American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 119 Employment Dispute Sparks Trouble

Just as Chris Columbus predicted.

Tim Story's invitation to Robert Downey Jr. was unsuccessful.

The process of failure is as follows—

After receiving the invitation, Downey said he really wanted to play Doctor Doom, but he couldn't get away from the role.

Because he has two projects that are about to start filming.

One is called "The Little Thief, the Beauty and the Detective".

The other one is called "Good Night, Good Luck".

The former refers to a collaboration with Val Kilmer.

This person is no ordinary person.

Kevin Spacey and Mel Winningham were his classmates.

His most famous works include "Top Gun" and "Heat".

The latter refers to his collaboration with George Clooney.

Although this person has never been a box office draw, he has quite a reputation in the industry.

Because Downey is in a very bad situation right now, he's the kind of person everyone hates. So when Downey discovers that he has the opportunity to latch onto the coattails of a famous B+list member, he seizes the opportunity and strives to climb the ladder. That's his biggest desire.

Therefore, Story invited him to star in Fantastic Four?
He was grateful, but could only apologize.

Downey's reasoning is quite reasonable.

It was so reasonable that Story couldn't find a single fault with it.

But Story felt very uncomfortable inside.

He didn't have amnesia; he clearly remembered that Michael Barnason had previously said not to invite Donnie.

So……

"Bernard, Robert Downey Jr. declined our invitation."

"I think this will have a huge impact on our film."

"Because the quality of the villains in superhero movies can affect the quality of the work. For example, in Spider-Man, Willem Dafoe's portrayal of the Green Goblin made Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker seem more approachable."

"For example, in 'The Batman,' Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the Joker, with his hysterical yet effortlessly manic madness, directly reflects the inner darkness of Bruce Wayne, played by Michael Keaton..."

2004 5 Month 1 Day.

After being rebuffed by Donnie, Storillo met with Bernard Eisinger.

Although his tone was normal and his wording was appropriate, Eisinger understood what he meant.

Story has come to lodge a complaint, a complaint against Columbus.

This guy thinks that Downey's refusal of Doctor Doom was Columbus's doing, because what Downey really wants to do right now is get out of the mire, so taking on all the film offers he can is his true instinct.

As for the situation of acting in multiple projects simultaneously?
He will definitely try to find a solution!

Isengard really wanted to tell Story, 'Honey—I think the same way you do—'.

But he couldn't say that.

And at this moment, all he could say was, "Tim, it's normal to encounter difficulties in casting. So, don't dwell on a single setback. Whatever we do, we should always look forward."

"Now that you've come to see me today, I'll give you some advice that might be useful in the filmmaking process."

“Since I entered the industry, I have actually made dozens of films. When casting, I would invite all the people I like at the same time during the first casting call.”

"This way, I can know immediately which actors are interested and which actors don't have time."

"I will make a list of actors who are really impossible to 'win over' and find corresponding roles to fill them. At the same time, I will give the producer a list of actors who are possible to 'win over' but I cannot invite."

"Because producers are always omnipotent, when they provide the initial screening invitation list for a project, the fact that we can't invite someone doesn't mean the other party can't. But if the producer can't invite the people they want to invite either, then..."

"That might be where the problem lies."

"Tim, I think you understand what I mean?"

Isengard smiled at Story.

Story nodded instantly. "Oh—of course—"

After chatting for a few more minutes, Story got up to say goodbye.

Because Story knew that his case had been successfully concluded.

Isengard knew that he might have been tricked by Columbus. Isengard advised him to be patient, work hard, gather the problems together, and then hand them over to Columbus all at once.

Even if Columbus could handle everything, he would still be in a state of chaos.

What if Columbus couldn't handle the problem?
Sorry about that.

We're about to sit down and talk about your problem.

The logic here is very simple.

In a producer-centric game, what happens when you, as the project's producer, can't get anything done?

So what do you want to do?
Could it be that you want to fly up to the sky and stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun?

Since Isengard had already pointed out a clear path for Story, at least in Story's eyes, accumulating strength to unleash a powerful punch was a clear path, so Story started working according to Isengard's advice.

Then, he suffered a series of setbacks.

Uh……

He really didn't deliberately mess everything up in order to file a complaint;

This isn't due to his limited personal abilities;
Rather, all his failures were because he and Columbus were from two different worlds.

When Columbus entered the industry, he debuted with the title of Spielberg's student. With this connection, everyone would greet him proactively. He also lived up to expectations and achieved success, which made his life better day by day.

