HOLLYWOOD WHAT IF

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 120


The audience started clapping as soon as the credits rolled. They stood up, thinking the movie was over.

However, they didn't expect that after the first minute of the credits, a post-credits scene would appear.

The post-credits scene was not a new thing, some movies have had post-credits scenes since the 1980s. However, this method became famous in the 2000s to hype the sequels of movies. Marvel Studios used this method to hype the audience for their next movies.

'My favorite post-credit scene is not from the MCU. It's actually from Fast And The Furious 6. The scene where Jason Statham crashed into Han Lue's car and killed him. For me, it's a relevant scene because it connects Fast And The Furious 3 to the plot. I was so excited because Jason Statham was going to be the villain.'

Fast And The Furious 3 didn't have a strong connection to the franchise, and Kazir felt it was pointless. But that post-credits scene made it a little more important... A little bit.

Anyway, the audience went back to their seats when they realized there was a post-credits scene.

[The scene was about an Arab man sitting on a golden chair, representing his status. He received a phone call that his brother had died. He hung up the phone and was silent for a second before he said. "The High Table will never forget."]

It was only a few seconds after the credits, but the audience became interested in this "High Table" that the Arabic man said.

Then they started clapping again. The movie was fun and it quenched their thirst. All of North America was angry at sex/human traffickers right now, so watching Taken soothed their anger.

Since Kazir and the cast had a premiere night, their theater was a little special. The cast, director, and producer came on stage and bowed their heads. They had an hour of interviews after the show.

The reporters naturally asked Liam Neeson and Kazir Grey. The two were the most famous people in the project and they have a reasonable number of fans.

"Mr. Neeson, can we know the reason why you chose the role of Bryan Mills?"

Paramount made sure there would be no hurtful questions, so most of the reporters were from Paramount and Viacom.

"When I read the script, I was interested because I can relate with Bryan Mills. I'm also a father and I will do my best to protect my children. The movie has the motive of spreading awareness about kidnapping and I want to be a part of such a noble act".

Even the women's organizations promoted the film, which was good free publicity.

Kazir Grey was not left out, the reporters started asking him about his reason for writing the script and making the movie. Kazir answered their questions without any problem.

Although there was one reporter who asked him something unexpected.

"Director, your ex-wife was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Do you have an opinion on this?"

"No comment."

Kazir replied. Fortunately, the reporters inundated him with questions, and the particular reporter didn't have a chance to cause trouble again. He was immediately escorted to the exit.

Overall, the premiere night of the movie had a positive reaction. Kazir knew their movie was hot right now because of the sex trafficking incident.

'I won't lie, this news helps us a lot.'

The premiere ended and the cast left the theater. After the premiere, people could start watching the movie again with no problem. The screening of Taken would continue.

Paramount fought Sony-Columbia over the number of theaters. They talked to the Cinema Alliance to make sure that the number of theaters would not be reduced.

Air Force One had 2,919 theaters on opening day. As for Taken, it got 3,603 theaters because of the current situation.

The Cinema Alliance had a limited number of theaters. The United States has only 7,000 theaters in 1997.

Note that North America includes Canada, the United States, Bermuda, Mexico, the countries of Central America, the Caribbean Islands and Greenland. Although Cinema Alliance's main source of revenue came from the United States and Canada.

Taken had the upper hand in terms of theaters, which meant it could earn more than Air Force One. This fact alone made Sony-Columbia angry and squirm.

Feeling confident about his movie, Kazir decided to go to his apartment and get some sleep. He planned to surprise himself tomorrow.

July 25, 1997. Two big movies were released at the same time. Paramount distributed Taken, which was produced by Grey Pictures. The movie grossed $17.80 million on its first day.

As for Air Force One, because it was overtaken by Taken, the movie made $11.98 million. It was not a bad result. In that era, such a result was already a good start.

July 26, 1997. Taken's second day was stronger. It grossed $26.53 million.

On the same day, Air Force One grossed $14 million.

July 27, 1997. Sunday. Taken dropped slightly to $18.24 million. So far, the film has grossed $62.57 million in its first weekend. Paramount and Grey Pictures believe that the movie will definitely be one of the top 10 movies of the year. Just like everyone else expected, Taken became the box office champ of the week.

As for Air Force One, it earned another $11.14 million. The first weekend for Air Force One was $37.13 million. Sony-Columbia was happy because the box office was within their expectations. The only thing they are struggling with is the next step of promotion.

Should they increase the advertising budget or decrease it? In the end, they decided to promote the movie with a slightly increased budget.

Since Taken and Air Force One were released on the same day, people could not help but compare the two.

In the end, everyone believed that Taken beat Air Force One. Both movies were action genres and their protagonists were two veterans, but this time Liam Neeson got the upper hand.

[Author's note: For those who are interested in reading advanced chapters and want to support me, I have 112 advanced chapters on my Patreon. Honestly, that amount of chapters is quite a lot, but I want my supporters to feel like they are not being scammed, so they deserve 112 chapters. Guys, you help me pay the bills and feed my family by subscribing. I want to thank all my supporters and my soon to be supporters. You're helping me pay for my younger brother's college tuition.]


https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Jose B, Thiago S, Garland G, Carlo, Joe O, Star Emperor, Simone, Sione M, Sahal I, This Dude, Abdi, Angelo M, Clinton, Rodolfo Felix V, Daniel Best and Juan Correa S!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 121


"So what's Sony-Columbia's decision?"

Harrison Ford sat down with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He tried to calm his nerves, but it was hard to do so.

"Harrison, I need you to listen to me calmly."

"Brittany, I can't calm down when my movie is involved in this situation."

Harrison Ford was a client of UTA (United Talent Agency). His agent was Brittany Balbo.

Three agencies in Hollywood could compete with each other in rivalry. CAA, WMA and UTA. These three agencies took over most of the market.

"So what's her decision?"

Harrison asked, drinking his alcohol and trying his best to calm down.

"They didn't agree to increase the advertising budget too much, they added a little bit."

Sony-Columbia would increase the promotion budget if they thought the movie was promising. But for Air Force One, it was competing against Taken, which was currently hot.

Sony-Columbia felt there was no point in increasing the budget. So they decided to maintain the status quo. They would spend $5 million on advertising for the next week.

"..."

Harrison Ford put down the glass and rubbed his forehead. He had been expecting this outcome.

At first, he was confident that Air Force One would defeat Taken in a straight fight... But the news about sex trafficking was getting a lot of people interested!

Harrison gritted his teeth. It would be a lie to say he was not affected. He chose his movies seriously.

Harrison Ford had many blockbuster movies because of his ability to choose the best script. Air Force One had all the ingredients to be a blockbuster.

However, the result was different from what he thought.

It was August 3, 1997. Ten days had passed since the release of Air Force One. The movie grossed $80.73 million. If you compare it to other movies that were released that year, it was an amazing achievement. Harrison Ford was happy with the amount.

Unfortunately, Air Force One was released the same time as Taken. By August 3, 1997, Taken had grossed $122.15 million. It was only ten days, but Taken had already crossed the $100 million mark.

Paramount would receive 25% of the box office while Cinema Alliance would receive 40%. Grey Pictures would receive only 35% of the gross.

Paramount has already guaranteed $30.53 million in the cake. While Cinema Alliance would receive more than $48.86 million. Grey Pictures assured $42.75 million.

However, Taken's box office was steadily rising. These three divisions would get more as time went on.

Paramount, Cinema Alliance and Grey Pictures were all happy.

Especially Kazir Grey. As a director, the best he could get was 20% of the North American box office. Well, he never had the experience of having that kind of treatment. Kazir Grey got 10% of the North American box office for The Hangover, that was the highest contract he got so far.

Even though Kazir Grey owned Grey Pictures, it was a legitimate company and he couldn't bully it. So his salary was $5 million and 10% worldwide box office... Not North America, but worldwide.

Which means that 10% of the box office would go into his private bank account, 10% worldwide box office.

The production budget of Taken was 25 million dollars. More than that would be pure profit... After taxes.

"Damn." That was all Harrison could say.

"Harrison, you need to think seriously about this. You and Kazir are both Jewish, you have a good chance of working together. I heard that Grey Pictures is going to start another project, maybe you can contact Kazir and get the script."

Harrison Ford sighed and leaned against the chair, closing his eyes to think about the situation.

"You're right, Brittany. It's not like I lost. The performance of Air Force One already exceeded my expectations. Brittany, try to get in touch with Grey Pictures. I want to read their script."

"I understand."

The two ended their conversation. Even though Harrison was still bitter, he knew that having bad blood against a talented director was not good for him. He became famous in the first place because of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

Star Wars and Indiana Jones were movies that would never be forgotten, even three decades later.

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

Sometimes no one would expect the outcome of a movie. Everyone believed that Air Force One would be the winner, but three days before the release, their opinions changed.

Grey Pictures was getting bombarded with calls. More people were trying to contact them. But Kazir wanted to keep all the scripts in his library. He didn't want to share them or sell them if the price wasn't right.

'To make matters worse, Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox are interested in my action scripts like John Wick and Fast And The Furious.'

He realized that Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox felt that his Cinematic Universe could be successful, so they wanted to buy the action scripts, either for good or bad reasons.

Of course, Kazir didn't want to sell any scripts related to the Continental Cinematic Universe. He was just getting started.

As for the other scripts, such as comedy and thriller/suspense, Sony-Columbia began contacting Grey Pictures to acquire Final Destination.

'No one had written the script, so I decided to put it in my name... First come, first served.'

Kazir Grey stretched his arms after polishing the script of his next project. Even though Taken had just been released and he was going places to promote the movie, Kazir still took his chance to polish his script.

The title of his next project was... John Wick. The reason he chose this movie was because of its low budget. John Wick had a production budget of 20 to 30 million dollars. Grey Pictures was still not ready to spend money on big movies.

"Director Grey, that's your cue."

The assistant director told him the interview was about to begin.

"Okay." Kazir Grey closed his laptop after saving his script.

"Break a leg."

"..."

Even though it was a standard greeting, "Break a leg" was a little... not used to it.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Q, Suleyman M, Ashwinraj, Slawomir, and Lohan Seibert R!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 122


Paramount was serious about Taken, even though they were only the local distributor of the film. The fact that they planned every detail of the promotion was a good thing for Grey Pictures.

The cast went to different states just to promote the movie. With Liam Neeson's charisma, audiences were more excited to see Taken.

In fact, the booming Internet started talking about Taken, and Liam Neeson was the center of their conversation. As a result, Liam Neeson received many scripts. Although the roles were basically the same, a father. Hollywood felt that Liam Neeson was good at playing a father.

Well, as long as the salary was good, Liam Neeson didn't have a problem. Grey Pictures promised that the sequel would start in two years, which was 1999. Liam Neeson had enough time for two or three roles.

Just like him, Brianna Evans, who didn't have any foundation in Hollywood, got a role. It was a supporting role, but the movie was interesting. Even Salvatore Barlowe thought the movie would be good after reading the script.

The project was called The Truman Show. Although Brianna Evans has to go to the 3rd round of auditions. She had to compete to get the part. Still, it was a miracle that she was invited to do a big budget ($60 million) movie with Jim Carrey. Everyone knows that the 90's was Jim Carrey's era.

"I got the part! I got the part!"

"Huh... Reese, let's keep our voices down. It's 3 in the morning."

Kazir grumbled sleepily. He was tired after some exercise...

But Reese Witherspoon giggled and lay down next to him. She hugged Kazir from behind and snuggled against him. Her body sore, but the good news she received made her active.

"I got the part of Mary Jensen in There's Something About Mary."

Reese Witherspoon prepared for this role because it was a lead role. Reese had never had a role where she was the protagonist.

"Good job..." Kazir murmured, still closing his eyes.

"Yes, you are the one who recommended me to audition for this role. Kazir, thank you very much!"

"Hm... Let's sleep."

"Hehe." She giggled and kissed him on the cheek, like a young high school girl.

Kazir smiled.

"Now that I think about it, isn't Cameron Diaz their first choice?"

"That's right. The director was going to cast Cameron Diaz. But due to some circumstances, they decided to choose me."

"..."

Kazir had an idea about the possible reasons why the crew chose Reese Witherspoon instead.

'Among the best possible reasons, it's probably the salary. The two sides could not come to an agreement. If my deduction is correct, Cameron Diaz's side wanted more money. Well, that's the obvious thing to do. Cameron Diaz is a first-rate actress. She is not a superstar, but she is getting there.'

As a director himself, Kazir could see the intention of the production crew. More specifically, the producer was the one responsible for casting the actors/actresses.

Because of his interference, Reese Witherspoon became famous much earlier than in the past. Now Reese Witherspoon could be classified as a semi 1st class actress.

Napoleon Dynamite, The Hangover, Scream. These three movies were successful and she was part of the cast of these three movies. Reese Witherspoon's fame was recognized by Hollywood.

And now she was the protagonist of There's Something About Mary.

'One thing is clear. I made a huge change. No, I made a huge change from the moment I regressed. This is not the original timeline, not anymore.'

"Reese, what's your salary?"

"My salary for There's Something About Mary is $1.3 million. Although they will pay the other half when the filming is finished."

'As expected, it's all about the salary.' He thought.

"I'm happy for you, Reese."

"Let's celebrate tomorrow. I will treat you, Mr. Director."

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

"This is getting out of hand. Are you sure this is the result?"

Michael Eisner asked his secretary to verify the statistics. He felt it was too much.

It had been three months since Napoleon Dynamite II had been released. The movie had already crossed the $100 million mark. As of now, the movie has grossed $145 million here in North America.

Not only that, but Napoleon Dynamite II was released internationally a short time ago and the response was not bad. Even though the American humor was not relatable, Napoleon Dynamite II managed to earn $89 million for the whole month.

Combined, the movie has already grossed over $200 million. The movie could be one of the top 10 highest-grossing films of the year. Especially since the movie is still going strong.

"Sir... The information on Napoleon Dynamite II is real. We checked it again."

The secretary swallowed hard.

"Then what about Taken, are you saying that amount is real too?"

"Sir..."

The month of September 1997. Every month, Michael Eisner asked his secretary to send him the results of every movie that was released.

He was interested in Kazir Grey, so he decided to ask for the results of Napoleon Dynamite II and Taken.

He could not believe what he saw, especially Taken.

On September 12, 1997.

The box office for Taken was $221.63 million... No joke. That was the North American box office.

Taken opened internationally next week. Grey Pictures also gave the international distribution to Paramount. Maybe Grey Pictures feels indebted, so they agree.

"I'm sorry, sir..." The secretary bowed her head.

"No, it's not your fault..."

Chairman Eisner sighed and leaned back in his chair. He had made a big mistake this time.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Aj, Haggeo Gomez, and Matias Alberto Penroz C!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 123


While Taken grossed over $200 million in September, Air Force One was also trying its best.

As of September 12, 1997, Air Force One had grossed $161.21 million. It was a good result, even Sony-Columbia congratulated Harrison Ford for the movie. Numbers doesn't lie, Harrison Ford is indeed a superstar.

Even though the movie was defeated by Taken at the box office, Sony-Columbia didn't lose money. Instead, they made a profit. Also, Taken was an anomaly. A movie that trended on the issue of sex trafficking was nothing more than a fluke. It would never happen again.

"Sir Harrison, can we get your thoughts on Taken?"

Even though Harrison Ford was happily playing golf on a course he usually goes to, there were still some assholes who wanted to invade his privacy. Perhaps he had to find another golf course since this place's security was whack.

Two paparazzi ran up to him after he finished playing golf. To make matters worse, the paparazzi asked him about Taken. A topic he didn't want to talk about.

Paparazzi are a different species. They don't give a damn about privacy. They are stalkers, trespassers and borderline criminals.

Harrison's eyebrows twitched slightly. Then he looked at the guards who were running towards them.

"S-Sir, I apologize! These bastards broke through the fence." The guards were sweating and glaring at the paparazzi.

"No, it's fine."

Harrison sighed. Then he started practicing his swings. To be honest, he wanted to swing his golf club in the faces of the paparazzi. They had no respect for people.

Fortunately, Harrison Ford understood that it would be bad if he tried to do that. He controlled his anger and faced them.

"If you're talking about Taken, I can say it's an interesting movie. I tell people to watch it. In fact, I watched it with my kids to remind them that the world is not so simple. There are bastards who will try to disturb your peace."

That last line was directed at the paparazzi, but they didn't get it.

Paramount and Grey Pictures made a marketing plan. They ended up pushing the kidnapping theme. To make sure that young people were aware of this crime. Many fathers and daughters liked the movie and recommended the whole family to see Taken. Paramount never let go of the idea and incorporated it into their marketing plan. If you love your family, see Taken.

In fact, even Liam Neeson's team intended to get a nomination in Oscar even though it might be hard.

"I see. So even Harrison Ford liked the movie."

The two paparazzi nodded.

"If you're finished, you can go now."

"Thank you, Mr. Ford."

Harrison Ford waved nonchalantly. He didn't like paparazzi.

The guards apologized to Harrison Ford and kicked the paparazzi out after they were done with the upfront interview (harassment).

Once the paparazzi were gone, Harrison Ford grabbed his golf club and swung it with pure force. He was clearly angry.

'Kazir Grey... If his next project is interesting, maybe I can take a look at it.'

But to be honest, he didn't like Kazir Grey. Well, they never met, so their impressions might change.

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

As September slowly passed, Kazir and the cast of Taken went to various countries to promote the film.

Kazir loved making movies. Directing films and editing movies were his favorite things to do.

The least he liked about being a director was being in front of a lot of people and being the center of attention. He prefered a peaceful life.

To be honest, Kazir Grey never liked interviews. He didn't like going to dozens of countries to promote his films. He didn't like parties either.

He preferred to write his script or draw storyboards.

But he knew the importance of promotion, so he never refused the job.

"Kazir, I want to thank you for the opportunity you gave me."

On Paramount's private plane, Liam Neeson approached him and expressed his gratitude.

