HOLLYWOOD WHAT IF

[Lillie Jones]

thanks for the chapter

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 339



Kazir looked at the list of actresses and their information... Some of them didn't have their pictures, which was a bit disappointing.


'... How can an actress apply for a job but hide her face or not put a picture in her resume at all?' Kazir thought to himself. And the fact that these actresses passed the second round without putting pictures on their resumes was confusing.


"Excuse me, some of the actresses didn't have pictures. Why is that?"


Kazir could easily identify the woman he was looking for if he could see her picture. After all, Kazir had a strong visual memory.


"The casting director screwed up and accidentally destroyed some of the documents. What you see are copies of the originals, but the pictures are missing."


"I see..."


Kazir understood that it was a mistake and he was disappointed. He wanted to fire the casting director. But he decided to take it calmly. After all, people make mistakes.


He had already fired his last casting director for having sex with the agent so that his client could pass the audition. To make matters worse, the actress didn't meet the criteria at all.


The next actress showed up and it was none other than Jessica Alba.


"Wait, what?"


Not only Kazir, but even Harold was confused. Jessica Alba was never on the list, nor was her resume on the table.


"Hello, I'm Jessica Alba. I was in Spy Kids, The Sleeping Dictionary, Honey, and more. I'm here to audition for the role of Daenerys Targaryen." Jessica had her innocent smile.


"Wait a minute," Kazir interrupted her introduction.


"I just want to be clear. You auditioned for the role of Daenerys Targaryen and passed the second round?"


"That's right," Jessica nodded.


"... Did your agent do something again?"


Last time, Jessica's agent had sex with the last casting director to get the actress through the audition.


"Not that I know of." She replied.


"..."


Kazir leaned back in his chair.


Jessica had tan skin, and she didn't match the look of Daenerys Targaryen at all. Daenerys Targaryen was from the House Targaryen. They have pale white skin and white hair. Jessica didn't fit the criteria at all.


What the hell is going on here? Based on her appearance alone, Jessica shouldn't pass the first round. This was not about beauty or standard, it was about following the source material.


He was not against Jessica. He knew that the actress had built up her status in the industry and had appeared in many films. Jessica Alba could act. But she was not the person Kazir was looking for.


"You auditioned for the role of Daenerys Targaryen. Did you give us your resume?"


"Of course, I gave it to the casting director. It's actually three copies with my pictures on them."


"..."


The casting director screwed up. That was the moment Kazir realized he needed to hire a new casting director.


The casting director is not that stupid. He probably got something from Jessica's agent.


Whatever it was, Kazir didn't care. The casting director made many mistakes. He 'destroyed' the documents and also let an actress who didn't meet the criteria pass the second round of auditions.


Kazir turned to Harold and the producer nodded. The two had worked together for a long time and Harold knew what to do. It seemed that Harold would have to start looking for a new casting director.


Nothing against Salvatore Barlowe, but the two casting directors he recommended were bad.


"Let's start the auditions."


Since Jessica was here, they might as well continue the audition. But it was clear to Kazir that he was not interested at all. He just let the time pass.


Jessica realized that her chances of getting the part were non-existent. Nevertheless, being a professional, she did her job until the end. It was unfortunate, however, that she wouldn't have the chance to work with Kazir.


Two more actresses auditioned and Kazir became frustrated. He couldn't find the person he was looking for.


Harold and the others had already recommended Amy Adams as Daenerys Targaryen, but Kazir was still waiting for something. He didn't want to give his approval and the crew could sense it. So they decided to continue with the audition.


The next actress would be the last. If this actress was not the person Kazir was looking for, then he would have to accept reality.


.........

......

...


Emilia Clarke was nervous as she waited for her name to be called. All the actresses had their performance except her. She was last on the list and she knew that her chances of getting the part were very slim.


First of all, this was her first time auditioning. She was new to Hollywood and she wanted to be an actress.


She didn't even have an agent. She was a freelancer.


