HOLLYWOOD WHAT IF

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 512

"You're so cute when you're angry."

"Hmph! I'm not gonna fall for your trick this time," Scarlett grumbled and started looking for Barbie toys. Kazir followed closely.

"Of course, I'm not blaming you. Most of the time, the reason why a movie fails is because of the wrong decisions the directors make. You're just an actress, all you can do is follow the script. You can't control how the movie will be created," Kazir tried to appease the woman.

"Besides, it's amazing that you got $2 million."

She gave him a playful glare. "I do know that I was blamed in that movie for being an emotionless actress who can't perform well."

"I'm sorry, I made a mistake."

Scarlett sighed and passed a box of Barbie dolls to Kazir. Her frustration was gone as she realized that she was actually being childish.

"I forgive you. I always will... Now make sure you make up for it," she added.

"Okay, cool. I'm gonna eat that thang later, okay, okay, I'm just joking." Kazir chuckled as he saw Scarlett glaring at him for making a dirty joke.

Kazir followed Scarlett while holding a few boxes of toys for little girls.

"Anyway, Paramount invited me to direct Transformers, but I'm kinda busy. However, they decided to adjust their schedule, hoping that I could direct Transformers," Kazir explained their meeting.

"If you didn't agree, Paramount Pictures would hire Michael Bay instead?" Scarlett giggled while looking at Kazir, who was doing his best carrying the toys.

"That's right. I have no problem with it. I already have a lot of projects to do."

"So what's your decision? Are you not interested in directing Transformers?" Scarlett asked. Based on Kazir's tone, it was obvious that he was interested in directing the movie.

Kazir paused after paying for the toys. He used cash again. He slightly smiled at Scarlett.

"At first, I was interested. I can see the potential in Transformers. It has the potential to make billions at the box office. Furthermore, Hasbro will pay top dollar just to hire a director like me... But I decided that it's not for me."

"But why?"

"Because I don't like Paramount Pictures. For now, I won't work with that studio."

Scarlett nodded and understood Kazir's reasoning.

When Kazir was in the hospital, getting treated for his injuries, Paramount Pictures was one of the studios that berated the director and tried to cause a scandal.

Paramount Pictures expressed that Kazir was an arrogant director who kicked out a poor extra, and he deserved what happened to him. Even Scarlett had been livid while listening to that news report.

Their team already filed lawsuits to those people but it would probably take a while for a result to happen. Everything comes down to who has more money.

Thankfully, Kazir had still been asleep when that news aired.

But based on Kazir's decision, it was obvious that he held a grudge against what Paramount Pictures did.

"I guess Paramount Pictures regrets what they did. Now they closed the negotiation before it even happened," Scarlett said, making fun of Paramount Pictures.

"I guess so."

They were not far from being right. As of now, Paramount Pictures felt like they had shot themselves in the foot after the revelation about the assassination attempt on Kazir. Even the public was making a mockery of Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney, Sony-Columbia, and Universal Pictures.

Kazir suddenly laughed.

"I just remembered something. It's so ironic that a few years ago, Sony-Columbia and 20th Century Fox protected me when the scandal involving Tobey Maguire and me spread. At that time, Warner Brothers was one of the studios that tried to destroy my career. But now it's the complete opposite, Warner Brothers is protecting me while Sony-Columbia is lashing out at me."

It was all about benefits. For now, Walt Disney could see the benefit of helping Kazir, so the studio did its best to protect him.

There were no eternal enemies or allies in this industry, everyone was doing it for their own benefit. The industry itself was a hypocritical system filled with lies, yet people couldn't help but adore Show Business. Many wouldn't hesitate to sell their souls just to become celebrities. Honestly, some famous people indeed had sold their souls, ahem, such as the people related to Diddy.

"If Paramount Pictures tries to invite me again after this incident, I'll give them a massive middle finger."

Kazir was not some weakling that the Big Six could bully, not anymore. He could determine his own future without bowing his head.

As for Transformers, unfortunately, Kazir decided to drop that project from his hands. If Paramount Pictures decided to hire Michael Bay, so be it.

But since the release of Transformers was delayed, Kazir was not sure if the movie would experience the same success as in the original timeline.

..........

.......

...

Scarlett and Kazir returned to the United States in the last week of July. Kazir had a premiere to attend around this time, so their vacation only lasted one month. Furthermore, Kazir had to start the post-production of The Dark Knight. Once Kazir stepped on American soil, his mind immediately shifted back to work-related matters. Despite the incident, it was fortunate that some things never changed.

While Kazir was gone, movies such as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Hairspray, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and The Simpsons Movie were released in theaters.

20th Century Fox was the distributor of Grey Pictures' movies, but Fox also couldn't disregard their own projects. Because of that, Grey Pictures' movies were usually released in late July, August, or September, depending on the schedule.

This time, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum would be released on July 31, Tuesday. A rare date to release a movie. The promotion was in full force: tabloids, billboards, and movie trailers were almost everywhere.

+++++

[Author's Note.]

[Since most readers prefer Ninja Assassin, I decided to say no to Transformers. Besides, Kazir and Paramount Pictures are not on good terms, so yeah, I decided to write it down.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 513

On July 31, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End grossed over $361 million at the North American box office after 70 days of screening. The movie also grossed $423 million internationally.

The franchise achieved massive success internationally following the outstanding performance of the second movie last year. Since then, the franchise has gained millions of fans all over the world.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl grossed $650 million when it was released in 2003. At that time, it was considered a miracle since pirate movies were typically regarded as box office failures.

Last year, in 2006, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest grossed over $1.06 billion. It was a worldwide success that launched an amazing franchise beloved by people everywhere.

And now, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End has grossed $784 million... No one would deny that the third installment of the franchise would gross over $1 billion. Because from the looks of it, the movie would indeed surpass the $1 billion mark.

So far, Kazir has made four movies that grossed $1 billion at the box office. They were Wanted, Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and Shadows Beneath... No one could replicate what he did. Perhaps only people like Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, and Michael Bay could follow in his footsteps, as these four directors had strong selling factors in their filmographies.

Anyway, despite this good news, Kazir had complicated thoughts regarding the success of Pirates of the Caribbean... He was unsure if he should sell the franchise or perhaps milk it until it was dry and dirty.

At first, Kazir wanted to keep the copyrights since it was a successful franchise. But the tragedy he experienced left him traumatized.

The police concluded that Aquino held a grudge against Kazir because he didn't include his performance in the final cut, which was sort of useless, by the way. After all, Aquino only had a 2-second scene where he was walking and carrying a box. That was it. Fucking not relevant at all.

Because of what he suffered, Kazir felt like Pirates of the Caribbean would always remind him of that terrible experience, and for the sake of his mental health, he considered selling it. By doing that, they would lose most rights regarding merchandise sales and other peripherals.

"I gotta talk to Stella and the management regarding this... But they will probably be against selling such a gold mine."

The best compromise they could reach was that Kazir wouldn't direct the sequels, and Pirates of the Caribbean would be shelved for a few years. They wouldn't film another installment until perhaps 2011.

"What are you thinking?" Scarlett sensed that Kazir was deep in thought and worried it was about the incident a month ago.

Kazir chuckled and shook his head.

"It's nothing. I'm thinking of Pirates of the Caribbean. I wonder what the next step should be."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're the best director in Hollywood, after all."

Hearing his girlfriend's praise, Kazir couldn't help but laugh. Indeed, everyone recognized him as the best director. Not even the newcomer Christopher Nolan, the once-a-decade James Cameron, nor the explosion addict Michael Bay could be compared to him. Kazir was at the top of the filmmaking industry.

Even if Kazir suffered a career-ending scandal and lost everything, studios would still hire him because of his profitability. His name alone was enough to attract audiences to buy tickets.

"Thanks."

Kazir held Scarlett's hand.

The two were in a limousine, on their way to the red carpet for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.

Tonight was a busy night for them as the premiere would be filled with avid fans ready to watch another action-packed movie.

Then, the two reached their destination. They already saw people lining up and reporters snapping pictures at the limousine, waiting for the next celebrities to show up.

Kazir was the first to open his door and extended his hand to Scarlett, who followed after grabbing his hand.

Another deafening cheer echoed as the two walked the red carpet, quite literally.

The scene was spectacular. Fans lined the streets, screaming and waving posters and pictures of the cast, particularly Viggo Mortensen with his iconic long hair and beard.

Kazir and Scarlett, fresh from their vacation in Italy, stood at the center of this applause. They were calm and composed as they followed standard procedure. They had attended movie premieres so many times that they were accustomed to what to do. Still, they had to admit that every CCU red carpet was always hype and energetic.

After posing for pictures, the couple reached the next stage, interviews.

"Director, does the assassination attempt make you think of how to respect your employees better?"

A very bold question, but not surprising. Of course, interviewers loved asking scandalous questions that could trigger celebrities. At this point, this was the career path of most reporters and paparazzi. They loved making celebrities mad so they could make money off it.

Kazir smiled at the reporter who asked the question. He nodded.

"Yes."

One word, but it could imply many things.

"What do you mean, yes?"

Kazir didn't bother answering because Scarlett pulled him away from the scene. She glared at the reporter before walking off.

Kazir was still suffering mentally from the incident, and that low-class reporter decided to remind him of that terrible experience. Of course, anyone close to Kazir would be angry.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 514

Scarlett was fuming as she held Kazir's hand. The two went to the theater, and Scarlett was clearly in a bad mood.

Kazir smiled slightly. He realized that the woman cared about him.

"Those hyenas, they ask anything just to get a reaction."

Hyenas, vultures, parasites, names that could describe paparazzi and low-class reporters. Sometimes, they would ask about topics not even related to the celebrity, such as politics, gender studies, race, and religion. Why did they even have to ask an actor about gender studies and race? It had no connection to the movie at all.

Scarlett stomped her feet, and Kazir couldn't help but laugh. He was not offended by what the reporter asked. It wasn't that deep.

"It's fine. Let's just focus on watching John Wick. The fans are excited to see the movie."

This time, it was Kazir who took Scarlett's hand and led her to their seats.

.........

......

...

The plot of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum was almost the same as the original, although some CCU scenes were added.

If there was something that caught people off guard, it was Winston's "betrayal" in the last part of the movie. Winston shot John Wick, which caused John to fall from the building… Honestly, it was a miracle that John Carter survived. As expected of the Baba Yaga.

One thing was certain, the fans loved the movie. They kept chanting John Wick's name as they came out of the theaters.

When the first 24 hours ended, John Wick: Chapter 3 grossed $36 million. It wasn't a surprise. This was the average performance of CCU movies. If anything was surprising, it was the fact that the figure was lower than expected. The last three movies that Grey Pictures released each grossed over $1 billion. So it was a bit surprising that John Wick: Chapter 3 only grossed $36 million on its first day.

Perhaps it was because the excitement had ended with Kingsman: The Secret Service. The protagonists defeated a strong organization, and thus, the fans were less excited to watch the latest movie.

Also, Bryan Mills died in Kingsman: The Secret Service, so many fans were still mourning.

Anyway, $36 million was a huge amount of money no matter what angle you looked at it.

Five more days passed, and it was now August 5, Sunday. John Wick: Chapter 3 had grossed $133 million after five days of screening.

It was a success for everyone who worked on the project. The budget for the movie was only $75 million, plus a $25 million budget for advertising. Overall, Grey Pictures spent around $100 million on John Wick: Chapter 3. In just five days, the movie had already surpassed its production cost, and anything beyond $100 million would be profit.

Everyone knew this was just the beginning of John Wick: Chapter 3's performance. The movie would surely make more money.

Within the same week (August 1–5), Underdog was released. It was a superhero movie about a dog. The movie was produced by Walt Disney… The studio was desperate to make relevant live-action movies. Unfortunately, Underdog was easily beaten by John Wick: Chapter 3.

Underdog only grossed $11 million in the same week that John Wick: Chapter 3 was released. This $25 million movie lost to John Wick: Chapter 3. It couldn't compete against the CCU movie, which had a steady fanbase that watched it daily.

If there were movies that could threaten John Wick: Chapter 3's domination of August, they were probably Rush Hour 3 and Mr. Bean's Holiday. These two were the big movies scheduled for release in August.

However, analysts believed that John Wick: Chapter 3 had a higher chance of earning more than Rush Hour 3 and Mr. Bean's Holiday, since CCU movies averaged $500 million at the box office.

Just like that, days passed, and it was now August 12. Within the same week, Rush Hour 3 was released and it grossed $49 million… The movie had only been in theaters for three days. Compared to John Wick: Chapter 3, Rush Hour 3 had a better opening weekend.

As for John Wick: Chapter 3, the movie made another $79 million, bringing its total to $212 million at the North American box office. Despite having a weaker first-three-day performance compared to Rush Hour 3, John Wick: Chapter 3 was still making steady money.

Another week passed, and it was August 19.

Underdog grossed $31 million.

Rush Hour 3 grossed $87 million.

John Wick: Chapter 3 grossed $256 million. Also, the movie was released internationally in many major countries, earning another $92 million.

Another week passed, and it was now August 26.

Mr. Bean's Holiday was released and grossed $9 million… This comedy couldn't compete against John Wick: Chapter 3.

As of August 26, John Wick: Chapter 3 had grossed $281 million. Additionally, the international box office reached $172 million. That made John Wick: Chapter 3's total gross over $453 million after 27 days of screening… That was a great performance.

Based on statistics and common sense, John Wick: Chapter 3 dominated the month of August and was the movie that earned the most money.

Grey Pictures celebrated this success, and Kazir had to take some time out of the editing room, as he had spent almost a month in post-production for The Dark Knight… He had to talk to Heath Ledger for the nth time this month.

When the dubbing of lines started, Kazir decided to talk to Heath Ledger more often to keep the man lively… Unfortunately, Kazir was not the outgoing type, so he wasn't sure if his methods were effective. One thing was certain, Heath Ledger was still affected by the heavy role of the Joker.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 515

The success of John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum brought happiness to Grey Pictures, of course. They worked hard to produce a high-quality movie and hoped that it would bring them profit. Even though John Wick: Chapter 3 had a lower performance compared to the last three movies they produced, it was still undoubtedly a huge amount of money.

So far, the movie had already grossed $600 million worldwide at the box office after 50 days of screening. At the same time, the summer season had ended more than two weeks ago, and the major studios hadn't released any huge movies except Resident Evil: Extinction and The Game Plan.

While the September days rolled on, and some people were asking to be woken up once September ended, Kazir focused his time on the post-production of The Dark Knight.

Kazir attended the dubbing sessions of the cast and listened to how they delivered their lines. Sometimes, due to poor audio recording, the cast had to re-record their lines in a cleaner version.

Hence, Kazir spent time with the cast. He also had the chance to talk to Heath Ledger. They even had a drink together at a bar that Kazir loved to visit.

Knowing the future, Kazir was worried about the impending doom that could happen to Heath Ledger.

Kazir understood that he was not a superhero, and he wasn't exactly a good person either. He followed his own set of morals. If doing good things endangered him, he wouldn't do them. Examples: preventing 9/11 and saving Princess Diana.

Once in a while, Kazir wondered whether things might have changed for the better if he had saved Princess Diana or prevented 9/11... But he was just a human. And he was afraid of the consequences.

He didn't try to meet Princess Diana a few years ago nor save her... because he had an idea about the "people" who were behind her death. Everyone had an idea of what happened. So Kazir didn't want to be part of that complicated mess, because he could die if he tried.

As for preventing 9/11, Kazir could have contacted the CIA and told them that a group of people was planning to attack the country, but that could have cost him his career. These professional CIA agents could trace the message back to him. Also, he was afraid of being interrogated by the CIA.

There were also rumors that the CIA already had intel that a terrorist attack was coming, but they failed to prevent it. See, even the CIA knew about the impending doom but failed to stop it.

Also, if the information Kazir provided prevented Al Qaeda's terrorist act, there was a possibility that he would be assassinated the next day.

A single person like Kazir couldn't prevent some things from happening. He was not a god, after all.

Perhaps it was the wrong decision, but putting yourself first before others was not a bad thing. In this case, Kazir just placed more importance on his own life than the strangers who had no obvious connection to him.

So I'm going to ask you the same question: if you traveled back in time and became successful in your career, became a millionaire, and had a great loving family, would you endanger your life, your family, and your career just to prevent a tragedy?

Rich people can't get assassinated? Sorry but a CEO of an insurance company was assassinated so that statement was false.

Kazir had made his decision... But Heath Ledger was a different story. Heath Ledger didn't die from assassination or a terrorist attack. If Kazir saved Heath Ledger, no one would be mad at him or try to kill him.

So this time, Kazir decided to save someone's life. Besides, he was working in the entertainment industry, and this place was already far from his original timeline, so no worries about changing things.

While looking at the dozens of monitors, with editors cutting scenes, Kazir was thinking about Heath Ledger and his role in The Dark Knight as The Joker.

'Was Heath Ledger's role as The Joker one of the factors in his untimely death?' Kazir asked himself.

He also had an answer to his question.

The answer was yes.

The Joker was a role that placed a heavy burden on Heath Ledger's mental state. The role was mentally taxing. A crazy clown mass murderer who lacked empathy. For Heath to embody this role, he sometimes had to assimilate his mind with how The Joker thinks... It was a frightening experience, hence, Heath suffered and began experiencing sleep deprivation. This was a factor in why Heath relied heavily on sleeping medication.