"To be honest, I was skeptical at first when I read the script. I felt like it didn't have a chance to be a box office hit. I was more skeptical when you want to sign a trilogy and cameos. If not for the relationship between our agents, I might back out. But I did it. My presence in Hollywood is not that good, I'm not a superstar like Nicholas Cage or Tom Cruise."

Kazir listened to Liam. He felt that their relationship would be better after this conversation.

"I'm actually scared when I heard that Taken is coming out on the same day as Air Force One. Harrison Ford is more famous than I am."

"Liam, from now on you don't have to be afraid. I will make sure that you will never be forgotten by the whole world. Everyone will know your name."

Liam stared at Kazir and realized that the director was not joking.

"Haha, I guess that's why I signed the contract. Your dream of creating this Cinematic Universe, I want to be a part of it. By the way, can you give me the script for the sequel? I need to read it to be prepared.

"I'll give it to you next month. It's not the final script, so don't expect much. And don't give it to anyone else, I'll make sure you sign a non-disclosure agreement."

"Don't worry, you can trust me."

"Of course, it's your movie we're talking about. We don't want any mishaps."

"Congratulations, Director Grey."

"Congratulations also, superstar Liam Neeson."

The two began to laugh. The dark circles under their eyes were noticeable, but they didn't feel tired.

Especially when their movie was making money all over the world! Their estimate was over $500 million! The worldwide box office of Taken was definitely over $500 million!

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Joe O, Mandy G, MOHIT S, and KumaBEAR!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 124


The management of Warner Bros began their quarterly meeting. To the left sat the influential shareholders, while to the right sat the executives and key positions in the company.

At the end of the table sat Terry Semel, listening to the discussion.

"Our projects for next year have already passed the review. We already have thorough details for them, except for two movies..."

The management was listening to the speaker, who was producer Enrico Pusi. He was promoted to be the head of production management, in charge of making movies.

"And what are the two films we are talking about?"

Some of the management already had an idea, but the shareholders were clueless, so Enrico Pusi had to explain.

"It's The Hangover Part 2 and TED. These two projects are promising, but we are facing some problems..."

Enrico Pusi looked at Terry Semel. The CEO nodded and gave him the signal to speak.

"Go on."

"... We can't find a director. The cast of The Hangover has already expressed their intention to join the sequel. However, director Kazir Grey said he didn't want to direct the sequel and let management choose the next director. As for TED, no one is confident that they can make the movie. It needs computer graphics and it could cost a lot of money."

Enrico Pusi sighed weakly. This problem had been bothering him since last year.

In fact, he had contacted Kazir Grey and Salvatore Barlowe so many times. Finally, the last hurdle was Kazir Grey.

The director was done with directing comedies. He wanted to focus on his own projects, which were the films related to his so-called "Cinematic Universe".

It would be a lie to say that Enrico was not disappointed. He enticed Kazir Grey with many proposals, even going as far as a 20+20 contract, but Kazir was as firm as a cemented rock. Enrico could not move him.

"..."

The Management went silent when they heard about the problem with The Hangover Part 2.

Frankly, they were not confident about TED because the budget for this movie might exceed $50 million. They might push it to two to three years if they couldn't find a director.

But The Hangover Part 2 was different. That movie was their best movie last year (1996). This was the highest grossing R-Rated movie of all time, unless another movie occupied the position. They have to make sure it does not flop.

Usually, sequels do better than the first movie. But some sequels failed at the box office.

The sequel of The Mask(1994) which was called The Son Of The Mask(2004) was a commercial failure. Well, Jim Carrey was not in the cast, so that might have been the reason why the sequel flopped.

Predator(1987) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger was a box office hit but its sequel Predator 2(1990) didn't get the same treatment. Well, Arnold Schwarzenegger was not in the cast, so that might have been the reason why the sequel flopped.

The management of Warner Bros understood how this industry works.

Kazir Grey was a talented director and he was the brain of the project. His accomplishments and skills give them confidence, even the crew members and the cast like him.

And now that he was no longer part of the project, it could cause them irreparable harm. Warner Bros was not prepared for that.

"What about Hugo Lameire? He is the one who takes over Napoleon Dynamite II and the movie is a success. Why don't you contact him?"

One of the directors expressed his opinion, and most of them agreed. Napoleon Dynamite was still making money. It grossed over $200 million worldwide on a budget of only $15 million.

"I actually did that and director Hugo Lameire agreed. Unfortunately, he signed a three-movie deal with 20th Century Fox and they are already preparing Napoleon Dynamite III. His schedule is packed."

Kazir Grey and 20th Century Fox decided that Napoleon Dynamite would be a trilogy. Anything more would be too much and bad.

"I see..."

They were all sad about it. 20th Century Fox tried their best to make sure that Warner Bros did not get Hugo Lameire.

They were all rivals and they could fight each other every year. Even if they had a tacit understanding, they would make sure that no one was above them. Simple as that.

Even Terry Semel could not help but sigh. He prayed that Taken would fail so that they could get Kazir on their side. Unfortunately for them, Taken had the opposite effect.

On the continent of North America alone, the film had already grossed over $200 million. Paramount only signed a 25% deal, but they were already winning. A profit is a profit, no matter how big or small.

"Let's look for a replacement... Contact Kazir too, maybe he knows someone who can take the director's position. As for TED, we haven't started the project yet, so we can postpone it. We will start TED once we have a clear plan."

"Yes sir!"

Terry Semel said, and the meeting ended a few minutes later. In the end, their real problem was The Hangover Part 2. This was an important project and they had to take it seriously.

Terry Semel didn't feel good about Kazir Grey leaving the project. He felt that Kazir Grey was the best option.

'If I had agreed with his decision to invest 30% of Taken's budget, this situation might not have happened.'

At least there was a chance that Kazir would listen to their opinion about making him the director of The Hangover Part 2.

'What if...'

They could not bring back the past, so they had to be responsible for their present situation.

'Now that I remember, Kazir is going to start this movie called John Wick. Maybe I can convince him to sign an international distribution deal with Warner Bros.'

As of now, Paramount was responsible for the local distribution of Grey Pictures' two upcoming films, but international distribution was still a question.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Hamza I!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 125


Celebration. People tend to celebrate when something good happens.

And well, generating a $200 million North American box office is definitely a good thing.

Grey Pictures officially created their own party and invited people in the industry. This was their first time throwing a party. They just hired an event planner and let her do most of the work, the company was just responsible for paying her.

Grey Pictures was a new studio and they had only done two projects, The Hangover and Taken. However, these two movies could make a combined $1 billion.

The Hangover has grossed over $500 million worldwide. As for Taken, the current status of the movie was $387 million.

It was already October 20, 1997, and the internal promotion of Taken was over. Kazir and most of the cast returned to the United States after a tiring month of endless travel. They had literally flown around the world.

At the North American box office, Taken was already losing steam, and the number of theaters showing the film dropped to 426. Still, the movie was making a few million every week. The current box office total for Taken is $265.63 million.

As for the international box office, the movie made $121.37 million. The good thing was that some countries just recently started to show Taken and the final box office would continue to increase.

Paramount believes that Taken will gross over $500 million.

Unfortunately, each country had different laws regarding foreign films. In some countries, Hollywood could only get 15% of the box office and the local theater companies would get the rest.

So the profit was quite complicated in that regard. Still, the bigger the box office, the higher they can get. So Paramount would still work to promote their movies.

"Congratulations Kazir! You are a superstar now!"

"David, nice to meet you."

Even though Grey Pictures was a new studio, many famous people attended the party. They didn't care about the company, they just wanted to make a connection with Kazir Grey.

Kazir was a promising director. And so far, his movies and scripts were making huge profits. Being friends with him was a good thing.

"Congratulations on The Game too. It's a great movie."

"Kazir, let's not joke around here. The influence of The Game is nothing compared to Taken."

David Fincher smiled. He did his best and believed that the movie would be great, but it was a shame that the result was not good.

The Game was distributed by PolyGram Films, a second-tier studio company. Maybe that's why the movie didn't have a strong reception. The Big Six were the Big Six because of their ability to promote their movies through various media.

The movie was released on September 12 and it was a cold schedule. September was not the best month to release movies. One of the reasons why The Game didn't do well.

So far, the movie has grossed more than $44 million as of October 20. It was not bad... However, the production of The Game cost $80 million. One month had passed and they had not even recovered their investment.

"I heard you have a new script, can I read it?"

"That's actually my problem right now. I'm trying to pitch this script to the Big Six, but none of them are interested."

"I'll try to contact my friends at the 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers." Kazir Grey's influence was growing.

"Thank you, Kazir. My next movie is a little different, I've decided to call it Fight Club, but it's still an experimental name."

"Of course. Do you want me to invest in your movie?"

"That depends."

Kazir grinned. He remembered that the box office of Fight Club was not that great. However, it's videotape/DVD sales were different.

'Maybe we can get a share of the videotape profits.'

It would have to be negotiated, and he knew the Big Six would be tough on that kind of thing.

"Let's enjoy the party."

"Okay."

The two clinked wine glasses.

The face of the party was none other than Kazir Grey. He was the owner of Grey Pictures and the director of Taken. He had to greet a lot of people to make sure they felt welcome. That was his duty as the main star of the party.

He said hello to the people from Warner Bros who kept pestering him about The Hangover Part 2.

He talked to the people from 20th Century Fox who asked him about the script for Napoleon Dynamite III.

Even Sony-Columbia and Walt Disney came to the party to ask about his next project.

All in all, his job was very tiring. Especially when there were so many beautiful women staring at him. He felt like a weak prey in the wilderness, surrounded by wolves.

"Hello, Kazir."

"Oh, hello, Cameron."

"You can call me Cam."

Kazir was slightly shocked when a woman blocked his way to the bathroom. Moreover, the woman was someone he recognized. It was none other than Cameron Diaz. Cameron Diaz of the 90s was the bomb.

Kazir looked helplessly at the woman's figure. She was sexy and beautiful. As a man, Kazir Grey could not help but admire her beauty.

Yet he kept his composure. He was no fool, the woman definitely had a reason for talking to him.

"Can I get your number?"

"Ah? You mean my business number. Here, you can take this..."

"No, I want your private number. You know, so we can talk privately..."

She winked and leaned closer.

"...I'm sorry, Cameron, but we're not close enough to exchange private numbers. But if you are interested in working with Grey Pictures, this is the company's contact information."

Kazir pulled out a business card and handed it to her.

"Is that so? Maybe we can meet later? What do you think? I know a nice scene here in L.A."

She giggled.

Kazir swallowed hard. He was just a man, and he understood that his former(past life) status was nothing compared to a famous actress like Cameron Diaz.

Even though his lower half was screaming, Kazir kept his composure and declined her offer.

"I'm sorry Cameron, but I have a lot of things to do."

He walked away rather quickly and stiffly. Trying to hide his...

 

[Pujimaki]

[Congratulations to SK Telecom T1 for winning the Worlds 2023! Legends never die!]

[Shout out to Average Joe Gaming!]

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Hollywood What If Chapter 126


"Kazir Grey... He is not bad."

Cameron Diaz smiled seductively and let the man go.

The only reason she wanted to talk to Kazir was for revenge. She wanted to get the lead in There's Something About Mary. But for obvious reasons, she wanted a better salary, so her agent tried to negotiate.

Unfortunately, her side didn't expect that the production team had a second choice and the actress' performance was comparable to Cameron Diaz. In the last two years, Reese Witherspoon's standing has improved and Hollywood has recognized her.

Reese Witherspoon got the role and Cameron Diaz lost her chance to be a protagonist.

Out of anger, she decided to attend this party to seduce Kazir Grey.

The party is boring, but meeting Kazir is quite interesting. She admitted.

She just wanted to get revenge, but she decided to change her plan. Kazir Grey made a good impression. A respectable man who didn't flinch in front of a beauty.

"Perhaps we will meet later."

She smiled as she stared at Kazir's back.

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

Kazir Grey wanted to start the John Wick project as soon as possible. But he understood that his crew needed a break. At least a week's vacation.

Kazir was the type of guy who prefered working than taking a vacation. He was an abnormal person in that regard. In his opinion, working on the filming site was his vacation.

Taken and John Wick were both action movies, but John Wick was on a different level. It may have been the epitome of dirty hand-to-hand fight movie.

'The action choreography in John Wick is much more elaborate than in Taken.'

Kazir decided to give the crew a month off before officially starting the John Wick project. They deserved it after working so hard, especially Harold Witsend, the film's producer. The man was as exhausted as Kazir.

Kazir went down to check on two people who were busy experimenting.

'Of course, there are some people like me who love their work so much.'

Even though he gave his crew a month off, Enzo Park and Tae-Won Park were choreographing for John Wick.

Especially Tae-Won Park. After he learned that the choreography he created was going to be an important part of the movie, he felt he had to work hard. He learned different types of martial arts just to show deadly yet cool action sequences.

The two brothers worked together to polish the choreography.

Actually, his friends from Hong Kong asked for a favor to help them find a job in Hollywood. Tae-Won wanted to invite them to Grey Pictures, but he learned that the movie industry in Hong Kong tried to block the small stunt directors.

The success of Taken made Hollywood hire stunt directors from Hong Kong and they tried to raise their price. They regret that they let Tae-Won Park go to Hollywood so easily. They should have maintained their rarity and negotiated a better deal.

Anyway, both Park brothers were enthusiastic about their work. They studied the best way to show cool action sequences in front of the camera. They recorded different "fights" and watched them afterwards.

Kazir was impressed by their hard work. He helped them every other day and watched their progress.

Kazir was the director, but he did not do all the work. It was best to hire a professional stunt director.

'I just show them some examples and they make better ones.'

Liam Neeson had no reason to visit Grey Pictures this year because Taken 2 would be released in 1999, two years later.

"Phew, this is very fun."

Tae-Won Park was eager to teach people action stunts.

"Kazir, I know it's too much, but when will we meet the protagonist of John Wick?"

"About that. Maybe you will meet him at the end of the year at best."

The month of November was a vacation month to recharge his crew.

Then they would start the project in December. Their first mission was to find the lead, and Kazir had already invited a few people to audition.

"We already notified CAA, UTA and other agencies to prepare their clients for the audition. We have already given them the list of roles we are looking for. The first round of auditions will start in the first week of December."

They are even sending 2/3 of the scripts to some promising actors.

'If there's one thing that shocked me, it's the fact that Harrison Ford expressed interest in the movie... I just don't know if we can afford his salary. We are talking about Han Solo/Indiana Jones.'

"That is good to hear. I'm looking forward to teaching him the deadly method of the best assassin.

Tae-Won Park smiled sincerely. His job here in America was better than in Hong Kong. At least people respect him here.

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

The North American release of Taken has ended. Cinema Alliance has already given the remaining money to Paramount.

The North American box office for Taken was $268.42 million. Cinema Alliance took 40%, or $107.36 million.

Paramount then subtracted the advertising budget and films they invested ($23 million) and the 25% box office fee. The total was $90.1 million.

The rest went to Grey Pictures. The money that went to Grey Pictures was $70.96 million. In addition, Kazir Grey, the director, would get a 10% share of the box office.

Kazir Grey got $26.84 million and it was transferred to his bank account.

In the end, Grey Pictures only got $44.12 million. They basically made $19.12 million. That was pretty much their profit in North America...

It clearly showed that the Cinema Alliance and the distributors were the only winners.

However, the international box office was still running at $224.25 million. Grey Pictures had another way to make money.

There were the videotapes as well... Grey Pictures would get most of the profits for this one.

Grey Pictures would produce the videotapes and Paramount would distribute them. Paramount would get 20% of the profit while Grey Pictures would get the 80%. The profit on the videotape was much better than the box office because a blank videotape was cheap.

A blank videotape cost one dollar, but a movie videotape could be sold for 30 dollars.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Emerlee S and Айнур К!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 127


Now that the screening of Taken was over, Grey Pictures and Paramount signed a distribution deal. Paramount would receive a 20% profit fee after distributing their videotapes to the market. The contract was for five years.

Grey Pictures produced 3 million copies of videotapes at a cost of about $2.7 million. Producing videotapes was cheap, but the profit was big.

Besides, Taken had two videotapes. The normal one and the luxury version.

The normal videotape cost 30 dollars while the luxury version cost 60 dollars. The luxury version came with three Continental Coins. People still oblivious about these coins except for the time when retired agent Bryan Mills threw them to the ninja. A year later, however, these coins would become a sold-out item.

Aside from the coins, the deluxe version had the extended version of the movie, a longer viewing time than the theatrical release. Kazir Grey added 15 minutes of footage to the deluxe version.

The content of the extended version was the snippets about the Continental Cinematic Universe, such as the conversation with the ninja. In the extended version, Bryan Mills even fought a killer who could bend the trajectory of bullets.

2 million copies of normal videotapes and 1 million copies of luxury videotapes. They never intended to produce many luxury versions for the scarcity effect.

The videotapes of Taken would be in Walmart, Blockbuster and other movie stores at the start of December. Paramount and Grey Pictures hoped that Taken would sell at least 1 million copies in its first month.

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

As the days of November passed, Kazir Grey visited the investment firm that handled his investment.

As usual, the stockbrokers tried to sell him investments and insurance, but Kazir felt that their choices were dubious, so he stuck to his usual ones.

'If I remember correctly, I also visited this place in November last year.'

Kazir chose only three companies to invest in. Nokia, Cisco and Microsoft.

Last year, his investment in Nokia grew to $2.4 million. He also invested another $3.3 million in Nokia last year.

Unlike last year, Nokia's stock price increased only 21.78%.

So this year his investment in Nokia increased to $6.9 million.

"Nice," Kazir muttered as he looked at the specific number.

As for Cisco, his $2.7 million plus $3.3 million went up 31.4%.

That made his stake in Cisco $7.8 million. It was not bad to see his investment increase by another million dollars. It was actually a good thing.

As for the last one, he had $3 million in Microsoft, plus he invested $3.3 million last year. As always, Microsoft was one of the best investments of the '90s.

With a 56.44% increase in value, his money in Microsoft was now $9.8 million. There was a reason why millionaires and billionaires would never lose money, because they had many ways to make it. They would never reach a point where they would be poor and homeless.

