HOLLYWOOD WHAT IF

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 572

Since Final Destination was successful and created a path for consistent profit through a bi-yearly sequel, 20th Century Fox was happy and didn't think twice about casting Tobey Maguire for another horror movie.

When Tobey received a call from his agent, he was hesitant at first. Being an actor, he wanted to expand his acting range. He thought of trying musicals if possible. He even thought of taking singing lessons.

The Academy Awards had a strong love for musicals and realistic movies, and Tobey wanted to try and see if he could compete for a Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor award. It depended.

Anyway, he immediately changed his mind when he realized that the script was written by none other than Kazir Grey! The director also wrote some key points about the movie, specifically the found footage genre.

When Tobey read the title, he was sold.

The Paranormal Activity.

Yes, Tobey Maguire was cast in the movie as the father of a newborn baby who was going to be kidnapped by a demon.

Unlike the original version of Paranormal Activity, this one had a slightly higher budget and a polished script, thanks to Kazir's involvement.

It still retained the core theme and horror feel of found footage, but with stronger thrilling scenes that might cause the audience to shriek in fear. Honestly, Paranormal Activity was not that scary, but it had shocking scenes that could wake people from their stupor.

Tobey saw the potential. It wasn't just a jump scare fest; it was psychological and had a chilling atmosphere. A different kind of horror movie than the usual slasher films.

Playing a father was a new role for Tobey Maguire, and he was interested in it. Tobey had a baby face, so he had to do some makeover to appear older, hence the thick beard and the weight gain.

In a way, he was following Leonardo DiCaprio's steps. Leonardo was also known as a young, handsome actor in the 90s; he always had this young baby face. But Leonardo transitioned, and his appearance now had a mature and older vibe to it. Unlike the 90s, when Leonardo could only take young teenage roles, he could easily snag older and better roles in the 2000s.

Tobey called his agent back and agreed after reading the script. Kazir's name was enough to convince him that this could be a game-changer.

Who didn't like a box office success? If this horror movie made money at the box office, then Tobey would also have strong negotiation power in his next projects.

His salary was $3 million and 7% of the North American box office share. With his fame and status, Tobey Maguire could easily get this kind of contract. 20th Century Fox also agreed since they needed a strong actor for this small-budget horror movie.

The success of Final Destination could be factored into Tobey's casting, so 20th Century Fox didn't have a problem with a $3 million salary plus 7% North American box office share.

In fact, the studio was satisfied that Tobey only asked for $3 million. For a superstar like him, he could easily ask for $10 million. Tobey and his agent decided to trust Kazir. The director was known for being a success magnet. Any project that Kazir participated in always generated profit.

The budget for Paranormal Activity was only $10 million, so 20th Century Fox happily signed the contract with Tobey. The studio didn't have any intention of increasing the budget since this was only a horror movie.

In the original timeline, the budget of Paranormal Activity was only $15,000. Very, very small.

But this time, it was different; with Tobey Maguire as one of the lead actors in the movie and the trust that 20th Century Fox put into the project, the budget increased to $10 million.

Including the money 20th Century Fox spent on buying the script from Kazir, the overall expenses for Paranormal Activity were $15 million.

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It was still February and basically the start of the year, yet some major events had already happened that could have changed the future.

Aside from box office movies, events such as the new President of America and the first Bitcoin transaction happened in January.

On January 12, 2009, the first Bitcoin transaction happened. The creator of Bitcoin sent 10 BTC to a developer and supporter of Bitcoin. This sort of started cryptocurrency trading. People wouldn't expect that this kind of currency would become massive in the next 10 years. In 2020, the average price of one Bitcoin was $11,116, while the peak was $28,886.

Knowing the future, Kazir started farming Bitcoin. Even owning one Bitcoin in 2020 was already fulfilling, so Kazir intended to earn at least a hundred Bitcoins. Bitcoin was still useless, so Kazir had no problem farming them. Perhaps in the next few years, his name would also become famous as one of the biggest crypto magnates.

Kazir easily earned billions without putting in huge investments. All he had to do was hoard Bitcoins while they were still useless.

He quietly built a mining setup in his basement. Even Scarlett was confused about what he was doing. Kazir just explained that he was trying a new hobby.

While others chased fame, scripts, and positions in Hollywood, Kazir diversified his portfolio. To the world, he was just a director, erm, a billionaire director. But in the crypto world, he was preparing to become one of the earliest whales in cryptocurrency history. Kazir grinned as he imagined the future.

Anyway, aside from Bitcoin, there was another huge event that affected the United States: the Presidential election and the winner.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 573

Barack Obama was officially the 44th President of the United States on January 20, 2009. It was a historic moment, not just for America but for the entire world. Obama was the first African-American president.