Heath Ledger died from an overdose of prescribed painkillers, anti-anxiety drugs, and sleeping pills.

'However, Heath's role as The Joker is not the major reason he died. It's because he was too reliant on medications that he succumbed to death.'

Kazir concluded. Although The Joker was a factor, based on his recent interactions with Heath, he knew that Heath's mental state was strong and that he could overcome the role.

In fact, Heath Ledger was actually working on another project currently, which was The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

"Kazir, should we add this scene?"

The editor asked about the scene where The Joker pushed his head out of the car window to feel the wind. It showed his carefree attitude despite the abominations he had committed.

Kazir looked at the scene… He was still amazed at how Heath portrayed The Joker. Heath Ledger deserved the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor that he won… Unfortunately, he wasn't there to receive it. This time, Kazir decided to change the future so that he would witness the moment when Heath stood on the podium to accept the award.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 516


Alexa Nguyen was humming while fixing the robotic suit of Iron Man. She inspected the golden paint on the suit, making sure it wouldn't fall off during shooting... This was the fourth version of the suit because the first three versions didn't last long due to work-related issues.

She looked at the suit. It looked like a real metal robotic suit, but it was actually made of rubber and other lightweight materials. She nodded as she confirmed that the suit looked real.

Alexa was a student who studied at the California Institute of the Arts and hoped to become an actress. She finished college and worked in the industry...

Unfortunately, she couldn't find jobs as an actress because of her appearance. The best she could get were nameless extra roles that placed her in the background.

In this industry, appearance was the biggest factor in determining whether an actress would become famous or not... Most of these actresses were gorgeous, fit, and young.

Only a few female actresses failed to meet the three criteria and still became successful, such as Whoopi Goldberg, Tilda Swinton, Barbra Streisand, and others... No offense, just a personal opinion. We could also add Ellen DeGeneres to that list, considering the talk show host has some questionable conduct.

As for why Hollywood prefers beautiful, fit, and young women, the answer lies in beauty standards. The media pushes some impossible beauty ideals that people believe to be real. They don't know that actresses and female models often have to starve themselves just to maintain their figure.

Anyway, Alexa didn't pass the criteria for becoming an actress. It wasn't because of her race, just the simple fact that she was not blessed in the beauty department.

After years of failure trying to become an actress, Alexa couldn't let go of her dream of working in Hollywood. She decided to work as a costume designer instead.

After years of hard work, she found herself hired by Marvel Studios as the costume designer for Iron Man's suit.

To be honest, Alexa had read a few comics, but she had never heard of Iron Man before. Because of her job, however, she read a few comic volumes just to understand the character's design.

One thing she realized while looking at Iron Man's appearance in older comics, his original version was wacky as hell. He looked like a walking medicine capsule, red on top and yellow at the bottom. She cringed while looking at Iron Man's old design.

Thankfully, Iron Man's appearance in the newer comics looked much better. This was also the design Alexa followed while improving the suit's visual aesthetics. Marvel Studios had already started releasing a newer version of Iron Man a few years ago as preparation for the upcoming MCU.

Filming for Iron Man was ongoing, and the management had hired an ex-convict to play the protagonist, something that surprised Alexa. This was her biggest job so far, so she wanted it to succeed. She was skeptical at first when she heard that Robert Downey Jr., an actor who went to prison, would play Tony Stark.

However, when Alexa met the actor, she realized that Robert was more approachable than his co-star, Terrence Howard. Alexa had a few conversations with Robert. Their topics were mostly about the suits, the costumes' comfort, and how to improve them.

To be fair, most celebrities were arrogant, so Robert was a refreshing experience for Alexa. She even had a delusional classmate who bragged that she was Kazir Grey's sister. At least arrogant celebrities had a valid reason to be arrogant unlike that bitch.

Anyway, based on what she heard, Robert Downey Jr. was actually recommended by Kazir Grey to star as Tony Stark. Some people in Marvel Studio's management were against it, but Kazir was one of the leaders of the MCU, alongside Avi Arad and Stan Lee. Also, Kazir was the best director in Hollywood, so the management decided to trust him.

They cast Robert Downey Jr. as the billionaire Tony Stark. Of course, Marvel Comics made sure that Robert wouldn't use any drugs while working on Iron Man, a clause that was written into the contract. If Robert failed to comply, he would have to pay damages to Marvel Comics and would be fired.

So far, Robert was doing well in his job. In fact, his acting as Tony Stark was superb.

People believed that the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a huge project that 20th Century Fox, Marvel Studios, and Grey Pictures were working on together, would prosper.

Aside from Iron Man, Marvel Studios was also working on another project: The Incredible Hulk. The studio had hired Mark Ruffalo to play Bruce Banner.

If Iron Man was somewhat of a nobody in comic popularity, then Hulk was a famous comic character that many people already knew.

These two superheroes would serve as the audience's introduction to the MCU... Marvel Studios spent millions on these two projects, hoping to turn the once-bankrupt company into a profitable one.

News Corporation and 20th Century Fox were expecting good news from them, and Marvel Studios' management couldn't help but feel nervous and pressured.

The DCEU that Warner Brothers was developing had already failed due to Superman and other factors, so the MCU didn't have a direct rival, except for the CCU, of course.

+++++

[I'm having trouble figuring out how to advance the plot, so I decided to use another character's POV. I also remembered that Iron Man is set to be released in 2008, so I decided to tackle it.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 517

While Alexa Nguyen was busy fixing the Iron Man suit, she heard that a small commotion was happening. She left the dressing room and saw some people murmuring.

"God, I hope I get his autograph this time! I heard that his autograph can be sold for $10,000. I even heard that the spoon he used at the cafeteria was sold for $50,000! Can you imagine that!?"

Alexa furrowed her brows as she listened. She wondered which celebrity would show up. She had read the cast list and already met most of them.

She had seen Terrence Howard. The actor was a celebrity through and through, and Alexa didn't dare talk to him, he was unapproachable.

As for Gwyneth Paltrow... Alexa was scared of her.

Aside from Tony Stark and Jeff Bridges (the antagonist of Iron Man), Alexa hadn't had any interaction with the cast. Her job was to design the armor suits for Iron Man and Iron Monger. She was a costume designer.

"Gosh, I want to meet him. I heard he's so super handsome even though he's in his late 30s. I'd ride that hot body despite the age gap--!"

Alexa heard one of the young female makeup artists squeal in excitement. She became curious about the person they were talking about.

Suddenly, the conversation stopped and a tall man walked into view. It was Director Kazir Grey.

Kazir, along with his four bodyguards, Erica included, showed up at the Iron Man studio.

Alexa was surprised. She was a big fan of Director Grey! Just like the others, she admitted that Director Grey exuded strong sex appeal to the opposite gender. It didn't help that he was tall, handsome, and fucking rich.

Kazir walked through the hallway and saw people greeting him. He had no idea who they were since this crew was mostly under Jon Favreau's team. Jon Favreau was the director of Iron Man. He was also part of the cast. He played Happy Hogan, Tony Stark's bodyguard.

Kazir stopped walking when he recognized an Asian woman.

"...Are you Alexa Nguyen?"

"Yes? Ah, yes! Yes, that's right!" Alexa was surprised that Kazir recognized her.

"If I remember correctly, we met at the dinner party after the premiere of John Wick: Chapter 2 a few years ago."

"That's right! I was one of the lucky fans who got the chance to meet you after the premiere."

Alexa was so excited that she smiled.

"So, you're also working in movie production."

"I'm the costume designer for Iron Man."

"Wow, that's amazing."

Alexa slightly blushed.

"Well, since I also work on the MCU, perhaps we'll meet again." Kazir excused himself and his entourage followed.

Once Kazir was gone, the people around Alexa started interrogating her about how she met the director.

"Autograph? Yes, I have an autograph from Director Grey from a few years ago. No, I'm not going to sell it." She answered their questions as best she could.

.........

......

...

Kazir was sipping tea... He had decided to stop drinking coffee and go with a healthier lifestyle. He was influenced by Scarlett and Stella Willow.

He was reading some documents related to Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. He glanced at Stan Lee, who was sitting across the table.

"At first, I was skeptical of your decision, but based on what I've seen, Robert Downey Jr. fits the role of Tony Stark perfectly. I'm glad we followed your recommendation."

"Stan, just like you, I want the MCU to succeed."

"Of course."

Robert Downey Jr. went to prison because of drug-related crimes. He was arrested several times during his career. After that depressing arc, Robert had a hard time finding work in Hollywood.

His role in Iron Man was his first big role in years, and he didn't want to mess it up. He signed a contract stating that he wouldn't touch drugs while working on Iron Man, which would last for a year. Also, if he was involved in any scandal that could negatively affect the movie, he would have to pay damages. It was a tough contract, but Robert signed it nonetheless.

"What about the other cast members?"

"Well, Gwyneth Paltrow is nice. She's playing her role right. As for Terrence Howard, he's also a great actor, no, he's a fantastic actor... But I have a feeling that he'll ask for a higher salary in the next movie," Stan Lee sighed.

Kazir remained silent.

He had been against casting Terrence Howard. He knew what happened in the original timeline. Terrence didn't appear in the second movie due to a dispute, and Don Cheadle was recast in his place.

However, due to management disagreements, connections, and social networking, Terrence Howard was cast. It didn't help that Kazir had been busy with The Dark Knight when the decision was made.

20th Century Fox and Marvel Studios held a grudge because they didn't like that Kazir was working with DC, so perhaps this was a silent protest or act of treason... Now the production would suffer because of that decision.

Kazir looked at the documents and saw that, despite being the protagonist of Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. only received a salary of $500,000.

Terrence Howard received $3.5 million.

Gwyneth Paltrow received $750,000.

Jeff Bridges received $2 million.

See the difference? Despite being the face of Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. had the lowest salary among the four.

Since Kazir knew that Iron Man would be successful, Robert Downey Jr.'s salary would likely quadruple, at the very least... As for Terrence Howard, the actor would definitely not settle for less.

Kazir had an idea of what was going to happen. He bitterly smiled.

'If there's any good news, it's that this problem can be fixed since Marvel Studios managed it in the original timeline.'

Still, it was painful to see Kazir fail to prevent this issue. He did his best, but at the end of the day, some decision-makers were simply against him. Not everyone liked Kazir.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 518


It was true that Marvel Studios was owned by News Corporation, but most of its business was strongly related to and dependent on 20th Century Fox.

In fact, after Kazir signed a contract to lead the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, News Corporation slowly sold shares of Marvel to 20th Century Fox.

20th Century Fox saw this as an opportunity, so they acquired shares of the company. They now owned around 15% of Marvel Entertainment. As for Grey Pictures, more precisely, Kazir, he also had shares in Marvel. It was 6%, and he bought them.

Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios were under the larger company called Marvel Entertainment. Kazir and 20th Century Fox now held shares in the company.

Actually, Kazir was begged by the management to buy shares in the company because they were afraid he would leave the project if he didn't receive enough benefits... So yeah, they had to convince the director to buy shares so that Kazir would stay motivated to make the company successful.

Kazir happily agreed. Most of the shares were privately owned, and now he had a chance to buy them. Now that he had that opportunity, he might as well take advantage of their goodwill... He knew Marvel Entertainment's worth would skyrocket a decade from now.

News Corporation slowly let go of Marvel since they were focusing more on media-related businesses. Of course, they still held substantial shares. Rupert Murdoch was the major shareholder of Marvel.

Anyway, because of these benefits and selfish reasons, some people wanted to include their friends and acquaintances in this upcoming Cinematic Universe. One of the outcomes of that was the casting of Terrence Howard.

Kazir fought for Don Cheadle, but some people didn't like that, so Terrence was cast... for a salary of more than $2 million. In Kazir's opinion, it wasn't worth it.

Iron Man was just the start of their massive Cinematic Universe, and they couldn't afford to spend a huge amount of money on the cast. That's why Kazir preferred Don Cheadle, he was less expensive but a worthy casting because Don was a great actor and excelled in his role.

If there was any good news, it was the fact that Mark Ruffalo was cast as Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk. This change would help them a lot in the future. Kazir knew how important this change was... He was the only one who knew about the original MCU.

'If the fans in the original timeline heard of what I did, they'd probably be happy since I correctly connected The Incredible Hulk to the MCU.'

He recalled that when he first watched The Avengers, he was confused as to whether Mark Ruffalo's Hulk was the same as The Incredible Hulk. The actor was different!! Even the kids were confused.

At that time, he hoped they would have kept the original actor, which was Edward Norton... But Kazir changed his mind. Mark Ruffalo was easier to work with than Edward Norton.

Kazir fixed a problem that only he knew existed... He didn't receive thanks from anyone, as they were oblivious to the fact.

.........

......

...

Viggo Mortensen waved his hand while people cheered his name. He was in Australia. His name was quite famous in this region because of The Lord of the Rings. Viggo Mortensen was part of the cast of LOTR, he was Aragorn. The Lord of the Rings was filmed in New Zealand, a neighboring country to Australia.

Because The Lord of the Rings was famous in Australia, Viggo Mortensen received strong support while promoting his new movie, John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum.

Viggo's career had risen again after starring in this franchise. Even now, he was thankful that Director Grey had cast him as John Wick. He admitted that he was grateful, especially when he heard that Harrison Ford also auditioned for the role. He knew damn well he couldn't defeat Harrison Ford... Even now, the veteran was still more famous than him.

After John Wick, Viggo starred in The Lord of the Rings as Aragorn, and it was a huge success.

After that, Viggo starred in other movies, but he had to admit that his peak performances were probably as John Wick and Aragorn. Lately, Viggo had been trying to do drama movies. He wanted to stay away from action films.

Despite getting tired of action movies, he admitted that the pay wasn't bad, especially for his role as John Wick.

His salary for John Wick: Chapter 3 was $17 million. Currently, that was the biggest salary he had ever received. So even though he was tired of doing action movies, he had no intention of dropping the mantle of John Wick, since it was his way to maintain popularity and the salary was huge.

Sometimes he was curious why Liam Neeson let go of his role. Based on Bryan Mills' popularity, Grey Pictures had no problem extending the contract and paying him top dollar. Unfortunately, Liam Neeson said he was done and planned to work on new projects away from the CCU.

While people were cheering for him as he entered the car, his assistant passed him a newspaper. Viggo waved at the fans one last time before leaving the cinema.

He looked at the newspaper and smiled when he saw that John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum had grossed $582 million worldwide. Of course, he was happy that his movie was successful. It meant more status for him.

If there was one thing he regretted, it was that he couldn't get a cut of the box office. In the next movie, Viggo and his team would try to negotiate for a box office share deal. It didn't matter if it was a 5% North American box office share or smaller, that amount would still be huge.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 519

Truth be told, despite being one of the protagonists of the Continental Cinematic Universe, Viggo Mortensen didn't have a strong box-office appeal. His best roles were John Wick and Aragorn. His role in The Lord of the Rings was well-loved, but the franchise ended in a trilogy, and Viggo couldn't take advantage of that opportunity. His salary was also average at best when he took the role of Aragorn.

John Wick and The Lord of the Rings were well-known franchises, but they didn't catapult Viggo into stardom.

He heard that Peter Jackson was interested in starting J.R.R. Tolkien's series called The Hobbit. It was the prequel to The Lord of the Rings. Viggo was not sure if he would have a role in that franchise.

Despite being recognized as an action star because of John Wick and Aragorn, Viggo only had an average salary of $4.5 million per movie... which was not bad, no matter how people looked at it. Still, it was smaller compared to his salary in John Wick: Chapter 3, which was $17 million. He was the star of this franchise, so obviously, he made a lot of money.

Honestly, Viggo had no problem with that amount. But if he could earn more, why not?

So, in the next installment of John Wick, Viggo wanted a box office share. Was it a bad decision or not? Did he deserve it?

The answers depended on the parties involved. Grey Pictures wouldn't like it, but Viggo and his agency would absolutely love it.

'For now, I should look for scripts that interest me. I heard that some directors want to compete for the Academy Awards. Maybe I can work with them.'

Being an actor, Viggo obviously wanted to win the Best Actor Award. Every actor in Hollywood dreamed of that at least once in their lives. For that, actors had to star in artistic films... He might have to go for the role of a mentally unstable person to win the Best Actor Award. After all, the members of the Academy Awards loved that kind of character.

While he was contemplating and reading the newspaper, the assistant next to him handed him a phone that was ringing.

"Sir, it's Martin."

Martin was Viggo's agent. After Viggo's success, many agents were interested in representing him, and Martin got the part. Martin was from the United Talent Agency (UTA).

-- Viggo, I have interesting news. Maybe you want to hear it.

"Is it a script?"

The actor curiously asked as he heard his agent chuckling on the phone.

-- Yeah. Have you heard of Thor?

"Of course, he's from Norse mythology, right?"

-- No, haha, I'm not talking about that Thor... Well, yeah, I'm also talking about Norse mythology Thor. Anyway, the Thor I'm talking about is Thor from Marvel Comics.

Martin was not surprised that Viggo knew the Norse mythology Thor instead of Marvel Comics' Thor. After all, Marvel Comics' Thor was not that famous.

"You want me to audition for a superhero role?" Viggo immediately understood the agent's intention.

