HOLLYWOOD WHAT IF

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 210


"Thank you, Director Grey!"

Franklin Maxwell said goodbye with excitement. The smile on his face almost lit up the afternoon.

He was a mid-level agent at the William Morris Agency, and his biggest client was Orlando Bloom, who had successfully landed the role of Legolas in Lord of the Rings.

To be honest, he was still not sure about Orlando Bloom because epic novels with fantasy elements were very hard to replicate at this time. The future of Lord of the Rings was unclear. In addition, Franklin heard that the investment in the film was quite tight after Miramax passed the project on to New Line Cinema.

So he decided to contact Kazir Grey and hope for the best. He knew the odds were against him, but Franklin Maxwell was an agent. People like him should have a shameless face.

His first intention was to talk to Kazir Grey and hopefully convince him to cast Orlando Bloom as the protagonist of his new project. This would be a big break for a small actor like Orlando Bloom.

His second plan was to find a way to convince Director Grey to return to WMA and become his client. He honestly felt that this plan would not work.

However, never say never, he made a plan and decided to use a beauty trap to lure the director... It didn't work, but at least Kazir wasn't averse to the idea.

When Franklin Maxwell handed the contract to Kazir Grey, he suddenly realized that he was interested! Though it was small, he sensed that Kazir Grey was interested in the terms of the contract!

'I should talk to one of the vice presidents and convince him to agree to the last condition about sending a client to Kazir's apartment to warm his bed every week! It's a win-win situation for both sides.'

Director Grey was the type of person who returned favors. The women who had relationships with him over the years went on to have good careers.

Reese Witherspoon.

Brianna Evans.

Cameron Diaz.

Two of these women became his girlfriends... Um, his relationship with Reese Witherspoon was unclear, but Franklin Maxwell got the gist of the story. In fact, he believed that Brianna Evans also had an affair with Kazir Grey.

Any woman who wanted to reach the pinnacle of fame would never hesitate to do anything! This was the truth. Pride and dignity were rare in this industry full of liars.

As he walked to the street, Franklin Maxwell could not help but imagine the future once Kazir Grey became his client! He didn't care about the commission.

He had a way to get money once Kazir became his client. Not only that, he had so many ways to get bitches once Kazir Grey became his client!

Hollywood. The land of show business. Where truth and lies were so hard to distinguish.

Kazir Grey sneered as he looked in the direction where WMA agent Franklin Maxwell was walking.

'He's a fool if he thinks I'm interested in changing agencies. I want stability and CAA has given me that. There's no reason to leave the agency, at least not now.'

Grey Pictures was at a point where they needed stability. The project this time was very important and it would determine the destiny of Grey Pictures.

There was only one movie that Grey Pictures would release the next year. It was none other than Wanted.

Fremont Smith finished Taken 2 and he wanted to direct John Wick Chapter 2 as well.

However, Fremont Smith was hoping to get at least four months off. Making a movie was very exhausting and stressful. He wanted to enjoy the success he had before he started John Wick Chapter 2. The movie could be released in 2001.

The salary that Fremont Smith got in the last project was $1.9 million. Less than the main actors. It was understandable because it was his first project. It was a miracle that he got this amount in the first place since he was a newbie with no credentials.

Fortunately for him, Grey Pictures was not that cheap and promised to give him another $1 million if Taken 2 made more than $200 million domestically, which had a good chance of happening. If not, Fremont Smith would get $200,000 instead.

The average salary for men in 1999 was about $36,000 for a full-time job. But Fremont Smith got more than that in a single movie.

It was true that making movies was a profitable business. Making bad movies was profitable, too, once the movie was released on the videotape market. And making adult movies was profitable, too...

Anyway, people are visual creatures. They prefer to watch movies or TV shows rather than read or listen to the radio. As long as people consume the products produced by the media, movies will be profitable.

Kazir found his car and got in. But someone knocked on the window next to him.

Kazir turned to the window and the first thing he saw was a woman's cleavage.

The director frowned and opened the window slightly. He had no idea what was happening.

"Hello Director Grey, I'm Jessica Alba! We met earlier."

The woman greeted him with a bright, innocent smile. She was so cute that Kazir was stunned for a second before he could answer.

"Hm, you're the one from the room earlier, along with the other six people."

"That's right," Jessica Alba nodded and leaned closer to the window, giving Kazir a better view of her breasts... Kazir noticed that the woman was not wearing a bra.

+++++

[Author's note: I'm not sure if I mentioned Fremont Smith's salary, so I decided to type in a random number. If I did write one, it means I forgot. I will edit his salary as soon as I confirm it].

[I honestly thought you guys would choose Hale Berry or Jessica Chastain, but it seems more of you prefer Jessica Alba(The poll ended months ago on Patreon)].

[One more thing, don't take anything I said/wrote seriously. I'm just a simple Filipino guy who never had a good grade in English and Math when I was in school. Honestly, I didn't even expect that I could actually write a novel. I just want you to have fun and be entertained by my stories. As for the next update, I have no idea when it will be...]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 211


Jessica Alba.

Kazir recognized her face even before she could introduce herself.

Looking around the room, he found her face familiar and remembered a certain TV show called Dark Angel. But what made him remember was the woman's role in Fantastic Four. A movie based on a superhero comic book. Marvel sold the movie adaptation rights to 20th Century Fox along with X-Men.

Anyway, he knew Jessica Alba. Kazir Grey studied the woman and noticed that the woman was young and she looked innocent and sweet.

'... Now I wonder how she got into this room.'

Based on his deduction, he believed that Jessica Alba was 18 or 19 years old at most. She looked young.

Kazir's vision traveled down and confirmed that the woman was still wearing her skimpy outfit. A very short skirt that barely covered her ass and an off-the-shoulder top.

It would be a lie for Kazir to say that he was not attracted to her appearance. The woman's appearance screamed at him to do her... Yes, that was Kazir's conclusion.

He rolled down the car window.

"Miss Jessica, do you always wear clothes like this?" He asked out of curiosity.

"Director Grey, this is the first time I wear a skirt like this, my legs actually feel cold. The reason I'm wearing this is because I heard that I'm going to meet you today."

The woman did her best to explain.

Kazir looked into her eyes. Kazir was a director and he knew when a person was acting or not, he nodded when he confirmed that the woman was not lying. Unless Jessica Alba was super good at acting, she could not fool a director like Kazir.

"Director, can you please give me some time to talk? I know you're busy, but this is a rare opportunity for me. I want to talk to you."

'... This is the second time this has happened today. Should I agree?'

Kazir had nothing to do today. He had already talked to Cameron Diaz earlier and officially broke up with her.

'...Hehe, it's funny that I just broke up with her today and yet I'm here talking to another woman. The media might paint me as a womanizer.'

After thinking about it, Kazir nodded. But he never left the car.

"You have one minute to talk." He announced.

"Director, can I get in your car? I don't feel comfortable in my dress right now." Jessica Alba smiled even though her cheeks were blushing.

"I'm sorry. You should talk now or I'll leave."

"Alright, alright. I auditioned for your project and passed the first round."

'Now everything makes sense... But my project only has a few female characters.'

The biggest female role in the movie was Fox, Grey Pictures tried to contact Angelina Jolie to audition for the role.

The second was the fat female boss who bullied Wesley Gibson.

The third was Wesley Gibson's girlfriend who was cheating on him.

'For Jessica's age, it should be hard for her to get past the second round. Maybe that's why she attended this 'meeting' today, to convince me... This Jessica is not the Dark Angel Jessica, she's probably desperate to enter the industry.'

Dark Angel was still not existing at this time.

The first round of audition was about the appearance check, while the second round was about the acting ability. Although most of the important roles were taken by actresses who had connections with the crew. That was the way it usually worked.

"I hope you can give me a chance to prove to you that I can play the role of Fox in your movie..." She bit her lip and leaned closer to the car. "I can go to your apartment if you want. Don't worry, I'm 18."

"..." Kazir didn't answer.

As a man, Kazir was aroused. This was basic biology. It would be gay for him to say that he was not affected by the woman's seduction.

Unfortunately, Kazir had seen so many beauty traps in this industry that he was used to this kind of situation.

He shook his head and apologized.

"I'm sorry, Jessica, but I never resort to that kind of transaction."

"W- What? But I thought Reese..."

"She never did, I never did."

The two had a staring contest.

Jessica Alba made her film debut as a child actress in 1994. The movie didn't have a good performance.

The following year, she got a leading role in a movie, but it was only distributed on videotape.

After that, she studied acting for four years. This year she had three film projects. That was not bad for a new actress. Unfortunately, she never had a good performance at the box office.

Her agent recommended that she audition for movies that had a good chance of doing well at the box office.

Everyone in Hollywood knew about the up-and-coming production company called Grey Pictures. They would be releasing another Continental film next year and everyone believed it would do well.

Jessica didn't hesitate and went to the audition. Fortunately, she passed the first audition. However, she understood that it was not easy for her to secure a role.

She had to find a way to talk to the casting director. Yes, a very common method in this industry. To have sex with the casting director or other important people in a movie project. This could also happen to male actors. After all, there were many gays, lesbians and bisexuals in the industry.

Jessica Alba's agent told her that another agent was trying to contact Kazir. If the director agreed, he would spend some time in the private room.

Jessica accepted the job and wore a very attractive outfit in hopes that Kazir Grey would be entertained.

The other six people in the private room thought the same. They needed to make a connection with someone like Director Grey.

Unfortunately, Jessica Alba confirmed that the man in the car had his pride and would never succumb to corruption.

"Director--"

"I'm sorry, Jessica. You can participate in the second round of auditions. If you pass the second round, we will meet at the final round. At that time, I will test you equally based on your ability as an actress. That's all I can do."

The car left the woman standing on the street, quite cold.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 212





The third week of release of Taken 2 ended and the result was very good. On November 21, 1999, the movie already grossed $132.48 million.



The state of Hollywood was getting better and the power of the media was getting stronger. People loved to watch movies on weekends and that was the reason why the box office was better on weekends.



Kazir Grey made the most of his time, knowing that he didn't have much to do lately.



The director of Taken 2, Fremont Smith, was out promoting the movie with the cast. They visited many national and local TV shows.



Paramount Pictures already promised to promote the movie, they knew that the box office of Taken 2 would make their appetite better. They were also the distributor of the videotapes and DVDs. As long as Taken 2 did well, Paramount would make a better profit from the combined box office and videotapes/DVDs.



Sometimes Brad Grey regrets that he didn't agree with Kazir's decision.



He should have let Grey Pictures invest 30% in the movie, at least Paramount owned the copyrights to Taken.



Grey Pictures would have approval rights, but that was nothing compared to the profit that Taken brought in. The influence of Taken in North America was strong because of the viral kidnapping that happened three years ago. That was the main reason why the movie grossed over half a billion at the worldwide box office.



Also, Taken was part of a huge universe and every movie seemed to be profitable. Even John Wick, which had an average box office, was raking in money in the videotape market.



Obviously, the people who saw Taken also saw John Wick and The Bourne Identity. That means they have to watch the three movies to get the whole plot. So yeah, more money...



Paramount Pictures regretted that they didn't get a share of this huge amount of money! Why the hell did they not agree to Kazir's terms at the time?



If CEO Brad Grey could go back in time, he would slap his past self and yell at him to agree to Kazir's condition of investing 30% in the movie! Hell, he would even twerk in front of the director to convince him.



Money.



People would do anything to get a lot of money.



Just like straight men said, 20 dollars is 20 dollars, so it's not gay... Ahem, completely irrelevant, but you get the point. Money can make a person go crazy and do something stupid.



Not only Paramount, but also the other movie companies that Kazir Grey contacted four years ago had regrets.



Apparently, the outrageous plan Kazir called "Cinematic Universe" was a big hit! The four films released by Grey Pictures were doing well at the box office and at the videotape market.



That was proof enough that the Cinematic Universe was profitable.



Suddenly, Warner Bros. had an epiphany, or to be more precise, they itched to follow Kazir's footsteps and create their own Cinematic Universe. In fact, they already had the best subject to use. It was none other than DC Comics! The Justice League! Where heroes from different comics formed a superhero organization to protect the Earth from disaster.



However, there was something that worried them... They had no idea where to start. They felt they needed to invest money in these projects, but money was not enough to achieve success.



You need someone who can make sure that the project will be a success! That's right, they need someone like Kazir, or more precisely, they need Kazir Grey!



The man, the myth himself, the director who made the impossible possible, director Grey...



The said director was having a good time, watching old movies. Today he was watching the iconic Gone with the Wind, the best movie of the 1940s.



Kazir Grey didn't know that his status was improving again. He received so many invitations from different personalities in the industry, but as usual, he refused most of them. He didn't like parties and talking to strangers, especially if the strangers were only interested in his status and money.



So many women talked to him every time he attended a party, and they always flirted with him.



Movie? No, I want to talk to you about my feelings and how you can give me a role in your next project.



Editing cuts? What's that? Anyway, I want to tell you about my sweet kitten. If you want, you can see it later, my soft tight "kitten"...



What about the production crew? Nah, I want to talk to you about producing a baby.



Yep, it may sound outrageous, but Kazir has heard these kind of pickup lines lately.



Honestly, Kazir Grey wanted to nod his head and say yes to their advances, but his fear of women made him shake his head and walk away. Beautiful female strangers scared him the most.



After watching the iconic movie, Kazir Grey got up and changed his clothes. He had a meeting with an investment company. He had heard that his investment had already surpassed $120 million last time, so he was sure it would increase again this time.



Now that he was a millionaire, he realized that making money was not so hard... Or maybe he was just delusional. The hardest step in becoming a millionaire was earning the first 1 million.



In his past life, his net worth was just over 1 million. His life back then was not that bad, but he was extremely depressed after he got divorced, lost his father, and had no contact with his older brother. He also had never met his mother in his previous life.



He had a hard time connecting with the opposite sex and could never put his heart into them, as if he was afraid of getting hurt again.



He knew that life was never a bed of roses. This led him to the truth that it was better to be a boring man than a passionate one. At least his expectations would never be high and his pain would be less.





[Author's note: Rereading this chapter, I realized that there is no conversation at all. There's no reason to have a conversation anyway...]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 213



Kazir Grey remembered that the dot-com bubble would burst next year, and Kazir was not stupid enough to continue investing in Internet companies. He knew that once the dot-com bubble burst, many industries would be affected.


He decided to retrieve all his money and wait for the recession to end. Of course, in the meantime, he would try to find a nice house in Beverly Hills.


Beverly Hills was the place where many celebrities lived. It was Kazir's dream to have a house there.


Actually, he could easily buy a house in Beverly Hills with his money, but Kazir decided to wait for the right moment.


Many investors had already pulled out of Internet companies, but more investors were crazy enough to invest more because the trend was going up. They felt that if they pulled out, they would lose the chance to make more money and regret it.


For Kazir Grey, who didn't have much knowledge about the stock industry and other companies, he decided to trust his memories.


"Um, Director Grey, are you really sure about this?"


Vance Goodhood, the financial advisor, wiped the sweat from his brow. Kazir Grey had been his client for almost five years, and he knew that Kazir Grey made millions every year. He was an important client that Vance Goodhood didn't want to lose.


"I'm serious, Vance. I want to take all my money."


It was a shock to Vance Goodhood that Kazir Grey wanted to stop investing in stocks and take all the money! Not when the market was going up!


But as a professional financial advisor, Vance Goodhood didn't have the right to stop his client. He just felt bad and sad because his commission would end...


"... Can I hear the reason?"


Vance Goodhood asked dejectedly.


"I want to buy a house," Kazir replied honestly.


"..."


He suddenly remembered that his client didn't actually have a house! His last house was acquired by his ex-wife!


This director lived in his office most of the time! Even his apartment was just a decoration. God knows how often he used the apartment.


"Don't worry, Vance. I will still contact you when I decide to invest again. You are a trustworthy person."


"That's very nice to hear." Vance sighed, but it didn't felt better. He still lost a commission. Well, he would get a commission when Kazir took all the money, and it was pretty big. Vance wondered what company he should invest in once he got his commission.


"By the way, Vance, you said you invest in Microsoft and AT&T, right?"


"That's right."


Most stockbrokers were betting on the Internet companies because of their rapid rise. They were making money every day.


"I feel that the dot-com bubble burst will happen any moment, and I am afraid that my money will disappear. That's why I want to take my money and put it in something else."


"..."


Vance Goodhood was quiet.


Everyone in the industry understood that the dot-com bubble was real. The real net worth of the Internet companies was far less than the stock prices. As soon as something big happened, the prices would come down.


However, almost everyone said that the bubble would burst, but no one knew exactly when. Some of his colleagues said the bubble should've burst two years ago, but the dot-com industry was still thriving.


"Your opinion makes sense." Vance Goodhood nodded. Suddenly he had the feeling that he should take at least half of his investment, just to be on the safe side. After all, he had already made a lot of money. There was no need to be greedy... Or else he might jump off the building.


Spoiler alert: A few months later, many Wall Street workers did jump off buildings to end their lives. Knowing they could never get back the money they lost.


"I promise to get back to you as soon as I'm interested in investing."


Of course, Kazir knew so many companies that would redefine the era. Apple, Google, and Amazon were just a few of the companies he wanted to invest in.


Hell, even if he invested $10,000 in Amazon today, he knew he would be a millionaire ten years later.


Vance Goodhood was depressed, but he obeyed anyway. Kazir Grey received a notification and confirmed that he had received more than $200 million in his bank account.


Vance Goodhood has his documents related to his investment... Kazir didn't bother to read them because he knew he'd made that much money in five years.


Ah, the life of a millionaire, just adding tens of millions of dollars to his bank account, as usual.


Kazir Grey and Vance Goodhood shook hands, and the director happily left the investment firm. Of course, he was happy to make more money.


"Hello, Erica. I want you to contact a real estate agent. That's right. Oh, do you know anyone? Ah, so Salvatore Barlowe bought a house last year. Anyway, I want you to tell the agent that I'm looking for a house in Beverly Hills. I'm not picky because I'm going to use the house for formal parties."


Kazir ended the call. Lately he felt like life was giving him rainbows, which was suspicious as hell. Maybe fate was just giving him good vibes before it fucked him up.


'I hope nothing bad happens.'


He closed the car and drove off. Today was his day off, so he might as well visit the set of Napoleon Dynamite III. This would be the last movie in the franchise because the cast's salaries were getting expensive. Maybe a decade later, when the cast was no longer famous, 20th Century Fox would revive the franchise out of nostalgia to make another pile of money.