The good news was that she made it through the two rounds even though she was basically a novice. Her acting talent was passable, but her looks fit the role, so the casting director gave her a chance.


Still, almost everyone knew that Kazir wouldn't just hire a nobody. Even Emilia Clarke understood.


She had just turned 18, and this was her first decision as an independent adult. She went to the United States to try her luck. Well, she's not going to lose anything for trying.


"Emilia Clarke, please report to the audition room."


"A- All right." She stuttered.


She stood up and walked into the room, 9 people were sitting at the long table. A single camera was recording the audition.


"Hi, I'm Emilia Clarke--"


"You pass."


"I'm from Oxfordshire, England. I just turned 18 two months ago-- W-wait what?"


Emilia Clarke's mind stopped working when she heard someone agree.


Not only Emilia, but also the 8 people looked at Kazir with surprise and confusion.


Kazir realized his mistake and coughed.


"Sorry, I blurted that out without thinking. Continue with what you're doing, but I want you to wear white hair wig first."


"O- Okay." Emilia was a little disappointed, but she followed the instructions. She really thought she passed the audition. A makeup artist helped her put on the white hair wig.


Once done, Kazir and the others nodded as they realized that the young actress fit the role, at least in appearance.


++++


[I'll post two more chapters later. Just think of it as a Christmas and birthday present from me. Tomorrow is my birthday, so I just want to share the blessing of having lived another year. Even though life is bitter, it's also sweet and I appreciate that. I'm also going to post three chapters tomorrow and the next day].


[I actually did a poll for the role of Daenerys Targaryen with three actresses to vote which were Sienna Miller, Rachel Weisz, and Emilia Clarke. Yeah, it was useless poll since most people voted for Emilia Clarke.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 340



Emilia Clarke was a little surprised that the crew took the importance of someone like her, a nobody. She had no previous work to put on her resume. Fortunately, her appearance seemed to fit the role the crew was looking for.


They gave her scenarios to act out. She read part of the script and did her best. She noticed that the guy in the middle seemed to be interested in her. He kept asking her questions and telling her to do things. Funny enough, she didn't find it uncomfortable.


The man was sincere and serious, he didn't have any hidden motives. At least that was how Emilia saw it... She was actually nervous when the man looked at her seriously. She blushed for some reason and apologized when she blushed.


The woman didn't know anything about Kazir's face. She had just come to the United States and her knowledge about the director was limited. She only knew that Kazir Grey was the most famous and profitable director in Hollywood. Many production studios wanted to buy his scripts or hire him as a director.


Emilia saw Kazir's face in a newspaper, but the guy had a beard, so she couldn't recognize the current Kazir.


'... He's actually handsome.'


Her mind wandered a bit.


"Miss Clarke."


"Ah? Y- Yes!"


"Your acting is barely passable."


The handsome man said. His authority in the crew seemed to be high, because all nine people in the room, including Emilia, listened to him seriously.


"I'm sorry, sir. I will try my best. I will enroll in an acting class."


"You better do that." The man nodded.


"..." Emilia bit her lip. She changed her mind, the guy was not handsome. He was average at best! Especially with an attitude like that.


"You do understand that the role you're trying to get has nude scenes, right?" Kazir asked again.


"Yes. I want to be an actress and I think I will experience nude scenes anyway, I just decided to do it early in my career." She replied.


For someone like her who didn't have a foundation in the industry, she had to be brave to get what she wanted.


She knew that if she said no, her career in Hollywood would be over. This was her first big break, and she might get the same opportunity in her life again. Especially when Game Of Thrones was funded and produced by Grey Pictures, a big studio. For her career to blossom, she had to let go of her pride... Well, almost every person had to let go of their pride one way or another just to keep their jobs and make money. The world was not sunshine.


In fact, she won't hesitate if that "average guy" tells her to strip naked. She heard that in some auditions, the director would ask the actresses to strip, weather for professional purposes or lust.