Viggo slightly frowned. To be honest, his opinion regarding superhero movies was not that great. Besides, he heard that Marvel Studios was making a Cinematic Universe. This superhero Thor was probably part of that. Viggo was already part of a Cinematic Universe, and he felt like working with another one would be troublesome.

-- I got a spot for the audition for you. I also have a copy of the script, it's not finalized, though. I'll fax it to you. If you're interested, call me. If not, then it's fine. If you get the role, we can easily make a contract of $15 million from the studio. They know your capabilities.

"Thanks, Martin."

Viggo just nodded. He was not sure about it... But we are talking about 8-digits here. Viggo had no problem starring in a "shitty" movie as long as the salary was worth it. A lot of actors could relate to that.

.........

......

...

Actually, Tom Cruise was the first choice that Marvel Studios wanted for the role of Tony Stark. They tried to pitch the role to Tom, and the actor was interested. The actor knew that his friend, Kazir, was one of the leaders of this project, and he knew that Kazir wouldn't screw up his own creation.

Unfortunately, the deal immediately fell apart when conversations about salary started. Iron Man was an important character for the MCU, and he would appear in many movies. Also, the Iron Man franchise would have at least a trilogy.

Marvel Studios couldn't afford Tom Cruise's salary, which was usually around $20 million. It was undeniable that Tom Cruise had a strong box office appeal. Furthermore, Tom had won the Best Actor Award a few years ago, so he was not that simple anymore. So yeah, no Tom Cruise as Iron Man.

Because of that, Marvel Studios listened to Kazir's recommendation. They cast Robert Downey Jr... In a few years, they would thank God for listening to Kazir's advice. Furthermore, they hired Robert for just a mere salary of $500 thousand.

Of course, if Iron Man performed well at the box office, Robert would receive a bonus. The bonus depended on how much the movie grossed.

Based on Kazir's memory, in Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. earned around $2.5 million overall. The $2 million was the bonus he received.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 520


It was undeniable that Iron Man was the reason why Robert Downey Jr. became famous. Well, before going to jail, Robert had already made a name for himself, but his popularity was nothing compared to the peak he reached with Iron Man. That was his most famous role for a reason. It was the turning point of his life.

With the same logic, the other MCU actors also became famous because they starred in the MCU.

Chris Evans was known as the Human Torch in Fantastic Four before becoming Captain America/Steve Rogers. However, if you asked every kid in the 2020s, most of them would tell you that they only knew Chris Evans as Captain America, nothing else but that superhero.

Chris Hemsworth also had the same situation. Even Scarlett Johansson was in the same boat. They became Hollywood icons because of the MCU. No one could deny that fact.

They were already celebrities, but starring in the MCU movies changed their lives for the better. Because after the success of The Avengers, these actors had easy access to finding other projects for themselves, earning millions per year. The MCU was a blessing for these actors.

Kazir attended another meeting regarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe project. Avi Arad and Stan Lee were obviously present, as were other people from 20th Century Fox.

For their first phase, their two initial movies were Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. Both were already near the end of production, and the projects were doing well. No major mishaps. Robert Downey Jr. was easy to work with, and so was Mark Ruffalo.

Now, this meeting was for the preparation and approval of their next projects... No money was invested yet, since many parties were still testing the waters.

If Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk didn't reach their expected outcomes, which was making money at the box office, Marvel Studios would have to think twice before continuing this ambitious project called the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After all, they needed money to make these movies, and 20th Century Fox wouldn't just sit still and let them waste money... Perhaps they'd have to focus on animated movies.

If Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk failed at the box office, the MCU might not happen.

So, for the time being, no money would be spent on the next projects, which were Captain America and Thor.

This meeting was just to solidify their plans. They talked about the scripts, their expectations, and also their target audience. They also discussed the possible cast, especially the actors who would take the roles of Captain America and Thor.

"Hm? You're asking me who should be Captain America?" Kazir realized that people were looking at him, waiting for his response.

Some of them had already talked about the actors they wanted to hire to be Captain America. But of course, they also wanted to ask Kazir.

'... I remember a few years ago, someone recommended Tom Cruise to be Tony Stark, but the idea didn't last long.'

There were many factors as to why the negotiation didn't reach the final stage.

He listened to their conversation about the actors they believed could take the mantle of Captain America.

Some said that Sebastian Stan could fit the role.

'Erm, Sebastian Stan will be Bucky Barnes, so nope. Let's not make it complicated. We will hire Sebastian Stan, but not for the role of Steve Rogers.'

Some said that John Krasinski fit the role.

'Hmm, let's see... I can see the possibilities, but let's not make haste here. John Krasinski is still needed in The Office. I don't want to destroy that franchise by hiring him.'

Some also said that Jensen Ackles could fit the role of Captain America.

'Yeah, I can see Jensen pulling off Captain America. His role in The Boys as Soldier Boy has some resemblance with Captain America, after all.'

Unfortunately for Jensen, Kazir had no intention of changing the cast. He wanted to keep Chris Evans as Captain America.

"If you're going to ask me, I think Chris Evans has what it takes to be Captain America."

When Kazir expressed his thoughts, some people nodded, while others frowned.

"Kazir, you do remember that we have no intention of making a third movie for Fantastic Four after the mixed reviews we got from Rise of the Silver Surfer."

That was right. 20th Century Fox saw that Fantastic Four had lost its potential after the second movie, so they decided not to make another one.

Chris Evans was the Human Torch in that movie, and it might be confusing to the audience if Chris Evans showed up in the MCU as Captain America.

"I won't change my opinion though. In my opinion, Chris Evans is the perfect actor to take the role of Captain America. He has the charisma, the appearance, and the body to be Captain America. Besides, Chris is having a hard time finding roles these days, he won't settle for a huge salary."

Kazir was not sure about the latter part of his answer. He didn't remember any memorable roles that Chris Evans took in the late 2000s aside from the Human Torch.

"So are the other actors we recommended," one member of the 20th Century Fox management snickered. Some chuckled at hearing that.

"My opinion still stands though."

Kazir was one of the heads of Marvel Studios. He was also the best director of the era. No one could disregard his opinion. So even though some of the people in management didn't like him, they took note of what he said, especially when they sensed the conviction in Kazir's answer.

After working on The Dark Knight Trilogy, Kazir understood that some people in management believed that he had betrayed them.

Kazir only had one response: Fuck them. He earned more than $100 million in the first movie (Batman Begins) alone. Everyone with common sense could see that he had made the right decision.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 521


The meeting room was silent for a while. Some people glanced at each other, while others kept their heads low, not joining the conversation.

Avi Arad bitterly smiled as he sat up straight and fixed his posture. He decided to change the topic.

"Captain America is still in the approval process, so let's not make any final decisions for now."

Avi Arad sensed that some people had their own motives regarding the casting... Well, everyone had their own motives. But they shouldn't prioritize personal interests over the success of the movie.

He suddenly recalled one of the higher-ups who promoted Terrence Howard to be part of the movie. Sure, Terrence Howard had box office appeal, but his salary was tough to take. Especially when Marvel Studios intended to create a trilogy out of Iron Man.

Avi's left eye slightly twitched as he remembered the conversation. The higher-up had said that as long as Kazir was working on the MCU, the projects would always succeed no matter what.

Let's remember that Kazir was the one who pushed for casting Don Cheadle because he believed the franchise would be safer with Don as War Machine... But those arrogant old farts believed the movie would still be a success even if they changed the cast.

Here's the deal: casting an actor for a certain role could determine whether the movie would be successful or not.

Casting Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight was a perfect choice.

Casting Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker was also a great choice... (Note: We don't talk about Joker 2 because that movie doesn't exist. People erased the memories that they watched that musical.)

Casting Jared Leto as the Joker in Suicide Squad was a bad move. His portrayal didn't sit well with the audience.

See the difference? Casting was an important part of a successful movie. If the audience felt unimpressed with the actor and their performance, that could lead to failure.

In Terrence Howard's case, he performed his role greatly, but the salary was the biggest problem.

"Yeah, I just remembered, I'm interested in casting Viggo Mortensen as Thor. You're close with Viggo, right, Kazir? Why don't you talk to him and convince him?"

Kazir, who had kept silent for most of the time, frowned when he heard that.

He looked at Leo Roy, the Studio President.

In huge media conglomerates like 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney, and other production studios, there were multiple Studio Presidents who managed different divisions.

20th Century Fox currently had three Studio Presidents who handled departments, Live Action, Animation, and TV Networks.

The person Kazir was looking at was Leo Roy, the Studio President of 20th Century Fox's Live Action movies. For a movie to be approved, his signature must be acquired, as long as he was in the position.

Kazir's relationship with this guy was nonexistent. But lately, Leo had been showing disapproval toward his opinions. Kazir also heard that Leo was one of the people who hired Terrence Howard.

Kazir sighed. He could see the picture where Viggo was holding Mjolnir. It didn't look bad. Viggo could definitely act in the role.

However, the problem wasn't whether Viggo could act or not. It was all about money.

"Even if Viggo agreed, we would have to pay him at least $10 million. Furthermore, it's very hard to convince him to sign a trilogy contract. I'm sure none of us here want to give a box office share to the actors."

Box office shares meant less money. They didn't want that.

Leo kept his smile and nodded.

"Thor is still not approved, so let's talk about that later," Kazir added.

However, Kazir felt like he had to work harder on the MCU or else this Cinematic Universe might not happen. He would promote Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans to take the roles.

Thankfully, Kazir had worked with Chris Hemsworth in Shadows Beneath, so he could easily contact the actor. He had to make sure that both Chrises would get the roles. This was the safest method to ensure the Marvel Cinematic Universe would happen.

.........

......

...

Months passed, and now it was December again. This year was probably the most death-defying one that Kazir had ever experienced, quite literally.

What happened in May was something that Kazir and his relatives would never forget. Probably most Americans would also remember that incident. The news regarding the assassination attempt spread all over the world, making Kazir famous again... in a sad way.

Still, he admitted that he felt blessed to have survived another year.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End had already ended its screening in North America, and the worldwide box office was now over $1 billion... Funny how that franchise almost killed Kazir.

As for John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum, after four months of screening, the movie had already grossed $700 million worldwide. Unfortunately, this was probably the best that this action movie could reach. Well, $700 million was still huge, so definitely not bad for Grey Pictures and 20th Century Fox.

Kazir also finished the post-production of The Dark Knight. He met Heath Ledger many times and saw that the actor was getting better.

It seemed that the psychology of the Joker was vanishing from Heath's mind, which was a good thing. Kazir and Heath became close enough that Kazir recommended he stop using pills... Heath accepted his concern, but he still kept using them.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 522


Sometimes, Kazir felt like there was a reason why he time-traveled back to 1994. He felt like he had a purpose.

However, after living more than a decade after the regression, Kazir still couldn't find it. Was there a higher being that gave him a mission to fulfill? Or perhaps this was just a dream.

Kazir had witnessed and experienced many things. He had also reached the peak of his career. Almost everyone in Hollywood knew his name.

He also survived a failed assassination, which, in a way, was a good thing. He contemplated his life, but he still couldn't find the answer. All he wanted was to keep making movies, this job gave him happiness.

December 24, 2007.

Despite the holiday atmosphere in the office, Kazir and the management were talking about their next plans for 2008. For the upcoming year, Wanted 3 and The Equalizer 2 would be released. These two movies had already been in production for months... In fact, The Equalizer started filming around the time Kazir was in the hospital.

Wanted 3 would be the last part of the Wanted franchise since Ben Affleck's contract would end after that. Wesley Gibson (the protagonist of Wanted) already found a conclusion to his story in The Kingsman: The Secret Service. Wanted 3 would be the last time he appeared in the Continental Cinematic Universe...

Unless Grey Pictures hired him again, they would have to pay him a huge salary. For Wanted 3, Ben Affleck's salary was $21 million... Yeah, it was obvious why Grey Pictures couldn't afford the actor anymore.

Furthermore, the studio also had to give a bonus to the actor if the movie performed well at the box office. This was sort of a standard procedure done by many studios to encourage actors to work with them again.

Despite being bound by a contract, the salary still had to be raised to motivate the actors. The contract was just there as a binder. After all, the actor could still say no and not sign for a sequel, and Grey Pictures would have no way to remedy that, even with a contract. They could go to court, but that would be a lose-lose situation for both sides. So Grey Pictures had to allow some leeway for the actors to work with them again.

Honestly, if they followed the contract strictly, Ben Affleck and Viggo Mortensen would probably earn around $10–15 million in their third movies. It was an acceptable range, but the actors might not show up on set.

Remember, the face of the franchise was the leading actor. If the leading actor didn't cooperate, the movie was basically incomplete. The studio could use some CGI, but that could lead to a lawsuit if the actor didn't give approval.

It was tough to work with celebrities.

Ben Affleck was done with the CCU, and the only way to make him come back was by offering top dollar. His character (Wesley Gibson) was not dead but would not appear in CCU movies anymore.

As for The Equalizer, Denzel Washington had a great work ethic and was nice to work with. The salary of $18.5 million was worth it.

Grey Pictures' revenue this year was $2.8 billion, and their profit was around 30% of that amount, which was around $840 million... The people in the meeting clapped their hands while staring at that number.

The employees would definitely get a bonus this year.

After this meeting, Kazir talked to the management for a while before ending it. He left the building as four tough-looking bodyguards followed him.

Anderson had just recently come back after his injury healed. Kazir was so happy to see him again. Of course, his four bodyguards would receive a huge bonus for keeping him safe these past few months.

He comfortably sat in the car as they drove through the streets... It was very traffic-heavy and the road was congested. Kazir wondered if he would reach Christmas Eve with his family.

Thankfully, they reached Beverly Hills at night. His house had Christmas lights flickering all around. He found his family waiting for him. Even his niece happily hugged him as he entered the house. Scarlett and the others were talking. The woman smiled and kissed him before they reached the dinner table, where a bunch of dishes were prepared.

This month had been smooth sailing, and Kazir felt like time was moving fast. He had a meeting with Warner Brothers last week about the marketing strategy they would use for The Dark Knight. Warner Brothers actually wanted to hire Stella Willow to hear her marketing plans, but the woman was busy with her own projects. The woman had an allergy to working with other studios after what happened to Kazir.

Stella felt betrayed after she helped Universal Pictures set a marketing strategy that made Shadows Beneath earn $1 billion at the box office. Then, the next month, she heard that one of the executives at Universal Pictures tried to kill her boss. She felt disgusted and didn't want to experience that again. It was much worse than the time she was betrayed by her coworkers.

The marketing strategy that Warner Brothers proposed was identical to what most studios do to promote their movies, by using the media.

Actually, Kazir had an idea, but he didn't share it... He remembered how Warner Brothers used Heath Ledger's death as a method to promote the movie. It was a genius tactic, but Kazir was not a fan of it, especially since he wanted to save the actor.

Funny, because a few years ago, Grey Pictures used Robert Ludlum's death to promote The Bourne Supremacy. Kazir didn't have a problem with the marketing strategy at that time.

Well, people change, and Kazir was also changing. Now, he was not a fan of it.

++++

[This chapter is kinda jumbled. I paused quite a lot while writing it because I was wrecking my mind on what to write. This is the sign that I have to end the novel, I'm running out of ideas.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 523


Christmas was nice for Kazir and his relatives. His niece was now 11 years old and loved talking about girly stuff, which meant that the men in the family couldn't entertain the kid. Thankfully, Scarlett and Aaron's wife were there to talk to the girl.

As for the men, the topic naturally shifted to Kazir. Both Aaron and Victor asked Kazir when he would have a kid, or if he even wanted one.

Kazir answered that he did want a kid, but they still weren't ready... Victor reminded Kazir that he was already 37 years old. Kazir just nodded. In his past life, he didn't have a child because of his trauma. Also, he was still affected by the sad truth that he could have been a father 13 years ago if Cassandra had decided not to abort the baby... Kazir was thinking about the what-ifs.

In his past life, that tragedy affected Kazir so deeply that his life was basically ruined and impossible to recover.

Sometimes, he thought that if he had time-traveled a year earlier, in 1993, perhaps Kazir could have saved his child. But alas, there were things that people couldn't control.

In his past life, Kazir had some romantic relationships, but none of them became serious.

.........

......

...

"Here, you can see in the list of celebrities that Director Grey worked with, he loves to work with nobodies."

"Hm?"

Kazir raised his brows as he listened to the television.

There was a holiday special on a cable channel that focused on movies and directors. Kazir was a bit interested, so he decided to watch it. He didn't expect that the topic of the program would be about him.

The host further explained:

"Almost all of the time, Director Grey casts new faces to star in his movies."

"His first box office hit, Napoleon Dynamite, Director Grey chose Reese Witherspoon, Ed Helms, and Pedro Pascal. After the success of Napoleon Dynamite, the careers of these three improved greatly."

Kazir sipped his tea and slightly agreed. Well, the reason why he cast those three was because he knew the future.

"The same with The Hangover, Director Grey cast nobodies like Jack Black, Bradley Cooper, and Enzo Park. Honestly, who the fuck were these people? They weren't famous, but Kazir made them famous. Especially Jack Black and Bradley Cooper, their careers took off after The Hangover trilogy."

'... Are they saying that I can discover talents?' Kazir thought to himself.

"Based on what you can see, Director Grey has a knack for discovering talented actors. Let's not even talk about Viggo Mortensen. Who? Emilia Clarke. Who? Rem from Re:Zero. Who? Never heard of that blue haired woman. Even his newest horror movie, Shadows Beneath, had four new faces. Yet the fact that Director Grey did the impossible and created the first horror movie to surpass $1 billion at the box office shows that his talent is out of this world."

