Kapitel 124: Status change

"Hey, Rick." Hugo grasped the right hand Rick extended and patted his shoulder, gesturing for him and Joseph to sit on the couch. He said with a smile, "Looks like I saved a cup of coffee." This remark made Hugo burst into laughter.

"Have you finished discussing everything?" Hugo looked around the office, which was similar in size to Ron's space and had a whole wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. The view of the blue sky, white clouds, and towering buildings in the city was magnificent.

Rick was a not-so-tall American man. Perhaps due to his Native American heritage, his skin was somewhat darker, making him appear thin and inconspicuous. However, he had a pair of exceptionally bright eyes that easily diverted attention from his appearance and focused on his conversation. Unlike Ron's dominance, Rick resembled a hardworking broker on the seventeenth floor, still striving diligently, rather than the "elite vampires" on the twenty-third floor.

But it would be a big mistake to be deceived by Rick's appearance alone. Rick was a pillar of strength in International Creative Management. His performance throughout last year ranked him among the top five in the company, on par with Ron. Earlier this year, Rick officially became a partner in the company.

To achieve such results in the brokerage industry, one must definitely not be an honest person.

"To be honest, there's not much going on. I just acted as a middleman." Rick's smile was not wide; it was shallow, curving with his not-so-big eyes, giving off a friendly vibe and an indescribable affability. Then Rick looked at Joseph and said, "I hand over the opportunity to announce the answer to you."

Joseph didn't hesitate either and met Hugo's inquisitive gaze. The excitement between his eyebrows sparkled in his eyes. "Do you know Sidney Pollack?"

"Of course." Hugo nodded without hesitation. Although he came to know Sidney through the movie "The Reader", Sidney, the renowned director, had many more famous classic works, such as "Out of Africa", "Tootsie", and "The Way We Were". He was definitely one of the most outstanding directors in American film history.

"This time, Paramount Pictures is preparing a film adaptation of a novel, and they've chosen Sidney as the director," Joseph's tone slightly rose, revealing his inner joy. And clearly, he hadn't finished his sentence yet, "The screenplay for the adaptation has already been assigned to Robert Towne."

"Robert Towne?" Hugo's statement wasn't a question but a confirmation.

Robert Towne was not the future famous Robert Downey's father; they had no relation. The father of Robert Downey Jr., Robert Downey Sr., was an independent film director and producer. The Robert Towne mentioned here was a well-known Hollywood director and screenwriter, who had written classic scripts like "Thelma & Louise" and more.

It could be imagined that the collaboration between Sidney and Robert was definitely going to be top-notch.

At this time, Paramount was going through a period of turmoil. After a long period of decline, they made a comeback and returned to the top ranks of Hollywood. However, the iconic trio leading Paramount's revival was broken by Disney. Disney poached the two members of the trio: Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Eisner, causing Paramount to fall back into a slump.

In this situation, inviting the likes of Sidney and Robert to collaborate on a project clearly showed Paramount's ambition. Indeed, Joseph's next words confirmed Hugo's speculation, "It's Robert. Paramount has invested sixty million dollars in the budget for this project."

"Wow, is this another "Terminator"?" Hugo was amazed by the budget estimate.

If it was back in January when Hugo first arrived here, he would have said, "Such a small investment". After the 21st century, there were countless films with budgets exceeding a hundred million dollars, and projects with costs of over two hundred million were not uncommon. However, after a year of adaptation here, Hugo knew that in the current film market, a budget of over fifty million was considered a big production and not very common.

So, for Paramount to have a sixty million budget, Hugo's first reaction was that it must be a high-octane action film with complex special effects. It was also one of the most popular genres in the early 1990s.

"No, it's another "A Few Good Men"," Rick replied, offering an apologetic smile to Joseph. "Let me tell you about the script." He hadn't discussed this with Joseph in detail since Joseph had just arrived a while ago, so it was clear that Rick was more familiar with it. "It's about a young Harvard Law School graduate who starts working at a law firm and receives many privileges. But soon he discovers that the company is involved with the mafia internally, to the extent that he gets involved in a case that attracts the attention of the Department of Justice."

"Another lawyer?" Hugo immediately understood. That was why Rick said "Another "A Few Good Men".

"Yes," Rick nodded affirmatively. "They have just started the casting process, and all the roles are starting from scratch. Sidney heard about your outstanding performance in "A Few Good Men", so he hopes you can audition."

