Anthony Johnston only stayed in Los Angeles for a few hours and boarded a plane back to Australia that evening.
The renovation of the Fifth Avenue apartment is always in progress, and it cannot be left unattended. After Anthony left, Janet rushed to New York the next day.
Now that he had made up his mind to buy Dume Point Park, Simon then asked his personal attorney, George Norman, to start working on it. There have always been cases of park privatization in the United States. Without considering the cost, it is very feasible to buy Dume Point Park.
In the original time and space, Tony Stark's streamlined mansion called "Liberty City" was located on the sharp corner of Dume Point Park. Compared to most other buildings in Malibu, Liberty City' certainly looks very cool. Now that it has been decided to restore the 'Avengers Tower' in Manhattan, the 'Liberty City', which is also in line with Simon's aesthetics, is not to be missed.
The commotion caused by the birthday party gradually dissipated in the ensuing period, and Simon's life became low-key again and began to focus on a series of projects being produced by Daenerys Films.
"Pulp Fiction" officially completed the final cut after Simon's birthday. Although Orion has always had doubts about the project, they still started to promote the film and participate in the Cannes Film Festival in May as planned.
Simon had no shortage of expectations for "Pulp Fiction," but after completing the film, he didn't focus much on the film. After all, Daenerys Pictures only enjoys 10% of the North American box office share of "Pulp Fiction" and 5% of the North American video sales. Simon focuses more on Daenerys Pictures' other films.
"When Harry Met Sally", which is scheduled to be scheduled for March 25, has also been completed. After several internal test screenings, taking into account the quality and subject matter of the film, Disney decided to start small-scale screenings of the film two weeks in advance. , it is expected that on March 11, around 30 screens will be opened in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
"Basic Instinct" officially started shooting in mid-February. The shooting period is expected to be two months, and post-production will also take two months. The film's schedule is set for July 15. As long as nothing unexpected happens, it can be released on time.
For the remaining films such as "Rain Man", "Steel Magnolias", "Scream", and "Dead Poets Society", Simon and Amy also adopted a division of labor method to promote them in an orderly manner.
on the other hand.
On March 7, the Writers Guild of America officially began a strike after once again rejecting the latest contract offered by the Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance of America.
No one but Simon himself expected the strike to last five months.
After the strike began, the operations of major television networks were quickly affected. Daytime soap operas shifted to rerun mode, and late-night talk shows also cut many segments that joked about current events. Because of preparations in advance, the TV series currently airing during prime time in the spring did not suffer much impact.
In addition, the new Oscars, which was originally scheduled to be held in March, was postponed after the strike began. "Run Lola Run" only received a consolation nomination, and Simon naturally had little expectations for it.
Now that the strike is coming as scheduled in the original time and space, while Simon is busy with film affairs, he also begins to look for several planned TV programs. He does not plan to produce a TV series. The workload of TV series scripts is much greater than that of movie scripts. Although Simon has many classic American TV series in his memory, he cannot waste too much time on the scripts. Daenerys Pictures It’s also impossible to hire a professional screenwriter now.
What Simon is producing is a reality show.
In my memory, it was the Hollywood writers' strike in 1988 that prompted the germination of reality shows on American television networks.
However, due to the generally conservative business strategies of North American television networks, reality shows really started to become popular in the late 1990s. A series of reality shows that had proven successful in Europe were introduced to the United States one after another, which gradually led to various types of reality shows in the following two decades. Reality programming is booming in the North American television industry.
Counting the newly formed Fox Television Network, there are now four national mainstream television networks in North America. Simon also plans to produce four reality shows at once and sell them to four of them if possible. As for whether the other party is willing to buy them. , I think after the strike lasts for several months, the TV network will not have many choices when faced with ready-made programs.
"Last time I went to New York, I met a vice president of ABC. He was a very good person. I originally wanted to recruit him after the acquisition of New World Entertainment was completed, but as you know, it will definitely not be possible in a short time. However, He agreed to introduce me to several TV program producers, and I’ll ask Jenny to give you her contact information later, and you can talk to him about this matter.”
In the corridor of Daenerys Film Headquarters, "Rain Man" is about to start filming next week. The last production meeting of the film has just been held to send off several main creators. Simon and Amy left the meeting room and returned to their offices.
"Simon, for this... reality show, do we really not need to communicate with the TV network first?"
"Now is not the best time to communicate," Simon shook his head and said, "It depends on the situation. Anyway, the budgets of these reality shows will not be too high, and the early preparation costs will be even less. If the strike ends soon, the TV network will The possibility of buying this novel program is very low, so we will cut it off directly. However, if this strike lasts for a long time and affects the production of autumn TV series, we will have a chance. As long as this opportunity exists, we will Be prepared."
Amy nodded and added: "In addition, regarding "Steel Magnolias", Meg Ryan still owes us a film contract. I think she can play Shelby just right. She is still very suitable."
"Meg Ryan's temperament is too sweet," Simon shook his head and said, "Besides, I have invited the heroine to come over. She should be here. Do you want to come and see her together?"
Amy was stunned for a moment and asked, "Who is it?"
"A newcomer," Simon said. "I just saw it in a movie yesterday. I hope she can play Shelby."
Amy thought for a moment, then smiled and said: "Okay, if you think it's appropriate. However, I have to go to Disneyland later, and I'll see what happens tomorrow."
Simon knew that Amy must have thought something wrong, and he didn't bother to explain.
The two separated and Simon returned to his office, but there were three people waiting in the lounge outside.
Nodding to the other man and woman, Simon looked at Courteney Cox, whom he hadn't seen for a long time: "Curt, our appointment was at four o'clock, it seems you came an hour early."