"So we have to look at it from two sides. First, Director Grey knows how to film blockbuster movies. Second, he can discern whether an actor will be famous or not. So, for all the young aspiring actors out there, why don't you try auditioning for Kazir's movies? Maybe the director will cast you in his next film, and you'll become famous."

"I think you need to change the channel. I don't like this program." Scarlett frowned as she continued listening. The host was getting over the top with his explanation.

"Why? This program seems interesting. This is the first time I've seen a TV program that talks about movies and directors."

"But I don't like what he's saying. He's basically encouraging women to audition for your movies. And you know how desperate people are just to become famous. Besides, I feel like he's downplaying your talent in filmmaking. The biggest reason your movies are successful is because of you. The host clearly wants you to become a talent agent instead of a director."

Kazir chuckled and agreed to change the channel. Honestly, what Scarlett said was kind of true. In fact, it had happened to Kazir so many times.

God knows how many actresses tried to flirt with him in the audition room just to get recognition. These actresses were too shameless and didn't care about the other people in the room. Heck, one even took off her clothes just to make a statement.

That woman was quickly blacklisted by both 20th Century Fox and Grey Pictures... Although Kazir later heard that she became famous in the adult video industry after that incident.

.........

......

...

The list of the top 10 highest-grossing movies of 2007 was published, and the news spread quickly throughout Hollywood.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was the champion this year, grossing over $1.1 billion. The third installment of the franchise showed its dominance. This proved that Kazir was him.

In second place, Shadows Beneath earned its spot by grossing over $1.08 billion. This was the second movie Kazir had released this year. It was a horror film, the first of its kind to gross over $1 billion. This further proved that Kazir was the best director of his time.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the third highest-grossing movie, earning $941 million at the box office.

In fourth place, Spider-Man 3, after some new calculations, actually grossed around $895 million... This movie was supposed to be directed by Kazir, but it didn't work out, obviously... Sony-Columbia held a grudge. Anyway, the reviews regarding the movie were mixed. Some liked it, while others hated it. They said Kazir could have cooked up a better Spider-Man 3, but Sony-Columbia didn't hire him because they didn't like him.

The people who knew the inside story understood that this conspiracy was far from the truth. Kazir simply didn't want to direct the third Spider-Man movie, even though Sony-Columbia was ready to pay top dollar.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 524


The fifth spot was taken by Shrek the Third. This franchise was produced by DreamWorks. Shrek was DreamWorks' first big success in 3D animation and probably the franchise that started their steady business. The movie grossed $813 million after months of screening.

The sixth highest-grossing movie of 2007 was John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum, an action film set in the Continental Cinematic Universe, produced by Grey Pictures. The movie grossed $709 million.

Ratatouille took the seventh spot. The movie was about a rat who could cook... Yeah, people had no idea what substances the writers at Pixar inhaled while thinking up this movie. Ratatouille was a 3D cartoon movie, and kids loved to watch that kind of thing. Even adults watched it. Naturally, Ratatouille grossed $623 million.

As for the eighth spot, I Am Legend was about a man who lived in a zombie-apocalyptic world. Starring Will Smith, the movie grossed $585 million.

The ninth spot was taken by The Simpsons Movie, which grossed $536 million.

The tenth spot was taken by National Treasure: Book of Secrets. The movie grossed $459 million. This franchise had potential, but Walt Disney decided to drop it for some reason.

300, Zack Snyder's second movie, actually took the eleventh spot by grossing $456 million. The director was happy, and so was 20th Century Fox. Even though the movie didn't reach the top 10, for a mid-budget film, 300 earned quite a lot of money.

With that, the top 10 highest-grossing movies of 2007 were listed. Based on the list, the biggest winner this time was still Grey Pictures. It wasn't surprising anymore.

Three of the movies on the list were produced by Grey Pictures. They were Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Shadows Beneath, and John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum. These three movies grossed over $2.89 billion. This amount of money was hard to comprehend for the average person... 99% of the population would never acquire this kind of money. But for Grey Pictures, this was their yearly average revenue.

Unfortunately, Shadows Beneath was technically owned by Universal Pictures, since the copyrights to the movie were sold to them by Kazir personally. Grey Pictures only earned around $150 million from the transaction.

Some people thought that this business deal was a stupid move for Grey Pictures. And honestly, they weren't wrong. If Kazir had decided to keep the copyrights and just let 20th Century Fox distribute the horror movie, Grey Pictures would probably have earned more money.

But for Kazir, who had so much money in his name, a few hundred million dollars were basically nothing... This statement was too offensive to hear, not going to lie. Kazir was at the point in his life where money meant nothing. He just wanted to feel the thrill of making transactions with big studios.

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...

Enzo Park wiped the sweat from his forehead after practicing the stunt choreography with a stuntman. He was breathing hard after the training.

The choreography for Ninja Assassin was intense. Despite the fatigue, Enzo nodded to himself, knowing that this training was worth it. Besides, he loved doing stuff like this, he loved being active and working out.

He had been training for four months and now remembered almost every stunt he needed to perform. For this movie, Ninja Assassin, Enzo Park said that he would personally participate in the stunts. He felt like he was slowly becoming a ninja. He even studied the way of ninjas. He was excited to see his stunts on the big screen.

Of course, due to the insurance policy, he was not allowed to take part in dangerous stunts.

The stunt director of the movie was his brother, Tae-Won Park.

By the way, Enzo Park was just a stage name. Enzo's real name was Hae-Won Park. Hollywood was not a fan of Asian names, so Asian actors had to adopt Western names to be part of the circle.

Tae-Won Park made sure that every action stunt would match Enzo's expertise in martial arts. They had to promote Enzo's mastery in martial arts, this was a form of marketing. A lot of men liked martial arts, and that was a way to garner fans. As his brother, Tae-Won was proud of what Enzo had achieved in Hollywood.

Now, Enzo Park would star in his own action movie after so many years in Hollywood. The movie was also going to be directed by Kazir Grey! Look at that! How many actors would salivate in jealousy at the idea of working with Director Grey?

Jackie Chan and Jet Li used to do difficult stunts to make a name for themselves in Hollywood, and Tae-Won Park set the same road for his brother. This strategy was approved by Kazir to follow the usual steps of Asian action stars in Hollywood.

Of course, he had no intention of adding dangerous stunts that could endanger lives... These kinds of stunts would be taken on by professional stuntmen.

Unlike most CCU movies that followed literal explosive scenes with tons of destruction and heart-palpitating stunts, Ninja Assassin focused mostly on close combat.

There would also be some cameos from The Rock and Paul Walker. Currently, The Rock was still not that expensive to cast, while Paul Walker was still finding his footing in Hollywood, so more jobs meant more exposure.

Enzo had already achieved a certain level of fame in Hollywood, but his name was still not at a household level where everyone recognized him. And even if people did recognize him, they mostly called him by his CCU name, which was Raizo.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 525


In 2008, Grey Pictures had three projects scheduled for release. These projects were Wanted 3, The Equalizer 2, and Game of Thrones Season 3. These three were huge franchises that brought millions in profits to the company.

As for Kazir, there were three movies outside of Grey Pictures that were connected to him and set to be released in 2008.

The first was the superhero movie he directed, The Dark Knight, a movie about Batman and how he confronted The Joker. Kazir poured effort into this film because he knew that The Dark Knight was the true beginning of an amazing trilogy.

Some people could even argue that The Dark Knight Trilogy was the best trilogy of all time, with only a few able to compete, such as The Godfather and The Lord of the Rings.

Aside from The Dark Knight, two other superhero movies would also be released this year, both of which were connected to Kazir.

Kazir was one of the head executives at Marvel Studios and also the executive producer of every MCU movie. Naturally, he was connected to Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk.

These two Marvel movies would compete against The Dark Knight this year for the title of best superhero movie of 2008... Well, almost everyone already knows which movie won.

All three superhero films were great, but The Dark Knight ultimately won the battle. In this timeline, Kazir was the one who directed it. His fanbase was practically a cult at this point, and they would consume anything he released. The performance of The Dark Knight would exceed everyone's expectations.

Funny enough, these three superhero movies released this year were all connected to him. One was personally directed by him, while the other two were built with his help.

Because these three movies were all in the superhero genre and related to Kazir, both studios decided to schedule their release dates in separate months.

Someone from 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers personally negotiated to make things clear. In the end, the two studios reached an agreement. They even signed contracts to ensure that both sides would keep their word.

As a result, Iron Man was scheduled for release in May, though no exact date had been announced at the moment.

The Incredible Hulk was slated for release in June. Just like Iron Man, it didn't yet have a set release date.

As for The Dark Knight, Warner Brothers had already confirmed the release date as July 18.

Just like that, the three movies were spaced one month apart. This was to ensure that they wouldn't compete at the box office since they all targeted the same audience.

Imagine if all three movies had been released in the same month, it would've been detrimental to all of them because they couldn't maximize their profits. People would have had to choose between the three superheroes, and that wasn't good for business.

It was a good decision by both sides to talk about the release schedule. Even though DC Comics and Marvel Comics were rivals, they understood that working together, for now, was the best move.

By the way, when The Dark Knight began its promotion, some people were actually confused. They thought it was another epic movie set in the medieval era or something.

But once they realized the film was about Batman, the confusion subsided. Still, fans were puzzled about why the production chose to name it The Dark Knight instead of simply Batman.

.........

......

...

As for Kazir, since he had already completed The Dark Knight, he decided to begin production on Ninja Assassin.

The Dark Knight was already finished. Warner Brothers had conducted a private screening, and the people who saw the movie fell in love with it. Some hardcore Batman fans even cried during the final scene. Some were devastated watching their hero seemingly lose to the villain, but they also understood that Batman had actually won. It was just a matter of perspective.

Still, it was a hard pill to swallow.

It was clear that Warner Brothers and DC Comics had mixed opinions about the direction Batman had taken. Some members of management blamed Kazir for it. But all they could do now was hope Kazir would revive the franchise. After all, Superman Returns had been a failure, and their only hope was The Dark Knight, and to trust in the best director, Kazir Grey.

There were some minor edits that Warner Brothers requested, and Kazir made those changes easily. Overall, The Dark Knight had a very promising future.

Anyway, now Kazir was on the set of Ninja Assassin, watching Enzo face off against stuntmen in ninja costumes.

He had promised to direct the movie, and he kept that promise. The budget for this film was $75 million. Kazir easily took $20 million of that as his salary. He didn't ask for a box office share, since Grey Pictures was his own company.

Enzo Park's salary was $11 million, while the remaining cast shared a total salary pool of $8 million.

That left $36 million to complete the film... Not bad.

Knowing Kazir, everyone at Grey Pictures was confident he wouldn't overspend. That $36 million was more than enough to finish the movie. After all, the biggest reason why movies became expensive was the cast salaries. If the budget wasn't enough, Kazir could reduce his own pay to make it work. He wasn't in need of money.

If he wanted to, his salary could go down to $1 and it wouldn't affect him. However, his agents would probably never approve of that kind of deal.

+++++

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

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

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 526

A few years ago, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl received a couple of nominations from the Academy Awards. These included Best Actor, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup, Best Original Score, and Best Visual Effects.

Out of all those nominations... none won an award. Look at that: seven nominations, but not a single win. This just showed how prejudiced the Academy Awards were.

Johnny Depp was actually excited when he found out he got a nomination, but the Academy didn't care for box office movies, so they didn't give him a real chance.

The members of the Academy gatekeep their small community of rich, hypocritical bastards in Hollywood.

Five years later, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End received a couple of nominations from the Academy Awards. Unfortunately, Johnny Depp didn't get another nomination since he had already received one before. Hey, even getting an Oscar nomination was already a big achievement, only a few actors get nominated each year.

This year, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End got two nominations from the Academy Awards. The announcement came on January 22, and only a few people from Grey Pictures attended the small gathering. Everyone knew that even if the movie got nominations, it would be difficult to win even one.

It's funny because At World's End was the highest-grossing movie of the previous year. The movie garnered a massive fanbase all over the world, and many of those fans were probably disappointed that the Academy Awards didn't give a damn about box office success... The members of the Academy were only interested in maintaining their status and power within the organization.

A decade from now, the Academy Awards would become a laughingstock. They even let a guy who caused a scandal and slapped a host win the Best Actor Award, showing they had no common sense at all. Man, it was just a bald joke. Why go so far as to assault someone?

As for the Academy Awards, yeah, not cool. They essentially supported an assault, and their organization's reputation would be tarnished forever.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End received nominations in two categories: Best Makeup and Best Visual Effects. These were considered minor awards.

When Kazir heard that the Academy took pity on the movie and gave it two nominations, he just laughed. Honestly, he thought At World's End wouldn't receive any nominations this year.

As for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, it would be a miracle if this action-packed, bloody, raw, and testosterone-fueled movie got any nominations. Only something truly unique like Taken would earn that privilege, since that movie had a bigger cultural impact.

.........

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...

In January, only three movies performed well. Again, this month was not considered ideal for releasing films. Only a few high-quality movies could make money during this time. At best, movies released in January could hope to earn around $200 million.

27 Dresses was released in the third week of January. It was produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The movie grossed over $206 million.

In the same week, Cloverfield was released... This movie was interesting and unique. It belonged to the found footage genre, with a bit of a documentary vibe. Produced by Bad Robot and distributed by Paramount Pictures, this alien invasion film grossed over $201 million.

As for the third movie that performed well in January, it was Rambo. For some reason, this installment didn't include a clear number to indicate which sequel it was, so audiences were a bit confused. Though avid fans of the franchise knew this was the fourth movie.

After Carolco Pictures went bankrupt, the rights to the Rambo franchise were acquired by Miramax. Naturally, the distributor of the movie was Miramax. Miramax had international distribution lines, which was the main reason the Big Six felt threatened by the studio. Eventually leading Walt Disney to acquire Miramax to ensure it wouldn't flourish too much.

If Grey Pictures had followed Miramax's footsteps and acquired distribution lines, the company would probably have been taken out by now or acquired by one of the Big Six... The latter still happened even though Grey Pictures didn't have its own distribution lines. As of now, Grey Pictures still relied on 20th Century Fox to distribute its movies, and the partnership remained strong.

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...

In a certain location in Los Angeles, the night sky was dim due to the pollution the city produced daily. It didn't help that the location was covered in artificial mist from fog machines.

Extras wore ninja suits and looked intimidating. They carried prop weapons, made of rubber, but designed to look like real blades.

Kazir Grey sat a few meters away from the scene, holding a megaphone. They had secured a permit to film on this street, but only for tonight, so the schedule was tight.

Enzo, standing in a relaxed posture despite having fake blood smeared on his face, waited for Kazir's signal.

"All right, I'm looking for raw action. This part is where Raizo shows why he's the best ninja in the clan."

Enzo nodded, taking the director's reminder seriously.

After that, the set grew quiet as the assistant director, Everest, clapped the clapperboard and announced the scene and take number.

"Scene 28. Fighting the Ninjas in the downtown. Take 8."

The camera rolled.

Enzo and the extras sprang into action. Enzo moved with acrobatic grace... He was trying to follow in the footsteps of most Asian actors in Hollywood, doing most of his own stunts. Thankfully, Enzo was an expert in martial arts, so he didn't struggle with the movements. They had rehearsed the stunts so many times, and that preparation really paid off during filming.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 527

"Man, you should take care of yourself. Taking those pills, even if they're prescribed by your doctors, is unhealthy if you consume them too much. Look at you now! You look like a fucking dead person."

Two people were talking in front of a 7-Eleven at night, each holding a can of beer.

"Shut the fuck up. I didn't invite you here to talk about my circumstances. You said you had a cameo scene for me, so here I am. Is there a line I should remember or something? Where's the script?"

"You're the one who asked for a cameo, not me. I just gave you one to keep you entertained."

"Thanks, I guess."

Suddenly, a group of shadows passed by, and a strong gust of wind almost knocked the two of them over.

"Holy shit—!!"

"What was that!?"

The two were shocked as they stared at the dark street. The shadows were moving like people.

"Cut—!"

Everest announced it, and the crew members started clapping their hands. They were praising their boss, Kazir. The director had started this tradition of making a cameo in every CCU movie.

This time, his cameo scene was with Heath Ledger. The two had become friends after filming The Dark Knight. Heath had once asked for a cameo in the CCU, though he said it as a joke. But Kazir took it seriously and wrote a short conversation about Heath dependent on pills...

This was actually the first time Kazir directly brought up Heath Ledger's health and addiction to pills. Most of the time, they talked about other things and rarely touched on the subject of addiction.

This was Kazir's subtle way of reminding the actor to avoid overdosing. By framing it as part of an act, Heath wouldn't be offended. Though Heath actually sensed something deeper in the script, he went along with it. It wasn't an invasion of privacy if the purpose was to help someone.

With that, Kazir and Heath finished their scene. Funny enough, Tom Cruise had also asked for a cameo in the CCU, but Heath Ledger got one first. In Tom's case, Grey Pictures was hesitant because they feared the audience would be confused if he appeared in the CCU. The audience might think Mission: Impossible was now part of the CCU.

