HOLLYWOOD WHAT IF

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 439


Liam Neeson and Christian Bale were standing on a frozen lake. The strong breeze of snow blew by. The two were holding swords, ready to strike.

They both had serious expressions, not caring about the fragile ice beneath their feet.

Suddenly, Christian made the first move, and Liam Neeson went on defense. The two… the two were not really fighting.

Even their swordfight looked mediocre if you watched it in person. They were moving slowly, obviously because the swords they carried were made of real metal.

The swords were not sharp, to make sure they wouldn't injure each other. Grey Pictures had so many weapon props in their storage that the crew could reuse them repeatedly.

Despite their slow movement, it was true that Christian and Liam's battle looked nice. They had trained in this exact choreography for weeks, taught by professionals.

So even though it looked meh, the cameras that were capturing the scene made it look epic. This scene would also undergo editing to make it more action-packed, with captivating background music and the sound of swords clashing added.
A
Even the ice lake they were fighting on was 100% safe. The crew had checked it twice and confirmed that it could be used for filming... Also, a few meters away from the scene, some crew members were fishing on the frozen lake by drilling a hole.

As for the soft snow breeze that lasted for three seconds, it was real. They didn't use artificial snow. They were just lucky to capture that moment while Christian and Liam were fighting. Of course, Kazir decided to include it in the movie to make it more authentic.

"Okay, cut--! That's all for today!"

When Kazir said the job was done, both Christian and Liam stopped fighting.

Then, their assistants gave them hot towels and tea or coffee to warm their stomachs.

It was cold, after all. Liam dropped all of the serious acting and started shivering once the cameras stopped rolling.

"It's really cold," the veteran actor muttered.

"Yeah, it is."

Christian replied. Even though Christian was cold, he still maintained his serious vibe, probably still in the zone of being Bruce Wayne, a person undergoing training under an organization. Bruce Wayne would feel cold, but he wouldn't act weak.

The two actors went to their respective trailers. Their trailers had heaters.

Having a trailer and a heater in this cold place in Iceland was really a privilege.

Kazir made sure that his actors would always be comfortable, no matter what the circumstances. He didn't want them to feel any stress while on the filming set.

Besides, Warner Brothers were rich, and they could send dozens of trailers with heaters for the crew to use.

The crew cleaned the set while some prepared the tents. They were in the middle of nowhere, and the nearest city was a four-hour drive if the road wasn't covered in snow. Thankfully, the production crew had everything they needed.

Kazir looked around and saw a few people around the fishing hole, trying to catch fish.

"I really have no idea what's happening here."

He approached them.

"You don't have any scenes to film here, so why are you here?" He stared at Scarlett Johansson, who was sitting next to her fishing rod while sipping hot chocolate.

"I'm having a vacation. I'm tired of going to warm countries, so I decided to take a vacation in white snow this time."

"You're having a vacation in Iceland, very close to our filming set."

"Nope. I'm part of the crew, so of course I'm going to stay with you guys."

"..."

He sighed.

He sat on the unoccupied seat next to Scarlett. The woman was wearing a thick jacket and a beanie hat.

"You're fishing while the others are working. Don't you know that you're affecting our job right now?"

"It's not my fault. I'm just fishing. Look at Enrico, he's also having fun."

Scarlett and Kazir looked at Enrico Pusi, who was waiting for his fishing rod to move.

"I'm having fun," the producer muttered. He already had five fish in his bucket.

Kazir curiously looked at Scarlett's bucket and found nothing. He couldn't control himself and laughed.

"You said you're fishing, but you haven't even caught one, haha!"

The woman pouted.

"This is my first time doing this!"

"Yeah, right. Here, let me help you."

"But what about your job?"

Scarlett handed the fishing rod to Kazir, and the man checked if it had bait. Sure enough, there was none.

"Today's job is done. It's not that bad to take a rest once in a while."

"That's great to hear."

Scarlett passed him a cup of hot chocolate.

"Thanks."