This was her first big role and she didn't want to make a mistake and regret it later. She was an adult and could make her own decision.


'If he wants me to have sex with him... I might give it a try.' She thought to herself.


Erm, now that was bit stretch since Kazir was never a fan of casting couch.


"Miss Clarke, why are you blushing?"


"N- Nothing."


"We have your contact number, so we will call you later, ahem... Anyway, can you write your phone number again, please? We are not sure if the contact information in the documents is correct."


Kazir sighed. He was sure that this time he would have to fire the casting director. There might be a rumor that Kazir hated casting directors after this.


"Thank you, sir."


Emilia didn't hesitate and wrote down her number. She didn't have an agent and was only renting a small apartment for three months. If she did not get this role, she might have to find a part-time job or return to England and pursue an acting career there.


After Emilia left, the crew began to talk.


"Kazir, it's obvious you're interested in this girl. Do you see something in her?"


Harold was the first to break the ice. Kazir could spot talent. Technically, he discovered Brianna Evans, Reese Witherspoon, Pedro Pascal, and other new actors that became celebrities because Kazir found them.


"Her acting is passable, but her looks are perfect for the Daenerys Targaryen I'm looking for. That's why."


"We can send her to an acting class if she passes the audition. I know a great mentor who can teach her."


The one who said this was Palenque Simone. Palenque was not yet the official director, as he had one last assignment before he could take the director's position.


His experimental movie was still in progress, but he had to attend this audition for obvious reasons.


"Palenque, what do you think of Emilia Clarke?"


"Her? She's beautiful, I think."


Hollywood was a place where there were many beautiful women. Actresses waiting for their chance at stardom.


Maybe the reason there were a lot of gays in this industry was because there were a lot of beautiful actresses... People got tired of them because they were everywhere.


"Although I respect her last answer. A lot of actresses are against nude scenes. I guess she knows how to recognize opportunity. That's a talent."


Their conversation continued until they had listed three actresses to choose from.


1. Sienna Miller


2. Amy Adams


3. Emilia Clarke


The final decision, however, would always rest with Kazir. At least at the beginning of Season 1, Kazir had the most authority on the project.


"... Let's go with Emilia Clarke."


Kazir muttered, and the people did not turn against their boss. They just trust Kazir at this point, after all the successes he has had in the industry. They believed that Kazir had a reason for casting Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen.


"I have her number, so I guess I'll be the one to tell her the good news." He shrugged.


After that, he had to head over to ILM to check out the CGI editing on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.


.........

......

...


Emilia slurped down the ramen noodles she bought at the grocery store. Six-packs of ramen noodles for $2 was the most delicious meal for someone like her who was short on cash.


She kept glancing at her Nokia 3310 cell phone, hoping for good news.


"I should probably get a job. Who am I kidding, I'm just a nobody. I'm sure they hired Jessica Alba or some other actress."


Emilia saw a lot of famous actresses as she waited in line in the audition. All of them had starred in at least one movie.


Right after she finished her noodle soup, her phone rang and Emilia jumped in surprise. It was from an unknown number, but she decided to answer it.


++++


[The second chapter for today.]


[Also, I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing with this chapter.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 341


"Hello, this is Emilia Clarke, right?"

"Yes, sir. That's me." She recognized the voice. It was the average guy.

"You pass. You can go to the Grey Pictures building tomorrow and ask for an inquiry. They'll tell you what to do."

"E- Excuse me, sir? I passed the audition." She was surprised as she wiped her soup glistening lips.

"Yes."

"T- Thank you, sir! Thank you so much."

"I like the enthusiasm. By the way, stop calling me sir. Just call me Kazir or Director instead."

"Huh?"

The call ended with that, leaving Emilia speechless and stunned.

.........

......

...

Franklin Maxwell got out of his car after parking it. He looked around and saw a lot of people wearing swim trunks, bathing suits and bikinis.

