HOLLYWOOD WHAT IF

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Zach P!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 180


A flight attendant gently pushed the cart into the first-class section of the plane.

This section of the plane had many small rooms that were occupied by people who could afford first-class tickets.

The room was tiny, and at best only one person could use it. Still, in that situation in a plane, to have that kind of privacy was a luxury. In fact, only a few airlines had first-class sections with such private rooms.

"Here's your meal, ma'am."

The flight attendant knocked on the door and informed the woman in one of the rooms.

"Thank you."

Stella Willow opened the room and thanked her.

Actually, this was her dinner. It was still 9 p.m. when she arrived at JFK International Airport to get to the plane.

In a sense, the food she ordered was her dinner.

However, the scenery outside showed that it was already morning. The sun was shining. She looked out the window and all she could see was blue. The blue sky and the blue sea.

A few hours later, she would be landing in Italy.

After leaving her position at NBC, Stella Willow applied for the position of General Manager at Grey Pictures.

She heard that this production studio had made Taken and John Wick. She had seen those movies and could say that she was a fan.

More specifically, she was a fan of Director Grey. As a production manager, Stella Willow realized that Kazir's filmography didn't have any similarities at all, except for the fact that they were made by one person.

His filmmaking style was different in each film.

Almost as if he had a reference and just copied it.

All of his films didn't have the strong artistic style that most directors have. His films were made for the purpose of entertainment. It was amazing that Kazir Grey could control and limit his artistic sense in filming.

Directors always have an artistic sense/style in them, it is their signature.

David Fincher loves to use gray and brown tones in his movies, which reflects the dullness/heaviness theme in his movies.

Director Tim Burton, his movies were always gothic style. Whenever someone thought of gothic style movies, Tim Burton was always on the list.

As for Quentin Tarantino. A famous director known for his portrayal of extreme violence in his movies. And he loves filming actresses' feet for some reasons...

After watching all of Kazir's movies, Stella Willow realized that Kazir Grey evolved when he created Napoleon Dynamite.

His previous movies before Napoleon Dynamite are small-budget horror movies, and they are all slasher movies with blood splattering everywhere.

His first three horror movies had similarities, but he changed his style when Napoleon Dynamite came out. How could a director who made bloody horror movies make a wholesome comedy? Where did the inspiration come from?

As for Se7en, which Kazir wrote and sold to New Line Cinema, she didn't feel anything strange about it. After all, Se7en was also a bloody movie.

'But his writing has definitely improved since Se7en.'

When she decided to work for Grey Pictures, Stella Willow began researching Kazir. Then she realized that Kazir's life had changed after his divorce.

"He is probably an interesting guy."

Slicing the medium-rare steak with a knife, Stella Willow recalled how she was hired.

The management of Grey Pictures chose her because she was the most qualified for the position. The two people before her had experience in show business, but their accomplishments were nothing compared to hers.

As a production manager, she was responsible for so many TV shows on NBC. The performance of NBC was better because of her leadership.

At the age of 36, she was a career woman who proved herself to the world.

'With my savings, I didn't have to think about working anymore, and I even bought an RV to travel around the country. But I realized that my passion for my work is very strong and I want to work. At the very least, I want to prove to the people at NBC that I can do better.'

When she heard that Grey Pictures was looking for a general manager, she used her connections to apply.

First, she was interested in the production studio because Kazir Grey was planning something big.

Second, she knew it would be difficult for her to get a good position in the Big Six.

Third, she could start her own business. Maybe a talent agency or a production studio, but she was not an agent or a director.

'I can be a producer.'

As a producer, she was good at managing people and teams.

Kazir Grey plans to create one big project that will tie all of his action films together. Obviously, his current project, The Bourne Identity, is part of that huge plan.

She was interested to see the result. No, she wanted to see the success of this project. So joining Grey Pictures was a good thing for her.

Before she was officially hired. First she had to meet Kazir Grey. They talked on the phone, but a face-to-face meeting was important.

So the company bought her a first class ticket to Italy.

After eating her breakfast/dinner, Stella Willow realized that the plane was about to land.

The flight attendant smiled and said goodbye to her. Once at the airport, Stella Willow found her contact who would take her to the set of The Bourne Identity.

"Miss Willow?" A young man in his early twenties greeted her. The man held a card with her name on it.

"That's right. What's your name?"

"My name is Palenque Simone. I'm Director Grey's assistant."

Stella Willow nodded as she heard his name. After watching Taken, she became aware the same people might kidnap her after she left the airport.

She knew Palenque Simone would be her contact. That put her mind at ease.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 181


Stella Willow was pleased that Palenque Simone had a car for them to use. She didn't want to use a taxi, maybe her perception of traveling changed after watching Taken.

What happened two years ago made citizens understand the dangers of traveling abroad.

The news about kidnapping and sex trafficking was quite strong two years ago, almost every form of media joined in. It made people in North America aware of their surroundings. It spread awareness, which was a good thing.

In fact, before Stella Willow got into the car, she looked at the license plate.

Then she sent the plate number to her boyfriend, just to be sure. Maybe she was being paranoid, but it was better than being kidnapped, right?

Palenque Simone noticed that the woman had a solemn expression on her face, so he decided to talk to her to improve the atmosphere.

He knew that this woman was going to be the General Manager of Grey Pictures. In a way, her position was higher than his, so the woman was his boss.

'I want to make a movie and a connection with people is a good thing.'

Palenque Simone and Stella Willow were talking. Stella looked like a knowledgeable woman and her answers were informative and proud, almost as if Palenque was talking to a genius.

Maybe that was why Stella was hired.

A few minutes later they reached their destination.

In a wide alley, Stella got out of the car and looked around.

She secretly sighed as she confirmed that this was the filming location.

She could see the tents used by the film crew. The trailers that the actors used to relax and change their makeup and appearance.

A few meters away from them, Stella saw a number of cameras pointed in a certain direction.

She also saw Kazir Grey sitting in his chair, staring at the seven monitors. Each monitor showed different angles, but they were all pointed at the car with two people having a conversation.

As a veteran of the industry, Stella Willow was used to this sort of thing.

Shooting a scene is always quiet. No one on the crew talks unless they are far from the set.

The silence is deafening, very different from what people imagine.

In this situation, only the actors can speak.

Stella Willow silently approached the set to get a better view.

She adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses. She saw two people acting in front of the cameras.

Cameron Diaz and Matt Damon had a scene together.

After Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) arrived at the bank indicated by the bullet, he realized that his name was indeed Jason Bourne.

But his happiness quickly faded when he realized that he had so many identities and passports that he could not be sure which identity was real or fake. Or maybe all those identities were fake.

Nevertheless, Jason Bourne decided to use his "Jason Bourne" identity.

He wanted to go to the United States to find out more about himself. But he found that the police were looking for him. Moreover, even the people in the US embassy were looking for him. On top of that, a certain secret organization was also looking for him.

Jason Bourne felt as if the world was against him.

After escaping from his pursuers, Jason Bourne found Marie Kreutz (Cameron Diaz) and tried to convince her to help him get out of the place.

Marie Kreutz was reluctant at first, but Jason Bourne gave her ten thousand dollars to convince her to use her car to get out of town.

In the end, the woman could not say no. The two traveled together.

"Cut!"

Kazir announced and the shooting paused. The weather was a bit chilly. Matt and Cameron's assistants quickly came over and gave them warm towels.

Then the actors didn't have much interaction and went to their respective trailers. They were obviously strangers.

This was normal in the industry.

On The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, Will Smith and Janet Hubert, the original Aunt Viv, didn't like each other despite their interactions on camera. At the end of season 3, Janet Hubert disappeared and another actress took over her role.

After all, actors and actresses were people. They could like or hate another person. That was nothing new.

Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in The Notebook. They didn't have a good relationship during the making of the movie. In fact, they hated each other... But the thing was, during the release of The Notebook, they became a couple! Maybe this was a promotional method to hype the movie. It was a good move because The Notebook was a success.

There were many cases of actors having secret fights on the set.

Luckily, it seemed that Matt Damon and Cameron Diaz were just strangers and there was no obvious beef.

'Maybe Cameron Diaz is aware that her boyfriend is the one directing the movie.'

Stella Willow thought.

When the shooting stopped, assistant director Palenque Simone informed director Grey that the general manager they had hired had arrived.

Kazir Grey nodded and looked at Stella Willow. He rose from his seat and greeted the woman.

"Miss Stella Willow, we spoke on the phone."

"Indeed. You are my boss, so I should hear your thoughts first."

"Very well. Before we talk business, would you like some coffee?"

"I prefer tea." The woman shook her head.

"Then I must disturb the crew."

Kazir motioned for one of the crew to bring Stella a cup of tea.

"We have Lipton tea, I hope that's okay with you."

"No problem."

"Then let's get down to business. 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros and Paramount are trying to come to an agreement right now." Kazir became serious.

The two found a table they could use.

"Sometimes allies become enemies," Stella muttered after nudging her glasses.

"Hm." Kazir nodded, agreeing with her.

+++++

[You can visit my Patreon if you want to read more. I have 140 advanced chapters there for $10. Just think of it as a privilege for people who want to support me financially, thanks for all your support. My brother just finished his semester with tuition paid in full. Thank you so much, It means a lot to me.]

https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Петр Голдобин!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 182


After signing a distribution deal with Sony-Columbia, the two sides had an understanding. Grey Pictures expressed their thoughts that The Bourne Identity would be released in late July or early August.

Sony-Columbia didn't have a problem with that schedule and agreed. As long as they didn't have a movie coming out on that schedule, they would distribute The Bourne Identity within that timeframe.

With Kazir's fast shooting style, the movie would be finished before the beginning of June. Maybe June 4th. There would be no problem with the shooting schedule.

In fact, by the second week of May, they had already shot more than 2/3 of the movie.

As for Taken 2, Grey Pictures was planning to release it in September or November. It depends on Fremont Smith's ability how fast he can shoot the movie. Of course, his crew members were also responsible for the speed of the production.

Unfortunately, unlike Kazir's efficient crew, Fremont's crew was recently formed and they didn't have strong cooperation. They were still getting to know each other's strengths and weaknesses.

With the two films that Grey Pictures would release, the company was expanding and the Big Six were alarmed.

Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox and Paramount were three film companies that Kazir Grey worked with. Their relationship was good, at least from a business standpoint.

The three major studios made money on his projects, and Kazir Grey made money as well. They got along quite well.

But that didn't change the fact that they were also rivals. Knowing that Grey Pictures was getting better and better, the three film companies couldn't help but block its way.

If there was something good, the three movie companies were not so relentless about it. After all, they were in the process of forming an alliance to prevent Grey Pictures from growing.

Maybe it was a good thing for Grey Pictures to have no distribution channels. Because as soon as they announced their intention to acquire a distribution channel, not only the three movie companies would make a fuss. All of the Big Six would join forces to wipe out Grey Pictures. They would attack it from different directions until the company collapsed.

"I hear rumors that Star Wars will be released in late July or early August. Not only that, but Matrix, which Warner Bros has invested in, will be released in September or November.

Kazir Grey told Stella Willow.

The woman nodded, realizing the intention of the three major movie studios.

She knew that if Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was released on the same day as The Bourne Identity, the latter would immediately lose the box office. Not only that, but theatrical distribution would be against them.

After all, there were only over 11 thousand theaters in North America, and Star Wars Episode 1 might have the advantage. Star Wars is a huge IP and it's impossible to beat. At least not yet. Now that many Star Wars fans have been waiting for the movie for a decade.

The last Star Wars movie was Return Of The Jedi, which was released in 1983.

If Star Wars Episode 1 and The Bourne Identity had a fight, the outcome would be obvious. The Bourne Identity would be knocked out.

'However, I'm confused as to why Kazir is nervous about this so-called Matrix... I heard that this movie is rated R. Taken 2 can easily beat that movie if they are released at the same time.'

Taken 2 was a PG-13 movie and the expected box office for that movie was at least $400 million. Surely this Matrix from Warner Bros would be kicked out of the theaters, right?

Well, Stella Willow didn't know the future, so she was confident that Taken 2 wouldn't be bullied...

'The toughest enemy will be Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.'

Indeed, she thought so.

As for Paramount, their attitude was unknown. They showed no intention of joining the alliance, but they weren't against it either.

Taken 2 would be distributed by them and they didn't want the movie to suffer. Of course, if things changed, Paramount would use their own means to sabotage Taken 2.

Even though the two sides had signed a contract, Paramount had many ways to ruin Taken 2. They could extend the payment, they could make the number of theaters low, or they would make a minimal investment in terms of promotion.

"The reason I'm telling you this is because I want to hear your opinion. When you return to the United States, you will be the official general manager of Grey Pictures."

'So this is like the last test or something?'

Stella Willow nodded.

"These are just rumors, and the three movie companies haven't made any official announcements about the release of their movies. That means they are still waiting. Waiting for your answer."

Kazir agreed. He also thought about it.

"If you don't do anything, the three movie companies will go ahead with the plan and sabotage The Bourne Identity and Taken 2."

"Based on my understanding. We have three things to consider." The woman nudged her gold-rimmed glasses.

"First, you can express your intention to work with them. The scripts you've written have shown positive results, and the three movie companies will surely want to work with you again."

"Second, be confident in your movies and let them collide with Star Wars Episode 1 and The Matrix."

Kazir didn't want to fight against these movies because he knew that the result would be bad for him.

"Third, we can end all cooperation with Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, and Paramount Pictures. Instead, we will ally ourselves with Walt Disney, Universal Pictures and Sony-Columbia and ask them to protect us. Of course, we have to prove to them that we can be useful."

Hearing the woman's thoughts, Kazir Grey knew he hadn't made a mistake in choosing her.

"It is good that we met."

"Yes, President."

"Ah, I'm really not used to being called President. I prefer to be called Director."
Kazir scratched his head and chuckled.

"Hm, Director Grey."

"Then I think we both know what the best solution is."

"That's right."

They looked at each other and nodded.

"Maintaining the relationship with the three movie companies is important. I don't want to be their enemy."

"I understand."

Ah, the complicated life in Hollywood...

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Abdulwahab A!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 183


"I have some scripts that we can negotiate. If you don't have a problem, you can send someone to talk to me."

Kazir had a good experience working with Big Three. He hadn't worked with Universal Pictures and Walt Disney, so he wasn't sure if they would protect Grey Pictures. Maybe they would join in the fun and tear the company apart.

'Besides, I don't like Universal Pictures and Walt Disney. They tried to cancel me...'

He was holding a grudge. Well, Kazir Grey was only human.

As for Sony-Columbia, he was on their side for the time being. They won't do anything bad.

"If they are not convinced. Remind them of the danger of DreamWorks. I'm sure they'll think about it."

"It's quite possible." Stella agreed with his decision.

Compared to Grey Pictures, DreamWorks was more dangerous. It had the trio of Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. They are good at what they do.

Together with the connections they had made in their careers, they had successfully acquired a distribution channel in North America. Now they were free to release their films in North America without having to deal with the Big Six.

Unfortunately, their international distribution was still in its infancy, and it could take at least five to ten years to get a full international distribution that spans the globe.

With this information, Stella and Kazir knew that the Big Six would focus more on DreamWorks.

Last year, 1998, Saving Private Ryan was a massive worldwide success. Its impact was just beginning. In fact, last March's Academy Awards were dominated by Saving Private Ryan. The film won 11 awards. And even Steven Spielberg got his second Oscar statues for Best Director.

'Hm, Matt Damon is part of the cast of Saving Private Ryan and he said that working with Steven Spielberg gave him a good experience.'

For a director like Kazir Grey, someone like Steven Spielberg and James Cameron were the blockbuster directors, someone he would never reach in his entire life with his talent alone.

That is one of the reasons why the Big Six have to be aware of DreamWorks. Steven Spielberg can make good movies and he knows how the business works.

Not only that, but DreamWorks Animation did well with Antz and The Prince of Egypt. Antz was DreamWorks' first 3D animated feature, and the company slowly gained a foothold in computer animation.

'In my opinion, MGM (Metro Goldwyn Mayer) has already lost its status and DreamWorks can take its place in the top 7 of Hollywood.'

MGM was slowly going downhill in these days, with bankruptcy. They were only alive because of James Bond: 007.

After their conversation, Kazir decided to give the woman some time to rest. The only purpose of this meeting was to talk to Stella Willow before she started work.

She could leave tomorrow if she wished.

As Kazir stayed in the tent and watched the footage they shot today, he could not help but think of Star Wars and The Matrix.

'I know it sounds like I'm being arrogant, but I want to direct Star Wars and The Matrix...'

Unfortunately, all rights to Star Wars were owned by George Lucas and Lucasfilm. Also, Kazir was not close enough to George Lucas to work with him.

Kazir didn't like to leave the office, and his relationship with people in Hollywood was tenuous at best. He rarely attended parties and was usually quiet.

As for The Matrix, the Wachowski sisters registered the script before he could make his own version. Moreover, the Wachowski sisters were determined to direct the film.

'Well, I'm busy too, I have to say no even if they try to pitch the script to me.'

Maybe he would have a chance to direct Star Wars in the next decade...

He knew that Star Wars would expand its universe, from movies to comics to animation. However, his opinion of the franchise was complicated.

He felt that Disney was making the heroes of the past super depressed.

'Luke Skywalker died after fighting Kylo Ren and then became a ghost... I know it sounds stupid. '

His memories of the movie were pretty jumbled because he was a little old at the time.

'Oh, one more thing, Han Solo died too. He was killed by his son. Seriously, Disney really loves to make the heroes of the first Star Wars trilogy suffer.'

Well, the fans didn't like it. But who cares? As long as Disney wanted to, they would never listen to their audience.

'Hell, they can make Snow White Latina, the seven dwarfs would be normal people too. They can cast a black woman as the Little Mermaid and call it "innovation". Disney got too much Woked. Like, bro, I just want to watch movies and have some fun. Don't shove your ideologies down my throat.'

There was even a rumor that the founder of Disney, Walt Disney, was an anti-Semitic guy. People say he was a racist.

