HOLLYWOOD WHAT IF

[FallenMetal]

Thank you, and that is quite the lucky break. I am curious to see if Kazir will be able to talk to Heath Ledger and assist him. Great job as always, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 499


Universal Pictures didn't expect this outcome. Even the other big studios didn't expect this outcome... They had an inkling about the marketing strategy that Grey Pictures and Universal Pictures implemented, but they didn't know it would become this big.

Videos, documents, and posts started spreading on social media about the cruelty of mental asylums. Because of this, other countries also followed the trend, and curious people began searching for the dark secrets of mental asylums in their respective countries, which led to TV networks and newspapers covering the topic.

Subjects such as mental health, mental hospitals, and cruel experiments on patients became the most searched topics on the internet, and people also discussed them in real life.

The mental hospital that Shadows Beneath's production crew used as a set for the majority of their filming became a hotspot and tourist attraction. Grey Pictures also confirmed that some diabolical experimentations had occurred in the abandoned hospital.

The curious visitors who came to the abandoned hospital believed the souls of the patients were still trapped there. These visitors offered food and other items to appease the spirits. There was no clear explanation, people simply believed that the souls lingered within the mental hospital.

The public was also heavily influenced by the movie, so they were emotionally affected by the supernatural themes. It didn't help that Grey Pictures spread pictures of real patients, and the cast members bore a resemblance to them.

Obviously, Shadows Beneath was having a blast. The Big Six were flabbergasted, and even second-tier studios were amazed by what had transpired... The fact that they once had a chance to acquire Shadows Beneath made it a bitter pill to swallow.

Why? Because after six weeks of screening, Shadows Beneath had grossed $583 million worldwide.

North America contributed $386 million to the box office, while the international box office reached $197 million. The response from other countries had been quiet, yet Shadows Beneath managed to pull in $197 million in just two weeks.

The numbers didn't lie. This year, the topic of mental hospitals as horror hotspots had become the trend. Young people began visiting abandoned mental hospitals just for the thrill. They were influenced by the film Shadows Beneath and its extremely effective marketing strategy.

Universal Pictures was elated, even Ronald Meyer received congratulations from General Electric's headquarters. Comcast was even considering retaining Ronald as the CEO of Universal Pictures.

Overall, the situation at Universal Pictures was going very well... Of course, they had to pay a 5% box office share to Kazir Grey, but who cared? Based on current statistics, Shadows Beneath would likely gross between $750 and $800 million.

After all, horror movies typically couldn't surpass $1 billion... Unless Kazir made the impossible possible. And if there was one director who could, it was Kazir Grey.

Well, Shadows Beneath was going well, so it didn't really matter.

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...

"Fuck, I forgot about this fact. The Mishimas are ruthless once they put you on the wall."

Pause. That statement could have had another meaning.

"You're talking about their endless combos, right?"

"Huh? Do I look like I'm talking about something else? Of course I'm talking about their combos," Christian Bale replied, unaware of what Kazir was implying.

Kazir and Christian were playing Tekken. Christian specifically requested that his trailer be equipped with a PlayStation.

Christian Bale was the lead actor in the project, and people obviously respected him.

Christian invited Kazir over to discuss the project, but they ended up playing Tekken instead. They forgot all about work once they picked up the controllers.

After half an hour of spamming a single button, Kazir ended up winning most of the matches.

Christian was actually irritated but held it in since he couldn't lash out at the director. He suddenly regretted inviting Kazir in the first place.

When they were done, Christian finally brought up the main reason he called Kazir.

"Kazir, don't you think we need to change something in the filming?"

When Kazir heard that, he smiled knowingly, already anticipating where the conversation was headed.

This wasn't the first time someone brought this up. Even the producer, Enrico Pusi, had asked the same question.

The highlights of the movie were mostly centered around the Joker. Kazir and nearly every Dark Knight Trilogy fan agreed on that.

The Joker was the biggest reason The Dark Knight was a success... Erm, Heath Ledger's death was also a significant contributing factor.

Kazir wanted to maintain the same energy, so the script naturally emphasized the Joker's scenes.

Since Christian was the star and protagonist of the movie, it was understandable that he felt uncomfortable with another actor seemingly taking the spotlight.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure this movie will be a success."

Kazir patted Christian on the shoulder before leaving his trailer... He didn't want to discuss the script any further, he was tired of hearing the same concerns over and over. Kazir was the highest authority on set, and not even Warner Brothers could stop him from doing what he wanted.

Christian was left speechless as he watched the director walk away.

"There's probably a misunderstanding... I wanted to talk about my costume. It's so suffocating wearing it all the time. It's so uncomfortable and hot, my sweat can't even dry while I'm wearing it."

Christian sighed. He would probably have to bring it up to Kazir again later.

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[Please support my new novel Behind The Spotlight by giving it power stones. HWI is already near its end and it doesn't need power stones anymore.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 500


"If there's a miracle, then what I'm seeing right now is a miracle."

