HOLLYWOOD WHAT IF

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 481


November babies were usually created in February, specifically on February 14... But this fact had no relation to the fact that February 2006 had a lot of movies that surpassed $100 million. One movie even surpassed $200 million, which was an achievement for this kind of schedule.

Bambi II from Walt Disney. Curious George from Universal Pictures. Firewall from Warner Brothers. The Pink Panther from Sony-Columbia. Date Movie from 20th Century Fox. Eight Below from Walt Disney, the movie that grossed over $200 million.

There were clear similarities between these movies: they were all from the Big Six.

Forty-six movies were released in February, yet only a few selected movies did great. The small studios couldn't stand at all because they never had the chance to do so.

The Big Six had the complete package in this kind of business dealings. That was the reason why it was impossible to stand up against the Big Six. Not even DreamWorks could do so.

The Big Six monopolized the industry, and it was hard to break through. Only a few selected studios achieved it.

However, movies surpassing $100 million were not the main topic in February. There was more important news, such as the Winter Olympics, the Hajj stampede in Saudi Arabia, and the launch of YouTube's public beta (this news didn't make a ruckus, but it would be an important part of internet history in the next decade).

Aside from that, Hollywood also experienced another shocking piece of news.

The second $1 billion box office from Grey Pictures! The second $1 billion box office of the Continental Cinematic Universe!

When Wanted created history a few years ago, everyone in Hollywood already understood the power of the new genre called the Cinematic Universe. It was an accumulative type of franchise where the more content was released, the more the audience would consume it.

Taken 3 surpassed $1 billion after seven months of screening. The movie grossed $1.07 billion at the worldwide box office as of now.

This kind of news created another sensation in Hollywood. It was very, very hard to achieve this kind of accomplishment, almost impossible.

Yet a rookie director who had only produced three movies actually did it! Taken 3 and Christopher Nolan became hot topics in Hollywood.

Of course, Grey Pictures was also happy. Now they had another trophy to brag about.

After this achievement, the rankings for movies released last year were updated by a magazine.

1.) Taken 3 – $1.07 billion. Grey Pictures/20th Century Fox.

2.) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – $895 million. Warner Brothers.

3.) Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – $849 million. Lucasfilm/20th Century Fox.

4.) The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – $745 million. Walt Disney. (In my opinion, this franchise has the potential to become like Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings.)

5.) Kung Fu Panda – $631 million. Blue Sky Studio/20th Century Fox.

6.) War of the Worlds – $603 million. DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures (International distributor).

7.) King Kong – $556 million. Universal Pictures.

8.) Batman Begins – $549 million. Warner Brothers.

9.) Madagascar – $542 million. DreamWorks.

10.) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – $474 million. Warner Brothers.

.........

......

...

"Another win for Grey Pictures and Kazir Grey."

Ronald Meyer dropped the newspaper and sighed. The fact that Grey Pictures had another $1 billion movie didn't sit well with him.

He felt like all the things he did were useless.

Two years ago, Universal Pictures tried to destroy Spider-Man 2 and Kazir's career. They even talked to Kazir's mother just to find any information that could destroy the director. Instead, the woman said that she could destroy Kazir's will by making him brokenhearted.

In this regard, Elizabeth kept her promise. She managed to break up Kazir and Angelina.

But this breakup didn't make Kazir slack off. He didn't lose motivation, he didn't go to bars and parties all night, he didn't do drugs, and he also didn't hurt anyone.

Instead, because of heartbreak, Kazir became focused on his career. They couldn't find any fault at all. No matter how many scandals they threw at Kazir, the director managed to stand up.

At this point, the only way for Kazir to stop succeeding was by killing him.

However, this kind of solution was never respected in Hollywood. Everyone acknowledged that Hollywood was nothing but business, and no one deserved to die. It would also be a huge loss to the culture of filmmaking if Kazir was killed. No one would forgive the mastermind.

"...The only way to end this conflict is by fixing things with Kazir. But I'm not sure if that can happen. The conflict became deeper after what happened with Spider-Man 2."

Did Ronald regret it? No, he was doing it for the betterment of Universal Pictures.

"For now, let's hire Christopher Nolan to make a film for Universal Pictures. This director is promising. He just made a $1 billion movie. Maybe he's interested in the person who invented the atomic bomb?"

Universal Pictures had to move fast, though, because they were not the only studio interested in Christopher Nolan.

In fact, Walt Disney was also desperate to hire Christopher Nolan. Walt Disney was suffering from its past mistakes and needed a movie franchise that could carry them into the next decade. In this timeline, Walt Disney didn't have Pirates of the Caribbean.

"Since Christopher Nolan is still a rookie, I'm sure he won't disagree with a 20+20 contract?"

Only a few selected directors could enjoy this kind of offer. Christopher Nolan's agent was probably dying from happiness since many studios were trying to work with Christopher Nolan.