He was at Paradise Cove, a famous beach in Los Angeles. He wiped off his sweat and went to where the movie was being shot.

Franklin was Orlando Bloom's agent. He was also the agent who tried to convince Kazir to change his agency back to WMA. Franklin went to great lengths, even going so far as to use sexy actresses and handsome actors to convince the director.

Unfortunately, his plan didn't work. He thought everything was going well until news broke that Kazir Grey had renewed his contract with CAA.

Franklin received a lot of backlash from management. Almost a decade passed, but the WMA was still bitter about losing someone like Kazir.

Now the director was recognized as the best director in the industry. No one could deny Kazir's talent in making blockbuster movies. The profit he brought to many studios was a huge amount.

On top of that, Kazir had a project every year! He was the most efficient and profitable director in the industry for a reason. Everyone would love to work with a guy like that.

Fortunately for Franklin, WMA didn't fire him after the backlash he received. Orlando Bloom's career really took off after the success of Lord of the Rings. And now the actor is starring in Kazir's latest project, Pirates Of The Caribbean!

Knowing Kazir, this movie will probably do better at the box office...

'Pirate themed movies has a curse, let's hope it doesn't happen this time. Kazir must break the curse.'

Franklin thought.

He was not angry with Kazir after what he had done. He was just disappointed in himself, he should have gone to sign the contract as soon as possible.

He reached the set and saw people from the perimeter holding cameras and taking pictures.

"They must be from News Corporation and 20th Century Fox."

These reporters were allowed to take some pictures of the set to publish, but they had to work with the crew to make sure they were taking pictures of something not important. They signed a non-disclosure agreement to make sure everything would be okay.

Staring at the 'good paparazzi', Franklin realized that most of them were taking pictures of one person in particular.

It was Kazir Grey in his shorts, topless. The director was not wearing a t-shirt and his healthy body was on display.

"... Damn." Franklin was speechless, slightly licking his lips.

If Kazir stopped working as a director, he could easily get a job as an actor with his physique alone.

His six-pack abs and toned muscles were perfectly sculpted. He was like a Greek god.

Kazir went to the gym at least twice a week to keep his figure perfect and healthy.

The director understood that 20th Century Fox needed a topic to attract the audience. So they decided to use Kazir as an eye candy... A lot of women might have a wet dream once the article was released.

Kazir knew that publicity was important, so he decided to agree. However, he still hasn't told Angelina because he doesn't know how to explain it.

The women in the room couldn't help but look at Kazir. They admitted that Kazir was handsome, but they didn't know that he was actually packing... His shorts were quite small and fit, giving the women a chance to see his 'body'.

Tomorrow's headlines could be about Kazir's perfect body and how he could make women thirsty.

Kazir was too busy to see their reaction. He just let the reporters take pictures of him.

"Cut! Ten minute break!"

Kazir announced, and the people dispersed and went about their business.

Orlando Bloom saw his agent and approached him.

The final part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy was to be released this year and Orlando had already finished all his scenes a few months ago. He was concentrating all his time on Pirates Of The Caribbean.

"Frank, what are you doing here? I thought you were meeting one of your clients today."

"You're my biggest client, of course I should take care of you first. Warner Brothers contacted me, they want you to star in one of their big projects."

"Can I know the title? Have they given you the script?"

"It's here." The agent handed the script to Orlando.

"Troy? You mean the Trojan War?"

"Epic war movies are becoming increasingly popular. Gladiator, Lord of the Rings, Saving Private Ryan, and even The Revenant. All of them have been successful at the box office. You can read the script and tell me what you think. Just don't tell anyone for now... Well, you can ask Kazir for his opinion on the script. Don't worry, that's one of the reasons I'm here. Warner Brothers wants to know Kazir's opinion on this epic movie".

Franklin was too shy to talk to Kazir, so he decided to use Orlando instead.

"I understand."

Clueless, Orlando easily agreed and started reading the script.

"Whose character am I playing?"

