HOLLYWOOD WHAT IF

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 420

July 16, 2004. It had already been 17 days since the release of Spider-Man 2. Despite the scandal that Tobey and Kazir experienced, the box office performance of Spider-Man 2 was healthy.

The movie grossed $284.63 million after 17 days of screening. Only a few movies could achieve this kind of feat, making Spider-Man 2 one of the potential top-grossing movies this year.

A lot of factors contributed to this achievement. First was the movie's predecessor. The prequel to Spider-Man 2 grossed over $1 billion worldwide, giving Spider-Man 2 an amazing reputation.

Another factor was the director. Kazir Grey was a famous director who created unstoppable box office hits every year, being recognized as one of the best in the industry as a filmmaker.

Articles about Kazir never disappeared. People in the industry talked about him no matter what. His artistic sense was lacking, but he knew how to captivate the audience by creating movies that most people loved.

Students in art film courses even had to study his filmography because Kazir's body of work was one of a kind.

On the same day, July 16, Spider-Man 2 was released in the United Kingdom, and its first day grossed $4.18 million at the box office.

This was just some minor news. After all, Spider-Man 2 had already been released in some countries on the same day as its premiere in America.

Some of those countries included Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lithuania, Oman, U.A.E., Central America, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan. These countries had the same-day premiere as the United States, which was June 30.

Same-day worldwide releases were starting to become common now that digital films were getting popular. No more heavy, bulky film reels to carry around.

As for King Arthur (2004), which was produced by Walt Disney, by July 16, the movie's revenue had increased to $33 million. It was impressive if compared to ordinary movies.

Unfortunately, Walt Disney had spent more than $120 million just to create the movie. And the result was lower than what they expected. King Arthur didn't make a name for itself in the month of July. Another loss for Walt Disney.

In fact, Walt Disney didn't have any strong live-action franchise this decade because Kazir stole Pirates of the Caribbean! This was information that Walt Disney would regret if they had understood how important it would be.

Pirates of the Caribbean was an important franchise that helped Walt Disney maintain its position in the 2010s. This franchise was the reason why Walt Disney could stand toe to toe against Warner Brothers' Harry Potter and The Dark Knight Trilogy.

And now that this billion-dollar franchise was gone, Walt Disney couldn't find any strong IP to use. They realized that their position might be in danger.

Thankfully, Walt Disney was famous for releasing 3D animated movies. Because of this genre, Walt Disney maintained its relevance.

In the original timeline, the approximate worth of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was more than $4.5 billion, and Walt Disney missed its chance. Well, this IP was owned by Grey Pictures now, and it depended on Grey Pictures if they had the power to reach that potential. To be precise, it depended on Kazir's directorship.

Currently, Walt Disney was trying to acquire a novel series. Harry Potter was a success, so Walt Disney was trying to follow Warner Brothers' steps.

The novel series they were trying to acquire was The Chronicles of Narnia. This series actually had the strength to be successful. But because of many factors, the franchise gradually lost its appeal, and Walt Disney dropped the project.

Perhaps because they had already experienced the tragedy of John Carter, Walt Disney knew when to step back when it came to funding projects.

And because they also experienced the suffrage of John Carter, Walt Disney was cautiously working on their projects, to make sure they wouldn't experience another John Carter disaster.

Too bad, the King Arthur movie they released this year was not working well at the box office.

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

"Cheers!"

"Yeah—!"

Two people clicked their wine glasses as they sat on the balcony. A celebration party for the success of The Last Samurai, funded by Warner Brothers.

The movie, starring Tom Cruise, grossed $456 million. Obviously, Warner Brothers prepared a party and invited the cast and crew members to celebrate.

Formal parties were one of the events where people could form connections. Many small-time actors and actresses attended these parties in the hopes of getting lucky.

Particularly, many people had heard that Kazir would attend this party because the director was invited by Warner Brothers and Tom Cruise himself.

The relationship between Warner Brothers and Kazir became better after they signed a trilogy contract.

"Still, I can't believe that you and Angelina broke up. I thought you two were going strong," Tom said.

"Perhaps it's fate. We don't know the future after all. Maybe some people didn't want me to be with Angelina. Haha, maybe a group of higher existence voted in a poll to determine my relationship." Kazir laughed, imagining that his life was like a novel controlled by an author.

"You're not living in a sitcom. This is not The Truman Show. Bruh, you're just drunk."

"I don't think so." Kazir was confident in his alcohol tolerance.

Kazir tasted his drink before saying, "What about you? Why did you break up with Penélope Cruz?"

"Things didn't work." Tom shrugged. He didn't want to explain further. However, he was already tipsy, so his mouth betrayed him.

"She wanted a baby, but I was against it. You know how hard it is if your child abandons you? I have a daughter, and we stopped talking."

"What did she do?"

"Well, she didn't like my religion, so we parted ways."

"..."

It was more like Tom Cruise was the one who abandoned his daughter.

+++++

[Second chapter of the day.]

 

[doug89]

Batman will have to choose between you and a prosecutor, and he decides to choose the prosecutor.

Click to shrink...

I think you're misremembering. Batman chose to save Rachel, but the Joker lied about where she was, so found Dent instead.

Gordon: Which one you going after?
Batman: Rachel.
Gordon: We're getting Dent!

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 421

"Hiccup--! Hehehe! I tell you this, I can fly! I can really fly!"

Tom Cruise was drunk. The party was already over, and Tom Cruise decided to go to a bar to continue drinking.

Being a friend, Kazir didn't have a choice but to look for him... He also wanted to drink.

This year was tough for Kazir. The scandal and the breakup took a toll on him. If not for his maturity and love for filmmaking, he might have just stayed in his room and laid in bed, thinking about killing himself.

"Bruh, you are drunk. You can't fly. Humans can't fly."

"But I can!"

"..."

Perhaps this was some Scientology religion-related stuff that Kazir had never heard about.

Anyway, earlier, the two had a conversation about cameos. Kazir said that doing cameos was fun, and Tom Cruise also agreed. It was fun to watch the audience's reaction whenever a famous actor did a cameo in another movie unexpectedly.

Then the conversation turned to Tom Cruise doing a cameo in Batman Begins.

Kazir was not against it. Although this was just drunkards' conversation and nothing was clear, Kazir might have to talk to Warner Brothers to give Tom Cruise a cameo.

'Maybe Tom Cruise getting beat up by Batman or something...' He thought it was fun.

After drinking until they became a mess, the two were sent by their bodyguards to their respective houses.

Kazir woke up in the morning with a strong headache. He looked at the left side of the bed and sighed... He subconsciously thought that Angelina was sleeping next to him.

He was not used to waking up alone... Perhaps if a small-time actress tried to seduce him, his weak mentality might fall for the trap and agree to sleep with the actress.

"I have a job to do." He stood up to take a cold shower to wake himself from the depression.

It was fortunate that he had a job to work on. His mind wouldn't wander into depressing thoughts.

.........

......

...

July was part of the summer. Obviously, the movies that were released this month were heavy hitters.

I, Robot, starring Will Smith, was produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Kazir received an invitation to the premiere and decided to watch it. He didn't attend the red carpet, though. He used the backstage entrance.

At the I, Robot premiere, Kazir met Will Smith, and the actor seemed like a nice person. Unfortunately, Kazir also met Jada Pinkett at the premiere.

Kazir could only say one thing in his mind: "Jada Pinkett, shut the fuck up. Nobody cares about your past relationship with Tupac. In fact, Tupac is lucky because he dodged a bullet of a red flag like you. Fuck you and your cheating habits."

Disclaimer, he said that in his mind. In front of Jada and Will, Kazir acted like a nice person.

People have two sides. The outer side is used for socializing, and the inner side is used for their thoughts that should never be spoken because these thoughts could offend people.

Having been cheated on, Kazir never had a good opinion of Jada. And Jada Pinkett was one of the worst-known cheaters because she was never ashamed of what she did.

In fact, Jada even asked Kazir for a favor. She wanted to work on at least one of Kazir's projects.

Unlike Will Smith, Jada didn't have a strong reputation in the industry. Well, she had a bad reputation, to be exact.

Anyway, I, Robot was not a great experience for Kazir. He recalled the time when Cassandra Hoecrap cheated on him and took his property. He didn't feel good remembering those memories even though he had already moved on.

Aside from I, Robot, Catwoman was also released by Warner Brothers... Erm, this movie was a wreck of a result.

Basically, Warner Brothers suffered a loss by producing Catwoman.

Halle Berry also experienced a decline because of Catwoman. The Oscar-winning actress had a hard time finding a lead role after this. Thankfully, she had X-Men to maintain her fame.

Catwoman only made $82 million despite a budget of over $100 million. It didn't even make any profit at the box office.

There were a lot of factors why Catwoman failed, such as a weak script, storyline, and character redesign. Negative reviews were poured onto the movie. It didn't help that Catwoman fell short compared to Spider-Man, X-Men, and Blade.

Because of this failure, Warner Brothers suddenly became afraid of their upcoming projects. Everyone in the company knew that Superman Returns and Batman Begins were in production.

The only safe haven was the fact that Director Kazir Grey would handle Batman. That was an assurance that Warner Brothers was ready to spend money on.

Studio companies hired directors like Kazir Grey, Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron for this reason, the assurance that the movie wouldn't fail.

Only a few directors could bring this kind of confidence, and Kazir was at the top of the list.

"Yes, yes, I promise, Enrico Pusi. There's nothing that you have to worry about. The storyboard is fine, and my vision for the movie is clear. Also, the storyline of Batman Begins has been approved not only by me but also by DC Comics. Huh? About my sleep schedule and mental health? Hehe, who gives a fuck about men's mental health? We are men. We should tuck in our emotions and let them build up until we reach our limits and possibly kill ourselves. What? It's too dark? Nah, I don't think so."

Kazir assured the producer. He knew what he was doing. In terms of creating box office hits, Kazir Grey was the right person to call.

As for Catwoman, let Warner Brothers fix their own mistakes. They were too confident that they could create a superhero movie, trying to go with the flow and make money.

+++++

[Third chapter of the day.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 422


[A few months ago, I received an email from Patreon that Apple wants a 30% payment cut whenever a new patron subscribes using the iOS Patreon app. Basically, all creators will be affected by this change. If there are patrons here who use the iOS Patreon app to subscribe, I recommend that you pay on the Patreon website instead. Apple is doing greedy stuff. A 30% cut is a massive chunk for creators to bear. Apple really is monopolizing the market, and it's not good at all. This is also the reason why Epic Games sued Apple.]

+++++

Catwoman's flop made Warner Brothers see the consequences of their decision.

In the first place, they shouldn't have hired a new director to direct the movie.

Second, they fired the writers who initially created the plot. The villain was mediocre... A retired model who wanted to maintain her youth, it wasn't convincing at all.

It didn't help that the movie was different from the source material. So many comic fans didn't appreciate it.

In Kazir's opinion, the movie lacked many things. He had ideas on how to make the movie better, but he wasn't confident he could change Catwoman's failure. One of the reasons why he made sure to follow the original stories of most of his movies, if possible.

If there was one thing he could change confidently, it was the action sequences. The stunt choreography in the movie was awful... Catwoman's movement was awkward to watch. It didn't help that the villain was just a woman who had no in-depth experience in battle. Even the final battle was lackluster.

