I am Hollywood

Chapter 507: Chapter 508: The Big Ship



[Chapter 508: The Big Ship]

Stan Winston said, "Since you already have that thought in your mind, I think you're at least ninety percent sure. Roland and I aren't going to play a bet with only a ten percent chance of winning."

Eric was about to continue his gentle persuasion when a voice broke in, "What bet? Did I miss something exciting?"

Turning around, they saw James Cameron approaching them with his wild, unkempt hair.

The three stood up to greet Cameron, then sat back down and recounted their earlier wager. Cameron laughed, responding just like Stan Winston, "No bet! Who doesn't know about your bet with Columbia back in the day? Besides, it's been over ten years since Star Wars made over $700 million at the box office. It was inevitable that movies would start hitting the billion- dollar mark. Don't even mention a billion; two or three billion will be a piece of cake in the future."

They all laughed again.

Seeing that the other three were not biting, Eric dropped the topic and pointed at Cameron, who looked like he just emerged from the wilderness. "Hey, Jim, did someone rob you?"

"Of course not! I've been out on a boat for two months," Cameron said, raking his fingers through his tangled hair.

Roland Emmerich wasn't very familiar with Cameron, so he looked puzzled. However, Eric and Stan Winston knew all too well about Cameron's love for diving.

Stan asked, "Jim, where did you dive this time?"

Cameron replied, "North Atlantic. We went to see a big ship that sank eighty years ago." "Titanic?" Eric blurted out instinctively.

Cameron was a bit surprised. "Eric, how did you know?"

Realizing his slip, Eric quickly made up an excuse. "You just mentioned it: North Atlantic, a big ship that sank eighty years ago. The only thing I could think of was the Titanic, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1912."

Cameron didn't question Eric's words and excitedly started rambling. "Yes, it's the Titanic. We rented a submersible to take a look at that big ship. Even after eighty years underwater, it still looked massive, though it's broken in two. We were planning to go inside the cabins, but unfortunately, the submersible was too big to fit. I'm planning to develop a robot for underwater photography in the future; next time, we can send it into the cabin for a closer look."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Is it safe to say your credit card is maxed out again?" Stan teased. Renting a submersible wasn't something just anyone could afford. While Cameron's directing fee had reached the top tier, he had not directed many films since starting out -- averaging a movie every two or three years. Earning enough to support such an expensive hobby was challenging.

"So, I had to come back from the Atlantic," Cameron chuckled, not dodging the topic. He turned to Eric and said, "Eric, isn't True Lies already listed as a project for this year? Why haven't you talked to Arnold about the contract? If you're not planning on casting Arnold as the lead, you better choose another actor sooner rather than later."

"Of course, Arnold will be the lead. But there's no rush on the contract. After all, we won't start shooting True Lies until the second half of the year. We can talk about it in June," Eric replied.

Cameron and the others looked puzzled.

"Why take that approach?" Roland asked.

Eric smiled mysteriously and shook his head. "You'll find out then."

Stan suddenly recalled something and cautiously asked, "Does this have anything to do with Arnold's next film? I remember he's involved with a Carolco action movie called Last Action Hero, directed by John McTiernan, who directed the first Die Hard film. We're handling the special effects for that; well... it's probably Neil's team responsible for it. But there aren't many special effects shots, and we finished that last year. It should come out in June."

Cameron, clearly impatient, asked, "Eric, don't you underestimate that movie?"

Since Stan had pointed it out, Eric didn't hide his opinion and nodded. "I had someone gather information on Last Action Hero. You all know that most of Arnold's fanbase came from your Terminator series, Jim. But this Last Action Hero focuses on the kid market. Not many of the Terminator fans are children..."

At that, Eric shrugged.

The other three understood. Arnold Schwarzenegger's fee was $15 million. When discussing the contract for True Lies, it was unlikely they could lower that price, but if Last Action Hero flopped at the box office, he would have to consider reducing his fee to regain popularity. Cameron thought it over and suggested, "Eric, even if Last Action Hero performs poorly, Arnold's fame is still there. Even with a reduced fee, it won't drop too much. It might be better to sign the contract sooner."

"Let's wait a few months patiently, Jim. I guarantee Arnold will agree by then."

When Cameron heard Eric say that, he shrugged and didn't press further. The True Lies script was initially pitched to him by Eric. Compared to the original Terminator, Cameron wasn't particularly excited about True Lies and was mainly doing it for the money. Although he was good friends with Arnold, he knew Firefly was the investor, and Eric was also his friend. Cameron wasn't going to get into a fight with Eric over Arnold. There were plenty of action stars in Hollywood who fit the True Lies script's criteria. Moreover, Cameron was well aware of Arnold's acting capabilities; if he could find a better actor, he wouldn't refuse.

"Well, as long as you know what you're doing," Cameron said.

Before he could ask Stan Winston about any interesting developments in Digital Domain, Eric brought up Titanic again. "Speaking of Titanic, I remember seeing in the paper that CBS is planning a miniseries about it. Jim, are you interested in that subject?"