"It's Prince Paris. Prince of Troy, Prince Hector's younger brother."

Orlando had no idea who they were, but he nodded. This was a Warner Bros. project, they would probably spend at least $70 million on this project. That meant Orlando could get a huge salary.

After all, money was one of the main reasons why actors and actresses did this job.

+++++

[I saw Troy a few years and I liked it. I still remember the opening scene when Brad Pitt defeated a tall warrior with one attack. Anyway, I posted three chapters today. If you want to read more, you can wait for the three chapters tomorrow or subscribe to my Patreon or Ko-fi].

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapters

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 342


"Wow.... Keira, you are so lucky to be a part of this movie! I can't believe you get to see something sexy every day!"

The young woman licked her lips slightly as she looked at Kazir who was sitting topless on his chair. The director was resting under the tent, checking the footages.

"Susan, stop your inappropriate thoughts. This is a serious job."

Keira Knightley sighed when she heard her personal assistant. Her assistant was good and attentive, her only drawback was her lust. She was down bad as hell. As long as the guy was handsome, Susan had no problem showing him a good time.

The two women talked in their tent, waiting for filming to resume. The makeup artist had just finished retouching Keira's makeup.

And in this business, Susan had a lot of people to choose from. She felt like she was at a buffet where she could eat anything she wanted and every dish was delicious!

Hollywood was full of hot and handsome men!

And now Susan realized that the famous director was actually a hunk! Susan knew that Kazir was handsome, but now her opinion of the director was at an all-time high.

"Come on, Keira. I know I'm not the only one attracted to him."

"Well," Keira looked away. She admitted that Kazir was hot. No lie, if Kazir were single, Keira wouldn't hesitate to flirt with him.

Unfortunately, the guy had a girlfriend and it seemed like their relationship was going great. She was jealous of Angelina Jolie for having the perfect boyfriend.

Kazir is talented.

He is mature.

He is handsome, tall and hot.

He is also a billionaire!

He was basically everything a woman could want in a man. He checked off everything on the checklist.

Keira was interested in Kazir, but her infatuation was not that high. At least she wasn't going to act like a slut just to get his attention.

Besides, the man was very serious about his work. He understood the importance of this project and so did Keira.

Both of them wanted this project to be a success. This was Keira's biggest project at the moment. Once Pirates of the Caribbean was a success, her salary would increase.

"Susan, don't do anything that will make us look bad."

"Heh, I can't help it. Kazir is so hot. Oh God, I want him to spit on me, spit in my mouth."

"I thought your type was someone like Orlando Bloom?"

"Orlando Bloom is hot, but Kazir is like, how should I put it, he is like an Alpha. I am confident that he can dominate me in bed! He is a tough guy. Definitely..."

Susan leaned closer and whispered.

"I bet his dick is big too. Look at his shorts, they must be..."

"Susan, don't say it."

Keira Knightley blushed slightly. She glanced at the director. She sighed. Unless Kazir had put an eggplant in his pants, Susan was not lying.

For the second time, Keira was jealous of Angelina Jolie for having a boyfriend like Kazir. The woman struck gold.

A few minutes later, filming began and Keira had three NGs because she couldn't concentrate. Her eyes would wander in one direction.

She stopped making mistakes when Kazir told her to "be serious and stop wasting people's time". It was embarrassing to Keira.

It seemed that the director was not in a good mood.

She realized that Kazir was not great at all. He was an asshole!

.........

......

...

A few minutes before the shoot, Kazir received a message from Stella Willow that their budget was tight this year because they had four projects to finance.

Grey Pictures might have to take out a loan or find someone to invest in their movies or TV show.

It was true that Kazir had received $1 billion from 20th Century Fox. At the end of the day, it was his money and he could spend it however he wanted. So he decided to invest in Google and Apple. He was still waiting for Mark Zuckerberg to create Facebook.