They should have changed the villain and made the action sequences better.

"Kazir... How about we start the movie as Bruce Wayne is already Batman? The filming still hasn't started anyway. We can still change the plot."

Barry Mayer, the current chairman of Warner Brothers, didn't look good. The loss they suffered from Catwoman took a toll on them.

"Barry, the title of the movie is Batman Begins for a reason. We need to show the audience how Batman came to be."

"At least we should shorten it."

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing. This is the first time we're working together, but I want you to know that I'm the best director and scriptwriter for a reason. Batman Begins will be a box office hit."

"I hope so... I will trust you."

The two started talking about things such as the new injection of funds.

"If you were the director of Catwoman, do you think you could have changed its outcome?"

"What kind of question is that? Barry, we can't change the past. All we can do is move forward and think about the future."

"I know, I'm just saying a 'What If.' So, what if you were the director of Catwoman, would everything change?"

"Probably. First, I would create better stunt choreography. The villain should have strong charisma. Selina Kyle needs a better backstory. In fact, they should have followed her original backstory. Many fans were confused when they realized the movie version was different from the source material."

The failure of Catwoman was not because Halle Berry was black. Not at all. Halle Berry was a beautiful actress, and 10 out of 10 people would agree.

Catwoman flopped because the movie was bad. That was the only reason.

Barry slightly nodded his head. He sighed. He didn't know how to explain this to the investors and the parent company.

As for Kazir, he was satisfied that the plot of Batman Begins remained true to its original version. It would have been troublesome if Bruce Wayne in the movie was already Batman from the start without a clear backstory.

In Batman Begins, Bruce was scared of bats after falling into a well as a child. After the death of his parents, he decided to face his fear of bats and went on a journey.

On his journey, he met Ra's Al Ghul and became his student. That was the beginning of how Bruce became Batman. It would have been foolish not to include that in the movie.

'It's a good thing that my authority is strong. I also fought for the editing rights.'

He couldn't let Warner Brothers touch this movie, or else it might follow the same trajectory as Kingdom of Heaven, where Ridley Scott didn't have the editing rights, and 20th Century Fox botched the movie.

.........

......

...

More than three weeks passed after the release of Catwoman.

Spider-Man 2 had just grossed $358.50 million at the North American box office. At the same time, the international box office earnings for Spider-Man 2 were around $263 million, giving Spider-Man 2 a whopping $621 million worldwide box office.

No explanation was needed, Kazir received congratulations from many people.

Spider-Man 2 was a success, and the numbers would surely continue to rise. Sony-Columbia believed the movie would reach at least $700 million. The company was promoting the movie overseas, sending the cast all over the world.

Kazir never left the soil of the U.S., though. It was technically a breach of contract, but both parties didn't make it a problem. In the first place, Sony-Columbia didn't want to cause trouble with Kazir, so they let it go. They didn't even ask for money regarding the breach of contract. They knew that Kazir had sacrificed himself so that Warner Brothers wouldn't harass Spider-Man 2.

While this was happening, 20th Century Fox also released their ambitious crossover!

Alien vs. Predator!

This movie was the reason why 20th Century Fox couldn't release Mr. & Mrs. Smith in the summer. Because 20th Century Fox prioritized their own projects instead of others.

+++++

[Fourth chapter of the day.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 423


Alien vs. Predator was 20th Century Fox's way of knocking on the door of the Cinematic Universe. They hoped that with this movie, they would have a chance to create their own Cinematic Universe.

It seemed greedy, considering that they already had Grey Pictures and Marvel Comics to take care of.

However, potential profit was always a welcome endeavor. 20th Century Fox would never say no to money. Companies always seek profit.

If Alien vs. Predator did a great job at the box office, then 20th Century Fox would have another franchise to latch onto.

Besides, the movie seemed promising. Two different creatures facing off to determine who was the strongest.

Alien and Predator were both famous movie franchises. They were known by many people, not only in the United States.

And now that these creatures would appear together in one movie, it was super interesting. It caught the attention of many people.

Actually, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had already done this kind of stunt last year with Freddy vs. Jason. That movie was a success.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer only invested $30 million, which was considered a small budget, and the final box office of Freddy vs. Jason was $116 million. For a horror movie, this result was amazing and something to be proud of! On top of that, the DVD sales of the movie were skyrocketing. Horror fans bought the DVD version without a problem.

Unfortunately, the box office result was not enough for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to start a horror Cinematic Universe. In the first place, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was too poor to do so. They were on their deathbed, just trying to survive by constantly making 007 movies every year.

Obviously, 20th Century Fox saw the potential of this "versus battle" and decided to make their own. Even if Alien vs. Predator couldn't meet the standard of a potential Cinematic Universe, they believed the movie would still make a profit. There were a lot of fans of both movie franchises, after all.

The studio already spent $55 million on production and another $15 million on promoting the movie.

Yeah, 20th Century Fox chose their own movie to be released in August instead of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, which had the potential to top the box office chart. Century Fox had their reasons.

They didn't own the IP of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, so the action movie was not their priority. Furthermore, the management of 20th Century Fox had a bit of a scuffle with Kazir because the director decided to work with Warner Brothers. This small problem was already resolved because Kazir sold his scripts to 20th Century Fox.

However, the schedule was already set, and they couldn't change it anymore. Perhaps next year, the schedule would be advantageous to Grey Pictures.

Without further ado, the first weekend (August 13-15) box office of Alien vs. Predator was $38 million! 20th Century Fox understood that the movie was a success.

If the momentum kept improving, 20th Century Fox might give the go-signal for another sequel.

In the original timeline, Alien vs. Predator had a sequel, which was Alien vs. Predator: Requiem. After this, 20th Century Fox would expand the universe of the Alien and Predator franchises by releasing Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, Alien: Romulus, Predators, The Predator, Prey, and Badlands.

The good thing about horror movies was that the studio could spam so many sequels without a problem, and people would still consume them.

The Big Six were never against the horror genre. In fact, they loved having an amazing horror movie franchise to milk.

This year, one of the highest-grossing horror franchises would be released. Saw became the franchise that helped Lionsgate stand up against the Big Six.

Saw.

Nobody wanted to experience the tortures shown in the movie Saw.

.........

......

...

While this happened, 2 Fast 2 Furious ended its screening in North America. The movie grossed $416 million after being pulled out by the Cinema Alliance.

As for the international screening, most countries had already released 2 Fast 2 Furious. The current complete worldwide box office of 2 Fast 2 Furious was $734 million.

People in Hollywood had already grown numb. But they couldn't deny that Grey Pictures' business structure was amazing. Studios were jealous of the Cinematic Universe that Grey Pictures had. They hoped they could also have one.

However, the massive failure that Walt Disney experienced gave them a good reality check. It was not easy to set up a Cinematic Universe.

On top of that, Game of Thrones, the first TV show that Grey Pictures created, was also making good money.

As if Grey Pictures never made mistakes. Their business structure and business decisions were something that many studios studied. They only understood one thing: Kazir Grey knew what projects to make. The director was truly one of a kind. It was unfortunate that this person decided to work with 20th Century Fox instead.

..........

.......

...

The audition for Batman Begins was like the Olympics. The competition was so intense. Especially for the protagonist's role.

Many actors wanted to be Batman. Because Batman is based. The fact that Kazir Grey was also the director of the movie made the competition even more intense.

Everyone in the building understood the importance of this role. With Kazir as the director, Batman Begins was a sure box office hit. Meaning, whoever became Bruce Wayne/Batman had a quick road to stardom.

Once you became Batman, you would become part of the A-tier list of celebrities. This was the privilege of becoming the protagonist in one of Kazir's movies.

So obviously, the actors were all prepared... Some of them were even thinking of selling their bodies just to increase their chances of getting the role of Batman. This kind of transaction was always part of the business in Hollywood. The media just rarely tackled this topic, so some people might be oblivious to this fact.

++++++

[Fifth and the last chapter of the day.]

[If you want to read more, you can check out my Patreon.]

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[Lillie Jones]

thanks for the chapters

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 424


Showbiz. The word came from the term Show Business, also referred to as the Entertainment Industry. It included fields such as film, television, theater, music, and other performing arts. Showbiz was all about glamour and fame. A world that ordinary people dreamed of and adored but found hard to reach.

Since Showbiz was a business, transactions would always be a part of it.

In the industry, there were many kinds of transactions. Some transactions were considered normal, while others were questionable, degrading, and unethical.

Casting Couch might be the best example. The people in power would use this as a means of transaction, sexual favors in exchange for promising roles. The gender didn't matter because there were many gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in Hollywood. They would sleep with someone if they checked the criteria.

Handsome men might become tired of beautiful women, especially in Hollywood, where beauty was everywhere. So some curious men would try something different, such as having sex with the same gender.

At the same time, this could also happen to women. Actresses might become tired of men since Hollywood had a lot of handsome men. So they decided to try something different.

Of course, this was just an example. There were a lot of factors regarding sexuality.

Anyway, the Casting Couch was real for actors and actresses.

And now, Kazir was looking at the list of actors who auditioned for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Warner Brothers was not his turf. He couldn't control everything on the set, unlike Grey Pictures, where he was the boss.

Even the casting directors were from Warner Brothers, and Kazir had to collaborate with them on which actors they should invite.

The possibility of some actors/actresses having sex with the casting directors was not low... In fact, he knew that Enrico Pusi had engaged in this kind of practice in The Hangover Part 2.

Kazir was not the director of The Hangover Part 2, so he couldn't control how the production did its job. He just heard that one of the female cast members had sex with Enrico Pusi to get the role.

Could he stop it? No. At the end of the day, both were consenting adults, and they knew what they were doing. It was a transaction, albeit not a good one.

But did he respect it? Absolutely not. He believed in talent. He believed that the role should be given to the one who deserved it, not because of sexual favors.

Unfortunately, he knew that this kind of practice would never disappear. This was the real world, not some fairytale. As long as there were people who were ready to sell sex, the Casting Couch would never disappear.

In fact, this kind of stuff was also present in other industries, the fashion industry, corporate world, journalism, sports industry, beauty pageants, and even in schools... Yes, let's not be ignorant here. The world was never a fairytale. That was the sad truth.

"I wonder how many of these people had sex with the crew members just to pass the audition…"

He weakly muttered. The list was long. He understood why there were so many actors who were dying to get the role of Batman.

In the late 1990s, the Big Six realized the potential of the superhero genre after the success of Blade, X-Men, and Batman Returns.

However, they didn't know the true potential of the superhero genre until Spider-Man was released, a movie that surpassed $1 billion.

After the 9/11 incident, Americans longed for superheroes, and they found one in Spider-Man.

Perhaps this was also the reason why Spider-Man 2 was not affected by the scandal and continued making money.

Fantasy genres also became popular after the 9/11 incident. People wanted to find a way to escape the real world, and watching fantasy movies such as The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Pirates of the Caribbean satiated their thirst.

In the next decade, the Big Six believed that fantasy and superhero genres would dominate the cinemas. So, it was better to set up a plan and prepare their initial movies as investments.

Kazir couldn't agree more. He also believed that fantasy and superhero genres would become popular. Although he leaned more toward the superhero genre, especially since he had an MCU to create.