Shaking his head, Kazir decided to forget about these things. Star Wars had nothing to do with him anyway. He has to concentrate on his own projects.

Filming resumed, and this time they would shoot the scene where Jason Bourne slowly climbed down the building.

The crew hired a professional climber to do the stunt. The climber was protected and safely tethered to a rope.

They would film the scene at an angle where the rope could not be seen.

While filming, Kazir saw out of the corner of his eye that Cameron Diaz was sulking at him, unhappy about something.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Javier R and Akifuyuu!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 184


"Kazir~ Baby~"

Cameron Diaz snuggled up next to Kazir and kissed his neck. She was intoxicated by his scent and rubbed her skin against him.

The couple was naked under the sheets, quite steamy and sweaty.

Kazir chuckled. Then he looked at his phone on the table and realized that someone had contacted him.

Cameron Diaz pouted and decided to give him a hug.

"Let's stay in bed."

"Cam, I have to get the phone. Maybe it's important."

Kazir realized that Cameron Diaz had been acting strangely yesterday. Even her performance in the afternoon was bad. Kazir talked to her and the woman just clicked her tongue and glared at him.

Kazir had no choice but to stop filming for the day.

To make sure Cameron Diaz would have a good night, Kazir decided to "tease" her. They had a great night and Cameron Diaz returned to her bubbly self.

It was still early in the morning and they had two hours before the day's filming began... Actually, they only slept for a few hours because they had been 'exercising' for quite some time.

"Hm..."

Cameron nodded and decided to leave the phone to Kazir. As always, she was pleased with Kazir's performance.

Kazir made sure that his partner was satisfied after the session. Although Cameron Diaz knew that their relationship was only contractual, she knew that she would miss the man.

So while they were still an official couple, she decided to have some fun with Kazir.

However, she found that when it came to work, Kazir Grey was very professional. He didn't let his emotions get in the way of filming.

In fact, when the kissing scene with Matt Damon happened, almost everyone on the crew felt uncomfortable.

Even Cameron Diaz and Matt Damon were not sure what to do.

Only Kazir Grey was serious about it. He didn't care if his current girlfriend was kissing another guy. He was not immature. This was a job and they got paid for it.

Kazir's passion for filmmaking was strong. He didn't care what others thought.

In the end, Cameron Diaz and Matt Damon decided to do the kissing scene in one take. Kazir was so pleased with their performance that he didn't ask for a reshoot.

Everyone on the crew understood that Kazir would ask for another kissing scene if the first shot didn't satisfy him.

As for Cameron Diaz, she felt that Kazir Grey was not serious about her at all... Maybe she was right.

From Kazir's point of view, they were not a real couple. As long as Cameron Diaz didn't sabotage The Bourne Identity, the man would let her be.

Frankly, Cameron Diaz was hurt by this. Her pride as a woman was hurt.

Fortunately, Kazir gave her a great experience that same night, so she easily forgot about it.

'Yesterday, however, a beautiful, elegant woman appeared and spoke to Kazir. The woman seemed to be smart and she talked to Kazir about business. '

Although Cameron Diaz knew that the woman was just doing her job, she could not help but be jealous.

She knew she was becoming childish as well. Affected by this, her performance yesterday went down.

Again, after this incident, Kazir focused his attention on her. Cameron Diaz realized a way to get the man's attention.

'Unfortunately, he will easily realize my intention if I try to cause trouble.' She sighed in defeat.

Kazir Grey picked up the phone and realized that Salvatore Barlowe was calling him.

"Salvatore? Yes, I'm in the hotel room. I see... Thanks, I'll call you later."

Kazir grinned and hung up the phone.

"Why did your agent call you?"

Cameron Diaz was curious.

"If it's not important, you don't have to tell me." She added.

"It's okay. It's about a movie I tried to acquire. Unfortunately, someone bought the movie before I could get it."

Cameron Diaz raised her eyebrows. She was interested in the movie that had caught Kazir's attention.

"Hehe, it's actually not a good movie." Kazir felt the woman's gaze and explained further.

"It's shaky footage about college students who went into a forest and disappeared."

"Sounds interesting..." Cameron lied.

"No, it's actually quite boring. I didn't like it at all. My eyes almost went blind." Kazir said his opinion.

"If it wasn't for the amazing publicity, I might not be interested in the movie.

The Blair Witch Project was a huge success because of its viral publicity. It was the first successful "found footage" movie, paving the way for Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield at the box office.

Kazir was amazed by the hype surrounding the film. It was unique.

So when he remembered that The Blair Witch Project was coming out this year, he decided to try his luck and make the most of it.

"Salvatore said that The Blair Witch Project has been acquired by Miramax. However, it seems that they are going to contact another distributor to distribute the film."

Miramax had worldwide distribution, but they didn't dare distribute The Blair Witch Project. The answer was obvious.

'They are afraid of the backlash.'

He chuckled. Suddenly he thought of something funny.

"We still have two hours, how about we have some fun?"

"Fufu, Kazir~"

Cameron Diaz giggled as Kazir pounced on her. She didn't care about the glasses woman anymore. All she wanted to do was have some fun with Kazir.

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

A month after Stella Willow returned to the United States, the crew of The Bourne Identity finished filming and everyone was happy about it.

For the actors, the quicker the shooting was finished, the better. They were paid by the project, not by the day or the hour. Now that filming was over, they could focus on other things. Their salary was already paid. Although they still had to go to the studio to dub their lines.

Just like that, the month of June came and the summer schedule was full as always.

++++++

[I realized that the MC's first name is actually Kazir Gray instead of Kazir Grey! I hate myself for making a huge mistake... anyway, let's all forget about it, okay?]

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to AR3S, Mohamed, BS Entertainment, Scott D and Javier Rodríguez R!]


Hollywood What If Chapter 185


With Stella Willow's persistence, she convinced 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros to drop their bad blood with Grey Pictures and focus their attention on DreamWorks instead.

It was amazing how the woman convinced the two movie companies. She used a variety of means, luring them with scripts, promising cooperation, and telling them that DreamWorks was getting better these days. The woman was very good at her job.

Even Kazir Grey could never do what she did.

As a result, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was released in May. Even though the promotion was quite hectic, every fan was excited to see the iconic movie.

Companies were predicting that the film could surpass the $1 billion mark. With each passing year, Hollywood slowly understood that movies could indeed make $1 billion at the box office. Furthering the hatred of the European film industry.

The European film industry was the first of its kind, but it failed in globalization. Gradually, Hollywood movies influenced more and more countries until the European film industry could only release its movies in its own territory.

Of course, some European films made it to the United States, but they didn't have a strong reception. Also, most European directors have this fetish about sex in their movies. Their movies would be rated R and the tickets sold would be affected as well.

In the month of May 1999, only a few movies did well. Well, the summer schedule just started in that month.

The Mummy from Universal Pictures. It is estimated to make more than $400 million worldwide.

Notting Hill, a romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. Estimated to make about $350 million worldwide.

Of course, the best movie of May was none other than Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. If the predictions are correct, this will be the third $1 billion movie in history. The hype for this movie was very strong. Even Liam Neeson had a role in this movie and his salary was quite good.

In June, The Matrix, Austin Powers, Tarzan and Wild Wild West were the winners.

"Haaahh..."

Kazir yawned, stretching his body. He stood up and looked around. He was in a room where a bunch of monitors were set up.

He rubbed his face to wake himself from his stupor. His eyes were a little sore from not sleeping well.

After filming ended in May, Kazir immediately began post-production on The Bourne Identity. There was no rest in between. He spent his time editing the film with Rector and the other editors. With his good memory, they started with the skeleton of the movie before cutting out the unnecessary scenes.

Fortunately, The Bourne Identity was not full of CGI scenes. In fact, there was no CGI at all.

Kazir didn't have to waste his time hiring a special effects team to render some scenes.

That was a good thing. Because if there was a CGI scene, it would take Kazir at least two months to create the special effects.

Time was now his enemy. He had signed a contract with Sony-Columbia for his film to be released in late July or early August. If he missed that, he would have to pay the penalties.

Even though Kazir was good at his job and he was fast. He couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency. Time was pressuring him.

Editor Rector was suffering from the same thing.

Rector was sleeping on the keyboard. His drool was dripping and his face was emaciated. It seemed that proper rest did not exist in him.

"... We finally finished the editing."

June was a busy month for many, and Kazir spent the month in the editing room. Even Erica Mendez was free most of the time.

Kazir sighed when he knew his month of suffering was over. He had to apologize to Rector's wife for kidnapping Rector for a month.

'I have to give this guy a bonus.'

Kazir left the room to get some fresh air, he looked out into the hallway and noticed that there was no one around.

'It's still early.'

Kazir went upstairs and went into his office. His office had a bathroom he could use. To freshen up, he decided to take a bath.

'20th Century Fox showed their goodwill by rescheduling Star Wars. As for Warner Bros, The Matrix was released in June. It seems that Warner Bros never intended to be on our bad side. It's understandable because I'm still in the process of writing The Hangover Part 3.'

Even though his position was only screenwriter, no one belittled Kazir. He was good at his job and everyone accepted his credibility. As long as possible, Warner Bros didn't want to bother him.

'But once The Hangover Part 3 is over, they will definitely try to do something. Then maybe I can find a way to survive.'

A few hours later, the Grey Pictures building was bustling again.

Erica Mendez walked into Kazir's office.

"Sir, this is the newspaper you asked for.

"Thank you."

Kazir was still tired, but he had to work for the company.

'Normally I would take a few weeks off to rest, but I can't do that now that I have another job to do.'

If it were not for Stella Willow doing most of the work, Kazir might die of overwork.

Kazir looked at the newspaper. He smiled when he read something interesting.

"As expected... They really are trying to swindle the whole country." He chuckled.

In his past life, the company that acquired The Blair Witch Project was Artisan Entertainment.

However, perhaps because of Kazir's interference in the timeline, the one who got The Blair Witch Project this time was Miramax.

In the newspaper there was an article about a group of college students who went to Burkittsville, Maryland and went missing. They interviewed people about the mythical Blair Witch and decided to go to the Black Hills near Burkittsville.

"If I'm not mistaken, the news will cover this story."

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Jacek T, Peter P and Zeke P!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 186


Just as he expected, that night, ABC news tackled The Blair Witch.

-- A group of college students went missing in Burkittsville, Maryland. The police tried to locate them but they failed to find them. Instead, the police only found a camera and films. We are still trying to fix the footage. For now, we only fixed a film worth of one minute video.'

The newscaster seriously explained, perhaps clueless about the truth as well.

Then, the news showed the footage.

The scene was quite dark and shaky. The audience realized that the one holding the camera was running away from something. Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream happened, then another person cried. The footage became pitch black after that.

-- Rest assured, our team will try its best to fix the footage to get more clues about the missing people.

The news went to another topic but the story about the Witch stirred the hearts of some people who believed in paranormal.

"... I call that bullshit."

Kazir Grey muttered after watching the program. He won't fall for that trick since he knows that this is nothing but a movie.

He grabbed the remote and turned off the television. He touched his chin and thought about it seriously.

The Blair Witch Project was an important movie in the history of cinema. It was the first of its kind that gained a good box office.

However, Kazir didn't like the fact that they deceived so many people into believing that a witch was real.

On top of that, Kazir didn't like Miramax. This film company was owned by the Weinstein brothers. Particularly, he hated Harvey Weinstein. That guy went to prison because of an obvious crime. To be honest, it was questionable why he was only imprisoned in 2018 even though his crimes started in the 1970s.

The man had sexual abuse allegations back in the 1970s but he was only reprimanded in 2018. Almost as if he was protected by the higher-ups of Hollywood. Almost as if everyone turned a blind eye to the crimes he did.

Note that over 80 women stood up about the allegations of sexual abuse and rape against Harvey Weinstein. This incident sparked the #MeToo movement in social media.

Obviously, everyone knows about Harvey Weinstein's crimes but they were just chill as fuck. Just like what they did to Jeffrey Epstein.

For Kazir, this was a disgusting move. From the bottom of his heart, he felt like it was unfair that people would buy tickets for The Blair Witch only to get deceived by Harvey Weinstein and Miramax. It didn't sit well with him.

With a cold gaze at the ceiling, Kazir Grey decided to fuck the timeline more.

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

While people started talking about the missing students, another batch of movies were released in the theaters.

On July 9, seven movies were released simultaneously. However, only one movie got a good reception. It was none other than American Pie.

An R-rated comedy with strong sexuality and foul language. Yet this movie made $18 million in its first week at the box office. It seemed that Universal Pictures had a good comedy to milk this time. Perhaps they were salty that Grey Pictures had never sold them a comedy script.

The news networks realized that a lot of people were interested in the missing students and the mythical Blair Witch in Burkittsville, Maryland.

One news channel sent a team to interview the people of Burkittsville, Maryland, but they had no idea about the missing students. There were some stories about witches in their community, but no one really believed they were real. Even the police tried to investigate the hill, but they found none.

But now that the news about the Blair Witch was getting stronger, the people of Burkittsville, Maryland decided to stay in their homes just to be sure.

The news crew decided to enter the hill where the missing students were last found. However, as they walked deeper into the woods, the team felt strange and as if someone was looking at them... Uh, maybe it was a placebo effect. Their minds believed that there was indeed a witch hiding in the forest.

While traversing the deep, one of their members was injured. Suddenly, crows started flying around them, screeching!

The team got scared and started running out of the forest!

Everything was recorded by the cameraman... When this story was published in the media, the fear of the witch increased.

Stories about witches became the subject of many TV shows, just to join the hype.

In the 16th century, thousands of people died in witch hunts, mostly women. They were either hanged or burned. Many believed that European witches migrated to United States in the 1800s.

In the month of July, almost every topic on the street would be related to witches.

In addition, some people were interviewed by the media saying that their relatives had been killed by witches.

These small stories formed a trend until almost everyone was interested in the footage left in the woods by the missing students.

-- This is Wanda Rinn from ABC News, our team has recovered another segment of the footage. We are here to show you the video. We want to warn our viewers that the scene you are about to see may be inappropriate for some ages.

The video started broadcasting. This time the video showed a group of people talking around the campfire. They were the missing students. Suddenly, a screaming cawing of crows echoed. The students stood up and became alert.

The person in charge of the camera pointed the camera into the woods, and a shadow formed in the darkness, as if a person was there!

-- Unfortunately, our team only fixed that part. Rest assured, after we fix all the footage, we will release it in theaters for people to see.

Then the TV show ended, leaving people curious and scared!

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 187

[Author's note: I just want to remind you that this is fiction. Don't take it seriously].

[Another note: I never watch The Blair Witch Project, I don't like horror movies. To be honest, I never like watching movies in general. I'm more of a manga, anime, light novel, and webnovel consumer.]

[I don't feel well for more than a week, so I can't write and update].

+++++

People became interested in the witch and the missing students.

When the next clip was released, more people visited Burkittsville, Maryland. These brave people wanted to check out the hill where the students went missing, hoping to find more clues.

Of course, another reason they went to the site was their curiosity about the paranormal. They were excited.

Almost thousands of people went to the place, causing some trouble for the locals. Because of this, the local government decided to close the hill and let the police inspect the place for the third time.

But some people didn't care about the authorities. They wanted to infiltrate the place and that caused trouble. A group of thousands of people in a small place, a possible riot could happen... and it did.

A reasonable development.

A riot happened and four young people were killed. This may sound exaggerated, but it could really happen.

Just out of curiosity about the witch, these people visited Burkittsville, Maryland and formed a large group that caused a riot because they couldn't get into the hill. They believed that the local authorities were hiding something big.

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

"Look what you did."

Michael Ovitz placed the newspaper on Harvey Weinstein's table and glared at the fat man.

"ABC News is under Disney, you used that connection to promote your movie. But instead it causes an incident."

"Michael, you need to calm down. I'm innocent. I didn't know people were going to die because of this. This is my first time doing publicity like this!"

Harvey Weinstein was defending himself and he was indeed innocent. He never expected people to die. This project was actually an experiment and he could not believe it would work. But now a lot of people believe that witches are real!

Look at that! That's the power of the media! Media can hypnotize people. That's the truth.

Once the media thinks you are guilty, then you are basically guilty. Just like when the media made Michael Jackson out to be a predator and Johnny Depp out to be a wife beater. There was no clear evidence and they were never sent to jail, but the media deemed them guilty just because.

And now the media was telling people that witches might be real.

"..."

Michael Ovitz didn't talk about it anymore. He knew it was too late. A lot of people already believe that the Blair Witch was real.

"When are you going to end this farce? Release the movie this week and end this quickly."

"Relax, I have already contacted a distributor and they agree to distribute the movie."

Miramax used this method to get out of the mess.

"As for the actors and directors of The Blair Witch Project, they are in South Africa. No one can find them in the United States at this time."

"Alright."

Michael Ovitz nodded. Even though he didn't like this kind of publicity, he admitted that it was amazing. This publicity would trick the citizens into seeing the movie.

If this plan worked, it was possible for The Blair Witch Project to make over $100 million at the box office. The movie was worth $10,000, but the profit it could make was 10,000 times that!

"How much did you spend on this project?"

Michael Ovitz asked curiously. As president of Walt Disney, he had many sources of information.

"I signed a contract with Cinema Alliance two days ago and they agree that The Blair Witch Project will open in over 4000 theaters on day one." Harvey Weinstein smiled.

"4000 copies of the movie will cost me more than $3 million. Along with some advertising to help the media focus on The Blair Witch, I spent more than $10 million."

Harvey Weinstein laughed as he thought about the money he would make this time.

Unlike the Big Six, Miramax used the glory of the Oscars to turn a profit. They would pick movies that could win the Oscars and back them. Once the movie won the Oscars, people would be more interested in buying its videotapes and DVDs.

Recently, DVD sales were getting better and Miramax was adapting and selling DVD copies of their movies as well.

"Make sure that Miramax and Walt Disney are not affected by this project. I don't want people rioting in front of the headquarters."

"Don't worry, I know what to do."