A few minutes later, Kazir caught a fish.

"We got one!"

Scarlett was so happy that her bucket had a fish at last. This also made Kazir smile.

More people arrived and looked at what they were doing. The crew decided to build a tent around the fishing hole to fend off the snow.

Just like that, some people who were interested in fishing copied what they did and also tried to catch fish.

Unfortunately, they only had a few fishing rods to use.

When the sky turned dark, Enrico Pusi had caught the most fish, with 14 fish.

Second was Liam Neeson, who also joined the fun, with 11 fish.

Third was Kazir, who had 7 fish.

Fourth was Christian Bale, who caught 6 fish.

The crew decided to roast fish that night. The atmosphere was lively despite the cold. It felt like they were having a camp instead of working. Well, their two bosses were having fun, so they were going with the flow.

This was a rare moment where the crew took advantage of the situation and had fun.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 440


The filming in Iceland went smoothly. They took some background shots and also took advantage of the situation to fish more.

Kazir was consistent and never forgot any scenes. If he had an idea, he would talk to the crew and shoot it within their capabilities.

"I didn't know you could cook?"

"Don't underestimate me. Of course I can cook."

It had been two weeks since the crew stepped foot in Iceland... Honestly, they were getting tired of the cold weather. It was a good thing that they never overextended, since Kazir was fast with his job as a director. Two days from now, they would return to the United States.

While staying in Iceland, the crew members developed a hobby of fishing.

So right now, on the table, Kazir was looking at freshly fried fish and chips. He was amazed by the woman who cooked the dish because he didn't expect it at all.

Scarlett remarked that she could cook, and Kazir unconsciously chuckled when he heard it.

'She was probably talking about microwaving some stuff.' Kazir believed so.

Scarlett was recognized as one of the most beautiful and hottest celebrities in Hollywood. Surely, she could hire someone to cook her food.

Besides, actresses in Hollywood usually maintain their weight to ensure that their facial features wouldn't change. She wouldn't have the luxury of indulging in homemade cooking.

When Scarlett heard his mocking laugh, she clicked her tongue and made a bet.

"Let's make a bet. You will do whatever I want once I show you that I can cook."

"Okay, if you can really cook, I will do whatever you want."

He grinned.

'She'll probably ask me to increase her screen time in the movie.'

He had heard this favor so many times from actors and agents. Some even tried to bribe him.

"Don't try to escape once I prove myself to you."

Scarlett was beaming with anger. This man dared her to cook. He didn't know what he was stepping into.

Believing that this bet was simple, Kazir was invited to a cookout. The production had hired a group of cooks to prepare food whenever the crew members were busy. Most of the time, people in the production crew didn't have time to cook, so they owed a lot to these cooks.

In front of witnesses, Scarlett entered the kitchen and started cooking.

Kazir's face was smiling at first, but his expression slowly turned into a frown as he saw how Scarlett cooked meals.

Let her cook.

A few minutes later, a plate of food was delivered right in front of him.

The people around him were looking at Kazir, waiting for his response. Some of them also wanted to have a taste of Scarlett's dish.

He sighed and decided to taste it… It was actually delicious. It wasn't Michelin restaurant-level, but it was definitely delicious.

"Don't try to make an excuse and say that fish and chips are simple dishes. If you want, I can also cook another meal. We have fettuccine pasta. I can cook Fettuccine Alfredo for you."

"Nah, I'm not that petty. I admit that you can cook… Also, I have no idea what Fettuccine Alfredo is."

Some Italians in the crew gasped when Kazir said that.

"Okay, fine. You win. So what do you want me to do?"

"..."

Scarlett glanced at the people who were enjoying the scene.

"I'll tell you later."

"All right."

Kazir agreed. He also knew that it would be uncomfortable if Scarlett said she wanted more screen time in front of many people, especially when Christian Bale and Liam Neeson were also there.

As for keeping his promise of increasing her screen time... Kazir would try his best to do so while not destroying the movie.