Grey Pictures could easily find an investor, the company was hot right now. Even 20th Century Fox was willing to invest in Game of Thrones as long as they got the broadcast rights.

Well, that was not the reason Kazir was upset.

An investor wanted to contact Kazir about investing in Game of Thrones. The person did not ask for much. As long as the profit shares were right, the investor wouldn't have a problem. The investor only wanted one thing. The investor hoped that her daughter, Mara Cohen, would get a role in Game of Thrones.

When Kazir heard this, his face went cold. He knew who Mara Cohen was. She was his half-sister on his mother's side.

After the incident a few years ago, Kazir lost all hope for his mother. He was very hurt at the time. He was depressed and it took him a long time to move on.

He decided never to think about her. That was the best way.

But he didn't think the woman would actually do that. His mother contacted Stella because she wanted to invest in Game of Thrones.

From the looks of it, she has a lot of money. Maybe she is confident in the return of investment that Game of Thrones can bring.

Kazir chuckled. He suddenly thought of letting his mother invest in the project and Kazir would sabotage Game of Thrones so that Elizabeth Cohen would lose her money.

Fortunately, Kazir was not stupid. The idea immediately disappeared from his mind.

But his mood was bad all day. The crew sensed that something was wrong, so they were quiet most of the time.

Even Orlando Bloom didn't dare talk to Kazir about the Troy script.

Nevertheless, the shooting went very fast that day. Probably because everyone was serious and didn't dare make any mistakes except for Keira. Maybe it is not so bad to be serious and angry. At least the filming went fast.

++++

[I'll post two more chapters later. Happy birthday to me.]

 

[Goodman65]

Happy birthday

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 343


"So what's on our agenda this year?"

Ronald Meyer began the first quarterly meeting of the year. Ronald Meyer was the CEO of Universal Pictures and his management was amazing.

He was the one who pushed the plan to make The Mummy. Now The Mummy has become one of their most profitable franchises.

He was also the one who convinced Spielberg to direct Jurassic Park. The movie was based on a novel, but Universal found the potential of this novel and bought the rights to adapt it.

"Sir, Maid In Manhattan has already grossed $150 million at the worldwide box office. We already rented a hotel to celebrate the success of Maid In Manhattan." The presenter announced.

The executives nodded at the good news. Profits were always good. Universal Pictures' major shareholders were GE (General Electric) and Vivendi.

"That's great to hear, what else?"

"Johnny English is coming out in July." The presenter added.

"Yes, we already talked about that a month ago. Is there a reason why you say it again?"

"... We heard the news that The Equalizer, the new Grey Pictures movie, will be released in July."

The meeting room fell silent.

Ronald's expression turned slightly sour. Grey Pictures and Kazir Grey, these two names are famous in the industry right now... Universal Pictures was bitter because they had never worked with Kazir Grey! None at all!

Even scripts they couldn't buy at all!

It was all because of that stupid pig! Harvey Weinstein!

Back then, Harvey Weinstein and Universal Pictures joined forces to destroy Kazir's reputation. But they failed miserably. The Nutty Professor was nothing compared to The Hangover!

Because of this incident, Universal Pictures lost the chance to work with Kazir Grey.

How much did they regret that? Working with somebody like Kazir means easy profit these days. For a company that lives on profits, they would have hugged Kazir's leg.

Actually, they wanted to join the fight to take over Grey Pictures, but they were ashamed to do so. They knew they were wasting their time. Grey Pictures wouldn't agree to work with Universal Pictures.

Walt Disney kicked out their chairman because of the losses they had suffered last year, and Ronald was afraid of experiencing the same thing.

"Have they announced the exact date?"

"No, sir."

Johnny English was to be released on July 18. If Grey Pictures and 20th Century Fox decided to release The Equalizer on the same day, it would be a disaster for Universal Pictures.

Johnny English was an action comedy while The Equalizer was pure action. Johnny English might attract young audiences, but it was probably not enough to compete with The Equalizer.