With the three investments combined, Kazir had $24.5 million. His money grew even though he did nothing.

Seeing that his money was growing again, he decided to invest another $30 million and split it three ways. The investment firm he chose was very trustworthy and he was confident about his money.

He also planned to withdraw all the money around the last quarter of 1999. He knew that the Internet bubble would burst around 1999 and 2000.

He planned to buy a house at that time.

'I didn't need a house because I'm a workaholic type, but it's not bad to buy a few houses.'

After his visit to the investment firm, Kazir Grey returned to his office as usual. While most of the employees were working, Kazir Grey was doing his job as a director. Writing the script and drawing the storyboard.

He was pretty lonely these days, but he was used to it anyway.

Reese Witherspoon joined the crew of There's Something About Mary, and it might take three or four months to finish shooting.

Even Salvatore Barlowe was busy helping Brianna Evans in her role in The Truman Show.

"As long as everybody is happy."

Kazir shrugged and sat down. He began to draw sketches with his pen. He drew a man in a suit, with shoulder-length black hair and a short beard.

The man, the Baba Yaga, John Wick, Mr. Jonathan Wick.

As long as the actor passed the appearance requirements, he would have a chance to show his acting talent. Then Kazir would meet him for the final round of auditions.

To be honest, he had a few actors in mind, but he was not sure if they would agree to his requirements.

"We need a protagonist as soon as possible to give him more time to train. Because John Wick is different from Taken. It's action-packed, I'm not even lying."

The gunfights and hand-to-hand combat filled almost the entire movie. There was never a dull moment, it was all adrenaline.

"Not only the protagonist, I also have to train the other actors. Because most people in the John Wick universe are assassins and killers. Hell, even a beggar is an assassin."

With that in mind, he began writing his requirements for the other cast members. They would have to sign a training contract to make sure they would not make any mistakes during the shooting.

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

Another week passed and December arrived. The crew began to return one by one.

On their agenda was the first round of auditions for the role of John Wick.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to The Main Man, Lovpreet S and Marcelo M!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 128


The first round of auditions had officially begun. The long line of men was almost 700 and more. These 700 men were actors who wanted to prove themselves.

Most of them were freelancers who didn't have agents. And most of them were semi-amateurs who worked in small production crews. Some of them had experience in acting, in the theater or on the screen.

One thing was for sure, most of them went to the audition hoping to get cast.

Taken was a successful blockbuster. The film has already crossed the $500 million mark. Kazir Grey became a billion-dollar director, as his three films together grossed more than $1 billion.

Even though the odds were against them, these actors didn't lose hope. It would be more depressing if they didn't try.

So, one by one, the men wrote down their information and handed over photocopies of their documents and 2×2 ID pictures.

The casting director and other members of the production crew took a few minutes to look at each actor. Their requirements were simple, as long as they met the basic John Wick look, they would call them.

Unfortunately for these 700 men, they had no information about the role, especially John Wick. They had no idea who he was, his age, his looks, his affiliations.

But one thing was clear, John Wick was the protagonist because, well, the title of the movie was John Wick, obviously.

Only selected actors had any idea who John Wick was. They were privileged enough to read that part of the script.

"Sir, can you please take off your shirt? You know the drill."

The casting director maintained his stoic expression as he looked at the man. Trying to hide his interest.

They just gave each actor a few minutes to show off.

"Yes."

The man, Viggo Mortensen, casually removed his shirt. He knew this was standard procedure. Auditions for action movies require this kind of request.

Viggo Mortensen had been in Hollywood since the 1980s. He appeared in movies like Carlito's Way, Daylight and G.I. Jane. His most notable role was in Lord of the Rings as Aragorn. Although this role would be around the 2000s and his future was still unknown.

Although Viggo Mortensen has been cast in several movies, he unfortunately didn't receive an invitation for John Wick. He didn't read the script, he was completely clueless. He just understood that this movie could be his way to stardom.

Viggo Mortensen thought he and Liam Neeson were on the same level, but Taken just gave Liam Neeson the push he needed. Now the man was a certified 1st tier actor.

The casting director and other people nodded their heads. They started to write something on their papers and wrote down his name.

'He didn't have abs, but his body has a good figure. He can take a few months to train his body to get the right fit.'

At the current, Viggo Mortensen had long hair and a short beard. His age was 41 years old, which was within their requirements. Furthermore, his facial features also met the requirements.

Viggo Mortensen passed the first round of the audition. He put on his shirt again and thanked the production team. He left the room.

When he was a few meters away from the Grey Pictures, he turned and looked at the building. Actually, he also auditioned for the role of Bryan Mills. Unfortunately, Viggo Mortensen didn't get the part. He didn't even pass the first round of auditions.

When he saw the movie, he regretted that he didn't work hard enough. Especially when Taken was the highest grossing movie of the year as of now... No one knew that Titanic, which was to be released on December 19, would be this year's winner.

Only Kazir Grey knew that his movie could only get second place this year because Titanic would drown the world. Although many people congratulated him, Kazir just smiled.

Technically, Titanic was a 1997 movie because it was released on December 19, 1997.

"Maybe this time the role of John Wick will be mine."

Viggo Mortensen said to himself. He had been depressed lately because Taken had taken a toll on him.

So he didn't cut his hair and forgot to trim his beard. So now he had long hair and a beard. He was actually scared about it because it might affect his audition.

He didn't know that his exact appearance was the reason why he passed.

The first round of auditions ended around 10 p.m. More men came to participate in the audition. As for the people who didn't make it to the audition room, it was unfortunate, but they should have gone to the audition earlier.

Tomorrow, the crew's job was to set up audition for other casts. The demand for the protagonist was stronger, so they have different schedules for it.

While Viggo Mortensen was watching a TV show, his phone rang. He didn't recognize the number, but he answered it anyway.

-- Hello? Is this Viggo Mortensen?

"Ah, yes, this is Viggo Mortensen."

He got up and left the apartment to get better reception.

-- We want to tell you that you have passed the audition. We recommend that you start training your body from now on in case you get the role. Keep your hair long, around shoulder length, and maintain your beard.

"Y- Yes, thank you very much."

Even though he went to many auditions, he was still happy that he passed . At least he felt that his hard work was worth it.

The call ended quickly. The crew had more actors to contact. They would filter the actors until the worthy ones were left.

[Viggo Mortensen picture]

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[So I'm going to announce something that might cause you to drop this novel. But I have to say it anyway. I want my novel to be as realistic as possible... So Keanu Reeves will not be John Wick].

I have reasons why:

1.) Keanu Reeves looks too young to play an old veteran assassin.

2.) He is busy with The Matrix.

3.) His salary will probably be over $5 million. Something that Grey Pictures can hardly afford. The expected production cost of John Wick is only $25 million.

4.) The chances of Keanu Reeves signing a trilogy and cameo deals are very slim.

5.) As if Keanu Reeves will accept the role of John Wick so easily. He has a lot of scripts to choose from. Note that Keanu is at his peak in the 90s.

There you have it. You can spam this novel with 1 star, I respect your decision.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to pvtdonut351, ghost 21, Sero4k, Malik K, Sandro k, and alejandro h!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 129


"Sometimes I wonder if you're even human. How can you stay in your office for a week without leaving?"

Renner Hector and Harold Witsend were both in Kazir's office. The office looked clean. But the sketches covered most of the table said everything that could be said. Kazir didn't have time to arrange his things.

"I'm fine. I don't need a vacation."

"The reason we want a vacation is because we need rest. But vacation can also help you. Still, I can't believe you decided to lock yourself in this room and spend your month working! Kazir, have pity on yourself!"

Harold rubbed his throbbing forehead. He knew Kazir Grey was a workaholic bastard. In fact, that was one of the reasons he and Cassandra had divorced.

"You can't start a family if you stay like this."

"I just got divorced. I don't intend to get married. We'll see when I get there."

"But still, you need rest for peace."

"Harold, I understand that you are concerned about me. But I'm fine. Doing what I love brings me peace."

Some of the crew members were married and needed time for their families. Going to a foreign country to make a movie was a tough thing to do.

Fortunately, the three men in the office were single. Although Harold was interested in a woman and they were going out for dinner that weekend.

"Kazir, I know you're not the type to spend money recklessly just to get the perfect shot. I hope you will shoot John Wick here in the country."

"I understand, I have already thought about it. That's why I need the crew to find the locations here in California. Especially the building that will be the Continental Hotel."

Unlike Taken, which was set in France, John Wick was set in the United States.

For real reasons, the production crew flew to France to shoot Taken.

And for the same reason, they would be shooting John Wick in the United States.

Paramount had already given them a studio to rent to shoot some indoor scenes. They also found some houses. The only thing they had trouble with was the Continental Hotel.

That hotel was iconic in the John Wick universe. It was a place where assassins could drop their guns and talk like human beings.

There's no killing at the Continental Hotel. John Wick suffers for this reason throughout Chapter 2 and the next sequels.

"It's my job, so I'll take care of it."

Usually the person in charge of this kind of job was the director and the cinematographer. These two positions were usually obsessed with the beauty of a picture/scene. So they would never choose a mediocre location unless they didn't have the budget.

If there were important locations that they had to focus on, it would be John Wick's house, the Continental Hotel, and the road they would use for the car chase scene.

The crew had already contacted the city of Los Angeles. Los Angeles was the place of Hollywood and this city had many film projects every year.

"Let's not talk about my vacation. Instead, let's solve our problem regarding the investment".

"Our investment is still between 30 and 40 million dollars. It all depends on the cast we are going to hire."

The main reason for the increase in production costs in these years was the salary of the actors. Agents realized the importance of first-rate actors and used them to make money. Now, agencies were the companies that protected and prioritized the concerns of actors/actresses.

Back then, in the early years of Hollywood, studio companies used actors as if they were disposable.

Acting in the rain. Giving actors pneumonia.

Forcing underage actors to kiss. No work limits for underage actors.

Using dangerous chemicals as props.

The laws regarding actors were incomplete at the time. Studio companies never respected them.

Even if agencies were like leeches, it was true that they would protect their clients... the opposite could also happen.

For franchises and trilogies, it was important to hire the same actors. Because of this, the said actors would ask for more salary.

Grey Pictures decided that they had to sign the actors to a trilogy or more contracts so that they wouldn't have problems later.

For that reason, Grey Pictures was not sure that they could cast a famous actor. It was a miracle that Liam Neeson agreed to their terms.

"We are talking about this topic because of the information we have received. Apparently, Harrison Ford is interested in the project. Obviously, he is asking for a whopping $10 million and 10% of the worldwide box office. Another obvious thing, he is not going to sign a trilogy deal."

The three men both shake their heads. They have the same answer, no.

Harrison Ford is a great actor, but it's impossible to hire him. He makes more than the director. Kazir only has a $5 million salary for this movie.

If they signed Harrison Ford for a single movie, their plan to create the Continental Cinematic Universe would disappear.

Kazir didn't want a situation like Edward Norton and The Incredible Hulk.

"I can agree to his terms if he signs a trilogy and cameos. But Harrison Ford definitely did not like that kind of thing."

Even though they invited the actor for the audition, Kazir never had any intention of casting the man. He made his decision from a business standpoint.

"So let's decide after we've hired all the cast. For now, our minimum investment is $30 million."


[Author's note: So yeah, real life stuff keeps bugging me and there are times when I can't update... It's definitely not because I'm lazy].

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 130


The production crew has already cast the major characters in John Wick.

For Winston (the owner of the Continental Hotel), Kazir decided to go with the original actor. Ian Mcshane signed on for sequels and cameos. He was trying to break through because his work in the 90's was all TV shows.

Iosef Tarasov was the asshole who caused all the John Wick movies. He was the son of Viggo Tarasov. He was responsible for killing John Wick's dog. Because of that, John Wick returned to the underworld and ended his retirement. Kazir could not find the original actor, so he decided to choose someone from the auditions.

Of course, Viggo Tarasov was played by Michael Nyqvist. He was the original actor and he willingly signed a contract. He had just started in Hollywood that year. He was a policeman in a TV show. Compared to his role in the TV show, being a mafia boss was better.

Kazir also didn't forget about Willem Dafoe. Willem Dafoe was a theater stage actor at this time. Even though Marcus (Willem Dafoe) died in the first movie, his role was quite important. In fact, Kazir was not sure if he would kill Marcus this time. The man was a real homie for saving John Wick. In addition, Kazir wanted to make Marcus a member of the Fraternity. The Fraternity was a group of assassins who had high concentration and could bend trajectory of bullets.

Then another important character. Kirill. This certain bodyguard was, in Kazir's opinion, the toughest opponent John Wick ever faced in the entire John Wick universe. Well, Kirill defeated John Wick once, throwing him off the second floor of the bar. Also, their last fight was a dogfight. It was dog eat dog.

For Kirill, the crew could not find the original actor, so they went with another actor. They chose Bryan Cranston.

To be honest, their first choice was Sean Bean, but Kazir pushed Bryan Cranston. He was interested in seeing Mister White and John Wick fight.

That's right, Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones) and Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) auditioned for the role of John Wick. Kazir saw their names and invited them to audition for Kirill's role instead.

As for the rest of the characters, they easily filled them.

The most important, of course, was John Wick himself.

Kazir was actually thinking between Gary Oldman and Viggo Mortensen. He invited Gary Oldman and even gave him a script. The actor had the privilege of auditioning in the final round of casting.

Gary Oldman is fully prepared for the role. He got long hair, a beard and a black suit. He looked like the incarnation of John Wick. The production crew almost nodded their heads and gave him the part.

But Gary Oldman didn't want to sign on for a trilogy for a starting salary of $1.4 million... He wanted more. Well, that is how business works.

Kazir Grey didn't want a long negotiation because the actors needed training as soon as possible. So Kazir looked at the other actors who had passed the last round of auditions.

Then Viggo Mortensen caught his eye. The man also passed the appearance of John Wick. To make it better, Viggo Mortensen promised to learn Russian. And his salary was only 1 million dollars.

In the end, Kazir Grey decided to let go of Gary Oldman. He chose Viggo Mortensen and signed five films and cameos. The increase in salary per film was 40%.

Just before the last week of 1997, the cast of John Wick was complete. Grey Pictures got a holiday break as Christmas and New Year's were coming up.

All work would resume the first week of January.

As for Gary Oldman... Unfortunately, he might regret his decision later.

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

"Phew... Phew..."

Now that the cast was complete, the actors began their training in early January.

The training studio was filled with equipment for them. Grey Pictures hired professional trainers.

The actors were drenched in sweat and panting. Especially Viggo Mortensen and Bryan Cranston. The two continued to practice their stunts. Even though they were practicing safely, they could not help but get a few scratches.

Unlike the usual protagonists who didn't get any wounds or bruises, John Wick was the type to get hurt by everyone.

Throughout the entirety of Chapter 2 to Chapter 4, John Wick walked with a limp due to the damage he received from the battles. Note that the entire John Wick plot only happened in weeks.

Maybe that was why the movie was successful, because John Wick was a vulnerable person who could feel pain. He could get hurt, not like Rambo and T800.

The cast has to finish the 100 days of training. Everybody signed a contract and it should be respected. If someone tried to disregard the contract, they can hire another one. It was good that most of the actors were not famous and humble. They were afraid of being replaced.

Filming would begin around April. The whole shooting would take two to three months. Thankfully, Kazir's work was much faster and more efficient than other directors.

Most directors take two years to complete a project, but Kazir could complete one film a year. And his films were all successful. With this ability, the Big Six were salivating to have him.

In fact, one of the Big Six was thinking of acquiring Grey Pictures just to have Kazir Grey. His future was promising and they would do anything for the profit. If Kazir and Grey Pictures were worth it, they were willing to pay.

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[Author's Note: I would like to thank everyone who supports this novel, even though I update it imperfectly. You can visit my Patreon if you're interested in reading more than 100 chapters].

[Anyway, do you want Marcus (Willem Dafoe) to die in the first movie or should I keep him alive?]

https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Chandler S, Blacktide, Professor Pedro B, Jit00, ToastyNug, Mark stone and Shivam Mittal!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 131


Kazir Grey was in high demand at the moment. Right after New Year's, Kazir was contacted by three companies at once.

John Wick was still in pre-production and this was the right time for Paramount, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros to work with Kazir Grey.

Both 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros experienced Kazir's directing skills and his films were successful.

The script of The Hangover Part 2 was already done and the screenplay was finished. If there were going to be changes, they were going to be minor changes. There was no need to audition because the cast had been in place since the first movie.

The only major issue with The Hangover Part 2 at the moment was the lack of a director. Three months before the official start of shooting, the project still has no director.

Enrico Pusi even went to Grey Pictures just to find Kazir Grey. Enrico Pusi was in charge of the project and he couldn't let it fall.

He went to Kazir's office and kneeled down to beg. He really did it.

Kazir massaged his forehead. The position of director was important and he didn't want The Hangover Part 2 to turn to dust.

"Mel Brooks."

"Hm?"

Enrico Pusi sat up and looked at Kazir.

"Why don't you hire Mel Brooks instead? I'm sure he can do a better job than I can."

"I'll try."

As a producer, Enrico Pusi knew who Mel Brooks was. In fact, Warner Bros invited Mel Brooks to take the job, but he asked for a $5 million salary.

Warner Bros was still skeptical, so they kept quiet for the moment. Mel Brooks didn't have a movie in the last few years. His last movie was Robin Hood: Men In Tights and it was released in 1993. His $5 million salary might be questionable.

But Kazir Grey knew Mel Brooks' next projects like Get Smart and Space Balls. At least the director understood humor.

'I actually want to recommend Todd Phillips, the original director of The Hangover trilogy but he's still not a director. It will be stupid to recommend a person who's not even a director yet.'

After hearing Kazir's opinion, Enrico Pusi quietly left the company after causing a scene. For the success of The Hangover Part 2, Enrico would have a face as thick as the earth's crust, shamelessness was needed.

Later, Enrico thanked Kazir Grey for his suggestion. As long as all was well, taking a knee was no problem.

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

The next person to appear was none other than Paramount's Shirley Lansing. The head of publicity management.