Kazir watched the inauguration with a knowing smile. Since he knew that Barack would win, he didn't regret showing his support. He wasn't political, but he understood the importance of having strong backing. He might not be a close supporter, but at least Barack knew that Kazir had voted for him.

Kazir was taking advantage of his future knowledge, and it was never wrong to use that to his advantage. The fact that he was now farming Bitcoin showed that he was capitalizing on what he knew.

Hollywood, too, was changing.

More movies about diversity and inclusion were being greenlit. Kazir made a mental note. Movies were about making money, after all.

As for the positive and negative effects of Barack Obama's leadership, only people who experienced it could say their opinions.

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Kazir Grey leaned back on his leather couch. The glow of the flat-screen high-definition ultra-large television illuminated his living room.

A half-empty glass of wine was on the table beside him, untouched for the last ten minutes. On the screen, a live interview was playing. An interview that had caught his attention the moment he heard the word "multiverse."

The interviewer, a female anchor from a popular science talk show, turned toward the camera.

"Tonight, we will tackle the question that has puzzled both scientists and storytellers alike. Do parallel universes truly exist?"

The guest, Dr. Chris P. Bacon, a well-respected physicist with a calm voice, nodded thoughtfully.

"The multiverse theory, particularly the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, suggests that every choice made creates a new universe. It's not just science fiction, it's rooted in real theoretical physics, though we still lack direct evidence."

Kazir's eyes narrowed slightly. Since Kazir was now part of Marvel Studio, he had become interested in the Multiverse theory. Phase 4 of the MCU had aspects of the Multiverse.

Loki.

What If...?

Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

These four projects, two TV shows and two movies, tackled the aspects of the Multiverse.

Now, sitting as a powerful director and producer, hearing more about this theory could help him.

On top of that, there was another reason why he was interested in the Multiverse, Parallel Universe, and Many Worlds theories: because of the situation he was in.

Kazir knew that his regression had created another timeline. A new world where some events changed while others remained the same.

"Scientists are exploring anomalies in cosmic background radiation," Dr. Bacon continued.

Listening, Kazir had no idea what exactly the scientist was talking about, but he understood the gist.

"If parallel universes brush against ours, we might one day detect their presence."

Kazir chuckled under his breath.

If only they knew, he thought.

The truth was, Kazir didn't just believe in parallel worlds, he experienced one. He was not sure if he loved his first life because of the many messed-up things he experienced, but it was still a novel experience nonetheless.

But now, Kazir was starting to live his life again. He was probably at the top of his life.

Every time he made a change, every moment he used his knowledge of the future, he was reshaping this reality.

Maybe not literal dimension-hopping, but it felt the same. Kazir was shaping a new universe, and he was the only one who knew about it.

From the moment he regressed back to 1994, Kazir promised that he would not tell anyone about the fact that he was from the future. It was safer that way.

On the screen, the interviewer asked,

"And what would you say to those who believe that the Multiverse is real?"

"I'd say, maybe they've caught a glimpse of something, perhaps a Mandela Effect," Dr. Chris P. Bacon smiled gently.

Kazir smiled back as if the scientist were speaking directly to him.

The interviewer nodded.

"I see. Then, let me give an example. What if our universe is actually not the original? What if we're also part of a Multiverse? Let's say Kazir Grey didn't direct The Dark Knight, Pirates of the Caribbean, and many more. What if Pirates of the Caribbean was actually from Walt Disney? So what are we?"

"Perhaps we are what if?" Dr. Bacon asked back, enjoying the conversation.

"So what are we, some kind of Hollywood What If?"

"Say that again."

Ah yes, this is truly our "Say that again" ahh moment.

Kazir wrote the last part of their conversation with a smirk. He understood the reference. Perhaps he could revive it again through Fantastic Four and Suicide Squad.

"This is truly our Hollywood What If."

"Maybe Hollywood What If are the friends we made along the way."

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March came in like a lion. This month, some movies that were released surpassed $100 million.

First in the line was Watchmen, a movie that was released in the first week of March. The movie was distributed by Warner Brothers. Watchmen was based on a comic published by DC Comics. The movie was directed by Zack Snyder, and it grossed $339 million.

After working on 300 and having a successful collaboration with 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers saw Zack Snyder's potential in adapting comic-based movies. Warner Brothers was interested in filming more comic-based movies, so they decided to hire Zack Snyder. As their first collaboration, they let the director film Watchmen, a standalone comic series. It was a safe bet.

They didn't expect that Watchmen would gross over $300 million. Zack Snyder did his best to adapt the comic into a movie as close as possible.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 574

Zack Snyder's success with 300 had already placed him on Hollywood's radar. At first, no one knew this director, despite him already having directed a horror movie about zombies titled Dawn of the Dead.