The Continental Cinematic Universe had already gained a foothold and it would be hard to topple it.

According to their calculations, The Equalizer could gross at least $300 million worldwide.

"Find their schedule as soon as possible, I don't want any mishaps. We are not looking for a fight or a confrontation, we are here to make money. I want Johnny English two weeks before or after The Equalizer opens."

"Yes, sir." The rest of the management agreed. This was not one person's problem. The whole company would suffer if they made a mistake.

"What's next on the agenda?"

"It's Dawn Of The Dead. We are still looking for a director to oversee the project."

"Who's on our list?"

"Zack Snyder, Danny Boyle and Peter Jackson."

"Peter Jackson... Isn't he the director of Dead Alive?"

"Um, sir... Peter Jackson is also the director of The Lord of the Rings". One of the people reminded Ronald.

"Thanks for reminding me... Let's cross Peter Jackson off the list. We can afford him to direct a mid-budget horror."

That left Zack Snyder and Danny Boyle.

Danny Boyle was the director of 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours and Steve Jobs.

Although it was still 2003, so Danny had just made 28 Days Later. It was about zombies, starring Cillian Murphy.

As for Zack Snyder, he was still a music film director and this could be his first time directing a movie... If Universal Pictures gives him the project, of course.

Funny that these directors started their careers with horror movies. Well, horror movies were the cheapest genre to make, and the profit they could bring was huge.

And yes, Kazir also started his career as a horror director.

"Let's go with Zack Snyder."

The CEO of Universal Pictures, Ronald Meyer, announced.

What they didn't know was that a certain production studio had already contacted Zack Snyder.

.........

......

...

"So our budget is in the red right now?" Kazir asked Stella and the finance team about their budget.

"That's right."

Kazir looked at the data. They had four projects this year and they were all expensive.

The budget for The Equalizer was set at $50 million, but that amount would probably increase once they started promoting the movie.

The Wanted 2 had a budget of $80 million. The budget may increase as well.

Pirates of the Caribbean had a budget of $120 million. Even if Kazir knew how to control the budget, the promotion would also increase the budget.

As for Game of Thrones, the first season had 10 episodes. That was the best they could do because Game of Thrones was expensive. They set a budget at least of $5 million per episode.

Combining the four projects, Grey Pictures had to spend $300 million! That was certainly expensive. Their revenue last year was about $600 million, but their profit was only 30% of that. They also have to pay taxes, salaries, building maintenance, and film equipment. They were really not in a good situation.

 

[a guy1013]

oh i just notice we have two threadmarks, but there is only one story, but one chapter is in threadmark instead of index

 

[Pujimaki]

oh i just notice we have two threadmarks, but there is only one story, but one chapter is in threadmark instead of index

Click to shrink...

I have no idea how to use threads and stuff so just let it be.

 

[a guy1013]

I have no idea how to use threads and stuff so just let it be.

Click to shrink...

i dont know,how to help you besides asking a mod for help, unless you manually change everything to threadmark or move the single threadmark to index

 

[Pujimaki]

i dont know,how to help you besides asking a mod for help, unless you manually change everything to threadmark or move the single threadmark to index

Click to shrink...

It's alright. I won't change it. The novel seems readable anyway.

 

[a guy1013]

It's alright. I won't change it. The novel seems readable anyway.

Click to shrink...

it is except for that one single chapter

 

[MasterOfDragonsGod]

You really should make a list of all the movies Kazir made.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 344


Grey Pictures might have a hard time this year. Although the revenue that came back to the company was huge, their expenses this year were also huge.

"We have two methods. Find an investor or take out a loan."

Stella said.

The difference between the Big Six and Grey Pictures was their foundation. Unlike the Big Six, who could afford to make a failed movie, Grey Pictures would suffer if one of their movies or TV shows flopped.

Grey Pictures would have a hard time if that happened.