The woman started to ask her about the possible promotion methods for Meet The Parents. Shirley asked Kazir Grey to visit Paramount at least once.

The project began its first round of auditions that week. Although Kazir was only the screenwriter, his opinion and wisdom could not be ignored. Kazir was now the most sought-after director lately.

With three years of successful films in a row, his opinions regarding the cast were relevant.

"Jim Carrey, Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler are all interested in the project."

Shirley Lansing added as she watched the man sketch.

"I'm sure Paramount didn't have a problem with the budget for the salary."

"Actually... We are suffering from Titanic. The movie needed constant investment and our budget is very tight right now. Furthermore, the movie seems negative... We will probably lose a lot of money, but we can't back out now."

"... We'll see about that next month," Kazir muttered.

"Anyway, are you still okay with Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro being the leads?"

"I'm sure. But it all depends on your decision. I'm just the screenwriter."

He only sold the script for $500,000. It was the terms they agreed to so that his three movies would be distributed at a lower fee. Frankly, Paramount took an L on this one. Perhaps they were gambling, believing that Kazir's magic was still strong.

"I'll get back to you, no, I'm going to take you out of your office and force you to attend the final round of auditions. Make sure you take a shower that day. As for the marketing plan, I want to hear your response later."

"Shirley, I'm not your employee. You should ask your team."

"I know, but I won't lose anything by consulting with you. I'll buy you donuts if I like your suggestions."

"I don't like donuts."

"Donuts then, Dunkin Donuts."

"I don't like them."

"All right, I'm going now. Remember what I said."

Shirley Lansing left the office.

"I guess that's why she's the next CEO of Paramount. She's damn stubborn. Much worse than Enrico Pusi."

He had never met anyone like Shirley Lansing. He was afraid to work with her, he felt like he would be sucked dry...

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

The first month of the year was too much for him as the three companies tried to contact him in different directions.

On top of that, Sony-Columbia and Walt Disney wanted to buy his scripts.

"Sir... Someone wants to talk to you." Erica Mendez told him on the phone. His assistant was also busy after Christmas. Even though Kazir stayed in his office for the whole month, his job was never easy.

Erica Mendez had to face so many people just to keep them from bothering him. But if she couldn't, she had no choice but to pass the baton to Kazir.

"Who is it?"

"It's Nancy Utley from Fox Searchlight."

"Napoleon Dynamite it is."

Kazir dropped his pen and prepared for another discussion.

'Seriously, they're pretty active these days. But at least they were the ones who came to see me, not the other way around. I guess people are starting to respect me.'

Scriptwriter and Executive Producer, his position for the three companies was quite cumbersome. But as long as it was related to movies and he was having fun, why not?



[Author's note: I know, I know, some of you don't like it when I write something unrelated to the movies. But I had to deal with the side arcs even in one chapter.]

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Nezher92 and Alex D!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 132


"Yawn... I heard you were busy. I thought you weren't going to see me."

Aaron Grey yawned because his flight to Los Angeles had left him jet-lagged. He had a business in Los Angeles and told his brother.

When Kazir heard that his brother was in Los Angeles, he decided to meet him. He dropped his task of attending the training sessions for the cast.

The two talked in a cafe.

"Isn't it obvious that I want to see my brother?"

"Indeed. But I know you're not the type to call me to meet up just for that."

Aaron smiled. Even though they didn't see each other regularly, he knew his younger brother's mentality. He preferred to do what he loved more than anything else.

"That's why."

Kazir handed a letter to his brother. Aaron raised his eyebrows and decided to read it. The letter was already open and Kazir had probably read it.

"... Sigh."

After reading the contents, Aaron sighed deeply and covered his eyes.

"What is she up to this time? She never contacted me after she left."

"That's why I'm trying to find out."

Both brothers were confused. In fact, they were skeptical that the letter came from their mother at all. Their relationship with their mother ended after the divorce. Their mother was cold at them most of the time even when she was married to their father.

'I heard from Dad that Mom was the one who named me. I'm still curious why.'

"This is the first time I get a letter from her."

Kazir said after taking a sip of cappuccino.

"I have not heard from her for a long time. I hear she's doing well after the divorce. She got alimony from Dad."

For some reason, the judge agreed to give alimony and monthly child support to their mother, even though the two brothers stayed with their father. Perhaps there was a negotiation between their parents regarding that.

"One thing is for sure. She wants to meet you." Aaron added.

"But why me? Shouldn't she contact you instead? You have a more stable income than I do?"

"Yes, but my cash and liquid assets are nothing compared to yours, Mr. Billionaire Director."

"You know that's not true. My income is not even 1/10 of that amount."

"I'm just kidding. Anyway, she wants something from you. I feel sorry for you. You know how Mom roasts a person until she gets what she wants."

"You're going to help me, right, Aaron?"

"Brother, you're an adult. I'm sure you can handle it. Besides, I'm kind of busy."

Aaron yawned for the second time. He hadn't gotten enough sleep lately.

"By the way, congratulations. I didn't congratulate you personally. Am I going to have a niece or a nephew?"

Aaron's wife was pregnant. They married last year. Kazir attended the wedding but left the next day. Taken was still airing at the time, so Kazir was busy.

"It's still not confirmed."

Aaron smiled slightly. He felt like his outlook on life was changing.

"What do you mean?"

"My wife hopes she's carrying a daughter. We are still waiting for the gender test."

"So you're not going to have a gender reveal party?"

"Huh? I never heard of that... But now that you mention it, maybe we can do something like that."

"Let me know when. I'll buy a plane ticket."

"All right, Mr. Billionaire Director."

"Damn it, I said don't call me that."

"Hahaha."

The two brothers began to talk about life and how they had grown up to face the world.

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

"Congratulations, Director."

"Director Grey, congratulations."

"Kazir, congratulations, man."

During the pre-production of John Wick, Kazir began to hear congratulations from everyone.

Kazir kept his expression and accepted their praise. To be honest, he wasn't expecting this outcome. But he was happy with the results he got this time.

The international box office for Taken ended with a whopping $297 million.

With $268 million from North America, the worldwide gross of Taken was $565 million.

But with the complicated shares, cuts and taxes from many countries, Grey Pictures only got $65 million in the bank.

In addition, Kazir Grey had a 10% share of the box office, so the $65 million was reduced to $36 million. Still, this amount was a good thing. It was pure profit.

Another thing was the television copyrights. Grey Pictures owns all the copyrights to Taken and they were free to rent or sell it to anyone.

For the first two years, Fox TV bought the TV broadcast of Taken for $18 million. This means that only Fox TV was allowed to broadcast Taken in the United States for two years.

Note that this is only in the United States. In Australia, they sold the two-year TV broadcast of Taken for $12 million.

In other English speaking countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada, Grey Pictures received a total of $25 million.

Truth be told, Grey Pictures' profit from Taken was already over $100 million. Especially once the sales of videotapes increased.

They could make money from Taken no matter how many years passed. As long as they owned most of the copyrights, they could make money.

Gone with the Wind came out in 1939. And to date, the movie has grossed more than $3.4 billion in profit after so many decades of sales, tv broadcast, even the re-release.

One of the proofs of why movie companies made money even though movies weren't very profitable in theaters.

The Shawshank Redemption was a huge flop in theaters, yet the movie continued to make money over the years.

There were no unsuccessful movies. As long as people were interested in movies, they would buy them.

"I know it's already obvious, but I think Taken is going to be the box office champion of 1997."

His assistant, Erica Mendez, told him confidently, but Kazir shook his head.

He grinned.

"I don't think so."

It was the last week of January, and news of the Titanic was slowly sinking in the media. No one expected the outcome except Kazir Grey.


[Regarding Gone With The Wind, I just googled it. I'm not 100% sure about that.]

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Israel C!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 133


In the history of movies, perhaps only Titanic had a unique trend. Normally, the box-office trend of movies would go down after two or three weeks.

But Titanic had an upward trend. The movie didn't have a good reputation when it was released. The first and second week were below average performance. Even the movie critics bombarded it as a disaster. Everyone thought it would be a flop.

Paramount and 20th Century Fox invested a lot of money into the project, but they felt that the only way to make a profit was by relentlessly selling videotapes/DVDs for decades.

The extravagant filmography. The real ship built under James Cameron's orders. The sickness the cast suffered while working in the middle of the lake. The last part of the movie was about the shipwreck, so the cast had to be in the water every time they shot. Some of the cast went to the hospital.

There were many disasters and bad signs that Titanic would be the biggest flop of 1997.

Even Paramount and 20th Century Fox were not confident in the movie. So it was released in December.

Everyone expects the downfall of Titanic, just like its historical version.

But well... The opposite happened.

A month after the release of Titanic, critics began to change their minds. They said that Titanic was the best movie ever made. That it was the movie that would change Hollywood after Jurassic Park. They were not wrong.

If Jurassic Park was the first billion dollar movie in history, then Titanic was the second. However, Titanic's performance was tremendous. It was the highest grossing movie of all time before Avatar.

Note that Titanic and Avatar were created by none other than James Cameron.

Unlike Kazir Grey, James Cameron was the real deal. Honestly, he is the goat in my opinion. Better than Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick or Alfred Hitchcock if you based it on the box office of each of his movie.

The man had three movies that grossed over a billion dollars worldwide. A feat that was hard to achieve.

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

February arrived and the North American box office for Titanic was already a whopping $308 million. The film easily beat Taken's $268 million.

The people who congratulated Kazir scratched their heads in embarrassment. They didn't think that Taken's performance would be so easy to beat.

However, unlike them, the director himself was not affected.

For someone who knew the future, Kazir remained calm. He went about his work meticulously. He met with the cast, checked the props, attended their rehearsals, and searched for shooting locations.

They even hired a professional dog actor for the film. This meant that the animal rights organization would visit the crew.

Grey Pictures also contacted several companies for possible product placement.

Rolex agreed to pay $1 million to promote their new watch. They would pay another $1 million if the movie grossed more than $300 million worldwide.

Even Ducati and Coca-Cola agreed to pay $1 million each.

The investment for John Wick was confirmed to be $30 million. But it seemed that Grey Pictures only needed to invest $27 million.

The three companies didn't trust the movie. They only believe in the abilities of director Kazir Grey. Hollywood accepted the fact that Kazir Grey has what it takes to sell movies.

The three companies understood that the movie would have a positive performance and investing $1 million was not a problem.

"Are these the real numbers?"

"That's right." Erica Mendez assured her boss.

"I'm not good at math. In fact, I hate math. Still, seeing numbers like this makes me laugh."

Kazir Grey grinned as he looked at the videotape sales. Even though Paramount took a 25 percent profit cut, the money going into their bank account was still impressive.

They started selling the Taken's videotapes at the end of November last year.

Now, after almost four months, the profit that went to Grey Pictures was nothing less than $98 million. This includes both the rentals and the sales of the videotapes.

"... Tell management they will get a bonus this quarter."

"Uh, sir, are you sure about that? You just gave them a bonus last December."

Erica Mendez looked at Kazir Grey. She had an idea how much the company had spent last year.

"Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with rewarding people for their work. Besides, I know you like getting bonuses anyway."

"Of course." The assistant didn't deny it.

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm your secretary or your assistant." The woman sighed.

"What's the difference anyway?"

"You're always in your office, so yes, I guess I'm both. Well, the salary is great and I get to spend more time with the kids."

Erica mumbled. She was also a bodyguard. The gun in her purse always reminded her of that.

"I'm actually glad you stay in one place all the time."

She felt like her job was getting mixed up.

"I'm sad to say it, but your expectations will be different once the filming starts. The crew will go to different places. I'm the director, so I have to travel with them, and yes, you will follow us."

Kazir chuckled. He could not help but smile when he saw the profit the company made after selling the videotapes. That business was not bad. However, he still preferred the thrill of the box office after the hard work of making a movie. He felt it was more rewarding than selling videotapes.

"It's okay. I'm prepared. I'm already happy that you're shooting in the country."

"Better stick to the plot."

John Wick was set in the imaginary dark city of New York City. Although the crew would shoot most of the movie in Los Angeles to cut costs. There was no reason to leave the country as they could not get tax incentives anyway. They were not part of 20th Century Fox, which has strong ties to Australia, or any of the Big Six.

But the decision to shoot in the country made most of the crew happy. At least they didn't have to travel far.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Aviral and Danny Y!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 134


April began and Titanic had already passed the 1 billion mark. Many people around the world were shocked, but they accepted the news easily.

After all, Titanic had touched the hearts of many people. Especially women fell in love with the movie. They fell in love with Jack's sacrifice. And, of course, they fell in love with Leonardo DiCaprio. The young heartthrob stole the hearts of many women.

This was the beginning of Leonardo's adventure of dating women under 25 officially happened. He always breaks up with his girlfriend when she's over 25. Well, three decades later, Leonardo DiCaprio would be categorized as a borderline creep...

There was even news that he was dating a 19-year-old model at the age of 48. That was a huge age difference. The model was not even alive when Titanic came out. Leonardo definitely has the P power, I won't lie.

Along with the sinking power of Titanic, the movie industry in Europe went into a protest, saying that Hollywood was nothing but an entertainment factory. Which was true.

Years went by and the production of movies matured. Distribution was in full bloom and companies were using strategies to maximize their profits, nothing wrong with that.

Perhaps the European film industry realized the danger that Hollywood posed to them. If Hollywood continued to produce high quality movies, the European film industry would die. The European film industry has a strong sense of pride because they were the first to produce a movie.

Their era was over after many countries realized that English was the universal language.

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

"Aren't you angry that your movie didn't become the champion of 1997?"

"Me? Of course not. I know my movie is nothing compared to Titanic."

"Is it humility or lack of confidence?"

"Anyway, let's stop talking about me. What about you, kid? Why are you here?"

Kazir was confused as to why this little kid, Scarlett Johansson, was at the Paramount studio. The crew was preparing the set for some interior scenes for John Wick. Filming began last week, and the cast was starting to get into the spirit of working.

"I got a part in Deep Impact. I heard that you recommended this movie to Salvatore after reading the script.

"It's actually a partial script."

"Whatever... Anyway, thanks for that."

After Scarlett said her thanks, she looked around and saw some people she recognized. She waved to them and said hello. She even saw the stunt actor who was injured in a car chase scene last year. It seemed that Grey Pictures had rehired him.

"I'm going to leave now. My mom is going to take me to Disneyland."

"Take care."

Kazir shrugged and watched the little girl act mature.

'She really has the guts to say Disneyland in a Paramount studio.'

As for the clash between Titanic and Taken, Kazir didn't bother.

"William, are you ready? This is a close-up, so it's hard to use a body double."

"I understand, director."

William Dafoe smiled. His smile was sincere, but Kazir could not help but remember a certain goblin.

This was William Dafoe's first big role after acting in the theater stage. He could not help but be nervous and excited at the same time. He did his best to understand his role so that he wouldn't disappoint the director who chose him.

That's right, William Dafoe received an invitation from Grey Pictures to audition for the role of Marcus. The sniper who saved John Wick from death.

William Dafoe was grateful for the opportunity director Kazir gave him. Within three months, he spent his time training in hand-to-hand combat and firearms. He was confident in himself. Although there were some things he was skeptical about... Technically, it was impossible for bullets to bend their trajectory.

But since William Dafoe was just a hired actor, he decided to keep those things to himself.

"Okay, let's start shooting."

The room went quiet and the cameras started rolling. Fremont Smith announced the start of the shooting.

In front of Kazir were four monitors to see different angles of the scene.

Marcus (William Dafoe) entered the house with the two bad guys. To make sure he could move easily, he unbuttoned his tuxedo and took off his watch.

Then he faced the two bad guys as if he was a tough motherfucker.

With his experience, he easily beat the two people without any problem. Breaking bones in the process.

'This is different from the original, but it's just an experiment. It depends on whether I will keep this shot in the final cut. I plan to adjust the scenes just in case.'

After he overpowered the two guys, another group of people appeared.

Marcus grinned and the real fight began. He pulled out his gun and fired bullet after bullet. Of course, the enemies also shot at him.

This scene might look cool on the screen, but filming it in real life was really boring. There was no sound, even the guns they used were fake. It was just an imaginary gunfight. Even the recoil was hard to believe. Anyway, the actors were deeply into their roles, so they were quite enthusiastic.

But for outsiders like Erica Mendez, the scene was really boring.

'There are editors who will take care of this problem and make the scene better with sounds and gunshot effects.'

In fact, it was impossible for a single editor to handle these thousands of shots and edit everything.

Rector, the editor of Taken, was only in charge of the scene transitions and combining the shots into a movie.

Imaginary gunshots echoed in the actors' heads. Deeply into their roles.

Marcus hid behind the wall, his shoulder was wounded, but nothing too serious.

Then he swung his arm and pulled the trigger at the same time. The bullet miraculously bent, killing three people.

Unfortunately, as strong as Marcus was, he was outnumbered. He was cornered.

As for the outcome, it depends on Kazir Grey's decision. Should he let Marcus live or not? That was the question.


[Note: The movie "Wanted" starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman is about an office worker who is recruited into the Fraternity. It's a group of assassins who can bend the trajectory of bullets, I'm super interested in adding Fraternity to the High Table. If you're interested, you can check out Wanted.] [Just to be clear, Wanted is rated R, so no minors allowed].

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Wilder, Tolbin, Aviral, and Danny Y!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 135


"Yes, I understand. I will try to deliver your message. Director Grey is busy right now, no, no, he can't talk to you. Please give me your message. No, he is also busy tomorrow. Me? No, I'm not going to give you my home number."

Erica Mendez ended the call with a depressing sigh. She knew that her boss was becoming famous and that many people wanted to work with him. Either to buy his script or to hire him as a director.

And honestly, their terms were not bad. An assurance that his salary would be over $10 million plus 10% of the box office. They can negotiate and make a good contract.

But Erica Mendez understands the intention of her boss. Looking at the man massaging his forehead after a sleepless night, she knew that Director Grey didn't have time for anything else.

Kazir Grey didn't get much sleep last night because he was reviewing all the shots they had taken... So Erica, Hector and Fremont didn't sleep either.