"Sir..."

Suddenly, someone entered Harvey Weinstein's office, it was Harvey Weinstein's sexy secretary. The fat guy frowned because the secretary didn't knock. But he sensed something was wrong, so he waited for her to explain.

"Fox News and CNN have found the truth about The Blair Witch Project..."

"What the fuck did you say? You bitch, get out of the way or I will rape you!"

Considering that this fat guy allegedly sexually assaulted more than 80 women and was convicted for it, there was a good chance that he might do it.

Michael Ovitz frowned as he listened to Harvey's vulgarity. Michael Ovitz was a shameless person and used that talent to build CAA, but Harvey Weinstein was on another level.

"Y- Yes, sir."

The secretary stepped out of the way and let the fat man leave the office.

His office didn't have a TV, so he had to go down to the reception desk. He didn't have time to wait for the elevator to open, so he decided to take the stairs.

When he reached the reception area, he noticed that the TV was tuned to Fox News. His face was sweating pale.

-- "Oh, you mean The Blair Witch Project? Yeah, I saw that movie at the Sundance Film Festival in January. I'm telling you, it's boring as fuck! Oh? I can't swear on national TV, hehe, sorry about that. Anyway, when I realized that the story of the witch from Burkittsville, Maryland had similarities to the movie I watched, I decided to look into it. And then I realized I was right!"

-- "Everybody listen, that video you saw on ABC News is fake! They are just deceiving you! I saw it with my own eyes and it was disappointing. I think somebody is manipulating the media and causing this. They fucking kill four people because of their greed!"

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to average joe gaming, suleyman m, ChrisMasterSky and L4kritz!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 188


Several people testified that they had seen the movie.

-- "Me? Oh yeah, I saw the movie about the witch or something. I even had a picture of the movie with my friend. High-definition camera? Yes, my boyfriend is a photographer, so the pictures are always clear."

In the picture you could see a couple... Behind them was a fat guy with a serious look on his face. It was none other than Harvey Weinstein!

Harvey Weinstein actually attended the Sundance Film Festival and saw The Blair Witch Project!

"Harvey, did you just let someone take a picture of you? And the couple even showed the evidence to the media!"

Michael Ovitz was furious. He didn't care about Harvey Weinstein's predicament, but it could cause trouble for Disney. After all, ABC News was the one promoting the movie.

"I didn't know they were trying to take a picture! My eyesight was affected after seeing the movie!"

Harvey Weinstein explained.

"Then find a way to fix it!"

Michael Ovitz said coldly. This could implicate Disney.

Disney tried to project an image that they were family oriented. They didn't want that image to change as much as possible.

'If we had no choice, then Disney would put all the blame on Miramax and Harvey Weinstein. Me and Micheal don't like this fat guy anyway, Harvey's in alliance with Roy Disney. If we let them get more power, it will be a problem for Michael Eisner and me.'

He was looking at Harvey Weinstein like a dagger.

Harvey Weinstein just nodded, but his face was very ugly right now. He was in a bad mood.

"I'm going to try my best to fix this."

"You should."

Harvey Weinstein opened his phone to call his friends. Harvey Weinstein was Jewish and had many friends in show business. He knew someone at Fox News and CNN.

But before he could dial the numbers, the news changed.

-- "The fat guy you see in this picture is actually Harvey Weinstein, the founder of Miramax. Our team has discovered that he bought The Blair Witch Project. If our deduction is correct, he is the one responsible for the movie's publicity."

The news anchor explained.

Then another person was interviewed. This time it was a middle-aged woman. She was crying, sadness clearly in her eyes.

Suddenly, Harvey's chubby cheeks twitched uncomfortably.

-- "My son is a good man! He never did drugs! He never drank alcohol or smoked cigarettes! His friends are only interested in visiting Burkittsville, Maryland, and yet I can't believe this will be the last time I see him alive! All because of a movie! Just because of a fake witch!"

She cried at the top of her lungs and looked miserable on camera. It was very painful for a mother to lose a child.

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

July 14th, 1999. It was Wednesday and many people were lining up to enter the movie theater.

While they were peacefully trying to buy tickets, some protesters were causing trouble outside the theater.

"Justice for John, Meredith, Angelito and Roel!"

These were the slogans they kept repeating. Well, the moviegoers didn't care. They were only interested in the movie.

Two days ago, the truth was revealed that The Blair Witch Project was a movie and the witch and the missing students were not real.

But that didn't stop them from trying to see the movie. Maybe it would be an exciting experience? The hype could never be erased, even when the truth was revealed. People were easily persuaded by peer pressure or perhaps social pressure.

The Blair Witch Project had already made so many headlines and people were now interested, even though the movie was fake.

But when they entered the theater and spent at least 10 minutes watching the movie, their expectations were thrown into the dirty trash can.

The movie, The Blair Witch Project, was boring at best. The cinematography, the unfocused scenes, everything was so amateurish.

"I can't believe I spent more than 1 hour watching this movie. I thought something interesting was going to happen. Damn, I wasted my $7 on a ticket".

"You're damn right. Four people lost their lives because one crazy person tried to make this movie seem real."

The people who saw the movie realized that they had been scammed. They could not believe that anyone could be evil enough to do such a thing.

"What is the name of the owner of Miramax again?"

"I think it's Harvey Weinstein."

"Yeah, I think he needs to explain himself or a lot of people are going to come after him."

The first day of The Blair Witch Project was actually amazing, even though the truth was revealed.

The midnight premiere was $4 million, then the next day it was $8 million.

This trend continued until the first week of The Blair Witch Project grossed over $37 million.

Because of the unique publicity of the movie, many people were interested in seeing the movie.

Of course, the people who saw it realized that they had been scammed and became angry.

However, compared to the original timeline, people were not angry at the two directors and actors of The Blair Witch Project. After all, they were innocent too. After they sold the movie to Miramax, they had no power over it.

This time, people had a clear target to direct their anger at.

Thousands of people protested in front of the Miramax headquarters. But Harvey Weinstein didn't show his face.

'This kind of protest will easily dissipate once the matter is over.'

Being good at his job, Harvey Weinstein knew the best way to survive this incident was to remain silent. He was innocent anyway. He didn't intend to cause an uproar. His hands were clean.

Even though The Blair Witch Project did well and he recouped his investment, the damage it did to him was much worse.

+++++++

[Author's Note: There will be another chapter a few hours later. Tomorrow, I will also post two chapters.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 189


Two decades ago, Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment, even though he was "innocent".

He never did anything bad like that, according to him. He was innocent! He was free from the sin of sexual harassment. He had many "friends" who could testify against the accusations.

However, the "friends" he had began to distance themselves from him because of the incident he had instigated right now.

Harvey Weinstein was cleverly avoiding the media, but he knew he would still get a backlash.

The Miramax team predicted that The Blair Witch Project would exceed $100 million at the North American box office, but it would be difficult for it to exceed $200 million.

In this regard, Harvey Weinstein knew that the publicity he did was fruitful.

Still, there would be cuts before he could get his share of the pie.

Cinema Alliance would, of course, take 40% of the box office.

On top of that, the distributor of The Blair Witch Project would also take a 30% cut. Miramax didn't dare to distribute the film because of the danger it might pose... But their meticulous planning was useless anyway.

Well, the remaining box office share would be 30%, at least $30 million.

Harvey Weinstein invested about $10 million in advertising and movie prints, so the profit would be at least $20 million.

Unfortunately for the fat guy, it seemed that this movie would bring him zero profit.

The four families of the deceased wanted $10 million each!

Harvey Weinstein was the mastermind behind the promotion of The Blair Witch Project. This unique viral marketing caused four deaths after the riot that happened in Burkittsville, Maryland.

Knowing that Harvey Weinstein would be implicated, he decided to settle the matter out of court. With money, he hoped the four families would drop the lawsuits.

Initially, the four families asked for $20 million! But this amount was too damaging for Harvey Weinstein and Miramax.

Even though the profits from the videotapes were plentiful, most of the money would be used to invest in more movies.

The available cash that Harvey Weinstein could take out of the bank was only $50 million. That was already a generous amount.

It was a good thing that his talented attorney lowered the amount to $10 million, any less and the four families would have continued the lawsuit instead.

Harvey Weinstein gritted his teeth and accepted the deal. The situation could send him to prison, so he had no choice but to accept reality.

Obviously, the profit he made from The Blair Witch Project was non-existent. In fact, he might lose about $50 million instead. Truly a pathetic endeavor.

Another thing, the current situation has caused the women around him to make trouble again. Just like what happened in the 1970s, the women who had accused him were reappearing... He recognized most of them, but his lips were tightly sealed.

Fortunately, this matter was overshadowed by the riot incident and The Blair Witch Project. The media focused more on The Blair Witch Project and the four families who lost their loved ones. Of course, the women who accused him were also interviewed in the media.

In those days, Harvey Weinstein felt like the world was against him. He wondered what he had done. If there was one good thing, it was that he was protected by his "loyal friends" for the time being. More specifically, his position in the industry protected him.

"Fuck the Blair Witch Project!"

Suddenly, Harvey Weinstein could not help but curse the film, blaming it for his own misdeeds.

This movie had brought him nothing but backlash. Now he had to lay low until the media forgot about it.

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

Coincidence was all Kazir Grey could say. Actually, he had no intention of exaggerating the situation. He just wanted to tell the truth about The Blair Witch Project.

That is why Kazir decided to contact the people who had seen the movie to testify. That was his real intention.

He then found a couple who took a picture while watching the movie as evidence... Kazir Grey didn't expect Harvey Weinstein to be caught on camera! He had no idea that the fat guy actually watched the movie personally!

Kazir wanted to use the picture as a way to make trouble for Harvey Weinstein. Use it to show that Harvey Weinstein was actually the mastermind.

Kazir had a grudge against the fat guy and it was the right time to get back at him.

However, Kazir didn't expect a riot to break out and four people to be killed.

Kazir's attitude changed after that. He felt that this was no longer about him. This was not about him taking revenge.

People need to know the truth about the Blair Witch.

Even though it might get him into trouble, Kazir Grey decided to do the right thing.

He used his connections and contacted 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. These two giants had a close relationship with him and would likely cooperate.

The rest was history.

"I am sure that Harvey Weinstein has his own way of tracking down the leak. He will definitely know that I'm the one responsible for his problem. Heh, let's leave it at that. He fucked around, so he found out."

He was a little disheartened that Harvey didn't go to jail this time.

"He didn't kill the four people directly and he never incited violence. He just started a massive prank..."

As for the sexual harassment allegations, they were overshadowed.

Well, the feminist movement was still rising. As far as the #MeToo movement is concerned, it got a lot of recognition because of the internet, which was still in its infancy at the time.

Another fact was the people who protected Harvey Weinstein.

A lot of people in the industry knew what he did, they just kept quiet about it and act like nothing happened.

However, Kazir knew that Harvey Weinstein would go to jail in the future, and he would make sure that certain future was preserved.

++++

[Author's Note: See you tomorrow.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 190


Two weeks after its release, The Blair Witch Project had grossed more than $84 million. Even though the hype was over, some people liked the uniqueness of the found footage movie and decided to see it again.

In this aspect, everyone in Hollywood realized the power of viral marketing. However, after studying this method, they learned that it is very hard to replicate this kind of performance. Maybe only The Blair Witch Project could do it.

If not for the fact that Harvey Weinstein was caught in a bind, this movie might have been classified as a successful film. Too bad for Miramax, they didn't make a profit even though the movie was a success.

The out-of-court settlement happened quickly because Harvey Weinstein wanted to end the scandal as soon as possible. He didn't want to stay in the spotlight.

In the end, the settlement was $11 million each. It was the best the lawyer could do. It was a miracle that Harvey Weinstein didn't go to jail this time. Maybe his influence was not that simple. Anyway, this was a big loss for Harvey Weinstein and Miramax. They have learned their lesson and will never try this marketing method again.

The news related to The Blair Witch Project slowly faded away as the matter was already over.

John F. Kennedy Junior, his wife and relatives were killed in a plane crash. This terrible news alleviated the matter of The Blair Witch Project and people gradually forgot about it.

There were still some people protesting in front of Miramax, but the media had already forgotten about them. Maybe next month these people would get tired of protesting as well.

Moviegoers started to see other movies after the truth about The Blair Witch Project came out.

Eyes Wide Shut was released on July 16, just two days after the release of The Blair Witch Project. This movie, starring Tom Cruise and his wife, Nicole Kidman-Cruise, was affected by The Blair Witch Project and only grossed $21 million in its first week.

Eyes Wide Shut was the last movie the couple appeared in together. 2 years later the couple filed for divorce.

A week after The Blair Witch Project, The Haunting starring Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones was released. The influence of The Blair Witch Project on this horror movie was quite strong, considering that both were horror movies.

Nevertheless, perhaps because of Liam Neeson's performance over the past few years, The Haunting grossed $33 million in its first week. Liam Neeson was now a famous actor who had an Oscar statue among his achievements. In this case, even his performances were better than Tom Cruise, who never won an Oscar statue.

Next was Deep Blue Sea. This movie was kind of a Jaws rip-off about smart sharks eating people. If there was anything interesting about this movie, it was that Samuel L. Jackson got eaten by a shark while giving a Ted talk. A great moment indeed...

In the month of July, the biggest winner was none other than The Runaway Bride starring Richard Gere and Brianna Evans. Because of the recommendation Kazir made to Paramount, Julia Roberts did not get the part. Instead, it was Brianna Evans who became the female lead in Runaway Bride.

Runaway Bride grossed $35 million in its first week at the box office. The difference between The Blair Witch Project and Runaway Bride was the production value. Unlike horror movies that were rated R, Runaway Bride was a PG-13 movie and it had a better audience than The Blair Witch Project.

In the long run, Runaway Bride would make more money than The Blair Witch Project.

Kazir's interference in the timeline caused changes such as Liam Neeson's status and Brianna Evans' appearance. One thing was for sure, it would not be the last time.

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

August was the least popular month in the summer schedule. The Big Six usually didn't release their profitable movies in this month, just like in September.

Sony-Columbia didn't have any major movies to release this month. They agreed to release The Bourne Identity in the second week of the month and put their resources behind the movie.

The initial promotion for The Bourne Identity began a month ago and intensified throughout August.

Billboards of Matt Damon and Cameron Diaz on many buildings. The Bourne Identity flyers plastered on walls. Movie commercials on television.

Even though The Bourne Identity was not owned by Sony-Columbia, they cared about the movie and did their job faithfully.

It was crazy how Sony-Columbia agreed to this decision. Maybe they were desperate to keep their position, afraid of losing their edge. Afraid that DreamWorks would take over their position as one of the Big Six.

The Bruce Almighty would be released the following year. The movie needed more time in post-production because it had many special effects.

Perhaps the bleak August schedule was a good thing because The Bourne Identity had no competition. There was no big movie to compete with. This meant that most of the tickets would be acquired by The Bourne Identity.

Unfortunately, some of the universities had already started their school days, and that might affect the box office of The Bourne Identity.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes!"

A group of people shouted in unison. They wore suits for this movie, even the women wore suits.

After the success of Matrix a few months ago, the fashion sense of young people was affected. They were wearing black tuxedos, black pants. They look like professional office workers...

Knowing that The Bourne Identity was related to Taken and John Wick, these people decided to wear a suit that resembled John Wick's appearance.

These people were loyal fans who supported Kazir Grey. Napoleon Dynamite, The Hangover, Taken, and John Wick. These people have seen at least one of Kazir's movies and decided to join this group.

Um, they call their group the Grey Fans...

+++++

[I'll post another chapter a few minutes later. Let me have a dinner first.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 191


Billy and Wallace nodded in agreement as they looked at each other wearing tuxedos. After watching John Wick, the two decided to form a group that would be loyal to Kazir Grey's movies. Their intention was simple, they just wanted to find people to talk to about Kazir's movies.

They visited IMDb and Yahoo and realized that they were not the only people who were in love with Kazir's filmography. Especially on IMDb, they found so many avid fans who supported the movies.

Then these people slowly formed and some of them created a website for them to talk about Kazir's movies.

Since The Bourne Identity, Kazir's upcoming movie, was about to be released. The group decided to meet and watch the movie together. Many of them were excited.

Billy and Wallace said that to make things interesting, they should wear similar clothes. They chose a suit that looked like John Wick. Having a black suit was not that new, but having a group of people wearing the same outfit was definitely eye-catching.

Some of them were literally cosplaying John Wick, with shoulder-length hair and a beard. From a distance, they resemble John Wick quite a bit.

This group of John Wick, men and women, were waiting for the premiere of The Bourne Identity. The moviegoers couldn't help but look at them, and the Grey fans were happy to see their reactions.

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

At the other theater, Regal Cinema in Los Angeles, the red carpet was already rolled out and people were excited.

Most of the people attending the premiere were Sony-Columbia executives, the Grey Pictures crew, film critics and the lucky fans who got tickets.

The actors and important people walked on the red carpet and photographers started to take pictures of them.

Some actors related to the Continental Cinematic Universe attended the premiere. Even the protagonists of the last two movies were there.

Liam Neeson smiled and kept his composure under the eyes of many people. After the success of Taken and winning the Best Actor award, Liam Neeson's life improved and almost everyone knew him.

Now he was no longer known as "the guy in Schindler's List". He was recognized as Liam Neeson, the actor.

After him came the appearance of Viggo Mortensen. It was none other than John Wick.

Even though Viggo Mortensen didn't become super famous after John Wick, his status was much better. Back then, almost no one knew about him.

But now some people would look at him and call him John Wick, and some of them would ask for autographs. That was the moment Viggo Mortensen knew he had made it.

The production of The Lord Of The Rings was still going on and he spent most of his time in New Zealand. The production of The Lord Of The Rings was actually longer than that of John Wick, which only lasted three months.

Maybe the difference in genre was one of the reasons. The preparation for The Lord Of The Rings was more complicated than John Wick.

Another factor was Kazir Grey's shooting style. His crew was consistent and they could finish a scene very quickly. He knew what he wanted to shoot, so there was no waste in the middle.