After all, Batman Begins was about a superhero fighting crime, not a romance story...

"Ah, I remember, there was no romance, only tragedy."

Rachel Dawes died in The Dark Knight... Even Romeo and Juliet didn't have an intense scene like that, where Batman had to choose which person he had to save.

The filming in Iceland ended. For some reason, Scarlett never talked about the bet, and Kazir also forgot about it since he had a job to do.

Despite staying in Iceland for more than two weeks, the crew didn't have time to see the Aurora Borealis. Perhaps they might have a chance later.

The crew returned to the United States, and many of them were happy to experience the warm weather of Los Angeles. Despite the winter, Los Angeles was still warmer than Iceland.

November was a busy month for Hollywood, as six big movies were released that month.

The Polar Express, from Warner Brothers.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, from Universal Pictures.

Finding Neverland, from Miramax.

National Treasure, from Walt Disney.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie, from Paramount Pictures.

Alexander, from Warner Brothers.

Some of these movies surpassed $200 million, while others stayed in the usual $100 million box office range.

By the way, Angelina Jolie actually starred in Alexander. The actress was questioned about the reason why she and Kazir were no longer dating, and the woman just smiled and didn't answer.

Even though Warner Brothers was working with Kazir, they didn't hesitate to use his past relationship as a way of promoting their movie.

Kazir didn't like it. But he didn't have a say in this regard. He was also working under Warner Brothers, after all. Besides, it was too late when he heard the news, so he just let it go.

He decided to focus more on his project. He also had to attend the premiere of La La Land this week. He was the screenwriter of that movie.

[Second chapter of the day.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 441


[Author's Note: After looking at it again, I found that the distributor of La La Land was actually Lionsgate. I made a mistake last time, but I'm too lazy to edit.]

La La Land was first released on November 25 at the American Film Institute Festival in Los Angeles as a small premiere.

The movie didn't win any awards, so the film crew had to settle for seven days of small screenings in Los Angeles, only having 5 theaters to release the movie on December 9.

This was one of the requirements to get a nomination for the Academy Awards. The movie should have a theatrical release that must last at least seven consecutive days, with at least three screenings per day.

So seven days passed by, and the movie grossed $1 million. For a movie that only had 5 theaters screening it for seven days, that result was not that bad.

Lionsgate fought for more theaters. The Cinema Alliance was trying to assess the profitability of La La Land. They knew that the director of this movie was Fremont Smith. Fremont was known for making action movies, and this musical was definitely not his forte. Still, they decided to give the movie 200 theaters at the start of December 16.

When the 200 theaters were announced, Lionsgate officially planned a red carpet.

The cast of La La Land obviously attended the event despite the not-so-good publicity. After all, Lionsgate was just a second-tier studio. The company didn't have much power to move the media.

Thankfully, Lionsgate was gaining confidence in its business decisions, especially after the success of Saw at the box office.

They spent money on La La Land, that was for sure.

Kazir attended the red carpet but didn't stay long. It was not his movie, and he was not part of the cast. He didn't want the audience to focus their attention on him. Once the movie was done, Kazir congratulated Fremont, Brianna, and even Ryan Gosling. After that, he left the theater.

Sixteen days after the screening of La La Land, the movie grossed $9 million at the box office with 200 theaters.

The Cinema Alliance saw the profitability, so they decided to give it more theaters. They felt that the movie would do better compared to the other movies released in the same month.

In December, the only movies that could compete with La La Land were Blade: Trinity, Ocean's Twelve, Million Dollar Baby, and The Aviator.

The matchups for December 2004 were kind of weak. There was no Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings to dominate the month. Most of the time, those two would be released in December.

Well, the Lord of the Rings trilogy was completed, while Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was already released in May.

Since the Cinema Alliance couldn't find promising gems in the releases this month, they decided to assign more theaters to La La Land.

When Christmas arrived, the number of theaters screening La La Land went up to over 700.