Barry Mayer frowned as he looked at the miraculous statistics on his table. He had been in the industry for more than a decade, and these kinds of numbers were impossible to achieve. Even his Warner Brothers, the current number one studio in Hollywood, could only replicate two $900 million movies.

That was the best achievement they had accomplished so far.

But the statistics he was looking at proved that two $900 million movies were just child's play.

Have you ever seen a production studio with three $1 billion movies in just one year? Probably not.

However, Grey Pictures was close to doing exactly that.

After five months of screening, Kingsman: The Secret Service had grossed $926 million worldwide.

A great movie could last six to eight months in theaters as long as people remained interested in watching it. In the case of Kingsman: The Secret Service, the movie was making at least a million dollars per day. That explained why it had already earned $900 million.

Barry could see that Grey Pictures would have three $1 billion movies. Kingsman: The Secret Service would be the third to reach that mark.

He realized that 2006 was the year of Grey Pictures. The other studios had lost this particular year, and they didn't like that.

Warner Brothers was recognized as the current number one studio in Hollywood because most of its movies in recent years had been box office hits. Even low-budget movies from Warner Brothers were earning more than $100 million.

Walt Disney couldn't compete at all.

Disney was going strong with its 3D animated movies, but their live-action films weren't selling enough.

As for the other big studios, they couldn't consistently release box office hits like Warner Brothers. Only Grey Pictures could match that level of performance.

Honestly, if Grey Pictures decided to compete against the Big Six and acquired distribution lines, it would probably have the power to face them head-on.

But that kind of threat would easily get plucked out, just like what had happened to their other competitors. So far, only Lionsgate had shown steady performance year after year, but even Lionsgate couldn't match the Big Six.

Barry turned the page, and his expression worsened as he realized that Shadows Beneath had grossed $635 million after nearly three months of screening... It didn't sit well with him that the horror movie he had dismissed was performing so well.

Warner Brothers had been content that Kazir had a trilogy with them. They also didn't think that Shadows Beneath would make that much. They had been too full of themselves.

'If I had known this would happen, I would have increased the bid. At least I'm confident that we could have acquired the copyrights if we had offered more than Universal Pictures did.'

$100 million plus 5% of worldwide shares was a contract that Warner Brothers could easily handle. The fact that Shadows Beneath's copyright had been acquired for that amount was almost laughable. A movie performing that well could bring far more profit.

'It's because of those disgusting experiments on the internet...'

People were so intrigued and curious that they began searching for gruesome content. There was even this thing called the Dark Web that many became curious about...

Barry admitted that Grey Pictures had pulled off an amazing marketing strategy. Even though their own marketing department was studying the secret behind it, Barry had reprimanded them and forced them to study it more seriously.

Regarding The Dark Knight, there were some questionable elements that Barry didn't agree with, but he decided to trust Kazir.

The script was a bit too dark for a superhero movie... Barry had to use his influence to convince the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to rate The Dark Knight PG-13.

Warner Brothers had a seat in the MPAA, and that helped them protect the ratings of their movies.

If The Dark Knight had received an R-rating, it would automatically mean a loss for them. Warner Brothers was already preparing to make sure that never happened.

By the way, the six members of the MPAA were the Big Six. Their seats in the MPAA were also one of the reasons why other studios couldn't surpass them. Being part of the board that decided movie ratings, they had the power to sabotage competing studios.

"If not for his credibility, I would never have agreed to Kazir's plot. This kind of script is too much for the fans to handle. I'm not sure they'll want to see their superhero lose..."

Management had been strongly against it even now. But the recent performance of Grey Pictures' movies was so outstanding that they eventually agreed to Kazir's idea.

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...

"Hey, so I want to ask, is it all right that you're letting Heath do his own makeup?"

Jane, the head of the makeup team, asked Kazir about his opinion regarding Heath Ledger's decision to do his own makeup.

Kazir glanced at her before turning his attention to the trailer where Heath was currently staying. He paused for a second before nodding.

"Let him do what he wants."

Jane narrowed her eyes and whispered something.

"Hey, are you sure that actor is doing fine? I talked to him earlier and he gave me creepy vibes."

Kazir just chuckled. That only showed that Heath Ledger was doing well... as an actor. It showed he was fully immersed in the role.

"Don't worry, I'll handle it."

Some people had been against hiring Heath Ledger because of his past role. Two years ago, Heath starred in a movie called Brokeback Mountain, his role in that film was a gay cowboy. To be precise, the movie was about two gay cowboys who periodically went to Brokeback Mountain to rekindle their love.

Some people were against hiring Heath because they feared it would negatively affect The Dark Knight's performance, but Kazir had been firm in his decision. In his opinion, Heath Ledger was one of the main reasons why The Dark Knight became successful.

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[First, I'm sorry if my uploads haven't been consistent lately. I have no excuse.]

[Second, I want to celebrate the fact that this novel has reached 500 chapters. Thanks to all of your support, guys. I appreciate it a lot.]

[Third, I'm quite confident that this novel will end around chapter 100 to 200. Let's be honest, almost everything in Kazir's bucket list has been completed, except for Ninja Assassin. As for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Dark Knight Trilogy, I'll probably not go into too much detail about them.]