The two protagonists were invited because of their roles. Taken 2 would be released in November or December of this year, and attending the premiere of The Bourne Identity was also a kind of promotion for Liam Neeson.

Almost the entire cast of The Bourne Identity attended the premiere.

The last people to walk the red carpet were none other than Robert Ludlum and his son. The author of the Jason Bourne series.

Sony-Columbia and Grey Pictures agreed to promote the movie with nostalgia. They remind people that the movie is based on bestselling books from the 80s.

Of course, they also used Robert Ludlum as a means of publicity. Even though Robert Ludlum was old, he did his best to participate in the movie. He felt young again.

Robert Ludlum felt the excitement of the people around him as he waved his hands. It seemed the publicity had been worth it, at least people knew about him.

When Robert Ludlum entered the theater, he found Kazir Grey sitting next to Cameron Diaz.

"Director Grey, I want to express my sincere gratitude. Thank you for making my dream come true."

"My pleasure, I'm glad you gave me the chance to direct this movie."

Kazir replied. He knew the profitability of this franchise and was happy to have acquired it.

"I believe this movie will be a success."

"Indeed."

The two agreed. They were confident about the movie.

Robert Ludlum saw the movie before the premiere. It was a small screening where people from Sony-Columbia watched the movie to determine the strength of the movie. They would come up with a promotional plan after they saw the movie. Robert Ludlum watched the small screening with his family.

He was happy and satisfied as he watched. Of course, he was skeptical about another part of the plot. Fortunately, he had seen Taken and John Wick, so he had an idea about Kazir's intentions.

It was written in the contract that Robert Ludlum would let the director choose the plot as long as the character of Jason Bourne was not bamboozled. Of course, the script had to be approved by him, the creator of Jason Bourne.

He was the executive producer of the movie, although his presence wasn't strong because he was already old and couldn't participate that much. Even though he was not active, Grey Pictures still paid him a salary of $300 thousand.

On top of that, Robert Ludlum would get a 3% cut of the revenues of The Bourne Identity, from the box office to the peripherals.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Mark S!]

[Author's note: If I remember correctly, the synopsis for this movie is two chapters. So I decided to post another chapter later.]

Hollywood What If Chapter 192


A simple animation logo with two words appeared first, it was the animation opening of Grey Pictures written in Droid Sans font.

Next was the usual Sony-Columbia animation logo with a woman raising a torch in her right hand, like the Statue of Liberty. Behind the woman was the word "Colombia".

[The movie began with a group of Italian fishermen finding a man floating in the Mediterranean Sea with gunshot wounds in his back.]

[The man was unconscious and had no memory of his identity. The fishermen brought him aboard and tended to his wounds.]

[When the man awoke, he attacked the person who had cared for him. His memories were blank, but his instincts were there.]

[He found a small laser projector implanted in his hip with the number of a Swiss bank account on it].

[He also discovered that he had remarkable fighting and survival skills. This suggested a military or espionage background].

The audience already expected this outcome, since this was an action movie. Of course, the protagonist would have "special skills". It would be boring if the protagonist was weak.

What they were interested in was the movie's relationship to other continental movies. What was Jason Bourne's role in this big universe of assassins, criminals, and spies?

[The protagonist traveled to Zurich, Switzerland, and went to a Swiss bank to get a safe deposit box, which was coordinated in the laser projector.]

[When he opened the box, he was thrilled to see his name. There was a passport named after him.]

["Jason, my name is Jason Bourne." He smiled slightly]

[However, his happiness immediately faded as he continued to check the safe deposit box. There was a large amount of cash in various currencies. He also found dozens of passports with different names, but the pictures on the passports were his. His face became solemn when he found a gun in the safe deposit box.]

[Because he was surprised, he decided to leave the gun in the locker while he took all the money and passports].

[While Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) was having an identity crisis, CIA headquarters was trying to locate him. The mission failed and they lost contact with Jason Bourne. The CIA was afraid that Jason Bourne would betray the United States and reveal important information.]

[When the CIA confirmed that Jason Bourne was alive and in hiding, they deemed him dangerous to keep alive. What they didn't know was that Jason Bourne had lost his memories after failing to complete the mission. The CIA contacted the members of Treadstone.]

[Treadstone, or rather Operation Treadstone, was a top secret black ops program. Recruiting talented soldiers in the military and turning them into superhuman assassins who would do the will of the CIA. The United States had an act of Congress that prohibited the United States from participating in any assassinations. Operation Treadstone was secretly funded in response to this.]

[However, the CIA didn't know that there was a mole in their organization. Some of the soldiers they recruited were working for the Fraternity and the High Table. The Fraternity was part of the High Table, like the Continental Hotel and the Bowery, but lately this particular organization was trying to do something.]

[When the CIA contacted the Treadstone assassins, someone intercepted the message].

[In a dark room, a wounded man moaned in pain. He was a member of Treadstone, but he also worked for the Fraternity.]

["Looks like you have a mission." An Asian man threw a cell phone at the Treadstone member.]

["Open it. You have a set of codes to communicate and I have no idea what it is." Raizo (Enzo Park) held a katana and sat in front of the wounded Treadstone member.]

After two movie cameos, it seemed that Raizo would have a bigger role in this movie.

The audience felt that the plot was speeding up. Finally, they saw someone they recognized. Even though Raizo only appeared twice, the audience knew him because of his features. Enzo Park is a handsome Korean and his face is unique compared to Western men. People remembered him because of his face.

[The wounded man opened the cell phone and read the coded message.]

["So what did it say?"]

["... A mission to kill someone. One of our members, Cain, has betrayed the Treadstone and is currently on the run. He failed to kill the African dictator Wombosi."]

["Interesting." Raizo grinned and pulled the trigger].

Because the movie was rated PG-13, the dead guy wasn't bloody and the camera didn't focus on him.

[Jason Bourne went to Paris to learn more about himself. It was a mystery how he could speak French, he thought it had something to do with his past].

Actually, Matt Damon studied French, but his fluency was not that great. He dubbed the French lines so many times until he got a good dub. Almost all the sounds and lines in the movies were dubbed anyway.

[While in Paris, Jason Bourne realized that the authorities were looking for him. He didn't know why, but he felt it would be dangerous to let them catch him.]

[Jason Bourne escaped from the police and found an American woman named Marie Kreutz (Cameron Diaz)].

The woman had brown hair in this movie.

[Jason Bourne convinced the woman to take him out of town. He would pay her $10,000. The woman was reluctant at first, but she eventually accepted.]

[Their escape was not easy. When Jason Bourne and Marie Kreutz went to an apartment owned by Jason, an assassin showed up and tried to kill them.]

[Jason Bourne and the assassin sent by Treadstone fought, and Jason Bourne won flawlessly. He suffered no serious injuries compared to the man who jumped off the building so he wouldn't tell the secret.]

[Knowing their location was compromised, the two left the apartment. They decided to stay with Marie Kreutz's relatives for the time being.]

[But only a day passed before someone attacked them. This time the enemy was a sniper].

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 193


[Jason Bourne blew up a car to fill the house with smoke so the sniper couldn't find him.]

[As he did so, Jason Bourne slowly approached the sniper. He was holding a shotgun that he had found inside the house.]

The tension grew, and the audience watched the confrontation.

[The sniper was very good at his job and kept Jason Bourne at bay, almost killing him. Jason moved in and successfully shot the sniper].

["Tell me who you are!" Jason took the moment to ask the bleeding sniper. He was very curious to know his identity.]

[Treadstone...] That was the last thing the sniper said before he died.

[Jason Bourne was disappointed that he got nothing from the man. Suddenly, the phone in the sniper's pocket rings.]

[Jason answered the call and spoke to Conklin, the leader of Treadstone, but even he was clueless about the High Table and the Fraternity.]

[Acting like he knew what he was doing, Jason Bourne hid the fact that he had lost his memory and convinced Conklin to meet him].

[After dealing with the sniper, Jason returned to Marie Kreutz and convinced her to leave. He promised to meet her when everything was over.]

[Knowing that Jason Bourne would be prepared for the meeting, Conklin assembled a team to meet him. While waiting for Jason Bourne to show up, some people walked down the street. One of them was Director Kazir Grey, holding a cup of coffee as he said he hadn't slept much these days].

The audience laughed. A very small comedy in this serious action movie.

[The protagonist didn't let things go according to plan. He waited for the right time, the moment when Conklin was unguarded.]

[That time came, and Jason Bourne began to interrogate Conklin. Conklin told him everything he knew. Jason Bourne realized his code name was Cain and his mission was to kill Wombosi, the African dictator. However, Jason Bourne failed to kill the man because Wombosi was with a child at the time. He was shot and fell into the sea.]

["Wombosi was already killed by the Treadstone after your failure." Conklin added]

[Then dozens of Treadstone members attacked Jason Bourne. The confrontation was swift but deadly. Jason Bourne even fell to the stairs and suffered injuries.]

[Conklin ran and tried to escape, but was killed by one of the Fraternity assassins].

["Wombosi stopped working with us and we used Treadstone to solve that problem." The man muttered. He sent dozens of assassins after Jason Bourne to wipe out all evidence.]

[The final battle took place and Jason Bourne exchanged fire with the enemy. Suddenly, a man from the shadows appeared and helped him. He used his katana to deflect the bullets.]

[Bending the trajectory of bullets was normal in this universe, and it seemed that deflecting bullets was also the norm].

[The two work together to defeat the dozens of assassins. It was a hard fight, but they won.]

["Tch, Conklin is dead and my lead is gone..." Raizo did not feel well. This mission was a failure. He looked at the wounded amnesiac.]

["Looks like you have it rough. Go, leave this place."]

[Jason Bourne nodded and walked away.]

[Several months later, in a tropical country, Marie Kreutz was thrilled to see Jason Bourne again. The two shared a passionate kiss and the credits rolled.]

"It's kind of awkward that Director Grey had Cameron Diaz kiss Matt Damon. They are dating, right?" Wallace muttered as the audience clapped their hands.

"Maybe Director Grey is that committed and professional to his work," Billy replied.

"Or maybe he has no feelings at all for Cameron Diaz."

"Or maybe, hehe, he has some kinky fetish and likes to watch his girlfriend make out with another guy."

The two started to laugh. To be honest, they didn't care about the answer. They didn't become fans because of Kazir's personality. They just like his movies.

Some actors act like they are saints, but they were actually devils in disguise.

Ellen DeGeneres was famous as a comedian and host, but in real life she was a mean person. Still, her show got recognition because it was good.

Jennifer Lawrence admitted in an interview that she could be rude to her fans. But hey, her movies were good. The Hunger Games series was a success.

Anyway, unlike the last time, most of the audience didn't leave and waited for the post-credits scene. It was already a fact that Kazir's movies would have post-credit scenes.

"Damn it! This credits are very long! Why do they even show these names? They are useless to us!"

The credits were not for the audience. It was for the production companies. Those credits were for expanding the resume of the crew. These credits were advertisements for the crew members, so they could get jobs.

Although its real purpose was to show appreciation for the people who worked to make the movie, simple as that.

Even if the credits were over ten minutes long, the filmmakers would still add them at the end of the movie and show over a hundred names because it was the right thing to do. These hundreds of people deserve credit even if they were not actors or actresses.

Fortunately, after two minutes of waiting, the post-credits scene began.

"Nice! This is what I've been waiting for!"

The audience became quiet again and watched the short scene.

[On the screen, dozens of people were standing in front of the graves. An Arab man was sprinkling dust on the graves. He was the man who appeared in the post-credits scene in Taken, the one who said, "The High Table will never forget."]

[The Arabic man turned and faced the black man in the suit (Morgan Freeman)].

When the audience recognized Morgan Freeman, they started screaming.

["I assume you understand why I called you?"]

["Of course," the black man grinned. "I will serve, I will be of service."]

The movie ended right there and the suspenseful music began again. People clapped one last time before leaving the theater.

Billy and Wallace came out of the theater and found a store selling movie merchandise. They saw gold coins and decided to buy them for the third time...

At the Regal Cinema, Kazir Grey and the rest of the cast of The Bourne Identity bowed their heads and thanked the audience. After that, there was an hour-long interview about the making of The Bourne Identity.

+++++

[Author's Note: After reading the summary of Bounce Identity that I wrote, I further realized how much I hate writing summaries.]

[Author's note: I intend to make "Wanted" the Avengers of this universe, where the three protagonists (John Wick, Bryan Mills and Jason Bourne) will appear and gather. The next gathering of the three protagonists will be in John Wick 3, although I'm not sure about that yet].

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Paul R. and Jean Carlos L. C!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 194


"Um, excuse me. You're Cameron Diaz, right? Can I get your autograph? I-I like your movies!"

A young woman, perhaps in her college years, approached Cameron Diaz with pen and paper.

"Oh, sure, honey."

Cameron Diaz lowered her sunglasses, smiled sweetly and agreed to give the young woman an autograph.

Cameron Diaz decided to take some time to enjoy herself. She went shopping, wearing sunglasses to protect her identity. She had just finished "cuddling" with Kazir. She was actually hoping that Kazir would join her shopping, but the man was busy as usual.

Cameron Diaz had two reasons for wearing sunglasses. The first was to prevent people from recognizing her. The second was to hide her tired eyes. She didn't get enough sleep last night. She did her morning makeup, but it was better to be safe than sorry. She didn't want a tabloid gossiping about her haggard face.

"I saw your movie, The Bourne Identity, and it's amazing!"

"Thank you."

Cameron Diaz gave her her autograph and walked away. She didn't want to stay in the same place or she might attract more people.

She decided to go to a famous clothing store to buy a pair of sexy bikinis. Her demeanor was very poised and she exuded confidence in her every move.

Three days had already passed since the release of The Bourne Identity. In the month of August, The Bourne Identity may have been the only successful movie released.

Friday, August 13, 1999. The first day of The Bourne Identity grossed $13.73 million.

On Saturday it made another $14.73 million.

On Sunday it grossed $10.68 million.

The first three days of The Bourne Identity grossed $39.15 million. It was an obvious success.

Few movies this year have done as well as The Bourne Identity. Very few had grossed more than $30 million in their first three days.

Based on that, most people in Hollywood believe that The Bourne Identity would maintain its performance.

Since there were no major releases this week other than The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Identity naturally took the top spot in the weekly box office.

The clerk saw Cameron Diaz's demeanor and immediately understood that this woman was a big shot. At least she seemed to be able to buy expensive things without hesitation. Probably a woman who could make 7 figures every year.

"Hello, ma'am. How can I help you?"

"Where is your lingerie department?"

"Let me show you, ma'am." The saleswoman said with respect. She had a quota to meet.

Cameron Diaz began to pick out the best pair to get Kazir's attention. She smiled as she imagined Kazir's reaction once she showed off her "outfit".

While looking for some sexy lingerie, another woman came out of the dressing room.

"Miss, I'll take this dress."

Reese Witherspoon smiled at the saleswoman. Her fame was growing and more and more people recognized her. Still, she wanted to go shopping at least once in a while.

"Thank you, ma'am. Are you going to wear it now?"

"Yes, I'll wear it."

She handed the credit card to the saleswoman before cutting off the price tag.

Reese Witherspoon looked around and her face turned solemn when she saw Cameron Diaz.

"Looks like you're shopping, too."

Cameron Diaz smiled at Reese Witherspoon. The two women didn't like each other.

Reese Witherspoon took over Cameron Diaz's role in There's Something About Mary. That's why Cameron Diaz didn't like Reese Witherspoon.

As for Reese Witherspoon, she didn't like Cameron Diaz because she was dating Kazir Grey. Maybe she was jealous.

"That's right."

Reese Witherspoon kept her smile and walked away. There was no reason to stay in this store since she had already paid.

"Wait a minute, which one do you think Kazir will like between these two bikinis?"

Before Reese could leave, Cameron Diaz stopped her.

Cameron Diaz was showing off two pairs of bikinis and they were all sexy and provocative.

"..."

Reese bit her lip and walked away without answering.

"Fufu, I think I'll buy these two then."

Cameron Diaz was thrilled to see that Reese Witherspoon was affected. As expected, she liked winning.

It was fun to watch Reese Witherspoon's reaction when she showed her the two bikinis.

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

The whole month of August was dominated by The Bourne Identity. There were some movies that had good performances, but they were nothing compared to The Bourne Identity.

"Wooh! That movie is really cool, no matter how many times I watched it! I can't believe how Jason Bourne came out of nowhere like a ninja!"

"Yeah, I agree with you."

Billy and Wallace came out of the theater. This was the third time they had seen The Bourne Identity that month. They watched it every weekend to refresh their memories.

Even though almost three weeks had passed, the attendance rate for The Bourne Identity per theater was still astounding. In their theater alone, nearly 70% of the seats were filled.

"Excuse me, sir. Could we take some of your time to answer our questionnaire? We are from CinemaScore."

Billy and Wallace agreed, already knowing what answer to write.

"A+"

They gave The Bourne Identity an A+.

After compiling the questionnaires from various theaters, the CinemaScore gave The Bourne Identity an A-!

This was a high score! Only one step below A+!

With this rating, Hollywood understood that the audience loved The Bourne Identity. After all, this rating was tabulated based on their answers in the questionnaires.

Not only that, even the rating of The Bourne Identity on IMDb was 9.3! The fans rated it high. Of course, this rating would change in the long run. Maybe The Bourne Identity would stabilize at an IMDb rating of 8.1.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 195


The first week of The Bourne Identity grossed $39.15 million.

Using this trend, the next week would also be a positive result. Even though The Bourne Identity was released, the promotion didn't stop. There were many advertisements all over the place, radio stations and TV channels were promoting the movie.

People heard the title of the movie everywhere. The word of mouth about the movie was also strong. People liked The Bourne Identity and recommended it to their friends.

Even Kazir Grey and Cameron Diaz were seen dating and acting lovey-dovey. The media used this method as another form of promotion.