Now, that might be an interesting idea, but it would be extremely hard to pull off. First of all, the relationship between Paramount and Grey Pictures had soured last year. Furthermore, Paramount would have to be desperate or insane to give up a profitable franchise like Mission: Impossible. God knows how much money Paramount made from that series.

'Sorry, Tom. I'll play golf with you next time to make up for that,' Kazir thought to himself.

He glanced at Heath Ledger, who was currently signing autographs for the crew members.

When you work on a movie production, there are many chances to ask for autographs. However, some actors and actresses have clauses in their contracts prohibiting autograph requests on set, which is understandable. It seemed Heath was comfortable signing autographs.

'I did my part. At the end of the day, Heath is the only one who can save himself. If he doesn't stop using pills, the outcome won't change... But it's the last week of January now and Heath is still alive. That should be good news.'

Heath Ledger died on January 22 in the original timeline, which was five days ago. But now, Heath Ledger was standing a few meters away from Kazir, smiling at the crew.

Kazir couldn't help but smile too. Not going to lie, he was proud of what he'd accomplished. Perhaps his intervention had changed the outcome.

Heath Ledger wasn't paid for his cameo, it was just a 30-second scene anyway. It was all in good fun. Kazir had even promised they'd play Guitar Hero together when both were free.

.........

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...

January ended and February began. Some notable things were happening around this time. Barack Obama was still going strong in his presidential campaign and seemed to have a lot of support.

Barack had filed his candidacy last year and had been busy ever since. His main political opponent for the presidency was John McCain, a Vietnam War veteran and former prisoner of war.

Since Kazir was from the future, he already knew that Barack Obama would win the 2008 election. Obviously, Kazir and Grey Pictures took advantage of this knowledge. Kazir openly supported Barack, even accepting interviews to show his support.

As for his real opinion about Barack, well, only Kazir knew the answer.

And when it came to what he experienced during Barack's presidency, again, only Kazir knew the answer.

Did the economy improve? Was there peace? Did the people love Barack? Only the citizens of the United States could answer that.

Using politics to your advantage was never a bad thing. Tons of CEOs and millionaires did it for their own benefit; Kazir was just ahead of the curve.

Some people opposed Kazir's political stance, but it didn't go deep enough to destroy any meaningful relationships... Not when Kazir had such a high status in Hollywood that no one could touch him anymore, except for that one time when he was almost assassinated.

Days passed, and Kazir continued filming Ninja Assassin. He didn't care much about politics.

However, one day, breaking news shook everything and Kazir realized that life wasn't so simple. He was stunned as he witnessed how...

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 528


In February, the Writer's Guild of America strike ended... This was the shocking but positive news that Kazir received today.

What? Did you think it was another sad news story, like an actor being found dead in his hotel room because of an overdose? Nah.

The Writer's Guild strike was a long labor dispute that lasted around 100 days because many sectors in the industry couldn't make a decision. The strike started on November 5, 2007, and ended on February 12, 2008.

The Writer's Guild is the organization that represents writers in television, radio, and films. This organization ensures that writers are protected and not bullied, in a way.

Also, the Writer's Guild is an organization that helps protect the scripts that scriptwriters make. That's one of the reasons why Kazir joined the organization and also registered his scripts in the WGA (Writer's Guild of America).

There were several reasons why many writers went on strike and stopped working.

First was the issue of residuals for digital distribution. Now that the internet was slowly dominating, like streaming and downloads, writers wanted a cut of that profit. Obviously, the big studios were against this and said that the profit from digital distribution was still questionable, which was a fair point since it was still 2007. However, the WGA and major studios eventually agreed and gave writers 1.2% of the distributor's gross revenue for digital rentals and purchases.

The second issue was home video residuals. Writers were paid a fixed percentage of revenue from DVD sales, a rate that hadn't been updated since the 1980s. The contract between DVDs and videotapes was different. In the '90s, videotapes slowly lost relevance, and DVDs became the go-to method for watching movies at home.

Writers demanded a higher percentage, arguing that DVDs had become a massive source of income for studios. In the '80s, writers could only get 0.3% whenever a DVD was sold. That means writers could only get a few cents every time a $20 DVD was sold. By the way, Kazir also had this kind of contract, but his rates were higher for obvious reasons.

Unfortunately for the WGA, major studios stood firm on their decisions and never agreed to increase the residuals. Studios make money from selling peripherals, and it would be hard for them to accept giving more to writers.

What the studios didn't realize was that in the next decade, digital distribution would become the best way to consume content, and since then, writers could get at least 1.2%, depending on the contract. People stopped using DVDs around the 2015s, hehe.

This strike impacted a lot of projects in showbiz since most projects needed writers. Shows that needed scripts were delayed. Some TV series had fewer episodes compared to last year, and some shows were even canceled.

Especially for the film industry, this section heavily needed writers, and many projects were canceled or delayed. Movies such as 007: Quantum of Solace, G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, and Star Trek were some of the movies affected.

Also, this strike caused a huge economic loss. Los Angeles alone lost $1.2 billion in revenue because many projects were badly affected.

In Kazir's and Grey Pictures' situation, they suffered slightly but not too much. Why? Because Kazir agreed to most of the requests that the WGA listed. Furthermore, Kazir was also a writer and a highly respected one at that so the organization didn't give him any trouble.

In fact, most screenwriters in Hollywood dreamed of becoming someone like Kazir Grey, where they could sell scripts for millions of dollars. Grey Pictures increased the DVD residuals up to 0.5%... A small increase, but still an increase. As for profits from digital sales, Grey Pictures had the same contract with most studios, which was 1.2%.

Seeing the strike end was a good thing; at least people had jobs again, which was good for the individual and the economy.

.........

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...

The filming of Ninja Assassin ended, and surprisingly, Kazir had the time to watch the 80th Academy Awards. Scarlett said that she would arrive later.

Kazir watched the show while prepping dinner for both of them. Most of the time, Kazir hired chefs to cook their meals, but the chefs were gone today because both Kazir and Scarlett hadn't expected to come home tonight. They were always busy and rarely met at the house... They usually stayed in hotels.

This was a rare relaxing moment for the couple, so Kazir decided to make it special. He cooked steaks. The two had been working so hard, and they understood that staying at home with warm food was one of the best things that could happen after a tough job.

Anyway, No Country for Old Men was the biggest winner this year. The film won Best Picture. The Coen Brothers, directors of No Country for Old Men, won Best Director. Javier Bardem won Best Supporting Actor. The film also won Best Adapted Screenplay.

Obviously, the movie was invested in and produced by none other than Miramax. Miramax had always been the star of award shows. At this point, the Academy Awards was basically a business for Miramax.

As for the two nominations from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End... Nothing. This pirate movie didn't win either of the two.

Kazir chuckled as he watched the ending credits. As usual, nothing surprising. Miramax knew how to cook the Academy Awards.

A few minutes later, Scarlett arrived. The couple hugged each other before having dinner. Then, they cuddled while watching a horror movie.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 529


February. Within this month, only five movies had the performance to exceed $100 million at the box office.

Fool's Gold, starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, grossed over $130 million when its screening ended. The movie was distributed by Warner Brothers.

Jumper was a movie about a man who could teleport all over the world. Starring Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars) and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the movie grossed over $257 million. The best performance was in February.

The Spiderwick Chronicles was a movie adaptation of a novel that was distributed by Paramount Pictures. Paramount was trying to follow Warner Brothers' and Walt Disney's success with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Narnia. Unfortunately, The Spiderwick Chronicles didn't create a strong response from the audience. It only grossed $191 million.

Step Up 2: The Streets was produced by Touchstone and distributed by Walt Disney. With only $17 million as a budget, this dance-themed movie grossed $173 million. It grossed ten times its budget.

As for the last, Vantage Point was distributed by Sony-Columbia and grossed $176 million.

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...

Every March, a Comic-Con happens in Seattle, Washington. The name of this Comic-Con was Emerald City Comic Con.

Now, what is a Comic-Con exactly?

Comic-Con, also known as Comic Convention, is a convention or gathering where fans of comic books, movies, TV shows, video games, anime, and other forms of popular pop culture come together to celebrate their interests.

Who could visit Comic-Con?

Basically, everyone. Everyone is allowed to visit Comic-Con, with no age restriction, except for some booths meant for adults only.

Anyway, you can do so many things at Comic-Con.

There are Panels and Q&A Sessions where celebrities, content creators, or professionals discuss topics and answer questions.

There is also an Exhibitor Hall where vendors sell merchandise such as comic books, novels, and other stuff.

Of course, Comic-Con wouldn't be Comic-Con without cosplayers. Thousands of cosplayers attend Comic-Con; they are passionate about showing off their cosplays.

Comic-Con also promotes movies. Exclusive sneak peeks and movie trailers are released at Comic-Con.

In a certain booth where hundreds of people lined up, Kazir was signing autographs for his fans.

"Can I take a picture? I'm really a huge fan of yours!"

A goth girl squealed happily as she passed a DVD case to Kazir to sign. The DVD was Napoleon Dynamite, which was released in 1995. Kazir smiled and signed his autograph on the case.

"Of course, I'll be happy to take a picture with you," Kazir then replied as he returned the DVD to the goth girl.

One of Kazir's bodyguards took the camera from the goth girl and then took a couple of pictures.

The bodyguard returned the camera to the goth girl, and she checked the quality of the pictures. She smiled as she confirmed that they were amazing.

"Thank you so much, Kazir. It's nice to meet you."

"It's also nice to meet you."

The woman actually wanted to hug the director, but the table between them was quite wide, so she settled for a handshake.

"God, I'll masturbate to these pictures tonight!!"

Kazir kept his smile as he heard that statement. The woman left happily, and the next fan showed up and put down a poster for Kazir to sign.

Now, why was Kazir not surprised when he heard the goth girl's statement?

Earlier, Kazir heard a few of his fans saying that they wouldn't wash their hands ever again after they shook hands with him... That was the least freaky thing he heard during this whole event.

In fact, an hour ago, a woman pulled out a dildo for Kazir to sign. The woman even asked if the dildo was the right size of Kazir's stick. (Note: Dildo was smaller.)

This kind of situation rarely happened, but it didn't mean they never happened. Once in a while, something outrageous like that could occur.

Heck, no one thought that Kazir would experience an assassination attempt because he was just a director, but it still happened.

A fan pulling out a dildo to get signed was surprising, but also not.

Kazir just kept his composure the whole time... God knows what the woman would do with that dildo.

'... I guess having a good-looking face is bad in some situations.'

Kazir thought to himself.

"Kazir, which of the two do you like the most?"

"Hm? I'm sorry, can you repeat the question?"

Kazir was having a monologue, so the question didn't sink in. He looked at the young boy in a Sonic costume/pajama, probably around eight years old. The boy was holding two comic books while his father was next to him. Based on their expressions, the father and son were his fans.

The young boy showed the two comics, which were comic books of Batman and Spider-Man.

"Between Marvel Comics and DC Comics, which of the two do you like the most?"

"Kid... You're not a paparazzi, right?"

"What's a paparazzi?" the boy innocently asked.

"Never mind," Kazir chuckled. He signed the comic books... Kazir directed Batman and Spiderman, so it wasn't surprising that someone showed these to him to sign.

"I like them both."

Just to be safe, he didn't choose either of the two. After all, he was working with both sides, and it would be a problem if he only chose one.

"That's understandable. Both are great," the boy replied.

"Exactly."

"Are you going to their booths later? My dad said that he would take me to watch the trailer for The Dark Knight and Iron Man!"

"Of course."

Kazir lied as he breathed, keeping his smile.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 530

The line of fans continued to lengthen; each of them was excited to meet Kazir and get their memorable autograph. Some were holding DVDs and videotapes, some were holding posters, and some were holding merchandise related to Kazir, such as comic books.

He could hear the excitement from the fans. Kazir appreciated them. These people stayed standing in line just to meet him. That was dedication. Unfortunately, not all of them would be lucky enough to meet Kazir.

Speaking of comic books, Grey Pictures signed a contract with a publisher to make CCU comics to expand the universe. The contract ended two years ago, and now the publisher of CCU Comics is Marvel Comics.

Honestly, the profits they earned from the comics were not that much, but these were essential to fans to make sure they would be reminded of the Continental Cinematic Universe.

As long as people remember you and your works, then you're still relevant. Hence, the constant release of comic books.

Kazir's booth was actually one of the most popular parts of Comic-Con. So many people lined up just to see him.

However, his schedule for today was quite hectic, so they had to cut the line, and they didn't accept any more people to join the line.

Kazir had to attend a program later.

When he was asked earlier, Kazir lied. He knew that he couldn't attend both programs of Marvel and DC. He could only choose one because both programs would happen at the same time. It would be impossible for Kazir to attend both unless he cut himself into two… He'd be dead at that point.

Anyway, DC Comics was in the left section of the Comic-Con while Marvel Comics was on the right.

As of right now, both sides were actively entertaining the fans. DC Comics and Marvel Comics had fans all over the country, and these fans were interested in getting their comic books signed by their favorite comic artists.

After this meet-and-greet session, both would start promoting their movies. They would show trailers for their upcoming films.

For DC Comics and Warner Brothers, they were promoting one movie, which was The Dark Knight. The movie was directed by Kazir Grey.

As for Marvel Studio and 20th Century Fox, they had two movies: Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk.

Because of the schedule conflict, Kazir could only attend one of the two programs.

After talking to his PR team and his agents, the best conclusion was to attend The Dark Knight. Kazir was the director of the movie, and his presence was greatly needed. He also signed a contract stating that he had to join the promotion.

As for Marvel Studio, even though Kazir had a position in the company, he didn't contribute much to the creation of the two movies except for the scriptwriting part. To be clear, he was not the scriptwriter, but he helped in creating the script. Not just the script, Kazir was part of the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe overall… Someone from Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox would probably be mad that he didn't attend.

Kazir had no choice. He had to make it up to Marvel Studio and 20th Century Fox next time. He already promised that he would direct The Avengers. It was a verbal promise at first, but the two companies wanted him to sign a contract, which Kazir accepted after thinking about it. That was his intention in the first place.

As for the salary and box office share, that would be a different negotiation.

After signing for the last fan who attended the meet-and-greet, Kazir excused himself as he had to go to the DC Comics booth to promote The Dark Knight. He apologized to the fans who didn't make the cut.

When he reached the place, he already saw some of the cast. Christian Bale and Heath Ledger were already there.

Scarlett couldn't attend because she had a modeling gig today. Scarlett's role in this movie was Rachel Dawes. Her role died in the movie, and this would be the last time she would be part of The Dark Knight franchise.

After that, Scarlett would become part of the MCU. She would become Black Widow. Kazir already talked about it with Stan Lee and the others, and they were not against it. They agreed that Scarlett fit the role. Furthermore, she had training experience, so action was nothing new to her.

A few minutes later, the program would start.

Most of the cast of The Dark Knight were wearing casual clothes since this was not a formal event but a meet-and-greet instead. They were introduced one by one by the host.

The cast was charismatic, especially when Christian Bale's name was announced, the fans were cheering. It was an obvious reaction since Christian Bale was the star of this movie… Perhaps?

Kazir also received strong applause from the fans.

After that, some lucky people had a chance to ask the cast about anything related to the movie. Most asked Christian Bale about his experience while filming.

One of the fans asked Kazir a certain question.

"Director, the first movie is called Batman Begins. Why did the title change to The Dark Knight?"

"I wanted to put emphasis on the change of tone and theme of the franchise, hence the change of the title. Also, it's a homage to the old comic Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. This movie is heavily inspired by that."

The cast answered the questions with no problem. Some of these questions were rehearsed and kind of expected. But once in a while, some fans would ask freaky questions.

"Christian, which ass do you prefer? Catwoman's or Wonder Woman's?"

Was this kind of question allowed at Comic-Con? Well, it depends.

"Catwoman."

Christian laughed and answered. Even the cast was asked the same question...

+++++

[I found out that Patreon actually allows discounts, and this is my first time offering one. The first ten subscribers will receive a 50% discount on my highest tier, which includes all chapters of Hollywood What If (Completed) and 30 chapters of Behind The Spotlight. The promotion will end once ten patrons have subscribed.]

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

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 531

After the question-and-answer portion, the host smiled and announced the next segment.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for, the exclusive first trailer of The Dark Knight!"

The fans cheered, but they quickly turned quiet as the lights turned off. The projector screen lit up and the trailer for the movie began to roll.

Kazir turned around and looked up… The angle he was watching from wasn't the best, so he just laughed. Well, he was the one who created this trailer, so he already knew what it was all about.

The low, dark, haunting sound played. Then Batman appeared on top of a building; he fell and glided into the dark night.

The logos of Warner Brothers and DC Comics flashed on the screen. Then came the Joker's monologue while scenes of the chaos he created played out.

Explosions and cars rolled around like toys, while the Joker's maniacal laughter echoed in the background.

The Batmobile made its cool appearance.

Bruce Wayne talked to Harvey Dent.

Then the climax of the trailer began as the Joker appeared and hijacked a party, holding a shotgun.

The music intensified.

More explosions followed.

A monologue between the Joker and Batman.

In the final second of the trailer, the release date of the movie was revealed.

July 18, 2008.

And yeah, the trailer was only 2 minutes and 30 seconds, so it didn't last that long. Still, it was enough to satisfy the fans, who screamed and clapped their hands once the lights returned.

The cast bid their farewells after promoting the movie.

"Let's see each other on July 18. You will witness Batman's glory."