Erica was responsible for serving them a ton of coffee while the three men talked about the best footage they could use.

Kazir intended to let the two of them handle some scenes on their own.

Hector knew about cameras and lighting, but he was clueless about the director's position. This project might be his first time directing people while watching the scenes unfold.

As for Fremont, the man was young. He was only 23 years old and lacked experience. Kazir could sense his sincerity and enthusiasm, so he gave him a chance to blossom.

Kazir understood how terrifying the role of a director was. The pressure was crushing and Kazir suffered from insomnia most of the time. There was a time when he felt that this would be his last movie.

If a movie was a disaster, everyone would blame the director because he was the creative mind of the project.

Kazir hoped that the two of them would have the strength to withstand that kind of pressure.

"Okay, let's rest. You can eat lunch."

Kazir announced, and the people were relieved. Kazir was a fast, consistent type of director who didn't like to do pointless shots. As if everything was already in his head and there was no point in doing useless things.

"Fremont, take your crew to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and get some background shots."

"Alright."

Fremont nodded seriously.

Unlike the original version, the Waldorf Astoria contacted Grey Pictures and offered their hotel as the Continental Hotel. The accommodations were free as long as they advertised their hotel. They also gave Kazir Grey and the crew VIP cards. Kazir's card could use the VIP room at a 50% discount while the crew could get up to 30%.

Kazir was not picky about the hotel, so there was no reason to say no. However, he stated that the hotel might appear in many sequels and related movies, so he signed an agreement with the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

In the next movie, if the Waldorf Astoria Hotel wanted to promote their hotel again, they would have to pay the crew $1 million. Of course, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel had the right to refuse. Although it could be inconvenient for sequels.

The good thing was that the Waldorf Astoria Hotel was in Los Angeles and Grey Pictures could easily contact the management. Grey Pictures believes that both parties would have a good cooperation.

For the sake of their business, cooperation was not a problem.

"Huh? What is it this time, Erica?"

Kazir saw his assistant coming towards him. He already had an idea, maybe it had to do with his scripts again. People kept pestering him about it.

"It's Warner Brothers"

"Warner Brothers? Are they talking about The Hangover Part 2 again? I thought they had a director already?"

"No sir. It's different this time... It's The Bourne Identity."

"... Tell me more about it."

Hearing something unexpected, Kazir became serious. Even though his eyelids were quite droopy, he knew that the subject was too important to ignore.

"They want to buy the copyright of the Bourne Identity movie that's in our film library."

"..."

Kazir knew that Warner Bros had a claim on Bourne Identity back in the 80s, but someone had already gotten the movie copyright. In the end, they stopped acquisition when the first Bourne Identity television movie(1988) came out. Bourne Identity(1988) flopped, so Warner Bros lost interest.

'So what is the reason they are doing this now? Is it because of the Continental Cinematic Universe?'

Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox had an idea about Kazir's huge project. Maybe Warner Bros felt it would be dangerous if his plan succeeded. So they decided to stop his plan step by step.

Movies based on novels were quite a hype in the 90s. The Shawshank Redemption, Silence of the Lambs, Forrest Gump and many more. They were all based on novels.

Warner Bros concluded that the Bourne Identity copyright in Kazir's hands was too dangerous.

'They are interested in buying the copyright, I guess they have regained their passion. Also, they want to prevent the addition of Jason Bourne to the Continental Cinematic Universe. '

Warner Bros realized that Bourne Identity would definitely be part of the Continental Cinematic Universe, considering Kazir's projects.

"We're not going to sell the copyright."

Kazir said firmly. Even if Warner Bros offered a serious amount of money, he wouldn't budge. He already had an idea where to put Jason Bourne in the CCU (Continental Cinematic Universe).

"I understand."

Erica nodded. She knew her boss would refuse the offer. It was a good thing she ended the call sooner.

'The Jason Bourne franchise has made billions of dollars, I'm not crazy enough to sell something that big.'

Even though his relationship with Warner Bros was good, he had to draw the line. Otherwise, it would be problematic later on.

 

[Pujimaki]

[My symptom called procrastination is kicking in again. Anyway, shout out to Cesar M and Paul P!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 136


"Cut! That's it, we can take ten minutes."

The director announced and Harrison Ford returned to his grumpy mood.

"Sir, this is your towel."

His assistant understood and quickly handed him a hot towel. They were filming on an island and it was cold at night.

"Thanks."

Harrison muttered and took it. Then another crew member handed him a cup of coffee.

Even though Harrison Ford was shooting Six Days, Seven Nights, his mind was racing. He was thinking about John Wick, which was being filmed in another part of the world.

He was still bitter about that. Harrison Ford expressed interest in the script. He didn't have a problem with wearing a wig to have long hair. It was already impossible for him to grow shoulder length hair within 3 months. So using a wig was the best option. He also didn't have a problem taking training lessons, he was used to it since most of his movies were action movies.

Anyway, Grey Pictures gave him the script and he liked it. Although he wanted to change some things about John Wick, like the dialog...

John Wick has so little dialogue. The antagonist has so many lines compared to him.

A quiet person. That was the best way to describe John Wick. Most of his lines were "Yeah."

Harrison Ford didn't like that.

Because Harrison Ford was a superstar, he obviously had the power to bypass the first and second rounds of the audition.

When the third round was over, he was confident that he would get the part. Of course, the contract would have to be in his favor, such as salary, box office share, and sequels.

After his agent contacted Grey Pictures, the result was not what he wanted. Grey Pictures didn't try to negotiate, they immediately decided to go with Viggo Mortensen.

'Viggo what? I don't even know the guy.'

He could not believe he was losing to an unknown actor. He, a superstar, a person known almost all over the world.

Maybe it was his salary and his unwillingness to sign a trilogy, but Grey Pictures should try to negotiate! They didn't even hesitate and chose an unknown actor.

Harrison Ford was angry, although he understood why. His heart and mind were at odds.

One thing was certain. He didn't want the movie to have a good result. At least his current movie "Six Days, Seven Nights" should do better than John Wick. That was the only way he could feel better.

"After this, we will shoot another scene!"

The director announced and everyone started to prepare.

Even though Harrison Ford was a superstar, he knew that he was an actor who should take every movie seriously. Six Days, Seven Nights was not his first choice, but at least his salary was much better. He showed dedication equal to the salary he received.

He sipped his coffee and hoped that Kazir Grey would have a flop movie.

'I don't want to experience what happened in Air Force One again.'

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

"Okay, lights, camera, action!"

With Fremont off shooting the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, another person took his position holding the clapperboard.

The crew rented a bar to shoot the most action-packed part of John Wick.

This was the scene where John Wick showed up at the bar to take revenge for the death of his dog.

The bar was filled with bodyguards, but John Wick killed them all... Well, except for one person.

Filming started and Viggo Mortensen started shooting with his fake gun. They rehearsed this action sequence a long time ago.

Tae-Won Park stood in the corner and watched the actors do their jobs. He was proud to see that they were doing well. Especially Viggo, he looked like a different person.

"Cut! Adjust the lighting, it's too dark."

Out of nowhere, Kazir stopped filming after checking his monitors.

"Let's shoot the scene again in ten minutes. Viggo, your performance is great, but we need better lighting so we can capture it better."

Viggo Mortensen and the other actors nodded their heads. They were really in their zone and felt like they were doing well. They felt like they were real bodyguards working under a mob boss.

Even though there were no gunshots and the punches were fake, they felt like it was all real. It was a unique sensation, as if they were sinking into their roles.

The lighting crew were adjusting the lights. It was a bit difficult because the setting was a bar and that kind of place is usually dark.

After that, filming resumed and the actors did a good job.

'It is good that our pace is on schedule.'

After some grumbling with the Animal Organization, the filming didn't encounter any problems. Animal Organization was quite strict and the dog's working hours, on-set housing and environmental aspects had to be taken into account.

Fortunately, the dog had a better attention span than the baby in The Hangover.

Kazir understood that there would be a lot of dogs on John Wick franchise, and he needed to maintain a good relationship with the Animal Organization to avoid unnecessary hassle.

'Let's deal with that later,'

"Bryan, are you ready?"

"Director, I've been ready since yesterday."

Bryan Cranston smiled modestly. He was excited because the action sequences in this movie were unique and interesting.

He had a scene where he fought John Wick in hand-to-hand combat, and it was a dirty fight to the max. He was excited to imagine it.

His character in this movie was called Kirill. A person who works under Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist), a Russian mafia boss. He was the strongest person that John Wick fought in this movie.

They started shooting the bar scene since yesterday and he could not wait to get into action.

"Don't get excited, this is acting."

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to no one!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 137


"Yes, director." Bryan Cranston replied.

Kazir shrugged and let the man feel the adrenaline. As long as everything went well and the shot was good, he didn't have a problem.

Bryan Cranston was 42 years old and still confident in his physique.

'Honestly, I'm not sure if I should kill him in this movie or not. But given John Wick's disposition, he will never leave an enemy alive.'

In their final fight, John Wick strangled Kirill with his handcuffs. John Wick made sure the guy was dead. His chances of appearing in the sequels may be close to zero.

Unless it's a movie about the past, before John Wick retired.

After Kazir announced another break and checked the footage, filming resumed.

This time John Wick (Viggo Mortensen) was wounded by a gunshot. He fought Kirill, but his wound prevented him from giving his best. He was easily subdued and kicked several times after he tried to get up.

Kirill also smashed a wine bottle against his head, breaking it. He then proceeded to stab John Wick with the broken wine bottle and threw him to the ground, by the way, they were fighting on the second floor so John Wick's impact on the ground was really painful.

Of course, that whole action sequence didn't happen all at once. It was shot piece by piece, and even the wine bottle was fake. The person falling from the second floor was a professional stuntman and there was padding for a safe landing. They spent 4 hours filming those 4 minutes of footage... Even John Wick and Kirill's fight was filmed three times just to get a better performance.

Watching it on the screen was completely different than watching it being filmed.

"Cut! Let's wrap it up this time. Tomorrow is Sunday and we don't have any work, but some of you have to stay to take care of the equipment".

Kazir announced the end of work after looking at his watch and showing that it was past 10:30 p.m.

"Yes, director!"

The crew replied and began to clean the set. They were done with the bar scene and would have to move on to their next location on Monday.

Kazir was not a heartless person who would terrorize his crew members. They deserved a break. It was good that they were filming in California because most of the crew live in the state.

The schedule was all good and there was no pressure on the crew. Maybe this production crew is the most relaxed crew they have ever worked with.

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

Kazir Grey didn't have time to go back to his apartment or the company. He decided to spend the night at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

As for reviewing the footage, he would have plenty of time for that tomorrow.

He closed his eyes and let the sleep sink in.

He woke up early, around 6 a.m., and started reviewing yesterday's footage after eating breakfast from the hotel. Reviewing the footage was mostly about checking if the shots were good and could be used.

After that, he decided to go back to the company to check some documents he has to sign.

He drove his Honda car easily through the traffic. However, his eyes caught something interesting.

The movie theater near his office was showing a brand new movie called City Of Angels. He saw on the poster that Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan were the stars of the movie. Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan were superstars back in the 90s.

Kazir Grey believed that he had seen this movie before, but his memory was a bit fuzzy.

Since he was interested in the movie, he decided to watch it before going to the office. He spent almost two hours watching the movie.

'The movie is about an angel and a surgeon who fall in love with each other...'

Kazir thought and entered the office. The receptionist greeted him and told him that someone was waiting for him.

"Huh? Someone is looking for me?"

Erica Mendez had Sunday off, so she was not working today. Perhaps that was why Kazir hadn't received any information about it.

He went to his office and found an old man waiting at the door. He was about 70 years old.

Kazir Grey had a premonition... He recognized the person because he had met him once. To be precise, he met him two years ago, after he bought the Bourne Identity film rights from Alan Shayne Production.

Robert Ludlum. The author of the Jason Bourne series.

"Mr. Ludlum. It's nice to meet you."

Kazir smiled and greeted the old man.

"Haha, nice to meet you too, Kazir."

The two shook hands. Kazir invited the old man into his office. He had a feeling that the subject they were about to discuss was related to The Bourne Identity.

"So, Mr. Ludlum, may I know the reason you're here?"

"Kazir, you can call me Robert. You don't have to be formal. As for the reason... I actually received a call from someone."

Kazir's eyes became serious.

"Is it someone from Warner Brothers?"

"Warner Brothers? No, he said he was from Walt Disney." Robert Ludlum replied.

"..."

Hearing this, Kazir Grey realized that things were getting complicated.

"About that, can you please tell me why they contacted you?"

Kazir ordered two cups of coffee, knowing that this conversation might take a while. A few minutes later someone brought them coffee.

"Walt Disney wants to buy the Jason Bourne movie copyrights."

"..."

Kazir remained silent.

"Of course, the copyrights of the Jason Bourne series such as Identity, Legacy, Supremacy and Ultimatum were already acquired by Grey Pictures."

"Hm." Kazir nodded.

"They wanted to buy it for a whopping three million dollars."

Kazir shrugged. He bought the copyrights of this series for $4.5 million.

"But that's not why I'm here. Kazir, I want you to remember the promise you made to me last time."

"Of course I will keep that promise."

Kazir Grey successfully bought the copyrights for one reason - he promised that Robert Ludlum would see Jason Bourne in theaters before the new century began.

Robert Ludlum didn't care if Jason Bourne became part of a cinematic universe. He didn't like the idea, but his dream of seeing his novels turned into movies was much stronger. So he let go of that prejudice and accepted Kazir's proposal.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 138


"Frankly, their terms are quite tempting. They agree to give me a 5% share of the worldwide box office and a 5% cut of the peripherals sales such as videotapes and merchandise related to Jason Bourne."

"..."

'That's a good offer, no, it's already a great offer. I can't believe that Walt Disney is willing to bleed just to get the copyrights to Jason Bourne, unless...'

"But I don't want to work with them. I'm old and I have experience with this kind of thing. They just want me to bother you as much as possible. As for their promise, they will probably break it when everything is done."

Kazir nodded and agreed with Robert Ludlum's opinion.

"Besides, the contract we signed is already a good one."

As the creator of the Jason Bourne series, Robert Ludlum is entitled to a share of the profits. Robert Ludlum signed a 3% share of revenues for the global box office, videotape profits and other peripherals. Although it was smaller than Walt Disney's, it was a signed legal contract.

Robert Ludlum realized that Kazir Grey was more honest than Walt Disney.

He also felt that Kazir Grey would make a good Jason Bourne. The success of Taken reassured him.

"However, if you want to adjust the distribution deal, perhaps..."

"Mr. Robert Ludlum, we already talked about that."

"Haha, of course. I'm just joking with you."

The old man laughed, but Kazir knew that he would try his best to get more money if Kazir showed any hesitation.

He had to be firm when dealing with a tricky old man like Robert Ludlum.

'The only reason he stuck with me was because of the contract we signed--if Grey Pictures failed to produce The Bourne Identity before the year 2000, all copyrights would revert to its creator, Robert Ludlum. On top of that, Grey Pictures has to pay $3 million if they can't produce the movie.'

It was a dangerous deal for Grey Pictures. But it was the best way to convince Robert Ludlum at the time.

'I think we have to increase our production capacity.'

It was already in his head, and Robert Ludlum's appearance cemented it.

"Kazir, I'm old. I don't know how much longer I can live."

"Come on, Robert, don't be like that. You have to stay positive."

"All I want in this life is to see Jason Bourne on the big screen."

Alan Shayne Production produced a movie of the Bourne Identity, but it was only shown on television. It was a TV movie. And it didn't do well.

Robert Ludlum was so disappointed after he sold the copyrights to them. He felt that his movie could be better in the cinema. Unfortunately, the copyrights of The Bourne Identity would last ten years before he could get it back.

Everything changed when Kazir Grey contacted him and said that he had acquired the copyright to the film version of Bourne Identity.

He was happy, to be honest.

He was a successful author, and the royalties from his books were enough to give him a good life. He was happy with his success. However, he could not help but dream of seeing his book made into a movie.

The best author of his time was Stephen King. But the reason why his career had a successful run was because of the movie adaptations of his books. This was the stepping stone that made him famous all over the world.

The Shining

The Shawshank Redemption

Carrie

The Green Mile

IT

These are just a few of the films based on Stephen King's books.

Robert Ludlum would be lying if he said he was not jealous. He wanted the same success.

The money? Robert Ludlum already had a successful career. Besides, he was past the age of 70 to be thinking about materialistic things. The money was for his family, not for him.

Robert Ludlum lived a life.

"Kazir, keep your promise. I didn't like Walt Disney's offer, but we can negotiate if I want to."

The old man stood up.

"But you have to buy back the copyrights from Grey Pictures." Kazir replied and shook his hand.

"Of course, I bet Walt Disney can help me with that. They will not let another movie company flourish. I hear they are trying to sabotage DreamWorks these days."

Robert Ludlum smiled and headed for the door.

"Before you go, Robert, if Warner Brothers contacted you, please let me know."

"Very well."

"Next year, I promise you, you will see Jason Bourne on the big screen. Stay healthy, Robert."

Kazir escorted him out of the company. Robert Ludlum, assisted by his son, got into the car.

Robert personally went to Grey Pictures to talk to Kazir. Because he could not wait to start the Bourne Identity project.

Kazir waved as the car slowly disappeared from the street. Then he opened his phone and called his agent, Salvatore Barlowe.

"Salvatore, hire another production team. I'm going to start The Bourne Identity after I finish John Wick."

-- Are you serious? Kazir, you haven't taken a vacation in the last three years! Are you sure your body can take it?

Kazir chuckled and replied.

"I'm sure my body is healthier than yours. I exercise three times a week, and my diet is mostly vegetables."

-- How about your sleep?

"That's another story."

-- Sigh, okay, fine. CAA can easily find a crew for your problem. But what about Taken? It was also supposed to come out next year.

Salvatore knew the projects that Grey Pictures would be shooting over the next three years. However, he had only read the scripts for The Bourne Identity and Taken 2. The other projects were still a mystery to him.