That was the start of La La Land's smooth sailing. Lionsgate was so happy when they saw the numbers going up. They were the investor and distributor of La La Land, so they would have suffered the most if the movie had failed.

Thankfully, that didn't happen. Even Fremont and the cast sighed in relief when they saw that their movie was doing well.

Nobody wanted to see their hard work and art piece fail.

While La La Land was having its screening, Fremont and the cast also promoted the movie. Not only that, but Fremont and Brianna also attended many parties in Los Angeles. Even Ryan Gosling joined the campaign in the hope that he would also get a nomination.

God knows how hard it was to get a nomination. Most of the time, it was about how much money you were willing to spend.

The Academy Awards were not about performing arts anymore. It was about who was going to spoil them.

Kazir experienced it once and had no intention of trying again. Sure, the award was prestigious, but the Academy Awards were never fair. It was the money and politics behind the votes.

.........

......

...

January arrived, obviously.

Kazir didn't have much time to spend on vacation. His vacation was making movies, that was the happiest moment of his life. But of course, he visited his family in New York.

The filming of Batman restarted, and their schedule was moving forward at a fast but expected pace.

While in that process, Enrico Pusi actually asked him about the possibility of adding Constantine to their DC Cinematic Universe.

"What?"

Kazir was confused at first. Yes, he knew about their so-called Cinematic Universe, but he didn't take it seriously because he knew that Warner Brothers would have a hard time making one. The official start of the DCEU was in 2013, using Man of Steel.

He chuckled.

"Enrico, before thinking about a Cinematic Universe, you should make sure that the movies are profitable first. If the initial movies don't make money, then the Cinematic Universe you guys are planning might not happen at all."

"..."

Enrico was speechless.

Constantine.

Superman Returns.

Green Lantern.

Catwoman.

They all had similarities.

One, they were all from DC Comics. Second, they flopped.

They had huge production costs, but the box office they generated couldn't return the investment. This is also the reason why they didn't get sequels…

Although there were rumors that Keanu Reeves was interested in Constantine 2, well, that movie might happen around two decades later.

[Third chapter of the day.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 442


Warner Brothers released so many DC movies, but most of them never had sequels due to obvious failure. This was different from Marvel Comics, which had successful superhero franchises.

Heck, even Fantastic Four had two movies. This franchise had mixed reviews, yet it was still more profitable compared to Green Lantern and Catwoman.

Perhaps the difference between the two comic companies lay in their investments.

Unlike DC Comics, Marvel Comics was poorer, so they rarely invested much in their movies in the 2000s. So even if the box office wasn't high, it was still profitable because the production cost was low.

Unlike Superman Returns, which had an investment of more than $400 million including promotion, the worldwide box office was only $390 million… Warner Brothers were really confident that Superman would save them, huh?

Let's not even talk about Green Lantern. That was the definition of DC and Warner Brothers making a clear mistake. The production budget was $200 million, but the box office was only $220 million.

Even Ryan Reynolds fucking hated the movie. The uncanny CGI, weak storyline, poor visual effects, and failure to establish Green Lantern as a character...

Batman v Superman… The only people who could understand this movie were the comic fans. It didn't make sense at all.

Suicide Squad (2016). It had a confusing plot and inconsistent tone, and they completely messed up Joker's portrayal. The fans didn't like it, and the critics didn't like it either.

Birds of Prey.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

The Flash... Such a disappointment.

Yeah, Warner Brothers and DC Comics didn't know how to handle their projects.

They had so much content that they could farm, yet they failed half of the time. Bruh, you have established superhero comics, and millions of people know them. How could you fuck up this much?

"If Warner Brothers had bought shares in Grey Pictures and we became partners, I might have found a way to save the DCEU. Unfortunately, the DCEU is my enemy, and I don't have any intention of helping them."

In the first place, the reason why he took on the Dark Knight Trilogy was because he was doxxed last year. He decided to ally with Warner Brothers for the time being to receive protection.

Whenever Warner Brothers and DC Comics tried to talk to him about possible cooperation regarding their Cinematic Universe, Kazir always said no.