After all, Hollywood loves to use nostalgia to get audiences to buy more tickets.


'I am tired of saying that Spider-Man: No Way Home was driven by nostalgia, because that was the truth.'

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 214


"So how's your life these days?"


"I'm fine. Pretty busy with work." Reese Witherspoon replied, leaning against the painted wall.


They were shooting an interior scene. Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal were in front of the cameras playing their roles.


Kazir Grey decided to visit the set and found Reese Witherspoon. The two struck up a conversation, although the atmosphere was awkward.


"How are you, Kazir? How's your life? Are you and Cameron having fun?"


"I broke up with her two days ago."


"..."


Reese Witherspoon fell silent and bit her lip.


"Then... No, never mind." The woman shook her head and decided to stop talking.


She had a relationship with Kazir and she knew that she was not the right person for him. Kazir was a great lover and sometimes she missed him.


If it were not for her busy schedule, she might think of him most of the time. Kazir was a perfect man in terms of status and fame. He was not a womanizer and he treated his girl so well. However, Kazir never got to the point where he could love.


Reese wanted to go back to him, but she knew it would be useless. What she needed right now was to move on.


She was famous anyway, and many men were trying to court her. Maybe it was time to forget about Kazir... Her first love.


"Kazir, I hope you find happiness in your life."


"You too, Reese. If you need help, you can contact Grey Pictures."


The woman chuckled and shook her head. As expected, this man was too good. He was too good for his friends.


Director Hugo Lameire called Reese and talked about her scene. Director Lameire was quite compliant this time.


Hugo had worked with Universal Pictures last year to make a comedy, but the result was terrible.


Hugo Lameire was trying to break into Hollywood. He was free to work with other companies... But his first time working outside 20th Century Fox was a disaster.


After this tragedy, Hugo Lameire lost his fangs and started to take Napoleon Dynamite III seriously.


Just like last time, Kazir Grey hired a bunch of comedy writers to do the script. He read it and then approved it before giving it to 20th Century Fox.


Then, if the script did not meet 20th Century Fox's expectations, they have the authority to change the script or completely throw it out and make a new one.


Kazir Grey looked at the cast. Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal came up through the ranks of actors after the success of Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover.


They got some big roles, although most of them didn't have much of an impact on the audience.


As for Reese Witherspoon, she had perhaps the most successful career of the cast. Even her salary was equal to that of Ed Helms.


Moreover, 20th Century Fox reached out and invited Reese Witherspoon to play the role of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde.


Cameron Diaz also expressed interest in the project and the two were currently on a competition.


Kazir decided to let fate decide the outcome of the competition. Both women were of equal stature and had box office appeal.


After watching for a while and being greeted by extras hoping to make a connection with the director, Kazir Grey decided to leave the set.


.........

......

...


"Hey, are the rumors true?"


Harold Witsend asked Kazir in a low voice.


"Hm, what do you mean?"


"I'm talking about you! People are saying that you want to leave the agency and return to the WMA!"


"Ah, so that's what you're talking about. What do you think?"


"What do you mean what do you think? I'm asking you, so don't throw the question back at me."


The rumors spread quickly, and it seemed like some were spreading them on purpose.


The WMA said that Kazir already had an agreement with them and all they needed was a proper signing of a contract.


"Kazir, you have to remember what they did to you."


"Relax. I'm just trying to do something. I want to see the reaction from both sides."


Suddenly, Erica Mendez informed them that Salvatore Barlowe had arrived at the building.


"Sir, your agent is here."


"Let him in." Kazir nodded and stood.


The door opened and Kazir greeted Salvatore Barlowe with open arms.


"Kazir!"


"Salvatore!"


The two didn't shake hands, instead they embraced like brothers. It was obvious, however, that Salvatore Barlowe was nervous.


"Let me excuse myself."


Harold Witsend understood that the two needed privacy and left the room on his own.


The two sat down and Salvatore coughed before speaking.


"Kazir, I heard a rumor..."


"If you're talking about the WMA, it's true that an agent from WMA talked to me about changing agencies."


"Then..." Salvatore felt his forehead sweat. Everyone in the business knew that Kazir was his biggest client. The reason his actors and actresses got so many roles was because of the connections they made through Kazir.


"You know WMA, they exaggerate things. Don't worry, I won't do anything stupid without seriously thinking about it. By the way, when is the renewal of our contract?"


"!!!" Salvatore almost jumped.


The Kazir Grey has been a client of CAA for more than 4 years and the contract would end this year... They thought the renewal would be easy, not until the rumors started circulating.


"Kazir..." The agent swallowed hard.


"Don't worry, Salvatore. I'm not leaving the CAA. I think you know what my intentions are."


Kazir smiled and reassured his agent. Of course he wouldn't leave the agent who trusted him from the beginning.


"I understand..." Salvatore sighed and immediately realized his intentions.


"How about we ask how much CAA can do to keep my contract?"

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 215



Kevin Huvane, he was a famous talent agent at CAA. He was the agent of Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston, Sandra Bullock, Anthony Hopkins, Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez.


He was also co-chairman of CAA, along with Bryan Lourd and Richard Lovett. These three reigned over CAA after Michael Ovitz disappeared.


Even though the three were working for the betterment of the company, it was impossible to have no competition between the three.


Bryan Lourd was currently the co-chairman and CEO of the company, which was the highest position. Kevin Huvane sometimes thought about taking the position, you know, people like to be at the top of the food chain and be the king.


Recently, rumors have been circulating in the industry. Rising star director Kazir Grey was planning to switch agencies when his contract expired. In fact, WMA was already working on a deal that would meet Kazir's needs.


Kevin Huvane knew that losing a great director like Kazir would be bad for the company. So he talked to Salvatore Barlowe to convince Kazir to stay at CAA.


His first impression of the half-Korean agent was average at best. He knew that Salvatore's signing of Kazir was the best decision of his entire life. In a way, the half-Korean agent was lucky.


A lot of agents are jealous of him because of that.


However, Salvatore's status in the company continued to improve. Kevin Huvane was the one who recommended him to join the board after the success of Taken. Many agents were against the idea, but they gradually fell silent as Salvatore's clients found their way in the industry.


Brianna Evans was doing great. She was a certified star.


Scarlett Johansson had roles here and there and her future was bright.


Fremont Smith directed Taken 2 and it was a success. Another director with a good future.


In fact, Kevin Huvane wanted to change Fremont's agent because it would be problematic to have an agent who had two big directors under him. CAA needed to balance the power...


Of course, Kevin Huvane would give Fremont Smith to an agent close to him.


'I should wait for the right moment to disclose this to Salvatore.'


Another client under Salvatore was Enzo Park. This Korean actor was still trying to find stardom. He got some good roles, but they were all supporting roles. He was never invited to play the lead.


Of all the clients Salvatore Barlowe had, Kazir Grey was the most important. First and foremost, Kazir was the reason that all of Salvatore's clients became famous. The director paved the way for them.


An agent who had a director like Kazir was really lucky. Well, Kevin Huvane had Steven Spielberg, so there was no reason to be jealous.


Anyway, Kazir Grey was an important client and they didn't want to let him go. Kazir was a workaholic director and he had a movie every year. His projects were profitable and the actors and actresses he cast in his movies were mostly from CAA.


If Kazir Grey left CAA, it would affect many of the agency's clients.


Frankly, Kevin Huvane felt that Kazir was gambling if he actually changed agencies. His production company was just getting started and needed stability.


Still, Kevin Huvane took this matter very seriously, and he had to come up with a solution before things went south.


A few minutes later, Kevin Huvane's secretary informed him that agent Salvatore Barlowe had arrived.


The half-Korean agent entered the office and greeted Kevin Huvane. Salvatore Barlowe had a better relationship with Kevin Huvane than he did with Bryan Lourd and Richard Lovett. The three of them had an inside war in the company.


"Salvatore, I was hoping to hear some good news."


"I've already spoken to Kazir. He trusts me, so our conversation is not so bad."


"So what are his conditions?"


Kevin Huvane was no fool. He knew that Kazir's contract would expire next year, and the rumors were spreading at the right time. Obviously, the director was trying to say something.


"He only has two conditions."


Salvatore raised his fingers and began to speak.


"First, he wants to reduce the commission to 2%."


"No problem, we can do that."


Kevin Huvane agreed easily. He knew this moment would come. It seemed that Kazir Grey had the same contract as the other big directors in the agency.


"As for the second, Kazir said that Fremont Smith should remain as my client. He said he didn't want any trouble for CCU, so it's better for Fremont Smith to stay as my client so that communication won't be difficult."


"..." Kevin Huvane closed his mouth.


"If Fremont Smith changes his agent, the new agent will definitely ask for an outrageous salary and the negotiation might be difficult. We don't want that to happen." Salvatore Barlowe explained further.


"Salvatore, did Fremont know about this?"


"Yes, he feels indebted to me and Kazir. He trusts us more than anyone."


'... What an asshole.'


Kevin Huvane said in his head. No one knew who he was talking about. Maybe he was talking about both Salvatore and Kazir.


"I'll contact Bryan and tell him about Kazir's condition. Of course we don't want Kazir to leave, so we will definitely meet his conditions."


Kevin Huvane smiled and led the agent out of the office. He realized he had raised a snake.


He didn't know who came up with this plan, but they certainly knew how to silence him before he could even start.


For now, his plan to change Fremont Smith's agent would be buried.

After this, his opinion of Salvatore Barlowe had changed. He was no longer a rookie agent. He was a certified shameless agent who would do anything to get what he wanted. Ah, the life of a talent agent is truly unique.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 216



Kazir knew that his status was no longer so simple. His hard work paid off and he was recognized as a true top director who could bring profit to an agency.


From 1995 to 1999, he created films that were blockbusters.


Napoleon Dynamite


The Hangover


Taken


John Wick


The Bourne Identity


In just five years, he made five big movies. Honestly, that was amazing. Because making a movie was never easy. The manpower, the budget and the creation of the movie was never easy.


For Kazir to make good movies in a row, he was already a top director. It would be detrimental for CAA to let him go.


Initially, Kazir Grey had no intention of making conditions. He wanted to work with CAA for a long time.


However, lately many agents have been trying to contact him. Some of them even knocked on his car just to talk to him... Frankly, it was frustrating and these agents didn't respect his privacy.


Suddenly he had an idea. He "agreed" to Franklin Maxwell's terms and told the agent that he might return to WMA if they agreed to his terms.


With that, CAA felt a certain danger. They didn't want to lose him. They hoped that Kazir would give them a chance to prove themselves.


CAA was an agency and they had to find jobs for their actors until the clients had a steady income from which CAA could profit.


The projects that Grey Pictures did were for CAA, most of the crew and cast came from CAA, which created jobs and money for both sides.


If CAA lost Kazir Grey and Grey Pictures, it would be devastating.


Kazir used the situation to his advantage. In reality, Kazir didn't have anything he wanted from CAA. He had money, fame and authority over his projects.


The 2% commission was not that enticing to him, even though he was making millions. If there was one thing he was worried about, it was the future of Grey Pictures and Continental Cinematic Universe.


As a veteran of the industry, Kazir knew that Fremont Smith was an important individual for CCU. It would be hard to replace him. It would affect their plans.


A change of agent would possibly affect Fremont's contract with Grey Pictures. Notice that Fremont Smith has a trilogy contract with Grey Pictures, and he has to make three movies for Grey Pictures in a decade.


Now the "new" agent could pester Grey Pictures to change the contract... The thing was, Kazir didn't want that to happen.


It may sound bad, but Kazir didn't want that to happen. He wanted to keep the trilogy deal. As for the salary, Fremont Smith had every right to ask for more. He deserved it anyway, and Salvatore was there to negotiate between the two of them.


So he used the situation to ask one of the co-chairman to agree to his request. Again, Kazir was no longer just a director. He had the status to negotiate with CAA.


So fast forward... He got what he wanted. CAA lowered their commission rate and decided to keep quiet about Fremont's possible agent change.


Kazir won that battle without having to face Kevin Huvane. That was a victory.


As for the WMA and other agencies, he didn't give a fuck if they wanted to make a deal that would satisfy him. Kazir, of course, had already signed the extension contract with his lawyer Terrence Downey.


.........

......

...


"... So you really passed."


Kazir muttered weakly as he looked at the woman who was sitting pretty on the waiting chair.


The last round of auditions for female roles was today. Kazir decided to take a break since they had been going on for half a day now. As he left the audition room, he looked at the actresses waiting in the hallway.


The women began to pose, quite seductively, keeping their composure and giving the director their sweetest smiles.


This was not the first time this had happened, so Kazir was used to it. Although, he admitted, everyone in the corridor was beautiful.


Unfortunately for them, the leading female role was already taken by Angelina Jolie. She didn't bother to come to the audition today because she signed the contract yesterday. They are now looking for actresses to fill the other female roles.


Angelina Jolie was still a rising star and her salary was acceptable, it didn't even reach 1 million. The woman lost her credibility a few years ago because of drug addiction.


The actress was fine now and Kazir even confirmed it personally yesterday. The woman seemed normal. She didn't look drunk or something. Which was good, because Fox, the female hitman in Wanted, was based on Angelina's appearance.


"Good morning, Director Grey!"


Someone greeted him as he walked, and Kazir instinctively looked at the person calling his name.


"You..."


He was surprised to see a young woman in the lineup.


"Ah, I'm sorry, maybe you don't remember me. I'm Jessica Alba. We last met in--"


"No, I remember you."


Kazir replied.


The women in the hallway looked at them. They stared at Jessica Alba, who struck up a conversation with the director without shame. Jessica Alba was the youngest contestant in the audition. All the actresses except Jessica were over 20 years old.


They didn't like that Jessica Alba hoarded all of Kazir's attention. If that happened, the outcome of this audition would be obvious.


But it seemed that Jessica Alba ignored their hatred, or she just didn't feel the actresses' hatred for her. Well, this is a rare opportunity to connect with a hot, young and talented director like Kazir.


Keep in mind that Kazir Grey was only 31 years old. In this industry, that age was still young. Some actors and actresses blossomed late in this industry.


+++++

[ I will post another chapter later. It depends on what hour, but I'll surely post one.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 217



Jessica Alba heard an actress click her tongue in annoyance as Jessica spoke to the director.


Jessica smiled sweetly, knowing that the eyes of the women in the hallway were on her, angry and annoyed.


"Director, are you taking a break?" Jessica asked, innocence in her eyes.


"Uh, yeah," Kazir looked at his Casio watch.


"You guys can also take a break and have lunch. The audition will resume in an hour." Kazir announced and some of the women got up. Some went to the bathroom to touch up their makeup.


"Director, can I eat with you? Ah, I brought a lunch box. You don't have to treat me."


Perhaps knowing that her chances of getting the role were slim, Jessica Alba decided to go straight to the director.


More sets of eyes was aimed at Jessica, but she stood still.


Kazir looked at her for a few seconds. Jessica felt as if Kazir was studying her from head to toe. For unknown reasons, she suddenly felt hot...


The director's gaze penetrated her. After a few seconds, Kazir nodded his head.


"Okay. Follow me to the canteen."


"Yes? Y- Yes! Right away, Director!"


Jessica was actually surprised that Kazir agreed. She thought that Kazir would say no, just like the last time. She realized that Kazir was not a simple guy who would say yes just to get in a woman's pants... That made him interesting.


Seducing a man like Kazir meant a lot. Many actresses tried to have sex with him, even going so far as to invite him to their hotel rooms, but Kazir held his ground.


For a young woman like Jessica, she was interested in the cold-hearted man Kazir Grey. Kazir was different from the usual directors in her definition. He was tall, fit and handsome. Especially now that he had shaved his beard. He could be an actor if he wanted to be.


Jessica meekly followed the man into the cafeteria, a little nervous. She knew she was trying to seduce the man, but she hadn't expected to get this far.


The two sat facing each other. Kazir called for someone to bring him lunch while Jessica opened her lunch box.


"You are indeed young to bring a lunch box like a student in this situation."


"I cooked this myself." She replied shyly. "Do you want some?"


"That's okay, my lunch is here."


One of the crew members set down the plate of waffles with syrup and French fries. Then his drink was a bottle of Sprite.


Jessica was a little surprised. She thought the director would eat something extravagant, like steal or something.


"Jessica, someone already got the female lead, so you don't have to work hard."


"..." Jessica bit her lip, she wasn't expecting that. "Can I know her name?"


"It's Angelina Jolie."


This thing was going to spread anyway, so there was no reason to keep it a secret.


"Angelina Jolie? If I'm not mistaken, she should have a movie coming out next week. I saw the trailer, I think the name of the movie is Girl, Interrupted. I remember the trailer because Winona Ryder is the main character, I love Winona Ryder. She's so beautiful.


Kazir nodded and respected her opinion... Winona Ryder really was beautiful.


"Tell your agent to find you another role. The actress we were looking for is over 20 years old and ready for a nude scene. Jessica, you are too young to do a nude scene. You should take your time and relax, you are still young and have a bright future".


So Kazir agreed to take Jessica Alba to the cafeteria. He wanted to tell her not to rush. There were many opportunities for her, but certainly not Wanted.


"I... I can't. I..."


Jessica began to stutter.


"Jessica, do you..."


Kazir could tell that something was wrong with the young woman. When he said that Jessica wouldn't get the part, she became nervous and discouraged.


"Jessica, did you sleep with someone just to get through the second round?"


Everything became clear. First of all, Jessica Alba was too young for a movie like Wanted. The casting director should have known that, unless...


"N- No, I didn't." The woman immediately shook her head.


"Then why are you stuttering?" His voice got heavier and Jessica hiccupped.


She decided to tell the truth.


"I didn't have sex with anyone on the crew. But my agent did. He had sex with the casting director so I could pass the audition."


"Wait a minute. He did?"


Kazir frowned. The casting director for this project was a man!


"That's right, my agent had a hard time walking for two days after that transaction. There's a rumor that the casting director swings both ways and my agent jumped the gun."



"..."


Kazir was speechless.


"Damn, this is crazy.


"Ah, but don't worry. My agent is gay, so it's not a problem for him."


"It's a problem for me... I have to talk to Salvatore and tell him I need a new casting director. Transaction with sex could backfire on us and it will affect the project.


He didn't want any trouble.


He knew that this kind of transaction was everywhere in Hollywood and he knew that it was impossible to stop it.


As long as there were men and women willing to use their bodies, it would never go away. That was the hard truth.


But Kazir wanted none of that in his project.


"Um, director... I know I'm not close to you, but can I get your number? If you are against it, can I give you my number instead? I hope that if you have roles that are suitable for me, you will call me or my agent... I will work hard."


