two film companies needed his creativity for the success of the two projects.

Well, they could hire another scriptwriter to fill the spot, but that would only cause trouble between Kazir and them.

The remaining reporters had a simple task. They wanted to see if Kazir's current project was good. They could also promote it. This was their way of showing kindness to Kazir.

Just as Kazir promised, he let the reporters join the film crew after they signed a non-disclosure agreement.

There was nothing big, but the reporters still wrote something about the movie to get people's attention... It didn't help much to be honest. The articles related to Taken were few, so no traffic happened.

After the trouble with the media was over, the trouble with the Children's Association showed up and took over.

Just like last time, they started asking for unreasonable things to make sure that Scarlett was not mistreated... Kazir didn't fall for this trick.

Especially when Scarlett was already irritated. She thought the Children's Association wanted to protect her. But instead she witnessed how these people made trouble for the crew.

She even had to apologize to Kazir.

"It's okay. We should concentrate on filming instead of thinking about other things. Call Liam and Eva. This is the last day that Eva will cooperate with us".

The scene was when the kidnapped woman was rescued by Bryan Mills who took her to a safe place. He asked the woman about his daughter's location, but the woman was also clueless, the drug still affected her.

Scarlett Johansson forgot about Eva Green after the incident. The two never had a chance to talk.

Just like that, the days in France slowly ended until they finished shooting all the scenes.

As the protagonist, Liam Neeson had a lot to do. He might be one of the most exhausted people in the crew, along with Kazir Grey, Harold, Renner and Fremont. They had a lot of responsibility and their jobs were difficult, so the pressure was real.

When the crew returned to Los Angeles, Kazir gave them three days to rest before resuming shooting.

They still had a lot of scenes to shoot, especially the first part of the movie. They were set in America and Kazir had to respect that fact a little.

Anyway, the crew did their best to control the budget and there were a few million left. If things went well, they would have enough to throw a wrap party.

"Salvatore, you're here."

Kazir paused when he realized that his agent was waiting for him at the airport.

"I have to." The agent shrugged.

"Salvatore!"

The little girl got excited when she saw her agent. She ran to greet him.

"Good evening... Ah, it should be morning here. The time difference really is a thing. Anyway, good morning Salvatore."

"Scarlett! I'm glad to see you healthy and active."

"Hehe."

Scarlett sensed that Salvatore wanted to talk to Kazir alone, so she said goodbye. Her mother was waiting for her.

"I'm sure you have something to say to since you're at the airport waiting for us to land."

"It's about the WMA, Vice President Lawlor Dean has been demoted. I think he's angry and caused this problem."

"Is that so? Watch their moves, I don't want another incident."

"Okay. Ah, I just remembered. 20th Century Fox wanted to invite you to the premiere of Napoleon Dynamite II."

"It's coming out this month?"

Kazir was surprised.

"Maybe you are too tired. Kazir, Napoleon Dynamite started shooting last September. It's already June, obviously they already finished the movie. You spent almost three months in France, so you're a little out of it."

"Napoleon Dynamite, huh? Tell them I'll be there."

"That's good. I have already found a few candidates to be your assistant. They all have good backgrounds. You can choose from the list."

Salvatore handed Kazir documents. Kazir opened some of them and saw their information and appearance.

"Okay, I have to meet them first before I decide."

Kazir yawned. He had no problem sleeping on the plane, even though he was in business class. However, he could not stretch his limbs without restraints, so it was not comfortable. He wanted to sleep more.

"Of course."

The two ended their conversation and parted ways.

When Kazir returned to his apartment, which he only used a few times, he noticed that there were some letters under the door.

He picked them up one by one and saw something interesting.

"Really? Just when I'm doing well?"

He shrugged. He obviously sensed this person's intention.

Now Kazir was not sure how to answer the letter. He had the feeling that it was useless, so he decided to throw it away. Maybe he should talk to his brother first.

"Napoleon Dynamite II... Let's see what the future holds."

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 102


"Next."

Kazir called the next person. At the moment, Kazir was interviewing every person who met Salvatore's qualifications.

Kazir was looking for an assistant to help him with almost everything... Well, he needed an assistant to keep his life going.

For the last two years, Kazir did nothing but work and work hard. He didn't have time to think about anything.

An assistant would make his work better. To be honest, it was a mystery why Kazir was looking for an assistant now. He was used to living his life alone.

Maybe he was still skeptical of people and had a hard time trusting strangers.

A few seconds later, a young woman appeared and greeted Kazir.

"Sir, I'm Erica Mendez. I graduated from California Polytechnic State University. I'm looking for steady work."

"It says here that you worked as a manager at a fast food restaurant for three years. Why did you quit?"

Kazir had her information on the resume. This information was real, and it was verified by Salvatore. He filtered everything down to her criminal record, if she had one. To make sure Kazir's possible assistant could be trusted.

The woman caught Kazir's attention because she had been in the military for two years before becoming a manager at a fast-food restaurant.

'I wonder why she left her last job.'

"I quit because the salary is not enough."

"Not enough?"

"Sir, I'm looking for a job that can pay me 6 figures a year."

Very straight to the point. Well, people work to get money.

"... And why is that?"

"I have twins to feed, sir."

"..."

Kazir was not used to this kind of conversation. The woman, Erica Mendez, answered his questions in typical military fashion.

"Drop the sir, just call me Kazir or Director Grey."

"Alright, Director Grey."

Even her posture was upright and perfect.

"It says here that you served two years in the military. Do you have any experience with firearms?"

"Yes, I have."

"Can you drive?"

"I can drive, I have a license."

"Okay. That's good. You are hired."

"Sir?" Erica tilted her head in a confused manner.

"You're hired."

"..."

Erica was confused at first. Then she realized that Kazir had hired her. Her eyes were shining as she recovered from her confusion.

"T- Thank you!"

She said and almost saluted, but she realized that it was not the right thing to do. So she bowed her head instead.

"Just go to Grey Pictures tomorrow and sign the contract. You can read it first and talk to your lawyer. As for your salary, I can assure you that you will be satisfied. Of course, you will have to work hard."

"Yes! Director Grey."

The woman's face beamed and bowed again before leaving the room.

"Looks like I didn't need to keep this interview long after all."

He signaled to the people outside that the interview was over. There were three people left, and Kazir didn't bother talking to them.

Erica Mendez was already a good fit for the job.

For one thing, she had military experience and knew how to handle weapons. She could protect Kazir in an emergency.

Second, she looked intimidating with the scar on her left cheek. She was also tall, about 6'3". She was slightly taller than Kazir.

Third, she was not beautiful. She was average at best. So Kazir was confident that he wouldn't be seduced.

Fourth was her answer. The woman had two children to support.

'It seemed that her husband had died in battle.'

Kazir looked at the information he had received from Erica Mendez. Erica and her husband had served in the military. He didn't know the exact details, but her husband died and she retired from the military. Then she found out she was pregnant and decided to keep the baby.

"All in all, her life story piqued my interest. It's almost like I could make a movie out of her story."

He chuckled. Well, making movies about real people was quite common. Lots of film companies did it. They especially love to make war movies.

The reason Hollywood loves war movies is to promote anti-war agendas. Maybe the military also uses war movies to catch potential soldiers.

When Top Gun was released, many young healthy men joined the military. It was no lie that Top Gun was the reason they wanted to join the military.

Anyway, Kazir Grey hired a secretary and she knew how to handle guns, a plus point.

'I know how to handle guns and I've been taking mixed martial arts classes lately because of my movie. Still, it's better to have someone who knows what they're doing.'

Without any anti-climatic plot, Erica Mendez accepted the job after reading the contract. Everything in the contract was what she expected. Her lawyer didn't find anything that could put her at risk. She was even happy to have two days off every week. Perhaps Kazir respected her as a mother working for her children's future. Kazir stayed most of the time the office.

In this regard, Kazir was a boring person with no life. If he was a main character in a novel, readers might lose interest in him and comment that the MC was boring as fuck.

As for her salary, Erica Mendez was shocked when Kazir kept his promise of a six-figure annual salary. She also had an annual bonus. There was also a clause that her salary would increase based on her hard work.

"Sir, this is our schedule for today."

Erica gave Kazir a sheet of paper and he read it. All in all, his schedule was a bit tight. The filming would start again tomorrow and he had to watch the preparations today.

On top of that, he had to attend the premiere of Napoleon Dynamite II on Thursday night.

"I'd better buy another suit."

He muttered to himself.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Jeff D!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 103


Filming in the USA was much easier than in France. At least it was their territory and they speak their own language.

The only scenes they had to shoot in the US were the first part of the movie.

There is one action scene, but it's not that difficult to shoot.

Now that most of the scenes have been shot and they still have $5 million in their budget, Kazir had a better time working. At least he was confident that there was enough money to shoot all the scenes.

After that, they have to go into post-production and edit the movie.

Since the first part didn't rely on action scenes, Kazir had to give way in the acting department. Fortunately, most of the actors in this part were experienced. Even Scarlett Johansson was able to keep up with the adults.

'If there's one thing that impresses me, it's Brianna Evans. She turned into a rich mom with one look. I wonder how much she prepared for that?'

He knew that Brianna was a method actor and that she did extensive research for her role. Now, just by looking at her, Kazir immediately thought that she was a rich mother. With her posture and facial expressions, he was convinced.

On top of that, when she had scenes with Liam Neeson and Scarlett Johansson, Brianna easily overpowered them.

But Kazir didn't want too much of that because Liam Neeson was the protagonist of the movie. So they had some NGs.

The movie only had one protagonist, the movie focused on Bryan Mills. Of course, Kazir didn't give Brianna Evans a hard time. He gave her time to shine as long as she didn't overpower the rest of the cast.

In fact, even Scarlett Johansson stuttered whenever she acted with Brianna. She was mesmerized by the woman.

Overall, everything was within his expectations. If shooting continued at this pace, they would be able to finish all their scenes in June.

"Then we can edit the footage in July."

Kazir muttered. His assistant, Erica Mendez, stood next to him. The woman watched the shoot with curiosity. This was the first time she had joined a production crew.

"What do you think? It's bleak, isn't it?" Kazir asked.

"To be honest, yes. I never thought making a movie would be boring."

What they were doing was shooting different shots that would last a few seconds at best. Then Kazir would yell cut.

Erica Mendez thought that shooting a movie was like watching a play. Where actors played their roles perfectly.

But now Erica was seeing a lot of NGs(No Good). Sometimes the actors would make mistakes and say their lines wrong. Sometimes the actors could not hold their expressions and laugh.

Well, the atmosphere in the crew was relaxed, and Kazir didn't like to put too much pressure on. Laughter was a common occurrence during the shooting.

This was different from what Erica had expected. In fact, they spent half the day filming Kim Mills' birthday party. This scene only lasts a few minutes in the movie, yet the crew spends so much time on this one or two minute scene... Then they have to tear down the set after filming is over.

'A waste... It's a big waste.'

Erica could not believe that the crew spent over $25,000 just for this scene. They even rented a pony, a small breed of horse, a real live pony to appear in the movie.

"Let's finish shooting for the day."