As for the outcome, no one could predict it. Kazir had changed the timeline so much that no one could expect what would happen next. Maybe Kazir would have a child in November? We don't know.

One thing was for sure: Pirates of the Caribbean had ended its production. Kazir had now put his attention toward post-production. Perhaps Kazir was also trying to film a small-budget horror movie.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 482


Kazir had a trauma that he wanted to overcome. In his past life, he spent his whole career making horror movies. They were all failures at the box office.

There were so many movies released in a year. His horror movies could only secure dozens of theaters to release his films, and none of them brought in profit.

Still, making horror movies was profitable. He sold his films and made a million that way. He also received residual income from those movies.

Studios loved acquiring films to expand their film libraries. This trend intensified when online streaming became mainstream.

Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services loved to buy small-budget movies to expand their content libraries. Sometimes, these streaming platforms even invested in producing their own films.

Netflix created Bird Box, Enola Holmes, and other movies and TV series just to make sure their customers had content to watch.

So, even though Kazir's movies were not box office hits, he had a constant source of income. In fact, despite his old age, some actresses were interested in him because of his career as a director.

In his past life, after his divorce from Cassandra, Kazir had a few long-term relationships with women, but none progressed to the next stage, which was marriage. He had girlfriends in his past life. However, he understood that they were only interested in him because of his profession.

It became a bane for him. He had a hard time trusting the opposite sex after that.

Anyway, Kazir had been making horror movies his whole life, and he knew the formula.

Before his death, he had written a script that he wanted to produce. He even convinced Netflix to invest in his project, but he died before the production began.

"Shadows Beneath."

Kazir muttered while staring at the script on his table.

Kazir was scared. He wasn't scared of the script, he was scared that he would fail again now that he was trying to make an original horror movie.

He admitted that he had a trauma, and he had to face it. He was way past the point of being depressed about his decisions.

He had to do it, or else he would stay stagnant and truly never move forward.

He planned to film it in just two months. Editing was also not a problem since the movie didn't require many special effects. This was a small project.

He wanted to hire his friends for this movie, but he knew that it would be tough to do so. In the first place, this movie only had a budget of $15 million.

This film required two months of filming, and those two months were important to everyone. They couldn't waste two months of their time for such a small amount of money, their agents wouldn't agree. Even Salvatore wouldn't approve from a business standpoint.

He had free time this year, and that was the only window he had to film this movie. Because after this year, Kazir had to work on The Dark Knight.

"I should call my assistant director. We will have an audition. In the meantime, I should focus on editing the footage of Pirates of the Caribbean."

Kazir had a new assistant director after Palenque Simone left his crew.

.........

......

...

"Yes, yes? Director... I'll do what I can."

Everest Thorne put down his phone as he looked at the ceiling... He had just woken up. He had partied all night now that he had more time for himself.

Two years ago, Everest was lucky to be hired by Grey Pictures as Kazir's assistant director. It was a huge honor. He had many rivals trying to get the position, but Everest landed the job.

He thought he was the luckiest person alive.

Director Grey had two assistant directors before Everest, and those two assistants got their own projects after working with Director Grey.

It showed that Director Grey was the kind of person who trained his assistants for better careers. He took care of his people and helped them grow.

Everest was so happy at that time.

But after working with Kazir, Everest realized something important, Director Kazir Grey was a workaholic!

Every year, he had a new project to make. It was exhausting. Especially this time, when they traveled to the Caribbean to film Pirates of the Caribbean. Everest was sleep-deprived for half a year because of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Being the assistant director, he was Kazir's right-hand man in managing the production crew. It was not easy at all.

Thankfully, now that Pirates of the Caribbean had wrapped filming, Everest had more time for himself. He still had to go to Grey Pictures to help Kazir with editing the movie, but at least he didn't have to go around managing people anymore.

Last night, he went to a party to have some fun.

And today, while lying in bed, he was forcefully awakened by a call. He looked at the clock and realized it was already 1 p.m.… He was fucking late for work!

He immediately answered the call when he realized it was Kazir calling him.

Everest was nervous at first when Kazir said he didn't need to go to the editing room. He thought he was going to be fired.

But before Everest could explain himself, Kazir dropped a bombshell.

— You don't have to go to the building. Instead, form a small production crew. I want to film a horror movie. I also want you to start an audition.

"..."

Everest was speechless.

They had just finished a project, yet the director wanted to start another one! Damn, like, damn!

"At least he didn't fire me."