"Give me your number."


"A- Alright..." Jessica Alba was disappointed. She knew that Kazir would never get in touch with her.


The woman meekly gave him the business card and left the cafeteria after eating.


There were a lot of people in the cafeteria and there were cameras. If there were any rumors, Kazir had proof to back him up.


+++++++


[Author's Note: Damn, I feel like I've wasted this situation. But considering Kazir's personality, I know it will not be easy for him to have a relationship or even an affair with a woman. Perhaps they will meet again in a year or two. I apologize, as a man I have this urge to write smut, but I have to make sure it's believable and within the expected plot. So yeah... I might go the Angelina Jolie route for now. I remembered that Kazir and Angelina met a few times at parties, but I never wrote their conversations, I'll try to cook up something about them].


[One other thing, do you want Wanted to be PG-13? The original Wanted is R, and it's good. But if Wanted went PG-13, then it would be more believable for it to have a higher box office, higher than Taken and The Hangover in this universe].


+++++

[Since I posted two chapters today, I guess I'm allowed to promote my Patreon, right? Anyway, the latest chapter on Patreon right now is HWI 380. That means you can read more than 163 chapters on Patreon (including some snu snu chapters). This is the privilege I can give to the readers who want to support me financially. Also, I want to thank all my patrons, thank you for all your support despite my depressing grumbling... I love you guys, muah!]

https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 218



Why does a person want to be an actor?


Well, there are many reasons.


Money. Famous actors make a lot of money by taking roles in movies or commercials. Perhaps money was one of the main reasons why a person wanted to be an actor.


The second is fame. It's very addictive. The joy of people knowing you, looking at you like you're a god, and asking for your autograph. Maybe this is the best reason why actors and actresses have a superiority complex. Because people around them treat them like gods and goddesses.


The other reason might be related to their passion. The love of storytelling or the love of acting.


Well, there are a lot of reasons and it might take a while to list them all.


As for Orlando Bloom... He was handsome and being an actor or a model was the best profession for someone like him who had a handsome face. Since he was handsome, he might as well use it. That was one of the reasons why he passed the requirements to play the elf Legolas in Lord of the Rings.


Orlando Bloom was new to the industry. He started only two years ago, in 1997. That year, Orlando Bloom was busy with Lord Of The Rings, an epic novel known as the father of the fantasy genre. Although the novel was published almost five decades ago, it was still famous to readers worldwide. It had many fans all over the world.


Orlando Bloom was lucky to be part of the movie project. But he has to be realistic. Orlando Bloom was not the protagonist of Lord of the Rings and his screen time was not that good.


Grey Pictures invited him to audition for their new project and Orlando Bloom was very interested. He knew that Grey Pictures was cooking up something good and he wanted to be a part of it.


But when he returned to the USA, he found out that his agent was trying to get Kazir to return to WMA. At first, Orlando Bloom was excited. If Kazir became a client of WMA, then Orlando Bloom had a better chance of becoming the protagonist of Wanted.


However, the reality was often disappointing, Kazir Grey renewed his contract with CAA and decided to stay with them.


"Orlando, it says here that you don't have a current project other than Lord Of The Rings."


"Yes. I am spending a year in New Zealand and most of my scenes are already done. I think there will be no schedule conflicts." Orlando did his best and smiled. He assured the people in the audition room that he would be loyal to Wanted and work hard.


The one who interviewed him was Harold Witsend. The acting part was already over and they went to the interview part.


Actually, Orlando Bloom passed the appearance of the protagonist - based on Kazir's drawing.


Moreover, the Orlando Bloom in front of them looked depressed... Just like the protagonist in the first part of the movie.


"Thanks, Orlando. We will call you back."


Harold Witsend announced and Orlando Bloom understood that his moment in the audition room was over.


"Thank you."


The actor left, leaving the people in the room to talk.


"Fremont, what do you think of Orlando's acting?"


Fremont had just returned to the US and decided to attend this audition out of curiosity. He was no longer part of the crew since he had his own, but his opinion counts.


"Orlando Bloom consciously acts handsome all the time. I'm not sure that's necessary." The young director said and Kazir agreed.


Wesley Gibson was an office worker who was tired of his boring life. It would be embarrassing if he spent most of his time posing handsomely.


"What about Ben Affleck?


"The one before Orlando Bloom? He has short hair and it didn't match the sketch of Wesley Gibson you provided. Also, if Orlando Bloom acts handsome in front of the camera, then Ben Affleck acts manly and tough. Like he puffed out his chest and stood like a soldier. Ready for battle."


The people in the room chuckled.


These two had the best chance of getting the role because they both read the script.


'I can adjust their acting mood once they sign a contract. Perhaps Orlando Bloom was still affected by his role as Legolas, the same as Ben Affleck. Once I set their mentalities, their tics will rarely show up. As for their looks...'


To be honest, Kazir was interested in meeting Christian Bale, but the actor was too busy with American Psycho to attend the audition. He turned down the role and apologized to Grey Pictures, hoping that they could work on another project.


In Kazir's opinion, Christian Bale was a good actor with Oscar-worthy acting talent. Unfortunately, that moment was not for him.


As for James McAvoy, the original actor, Kazir has no intention of finding the young man. In fact, he had no idea where to find him.


So the crew was left with two options, either Orlando Bloom or Ben Affleck.


"... Let's go with Ben Affleck. Unlike Orlando Bloom, Ben Affleck has box office appeal and people can recognize him."


The box office for Armageddon last year was over $500 million worldwide. Obviously a lot of people saw the movie. Ben Affleck was a better choice than Orlando Bloom.


As for appearance, Kazir could change it as long as the plot and the actor delivered a good performance.


"Okay, looks like I have to apologize to Orlando Bloom's agent."


Producer Harold Witsend had to laugh. He had heard from Kazir that Orlando Bloom's agent was the one who had tried to lure the director. Maybe this was a big slap in the face for the agent.


That night, one group had a celebration while the other had a gloomy atmosphere. In the end, Orlando Bloom returned to New Zealand.


Although he hoped to work with Director Grey next time. After all, Director Grey could produce blockbuster movies, something a new actor like him needed to become famous.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 219



"Why are you here?"


"Huh, that's the question I should be asking you. You're a nobody, how can you even enter this building?"


The two teenagers glared at each other with clear hatred. Their eyes never hid the fact that they hated each other.


Scarlett Johansson stood with her arms crossed like a mean girl.


Across from her was none other than Mara Cohen, Kazir's half-sister on his mother's side.


The two teenagers had last met in an audition. The movie was called Ghost World. It was a black comedy, a small-budget film costing between 7 and 10 million dollars.


Unlike the other actors Kazir hired, Scarlett Johansson was still struggling to find her footing in the industry. Especially now that she was getting older.


Salvatore Barlowe was only one person, and he couldn't handle all of his clients at once, so Scarlett Johansson had another agent take care of her. The name of the agent was Beth Rogers, an agent recently hired by CAA.


Beth Rogers knew that Scarlett Johansson was still under the age of consent and that it was difficult for the girl to find roles because most production companies prefer 18 year olds to cast in their group age.


Scarlett Johansson was still 15. If the production company had to choose between a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old, they would easily choose the latter. Underage actors were difficult to work with.


Scarlett Johansson suffered because of it.


Fortunately, she was cast in Ghost World. The salary was not important, as long as she kept working hard, she knew her time would come.


However, there was a "minor" incident that happened after the audition.


Mara Cohen confronted Scarlett Johansson and screamed that she had stolen her role in Ghost World. That Mara Cohen should have been cast instead of her.


The two began swinging at each other until they were pulling each other's hair.


Elizabeth Cohen and Agent Beth Rogers appeared and stopped them. Fortunately, the ruckus never spread, but the two teens would never forget that incident.


"Are you trying to steal my role again, you bitch?"


"What?"


Scarlett was stunned. She knew the B-word, but she hadn't expected it to be used to describe her. Because she knew she was never a bitch.


"No, you're the bitch! Besides, I heard your audition was terrible! You can't act at all! Your facial expressions are dead and you don't know how to show any emotion! In this industry, the best you can do is become a nameless vase!"


"What did you say!?"


The two shouted at each other.


"I can't believe my brother hired a spoiled bitch like you!" Mara Cohen sneered.


They continued to use the term "bitch" to insult each other.


After experiencing life in Hollywood, Mara realized that her brother was actually a great guy. He was respected by everyone.


In that sense, Mara Cohen was proud of her brother. She wanted to get closer to her brother, but their first meeting was very bad.


It seemed that her brother held a grudge against her mother. Which was confusing. Because her mother was great. Elizabeth Cohen treated Mara preciously, and she loved her mother for it.


Mara Cohen didn't know why her brother hated her mother.


"Brother? I have no idea who you're talking about."


Scarlett frowned. She knew the bitch's last name was Cohen and Scarlett never knew anyone with that last name.


Mara Cohen smiled and raised her chin arrogantly.


"My brother is Kazir Grey. You should be grateful that someone like you was hired by my brother."


"I don't believe you."


Scarlett Johansson shook her head. She studied Mara Cohen and admitted that the bitch was beautiful, but she didn't resemble Kazir at all.


'Kazir is a rugged, handsome, tall and talented man. It is impossible for someone like him to have a sister like this bitch.'


Scarlett thought it was impossible. She giggled and gave Mara a pitiful look.


"I can't believe you're becoming delusional. You're still young, but you're already suffering from a mental illness, what a poor bitch."


"You...!"


"What's going on here?"


Suddenly Elizabeth Cohen appeared. Next to her was Mara's agent from UTA (United Talent Agency). Elizabeth hugged the old man's arm as if they were close... Well, Elizabeth was still single after her last divorce. She dated a few men and had many one-night stands.


Now that she was free from marriage, she could do whatever she wanted. She was not doing anything wrong.


"Mom! Tell this spoiled girl that she's ungrateful! She said she didn't respect my brother, Kazir Grey!"


"I never said that!" Scarlett denied immediately.


Scarlett almost jumped when she realized that Elizabeth's cold gaze was on her. The woman was in her late 40s, but she was still beautiful and healthy. She seemed to take care of her body by exercising.


"Ah, so we meet again. I believe your name is Scarlett Johansson."


Elizabeth Cohen smiled, but it sent shivers down Scarlett's spine.


She wanted to run from this woman. She was dangerous.


"Hey kid, where's your agent?" The old UTA agent asked Scarlett.


"Are you looking for me?"


Scarlett Johansson sighed with relief when she heard Salvatore's voice.


"Salvatore! I'm glad you're here!"


The movie Mara and Scarlett were auditioning for was being financed by Disney. That meant it was a good movie.


Salvatore left Scarlett Johansson in the hallway to say hello to the director and producer and some people he had connections with. Of course, he had to talk to them to make a better impression so that Scarlett Johansson could be cast in the movie.


But when he returned to the hallway, he realized that something bad was happening to his client.


Now both sides have their backups.


"Hello, Agent Salvatore. I'm Elizabeth, Kazir's mother. Thank you for looking after my son."


Immediately, Elizabeth changed her expression and greeted the agent happily.


Even Scarlett was stunned.


'Are you serious? Is she really Kazir's mother? Does that mean this rude bitch is Kazir's sister?'


"Yes, I have heard about you. I can say that Kazir is very lucky to be more like his father than you. Scarlett, let's go."


"Yes!"


The agent didn't bother to speak and led Scarlett away from them. They were at Disney and they didn't want to cause a disturbance.


Elizabeth kept her smile on, but her eyes went cold as she watched them go.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 220



"Salvatore, Mara's mother wasn't lying? Is she really Kazir's mother?"


Scarlett Johansson asked her agent, whom she followed.


"I hate to say it, but yes. That woman is Kazir's mother. Kazir has already talked to me about his mother and told me that the woman is very cunning. He warned me to stay away from her."


Salvatore Barlowe met Kazir's family in Los Angeles and they were all nice. It was truly a mystery how Kazir and Aaron had half their genes from their mother and yet grew up nice. Maybe their father was the answer.


"I see..." Scarlett felt there was more to the story, but she decided to keep quiet. It was not the time to think about it, she had to concentrate on her audition.


"Scarlett, I need to tell you something. It seems that your chances of getting this role are mediocre."


"What? But this is a movie invested by Disney, they prefer to make wholesome movies about families and children. I'm sure I'll get the part."


"No, you don't understand. I talked to some of the crew and I heard that the director decided to change the script. It seems they want to make the female lead older, at least legal age."


With his connections, Salvatore found out that the movie might have romantic scenes. Not suitable for Scarlett Johansson's age.


"What? But I thought this movie was about a young woman who realizes that she is actually from a royal family... So that's why I saw some older actresses lining up."


The older actresses Scarlett Johansson was talking about were indeed young. However, these actresses were over the age of 18 and were allowed to have kissing scenes.


"That's right. Anyway, you can still audition, but don't get your hopes up. Don't worry, CAA knows a lot of projects you can audition for."


Scarlett nodded weakly, disappointed. She thought this movie was her moment to shine.


Suddenly she thought of Mara Cohen. That bitchy girl.


'Mara Cohen is probably older than me, but she's still not 18. This means that her chances of getting the part are very slim... At least I'm comfortable by that conclusion.'


The movie project they were trying to get was none other than The Princess Diaries. A Disney hit from the early 2000s.


And yes, spoiler alert, the two underage girls didn't get the role. Instead, the one who became the female lead was Anne Hathaway. An actress who recently turned 18.


.........

......

...


"Sorry?"


"You apologize too much."


"...I'm sorry."


"I knew your father."


"My father left me when I was born, so..."


"Your father died yesterday on the roof of the Metwopowitan Building-- Pfft, I'm sorry. Let me repeat, your father died yesterday on the roof of the Metropolitan Building."


Angelina Jolie giggled and then apologized after making a mistake.


The cast of Wanted had a script reading and most of the cast was present. If someone was missing, one of the film crew would say their lines to keep the flow going.


Director Kazir Grey watched and listened as they practiced. He let the mistake pass, since it was still a practice. No reason to be angry about it. There was not even a camera to film the scene.


So yes, the actors were relaxed. They were having a relaxing moment as they read their lines.


A few hours later their session was over. They have two more script readings before they start filming... Well, the crew and cast would have two weeks of vacation as Christmas and New Year's were coming up.


Already seven weeks have passed after the premiere of Taken 2 and the movie has currently grossed more than $172.39 million.


The budget for Taken 2 was $45 million. In North America, the box office is almost 4 times the production budget. This means that the movie was a success.


In addition, Paramount intended to release the movie internationally next year. Taken and other movies related to the Continental Cinematic Universe had a good reputation worldwide, and Paramount expected the movie to earn at least $200 million from foreign countries.


"Kazir, can I have your moment?"


Kazir was about to leave the studio when someone called him. He turned to his right and saw Angelina Jolie smiling at him.


"Of course, Angelina. You can ask me anything as long as it's related to the project."


"As expected from our director, you never leave a blind spot."


The woman giggled.


Kazir could not help but stare at the woman's sexy pouting lips. Her lips were seductive...


Angelina sat down next to him and Kazir decided to sit down as well.


"I just want to know if my expression looks fierce enough."


"Hm, let me have a look."


For a moment, the woman's sunny expression disappeared. But then she started giggling again.


"How was it?"


"Well, if you didn't laugh, I might have more time to read your expression. Anyway, how about controlling your gaze? Give me a cold stare."


"Like this?"


"No, not an angry one. A cold look. Here, think of me as an insect, maybe a cockroach."


"But I hate insects, especially cockroaches." The woman replied.


"Never mind, how about a criminal? Look at me as if I were the worst person in the world."


"I'm probably supposed to avoid you and avert my gaze."


"You know what, just stare at me with a lifeless look."


"Like this?"


Angelina's eyelids parted and stared at him boredly. Her pouty lips were pursed.


"Yeah, that's pretty good. Now look at me like that while trying to flirt with me."


"Ah, and I thought I was the only one trying to flirt around here."


"Wait, what?"


Angelina Jolie giggled again and leaned closer to him.


Kazir caught her scent, his mind paused for obvious reasons.


Suddenly he realized something.


"Angelina, are you playing with me?"


"What do you think, Kazir?"


The woman got up and walked out of the studio. She strutted, swaying her hips out of the exit... Kazir's eyes stayed on that ass.


He sighed.


"Angelina Jolie is no amateur. Of course she knew how to give a cold stare."


Meaning the woman was just teasing him.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 221



Industrial Light & Magic(ILM), a certain company that were very famous in the industry. To be precise, it was a company that produced special/visual effects for Hollywood movies.


This company was founded by George Lucas. The purpose of this company was actually for the special effects for Star Wars movies. At that time, the special effects in Star Wars were already an amazing achievement. In 1977, it was very hard to replicate. Maybe that is one of the reasons why Star Wars became a blockbuster, a unique blockbuster.


The company's VFX (visual effects) business took off after that. Since then, they have worked on many movies and dominated the industry. Most projects that needed special effects would look for them because their technology was indeed more advanced than others.


Harry Potter franchise.


The Mummy franchise.


The Mission: Impossible franchise.


The Back to the Future franchise.


If listed, these titles could fill an entire newspaper. One thing was for sure, Industrial Light & Magic ruled Hollywood in VFX. That was the truth.


Perhaps only Weta Workshop or Weta Studio could compete with ILM. Weta Workshop was the studio responsible for the special effects in Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, King Kong, and Avatar.


Weta Workshop was also one of the first studios to use motion capture technology. They used it to transform Andy Serkis into Gollum. They also used it to turn the cast of Avatar into blue aliens. The same thing happened in Planet of the Apes.


At the moment, Kazir Grey entered the Industrial Light & Magic studio. Next to him was his assistant, Erica Mendez. He wanted to see the progress on the scenes he had requested.


Some of the scenes in Wanted required special effects. Especially the bullet time, the scenes where the bullets were floating in the air in slow motion. Kazir Grey wanted to make the scenes as realistic as possible.


Industrial Light & Magic was the only place he could turn. Weta Workshop was based in New Zealand, and Kazir didn't have the time to travel there.


The production budget of Wanted was set at $75 million, and 1/3 of that budget would probably go to Industrial Light & Magic to create satisfying special effects.


"Director Grey, good to see you again."


"Jerome."


Kazir shook the man's hand. The person in front of him was Jerome Dawson, the studio head of Industrial Light & Magic.


Kazir Grey and Erica Mendez followed the man, leading them into a large studio where a group of people were editing the trajectories of bullets on their computers.