Kazir announced and the crew was happy to hear it. The shooting ended early today and they have time to rest or play.

The reason why Kazir ended early the shooting for today was because of one thing - the premiere of Napoleon Dynamite II.

"Sir, let me take you there." The woman stepped in.

"Are you sure? Will your kids be okay?"

"Don't worry, sir. My mom loves taking care of my twins."

Erica smiled. She was already grateful that Kazir had hired her. She wanted to work hard to prove to Kazir that his choice was not wrong... She wanted to work hard because she also wanted a salary raise.

"Again, just call me Kazir. You don't have to keep up this formality. I'm not used to it."

"Yes, sir - I mean, if that's what you want, Kazir."

He just chuckled and got into the car. He let the woman drive, as she was eager to get to work.

Kazir would meet Reese at the theater later. First, Kazir had to put on his suit.

He was the type who was not extravagant. In fact, he was very cheap guy. He didn't like cars, so he only bought one Honda. Well, Japanese cars were durable.

He didn't want to buy a house, and even the apartment he rented was rarely used. He had millions in his bank account, but he didn't bother to buy things for himself.

Still, he understood that appearance was important, so for this important day he decided to open his wallet and buy a $10,000 suit.

If this had been four years ago, Kazir might have cringed at the purchase.

Erica first took him to Grey Pictures. Kazir changed his clothes and put on the suit. Then he called the company's makeup artist to take care of his face.

Unlike the women, who had to prepare for a long time, the men could just get dressed. They didn't have to worry about their eyelashes, blush-ons, and such. As long as they looked good, they didn't have a problem. But it was different for women, they wanted to make sure they looked good from many different angles. So much so that they spent so much time in makeup.

"Let's go."

Erica stepped on the pedal and the car accelerated.

Since Kazir had an important connection to the making of Napoleon Dynamite, he had to be on the red carpet.

The entrance of each actor/actress was timed so that each could have their moment on the red carpet.

The first to arrive was the director, Hugo Lameire. He spent a few minutes on the red carpet taking pictures and being interviewed. Then the next actor came out and did the same thing. It all depends on how famous they were and how the reporters response on their appearance.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 104


Kazir received a message that he had to take a limousine to the red carpet. It seemed that 20th Century Fox wanted everything to be grand. Kazir had to agree.

"Napoleon Dynamite didn't have a red carpet last time, so they're probably trying to make up for it."

Well, nobody expected a $500,000 movie to make over $250 million.

When Kazir's moment came, he stepped out of the limousine and waved his hand.

Reporters began taking pictures of him. He paused for a few seconds and stood still. Then, before he could enter the theater, he was interviewed by a Fox TV reporter.

"Director Grey, you are the first director of Napoleon Dynamite and you wrote the script for the sequel. How confident are you that the movie will be successful?"

"It all depends on the fans."

He smiled and ended the interview... He didn't like interviews very much. He knew some reporters who would go out of their way just to make him uncomfortable. They would ask controversial questions just to stir up the actors.

They were quite brutal. They had no respect for privacy.

"Kazir, I miss you."

Reese Witherspoon walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Yeah, I've been away for a few months. How's work?"

"The director is quite a bully. Hugo Lameire is terrifying, I prefer working with you."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his.

"We can talk about it later."

"Geez, you really are serious in public. That's what I like about you, I want to monopolize your private side."

Kazir shrugged and walked on. Then he found Tom Rothman and director Hugo Lameire. The two were talking.

'If I'm not mistaken, Hugo Lameire wanted to make his own movie. But he has to make sure that Napoleon Dynamite is a box office hit first.'

Napoleon Dynamite has never had a sequel in the past. It had a TV show, but it ended quickly without success.

But now Kazir got to the point where he was writing the sequel. Frankly, he had no idea how this sequel would go.

This was the reason why Kazir didn't want to direct the sequel, because he was afraid. It was normal to be afraid, people have these emotions for survival.

Instead, he made another comedy movie to increase his chips, which was The Hangover. It was a worldwide success.

'I'm not going to lie, I'm a coward. I'm not going to make a movie that I'm not confident in.'

He decided to give full authority to 20th Century Fox and let them decide. He was only responsible for the script... Even the script was made by the heads of five people. He hired writers just to make sure it would not fail.

50-50 chance. That was what he deduced.

Tom Rothman found him and nodded. The CEO of 20th Century Fox approached him and shook his hand.

"Let's hope this movie is successful."

"Tom, you should be confident in your movie," Kazir replied.

"That is true. However, I will be more confident if you are the one directing it."

"..."

Kazir didn't know how to answer because he could see that Hugo Lameire had an ugly face a few meters away.

It seemed that Hugo Lameire was trying to talk to Tom Rothman about something, but Tom Rothman wasn't having it.

He was clearly angry. As if he had been taken advantage of.

'... Not my problem.'

This thing had nothing to do with him. First of all, Fox Searchlight Pictures chose Hugo Lameire to be the director. Kazir had no authority over that. So that kind of thing was not his problem.

'Although I'm not sure if he's looking at me or Tom Rothman.'

Looking around, Kazir noticed that most of the cast was at the premiere.

Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal also greeted him. The two wanted to see if Kazir was interested in making The Hangover Part 2. Apparently, Warner Bros was still looking for someone to take over the movie.

Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal knew Kazir was a great director. At least their experience with him was much better than with Hugo Lameire, who kept yelling like a bitch.

"I'll think about it."

That was the only answer Kazir gave. To be honest, he was not sure either. If Taken was no good, then Kazir had no choice but to keep making comedies.

'The Hangover Part 2 will start shooting at the end of the year. I still have time to decide.'

In fact, he was grateful that he had another way to sustain himself if Taken was a box office flop. He could go back to filming The Hangover Part 2 once he hit rock bottom.

Still, he only has to do Plan B if he has no other choice. He's not going to let Taken be a flop. The movie was successful in his past life, he just had to make sure it would be successful this time.

After the lights went out, everyone became quiet and sat down. They knew that the movie was about to start.

The front of the audience was filled with people associated with the movie, such as the cast and production crew. Behind them, the fourth and fifth rows were filled with fans and critics who had received premiere tickets.

"I heard that director Lameire has signed a three-movie deal with 20th Century Fox."

Reese Witherspoon, sitting next to Kazir, whispered and informed him.

"Hm." Kazir just nodded. He had no idea why Reese was telling him this. Was it related to the reason why Hugo was seething?

"I heard that Warner Bros is inviting him to direct The Hangover Part 2."

Suddenly everything was clear. Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover were both comedies, but The Hangover had a much better audience response. It also had a better box office.

If The Hangover sequel was taken on by Hugo Lameire, it had a better chance of being a success. The Hangover was one of the top 5 movies last year. Its impact was much better than Napoleon Dynamite.

But because of the contract, Hugo Lameire was tied to 20th Century Fox for a few years.

That might be the reason why Hugo Lameire was glaring earlier.

[Visit my Patreon if you want to read more:]

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https:// www . pat reon. com /Puji_maki

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to jonathan b. and Cloudy!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 105


When Kazir heard that 20th Century Fox was interested in making a sequel to Napoleon Dynamite, he expected to be asked to direct or write the movie.

Since Kazir had no idea how the movie would turn out, he decided to take on the script instead. He avoided the possibility of failure, and that was not a bad thing.

For a person like him, his knowledge of the future was his strongest talent. Not his calm mind nor his strong memory regarding movies.

So Kazir decided to take a chance with the script this time... He was inspired by The Hangover.

In the plot he created, Napoleon and Pedro went to Las Vegas to visit Deb. They were older and had graduated from high school.

To be honest, Kazir had no idea what he was doing... The truth was that Kazir had no screenwriting talent. So he hired a bunch of writers to fill in the plot holes. He made sure that the writers had experience in writing comedies, just to be sure.

This is how the script of Napoleon Dynamite was created. Las Vegas had its bad side, but it also had a good side. Unlike The Hangover, where the movie emphasized drugs, crime and prostitution (sort of), the script of Napoleon Dynamite was mild.

Every few minutes there were comedy sketches and funny lines to keep the movie entertaining.

Napoleon Dynamite and Pedro Sanchez entered a casino and won a lot of money betting on horse races. Because of this, the casino manager noticed them and tried to cancel their money.

Napoleon and Pedro had no choice but to run to get away from them.

Las Vegas was huge and Napoleon found a place to hide. He was caught in a live TV show where he had to do dance steps... And he started doing those silly dances again.

He didn't know that his uncle and his brother were actually watching the show and they went on stage to stop Napoleon. It was hilarious, or so Kazir thought.

Since it was live, Napoleon became famous in just one day and the casino decided to let them leave with their money.

That's right. That's the whole plot of the movie...

20th Century Fox was actually skeptical about the script. Tom Rothman in particular felt there was another way to make it better. Tom Rothman secretly hired writers to do another version of Napoleon Dynamite II, just to be sure.

However, their suspicions were allayed when The Hangover was released.

Napoleon Dynamite II and The Hangover had some similarities, both were set in Las Vegas.

20th Century Fox decided to go with this script. They trusted Kazir's creativity.

"I didn't expect this to be the result."

Kazir looked around and found that most of the audience had a great reaction to the sequel of Napoleon Dynamite. They were all smiling, happy with what they were seeing. They were even laughing.

"What?"

He asked himself. In his previous life, Kazir always wrote noir and horror films. The seriousness and depressing tone of noir films. The terrifying shock and deafening scream of horror films. All of his films were either noir or horror. He never went into comedy or action.

When he wrote Napoleon Dynamite, Kazir understood that it was not his real creation. He just plagiarized it. He was a thief, a bastard.

But this time it was different. The idea was all his. Sure, it was inspired by The Hangover, but it was still something different.

Kazir felt like he was on to something big.

"Kazir, are you okay?"

Reese suddenly asked him worriedly, touching his arm.

"Huh?"

"You're crying."

Kazir touched his face and realized that he was indeed crying. In the midst of a long round of applause from the audience, Kazir shed tears.

.........
......
...

June 5, 1997. It was Thursday night. Actually, it was almost midnight.

The summer schedule was always packed with blockbuster movies and the month of June was not so easy.

The heavy movies released today were Con Air from Walt Disney and Napoleon Dynamite from 20th Century Fox.

The two movies were released at the same time and it was obvious that the collision was going to happen.

"Kazir, I didn't expect you to stay. I thought your job was already over after you passed the baton to Hugo Lameire."

Kazir could not sleep. Not with this film attached to him.

"Tom, don't be like that. Napoleon Dynamite is like a child of mine. I want it to succeed."

Kazir glanced around the corner. He found Hugo Lameire sipping expresso vigorously. His anger was long gone and only nervousness remained. Right now, Hugo Lameire was hoping that the movie would be a hit. Otherwise, all the promises Warner Bros had made him would disappear. Everything depended on the outcome of Napoleon Dynamite II. So he was nervous instead of angry.

"Sir, the result is here."

"Give it to me."

Tom Rothman got the stats.

"$3.8 million. Not bad."

This was already within their expectations and Tom Rothman didn't have a problem with the result. After all, there was another heavy movie coming out today.