Liam Neeson was invited by Warner Brothers to become the antagonist of the movie as Ra's al Ghul. The negotiation was already done, and the actor was just waiting for the training to start. Kazir had worked with the actor before, and he knew Liam's dedication.

Just like that, the audition for Ra's al Ghul ended before it even started.

Most of the actors auditioned for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The list was actually amazing. Actors such as Cillian Murphy, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Henry Cavill showed up.

Kazir thought about Henry Cavill's Superman but decided to remain quiet. It was futile anyway. He knew that Warner Brothers had already started the production of Superman Returns, and they had already hired an actor. Kazir also didn't want to help DC Comics, since it was the rival of Marvel Comics. Filming a Batman trilogy was enough.

The actors showed up and performed one after another. Kazir and the others were impressed. All of the actors prepared for the role. Their physiques matched Batman, and their acting was also great. Even Batman's low growling voice, most of the actors passed this criterion.

However, Kazir was not that excited, unlike most of the people in the audition room. He was waiting for the actor he had recommended to play Batman.

Actually, when Kazir recommended this actor, most of the management didn't show strong agreement. This actor's last movie was The Machinist, in which the actor lost a lot of weight just for the role. The management was not confident that the actor could meet the requirements to become Batman.

They just agreed because Kazir was the one who recommended him. At the end of the day, the actor had to attend the audition before he could get the role.

+++++

[Important Announcement:
I've posted a new novel titled Behind The Spotlight. Please check it out! It's available on Webnovel, Scribblehub, RoyalRoad, and Questionable Questing. You can search for it by name or visit my profile to find it directly.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 425


Kazir knew that most of the people in the audition room were aware that Christian Bale's body had lost a huge amount of weight and that it would take extreme training to meet the criteria of being Batman. As for the remaining people who didn't know about Christian's situation, they simply didn't have the time to watch The Machinist or research the actor.

Most people were not updated on every movie that was released each year. They didn't have the time to watch all of them. Most of them just knew about blockbusters.

Even the members of the Academy (AMPAS) rarely watched all of the nominated movies for the Academy Awards. They just voted for the movies and actors they liked... They also voted for the movies and actors that gave them money.

A lot of things happened in Hollywood every day, and people didn't have time to know all of it.

In this case, Christian's status as an actor was not that important to these people. They were from the management of Warner Brothers, responsible for casting. The actors should respect them instead, because they were the ones who gave actors jobs.

It was not surprising if some actors engaged in under-the-table negotiations. Probably, some of these people had sex with the cast. Kazir was sure about that.

Suddenly, the people outside announced that a new actor would enter.

"I'm Christian Bale."

He introduced himself in his British accent. It brought a frown upon the management.

But it was different for Kazir. He almost wanted to stand up and applaud. He already knew that Christian Bale would show up buff, but his appearance was better than what he expected. Christian Bale looked tough and strong. He was really prepared.

This showed his dedication, and Kazir was impressed. Kazir controlled his emotions and just smiled instead.

The interview went on, and Christian Bale also performed.

The management was surprised when he switched to an American accent.

After that, Christian Bale ended his audition... He was actually hoping that they would ask him more. But his audition didn't last more than 15 minutes.

He was disappointed when they called the next actor and asked him to leave. He spent months just to achieve this physique. He also read all of the Batman comics. He was prepared. He was confident that if they asked him about Batman and Bruce Wayne, he could answer them without any pause.

When the door closed and Christian Bale was gone, Kazir clapped his hands, and all of the people looked at him.

"That's it, he's the one."

Kazir announced.

Most of them agreed. Christian fit the role. His handsome appearance also checked the criteria. Furthermore, the aura around him was intimidating. He probably trained in some mixed martial arts or something.

"Although I agree with you, we shouldn't close our doors to other opportunities. Maybe we can find another actor that can impress us."

One of the people from DC Comics gave his opinion. He looked nervous, and it seemed that he was against Kazir's opinion.

In this project, Kazir was given full authority to control the artistic sense of the movie. Choosing the actor was also part of that artistic sense. Kazir was a director who had bagged billions. No one would question his artistic sense regarding casting an actor.

Kazir nodded. He had an idea why this person asked him to let more actors audition. One of the actors probably had sex with him and promised him the role.

Too bad, Kazir didn't give a fuck.

Still, out of respect for the actors who spent their time auditioning, Kazir decided to let the audition continue. But in his mind, he had already found Batman.

The audition ended close to 6 p.m. They compiled the documents and also watched audition tapes of each actor.

Each actor had their own way of portraying Batman and Bruce Wayne. But one was above the others.

"Looks like all of us made a choice."

Kazir glanced at the person from DC Comics who was wiping his sweat. Since earlier, this guy kept promoting an actor, and Kazir was slowly losing his nerves.

Kazir turned to Enrico Pusi, who had been quiet since earlier. The producer nodded and understood his intention.

Enrico had worked with Kazir once. That cooperation brought him the position of Head of Production Management. And for that, Enrico was thankful. If not for Kazir, perhaps his career in this industry might never have flourished.

His job this time was simple: to make sure that Kazir would never be affected by any outside interference and to give the director full control over how he would create the movie.

Even DC Comics, the owner of Batman, had to agree to this condition. After the consecutive successes of Marvel movies, DC Comics felt threatened for the first time.

Their position as the number one comic company in the United States was being threatened by Marvel Comics, which had suffered bankruptcy a few years ago.

DC Comics understood that they also had to release their own movies to retaliate... But their first movie this century, which was Catwoman, was an absolute disaster. They even reprimanded the director for making rubbish. Even Warner Brothers stated that they would never work with Halle Berry again.

That was the moment DC Comics and Warner Brothers realized that creating superhero movies was not simple. They were also reminded of what happened in the mid-90s when they released Batman and Robin, where Batman had a nipple armor. That was a disgrace that they didn't want to experience again.

They hated to admit it, but they needed a director who had a clear vision of how to make Batman popular again.

Warner Brothers were not delusional. They knew that making $1 billion with Batman Begins was impossible. They would be happy if the movie surpassed $500 million...

However, it would be a different thing if the director was Kazir Grey. The idea of surpassing $1 billion would be hard, but not impossible anymore.

So far, they had two franchises that were worth billions, The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. It would be amazing if they had another $1 billion worth of movie franchise.

And for that, Enrico didn't care if one person from DC Comics was offended.

"Let's choose Christian Bale. He passed all of the criteria, and he had already trained in martial arts before even the audition. His dedication is amazing. Besides, we can afford his salary."

"…" The guy from DC Comics gritted his teeth but kept his mouth shut.

Two of the big shots had already stated their opinions. Kazir and Enrico were the bosses in this project.

++++++

[Second chapter of the day.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 426

With Kazir and Enrico, the decision regarding the role of Batman ended with Christian Bale as the protagonist. They were the director and producer of this project, and it was hard for people to disagree with their decision. Besides, it was also true that Christian Bale fit the role.

All of the actors prepared for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, but Christian stood above them.

In Hollywood, handsome appearance was the norm, and most actors who auditioned were undeniably handsome. But Kazir just had to choose Christian to secure the future he knew.

Of course, this decision was not yet finalized. The production had to negotiate with Christian Bale's side regarding salary, an important aspect for both sides.

If Christian Bale's side didn't agree with the terms that Warner Brothers gave, then the production had to choose another actor to replace him.

If that happened, Kazir had a few actors who could play the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Hugh Jackman could fit the role. His physique as Wolverine worked well with Batman.

Jake Gyllenhaal. His acting range was wide, and being Batman seemed like a possibility for him. In fact, Jake actually auditioned for the role, and the crew had a copy of his credentials.

Keanu Reeves and Colin Farrell. Each of the two had the swag to be Batman. Although the crew might have to side with Colin Farrell more, since hiring Keanu would be a huge slump in their budget.

.........

......

...

After ten days, Enrico Pusi miraculously pulled most of the cast into the project. Most of the cast had already signed their contracts.

The first who officially joined was Liam Neeson as Ra's Al Ghul. Warner Brothers had to pay the actor $12 million just to hire him. Liam was famous now that the Continental Cinematic Universe was thriving. Usually, the actor would settle for $15 to $20 million, but since he was invited by Director Grey, he decided to take the role.

Christian Bale also didn't hesitate to sign the contract. Christian and his agent understood that this was their opportunity to hit it big. If Christian became Batman, then his road to stardom would be sure. He was actually surprised when he found out that the management had chosen him. After negotiating with Warner Brothers, Christian's salary was $8.5 million, with a 30% to 50% salary increase for every sequel. Christian Bale had already starred in some movies, so his salary was not low.

It might be disheartening that Christian's salary was smaller than Liam Neeson's, who was only a supporting character. Well, this is how Hollywood works. They pay the top money for more famous actors and directors. The best answer to why studios were ready to pay the actors and directors top money was because of their box office appeal.

Besides, the competition for the role of Batman was tough, so Christian's side didn't fight for more money because of the fear of getting replaced by another actor.

In all honesty… $8.5 million and $12 million were both huge amounts of money. Ordinary people would surely find it nerve-wracking that actors would ask for more. Life is unfair.

As for the role of Rachel Dawes, Scarlett Johansson miraculously got the role despite competing against Katie Holmes, Rachel McAdams, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Reese Witherspoon… Yes, Reese also auditioned for the role.

Kazir and Reese were professional when the audition happened. None of them invited the other to dinner or anything. They both knew that their relationship was done a few years ago.

However, the people inside the audition room felt awkward when Reese showed up. They couldn't help it. They kept glancing at Kazir and Reese. Even Enrico felt awkward looking at the two, since he knew about their history. For the record, Kazir was the one who gave Reese her role in The Hangover.

Anyway, Scarlett Johansson passed the audition and negotiated a contract of $2 million. Salvatore made sure to give his clients a satisfying salary. Yes, $2 million for someone like Scarlett Johansson was already top money. After all, she was still not the Black Widow, and her fame was average at best.

Other than the three, Enrico also pulled in:

Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's loyal butler.

Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, the police officer who remained true to his job despite the corruption in Gotham City.

Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow. Cillian actually auditioned for the role of Batman, but he got the role of a villain instead.

Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, the person who provided Bruce Wayne with all of his hi-tech equipment.

Stating that the cast was packed with veterans was an understatement. The cast was filled with amazing talents that would surely level up the production… Warner Brothers didn't want this project to get fucked up, so they didn't have a problem spending money.

The cast alone had a strong box office appeal to pull so many audiences into the theaters.

The filming would start in November, to give the cast time to prepare for their roles. Particularly the actors who had action stunts in their roles.

Most of these action stunts would be performed by stunt doubles, especially the dangerous ones. But actors still had to participate in training to minimize accidents once the filming started.

As for Kazir, he was just listening to the everyday box office of his movie Spider-Man 2. Also, he was waiting for the release of Mr. and Mrs. Smith in October.

+++++++

[Third chapter of the day.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 427

"And I will always love you~
I will always love you~"

The bride was casually hitting all of the high notes while singing "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston. This song was a tough one to sing, by the way, yet she delivered it without any hassle while wearing a wedding dress.

To make it more interesting, most of the guests were not shocked at all. They were having fun and cheering for the bride, but they weren't surprised by her performance. As if this kind of talent was a normal thing to them. Like singing was just part of their culture.