Frame by frame, they were building the scene. ILM already had a frame animation of the bullet from a long time ago, so they didn't have a hard time replicating it.


"This is our progress for ten days, what do you think?"


Jerome Dawson set up a computer for them to watch. The scene playing on the computer was of a sniper's bullet flying through the air in a cool motion.


"It's not that bad. Let's set up the contract. My lawyer and agent will be at the studio tomorrow."


"That's good to hear, director."


There was no need to delay. Kazir had already chosen to work with ILM. They were the best VFX company for decades to come. He trusted them.


After watching the minute-long scene for the fifth time, Kazir stood up and looked around at the crew. Most of them were using a program whose name he had no idea.


Kazir left the studio and Erica Mendez followed him.


"Sir, is that all? We just spent half an hour here."


"Erica, you have known me for almost four years now. I'm sure you know why."


"Well, you're an introvert and you never leave your office unless it's related to your movies."


"That's right."


The two walked down the hall.


As they walked, Kazir saw two people he recognized. However, he didn't have much interaction with them. One thing was for sure, he respected one of them.


Three people were talking near the exit of the building. One was a stranger to Kazir while the two were known personalities.


"I think, I think I know that girl. Where have I seen her before?"


Erica muttered weakly, wondering.


George Lucas was talking to a middle-aged woman who seemed to be trying to convince him.


Next to the middle-aged woman was a young woman, perhaps an 18-year-old woman.


Kazir knew the young woman, it was Natalie Portman. The woman who won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in Black Swan.


Natalie Portman had appeared in many films, but Kazir knew her best as Padme Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Evey Hammond in V For Vendetta, and Jane Foster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.


Anyway, Kazir felt that the conversation between the two adults was not going very well.


"George, why don't you increase Natalie's screen time in the Star Wars sequel? I think she has an important role to play in the trilogy."


'Indeed, Padme Amidala plays an important role. She was the real mother of Luke Skywalker. Aight, no need to spoil people.' Kazir couldn't help but monologue in his mind.


"I understand, Claire, I will try what I can."


George Lucas smiled, not taking her seriously. He had many people who asked him for favors.


The famous director looked away and realized that someone was actually approaching them. Kazir knew it might be awkward, but he wanted to say hello to George Lucas, he just wanted to.


"You're Kazir Grey, right? The director of Taken and The Bourne Identity."


"Yes, Mr. Lucas."


"You can call me George, we are both directors."


"I'm a fan of Star Wars."


"I'm glad to hear that."


The two directors greeted each other, ignoring the middle-aged woman.


However, the middle-aged woman was not angry at all. Instead, she smiled amiably and took out a business card.


"Hello Director Grey, I'm Claire Gilmore. I'm Natalie Portman's agent. I work at CAA."


"Oh, so you're from CAA." Kazir was a little surprised.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 222



Kazir hadn't expected the middle-aged woman to be an agent, and a CAA agent at that.


Kazir rarely visited CAA, so he didn't know their agents very well, except for famous ones like Kevin Huvane and Pat Kingsley.


Kazir extended his hand and decided to take the card. He handed it to Erica Mendez and the assistant put it in her pocket.


Claire Gilmore was a little disappointed that Kazir never bothered to read her contact information, but she kept her smile on.


"I'm Jewish like you, Kazir. I hope we can work together."


"Okay..." Kazir nodded.


'... That's awkward. She basically used her race to make an impression.'


Kazir was never close to his Jewish side because his mother was never around for most of his adult life. Also, his mother never took him to any Jewish gatherings.


"Sir Lucas."


"Just call me George."


"Well, George, I have to go now. It's nice to meet you, haha, I just wanted to say hello and tell you I'm a fan. I apologize if I interrupted your conversation."


"Kazir, it's not that bad. George and I are just having a light conversation." Claire explained.


"Then I'll say goodbye, Claire, George and--"


Kazir glanced at the young Natalie Portman and stopped when he realized that the young woman was staring at him. She had that dreamy look in her eyes.


"Natalie, right?"


"Ah, Y- Yes! Take care, Director."


The woman suddenly blushed and stammered. She hadn't expected to meet such a hot guy today, someone who oozed confidence and humility.


Kazir Grey didn't know what happened and didn't bother to think too much about it.


What he didn't know was that Natalie Portman was charmed... Natalie met a lot of handsome men in the industry, but Kazir Grey had this serious/boring/otherworldly aura... As if the man never considered himself part of this timeline. She couldn't explain it well.


One thing was for sure, she was interested in him. Kazir's appearance fulfilled all her needs in a man. Besides, Kazir was a successful man who had made box office movies in the last few years. He was a famous man.


If there was one thing that Natalie Portman was sad about, it was the fact that Kazir Grey was a busy guy and never liked to go to parties. This meant that their chances of seeing each other again were slim.


Another thing was that Kazir Grey had his principles. He would never have a relationship with a young woman under 20 years old. Natalie Portman deduced this from the man's actions and the rumors about him.


Her eyes followed the man as he left the building with his assistant. For some obvious reason, her heart quickened. She unconsciously touched her chest and felt her heart pounding.


The sensation was strange, but she didn't want to forget it.


"Nat, are you okay? Your face is flushed."


Claire, who was standing next to her, asked her client worriedly.


"Me? Yeah, I'm fine Claire."


Natalie Portman smiled, trying to hide her emotions, and her blush gradually faded. But her heart was still beating fast.


"I'll try to talk to George, you can wait for me at the entrance."


"Thanks, Claire."


A few minutes after Claire talked to George Lucas, the agent studied her client, who was staring out of nowhere, perhaps thinking about something.


Claire sighed and walked over to Natalie.


"Natalie, let's go."


"Alright."


"I apologize if you need to see this. You see, it's my job to make sure you're never bullied or taken for granted. You're young, and I have to protect you. Star Wars is a culture, and it's your biggest chance to be famous."


Claire had to be shameless to get her client more screen time. She believed Natalie was a talented girl.


For that, Claire would never hesitate to use her race as a Jew to make a better impression. Maybe she took advantage of it, but she had to. This business was brutal to little people.


"I understand Claire. I'm grateful for your hard work. I promise I'll do my best on this project. I love Star Wars too."


Natalie hugged her agent, knowing that her agent took all the brunt just for the betterment of her clients.


... However, Natalie Portman could not forget Kazir. His appearance earlier had shaken her to the core.


Perhaps it was love at first sight for the young woman.


........

.....

...


"Muah~"


Angelina Jolie playfully blew a kiss in front of the mirror. She fixed her makeup and put lip gloss on her lips. She was confident that Kazir would notice her lip gloss.


After all, Kazir always looked at her lips. It was actually fun to play with the director.


"I'm sure he'll like it."


Angelina Jolie and Kazir Grey met a few times at the parties. Most of the time, Angelina would make the first move and talk to the director. She noticed that Kazir liked to stare at her pouty lips. She loved that about him, and she knew the director was attracted to her.


But after many encounters, the man never did anything! He was clueless as hell!


He never asked for her number. He never invited her to his home. He didn't even try to hug her or force her into a relationship!


This made Angelina angry with the director. If she didn't know that Kazir was attracted to her, she might think that the director was actually gay.


But out of nowhere she received an invitation from Grey Pictures! She wasn't expecting it at all.


With this opportunity, Angelina decided to prove herself as a woman. That she had the beauty and power to seduce a stoic man like Kazir Grey.


She didn't know if fate was playing with her because Angelina had just divorced her ex-husband Jonny Lee Miller and was suffering from depression.


She admitted that she wanted to use Kazir as a way to move on from her ex-husband.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 223



"Good morning, Miss Jolie." The male intern greeted Angelina, trying his best not to look at her sexy dress. A short, backless dress with spaghetti straps... Due to her smooth back, it seemed that Angelina Jolie was not wearing a bra.


"Good morning." Angelina smiled and greeted him back. She almost giggled when she noticed the young intern blushing.


Women love attention. It was a universal fact that was hard to deny.


A beautiful woman like Angelina Jolie could easily get the attention of any man she met on the street. She had a well-endowed body and her features were attention-grabbing.


She did her best to quit drugs and focus on her work instead. After her divorce, she was depressed and felt she might go back to using drugs.


Fortunately, Grey Pictures contacted her and she was able to focus on her current project. She was currently single...and ready to mingle.


Lately, she had this fantasy that she wanted to fulfill.


Kazir Grey was quite popular with the opposite sex, but the man was stoic and he was the type who didn't date casually. He was a famous director in industry, not just because of his filmography, but also because of his appearance.


He was strict and hardworking. His accomplishments were amazing. His Hangover was the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time with $586 million worldwide.


Even The Matrix, which came out this year, could not compete with that, grossing only $465 million.


That in itself was something to be proud of. Working with the director last week and watching his work, Angelina Jolie noticed that Kazir was very attractive while he was working.


She couldn't explain it well. She just liked it when Kazir was serious about his work, it was attractive for some reason.


The two had met a few times and were acquaintances. To be honest, Angelina tried to seduce the man when she was single. Even when she was married, she also tried to seduce the man.


But Kazir was like an old hard tree, impossible to bend. This upset her pride. She wanted Kazir to apologize and make up for his mistakes.


Lately, for some reason, she even dreamed about him, which was good because it kept her from getting depressed. She stopped thinking about drugs after working with Kazir.


'... This is stupid, I just had a few conversations with this cold man and now I can't forget him... This is stupid. This is not a highschool love story.'


She thought to herself as she smiled her way through the studio. She noticed that the crew was already working early in the morning.


Angelina's assistant was late because the actress had decided to go to work early without informing her assistant.


"Hey... Erica, order a black coffee today. I feel like I need some strong caffeine to wake me up."


Angelina turned to her right and found Kazir yawning. It seemed that he hadn't slept properly again.


Well, it was common for directors to be sleep-deprived when they were working on their film projects. It was a fact that everyone in the industry knew. Directors were always sleep-deprived.


"Good morning, Kazir."


Angelina greeted the director bubbly and leaned in gently.


"Good morning, Angelina."


Kazir waved and then looked at his schedule for the day.


"..."


Angelina couldn't help but pout when Kazir didn't bother to look at her. She wore that dress just for him.



'... He didn't even look at my cleavage.


Her pride as a woman wouldn't let her. She continued to smile and moved closer to him.


Kazir caught her scent and cocked his head.


"Do you have a question?"


"Tch, nothing."


She rolled her eyes and left. As expected, Kazir Grey was basically stupid when it came to his job. He didn't care about anything that wasn't related to his job...


What a strange guy. She thought in frustration.


Kazir looked at the woman and decided to call her.


"By the way, Angelina."


"What is it?" Angelina asked irritated.


"Nothing, I just wanted to say that you look pretty in that dress. Well, you are always pretty. Go to your trailer and talk to the costume designer about changing your clothes, we have a rehearsal."


Kazir told her before calling Harold and talking to him, leaving Angelina stunned.


"What? Huh? Eh?"


"This is stupid! Cringe... Very stupid, I'm not young anymore. Why am I acting like I'm in my teens? This is stupid."


She said to herself as she walked to her trailer. It was unfortunate that she had to change her dress, but she had to do it because it was her job... Of course, it was not because Kazir praised her in her dress.


The set/background was slowly built by the crew. This was still a rehearsal and the official shooting of Wanted would start next year.


After this week, the crew would have their long-awaited vacation.


Kazir glanced at the trailer Angelina was in, scratching his head in confusion.


'Women are really hard to understand. It's winter and it's still early. But she is wearing a short backless dress that only covered her legs, that's super cold.' He thought to himself.


The rehearsal began as Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman and other actors arrived.


'Now I have to contact Liam and the others' assistants to make a schedule for shooting their scenes. I have to make it quick and short because most of them are busy.'


Viggo Mortensen was busy with Lord Of The Rings, he spent his days in New Zealand. That country was really beautiful and breathtaking. The scenery in that country was like something out of a fantasy novel.


As for Matt Damon, he was about to start filming Ocean's Eleven. Kazir thought of using this franchise to expand the Continental Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately, Ocean's Eleven was based on Ocean's 11, a 1960 American heist movie. Kazir was unable to acquire the copyright to this old film.


Liam Neeson starred in a black comedy with Oliver Patt and Sandra Bullock.


Yes, the protagonists of the Continental Cinematic Universe were all busy. But they would definitely open a schedule to shoot their scenes. After all, they had signed a contract.


They were also interested in the outcome of this movie.

++++++

[I will post two chapters later. There was a typhoon here in my country, and the Internet and electricity are unstable here in my area. Although the weather is good today, it's sunny. Anyway, the biggest reason why I can't update is my laziness...]

[Reading this chapter makes me want to slam my head against the wall. Like, what the fuck is wrong with me?]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 224


In the month of December, only two movies had good performances.

The first was The Green Mile, starring Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan. The movie was based on Stephen King's novel of the same name.

A story set on death row in a Southern prison, where the gentle giant John possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the head guard, Paul, recognizes John's gift, he tries to help stop the condemned man's execution. (IMDb)

Michael Clarke Duncan received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in this film. Honestly, he deserved to win Best Supporting Actor, but most members of the Academy voted for Michael Caine for his role in The Cider House Rules.

The Green Mile grossed over $18 million in its first week. By the last day of the year, it had grossed $67 million.

The second movie that did well was Stuart Little. December was the time when families could have a wonderful bonding with the whole family. Of course, it was also a good time for theaters.

Stuart Little was rated PG-13, and young children could watch the movie with their parents' guidance, which gave the movie a better box office. Kids prefer to see this kind of movie.

Aaron Grey's kid actually loves this movie. The little girl even asked for a mouse as a pet for a while.

Stuart Little was about a talking mouse who was adopted by a family... That was the synopsis.

Anyway, the first week box office of Stuart Little was $15 million. It was released on December 17, 1999. When December 31 came, the movie had accumulated $68 million at the box office, only one million for it to become noice...

.........

......

...

December 24, 1999

"The world is going to end--!!!"

"Huh?"

Kazir frowned as he got out of his car. He parked his car in the parking lot near his favorite bar.

The crew was on vacation and it would be another two weeks before the official shooting would start. Being the type of guy who loves to spend his life in a lonely office, Kazir decided to relax at his favorite bar.

His Christmas Eve was very... sad.

However, the streets of Los Angeles were a little rough these days.

Hundreds of protesters were shouting that the end of the world was near. They have these cards with words on them about the end of the world.

Apparently the year 2000 would never come because the world would end at midnight on December 31, 1999.

The fact that a lot of people believed this was quite frightening. There were fanatics everywhere, handing out pamphlets and telling people to repent.

'Spoiler alert, the world did not end. January 1, 2000 will definitely come and I'll be celebrating the new year in my office watching Titanic... A very fun thing to do, alone.'

Kazir Grey sighed... Aaron and his family went to Boracay to celebrate Christmas.

As for his Dad, he has a business venture in Europe and will not return until next year.

So yes, Kazir didn't choose to be alone. His relatives have their own lives and he respects them. He was happy that his brother and father were living their lives without worries.

"H- Hey, you, I want you to take these pearls! This is the only way for you to survive the Day of Judgment! Don't worry, it will only cost you 50 dollars!" The man tried to sell his dirty beads to Kazir, he had the eyes of a fanatic who believed he was doing something right.

"No thanks."

'I can buy a Kodak film for that amount.'

Kazir didn't bother to listen and entered the bar. As he entered the bar, he realized that many people were having a lonely Christmas Eve just like him. He felt better knowing that some people were suffering the same as he was...

He looked around and found an empty seat. Comforting jazz music played in the background.

Kazir ordered a gin to remind himself that his life was very lonely and bitter. But he didn't regret it.

It was better for him to live a lonely life than to have a relationship that would lead to his downfall. His marriage to Cassandra Hoecrap didn't end well.

Two hours later, another person entered the bar to have a drink. It was a woman wearing a black cocktail dress and red heels. She had a fashionable winter jacket over her cocktail dress to keep out the cold.

She was a little tipsy. She was probably at a Christmas party, but left after losing interest in the party.

She was none other than Angelina Jolie. The woman found this bar and decided to drink more.

"I want a white wine," she said, unknowingly sitting next to Kazir.

"Coming right up." The bartender said, preparing her drink.

"Christmas... My Christmas is cold. Everyone in the party had a partner... So I have to leave early because it's embarrassing, I have no partner." The woman sighed. It was awkward to bring another man in a formal party especially when Angelina just recently divorced.

"Yeah, I have the same problem," Kazir muttered.

Suddenly they recognized each other's voice. They looked at each other and they were both surprised.

"Hm?"

"You?"

"Angelina, what are you doing here?" Kazir asked.

"Tch, don't ask me why. It's obvious I want to drink." She clicked her tongue... blushing slightly.

"... Okay." The man nodded and left her alone.

Angelina took her wine and sipped it, then stole a glance at the man next to her.

"And you? Why are you here?"

"I have no one to spend Christmas with. My father and brother are busy."

"I see..." Angelina swallowed. She glanced at Kazir. Indeed, this man is handsome as fuck. He is her type.

She suddenly had an idea.

She realized that this could be her chance...

'Will destiny help me to get closer to this man?'

She didn't know the answer, but she knew that nothing would happen if she kept quiet.

"Then how about spending it with me?" Perhaps because of the power of alcohol, Angelina was brave tonight.

"Pfft--" Kazir nearly spit out his drink and coughed.

"Hey, that's not nice. Why are you reacting like that?" She pouted, her lips glistening from the alcohol.

"Angelina, I'm a man of principle. I will never have a relationship with a married woman."

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

They stared at each other for a moment. Then Angelina started to laugh.

"You silly, I'm single. I am divorced from my husband. Well, the divorce is still pending, but both of us are already sure that we are not going to continue our relationship. We don't love each other anymore. We are separated."

"Then...?" Kazir was under the influence of alcohol as he had been drinking gin for two hours.

"So what do you think?" The woman chuckled and whispered in his ear.

Kazir swallowed hard. His answer was...

+++++

[Oh God, maybe some of you will be angry with me. Sorry, but I have to say it anyway. This chapter actually has an R-18 version, but you can only read it on Patreon if you subscribe to me. Yes, I'm promoting my Patreon. I gotta make money guys, I have bills to pay and I have to put food on the table.]

https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 225



"By the way, belated Merry Christmas." The receptionist greeted the assistant director.


"Thank you," Assistant Director Simone Palenque smiled and entered the building.


They had a day off yesterday, Christmas, to celebrate the holiday...


Unlike the other crew members, Simone Palenque didn't ask for a vacation. He wanted to show Director Grey that he was serious about his job and wanted to continue working.