"How about Con Air?"

Kazir asked.

"It says here that Con Air made $4.3 million."

Con Air had Nicholas Cage in it, and his box office appeal was very strong at this time. Kazir was expecting this situation.

What neither Kazir Grey nor Tom Rothman expected was that Napoleon Dynamite's vibrancy would be strong.

June 5th, 1997. Friday. Napoleon Dynamite got $11.32 million, while Con Air got $7.21 million.

June 6. Saturday. Napoleon Dynamite made another $13.50 million while Con Air made $9.62 million.

June 7. Sunday. Napoleon made another $8.78 million. All told, Napoleon Dynamite grossed $33.61 million on its first week.

As for Con Air, it earned $8.08 million. For three days, Con Air has earned $24.91 million.

-- Pah!

"What's going on here?"

Michael Eisner slammed the newspaper down on the table in anger. He was furious.

Why was he angry?

Because the investment in Con Air was huge, yet it was being beaten by a small-budget comedy!

The production cost of Con Air alone was $80 million! On top of that, they invested $15 million in advertising!

"S- Sir..."

The secretary jumped when she saw the old man seething with anger.

"... Contact Kazir Grey and ask him if Grey Pictures is interested in working with Walt Disney."

He took a deep breath and decided to calm down. In his opinion, Kazir Grey was the one responsible for the film's success. Naturally, he wanted to squeeze the man's creativity before it dried up. Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox managed to profit from him, so why not Disney?

"Y- Yes." The secretary stuttered.

It was only the first week, but Michael Eisner already knew that the rampage of Napoleon Dynamite II was only the beginning.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Wanja A., Marcelo M., and Chris C!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 106


"Okay, let's reshoot this scene. Harold, your expression is a little nervous. Just act like you are talking casually."

"O- Okay."

Fremont Smith was the one in the director's chair this time.

Kazir promised to give the man a chance to improve his skills. So far Fremont was doing well. He had what it took to control the crew and he was calm under pressure. He had chosen the right man.

Or rather, Salvatore chose the right person.

Fremont Smith was one of Salvatore's clients. The young African-American man had not yet reached the status of a director, but he had enough ability to control the crew.

If being a director doesn't work out, he can be a producer.

Well, everything depends on the future. One thing was for sure, Kazir was the type to make sure his crew would rise from the rank.

Right now, Kazir Grey and Harold Witsend were joining the cast as cameos.

There was a scene where Bryan Mills entered a store to buy a gift for his daughter. While he was there, Kazir decided to insert this scene.

"Harold, just think of yourself as an extra. You don't have to be nervous. We only have three seconds of screen time at best."

Kazir added.

"I-I understand."

"Okay, scene 1, act 8, begin!"

Fremont announced and the set fell silent. The films rolled and Liam Neeson entered the scene as Bryan Mills.

He walked for a few seconds and passed a table where two people were talking.

"Kazir, we don't have enough budget to add that scene. I think the car chase scene is enough."

Harold did his best to keep a straight face. He showed Kazir some documents.

"I think it's feasible."

"Feasible? We don't have enough money!"

Harold pounded his fists on the table.

"Cut!"

Fremont announced.

"Let's see." Fremont watched the shot again and found it worthy.

"Okay, let's wrap it up."

"Phew..."

Harold sighed in relief at the approval.

"You had 8 NGs. Not bad." Kazir praised him.

"Not bad my ass. Anyway, are you sure you want to include this cameo in the final cut?"

"It all depends."

Kazir was not sure, to be honest. He knew that Stan Lee had comeos in many Marvel movies... Kazir copied those tidbits as well.

"But what about our conversation? Why did you add those nonsense lines in the first place?"

"I'll just turn the volume down and mix it into the background."

"Okay, you're the director, not me. Sigh... I really want to get back on the props crew and make props again."

"Sorry, you're probably going to be in that position for a long long time."

"Just make sure my salary is right."

The producers could have a share of the profits, depending on the contract. Kazir would never betray his friends.

As for the cameo, he might have to decide once post-production started. If Taken became a box office hit, he would have to do cameos to keep the audience entertained.

'When I saw Black Panther in the theater, the audience started screaming with joy when they saw Stan Lee's cameo in the casino. I hope to get that reaction.'

There was a trend in the MCU to find Stan Lee's cameo in every movie.

'I'm not sure which movie Stan Lee's cameo started, but it's really entertaining.'

After their cameo scene ended, Kazir took over the director's chair and resumed filming. They only had to shoot a few scenes and the filming would be over. Maybe in two weeks they could start post-production.

The crew have enough money to hire an editor and a sound director. Maybe they could hire a movie composer along the way. Although it would be impossible to hire Hans Zimmer. The budget was not enough...

'Harold is definitely not lying when he says that the budget is not enough.'

Kazir chuckled.

"Kazir, there's someone trying to contact you."

Erica Mendez was holding a phone. This was a business phone for people who wanted to inquire about Kazir.

"Who is it this time?"

Based on Kazir's question, this was not the first time this had happened.

Today, more than three people contacted him about his script. Some of them wanted to hire him as a screenwriter or director for their upcoming movies. However, all the projects were comedy related. Kazir's talent for comedy was cemented after Napoleon Dynamite II.

Almost two weeks (June 16, 1997) have passed and Napoleon Dynamite II has currently earned $70.19 million at the box office.

As for its rival, Con Air, it grossed $51.74 million. The two movies were released on the same day, but the difference was obvious.

The $80 million movie was crushed by a $10 million movie. While Napoleon Dynamite II was turning a profit, Con Air was still hoping to cross the threshold.

"It's chairman Michael Eisner of Walt Disney."

Speaking of Walt Disney, Michael Eisner was definitely disappointed with the performance of Con Air. Casting a superstar like Nicholas Cage caused the budget to go way up.

'In my opinion, $51 million is not bad for a two-week gross. It's a success. But with Napoleon Dynamite II coming out at the same time, they could not help but compare the two.'

In that respect, Napoleon Dynamite II was better.

"Give me the phone."

Kazir could not leave Walt Disney's chairman hanging on the phone.

"Hello, Mr. Eisner."

"Kazir, I hope I'm not disturbing you. I heard you were filming."

"No, you are not disturbing me.

Kazir lied.

"Haha, that's good to hear. By the way, we are having a party tomorrow, I hope you can come."

'... Did I hear it right? The chairman of Walt Disney personally invited me to a party?'

"I can't refuse an invitation from someone like you, Mr. Eisner."

"Hm, that's good to hear."

The call ended.

'Party? But I didn't know why they were having a party. Are they celebrating Con Air? Maybe it's a party to celebrate Ransom, which was released last year.'

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Elia, Kinggn, Talleyrand, and Toros Silver!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 107


Just as Kazir thought, Disney was going to celebrate Ransom, which ended its run today. The last screening of Ransom ended in Japan and it was officially released out of the cinema worldwide.

The film grossed $309.5 million worldwide. It was clearly a successful movie. To make that kind of money was a miracle for movies in this era. Only abominations like Jurassic Park and Titanic could make a billion dollars at the box office.

Ransom was about a multi-millionaire, Tom Mullen, whose son was kidnapped. After initially agreeing to pay the ransom, Mullen decides to use the money as a bounty. (IMDb)

The film was well received in North America and internationally. With $136.49 million in North America and $173 million internationally, the movie was one of the top 10 highest-grossing films of 1996.

The production budget of the movie was $70 million with an estimated $20 million investment in advertising in North America. Definitely not bad results. After that, Walt Disney began distributing and selling videotapes of Ransom.

"Did you take my advice?"

"I didn't go to any of their parties. I'm not the kind of guy who likes to go to parties. I like to stay in my office and spend the rest of the day there."

"Hm, that's good to hear."

Mel Gibson nodded. He patted Kazir on the shoulder and walked away. His face was red from drinking. Mel Gibson and Kazir Grey talked a little. Their relationship was not that of friends. They were more like acquaintances.

Still, Kazir respected Mel's advice to stay away from Jeffrey Epstein. As a man from the future, Kazir understood that nothing good would happen if he went to Jeffrey Epstein's famous island.

Mel Gibson was the star of this party because he was the protagonist of Ransom. However, because of Mel's behavior when he was drunk, it was hard to talk to him.

In fact, everyone looked at Kazir with surprise after Mel Gibson left. Mel was known to be an alcoholic and it was easy for him to get angry when he was drunk. But Kazir and Mel had a peaceful conversation.

They even talked about their projects, since they were both directors.

To Mel Gibson, Kazir was a newcomer to the industry, untainted by the sins of Hollywood. As much as possible, he felt bad to see Kazir go down the dark path. Although it was ironic for Mel Gibson to think about it, he knew damn well that he was no saint.

'... It's really embarrassing when there's no one to protect me from the fierce gazes of women.'

Kazir sighed inwardly. Normally, Reese Witherspoon would be at the party with him.

Unfortunately, she was on a promotional tour with the cast of Napoleon Dynamite. They had just finished promoting their film in North America and were flying to Europe.

One of the tedious jobs of being part of the cast was signing a contract that they should join the promotional tour.

In fact, even a director like Kazir had to participate in such things. He had to attend TV shows in many countries just to increase ticket sales, even if it was one percent.

'Well, one percent of $100 million is $1 million, so I think it's a job that should be done.'

But the cast of Napoleon Dynamite was not that famous. Maybe Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal had a little bit of clout because of The Hangover, but they didn't have a loyal fan base to support them.

Fans were built slowly until their presence was enough to increase box office. Tom Cruise had so many fans all over the world that movie companies were willing to sign a losing contract just to hire him.

Anyway, Kazir was having trouble because so many women were trying to flirt with him. He kept his cool and smiled. He even saw some actresses blush at his attractive smile.

In fact, Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie and many upcoming big actresses gave him their numbers. These actresses were not so famous yet and they were looking for an easy job.

Unlike most directors who had fat bellies, short stature, and eye bags, Kazir Grey oozed masculine vibes. The kind of person who qualified to be called a Chad/Alpha.

Well, some people cringed at the word Alpha. But there was a reason it was invented. To describe someone like Kazir Grey.

A quality man who had a successful career and was good looking.

Unfortunately for these girls, someone like Kazir was very hard to budge. He would not flinch even if a sexy woman stood in front of him with a lustful look... That might be a lie, but it was still true that Kazir was hard to seduce. He was almost immune to temptation.

For his status, it was a miracle that he could withstand the ravishing looks of the beautiful women around him. If not for his relationship with Reese Witherspoon, they might have thought Kazir was gay. Many men in this industry became gay for many reasons.

It seemed that Kazir Grey was just a simple man who was very loyal... That was what made him so interesting. Seducing a man like him could give them the satisfaction of proving their worth.

Forcing a loyal man to cheat might be the best way to assert dominance.

Still, Kazir didn't focus on the vixens trying to snatch him. His eyes were on a certain fat man.

While the party was going on, Harvey Weinstein was communicating with the higher-ups at Disney. The people who sided with the Disney family.

Harvey felt someone looking at him and turned around. He found Kazir Grey standing in the corner, surrounded by women.

"..."