++++

[I'm not going to lie. The script for Shadows Beneath is written by ChatGPT. I can write a horror script, but my imagination and knowledge are incomparable to ChatGPT's. In the first place, I accepted that I'm an average writer. I feel like if Kazir is going to make a horror movie, I want it to be a real horror. Some of you guys might not like it, so I'm just saying it ahead of time. In my case, as a writer, ChatGPT is useful. But don't worry, 99% of this novel is created, imagined, and written by me, except for some movie summaries, I fucking hate movie summaries.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 483


While Kazir was busy with the editing of Pirates of the Caribbean, even going to Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to check the special effects, Everest focused on the pre-production of the new project.

Most of the crew members expected that this year would be a sort of rest for them since Kazir had no announced projects. Oh boy, they were wrong.

Some of the crew members signed up, while others decided to take a rest for the year.

Because of this, the production crew had missing positions to fill.

Everest talked to Kazir, and the director agreed to go talk to the CAA to fill in the missing positions.

Since the project was unexpected, the crew couldn't help but be disorganized. Thankfully, CAA sent them a producer who would help manage the project.

When everything was in line, the crew asked CAA to provide them with actors and actresses for the movie. At this point, Grey Pictures had hired CAA on a package deal.

In this ordeal, Grey Pictures already spent $9 million of its budget. It was more than half of the production cost.

Kazir had never experienced overspending on his movies, and this might be the first time.

Because the movie would be directed by Kazir Grey, it was impossible to keep it a secret. The news quickly spread, and other agencies also heard about it.

Some actors and actresses applied and even sent in their resumes and audition tapes.

Unfortunately, the production crew had already signed a contract with CAA for a package deal. CAA already had a cast for the movie. When the news came out, many actors and actresses within CAA talked to their agents and hoped that they would have a chance to get cast in Kazir's new project. No one believed that Kazir's movie would fail.

Working with Director Grey meant instant success. He had proven himself many times, and many actors and actresses became celebrities after working with him.

Because the budget of the movie was limited, CAA had to match the salaries accordingly. They also sent small actors and actresses for the roles.

Despite being unknown, it didn't mean that these actors and actresses weren't talented. They were simply people who had failed to find opportunities.

And this time, they received an opportunity they couldn't let slip away.

Before hiring these small actors and actresses, the production crew had to test them first through auditions.

The actors and actresses accepted this fact. It was standard practice that they had to audition before getting the roles.

However, there was a massive problem... The script was missing!

Yeah, the actors and actresses had no idea what scene to act out because they didn't have the script. They only knew that Kazir's small project was a horror movie.

Only Everest had a copy of the full script. He read it and could say that it was promising. The plot twist was pretty cliché, but Hollywood was full of cliché movies anyway. Hollywood is never truly innovative, they just keep recycling stuff and making it look new.

Kazir specifically said that no one should get the complete script, not even the actors and actresses. He also stated that the actors and actresses could only receive one-third of the script in the audition room.

As for why Kazir gave these complicated orders, Everest had no idea. He simply followed them.

Everest didn't know that the reason Kazir didn't want to share the script was because he was embarrassed. This was an original script he wrote himself, and he was afraid the cast might think it was mediocre.

Because of this complicated situation, the actors and actresses attended the audition with no clue what to expect. Before the audition, they practiced their acting. They performed frightened expressions, some actresses even practiced their screams.

When the audition ended, most of the cast passed and signed their contracts. As for those who failed, CAA sent more people to fill the remaining roles.

It was tough for Everest because the project had been announced unexpectedly. Most of the old crew members were absent, either on vacation or working on other projects. This caused a bit of a slowdown in production.

The props preparation, costume designs, and filming locations all had to be ready before Director Grey officially joined the project.

Everest realized that being an assistant director was never easy. He had a lot of responsibilities. Sometimes, he wondered how his seniors, Fremont and Palenque, had survived this kind of job.

.........

......

...

March was the third month of the year. Just like in previous months, new movies were released in March.

Movies like Deep Sea 3D (Documentary), Failure to Launch (Romantic Comedy), The Shaggy Dog (Comedy), V for Vendetta (Action), Inside Man (Thriller/Suspense), and Ice Age: The Meltdown (Adventure) were released in March. These movies surpassed $100 million at the box office and were released in March 2006.

Ice Age: The Meltdown was created by Blue Sky Studios. After the success of Kung Fu Panda last year, Blue Sky Studios received better treatment from 20th Century Fox. Everyone believed that another animation studio could rival Pixar/Disney, aside from DreamWorks.

The competition during that month was tough, despite March not being considered a prime release schedule. Out of all the movies, Ice Age: The Meltdown and V for Vendetta made the most money.

After March, April arrived, and another batch of movies was about to be released.

First on the list was none other than The Bourne Ultimatum. It was obvious that 20th Century Fox couldn't release the movie in a more popular schedule, so Grey Pictures had to settle for April, the month before summer.

Yet, despite The Bourne Ultimatum being released during a less popular window, it was amazing that movie theaters were packed with people eager to see it.