That was what Kazir said before leaving the venue.

As expected, the Marvel section also ended their programs around the same time, and Kazir couldn't attend. Marvel Studios also hoped that fans would watch Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk in theaters.

.........

......

...

March passed by, and Kazir spent most of his time filming Ninja Assassin. This was just the norm for him, and he liked what he was doing.

The production crew had already adapted to Kazir's work ethic and knew that the director was the liveliest when he was sitting in his director's chair… This was confusing because almost everyone agreed that sitting in a director's chair was uncomfortable.

Anyway, only three movies performed well at the box office in March.

They were:

10,000 B.C. A movie distributed by Warner Brothers with a budget of over $100 million. The movie grossed over $269 million by the end of its screening. It received mixed reviews regarding historical inaccuracies. Overall, its performance was great, and audiences liked it.

The second was Horton Hears a Who! A movie based on Dr. Seuss's work. It was a 3D animated film, produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox. This studio was getting stronger after three of its movies received great attention from moviegoers. The movie grossed over $383 million while having an $83 million production cost.

The third and final movie was 21. Yes, the title of the movie was 21. It was a drama-heist about making money in Las Vegas using card-counting strategies. The movie only had a $36 million budget but grossed over $187 million.

.........

......

...

In April, Kazir continued the filming of Ninja Assassin. Whenever he had free time, he would spend it with his girlfriend.

The promotion of summer movies intensified, and people could see posters and billboards promoting films everywhere. Many comic-related materials spread around this time. Perhaps this was a signal, since three superhero movies would be released in the summer.

As for the movies released this month, they were basically weak, and none surpassed $200 million, so it didn't matter if they were listed or not.

.........

......

...

Just like that, May 2 arrived, and Iron Man had its premiere. Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox did their best to promote the movie. They knew that Iron Man was not a popular superhero, so they had to spread Iron Man comics across the United States. They basically gave the comics away to catch people's attention.

The budget of Iron Man was around $140 million, and they hoped the movie would make at least double that amount to make it worthwhile.

In the original timeline, the distributor of Iron Man was Paramount Pictures, but 20th Century Fox took that role this time. Perhaps this change could affect Iron Man's performance.

Since Kazir couldn't attend the promotion at Comic-Con, he had to make up for it by attending the premiere. He had a stake in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so he couldn't disregard the premiere.

In fact, Grey Pictures had a 3% box office share and a 6% peripheral profit share with Iron Man since they technically owned the copyrights to the character.

Even though Grey Pictures didn't invest a single cent in the movie, they were still qualified to receive a share of the profits. Sometimes, people were amazed at Kazir's prediction. The director probably saw the potential of Marvel characters and bought them.

As for Ninja Assassin, Kazir had already filmed most of the scenes. The movie was not heavily reliant on CGI, so Kazir could probably end the production in three months. That was fast, as expected.

As for his next film, Kazir had no idea. Perhaps he would take a year's rest since he had been working too much for two decades now. He never had a chance for a long break.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 532

The theater was packed, every seat occupied by moviegoers. Today was the first day of Iron Man in theaters, so it was not surprising that the place was full.

Some of them were fans of Iron Man and had read the comics, while others were curious audience members who had seen the trailer. However, most of the audience were young boys, ranging from 5 to 17 years old. Well, the movie was meant for young guys anyway, since it was a superhero movie.

The anticipation filled the place as the Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox logos appeared on the screen, followed by the pounding beats of AC/DC's "Back in Black." (Note: I actually listen to this band together with Scorpions. They were great bands of the 90s.)

A father and his young son sat in the middle row, sharing a large bucket of popcorn. The father, dressed casually in a T-shirt and jeans, leaned back in his seat. He glanced at his son, who barely reached the seat. The boy was 8 years old. The two had a father-and-son bonding moment and decided to watch a movie. Surprisingly, today was the first-day release of Iron Man.

The kid had been hearing about this movie from his friends. He also watched the trailer on television. So when he found out that the movie would be released today, he told his dad that he wanted to watch it.

Of course, the father agreed. Thankfully, they bought the tickets quite quickly despite the long line.

"I'm excited. My friends kept talking about Iron Man," the boy whispered, his eyes glued to the screen.

The audience watched the movie. Some laughed during Tony Stark's banter with the soldiers in the Humvee. The father and son also laughed along with them.

As the movie progressed, the audience's reactions grew louder. Gasps filled the room when Tony Stark was ambushed and injured. It was quite a shock as they witnessed how the Humvees turned around after getting bombed... Not related, but when Kazir saw this scene in a small screening, his heart almost stopped beating because he remembered that time when their car rolled over because Aaron hit them.

The boy leaned forward, holding the popcorn. He didn't expect that outcome, where Tony and the soldiers were attacked.

"Is he going to be okay, Dad?" he whispered anxiously.

"We'll see," the father replied. He had no idea, honestly. He didn't know who Iron Man was and had never read the comics. But considering that this was a superhero movie and rated PG-13, Tony Stark would probably be fine.

The movie continued.

When Tony first wore the bulky Mark 1 suit to escape the cave, the theater erupted in cheers. The boy's eyes widened as flames shot out from the suit, and Tony launched himself into the air despite the obstacles.

"Whoa!" the boy exclaimed, almost spilling his popcorn.

When Tony perfected the red-and-gold suit (Mark 3) and soared into the sky for the first time, the audience burst into applause. By the way, Mark 2 was a pure silver-colored design.

"This is so cool!" the boy said, his face lit with pure excitement. He suddenly imagined himself having an armored suit like Tony Stark.

The climactic battle between Iron Man and Iron Monger had everyone on the edge of their seats. The boy gripped the popcorn bucket, its contents long gone.

When the credits rolled, the theater erupted into applause once again. The boy turned to his father, his face glowing with excitement.

"Dad, did you see that? That was the best movie ever!"

Almost every kid in the theater had the same reaction as him.

The father chuckled.

"Yeah, it was pretty amazing. You liked it, huh?"

"I loved it!" the boy said, practically bouncing in his seat.

As the father and son exited the theater, still excited from the movie, they were greeted by some people who were doing a survey about Iron Man. They said they liked the movie and gave it an A+ rating.

"Dad, Dad!"

The boy saw something across the street. A toy store had set up a huge display featuring Iron Man merchandise. There was even a 1:1 replica of Iron Man's suit on display. Action figures, helmets, and even comics were on the shelves. There was also a large cardboard cutout of Iron Man standing at the entrance.

The boy's jaw dropped.

"Dad! Look!" He pointed excitedly.

The father followed his son's gaze and chuckled. "Well, buddy…"

"Can we go look? Please? Just for a minute!" The boy tugged at his father's hand, his eyes pleading.

"Alright, alright. Let's check it out," the father agreed, smiling. He knew that his son would ask him to buy a toy. He just hoped it wouldn't be expensive.

Inside the store, the boy went straight to the Iron Man section. He picked up a shiny red-and-gold action figure, turning it over in his hands.

"This is so cool! Look, it even has lights!" the boy said, showing it to his father.

The father knelt beside him, examining the toy. He looked at the price. It was $17. He confirmed that he could afford it. "That is pretty cool. What do you think, should we get it?"

The boy's face lit up. "Yes!"

The father smiled, pulling out his wallet. He was happy that his son didn't ask for something more expensive. He glanced around and saw an Iron Man helmet that cost $78… He was happy that his son was already satisfied with one toy.

As they walked out of the store, the boy hugged the toy tightly, grinning from ear to ear.

"Thanks, Dad. This is the best day ever!"

The father ruffled his son's hair. "You're welcome, buddy."

The boy nodded, still clutching his new toy. Today was something that he would never forget. He cherished this moment forever, because a week later, his dad died in a car accident because of a teenager who drove a car under the influence.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 533


At The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

The set was great, decorated in shades of red and gold, with a large LED screen behind Ellen displaying Iron Man's poster.

The audience was buzzing with excitement as the talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres, a charismatic person, adjusted her expression and introduced the guests. Ellen was the most good person in Hollywood. She was good to her employees and never raised her voice at them. She was never a bully... Right?

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the cast of Iron Man! First up, he's the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, on screen, of course, Robert Downey Jr.!"

The crowd erupted in cheers as Robert Downey Jr. walked onto the stage, his trademark smirk plastered on his face.

Dressed in a suit, he waved to the audience, making a playful bow before taking his seat on Ellen's white, comfortable sofa.

"Next, the man who performed the role of Iron Monger, Jeff Bridges!"

Jeff Bridges stepped out, his bald head shining under the stage lights. He greeted Robert with a hearty handshake and shared a laugh with Ellen before sitting down.

"And finally, she's the heart of this movie, the brilliant and beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow!"

The audience clapped loudly as Gwyneth walked gracefully onto the stage, dressed in a red dress. She gave a warm smile and a wave before taking her seat beside Robert.

"What an amazing lineup of a cast! Now, Robert, I have to ask, what was it like in the role of Tony Stark? Did you feel any pressure?"

Robert Downey Jr. leaned against his seat and smirked. "Pressure? Nah. I mean, sure, it's a big deal to play one of Marvel's most iconic heroes. But let's be honest, Tony Stark and I have a few things in common. We're both... handsome."

The audience laughed, and Robert gave a flirty wink at the camera.

Ellen smiled and then asked the other cast members.

"Jeff, your character, Obadiah Stane, brings a lot of weight to the story, erm, no pun intended. How did you approach playing such a morally complex character?"

Ellen's question made it sound like Iron Man was a serious movie and not a superhero genre. Well, Jeff played along. After all, they attended this show to promote the movie.

Jeff Bridges nodded and replied.

"Well, you know, Obadiah isn't just a villain. He's a man who believes he's doing what's right for business. I wanted to bring out that humanity, even if he's, you know, building a giant suit to take down his young friend."

The host chuckled. He kind of expected that Jeff would respond seriously to a serious question. As for bringing out humanity... Iron Monger was just a jealous guy who wanted an Iron Man suit for himself.

However, no matter how simple the characters were, actors had to be professional and understand the characters' inner hearts. So perhaps Jeff Bridges really found humanity in Iron Monger's character.

"Gwyneth, you play Pepper Potts, who is not just Tony's assistant but also his leading lady. How was it working alongside Robert and bringing that dynamic to life?"

Honestly, Pepper Potts was a fucking ugly name. Like, it was a level lower than Cassandra Hoecrap.

"Robert made it so easy. He's so quick and witty that our scenes felt like a real back-and-forth. Pepper is a simple character, so it was a fun contrast with Tony's better-than-anyone persona." Gwyneth giggled, giving a side look at Robert.

Ellen's questions were standard at best. The show was actually paid to promote Iron Man, so the director already prepared safe questions for the cast.

The audience clapped, clearly enjoying the chemistry between the cast.

These were the only ones who attended the talk show because the other cast members had different jobs to promote the movie. Actually, Terrence Howard was expected to attend the show, but he had a disagreement with Marvel Studios.

Ellen turned to the audience.

"Now, before we wrap up, I've heard we have an exclusive sneak peek of Iron Man. This is different from the trailers you've seen on TV, exclusive here on The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

The crowd erupted in cheers as the lights dimmed and a never-before-seen clip from Iron Man played on the screen. The audience gasped as they watched Tony Stark take flight for the first time and unleash a beam of light. Then, on the trailer, Ellen was free falling in the sky while wearing a clown costume and Iron Man had to save her.

As the lights returned, the audience gave the cast a standing ovation.

"Iron Man, now in theaters! Make sure you don't miss it! Your kids will love it. You will love it! You'll make love to it!"

The cast waved to the audience, smiling and laughing as they exited the stage. The buzz of excitement lingered after they were gone.

"Now, after interviewing the cast of Iron Man, everyone, let's all welcome my lovely friend. I attended most of his parties because his parties were amazing. Let's welcome P. Diddy! Just like what LeBron said, there's no party like Diddy's party!" Ellen smiled to the fullest.

.........

......

...

As the introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man received a great reception at the box office.

On its first day, May 2, the movie grossed $38 million.

The people related to the creation of Iron Man were already jumping when they saw the first day's result. However, they were still not confident. After all, the first day's result was just the start, and they couldn't determine the trajectory of the box office in just the first day's result.

They had to wait for a week to see a clear prediction.

On Saturday, May 3, Iron Man reached $76 million.

On Sunday, May 4, Iron Man grossed over $102 million.

The first weekend seemed great, and people grew confident in the movie.

On the fourth day, Monday, May 5, Iron Man grossed $109 million. The movie earned around $7 million on Monday, which was not bad, honestly, since weekdays were not popular days to watch movies in theaters.

Tuesday, May 6, the movie grossed $115 million.

Wednesday, May 7, the movie grossed $121 million.

Thursday, May 8, the movie grossed $126 million.

After seven days of screening, Iron Man grossed over $126 million. This time, both Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox were celebrating since the movie had a promising start.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 534


Disney had their quarterly meeting. In the conference room, the important figures of Disney and its related companies were having a meeting.

The conference room at Disney's headquarters was buzzing with murmurs as executives shuffled papers and sipped coffee. They had been in this meeting for two hours straight now, and the best they could do was sip hot coffee in between.

A projector lit up on the board, displaying a bar graph. They were comparing box office earnings of animated films from Disney, DreamWorks Animation, and Blue Sky Studios over the past years.

At the head of the table, Bob Iger, Disney's CEO/Chairman, leaned back in his chair, his expression calm but thoughtful. He had been in this position for many years now, and it honed his decision-making. People grew to respect him.

Alongside him was John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. The guy was scrolling through documents with detailed breakdowns of recent animated film performances. John was also the co-founder of Pixar together with Steve Jobs.

Pixar was acquired by Walt Disney around 2006, and the relationship between Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios became close after that. They were like a married couple.

The room was quiet as a senior analyst stood to deliver the presentation.

"As you can see, Blue Sky Studios' Horton Hears a Who has just grossed $383 million globally, on a budget of $83 million. That's more than a 4× return on investment. Meanwhile, DreamWorks has consistent output, especially with Shrek the Third and other projects. DreamWorks has solidified its position as a major player. Disney Animation, on the other hand, hasn't seen that kind of dominance since The Lion King. Pixar continues to hold strong, but—"

Bob Iger slightly raised his hand, interrupting the analyst. The analyst stopped talking, a bit nervous. He was doing his best to talk professionally and was afraid the big boss might roast him.

"Traditional animation is outdated and nobody likes it. We should focus more on 3D animation. The huge success of The Lion King is hard to replicate. Besides, who the fuck likes 2D animation anyway?"

"Horton Hears a Who seemed promising, but this movie will probably have no sequel, impossible to make a franchise. But we can't deny that Blue Sky Studios has Ice Age and Kung Fu Panda to depend on. DreamWorks, though... they're hitting the audience with humor and unique movies. It's obvious that Shrek was created to mock Disney. However, Pixar also has its identity. We prefer wholesome movies that can stir emotions instead of common comedies."

John Lasseter joined in. He spoke quite long, so he reached for a bottle of water to wet his mouth.

"Exactly. Pixar has its identity. We are innovative and have emotional storytelling. Disney Animation needs to strengthen its footing. Bolt is coming later this year. But it's not enough to keep us ahead of the race." Bob added.

Walt Disney decided to disregard traditional hand-drawn animation and focus on 3D animation instead. Their first 3D animated movie was Chicken Little, released in 2005, with the collaboration of Pixar.

However, Disney currently had a hand-drawn animation project that they intended to release next year. If this movie became a success, they might continue with hand-drawn animation projects. The name of this project was The Princess and The Frog.

"They're taking advantage of franchises. Ice Age is a cash cow for Blue Sky Studios, and they'll probably keep milking it. DreamWorks is doing the same with Shrek. Franchises are proving to be their saving grace."

Well, Pixar also had a franchise they could continue, such as Toy Story. In fact, Walt Disney was still the biggest animation studio, so their status remained strong despite the rivalries.

"Toy Story is not enough. We need to develop a new franchise." Bob Iger announced, and the management agreed.

"... Um, should we try to talk to Kazir? He is the scriptwriter and executive producer of Kung Fu Panda. Maybe he has more ideas that we can work with." The one who said that was still new in the management.

"…"

When Kazir's name was spoken, almost everyone in the conference room turned quiet. Bob sighed and rubbed his forehead... He glanced at the newbie. This new guy won't last long in the company.

Honestly, Bob wanted to collaborate with Kazir, but that would probably be impossible. Perhaps in a different timeline, they could do so.

When the atmosphere became awkward, they decided to change the topic and talk about other stuff instead.

Because Walt Disney was sort of the father of animated fairy tales, by animating so many old fairy tales. Walt Disney hand-drew fairy tales such as Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and many more.

The new 3D animation studio wanted to revive more fairy tales and give them modern twists.

Hence The Princess and The Frog and Tangled, which was currently in production, were their introduction.

By the way, Tangled was based on an old fairy tale called Rapunzel.

After an hour of interaction, Bob Iger decided to jump to the next topic.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen. We should talk about the acquisition plan for Lucasfilm."

Bob grinned, and so did the others. They were like hungry wolves ready to devour a small bunny.

Lucasfilm had IPs that Walt Disney was eager to acquire. Star Wars and Indiana Jones were two big IPs. In fact, Star Wars was one of the biggest IPs in the world. Furthermore, Lucasfilm also had ILM (Industrial Light & Magic), which was a famous studio that focused on visual effects.