Harvey Weinstein clenched his teeth for some reason.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 108


Harvey Weinstein was a businessman and he knew how to control his emotions. Since Kazir was looking at him, he might as well say hello.

Harvey's opinion of Kazir was complicated. The first time he saw him was at a small screening of Napoleon Dynamite two years ago. Miramax had been invited by CAA to a minor screening of an unknown director. Harvey Weinstein intended to send just one of his executives to see the film.

But when he heard that the director was actually Kazir Grey, the screenwriter of Se7en, he decided to see it instead. He didn't expect the movie to be entertaining. He knew it would do well at the box office. The question was how much money could be made.

He wanted the movie, so he gave Kazir a good contract. A 5% cut of the profits. But Kazir turned down his offer and signed with Fox Searchlight Pictures instead.

Harvey Weinstein was not disappointed, maybe a little. But not enough to hate Kazir. He knew that Kazir had chosen the best option, and that was the right thing to do.

Perhaps the reason things got complicated was because of the William Morris Agency (WMA). WMA was determined to destroy Kazir. They even went so far as to announce that Kazir Grey was a wife beater.

William Morris Agency promised to give Miramax preferential treatment. Miramax hired actors from WMA at a low price. Moreover, these actors were talented... Especially the actresses that WMA sent him were quite, um, tasty.

The negotiation was good for both of them, so Miramax decided to agree to WMA's terms. He used his connections and spread the word that Kazir Grey was beating his wife. It was as simple as that.

Kazir Grey was working with Warner Bros at the time and the release dates of The Hangover and Phenomenon were close. There was no reason not to sabotage them.

Unfortunately, their plan didn't work. Kazir Grey exposed Cassandra's lies and gained momentum. As a result, The Hangover grossed over $500 million!

Harvey Weinstein gained almost nothing from this transaction. He was even reprimanded by chairman Michael Eisner. His position was a bit serious and he wanted to keep a low profile. Not to attract attention and trouble.

Harvey Weinstein maintained his smile and approached Kazir.

"Mr. Grey, good to see you here!"

"Mr. Weinstein." Kazir nodded.

The women understood that Kazir and Harvey were going to have a conversation, so they dispersed and left them.

"Kazir, congratulations on The Hangover. It's late, but it's the thought that counts."

'Harvey, you're the bastard who tried to sabotage The Hangover. Yet you have the nerve to congratulate me. You are shameless, as expected.'

"Thank you, Harvey."

Since Harvey Weinstein used a first-name basis, Kazir followed.

"I hear you're producing your movie this time. What about it? You can work with Miramax, I will make sure to promote your movie."

Harvey just said that, but he was not sure about Kazir's action movie. He might be interested if it was a comedy. Still, he wanted to ease their relationship at least a little.

"Maybe. If you lower your box office share to 20%, I will sign a contract with you."

"..."

The corner of his lips twitched when Kazir mentioned his condition. 20% was too low.

"We can talk about it when you sign a distribution contract with Miramax."

"I'll think about it."

"..."

Harvey realized that Kazir had no interest in working with Miramax.

"Kazir... You know it's just business. Don't take it to heart. We are both Jews, we should help each other."

"Don't take it to heart? Harvey, I almost went to jail. My reputation was almost destroyed. And you're telling me I should just let it go?"

Kazir's voice grew heavier.

"Come on. Slander and scandal are common ways to defeat your enemies, it's not that bad."

Harvey waved his hand and pretended it was no problem.

"..."

After this huge scandal that nearly destroyed his reputation, Kazir investigated and found that Harvey Weinstein was one of those responsible for spreading the false allegations. Universal Pictures, Miramax and WMA. These three were the ones who teamed up to beat him.

'I'm not here to create a conflict, but Harvey Weinstein is too unbearable. Defamation? Scandal? Let's see if these "normal" methods work for you. The difference is that I'm not defaming, I'm telling the truth. Harvey Weinstein, a convicted sexual predator.'

His gaze turned cold, and Harvey didn't care. His position was higher than Kazir's. He had more foundation than him and it was impossible to break it. One of the Big Six was also his backer.

"Well, Kazir, see you again. I hope you have a good time at the party."

Harvey Weinstein left him. Even though Kazir was a director with good prospects, Harvey would never be afraid. His status was higher than that of a mere director. Only the higher-ups at Disney could influence him.

After spending some time at the party and talking to people, Kazir was invited by someone to enter a private room.

When Kazir entered the room, he found two old men drinking.

'Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz. I hear they are friends.'

These two Michaels were on good terms. So when Michael Eisner invited Michael Ovitz to be president of Walt Disney, Michael Ovitz decided to take a chance and start over.

Maybe Michael Ovitz is just getting greedy and looking for adventure in his old age. Unfortunately, he was eventually pushed out by Michael Eisner.

It was surprising that these two were now acting like friends... Well, they were friends.

'They still have a good relationship. Or maybe I caused another change in the timeline.'

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Nikkolas!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 109


The two old men laughed after a few conversations, then realized that someone was actually standing at the door.

"Ah, Kazir Grey, nice to meet you. I believe this is our first meeting."

Michael Ovitz was the first to stand and greet Kazir. Michael Ovitz was the founder of CAA. Perhaps that was why he had such a high opinion of Kazir. Even though he was out of CAA after selling all his shares, Michael Ovitz felt that CAA was still his child.

Then Michael Eisner stood up and shook hands with Kazir. There was a reason he invited the director, because of the success he has had over the past three years. For someone like Michael Eisner, he knew that Kazir's talent was still blossoming.

He wanted to grab a piece of the cake before Kazir reached his expiration date. Michael Eisner watched the movement of Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox. Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover had planned sequels.

Napoleon Dynamite II was a box office hit and The Hangover Part 2 was scheduled for release the following year. The money they were making from these two franchises was huge.

Michael Eisner wanted at least one or two of Kazir's scripts.

It's not bad if Walt Disney can have a comedy franchise.

"Kazir, congratulations on Napoleon Dynamite II. Even though you didn't direct it, I think your presence is the reason it was a success."

"Thank you, Chairman Eisner."

Kazir could not tell if Michael Eisner was lying or not. However, Kazir could sense the meaning of his words.

'As expected, he is interested in my projects.'

"Let's sit down."

The three sat down and began to talk. Unlike Michael Eisner, who was serious, Michael Ovitz had a friendly expression.

Now, Michael Ovitz was a famous agent, and his face was thicker than a concrete wall. He would not hesitate to praise a literal shit just to make money.

He could easily keep his smiling face as long as the money was on the table.

"Kazir, I heard that you're looking for a company to distribute your movie. How about Walt Disney? I can assure you that you will not lose if you work with us."

"Thank you, Chairman Eisner, but I must decline."

"Why is that?"

Michael Eisner raised his eyebrows. A little curious and offended.

"The filming of Taken is not yet finished, and I cannot sign a contract with an unfinished film."

"That's a very good answer. Well then, I guess we will have another meeting when Taken is finished."

"That is correct. I will contact Walt Disney again, hopefully Chairman Eisner will be able to watch it at that time."

"Very well. Since I can see that you are sincere, I must be sincere as well. I can promise you that Walt Disney will never take more than 40% of the box office as a fee. If you want, we can sign a contract right now."

"Thank you, Chairman Eisner, but I believe someone as great as you will keep his promise."

Michael Eisner's condition may seem simple, but Kazir sensed his sincerity.

There are movie companies that demand 60% of the box office for a fee.

To be fair, more film companies would actually buy the entire copyrights of a film before releasing it.

Kazir's position was too weak in the past, so he signed a contract with Fox Searchlight Pictures and got a small share of the box office. But now that he had a strong reputation, he was able to negotiate a better deal.

So 40% of the box office was not bad, but not good either.

'If Walt Disney takes 40%, then the Cinema Alliance will take another 40%. Grey Pictures will only get 20% of the box office. That's not bad, but it's not good. At least Michael Eisner has promised that the deal will not exceed 40%. That means there is room to make it lower. The terms are...'

"Kazir, I hear you have dozens of scripts registered in the Writers Guild. I wonder if you would be interested in selling some of them."

'As expected, it was all about scripts.'

It was understandable, since 20th Century Fox got another movie franchise because of Kazir.

In fact, not only Walt Disney, but also Paramount and Sony-Columbia were eager to buy his script. As for Universal Pictures... Kazir didn't want to hear their terms.

"I want to know what scripts you are interested in, Chairman Eisner."

Browsing the general plot and titles of scripts was not illegal. The Writers Guild could show that much.

Some writers would visit the Writers Guild to make sure that the scripts they were writing didn't bear a strong resemblance to any of the registered scripts. Otherwise there would be a lawsuit.

"I want to buy the Meet The Parents script."

"..."

Kazir was speechless. He realized that Michael Eisner had the eyes to pick the movies. As expected, Michael Eisner became chairman of Walt Disney for obvious reasons. He knew how to choose movies.

It was known that Michael Eisner preferred live action movies than animated movies. He felt that hand-drawn animation was losing its vitality.

'Meet The Parents is actually a movie that has two sequels. They are Meet The Fockers and Little Fockers.'

If Michael Eisner wanted to find a movie that could produce sequels, Meet The Parents was the best choice.

"Walt Disney will buy the script for $3 million. I think that amount is very sincere."

"Indeed."

Kazir nodded. He could not deny it.

As the two talked, Michael Ovitz kept his mouth shut. He knew his friend didn't like it someone involved in negotiations.

"What do you think? I can send you the money right now, cash or cheque."

"I'm touched that someone like you would be interested in my script. However, Chairman Eisner, I must decline."

"Kazir Grey, do you understand what you're saying?"

Michael Eisner held his expression, but he was clearly dissapointed.

Kazir shook his head.

"You misunderstand, I'm not saying I'm rejecting your offer. I'm saying your offer is too high for me."

[Author's Note: Okay hold up, let me cook.]

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Timothy S!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 110


When Kazir said it, both Michaels realized his intention. Kazir was not interested in money, he had another motive.

The two old men looked at each other. Then Michael Eisner put down his wine glass and crossed his arms.

"What do you want?"

"Chairman Eisner, I want to knock a million off the price. But I have a very small request."

'Small request, my ass. Your grin is so wide you look like a devil.'

The old men realized that Kazir Grey was not that simple.

"It's very simple. I want you to get rid of the pest in your company. I have heard that the pest is crawling around in your administration. I'm worried about what the pest might do to you, Mr. Eisner."

"..."

Michael Eisner understood Kazir's intention. He was old and experienced.

'So he wants me to kick Harvey Weinstein out of Walt Disney.'

Kazir didn't say anything obvious, but Michael Eisner easily understood his words.

"... You have to understand, making a decision like this is messy. The pest could fly in and make a mess. Give me a week. I'll think about it."

"Then thank you, Chairman, for giving me the chance to talk to you."

Kazir bowed and left the private room.

When Kazir was gone, the two old men sighed.

"I thought we were cunning, but this guy is too calculating. He probably expected this meeting and planned his move."

Michael Ovitz muttered. He had the feeling that Kazir Grey had a clear goal for this meeting. He listened the whole time and found out that Kazir understood the situation.