"By the way, I'm thinking of letting Fremont Smith take over as director. Do you think your client is ready?"

Kazir joked.

-- ... Kazir, if you ask me, I'm still not convinced that Fremont can handle a big project. The pressure could break him.

Kazir and Salvatore watched Fremont gain experience. They had no problem with his work ethic, but he was still young and might not be able to handle the pressure.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Marcelo V!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 139


Directors were different animals who could handle extreme pressure. This should be one of the common traits that directors should have. They suffer months of nervousness in case their movie doesn't work out.

If a movie flopped, the director was usually blamed. The responsibility they had was a double-edged sword.

"I know, that's why I decided to let him direct Taken 2 instead of The Bourne Identity. Unlike The Bourne Identity, which didn't have a strong guarantee, Taken 2 is a sequel to Taken, which has a successful box office. Even if Taken 2 can't surpass the box office of Taken, it has a strong ability to make a profit."

To be honest, Kazir knew that Taken's success was due to the human trafficking that happened last year. His expectation for Taken was only around $250 million at best. If Taken 2 surpassed the $250 million mark, Kazir would be satisfied.

-- What about the budget?

"We can sign a contract with an insurance company. Besides, first-time directors are usually conscious of spending money; I think Fremont Smith can handle it."

-- But--

"Salvatore, I know you're worried about the boy. But you have to let him spread his wings and give him a chance to fly... He is only five years younger than you, he is not a child."

One of the reasons why Kazir hired Fremont was because he was looking for someone he could trust to take care of Continental Cinematic Universe along side him. So far, Fremont was doing well.

-- I understand. But what about Liam Neeson?

Salvatore Barlowe had a lot to worry about because their plan to speed up the projects might cause a problem.

"Yeah, I need to talk to Liam to convince him."

Liam Neeson trusted Kazir Grey, but it was another thing if another person took over the director's position. Liam Neeson might have a problem with that.

He could drop the Taken franchise altogether and pay damages instead. That would be irreparable damage to Grey Pictures once it happened.

Kazir Grey could be trusted because he had already proven himself. But Fremont Smith was just a rookie. Not only Liam Neeson, but also the other actors might have a negative opinion about these changes.

Kazir hoped that Liam Neeson would not be disappointed.

"Keep this information private for now. We can't let others hear it because it could cause us trouble."

-- Okay, I will start looking for talented people. Who will lead this new team?

"I will take half, and Fremont will take half."

Fremont Smith would perform better if he recognized the people he was working with.

Kazir had Fremont build a small team for him to take over when he started his own project.

Kazir was confident he could handle new people.

'To be honest, I thought about giving Renner Hector the chance to direct Taken 2, but the fire in his heart is still not enough. It needs to be ignited. As long as Renner is not ready to make his own movie, I will let him do what he wants.'

It was funny that the veteran wanted to stay in his position while the rookie was hungry for recognition and wanted to start his own movie.

"I need to talk to Liam Neeson before Grey Pictures starts the project."

-- I have an idea. How about you go to the Academy Awards?

"Huh? I thought that was over. The Oscars are always in March."

-- Something happened so they changed the date to April 12th. There was a small fire at the venue, so they changed the schedule.

"I understand."

Kazir felt that this change was because of him, but he decided not to think about it.

"I will attend."

--That's good.

"I will call you again." Kazir ended the call.

Maybe because he was too busy, he didn't think about the Oscars. He hadn't noticed that the Oscars were late this year.

'If I'm right, Taken has three nominations. Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay and Best Sound Editing.'

Even though they got three nominations, it would be hard for them to win even one of the categories. First of all, Grey Pictures never invested in PR(Public Relations). Well, except for Liam Neeson.

In his career, Liam Neeson has only received one nomination in the Best Actor category. It was none other than Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List. That was the only time he got it.

Grey Pictures and Paramount felt that Taken didn't have a chance at the Oscars after Titanic flooded theaters. So it was pointless for them to invest in PR.

But for Liam Neeson it was different. He wanted that golden statue.

Well, everybody in Hollywood wanted that golden statue. Even Kazir Grey was no exception. He was hungry to get one.

However, there was no chance for Kazir to find the best script to make a movie that would attract the members of the Academy.

'Although I know that the Academy will slowly become conservative and afraid of change. They will stick to their old school ideals and reject others. They will try to accept changes and become so called "woke", but they are just hiding their extreme prejudice... Still, I can't deny the truth that I want to get the Best Director statue.'

Maybe Kazir Grey was a hypocrite, too. The Academy was not perfect and neither was Kazir.

'I heard that Liam's PR team is contacting members of the Academy and giving them gifts. Even Liam Neeson attended so many parties to build connections.'

Kazir knew Liam Neeson's temperament. Like Kazir, Liam Neeson hated parties. But he ignored that just to get the golden statue.

'Hell, I'd do the same if I were in his position.'

But Liam's opponents were not so easy.

Matt Damon from Good Will Hunting.

Robert Duvall from The Apostles.

Jack Nicholson from As Good As It Gets.

And Dustin Hoffman in Wag The Dog.

In Kazir's opinion, Jack Nicholson has the best chance of winning this year.

'Still, I can't deny that Taken is the second best movie of 1997. Liam Neeson is only behind Jack Nicholson for Best Actor.'

+++++

[Author's note: I have always avoided the Academy Awards because I have some prejudices against them. Maybe letting Will Smith win Best Actor Award after he slapped Chris Rock is one of the reasons. But I can't deny that they make a huge contribution to Hollywood. Kazir Grey will have to face them sooner or later].

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Darui!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 140


"Okay, that's all for today. For those who are interested in attending the Academy Awards, you can leave after cleaning the set."

"Yes, director!"

Kazir Grey stood up and stretched his limbs. He groaned after a good stretch. He spent his day sitting in the chair and watching the scenes unfold.

He knew he was getting lazy. He ordered people around while he just sat in front of the monitors.

'I might have to go to the gym tomorrow, I think my body is getting rusty.'

Benching 405? It depends, if Kazir Grey could do it. He believed he had enough strength to do it because he could bench 6 plates. Maybe he needed to push his limits.

"Director Grey."

Someone called out to him and Kazir turned. He saw Viggo Mortensen wiping his face after a strenuous stunt.

"Viggo, you did a great job today. Keep it up."

"Yeah. Actually, director, I'm here for a favor. Can I have a few minutes of your time?"

"Hm, okay. Let's talk."

Kazir agreed after checking his watch. Today's work ended early, since the Academy Awards were tonight.

"It's still 4:30, I think I have enough time to talk to you."

"Thank you."

The two walked off the set and started talking.

"Director, I know this sounds ridiculous, but can I get your opinion on something? I heard that you helped Reese Witherspoon and Brianna Evans pick their projects."

"Well, I just gave my honest opinion based on the information I could get. I told Reese that There's Something About Mary seems promising. As for The Truman Show, Salvatore was actually the one I talked to. Then Salvatore decided to convince Brianna Evans to audition for the role."

There's Something About Mary and The Truman Show are movies scheduled for summer release. No one knows if they will be successful except Kazir.

"That's enough." Viggo Mortensen nodded.

"Viggo, before we talk about it, the two movies I recommend to them are still not in theaters. There are no clear results for you to trust me. So I advise you not to believe everything I say."

"I understand. I want to ask your opinion because you are one of the best directors I know."

"Viggo, you know I can't increase your salary no matter how much you praise me."

"How about you give me more screen time?"

"But you're already the lead."

The two men laughed. Mild jokes were good to lighten the atmosphere.

"Go ahead, you can ask me."

"Actually, my agent contacted me and said he received an invitation for me to audition for a project. I'm skeptical about whether this project can help me further my career.

"Can I hear the title of this project?"

"It's nothing new. It's the Lord of the Rings."

"..."

Kazir almost coughed. It seemed that New Line Cinema and Miramax were in negotiations.

Actually, Kazir Grey tried to buy the copyrights, but it was impossible to acquire them. Miramax owned the copyright and they didn't want to sell it to Grey Pictures. Harvey Weinstein still held a grudge and so did Kazir Grey.

The last time he heard, New Line Cinema contacted Miramax about The Lord of the Rings. The two studios decided to work together on the project, but Miramax stepped back because they felt it was impossible to adapt the classic novel.

In the end, Miramax sold the copyright to New Line Cinema and let them take responsibility.

'Harvey Weinstein would probably regret that decision.'

According to Kazir's recollection, The Lord of the Rings had two years of pre-production. The pre-production took two years for obvious reasons. The budget and props take time to prepare.

"I know The Lord Of The Rings is a classic and Star Wars was created because of the inspiration George Lucas got from The Lord Of The Rings. But I'm afraid that my decision will be wrong, so I'm looking for an opinion from a professional, just like you, Director Grey. Frankly, I think adapting The Hobbit is a better choice."

The Lord of the Rings is considered the mother of all fantasy genres. However, The Hobbit was written by J.R.R. Tolkien before The Fellowship Of The Rings.

"Let me guess, the director is Peter Jackson?"

"That's right."

"..."

Peter Jackson, of all the directors in Hollywood, he was the only one who persisted to adapt The Lord Of The Rings. George Lucas had the chance, but he didn't choose to do it. Because everyone knows how hard it is to adapt a classic like The Lord Of The Rings. The backlash from avid fans was one of the reasons. The production cost was astronomical as well since they need a proper VFX(Visual Effects).

But...

"This is just my opinion. I have met Peter Jackson twice and I know he is a hard working man. I think he takes this project seriously."

To be precise, he met Peter Jackson in his previous life and his impression of him was mostly positive. He was an avid Lord of the Rings fan.

Too bad, New Line Cinema fucked Peter Jackson and didn't pay him according to the contract.

"The adaptation of Lord Of The Rings is difficult, but there's always the first in everything. Maybe The Lord Of The Rings will start the epic genre".

"I see... I don't have any upcoming projects and the role they gave me is an important one. Maybe I'll give it a chance."

Viggo smiled and thanked Kazir for his opinion.

"It's still pre-production and it will not distract me from shooting John Wick. Thank you, director."

"Glad I could help."

The two parted. Of course, they would meet again tomorrow.

Maybe next year Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) will go to New Zealand with the Lord of the Rings crew.

'I look forward to seeing that movie again.'

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to 736b!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 141


"You look good in that suit, sir."

Erica Mendez praised Kazir.

"I don't like makeup on my face, but I guess I have no choice."

Kazir hired a professional designer. The time was hectic, so the suit he wore was made in three days. As for his appearance, he was given a light touch-up to make sure his face didn't look oily on camera.

'I'm not one of the presenters and I'm just a regular guest.'

But the cameras in the room were everywhere, ready to capture their expressions. At least Kazir had to be prepared. There was no harm in that.

"Erica, you can go now. I'll take care of myself."

"Yes, sir."

Kazir Grey was the type who preferred to be alone. As a mature old man who had gone back in time, he didn't like too much interaction.

'I am always alone in my past life, and I carried that trait with me even now.'

Some things were hard to change.

After thanking the designer and Erica, he said goodbye.

As he walked out of the building, a limousine was waiting for him. Salvatore arrived in a limousine.

"Looks like you're getting rich." Kazir grinned.

"Don't joke. I'm just renting this car, so don't scratch it."

"Of course."

Kazir got into the limousine. It would be embarrassing if he showed up at the Shrine Auditorium in a bumpy car.

"Tch, you have millions in your bank account! Why don't you buy yourself a luxury car?"

If Salvatore Barlowe made 7 figures last year, Kazir Grey made 8 figures. The difference was astronomical. Furthermore, Grey Pictures' profit for the last 8 months was over $100 million.

"Meh, my Honda works fine. Why do I need to buy another one?"

Kazir shrugged and found it pointless. He didn't like luxury cars in the first place, especially Ferraris.

'I can't customize a Ferrari car, so it's garbage.'

His opinion about cars might be incomplete.

"Kazir, I have a suggestion. Try to contact the important members of the Academy. They can help you."

"I know."

The members of the Academy are old men from the old era of Hollywood. Because of their age, they have made many connections.

Another thing to note was that the higher-ups of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science (MPAS) are mostly Jews. It was related to the migration back in World War 2, Jews gradually set their roots in Hollywood and some sectors of the US.

"Do you understand what I mean?"

"Of course Salvatore, if there's a chance I'll talk to them."

Just like that, they reached the Shrine Auditorium. The arrival of the actors was arranged, and Kazir's limousine was the 22nd car to arrive.

As usual, Kazir Grey walked the red carpet, waved, posed for cameras and was interviewed by an ABC reporter. Standard procedure.

"Our most handsome director, Kazir Grey! Where is the muse of our handsome director?"

This time the reporter was a flirtatious woman. She was wearing a red dress, her cleavage was quite obvious because she has massive ahem--!

Anyway, Kazir Grey was already a famous director, and many actresses tried to seduce him. Most of the time he attended parties and movie premieres alone. Only Reese Witherspoon was the woman who could be his partner.

Well, many women tried to break this record. Hollywood was a place where beauties were everywhere. If Kazir Grey is a real man, the time will come when he will have a relationship with another woman.

"I'm single, so I think I'm allowed to go to the Oscars with myself."

The reporter giggled and slipped her contact number into his pocket. Kazir kept his smile on, but he didn't like it at all.

"Are you confident that you will win Best Screenplay? And who do you think will win if you're not sure about yourself?"

"I watched Goodwill Hunting and I like it."

"Aha. So you think Matt Damon will get the award."

"Honestly, I want to win." He laughed.

Taken was nominated for Best Screenplay, and since Kazir Grey was the screenwriter, the honor was his.

He knew his biggest enemy was Matt Damon, who wrote Goodwill Hunting.

'Besides, Matt Damon might become Jason Bourne, so I can't make any trouble.'

Everybody knows that Matt Damon is Jason Bourne. Even though Matt Damon was young, he was Kazir's first choice to play Jason Bourne.

'Anyway, it's just a screenplay. What I want is the Best Director statue.'

"I think this is James Cameron's year. I saw Titanic and I cried a lot."

Kazir Grey excused himself and entered the auditorium. The place was already half full and the program would start once everyone was inside.

Titanic received 14 nominations. They have a good chance to win more than half of the 14 nominations.

'One thing is for sure... James Cameron is going to win Best Director this year. It's a good thing I don't have a nomination, otherwise it would be useless against him.'

No one could stop the Titanic trend. Not even Kazir Grey.

Kazir Grey looked around and found the Taken section. Liam Neeson and the rest of the Taken cast were waiting for him. He even found the little brat named Scarlett Johansson.

"You're late."

"I'm not free like you. I have so many things to do." Kazir replied to the little girl.

"Me too! I'm attending school! Humph!"

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 142


Winning an Oscar increased the popularity of an actor or actress. It was a sign that the industry accepted them. A proof of their achievement in the movie industry.

It was a great honor. Actors and actresses were crazy about this award because of what it meant.

In addition, there was the salary increase... Actors/actresses who have won the Oscars have a significant salary increase in their careers. They have a better position in the film industry, the best position to choose roles, and film companies take them seriously.

It was a status that few artists could achieve. Of course, the result was the same for directors.

Kazir Grey was one of those people who dreamed of winning the Best Director award.

In fact, he already had a formula in his head. Being from the future, he knew the best way to win the Oscars.

The jury likes realistic movies. To be precise, they like movies that are based on real people or real events. They like to see human emotion. They despise movies with a hint of fantasy genre and they don't like movies produced for profit.

In fact, many actors/actresses chose roles based on real people because of this. Hell, it was better if the role was about a crazy or handicapped or fat person.

Rami Malek won the Oscars after portraying Freddie Mercury in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody.

Gary Oldman took on the role of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour and won Best Actor.

Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in 2014's The Theory of Relativity.

The list goes on and on. This chapter may not be enough to list them all.

'Meryl Streep, Charlize Theron, Julia Roberts, and even Reese Witherspoon have used the same method to win Oscars. And there's nothing wrong with it. It's a sure-win strategy. So I laugh at the Academy's obvious bias.'

This is why he was a little sad about Liam Neeson. Taken was a good movie and to have nominations was an achievement. Unfortunately Liam Neeson's role was fictional.

If there was one good thing about Taken, the movie spread awareness about the horror of sex trafficking. This noble idea earned them nominations.

Fortunately, As Good As It Gets is fiction and Jack Nicholson's character is not based on a real person. At least Liam Neeson has a good chance of winning.

Maybe this was a good year for Liam Neeson to be nominated.

Kazir sits down. His row consisted mainly of the crew of Taken. Liam Neeson was next to him, quite nervous under his smile.

"Don't worry Liam, you have a good chance to win the Oscar."

"Thanks Kazir."

The two laughed to lighten the atmosphere. Perhaps Liam Neeson was the most nervous of their crew.

"Oh, I forgot about Baker Saylor. I'm sure he's nervous too."

Baker Saylor was the sound editor of Taken. He was introduced by Salvatore Barlowe. He was a hardworking man and the sound editing was perfect.

Taken received three nominations.

Best Actor: Liam Neeson

Original Screenplay: Kazir Grey

Sound Editing: Baker Saylor

Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor are major awards, while Best Sound Editing is a minor award.

More people from the industry showed up in glamorous attire.

Fortunately, fashion sense makes sense these days... Unlike next two decades when a garbage bag would become a sense of fashion. Balenciaga was crazy for selling a trash bag for thousand dollars.

The ceremony began with a parody of Titanic, hosted by Billy Crystal... From the moment the show started, everyone already knew the biggest winner of the 1998 Oscars.

Everyone was expecting it in their hearts, considering that Titanic had already crossed the $1 billion mark. The second movie to make $1 billion worldwide. They definitely got the Best Picture, for sure.

The awards ceremony continued. The presenters came out one by one and announced the winners.

Of course, no one forgets the performances. The best performance at the Oscars this year was My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion, the theme song from Titanic.

Then the presenter for Best Sound Editing came on stage. It was none other than Cameron Diaz.

Kazir Grey didn't expect the woman to be the presenter.

The woman said a few things before opening the envelope. She looked over the audience until her gaze stopped on Kazir Grey.

'Is it my imagination or is she looking at me?'