Courteney Cox also attended Simon's birthday party last month, but Simon seemed busier that time. The two just nodded and chatted for a few words, and Courteney never got a chance to talk to Simon again. .
At this time, looking at the young man in front of her who was more calm than when they first met, and thinking about the $10 million birthday party last month, Courteney Cox felt even more sour in her heart, but she still had a smile on her face. Said: "Simon, I was worried that I would be late, so I came here early. You can do other things first, and I will just wait."
"Then please wait a moment."
As Simon spoke, he turned to another man and a woman. The middle-aged man among them also took the initiative to reach out to Simon and said: "Hello, Mr. Westeros, I am Marvin Josephson. Nice to meet you."
Although he has never met him in person, Simon also knows that Marvin Josephson is the president of ICM Brokerage Company, second only to WMA and CAA, the two major brokerage companies in Hollywood. With Ed Limato taking Mel Gibson, Danzig A large number of top stars such as Paul Washington have switched jobs to ICM. In recent times, ICM has greatly increased its strength.
"Hello, Marvin, just call me Simon." Simon shook hands with Marvin Josephson, then turned to the girl with long flaxen wavy hair next to him, smiled and stretched out his hand, saying: "You Okay, Julia.”
Julia Roberts was inexplicably flattered when she heard the tone of the young man in front of her that showed no signs of alienation or even familiarity. She quickly shook hands with Simon and said, "Hello, Wei...Simon."
"Let's go in and talk."
Simon said, gave instructions to his secretary Susan, nodded to Courteney, and walked into his office with the other two people.
Courteney Cox watched the door of Simon's office close. She didn't get any 'special treatment' at all, and her mood became even lower.
Inside the office.
The two parties sat down in the reception area and waited for Susan to bring coffee before Simon looked at Julia Roberts in front of him again.
The big-mouthed beauty, who is just in her early 20s, still looks a little green now. Simon found this Hollywood box office hit in the 1990s in a musical called "Satisfied" that was released last month. In this movie, she plays the guitarist of a female rock band who pursues her musical dream. Moreover, Simon also saw in this movie another famous Hollywood actor who is now also playing in the movie. Liam Neeson in various small roles.
Julia Roberts played Shelby, the heroine's daughter, in the original "Steel Magnolias." For this role, Julia Roberts also received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress that year. Compared to Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts's temperament is indeed very suitable for the role of Shelby.
After chatting casually for a few words, Simon started to talk about the main topic.
"Marvin, I saw Julia's performance in "Satisfied." As you must know, Daenerys Films is currently producing a series of movies. So, I don't want to say too much nonsense, I want to What do you think of signing a long-term contract with Julia for five films?"
Marvin Josephson and Julia Roberts were not expecting this at all.
Everyone in the circle knows that Simon originally selected Meg Ryan to participate in "When Harry Met Sally", and many people, including the two people sitting here, do not doubt that Simon Westeros and Meg Ryan G. Ryan has some connections.
Julia Roberts is now just a newcomer who has just played a small role in a solo film. Marvin Josephson, as the president of ICM, came here today just to take the opportunity to meet Simon West. Although Luo had some friendships, he didn't pay much attention to the girl next to him. He had even convinced Julia Roberts of certain things in private, and originally planned to wait for the next person to return.
Unexpectedly, Simon Westeros opened his mouth and gave a condition that made the two of them think they had heard wrongly.
For a newcomer who has just stepped into Hollywood, it is overjoyed to be able to occasionally win a pretty good role. She did not expect that such a good thing would suddenly fall from the sky. Julia Roberts was slightly confused, almost subconsciously. Nodding: "West...Simon, I do."
As Julia spoke, Marvin Josephson also reacted and calmed down a little. He asked: "Simon, can you tell me in detail?"
Simon said: "In the five movies, except for the supporting role in "Steel Magnolias" that I had someone pass on to Julia, I guarantee that the other four movies will all be the absolute protagonists."
Julia Roberts immediately nodded again, but this time she stopped thinking about speaking and looked at Marvin Josephson. She is absolutely willing to pay any price to get such a contract at once. If Marvin Josephson dares to screw up this matter, she will definitely jump ship from ICM without hesitation.
Marvin Josephson became calmer and calmer. He glanced at the pretty girl next to him, then at the young man opposite him, and said, "Simon, I believe you have enough strength to provide Julia with five movies." A movie contract, but how long is the contract, and how is the remuneration calculated?"
Simon said: "The contract period is 10 years, and I bought Julia for the next 10 years. In terms of remuneration, Julia can only get a newcomer's salary for the first two parts. From the third part on, Julia can start over."
Marvin Josephson asked again: "Simon, during the five-film contract period, can Julia participate in other films?"
"Unless I agree, no. Moreover, since Julia has been provided with such a generous contract, Daenerys Films will definitely add very strict restrictions and liquidated damages clauses to the contract."
Marvin Josephson thought for a moment and said: "In this case, 10 years is too long. With a five-film contract, I think five years is a very appropriate time."
Simon shook his head and said: "It must be 10 years, Marvin. We all know that an actor's status has ups and downs."
Marvin Josephson said: "But you can only star in 5 movies in 10 years. Simon, don't you think this is too few?"
"I said that as long as I agree, Julia can participate in other movies. Moreover, the contract is 10 years, but it does not necessarily take 10 years to complete. As long as Julia is in good enough condition, maybe, we do have five years It takes time to complete this contract.”
Marvin Josephson glanced at Julia Roberts next to him again, hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't suppress the curiosity in his heart: "Simon, can I ask why?"