In fact, he hoped that Director Grey would choose to promote him to director. Simone Palenque understood how hard it was to make a movie.


It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to make a professional movie. Napoleon Dynamite, Kazir's first comedy, cost half a million. That was something Simon could never raise.


To make a movie, he needed an investor. Someone who would trust him and invest money to make a movie.


He knew that Fremont Smith couldn't become a director without the help and guidance of Kazir Grey.


Simone hoped he would get the same treatment. So right now he is working hard to prove himself.


He did not ask for an immediate answer. For three or five years he was happy to work for Kazir as long as he helped him become a director. He was young anyway.


According to stereotypes, directors were old because they had to gain experience before they could start their own projects.


He was happy if he could become a director before the age of 35.


Simone Palenque stepped into the elevator and hit the floor where the director's office was.


Note that Grey Pictures only leased five floors of this building. This company had just started five years ago, and they were still trying to build their foundation. The good thing was that their performance got better every year.


Maybe next year they would have their own building.


Simone got off the elevator and walked to the office door.


Most of the employees were on vacation, so the building was quiet.


"Who is it?"


"Director, it's me, Simone. I've finished evaluating our budget for renting and building the background sets."


"Come in."


Simone Palenque opened the door to find Kazir sipping coffee. It seemed that the director woke up early, as he was already in his suit and looking good.


"Here are the documents, sir."


"Thank you," Kazir took a look, read some of the words and nodded.


"You did a good job."


"Thank you, Director." Simone was pleased to hear Kazir praise him.


"Kazir, babe? Have you found my thong? I can't find it, I thought I bought a pair. It seems I only bought one, too bad, it's soaking because of you."


A woman's voice sounded from Kazir's room. This office had a room and a shower since the director lived here.


Angelina came out of the room in her nightgown. She looked bright and fresh after waking up, there was something about what happened yesterday that made her feel better. She was in a good mood after a good d*cking from Kazir.


"Babe, have you seen my..."


Angelina stopped immediately when she saw that there was another person in the room.


She looked at Kazir and blushed. She returned to the room and closed the door.



"..."


Simone was stunned. His mind almost stopped working.


"Is that... Is that Angelina Jolie?


He then looked at Director Kazir Grey. Looking for answer.


"You can go now."


"Yes." He replied quickly and walked out of the office in a second.


"Wow, that's crazy."


Simone muttered. He remembered that Director Grey was still working on Christmas Eve before he left the building.


Two days later, Angelina Jolie had already spent a night in his office!


"It's really amazing to be a director." The young assistant was determined to be one.


.........

......

...


"Kazir, what the hell? Why didn't you say there was actually a person in your office?" Angelina was angry as she came out of the room and confronted him.


"Because you're so beautiful when you sleep. I don't want to disturb you because I know you're tired."


"T- Then you should have... Wait, are you trying to make me feel better so I'll forget what you did to me?"


Kazir stood up and hugged her, Angelina closed her mouth. She wanted to talk but Kazir hugged her. She laid her head on his chest.


"Are you still sore?"


"Yes. But it feels so good."


This was the best sex of her life. She hadn't expected that the one who would bring her to multiple orgasms would be the stoic and boring man in front of her.


They spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day f*cking in his apartment and office.


They first had sex in his apartment before Kazir took her to his office for efficiency. Apparently he had work to do... Angelina didn't know what to say, but she came so much that she didn't hold it against him.


The man was indeed a great lover.


"You should rest. We are still on vacation and you can sleep in my office if you want."


"Okay." She said meekly, very sweet.


"As for the two thongs you're talking about, they are all wet. Maybe you don't remember."


"Hm." She nodded and spent a few minutes in his embrace.


"I want to eat, I'm hungry." She pouted and rubbed her head against his chest.


"I already ordered chow mein. You eat Chinese food, right?"


"Yeah..." She wrapped her arms around him and giggled.


'The decision I made two days ago is the best decision I ever made in my life. I will never regret it, not even in the future.' She giggled and cuddled with the hunk.


After that they had a sloppy kiss before Angelina was pinned to the table. They spent some time grinding against each other.


Their Chinese food arrived later and they ate it with gusto. They were too hungry and ate the whole thing.


After that they had sex again. From Christmas to New Year's, the man and woman rarely left the office. This was the best week for Angelina Jolie. She was deeply loved and she became confident in herself. After that she never thought about drugs again. She realized that there are better things than drugs.


++++


[Alright, for the record, I wrote this chapter on November last year, and I have no idea what I'm doing. I already posted 3 chapters today. So yeah, fuck this shit, I'm out.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 226


"And cut! Let's reshoot this scene after a ten-minute break. Tell the make-up artists to make you look sweaty and exhausted."

Kazir announced and the actors stopped acting. Their assistants provided them with drinks according to their preferences.

The scene they were about to shoot was the one where Wesley Gibson shot the wings of a fly.

Wesley Gibson was shitless and scared because there was a gun pointed at his skull while he was trying to shoot the fly. He was supposed to be sweating, scared, something Kazir suggested to Ben Affleck.

As the cast rested, Morgan Freeman approached Kazir.

"Kazir, I know I'm getting too much, but I want to thank you again."

"Morgan, all I do is recommend the right actor. You shouldn't thank me."

Morgan Freeman was cast in Bruce Almighty, which would be released in the summer of 2000.

Sony-Columbia was confident in this movie and they promoted it even though it was still early in the year.

First of all, the protagonist was Jim Carrey and his box office appeal was strong. Based on that, they knew that Bruce Almighty would do well at the box office.

On top of that, the screenwriter of this movie was Kazir Grey! Everybody knew that every script written by Kazir was successful.

From Se7en, directed by David Fincher.

Napoleon Dynamite II. And the sequel that was to be released this summer.

The Hangover Part 2 grossed over half a million dollars at the worldwide box office.

Meet The Parents was acquired by Paramount and grossed $330 million on a production budget of only $55 million.

In addition, Kazir has written all of the films he has directed. And they have all been blockbusters.

Sony-Columbia was confident that Bruce Almighty would be the face of this year's comedy, other than Napoleon Dynamite III, of course.

Morgan Freeman had always had the role of the old, mature guy, and frankly, he always nailed that role. Studios would usually hire him just to be that mature old guy in their movies.

Morgan Freeman took advantage of that, and now he had a lot of roles that had to do with being a mature old guy.

He heard from Sony-Columbia that Kazir had recommended him for Bruce Almighty.

"I said that I want to work with you again, and I didn't expect the time to come."

With an invitation and a good salary from Grey Pictures, Morgan Freeman happily accepted the role of Sloan. Kazir's films were all hot, and Morgan wanted to be a part of it.

"I'm happy to hear that."

The two talked for a few minutes before Morgan excused himself. He didn't expect the screenwriter he met a few years ago to be the most-sought director.

Even Michael Bay could not compete with Kazir in status and fame. The explosion-lover director began his film career in 1995, the same year as Kazir.

Michael Bay directed Bad Boys, The Rock and many action movies. While Kazir focused on comedy for two years, Michael Bay became influential among action movie fans.

However, this position was overtaken by Kazir Grey. There was a discussion about both of them, people could not help but compare them as they became famous at the same time.

If Michael Bay focused on explosive scenes where everything explodes and burns to pieces, then Kazir focused on realistic hand-to-hand combat and shootouts. They have different styles.

Kazir looked around and his eyes landed on the woman wearing a brown tank top and pants.

Angelina Jolie noticed someone staring at her. She turned and found Kazir. She bit her lip and grinned, then returned a flirtatious look before talking to the makeup artist again.

"... Did something happen while we were on vacation?"

Harold Witsend appeared beside Kazir. He noticed that something was different between Kazir and Angelina.

"What do you mean?"

"Angelina was stealing glances at you the whole time we were filming. I know that the reason you stopped filming was because Angelina mistakenly stared at the camera. To be precise, she was staring at you who was staring at the monitor through the camera."

"Well..."

It seemed that a veteran like Harold Witsend knew a lot about people's mentality. Maybe being a producer had changed his perception.

"Not only that, her looks are strange. Like, she gives you the 'fuck-me' look."

"Let's just say we got closer after the vacation."

Harold just nodded. There was no need to ask more. It was already obvious from their interactions.

"By the way, I heard from 20th Century Fox that they already have an actress to play the female lead in Legally Blonde."

Legally Blonde was another script Kazir sold to 20th Century Fox.

He recommended two actresses for the lead roles, and they were Reese Witherspoon and Cameron Diaz. These two actresses had good box office appeal and could carry the movie with their fame.

"I don't know if you're interested, but I'm going to tell you anyway." Harold knew about Reese Witherspoon and Cameron Diaz and their past relationship with Kazir.

Frankly, Harold was impressed that Kazir would recommend them even though their relationships were over.

"Reese Witherspoon got the role. The crew had trouble deciding between Cameron Diaz and Reese Witherspoon. But the director preferred Reese, so she got it."

Kazir listened quietly.

'I guess Cameron Diaz lost again.'

Cameron Diaz wanted to steal the role from Reese Witherspoon to get her revenge. But it seemed that Legally Blonde would still be part of Reese Witherspoon's filmography. Sometimes fate was hard to change, no matter how hard you tried.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 227



"Okay, let's start shooting!"


Director Grey announced and the set fell silent. When filming, it was standard procedure for the crew to keep their mouths shut.


.........

......

...


"I-I don't know what you're saying." Wesley Gibson (Ben Affleck), his face pale, shook his head.


"Shoot the wings of the flies." Sloan (Morgan Freeman) glanced at the trash can, motioning for Wesley to prove if he was worthy of joining the infamous Fraternity.


"Ah, I was thinking of something else-" Wesley shut his mouth immediately as he felt cold metal against the back of his head. The gun was ready to blow his head off at any moment.


"Either you shoot or I will." Said the killer behind him.


Wesley Gibson's expression turned frightened--


"Cut!!"


.........

......

...


Kazir announced another cut and the shoot didn't last a minute. The crew started talking again and the actors' personal assistants approached the actors.


Ben Affleck knew he had made a mistake, so he approached the director and asked for guidance.


"Ben, I need to show you something."


In this case, Ben Affleck knew that his status was nothing compared to Kazir Grey. He was standing in front of a talented director.


Ben Affleck knew this movie was his moment to shine and he didn't want to lose it. Filming had only started three days earlier and Ben Affleck could have been fired if he had done anything inappropriate on the set.


Of course, Grey Pictures had to pay for the breach of contract, but the company probably had no problem doing that, especially if Ben Affleck was not worthy of the role.


The reason he got the role was because of his box office appeal. People knew more about him than the upcoming Orlando Bloom.


Ben Affleck nodded earnestly as he watched his expression on the screen... He didn't deliver it right.


"Ben, what do you think would happen if something like this happened in real life? If this happened to you in real life, knowing that with one trigger your brain matter would splatter all over the floor? What would you do?"


Kazir asked him gently. The filming had just started and there was no need to scare the young man... Uh, Ben Affleck was only three years younger than him, by the way.


Ben was 28, while Kazir was 31.


"I will probably get scared and my heart rate will go up. My face will turn red or pale with fear and nervousness... I may beg for my life." Ben Affleck said, thinking deeply.


"Well, that's the normal reaction. In this case, Wesley Gibson is still an ordinary office worker. He never touched a gun, and he has a depressed life."


Ben Affleck's current appearance reflected this. The man had an unshaven face and his hair was unkempt.


Even his mood was depressed. It seemed that Ben Affleck was taking the role seriously. As for how he did it, Kazir had no idea. But he loved the devotion.


"Try to move your eyes around, keep your breathing thin. I'm sure you can control your face to open up some veins and make your face red."


This kind of acting was usually taught in acting classes. Controlling your breath to make you face red... Surely Ben Affleck took acting classes, right?


Before filming resumed, Kazir caught Angelina Jolie stealing glances at him... Kazir frowned slightly, but decided to keep his composure.


His job as a director was to keep the filming going and get as much footage as possible and put it together into a movie. It was not that easy.


"Shoot the flies, take 9, lights, camera, action!"


The clapperboard signaled the start of the shoot.


This time, Ben Affleck did better. Kazir didn't stop filming, and the scene reached the moment when Sloan handed Wesley a gun.


"I-I can't even see it!"


"One... Two..." The hitman started the countdown. His gun on the back of Wesley's head.


With extreme nervousness, a pathetic grunt escaped Wesley's mouth and he pulled the trigger.


Wesley Gibson began firing bullet after bullet into the trash can, hoping for a miracle.


He gasped and leaned against the wall. He searched for the medicine that kept his heart rate normal. He wanted to devour a handful of pills to ease the pain.


While he was having a nervous breakdown, Sloan grabbed the flies and inspected them.


He handed the flies to a gasping Wesley, and the man was stunned.


"That's impossible." He muttered between inhalations.


The flies were struggling to move, as their wings were missing.


"A lot of things were impossible for you before today," Sloan replied.


"Cut! Well done, this is over!"


The crew began to clap, knowing that another scene was over. Then, as usual, they went about their business.


The actors' personal assistants approached their respective clients.


Ben Affleck thanked his assistant and swallowed a bottle of water. He was sweating and exhausted. He was so focused on acting that he really started to sweat.


He was more on the action side of the industry, but he could pull off some dramas if he wanted to, like Gone Girl.


But honestly. Ben Affleck should do more action movies. His look and aesthetic is more suited to action movies.


In fact, Kazir heard that Ben Affleck was interested in auditioning for Pearl Harbor, which was to be directed by Michael Bay.


It was a movie based on history, although Michael Bay romanticized the movie so much that it became a love triangle...


Well, the movie was pretty good and entertaining.


"Are you okay?" Kazir asked Ben.


"Yeah, haha, I just feel like I'm getting better. I guess working with a talented director like you helps."


Ben Affleck thought he had a breakthrough at that moment.


"No matter how many times you praise me, I will still not increase your screen time."


The two guys started to laugh.


++++


[I'll post another chapter later.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 228


January in the year 2000 had no good movies, nothing promising. Small production companies usually scheduled their movies at this time, hoping that their movies would make a profit.

Kazir was always busy in January because he had a filming schedule around this time every year.

His movies were released in the summer, September and November. This created a constant schedule for him to start his next project early the next year.

Kazir was a different breed because he had a project to shoot every year. He was dedicated to his work and loved his job very much.

There were times when crew members quit because they couldn't keep up with Kazir's annual projects. This man never took a vacation in the last six years.

While Kazir was busy with his project, Fremont Smith, the director of Taken 2, received so many offers from different companies.

Fremont was mostly busy preparing for the Taken 2 celebration party that would take place on February 3rd.

Taken 2 has already grossed $216 million in North America.

In addition, its international performance was astounding. In just 50 days of release, the international box office had already surpassed the North American box office with $239 million.

The thing was, Taken was very popular outside of America. Many people did not speak English well, but men had one thing they could all appreciate: action movies. Especially big action movies with bloody scenes like Taken 2 had.

In Germany, the movie grossed over 33 million dollars.

In France, where the first Taken movie was set, it grossed $28 million.

In the United Kingdom, it grossed $35 million.

Italy, $31 million.

Spain, $16 million.

Those were the five countries that contributed the most to the box office.

Now the worldwide gross of Taken 2 was $455 million.

As time went on, the worldwide box office would only increase until Grey Pictures had another movie to profit from.

For now, Fremont had no intention of filming, especially this year. He felt that he had lost a lot of energy after shooting Taken 2. He realized that being a director was not that easy. Maybe that was why most directors only made movies every two or three years.

Only a monster like Kazir had the willpower to make a project every year without having a nervous breakdown... His mental strength was amazing.

And this mental strength was known by everyone.

"So... is the nude scene still in?"

Angelina Jolie asked beside him. The two were having breakfast at a restaurant near the set. They had just woken up together after a night of "fun".

Angelina Jolie was wearing sunglasses because her makeup was not done. Her hair was in a messy bun.

"Yes, the nude scenes are included. But I will only add them to the DVDS, the R-rated/extended version, it will probably cost 60 dollars."

"I thought so. It will be hard for Wanted to pass the PG-13 rating if we add the nude scenes to the movie.

Angelina Jolie said after taking a sip of Kazir's coffee. Kazir didn't mind the woman drinking his coffee and just left her alone.

"Are you okay with me being naked on camera?" That was the question Angelina wanted to ask.

In the script, Kazir pointed out, Fox (Angelina Jolie) would walk naked out of the ice sauna and Wesley Gibson would get a glimpse of her perky ass.

"You're such a pervert for putting that scene in."

She teased the man, only to realize that Kazir was actually serious...

"I never thought of a perverted idea while writing the script." He said honestly.

"Again, are you okay with me being naked in front of the cast and crew?"

"Angelina, it's your choice. You are a star, you can refuse and we will use your stand-in instead. I only want to capture the backside and the butt, you don't have to show your face."

"..."

Angelina Jolie bit her lip sexily and stared at him.

"What do you want me to do?" Maybe because she was intoxicated by the man opposite the table, she wanted to please him every time.

Besides, this was not the first time she had done a nude scene. Gia, Hell's Kitchen and Mojave Moon. These were some of the movies in which Angelina had nude scenes.

"I want you to be professional." Kazir held out his hand and wiped her lips where the coffee had been. Angelina licked his thumb and giggled.

"Okay, I'll be professional for you. I bet you feel horny when you see me naked in front of a lot of people."

"Maybe yes, maybe no. We'll see." Kazir replied, licking the thumb that Angelina was nibbling on.

"I can throw the crew out if you want. So that you and me are the only ones there." He offered, knowing that some actresses were not comfortable doing a nude scene in front of many people.

"No, it's more exciting that way."

Kazir shrugged and left her to it.

The two left the restaurant and headed for the parking lot. However, a paparazzi showed up and bombarded them with questions.

He was actually stalking Angelina Jolie because of her recent divorce. He didn't expect Angelina to make a move on her director after her divorce.

"Director Grey! What is your relationship with Angelina? Are you together?"

Kazir frowned and quickly shielded Angelina from the camera that kept snapping away.

The paparazzi didn't give a fuck and kept asking questions. When Kazir and Angelina got into the car, the paparazzi shamelessly blocked their way.

"If I answer your question, will you get out of the way?" Kazir clicked his tongue. He wanted to slam the car into the stalker, but that was stupid and illegal.

"Yes, of course." The paparazzi nodded, still holding his camera.

"That's right, me and Angelina are dating. Now get out of my way or I will bulldoze you."

The paparazzi happily let them go, knowing he had a great scoop today.