"If I were Warner Brothers, they should focus on making their superhero characters more solid and give them proper character development. Also, they should respect the source material. Keep the consistency of the theme and tone of the whole DCEU."

Find better villains and flesh them out.

Don't chase Marvel… This was probably the biggest reason why the DCEU failed. They tried to copy Marvel's blueprint.

.........

.....

...

"Haa... I think I need a little stretching."

Liam Neeson said, and people around him chuckled. The man was doing an action stunt.

This was the set of Taken 3.

The project was already approved in October before Kazir went to Germany. Stella Willow quickly contacted Christopher Nolan and signed him with a contract worth $10 million, this was Nolan's biggest contract so far.

The Batman Begins crew only stayed for three weeks in Iceland.

So when the filming was done, Liam Neeson immediately joined the set of Taken 3 to practice his choreography.

In November and December were Taken 3's pre-production, and their filming would start in the third week of January.

As for Liam Neeson's role in Batman Begins, as expected, he had already finished filming.

Kazir knew that Liam was needed in Taken 3 the most, so he finished all of his scenes before Taken 3 started production.

In fact, Batman Begins was now close to completion. The project officially started filming in September. In just four months, Kazir was almost done filming Batman Begins. This was the kind of talent many studios were craving.

Fast yet profitable.

Being an executive producer of Taken 3, of course, Kazir decided to check the progress of the movie. He also spoke with Christopher Nolan, and the two started sharing their ideas and thoughts regarding filmmaking.

Kazir watched from the sidelines while the cast was training.

He saw Scarlett Johansson sweating and holding two bottles of water. Just like Liam Neeson, Scarlett was also in Taken 3. This time, she had some tough stunts to do… They were probably done by professional stunt performers.

Anyway, the woman approached Kazir and gave him a bottle. She wiped the sweat off her forehead. She was only wearing a tank top, and Kazir subconsciously glanced at her figure before quickly averting his gaze.

Scarlett was hot. She was so sexy that many of the men on the set were glancing at her body. It was no surprise that Kazir also glanced at her.

"Thanks for the water."

"You're welcome. You don't look fine, so I decided to give you one. You probably need sleep," the woman muttered while gasping.

Kazir lacked sleep. Well, most directors working on their projects lacked sleep. This was standard procedure at this point.

"You too. I think you also need rest."

Kazir replied.

Because Scarlett jumped from Batman Begins to Taken 3, she was also tired from working.

"Rest, huh? I know the best way to quickly fall asleep." She smirked, playfully staring at him.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"It's se—"

"Sigh—!!!!"

Before Scarlett could say it, Harold Witsend showed up with a haggard face.

If Kazir and Scarlett looked tired, then the producer looked devastated… His balding was getting obvious.

"Sigh—!!!"

Harold let out a long sigh. He seemed to be facing some problems.

[Fourth chapter of the day.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 443


"Sigh, I don't know what to do."

Harold weakly muttered and leaned against the wall next to Kazir and Scarlett.

He looked like a young teenager suffering from puppy love. He glanced at Kazir.

"Kazir, tell me what to do."

He looked at Kazir and Scarlett. Kazir was confused, while Scarlett was just staring. The woman was actually disappointed at Harold.

Harold had just shown up while Scarlett was flirting with Kazir, shooting her shot. Of course, she didn't like it when the balding producer disturbed their conversation.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Harold. Can you please elaborate? Are you talking about the production budget of Taken 3? I thought we all agreed that the budget should be $80 million. Is it not enough?"

For a second, Kazir thought that Grey Pictures didn't have money. But that should be impossible because they generated more than $1 billion every year... Although around 30% of that was their profit. Anyway, it was still a huge amount of money.

"No, it's not about Taken 3. The production is going great. It's about my wife. She believes I'm cheating."

"Damn, that's tough," Kazir replied. He didn't have a good experience with the term cheating... No one ever had a good experience with cheating spouses.

"But are you though?" Scarlett joined in.