Walt Disney was ready to devour these poor little things and ravage them badly... This was not an understatement, they basically fucked Lucasfilm, even ILM.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 535


May, 2008.

Well, let's just say that a lot of historical things happened around this time, particularly in the United States.

The California Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. This decision made California the second state in the U.S., after Massachusetts, to legalize same-sex marriage.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama battled for the Democratic Presidential Nomination. In this nomination, Obama gained a lead over Hillary Clinton. It solidified his position as the nominee for the Democrats.

The third biggest event was still probably the 2008 Economic Crisis. By May, the country was already in a deep crisis, as many Americans lost their jobs, and unemployment was a severe case. The housing market also collapsed. Lehman Brothers, one of the biggest investment banks in the country, filed for bankruptcy... Sometimes, it was a mystery how banks filed for bankruptcy. People thought banks were the last entities to go bankrupt, but it still happened.

Anyway, America, in 2008, was suffering from many problems.

However, some industries were not affected by the Economic Crisis. Since many people were depressed around this time and had few hobbies to do, most Americans decided to go to theaters to watch movies to escape reality for a few hours.

And since May was in summer, the movies released this month were thriving.

The first movie that benefited from the summer schedule was Iron Man. After ten days of screening, this movie had grossed over $177 million.

Made of Honor was also released on the same day as Iron Man. It did well despite the competition. Perhaps its genre of romantic comedy helped the movie gross over $26 million after ten days of screening. For a movie with a budget of $40 million, this performance was not bad since Sony-Columbia was not expecting much from this romantic comedy.

In the second week, Speed Racer and What Happens in Vegas were released on the same day.

Speed Racer was an action/adventure/sports movie. Sports was not a typical movie genre, so most movie lists placed Speed Racer in the action/adventure category. The movie grossed $30 million after ten days of screening. By the way, one of the cast members of Speed Racer was Rain, a Korean actor and the original star of Ninja Assassin.

What Happens in Vegas was a romantic comedy starring Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher. The movie was produced by 20th Century Fox. Ashton Kutcher had a lot of romantic comedy movies. The film grossed over $40 million after ten days.

In the third week of May, Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was released. This was the franchise that Walt Disney chose to compete against Harry Potter. The first and second Narnia movies had a great reputation. The fact that Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian grossed over $90 million in ten days showed that this franchise had strong potential.

In the fourth week of May, an iconic character showed up in theaters. It was none other than Indiana Jones. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The director of this franchise was, of course, Steven Spielberg, one of the best directors of all time.

Steven Spielberg and Paramount had a close relationship, so it wasn't surprising that Paramount Pictures became the distributor of the movie. This movie grossed a whopping $202 million in just ten days. It was shocking but not surprising, since Indiana Jones had been a famous franchise since the '80s.

In the fifth and also the last week of May, Sex and the City was released. Produced by Warner Brothers, this comedy movie grossed $99 million in ten days.

.........

......

...

The dimly lit editing room echoed with click-clack noises as a group of people continued editing the footage of Ninja Assassin.

Multiple monitors glowed with footage of high-speed action sequences.

Kazir Grey sat in the center of the room. He leaned against his chair as his eyes focused on the central monitor. He was like a boss... or perhaps the Front Man from Squid Game who facilitated the operation, erm, bad comparison.

Around him, the editing team worked quite efficiently, with some people sipping Red Bull or coffee, depending on their tastes. Each person focused on their assigned task. A large whiteboard in the corner listed the film's key scenes and the status of each one... They had to light up the room to read the list.

"Alright, play that scene again," Kazir said. He yawned while saying it.

The head editor, Rector, nodded and hit a key. The screen displayed a fight scene. Raizo (Enzo Park) slicing through enemies in an awkward motion. Kazir watched closely, his brow furrowed.

"Stop. Use a different angle," he said, and one of the members found the footage that recorded a different angle. This time, Raizo's movement seemed breathtaking.

"Nice. We'll choose this footage."

"Right."

While many things happened in May, Kazir spent most of his time in the editing room at Grey Pictures. He had never been so happy to do so.

"I want a close-up of the katana. I want to see the reflections of the enemies on the katana."

"Um, sir, that would be hard to do."

"Then edit it and make it natural. It doesn't have to be long. Just a three-second scene."

Kazir said, and the group started it again. They didn't have to ask ILM or other visual effects studios to do it since they could handle it themselves.

Kazir was satisfied with his team... although he was a bit guilty that he had "locked" them in this room for three days straight to edit the movie. Well, he paid them top salaries, so they were not against the idea of working for days. This was different from last year when Kazir had two projects and caused some editors to resign.

+++++

[There are still 3 slots for the 50% discount. I'll end the promo tomorrow morning once I wake up.]

Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 536

June arrived.

This year, only a few movies performed well in June despite the summer schedule. The Big Six released their movies this month, but only a few received a great reception from the audience... It also didn't help that Kazir affected the timeline, hence the changes.

In the first week, Don't Mess With The Zohan was released. Starring Adam Sandler and distributed by Sony-Columbia, Don't Mess With The Zohan grossed over $38 million in its first three-day release. The movie had a budget of $90 million.

In the second week, The Happening and The Incredible Hulk were released.

The Happening was a thriller/suspense/horror movie starring Mark Wahlberg. The story was about a toxin that killed people. The toxins came from plants... The writers were probably on some kind of psychedelic when they came up with this plot. Anyway, the movie had a budget of $48 million and it grossed over $30 million after three days of screening.

As for The Incredible Hulk, this was the second movie that Marvel Studios released for its ambitious crossover called the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The premiere and red carpet were so star-studded that many famous celebrities showed up, including Kazir, who had a complicated relationship with Marvel Studios...

There were some newspapers that talked about Kazir's relationship with DC and Marvel and his hypocrisy. He gained another bad reputation, but Kazir was already used to this kind of treatment, so he didn't care at all. People were allowed to have their opinions.

However, this ambiguous relationship between DC and Marvel made the people related to Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox respect him less.

The Incredible Hulk had a budget of $150 million. The movie was heavily reliant on special effects, so it was not surprising that the budget surpassed $100 million.

If The Incredible Hulk failed at the box office, Marvel Studios would have to think twice about continuing the MCU.

Fortunately, the movie grossed over $55 million after three days of screening. This boosted the confidence of Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox.

On top of that, Iron Man also grossed $297 million at the North American box office after 45 days of screening. Also, the international box office grossed over $125 million after three weeks of screening, giving a worldwide box office total of $422 million. A massive win for Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox.

Warner Brothers and DC felt threatened when they saw the results. They hoped that The Dark Knight would give them great numbers.

They believed in Kazir's capabilities. However, they were also afraid that Kazir would sabotage them. A lot of them were against Kazir's script, especially the part where Batman lost against The Joker. It didn't sit well with the management. This version of Batman was quite dark for the fans to accept.

The only reason they agreed was because of Kazir's strong box office appeal and the contract they signed. They were also afraid that if they forced Kazir against his will, he might never work with Warner Brothers again. Kazir could breach the contract and pay the damages if he wanted to, but that would be the last time Kazir worked with them. Warner Brothers didn't want that, so they gritted their teeth and accepted his decision.

In the third week, Get Smart was released starring Steve Carell. The movie was distributed by Warner Brothers and had a budget of $80 million. This movie was actually funny, so it was not surprising that it grossed $38 million after three days of screening.

As for the fourth week, nothing big happened, which was a bit surprising.

June, which was a famous summer schedule, only had four movies that performed well.

Why did that happen?

Kazir changed the timeline, so some huge movies were not released this time.

Kung Fu Panda — this animated movie was released three years earlier because it was now owned by Blue Sky Studio instead of DreamWorks Animation.

Wall-E — the script for this animated movie was now registered to Kazir's name instead of being owned by Pixar. Blue Sky Studio had a plan to produce this movie in two years, but the plan was still not approved by 20th Century Fox. It was ironic because Pixar actually contacted Kazir regarding buying the script for Wall-E. Kazir still owned the script, so the future was still unclear.

Anyway, Wall-E was not animated this time because Kazir owned the script.

Wanted was meant to be released in 2008, but Kazir produced it in 2000 instead and added it to the Continental Cinematic Universe.

These three movies, Kung Fu Panda, Wall-E, and Wanted, were meant to be released in 2008, but Kazir changed the timeline.

........

.....

...

"Batman--! Please, forgive me! It's not a big crime. It's just jaywalking. Don't break my legs!"

"What you did is a crime!"

"No, it's just a small crime! Please--!"

"Justice for Gotham!!"

"Cut!"

Kazir stopped the filming.

The Batman in question stopped acting and took off his mask. It was Justin Timberlake behind the mask.

"Director, are you sure this is how you portray Batman?" Justin asked.

"Justin, Justin, Justin. I'm the director. You shouldn't ask me why. Just trust me," Kazir replied, and then yelled, "Where the fuck is my bowl of grapes! You! Woman! Feed me grapes!"

The crew members scattered in fright. Scarlett Johansson showed up with a bowl of grapes and fed Kazir.

Munch munch munch...

"Justin, let's retake this scene. Also, make your voice growlier, like you're smoking ten cigarettes underwater."

"But that doesn't make sense."

"Shut the fuck up. Anyway, Batman is a hero who never kills."

"That's right," Justin nodded.

"Instead of killing the criminals, Batman makes sure that they wake up in the hospital in a near-death state."

"Err…"

"It doesn't matter what your crime is, Batman will send you to the hospital. Okay, let's reshoot this scene. Justin, don't forget to scream 'Justice for Gotham.'"

Kazir was in SNL (Saturday Night Live) to promote The Dark Knight. For this segment, he was making fun of Batman... He actually had no idea why Warner Brothers agreed to this kind of promotion.

'Don't blame me. The writers of SNL want to make fun of Batman and I'm just an actor this time.'

This was some kind of breaking the fourth wall or something.

++++

[Tomorrow, I will post a poll about potential comedy sitcoms that Grey Pictures might make.]

[Edit: The poll ended and there's a result.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 537


The studio lights dimmed for a moment before the camera moved to reveal a new figure stepping onto the chaotic set.

A man in a purple suit with a painted white face and smeared red lipstick. It was Heath Ledger, fully in character as the Joker. He walked toward Kazir and Justin Timberlake.

"Oh, Batsy! Look at you, breaking jaywalkers' legs. Why so serious!?"

Heath giggled, his voice hinting at mockery.

Kazir, still seated like a tyrannical director on an uncomfortable chair, nodded.

Scarlett stuffed another grape into his mouth.

"Finally, someone who gets it! Joker, my man, at least you understand that justice is nothing but rules and regulations."

Justin Timberlake, still in his Batman costume, dramatically turned to Heath.

"Joker, what are you doing here? This isn't your scene! We talked backstage!"

The Joker (Heath Ledger) gave a sinister laugh and pointed at Justin.

"This is my scene, Batsy. The writers are gone for a year because of the writer's strike. Kazir and I wrote the script. You're just a guest star in my show!"

'... Perhaps that's really the reason why this segment is so stupid,' Kazir thought to himself while playing along.

Kazir clapped slowly. "Bravo, Heath. I mean, Joker. That's the energy we need! Justin, take notes."

Suddenly, the sound of heavy boots echoed. Christian Bale appeared from the darkness, wearing his full Batman suit. He looked edgy as fuck.

The real Dark Knight had entered the stage.

Christian walked straight up to Justin Timberlake, towering over him.

"What... is this?" he growled in his iconic Batman voice, pointing at Justin's cheap imitation costume.

"This is a disgrace to Gotham!"

"What's the difference between you and me!?"

"I don't wear hockey pads."

"What?"

"Never mind," Christian replied quickly.

"I-I'm just doing what the director told me!"

Justin stammered, his fake Batman voice cracking.

He pointed at Kazir. The director was still munching grapes that Scarlett offered.

Christian turned to Kazir.

"Kazir, what is this nonsense? Eating grapes? Jaywalking arrests? Beating the shit out of a small criminal? Justice for Gotham? This isn't Batman!"

Kazir stood up dramatically, pointing a finger at Christian.

"Listen, Christian, I'm the director here! You're just an actor. You want to talk about Batman? Sit down and let me teach you how to say 'Justice for Gotham' properly!"

"We live in a society!" Heath Ledger joined in.

.........

......

...

Their performance in SNL was chaotic, but it was obvious that they were having fun.

A week from now, The Dark Knight would be released in theaters, and the cast was getting busy promoting the movie. One of the reasons why they played along with SNL's segment.

The production crew of The Dark Knight had already prepared a hotel for the cast to rest in after attending SNL. Kazir and Scarlett stayed in one room while Christian and Heath had their own respective rooms to rest.

Before they went to sleep, they were invited by the producer of SNL to have a drink, and the cast complied.

Kazir talked to Heath and Christian. Some of the cast of SNL 2008 also talked to them. Some even asked for autographs, and most of them asked for Kazir's autograph. The cast of SNL changed every season, although some people stayed, especially if the audience liked them.

The cast of SNL tried to talk to Kazir, hoping that the famous director had roles for them in his new projects. However, Kazir had no intention of working next year.

Some female actresses tried to flirt with him, but Scarlett was there, so no one succeeded. Kazir never entertained any woman, so it was impossible for something to happen.

Tomorrow, the main cast of The Dark Knight would attend a charity event for children who had cancer. Celebrities attended this event to help raise money for the kids.

Batman was a superhero, and kids loved him. Obviously, Warner Brothers would use this chance to promote the movie by attending a charity event for children. However, there was nothing wrong with helping cancer patients, especially children.

The next day, Kazir and Scarlett woke up naked and decided to go to the shower at the same time... They spent quite a while in the shower since they knew they still had time to play around.

After that, they wore casual clothes. They had to meet the designer and the makeup artist that the production crew hired before changing into formal attire... That preparation would take them at least two hours.

Kazir and Scarlett came out of the hotel room. Christian was already waiting for them.

"Did you just come out?" Kazir asked.

"Yeah, I slept till 11 a.m. What we drank yesterday took a toll on me."

"That's why I told you not to drink too much," Kazir chuckled.

"Let's meet Heath. I'm sure that guy is also having a hangover."

They reached Heath's door and knocked on it. A few seconds later, no one responded. Christian knocked again, but nothing happened.

"Perhaps Heath already left the hotel and went early."

"Maybe he's still sleeping," Scarlett added.

However, Kazir had a different opinion. His heartbeat started going crazy.

"Scarlett, I want you to contact the hotel manager and tell him to bring the spare key to Room 305."

"Huh, but why?"

"Just trust me."

Kazir's expression was so serious that Scarlett instinctively nodded.

"Make it fast."

When Scarlett entered the elevator, Kazir tried to open the door.

"Dude, just chill. You don't have to be serious."

Christian was getting nervous as he watched Kazir taking a few steps backward.

Christian was shocked when Kazir kicked the door so hard, but it didn't budge.

"Bro, what the fuck."

"Christian, help me open the door."

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 538

Christian hesitated for a second. He thought Kazir was just overreacting. However, Kazir was the director, and Christian usually followed his instructions, so he instinctively nodded.

"O-Okay."

The look on Kazir's face told him everything. Something was wrong. Perhaps it was just intuition or maybe a false prediction.

Besides, if they broke the door, the worst thing that could happen would be paying for the damages and being blacklisted from the hotel.

Christian took a deep breath. He stood next to Kazir and nodded.

"On three."

Kazir counted down. Together, they kicked the door with all of their strength.

The doorknob shook but held.

Again.

The two kicked the door.

This time, the doorknob snapped. The door swung open. The room was dimly lit. Their eyes were adjusting to the dark. Kazir found the light switch and turned the lights on.

"Oh God..." Christian muttered.

They saw him.

Heath Ledger was lying on the bed.

His skin was pale. His lips were slightly blue.

On the nightstand, there were bottles of prescription pills.

"Heath!"

Christian rushed forward, grabbing his friend by the shoulders.

"Come on, man, wake up!"

Kazir was also shocked, but he kinda expected it... He hated himself for acting normal in this situation. But at the same time, he was thankful. At least he could think straight.

Kazir quickly assessed the situation. Heath was breathing, but barely. His pupils were dilated and he was unresponsive.

"Call 911. Now!" Kazir said.

"Okay!"

Christian fumbled for his phone. His hands were shaking as he dialed the emergency number.

"Hello? Yes, yes, 911!"

Perhaps because of the situation, Christian started speaking in a British accent.

Kazir wasted no time. He knew basic first aid. After what happened to him last time, he decided to attend some first aid lessons.

If the patient was unconscious but breathing, place him in a recovery position, which meant putting him on his side with his head slightly tilted back.

He rolled Heath onto his side to prevent him from choking.

"Heath, can you hear me? Stay with me, man." Kazir checked his pulse. It was weak, but there was a pulse. Fortunately.

"Yes, Room 305. The New Place Hotel. He's breathing but barely! Just send someone fast! Please!"

Christian was talking to the emergency operator, telling them their location.

Kazir checked the pill bottles. He recognized painkillers, sleeping pills, and anti-anxiety medication. A dangerous mix.

Scarlett appeared at the doorway.

"The manager is coming with security. Oh my God… Oh my God!"

She started tearing up as she witnessed the situation.

"He's alive," Kazir said firmly, "but we need paramedics here as soon as possible."