[Fourth, the reason I want to end this novel within 200 more chapters is that I feel Kazir's story is nearing its conclusion. I don't want to lose the essence of this novel just because I want to milk it for money. No, this novel needs a proper ending, instead of me spamming plots just for the sake of it.]

[Fifth, as for the days I missed, I'm not going to promise anything anymore, because it feels like a heavy burden that's hard for me to carry. I feel stressed whenever I owe chapters. All I can say is I'll try my best to write this story until we reach the end.]

[Sixth, this is my second novel that will be completed. It's the second novel of mine where I can clearly see the ending. I hope you'll continue supporting me until the very end.]

[If you have any questions, feel free to comment. I'll do my best to answer them.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 501


Hollywood had a lot of gays and lesbians, so they were not that much against the idea of same-sex relationships between two men. However, Hollywood also had a lot of straight people.

When Kazir first invited Heath Ledger to become the Joker, some people in the management of Warner Brothers were against the idea. They were afraid that the controversies surrounding Brokeback Mountain would affect the performance of The Dark Knight.

Despite being an award-winning film, some people still criticized the movie because they couldn't let go of their ideologies while watching it.

Some LGBTQ+ activists didn't like that the two gay roles were performed by two straight men. They wanted gay actors to take gay roles. But acting is a profession where a person acts as someone else or portrays a character. For a straight actor to play a gay man was not wrong, because that was his job.

Another criticism that Brokeback Mountain faced was the backlash from conservative and religious organizations.

In a way, Brokeback Mountain was fucked from both sides… Ahem.

Yet despite the criticism, the movie won Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score at the 78th Academy Awards (Oscars).

The management tried to talk to Kazir, trying to convince him that Heath Ledger's current reputation was a bit tricky for the role of the Joker.

Kazir stood by his opinion. He said it didn't matter since Heath Ledger would always be in clown makeup, and no one would recognize him as the cowboy from Brokeback Mountain. The two roles were vastly different anyway.

He also knew that even the audience would be surprised when they realized that Heath Ledger was the Joker. The usual roles Heath Ledger took were nothing like the Joker.

The Joker was a psychotic and dangerous character.

Just like that, Kazir proved he was right.

The interrogation room was dimly lit, the crew had built an interrogation room in the studio just for this scene… It cost a few dozen thousand dollars.

The camera operators were ready. They had already checked every angle.

Kazir was sitting a couple of meters away, staring at the monitor that showed every angle of the interrogation room.

Heath Ledger was in full makeup as he sat at the metal table. The crew members felt a dark vibe around the actor, and they kept their mouths shut.

The dim room suddenly lit up.

Christian Bale, in his Batman suit, appeared and slammed Heath Ledger's head onto the table… His head didn't actually touch the table, but the camera angle made it look like the Joker's face slammed against it.

"Never start with the head, the victim gets fuzzy…"

"You wanted me, here I am."

Batman and Joker started the conversation.

The confrontation between the hero and the villain.

Kazir liked where this was going. He could see that the two were performing excellently.

"I don't wanna kill you. What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no, no. You complete me."

The Joker started giggling.

Batman grabbed the Joker's collar and asked,

"Where's Dent?"

"Okay, cut—!"

Kazir had to cut the scene even though he wanted to continue it. The next scene was about Batman slamming the Joker against the wall, and they needed a stunt double for that. They couldn't afford to hurt any of their cast, so they obviously needed a stunt double for physically demanding scenes.

When the scene was done, some of the crew members stared at Heath Ledger in amazement. They got goosebumps just watching him. They felt like they were looking at the real Joker.

Kazir looked around and saw the management from Warner Brothers and DC Comics. They were also impressed by Heath Ledger's performance. Some of them were the very people who were against casting the actor.

When the management saw Kazir, they avoided his gaze and walked away.

Kazir smirked. In his mind, he gave them a double invisible "fuck you." These people had been on his nerves for a while. They were trying to interfere with his project.

'If I'm right, they didn't want to cast Heath because they had another actor in mind to play the Joker… Probably one of their buttlickers or something,' Kazir thought.

Another reason why the management was irritating was that they were bitter. They didn't like that Kazir's last two movies were performing amazingly while Batman Begins had an average $500 million box office. By the way, $500 million was not average. Only a few movies in the history of cinema had reached that amount in ticket sales.

But compared to Kazir's filmography, Batman Begins was indeed on the average side. Especially when Shadows Beneath was getting close to $800 million.

Some people from the management were holding a grudge against him. Nothing new.

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...

While Kazir was busy with The Dark Knight, Grey Pictures announced their movies for 2007, which were John Wick: Chapter 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

After the success of La La Land, Fremont Smith decided to film the third movie of the John Wick franchise. In fact, he had been filming it since last year.

Grey Pictures only had two projects this year, as the third season of Game of Thrones had a buffer of two years because the production cost of that TV show was almost comparable to a movie. As for how to solve the financial trouble, Grey Pictures either had to use their own money or take out a loan from the bank. Well, Stella was a great leader, so she probably had an idea of what to do.