"Indeed. I didn't sense any nervousness on his part."

Michael Eisner nodded.

They were just trying to buy a script, but instead they got a terrifying proposal.

This man, Kazir Grey, was trying to convince them to cut Harvey Weinstein out of Miramax.

"It's understandable because Harvey Weinstein is one of the people who caused Kazir trouble."

Michael Ovitz added.

"Ovitz, I can see that you have a favorable opinion of Kazir Grey. What do you think of him?"

"The reason I like him is because he signed a deal with CAA. Simple as that. Even though I'm not the president of CAA anymore, I'd rather work with them than WMA."

Michael Ovitz was kicked out of the William Morris Agency and had a grudge against the company. He formed CAA with the others and slowly built up the agency.

Of course, he would never help WMA destroy Kazir's career. When the scandal started, Michael Ovitz did his best to maintain his neutral position.

'Phenomenon and The Hangover were clashing at the time, so Walt Disney agreed with Harvey Weinstein's decision to destroy his career.'

Michael Eisner thought. There were two sides to the coin, and he knew why Walt Disney had partnered with WMA.

But lately, Harvey Weinstein had become an eyesore.

"Harvey Weinstein is getting closer to the shareholders. He is trying to consolidate his position." Michael Ovitz recalled.

"On top of that... He reached out to Roy Disney."

"..."

When Ovitz said that, Chairman Eisner got serious.

There was only one person in Walt Disney who could challenge his authority. It was the Disney family, specifically Roy Disney.

"The Disney family has already lost control of the company, and you already have the ultimate authority. But let's not forget that the company is owned by the major shareholders of Walt Disney. It will be problematic if they start to act."

"I understand."

Michael Eisner could not agree more. The Walt Disney of the Disney family was already gone. Now it was Michael Eisner's Walt Disney.

Still, the chances of the Disney family taking over the company were obvious.

"If Harvey Weinstein sides with Roy Disney and tries to make an alliance with the shareholders, it will be bad for both of us."

President Ovitz was hired by Chairman Eisner, so they were on the same side. If one of them was forced out, they would lose a tremendous amount of strength.

In this timeline, the two friends had a better relationship. Perhaps Kazir actually changed the timeline.

"The only thing stopping us from expelling the Weinstein brothers is their influence at Miramax. If we recklessly kicked them out, Miramax might cease to function altogether."

From the moment Walt Disney reached out to Miramax, it was clear what their intentions were. Miramax was getting stronger, and the Big Six realized it very early on. So the Big Six did their best to keep Miramax from getting better.

'The Weinstein brothers were broke at the time, so they were forced to sell Miramax to Walt Disney.'

To be honest, Michael Eisner had enough evidence to send Harvey Weinstein to jail. He knew all of his dirty deeds. The only thing stopping him was the consequences.

He wanted to get rid of Harvey Weinstein as soon as Miramax was stable. But the company was still growing.

If there was one other thing to consider, it was the fact that Harvey Weinstein was Jewish. So was Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz.

'This is crazy because Kazir Grey is also Jewish.'

Yet both sides were trying to sabotage each other.

"First of all, let's think seriously about this. We can't throw Harvey Weinstein out because he's still useful."

"I understand. I will try to keep informed about his relationship with Roy Disney."

The two old men agreed. It was not difficult who to choose between Harvey Weinstein and Kazir Grey.

Harvey Weinstein was a talented executive. Even though he was a bad guy, the truth is that he got Miramax to where it is now.

As for Kazir Grey. It was obvious that his talent was as a director. He could make good movies, especially comedies.

"Kazir's new project is an action movie, right?"

"That's right." Michael Ovitz nodded.

"What a waste... If he chooses a comedy, I will not hesitate to sign a deal with him. Even a thriller like Se7en is no problem. But an action movie? Does he even know how difficult it is to shoot an action movie? A lot of accidents can happen when shooting an action movie."

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 111


"Hello, Kazir! How's your day going?"

"Scarlett, you should keep your voice down. It's disturbing my concentration."

Kazir massaged his forehead when he heard Scarlett Johansson's loud greeting.

"Wow, so this is the editing room... It's too dark in here."

Two weeks had passed since the party at Walt Disney. Filming of Taken had officially wrapped a few days earlier, and Kazir had already begun editing Taken.

He hired Rector, the editor of Napoleon Dynamite to edit the movie together with him. They checked every films, saved footages that they would possibly use and combined them into a movie... It was not that simple actually, the time they had to spend on doing this was not simple.

Rector and Renner Hector are different people, their names were a little close, but that was all.

An editor like Rector didn't have any credits other than Napoleon Dynamite. All the movies he edited never went to theaters. They went quickly to the videotape market after editing. So Rector cherished his accomplishment of editing Napoleon Dynamite. It gave him confidence.

And now that Napoleon Dynamite II has been released. People who hadn't seen the first movie bought the videotape. As the editor, his name was on the opening and closing credits. That was something to be proud of.

When Kazir Grey was looking for an editor for his current project, Rector did not hesitate. He agreed and signed the contract.

He was so excited that he stayed up all night on the first day of work. Because of Rector's enthusiasm, Kazir had no choice but to follow suit and stay up all night as well.

... It had been three days since he had a proper rest. Kazir Grey was therefore sensitive to noise and light. The life of a director in post-production was terrifying. If shooting was exhausting, editing was a sleepless venture.

Scarlett Johansson sensed that the people around her were tired, so she obeyed them and kept her mouth shut...for a little while. She was curious about the editing room, so she decided to enter it... Only to see abominations.

"K- Kazir, I thought you were a person who cared about your health. What is this then?"

She was stunned when she saw the tall tower of cup noodles and pizza boxes. They were like two Leaning Towers of Pisa.

"Scarlett, I don't have time to leave the room. So I can only order these things."

Kazir sighed. They had a schedule to keep. As much as possible, Kazir wanted to finish the post-production for a month. Fortunately, Kazir had the whole movie in his head, so he didn't spend any time experimenting. Although he did have to add a few easter eggs for the next upcoming movies in the Continental Cinematic Universe.

Overall, he did a good job.

"I think you need to eat right! You said I need to eat healthy food, and so do you! Let's go, we can eat somewhere."

"Scarlett, I have things to do. What about you? Have you finished dubbing your scenes?"

"I'm done for today, an underage actress like me has to follow strict working hours. Unlike you, Mr. Grey, who looks like a panda."

"All right, all right. Just leave the room when you're done exploring. Don't touch any buttons."

"What am I? A child?" She pouted.

"That's right."

"Geez! Don't change the subject! You need to eat something healthy."

She was irritated and kicked the floor. Principal Grey was a stubborn guy.

"...I'm hungry for some vegetables."

Kazir recalled a certain dish called Sushi. Unfortunately, he had to continue working.

"Um, Kazir... How about we finish work for today? My wife keeps calling me."

The editor, Rector, smiled bitterly and apologized. Because he was working too hard, he forgot to talk to his wife.

"Is that so? I don't mind. Let's take a break."

They left the studio at 4:21 pm.

"Where are your parents?"

"They are busy. Salvatore dropped me off at the studio. He left after that because he has a job to do. Probably something to do with your movie."

"Maybe."

Four of his clients were working on Taken, and Salvatore hoped the movie would be successful.

Salvatore's clients were: Kazir Grey, Enzo Park, Scarlett Johansson, and Brianna Evans. These people were his main source of income, so he was working hard.

'I think this time he is trying to get in touch with Warner Bros. My influence at Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox are getting better after the release of Napoleon Dynamite II.'

One month after the release of Napoleon Dynamite II, the film had already grossed $153.55 million.

Even though his position on the project was not that high, the money he earned was already over $1.4 million. His job as the screenwriter and executive producer of the movie already brought him this insane amount.

'... Unfortunately, my influence is not enough to convince Chairman Eisner.'

Their first meeting was quite good, but Michael Eisner felt it was too early to fire Harvey Weinstein.

Also, Kazir Grey was too irrelevant to ask for a big favor. Michael Eisner was not sure that Kazir Grey was worth the deal.

Of course, Kazir didn't sell the Meet The Parents script to Walt Disney. Although Walt Disney wanted to buy the script for $3 million, Kazir decided to keep it for now. Once Taken and The Hangover 2 were released, the Big Six would definitely buy his scripts, even if they looked like trash.

Taken will come out this year, while The Hangover 2 will come out next year, maybe around March or April.

"Hey, where are we going to eat?"

Since Scarlett was new to the place, she decided to follow Kazir. She let him choose where to eat.

"We're going to a Japanese restaurant."

"Okay." She nodded, quite curious about Japanese delicacies.

Kazir looked at her.

"By the way, who's going to take you home?"

"My mom. She said she would call me around 5:30. So I thought I'd play in the studio for an hour."

"Kid, you should focus on your studies instead."

He rubbed her hair and the little girl screamed and pushed his hand away.

"Don't mess up my hair."

She growled.

"... Alright." Kazir chuckled and left the child alone.

 

[Pujimaki]

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.

+++++

[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)

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 113


For an up-and-coming director like Kazir Grey, it was already a privilege to have three big shots from the Big Six show up to watch the screening.

This time they were invited to Grey Pictures for a small screening of Taken. Grey Pictures was a studio/production company, so they have equipment related to filming such as cameras and lighting. They also had a small studio where about 30 people could watch movies.

Even though his initial intention for Grey Pictures was just for tax incentives, Kazir felt that he needed to invest to make sure that the studio had equipment for film-related things.

The projector was already set up, and Kazir Grey stood and greeted each guest. Even though he didn't know most of them, he greeted them with a smile.

'I guess Salvatore works really hard.'

He looked at his agent and chuckled when he saw that Salvatore Barlowe had dark circles under his eyes... Well, Kazir had dark circles as well. Like Salvatore, Kazir worked tirelessly. He hadn't had enough sleep in the last few days.

Of all the actors, only Enzo Park showed up. Scarlett Johansson was not allowed to see the movie without her parents. She was only 12 years old.

PG-13 means that children under the age of 13 need their parents to watch the movie.

As for Liam Neeson, the man was taking a break after months of filming. Action movies were definitely tiring. Liam Neeson spent months just to have a positive physique. So he took his time to rest.

Actors didn't have authority over post-production, only superstars could influence the director's decision. So far, Kazir had never worked with a superstar, so he didn't have a clear understanding of their behavior.

He knew a few superstars who had absurd terms in their contracts.

'Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. It said that these people are not allowed to lose in a fight. It's in their contracts. Also, they are only allowed to get hit a couple of times. I can understand why they have specific things like that in their contracts.'

Actors have to keep up their appearances. Getting beaten up in a movie could do irreparable damage to their careers. So they don't want to lose in a fight... Even if it's just acting.

"Kazir, it's good to see you again. I hear you're busy these days."

Terry Semel shook hands and greeted Kazir.

"You're still as busy as ever. Haha, don't forget to read the revisions we made to the script of The Hangover Part 2."

Terry Semel didn't forget to tell him. Kazir finished writing The Hangover Part 2 a year ago. He had already given the script to Warner Bros.