Kazir Grey didn't avert his gaze and looked at her eye-to-eye. He had no reason to look away.

The woman smiled and said the nominations like Titanic, Taken, Air Force One, Con Air and Contact.

"Congratulations, Gary Rydstorm and Tom Johnson of Titanic for winning Best Sound Editing!"

Cameron Diaz ended the suspense and everyone in the room clapped. Titanic has won 4 awards so far.

Before leaving, Cameron Diaz looked at Kazir and winked.

"..."

The ceremony continued until the big awards were handed out.

Everyone sat in their seats.

The first to be announced was Best Supporting Actor. The winner was Robin Williams as Dr. Sean Maguire in Goodwill Hunting.

Then the presenter for Best Original Screenplay appeared. The presenter was Walter Matthau, an old veteran actor.

Walter stood on the stage.

"The nominees for Best Original Screenplay are:"

Goodwill Hunting by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

As Good As It Gets by Mark Andrus and James L. Brooks.

The Full Monty, by Simon Beaufoy.

Boogie Nights by Paul Thomas Anderson.

Taken by Kazir Grey.

Though his hopes were not high, Kazir Grey could not help but be nervous.

Seconds passed before Walter Matthau opened the envelope. Then he announced the winner.

"The winner for Best Original Screenplay is... Kazir Grey! Congratulations!"

The people began to clap.

"Huh?"

Kazir was surprised.

'What the fuck? We didn't do any PR, why did I win?' He thought to himself.

He stood on the stage. He hadn't prepared a speech, so he just thanked his crew, his family and the cast of Taken.

When he went backstage, he was totally stunned.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 143


"I would like to thank the entire production crew, the cast, my father, and my brother. Without you, it's impossible for me to reach this stage. Thank you very much."

Kazir smiled and the audience applauded. Kazir Grey looked like a rugged, handsome man. Over six feet tall, broad shoulders, and a dark short beard. A masculine kind of handsomeness.

He waved his hand and left the stage. The coordinator motioned for him to go backstage and Kazir Grey walked confidently... Hiding his awkwardness.

'If I know I'm going to win, I should have prepared a speech.'

He didn't think he would get the award. Especially when they didn't have any PR (Public Relations).

"Sir, you can go back to your seat when the commercial starts."

The coordinator said while another presenter introduced the nominations for Best Actress.

"Congratulations, Director Grey."

Robin Williams reached out for a handshake.

"Thank you, Mr. Williams." Kazir accepted his handshake.

The two were at backstage waiting for the commercial. They were both holding Oscar statues.

Honestly, Kazir felt awkward because Robin Williams was part of Good Will Hunting. Everyone strongly believed that Good Will Hunting would win Best Original Screenplay, but Kazir unexpectedly won it.

"Haha, you don't have to be embarrassed. These things happen sometimes. We can't predict the future."

"That's right."

Kazir Grey could not agree more. It seemed that his knowledge was slowly becoming useless against the unpredictable flow of time.

"By the way, congratulations in advance. Taken might get two awards tonight."

"You mean the Best Actor award?"

"That's right. Jack Nicholson is the strongest contender, but the impact of Taken last year is enormous. It spread awareness about the dangers of human trafficking. The movement it created caused a massive change in society. It's so influencial."

Kazir nodded. He knew that an organization had been created to help people suffering from this kind of injustice. Moreover, Liam Neeson had become an ambassador for the movement. Maybe the members of the Academy would vote for Liam Neeson because of that. Considering that the Academy loves to shower itself with humanitarian work.

"You know what they call Liam Neeson these days? They call him the Rescuer. Some call him Daddy Rescuer... So yeah, you get the gist."

Well, Liam Neeson was famous for having roles that involved saving people. The Taken trilogy, Non-Stop, and Schindler's List. Just some of the movies he was in that were about saving people.

"Honestly, I'm skeptical about only getting three nominations. With the good influence that Taken has spread, I think you deserve a Best Picture nomination as well."

Robert Williams added. He had no grudge against Kazir Grey or the Taken crew. In his opinion, making a connection was better than holding a grudge. Making a good impression was the best choice. Maybe they could cooperate next time. After all, Kazir Grey was a great director.

"I have only one answer: Paramount."

"Understood, have a nice day."

With one word, Robin Williams knew the answer.

Paramount was one of the investors in Titanic. It could not share its resources, especially for a movie like Taken. Taken was completely owned by Grey Pictures, it would be pointless for Paramount to promote the movie.

Besides, Kazir knew that Titanic would win most of the awards this year, so he had no reason to waste his money on PR.

'It is impossible to beat Titanic. So it's better to choose a better year to compete instead of facing a huge boat.'

That was the best answer in this situation. However, Kazir didn't expect to win an Oscar without any PR.

'I guess this is another achievement I can be proud of.'

Perhaps Kazir was not confident in his movie. He didn't expect that he would win even though Taken had a very strong influence last year.

A few minutes later, the audience started clapping again.

Helen Hunt went backstage. She saw Robin Williams and Kazir Grey talking. She smiled and greeted them, and they congratulated each other on the awards they had won.

Unfortunately, Helen Hunt didn't have time to talk to Kazir Grey because the coordinator told them to return to their seats.

Kazir Grey sat down and sighed. He was happy, of course.

"Congratulations, Kazir." Liam Neeson was happy for him.

"Liam, I think you are going to win Best Actor."

At first, Kazir was skeptical about Liam Neeson's chances of winning the statue. But after what he experienced, he felt that Liam Neeson would win.

Robin Williams was right, the impact of Taken was not just a simple action movie. It opened a lot of people's eyes. And for that, the Academy deserves to give them an award.

'I regret that I didn't give Liam too many emotional scenes. The Academy loves explosive acting.'

"I hope so."

Liam Neeson laughed nervously. He knew his role was too weak against Jack Nicholson's. But this was his second chance to get nominated, and it would be foolish of him to pass up the opportunity.

Luckily, CAA was great at PR and they helped him a lot.

"Liam, let's set up a time to talk. I have something to tell you."

"I hope it's not something bad, right?" Liam Neeson looked at him.

"I don't think it is."

"Of course. If I win Best Actor, I'll take you to a nice restaurant."

"Nah, I'm good with fast food restaurants."

The two laughed.

When the commercial ended, the live broadcast resumed.

This time, the Best Actor presenter, Frances McDormand, smiled into the camera.

She announced the nominations. Five cameras were directed at the nominated actors.

Liam Neeson kept his smile on and showed a calm expression. However, he was sweating on his back.

Winning the Best Actor award was very important to him. He dreamed of getting one, especially after his nominations for Schindler's List. He wanted one, a proof of his achievement in the industry. And an Oscar statue was the best way to prove it.

He clenched his fists and hoped his prayers would be answered.

+++++

[I'm broke, so I'm shamelessly promoting my Patreon. You can read up to 127 chapters in advance on my Patreon.]

https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to BS Entertainment and Manognya P!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 144


The whole place fell silent, waiting for the announcement. The cameras never left the five actors, broadcasting their expressions live.

The presenter opened the envelope and paused for a few seconds, leaving the nominated actors nervous.

"The winner is..."

Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Robert Duvall, Dustin Hoffman and Liam Neeson held their expressions under suffocating tension.

Then the host said the name.

"Congratulations, Liam Neeson, for winning Best Actor!"

The expressions of the four actors were good... They didn't show clear disapproval, they just smiled in the right way. Although deep inside, they were devastated.

As for Liam Neeson. The man stood up and straightened his tuxedo. Then he shook hands with director Kazir Grey and producer Harold Witsend.

"Kazir, thank you for giving me this opportunity."

"Don't joke. We all know this is the fruit of your hard work."

Kazir laughed.

'Damn. Sometimes I don't know how things are going to turn out. My prediction is way off.' Kazir thought.

Liam Neeson stood on stage.

"... Liam's salary will probably go up." Harold Witsend muttered and Kazir nodded.

"You're right... Keep it down if possible. We signed a contract."

If there was one thing that worried Kazir, it was the change in the director's position.

'He's in a good mood, so he won't be mad if I tell him I'm not directing Taken 2, right?'

Only God knows the answer. One thing was clear, the crew was happy about the awards they received.

Then it was time for the Best Director announcement. As everyone expected, director James Cameron won the award.

The guy came on stage and jokingly shouted "I'm the king of the world, wooohh!". People laughed and applauded.

Everyone has probably seen the movie Titanic and knows that line.

Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) shouted that line as he stood at the edge of the ship.

Of course, knowing James Cameron's skills, no one could deny that he was the king. The king of the blockbuster. Since then, his only competition for the biggest box office was himself. My man kept outdoing himself.

Then came the final award, and it was no shocker. Titanic won Best Picture with no suspense.

Titanic got 11 awards while Taken only got 2. Well, that was not bad.

When the ceremony was over, Kazir was invited by the old members of the Academy.

He had an idea when he saw a person he recognized. One of the old members approached him.

"Kazir Grey, I believe this is the first time we have met. I'm Frank Pierson. You can call me Frank."

"Nice to meet you, Frank."

"Hm, you look like a strict and uptight guy. We are happy to know that a person like you is becoming famous. Keep it up. You are one of us."

"Yes," Kazir said.

Now he understood why he had won. Most of the old members of the Academy were Jews, and despite their age, they had a strong influence.

Since Kazir was one of them, it was not a bad thing to give him an award. It was his award for spreading awareness in society.

The two ended their conversation, leaving each other with impressions.

'... Looks like I can win the Best Director award if I try hard.'

That was the only thing he realized when he talked to Frank Pierson, the current president of the Academy.

"Hm?"

Suddenly Kazir saw some people out of the corner of his eye. He turned around and saw three people staring at him.

Three people. Harvey Weinstein, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

'Now that I think about it, Miramax is the distributor of Good Will Hunting. I heard they spent a lot of money on PR to win some awards. '

Unfortunately, Titanic was their biggest obstacle.

'But I guess they didn't like it when Taken won two awards.'

To be honest, Kazir felt good seeing Harvey's unfiltered resentment. He looked ugly with that expression. The fat in his face was quivering angrily.

Still, Kazir didn't like that Matt Damon was staring at him, too. He could not read Matt Damon's feelings because the guy was just staring, Ben Affleck was doing the same.

Kazir was hoping to invite Matt Damon to audition for the role of Jason Bourne.

'Do I have to find another actor, like I did with John Wick?'

Anyway, Kazir walked away because it was so awkward. He was the director in the first place. He would pick whoever he wanted.

'If Matt Damon had a grudge, so be it.'

With this unexpected victory, the crew decided to throw a party.

Liam Neeson's team prepared a party for the crew. Even though Liam's chances of winning were slim, they should prepare a party just in case.

"Kazir, ahahaha! Choosing your script is the best decision I have ever made in my life!"

Liam Neeson hiccupped after downing a bottle of alcohol. Well, he had every reason to celebrate and get drunk.

"That's good to hear. Now promise me that you will not leave Taken 2, no matter what happens."

"Of course! Why would I leave the crew? It's the movie that gave me my Oscar statue!"

"Haha."

Kazir was satisfied with that. He drank another glass of vodka and sighed at its smooth heaviness.

He knew he was getting tipsy. He got up and went to the balcony to get some fresh air. He thought he was hallucinating when he saw a woman sitting next to a statue.

"You are...?"

He narrowed his eyes. Maybe he drank too much because his vision was blurred.

Winning Best Original Screenplay made him so happy that he didn't hesitate to drink any alcohol he touched.

++++

[Author's Note: I have three things to say/ask.]

1. [I decided to let Liam Neeson win, because why not?]

2. [Do you want Matt Damon to be Jason Bourne?]

3. [Who do you think was the woman next to the statue?]

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Mili B!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 145


Kazir stumbled to the railing, wobbling quite a bit.

The woman turned to her right and found an unsteady man.

"Excuse me, are you okay?"

She looked up at the city lights as the man stepped onto the balcony. Still, this was a party and the balcony was free for everyone to use.

"Yeah, I think I'm fine," Kazir replied, kneading his forehead hard.

"Um, do you want me to get you a glass of water?"

"Thanks, I really need it." He smiled bitterly.

His head hurt and his vision was blurry. He also felt like throwing up.

Kazir Grey likes to drink, but he never likes the feeling of a hangover. So he never gets to the point where he has to go blank. But today's party affected him.

To be precise, he was happy about winning the golden statue and got drunk because of it.

"O- Okay, I'll get you one."

The woman went to the party and found a waiter handing out glasses of water. She grabbed two glasses and returned to see the man vomiting violently. Kazir was leaning against the wall, spitting out what he had ingested.

The woman flinched. It was disgusting to see a stranger throwing up.

Still, she handed him the water.

"Here."

"Thanks..."

Kazir Grey sobered up after vomiting and drinking two glasses of water.

'Damn, I'll definitely have a hangover tomorrow."

He thought.

"It's okay. Alcohol can be dangerous sometimes." The woman put down the glasses.

"Too much alcohol is dangerous."

"That's true." She agreed.

"By the way, have we met before?"

Curious, Kazir looked at the woman. He felt like he knew her, but he could not remember.

"Your pick-up line is too rusty. You should use a better line."

The woman sighed. It was the third time she had heard it tonight. She was here to make connections because her career was not getting any better.

She had heard that Grey Pictures was a new production company and the prospects were good.

But all she got was endless flirting from the opposite sex.

"Ah? I think you misunderstand, I have no intention of doing that."

"Okay?" She tilted her head.

She helped the man to his feet. The light on the balcony was too dim, so she had to get close to see his face.

Suddenly, the woman remembered a scene in the gym three years ago. She could not forget this memory because it was quite funny.

"Ah, now I remember. You're the fat guy who was wheezing in the gym!"

"..."

That was embarrassing. Sober for a while, Kazir remembered that scene as well.

"You're Jennifer Connelly."

"That's right. Wow, I can't believe you look so good now. Looks like you work hard."

"I'm proud of my accomplishments."

"It looks that way."

They both looked into each other's eyes before realizing that they were quite close. Jennifer was the first to step back. She smelled the terrible smell of alcohol on Kazir.

"Anyway, what's your name? It seems you're part of this industry too."

"I'm a director."

"Oh really?"

"I'm Kazir Grey."

"... You've got to be kidding me."

Jennifer Connelly was stunned. She didn't expect to hear that name from the man who threw up.

When she attended the party, her agent told her to flirt with Director Grey. To be honest, she didn't like the idea.

But now that she saw Kazir's performance... She had second thoughts, no, third thoughts.

"W- Well, I guess I have to go now. See you later."

"Okay, take care. Thanks for your help. You can go to Grey Pictures if you're interested in working with us."

Kazir waved his hand without a problem. He was shocked to see an actress alone on the balcony, but that was all.

He didn't have to act starstruck, he was a famous person too.

In fact, his name is probably more famous than Jennifer Connelly's. Especially after the scandal two years ago. Almost everybody knows his name.

Of course Kazir Grey found her attractive, but he was not a creepy asshole.

'Besides, I don't want to be part of the Me Too movement, the negative side of it, of course.'

Well, the main antagonist of the Me Too movement was none other than Harvey Weinstein.

"Jennifer Connelly, huh?"

Kazir actually has a crush on the actress. He was one of his top 5... that sounds bad.

Anyway, Kazir said goodbye to the party and finally returned to his apartment. He hired a taxi because it was too dangerous for him to drive.

As expected, he threw up in the toilet again.

He fell asleep in his dirty tuxedo. He was too tired to change.

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

When Kazir opened his eyes, a sharp pain hit his head. He groaned and rolled over to the left side of the bed.

"Fuck..."

He said. Then he sat up and looked at his watch. He realized he was late.

"Fuck!"

Kazir had never been late for filming. This might be the first time. He didn't have time to shower, so he changed his clothes instead.

He checked his phone and found dozens of messages and missed calls.

-- Hello, Kazir? Where are you?

Producer Harold Witsend contacted him.

"I'll be there! Just give me 15 minutes, no, half an hour. Give me half an hour and I'll be there. While I'm gone, tell Fremont to shoot the gas station scene."

Kazir quickly came out of the apartment and ran to the elevator.

"Okay. By the way, congratulations on the Oscar."

"Thanks." He said and ended the call.

Kazir Grey smiled. He was happy to have won Best Original Screenplay...

Unfortunately, the throbbing pain hit him again and his smile disappeared.

"Fuck. Painkiller might not be bad..."

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to ABDI ALI!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 146


When Kazir arrived at the set, he saw that the filming was already underway.

He nodded. It was good that there was someone who could help him with such things.

"I thought you would arrive within half an hour? It's already been over an hour."

Harold sighed and handed him a Starbucks coffee. Kazir looked at it before taking a sip. He needs something to fight his hangover.

"Traffic. Two cars collided and caused traffic."

Kazir was not lying. He took a different route because of it.

"Anyway, look at Fremont."

The two were a few feet away from the filming. Harold and Kazir looked at Fremont, who was watching the monitors intently.

"If you think he can do it, why not let him direct a small budget movie first?"

"Hm? Did Salvatore say something to you?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I guess not."

Kazir shrugged. Only two people knew, Salvatore and him. Kazir was waiting for the right moment to tell the crew. Maybe 1/4 of the crew would work for Fremont next year to film Taken 2.

'Salvatore is already putting together a new production team for Fremont.'

"Anyway, I know you are training Fremont to be a director. Everybody knows it."

"Salvatore asked for a favor and I can't say no. Besides, it will be good for Grey Pictures."

"I guess so. So what do you think?"

"He can do it, but it won't be easy."

"It's not easy for everyone. Making a movie is never easy."

"Indeed."

"Cut! Let's reshoot this scene. Viggo, keep a serious expression this time."

"Alright."

The gas station scene was where Iosef Tarasov and John Wick met.

The make-up team checked the two actors and gave them touch-ups to avoid sweating. It would look bad on camera if their faces were oily and shiny.

The crew started to move after being quiet. They saw Kazir Grey standing a few meters away from them. They greeted their boss and congratulated him on the award he had won last night.

Kazir was grateful. He hadn't expected to win, but he accepted it with all his heart.

"Director."