"Of course not. She doesn't even have any evidence because I'm really innocent. I'm not cheating."

"Then why does she think you're cheating?" Realizing that the topic was about relationships, Scarlett became interested.

"I don't know. She said I was acting strange last year. And now that I've returned to being normal, she thinks I ended my relationship with my mistress."

"What were you doing last year that made your wife think you were cheating?" Scarlett was basically interrogating Harold at this point.

"I just did what I normally do. Which is my job. I was just busy, that's all."

Harold wasn't insane enough to explain that he had been entangled with Elizabeth Cohen, Kazir's mom. That would never be a comfortable topic to talk about.

"…I see."

Perhaps Kazir had an idea of what happened last year, so he decided to give advice.

"Why don't you tell her that you love her and that you're not cheating at all? Maybe take her on a date or something," Kazir said.

"I did that, but she's still grumpy."

"I don't know, man, I've never cheated in my entire life." Kazir shook his head, and Scarlett glanced at him.

This time, it was Scarlett who sighed.

"What about you and Cameron Diaz? You cheated on Reese with her, right?"

"Huh? Reese and I never dated. Neither of us ever made it official. We also ended on good terms."

"Aha, so you need a label to make sure that you'll never cheat."

"Of course. If I have a girlfriend, I'll never cheat."

Kazir felt bad about what he did. He was vulnerable at that time and fell for his own mistake. He knew that he wasn't a perfect person, but he would make sure never to make the same mistake again.

"I see, I see… I guess I have to make it clear."

She whispered that last sentence.

The two looked at Harold, who was slumping against the wall.

"What I don't understand is that she said I'm not her type. I'm not her type anymore. God, I don't know what to do."

Well, Harold had gained weight. He also had a receding hairline. He was so busy with his job that he probably didn't have much time for his wife and children.

"You should probably communicate with your wife more. Oh, and buy her some chocolate and flowers. Maybe she'll like it." Kazir was just offering some common techniques at this point.

"You should apologize. It doesn't matter if you're right or wrong, you should apologize to your wife. Go to the gym and lose weight. Oh, you should also cut your hair and go bald instead. It's better to be bald than to have an obvious receding hairline and bald spots," Scarlett added.

"I'll take note of that... I'm not sure if I'll look good bald though."

The producer sighed for the fourth time before excusing himself.

Spoiler alert: Harold and his wife didn't divorce. They had another child instead. Harold's wife was just looking for excuses and reasons so that Harold would work hard for their relationship. It worked, but it was manipulative though.

"I hope his relationship with his wife gets better," Kazir said while looking at Harold walking away.

He didn't want to see his friends getting depressed because of heartbreak. After all, Kazir had also experienced it, and it was painful.

"Speaking of type, what about you, Kazir? What's your type in a woman?"

Scarlett curiously asked. She'd probably take note of it.

"Me? Hmm, let me think. I don't have high standards. I just want a woman who will love me and support me. Someone who can give me peace."

"That's it? What about her looks and appearance? Vital statistics?"

"Scarlett, at this point in my life, I'm done looking for beautiful women. As long as I love her, it doesn't matter if she's beautiful or not."

"That's… That's romantic."

"Thanks, I guess." Kazir chuckled.

"What about me? Are you not going to ask me what my type is?"

"Nah, I know your type. I read it in Vogue magazine."

"…"

When Scarlett heard it, she blushed and fanned her face.

"Scarlett, are you okay? You're getting red. Do you need water?"

"I- I'm fine." She replied, then drank from her water bottle. She didn't know why, but Kazir's answer made her blush.

[Fifth and the last chapter of the day.]

[Also, if you want to read the complete story, you can check out my Patr eon.]

P@treon link: https: //www .patre on .com /Puji_maki

 

[FallenMetal]

Thank you, and it appears that filming for Taken three is underway. I am curious to see everyone's reaction, and especially what Nolan will do with it. Great job as always, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the the chapters
Continue on
Cheers!