The movie had the same ingredients as Taken and John Wick. Because of this, people were already used to the unique style of the movie. The movie was realistic, but it had a touch of non-realism. Since these ingredients had been shown in the previous movies, people were already used to them and accepted them easily.

Together with people's positive opinion, more moviegoers decided to see The Bourne Identity. There were no good movies in August anyway.

The box office of The Bourne Identity for the second week (August 22, 1999) was $68.52 million.

August was the least popular month in the summer schedule, so this amount was expected. In fact, this amount was already a huge thing, considering that The Bourne Identity didn't have a strong cast. Matt Damon and Cameron Diaz were A-list stars, but they were not superstars.

Compared to Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Tom Cruise, the cast of The Bourne Identity was A-list at best. Their box office appeal was not star-studded.

Anyway, the third week (August 29, 1999) came and The Bourne Identity already grossed $86.60 million.

Just $14 million and The Bourne Identity would cross the $100 million mark.

The production cost of The Bourne Identity was $50 million. Grey Pictures' initial investment was $60 million, but it went down to $50 million when all was said and done. A blessing for Grey Pictures as they were short on cash as they have two projects this year.

For reference, a movie can generally make a profit if the box office is 2.5 times the production cost.

This means that for The Bourne Identity to be profitable, it would have to gross over $125 million. Based on the trajectory of the film, The Bourne Identity would exceed $150 million. Of course, that was based on statistics and probabilities. No one knows the future, uh, except Kazir Grey...

'The North American box office for The Bourne Identity will be around $150 million. That's a good business. After all, we have the overseas release to get more profit.'

If the movie did well in North America, it would definitely do well internationally. That would be the case with The Bourne Identity.

If Kazir's deduction was correct, The Bourne Identity would have made $200 million internationally. People all over the world like to see action movies, hehe.

'In that case, our profit for The Bourne Identity will be over $100 million. As long as nothing bad happens, The Bourne Identity will bring us more than $100 million.'

It was amazing that a situation like this could happen. Investing in movies was a quick way to make a profit, but it was not a sure thing. There were cases where the movie flopped.

'A movie can be finished in a year and the investment will be returned quickly. As long as you know the trick, you can make it big.'

The fourth week (September 5, 1999) came and The Bourne Identity grossed $107 million.

In four weeks, The Bourne Identity crossed the $100 million mark. This was an obvious answer that the movie was successful.

"These people... I swear, they always try to harass me when my movies come out!"

Kazir muttered, rubbing his forehead.

"Well, every movie you direct is successful. They want to congratulate you." Cameron Diaz sat next to him and rubbed her skin against him.

"Congratulations my ass, they want me to work with them."

"That's a good thing."

"I know... It's just that some people are trying to invite me to those parties again and I never like going to parties."

Cameron just smiled and let the man grumble.

"Besides, a lot of agents are trying to contact me. Most of them are trying to offer me a better contract and leave CAA."

The William Morris Agency (WMA) tried to contact him again. This time they expressed their thoughts and hoped that Kazir Grey would return to his "original home". They said that Carl Morin and Lawlor Dean no longer worked at WMA and that no one would harass him again.

'Bullshit, they only want me because of my status and power to get them roles for their clients.'

CAA loved him for that. Most members of his cast came from CAA.

Not only WMA, but even UTA (United Talent Agency) tried to get him on their roster. They dropped the contract down to 2% commission! They were crazy.

Unfortunately for them, Kazir was not interested. What he needed was stability. The Continental Cinematic Universe was still in its infancy, and he didn't want to cause trouble.

Besides, his relationship with Salvatore Barlowe and CAA was going well. Much better than with WMA, who kicked him out.

'I don't want to tell Cam, but an agent actually tried to push his client on me just for a role. Of course I never agree.'

The actress was beautiful, but Kazir was immune to beautiful women. He had no reason to have sex with a woman just because his libido was boiling. He was mature enough to control his primal urges.

Not only that, but even his crew members got caught in the turbulence. They were getting recruited by other studios, leaving Kazir and the production to find new workers to takeover their positions.

'Freddie from the camera department was hired by a production studio to direct a small budget movie. I don't blame him. If I were in his position, I'd take the risk.'

Some of the important people in the crew were almost kidnapped as well. Enticing them with higher salary and better position.

++++

[Author's note: I know it's late, but rest in peace to Akira Toriyama, the Mangaka/Creator of Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, Blue Dragon, and Dragon Quest (Artist). His creations are masterpieces that created many childhood memories for me and many people. His legacy will never be forgotten].

[Another Note: I know I was gone for a almost a week now. I have no excuse, I reached the point of my life where I want to spend my whole day laying in my bed, watching YouTube shorts and do nothing. And yes, I fucking hate myself.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 196


Even Harold Witsend and Renner Hector were contacted to leave the crew. Fortunately, the two guys talked to him and Kazir decided to keep them by increasing their salaries.

Kazir was not stupid. They were friends, but money was also important. He had to give them more money because they were worth it. Harold and Renner were important people in his crew and he didn't want to let them go.

'One thing is obvious. Somebody is trying to cause trouble.'

For this thing to happen all at once was very suspicious. Well, Kazir had an idea what was going on.

'I think the pig is oinking again.'

With Harvey Weinstein's connection, he could solve the puzzle and find the root of the problem. First of all, Kazir had personally seen The Blair Witch Project, and Harvey Weinstein probably knew about it.

Harvey Weinstein knew the person who destroyed his plan. With a little research, he would definitely find out that Kazir Grey was also interested in The Blair Witch Project.

'We never had a good relationship anyway.'

Their first meeting might have been friendly, but that was it.

Harvey is never a good person. The fact that he went to jail speaks a lot about it.

The feminist movement was still in its infancy, and it wouldn't reach its peak until the Internet age. The #MeToo movement would happen with the help of the internet.

After a rare day off from work, Kazir Grey lay down and relaxed his mind. Cameron Diaz let him rest his head on her lap. The nervousness he felt due to the constant pressure of the film's release disappeared when the film did well at the box office.

The film crossed the $100 million mark at the box office within four weeks of its release. More and more people were interested in the cinematic universe that Grey Pictures was creating. The road to success for the Continental Cinematic Universe was becoming clear.

'Once Taken 2 is released, the next movie will be Wanted and it will be the first movie where the three protagonists will appear... Damn, I said I don't want to think about work and I want to relax instead. But I can't help thinking about work...' Kazir sighed.

Maybe thinking about his movie projects was indeed a way to relax.

The month of September didn't have any strong contenders except for American Beauty, produced and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures, Blue Streak, produced by Sony-Columbia, and Double Jeopardy, produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Of the three, American Beauty, produced by DreamWorks, was the top performer in August aside from The Bourne Identity.

General Manager Stella Willow reminded the Big Six that DreamWorks' films were getting better and their local distribution channels were becoming more compact. She did this to distract them from Grey Pictures. Still, Stella was not lying. DreamWorks was showing its influence.

Saving Private Ryan, Prince of Egypt, Antz, and The Haunting, which came out in the last few years, did well at the box office. DreamWorks released two to three movies a year, but they were all good.

The Big Six began to look at DreamWorks with seriousness. The Big Six would never be the Big Seven, it could only be the Big Five. That means one of the Big Six would merge... Rest in peace, 20th Century Fox of the next two decades. Disney would acquire you for $71.3 billion and possibly later screw you over and steal all your profitable franchises.

Anyway, that was in the distant future, and it could change now that Kazir Grey was creating a butterfly effect all around him.

Kazir closed his eyes and laid his head on Cameron's lap. The woman giggled and combed his hair, knowing that Kazir had been on the edge lately.

Every director had a heavy responsibility to make sure the movie would be a success. They didn't get enough sleep, or to be more precise, they couldn't sleep because of the pressure.

It was a miracle that Kazir could handle the pressure well. He wasn't impatient, he didn't shout much, and he didn't resort to verbal violence whenever he entered the set. It was as if Kazir Grey was used to high pressure, as if he had been in this situation all his life.

Still, a man was fragile. Even someone like Kazir could succumb to stress. Now that The Bourne Identity was a success, Kazir could breathe and relax.

Cameron leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"Sleep well, Kazir."

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

Just like that, September flew by. More than 3 weeks passed and "The Bourne Identity" grossed $128.36 million. It already surpassed the 2.5 times production cost base.

Unfortunately, the progress of The Bourne Identity would be slower as its theaters went down to 1300 theaters. This was a normal occurrence and it was already good that The Bourne Identity maintained more than a thousand theaters. Maybe next week the number of theaters showing The Bourne Identity would be even lower.

Well, even if The Bourne Identity didn't make money at the box office, Grey Pictures had plenty of ways to make money from it.

While The Bourne Identity was in its 8th week of release in North America, the international release was already two weeks ago.

The overseas box office for The Bourne Identity was around $78 million. The impact of Taken and John Wick overseas affected The Bourne Identity and gave it a better performance than Grey Pictures expected.

It may only be four weeks before The Bourne Identity grosses over $100 million overseas.

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

October 15 arrived. Kazir Grey and Cameron Diaz attended a movie premiere. Kazir was actually the one who wanted to see this movie, and Cameron joined him because they wanted to promote The Bourne Identity, which was still in theaters.

"I'm excited to see this movie... By the way, we don't talk about the title of the movie."

"Kazir, babe, I have no idea what you're talking about," Cameron muttered, smiling into the camera.

Kazir Grey and Cameron Diaz were about to see F**** C***, directed by none other than David Fincher.

+++++

[Author's Note: I respect the rules of F**** C***.]

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Hugo B, Takatchi, Julian, Evan Otero G, Gabriel Le R, Mike, Tarabi Y, Shylar, and DeathShadow!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 197


F*ght Cl*b was one of David Fincher's masterpieces. It was a cult classic that remained relevant for the next three decades. People loved to watch the F*ght Cl*b

The movie was based on a novel and David got the movie rights because he loved it so much. He wanted to direct the movie because of course it had an amazing plot.

They invited Brad Pitt to join the movie. David Fincher and Brad Pitt had a good relationship and this was their second time working together.

This would not be their last time working together, a few years later Brad Pitt would also star in another David Fincher movie. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Se7en, F*ght Cl*b, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. These three movies had interesting plots and David Fincher filmed all of them. He was good at his genre, the noir genre.

After Kazir and Cameron entered the theater, the cast came out one by one.

Kazir and Cameron were not the stars of this movie, they were just guests.

Brad Pitt and Edward Norton appeared and did short interviews... Fortunately they were not high this time.

At the Venice Film Festival four weeks ago, the first premiere of F*ght Cl*b took place. The movie was interesting, but the participants hated it.

At this time, Hollywood movies were better than foreign movies. It may sound condescending, but it was the truth. The directors from different countries who participated in the film festival understood the importance of winning. First of all, the Venice Film Festival was in Europe, and European directors never liked Hollywood.

The critics and the directors hated the film. This hatred was directed at the crew of F*ght Cl*b, and Brad Pitt and Edward Norton clearly felt it.

The Venice Film Festival lasted ten days, so to cope with the situation, Brad Pitt and Edward Norton decided to smoke weed. Yes, they were high while the F*ght Cl*b had a premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

Of course, F*ght Cl*b never won the Venice Film Festival. But the funny thing was that Eyes Wide Shut, directed by Stanley Kubrick, won the FilmCritica "Bastone Bianco" Award. It seemed that Hollywood movies were still doing well at European film festivals.

So yes, Brad Pitt and Edward Norton were not high this time. At least it didn't seem that way. The film's premiere in the United States was peaceful.

Kazir Grey talked to David Fincher and congratulated him even before the film was released.

David was happy that Kazir was confident in his movie, it eased his nervousness a bit.

Unlike David Fincher, Kazir Grey knew the outcome of the movie. Although F*ght Cl*b didn't do well at the box office because of its theme and plot, it did very well on videotape sales.

Obviously, F*ght Cl*b was the kind of movie people preferred to watch at home, not in a movie theater. Shawshank Redemption was in that category.

"Kazir, I'm glad to see you again." Brad Pitt was the one who approached Kazir this time.

"You too, Brad."

Kazir Grey shook Brad Pitt's hand. The two were acquaintances, and they had had some interactions in the set of Se7en.

Brad Pitt didn't expect Kazir Grey to become a successful director after Se7en. He thought Kazir would be a screenwriter at best.

He thought Napoleon Dynamite would be a fluke and his next movies would flop.

But his expectations were not fulfilled. Instead of falling, Kazir Grey kept rising.

The Hangover, Taken, John Wick and The Bourne Identity. These four movies did well at the box office. Taken had an impact on society and won Liam Neeson his Best Actor Award!

For an actor like Brad Pitt, of course he wanted to get an Oscar statue. That was true for everybody who was part of this industry.

They wanted to be recognized by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science. Frankly, Brad Pitt was jealous. Not just him, a lot of actors have been jealous of Liam Neeson's success lately. Heck, Liam Neeson got a huge salary in Star Wars this year! The effect of the Oscar!

Knowing that Kazir Grey had strong skills, Brad Pitt decided to deepen their friendship.

'Even Morgan Freeman got a role in Kazir's so-called Cinematic Universe.'

Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman starred in Se7en.

"Your movies are very good, Kazir. I saw The Bourne Identity and it gave me an adrenaline rush."

"Haha, thanks, Brad."

"See you around."

Brad Pitt didn't have to be so obvious. One thing was clear... He could audition for Kazir's next movie. Maybe he could get the role, why not?

After talking to many people, Kazir returned to his seat. He looked around and saw Cameron Diaz talking to her friends. She also returned as the theater filled with people.

The movie started and the audience focused on the big screen.

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

"This is very interesting."

Kazir muttered as he looked at the newspaper. He realized that his existence was indeed changing the future. Now he wondered how many changes he would live to see.

The front page of the newspaper was about the big movie release this week, which was F*ght Cl*b.

The movie was distributed by 20th Century Fox, and the newspaper Kazir was reading was owned by News Corporation.

The headline read, "Fight Club grosses $31 million after one week in theaters."

Kazir was skeptical, because according to what he remembered, F*ght Cl*b would only make $101 million at the worldwide box office.

This meant that the first week of F*ght Cl*b should be lower, definitely not $31 million. But the reality was in front of him.

The box office of F*ght Cl*b increased in this timeline.

"Based on its first week, Fight Club could gross over $100 million in North America alone. If that happens, then the overseas box office will also be around $100 million."

+++++

[Author's Note: There will be another chapter a few minutes later.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 198


If everything went well with F*ght Cl*b, the movie would gross $200 million at the worldwide box office. That was a huge deal.

"Haha, it looks like 20th Century Fox and David Fincher reconciled this time."

He still remembered how 20th Century Fox banned David Fincher after the tragedy of Alien 3.

Anyway, David Fincher was his friend and Kazir Grey was happy to see his friend succeed.

"... Sigh, maybe he will invite me to drink again."

Drinking with David Fincher was a bad idea.

Kazir decided to open the next page of the newspaper and read the contents.

There was an explanation why F*ght Cl*b was doing well even in October. The one who wrote the article was a movie critic.

Kazir raised his eyebrows when he saw his name.

The film critic said that the aesthetic of the filmmaking was changing. After the release of Kazir Grey's films and the Wachowskis' Matrix, people became interested in watching action films with serious stunt choreography. Especially Kazir Grey's hand-to-hand combat.

The action movies created by Kazir Grey emphasize making the fight scenes as grounded and realistic as possible.

Although Kazir's movies had a bit of the supernatural, such as bending bullets and ninjas, people preferred to watch that rather than a topless man raining bullets with a heavy machine gun without reloading.

Because of this, the performance of F*ght Cl*b was affected and brought a better box office.

"So this critic is saying that I'm the reason why Fight Club is thriving, is that right?" Kazir tilted his head and wondered.

He knew that he was changing the future, and it seemed that he was indirectly changing the future of F*ght Cl*b, too, because of his movies.

Anyway, David Fincher was his friend and he was happy that his movie was successful.

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

Another two weeks passed and Kazir was busy again. October passed and November was there to greet them with a bunch of horror movies.

F*ght Cl*b grossed over $72 million and is already considered a box office hit.

As for The Bourne Identity, it grossed $147 million after three months in theaters. However, the movie was already losing steam and had only 500 theaters. Maybe two weeks later, The Bourne Identity would be dropped by the Cinema Alliance. Well, it seemed that The Bourne Identity would cross the $150 million mark within those two weeks.

Grey Pictures had already received their 40% share of the $100 million from Cinema Alliance. The remaining money would be sent once The Bourne Identity finished its run.

Sony-Columbia only received $20 million because of the contract. Honestly, Sony-Columbia was losing money on this. They were bleeding and gambling with their future. Bruce Almighty was still in the filming stage and needed more time in post-production because of the special effects it needed.

Some of the higher-ups at Sony-Columbia were not happy about the deal. Sony-Columbia invested more than $15 million in prints and advertising for The Bourne Identity.

The fact that they could get more money from Cinema Alliance, at least $10 million, eased their minds a bit.

In addition, the international performance of The Bourne Identity has been astounding.

In just 50 days of release, the film had already grossed $138 million.

$17 million in the UK.

$14 million in Germany.

$15 million in Italy.

$13 million in Spain.

$27 million in Japan.

$9 million in Australia.

These are just the major countries that contributed to the international box office for The Bourne Identity.

Keep in mind that Sony-Columbia distributed the films in hundreds of countries. Of course, local theaters would get a cut of the box office.

Sony-Columbia might get $28 million. Not bad, honestly, but not good either. At least they spent less money on international promotion.

Matt Damon and the cast of The Bourne Identity flew around the globe for a month just to promote the movie, it was very exhausting... Kazir was not with them because he had another project to take care of.

The worldwide box office for The Bourne Identity was $285 million. There was a good chance that it would cross the $300 million mark.

If there was one thing that Sony-Columbia was disappointed about, it was the fact that they could only get 20% of the videotapes and DVD sales of The Bourne Identity.

They were only the distributor of The Bourne Identity and Grey Pictures owned all the copyrights.