This was the effect of Taken 3 on the audience. Because of the massive success of Taken 3, grossing over $1 billion, the next movie of the CCU also became a box office hit. The excitement still hadn't died down.


[Last chapter today. Thank you for your support.]

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapters

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 484


The Bourne Ultimatum was released in the first week of April, which was April 6, at midnight.

The premiere was extravagant, as Grey Pictures was no longer a simple studio. Despite being only a decade old, Grey Pictures had already solidified its position in the industry. The company had a constant source of profit and made hundreds of millions every year.

Furthermore, the huge success of Taken 3 last year gave the studio confidence. Fans started cheering as the cast showed up one by one.

Kazir also attended the premiere despite his busy schedule. He had spent most of his time in the editing room, polishing the movie.

He was also part of the cast since he had a cameo. This time in the movie, he was just a passerby that Jason Bourne bumped into while walking. He yelled at Jason, saying:
"Hey, that's not nice! Don't you know that people are busy? Man, I can't even sleep because I spent most of my time editing a movie!"

Some might have found that interaction funny, while others felt it was forced. But it didn't matter, people were allowed to have their own opinions.

Paul Greengrass was still the director of The Bourne Ultimatum. Paul had taken over the franchise after Kazir directed the first movie.

While looking at the excited fans who attended the premiere, Kazir had a premonition. Every hair on his skin stood up. He got chills. For some reason, Kazir felt that The Bourne Ultimatum would deliver a powerful performance.

"I suddenly remembered the movie, Captain Marvel..."

Captain Marvel was an MCU movie released in 2019. It came out between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

Because of this phenomenon, Captain Marvel experienced strong hype that helped the movie perform impressively at the box office, earning more than $1.1 billion.

"Honestly, in my opinion, Captain Marvel is average at best. It's just a normal popcorn flick from the MCU. But because of its schedule, it was lifted by the massive hype of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame."

That was how Kazir saw it. At best, Captain Marvel could have earned around $800 million at the box office if it had been released in a different window.

This was the sensation Kazir felt while looking through the hectic crowd of fans excited to watch The Bourne Ultimatum. They just wanted to see how it would connect to the tragedy that happened in Taken 3. It was all about curiosity.

Kazir didn't change much of the plot of The Bourne Ultimatum, although he connected it to the terrorist attack. This simple connection made fans satisfied.

When the movie ended, the post-credit scene was about a new movie franchise called The Kingsman: The Secret Service.

The first 24 hours (technically April 7) of box office sales for the movie were calculated. Accounting was faster now that technology had improved.

Kazir, Stella, and the other people from Grey Pictures were on the top floor of the building. They were already celebrating. Some were popping champagne and drinking wine.

They were confident that the movie wouldn't fail. The question was how much it would earn.

When the stats arrived, Stella Willow smiled and announced that they would have a dinner party. She had heard of a Korean restaurant that offered samgyeopsal. The expenses were covered by the company. This was just a small celebration.

On the second day, April 8, Saturday, The Bourne Ultimatum made another $35 million.

On Sunday, the movie made another $29 million.

In just three days, The Bourne Ultimatum grossed $103 million at the box office, probably the fastest $100 million of 2006.

When that news spread, Hollywood became lively again. They were excited and scared about the development. Excited because this kind of performance was extraordinary. Scared because they didn't know how this movie would affect the industry.

The Cinematic Universe had proven to be a profitable way of making money. And so far, only one company had succeeded in doing so.

Rumors were going around that Warner Brothers was preparing its own Cinematic Universe, but no one could confirm whether it was real or fake news.

.........

......

...

Kazir yawned. He had just come out of the editing room to talk to his assistant director. He lacked sleep, he had only slept three hours that day. Well, one of the reasons he failed to sleep was because Scarlett had visited the company last night, and the couple decided to spend their time in Kazir's office, wink wink. Kazir's office had a bed, a bathroom, a toilet, a bathtub, and even a kitchen in case he wanted to eat. Kazir spent most of his time on the filming set or in his office.

"Everest, you did a great job," Kazir praised the young guy. He knew how hard it was to manage a group of people.

Everest smiled, pleased that his work was appreciated.

It had been a month since Kazir announced that he wanted to film a small project. Everest and his team had immediately implemented the plan.

Now, they had completed the cast after a month of auditions. This was probably the shortest preparation they had ever done.

"Here's the cast. First on the list is this new actor, Henry Cavill."

"... Um, who?" Kazir paused for a second there.

"Never mind, continue." Kazir realized his awkward expression.

"Second is Megan Fox. She's a model."

"...... Ah?" Kazir paused for two seconds.

"Nothing. Maybe I just lack too much sleep, so my mind can't process things right. Go on, continue."

"The third is Chris Hemsworth. Also a newbie actor."

"......... What the hell?" He paused for three seconds.