These people were Filipinos, and the bride was also a Filipina. That explains a lot, actually. Filipinos love karaoke and singing. You can hear them singing in the bedroom, in the toilet, in the classroom, in public. Like, they don't have shame and just sing… To be fair, though, the ones who sing in public really have amazing voices to back it up.

As for the other guests, they were shocked and amazed. Watching a newlywed bride sing one of the hardest songs with ease was astonishing. Most of the time, they only hear live singing performances in a bar or concert. But this was a wedding… Even MTV couldn't compare to what they were seeing right now.

"...Palenque, congratulations. I didn't know that your wife has amazing talent."

"Thanks, Director. I'm glad that you're here. I heard you are busy with a new project."

"You invited me and gave me a wedding invitation, I can't say no to that. Have a nice honeymoon. You deserve it after your hard work filming Game of Thrones."

Season 2 of Game of Thrones was already in pre-production, and Palenque Simone had fully taken the director's position.

In fact, some of the cast from Game of Thrones attended the wedding. A month from now, the project would start filming. At that time, Palenque's honeymoon with his wife would be two weeks done.

"Thanks, Director."

Kazir just smiled. He wanted to say to Palenque that he should have dropped the honorifics since he was also a director now. But he knew that Palenque would keep calling him Director. Perhaps because he respected Kazir.

This was also the same situation with Fremont.

The wedding was fun. Kazir also saw Scarlett in the attendees. The actress was looking at the bride with happiness and a hint of envy, perhaps?

Kazir was surprised that Scarlett got the role in Batman Begins. Well, she fit the criteria, but the actresses who were competing for the role were also top actresses.

But in the end, after the management calculated her salary and box office appeal, they decided to cast her as Rachel Dawes.

Batman Begins was about Bruce Wayne and how he became Batman. They didn't need a strong actress for the role, and considering that Scarlett Johansson was still rising in the industry, she was worth the shot.

Scarlett saw Kazir in the corner and waved her hand. Kazir also waved back.

The actress walked up to him.

"Hey, I didn't expect to see you here."

"Palenque was my assistant. It's fulfilling to see people around you being happy."

"Hm, you're right." She agreed and looked at the podium. The bride had already ended her performance and another person took the microphone. It was the bride's uncle.

The uncle sang "Bohemian Rhapsody" alone! And he did it so well. Like, what the fuck, was that even possible? Could Freddie Mercury, the vocalist of Queen, sing this song alone in acappella and make it sound good?

The guests were having fun and partying, while others were drinking and eating food.

"…"

Scarlett glanced at Kazir, who was smiling at the party.

"Hey," she said.

Kazir turned to her.

"When are you getting married?"

"Me? You know that I just broke up with Angelina. I have no one to marry me." He chuckled. He would be a fool if he said that he was fine.

He invested so much in that relationship. He was allowed to grieve for that failed relationship. He planned to stay single for a while.

"Perhaps..." Scarlett tried to say something, but Kazir cut her off.

"Besides, I'm not sure if I will ever marry someone. My experience with marriage was not great. It gave me trauma."

"I guess, never mind." She bitterly smiled before changing the topic. "By the way, congratulations. Spider-Man 2's revenue just surpassed $800 million worldwide. Do you think it will break the $1 billion mark like the first movie?"

"Probably not. The potential of Spider-Man 2 was already used up. At best, the movie can reach $900 million, but that's also hard to accomplish because Spider-Man 2 was already released in most countries."

"...Sometimes I think that you're being arrogant by saying that. But you are Kazir Grey, the best movie director in Hollywood. Achieving $900 million at the box office might not be hard for you." She sighed. She recalled that the person next to her was not a simple man.

"Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment."

"You're going to attend the Mr. and Mrs. Smith Part 2 red carpet, right?"

"Yeah."

This was a movie he wrote with the help of five professional screenwriters. Of course, he was going to watch it. Kazir was not confident in making original movies without reference, so he never directed them.

However, Wanted 2, The Hangover 2 & 3, and Napoleon Dynamite II & III were all originals, and their box offices were outstanding. Kazir was getting confident in writing original scripts lately… Although he was still not sure if he would direct one.

"Do you have a partner for the premiere?" This time, Scarlett decided to shoot her shot.

"Nope." A quick answer from Kazir.

"Then why don't I become your partner instead? I'm also part of the CCU, so it will not be a surprise if I attend the premiere with you."

+++++

[Fourth chapter of the day.]

[Also, you probably had an idea who won the poll.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 428


Kazir was shocked and didn't expect the conversation to reach that stage. He looked at Scarlett, who was waiting for his answer.

In just a second, many thoughts were racing through his mind. He wasn't that stupid. He had an idea why Scarlett invited him. At first, he wanted to say no and reject her invitation. There was no deeper reason, his mind just automatically wanted to blurt out, "No."

Kazir had experienced two lifetimes, yet he never had a great relationship with the opposite sex. All of his relationships had failed.

His past life was also a failure. In fact, he was relieved when he saw the oncoming truck that killed him. At least he thought his miserable life was finally over.

He had experienced painful rejections that made him afraid of women.

He opened his mouth and almost said "No." However, he looked at Scarlett and realized that the woman was actually embarrassed and anxious because of what she said. Her face was so red she looked like an apple.

She was brave enough to speak her mind, even though the outcome might be heartbreaking. That took courage.

Scarlett clenched her fists, her heart pounding and her body feeling incredibly warm. This might be the worst decision she would ever make in her life.

Seeing her expression, Kazir closed his mouth and thought seriously about his answer.

He knew how painful it was to be rejected and left behind. It would be awful to do the same to another person. He suddenly realized how badly he had handled things with Reese and Cameron a few years ago. At the very least, he should have been brave enough to face them head-on and express his true feelings.

"Scarlett... I actually don't know how the media will portray us once they see us walking together on the red carpet."

"Um, okay, that's not the answer I was expecting," she said with a meek laugh, trying to hide her nervousness.

"But I'm also not a coward who will bow down to their ideologies. I'm tired of hearing so many people say I'm wrong just because I exist. Fuck them. At the end of the day, I'm the one living my life. I know I didn't kill anyone, I didn't hurt anyone, and I'm a good person."

"Yes, you are a good person. Honestly, so many women would love to have you as their partner."

"Is that a confession?"

"W-What? H-Hell no! Look, I'm just trying to help you forget your loneliness because I don't want Batman Begins to fail! Kazir, don't misunderstand!" she exclaimed, stomping her foot in frustration.

Kazir chuckled. He realized he wasn't lonely anymore. This lifetime was fulfilling, despite the heartbreaks he had endured. There were people who cared about him, and he appreciated it deeply.

It would be stupid to break their hearts just because he was depressed. At least this time, he didn't want to hurt Scarlett, who had been brave enough to be honest.

"I'm going to the red carpet with you. No, I want to go to the red carpet with you."

"That's great to hear... You made the right choice." Scarlett tried her best not to smile, but her lips were already curling upward.

"Then I'll contact you later to talk about our plan." She quickly bid farewell and walked away, clearly embarrassed. Her ears were burning red.

"Take care."

Kazir laughed, watching her retreating figure.

Then he smiled to himself.

"I didn't know I actually had the capacity to feel bad for a woman."

He had shown sympathy for women before, and he had shown love and affection to them. But he never really cared that much, not in the real, emotional sense. Not even for Angelina. Sure, he loved her, and he felt jealous whenever some actor worked with her, but he always believed that his decisions were right and that he was better than his partner.

As for "cheating" on Reese, that was a situation that happened because Kazir showed his weakness. So Kazir would make sure it never happened again.

It was a defense mechanism... Kazir never showed his vulnerable side to anyone. Because the last time he did, he suffered so much that the thought of ending his life didn't seem so bad.

So whenever he was in a relationship, Kazir always put up a barrier to make sure he wouldn't be hurt too deeply.

He always believed the relationship wouldn't last forever. A kind of defense mechanism so that he wouldn't be devastated when it ended.

It might sound crazy, but he had brainwashed himself into believing that he would always be better than his partner.

So for him to think about a woman and her feelings... was something Kazir never expected of himself.

"I hope I'll reach the point in my life where I can trust a woman again. I really hope so."

He sighed. At least this time, he made sure not to hurt Scarlett. He didn't do it because he was worried about his movie. He did it because he knew Scarlett would be heartbroken if he rejected her.

See, nobody wants to experience rejection. It can destroy someone's self-esteem, possibly even leading to depression.

In Kazir's case, it changed him into the person he was now.

+++++

[This is the fifth and the last chapter of the day.]

[If you want to read more, you can check out my Patreon.]

P@treon link: https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

K0-fi link: https://ko-fi.com/pujimaki

 

[GodOfHeroes]

Oh man! I'm happy for him but... i can see the trouble coming from a mile away. Just the grooming rumors would be enough to destroy his credibilty.

 

[FallenMetal]

Thank you, and a great story. I am curious if Kazir will think about using Scarlet's character within the CCU to become the Ballerina? Great job as always, and I'm interested in seeing more of the CCU.

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[Seyum]

Thank you, and a great story. I am curious if Kazir will think about using Scarlet's character within the CCU to become the Ballerina? Great job as always, and I'm interested in seeing more of the CCU.

Click to shrink...

She is already in it she is the the daughter of Bryan Mills.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 429


The red carpet was extravagant. 20th Century Fox didn't spend money recklessly on this occasion, but they did ensure that the movie would receive outstanding attention from both the media and the public.

Grey Pictures was already an established studio capable of generating hundreds of millions annually. Gone were the days when Grey Pictures had to piggyback on big studios to promote their projects.

Now, big studios still promoted their own projects… but Grey Pictures had to spend its own money to do it.

Stella Willow was in the process of building her own marketing team, even hiring Victor Grey's company to handle online advertising, marketing, and PR. So far, their influence on major online platforms like Facebook had been widespread. They had the strongest online marketing presence, and even other companies had begun hiring Victor Grey's firm for digital promotions.

Stella Willow and her team decided to promote their movies on Facebook by offering special rewards: the 1,000th, 5,000th, and 10,000th people to like the Grey Pictures Facebook page would each receive five tickets to the premiere of Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2. Yes, they would get a chance to meet and greet the cast at the El Capitan Theatre.

Fans went wild. They rushed to like the official Grey Pictures page and eagerly scrolled through the latest news about their projects. This kept them updated with every new post, an excellent example of free marketing.

At the time, only a few companies were offering digital marketing services, and Victor Grey's company stood at the forefront of this blossoming industry.

The Dot-com bubble burst had been an economic disaster, leading many to believe that the future of the internet was bleak. But they were wrong. The internet's true value was priceless.

The internet had become the archive of humanity, the archive of a new century. No one could deny that fact. The volume of information available online far surpassed even the largest national libraries. With new data added daily, the internet's potential was incalculable.

Most of the cast had already made their red carpet appearance, with only a few left to arrive, among them were Brad Pitt and Jennifer Connelly.

But before the lead cast showed up, the screenwriter of the movie made his entrance with his partner.

Having made cameos in every CCU movie, Kazir's appearance was nothing new to the fans. They immediately recognized the director and began cheering. At this point, Kazir Grey's fame was comparable to that of an A-list celebrity.