++++

[I already posted two chapters today... And I have no idea when I will update again.]

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Rodolfo Xavier, Mustafa, Dany B, Jack M, and Ethan F!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 229


The couple was silent for a few minutes. When they stopped at the traffic light, Angelina took a deep breath and turned to Kazir.

"You're not lying about what you said earlier, are you?"

"Are you talking about our relationship? Yes, I'm serious." Kazir nodded.

As time went by, he realized that he was not getting any younger. He wanted to be sincere. He knew he was still afraid of a serious romance, but he had to take a step and move on.

He was afraid, he saw how his father almost lost his life after the divorce. Kazir suffered the same when he divorced Cassandra in his past life.

Even though Kazir was more mature now, some things were deeply engraved in his heart.

Cassandra and his mother affected his life in a very bad way.

He reached for Angelina's hand, muttering as he looked ahead... He didn't know how to look into Angelina's eyes because he was afraid of his feelings.

'At least... At least I'm trying to change.' He thought so.

"I want to know you better. I hope you feel the same."

"Yes."

Angelina nodded weakly and looked away. But deep inside she was squealing.

'Oh God! He admitted it! He said I'm his girlfriend! Man, I thought our relationship was just at the friends-with-benefits level.'

She bit her lip, quite happy.

They had been dating for almost a month now. Sometimes Angelina thought about their relationship. She had no idea what to call their relationship.

Kazir didn't talk about it while Angelina was afraid to talk about it. She might be hurt if she heard Kazir's answer. So she decided to keep quiet and wait until Kazir was man enough to say it.

She hadn't expected Kazir to admit it today. Not only that, he said it in front of the paparazzi!

Knowing the work of the paparazzi, their relationship would definitely be printed in the tabloids and newspapers!

Which was a good thing! A lot of people would know that Angelina Jolie and Kazir Grey were a thing. They were dating.

This label was an insurance policy, something she was happy to have. Now she knew where she stood in this relationship.

She squeezed Kazir's hand, happy that they were officially dating.

"Kazir, I also want to get to know you better. I'm attracted to your serious expression, your chiseled jawline, hot body... Ahem, and your personality, too. I want you as a person."

She replied, smiling at him. Kazir nodded and the light turned green.

She giggled for obvious reasons and held up his hand, then weakly bit his finger in happiness.

.........

......

...

Unlike January, which didn't have any movies that surpassed $100 million this year, February had one movie that surpassed $100 million.

The movie was none other than Scream 3. This movie was quite famous. The Scream franchise was directed by Wes Craven until Scream 4. The director passed away in 2015, so Scream 5 hired another director to fill the spot.

Wes Craven was a great director and expert in horror movies, especially the slasher genre. His most famous franchises were Scream and Nightmare Of Elm Street.

This movie would be the last time that Reese Witherspoon would participate in it. Her salary was getting bigger and bigger and the studio could not afford her salary anymore. Obviously, Reese's character would die in this movie as a closure.

Since February came, some people were excited to celebrate Valentine's Day. Kazir and Angelina spent that day close to each other, almost no distance at all.

News of their relationship spread after the media took an interest in their story. They even have some pictures together. In the pictures, Kazir was shielding Angelina and trying his best to protect the woman. This earned him affection and positive opinions from people.

While the couple was busy, another ex-couple decided to meet on Valentine's Day.

"How long has it been since we last saw each other?"

Elizabeth Cohen smiled and licked her lips as she stared at the man in front of her. She hated to admit it, but her ex-husband was doing well. He seemed to be doing well even in his forties... She hated that the man was living a happy life while she was not.

"Fifteen years, I think."

Kazir's father, Victor Grey, answered her question.

The two stared at each other before Elizabeth chuckled and drank a glass of wine, straight. Perhaps she was influenced by the man across the table.

"Today is Valentine's Day and I can't believe I'm spending it with my hateful ex-husband. I should be in someone's arms right now." She scoffed.

"Today is the only day I'm free."

"Yeah, I thought so. You are always busy. You are always away, leaving your pregnant wife alone in the house, suffering from depression."

"I hired a helper--"

"I don't need a helper, you are the one I needed at that time."

"..."

It seemed that their relationship was impossible to repair, even though more than a decade had passed.

"Then I have only one thing to say. Elizabeth, I'm begging you, as Kazir's mother, please don't get close to Kazir. He's already living a happy life, don't hurt him again."

"I am his mother, I have the right to talk to him. I don't think you should say that."

"You haven't been in his life for fifteen years, and now you say you want to get closer to him? You're the one who didn't fight for custody because you hated our kids."

"So what? They are quite useful now. Especially Kazir, I didn't expect him to get this far. I'm really impressed."

She grinned playfully and crossed her legs under the table.

+++++

[Author's Note: Does this count as character development? Kazir's mentality is slowly changing, and it seems that he is trying to overcome his fear of love. Now, I'm still not sure who the endgame (Kazir's wife) of this novel is. I hope that Kazir Grey will be a happy person by the end of this novel].

[I hate the next chapter so I'm going to post it later just to finish this bullshit.]

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to AR3S, Jeytharani T, Calvin, Shopna, Kuro Mao, and Julian.]

Hollywood What If Chapter 230


"You have changed. You are not the woman I married." Victor let out a defeated sigh. He thought maybe Elizabeth had an ounce of love for her children.

"Indeed. I have changed. You're the one responsible for my change. Victor, I loved you, I promised to be with you forever. To live a happy life, to marry you... Maybe I was crazy back then. Love can disappear." She smiled bitterly, remembering the past.

"Our marriage was very happy, and I understand that you work hard for our future, for the children. When Aaron was born, I was so proud of him, I spoiled him and gave him all my attention."

Victor lowered his head as he listened to Elizabeth reminisce.

"But I guess there is a limit to my patience. When I was pregnant with Kazir, I needed you, I want you to stay with me. I want you to hold me and tell me you love me. But your business has taken a nosedive and you have to stay in the office 24/7... I can understand that, I have tried my best to understand you."

Victor bit his lip. That was the beginning of their marriage going cold.

"Three days before Kazir was born, I begged you to stay. But you didn't listen and flew to Japan instead. What happened after that? Victor, tell me, what happened after that?"

"I can't control the weather, Elizabeth--"

Elizabeth slammed her fists on the table, clattering plates and utensils.

"You should have stayed! I gave birth to Kazir and the doctors surrounded me, but I need you the most! You..."

Elizabeth frowned as she noticed tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She clicked her tongue and wiped them away before glaring at Victor, who kept his head down.

"Are you ashamed of yourself?"

"..."

"I hate you and God or whatever for this. The will above let you get stuck in the airport during a typhoon, doing your best and hoping to get back to your family, but you failed. And I hate you for that... Victor, why did you leave me?"

"The Japanese investor needs to talk to me personally before he can invest, and I really need the investment to start the project," Victor said in a tired voice. They actually had a conversation like this fifteen years ago.

Victor worked his ass off just to give his children a better future... It cost him his marriage.

"Ah, yeah, I guess that's not so bad since we got rich afterwards, ahahaha." She giggled. Elizabeth was still getting money from her ex-husband. Maybe Victor felt bad about their separation.

"After that, all my love for you disappeared... As for our children, Aaron grew up well, I heard he is married now. I felt bad about naming our second son Kazir, but I can't go back to the past to right the wrongs. I have no intention of doing so. Kazir was one of the reasons I'm fucked up in the head. Giving birth to him made me lose my mind."

"Elizabeth, he is your son," Victor replied.

"That's why there's nothing wrong with using him for a few favors."

"You really have changed."

"What did they call it? Postpartum depression? Unfortunately, that kind of illness cannot be diagnosed 30 years ago. If I had known, my relationship with Kazir might have been much better."

Postpartum depression (also called PPD) is a condition that many women experience after having a baby. It's strong feelings of sadness, anxiety (worry), and tiredness that last for a long time after giving birth. These feelings can make it hard for the mother to take care of herself and the baby. (Source: Google)

Elizabeth tried to touch the wine glass but decided to pull her hands away.

"I endured another 15 years of suffering, taking care of the children even though my feelings for them were non-existent. When the children were old enough to understand, I knew it was the right time to end our relationship."

"You should have filed for divorce first instead of cheating on me. Maybe our separation would have been much better if you had done that."

"Fufu, Victor, I did this on purpose to break your heart. I blame you, Kazir, the god, and possibly Aaron for all my suffering."

"Elizabeth, you need to see a therapist."

"Is that an insult? But I don't care. I will do what I want. My daughter wants to be an actress and I will do my best to give her a beautiful life, something I was robbed of."

"And you will use Kazir to do that?"

"Of course. Just like I said, he is useful."

The two locked eyes before Elizabeth chuckled and stood.

"There is no need to continue this conversation. You already know my intentions, it's up to you if you want to tell Kazir about me. By the way, thanks for the monthly support, I used it to buy expensive things. Keep it up."

She patted him on the shoulder before leaving the restaurant, her hips swaying seductively. A few men even looked at her ass as she strutted out of the restaurant.

Victor Grey was left alone at the table. He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

Talking to his ex-wife was very tiring. It would be a lie to say that it did not affect him, but all he felt was pity. He could not believe that the woman he loved had become a much worse bitch.

If there was any good, Victor realized that he didn't love the woman anymore. Maybe it was time to think about himself and find his true love.

But first...

Victor pulled a recorder out of his suit. He clicked the button and listened to their conversation.

Between the mother and the children, Victor decided to side with his children. He would protect his son no matter what.

++++++

[Author's note: Two chapters today, and both chapters are whack. Rereading this chapter makes me groan. Well, I had a mental block when I wrote this, so I decided to write another POV (Kazir's parents) to move the plot along. I know this chapter is meh, I also agree].

[Anyway, since June just started, I decided to promote my Patreon. The most recent chapter on my Patreon is HWI 394. If you're interested in reading more than 150 chapters and supporting me and my family financially at the same time, I'll be eternally grateful.]

https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Suleyman M, Mathew O, Graham J, Jonevermaycry, and Andy A!]

Hollywood What If Chapter 231


"Okay, this scene is over!"

The shooting was done and Liam Neeson wiped his sweat. He admitted that working with Kazir and becoming an action star had changed the course of his career.

Before Taken, Liam Neeson focused more on drama. But now he was invited to do a lot of action movies. Most recently, he appeared in Star Wars as a Jedi Master.

"Good job."

"Yeah."

Matt Damon congratulated Liam Neeson and the old man nodded. Next to them stood Viggo Mortensen.

The three protagonists took a month off from their schedules/jobs to participate in the shooting of Wanted, which was in March. Normally, it took at least two months to finish their scenes, but Kazir was a different kind of director.

They finished most of their scenes already. After that, Viggo Mortensen would return to New Zealand to shoot Lord of the Rings. Comparing the filming of Lord Of The Rings and Wanted was something that Viggo thought about so many times.

Unlike Lord of the Rings and Peter Jackson's filmography, Kazir Grey was a fast perfectionist. He could get a perfect shot in just a few takes. Kazir also had a good influence on his cast.

The atmosphere on the set was very relaxed, very different from the usual filming vibes.

In Lord of the Rings, Viggo had to wear thick clothes before shooting. And he had to wear them almost 10 hours a day, it was tiring and sweaty.

"Something is strange... I know Kazir's projects are usually peaceful, but there's something different about this one." Matt Damon muttered.

"I agree, I can't put my finger on the reason, but the atmosphere on the Wanted set is quite carefree. I had 10 NG's yesterday and Kazir didn't even frown or show any anger." Viggo Mortensen added.

Even though Kazir was a quiet person, he would still talk to the actor once they reached the threshold of 10 NGs.

"It seems you are still young. Look over there."

Liam Neeson pointed in a certain direction and found Kazir talking to Angelina. They were smiling, Angelina giggled playfully and patted Kazir's shoulder.

"So you mean... That's the reason?" Matt asked. He hadn't expected this situation. Last year, Kazir had been dating Cameron Diaz.

"I think so. Whatever it is, Kazir and Angelina are fine. I'm not sure if they really love each other, but their relationship is definitely good news for both of them. They have been smiling a lot lately."

As the eldest of the trio, Liam Neeson had a better understanding.

"But... I heard Angelina's a sex addict." Viggo muttered weakly. This rumor was almost everywhere and it could be true or false. Angelina Jolie was known to be a sex addict. Some of her exes confirmed it.

"Whatever it is, Kazir can definitely tame her."

The three knew the importance of this movie. The outcome of this movie would be the result of three years of hard work that Grey Pictures had put into this massive project.

Kazir and Grey Pictures were risking their future just to realize this outrageous plan that could be good or bad. Nobody knew the future.

The three actors got a career boost after working with Kazir. They were grateful for it. So they wanted the movie to be successful.

Besides, their contracts were not over yet. So if this Continental Cinematic Universe was a success, it means they have secure projects to work with when they reach the bottom of their careers. It also gives them more leverage to negotiate with the company because their roles are important.

In a way, the future of the Continental Cinematic Universe was their future. Heck, even though their screen time in this movie was only 10 minutes, the contract already stated that they would earn 4 to 9 million dollars. Liam Neeson, of course, had the highest salary of the three.

.........

......

...

Wanted started shooting in January and finished in April. Four months of filming. That was very fast by Hollywood standards. However, if you compare it to Hong Kong movies, the filming of Wanted was already long.

Usually Hong Kong movies finish shooting in a month or two. It was amazing, but definitely a difficult thing to do.

The laws between the two countries were different, and the cast and crew of Wanted needed rest to keep going.

And even if Wanted finished shooting in two months, they still had to wait for Industrial Light & Magic to finish the special effects scenes.

The good thing was that four months was enough for Industrial Light & Magic to finish all the scenes, so Kazir Grey immediately started post-production on the film. They didn't need any heavy special effects in the first place, so Industrial Light & Magic was in good hands.

Just like that, the summer schedule officially happened.

May started with a bang with the release of Gladiator, distributed by DreamWorks. DreamWorks hired Ridley Scott, the director of Alien, to direct the movie. They cast Russell Crowe as the film's protagonist.

As everyone expected, DreamWorks used their distribution channel. That was the reason they started DreamWorks in the first place. The Big Six used their position to control the industry through their distribution channels.

Unfortunately, DreamWorks only had a North American distribution channel. An international distribution channel was a near-impossible dream to achieve in the short term. It takes years of accumulation, just like the Big Six and Metro Goldwyn Mayer did.

Since Steven Spielberg had a good relationship with Universal Pictures because they worked together on Jurassic Park, the international distribution of Gladiator was taken over by Universal Pictures.

The first week of Gladiator grossed over $49 million at the box office. It was an amazing achievement. But DreamWorks could not rest easy.

Because the anticipated comedy of the year would be released next week. Napoleon Dynamite III will be released on May 11th. Obviously, the two movies would have a rivalry to get the most tickets.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 232


The copyrights to Napoleon Dynamite were acquired by 20th Century Fox, more specifically, Fox Searchlight Pictures.

This was the first movie that Fox Searchlight Pictures distributed and it was a huge success. This gave Fox Searchlight Pictures the ability to acquire more profitable films at low prices, such as The Full Monty. The Full Monty made $258 million at the box office despite a low budget of $3.5 million.

Director Kazir Grey sold the copyrights in 1995 for $25 million. It was his first successful movie and it got him where he is now.

The higher-ups at 20th Century Fox felt that this was the right time to end Napoleon Dynamite for the time being. Maybe they would do a sequel in five to ten years.

With that in mind, they are promoting Napoleon Dynamite III as the last film in the franchise in order to attract more audiences.

'I made over $5 million just being an executive producer on the movie. Hell, I was only on the set a couple of times. '

Kazir thought to himself. He realized that his position in the industry was no longer easy. Just by being an executive producer who didn't work much for the project, he already made $5 million... Maybe that was the reason why director Lameire was angry with him. Because their salary was the same.

"Are you sure you want to take me to the premiere? I heard your ex-girlfriend is going to be there." Angelina playfully teased the man next to her.

"Are you talking about Reese?" Kazir put down the newspaper. He was reading the news about Ridley Scott's Gladiator.

"Obviously." She rolled her eyes.

"My relationship with Reese has been complicated."

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to explain. You guys are fuck buddies, but more than that."

"That's harsh. And no, we're not."

Kazir knew that they had never acknowledged their relationship in public. But he believed their relationship was more than that. He actually had feelings for Reese.

The two stepped out of the limousine and accepted the attention from the reporters and cameras flashing in front of them.

Angelina was very bold and showed her affection for Kazir by kissing him on the lips in front of the media. Perhaps tomorrow, their kissing pictures would be circulated everywhere.

If anything was surprising, it was the fact that Kazir was playing with Angelina. He didn't push her away, he kissed her back.

Even the reporter who was supposed to interview them was stunned and could only ask them trivial questions.

"Angelina, you are very brave to do this. You know this is the premiere of Napoleon Dynamite III, yet you stole the media's attention for what you did. What if it affects the box office of Napoleon Dynamite III?" Kazir whispered in her ear and Angelina felt ticklish.

"Then let it be. I believe the changes it will bring to Napoleon Dynamite III will be positive. Kazir, I know Napoleon Dynamite III was written by you, and I want it to succeed. I want to see you happy." She giggled and squeezed his arm tighter.

"Thank you..."

As for the script of Napoleon Dynamite III, Kazir hired a group of professional writers. He just gave his opinion and let them write the general content.

Honestly, Kazir didn't know the outcome of the movie. He just hoped that more people would see Napoleon Dynamite III because of the previous successes of the franchise.

The theater was packed, as usual.

Kazir recognized so many people, most of them were the cast of Napoleon Dynamite he worked with six years ago.

One person in particular caught his eye.

"Why don't we say hello?" Angelina suggested with an innocent smile.

"Angelina, what are you going to do this time?"

"Me? Nothing, of course."

But her intention was clear, and Angelina pulled Kazir over to Reese Witherspoon, who was wearing a tight pink dress with a low v-cut that revealed her cleavage. Legally Blonde was in the making, and it seemed that Reese was influenced by the aesthetic.

Of course, Angelina also wore something special. A backless velvet dress with her hair in a bun. Perhaps Angelina wore this on purpose to attract attention and compete with Reese Witherspoon.

"Hello, I'm Angelina Jolie." She was the first to introduce herself.

"Hmm? Oh, hi! I'm Reese Witherspoon." Reese looked at Angelina before she looked at Kazir.

Her expression was... normal. She didn't react much and her reaction was nothing special.

"Oh my God, you're so beautiful."

"Thank you, so are you."