And what about Story?
The biggest name he has ever met is Ice Cube.

This person may be very famous in the pop music scene, but...

As I said before, hip-hop artists are not up to par.

It's utterly baseless and utterly incompetent.

This is where the problem arises—

In Columbus's plans, he wanted to invite Michael Chiklis to play the Stone Man.

This is the male lead of "The Shield".

Yes, he's the male lead from the hugely popular TV series "The Shield".

Next, Columbus wanted to invite Christina Aguilera or Cameron Diaz to play the Invisible Woman.

These two need no introduction, right?
It's about Mom and Natalie.

Then, Columbus also wanted to invite...

Never mind, I won't say anything more.

The people behind them were all bigger and bigger stars than the last.

When Columbus was an A+ in the directing industry, it was actually very easy for him to meet these people. He only needed to have his producer, Barnason, make a phone call to them, and they would come running over eagerly.

But Story?

Forget about calling these people, he doesn't even know where to get their private phone numbers!

Or, to put it another way, when the celebrities on Columbus's invitation list were at least B-list, his invitations to these stars, who weren't even B-level directors, were limited to having people call those stars' agents!
So……

After being rejected by everyone, Story called Barnason again on May 3, 2004.

He stated that none of the people on the invitation list provided by Columbus could attend.

Perhaps it's because you can sense the other person's anger even over the phone?
Barnason promptly reassured Story, but even though he knew Story's situation was somewhat urgent, he waited until Columbus finished filming "The Goblet of Fire" before revealing the situation on the West Coast, and then...

"What did you say? You didn't manage to invite a single person?"

Columbus was surprised.

"Yes."

Barnason nodded.

"It shouldn't be..."

Columbus was a little confused. "Bernard seems to have been in Hollywood longer than me, hasn't he?"

"So how could there be a problem with the casting?"

Yes, in Columbus's view, the casting process should proceed smoothly even without him.

Besides Resident Evil, Constantine's boss, Bernard Eisinger, has produced many other famous films.

For example, "The Great Demon Realm" -

This is an animated film that grossed $2500 million at the box office with a $1 million investment.

For example, "The Name of the Rose"—

This is a film by Jean-Jacques Annaud, which had a budget of 1700 million and grossed 7700 million at the box office.

For example, "Golden Mansion"—

Although the movie didn't do well at the box office, it starred Meryl Streep.

The reason Eisinger was chosen by the Kirchh Group was because he was capable and had connections in Hollywood. For this reason, in Columbus's eyes, with him in charge, there was no way there would be any surprises in the casting of "Fantastic Four".

But now...

After confirming the information was correct, Columbus dialed Isengard's number.

Then he heard Isengard's apology—

"I'm sorry, Chris, things did encounter some unexpected problems."

“We sent out invitations to the people you wanted to invite according to your list, and then… they all declined.”

"And they gave specific reasons when they refused, showing their sincerity."

“Take Cameron Diaz for example. She said the reason she didn’t want to act in Fantastic Four was that she hated wearing superhero makeup. She did Charlie’s Angels, right? The one with Steven’s goddaughter Barrymore. In that movie, she wore leather clothes and had to fight, and she felt uncomfortable, so she didn’t want to act in similar movies again.”

"The Fantastic Four also wear bodysuits."

"Take Michael Chiklis, for example. He won the Emmy Award for Best Actor just two years ago, which made him feel that 'The Shield' was his roots. So when Fox renewed 'The Shield,' he didn't have much time to do other roles..."

Eisinger was telling the truth.

Because these were indeed the reasons given by the invited guest who refused Story's offer.

But Isengard did not tell the whole truth.

For example, he wasn't really involved in the casting process. Or rather, if he had been fully involved and ruined Rupert Murdoch's plans, wouldn't he be swimming with sharks in the Pacific Ocean?

And these...

"Oh, is that so? Then we're having pretty bad luck."

There are no unchanging plans in this world.

There is nothing that absolutely requires any one person.

So when Columbus learned that the problem Isengard mentioned was indeed common in the industry, he stopped worrying about it and said, "If these people really don't want to come, then you can discuss the casting."

"You're in charge of the specifics?"

"Scraping everything and starting from scratch, I don't think that's difficult for you?"

"Right, Bernard?"

"Then, if you really feel it's difficult, then I'll send Barnason over?"