However, Kazir didn't step onto the red carpet first. Instead, he walked around the limousine and opened the door for his partner. He extended his hand, and the actress accepted it with elegance.

Kazir Grey and Scarlett Johansson walked together at the premiere of Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2.

The female reporter in charge of interviews was having a blast. Being in a profession that often disregarded personal boundaries, she asked the obvious question.

"Are you two dating?"

"No," Kazir replied with a polite smile. "Scarlett and I are both clients of Salvatore Barlowe. I didn't have a partner, and neither did Scarlett. We're also both part of the CCU, so of course, we had to attend the premiere-"

"We used the same limousine because it was cheaper that way," Scarlett interjected with a chuckle. "So we decided to walk together since it was more convenient. Salvatore's been cutting costs lately and couldn't find two separate limos for us."

Scarlett was grateful that Salvatore Barlowe made for a convenient scapegoat when people questioned her relationship with Kazir. Talent agents were the last people to care about dignity. They had skin thick enough to endure a concrete slap, yes, a slap.

"I understand, I understand," the reporter nodded, smirking. She could tell something was going on, though probably not a full-fledged relationship. Besides, Kazir was a billionaire, he could probably afford his own limousine.

Truth be told, Kazir didn't have a limousine. He only had two cars in his garage, a Mercedes Benz and an old Toyota.

Regardless, neither of them had any reason to explain their relationship.

Scarlett kept sneaking glances at Kazir as they entered the theater.

"Is there something on my face?" he asked.

"It's nothing," she replied softly.

A few minutes later, the premiere for Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 began.

.........

......

...

Kazir was already preparing to launch the second phase of the CCU. Wanted was the final movie of the first phase, where the four protagonists fought against the Fraternity.

Now, the plot for Phase Two was beginning to take shape. Kazir had planned it all from the beginning, planting foreshadowing clues in earlier movies.

The central plot of the second phase revolved around a missing military weapon, an upgraded nuclear device.

Dom Toretto's team was hired to steal an unknown piece of equipment from a truck that was secretly transporting the weapon.

Due to the weapon's disappearance, Connor O'Brien was assigned to go undercover, infiltrating Dom Toretto's family to track down where the weapon was sent.

The mission failed, and Dom's team escaped. Since then, the missing weapon had become an ongoing threat.

This wasn't an ordinary nuclear device. It was a new invention known to only a few. Still, the information had somehow leaked… There was a mole in the CIA, one of the few remaining survivors of the Fraternity.

The Fraternity had begun defying the High Table, slowly forming a new organization to rival their power.

This shadow group consisted of numerous criminal factions, all of whom bore a grudge against the High Table and the United States.

The nuclear weapon they stole was extraordinary. It emitted no radiation, was undetectable by radar, and was small enough to fit inside a suitcase, yet powerful enough to wipe out an entire city.

It didn't need to be launched. Someone could simply leave it in a park and detonate it.

This new organization had only one goal: chaos.

The High Table, a global criminal syndicate with influence in every corner of the world, was completely in the dark about the weapon's location.

They knew of only two individuals who might help them find it, Jason Bourne, a former Treadstone agent, and Wesley Gibson, a fugitive responsible for countless deaths.

However, the CIA couldn't track either of them.

But they did find someone who might lead them to Bourne and Gibson: Raizo.

That was the plot of Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2, a husband and wife team hunting Raizo while navigating the threats of the High Table and the emerging organization.

+++++

[Author's Note: I want to say thanks for all of your support. You guys are one of the reasons why I keep writing this novel. It means a lot to me.]

[This novel is officially completed as of today with the exact chapter of 600.]

[From now on, I will post 5 chapters per day until we reach the ending.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 430


Ladder 49 was a movie released by Walt Disney. To be precise, Ladder 49 was produced by Touchstone Pictures, which was owned by Walt Disney.

Touchstone Pictures was Walt Disney's go-to studio whenever the company wanted to make a live-action movie. Touchstone was completely controlled by Walt Disney, unlike Miramax, which had a fat Harvey who would fight for control.

Anyway, Ladder 49 was about a firefighter who was trapped in a warehouse fire. The movie was not based on a real story but was heavily inspired by the heroism that firefighters demonstrated.

Honestly, Walt Disney was not confident in this movie. That's why they chose to release it in October, a stale month for cinemas.

They had already spent over $60 million and couldn't ignore the movie's potential. They even cast John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix for the film... By the way, that casting was also the reason why the movie's budget reached $60 million.

Anyway, the response to Ladder 49 was mediocre. Sure, being a public servant was a respectable profession. Firefighters were among the most respected for a reason.

Unfortunately, the public had already moved on from 9/11. That tragedy was heartbreaking, but people had to take a step forward and understand that life was not all about tragedies.

If Ladder 49 had been released shortly after the peak of the 9/11 incident, it might have grossed $500 million. Too bad Walt Disney's management was too busy forcing political views on the public instead of making heartfelt movies.

Furthermore, it didn't help that Ladder 49 was released on October 1, the same day as Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2.

The possibility of this firefighter movie making huge money was low, now that its opponent was Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2.

Perhaps it was a coincidence, but 20th Century Fox and Grey Pictures decided to release their movie on the same day as Ladder 49. 20th Century Fox couldn't sacrifice their schedule for Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2, so they settled on October 1.

On its first day, Ladder 49, also released on October 1, grossed $7.46 million. An amazing amount of money for just one day.

On the same day, Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 casually made $38.73 million. It was both frustrating and amazing to see how much money movies could earn in just a single day.

Most of the time, the first-day box office result determines a movie's trajectory.

From that angle, it was obvious that Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 had a far higher return on investment than Ladder 49. Even the Cinema Alliance knew exactly which movie they should invest in next week.

Two days had passed, and the first-weekend box office results for both movies were calculated.

Ladder 49 grossed $22.08 million, while Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 grossed $76.08 million. The difference between the two was painfully obvious.

The Cinema Alliance immediately allocated more theaters to Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2.

Initially, the number of theaters screening Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 rounded up to 4,100 across the United States.

As for Ladder 49, the film was screened in 3,200 theaters.

The Cinema Alliance had the authority to reduce the number of theaters showing underperforming movies and reassign them to more promising ones. At the end of the day, the Cinema Alliance was running a business, not a charity. They had no reason to keep Ladder 49 around when Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 could generate far more revenue.

In the second week, the number of theaters screening Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 increased to 5,200, while Ladder 49 dropped to 2,750 theaters.

This business move made Walt Disney furious. But they couldn't do anything about it, since this flexibility was outlined in the contract. The Cinema Alliance had the right to adjust theater numbers. Usually, they made these changes after three weeks.

But this time, the Cinema Alliance wasn't going to let the moment slip by. They took advantage of the situation. So yeah, more money for Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2.

As everyone expected, Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 proved itself with a whopping $177.82 million after ten days in theaters.

Meanwhile, Ladder 49 didn't even touch $50 million after ten days. The firefighter movie only managed to earn $41 million.

.........

......

...

The competition for next year's Academy Awards was becoming clearer as more films were promoted.

The Big Six studios and many veteran filmmakers understood that more parties would be held toward the end of the year and into the new year. These parties were essential for garnering votes from Academy members.

So far, several films had begun gaining attention.

First was The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. This film marked the actor's first serious step toward winning the golden statue. It would still take him more than a decade to get it, mainly because the Academy had something against him. Incidentally, after The Aviator, Leonardo gradually shifted the types of roles he played, even his facial features subtly changed. He aged, the simple explanation.

The second movie was Finding Neverland, starring Johnny Depp. After failing to win Best Actor previously, Johnny set his sights on the Academy Awards and chose this project specifically to appeal to Oscar voters.

The third contender was Million Dollar Baby, starring Clint Eastwood. A veteran actor who had been part of the industry for decades.

The fourth contender was a musical, directed by Fremont Smith and starring Brianna Evans and Ryan Gosling. La La Land positioned itself clearly as an Oscar hopeful.

People weren't stupid. In Hollywood, it was easy to tell whether a movie was made to earn money or to win awards.

[Second chapter of the day.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 431


Kazir rarely saw Fremont and Brianna lately. The two were busy making their own movie.

Based on what he heard, Fremont, Ryan, and Brianna were practicing constantly because the genre they were stepping into was not their forte.

The time they spent on training was practically 24/7. They knew their weaknesses, after all.

Fremont studied music and musicals, while Brianna and Ryan practiced singing and dancing. Thankfully, Brianna was a theater actress and already knew how to sing and dance. She just had to practice the dance steps and songs.

Salvatore pitched the project to Paramount Pictures after 20th Century Fox disagreed with it. 20th Century Fox was the initial distributor and investor of La La Land, but the deal didn't materialize.

It was a good thing that Salvatore was a respected agent. He immediately found another studio to work with.

For clarification, the production crew working on La La Land was no longer Grey Pictures. Grey Pictures couldn't handle more than three projects per year.

So Kazir decided to sell the script to Fremont instead. For $3 million. Then, Fremont and Paramount signed a contract and sold the copyrights to Paramount Pictures, since Paramount Pictures would shoulder all of the financial burden.

Buying the copyrights was the usual formula in Hollywood, otherwise, the studio wouldn't promote and distribute the movie.

Anyway, Kazir got his money, and he would also receive some scrap money once a year, depending on the profits of La La Land. For someone like Kazir, a few thousand dollars was indeed scrap money.

La La Land would probably be released in November or December, depending on how Paramount Pictures set the schedule.

Even though La La Land was a script written by Kazir Grey, only a few studios were interested in acquiring the copyrights. After all, La La Land was a musical, and everyone knew that musicals were not Kazir's forte.

If the movie had been a comedy or action film, the studios might have gone crazy.

The only good thing was that Fremont Smith was the director, and Brianna Evans was the leading lady. Together with Kazir as the scriptwriter, La La Land had a strong lineup and a powerful box office appeal.

As for why La La Land was scheduled to be released in November or December, it was because they wanted to premiere the movie at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.

One of the requirements for getting nominated for the Academy Awards was:

1. The film must have won a qualifying film festival award.

OR

2. The film must have completed a weeklong theatrical run in a commercial theater of a qualifying metro area (LA County, New York City, the Bay Area, Chicago, Miami, or Atlanta).

Paramount Pictures wanted to do both, so they decided to compete in a film festival...

Paramount Pictures would probably pay money to make sure La La Land won some awards.

The purpose of La La Land was to compete at the Academy Awards. But Paramount also believed that the movie would bring them profits.

........

.....

...

Advertisements for La La Land started appearing on the streets. Kazir even saw some posters of Ryan Gosling and Brianna Evans dancing.

"Not sure if they're going to win, though. I know La La Land is a strong card to play, but the Academy Awards might vote for other movies. It depends on how Paramount will promote the film to the old farts."

Kazir was a member of AMPAS, so perhaps he was also part of those old farts. After all, his real age was over 80 years old if you included his first life where he was gruesomely sandwiched by a truck.

October had just passed, and Kazir had already started filming Batman Begins two weeks earlier. Filming was going great, and next week they would travel to Iceland to shoot the winter scenes for Batman Begins, the scenes where Bruce Wayne met the League of Shadows for the first time.

Since Kazir was single again, he didn't have a problem going to foreign countries. He also missed traveling the world.