"The fourth is Gal Gadot. She's a beauty pageant contestant and participated in Miss Universe. She's trying to find a career in Hollywood."

"Wow. Sometimes I have no idea how life plays around."

Everest gave documents to Kazir. Everest was confused by Kazir's reaction, but he believed it was because Kazir lacked sleep.

"Thanks, Everest. I'll read this later. While I'm gone, take care of the production. Set up a script reading and make sure they attend. Make them practice rehearsals."

"Yes, sir."

Kazir was shocked when he realized that these four upcoming celebrities would be working with him on this small-budget horror movie.

 

[GodOfHeroes]

When youre so high tier in terms of reputatiton and filmography then even your "small" movies get a bunch of promising future stars. For example, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood had so many future stars that it still suprises people (Austin Butler, Sydney Sweeney, Maya Hawke, Margot Qualley, Mikey Madison)

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 485


Kazir had heard of each actor that Everest mentioned. He knew them because they would become famous in the next decade.

"Let's see, it's understandable that they are still not famous. After all, they are just starting in the industry."

If there was one thing that caught him off guard, it was that he didn't expect these four would actually work with him on a small-budget horror movie that he had written.

It was an honor, but at the same time, it was pressure for him. He knew the future of these four actors, they would become well-known celebrities. He didn't want to negatively affect their careers because of his horror movie.

He looked at their documents after Everest excused himself.

"I can say that their agents worked hard just to give them a slot in the audition."

CAA was the strongest agency in Hollywood right now, and they had a lot of clients. Most of those clients probably fought for the roles in his horror movie, but these four new-face actors got them.

At this point, it didn't matter how much the salary was. Any actor would be elated once they got a chance to work with Kazir.

Perhaps some celebrities even offered to lower their salaries, but Everest and the crew still chose these four.

Out of the four actors, Megan Fox and Henry Cavill had the highest salaries. Megan Fox signed a contract for $450 thousand, while Henry Cavill signed for $250 thousand.

As for Gal Gadot and Chris Hemsworth, they both received a meager $100 thousand as their salaries.

Megan Fox had the best filmography out of all of them, as the model/actress had already worked in three movies, although as side characters. Her biggest role was in Bad Boys II.

'I'm not going to lie. 2000s Megan Fox was the definition of beauty. She was so damn gorgeous that everyone would fall in love once they saw her. This was not even an understatement. Especially in the Transformers franchise, she gained a lot of fans because of her super sexy role... Yeah, men were simple, no one could deny that.'

As for Henry Cavill, he had already worked on four projects, but his roles were also side characters. His biggest project was The Count of Monte Cristo.

Chris Hemsworth and Gal Gadot got their debut movies in 2009, which was three years from now. So it was already amazing that they received $100 thousand as their salaries. Obviously, they didn't have credentials to back themselves up. Kazir was actually surprised they got the roles.

Anyway, Everest would take care of them while Kazir was spending his time on Pirates of the Caribbean.

He was close to completing Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. The special effects were already done, and they just needed polishing and trimming to make the movie theater-worthy.

As for the third movie, which was Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, ILM needed two to three months to complete the special effects.

Kazir had already compiled the scenes that didn't need special effects into chronological order. Once the special effects were done, he would return to editing it.

.........

......

...

Aside from The Bourne Ultimatum, the month of April also had some interesting movies such as Scary Movie 4, The Wild, Silent Hill, and R.V.

However, only The Bourne Ultimatum performed amazingly at the box office. Yes, amazing was the best word to describe the movie. Because despite being released on a weaker schedule, The Bourne Ultimatum grossed $318 million by the end of April.

Most of the time, this kind of performance could only be seen in the summer season. Yet The Bourne Ultimatum achieved it in April. Furthermore, a movie that usually surpassed $300 million in a month ended up around $900 million once the screening ended.

In fact, the worldwide box office of The Bourne Ultimatum was already at $450 million as the movie was released in other countries.

In just a month, The Bourne Ultimatum was already close to reaching $500 million.

Just as Kazir expected, The Bourne Ultimatum could be compared to Captain Marvel, a movie that followed the hype and experienced huge success.

"If The Bourne Ultimatum grosses over a billion dollars, I would buy a mansion in California."

Kazir gambled on himself in a fun way. Either way, Kazir and Grey Pictures were all winning. Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass were also winning. The two had solidified their positions in Hollywood, and more studios would hire them, especially once the movie grossed $1 billion. They would also experience the hype that Christopher Nolan experienced.

Kazir had finished the post-production of Pirates of the Caribbean, and the promotion of the movie was ongoing. The marketing team of Grey Pictures was going all out. Furthermore, they were working with Victor Grey's company, which was top-notch at online marketing.

Kazir stepped into the rehearsal studio, where he found the four actors practicing their lines.

The four actors unconsciously fixed their postures when they realized that Director Grey was back.