"A miniseries? No way! I'm not wasting my energy directing a series; that's just too much of a time waste, and the budget is too low to make anything good," Cameron shook his head vigorously. But then his interest was piqued. "But if it's a movie, I might consider it."

Eric responded, "Of course, it's a movie."

Cameron stared at Eric for a few seconds before asking, "Eric, are you sure you're serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"Well then..." Cameron wanted to say something but remembered he already signed a deal with Firefly. He could only say, "Once I finish True Lies, I'll start preparing for that film."

Stan Winston suddenly chuckled, "Eric, don't let Jim fool you. His so-called preparation is definitely going to be Firefly covering the cost of a deep-sea exploration ship to continue his hobby."

Cameron retorted, "Hey, Stan, if we're actually going to make that movie, a detailed examination of the Titanic is a must."

Eric said to Cameron, "Jim, if you think it's necessary, Firefly can cover the funding."

Cameron's eyes lit up, and he even made a fist gesture towards Stan. With a big player like Firefly supporting him, he could pursue his underwater exploration plan that he could never afford -- oh, of course, this was all for the movie preparation.

Eric, seeing Cameron's excitement, added, "But I have one condition."

"You say," Cameron seemed in a good mood.

"I can give you the maximum freedom and flexibility in budget for this film, but I want the final say on the choice of the leading lady."

Cameron's expression shifted to cautious as he weighed the pros and cons before confirming, "Eric, are you certain that if I hand over the choice of the leading lady to you, I'll have total control over everything else, from pre-production to final cut?"

Eric pointed at Stan Winston and Roland Emmerich. "Yes, Stan and Roland are here. They can

testify to what I said today."

Though Stan Winston and Roland Emmerich did not understand why Eric suddenly felt this

way, they nodded in agreement.

"Then it's a deal," Cameron immediately raised his palm, as if he feared Eric would backtrack.

Eric slapped hands with Cameron, "It's settled."

Cameron withdrew his hand and grinned, "Hey, speaking of which, I've got a great idea right now. How about you hear it out?"

Seeing Cameron so eager, Eric quickly interrupted, "Jim, don't forget, you need to finish True

Lies first."

Cameron waved his hand, "Of course! As soon as we finish the prep for True Lies, I can start shooting tomorrow. But let's discuss ideas about Titanic first. First of all, I think it should be a

love story..."

Cameron's proposed concept for the Titanic script was largely in line with the original vision. By the time Eric left, Cameron was already discussing some special effects details with Stan

Winston.

With Cameron's pace of filmmaking, True Lies was set to be released in the summer of 1994, meaning Titanic would likely start shooting in 1995, with the release date being even harder to

predict.

Eric didn't dislike the idea of producing the miraculous film himself, but given his current numerous commitments, it would be tough to immerse himself fully in making a movie for several years. He certainly couldn't match Cameron's rigorous demands on film quality. It's known that in the original timeline, Titanic took 160 days to film, and it took over two years to go from the green light to final release.

Though he wasn't sure what this timeline's Titanic would turn out like, Eric believed that as long as the final quality matched the original, it wouldn't be a problem to recoup even a $200

million budget.

...

Throughout January 1993, Eric focused on the post-production of Jurassic Park.

Come late January, during the 50th Golden Globe Awards, Eric chose not to attend the event. Instead, he saw the next day's newspaper featuring the host poking fun at him, along with the results of the awards.

At the 50th Golden Globe Awards, Spielberg easily triumphed with Schindler's List over Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, snatching the awards for Best Picture and Best Director. A few days later, the 65th Oscars announced their nominations, and Schindler's List dominated with twelve nominations, far ahead of all other contenders, becoming the major favorite of that

year's Oscars.

Naturally, Eric's Twister remained true to expectations, only snagging two inconsequential nominations for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. However, the chances of winning those two nominations were nearly one hundred percent. When Twister first hit theaters, it received widespread acclaim from critics for its sound design. As for visual effects, there were only four nominees, including Robert Zemeckis's Death Becomes Her, David Fincher's Alien 3, and Tim Burton's Batman Returns. In all aspects, none of these three films' effects could compare to the whirlwind devastation shown in Twister. Unfortunately, Eric would still have to skip this year's Oscars because, from late March to April, Virginia and Joanna would be giving birth to their two little ones. He certainly had to be

there for both women during that time.

...

By early February, as the Golden Globes had passed, the excitement for the Oscars began to rise. However, Premiere Magazine released its annual Hollywood Power List in its latest issue, shifting public focus back onto Eric. The response within Hollywood circles was even more

intense.

The Hollywood Power List was primarily ranked based on the influence and power of

individuals in Hollywood in the previous year. In the first two years after Eric's rebirth, due to CAA's strong rise, it practically dominated most of Hollywood's A-list stars and script resources. Michael Ovitz of CAA consistently topped the Hollywood Power List, leaving major figures like Michael Eisner and Barry Diller in his wake.

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