“Oh…no, no, no…” Columbus’s words prompted Isengard to decline repeatedly. “Isn’t Barnason going to be with you on ‘The Goblet of Fire’? This is very important, so I’ll keep an eye on things here.” “Besides, you’re right, even if we have to scrap everything and start all over again, it’s not a difficult task for me.”

"I've been in this industry for thirty years, I know everything about it..."

Isengard's words put Columbus at ease.

After all, Isengard is a veteran player in the Hollywood gaming industry.

But as soon as the call ended...

Isengard looked directly at Story across the desk.

Yes, they are gathered together right now.

The location was Constantine's general manager's office.

After catching Story's probing gaze, Isengard sighed and said, "Tim, it looks like we'll have to hold a large-scale audition, because Chris said that if those people really don't come, then so be it..."

Upon hearing this, Story's anger flared up instantly, and he shouted, "Mr. Isengard! I think I heard you right? You said Mr. Columbus said that if none of the people on the list come, then we'll hold a public selection?"

“Yes.” Isengard nodded.

He pushed his phone forward, which he hadn't yet put down.

“That’s exactly what he said. You can call him if you don’t believe me.”

Story certainly believed Isengard's words!
Because he had just watched Isengard answer the phone!
The reason he needed to confirm the information with Isengard was because the sudden change was too outrageous!

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Isengard, and he said, word by word—

“Mr. Isengard! If I remember correctly, I seem to have told you that the reason my boss Fox invested in your Constantine’s Fantastic Four was because they really liked your project plan!”

"To put it more precisely, my boss believes that with its big-name cast, 'Fantastic Four' might surpass 'Spider-Man' and become a new legend! Writing a new chapter in history!"

"So, you're telling me now that everything is going to change?"

"Can I then conclude that you were defrauding my boss from the very beginning?"

The scathing questions left Eisinger deeply moved.

The inflammatory words made Isengard realize that Story had completely fallen into a trap.

At that moment, if Story were to suddenly launch an attack, Columbus would be unable to shake off the label of being in the wrong.

Furthermore, when Story suddenly launches an attack, he won't encounter the situation where saying too much leads to making mistakes.

Because he knows nothing.

'That's a really dirty trick!'

Isengard sighed softly to himself.

But at the same time, he also understood that he had to give the final guidance.

She pursed her lips, smiled at Story with a look full of emotion.

He stood up and poured Story a glass of water. Then, while holding onto the back of Story's chair, he said softly, "Tim, I have to apologize to you here because Chris, the director of the movie Fantastic Four, already had someone else in mind."

That's Sean Austin.

"You were able to direct Fantastic Four because Fox invested in it."

“I know you should know how you got here. But about Sean Austin…”

You probably don't know.

"Fox probably didn't tell you that."

"Because this matter didn't seem very important before. It's common in the industry for investors and producers to want to control the production team. Or, like with Mission: Impossible, Tom Cruise wanted to control the production team, didn't he?"

boom--

Isengard's words instantly enraged Story!

"Bernard? What did you say?"

Story raised his voice, and he jumped up from where he was sitting.

"So everything I experienced before was intentionally targeted, right??"

"Chris Columbus wants to get rid of me, right???"

"So that they can replace the director with one of their own people???"

“That’s not what I meant—” Isengard waved his hands repeatedly, trying to explain.

But before he could even open his mouth, Story, who had been holding it in for days, burst out—

"M-Fxxk! Chris Columbus, that white guy!! He actually dared to set me up!!!"

"Oh—Sxxt—I'm going to tell Fox all this!! I'll make him pay!!!"

"Dxxn! Chris Columbus is powerful!! But he's not someone you can mess with!!!"

"..."

With a roar, Story burst out of Constantine.

As the figure stormed away, Isengard took a deep breath; he knew his mission was complete.

From then on, how things escalated and how the war raged were none of his concern.

As for what happens after this is over, if Chris Columbus wins, will he face retaliation?

He had actually thought about this a long time ago.

But, as I said before, once Murdoch held a knife to his neck, he had no choice.

Then, he was already very careful. When cooperating with Murdoch's moves, he told Columbus the truth. He could also explain Fox's investment in "Fantastic Four" as a normal practice in the industry.

First of all, there was indeed an agreement in the contract between Constantine and Columbus that allowed them to attract foreign investment.

So, the price offered by Fox was the best, so I chose Fox. Is that okay?

Secondly, helping investors conceal their identities is something that all companies in the industry have done.