While the trip to Iceland was confirmed, Kazir had to attend a meeting first before leaving the country.

The fate of Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 was smooth sailing. The movie didn't encounter any bumps at the box office.

After 31 days of screening, Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 earned more than $276.16 million at the North American box office.

October didn't have a strong lineup of movies, except for a few.

Shall We Dance?, starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez did well, grossing $33.94 million by the end of October. By the way, this movie was produced by Miramax, a subsidiary of Walt Disney.

Aside from that, The Incredibles was also released by Pixar, or more precisely, by Walt Disney.

The Incredibles was a well-known animated movie, and people loved it. It wasn't a surprise that the film earned $93 million after just seven days of screening.

Also, The Machinist, which starred Christian Bale in a shockingly thin state was released in October. The movie didn't do well, earning only $141,000 in two weeks. Christian Bale was ashamed to show himself on set and stayed in his trailer most of the time.

The Machinist didn't have any box office appeal, so it was clear why it didn't make money. Its genre and plot weren't meant for wide theatrical release. The film might earn something in the DVD and rental markets, though.

If there was one movie that surprised everyone in October, it was probably Saw.

This small-budget movie made history. Even Kazir praised it in an interview.

[Third chapter of the day.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 432


The first movie of the Saw franchise was memorable for a reason.

Despite having only a $1 million production budget, the movie grossed more than $100 million. That was a 100× return on investment in just a year. That kind of investment was very, very hard to find in the entertainment industry. Only a few, such as The Blair Witch Project and Napoleon Dynamite, could do so.

Furthermore, the storytelling of Saw was immaculate for being a horror movie. The plot twist at the end was unexpected, and the audience was so shocked to see a "dead" old man rising from the dead, revealed to be the mastermind behind the entire ordeal of brutal games.

It made it even better that the movie tackled the morals and ethics of the victims while playing the death games. After all, Jigsaw never picked an innocent player.

Furthermore, Jigsaw became an iconic horror villain, comparable to Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and Ghostface.

There were a lot of factors why Saw became a box office hit, but it all came down to how entertained the audience was when they watched the movie.

Because, low-key, Lionsgate didn't promote this movie that much. Saw was not the kind of movie you wanted to promote on television. Even the posters were horrifying to look at. Mind you, one of the posters in circulation was a realistic chopped hand.

Lionsgate discovered a gold mine in Saw. This movie would become one of their most successful franchises.

Horror movies would always have loyal fans. Even if the box office returns weren't huge, the DVD and rental markets would bring in so much profit for studios, and this was technically passive income at this point.

.........

......

...

As for Kazir, his feelings regarding Saw were indifferent. It was true that he had the script of Saw before its original creation. It was one of his choices when he returned in 1994.

He didn't register it with the Writers Guild because he already had a lot of shit in his arsenal. Like, he could pull a script out of his ass because he had a lot of them... Metaphorically, of course.

Right now, he was watching a banquet scene through dozens of monitors.

In the banquet hall, an extravagant party was taking place. Bruce Wayne was looking around, clearly uncomfortable being surrounded by rich but disgusting people.

But his discomfort worsened when he saw one of the members of the League of Shadows attending the party. He thought that was it, but it got even worse when he turned around.

Bruce found the person he had saved, the man who taught him how to overcome his fear, standing before him. He thought he had destroyed the League of Shadows, but he was wrong.

The person he had saved, Ducard, was Ra's Al Ghul.

Bruce was stunned as he hadn't expected Ducard and Ra's Al Ghul to be the same person.

"Cut—!"

Kazir called for a break.

He looked at Liam and Christian.

"Guys, you're doing well, but I need more than that."

Kazir turned to Liam.

"Liam, I know this is your first villain role. I just want to say, you don't have to act sinister. Be a gentleman instead. Ra's Al Ghul has a unique charisma. He has this heroic vibe to him."

Ra's Al Ghul wanted to see peace, but his method was not peaceful at all. He believed that "cleansing" Gotham was the best way to save it.

"Christian. The Machinist is a great movie, but it's not meant for cinemas. You didn't fail your role, cinemas just weren't meant for your movie. You need to relax your mind and forget about other things, such as your role in The Machinist. I want you to return to us. Where is Bruce Wayne? I can't see him. All I see is Christian Bale being bitter about his plopped movie in cinemas."

"... I understand, director."

There were many ways to correct an actor. Most actors or actresses didn't want to hear the truth and preferred to be told lies.

But some people prosper after learning the hard truth.

The Machinist was a movie made for DVD and rental markets. It was meant to plop, but Christian Bale was mentally affected and couldn't return to being Bruce Wayne.

Kazir did try saying sugarcoated words to Christian to maintain his mental state, but it failed. He then realized that Christian Bale was the type of actor who preferred hearing criticism instead.

"Remember, this is your once-in-a-lifetime chance to make it big. I chose you because I thought you fit the role of Batman. Don't let me down."

"... I thought you chose me because of my low salary?"

"That's also one of the reasons. Now go back to your trailer and calm your nerves. I don't care what you do, you can scream and brainwash yourself. Heck, you can call for a prostitute to calm your nerves, I don't give a fuck. Just make sure that when you come out of that trailer, you're not the bitter Christian Bale anymore. I want to see Bruce Wayne, Batman, and the Dark Knight of Gotham!"

Some actors had their own bullshit rituals before stepping into the studio and playing their roles. If Christian was one of those, then Kazir would gladly support him, as long as the movie was successful.

Filming this week seemed slow because Christian couldn't keep his mentality aligned with Bruce Wayne, while Kazir had to make sure that the movie would succeed.

"I'll give you two hours. Don't break my trust."

"Yes, director."

Christian Bale nodded and returned to his trailer. As for what he had to do to return to the zone, Kazir had no idea and he didn't care.

[Fourth chapter of the day.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 433


The actor's mental status was important, and Kazir couldn't disregard it, at least not when it was affecting the filming.

The budget of Batman Begins was around $150 million. The budget could go up if bad things happened. Kazir was known as a director who stuck with the budget and never increased it. This was a trait that big studios loved. It assured them that the production crew would never overspend.

$150 million seemed like a lot, but for a big project like Batman Begins, this amount was just the passable requirement.

Casting actors, actresses, crew members, and directors cost money. More than 35% of the budget went to hiring the cast and crew members, with the biggest salary of $25+ million going to Director Grey.

Being the highest-paid person in the crew, Kazir had to make sure that his employer would never regret hiring him.

Other expenses included sets and filming locations, equipment, special effects, costumes and props, editing, sound design, and music.

$150 million seemed like a lot, but the expenses for creating a superhero movie were also huge. $150 million might not be even enough.

But Kazir was the director of Batman Begins. He was confident in his skills. He was fast and knew what scenes to film.

His responsibility and burden were so heavy, it explained why he had a huge salary.

Unfortunately, things like actors' mentalities could affect his filming and schedules.

Christian Bale's mediocre acting was affecting their filming badly. So Kazir decided to confront the actor and tell him to take a break and change his perspective.

Kazir didn't care what Christian had to do in the trailer, just as long as it got him in the zone. If the actor asked for a day's rest, Kazir would frown, but he would still give it to him just to make the actor feel better.

It would affect their filming schedule, but Kazir could shoot other scenes, so it was not considered a waste.

However, if Christian Bale returned after a rest day and his acting did not improve, then Kazir wouldn't have a choice but to find another actor to replace Christian Bale.

After all, they had a long list of talented actors to choose from. The project had just started, and the production still had the power to change the protagonist.

But everything was still a what-if. It all depended on Christian's performance once he exited the trailer.

.........

......

...

The makeup artist excused herself after seeing that Christian Bale was not in a good mood.

Being reprimanded like that in front of many people was embarrassing. He had heard that Director Grey was a great person and rarely confronted his actors. He never raised his voice or made fun of someone.

Christian understood where Kazir was coming from. The director had talked to him a few days ago and even encouraged him. Kazir had said that The Machinist was a great movie but not meant for cinemas. The director was indeed a good person and made sure that his actors were in the right mentality.

But Christian couldn't help but feel like it was his fault that the movie had plopped. So his mind was affected, and he couldn't do his job at his peak.

Director Grey reached his limit and decided to berate Christian in front of many people. It was humiliating.

When the makeup artist was gone and Christian was alone in the trailer, he took a deep breath.

He looked in front of the mirror. Christian was wearing an expensive suit since he was acting as Bruce Wayne, the billionaire.

He had a handsome appearance, which explained why he could become part of the entertainment industry. By the way, Hollywood was saturated with handsome and beautiful people. You could see them everywhere.

Christian looked in the mirror... Then, he slapped himself so strongly that his right cheek turned red.

He understood it very well. It was his fault. So many people worked hard for this project. This was their livelihood.

It would be a dick move if Christian just disregarded their livelihood just because he was suffering from depression.

Once he signed the contract to become Batman, this was no longer just about him. This project was feeding hundreds of people, and they would be devastated if the project failed.

He took a deep breath.

He deserved it. Director Grey was just making sure that the project wouldn't fail.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I need to get this."

He closed his eyes and decided to forget about The Machinist. Fuck that movie.

He had been so dedicated to The Machinist that he lost weight just to prove how committed he was. Perhaps that was the reason why he was so affected when the movie plopped.

But now, he had another movie to focus on. He had to be dedicated to the role of Bruce Wayne and Batman.

As for his bitter feelings toward Director Grey, he had to suck it up for now. If he had a chance later, he wanted to talk to the director about it.

It didn't even take half an hour when the trailer opened. Christian Bale showed up, and his demeanor was completely different. He was not affected by the gazes of the others, as if he were in his own world.

When Kazir saw the change in Christian's demeanor, he smirked and knew that Bruce Wayne was back.

+++++

[Fifth and the last chapter of the day.]

[Also, if you want to read the complete story, you can check out my Patreon. I didn't post the last chapter in Ko-fi.]

P@treon link: https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

 

[GodOfHeroes]

Nice!

 

[Siryapsalot]

Plopped? huh

 

[Lillie Jones]

thanks for the chapters

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 434

"You're not Ra's al Ghul. I watched him die."

"But is Ra's al Ghul immortal, or are his methods supernatural?"

Bruce Wayne slowly turned around and saw Ducard, his mentor. The last time Bruce saw Ducard was in the Himalayan range, when he saved him from the destruction of the League of Shadows.

There was a long silence between the two, a moment filled with unspoken meaning.

This was the moment Bruce realized he had been deceived. The man he thought was Ra's al Ghul was a decoy. The person standing before him now, Ducard, was the real Ra's al Ghul.

"A cheap parlor trick to conceal your identity, Ra's."

"Surely, a man who spends his nights scrambling over the rooftops of Gotham wouldn't lecture me about dual identities."

"I saved your life."

"I warned you about compassion, Bruce."

"Cut!"

Kazir stood up and the filming stopped.

He began clapping his hands, excitement evident on his face. He could feel it, the tension between the villain and the hero.

He fucking knew it, Christian Bale fit the role of Batman. The chills running down his spine were the proof. He didn't fail in choosing Christian.

When the crew members witnessed Kazir's standing ovation, they were stunned. The director rarely gave this kind of applause on set. The last time they saw Kazir clapping in amazement was when Brianna Evans portrayed the role of a worried mother in Taken.