Like a normal film company, Warner Bros was skeptical about the context of the script, so they decided to write a backup script just in case. Although they chose his script immediately after the release of Napoleon Dynamite II.

They even hired many writers to polish the script. But they felt it was not enough. Kazir's presence was important. Warner Bros believes that Kazir Grey had to read the script before giving the go signal.

They believe in his ability to make a script. Of course, they would pay him for his work.

"Don't worry Terry, I'll make sure to attend at least one script meeting this month."

"That's reassuring to hear."

Pre-production on The Hangover Part 2 began. Warner Bros had no choice but to increase the budget now that Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal had established their names.

Their agents demanded a raise! Which was understandable.

'If there's just one problem, it's...'

"Kazir, are you sure you're not interested in directing The Hangover Part 2? I can give you a better deal if you want."

Terry Semel said. The importance of a talented director in making a successful movie was obvious. Everyone in Hollywood believes that Kazir Grey can produce another successful comedy film. For that, Warner Bros was willing to accept any terms, as long as they were possible.

If Kazir wanted 15% of the North American box office, Warner Bros would say yes. If he wanted 20%, Warner Bros would nod its head.

Kazir Grey as the director of The Hangover Part 2 was the best assurance they could get.

"Terry, I have to be honest, my schedule is already full for the next four years. I'm going to be busy."

"What?"

Terry Semel tilted his head in confusion.

'Did he sign a deal with the other film companies? Why have I never heard of this?' He thought.

"Is it because of the Cinematic Universe you're talking about?"

"That's right."

Kazir didn't deny it. Terry Semel had read the script for Taken, and he had also read John Wick. Kazir was trying to create a series of movies that were connected.

"I see. Well, if you're having trouble, you can go to Warner Bros."

As long as Kazir Grey was profitable, film companies would do their best to work with him.

But Taken was different. To be honest, Terry Semel felt that the script didn't have the X factor. The plot was mediocre and the action sequences had too much hand-to-hand combat. It was also pretty brutal.

Also, Kazir was a newcomer to action movies. He didn't have enough experience.

Still, Terry Semel would never say it in front of Kazir. He still needed the man to continue the Hangover franchise. Even if The Hangover was only a trilogy. Considering that the cast's salaries were on the rise.

Kazir also welcomed Tom Rothman and Michael Ovitz. Just like Terry Semel, the two big shots wanted to make a connection with the up-and-coming director.

Just like that, the small screening of Taken began with only 23 guests in attendance.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Brent W, Andreas S, and Jonathan I!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 114


Action-packed, blood-boiling and intense. The guests watched the movie with these emotions.

Most of the people in the audience were men. In fact, they were fathers.

They had a pretty good idea of the plot, so they knew that the daughter would be kidnapped. Still, it was satisfying to see the traffickers beaten up.

The fathers would do anything to protect their children, they might even kill a person if they had to. Bryan Mills' mission was to find his daughter and bring her back.

The audience cheered him on. Some of them even screamed when Bryan Mills found the group responsible for the crime.

There are many unforgivable crimes and human trafficking is one of them. For Bryan Mills to beat these criminals was something that gave them satisfaction.

When the movie ended and the lights went on, people started talking about the movie.

'It's good. It entertains me. But I'm not sure if the movie can make us a profit. Unless we bought all the copyrights, this movie could be a loss for us.'

Michael Ovitz thought. He had a good impression of Kazir, but it was different when it came to business.

'I heard this movie has a budget of $25 million, maybe I can negotiate and buy it for $50 million. Grey Pictures didn't lose anything if they agreed to that. They doubled their investment.'

Signing a distribution deal for Taken was a gamble. They could lose money. Unless Grey Pictures paid them for distribution. But Grey Pictures didn't have that kind of money.

In the end, it all comes down to Kazir Grey's decision.

Michael Ovitz looked around. He saw Terry Semel and Tom Rothman talking. As the three big shots looked at each other, they came to one conclusion.

The movie was great and entertaining... But they would never sign a losing deal. If Grey Pictures wanted to release this movie, they would have to play the game with them.

The three nodded to each other.

'We will not lower the terms.'

That was clear.

Kazir Grey watched everyone's reaction. Just as he expected, most of them had a mediocre reaction to Taken.

The movie had its pros and cons. The theme of the movie was dark. Some scenes were confusing. People didn't understand the easter eggs.

Kazir risked it, but he was careful not to show too many easter eggs. Just enough to make people curious.

Now it is up to the film companies. It depends on them if they are interested in distributing the film.

'One of them will give us a satisfactory contract. They can't get over the what-ifs.'

Sony-Columbia wanted 35% of the North American box office.

Walt Disney settled for 40% of the North American box office. It was funny because Walt Disney never lowered their contract. At least they kept their promise to keep it under 40%...

'Although Touchstone, Disney's subsidiary, contacted me. They want to buy the movie for $50 million. Walt Disney knew how to do things right.'

Warner Bros didn't respond positively, so the deal was 40% as well. Maybe Terry Semel was disappointed that Kazir didn't agree to direct The Hangover 2.

As for Universal Pictures... They didn't bother to attend the screening. Their relationship with Grey Pictures was non-existent. Especially after the scandal.

If there was one thing that surprised Kazir, it was the contract that 20th Century Fox gave him. He thought Tom Rothman would never agree to it. Maybe the results of Napoleon Dynamite II changed that.

20th Century Fox agrees to a 30% North American share of the box office. The lowest... As of now.

.........
......
...

"Sir..."

"What is it?"

Terry Semel was reviewing documents when his secretary arrived. It was already three days after the screening of Taken. Warner Bros had already dropped their intention to sign a distribution deal.

In their opinion, Taken was not worth it. Also, they could not give the movie a good release date. The summer schedule was always full.

"It's about Taken. Grey Pictures has found a distributor.

"As expected, they chose 20th Century Fox, right? Tom Rothman gave them a good deal."

Terry Semel dropped his pen and listened.

"No, sir. It's not 20th Century Fox. Grey Pictures had a deal with Paramount. It says that Paramount will distribute the three Grey Pictures films, including Taken."

"What?"

Terry Semel wasn't expecting it. Kazir had a good relationship with 20th Century Fox. He thought Grey Pictures would pick them.

There was only one conclusion.

"What's Paramount's offer?"

"Paramount signed a 25% North American box office deal with Grey Pictures."

"..."

Terry Semel was confused.

"What's wrong with Brad Grey? Did he agree to Kazir because they have the same last name?"

Terry Semel muttered. A 25% share of the box office was not too good from a business standpoint. That amount might not be enough to cover expenses if the movie flopped.

.........
......
...

While Terry Semel was in a state of confusion, Kazir Grey and Brad Grey officially signed a contract.

"To be honest, I didn't think it was worth it, but the terms you gave me are tempting."

Brad Grey shook hands with Kazir.

"Selling Meet The Parents for half a million is not so bad, especially if you promise to be the writer and executive producer."

"I'll do my best to give Paramount a good franchise."

Kazir's plan kept changing, but he had no choice but to adapt. The Meet The Parents trilogy was smaller compared to the Continental Cinematic Universe entity. He was willing to sell it as long as he could get a better deal.

"Glad to hear that."

Before Marvel was bought by Disney, its films were distributed by Paramount. In a way, Kazir was just following in the footsteps of the MCU.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Overated!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 115


The Marvel Studios. It was a production company created by Marvel Comics to try to revive their company. After watching Spider-Man take over the world, Marvel Comics found a reason to stay alive.

Sony-Columbia had the movie copyright of Spider-Man, but Marvel had the other copyrights such as the comics, merchandise (costumes, toys, etc.), and games.

Marvel made a profit after the release of Spider-Man. The comics related to Spider-Man increased in sales and even products related to Spider-Man sold out.

It was a win-win situation for both Marvel and Sony-Columbia. After that, many film companies tried to buy their superheroes, but Marvel was adamant about keeping them.

Marvel had already lost some of its big superheroes like the X-Men and Fantastic Four. Marvel gritted their teeth after selling X-Men and Fantastic Four to 20th Century Fox. They regret that.

In fact, they regret almost every superhero they sold. They did their best just to get back the movie rights to the Hulk and other superheroes.

When the 2000s arrived, Warner Bros had the idea of bringing the Justice League to the screen by releasing Superman Returns and Batman Begins. The information was limited and no one could confirm if Warner Bros was really trying to start a Cinematic Universe. But it was clear that Batman Begins had a bit of a superhero vibe, unlike The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.

Unfortunately, Superman Returns was a huge disappointment. So Warner Bros decided to make The Dark Knight Trilogy instead.

While DC was busy with The Dark Knight Trilogy, Marvel was making plans and starting their Cinematic Universe.

The superhero they chose was none other than the Incredible Hulk... However, working with Edward Norton was not so good. They decided to change the actor, maybe Edward Norton had an extravagant salary and unreasonable requests and Marvel Studio could not afford his wants.

Marvel Studio wavered in their decision at first. But their next movie said otherwise.

Iron Man was distributed by Paramount and it did well. A second-rate superhero like Iron Man became one of the most famous superheroes of the next decade. Everybody knows him, Tony Stark, Iron Man and Robert Downey Jr.

Kazir never expected that his first opening film for the Continental Cinematic Universe would be distributed by Paramount. Maybe that was a good sign.

On top of that, they agreed to sign two more movies for the same deal. It's a very good deal.

A 25% box office deal was hard to come by. Even Kazir was shocked when he heard Paramount's intentions. Well, it was good for Grey Pictures. At least they didn't have to worry about their two upcoming projects. Their problem was solved for a while.

With the exchange of the Meet The Parents script, Kazir felt that the negotiation was worth it. Unlike Meet The Parents, which had three possible films, Taken was the first film in the Continental Cinematic Universe. It was very important, because there are billions in that movie alone. Although Kazir was the only one who thought so.

So far, nobody thinks that Cinematic Universe was profitable. But once it was pioneered, every movie company would salivate.

"Paramount will release the movie at midnight on July 24, 1997. Two weeks from now."

It was actually July 25th because it was released at midnight, but whatever.

The thing was that Taken had to face a strong opponent. Air Force One with Harrison Ford would be released the same day.

'Sigh... I can't help it. Paramount already has a schedule for their movies. They can't put Taken ahead of their own movies. They can't give us a good release date because their summer schedule is already packed.'

It was already a good thing that Taken had a release schedule. Besides, Paramount already showed their sincerity by giving Grey Pictures a good distribution deal.

'The initial advertising budget for Taken is $4 million. If the movie doesn't do well, they'll stop advertising it.'

So for now, Kazir could only trust in his movie... He was actually scared because Air Force One was a strong opponent. It was one of the top 10 grossing films of 1997.

'I hope Sony-Columbia will not do anything bad. I can't protect myself because Taken is under Grey Pictures. If Sony-Columbia tries to make trouble, I can't defend myself against the media.'

Paramount would not protect him, nor would Warner Bros or 20th Century Fox. That was the downside of not working with the Big Six, he was all open with no defense.

'That's why I prefer to work with the Big Six. Because their umbrella is safe. They'll never hurt me as long as I'm useful.'