"Chris, state your lines without stuttering. I know you need to express that you're scared, but you can show that using your expression... Besides, you look too tall to be stuttering."

"I will." Chris nodded and repeated the line.

To be fair, both Chris Hemsworth and Henry Cavill were over six feet. Kazir was also over six feet. The three men in question were tall.

So whenever Megan and Gal talked to them, they had to slightly raise their heads.

+++++

[Author's Note: I can't remember if I named Victor's company or if I just left it with no name at all.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 486

"Henry, your accent is showing. Repeat that line again."

Henry Cavill nodded and looked at Megan Fox. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her to calm her down. Megan was screaming after what she experienced. She saw an illusion where she was tied to a bed while the doctors experimented on her body.

"You're doing great." Kazir nodded and gave it a passing mark. Three days from now, they would start the filming.

Everest and Kazir's trusted friend, Renner Hector, found a filming location where they could shoot the movie. It was a real abandoned mental hospital in Ohio. Ohio had some crazy stuff going on, or so the internet and memes stated.

The production crew had already talked to the municipality, and they agreed. They just hoped that the crew wouldn't make a ruckus, as the mental hospital was near the woods and could possibly start a fire if the crew made mistakes with their props. Also, the mayor wanted an autograph from Kazir.

Kazir looked at the script... He was nervous and excited at the same time. He was afraid that this movie might fail, which could cause his extreme depression. It would prove that he had no real talent as a director and that the only reason why he was successful was because of the plagiarizing he did.

'If that happens... I might kill myself.' He joked. He was mature enough to overcome this kind of challenge. However, he knew that his mentality would be affected if this original script indeed failed.

He glanced at the four actors. This movie was a small project, and these were the only important characters in the movie. The others were just background characters that Kazir could hire at any moment.

He clapped his hands and announced that the practice for the day was over.

"I can see that all of you have potential. I believe your career in Hollywood will be amazing."

Knowing the future, these four actors made names for themselves.

When the four heard Kazir's praise, they couldn't help but smile. It meant that the director could see a future where they became famous celebrities.

To be fair, they were kind of celebrities lately. The fact that they got hired to be part of Director Grey's horror movie qualified them to be celebrities.

Even though this was only a small-budget horror movie, almost everyone in Hollywood became interested in it. It was because of the simple fact that the director of this small-budget horror movie was Director Grey. It gained a lot of attention.

Furthermore, Kazir even said to his agent that he wanted to sell this movie to a studio!

It meant that Kazir planned to let go of these copyrights and let another studio take care of the franchise... If there was a franchise.

Well, Kazir's scripts usually had a sequel or two, so this horror movie could probably have a sequel. Perhaps?

This news immediately shook Hollywood. Salvatore received so many phone calls from people.

As for the intention behind why Kazir did that, he was the only one who knew the answer.

Kazir wanted to sell the copyrights because he treated Shadows Beneath as his first real business deal in Hollywood after so many years. Back in his past life, he also sold his movies to other studios and platforms, such as Netflix, to make money... Let's just say Kazir wanted to experience that kind of transaction. He probably missed it.

.........

......

...

"This place is scary..."

Scarlett Johansson frowned as she stepped into the woods. A couple of meters into the woods, she found an old abandoned mental hospital. The place was so eerie that it gave her the chills.

If not for the tents in front of the building, Scarlett might have turned around and left the place. She was wearing a thick jacket and a bonnet.

She was done with her job and had free time to visit her boyfriend. As she got closer, she saw Kazir talking to a beautiful woman. The woman was hot and sexy, and her eyes were playfully gazing at Kazir.

'If I remember it right, that actress is only two years younger than me.'

Scarlett raised her brow. This was not the first time this kind of thing happened.

Despite having a bombshell of a woman next to him, Kazir kept talking as if he didn't care at all. He gave his opinion, and the actress left with a hint of disappointment in her eyes. It was hard not to be attracted to a tall, mature guy who had a successful career.

In Hollywood, most of the actresses treated Kazir as the peak of masculinity because the director almost checked all of their preferences for a man. In fact, Kazir was featured in a magazine as the hottest man of 2007. It might not be an exaggeration if people fapped to his pictures...

Tall, handsome, mature/older, billionaire, hot, and ahem, had a huge manhood. The last description was just rumors circling around, but there is no smoke if there's no fire.

Scarlett chuckled when she witnessed the whole scene. She found it funny that the actress tried to flirt with Kazir, but she was left disappointed instead.

Scarlett got closer until Kazir saw her. The man stopped the filming and announced an hour break and approached Scarlett.

The woman saw how the man's expression turned happy and excited to meet her.

"I have a nice and cozy trailer. Let me make you a hot chocolate."

He gently took her purse and carried it. He then leaned closer and kissed her.