The two women began to talk and praise each other, with Kazir standing between them and keeping his mouth shut.

After a few minutes of useless conversation, the couple left.

"Tch, she's no fun. I thought she had an interesting face. I guess you're sad, Kazir. This woman is already over you."

"I'm actually happy for her," Kazir replied.

"What? You're not bitter that she's moved on?"

Kazir nodded. He was the type who hoped everyone around him had a happy life.

"Man, you're no fun either... But I like that about you." She chuckled and leaned against his shoulder.

'Well, maybe Reese is just good at hiding her emotions. Now that I think about it, she never says hello or talks to Kazir.'

Angelina thought about it.

'I think I can understand why. Kazir is a man many women have dreamed of. Even I felt that this man would be a part of my heart even if we parted, which I hope will never happen.'

"Angelina, don't try that again. Remember, we are just guests and tonight is all about Napoleon Dynamite III. We don't want to cause any trouble."

"Okay~" She replied sarcastically, enjoying her man's serious reaction.

After that, the two wait for the premiere to start to watch the movie, Napoleon Dynamite III.

++++

[Author's note: I have no idea what the plot of Napoleon Dynamite III will be, so I will skip this part and go with the box office of Napoleon Dynamite III instead. I do not intend to write too much about Napoleon Dynamite III. There are three movies coming out this summer that have a strong connection to Kazir. They are Napoleon Dynamite III, Bruce Almighty and Wanted.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 233


The formula was the same, almost the same. Just like last time, the gang went to Miami to have fun on the beach. Then the climax of the movie was Napoleon Dynamite dancing.

But then again, why fix something that is not broken? The two prequels did pretty well at the box office anyway, using the same formula.

While Gladiator made $73 million in its second week, Napoleon Dynamite III made $56 million. These two movies were the big shots for the time being and took most of the market.

May was the first month of summer and students were just getting out of school.

This month only a few movies dominated the box office. Gladiator, Napoleon Dynamite III, Dinosaur(2000), and Mission: Impossible 2.

Speaking of Mission: Impossible...

There was a rumor that Paramount and Tom Cruise himself personally invited Kazir Grey to direct the sequel. But while Kazir found the idea entertaining, he knew it was impossible to devote his attention to two projects in one year.

Instead, Paramount decided to hire John Woo to direct Mission: Impossible 2. John Woo was a Hong Kong filmmaker known for the action genre. He was the director of Broken Arrow. He was also the director of Face/Off, starring Nicholas Cage and John Travolta.

Maybe John Woo was influenced by his last movie, so Mission: Impossible 2 has the same style as Face/Off.

However, the influence of Tom Cruise and the fame of the Mission: Impossible franchise brought in over $500 million at the box office. It was an obvious success.

Still, Paramount decided to let the franchise rest for a few years before making a sequel. They felt that the nobility of Mission: Impossible would disappear if they made movies every two to three years, just like the 007 franchise.

The next sequel, Mission: Impossible 3, would be released seven years later in 2006.

Based on the box office, the movies released in May would be ranked as follows:

1. Mission: Impossible 2 with $549 million at the worldwide box office.

2. Gladiator with $451 million at the worldwide box office.

3. Napoleon Dynamite III with $356 million worldwide.

For these three, earning more than $300 million was already a victory. To begin with, this kind of performance was not that easy.

As expected, comedy movies were good to watch, but more people prefer action movies. The novelty of watching action movies will never go away, no matter how many years pass. Most of the highest-grossing films of all time were action/adventure films. Only an abomination like Titanic could compete with them.

Everything was within 20th Century Fox's expectations, and they were not bitter at all.

Napoleon Dynamite III cost $50 million to make and $24 million to promote. Even if the Cinema Alliance took 40% of the box office, Fox Searchlight Pictures would still make a lot of money. No reason to be sad.

There was a trend that whenever one of Kazir's scripts was made into a movie and became a box office success, many film companies would revive their interest in buying his scripts.

The price of his script was now over $5 million. Some companies like Disney and Universal offered him $10 million just to acquire one of his scripts.

Kazir had worked with four of the Big Six. 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures and Sony-Columbia.

Only Universal and Disney had the misfortune of never getting a piece of the pie. After all, Universal and Disney were the ones responsible for spreading the rumors that Kazir was a wife-beater. Even though their relationship thawed and Kazir had conversations with their management, the two companies never had a chance to successfully buy his script.

The timing and the situation were never right for them. Now they realize that it was a huge mistake to trample on Kazir when he was new to the industry. They didn't expect him to reach the level where he could use his scripts as bargaining chips.

Making movies was like gambling, nobody knew if the movie would be a success.

But movie companies loved profits, and they didn't want to make movies that would only bring them losses. In other words, they hate gambling and experimenting.

So they prefer to buy Kazir's scripts instead. After so many years, every one of his scripts has proved that they can make a huge amount of money.

So why bother making a movie that has a chance of flopping?

Instead, buy Kazir's scripts and turn them into movies.

Yes, this kind of statement was circulating throughout the industry.

That Kazir's scripts were a sure way to make money. If you look at the statistics, it was not a lie at all.

Movie companies would never hesitate to buy his script for $10 million. Because the profit it could bring them was much higher.

.........

......

...

"I hope there will be no problem this time."

Harold sighed. He was Kazir's close friend and his friend told him that his mother might be into something.

Harold never met Kazir's mother, but he knew she was responsible for half of Kazir's depression. She was the first woman to break his heart.

The producer didn't know the whole story, but he knew that Kazir's mother divorced his father and their lives were never the same again.

He also heard from Kazir that his mother was cunning... Harold felt that Kazir inherited that trait from his mother.

Although Kazir was a good man, he had a cunning side. If Kazir was not lying, then the trouble his mother could bring would be great.

"Or maybe nothing at all. There's no in-between. Either she will be a big problem or not."

Everyone at Grey Pictures understands the importance of Wanted. If it fails, all their plans will turn to dust.

"He said his mother has a daughter and she's trying to be an actress, maybe we can do something about that."

As the producer, it was his responsibility to make sure the movie was a success. He already had a family, a wife and a son to take care of. He had to build a great future for them, and Wanted was the first step.

+++++

[Author's note: So yes, the release of Wanted might be two or three chapters later. I hope you can be patient. I'm going to cook and it'll taste like shit...]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 234


"Ooh, you're kind of handsome, I like that." A woman in her late 40s giggled as she looked at the fine specimen of a man in front of her. Even though she was almost half the man's current age, that didn't stop her from flirting with him.

Elizabeth was proud of her beauty. She took care of her body and was alluring in her knee-length sundress. Her beauty and youthful appearance deceived her age. Next year, Elizabeth would be 50 years old, but her beauty never seemed to fade.

"Ahem, Mrs. Cohen--"

"Miss Cohen, I prefer you call me Miss. Better yet, just call me Elizabeth."

"So, Miss Elizabeth," Harold Witsend took a deep breath... He admitted it, but Kazir's mother was indeed a beauty. It was amazing and frightening at the same time, as if the woman before him was not real at all.

Harold knew the importance of Wanted and he felt he had to do something to save it from possible destruction. He was confident in Kazir's filmography, his friend had proven himself to be talented in making action movies.

But Harold understood that Kazir was just a man. Even if the movie was amazing, if people didn't see it, it was all for nothing. All their hard work was for nothing.

Harold watched as The Hangover almost flopped. It was a terrifying experience and he could not sleep. He was the prop master at the time, but the time and love he put into that movie was something he cherished. So when the allegations of Kazir's domestic violence spread, he was deeply affected.

And now Harold was no longer a prop master. He was a real producer. He put more than time and love into Wanted, he put his life on the line.

Only someone like Kazir and Grey Pictures would hire a person like him as a producer. If Wanted failed at the box office, Harold would go back to being a prop master and maybe leave Hollywood altogether... He had a house, cars and a child's education fund to take care of.

Hell no, he had to shut down the Cohen's mother and daughter before something bad happened. From the looks of it, Harold had what they needed. A better connection.

"Miss Elizabeth, I'm sure you know the reason I'm here."

"I think so. Unlike my clueless son, you seem to know what I need. Fufu, perhaps I can give you something in return." Elizabeth's sundress fluttered slightly as she crossed her legs.

Harold nodded slightly. He had heard that Elizabeth and her daughter wanted to be part of this industry. He researched everything he could about them. Salvatore Barlowe helped him.

The thing was... Salvatore Barlowe did know about Harold's plan. He agreed to help him because he knew it was for the betterment of Kazir's mental health.

Even though Kazir seemed healthy and well, he was a fragile man. Even a strong man would fall if his weaknesses or insecurities were used against him.

This was true of Kazir's situation two years ago. When Kazir met Elizabeth after a long time, the woman tore a hole in his heart. This caused the man to drown in alcohol and have sex with Cameron Diaz.

Harold Witsend placed a manila envelope on the table.

"All I want is a simple agreement."

"If you're offering me money, I'm going to be disappointed. My exes offer me plenty."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and picked up the manila envelope.

"It's a script for a small-budget movie. They need a young woman to play the female lead. I think your daughter needs experience and exposure."

"..."

Elizabeth knew Harold was right. First, Mara had to understand how the industry worked before she could work on big projects. This movie seemed like a good project for Mara to start.

"If you don't like the script, I can find another project for your daughter. Of course, I can't guarantee that your daughter will be the female lead."

Actually, Salvatore was the one who found this project with his connection.

"And this?" Elizabeth found another application in the envelope.

"It's a modeling job."

He had heard that Mara Cohen had a beautiful face, but her acting was terrible. Maybe modeling would be better for her.

"Pftt-haha!"

Elizabeth suddenly cackled. This was interesting. This was exactly what she needed. A backer who would protect her and provide jobs for her daughter. As expected, using Kazir to threaten people was the best answer.

Elizabeth was not stupid. Of course, she would never sabotage Kazir. After all, she needed him to stay in power. How could she prosper if Kazir lost his status? So no, Elizabeth would never harm her son.

She knew that as long as Kazir was doing well, they had a chance in this industry. Connections were very important in Hollywood. Companies didn't hire actors/actresses for their talent, at least that wasn't the most sought after reason. They hire actors/actresses who have nice looks that fit the roles. They hire actors/actresses who have connections they can use or who are in their good graces.

And now Elizabeth had found a backer who had extensive connections.

"Thanks, Harold. You're a nice guy. I can return the favor if you like." She was acting sexy now, not hiding her intention at all.

"No, I'm fine."

Harold knew that this vixen could destroy a family, in fact, she already had. So Harold would never endanger his family just for a little fun.

++++++

[Author's note: I decided to use Harold as an instrument because I wanted to use a different PoV. Also, Harold is a producer and this kind of stuff is usually his responsibility. I'm glad that Harold, the ex-props master, is getting better at his job.]

[Shout out to David Karlsson for giving me an idea about Mara's possible modeling career, which might be the best job for a beauty with no acting talent. I'm too stupid to have thought of that, haha].

[So yes, tomorrow might be the premiere of Wanted. I'll try my best to make a nice summary for the movie.]

[If you can't wait, you can subscribe to my Patreon instead. That way you can also vote in some important polls that might affect the plot of this novel.]

https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

 

[Pujimaki]

[Shout out to Dave, Salman K, David K, Alexander, timelesstrix0, Sintong Wilson H! Thanks for your support. Webnovel doesn't like non-English characters, so I decided to translate some of your names into English instead.]


Hollywood What If Chapter 235



[This summer, three legends will put an end to the powerful organization.]


The trailer started and the people in the pub watched it with curiosity. Most of the people in the pub were men, and of course they had seen at least one of the Continental Cinematic movies.


They saw Liam Neeson, Viggo Mortensen and Matt Damon in their iconic roles. They carried guns in cool ways, reloaded bullets in cool ways, and killed people in cool ways...


The excitement of the music and scenes that the trailer brought captivated the men in the pub.


How could they not, the trailer alone was a masterpiece. It got people hyped. But in two decades, this kind of trailer would be generic and every action movie would use it. The formula was like this:


-- A low and slow build-up of music.


-- An attractive statement from the protagonist that made no sense.


-- An overly establishing shot.


-- Heist shots, lots of them. Scenes with explosions and gunfire. Cool scenes that only last 0.2 seconds each.


-- Background music intensifies.


-- Another line that seemed cool.


-- Villain close-up shot.


-- Wide shot, massive destruction with SFX boost.


-- Reveal cover song.


-- Change the location, somewhere beautiful, blah blah blah.


-- Hyping the strength of the villain/organization. The minor characters tell how dangerous the mission would be.


-- Blah blah blah.


-- An action stunt that almost defies physics.


-- Shots of the protagonist running.


-- A scene where it looked like the protagonist was going to die.


-- Then the title drop, the theme song blended perfectly.


-- Then the release date of the movie.


Honestly, Kazir Grey used every element he could to hype the movie. This time, he used Bryan Mills, John Wick, and Jason Bourne as the hook to lure in the audience.


These three characters already had a huge fan base, so they were easy to draw attention to.


"I'm going to fucking see this movie! It's going to be awesome!"


A man with a thick beard announced, raising his beer in excitement. Even though the movie didn't have much relevance to his daily life, he was still excited to watch it. He was a little groggy, probably from drinking a lot.


"Hell yeah! I'm going to ask my son to watch it, we haven't had any father-son bonding lately! I'm sure he'll be happy!"


Another man agreed.


The men nodded and decided that they had to see this movie. They hadn't expected something as ambitious as three superstars in one movie to happen! This was a piece of movie history! The biggest crossover!


Wallace chuckled as he listened to their banter. He was also drinking in the pub.


'They didn't know that I'm actually the vice president of the Grey Fans. A group of fans who support Kazir Grey, the director of Wanted.'


Wallace had already graduated from college and was now an office worker. Being an adult was not so easy, it was even worse. Wallace sometimes dreamed of being a kid again. Away from responsibilities, bills, and serious human relationships.


When he was a kid, all he had to think about was how to beat the Elite 4 in Pokemon, how to be a Super Saiyan, and how to chokeslam like Undertaker.


Watching movies was his way of escaping reality, and his favorite movies were produced by Kazir Grey.


The Grey fans had already rented a movie theater in Los Angeles. They would watch the movie in tuxedos, in keeping with the John Wick aesthetic.


Wallace was very excited about the movie. He believed that this movie would be the culmination of the last four movies produced by Grey Pictures.


He drank his alcohol and hoped that the days would pass quickly so that he could watch the movie.


.........

......

...


"This could be good or bad for us."


Michael Eisner narrowed his eyes as he stared at the television that was showing the trailer for Wanted.


As the chairman of one of the largest film companies in the world, Michael Eisner sensed the impending doom or blessing of this endeavor.


If Wanted was a massive success, it could open up another way for movie companies to make money. If Grey Pictures could make one, so could they.


But Michael Eisner knew that creating a Cinematic Universe was not so easy. He knew the danger. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.


'... Should I buy Grey Pictures? Based on their past performance, their net worth will be around 1.5 billion. The sequels of their movies are promising, so the company will have a better future.'


That amount was nothing to Disney. They could buy it... Although it all depends on Kazir's intentions. He was the sole owner of Grey Pictures.


'If Grey Pictures doesn't agree, or if the company is acquired by one of our competitors, then Walt Disney will have to create its own Cinematic Universe.'


The old man touched his chin. The shareholders' opinion of him was getting worse, influenced by the Disney and Weinstein families.


Michael Eisner had to do something to save his position. In his mind, this Cinematic Universe was the answer.


"Uh, sir, President Ovitz is here."


"Send him in."


Michael Ovitz entered the office and told his friend that Disney had successfully purchased the copyright to an old novel.


"Good. 'A Princess of Mars' looks promising."


Recently, a rumor had circulated that Warner Bros. was starting a project based on a novel. It was about a young wizard named Harry Potter.


Disney didn't want to be left out, so they decided to acquire some old novels that would be profitable if made into movies.


'A Princess of Mars' was the first book in the Barsoom series. The Barsoom series had 11 books that expanded the universe of the series. It was about a guy named John Carter who was transported to Mars and met a Martian princess.


"Ovitz, I have an idea... What if we made movies out of this series with different protagonists? Like the Continental Cinematic Universe."


"You mean...?"


Michael Ovitz quickly understood.


"That's right. We will call the first movie John Carter."


Michael Ovitz smiled, believing in his ability as chairman of Walt Disney.


++++++


[Author's note: Yes, this chapter is about hyping the premiere. It may take a chapter or two before the premiere happens. I have one more scene I wanted to add before the premiere. Anyway, someone mentioned the idea of other movie companies starting their own Cinematic Universe, so I decided to cook up something. Thanks again to David Karlsson].


[... By the way, do you really want Elizabeth Cohen to die so much?]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 236


In June, there were a lot of movies that people were interested in seeing. But when they were asked which one they were most excited to see, it was none other than Wanted. The movie will be released in the first week of June.

"God, this is going to be tough."

Angelina Jolie muttered to herself as she puffed on a cigarette. She was stressed.

Every time her movie came out, she could not stop being nervous. She used to take drugs to calm herself down, but she lost interest in that after meeting Kazir.

So instead of using illegal substances, Angelina used cigarettes as a coping mechanism, even though she knew Kazir didn't like it when she smoked. Kazir never had a vice.

Although Kazir drank alcohol, he was never an alcoholic. He knew how to control himself and his rationality was very strong.

Honestly, Angelina would love to make out with Kazir right now. But she couldn't because they just had sex in his place a few hours ago. It was great sex, only for her to realize that she needed Kazir again.

Angelina wore a white off-the-shoulder mini dress, red 5-inch heels under her feet, and a small Loui Vuitton handbag(sponsored). She looked elegant and sophisticated, even sexy, to be honest.

But all she could think about was how to calm her nerves. She was basically inhaling her cigarette.

Her personal assistant was standing next to her, trying her best to be quiet. The assistant knew that Angelina had a nervous problem whenever her movie premiere happened.

"Do you have any wine with you?" Angelina asked her assistant.

"Yes? Ah, yes, I am carrying a small bottle of wine." The assistant was always prepared in case Angelina wanted alcohol.

But before Angelina could take a sip, a limousine stopped in front of her house. Angelina immediately dropped her cigarette and stepped on it. The assistant had to find another car to get to the premiere.

She didn't need the cigarette anymore. Her "drugs" is in the limo.

Kazir, aka the drugs, got out of the limousine. He wore a nice suit, simple but elegant.

He approached Angelina who jumped on him and hugged him excitedly.

"I miss you~" She mewled.