Since The Bourne Identity was part of a huge Cinematic Universe, and once that Cinematic Universe became a huge success, many people would be interested in buying the videotapes to complete their sets.

With that in mind, the videotapes and DVD sales of The Bourne Identity could be over $100 million in its first year. And Sony-Columbia could only lick 20% of that huge amount.

Another thing, Robert Ludlum was the author of the Jason Bourne novels, and he also had a piece of this delicious pie.

Even though the 3% revenue cut was small compared to Sony-Columbia, it was still 7 to 8 figures in cash. As long as Grey Pictures sold the videotapes and DVDs or rented the movie to an online movie platform, Robert Ludlum would get 3% of the revenue.

Everybody got their piece of the pie, and everybody was happy. Everybody got their profit, no matter how big or small it was.

It was a win-win situation, although Grey Pictures had the last laugh. They were able to make more than $100 million at the box office this time.

After all that, Grey Pictures still didn't have time to celebrate. Because Taken 2 would be released in the first week of November, distributed by Paramount Pictures.

This time Fremont Smith was the one who was having a hard time because of stress. His iconic afro was long gone, he cut his hair short because he didn't have time to take care of it lately. He was so busy working on Taken 2 that he didn't have time to take care of himself.

++++

[Author's Note: Not gonna lie, this chapter is super clunky to read.]

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Joles!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 199


Fremont Smith lost weight. He was usually a positive guy who had a strong passion for movies.

Right now, Fremont lost his happy mood and was very serious. He was still passionate about his dream of becoming a director. Now that he had become one, he realized that it was not easy at all.

He had worked under Director Grey's crew and gained considerable knowledge. But standing in that position and taking responsibility for the possible failure of the movie was very stifling.

Now he realized that Director Grey, his mentor, was a monster for doing his job so well.

Because of the pressure, there was a time when Fremont would explode and lash out at the newbies. He found an outlet. A natural reaction to such a situation.

Fortunately, he didn't have much strong intention to say hurtful words... He just said some wild things, even calling the new crew members the N-word.

Fremont was amazed that Kazir never got to the point of acting crazy on the set. Fremont felt that his behavior was not enough.

Actually, a lot of directors in Hollywood were arrogant and had a shitty attitude. That was their way of adapting.

As the director of a movie, he should be assertive and never show any weakness. Otherwise, the crew and cast won't take him seriously.

As for lashing out at the crew and cast, so many directors have done that, almost endlessly if you list them. The beef between actors and directors were never ending.

The small screening of Taken 2 was held in the private theater of Paramount Pictures.

Fremont saw many people from Paramount, most of them related to production and publicity management. Even the higher-ups attended the little screening.

Brad Grey and the others were watching Taken 2. Kazir Grey was sitting next to the CEO, taking the movie seriously.

So far, everything was going well.

Perhaps working with Kazir Grey for a few years had an effect on Fremont Smith's filmography. He used a fast cutting style so often.

Fast cutting is an editing technique that refers to several consecutive shots of short duration, about 3 seconds or less.

Taken 2 used the editing style a lot and made the tension build up.

Fremont was nervous because the current movie they were watching was edited by him and his editor team.

If this version was liked by Grey Pictures and Paramount Pictures, then this version would be the official film.

If not, then Grey Pictures would hire new editors and make another version based on their image.

Fremont Smith cared so much about this project because it would affect his future.

If the movie was successful with his version, then he would have more influence on his next movie. He would have more freedom to explore. He could fight for editing rights, something few directors could do.

Frankly, Fremont Smith was grateful that Director Grey gave him the chance to direct a big project. Remember, Taken was the second highest grossing movie two years ago and it had a huge impact on society. Of course, Fremont didn't want the movie to flop.

With his hands clenched tightly, the movie ended and the conversation in the small theater continued.

The higher-ups at Paramount nodded and began to talk about their plan. How to do the promotion and what to do with it. Trailers, advertising, anything that could help Taken 2 make more money.

Fremont looked around, a little confused and nervous. He didn't know if their reaction was good or bad.

Suddenly, both Brad Grey and Kazir Grey stood up and shook hands.

Kazir looked at Fremont and motioned for him to speak to them.

"Brad, this is Fremont. He is the director of Taken 2."

"Nice to meet you." Brad Grey shook his hand before he left. People like Brad Grey were always busy.

"Um, Director Grey, the result... Should we edit the movie?" Fremont muttered weakly, very nervous.

Kazir chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Fremont, can't you see that everyone around you has started taking notes? Even the critics are thinking about the articles they will write based on the movie. Don't worry, I haven't seen a single person who had a negative reaction to the movie. You did a good job. We don't need to edit the movie. So you are responsible for making the trailer. Congratulations."

"Y- Yes! Director!" Fremont Smith smiled sincerely. God knows how many sleepless nights he spent just to edit the movie.

Unlike Kazir, who had 'references' to follow, Fremont relied on his knowledge and experience to make a proper cut.

"Fremont, we are both directors now. Just call me Kazir."

"You are my mentor in this industry and I have learned so much from you."

"Well, calling me director is better than teacher or mentor... On second thought, I think it should be better to call me director."

Kazir was not used to being called teacher or mentor. First of all, he knew that he was not a good director.

Even though this would be the last time Paramount would distribute their film since their contract ended, the company put a lot of importance on Taken 2.

After seeing Taken 2, they believed that the box office would not be bad.

"Congratulations again," Kazir said.

He decided to keep Fremont's cut because it was close to his expectations. Fremont's version was close to the original Taken 2, which Kazir Grey watched in the past.

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

After the extensive promotion that Paramount and the cast of Taken 2 did, the first week of November arrived and Taken 2 would set sail at the box office.

In that month, the toughest opponents that Taken 2 would face would be Toy Story 2 and 007: The World Is Not Enough.

As for horror movies, there were a lot of them, and moviegoers were divided on which horror movie to see.

The highest grossing horror movie in November was Sleepy Hollow, starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci and directed by none other than Tim Burton.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Congratulations to myself for writing 200 chapters. It's not easy to write a story so this is basically an achievement in my opinion.]


Hollywood What If Chapter 200


November 4th, 1999.

The Paramount Theatre is an art deco concert hall located at 2025 Broadway in downtown Oakland. When it was built in 1931, it was the largest multi-purpose theater on the West Coast with 3,476 seats.

It was used for many purposes, including Broadway shows and movie premieres.

Today, the Paramount Theatre would be used for the premiere of Taken 2.

The cameras flashes all over the red carpet. People would scream when an actor arrived.

Matt Damon attended the premiere of this movie and was very interested in the performance of the movie.

The Bourne Identity had already finished its North American run and the final box office was $162 million.

As for the overseas box office, some countries have already finished the screening while others are still in progress. As of now, the overseas box office was around $197 million.

Combining the North American and international box office, The Bourne Identity has grossed more than $359 million.

Grey Pictures already got some of the money from the international box office and they were quite generous. Grey Pictures gave Matt Damon a bonus of $1.6 million after the settlement.

This was Matt Damon's best movie and this was his biggest bonus. Even Miramax was too tight to give him a million dollars for Good Will Hunting.

Matt Damon stepped onto the red carpet and welcomed by deafening screams. It seemed that the effect of The Bourne Identity on many people was obvious.

He was not super famous then, but now he realizes that his appearance is recognized by many people. Even though they usually call him Jason Bourne instead of his real name. Well, that was a common occurrence in the industry.

Matt Damon was actually with Ben Affleck, but the guy didn't use the red carpet to enter the theater. Ben Affleck used the back entrance to enter the theater.

Ben Affleck expressed his jealousy that Matt Damon got a big role and his movie was successful. Since they were best friends, Matt Damon took the opportunity to introduce Ben Affleck to director Kazir Grey.

He guessed that Grey Pictures would expand their projects and Ben Affleck had a chance to work with Kazir Grey.

While being interviewed and asked for his opinion on Taken 2, another deafening scream hit Matt Damon and the reporter.

They both stopped and looked at the person stepping out of the limo. It was none other than award-winning actor Liam Neeson.

Liam Neeson had so many projects these past few years and they were successful.

Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace. This iconic franchise produced a $1 billion ($1.027 billion) movie this year.

The Haunting was another movie starring Liam Neeson. The Haunting grossed $180 million.

Perhaps this was the effect of the Best Actor award on Liam Neeson's career.

Liam Neeson was the star of the night, so Matt Damon ended the interview and entered the theater. Before he left the red carpet, people were still screaming and calling out Liam Neeson's name.

Matt Damon chuckled and shook his head. For a moment, he imagined what would happen if he were the one to win the Best Actor award. Maybe the future would change. Well, the what-ifs were always there to fuel his imagination.

Still, he understood the present. His situation was not that bad. Just like Liam Neeson, Matt Damon was getting recognition and his status was better compared to last year.

One thing was for sure, working with a talented director was the best move he made in recent years. Working with Steven Spielberg and Kazir Grey made him open his mind. An actor was only there to play the character, but a great director could make great movies with a bad actor.

Using different editing, cutting, and transition techniques, as long as the footage was complete, a director could make a movie.

Someone like Kazir Grey was a very rare talent. His films were all successful... Aside from his first three horror movies. People already forgot about those.

Even Steven Spielberg and James Cameron had bad movies, and so does Kazir Grey.

Maybe Kazir was still in his prime.

After all, no one was perfect, and Kazir would reach the point where he would have a bad movie. The question was, when would it happen?

Matt Damon was in the theater and found Ben Affleck talking to the people he knew.

This was a very small industry and most people knew each other.

Ben Affleck saw his friend and excused himself.

"Kazir is here. Let me introduce you."

"Thanks, man."

Armageddon was released last year and Ben Affleck was one of the stars of the movie. Of course, the protagonist of the movie was Bruce Willis.

The recognition he got from Armageddon was not bad, but not good either. At least nothing compared to "Jason Bourne".

More people were into realistic action movies these days and The Bourne Identity had a good run at the North American box office.

Compared to A.J. Frost from Armageddon, Jason Bourne was more popular.

Ben Affleck and his agent wanted to find good projects that would give Ben Affleck the lead role.

He was tired of being a supporting actor, he wanted to be the protagonist this time.

There was a rumor that Grey Pictures would produce two movies next year. The first one was John Wick Chapter 2 while the second one was still a secret.

In this secret project, Ben Affleck was interested in getting the main role. If possible, he wanted to talk to Kazir Grey and hoped that he would have a chance to see the script.

However, Ben Affleck looked around and realized that some renounced actors were also in the theater!

Unlike Ben Affleck, most of these actors entered the theater on the red carpet!

He saw Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Johnny Depp!

Hell, even Bruce Willis was in the theater! The star of Die Hard, The Sixth Sense, and Armageddon!

Bruce Willis saw that Ben Affleck was at the premiere and nodded. Ben Affleck nodded back.

'As expected, I'm not the only one interested in Kazir's next project.' Ben Affleck sighed.

Kazir Grey didn't like parties and he stayed in his office most of the time.

He was very difficult to meet. This was the rare moment when Kazir was out in public.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Kyuby7!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 201


So many actors actually tried to invite Kazir to their parties, but Kazir always declined.

For someone like Ben Affleck, who had no connection to Kazir Grey, this was a rare opportunity to talk to the director.

But it seemed that Ben Affleck was not the only one who thought about it. Just the fact that there were famous actors in this theater was amazing.

"Looks like this is going to be difficult for you, Ben." Matt Damon shrugged and Ben Affleck nodded solemnly.

He had so many rivals who wanted to work with Kazir Grey. That was good and bad.

Bad because Ben Affleck had so many rivals who wanted to get the role.

Good because many actors were confident that Kazir's next movie would be a success. Few people knew, but Kazir's next project was called Wanted. A movie featuring all the protagonists of the Continental Cinematic Universe! Surely this movie would be huge.

As this was happening, Kazir was talking to the higher-ups at Paramount. Cameron Diaz was standing at his side, hugging his arm. She was wearing an elegant halter dress and was smiling.

The two were still keeping their relationship in the public eye. But the couple had already decided when to separate. They were adults and knew that this relationship was just a fake one.

Of course, the two had fun while in a relationship. Kazir Grey was a nice lover and Cameron Diaz could testify to that. In truth, she wanted to continue the relationship, but she knew that Kazir Grey didn't. She was hurt, but she knew how it worked.

At least her fame improved after The Bourne Identity. She had more projects. Even Charlie's Angels was coming out the next year and she spent most of her time on set. So yeah, she didn't have time to get into a serious relationship.

After Kazir and Cameron talked to Brad Grey and the Paramount people, the two returned to their seats.

They found Matt Damon and Ben Affleck approaching.

Matt Damon greeted them. He shook hands with Kazir and hugged Cameron Diaz.

Then Matt Damon introduced them to Ben Affleck. Ben Affleck was an actor and he had good roles in the last few years. But he was nothing compared to Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise.

"Oh yes, I know you, Mr. Affleck," Kazir replied. He knew Ben Affleck very well.

The man who wore the Daredevil costume.

The man who flew the plane at Pearl Harbor.

The man who was looking for his wife in Gone Girl. That movie was directed by David Fincher.

Last but not least, Ben Affleck was famous for his role in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice. He took up the mantle of Batman.

Although Ben Affleck was much younger, Kazir Grey still recognized him.

Ben Affleck smiled when he realized that Director Grey had an idea about him.

From the actors' reactions, Kazir deduced their intentions.

'Let's see... I have no particular actor to choose as Wesley Gibson, the protagonist of Wanted.'

James McAvoy, the original actor, was already acting industry in 1995 and he had a role in a British movie called The Near Room.

Kazir Grey was able to contact the man and invite him to play the protagonist. But James McAvoy was still young, only 19 years old.

He didn't fit the role of a depressed office worker. He was too young to get the role.

Brad Pitt's agent expressed that Brad Pitt was interested in his next project.

However, Brad Pitt was too much for Grey Pictures. After the success of F*ght Cl*b, Brad Pitt's status rose. They could pay Brad Pitt around $4 to $7 million for the first movie, but it would be hard for Grey Pictures to sign a trilogy with Brad Pitt.

Brad Pitt and his team would never agree to a trilogy contract. For a famous actor like him, it would be detrimental to be tied to a project for a few years, especially if the salary was not advantageous.

In this case, Grey Pictures had to choose actors who were known but not famous. Someone who wouldn't cause them any trouble. Someone they could sign for a trilogy. Someone they could cast and not have a problem with the salary they were offering.

Ben Affleck fits this category. At least the salary won't be a problem once they cast him.

As for his acting ability, Ben Affleck could do it. The guy didn't have explosive acting, but he had enough experience to take on the role.

Of course, Ben Affleck had to pass the 3rd round of auditions first. The crew had to make sure that Ben Affleck was right for the role.

Grey Pictures won't put all their eggs in one basket.

They have other actors to choose from, like Christian Bale. This "Sigma" actor was trying to break into Hollywood with a crazy role in American Psycho.

Another actor was the handsome Orlando Bloom.

Ewan McGregor could also be invited. The upcoming young version of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Grey Pictures had a lot of actors to choose from. Now that their studio was producing great movies, many actors were interested in working with them.

The actors Kazir preferred were still unknown, and Kazir was sure that these actors would be happy to get the role, no matter what the salary. For small actors like them, exposure was more important than salary. That was the only way they could get more jobs.

Ben Affleck did his best to make a good first impression. He didn't want to waste this opportunity. His friend had already helped him, and it was time for him to do his part.

Taking a deep breath, Ben Affleck tried to speak to Director Grey.

"Director, may I ask if you..."

"Don't worry, I will send you the script tomorrow. Of course, you will have to sign a confidentiality agreement."

Before Ben Affleck could even say his part, Kazir Grey already replied.

"Y- Yes. Thank you, Director Grey."

Ben Affleck didn't deny Kazir's goodwill. Having the script meant he had a better chance at the audition.

+++++

[So here I am promoting my Patreon for the nth time. You can read up to 151 advanced chapters by subscribing to my Patreon].

https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to king ramzi, LETSGOO, Adam C and Nezher92!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 202


After talking with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Kazir Grey and Cameron Diaz returned to their seats.

Director Fremont Smith was sitting next to Kazir. His expression was a mixture of nervousness and excitement. He was greeting so many people. His agent, Salvatore Barlowe, told him to make a connection as early as possible.

Fremont understood the importance of having relationship with the important people in the industry.

In fact, the main reason he got his job was because of his connection with director Kazir Grey. And for that he was grateful. He knew that it would be impossible for someone like him to get this mantle easily after working in the industry for almost four years.

Some of his colleagues who started the same year as him were even jealous and hated him. There was a time when he tried to invite them to work for him and be a part of his newly formed crew, but some of them declined his offer.

They didn't feel comfortable working with someone who was on the same level as they were a year ago. On top of that, Fremont Smith was just a new director and this would be his first project, no one had confidence in him.

It was a miracle that he became the director of Taken 2. He thought that the cinematographer Renner Hector would direct this movie, but Fremont got it.

When Kazir offered him the director's chair, Fremont knew this was his chance to take things seriously. So he immediately agreed.

Fremont felt bad that Renner Hector didn't become the director. He knew that Renner Hector was good at camera angles and making beautiful shots.

But instead, Renner Hector encouraged him. He told him to have fun instead of worrying.

Well, Fremont did have fun, but the pressure was still strong and he struggled to keep his mind calm.

"Fremont? Fremont?"

"Huh?"

Fremont Smith snapped back to reality when he realized that someone was calling his name.

He turned to his side and found his mentor, Director Grey, calling him.

"Fremont, are you okay? I was calling your name, but you're not responding."

"I'm sorry Director, I guess I'm just too stressed right now."

"That's normal. I'm also nervous before the premiere. But I started to love the pressure and stress of filmmaking. Once you get used to it, you will look for it every time." Kazir laughed.

The stress before the release of his films was indeed suffocating. But once the box office results were announced, that stress and nervousness turned into euphoria. An addictive pleasure Kazir didn't want to let go of.

"Thank you, director... Although I'm still nervous."

"That's good. It means you love what you're doing. If you're not nervous, it means you don't love your creation."