Kazir was lying when he said that he was not interested in starting his own film company. But he knew it was the stupidest decision he could make.

Building distribution channels was not that easy. The Big Six had already absorbed almost all the companies that had distribution channels.

DreamWorks and Lionsgate might try, but their track record was not good.

Even in the next two decades, DreamWorks and Lionsgate didn't have international distribution.

As soon as he showed his intention to build a distribution channel, the Big Six would destroy him. Just like they did to their competitors.

'If you can't beat them, join them. Also, I didn't like working with business. It's a hassle. I would rather make movies than run a company.'

With that, Kazir Grey let time pass. He waited for the release date of Taken. No lie, Kazir Grey was lonely with Reese Witherspoon gone. She was busy with The Hangover Part 2.

+++++

[Author's note: Do you want this novel to be a harem or not? Although I can't assure you that all of your favorite actresses will be part of the harem. I didn't want to focus on romance in the first place. Anyway, say yes if you want a harem. Say No if you don't. Write down the actresses you like, I might set up scenes for them].

[Update: Most patrons prefer not to have a harem. And I'm glad about it.]

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Roberto Morse D, Jack A, Sean S, and Kevaughn C!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 116


"I apologize, it looks like Kazir Grey never intended to work with us."

Michael Ovitz faced the chairman.

"That's okay. I expected this. From the moment we didn't agree to his terms, I knew Kazir wouldn't choose us. Although it's a waste that Paramount got the Meet The Parents script. I'm very interested in the script. I think it has potential."

"It's written by Kazir Grey, so you're probably right."

The two old men chuckled. Even though their negotiations with Kazir had failed, it did not affect them. This was business, after all. Kazir Grey might be a talented director, but there were many talented directors in this industry.

Walt Disney could find another director to work with. Maybe they could work with Kazir Grey next time.

'Although I heard that Paramount signed a three-movies deal with Grey Pictures. It's a North American distribution, so we can still contact Grey Pictures regarding international distribution of the film.'

They didn't lose. They didn't even fight. They used Touchstone as a proxy to contact Kazir, but in the end it was futile.

"Ovitz, you saw Taken. What do you think of the movie?"

"It's good. I cheered for the father, it's entertaining, and it has a lot of good points, although there are some bad ones. But I think it will not do well, especially if it has the same release date as Air Force One".

Between Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson, Harrison Ford had more fans.

Han Solo of Star Wars.

Rick Deckard from Blade Runner.

Indiana Jones of the Indiana Jones series.

Harrison Ford had more box office appeal than Liam Neeson. Harrison Ford was a superstar, while Liam Neeson was at best a first-rate actor.

With these facts, the two Michaels believe that Taken had already lost the edge. Maybe Paramount just fucked with Taken by pitting it against Air Force One. Who knows?

The two old men laughed about it.

"Kazir's too arrogant this time. He tried to convince us to dump Harvey Weinstein."

Kazir was too weak to ask for such a thing. Of course, Chairman Eisner would disagree.

"Chairman, don't be like that. I think Kazir is right. We really do need to kick the Weinstein brothers out of Miramax and Disney."

"Indeed. But it's not the right time."

They confirmed that Harvey Weinstein was siding with the Disney family, and that was bad for Michael Eisner. He wanted to retain as much authority as possible.

He was the one who brought Walt Disney to its current status. He is the tyrant Michael Eisner. He even stopped the production of hand-drawn animation and fired Jeffrey Katzenberg.

From now on, he focused his attention on luring Pixar. He tried to convince Steve Jobs to sell his Pixar's shares to Walt Disney.

In the middle of their conversation, Michael Ovitz received a message from his secretary.

"Chairman, we have a TV here, right?"

"Hm, here's the remote."

Chairman Eisner was confused as to why Ovitz was interested in watching television.

Michael Ovitz changed the channel to a news channel... As the two Michaels watched the news, they immediately realized they had made a mistake.

[Breaking news: An underage girl missing for eight months has been found in Mexico. She had been kidnapped by human traffickers and sold to the Mafia... They found dozens of young American girls in an underground facilities.]

As they watched the news, the two old men were stunned.

"Ovitz, is this a Paramount movie promotion for Taken?"

"I'm afraid not. This is ABC. Our own television network. Paramount has no control over it. This is real news... I heard that even the President is going to address this problem in his speech."

"Shit."

Chairman Michael Eisner rubbed his forehead. This was a fucking coincidence, a good coincidence for Paramount!

"Ovitz, when is the release date for Taken again?"

"July 24th, midnight. Three days from now."

Michael Eisner sighed.

"I think we made a mistake."

"..."

This time the two agreed. This news alone was covered by every news channel. The missing girl had already become famous a few months ago, because her disappearance had already been reported by news channels.

And now this topic was revived again. The poor girl was caught in a crime of human trafficking!

That day, the whole of North America dealt with the news related about the missing girl and the other kidnapped underaged girls.

While this was happening, the movie companies were sighing in defeat. They had lost a big fish!

Who would have thought that the missing girl was actually kidnapped by human traffickers? Moreover, she was rescued along with many underage girls! The news attracted the people of America!

This is unfair! The will of heaven was on Kazir's side!

Just like CEO Michael Eisner, the other big shots gritted their teeth.

Well, except for the executives at Paramount. They were too busy. This was their chance to cash in!

Three days before the release of Taken, Paramount launched an all-out attack! They used the news of human trafficking while promoting Taken.

Paramount's parent company was Viacom.

Viacom was a big media company and their influence was strong. With their help, the promotion of Taken had a positive response.

Now everyone was interested in seeing the movie!

..........
.......
...

As for Kazir...

"Huh? Did this happen in my past life?"

He was confused because he could not remember if news about human trafficking came out at this time of the year. He had no idea.

'Is this part of the butterfly effect? Man, I don't know anymore.'

He just wanted to start the Continental Cinematic Universe. He was not even hoping for a huge box office for Taken.

But with this... The movie might exceed his expectations.

[Author's Note: This is the reason why having advanced chapters is the best, you can easily add foreshadows.]

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Dashawn W, bomber-harris, and Wrobe06117]

Hollywood What If Chapter 117


The news broke in North America and the coverage of the CIA infiltrating the sex den in Mexico was caught on camera.

The video was shown on almost every news channel. That month, people's awareness of sex/human trafficking was at an all-time high.

People rallied. Testimonies of people who had been kidnapped told their stories and gained the sympathy of citizens. People created a public organization for people who suffered from human trafficking.

While this situation was happening all over North America, Paramount used this opportunity to promote Taken. Even though they could only profit the 25% of the box office, with the current situation, Paramount believed that they would still profit a huge amount of money.

"I should be happy. But sometimes I can't help but regret my decision."

Brad Grey, Paramount's current CEO, sighed. He had complicated feelings about Taken.

Of course, he had read the script and had a chance to work with Kazir. Even if Kazir wanted a 30% investment, it was no problem as long as he could guarantee that the movie would be a success.

However, at that time, Brad Grey felt that letting Kazir invest in the movie was not good for the future development of the movie. Kazir Grey wanted to make sure that he had authority over the project and Paramount felt that he was overstepping the line.

So their negotiations ended. Paramount decided to walk away.

Brad Grey felt that his decision was right because even Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox backed out.

But right now, Brad Grey wanted to slap his past self.

'I should have said yes even if Kazir invested in the movie. As long as we have a higher percentage of the investment, we can control the project.'

The problem with letting Kazir invest in Taken was simple. Paramount didn't want him to have a piece of the pie, such as videotapes and peripherals profits.

Kazir knew how Hollywood worked and he would fight for a better deal. Once he invested in the movie, he would definitely ask for a share of the profit from the videotapes and peripherals. This was the profit that Paramount never wanted to share, and neither did the other film companies.

"What if here, and what if there? I can't let myself sulk. Right now I have a good reason to promote Taken... I should have signed a contract with at least 30% of the box office."

No crying over spilled milk. Besides, Taken was going up against Air Force One. Paramount wanted to beat Sony-Columbia, even if it was for petty reasons.

'Once Taken is finished, I need to make sure Kazir works hard on Meet The Parents. He should return the favor.'

"CEO Grey, this is me, Shirley Lansing."

"You may come in."

Shirley Lansing walked into the office with a document in her hand. She was the head of Marketing Management.

Her job right now was to promote Taken.

"This is the report for yesterday's event."

Shirley Lansing handed the documents to Brad Grey and the man took them.

He read the papers and frowned slightly.

"Shirley, are you the one who came up with this plan?"

"No sir, it's Kazir Grey. I felt that his plan was possible, so I decided to accept his suggestion."

"I see..."

The context of the documents was about the organization that was recently founded to help people who suffered from human trafficking.

Kazir Grey suggested that Liam Neeson should be the organization's ambassador. In fact, Liam Neeson appeared in front of the reporters just to announce that he wanted to help these poor people.

As for Liam Neeson's sincerity, it was not important. Well, he has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2011. He is probably a good guy.

Another thing, Grey Pictures announced that they would donate 5% of the North American box office of Taken to the young women who were rescued from the Mexican Mafia.

Because of this, their status became positive and many people supported them.

"5%? Looks like Grey Pictures is doing some goodwill. Not my problem. As long as they don't touch our money, Grey Pictures can donate all they want.

CEO Brad Grey understood that the move was to promote the film. It was not a bad thing. As long as they could make sure the result was worth it.

.........
......
...

"I am heartbroken to hear what happened. I hope they can overcome this situation. Let's all pray for them."

Tom Cruise had a sad smile on his face as he faced the reporters. He was interviewed about the young women who were in distress.

He attended the premiere of Taken and appeared on the red carpet. On his left arm was his loving wife, Nicole Kidman. The couple offered their prayers for the broken underaged girls.

Tom Cruise and Paramount had a strong relationship. Mission: Impossible was confirmed to have a sequel. The two sides negotiated the contract. While that was going on, Paramount invited Tom Cruise to the premiere of Taken.

"Director Grey invited me, so I decided to go see it. Maybe next time we can work together."

Upon hearing his answer, reporters began to ask him about his relationship with Kazir Grey. Tom Cruise said that he knew the guy since the shooting of Rain Man 9 years ago.

The reporters got more and more excited, but Tom Cruise decided to end the interview. Another actor would show up on the red carpet and it was time to pass the baton.

Honestly, Tom Cruise read the script of Taken and he was a little interested. Unfortunately, he found out that the budget of the movie was not enough to hire him, so he decided to keep quiet.

'I offered to invest in the movie, but Kazir obviously didn't agree. If I knew this would be the result, I should have pushed him to agree.'

Tom Cruise entered the theater and found many invited actors like himself. He saw many movie critics and regular audiences in the middle and back of the theater.

Of course, with his status, he had a reserved seat at the front of the theater.

With his wife, he began to greet his acquaintances in the industry. Nothing wrong with having more connections.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 118

[Author's note: This is my own summary, so I'm not sure if it's all right since I watched Taken two months ago. By the way, I hate writing summaries of movies or novels. I find it time consuming and not fun. Just think of the summary as bullet sentences. If you are curious, you can watch the movie instead].