Kazir was the first to contact him, but they failed to establish a collaboration. However, after the small success of Dawn of the Dead, Zack Snyder was invited by 20th Century Fox to direct 300. The person who recommended him for the job was Kazir.

Zack was actually embarrassed when he heard that at first, because he knew he had chosen Universal Pictures over Grey Pictures a few years ago.

Anyway, he had to be shameless, so he worked on 300. That decision turned out to be the best thing he ever did.

The uniqueness of 300, which was mostly filmed on a green screen, became a success. The action-heavy film grossed over $450 million worldwide on a $65 million budget.

It earned Zack Snyder $10 million, including salary and bonuses. He was extremely satisfied with what he earned.

Then, Warner Brothers also contacted him. Rumors spread that Kazir was interested in Zack Snyder's talent as a director. Warner Brothers wanted to know if that was true. Besides, with Zack's past success, Warner Brothers had legitimate reasons to hire him.

With Watchmen, despite being from a less popular genre (noir) and featuring darker themes, Zack Snyder still negotiated a strong deal through his agent, of course.

Although Watchmen had a lower box office performance at $339 million compared to 300's $450 million, Zack earned approximately $6–8 million, salary and bonuses included.

While 300 proved more commercially successful, Watchmen cemented Snyder's reputation for turning comic books into movies, and his adaptation was highly regarded.

"Zack Snyder's filmography has ups and downs."

Since Kazir was the one who first contacted Zack, it also meant that he knew Zack's capabilities.

Overall, Zack's filmography was not perfect. He had some movies that performed terribly at the box office.

In fact, his next project, which was already in production, wouldn't perform well at the box office. It was an animated movie, also distributed by Warner Brothers. Yeah, Warner Brothers was trying to understand Zack's talent. They were investing in his future.

Anyway, the animated movie Zack was currently working on was Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. It was about owls fighting in the sky... The movie only grossed $140 million worldwide despite having an $80 million production budget. It wasn't a loss, but it also wasn't a win. It wasn't even average.

"Let's see… If Legend of the Guardians fails next year, there's a chance that Warner Brothers might lose interest in Zack. Once that happens, maybe we can sign a three-picture contract with Zack just to keep him away from the DCEU."

Kazir didn't forget the reason he wanted to hire Zack Snyder. He wanted Zack Snyder to never participate in the DCEU. Although the DCEU was incomparable to the MCU in terms of profits and movie performance, it was still a strong rival. Now that the CCU was in a great place and the MCU was starting to grow, Kazir didn't want to saturate the market.

In his opinion, the Cinematic Universe should only be dominated by the Continental Cinematic Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Anything beyond those two was considered competition.

"Zack is also a talented director, so signing a three-picture deal with him is not that bad. As long as we can keep him busy."

A three-picture deal and a trilogy deal were different. A trilogy meant that a director had to direct three movies of a franchise, usually the introduction movie, then two sequels. The best example was Kazir's Batman trilogy where he had to film Batman Begins, then The Dark Knight, and then The Dark Knight Rises.

As for a three-picture deal, it didn't have to be a trilogy. Sometimes, a director could film three movies that had no connection to each other.

Hiring Zack Snyder for a three-picture deal was worth it. That was Kazir's opinion.

If Warner Brothers were interested in starting the DCEU without Zack Snyder, then Kazir couldn't interfere with that. He just hoped it wouldn't perform well, for the sake of his own interests.

Was it bad that he hoped for the downfall of a rival even though he admitted that he was also a fan of the DCEU in his past life?

Well, it depends.

Showbiz was often cruel, ruthless, and heartless. Some business decisions outweighed personal preferences. Some actors hated their roles but didn't have a choice but to go along with them because of money.

Robert Pattinson hated his role in Twilight, but he made a great amount of money, so he had to swallow his disgust.

Halle Berry also hated her role in Catwoman for obvious reasons.

Megan Fox also hated her role in Transformers. Although to be fair, she probably hated Michael Bay more than her role because she felt objectified.

Still, they chose the money.

Kazir did the same. There was nothing wrong with that. He loved DC Comics, but his love wouldn't feed him and his family. His admiration wouldn't pay the bills.

The entertainment industry was thriving, and Cinematic Universe franchises were swimming in gold. Kazir wanted to maintain the exclusivity of the Cinematic Universe and its market control.

If the DCEU gained too much fame, it could downgrade the audience's excitement for superhero films, affecting the MCU and perhaps the CCU as well.

So, Kazir's plan was simple: keep Zack occupied, offer creative freedom, and ensure that Warner Brothers never had the chance to weaponize his talent against Grey Pictures and Marvel Studios.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 575

Kazir didn't think of it as sabotage, more like strategic containment.

In this timeline, he had the power to shape outcomes, and he intended to use that power wisely. Zack Snyder was a promising director, but his talent alone didn't guarantee success at the box office.