Fremont Smith nodded, learning something else from his mentor.

As they talked, a person approached them and said hello.

"Hello, Director Grey and Director Smith."

Scarlett Johansson appeared. Unlike two years ago, the little girl was now taller and looked much more mature.

After greeting the two directors, the teenager glanced at Cameron Diaz and gave her a sweet smile before greeting her.

A few minutes later, Scarlett Johansson left to greet other people.

"Are you okay, Cam?"

Kazir looked at Cameron Diaz and noticed that the woman's expression had changed.

"Me? I'm fine." Cameron Diaz chuckled and kissed Kazir on the cheek and leaned closer.

"Come to think of it, are you having trouble working with Scarlett Johansson? The brat is very uncooperative."

Kazir was talking to Fremont Smith. Working with Scarlett Johansson made Kazir promise never to work with underage actors again. They were very disruptive.

"No," Fremont Smith shrugged. "She's actually very reasonable and modest. In fact, she is always on time, unlike Liam Neeson and Brianna Evans, who have a 30-minute grace period before starting work."

Fremont Smith smiled bitterly. His position on the set was weaker than that of Liam Neeson and Brianna Evans. He was already grateful that the two showed him respect. Otherwise, the filming would take a long time.

"..."

'What? Scarlett Johansson is acting like a reasonable child? What is going on in the world?'

Kazir Grey was inwardly stunned, but his expression remained normal.

It was possible for a person to change, but his opinion of Scarlett Johansson was quite solid after working with her. The little girl was annoying. Kazir had no intention of working with her again as long as she kept her bratty attitude. Not even if Salvatore Barlowe begged him to.

After the conversation, the theater went dark. A few seconds passed before the screen lit up.

Movie trailers promoted by Paramount were shown before Taken 2 began.

Two movies caught Kazir's attention.

Mission: Impossible 2 was scheduled for release next year, maybe in the summer. It seemed that Paramount was putting so many resources into this movie because they were already promoting it.

The second movie that piqued his interest was What Women Want, starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. He didn't have a close relationship with Mel Gibson, but the actor had made a strong impression on him. Especially the time when Mel Gibson warned him about Jeffrey Epstein. And for that he respects the guy.

After the movie trailers, Taken 2 started.

An animated Grey Pictures logo greeted the audience. Then came the iconic animation logo of Paramount Pictures. A mountain with stars above it.

The audience fell silent as the movie began.

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Jack M, AR3S, and Toros Silver!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 203


[The first scene was about a father mourning the death of his son and relatives. Unlike the Arab last time who looked like a wealthy person, this old father looked simple and solemn with an unkempt beard and short gray hair].

[He was the father of one of the traffickers killed by Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson)].

[Their family had business related to crimes such as human and drug trafficking].

[While the father was mourning the death of his family, a phone call came and woke him up from his depression].

[When the father answered the call. He talked on the phone for a few seconds before nodding.]

["I understand... I will go with your plan". He answered and ended the call].

The audience had the feeling that Bryan Mills' enemies were not easy this time. The people who saw the post-credits scene of The Bourne Identity last time knew that an Arab man, who seemed to be part of the so-called High Table, wanted to kill Bryan Mills.

But now it looked like another group was joining the fight. Even though Bryan Mills was a retired CIA agent, his presence alone was not enough to take on an entire criminal organization, let alone two!

After these little bits, the title of the movie appeared, "Taken 2".

[Bryan Mills was cleaning a car when someone offered to help him. The person was none other than Kazir Grey.]

[Bryan Mills just smiled and said, "Thanks, but I can do it alone."]

The audience knew that every Continental movie had a part where director Grey would appear! It was already an obvious fact.

In fact, the audience was waiting for the moment when Kazir Grey would appear. But who would expect that Director Grey's cameo would happen within five minutes of the movie?

People clapped and started shouting Kazir's name. Kazir Grey was already a famous director and many people recognized him. Now that he has shown his face in every movie of the Continental Cinematic Universe, even more people recognize him.

While looking at the screen, Kazir touched his chin and chuckled.

When they filmed this scene, the director still had a beard and looked much older.

[After cleaning the car, Bryan Mills went to see Lenore. Lenore (Brianna Evans) was Bryan's ex-wife. They got divorced because Bryan Mills was too focused on his job and forgot about his family.]

[When Bryan Mills knocked on the door, he found Lenore and hugged her as a form of greeting].

[Bryan Mills asked about his daughter, "Where's Kim?"]

["She's with her boyfriend." Lenore said, inviting Bryan into the house.]

[The two talked. Lenore said that her relationship with her current husband was crumbling and it seemed that they were going to separate.]

"Looks like Bryan has a shot."

One of the audience members laughed, knowing that Lenore's relationship with her husband was unstable.

They were watching the movie and Bryan Mills was the protagonist, of course they would support him.

[The two talked and Bryan Mills left the house. Before Bryan left, Lenore reminded the man not to follow Kim. Lenore knew that Bryan had become overprotective after the incident.]

[Bryan said, "Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything," and said goodbye].

[A transition happened. In this scene, Kim Mills kissed her boyfriend.]

Yes, underage actors can do a kissing scene. Although there were a lot of restrictions most of the time, the film crew needed parental permission.

The crew could use a body double for the kissing scene if the parents didn't approve. They could also erase the kiss in the script.

This time the kissing scene was short and not sensual at all. Just enough to send the message that Kim Mills was older.

[Right after their kiss, a knock on the door caught their attention and the couple stood up.]

[Kim's boyfriend opened the door to find a stranger. A man who looked to be in his 40s, he looked ordinary but there was something about him.]

[He greeted the boyfriend: "Hi, I'm Bryan Mills. I'm Kim's father."]

[The boyfriend was surprised at first, but he introduced himself as well. Kim showed up, a little surprised and angry at her father].

["Remember, you told me to teach you how to drive so you could get your license." Bryan said and Kim nodded. Still, she didn't like it when her father showed up unexpectedly and interrupted her time with her boyfriend.]

[The father and daughter went to the car.]

["I can't believe you did this. Did Mom tell you?" Kim Mills spoke to her father as she drove cautiously].

["Look at the light. No, your mom never told me your boyfriend's address." Bryan replied.]

["I see...so you tracked me with GPS."]

["Kim, you have to understand. I'm trying my best. I don't want that to happen again."]

["I understand... Thanks, Dad." She couldn't blame her father. Kim knew her father was worried about her.]

[She had seen her father save her from the hands of criminals. She knew how far her father would go to make sure she was safe.]

After the incident in France, their lives returned to normal. But the peace wouldn't last long.

[A few days later, Bryan Mills went back to Lenore's house to teach Kim how to drive. A car came out of the house and passed him. Bryan recognized the person driving the car; it was Lenore's husband.]

[As Bryan Mills looked at the door, he found Lenore in tears. He approached the woman and asked her about her problem.]

[Lenore said that in order to repair their relationship, she asked her husband if he wanted to go to Istanbul, Turkey, and have some fun. Everything was set and prepared. But today her husband said he had to work and wanted to cancel the trip. It broke Lenore's heart. She prepared this vacation for them to reconcile.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 204

[Author's note: The synopsis might be longer this time because I'm trying to expand the plot of the Continental Cinematic Universe.]

[Shout out to Akifuyuu, Artman, InverseWorld, and Задумчивый Которог!]

+++++

[Seeing Lenore's pitiful appearance, Bryan Mills decided to invite her to Istanbul instead. Of course, Kim, their daughter, would be with them.]

[As the family began to reunite, the scene changed to a place where a group of people were preparing snipers and rifles. They looked professional, but they didn't look uniform. One of these people was Marcus, the assassin from John Wick who saved John from death.]

[Marcus was hired by the Fraternity to kill a retired agent. His relationship with the Fraternity was complicated, but he accepted the mission anyway. After all, the power of the Fraternity, one of the pillars of the High Table along with the Bowery and the Continental Hotel, was enormous.]

[A single man like Marcus could never face such a dangerous organisation, even if he was a highly respected assassin. He specialised in the use of sniper rifles. Maybe if he teamed up with John Wick, the Fraternity could be wiped out.]

[However, John Wick had no valid reason to destroy the Fraternity].

[In hand-to-hand combat, John Wick was far superior to him].

[There were actually two groups in this mission. The first was the Fraternity and the other was a revenge group. Apparently their relatives had been killed by the target and they were trying to kill him and his family to get even.]

[If there was anything confusing about this mission, it was the fact that the High Table would send so many people to kill a father and his family. The High Table even makes contact with the Fraternity. Perhaps someone from the High Table was eager to end the target's life.]

[As to why, Marcus had an idea. Probably a person died and someone from the High Table wanted revenge.]

[Anyway, his relationship with the Fraternity was souring and he wanted to end his career after this. Yeah, just like John Wick.]

[Leaving that dark secret world was not easy. It was a miracle that John Wick had the chance to do so. Unfortunately, some bastard killed John Wick's dog and the Baba Yaga returned to this accursed world.]

[Marcus wanted to leave this world. He wanted to quit this job and end his career as a hitman once and for all. He wanted a new life, for him and...]

[With this as his last mission, Marcus intended to accomplish it].

"Hey, who do you think will win, Marcus or Bryan Mills?"

It was a question that got the audience's attention. If the audience was right, in this film Marcus and Bryan Mills could go head to head.

Well, if Marcus had the distance advantage, he might win. He was good with sniper rifles.

But if the fight is close enough for the two to have a gunfight or hand-to-hand, then Bryan Mills could win.

But would Marcus win? Nah... No one knows the answer.

Either way, the outcome will be decided tonight.

[The family of three were on holiday in Istanbul, and so far their holiday had been fun.]

[But the fun ended abruptly. As he walked around the hotel, Bryan Mills felt someone looking at him. At first he thought it was nothing.]

[But his gut feeling changed after he and Lenore decided to go on a date. The two of them left Kim Mills at the hotel.]

[In a taxi, Bryan confirmed that a car was indeed following them. He deduced their intentions and decided to flee with Lenore.]

[Bryan Mills and Lenore each went in different directions to escape. Then the action officially began.]

[Bryan fought criminals associated with the traffickers and successfully killed some of them].

[But he couldn't fight freely because there were snipers. One almost shot him in the head, but fortunately Bryan ducked and escaped their sights. There seemed to be only five snipers at most.]

[While hiding from the snipers, Bryan Mills killed the criminals one by one].

[Sadly, Bryan Mills surrendered when he realised the enemy had captured Lenore. He called his daughter and informed her of their situation before dropping the gun.]

[Kim Mills, hearing her father's seriousness, became both alert and nervous. She remembered what had happened in France two years earlier].

["Listen to me carefully, Kim. Your mother and I are going to be taken away. They'll come for you too. Leave this place calmly. Go now." Bryan smashed the phone after calling his daughter].

[Left with no choice, Bryan dropped the gun and the enemies started beating him.]

[Perhaps because of their intentions, the criminals didn't kill Bryan and Lenore on the spot. They wanted Bryan to suffer as they had suffered. They would kill his loved ones in front of him.]

[With utmost concentration, Bryan Mills did his best to use his sense of hearing to remember their route].

[Then the two were taken to different rooms. Bryan Mills was left alone in the room with his hands tied.]

[But the man was always prepared, he had a little gadget (phone) that he could use to contact people. He tried to contact his friend first, but he didn't answer. Then Bryant called his daughter and Kim Mills answered immediately.]

[Kim tried to ask about her mother and Bryan assured her, although Bryan himself had no idea of Lenore's current situation].

["Kim, listen to me very carefully. Take the case..."]

[Even though it was dangerous, Bryan instructed his daughter to help them escape.]

[Kim Mills started running around, throwing weak grenades at specific non popular locations so that Bryan had an idea of where exactly he was. He confirmed that he was not too far from the hotel as he could hear the three explosions].

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Warslick!]

[Author's note: I know you're all getting tired of summaries, so am I. So I'm going to post two chapters today to end this summary.]


Hollywood What If Chapter 205

[The leader of the criminals entered the room. He spoke to Bryan Mills and the two had a heated exchange.]

["You killed my son!"]

["He kidnapped my daughter."]

[That was their exchange, but they were both determined. Unfortunately for Bryan Mills, he was at a disadvantage in this situation.]

[The leader sent Lenore into the room. Then he cut her throat!]

The audience gasped, thinking Lenore would die instantly.

[But Lenore didn't die quickly. Instead, she was hanged upside down as blood flowed from her neck.]

To make the scene less gruesome and pass the MPAA rating, Lenore's face was wrapped in a brown cloth sack. To hide the suffering the woman was undergoing. Of course, the person hanging upside down was actually a body double.

Still, it was heartbreaking to see Lenore hanging upside down as the brown sack slowly turned red as the blood continued to stain the fabric.

[Bryan Mills' expression were filled with worry and sadness, but he controlled himself. He then contacted Kim after identifying his location. He successfully escaped his restraints and instructed Kim to throw a gun down the chimney.]

[Kim Mills was spotted by the sniper and attempted to shoot her. Fortunately, Kim Mills had already stopped throwing grenades and started hiding. She was following her father's instructions.]

[Bryan Mills checked on his ex-wife and sighed with relief after confirming that Lenore was all right].

[Then there was another action sequence. Bryan Mills came out of the room and started shooting people.]

[Two of the five snipers were resting and failed to use their rifles at close range. They died at the hands of Bryan Mills. But a gunshot reverberated and Bryan Mills instinctively moved.]

It was a slow motion scene where a rifle bullet flew by close to the actor's head.

[Bryan Mills would have been shot in the head if he hadn't ducked. He looked around and saw a man on the roof of a three-storey building. The location was not far.]

[Determined to finish what he had started, Bryan Mills sprinted into the three-storey building. Little did he know that this time his opponent was Marcus.]

[Marcus and Bryan Mills had a confrontation and started shooting in the stairwell. They easily dodged each other's bullets.]

[But the situation changed when Bryan Mills successfully reached Marcus and fought him hand-to-hand. Even though Marcus was a professional killer, he was weaker against someone like Bryan Mills. Someone who had a particular set of skills.]

[In the end, Marcus made it out of the building, but he was wounded in his left leg. Bryan Mills had clearly won this fight].

The crowd had mixed feelings about this one, but most of them were cheering for Bryan Mills.

In this situation, Bryan Mills had the upper hand from a moral standpoint, while Marcus was a clear enemy. In this film they found the duality of Marcus' character.

Marcus was a good friend to John Wick, he saved his life. But that didn't change the fact that Marcus was a killer. Maybe Marcus wanted to end that career, but for now his status as one of the enemies in this film was clear.

The audience had a great time watching them fight because both Marcus and Bryan Mills were experts. The action choreography in the scene was satisfying.

In the corner of the theatre, Tae-Won Park could not help but smile at the product he had made. He was the stunt director of Taken 2 and The Bourne Identity and his name was becoming famous. Lately, more and more people have been trying to hire him for their projects.

Unfortunately, Tae-Won Park turned them all down. He knew that the Hong Kong film industry and Hollywood were having a negotiation about hiring talents. Tae-Won Park didn't want to be a part of that.

[Fighting Marcus didn't leave Bryan Mills unscathed. He suffered an injury to his right arm, but it was not fatal. At least he could move around easily.]

[Another group of criminals rushed towards Bryan Mills and the protagonist had no choice but to flee. On the way, he met Kim and found a car.]

[The two drove to Lenore's location, only to find that Lenore had been kidnapped again!]

[Bryan Mills and Kim left the location but were pursued by the enemies. As expected, another car chase scene and this time it was much cooler].

No lie, the crew spent almost $2 million just to make this scene happen. They rented a place in Istanbul, let the cars loose, destroyed dozens of cars and shot it.

This was the result of that one week of filming. It was a very adrenaline-pumping scene, with cars racing forward and crashing into concrete walls or flipping over. There was something about cars exploding that made men entertained.

[Kim and Bryan Mills' car drove into the US embassy even though their car was half broken.]

[Once Kim was safe inside the embassy, Bryan Mills decided that this had to end. Using the connection he had made and his experience, he successfully located the place where Lenore was.]

[He entered the house and began killing people in a very quick but cool manner. Getting the attention of the male audience.]

[Bryan Mills found the leader of the criminals and gave him a choice - peace or death. The leader/father chose death and Bryan kicked him to the wall where a sharp protruding blade stabbed the leader.]

[Then Bryan Mills went on to rescue Lenore and left Istanbul peacefully. It was a holiday the whole family would never forget.]

The audience would also never forget this film because the interactions between the characters became clearer and clearer. In this film, Marcus from John Wick fought Bryan Mills and lost, escaping from the protagonist!

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 206

The theatre went dark for a second before the credits rolled.

The audience clapped, but didn't stand up. They already knew the routine. They remained in their seats, waiting for the post-credits scene.

The influence of Taken on the female population was quite good and the audience this time had many women, unlike John Wick and The Bourne Identity.

The Continental Cinematic Universe was heavily based on male audiences, but the effect of Taken on females gave the cinema a good male/female ratio.

If Taken 2 was well-received, then the next film in the Continental Cinematic Universe would also have a large female audience.

Well, this time Taken 2 leveled up and the audience could clearly feel the adrenaline. This film was great!

Then, a few seconds after the credits rolled, the post-credits scene appeared.

[Marcus was walking, limping as he moaned in pain. He was near the shore, where he had a yacht at the ready in case of a dangerous situation.]

[This time he realised the enemy was quite strong. Perhaps the retired agent could go head to head with his friend John Wick].

[Before Marcus could reach the shore, his feet stopped near the cliff. Beneath the cliff was a strong current of waves that could engulf anything.]

["Heh, I guess you guys have shown your true intentions." Marcus could not help but chuckle.]

[He looked at the two people, his remaining teammates for this mission. There were five, but two were killed by the retired agent.]

["Your relationship with the Fraternity is getting sour and Slone didn't like that."]

["Is it because I want to retire from this job?" Marcus grimaced. The wound in his left leg hurt.]

["That's one of the reasons."]