[You're probably wondering why I've been gone for about three days. Well, I have been diagnosed with a disease called procrastination, unfortunately it seems that this disease is very hard to cure.]

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[Bryan Mills(Liam Neeson), a retired agent with a daughter. His ex-wife married a rich man, and his daughter lived with them.]

[With his normal status, he wanted to buy a karaoke box for his daughter's birthday. He knew his daughter wanted to be a singer].

[On his way to the store, two people were sitting at a table. They were discussing a movie budget. Their conversation was muffled in the background, so few could hear what they were saying.]

"Is that a cameo? Kazir and the producer are talking."

Nicole Kidman Cruise muttered weakly. Everyone was watching seriously because the atmosphere was too heavy.

Note that the reason people were watching this movie was under the influence of the sex/human trafficking incident a few days ago.

"I think so. This is the first time I have seen Kazir on the screen. He is tall, so he looks like a buff guy who can beat a person in a boxing match." Tom Cruise replied.

"Hm." Nicole Kidman nodded to Tom Cruise.

'Tom, I don't know why you said that, but I'm just going to nod my head. Let's watch the movie first.'

[At his daughter's birthday party, Bryan Mills found his ex-wife and daughter. He gave his gift, but was easily outdone by the stepfather, who brought a horse as a gift for Kim Mills. He left the party with shame as he knew that he could never do that to his daughter.]

[Bryan had a job at a security agency. Along with his retired friends, they work as bodyguards for celebrities. The last time he protected a famous singer from a crazy fan].

[After the birthday party, a few days later, Bryan was called by his daughter to talk. Kim Mills wanted to go to France to see an art exhibit.]

[As a father, Bryan felt it was not good for a young woman to travel to a foreign country with her only friend, Amanda. But because of his ex-wife's words, telling him that he needed to be good to his daughter, he was convinced and let his daughter leave the country.]

"Who is this woman?"

Nicole Kidman frowned. Brianna Evans may not have had a pretty face, but she had the aura of a queen. Nicole Kidman looked around and realized one thing: most of the audience was staring at the woman on the screen without knowing it.

As an actress, Nicole Kidman realized that Brianna Evans could be a difficult opponent. She had the power to grab people's attention with her acting alone.

In fact, even her husband, Tom Cruise, was staring intently at Lenore (Brianna Evans).

Nicole Kidman bit her lip and squeezed the man's hand.

"Huh? Are you okay, honey?"

"I'm fine." She smiled.

[To make sure Bryan could contact Kim, he reminded her to call him every day.]

[The two young girls, Kim and Amanda, went to the terminal and flew to France. Bryan had no idea that Kim was actually lying. She wasn't interested in going to the art exhibit, she was going to see her favorite band in concert].

[As Kim and her friend came out of the airport, they met a handsome man named Peter. The man was a gentleman and captured Amanda's heart. But this man was actually a scout. Someone who scouts out a potential target for kidnapping.]

[Amanda told Peter where they lived and that they were alone in the house. This information was the cause of their suffering.]

The audience clicked their tongues at the obvious plot. But this kind of thing was why they were here in the theaters. To see movies with obvious plots and be entertained.

"Kids, don't talk to strangers. Even if they are handsome."

A father reminded his daughter. They watched the movie because of current events.

"Yes, Dad."

This movie was a good way to educate young women. They shouldn't believe people so easily.

[Bryan Mills waited for his daughter to call him, but she never did. So Bryan decided to call her instead. After a few minutes of ringing, Bryan picked up the phone.]

[Kim: "Dad. Let me go to another room. My friend's playing music too loud."]

[Kim went into another room. There she could see her friend dancing to the music through the window. Kim had a conversation with her father, but it didn't last long.]

[Kim: "D- Dad, something is going on!"]

[At the window she saw her friend being kidnapped by a group of men!]

"That kid's got a nice reaction."

One of the higher-ups from Paramount who attended the premiere saw Scarlett Johansson's emotions. Though young, the girl showed that she could act.

[Kim panicked and realized she was in danger.]

["Oh my God, they got Amanda." Kim shuddered]

["What?" Bryan sensed that something bad was going on.]

["Okay honey, did you meet anyone? How about the airport?" Bryan started going through his things.]

["P- Peter"]

["Peter who? Did he know where you were staying?"]

["He took a cab with us." Her breathing became ragged. "Dad... They are coming. Dad, I'm scared." She began to sob].

["Stay focused, Kimmy. Get under the bed. I'm going to tell you something important. They are going to take you away." Bryan closed his eyes.]

["No." Kim whimpered, realizing the hard truth.]

["You have five important seconds. Leave the phone on the floor. Shout out everything you see, their appearance, hair color, eyes. Everything you see."]

[Through the phone, Bryan heard the footsteps of the kidnappers.]

Even the audience was silent the whole time, waiting for the suspense.

[Just then, Kim screamed as she was pulled out from under the bed. She started screaming. Bryan listened with a serious expression as his daughter was taken.]

Just like Bryan Mills, the fathers in the audience had horrified expressions.

[Suddenly, someone grabbed the phone. It was one of the kidnappers. In frustration, Bryan Mills said the iconic line.]

[I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. But what I do have is a very specific set of skills, skills that I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that's the end of it. I will not come looking for you, I will not hunt you down. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you"].

And that was the beginning of a meme...

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 119

[Author's note: The summary of Taken might be long because there are scenes I have to add to make it related to the Continental Cinematic Universe. Again, I don't like writing summaries because I don't think it's fun. I also have to skip some scenes because I feel they are not relevant. I recommend watching the movie instead].

[Shout out to enriv125, Manuel A, and Keith R!]

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[There was a long pause, but someone responded to his statement.]

["Good luck."]

[It was clearly a touch of sarcasm. The person had a thick accent. It was a good thing that Bryan recorded the whole conversation.]

The audience had a bad expression as they watched the kidnapping. The subject of kidnapping was too heavy these days, as if it was the most sinful crime of all.

[Bryan understood that his daughter's life was in danger. He had to start moving.]

[First, he went to his ex-wife's house and informed her that Kim was missing. Lenore began to cry when she heard what had happened to Kim.]

[Bryan contacted his friend who could help them get more information about the kidnapping. With the help of his friend, they determined that the sex traffickers were Albanian. Based on their information, they had 96 hours to rescue Kim or she would be gone forever.]

Just like Lenore, the audience's reaction was the same. They were heartbroken. They couldn't imagine how hard it was to be in her situation.

[With determination, Bryan went to Paris and entered the place where Kim and Amanda were staying before they were kidnapped. He saw the aftermath of the crime and his face turned grim. Luckily, he got his first clue when Peter's reflection was in the picture Kim took.]

[If his intuition was right, Peter was part of a criminal organization and his role was to lure innocent foreign women].

[As Bryan expected, he was right. He found the bastard. Despite kidnapping a pair of underage women yesterday, Peter had the guts to wait in the airport to find another target.]

"Get him!" Someone in the theater shouted, and everyone agreed. The audience started cheering when Bryan smashed Peter's face into the car and punched him in the stomach while asking for Kim's location.

Unlike the original, Kazir emphasized the bleeding on Peter's face. To show that Bryan Mills had enough strength to smash someone and make them bleed.

[Unfortunately, Peter tried to escape. He ran away and was hit by a car. As a result, Bryan lost his lead in finding his daughter.]

[Distraught and with no choice, Bryan decided to contact a certain person].

This scene was not in the original movie. This scene was the introduction of a person from the underground society.

[Bryan Mills had had some interactions with these people through his work. He knew that behind the peaceful world there were shadows, a group of people who specialized in assassination and crimes. Criminals who could destroy a country if they wanted to.]

[Bryan Mills knew about the High Table].

"Cool..."

A teenage boy was fascinated. He thought Asians were cheeky nerds who knew the most about math. But the person Bryan Mills met was different.

[A person wearing nothing but a dark leather jacket, quiet, but with a unique vibe around him. He was there, but not there at all].

["Raizo", Bryan Mills found the person he was looking for.]

["That's not my name."]

["I need your help." Bryan Mills tossed a certain coin and Raizo caught it. This coin had a fixed value.]

["Bryan, you're not of this world. You are already retired. You should live your life to the fullest."]

["My daughter is missing. She was kidnapped by sex traffickers."]

[Raizo looked at the coin in his hand. A few seconds later, he put the coin in his pocket. "There's a sex den at a construction site to the north, maybe you can find a lead there."]

["Thanks." Hearing the term "sex den" was disturbing, but Bryan had to keep his composure. He left the place after getting what he wanted.]

[In the darkness, Raizo remained seated but his aura merged with the darkness as if he disappeared].

"Cool. Dad, I want to know how he did that!"

The teenage boys in the audience liked edgy dark characters. The fathers just chuckled and continued watching the movie.

[Raizo was not lying. There was a sex den hidden in the middle of the construction site.]

[Bryan Mills infiltrated the place. He went looking for her daughter. But the only thing he found was her jacket from a drugged woman (Eva Green). Bryan rescued the woman after a night of shootouts and car chases.]

Car chases were not something new in the cinema, but it was still something that men love to watch. Cars rushing fast, flying, or exploding in midair. There is art in explosion and car chase.

[The woman was weak, but she successfully revealed the location where Kim and Amanda were being held. At last, Bryan found a clue to where his daughter might be].

[Acting as local police, Bryan entered the house and found the people responsible for Kim's disappearance. They were rough and dangerous, but Bryan was unfazed. He tricked each one of them to say the word "good luck". The voice and thick accent was something that Bryan would never forget.]

[He approached the bastard.]

[Bryan turned serious. "You don't remember me? We spoke on the phone two days ago. I told you I would find you." He smashed the bastard's head against the table in fury.]

[Another action sequence ensued with Bryan winning. The criminals were badly beaten and killed. Bryan was fast and accurate. He defeated them easily. Even though he was outnumbered, Bryan Mills was the last man standing.]

The men watching were in awe. Even Tom Cruise was interested in the action sequences in the movie. It was different from the over-the-top style. Suddenly, Tom Cruise looked at Kazir Grey, who was watching the movie in silence.

[After the fight, Bryan checked every room and found many drugged women. He also saw Amanda, but the woman was overdosed and lifeless. Amanda was Kim's young friend and her life ended miserably.]

[Perhaps fortunate or unfortunately, Bryan couldn't find his daughter].

[He didn't find his daughter, so he tortured the "Good Luck" man by electrocuting him. The man died after giving up Kim's location.]

[Apparently, Kim was sold to the sex slave auction where rich people buy virgin women].

[Through the relentless fight, where he fought and killed so many people, Bryan finally found Kim.]

[But it was not so simple. Bryan Mills was caught by the guards and nearly strangled to death. He fought the guards and killed the auctioneer.]

[The final battle took place on a yacht where Bryan Mills fought the bodyguards of a rich Arab. He broke through the enemies and killed them one by one. No one could stop him. Until he reached the room where the old Arab held Kim Mills hostage. The Arab tried to negotiate for his life, he threatened Bryan that the High Table would be after his life. But in the end, all he got was bullets.]

[The movie ended with Bryan rescuing his daughter. He brought her back to America.]