Kapitel 106: Chapter 106: Apology
"Mel, you've really messed up this time. You need to find an opportunity to apologize to Winona Ryder," Ed Limato said as he arrived at Mel Gibson's house. "Everything has been settled. Once you apologize to Winona, this matter will be over."
"You want me to apologize to that bitch?" Mel Gibson, enraged, slammed his fist on the couch. "Arthur took advantage of me being drunk and hit me!"
Ed Limato frowned. "Marvin Josephson and Michael Ovitz have already discussed this. Do you know the consequences if what you said gets widely reported?"
"But," Mel Gibson started to say, but was cut off by a furious roar, "Enough, you idiot!"
Ed Limato, a top agent in Hollywood, had a temper of his own. "Do you want to offend the Jewish power in Hollywood? Apologize tomorrow night, or you'll be blacklisted by Michael Ovitz.
Arthur has agreed to let Galaxy Pictures invest in Steven Spielberg's project Schindler's List, and they can easily come up with over $20 million.
Do you know how long Michael Ovitz has been trying to find investment for Spielberg? Remember, the new head of Orion Pictures is Arthur Smith, and nobody believes in the commercial value of Schindler's List. Now Galaxy is willing to invest.
You should understand why Arthur is doing this!"
Mel Gibson's face darkened, his anger almost palpable. But with Ed Limato on the verge of exploding, Gibson wisely refrained from pushing further. He realized that provoking Hollywood's Jewish community and facing CAA's retaliation would be disastrous.
Later that evening, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Arthur and Michael Ovitz watched as Mel Gibson walked out of the hotel.
"Arthur, you've really burned your bridges with him this time!" Michael Ovitz remarked with a smile.
Forcing Mel Gibson to apologize while also giving him a beating was quite the power move.
Arthur shrugged, "We're all adults here, responsible for our actions. Besides, Hollywood has no shortage of actors."
Michael Ovitz nodded. "Spielberg is currently filming Hook. He'll come to Galaxy with the proposal soon. After finishing Hook, he'll fully commit to Schindler's List. Although Spielberg won't take a salary, he wants the film's budget to be at least $20 million."
"Don't worry. I know Spielberg wants to make this film well. $20 million is within my acceptable range," Arthur assured. "As for the pay, I know he doesn't want to profit from this kind of project. However, nothing in this world is free.
Galaxy will sign a donation contract with Spielberg. After Schindler's List is released, Galaxy will donate in his name to Jewish organizations and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum."
Michael Ovitz smiled wryly. "Arthur, rest assured, Spielberg won't take any payment from this film. If the movie does profit, your donation would be the best outcome."
Arthur nodded. "I understand."
Spielberg aimed to make a three-hour black-and-white film about the Holocaust, a high-risk commercial proposition. Ovitz made it clear that this decision could potentially lead to significant losses for Galaxy, and Arthur couldn't interfere with Spielberg's direction. However, with high risk comes high reward.
"Thank you, though. Winona and Nicole are both managed by Jessica. You don't need to worry about them. Even if CAA can't help, there aren't many who dare to cross you now!" Ovitz's primary goal was to strengthen Spielberg's ties with CAA; other matters were less important to him.
Arthur raised his fist. "I can't afford to fail now. If I do, I'll be knocked down and trampled. Unfortunately," Arthur spread his hands, "those waiting to see me fail won't get the chance!"
"That's good to hear," Michael Ovitz said, patting Arthur on the shoulder. "I'll take my leave now."
After Ovitz left, Arthur returned to his hotel room. Winona Ryder immediately hugged him. "I could tell Mel Gibson was really angry earlier."
"It's good that he's angry. Don't worry," Arthur reassured her. In time, the gap between Mel Gibson and himself would only widen. Arthur would become someone Gibson couldn't even hope to challenge. Gibson should direct his anger elsewhere.
After leaving the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Michael Ovitz got into his car with his assistant. "I heard Arthur is selling the rights to some Orion films?"
The assistant nodded. "Yes, just as Arthur mentioned in his interview. Orion has opened a supermarket now. But Arthur stopped the sale of The Addams Family rights to Paramount."
Michael Ovitz chuckled. "The Addams Family has significant commercial value. It makes sense for Arthur to keep it. Galaxy now has bank support, giving Arthur a two-year buffer period. Whether he succeeds depends on his next moves."
With The Silence of the Lambs, Scream, and The Addams Family all releasing this year, and Galaxy in talks with Kevin Costner for a new film, Galaxy also added Spielberg's black-and-white film Schindler's List.
"But Orion used to release several films a year. Wouldn't reducing production be a bad idea for Galaxy?" the assistant wondered.
Michael Ovitz scoffed. "What's the use of quantity if they pull films from theaters after just a week or two due to low attendance? As long as Arthur's films do well at the box office and stay in theaters for at least three months, he can make up for several previous films. It will only make theaters pay more attention to Orion!"
Besides, Michael Ovitz didn't believe Arthur Smith, such an ambitious guy, only had a few projects in mind.
*****
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