"Me?" While Hugo had some psychological preparation, hearing it directly from Rick still came as a surprise. After all, "A Few Good Men" hadn't been released yet, so he had no idea that the opportunity would come so soon.

Rick chuckled at Hugo's surprised expression, though his smile remained restrained, curving into a slightly wider arc. His eyes narrowed to slits as he continued, "Hugo, you know, this industry is actually very small, very small." As he spoke, Rick pinched his thumb and index finger together, as if holding a strand of hair, emphasizing his point.

After completing "Scent of a Woman", Hugo earned a chance to audition for "A Few Good Men" due to his outstanding performance. In the end, he seized the opportunity through his efforts. And now, Hugo's shining performance in "A Few Good Men" had garnered more attention, coupled with the positive response from "Scent of a Woman", and the opportunity had indeed come knocking.

Compared to before, Hugo's status had quietly changed. He now had a chance for an audition delivered to Joseph's hands automatically, which was a significant progress. Moreover, it was for a big-budget production of sixty million dollars from Paramount Pictures, which made it even more rare.

"Wow." Hugo didn't try to hide his excitement and let out his joyful voice directly. The recent positive impact of "Scent of a Woman" had already exceeded his expectations, and today's opportunity was icing on the cake. "I was just thinking, it's been half a year without any invitations coming my way. Joseph must have been getting anxious..."

"Are you sure it's not you who's anxious?" Joseph chimed in, ready to banter with Hugo. Although he had been telling Hugo to take a good rest for the past few months, the absence of any auditions had gradually started to breed unease in Joseph's mind. But now, with "Scent of a Woman" released and everything falling into place, it couldn't be better.

"Rick, thank you, really, thank you." Hugo expressed his gratitude repeatedly. In truth, Rick wasn't Hugo's agent, so he had no obligation to help. Unlike finding a house, this was a job opportunity, which meant money and reputation. Rick's selfless assistance was truly admirable. Comparing Ron and Rick, the difference immediately became apparent.

"No need, I already wrote down that you owe me a meal in my notebook," Rick said with a smile, still relaxed. Hugo and Joseph laughed in response. "Actually, you don't have to worry too much. Sidney asked me for Joseph's phone number, and I just helped with the contact. That's all. You see, even if I didn't want to tell him, he could still contact the company, and the end result would be the same. So, to be precise, I didn't really do much."

Rick spoke honestly, "Besides, we're still competitors. I have actors under me who are also auditioning. So, don't thank me too soon. Maybe my actor will beat you and get the role."

Hugo couldn't help but laugh heartily, but mentioning this matter also awakened a memory in him. "Rick, I saw Tracey in Ron's office earlier, seemingly discussing something important. Could it be related to Sidney's project?" It wasn't that Hugo had paranoid delusions, but the timing seemed a little too coincidental.

"Oh, no. Tracey and Ron are discussing a collaboration project with Universal Pictures," Rick explained briefly, but there was still some confusion lingering in Hugo's gaze. Questions like why Tracey mentioned herself to Ron in front of him, or whether her previous meeting with the head producer of Universal Pictures at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel had any connection to this project. But Rick clearly had no intention of letting Hugo continue questioning. He directly disregarded Hugo's gaze and continued, "I already gave Joseph Sidney's contact information earlier. That's the extent of informing you about this project. The rest is up to you to work hard for it. As competitors, I won't provide any help."

"Of course," Joseph smiled, taking over the conversation. He also noticed Hugo's distraction, but it was nothing new now. "You haven't told me the name of this project yet!"

"Oh, my memory is failing me. I'm getting old," Rick slapped his own head, took a script from his desk, and placed it in front of Joseph. "It is called "The Firm". This is the script which belongs to me. If you want it, you can ask Sidney for it. Moreover, it's based on an adaptation of a novel, so you can go read the original if you're interested."

"John Grisham's novel of the same name?" Joseph recalled last year's best-selling novel of the same name and received confirmation from Rick. Once again, Joseph saw Paramount Pictures' determination to make a big impact with this project.

"Oh, by the way," Rick suddenly remembered something else. "I heard Brad Pitt also got an audition opportunity. You know, Sidney and Robert Redford have a strong friendship. They collaborated on "Out of Africa" before." Robert Redford, the director of "A River Runs Through It". It truly was a small, small circle.