"Thanks, babe." Scarlett giggled and hugged Kazir's arm as they walked to the trailer.

The crew was a bit surprised as they witnessed how Kazir transitioned from being stoic and serious to having a smile on his face. Most of the time, they rarely got to see him smile.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 487

The filming of Shadows Beneath didn't have much of a problem. However, the production crew faced a problem regarding the budget.

You see, the crew had to work against time and props.

The announcement of this project was abrupt, and they had to finish the filming within two to three months... They couldn't help but blame Kazir for that. Still, money is money, and they couldn't deny that their salaries were quite good, so they were not bitter.

Anyway, they faced problems such as the props and background settings. They needed to make props if those specific props couldn't be bought, which required time and perhaps money, especially if they needed to hire more prop makers.

Also, the background settings. The movie was not only filmed in a single location like the mental hospital. The production crew also needed to make a hospital room in the studio for specific scenes.

Making the background required time, but most importantly, it required manpower. To make sure that background settings were done before the start of filming, the production crew had to spend money to hire more manpower.

Because of this, they overspent...

The expected budget of Shadows Beneath was only $15 million. Yet, they had already spent $17 million.

This was the first time that Kazir overspent on his movie. His clean record was no more.

But Kazir was not angry about it. He was also not angry at his crew. In the first place, he started this project unexpectedly, and most of his long-time crew members couldn't join, hence the slow progression. Furthermore, the time to prepare the props and background settings was too short.

Just to keep up with the schedule, they needed to spend more money. Kazir understood it.

His record of never overspending was not meant to be taken seriously. At least Kazir didn't take it seriously.

Thankfully, except for the small problem of adding another $2 million, their filming was smooth sailing. The cast didn't experience mental blocks while on the set, they were performing great.

Just like that, two months passed while Kazir spent time filming Shadows Beneath. The premiere for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest would happen in a week.

Kazir finished the filming of Shadows Beneath two days before the premiere, and he quickly returned to Hollywood to join the promotion of the movie. He attended many shows together with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley to promote the movie.

Johnny Depp never talked to Amber Heard after the incident, at least that was how Kazir saw it. He hoped that the two were done in this timeline.

By the way, while Kazir was busy with Shadows Beneath, many big movies were released in the summer.

In May, movies such as Mission: Impossible III, The Da Vinci Code, Over the Hedge, High School Musical, and X-Men: The Last Stand were released. These movies received great reception when they were released.

In June, movies such as The Break-Up, The Omen, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, The Lake House, Nacho Libre, Click, Superman Returns, and The Devil Wears Prada were released. These movies received great reception when they were released.

And now that July has arrived, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest would have an introduction on July 6, Thursday.

Superstars such as Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, and Director Kazir Grey showed up on the red carpet. Considering that they had constant projects in Hollywood every year, they were qualified as superstars.

The premiere was spectacular as Grey Pictures didn't hesitate to spend money.

The Bourne Ultimatum, which was released in April, already grossed $406 million in North America and $382 million internationally. The movie grossed $788 million worldwide. It was a success that the Big Five jealously stared at because they couldn't get a piece of it.

Because of the success of The Bourne Ultimatum, Grey Pictures had no problem spending for the promotion of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. After all, this movie was directed by Kazir Grey.

.........

......

...

"Did we get scammed?"

Barry Mayer, the person who currently held the highest position in the management of Warner Brothers, weakly muttered while staring at the newspaper.

The first weekend of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was a whopping $135 million.

On Friday, the movie grossed $55 million.

On Saturday, it grossed another $44 million.

On Sunday, it grossed another $35 million.

Making the movie gross a total of $135 million.

"The Pirates of the Caribbean is going to make a lot of money," Barry easily deduced.

"As for us..." He sighed.

One of their biggest movies this year was Superman Returns. This superhero had given them so much profit back in the '70s and '80s. They believed that Superman would perform well in this era. But the statistics said the opposite.

Superman Returns grossed $199 million after 9 days of screening. It looked promising, but the experts determined that the fuel of the movie was quickly disappearing. People didn't like it, and the ticket sales quickly went down. Furthermore, the CinemaScore of Superman Returns was an average B+. It was not a good sign.

"People just bought tickets for the hype, but they are not satisfied or excited to watch it again."

Barry muttered the statements of the data experts in the company.

Superman Returns had all of the formulas to succeed, except for one thing. Superman didn't have an enemy, an enemy that could pose a threat to the godly being. That was the biggest factor why the audience didn't like it. It didn't help that the production cost of Superman Returns was a whopping $270 million, the promotion budget was not even included. The movie would have a hard time making a profit.

Compared to Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean had a better reception.

"That damn Kazir. He made an amazing movie this year, but his performance last year was mediocre. Batman Begins just barely made money at the box office."