"My advice is to take out a loan. I know 20th Century Fox and other people are excited to invest in our movies, but they also want a share of our profits. Taking a loan is better, the interest rate is nothing compare to sharing the profits for years."

Stella Willow added, and Kazir agreed. With their status, they could easily find a bank to give them a loan.

The company is debt-free after paying off the loan 3 years ago.

The loan in question was the $50 million he used to produce Taken and buy the superhero copyrights from Marvel in 1996.

His credit was good, so banks would definitely approve.

The question was how much to borrow.

"I suggest at least $100 million for a 10-year term."

Seems possible, although Kazir was not knowledgeable about such things. Even his knowledge of taxes was mediocre. To be fair, schools never taught taxes when Kazir was a student.

"Let's do this."

20th Century Fox expressed that they wanted Game of Thrones to be broadcast on Fox TV.

Their original deal was for Season 1 of Game of Thrones to be aired on Fox TV, but Season 2 and Season 3 were still uncertain. After all, no one knows if Grey Pictures has what it takes to make a successful TV show. Maybe Season 1 was the first and last season of Game of Thrones.

But if 20th Century Fox invested in their project, then they have more authority over the project. The broadcast rights and the DVD distribution rights. They could also sell the show to other networks, depending on how much money they invest.

Taking out a loan was a better choice, even though Grey Pictures had to take on the debt. But that didn't matter, most companies are always in debt.

Kazir smiled a little... This way his mother wouldn't have a chance to invest in his project. He was through with her and didn't want her in his life.

.........

......

...

April was one month away from summer, and the industry understood that the promotion of their summer releases would also intensify.

People saw posters and billboards for movies like The Matrix Reloaded, Finding Nemo, and The Equalizer.

They were promising movies that had a chance to win the box office.

April 11th came and Anger Management, starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson, premiered. The movie was produced by Sony-Columbia and Kazir was invited to the red carpet. Sony-Columbia and Grey Pictures maintained a close relationship as the two companies had to produce Spider-Man 2.

However, Kazir was too busy and didn't attend. The filming of Pirates of the Caribbean was almost finished, but a small incident happened. One of the pirate ships sank into the sea and some of the equipment was destroyed and unusable.

The first weekend of Anger Management grossed $42 million at the box office.

The following week, Wanted 2 wrapped and Fremont Smith wanted to talk to Kazir and Salvatore about his next step as a director.

He told them that he needed to step away from the CCU for a while and focus on his own career.

Well, Salvatore and Kazir had their opinions, but they decided to respect Fremont. Salvatore was Fremont's agent and he hoped that Fremont's next project would be successful... Otherwise his value as a director would go down.

Fremont said that he was interested in different genres, but he was still not sure what to make. Perhaps there was a script out there that could catch his attention.

By the end of April, Pirates of the Caribbean had finished shooting. Most of the scenes that needed special effects were shot first and Industrial Light & Magic did their job.

April 30th came and Anger Management made $106.05 million at the North American box office. Sony-Columbia has been doing well lately.

On the same day, X-Men 2 was released. X-Men was released before Marvel Comics was acquired by News Corporation, so this franchise was not included in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe, at least not yet.

Unlike the release of Anger Management, Kazir decided to attend the red carpet for X-Men 2 because Avi Arad and Stan Lee would also be attending the premiere.

Grey Pictures and 20th Century had close ties, and attending X-Men 2 was a sign of courtesy... Although Kazir didn't like the looks of the women around him.

The news of him being topless on the beach went viral and people realized that Kazir was not only talented and handsome...

This was also the reason why he was alone tonight, his partner was missing. Kazir talked to Angelina about the promotion before the pictures were published.

She understood why, but she was bitter. In her opinion, her boyfriend's body should only be seen by her and nothing else. After all, Angelina knew what a man Kazir was.

They were not on bad terms... Kazir thought so.

+++++

[I post three chapters today. If you want to read more, you can wait for the three chapters tomorrow or subscribe to my Patreon or Ko-fi].