Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 708 Western Illusions about Eastern Culture
The film "The Fat Professor 2" grossed $1.2 million in North America but only $4300 million overseas, a result that left Aaron not entirely satisfied.
"Final Destination" grossed $5500 million in North America and $6000 million overseas, bringing its global total to over $1.1 million, which is quite good for a low-budget film with an investment of only $2300 million.

With a budget of $5500 million, "Meet the Parents" grossed $1.6 million in North America and $3.3 million worldwide, a pleasant surprise for Universal!
Sofitel Hotel, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.

Aaron, who was attending a cocktail party, ran into Steven Spielberg. After chatting for a while about the progress of "Band of Brothers", Spielberg asked about the situation of "The Silence of the Lambs 2: Hannibal"!

"Oh, Steven, are you interested?"

Aaron smiled. David Fincher had already started filming "The Silence of the Lambs 2: Hannibal" earlier this month.
In addition, "The Mummy: The Scorpion King" also started filming at the same time.

Steven Spielberg shook his head. "I would love to, but I don't have the time. I have too many projects on my plate right now."

"I just finished filming the sci-fi film 'A.I.' and am currently filming another sci-fi film, 'Minority Report'."

"Furthermore, I have another project that's almost ready to go: an adaptation of Frank Abagnale Jr.'s biography of the same name!"

Aaron's lips twitched. Steven Spielberg is indeed very busy. These are all films that he personally directed, not to mention the other projects he is producing.
Not only DreamWorks, but Steven Spielberg has always had side income. Even with DreamWorks, he still collaborates with other film companies.

"A.I. Artificial Intelligence" was originally a project by Stanley Kubrick. After Kubrick's death, Steven Spielberg took over the project, and it was produced by DreamWorks.

As for "Minority Report," it is adapted from the short story of the same name by the famous American science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, and the male lead is Tom Cruise, but it is a film directed by Steven Spielberg for 20th Century Fox.

Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible 2, released this summer, was a huge success, grossing $2.1 million in North America and $5.4 million worldwide.
This also made John Woo, the Chinese-American director, a household name in Hollywood, and established him as one of the top commercial film directors in Hollywood!
Frank Abagnale Jr. started as a runaway teenager and then transformed himself into various identities such as pilot, doctor, lawyer, and university professor. Through these disguises, he forged checks and swindled millions of dollars. He was eventually targeted and hunted by the FBI. After his arrest, Abagnale Jr., with his knowledge of checks, became a member of the FBI. It was a truly legendary life story.

As expected, this is the Steven Spielberg-directed "Catch Me If You Can" movie!

Aaron took a sip of his drink. "It seems you have a lot of energy, Steven."

Steven Spielberg smiled. "DreamWorks has another project in hand. I wonder if Dawn would be interested?"

Aaron became interested too, "What project?"

"Adapted from Arthur Gordon's novel of the same name, *Memoirs of a Geisha*, it tells the story of Chiyo, an unknown Japanese girl who rises to become a renowned geisha on the eve of World War II."

"This project was sitting on my desk alongside 'Artificial Intelligence'!"

Steven Spielberg shrugged as he spoke.

Aaron thought for a moment, "Are you planning to direct it yourself?"

Steven Spielberg shook his head. "I don't think there's time."

Aaron chuckled. "Forget it. I've never been interested in these Western fantasies about Eastern culture." "The popularity of *Memoirs of a Geisha* in the West is nothing more than Western male chauvinism looking down on Eastern women."

"It's similar to 'Anna and the King,' where the Western side is condescending and displays superiority. But we're not in the 1950s or 60s anymore. What market can there be for presenting Eastern culture from a Western perspective?"

The critical and commercial failure of "Anne and the King" is a clear example!

He shook his head, saying, "Recently, a Chinese martial arts film, *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, was released at Dawn Cinema. The director is Ang Lee."

"I think this is probably the best film that can showcase Eastern culture in the West. Directors who don't have a certain understanding of the local culture simply can't capture that flavor!"

Steven Spielberg was somewhat embarrassed, "Perhaps we could also try asking director Ang Lee."

Aaron shook his head. "I would approve of projects about Chinese culture, but I have no interest in Japanese culture."

As he spoke, Aaron glanced at Steven Spielberg, "However, the novel 'Memoirs of a Geisha' is quite famous. With your appeal, Steven, you shouldn't have to worry about not being able to attract investment!"

Aaron has absolutely no interest in "Memoirs of a Geisha." This kind of work, which uses a Western perspective to showcase Eastern culture, is full of personal bias.
The novel has a certain artistic merit, but when adapted into a film, it's basically a hodgepodge.

After talking with Steven Spielberg, Aaron met with director Steven Soderbergh. The critical and commercial success of "Erin Brockovich" greatly increased his fame.
"Traffic" is currently in preview screenings to compete for the Oscars, and will be officially released in February next year.

Has filming for Ocean's Eleven finished?

This film was co-developed by District 8 Pictures, founded by Steven Soderbergh, in conjunction with Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures.

The film features a star-studded cast including Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Jennifer Aniston.

Steven Soderbergh chuckled, "Not so fast yet, it'll probably be the end of February next year before we wrap up filming!"

"Releasing Ocean's Eleven during next year's Christmas season is still feasible," Aaron said, not particularly concerned, as Universal was only responsible for the North American market for Ocean's Eleven.

International distribution is handled by Warner Bros., but for Aaron, this film can help promote Las Vegas. The Venetian Macao provided the filming location, so of course he can take the opportunity to promote it!

Later, as Aaron was about to leave the hotel, he ran into Winona Ryder, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. He hugged her and said, "It's been a long time, dear Winona."

Winona Ryder smiled and said, "I spent a long time in San Francisco, mainly to help my parents recuperate."

“No wonder. Let’s go, let’s go to the bar next door for a drink,” Aaron said, putting his arm around the woman.

(End of this chapter)