Then Fremont Smith stood up and greeted him.

"This is the footage we shot today, you can watch it while the actors rest."

"All right, I'll check it later. For now, keep doing what you're doing."

"Huh?"

Kazir tapped him on the shoulder.

"You are the director today. You know the schedule, so it will not be a problem. Just think of this as your training."

"O- Okay, boss!"

'Boss? Am I in mafia or something?'

Fremont smiled and nodded. He returned to the director's chair and watched the footage.

"What about you?" Harold looked at Kazir.

"I'm going to take a rest. I can't think straight with a hangover. What about you? You drank last night too."

"Not as much as you."

Harold chuckled. He knew Kazir was drunk dead last night. A very rare moment to see his friend not sober.

"How do you like your job? Do you enjoy being a producer?"

"I still like doing props, but it's not bad. It's actually quite good... I realized that commanding people is not so bad."

"You sadist."

"Haha."

Harold didn't deny it.

"So are you okay with supervising two projects in one year?"

"It depends, if the two projects are filmed at the same time, it might be difficult. I prefer both to be set in the US rather than abroad... Wait a minute!"

Harold paused and stared at Kazir, who was casually sipping coffee.

"Kazir, don't you dare..."

Kazir didn't answer. Instead, he walked away and went to the trailer reserved for him.

"Damn it!" Harold cursed. He already had an idea of the impending doom he would face.

"Well... The pay's not that bad."

Last year his salary was 7 figures. He might as well take on another project to make more money. He was currently dating a woman and was thinking about their future.

House, engagement ring, wedding, children and so many things. He had a lot to think about.

He scratched his head.

Now that Kazir had passed the baton to Fremont, the man started shooting again.

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

John Wick stopped at the gas station. His jolly dog looked out the window. The dog was professionally trained and could perform well when not under stress.

Then Iosef Tarasov and his bodyguards also stopped at the gas station. They spoke in Russian.

As for John Wick, he was minding his own business.

Unfortunately, Iosef Tarasov saw John Wick's car while lighting a cigarette. He was interested in the car.

"Nice ride. Mustang?" He said as he looked at the car.

"Mustang Boss 429." John replied.

Another term for Mustang Mach 1.

"Oh, nice car. How much?"

Iosef tapped the car and asked John Wick.

"Excuse me?"

"How much for the car?" Iosef asked in a slightly raised voice.

"It's not for sale."

John Wick jumped into the car.

"Oh, I love dogs." Iosef rubbed the dog and then looked at John Wick.

"Everything has a price." He said in Russian.

Out of Iosef's expectations, John Wick replied in Russian as well.

"Not this bitch."

Iosef was very annoyed as he looked at the Mustang leaving. He suddenly had an idea, a decision that would cost him his life.

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

"Okay, that's enough! Let's finish filming today."

Fremont was a little sad that he was only shooting one scene today. He had experience making short movies, but this was different.

Fremont could not help it. He wanted to get the best shot.

Now he realized how amazing Kazir's direction could be. He was fast and precise and knew how to film the scene without any excess.

He sighed.

He needs to step up his game.

+++++

[Many of you prefer Jennifer Connelly... and I'm happy with that. I will find a way to work her into this plot. Let me cook.]

[Edit... You might see her next 100 chapters.]

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Clifton R P and Hollo!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 147


"Fuck this! All that investment, for nothing!"

"Brother, you need to calm down."

Harvey Weinstein smashed the vase in his office. He was furious. His brother, Bob Weinstein, tried to stop him, but fat Harvey was too difficult to calm down.

"How can I calm down?"

Harvey flipped the table, sending more stuff to the floor.

"We have so much invested in this movie! We think we will win the Oscars!"

"I know. But we can't predict the future. Who knows Titanic will have a strong influence on the Academy members?" Bob Weinstein replied.

"Fuck Titanic! The critics said it was a big disappointment! Then what happened? Titanic has already grossed over 1 billion dollars! I tell you, movie critics are stupid! They are stupid!"

He gritted his teeth in anger.

"Calm down. We stopped all our investments when we realized that Titanic will compete for the Oscars. In a way, we are preventing greater damage."

Indeed. Miramax pulled back on its PR once Titanic began to show its strength.

To be honest, Harvey was not angry with Titanic...

If there was anything he was angry at, it was Taken. It was all Kazir's fault!

'Kazir Grey! You fucking bastard!'

Miramax believes they will get at least 2 awards, but the reality was often disappointing.

Good Will Hunting got only one award. The Best Supporting Actor award went to Robert Williams.

Miramax believes they will win Best Original Screenplay, but Kazir won it instead. It was a big slap in the face for Miramax, known as the king of PR.

"Fuck! My cholesterol is quivering with rage!"

He kicked the table. He almost slipped.

"Hah... Hah..." After throwing a fit, Harvey was breathing hard. His face was covered with oily sweat.

"... Contact some actresses, I want to have some fun."

"Okay."

"Tell them I will cast them in our next project."

He sat down.

"Kazir Grey, this is not the end.

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

"Matt, are you okay?"

Ben Affleck asked his friend, who was depressed after what had happened the night before.

The two were the screenwriters of Good Will Hunting. But Matt Damon had invested so much in the project more than him. He was deeply affected by the outcome.

"I'm sad. What about you?" Matt Damon looked at Ben Affleck.

"Same as you."

They both chuckled.

"Honestly, I thought I had a chance to win Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor."

"Nah, you are too young to win Best Actor."

"Haha, maybe you are right."

The two were silent for a minute. What happened at the Oscars was still fresh in their minds.

"I thought Good Will Hunting was our door to fame." Matt Damon said as he looked away.

"We're just unlucky. Titanic is so strong, while Taken is trending last year. Besides... We are not Jewish."

There were instances why people hated Jewish people. Probably this was one of the reasons.

"..."

"Anyway, this is no time to be sad. In fact, I have to congratulate you. Congratulations on getting a role in Saving Private Ryan. How scary is director Steven Spielberg?" Ben Affleck joked.

"You don't want to know."

"All right. Let's not think about it. We did our best. Besides, maybe we can work with Director Grey."

"Yeah..."

Matt Damon had a complicated look on his face, but he knew how important it was to make a connection. It was already a miracle that he got a role in Saving Private Ryan.

"If they have another project, how about we audition for the important roles? Luckily, we are both under CAA."

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

"Is everything ready?"

Kazir asked into his megaphone. The crew gave him the go signal.

"Graveyard scene, Take 5, Lights, Camera, Action!"

A sprinkler was used to create artificial rain in front of the camera, making the whole scene look desolate and depressing.

Everyone wore black clothes.

John Wick (Viggo Mortensen) stood in front of a grave. He watched as his wife's casket slowly descended to the ground.

Holding a black umbrella, his eyes never left the grave.

Time passed until only a few people remained at the funeral.

"John, I am sorry for your loss."

Raizo (Enzo Park), a ninja currently hiding from a certain organization, attended the funeral of his friend.

"Raizo, this place is not safe for you."

"I know."

After those two lines, the man walked off into the darkness and disappeared completely.

"I guess Raizo feels indebted to you."

Suddenly another man appeared.

"Marcus..."

"It's been a while. My condolences... How are you?"

"I keep asking why..."

The two talked for a while.

"John, don't blame yourself."

There was a pause in their conversation before John Wick asked him. The atmosphere turned cold.

"What are you really doing here Marcus?"

"... Just checking up on my old friend."

The rain did not stop, it became stronger instead.

"Cut! Let's do the scene again! Marcus, I mean, Willem, try to smile at the last line. Just a little smile."

"I understand, director."

"Throw more water on the ground! Make the spot look wet. That spot is dry, put some water there."

It would be embarrassing if some parts of the place were dry even though it was "raining". That kind of problem should not be shown on camera.

The filming was already 3/4 finished. It would take at least two weeks to finish the whole shooting. Everyone in the crew was happy. As for the cast, they were quite surprised because they didn't expect it to go so fast.

Kazir Grey was efficient as always, and the cast noticed.

Well, Hong Kong movies could be finished in a month. There was nothing strange if Grey Pictures could do it as well.

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[Merry Christmas guys! I'm busy yesterday so I can't update. Hope you guys will have a great day!]

[And since it's Christmas, I want to promote my Patreon! If you're interested in reading more of HWI, please visit my Patreon.]

https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Seth P and Jofrey V!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 148


"Are you okay?

Reese put a worried hand on Kazir's forehead. The man looked tired, the dark circles around his eyes were obvious.

"I'm fine. I can't miss this event. It's the first movie where you're the protagonist."

"... Okay." She smiled and kissed him on the forehead.

"Now let's contact Jane to hide your haggard face."

"I hope so."

The two chuckled.

John Wick wrapped in the second week of June. After that, Kazir Grey put all his time into post-production.

Of course, he hired his trusted editor, Rector Richman. The two have a good relationship and can talk without barriers. Other than that, Kazir had an editing team to take care of other editing jobs such as cutting useless scenes.

The movie was slowly coming together. The dubbing, the sound, the music, the editing, the transitions, everything was going well.

Then, after spending three weeks in the editing room, Kazir Grey was invited to the premiere of There's Something About Mary.

It was a publicity stunt to get attention. He would go to the theater with Reese Witherspoon.

In fact, 20th Century Fox, the investor in the movie, asked Kazir Grey to be one of their promotional methods.

People love to gossip, and 20th Century Fox would use Kazir and Reese's relationship to create hype. They would use this news to their advantage and promote the movie. That way, more people would see the movie.

Kazir was hesitant at first, but decided to agree. He wanted to make sure that Reese's movie would be successful.

However, Reese was the one who was against it. She felt like she was using Kazir and she didn't like it.

In the end, the two agreed to attend the premiere together. When reporters asked them about their relationship, they gave ambiguous answers.

"Alright. Looks like you can go."

Reese was pleased with Kazir's makeover. The bags under his eyes were gone and he looked fresh.

"We can go to the premiere!"

The two entered the limousine holding hands.

The main cast of There's Something About Mary was Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller, Lee Evans and Chris Elliott.

In the movie, these men were obsessed with Mary (Reese Witherspoon). They did their best just to get Mary's attention.

Some famous actors also attended the premiere. Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal were at the premiere to support Reese. Another reason why they were at the premiere was to promote Napoleon Dynamite III, which will be released in December.

Even Hugo Lameire was there. He was the director of Napoleon Dynamite II. He was smiling and letting the press take pictures of him. The attention he got was so-so.

The limousine arrived and Kazir Grey was the first to get out. He was wearing a neat gray tuxedo. He held out his hand to a beautiful woman.

Reese smiled and took his hand. The two walked down the red carpet, looking nice together.

Reporters bombarded them with pictures and questions, but the two just posed and smiled.

Most of the reporters were from News Corporation, maybe 2/3 of the reporters.

Of course, the interview from a major TV network would ask them before they went to the theater.

"Wow, you look good together." The reporter said.

The two giggled. Showing their affection for each other.

"Ahem, I know I'm crossing the line, but I have to ask this question. Are you two dating?"

Reese and Kazir were expecting this question. They looked at each other before answering.

"Reese is very important to me."

"I feel the same way about Kazir."

"Aww..."

After that, the reporter let them slide into the theater. Their answer was enough to make a topic.

"I must apologize." Reese smiled bitterly.

"They made you dirty." She added.

"What are you talking about? It doesn't concern me. Besides, it's good for John Wick as well, another method to promote my movie."

"I see. So only John Wick is all in your head." She pouted and tightened her grip on his arm.

"Honestly, yes."

"What did you say?"

"Haha, of course I'm joking."

"Humph!"

The two found their seats, which were in the front row with the cast.

Before the movie started, the higher-ups of 20th Century Fox greeted them. Kazir Grey met Tom Rothman again... As always, they talked about scripts and whether Kazir was interested in working with 20th Century Fox.

The two of them had a good relationship, so there was no need to play hard to get. In the end, Kazir didn't promise anything.

'Our contract with Paramount expires next year. Maybe working with 20th Century Fox is not bad... Let's think about it when we get there.'

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

The premiere of There's Something About Mary did well. It grossed $4 million on the first day. That was a good result back in the 90s. Only abnormal movies like Taken could get $17 million on the first day.

After that, the first weekend got a result of $17 million.

Unfortunately, The Mask Of Zorro was released in the same week, so There's Something About Mary didn't get the box office champion for that week.

The next weekdays also had a good result. From July 20 to 25, the movie earned another $23 million. All in all, the movie grossed $40 million.

The budget of There's Something About Mary was only $23 million. It was obvious that the box office already exceeded the investment, which was a good thing.

It seemed that Reese Witherspoon's career would be better after this. From a second-rate actress to a first-rate actress who could easily get a million-dollar contract.

However, while others were celebrating the movie's success, one person was gritting her teeth in regret.

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[I would like to apologize if I made grammatical mistakes or misspelled people's names and movie titles. I have no excuse except my own stupidity... As for correcting the grammar mistakes, names and movies, I'll say that I'm too lazy to correct them. I publish this story in four platforms and I'm lazy to edit them. That's the truth... I really apologize].

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to bomber-harris!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 149


"Tch... I made a big mistake this time."

Cameron Diaz bit her nail in frustration. She could not sleep properly these days. Regret was haunting her.

The third week of There's Something About Mary ended and the result was $60.05 million.

The movie was a success. And Reese Witherspoon was becoming more famous by the day.

The cast of There's Something About Mary was promoting the movie in North America and it was clear that they were doing well.

"Damn it!"

She screamed, smashing the nearest object to her, a painting that cost at least $50,000.

She breathed hard... She tried her best to accept the reality that she didn't get the role. But it was still painful to think about it.

'I should have accepted a $1.5 million salary! No, I'll take it even if it's $1 million.'

It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to advance her career, and she lost it.

"No... This is not over."

Cameron Diaz looked at the newspaper on the table. The headline was about Kazir and Reese's relationship. Some speculated that the two were hiding the truth, but they were actually dating.

To be honest, Cameron Diaz was attracted to Kazir. The guy was her type. And now she has all the more reason to seduce him.

'Let's see how he can last.'

What is the best way to break someone's heart? By destroying the trust/love they have been building for so many years.

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

"Director, is it true that you're the one who recommended the script to Reese Witherspoon?"

"How can I put it, I just heard that there was a project that 20th Century Fox was cooking up, so I asked Reese to try and audition. I'm clueless about everything."

Because the movie was selling well, some reporters interested in their relationship knocked on the door of Grey Pictures.

The entrance to the company was blocked by dozens of reporters who wanted to know about director Grey.

Kazir Grey stayed in the editing room for three days before leaving the company. He was stunned to see so many people waiting for him.

In the end, he decided to play with them for a few minutes.

'I am not lying anyway.'

"Director Grey, is it true that you and Reese Witherspoon are dating?"

Kazir glanced at the reporter asking him the question. He recognized the man.

'I think he's from News Corporation. As expected, 20th Century Fox is stubborn.'

He just smiled and got into the car. He had entertained the reporters/paparazzi enough. They tried to block Kazir, but the man was quite strong.

"Phew... This is getting out of hand."

"Sir, it's because you're famous. You are one of the people in Hollywood who has a normal life and people are interested in you."

Erica Mendez said to him during the ride.

"..."

The life of a celebrity was dangerous. He didn't want to shower himself with fake compliments and become a narcissist.

There are so many narcissists in Hollywood. People who live in lies. People who think they are gods and goddesses to be worshipped.

Fortunately, Kazir Grey knew the reality and he would never succumb.

Drugs, sex, vice, pedophilia, abortion, even rape. Hollywood has it all.

"Take me to Paramount."

Today was his meeting with Brad Grey. He gave Hector a day off after three days in that dark room. They both need a break to relax their minds. When it comes to editing, the two of them put their heads together to come up with transitions and cuts that are perfectly in sync with the theme of the movie.

So yes, rest is important.

"It will take 15 minutes."

"Alright."

They arrived at Paramount's headquarters within the expected time.

"Hm?"

Kazir turned around and noticed that some people were following his car.

They are acting normal, but it's obvious that they are paparazzi.

"Don't mind them, sir, they can't get any closer." Erica Mendez knew there were some cars following them.

"Okay..."

Ah yes, the paparazzi who didn't care about privacy. There must be a place in hell for these people.

Kazir shook his head and left them alone. They could not enter the Paramount headquarters anyway.

'Wait all you want.'

"I'm here to meet Brad Grey."

"Let me check the list, sir."

Kazir spoke to the receptionist. The woman contacted Brad Grey's secretary to let him know that Director Grey had arrived.

The two reached the CEO's office.

"Kazir! My nephew!"

'... I don't know about that. You and my father are third cousins, and I believe we have no connection at all. Except as acquaintances or business partners.'

Kazir kept that in mind and accepted Brad Grey's warm hug.

"You can sit down. And you too, Miss Mendez."

The two began to talk about their collaboration. As for Erica, she was just there.

"Kazir, the last round of auditions for Meet The Parents is next week. I hope you can be there."

"Of course."

Kazir nodded. He didn't have a problem with it. He was the executive producer and screenwriter of the movie. He wanted to make sure that his script would do well at the box office.

"Is Ben Stiller the protagonist?"

"Yes, we have already signed a contract. The only roles that are open are Jack Byrnes and Pam Byrnes. We have invited Robert De Niro to audition for the role of Jack Byrnes."

Jack Byrnes was the father-in-law in the movie. He was a retired CIA agent who caused so much trouble to Gaylord Focker (Ben Stiller).

Kazir nodded.

"About Pam Byrnes..."

"I know. Your agent, Salvatore Barlowe, introduced us to Brianna Evans. I can tell you there's no problem with her acting or her salary. However, some actresses have the same advantage as her, like Teri Polo."

"..."

Kazir realized something immediately.

'There must be some politics going on in the crew. People are trying to push their favored actress to get the part. Well, I'm basically doing the same thing. Helping Brianna Evans get the part. Also... Who is Teri Polo? Never heard of her.'

Anyway, it all depends on the results of the last round of auditions for the heroine.

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[IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: I want to say that this is just a fanfiction. Do not take it seriously. Just have fun.]