Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 12 Don't Ask Too Much
Walt Disney Studios, Burbank.

Ever since Disney was on the verge of bankruptcy a few years ago, with the support of Walt Disney's nephew Roy Disney and major shareholder Sid Bass, it hired former Paramount executives Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg from outside. Disney then began to revive and became one of the six major studios in Hollywood!

Touchstone Pictures, founded by Michael Ovitz, is a production company that specializes in developing adult films.
Disney is no longer just about developing children's films and cartoons.

Now, Disney has created another live-action film label, Hollywood Pictures, to form internal competition with Touchstone;
Domestic distribution is under the name of Disney Films, while international distribution is handled by Buena Vista International Films!
Jeffrey Katzenberg currently serves as Chairman of Disney Motion Pictures, responsible for overall production of Disney's animated and live-action films.

"Pretty Woman" director Garry Marshall, producer Steven Reuther, and screenwriter J.F. Lawton are all CAA clients!
In the hallway, Aaron and Disney executive producer Gary Goldstein were saying something like, "Is the actor still considering it?"

"Yes, for the male lead, Gary is optimistic about Christopher Reeve. For the female lead, we have also invited Karen Allen and Molly Ringwald;"

"So far, I haven't received a reply yet!"

Listening to Gary Goldstein's words, Aaron really felt that he had no power at all, because he had no say at all;

That is, he was discussing the revisions to the script with screenwriter J.F. Lawton.

Christopher Reeve, the male lead of the Superman quadrilogy, is a must-mention. Karen Allen and Molly Ringwald are also experienced actresses.

And they are all artists with suitable prices. The failure of "Superman 4: Peace Mission" released two years ago was a big blow to Christopher Reeve.

Aaron shook his head, "No news. I guess they just don't want to play such a role!"

"Pretty Woman" was originally a low-budget romantic comedy, and the story was quite childish for many of the male stars;
If they could invite Tom Cruise, Disney would certainly be willing to increase the budget, but this kind of script was rejected before it even reached Tom Cruise.

"Next, we will continue to send out invitations. If that doesn't work out, we will select some young actresses from the newcomers!"

After hearing what Gary Goldstein said, Aaron certainly understood that the current targets of Touchstone must be actresses with certain resumes;
If there is no suitable one, they will look for one among new young actresses.

Nicole Kidman will then have to compete with other batches of new actresses. Given Aaron Anderson's current situation, there is certainly no way he can decide to let the producers choose her as the leading actress;

After all, Aaron was just expediting the progress of "Pretty Woman," and producer Steven Reuther and project head Jeffrey Katzenberg were indeed developing the script!
Afterwards, Aaron spoke a few words with screenwriter J.F. Lawton and left. Now there are basically no problems with the film's script;
Aaron is just an agent, so there is no need for him to stay here and waste time.

In early April, "Over the Horizon" starring Nicole Kidman was released. It was a low-cost thriller, but Nicole Kidman's performance in it was also acceptable!
At the same time, Quentin Tarantino also sent Aaron a script, "Fatal Romance";
Aaron also signed a contract with Quentin Tarantino as a screenwriter and director.

“A strong postmodern black humor style!”

After Aaron received the first draft of the script, he definitely read it patiently, not to mention the sloppy handwriting and grammatical errors in the sentences;
Quentin Tarantino is lucky to be able to spell some words correctly.

However, Aaron really can't have too high expectations for Quentin Tarantino, who didn't even graduate from high school!
"I'll find someone to proofread it first, and then help you promote it to Hollywood directors and producers," Aaron said to Quentin Tarantino on the phone.

"Thank you, Aaron!" After returning to CAA, Aaron asked the typist in the editorial department to proofread it.

The female staff member in the editorial department flipped through the manuscript and her eyes widened in surprise. "I just flipped through a few pages, and I can find at least nine grammatical errors on each page."

"Well, that's fine. This client's cultural level is a bit low, so you just need to spend more time proofreading it," Aaron was helpless. This script was not directed by Quentin Tarantino himself, otherwise there would be no need for proofreading.

After finishing the script, Aaron received a call from Miramax and asked him to go to their company to discuss Steven Soderbergh's plan to go to Cannes!
Aaron then drove his Chevrolet to Miramax's office in Los Angeles and made a special call to Steven Soderbergh.

"Steven, where are you?"

"On vacation in Florida, do you want to come over?"

"Oh, no thanks. I'm just letting you know that I'll probably be going to Cannes at the end of the month. I'm going to Miramax right now to discuss plans for our trip!"

"The end of the month? Okay, I'll arrange my schedule..."

After hanging up the phone, Aaron breathed a sigh of relief. He was busy, but Steven Soderbergh went to Florida for vacation!
Miramax is now also a small distributor, and they go to Cannes to buy new films to release back home;
Miramax also has high expectations for "Sex, Lies, and Videotape."

"Harvey, I heard that your internal screening was quite satisfactory for 'Sex, Lies, and Videotape'?"

Aaron chatted with the other party in his office.

"120 million dollars, plus the various costs of publicity and distribution, the investment in this movie may be more than 300 million dollars," Harvey Weinstein looked at Aaron.

"I hope you and I are both right!"

Aaron smiled and said, "If I owned this movie, I wouldn't sell it for that price at all;"

"You should have confidence at the Cannes Film Festival. When Sex, Lies, and Videotape is showered with honors, you'll realize how wise your decision was!"

"Okay, remember to remind Steven Soderbergh to go to Cannes and cooperate with us," Harvey Weinstein emphasized.

"Don't worry, the newcomers are very eager to use the platform!"

After leaving Miramax, Aaron received another call from Nicole Kidman. "A director asked me to go to the Culver Hotel in the evening to discuss a script..."

(End of this chapter)