Take "Titanic" as an example. Back then, when Fox was struggling financially because of Cameron, the rumors were that Universal Pictures wanted to invest, and Edgar Bronfman Jr. had plenty of money. It wasn't until Fox started spending Paramount's money that the world realized Paramount had acquired "Titanic." As for why Paramount concealed the investment information...

It's very simple. At the time, the world didn't have high hopes for "Titanic".

In this situation, if Paramount had disclosed the news before making the investment, they would have encountered—

1. The stock price fell because the public was not optimistic during the negotiations.

2. The investment is not favored by the public, and the stock price falls.

3. Production encountered difficulties, leading to public criticism and a continued decline in stock price...

When emotions are more important than the truth in the investment market, acting first and asking questions later to clear out all the bad news at once is a common tactic in the business world, because no one can withstand a hellish and crazy drop.

Since everyone in the industry has done this before, what's wrong with Constantine cooperating with Fox to do the same thing in order to attract investment and get the best returns?
Right?

Eisinger felt he had done everything he could!
Story, having left Constantine, went straight to Century City to complain to his father.

then……

"What did you say? Chris wants to get rid of you?"

Tom Rothman, chairman of Fox Studios, was shocked.

"I know Chris, and Chris isn't that kind of person, so are you guys misunderstanding something?"

"There's no misunderstanding! We have no misunderstanding!"

Story shouted, "Mr. Rossman! We've all been fooled by Chris Columbus!"

"Bernard Eisinger told me himself! He said that before I even joined Fantastic Four, Chris Columbus had already decided who would direct! It's Sean Astin! Sean Astin!!"

"Chris Columbus's own people!!!"

The sudden, piercing roar made Tom Rothman's eardrums ache.

But he was actually very happy.

Well, he's one of the few people in the entire Fox organization who knows the whole plan.

So when he discovered that Story had become a sharp blade, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.

However, he knew now was not the time to celebrate.

He forced a smile, frowned, and asked, "Are you sure?"

"I swear!"

“Oh—if it’s true—that’s really infuriating news—but…uh…how about this, you call Chris? We can meet up sometime? I think it’s better to sit down and talk about this…”

Before Roseman could finish speaking, Story pulled out his phone and dialed Columbus's number.

I turned on speakerphone, and after two beeps, the call was connected.

"Hello?" Columbus's voice came through the phone.

“Chris?” Story asked bluntly. “Where are you now? I need to talk to you in person.”

"Why? Is it because there are problems with film production? I've already spoken to Bernard about it..."

"No, no, no! It's not about filmmaking!" Story interrupted Columbus before he could finish. "I want to talk to you about your plan to kick me out and replace me with Sean Austin!"

"What?" Columbus exclaimed in surprise.

Far away in London, he was having dinner when he frowned and said, "Tim, what are you talking about? I don't understand what you mean."

"Oh—you don't understand what I mean now?"

"Chris Columbus—you really are a hypocrite pretending to be holy!"

“Bernard Eisinger already told me! You never liked me!”

"So! I need to talk to you! Right now! Immediately!"

“…” Columbus narrowed his eyes.

He always felt that something was strange about what was happening.

Before he could even process everything that had happened recently in his mind, he gave up on the operation.

Because a familiar voice came from the other end of the phone—

"Hi Chris, it's me, Tom, Tom Rothman."

"Although I know you're not the kind of person who likes to harm others behind their backs, and I know you might have some misunderstandings with Tim, I want to say that Tim is very angry right now, and this anger is even affecting his normal work."

"So, could you please find some time to meet with him in person? We'll be waiting for you in California."

"Don't worry, this meeting won't take up too much of your time, and I trust you completely. Besides, we're friends, aren't we? Back when we were making 'Home Alone,' we at Fox had a very pleasant working relationship with you..."

hmm~
All attacks can be adapted, right?
If recalling Chris Columbus under the pretext of discussing the script is a recall, then isn't recalling him under the pretext of production disputes also a recall?

Not to mention, recalling Columbus under the pretext of script discrepancies when everything in the script is fine seems like creating trouble out of nothing.

Columbus could have escaped using the logic of 'first come, first served'.

For example, in "Fantastic Four", he and Constantine started the project first, and Fox joined later. When Fox, who joined later, had already read the script of the project, how could you say that there was a problem with my script after you had invested?

Then I can ignore you.

Right?

But when employment disputes actually occur...

Columbus was then unable to use other logic to bypass the problem.

then……

Columbus, caught in a web of contradictions, felt wronged.

I know!

And I'm going to frame you!
Hahahahaha~~~~~
(End of this chapter)