Kazir's forte was comedy and action. These two genres rarely required intense dramatic acting.

So when Kazir started clapping, the crew understood that this moment was a big deal. Some of them, who had been intently watching Christian's performance, also felt goosebumps and joined in, clapping their hands.

More and more crew members applauded and praised the performance.

However, Christian Bale, the actor who was the focus of all this praise, felt nothing.

He was in the zone.

Right now, in this very moment, Christian was Bruce Wayne. A billionaire with a secret identity. A vigilante.

He didn't become a hero to receive praise. He did it selflessly, without expecting acknowledgment.

He wanted to save people because of his morals and his deep sense of justice. He sacrificed himself to make sure Gotham would one day find peace.

The praises he was receiving now meant nothing.

"Bruce Wayne" simply smiled faintly and acted like the billionaire he was supposed to be, an eccentric playboy who used his money to get what he wanted.

Kazir realized that Christian Bale was still in character, so he decided to continue with the next scene. He didn't want to waste the momentum. Christian was at the peak of his performance.

'Later, I'll apologize to Christian for what I did. Berating him in front of the crew wasn't the right thing to do.'

Kazir recognized his mistake, but it was one he made with purpose. If he hadn't humiliated Christian, the actor might never have reached this level of performance.

"… This is the second time I've been overwhelmed by someone,"

Meanwhile, Liam Neeson shook his head and sighed. He was confident in his acting ability, but he admitted that Christian had outperformed him in this scene.

"Maybe I should get reprimanded by Director Grey too… maybe then I'll act better."

Because of Christian's outstanding performance, Kazir decided they would work overtime that day. He spoke with the crew and promised generous overtime pay.

Even with Kazir's famously fast filming pace, it was a miracle that the banquet scene had wrapped in just two days. The speed was so surprising that they even had to adjust the schedule to move some scenes forward.

.........

......

...

The production of Kung Fu Panda continued smoothly. After 20th Century Fox gave the green light, the project received the necessary funds to begin the animation.

The studio's only real confidence in this movie came from the fact that it was written by Kazir Grey. Director Grey had developed a reputation for writing box office hits.

Even though 3D animated movies were a different genre entirely, 20th Century Fox still said yes. Why? Because of their faith in Kazir Grey.

The director had proven himself so many times that the trust he built with the industry was nearly unshakable.

If Kazir wrote a bullshit story about two bulls taking a shit, the Big Six studios still wouldn't hesitate to buy the script. That's how confident they were in his ability.

So even though 3D animation wasn't Kazir's usual arena, 20th Century Fox had faith in the project.

As long as Kazir didn't fail, 20th Century Fox would continue supporting him. And so far, their trust hadn't been misplaced.

Even though they were just the distributor of Grey Pictures' films, 20th Century Fox was still making money.

Even their TV network saw massive traffic when Game of Thrones was released.

"Vogue Magazine actually interviewed Scarlett two months ago."

Kazir was sitting in the lounge area of Blue Sky Studios, reading through newspapers and magazines.

After finishing the paper, he turned to a magazine instead. The August edition focused on actresses, and one of the featured interviews was with Scarlett Johansson.

Since Kazir had nothing else to do at the moment, he decided to read the Q&A section.

A few minutes later, he was invited to check out the progress on Kung Fu Panda. As always, he served as the executive producer for the movie.

Kazir would be leaving the country next week, so he had to wrap up some business matters while he still had time. Tomorrow, he planned to meet with Stella Willow to discuss their upcoming projects for next year.

2 Fast 2 Furious and Mr. & Mrs. Smith 2 had both received overwhelmingly positive responses. Their combined box office revenue had already surpassed $1 billion.

[First chapter of the day.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 435


Kung Fu Panda is an animated film. The story is about a fat panda named Po, who dreams of becoming a Kung Fu Master.

Unexpectedly, Po is chosen as the Dragon Warrior and is trained by Master Shifu. Through training and trials, Po discovers his true strength and learns to accept himself.

When the Furious Five and Master Shifu are defeated by Tai Lung, Po steps up and fights the villain to protect the city.

The movie explores themes such as self-acceptance, action, comedy, perseverance, and self-belief.

Being a master of comedy and action, of course, Kazir used his strengths to come up with the plot of Kung Fu Panda... Erm, he copied it from the original creators, but who cares? He had been doing the same thing since 1995. There was nothing to feel guilty about.

For this project, 20th Century Fox invested $130 million in production costs.

The Big Six realized the massive profitability of 3D animated movies, and they also understood the high costs required to produce them.

So why was 20th Century Fox willing to spend such a large amount on a 3D animated film?

Because, unlike most live-action films, 3D animated movies had strong merchandise-selling potential.

Their toys, t-shirts, keychains, and other merchandise related to these movies were often sold out quickly.

Blue Sky Studio experienced this firsthand when Ice Age became a massive hit. All of the toys on their shelves were gone in just a matter of weeks. As for the amount of money they made? It was definitely in the 9-figure range.

That fact alone was enough for 20th Century Fox to invest in Kung Fu Panda. The profit they could make might be twice, or even three times of their investment.

There was a reason why Walt Disney remained such a dominant force. Despite facing numerous setbacks, they were known for being family-friendly and having signature products, animated movies.

And now, most of the Big Six were trying to replicate Disney's accomplishments.

Walt Disney had Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar under its banner.

Warner Brothers had Warner Bros. Animation (responsible for Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, and the DC animated universe), Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera.

Universal Pictures had Illumination Entertainment (which would be created in 2007) and DreamWorks Animation (acquired by NBCUniversal in 2016).

Paramount Pictures had Nickelodeon Studios.

Sony-Columbia had Sony Pictures Animation, which was known for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Emoji Movie, and Hotel Transylvania.

20th Century Fox had Blue Sky Studios.

See what's happening here? Most of the most famous cartoon and animation studios were under the control of the Big Six. This clearly showed how powerful their influence was, even in the animated media space.

Even Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon were under the banner of the Big Six. They dominated the entertainment industry for a reason.

Now that traditional hand-drawn animation was becoming less popular, 20th Century Fox understood that investing in 3D animation through Blue Sky Studio was essential if they didn't want to be left behind by their competitors.

Kazir entered the workshop and saw more than a hundred people glued to their monitors, animating the scenes they were assigned.

It was a tough job. These people had to sit for hours creating scenes that the audience would only see for a few seconds.

Although, not going to lie, the animators in the West had it better than the average animators in Japan. Japanese animators were often considered the epitome of corporate slaves. Truly, a cruel world we live in.

Kazir and Carl Ludwig discussed the progress of Kung Fu Panda, which was already 80–90% complete.

Perhaps due to 20th Century Fox's confidence in the project, the funding was flowing smoothly, which significantly sped up production.

Kung Fu Panda was expected to be released next year. The project had been in development since last year, around the time Pirates of the Caribbean was released. So it was no surprise that the movie was nearing completion.

The voice actors cast in this project were actually A-list celebrities.

Po was voiced by Jack Black.
Tai Lung was voiced by Ian McShane.
Master Shifu was voiced by Dustin Hoffman.
Master Tigress was voiced by Angelina Jolie.
Master Mantis was voiced by Seth Rogen.
Master Viper was voiced by Lucy Liu.
Master Monkey was voiced by Jackie Chan.

The cast was stacked with top-tier actors. This clearly indicated how important this project was to the studio.

Kazir smiled when he saw a recorded clip of Angelina voicing her character, Master Tigress. She was genuinely having fun. He was happy that she seemed to be doing well. It showed that their separation was the right decision. They simply weren't compatible.

Carl felt awkward, knowing Kazir was the one who helped Angelina land the role of Master Tigress.

Anyway, their conversation continued, and both Kazir and Carl confirmed that production was proceeding smoothly. Once everything was finished, 20th Century Fox would select the best release schedule for the movie. Another several million dollars would be spent on promoting Kung Fu Panda.

After his meeting with Carl and checking on the progress of Kung Fu Panda, Kazir had another meeting to attend.

The next projects from Grey Pictures were extremely important, as they would determine how the entire Continental Cinematic Universe (CCU) would evolve. Naturally, Kazir, being the mastermind behind the CCU, needed to be present.

+++++

[Second chapter of the day.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 436


Stella Willow wore a cold expression as she strutted through the hallway. The way she walked radiated elegance and confidence. However, her icy demeanor was so intense that people were afraid of her.

She gritted her teeth, exhausted and lost. Working as the CEO of Grey Pictures was incredibly tiring. However, she had no intention of giving up this amazing position.

After joining Grey Pictures, Stella Willow gradually reconnected with her ex-coworkers, some of whom had once been her bosses. Their reactions were mixed.

However, Stella recognized the envy and jealousy in their eyes. Unlike most of them who were stuck in their positions and slaving away in the corporate world, Stella had reached the top of her career after leaving NBC.

Some of her former coworkers even begged her for a position at Grey Pictures. If the person was capable and talented, Stella would give them a chance.

The reason she never considered resigning, despite the overwhelming stress, was power. The pleasure of being a powerful figure, someone few could trample, was intoxicating. It would be foolish to relinquish the CEO position to someone else.

Even the Big Six held her in high regard due to Grey Pictures' strong profitability.

The authority she wielded was so addictive that she never once thought of stepping down.

Of course, there were cons to being a CEO.

The first was that the job was highly stressful. She had endless tasks and crucial decisions to make. The company wouldn't move without her input. Her presence was essential.

She cursed her boss, who was gone most of the time… She had to shoulder the majority of responsibilities because her boss was just a director who had no interest in business management.

The second downside to being a CEO, for Stella, was her love life. Her last romantic relationship ended a year ago. Since then, she had been celibate, with no sexual relationships at all. With her tight schedule, she couldn't find the time to date anyone. She also wasn't a fan of hookup culture.

So right now, Stella was at the edge of self-destruction.

Her position as CEO made it difficult to find a suitable partner, not just because of her busy schedule, but also because of her preferences.

You see, being a woman with high standards, Stella wanted a man who had a better career than hers. She didn't want to "date down" at all.

She wanted a man who was richer, more mature, stronger, and smarter than she was. That was her preference, and everyone is entitled to their own.

As for the men "weaker" than her, she never glanced at them. Her last boyfriend had been the general manager of Alphabet, and he was the best man she had ever dated in terms of career success. Her previous relationships seemed mediocre in comparison.

So yeah, Stella had a hard time. Even though she wanted to be the boss at work, it was a different matter when it came to dating.

She wanted her man to provide for her, take care of her, and gently man-handle her... whatever that meant.

Her preference checklist was as follows:

A man richer than her.

With a better career.

Tall.

Handsome.

Strong.

Healthy and with long stamina, for bedroom reasons.

A man who loved her most. She must be his number one priority.

A gentleman.

A good personality.

Respectable.

Ambitious.

Confident.

And... a nice long sausage, for bedroom reasons again.

For a woman, it was a pretty extensive list of criteria. Not going to lie, many women have long lists of expectations, and some of them are downright outrageous.

Some women wanted a partner with green eyes—only 2% of the world population has that trait. How the hell is someone supposed to make their eyes green? Use colored contact lenses maybe?