[The two Fraternity members raised their guns. Marcus was shot in the chest, but he could still move. Marcus, determined to survive, jumped down the treacherous cliff.]

[The post-credits scene ended with Marcus disappearing into the waves].

This scene was a bit of a shock as they thought Marcus' appearance in the film had already ended. Now the audience became interested in the Fraternity and how this organisation would affect the next films.

The audience clapped and people started to stand up and leave the cinema in excitement. Some of them were greeted by the people from CinemaScore to count up the film's ratings.

At the Paramount Theatre, the cast of Taken 2 stood up and received a standing ovation from the audience.

It was known that the cast and director of the film would be interviewed after the premiere.

Most of the questions were directed at Liam Neeson and Brianna Evans. These two actors had given good performances this year and their box office appeal was appreciated.

Of course, some reporters and film critics asked Willem Dafoe and Scarlett Johansson a few questions.

They were curious about Willem Dafoe's role in the next film, as the post-credits scene was about him.

Willem Dafoe was actually clueless about his role in the next film. Although he knew that his screen time in the next film would be a lot. Director Kazir Grey assured him.

As for Scarlett Johansson, the questions about her were quite mild as she was still a minor.

The other star of the film was none other than the director, Fremont Smith. This young director proved that he could handle the pressure and successfully make a big budget film.

"I just want to thank director Grey for giving me the chance to direct this film. God knows how happy I am right now. Of course, I want to thank my parents for believing in me. I believe that with strong determination and a lot of hard work I can do anything. I have to dream higher and bigger."

Fremont looked at his parents, who were at the premiere. His mother was crying, while his father was rubbing his wife's back, smiling and proud of his son.

Fremont Smith smiled and waved his hand, trying his best not to cry.

The premiere was over and the first hurdle had been taken.

Everything would be decided after the midnight and first day box office. On the basis of these data, the professionals would determine the film's forecast. Of course, the result might not be 70% or 80% correct.

The critics and even the industry professionals thought that Titanic was going to be a huge box office flop after the first week's data was collected.

But instead of falling, Titanic's box office went up.

Nobody knows the future.

..........

.......

...

4 November 1999.

Two big-budget films were released at midnight. The first was Taken 2 from Grey Pictures, distributed by Paramount Pictures.

The second was The Bone Collector, distributed by Universal Pictures.

In its first 24 hours, The Bone Collector grossed $7 million. To make that amount of money in one day was impressive.

Unfortunately for The Bone Collector, it was up against a strong opponent.

The first day box office for Taken 2 was a whopping $17 million. That is how many people went to see the film on the first day alone. On top of that, the film's reputation was strong.

Based on this, they concluded that Taken 2's first-week box office would be huge, around $55-60 million. Only big movies with a lot of promotion could get the same treatment of $60 million in one week.

However, most of these big projects were released in the summer. Taken 2 did well despite the timing, even though it was not heavily promoted. It seemed that people just wanted to see the film.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 207

"I guess this is the end for us." Cameron Diaz smiled bitterly as she put down the tea she was sipping. Just like her expression, the tea was bitter.

They decided to go to a café and talk about their future. Knowing the outcome of this meeting, Cameron Diaz felt like drinking tea.

"Cam, you're a beautiful and great woman and I think you deserve better," Kazir replied honestly.

"Indeed."

Cameron Diaz didn't deny it. Her status was becoming more prominent these days, and people recognised her ability as an actress. With that as leverage, she could easily marry a millionaire...

But there was something about Kazir Grey that satisfied her as a woman. Kazir was a good lover, but he never placed any importance on her and their relationship.

As a woman, Cameron Diaz wanted to prove herself and make sure that Kazir fell in love with her. Maybe it was to boost her ego, or maybe she was genuinely interested in Kazir.

Either way, the man across the table showed no interest. As if everything was business for him. The only time Kazir looked sincere and happy was when he was working on his film projects.

It was as if Kazir had closed his heart with the intention of never opening it again. He found it hard to trust a woman.

Cameron Diaz regretted this. If they had met earlier, she might have had a chance in his heart. But reality was cruel.

"Then I hope you meet someone who can make you happy."

"Thank you, Cam. If you need any help, you can contact me. I'll try to help as much as I can."

"That's what I like about you." Cameron Diaz giggled. The contract she had signed helped her a lot.

She knew that Kazir could see the potential of a film just by reading part of the script.

In fact, Cameron Diaz collected scripts from her agent and had them read by Kazir Grey. She wanted to hear his opinion because she felt that Kazir had this premonition thing that could tell the outcome of the film. Of course, she did her best and 'paid' him for his opinion.

In the end, of all the scripts she gave to Kazir. The talented director told her which ones caught his attention.

Bridget Jones' Diary. Kazir said that this film could have sequels if it was done right.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Kazir said that action films starring women would do well at the box office. But Cameron Diaz had already starred in The Bourne Identity and she had a role in Charlie's Angels. She didn't want to do any action films for the time being.

The last script that caught Kazir's attention was Erin Brockovich. This film was based on a true story. This was the kind of film the Academy(AMPAS) liked to promote. If Cameron Diaz got the part and Erin Brockovich was a success, she might get an Oscar Award.

Frankly, Cameron Diaz was interested in winning an Oscar statue, but she knew that her credentials were not enough.

The three scripts seemed good, but Cameron wanted a different role.

"Kazir, I heard you sold a script to 20th Century Fox."

"Yes, they have been trying to buy this script from me for a year."

"Do you mind if I participate in this film? I want to play the lead in the film you wrote."

Cameron curled her lips and leaned towards him. She had heard a rumour that Kazir Grey had recommended his 'friend' Reese Witherspoon for the lead.

"That's fine. You can do whatever you want."

Kazir didn't have a problem.

"Thank you, Kazir. Can you please recommend me to 20th Century Fox as well? Please~" She said seductively.

"I'll try my best."

Knowing that Kazir always kept his promises, Cameron Diaz smiled sincerely and thanked him.

Incidentally, the title of the script Kazir sold to 20th Century Fox was "Legally Blonde".

Yes, this time Cameron Diaz wanted to go head-to-head with Reese Witherspoon. Women, they are scary creatures.

.........

......

...

"Are you sure about this?"

Orlando Bloom asked his agent on the phone. Orlando Bloom was still in New Zealand filming Lord of the Rings. But he received word from his agent that Grey Pictures was interested in working with him.

Grey Pictures was just a new production company, but the films they were producing were all box office hits.

For a small actor like Orlando Bloom, working with Grey Pictures was a godsend. The Lord Of The Rings was a famous literary masterpiece, but it had so many characters that his screen time was average at best. Besides, all he did most of the time was look handsome while pulling the string of his bow.

Well, using his good looks was a good weapon and Orlando Bloom was grateful for it.

However, Orlando Bloom felt that he needed a better platform.

He had already read the script of Wanted and he realised that this film could be the biggest film of the next year. Although this film would have John Wick, Bryan Mills and Jason Bourne, the main character was none other than Wesley Gibson. He was the most important character in the film.

If there was a chance, Orlando Bloom wanted to talk to Kazir Grey personally.

Unfortunately, there was a huge obstacle.

Orlando Bloom was a client of WMA. Everyone knew that the relationship between WMA and Grey Pictures was very bad.

It was a miracle that Orlando Bloom was invited. So he hoped his agent would do the right thing.

-- Don't worry Orlando, I'm doing this for both of us.

The agent, Franklin Maxwell, assured his client. They were both on the same page and wanted to be part of Kazir's next project.

"Thank you, Frank." Orlando Bloom said.

But Orlando Bloom didn't know that agent Franklin Maxwell had another motive for wanting to meet the director.

+++++

[Author's note: I posted an important poll on Patreon about this novel. You might want to check it out, especially if you've subscribed to my Patreon and haven't voted yet. And yes, this is technically a promotion for my Patreon. You can only vote if you've subscribed, that's one of the privileges for supporting me financially].

https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 208

Kazir has just finished talking to Cameron Diaz. They decided to end their relationship today, no strings attached. First of all, they signed a contract.

They had already extended the contract in the hope that Taken 2 would not be affected by their separation.

Now that Taken 2 was in its second week, the couple knew it was time to end things between them.

Taken 2 was a sequel to a successful film and its performance was not expected to be that bad.

By 14th November 1999, Taken 2 had already grossed $90.03 million. This made it the fastest grossing film of November 1999. In fact, Taken 2 was the second fastest grossing film of the year behind Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace.

Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace grossed $191 million in its second week... A truly terrifying franchise. This franchise has already taken root and created a culture in the US.

The third fastest grossing film was Toy Story 2 with $80 million.

The data doesn't lie and it was clear that Taken 2 was a box office hit.

Kazir Grey let Cameron Diaz leave the café first. It would be awkward if they left at the same time.

After waiting a few minutes, Kazir Grey decided to leave. After paying, he left the cafe.

But before he could reach his car, someone called him from behind.

"Director Grey."

Kazir turned to see a man. He didn't know the guy at all.

Kazir tilted his head and asked.

"Excuse me? Do I know you?"

He thought the man was asking for an autograph. Lately, a lot of people had been asking for autographs. His cameo appearances in films made people recognise him. So Kazir Grey always had a pen ready for this moment.

"Okay, you can give me some paper and I'll sign it."

"Huh? N- No, director. You have misunderstood. I'm not here for an autograph. I'm Agent Franklin Maxwell of the William Morris Agency. I'm Orlando Bloom's agent."

Franklin Maxwell handed Kazir Grey a business card. The director took the card and confirmed that it was genuine. He was a former client of WMA and knew the design and look of their business card.

But Kazir didn't know about this agent. Well, he didn't know much about WMA after getting kicked out anyway.

Kazir Grey thought that Orlando Bloom could play the role of Wesley Gibson in Wanted, so he decided to invite the guy.

Most of Kazir's actors were from CAA, UTA, freelancers or small agencies. However, he never invited WMA to his project after the Ed Helms controversy.

It was a very rare moment for WMA. Kazir had already lost his grudge when he found out that Carl Morin and Lawlor Dean had been kicked out of the company. He was not petty enough to hold a grudge forever...

"So you're Orlando Bloom's agent? If you're asking for the script, don't worry, we'll fax it to you tonight or tomorrow. Although I would like you to remind Orlando Bloom to keep the script confidential".

"I understand Director, I will call Orlando Bloom later."

Kazir nodded and opened his car, glancing at the agent and noticing that he wasn't leaving.

"Do you have something to tell me?"

"Director, do you mind if we talk for at least five minutes? I have something that might interest you."

"... Alright." Kazir raised his eyebrow and decided to accept the invitation. He didn't have anything to do today.

The project would start in two weeks and Kazir was taking his time, relaxing and living a simple life.

Now that he had hired a general manager to take care of Grey Pictures, Kazir was free most of the time. He never liked being a CEO anyway.

Agent Franklin Maxwell was pleased that Kazir had agreed. He immediately took him to a restaurant with private rooms.

Kazir was curious about the agent's intentions. He already had an idea why the agent wanted to talk to him.

'Maybe it's something to do with Orlando Bloom.'

There were many ways to get the roles besides auditioning. Connections were one thing.

But there was another method, something that Hollywood was trying to hide, but it was very obvious.

The casting couch...

Yes, this thing happened a lot, but mostly hidden.

The actors or actresses would sleep with someone from the crew, usually people in high positions such as directors and producers. Even casting directors had their fair share of "fun".

If Kazir was right, this agent would take him to a private room where beautiful women were waiting to be eaten.

Suddenly, Kazir felt that this could be a trap.

"Franklin, I just want to remind you that I don't want any trouble. But if anything happens, someone will pay for it."

"O- Of course, director. Don't worry, my intentions are pure."

'Pure my ass.'

Kazir thought and followed him. He looked around and confirmed that he hadn't found any hidden cameras. Of course, hidden cameras were hard to find, but Kazir was a director and he knew where to put cameras to get a better view.

So far he had not found any.

'Maybe I'm getting overconfident and thinking I can do anything and overcome anything. Damn, and I thought Hollywood would never affect me...'.

A lot of celebrities were arrogant for a reason.

When they reached the room, Kazir's suspicions were confirmed.

Franklin Maxwell opened the door and Kazir saw what was inside. He found seven people in skimpy outfits.

Seven people... But two of those people were actually men! Their outfits were disgusting!

'What the fuck?'

Kazir was stunned and looked at Franklin Maxwell.

"Ahem... I didn't know your preference, so I decided to add men just to be sure." He blushed in embarrassment.

Kazir Grey had few women in his life and some people believe that Kazir was actually gay.

Kazir shook his head. He looked at the people and recognised a woman who would become famous a few years later.

But Kazir never intended to play that game.

"On second thought, let's talk downstairs. Where people can see us."

"A-alright."

++++

[Author's Note: Yep, I'm still alive.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 209

"Director Grey, I promise you I have no bad intentions. I just want to make sure that you are relaxed." Franklin Maxwell realised that Director Grey didn't like his preparation as they left the private room.

Director Grey didn't even enter the room. After looking at the people in the room, the Director immediately announced that he wanted to talk downstairs instead. Perhaps Kazir was just curious about the agent's intentions.

"I know." Kazir nodded.

'Of course, if you try to blackmail me or release footage of me having fun with five women and two men, then your future in Hollywood is already over. Besides, a lot of directors will lose faith in the WMA if they find out that one of their agents blackmailed me.'

In this situation, Franklin Maxwell and the WMA were at a disadvantage. Kazir Grey was not the person he was five years ago. His connections run deeper and many people would protect him. Even CAA would look after Kazir's welfare.

Kazir's talent was already proven and many people considered him useful. On top of that, everyone knows that Kazir would never spend his time in a room with strangers. Unless he was drugged or kidnapped.

'If you try to make things difficult, Orlando Bloom will never get a chance to audition and your career as an agent will be over.'

Kazir was now a powerful figure in Hollywood.

The WMA usually attacked him indirectly and their means were not that extreme, apart from the domestic violence allegations. They would never put themselves in a difficult position.

'Maybe I'm getting used to this life that I can deduce the WMA's way of thinking... Money and power are scary things.'

Now that Carl Morin and Lawlor Dean had been thrown out of the WMA, Kazir understood that the grudge was basically over.

The two reached the ground floor and Kazir sat down at an empty table. Franklin Maxwell followed suit and sat across him.

"Franklin, let me get this straight. I'm not the type to say yes just because there's some first class pussy in front of me. The people you sent into that room will never sway me. So let me ask you, why are you doing this?"

Knowing that Kazir Grey was serious, Franklin Maxwell swallowed hard and decided to speak. This was all or nothing.

"Director Grey, I hope you can return to the WMA and become my client."

'As expected...' Kazir leaned against the chair. It was obvious. This was not the first time an agent had tried to talk to him about changing agencies. He had turned down all their offers, even though some of them had good conditions.

But today Kazir was free and he was thinking about changing agencies... Or so.

"What will I get?" Kazir asked.

"Y- Yes." Franklin Maxwell got excited when he heard the director's answer. His face blushed slightly.

He had heard that Kazir Grey had been contacted by many agencies but had never accepted their offers. He explained that he was happy with the way CAA was helping him.

Franklin pulled an envelope from his suit. It was warm from his body heat...

The agent handed the contract to Kazir and let him read it. Franklin wrote only the important things that Kazir could get if he signed a contract with the WMA. Of course, this contract was not official. Most of the time contracts were as thick as books because of all the clauses and conditions.

Franklin Maxwell only included the conditions that could attract Kazir.

Reading the contract, Kazir raised his eyebrows and read the first line.

'A 2% commission? Damn, that's basically a robbery, from them. Have I reached the point where I am on a par with Steven Spielberg and James Cameron in terms of importance?'

This kind of contract was usually for top directors like them.

The contract stated that Kazir Grey had full control over his project and could hire whoever he wanted. However, they hoped that Director Grey would prioritise WMA's clients first. A very typical condition.

Other than that, nothing really caught his attention. Kazir was not a fussy person and the conditions were within his expectations.

But when he read the last clause, he couldn't help but smile.

Every week, the WMA will send one of their female clients to his apartment to serve Kazir.

'This is crazy... I don't even know if WMA is crazy enough to do this. But it's not impossible, they can send a newbie actress who has no foundation in Hollywood and leave it at that.'

If he was right, that last clause was added by Franklin Maxwell himself.

'I'm sure no actress would object to sleeping with a famous director like me. Especially if the actress is new in the business and needs to make connections. '

Talent Agents... They were known for their thick faces and shameless behaviour. They would do anything to get a better deal. This time Franklin Maxwell used a dirty trick.

Kazir could only shake his head and laugh.

"Franklin, this contract was approved by the WMA, right?"

"Of course, although I added a few conditions to make it better. Don't worry, I think the WMA will do anything to get you signed."

"Indeed."

This contract was indeed good. Unfortunately, Kazir was no fool.

If he signed a contract with WMA, then all the crew members and employees of Grey Pictures would be affected. Most of them were CAA clients. There was a chance that most of them would resign. Kazir didn't want to risk that.

"... Let me think about it. By the way, tell Orlando Bloom to get ready for his audition. The final round of auditions for the lead role will take place in 12 days".

Kazir wanted to play a little with WMA and CAA. Although he already had an idea of the outcome.

"Yes, director!"

Franklin Maxwell was delighted when he realized that Kazir was not against it. At least he had a chance to sign Director Grey. If WMA heard that Kazir was interested in returning to his "roots", the agency would welcome him with open arms.

A director who could make blockbuster after blockbuster would be accepted by any agency, no matter what kind of person he was.

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[Author's note: Kazir will meet a new person (female), one of the seven people who wore skimpy outfits. You can decide who it will be, you have one day to choose because I will write tomorrow. Just vote for it in the poll I will post (Edit: The Patreon poll is already closed and the actress has already appeared in the next chapters. This paragraph is basically useless but I didn't erase it just because.)].

[One more thing, do you want Kazir to change from good to bad or bad to good? Readers have said that Kazir is too stable and boring. This is a question I want to hear you answers. Feel free to comment].