He grabbed a wet towel from the bathroom and pressed it to Heath's forehead, trying to cool him down.

"Stay strong, Heath."

Minutes felt like hours, but finally, they heard the sirens wailing outside. Kazir and the others sighed in relief when they heard the approaching medics.

Christian and Scarlett were still in shock and had a hard time adapting to the situation.

Hotel security arrived first, followed by paramedics who rushed into the room with their medical gear.

Kazir stepped back as they worked. He watched as they administered oxygen and checked Heath's vitals.

"He's overdosed," one of the paramedics confirmed.

"We're taking him to the hospital now."

"Jesus Christ…"

Christian ran a hand down his face, exhaling deeply.

Scarlett held Kazir's arm tightly.

"If we hadn't checked on him…" her lips trembled.

Kazir nodded grimly. "Yeah. He'd be dead."

"Kazir, thank you. If you didn't force me to help you break the door, perhaps it would've been too late."

Christian sat down, like an inflated balloon... He was still talking in his British accent.

They watched as Heath was carefully placed onto a stretcher and wheeled out of the room. He was still unconscious but breathing.

Kazir exchanged a glance with Christian and Scarlett. All of them were in shambles.

They couldn't attend the charity event today.

Today was something that all of them could never forget.

..........

.......

...

The television screen turned on. A news anchor appeared in the newsroom. Her expression was somber yet focused.

"Good evening, everyone. This is Stain Tune with breaking news. In a shocking turn of events today, actor Heath Ledger, known for his iconic roles as the Joker in The Dark Knight and Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain, was found unresponsive in his hotel room earlier this morning."

"The actor, who had been in New York for promotional work ahead of the movie's release, was discovered by co-stars Christian Bale and director Kazir Grey."

The screen switched to footage of the New Place Hotel. The cameras zoomed in on the hotel where the incident had occurred. Police cars and ambulances were visible in the background.

"Sources reported that Heath Ledger was found in his hotel room around 11 a.m. He was exhibiting symptoms of an overdose. His co-stars and close friends, Christian Bale and Kazir Grey, arrived at the scene and found Heath Ledger unconscious with symptoms of overdose."

"We've learned that Kazir, a renowned director, took immediate action to save Ledger. He administered first aid until paramedics arrived."

The footage then cut to an interview with an unnamed witness, an onlooker from the hallway.

"I saw two people kicking the door. I didn't recognize them at first. I thought they were thieves or something. They started kicking the door. I called the reception and told them that something was going on in Room 305. Then paramedics showed up. That's the moment I realized that the people in Room 305 were actually celebrities! Kazir Grey, Christian Bale, and even Scarlett Johansson! Man, I wanted to ask for autographs, but I knew the situation wasn't right, so I returned to my room."

The screen now showed a clip of Kazir walking out of the hotel, his face tense and tired, followed by Christian Bale and Scarlett Johansson. The camera zoomed in on them as they exited the building.

"Both Kazir and Bale have not made any public statements. But sources close to the situation indicate that Kazir and Christian, who had worked closely with Ledger during filming, were deeply shaken by the incident."

The camera returned to the reporter in the studio, her expression serious but normal. She had seen so many kinds of tragedies, so this was just a Tuesday for her.

The screen faded to black.

++++

[Author's Note: I am not a fan of the NBA, but trading Luka Dončić to the Lakers and Anthony Davis to the Mavericks is so fucking wild. Man, I'm not even into the NBA that much, but that trade is fucked up from any angle. Dallas Mavericks' franchise is over.]

[Edit: This chapter is a few months ago, but I want to know your opinion regarding the trade between Luka and Anthony. Is it a good trade?]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 539

The whole country was shocked by the news. Celebrities having drug overdoses were quite common, but still surprising news. Celebrities had many scandals, but drug overdose was usually connected to death.

Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley, two very famous celebrities whom even foreigners recognized by name and face, died because of an overdose. This showed how serious the topic was.

Marilyn Monroe died of a barbiturate overdose, and the police deemed it a classified suicide... Some rumors said that it was not a suicide and that someone wanted her dead, but no evidence could prove this information.

Because of multiple drug prescriptions, Elvis Presley suffered a heart attack in his bathroom.

These were just some of the celebrities who died because of drug overdose.

What happened to Heath Ledger made Americans more conscious of what they were consuming.

Furthermore, the fact that Heath Ledger was still unconscious for three days straight made the incident the focus of the nation.

So many people were waiting for Heath to wake up. However, it had been three days and there was no positive news coming.

Fans started gathering at the hospital where Heath was confined, hoping to hear the good news first. If you didn't know the context, you might think that a riot was happening in front of the hospital because of so many people gathering there.

Because of this, many news stories related to drug overdose started spreading... Warner Brothers was one of the factors that contributed to this.

Of course, it couldn't be helped that news related to drug overdose spread, as many publishers joined the topic. News publishers loved latching on to sensational events like this. However, Warner Brothers also fanned the flame and made the topic even bigger.

Naturally, they always included terms such as Heath Ledger and his relationship with The Dark Knight as The Joker.

Articles such as Heath Ledger becoming depressed because of his role as the Joker were published. They said that taking the role of the Joker made Heath use prescription drugs to adapt to the role.

Many people became curious about his role in The Dark Knight. They wanted to know what kind of role made Heath succumb to prescription drugs.

However, sources reported that Heath Ledger had been using prescription drugs long before his role in The Dark Knight. He was suffering from insomnia and used sleeping pills.

But it didn't matter, Warner Brothers wanted to make sure that anything related to Heath Ledger and drug overdose would lead people to the theaters to watch The Dark Knight.

For a moment, some people in the management of Warner Brothers felt that Kazir's decision to highlight the Joker's role in the movie was the right move. With this, the audience would understand how serious the role of the Joker was.

They were thankful that they followed Kazir's edited version. The Joker's performance in The Dark Knight was outstanding. No one would expect Heath Ledger to pull off the role. In a way, this was Warner Brothers' method to support Heath Ledger. Actors wanted to see their roles loved by the audience.

It didn't change the fact that Warner Brothers took advantage of Heath Ledger's situation, which was a dick move in terms of morality but an amazing move from a business standpoint.

Still, everyone was hoping that Heath Ledger would wake up. Even his co-stars were waiting for him to wake up. His family was seriously worried about him.

But seven days after the incident, Heath Ledger was still in a coma. This caused the community to further focus on the situation. People were praying. People were holding charity events. Even illegal drug usage was lowered because of this incident.

People became scared of suffering the same fate.

As for the crew members and the cast of The Dark Knight, they were bound by contract to attend the premiere of the film.

On the red carpet, many things focused on Heath Ledger, most of the interviews were related to him. It was not a lie that Warner Brothers used Heath Ledger as the main focus of their promotion.

They even created a short video about Heath Ledger and all the good things he had done, and released it on their TV network to stir the hearts of the people... For the record, the actor was just in come, not dead.

"I hope Heath will wake up. We miss you, man."

Christian Bale replied and went to the stage with a somber expression. This whole week was too much for everyone involved. Christian had a hard time sleeping because of the incident... He thought of taking sleeping pills, but he immediately said no to the idea.

The cast of The Dark Knight was busy.

He had complicated thoughts about using Heath Ledger as a form of promotion because he felt like he was taking advantage of a man currently suffering from a dangerous situation. Unfortunately, Warner Brothers was adamant about including it.

Yet it couldn't be denied that the emotions of the people were at their peak because of this incident. They were all sad yet ready to consume a superhero movie as a way to support Heath.

By the way, Warner Brothers announced that 3% of the profits from The Dark Knight would go to charities and drug awareness campaigns... Yes, this was a form of tax deduction. Warner Brothers was really taking advantage of the situation.

Heath's tragedy happened a week before the release of The Dark Knight, and Warner Brothers was going all out to make sure that people wouldn't forget it.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 540

The theater was packed. Fans of Batman, comic book enthusiasts, and casual moviegoers bought tickets to watch The Dark Knight, which would be recognized as one of the best superhero movies of all time.

The atmosphere in the place was quite complicated. Some were happy and excited, while some were sad about the fact that one of the cast members of this movie was currently comatose. That was the biggest factor why they wanted to watch this movie, because they felt bad for Heath Ledger.

Also, there was news spreading that his role in The Dark Knight affected him mentally, hence, he became dependent on prescription drugs.

They had their own reasons why they bought tickets. However, it didn't change the fact that they were all curious to see the movie... Most of them carried popcorn buckets to enjoy the film.

As the lights dimmed and the first scene appeared on the massive screen, the crowd fell silent.

No one whispered. Their eyes were on the screen.

The movie went on, and then they were captivated by the Joker's appearance.

"I'll make this pen disappear."

From the very first moment that Heath Ledger's Joker appeared, the audience fell in love.

His voice was chilling, playful yet menacing. His actions were unpredictable. This showed how dangerous he was. The audience now had an idea of how heavy this role was for Heath to perform.

Whenever the Joker showed up on screen, the audience was all eyes and all ears on him.

It was as if Ledger had disappeared completely. He wasn't just playing the Joker. He was the Joker.

For two and a half hours, the audience sat on the edge of their seats. Every moment, every line, every confrontation between Batman and the Joker felt like something special.

Then the scene where Rachel Dawes died showed up.

"Oh my God!"

"Dear Lord!"

"Dad, I'm scared."

"The One Piece is real…"

The theater was filled with gasps.

Batman was racing to save Rachel. The tension was unbearable as the clock ticked down. The audience held their breath as Harvey Dent struggled against his restraints. His voice was desperate.

"Noo!! Why—! Why are you here!?"

Even Batman was stunned. Yet his body instinctively moved and saved Dent.

And then... the explosion!!

A blinding flash of fire. The screen shook. The sound was deafening.

The theater fell into stunned silence. Some fans instinctively leaned forward in their seats, unable to process it.

This movie was rated by MPAA as PG-13? With that scene? Where Batman had to choose between his love and justice? Rachel died in an explosion!

Batman had gone to the wrong location. He had tried to save Rachel, but the Joker had deceived everyone.

"No fucking way…"

A woman in the crowd covered her mouth and whispered.

"They actually killed her?"

Some sniffles could be heard in the dark, a few wiping their tears. Others sat frozen, shocked by the brutality of the scene.

The next scene played.

Harvey Dent woke up in the hospital. Half of his face was burned. The theater was still heavy with the weight of what had just happened.

Nobody had expected this. The movie had just proved it wasn't playing by the rules. This was not a simple goody-two-shoes superhero movie. It was a completely different kind of superhero movie compared to Spider-Man, which Kazir directed a few years ago.

And then came the final scenes.

The Joker, hanging upside down, delivered his final speech to Batman.

His voice was full of madness.

Then, the final moments with Harvey Dent and Commissioner James Gordon. Batman made the ultimate sacrifice. He became the villain Gotham needed so that hope would survive.

The music score intensified, and Hans Zimmer's amazing composition filled the theater as Batman disappeared into the night.

Then something happened.

Soft sniffles and sobs echoed.

In the darkness of the theater, fans wiped their eyes. Some tried to hide their emotions, others didn't bother.

For some reason, they couldn't help but cry.

Were they affected by Batman's decision to sacrifice himself?

Was it because Rachel died in the middle of the movie?

Or were they sad because Heath Ledger was still unconscious and couldn't watch his movie?

Some people clapped their hands. Others simply sat still. They were staring at the screen, unwilling to leave.

"That was incredible… but it hurts."

"I don't think I've ever seen anything like that in a superhero movie."

The Dark Knight wasn't just a movie. It was a moment in history. A masterpiece wrapped in tragedy.

Outside the theater, people kept talking about the movie. All of them had the same thought:

"Heath Ledger's performance is out of this world."

It would be a crime to hide this movie from the people. The fans were determined to invite their friends and relatives to watch the movie and witness how great it was.

.........

......

...

On the first day, July 18, The Dark Knight grossed $67 million. Everyone in Hollywood was not surprised since Heath Ledger's situation was still trending. Furthermore, The Dark Knight was directed by Kazir Grey and his box office appeal was strong.

On the second day, July 19, The Dark Knight easily surpassed $100 million. To be precise, the movie grossed $114 million.

On July 20, Sunday, the movie grossed $158 million.

In just three days of screening, The Dark Knight grossed over $158 million. That was massive.

You know what else is massive?

That's right, Low Taper Fade...

Anyway, The Dark Knight was raking in money like there were leaves in the garden.

On the same day, July 20, Iron Man grossed $314 million at the North American box office.

As for The Incredible Hulk, the movie grossed $131 million at the North American box office as of July 20.

+++++

[You may sometimes see me inserting some jokes and memes, that's just me being stupid and intentionally stopping readers from immersion.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 541

By Monday morning, the entertainment industry was in a frenzy.

Every news network, news publisher and even internet bloggers were talking about The Dark Knight.

Box office analysts were predicting that the film was on track to make a lot of money. It's first weekend alone screamed success. They won't be surprised if the movie surpasses $700 million.

The fans couldn't stop talking about Heath Ledger's legendary performance as the Joker. It was amazing. There was something about his performance that captivated them.

"The best superhero movie of all time! Spiderman who? X-Men? Iron-Man? Nah, these superheroes are nothing!"

"Heath Ledger deserves an Oscar. His performance is outstanding! I don't care if The Dark Knight is a superhero movie. The Academy Awards should let go of their prejudice and let Heath win the Best Supporting Actor Aware!"

"That ending broke me... Batman sacrificed his identity as the protector of Gotham so that the city wouldn't crumble from within."

Headlines flooded the internet. Even film critics rated the movie 10/10... Some of them were paid to rate it high but some of them actually believed that The Dark Knight deserved a perfect rating.

Facebook and online forums were dominated by discussions about the film. They compared Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and The Dark Knight, and all of them agreed that The Dark Knight was better than any of the two Marvel movies in terms of plot and entertainment.

.........

......

...

Monday, July 21.

Warner Brothers headquarters, Burbank, California.

Executives at Warner Brothers were so happy. They knew the film would be successful since Kazir Grey directed it, but this?

This was beyond expectations!

Marketing teams worked hard to adjust their strategy. They didn't need to promote the movie too much. Word of mouth was already so strong. The public was doing the job for them. They just have to maintain the level of promotion.

The tragic circumstances surrounding Heath Ledger had already made The Dark Knight a huge event, not just a blockbuster.

The executives of Warner Brothers popped champagne. They knew that the movie had just started screening and they couldn't determine its final box office. However, they were confident that it would reach at least $700 million. Anyone could see that.

But behind the celebration, there were complicated emotions.

Kazir Grey, Christian Bale, and the rest of the cast had mixed feelings. They were proud of the film, but Ledger's condition didn't become better. The actor was still unconscious for 8 days.

"It doesn't feel right," Christian Bale admitted in a quiet moment with Michael Caine and Gary Oldman. They were promoting the movie on a local TV network.

"Yeah," Gary Oldman nodded solemnly.

"Let's hope Heath will wake up."

Across the country, fans kept returning to theaters.

Some watched The Dark Knight twice. Some three times. Some even watched it the whole day... They spent money on buying tickets. It didn't matter if it was 3D, traditional, or IMAX, they were happily consuming the movie.

People were dissecting every scene. They paid close attention to Ledger's every mannerism, his voice, his movements. They were like experts in psychology who were studying a specimen.

"I can't believe this was the same guy from Brokeback Mountain," one fan said to his friend as they left the theater.

"Heath Ledger is the Joker," another fan declared and the people around him nodded.

Well, some said that Joaquin Phoenix was also an amazing Joker but Joker 2: The Ugly Musical destroyed that idea. So yeah, Joaquin Phoenix is nothing compared to Heath Ledger.

"This isn't acting, this is something else. Something legendary."

The numbers kept climbing as days went by.

By the end of Monday, the updated box office numbers were in.

$182 million in just four days.

The industry was shocked.

Monday was a workday and a schoolday people rarely visit theaters to watch movies around Monday to Thursday. They have jobs, schools, and responsibilities so box office ratings on Monday usually take a nosedive.

However, this Monday was different. Despite being Monday, The Dark Knight grossed $24 million, hence it reached the $182 million mark in four days.

People started asking, could The Dark Knight become the second superhero movie to reach a billion dollars? And from the same director?

Spider-Man grossed $1 billion at the box office. The movie was directed by Kazir Grey

And now, The Dark Knight, which was also directed by Kazir Grey, could possibly reach $1 billion.

Kazir Grey sat in his office, staring at his computer. He was stressed lately. He had already received multiple messages from Warner Brothers congratulating him on the film's success.

He knew they wanted him to direct another Batman movie. They wanted to stay true to the contract.

But right now, all Kazir could think about was Heath. He sighed.

'Am I gay by thinking of another man?'

Well, it depends.

Anyway, Kazir was depressed because he did his best to change Heath Ledger's fate but the actor still suffered from drug overdose. The only difference was that Heath didn't die but instead in a comatose.

If he died, then everything that Kazir did would be nothing. It showed that his interference with the timeline was not successful.

'Perhaps I can't prevent people's death... But if that's true, then my Dad should have died four years ago.'

He scrolled through news articles. The media was obsessed with Heath Ledger's performance. While Kazir was proud, he couldn't shake the feeling that Warner Brothers was still using this situation to their advantage.

He sighed. Hollywood will always be Hollywood. They would use everything to make money. It didn't matter if Heath lived or died, they just needed him to make money for their benefits.