Bab 188: Chapter 188: Passing the Buck
Retrieving the post-production rights for "Rain Man," Simon had not expected Barry Levinson to remain silent as he had hoped.
To Simon's surprise, "The Hollywood Reporter" quickly published a front-page article the next day titled "Barry Levinson Forced Out of 'Rain Man' Post-Production," portraying Levinson as a victim and detailing how Simon had interfered with the film's production from the shooting phase until Levinson's dismissal yesterday.
As if prearranged, the same day the news broke, the two stars of "Rain Man," Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, also gave an interview to CNN, publicly condemning Simon's disrespect for the creators of the film.
Following this, the Directors Guild of America jumped in, issuing a statement on Friday announcing an investigation into whether Daenerys Productions had infringed on the rights of directors.
Thus, in just a few days, Daenerys Productions was quickly pushed into the center of another public relations storm.
Hollywood has always been a producer-centered system.
Whether it was the high-profile case of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" director Tobe Hooper being overshadowed by producer Spielberg in the "Poltergeist" project in the early '80s, or the "Justice League" director change debacle that Simon remembered many years later, there were plenty of instances where directors were ousted from movie productions.
However, the general public doesn't pay much attention to these industry norms.
Amid media hype, what was a common occurrence in Hollywood was quickly sensationalized into a scandalous event.
In New York, on Morton Street in Greenwich Village, less than a kilometer from New York University, stood a nine-story red brick building, the East Coast headquarters of New World Entertainment.
Occupying six of the building's nine floors, half of the company's 110-plus employees, excluding Marvel, were based here, with the other half in Los Angeles. The six floors of office space more than accommodated the fifty or so employees, a result of several rounds of layoffs.
Due to the company's focus on television program production, New World Entertainment originally had over a hundred employees on the East Coast. Nearly half were laid off in the past six months, but the lease on the office building had not expired, leading to the current situation.
Today was August 2nd.
After a month-long process of financing and auditing, Simon officially signed the acquisition agreement with New World Entertainment's chairman, Larry Kupin, gathering executives from both companies in New York.
Following the morning signing ceremony, key executives from both companies reconvened in the largest meeting room of the office building for a meeting after lunch.
Although Daenerys Entertainment had purchased several better-conditioned buildings in the uptown area, the current tenants were not scheduled to move out until around 1990, which would then be followed by demolition.
During the afternoon meeting, Simon requested the management to promptly purchase the current red brick building as Daenerys Entertainment's East Coast headquarters.
With the North American real estate market continuously declining and Greenwich Village not being a prime location, buying this modestly sized cylindrical red brick building would cost less than $20 million, sufficient for Daenerys Entertainment's expansion in the coming years. The extra space and time would be ideal for renovations.
Of course, the main reason was Simon's personal preference for establishing private territories, and he could well afford this expense.
As for the West Coast headquarters, Simon had yet to find a suitable location, so that matter was temporarily set aside.
Despite it being the season with the longest daylight, the lengthy meeting covering personnel adjustments, financial planning, and project discussions lasted until nightfall in Manhattan. Fortunately, with Daenerys Productions flourishing and many having just avoided job loss due to bankruptcy, there were no complaints from executives of either company.
After the meeting, Daenerys Productions hosted a welcome reception for all New World Entertainment employees at a nearby hotel.
It wasn't until 10 p.m. that many left satisfied.
However, Simon couldn't relax yet. Before the reception ended, he returned to New World Entertainment's headquarters with Amy Pascal, Robert Lem, and Robert Iger, who had successfully left ABC to join Daenerys Entertainment.
Seated in a small conference room, Jennifer personally served everyone coffee. Simon thanked his assistant but appeared less relaxed.
"Simon, if this situation continues to escalate, many well-known directors in Hollywood might hesitate to work with us due to concerns. This is a very tricky problem," Robert Lem, the most senior person present, initiated the discussion: "We must clarify and counterattack as soon as possible."
The night's discussion inevitably centered on the recent controversy surrounding Barry Levinson's dismissal.
Despite the issue, Simon hadn't allowed it to disrupt Daenerys Productions' expansion rhythm, proceeding with the acquisition of New World Entertainment and Marvel Entertainment. However, he couldn't ignore the matter, with the media relations team working tirelessly to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.
Simon puzzled over why Levinson escalated the issue to public knowledge, suspecting CAA's involvement. Though Levinson became a sought-after director after "Good Morning, Vietnam," without CAA's support, he couldn't have amplified the issue so quickly on his own.
Ultimately, everyone involved was a businessman.
Despite Simon's unwillingness to compromise, typically, CAA would attempt to contact Daenerys Productions first rather than openly confront them.
Given the media's bias towards Levinson, Hollywood still had discerning individuals who understood that director dismissals were not uncommon. If CAA reacted so dramatically to a slight grievance, how could future collaborations be smooth?
Yet, Simon had not heard from CAA.
Playing with a pencil, Simon noticed he always seemed to have one handy. Not dwelling on it, he focused on the discussion, asking for opinions.
Amy Pascal pondered silently while Robert Iger noted the haste in Levinson's actions, suggesting it was too deliberate and rushed.
Robert Lem acknowledged Michael Ovitz's influence in Hollywood but found the immediate escalation curious, suggesting direct communication with Simon would have been more typical.
Amy shared an attempt to contact CAA, but was told Ovitz was in Japan.
Iger doubted CAA's intention for reconciliation, sensing they only sought to embarrass Daenerys Productions.
Speculating on the motive behind the controversy, Lem considered if the major studios might be involved, given Daenerys Productions' recent visibility in Hollywood.
However, Simon dismissed the possibility of the major studios' involvement, noting their shared profits and ongoing collaborations with Daenerys Productions.
Reflecting on the motive, Simon realized the key to understanding the situation.
Acknowledging the manipulative setup by Levinson and others to deflect blame for "Rain Man's" potential failure onto him, Simon decided to confront Ovitz directly, instructing Jennifer to arrange a meeting in Los Angeles.
The executives, still curious, awaited Simon's explanation. He recalled the negative attitudes of "Rain Man's" main creators, who doubted the project and behaved dismissively throughout production.
Simon concluded that Levinson, Hoffman, and Cruise aimed to preemptively shift blame for the film's potential box office failure onto him, ensuring their own reputations remained intact while portraying themselves as victims in the media storm.
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