If Kazir could redirect Zack's attention toward standalone films, franchises, or TV shows under Grey Pictures or 20th Century Fox, everyone would benefit, especially Kazir. After all, only Kazir knew that Zack Snyder would become an important part of the creation of the DCEU.

"Marvel Studio should thank me for what I'm doing. In others' eyes, what I'm doing might be pointless, but I'm trying to make sure that the MCU and CCU are secured."

Well said. So "sabotaging" Zack Snyder and Warner Brothers was the best decision. If Warner Brothers wanted to start the DCEU without Zack, then so be it.

Besides, offering Zack the chance to direct original scripts or even adapt lesser-known comics might satisfy Zack's creativity without threatening Grey Pictures and Marvel Studio. Heck, Kazir might hire him to direct one franchise in the MCU.

Kazir couldn't help but chuckle at the idea. For him, it was funny and ironic. The spearhead of the DCEU might become a pillar of the MCU this time.

"Although we have to find the right franchise, something that has a darker tone since Zack is into that kind of genre."

Kazir knew some comic characters that could suit well with darker tones such as Moon Knight, Daredevil, The Punisher, Venom, Ghost Rider, and even Wolverine, particularly Wolverine's solo series.

In the end, it was all about balance. Control the talents, and you control their future. Kazir could now affect the future of talents in Hollywood.

After the first week of March and the release of Watchmen, other movies were also released.

In the third week, I Love You, Man and Knowing were released.

I Love You, Man was a comedy starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. The movie grossed over $124 million.

Knowing was a thriller suspense movie starring Nicholas Cage. The movie grossed over $214 million.

In the fourth week, two more movies also grossed over $100 million.

The Haunting in Connecticut was a horror movie that grossed over $103 million.

The last movie was produced by DreamWorks Animation and was also the box office winner of March, grossing the highest.

Monsters vs. Aliens grossed $493 million, just a few million short of reaching half a billion. However, a million dollars was not that simple to acquire, so Monsters vs. Aliens remained under $500 million.

The plot of Monsters vs. Aliens was about monsters fighting aliens… Yeah, the title already spoiled the plot. Still, this movie had a lot of memes. DreamWorks Animation was starting to threaten Disney, and that was good or bad depending on whose side you were on.

DreamWorks had been releasing banger after banger these past few years. It was understandable why some studios were taking them seriously, especially their animation department. Everyone knew that animated movies usually had a combo of products, which were merchandise, toys, and other stuff. That was where most of the money came from.

Naturally, Kazir also paid attention to DreamWorks Animation's momentum.

The rise of another animation powerhouse could affect Disney's dominance, which might impact other parts of the industry, including box office competition and merchandising.

"Now that Blue Sky Studio is also getting better, it means that Walt Disney's dominance in the animation industry will decrease."

Honestly, Kazir thought of starting his own animation studio. He was confident that his animation studio could stand equal against big-name studios such as Walt Disney and DreamWorks.

He wasn't joking. With the right team, talent, and voice actors, he could have the edge… Even one huge hit animated film could establish a foothold.

He already had the resources. Money was not the problem. And with his knowledge of future trends, he could use original IPs from the future and animate them in the current era.

However, despite this interesting idea, Kazir decided not to do it. Grey Pictures was already in the limelight, and the Big Six already held some dissatisfaction toward it. If Kazir also intended to start his own animation studio, the future wouldn't be easy. Especially Walt Disney, this company would probably do its best to sabotage him if he tried to build an animation studio.

Even 20th Century Fox wouldn't help in this regard since it also had Blue Sky Studio to protect.

Grey Pictures was already powerful. In fact, if it had a distribution channel, the Big Six might become the Big Seven. Or perhaps Sony-Columbia would lose its privilege and Grey Pictures would become the new part of the Big Six.

Anyway, these were just what-ifs. Kazir understood the danger of being greedy. He had no intention of making enemies. The fact that he didn't try to acquire a distribution channel spoke for itself.

Being too greedy and ambitious was never in Kazir's dictionary.

Having a few billion dollars was already satisfying. Heck, only 0.0000369% of the world's population was a billionaire. That was a small percentage compared to the 8 billion people in the world. In other aspects, only 1 in 2.7 million people were billionaires.

That achievement was already amazing; Kazir had no intention of fighting for more influence in Hollywood… Or else he might face the hidden society, which included the Illuminati, Rothschilds, and the BlackRock Corporation.

Staying low-key was not bad. With his influence, he didn't need to make more buzz.

Besides, it was entertaining to watch others wage war over market dominance in the animation industry. He was interested in seeing which of the current Big Three of the animation industry would win. Would it be Blue Sky Studio, DreamWorks Animation, or perhaps Walt Disney?