With preferences like these, it was no wonder Stella struggled to find a man. There were probably plenty of men interested in her, but she likely ignored them simply because they didn't meet her standards.

"Tch, that bastard. What the hell does he want this time? Why do I have to find someone again?"

She clicked her tongue in frustration. Lately, the stress had been getting to her, and she couldn't help but curse at her boss.

She arrived at the meeting room and opened the door with the confidence of someone who owned the building.

Then, she saw Kazir sitting inside, scribbling on his storyboard, probably working on yet another project.

Stella scrutinized him and glared.

Suddenly, she realized something. Kazir actually met most of her requirements for a boyfriend!

Kazir was tall, handsome, richer than her, confident, and a gentleman. Heck, she'd even heard that Kazir was packing down there!

Her pupils slightly trembled, but she quickly suppressed the thought and returned to her cold demeanor.

Kazir was almost perfect.

But there was one critical area where he failed.

Stella knew that Kazir loved making movies more than he could ever love a woman. She would never be his number one priority.

That was a massive red flag.

For her, the most important aspect of a relationship was being loved above all else. Kazir couldn't give that, not 100%.

She scoffed and then glared at Kazir again.

"Um, excuse me? Did I do something wrong?" Kazir noticed her mood and asked cautiously.

"It's nothing. I just remembered something. Anyway, let's start our meeting." She sat down, pushing away her spiteful thoughts. She was highly professional, one of the reasons she was perfect for the role of CEO.

"Okay."

Kazir nodded.

[Third chapter of the day.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 437


"First of all, this," Stella put down the script for Taken 3 and flipped to the first page.

She pointed at the second page, directly at the third paragraph.

"This, what the hell is this?"

"What do you think of it?"

"Kazir, sigh," Stella rubbed her forehead. She had read the first version of the script, and the latest version of the first scene was different from what she remembered.

"You do understand that our country just suffered a terrorist attack three years ago, right?"

"I know. For the record, I didn't write this scene to remind people of the tragedy of 9/11. What I want is to make people alert about their surroundings and understand that peace is such a fragile thing."

"Still, this might make our movie Rated-R."

"So what? If you're talking about the highest-grossing R-rated movie, The Hangover is currently taking the fourth spot. And I'm the one who wrote and directed that movie. And if you're talking about box office performance, The Matrix: Reloaded grossed more than $741 million. I think Taken 3 can beat The Matrix: Reloaded and take the number one spot."

"It's not about that. Taken is a pivotal franchise. It's the movie that opened people's eyes about kidnapping and sex trafficking. And now, the third movie is about a nuclear tragedy? A terrorist act? It doesn't match the vibe at all."

Stella had a point. In fact, one of the reasons she worked for Grey Pictures was because of how the studio helped the public understand the seriousness of human trafficking.

Heck, when she went to France to meet Kazir for the first time, she had been alert to her surroundings because she had watched Taken.

In her opinion, the Taken franchise was all about kidnapping... At least, the first and second movies were centered around that theme.

"Oh, Stella, you just don't know." Kazir shook his head.

"Don't know what?"

The first and second movies were indeed about kidnapping, but the third movie was different. Taken 3 was about revenge.

In the first part of the movie, Lenore, Bryan's ex-wife, dies at the hands of some Russian mafia because Lenore's current husband has a debt. Yes, the plot didn't have much depth at all.

But Lenore's death caused Bryan to scorch the earth.

Now, Kazir was just upping the ante. Instead of some Russian mob, why not make it a new terrorist group that only wanted to spread destruction all over the world?

Overall, Kazir's version of Taken 3 was different from the original. In a way, he was trying to overcome his fear of making his own script, and Taken 3 was one of the first steps.

Kazir understood it. Copying movies might have brought him success, but he knew that his achievements were all built on lies. At least for once, he wanted to prove himself.

Taken 3 was the start of his development. Perhaps one day, he would create an original film, something he could be truly proud of.

"Never mind. You wouldn't understand it," Kazir said, not bothering to explain further. Stella wouldn't believe it anyway.

He couldn't just say that the original version of Taken 3 was more of a revenge movie than a kidnapping story.

"Tch, I changed my mind. You are indeed a walking red flag."

"I have no idea why you're telling me that."

The first scene of Taken 3 involved a massive explosion in San Francisco, during which Lenore died in the tragedy.

Being a retired agent, Bryan Mills couldn't help but take matters into his own hands. He started contacting people he knew. He even spoke with Luke Hobbs (The Rock) and John Smith (Brad Pitt). These two characters were investigating the case of missing technology and believed the explosion was related to it.

Luke Hobbs was a character from Fast & Furious, while John Smith was from Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Just to uncover the truth and exact his revenge, Bryan Mills was ready to do everything. Even his daughter couldn't stop him from pursuing vengeance.

Taken 3 was the movie where The Syndicate was introduced.

'The Syndicate is actually one of the antagonists in the Mission: Impossible franchise, but they were first introduced in 2011. Sorry, Tom, but I have to steal the idea.'

Kazir had to.

Besides, the Syndicate also tried to start a nuclear war in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

This time, the purpose of the Syndicate was nothing but pure destruction. The organization consisted of AWOL agents, ninjas, most-wanted criminals, hitmen, unknown billionaires, and the remaining members of The Fraternity.

The Fraternity had broken their vow and secretly allied themselves with the Syndicate. This was the reason why the High Table gave the mission to destroy the Fraternity.

While searching for more clues, Bryan Mills discovered that the stocks of weapons companies had skyrocketed after the nuclear attack. He realized this incident might not be so simple.

"Okay, the plot is interesting, I admit that. You're the one who wrote it, and I'm confident in you." Stella Willow continued the conversation.

"Thank you."

"But we have a problem. I'm not confident in the director you want this time. You should wait for Fremont instead."

"Stella, you have to listen to me. Fremont is busy with La La Land. Even if he is a fast director, he usually makes a movie every two years. The pressure of making a movie per year isn't that simple."

"I know, that's why I'm impressed with your mental strength. But it doesn't matter. Christopher Nolan doesn't fit the vibe of Taken 3."

Yes, the number one candidate for the director's position of Taken 3 was Christopher Nolan.

Kazir had recommended the director.

"With how serious Taken 3 is, I think he fits perfectly."

"First, it was Justin Lin. Then you recommended more directors. And now you want Christopher Nolan, a noir film director, to direct an action-packed movie? Kazir, what are you thinking?"

[Fourth chapter of the day.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 438


"I'm thinking about the best way for our company to thrive. In my opinion, Christopher Nolan is the best choice to direct Taken 3."

"Kazir, do you hear yourself right now?" Stella Willow was fuming. Perhaps her way of thinking was affected by her recent situation. However, she believed that she was right this time.

And actually, what she believed was on point.

"When you said that you wanted Christopher Nolan to direct Taken 3, I was already skeptical. I've watched all three of his movies, and they all have darker themes. Do you want Taken 3 to follow the same theme?"

"Honestly, why not?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"...I shouldn't have asked that question."

"Taken 3 is completely different from the first two movies. Besides, two of Nolan's movies were crime thrillers, we can fit that style into Taken 3, since Bryan Mills is in full detective mode to uncover the truth about the terrorist attack."

"Okay, fine. You're the boss. I understand that, in terms of filmmaking, you're more talented than me."

Note that Stella Willow was a producer, so she had an idea of how filming works.

Being the CEO of Grey Pictures, Stella had witnessed how the company flourished. She had also worked hard to make it happen.

Now that Grey Pictures was doing well, she was afraid of making mistakes. In her opinion, the company should maintain its stability.

Since the Taken franchise was all about kidnapping, she felt like adding a terrorist attack and revenge plots to the movie wouldn't make it better. It might even become a problem. She didn't like the plot at all.

Furthermore, when she found out that Kazir wanted a film director like Nolan to direct the movie, she was dismayed. It made her even more stressed.

Stella had worked hard for this company, and she didn't want to see it fall. She basically treated it like her child, considering that she now had shares in Grey Pictures.

Kazir's decision didn't sit well with her. However, being a professional and knowing that it was impossible to change Kazir's mind, she decided to back down and accept it. She was not happy, though.

She leaned back against her chair and sighed. Everything she did for this company was to make it prosper. She hoped Kazir's decision was the right one.

She hoped that adding a bit of a noir theme to Taken 3 would actually make it better.

"If there's something that annoys me, it's the fact that you're trying to help this British director for some reason. Tell me, have you met Christopher Nolan before?"

"No, I've never met him."

"...That makes it more confusing. You just trusted this man even though you've never met him."

"..."

Kazir just smiled.

One of the biggest reasons why he wanted to hire Christopher Nolan was guilt.

Yes, he felt guilty. Even though this was a different timeline and no one knew the truth, Kazir understood that he had stolen Nolan's masterpiece, the Dark Knight Trilogy.

And for that, he was sorry.

So, he might as well hire the director to make things fair. At least Nolan's career wouldn't be affected, since Taken 3 would be added to his filmography. People would still respect him.

By the way, Christopher Nolan was actually a talented director from the start. His filmography was so great that even someone like Kazir felt jealous.

Christopher Nolan was undoubtedly the best director of the new century. His storytelling, his filmmaking, and the box office results of each movie, he was the best for a reason.

His first movie, Following, only cost $6,000 to make. This was his debut movie, yet it grossed $126,000. It may look small, but the return on investment was clear.

His second movie was probably the start of his fame. Christopher Nolan's Memento grossed $40 million despite a budget of $9 million.

His third movie was his knock on the door of the box office. Insomnia grossed $113 million while having a budget of $40 million.

Considering that Christopher Nolan was still a newbie in the industry, his first three movies were all great. Noir films were not highly accepted in cinemas because of their heavier themes, yet Nolan's movies were performing well.

The start of his peak career was when he directed the Dark Knight Trilogy… Erm, this time, the start of his peak career was when he directed Taken 3.

Stella stood up. She accepted the plan.

"I will contact Nolan. I'll offer him a promising salary."

"Thanks, Stella. Oh, by the way, once I'm done filming Batman Begins, you can file for vacation. I know that you've worked so hard for this company, and you deserve a month's vacation. You can plan ahead."

"Sir, I think I changed my mind. You are not a red flag at all."

For the first time in this meeting, Stella smiled.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. And by the way, did you just call me 'sir'? I thought we made it clear that we're now on a first-name basis?"

"Goodbye, sir. Have a great day."

The woman left the room.

"Hehe. Bora Bora, Bali, Maya Bay, Cayman Islands, Puerto Princesa, Santa Monica Beach… Hm, no, let's erase Santa Monica Beach. I went there last time with my ex… Sigh."

She started muttering the names of beaches.

.........

......

...

The private plane landed on the runway of Keflavík International Airport. The door opened, and the passengers exited the flight one by one.

"Ah, the cold air of Iceland," Kazir muttered as the cold, dry breeze hit his face.

Kazir and the crew had successfully stepped into Iceland. Now, it was time to go to the hotel and take a rest.

++++++

[Fifth and the last chapter of the day.]

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

P@treon link: https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

 

[Lillie Jones]

thanks for the chapter

 

[FallenMetal]

Thank you, and interesting if the Syndicate and High Table come to blows with CCU main characters stuck in the middle. Great job as always, and I can't wait to see Kazir start creating his scripts.