That was the reason why Barry Mayer felt like Warner Brothers was scammed.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 488

Last year, Batman Begins was released, and its box office was $549 million. The production cost was $150 million. The movie earned more than twice its investment, so it made a profit.

However, just like the management, Barry couldn't help but be bitter that Batman Begins only made that amount. They expected a bit more, around $600 million at least. Especially when Kazir Grey was the one who directed the movie.

And now, his current movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, grossed $135 million in just three days.

Compared to Batman Begins, which only grossed $54 million in three days, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest had twice the profit in the same timeframe.

It was devastating to compare them, but he couldn't help but do so. Both movies were made by the same director. Sure, the genre of the two movies was different, but still...

Barry sighed. He felt like Kazir was not taking their cooperation seriously. Perhaps he was indeed sabotaging their projects.

And now, Barry was thinking if he should hire Kazir for the sequel to Batman. In the contract, Warner Brothers had the upper hand, and they had the power to stop working with Kazir. The director didn't have a say about that.

"...No, let's wait for a while. Based on the performance of Superman Returns, we might have to postpone our plans of making a Cinematic Universe, as we can't afford the losses. For the time being, let's keep the Batman Trilogy. As long as the contract is in effect, Kazir will surely work with us."

The Batman Trilogy was the first trilogy contract that Kazir signed.

"I heard the director filmed a small-budget horror, and he wants to sell the copyrights to a studio. Maybe Warner Brothers can acquire it."

As much as he wanted to deny it, Kazir's movies were profitable. He never had a movie that failed except for his first three movies, which were also horror movies...

"Hm, let's watch it first before making a move."

Barry recalled that Kazir's weakness was horror movies, so he had to think about it seriously before buying the movie.

.........

......

...

Being part of the summer season, July had some movies that surpassed $100 million.

Aside from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, movies such as Little Man, You, Me and Dupree, Monster House, Little Miss Sunshine, John Tucker Must Die, and Miami Vice were released, which grossed more than $100 million.

However, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest smoothly dominated the month. No other movies could face it head-on. When July ended, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest grossed $361 million at the North American box office. The movie was only in theaters for 25 days, yet its box office hit was that tremendous.

The word of mouth and the CinemaScore ratings of the movie helped a lot. People just knew that if Kazir made a movie, it was a sure box office hit.

While the director and his movie were the topic of the month, the director in question was busy with the post-production of Shadows Beneath. After a month of promoting Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Kazir left the scene and let the cast do their jobs.

After all, directors were meant to stay behind the spotlight. No matter what people say, the cast will always be the face of the promotion. Jack Sparrow will always be the face of Pirates of the Caribbean. Even if a certain animation studio decided to fire Johnny Depp from his role, people would still acknowledge the fact that Johnny Depp was the face of Pirates of the Caribbean.

So yeah, Kazir was not the face of promotion, and he was happy about that. At least now he could focus on editing his horror movie.

"Yeah, another sleepless month."

Kazir yawned as he looked at the monitors that replayed the scenes. Next to him was Rector, the head of the editing/post-production team.

The post-production team consists of many positions.

Film Editor. This position was taken by Rector, the oldest editor whom Kazir worked with. The guy was now a permanent editor at Grey Pictures, responsible for editing Grey Pictures' movies.

Aside from the Film Editor:

There was an Assistant Editor, who organized the footage, managed media files, and synced sounds.

Sound Editor, who was responsible for editing dialogues, sound effects, and ambient sounds.

Colorists, who adjusted the colors and tone of the footage. This created a specific mood for the movie.

Music Editor, who worked on background music that was aligned with the movie narrative.

They also had Visual Effects Artists, but Grey Pictures usually hired ILM whenever they needed heavy special effects scenes.

Again, Grey Pictures was not a simple studio anymore. After years of success, it became one of the best B-list studios in Hollywood.

"I still can't believe that you reached this height. Sometimes I feel like you're not even living in the same timeline, I feel like you're from the future," Rector muttered to Kazir who was happy now that he had time to work on his movie.

Rector remembered the time when Kazir was still an unknown director who hired him to edit Napoleon Dynamite. It was a memory that sparked the start of their long-term cooperation.

And now, the unknown director was no more. Only a successful director who was addicted to making movies.

"Kazir, when was the last time you took a long-term vacation?"

"I think it was four years ago, back in 2002."

"..."

Rector sighed. It was impossible to fix the guy.

Just like that, two months passed, and big news shocked Hollywood.

The Bourne Ultimatum surpassed $1 billion at the worldwide box office! It was the first movie that surpassed $1 billion this year and probably the only movie, unless another miracle happens!

++++

[If my prediction is right, I can probably end this novel around 600-700 chapters. Haha, let's see how I will cook.]

[Edit: This novel is already completed.]

[By the way, which studio should I sell Kazir's horror movie to? I'll make a poll for that.]

[Edit: The poll ended.]