"Babe, we were only apart for three hours to get dressed." Kazir chuckled and hugged her. His left hand subconsciously slid down slightly and cupped her ass... He couldn't help it.

Angelina giggled.

The two kissed. When their lips parted, Kazir frowned and looked at her seriously.

"Did you smoke?"

"Hm, but only one, I can't help but feel nervous and I need something to calm me down."

"You know our agreement. You promised me you'd stop smoking and stop doing drugs."

Kazir knew many relationships that fell apart because of drugs and alcohol. Smoking might seem okay, but it never had any health benefits. Smoking would destroy your lungs.

"I know, please forgive me. This will be the last time." Angelina nodded quickly.

"... All right. But I don't want it to happen again."

"I promise." She whimpered, kissing his cheek to make him feel better.

"Let's go."

Kazir sighed. Tonight was a very important night and he didn't want to cause any problems.

The two of them entered the limousine. A second later, Angelina was kissing Kazir again. A sensual one with tongue movements.

"You're not afraid of smearing your lipstick?"

"Hm." She nodded.

When the two reached the carpet, Angelina gasped slightly. Her makeup seemed fine. Unfortunately for Kazir, the man had red lipstick on his neck, suggesting what had happened... He wiped the evidence just to be safe.

The cast of the Continental Cinematic Universe attended the premiere. Even Robert Ludlum, the author of the Jason Bourne series, was there.

When Liam Neeson, Viggo Mortensen, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck appeared one after the other, the fans shouted their names in deafening screams.

The impact of this film would be sensational, and it would go down as the most successful franchise of all time, referring to the entire Continental Cinematic Universe. Because after the release of Wanted, every movie connected to the Continental Cinematic Universe had an amazing performance at the box office.

This was the moment where the Big Six, the six studio companies that had the chance to acquire the Continental Cinematic Universe four years ago when Kazir started Taken, this was the moment where they would realize what a huge mistake they had made in letting go of a successful franchise.

Disney? They tried to make their own Cinematic Universe by producing John Carter, the first book in the Barsoom series.

Warner Brothers? They want to make the DCEU by studying every move Grey Pictures made.

20th Century Fox? Well... X-Men had a good chance to be a Cinematic Universe, but the first movie was already filmed and it was impossible to throw the project. They might as well release the movie first and come up with a plan next time.

Marvel? Unfortunately for them, Kazir acquired most of their 2nd tier superheroes. Actually, they were waiting for Kazir's next plan, hoping that the great director would try his hand at their superheroes next time.

.........

......

...

--A thousand years ago, a clan of weavers formed a secret society of assassins.

--They carried out silent executions to restore order to a world on the brink of chaos.

--They call themselves the Fraternity.

[Wesley Gibson (Ben Affleck) was an ordinary office worker, an account manager who hated his job. He hated the fact that his fat female boss made his job stifling. He hated the fact that his friend was secretly having sex with his girlfriend.]

[But what he hated most was his life. He didn't know the purpose of his life. He didn't know who he was.]

[His father left his mother seven days after he was born. His father was an asshole, and Wesley Gibson firmly believes that.]

[But in the midst of cursing his father, he didn't know that his life would change a few days later. When a woman would drag him into a new world that he didn't know about].

++++++

[Author's note: The summary will be continuous this time and I have no intention of showing the audience's reaction. The next chapters will be all about the life of Wesley Gibson and how he will realize the truth about his father's profession. I'm going to do an in-depth summary this time.]

[You can skip this summary if you want if you don't like reading movie summaries just like me. I think the summary will take three to four chapters to complete... Yeah, it's a mistake that I will never do again.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 237


[Mr. X (David O'Hara) stepped confidently into the elevator. He was known as the Fraternity's greatest assassin. It was even rumored that he could stand toe to toe with the Baba Yaga.]

[His intention when he went to this particular building was to find and kill one of their veteran members who had betrayed the organization].

[He entered a certain room and found a woman. The woman was startled when she recognized him.]

"Relax, if your name comes up, you're already dead."

[He said to reassure the woman.]

[He tossed the woman a gold coin, his payment, before giving her the bullet. He looked out the window and saw some construction workers working in another building.]

"We recently lost our members. We would like to know where the traitor gets his ammunition."

[The woman began to inspect the bullet.]

"It's clean."

"Meaning?"

"It's untraceable. The person you are looking for is very clever..."

[But a second before she finished her sentence, a bullet pierced her head, instantly ending her life.]

[Mr. X looked out the window and realized that the construction workers were actually hired killers. They began firing bullet after bullet.]

[The Fraternity's greatest assassin dodged the bullets and escaped their sight. However, he had no intention of running away.]

[Even though the enemies were in another building, Mr. X jumped into their building with extreme concentration. He killed three people in midair. Perhaps this was a feat that only a strong assassin like him could perform.]

[After successfully landing safely in the building, he killed the last construction worker].

Ring Ring*

[The situation didn't bother him. Mr. X noticed that a cell phone was ringing in the pocket of one of the corpses. Mr. X answered the call, knowing who the person on the other end of the call was].

"Marcus, no one leaves the Fraternity alive."

"I have a little perspective on the Fraternity."

"Careful, you can't destroy something that's been around for a thousand years. The Fraternity is not that simple, even the High Table can't take us lightly."

"It's already destroyed, Sloan broke the code."

"Really?"

"You know that."

"Why don't you confront me yourself? Never send sheep to kill a wolf."

"They're bait."

[Suddenly, Mr. X realized his impending doom. He looked down and found that he had stepped on an X-mark. This meant that he had fallen into a trap.]

"Goodbye, Mr. X."

[Even a strong assassin like Mr. X could not escape the wrath. His head exploded as the non-manufactured bullet pierced his head.]

[The bullet came from a difficult place. It bypassed a small space between the trains and flew for miles just to reach its target.]

[On the other side of the phone, Marcus (Willem Dafoe) had a bruise on his face as he pulled the trigger, killing Mr. X.]

.........

......

...

[Wesley Gibson woke up to another boring day. His cheating girlfriend nagged him early in the morning.]

[Even his work was not that interesting, especially when he knew that his office buddy was the one banging his girlfriend. It didn't help that his fat boss also made fun of him.]

[His life was miserable. Even his inner monologue was filled with negative thoughts].

[He had an anxiety disorder, and his head and heart felt like they would explode whenever he experienced anything stressful. All he could do was take pills after muttering apologies to anyone who made his life miserable. Yes, Wesley was the "sorry" type.]

[Days went by and his life didn't get any better... What did he expect?]

[Wesley went to a pharmacy to buy the prescription that calmed him whenever he felt anxious.]

[But tonight, a woman he met for the first time would take him to another world he never expected].

"I'm sorry?"

[Wesley said to the woman standing next to him].

"You apologize too much."

"I, um, I'm sorry."

[The woman continued to stare at him and Wesley felt uncomfortable].

"I knew your father."

[The atmosphere was awkward. He paid for his prescription before answering.]

"My father left the week I was born, so..."

"Your father died yesterday on the rooftop of the Metropolitan Building... Sorry."

[Wesley looked at the woman before chuckling. This was probably a joke, he thought].

"Look, the booze is over there, so if you..."

"Your father is the greatest assassin who ever lived. And the man who killed him is right behind you."

[The woman pushed Wesley to the ground. She pulled a gun from her pocket and fired at Marcus, who was watching them a few feet away.]

[Wesley caught a glimpse of Marcus before the woman pushed him behind the grocery shelves.]

[Marcus and the woman shot at each other at the same time and their bullets collided. The Fraternity had a strong control over their bullet trajectories, their mastery of firearms might be better than anyone's.]

[The woman kept shooting, and Marcus deflected the bullets with his bullets as well. It might seem like everything happened in slow motion, but the truth was far from that. The two of them were just strong and fast.]

[Wesley understood that the situation was dangerous. Obviously, he wanted to run and leave them behind].

[As he ran for the exit, he noticed that Marcus was staring at him. Marcus tried to...]

[Suddenly, the woman shot the fire extinguisher between the two men, creating a smoke screen.]

[She pulled Wesley out of the store and put him in her sports car.]

[Marcus followed the woman. Their shootout caused a commotion in the streets. As they drove their respective vehicles, Marcus and the woman continued to fire bullets at each other. Marcus bent the trajectory of his two bullets and successfully flattened the woman's car.]

[The car stumbled and rolled, making the car look miserable].

[As the sports car nearly rolls over the police car responding to the commotion, Wesley subconsciously yells, "Sorry."]

[Luckily for Wesley and the woman, they were able to flee the scene in their flat-tired car.]

[Marcus did not follow them, but watches them from a distance. With complicated expressions]

++++

[Author's Note: From the looks of it, I think it might take another two or three chapters before I can finish the summary. For the people who watched Wanted, I think you know about Marcus' role in the movie, hehe].

[By the way, don't ask my why this summary is clunky. I'm not great writer so...]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 238


[Wesley and the woman fled the scene. The woman, who introduced herself as Fox (Angelina Jolie), took Wesley to a textile factory.]

[There, Wesley met the other members of the Fraternity. They all seemed strong and professional at killing people.]

[An old black man introduced himself as Sloan and ordered Wesley to shoot the wings of the flies.]

"Shoot the wings of the flies."

"Ah, I really have something else to do-"

[The Gunsmith, one of the killers, pulled out a gun and pointed it at the back of Wesley's head.]

[Wesley Gibson had a panic attack. His heart began to beat faster and his vision became clearer. He felt time slowing down.]

[Fearing for his life, Wesley gritted his teeth and emptied the entire magazine of bullets into the trash can.]

[He felt his heart explode as he leaned against the wall. He was gasping for air, his face flushed from lack of circulation. He began to search for his prescription.]

[However, Sloan came up to him and showed him what he did. Wesley forgot about his medicine as he looked at the twitching, wingless flies. He was shocked.]

"What you're experiencing is not an anxiety attack. Your heart is beating over 400 beats per minute. Sending an abundance of adrenaline into your bloodstream."

"Wesley, you are not sick. You are gifted. You have inherited your father's talent. Very few people can do what you did. People like us. Your father is a member of our organization. From now on, all his possessions will be yours. We have already transferred your father's money to your bank account."

"Stay away from me, S-Sir. I, I have a gun."

[Perhaps confused by the situation he was in, Wesley pointed his gun at Sloan, but the man was unperturbed.]

"My name is Sloan and she is Fox. Everyone you see in this room is very good at killing people."

"You're insane."

"No, I'm not. The person who attacked you before is Marcus. He is the one who killed your father. Your father is one of us, the Weapons of Destiny."

"S- Stay away from me. You don't know anything about me."

[Wesley continued to point his guns at them as he left the square. None of the killers were afraid, though].

[Wesley successfully returned to his home...]

[When he awoke in the morning, he was surprised that it was not all a dream. Everything that had happened last night was real. The fact that he had a gun under his pillow blew his mind. Wesley quickly hid the gun in the toilet bowl.]

[Out of curiosity, Wesley checked his bank account. He was stunned to find more than seven digits. This confirmed that Sloan was not lying... Maybe his father really was a killer].

"Jesus H. Fucking Popsicle. I still don't have my billing report."

[Unfortunately for Wesley, his fat boss was there to ruin his morning].

"Yet you have time to sit here and Google your ass off. Well, I know one thing. Your evaluation is due next week."

[The female boss, Janice, used her stapler and made irritating clip sounds. Making Wesley angry]

"Attitude, poor. Performance, poor. Management skills, poor! Well, what are you looking for on the Internet? Huh, some fucking loser lost his head on the rooftop of the Metropolitan Building?"

[That was the fuse.]

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

[Wesley yelled at the top of his lungs. Everyone in the office fell silent].

"I understand that life is hard for you, Janice, because no one invited you to the prom. But that doesn't give you the right to treat your workers like horseshit."

[The fat boss was speechless.]

"I know we laugh at you, Janice. I want you to know that if you weren't such a bitch, we would feel sorry for you. I do feel sorry for you."

[Wesley grabbed his keyboard and walked out of the office. His friend tried to talk to him, but Wesley smashed his face with the keyboard. Intentionally creating a "fuck you" in the air.]

"I'm the man."

[Wesley muttered.]

[As he left the building, he realized that Fox was already waiting for him. Wesley got into the car without a problem. He had already decided that his old life was over.]

[When he returned to the textile factory, he realized that everyone there was not simple.]

[Wesley accepted that he would follow in his father's footsteps. So he began his career by getting beat up.]

[On his first day in the Fraternity, The Repairman, one of the hit men, started punching him in the face like a punching bag].

[After that, Wesley was wounded by The Butcher.]

[When he woke up from this terrible beating, he found himself in an ice sauna. Apparently, it was a way to heal his wounds quickly. There he met The Exterminator, a man obsessed with making explosive rats.]

[His life in the Fraternity was basically the same - getting his face smashed in and waking up in an ice sauna].

"I don't know who I am..."

[He muttered weakly as blood covered his face. The people around him fell silent. Sloan decided it was time to tell him about his father.]

[Sloan told Wesley that his father was one of the best assassins in the world. But Marcus surprised attacked and killed Mr. X.]

[Since then, Wesley has been motivated. He began fighting his instructors to get back at them for beating him. He also learned about Marcus. He realized that Marcus was indeed strong. In fact, he only had two missions that he failed. The first was to kill John Wick, and the second was to kill a retired agent.]

[Wesley followed the life of a hitman and successfully killed his first target.]

"Now that you can bend the trajectory of your bullets and killed your first target, I want you to know about the Fraternity."

[Sloan told him about the history of the Fraternity and how they used the textile to determine their targets. He used codes to determine the names of the targets, saying it was the revelation of destiny to them].

"Unless the High Table needs our help, we will only kill the people who are written in this textile. Now, the High Table has a mission for you... This is the information."

[Sloan handed him a document about his next target... Wesley's next target was retired agent Bryan Mills].

+++++

[Author's note: Yep, that's how I'm going to make the connection between them.]

[I posted three chapters today to make up for my absence. I'll probably post two chapters tomorrow to finish this summary... Probably]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 239



"Be careful, our target this time is a tough one."


[The Gunsmith spoke to Wesley, informing him about the retired agent].


[Wesley already had an idea of Bryan Mills' abilities after reading all the relevant information about him. After all, Bryan Mills was one of the targets Marcus failed to kill. Which meant how strong this person was.]


[Their team had four members this time. This was the second time they had to kill Bryan Mills.]


[Wesley's job was to protect The Gunsmith, who was responsible for sniping the retired agent].


"Did you know that we are not the only ones on a mission right now? I heard that Fox and The Repairman went to Goa, India to kill someone. I don't know the details, but I heard he was from the Treadstone."


[The Gunsmith looked at Wesley and chuckled.]


"Of course you don't know anything of what I said. I just want you to know that the world we live in is not that simple."


"I understand."


[The Gunsmith looked at the scope to check his target. Bryan Mills sipped his coffee peacefully, oblivious to the fact that he was being sniped.]


[The Gunsmith touched the trigger, ready to pull it at any moment. But suddenly, Bryan Mills looked at his position with a piercing stare.]


"Shit!"


[The Gunsmith knew immediately that the mission had failed].


"Let's get out of here."


"What? But I thought we were..."


[Wesley looked out the window and saw that their target was already gone.]


"Wesley, let's go! I already informed the others and they will leave..."


[Two shots rang out and the Gunsmith stopped talking. He sprinted out of the building and Wesley followed. Wesley thought this mission wouldn't be difficult, but he was wrong].


[The two reached the car and sped away from the scene. However, a certain man stepped into the middle of the road.]


[Bryan Mills pulled out a pistol and turned their car into a beehive.]


[The Gunsmith stepped on the gas and successfully fled the area].


[Bryan Mills looked at the fleeing car.]


"This is going to end now."


[Bryan knew his family would be in danger if he didn't do something.]


.........

......

...


[Some of the members of Treadstone were from the Fraternity. They had already infiltrated the CIA, and the higher-ups in the CIA had a connection to the High Table.]


[The Treadstone was a failure, and the Fraternity was involved in eliminating everyone who knew about it].


[That's why Jason Bourne had to die...]


"This is why I hate people with a strong sixth sense! How does he know someone's going to kill him? Is it because he has a lot of experience in assassinations?"


[The Repairman cursed and jumped out of the window. He and Fox split up to give themselves a better chance of survival. Unfortunately for The Repairman, he became Jason Bourne's target.]


[Jason landed safely and followed him. The two exchanged bullets. Despite his advantage with firearms, The Repairman realized that it was impossible to kill Jason. The guy was a veteran at this, he was basically a superhuman.]


[In the end, The Repairman lost his life. Jason Bourne was not a man to be trifled with. Even though he lost his memories, his physical strength and intelligence never went away. In the first place, Treadstone was a project to create killing machines. Training talented men and turning them into assassins who would clean up the country's dirty deeds].


"Looks like they won't stop."


[Raizo, a man who was expected to be a ninja, appeared after the aftermath. He looked at the Repairman who lost his life and recognized the man.]


"Who are they? Why are they trying to kill me?"


[Jason Bourne met Raizo when he was on the run from the CIA. Raizo helped him escape them.]


"They are called The Fraternity. An organization of assassins who believed they were doing good by killing people written in textiles, well, I don't know the details" [Raizo shrugged].


"A hundred years ago, they joined the High Table and accepted assassination jobs from them. They are strong. Heavily specialized in the use of firearms."


"Bending the trajectory of bullets?"


"Yes."


"Where can I meet them?"


"... Are you serious right now?"


[Raizo looked at the amnesiac. He didn't expect him to ask something crazy.]


"Either I'm going to die or they are. I have to kill them before they kill me."


.........

......

...


[The two teams returned with more than half of their members missing. Only three returned alive, Wesley, The Gunsmith, and Fox.]


[Sloan was disappointed, but he already had an idea that this would be the outcome].


[The High Table wanted Bryan Mills dead, while Jason Bourne was part of the Treadstone that had to die].


"...We should pause our missions to kill Bryan Mills and Jason Bourne for a while. Let's focus on Marcus for now."


[Sloan accepted that the two targets would be difficult to kill].


[Hearing the name Marcus, Wesley Gibson took notice. Marcus was the one who had killed his father. Wesley wanted revenge. Finally, he would get his chance.]


"We found out that Marcus goes to this area, one of our members found him... He died after calling for help. I want you to check out this place. Maybe we can find clues about Marcus."


[Wesley nodded seriously. Even though he had broken ribs after escaping from Bryan Mills, it hadn't stopped him from joining the group. He had to be a part of it, he felt it was his duty to avenge his father.]