Bab 89: Chapter 89: Why Reject
"Tom, what do you think of these two roles?"
Sitting in the guest room of the Cruise mansion, Pat Kingsley didn't touch the coffee that Nicole Kidman had brought. "Fox also hopes that a box office draw like you will appear in *Independence Day*."
"One of them is a Black character," Tom Cruise didn't hide his disdain. "And that presidential role has too little screen time; I can't take a supporting role."
"And this is Duke Rosenberg's film!" That last statement represented his true feelings.
"*Interview with the Vampire* and *The Rock* are just normal business competition!"
Pat Kingsley felt a headache coming on. Although Cruise was her biggest client, he was also the most difficult to manage. "You two have no personal conflict! Tom, Duke Rosenberg is clearly on the rise; he's now one of Hollywood's hottest directors. Paramount and Walt Disney even wanted to join the investment for *Independence Day*, and Warner Bros. and Fox expect a $200 million box office in North America!"
"Don't tell me you don't understand the benefits such a film can bring you!" Kingsley emphasized. "You don't have a film that has crossed $200 million at the North American box office yet! I worked hard to get the character scripts from 20th Century Fox and gain some support!"
"He might fail…" Tom Cruise seemed to be contemplating.
Ignoring Cruise's mumbling, Pat Kingsley turned to the other side. "Mary, what about you? What do you think of the script and characters?"
"This… this White House spokesperson," Nicole Kidman thought for a moment and said, "Although the role has quite a bit of screen time, it basically belongs to a decorative character."
"Mary, although you successfully entered Hollywood, you haven't delivered any impressive works," Pat Kingsley simply stated. "You need a blockbuster to solidify your position in Hollywood."
"I understand."
This clever woman knew how to make trade-offs. "Pat, do your best to negotiate."
"Tom, what's your opinion?" Pat Kingsley turned back, and Cruise reluctantly nodded, "I'll go with what you think."
Although this guy was blindly arrogant and sometimes foolish, he wasn't hopeless! As Pat Kingsley left Tom Cruise's mansion, she thought to herself.
As September began, with the establishment of the *Independence Day* studio as a shell company in Burbank, the preliminary preparations for *Independence Day* officially kicked off. Although Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox, as the production companies, had used their media resources to promote the $100 million blockbuster to some extent, Duke declined many public media activities and focused all his energy on the film's pre-production.
He now had the capital to negotiate with the producers. Although he couldn't start quietly like James Cameron, he didn't want too many outside forces to distract him. Directors are not stars, and the situation of having a lesser work but being more famous does not exist; in the end, they must rely on outstanding production to speak for itself.
"I have an interesting piece of news."
Walking down the corridor of the *Independence Day* studio, accompanied by the sound of clicking high heels, Sofia Coppola spoke in a monotone voice. "20th Century Fox recommended that Tom Cruise and his wife both star in this film."
"What?" Duke didn't stop walking but turned to Sofia. "Does CAA want to package them again?"
"No…" Sofia followed behind. "Only Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman."
After she finished speaking, she handed the latest documents to Duke. He slowed down slightly, glanced through them, and then pushed open the meeting room door and walked in.
This was the pre-production meeting for the crew, and most of those who entered the meeting room were familiar faces: Jeff Robinov from Warner Bros., Tim Fisher from 20th Century Fox, and the financial supervisor from the third-party guarantor, American Ally Company, among others.
There were also the key crew members: the first production manager Charles Roven, second production manager Robin Grand executive producer Jon Landau, assistant director Zack Snyder, director of photography John Schwartzman, art director Hannah Serlina, special effects supervisor Joss Williams, and the leader of the Industrial Light & Magic special effects team…
Especially the team from Industrial Light & Magic, Duke personally called George Lucas to invite Stan Winston, Hollywood's leading model maker, to create the alien spaceship and alien models for the film. It wasn't easy to invite him, not just because of the salary but also due to some personal connections.
As for why he invited him, looking at Stan Winston's work on *Terminator 2* and *Jurassic Park*, one can understand Duke's intention.
The special effects would be the biggest investment and the film's largest cost. Duke called for $100 million. Although the two companies only allocated a $90 million budget for now, it was still more than $10 million higher than before. Duke wanted to invest this money into special effects production. He had seen the original *Independence Day*, and because the investment was relatively low, it relied on models and practical effects rather than enough computer-generated techniques for enhancement, which made some scenes look quite ordinary.
In terms of special effects alone, *Independence Day* lagged significantly behind *Jurassic Park*, which had come out years later.
Therefore, Duke didn't plan to spend too much money on actors.
"I disagree with inviting Tom Cruise."
When the discussion turned to actors, Duke directly opposed Fox's suggestion. "First, I don't have that much budget for actors; second, Cruise isn't suitable for the mature and wise presidential role; and third, the other lead character is Black…"
"Character settings can be modified," Tim Fisher's assistant suddenly interjected.
"The settings for other actors in the crew can be adjusted appropriately," Duke coldly glanced over, "but skin color and ethnicity are definitely not on the table for modification!"
Some things don't need to be stated too explicitly. In the setting of *Independence Day*, the character who discovers the alien signal is Jewish, the character who destroys the alien spaceship is Latin, the air force hero is Black, and the president is the most traditional White. There are also Asian and Slavic characters, among others. Duke didn't believe these seasoned industry insiders couldn't see the reasons and benefits behind such settings.
"Of course, if Tom Cruise is willing to accept a salary of under $5 million, I have no objections," Duke added.
If Tom were willing to forego a high salary to appear, Duke would absolutely welcome it. The funds he had worked hard to secure were meant to enhance the special effects production, not to pay certain individuals' salaries.
"Duke," Tim Fisher frowned and said, "Tom Cruise's box office draw is undeniable."
"Tim, I think everyone knows that the film's biggest selling point is the special effects and explosive scenes," Duke slightly lowered his voice; he didn't want to get into a deadlock with the investors. "The star power will actually be minimized! Also…"
After thinking for a moment, Duke continued, "Nicole Kidman is also interested in this film, and they two should definitely not appear in the same film."
Perhaps it wasn't very obvious now, but in the future, Hollywood had a consensus that producers would try to prevent couples or spouses from appearing in the same film, as such films often became box office poison.
To be more specific, Duke wanted to reject Nicole Kidman outright. He understood that North American audiences had never really accepted this Australian woman. Aside from the sympathy generated during that special time period, she could be considered the biggest box office poison among actresses of her level.
However, since he firmly rejected Tom Cruise, Duke didn't want to make Fox look too bad. He could temporarily issue audition invitations and then directly cut Nicole Kidman later.
Although Fox did not explicitly retract their suggestion for Tom Cruise, Warner Bros. consistently stood by Duke's side, and this matter ultimately came to nothing.
Next, they discussed the set design, props, special effects production, and intended filming locations. Those with speaking rights in the crew also proposed some preferred actors for auditions.
Duke specifically emphasized Will Smith. Although this Black actor had won a Grammy Award as a rapper, he was a fledgling in the film industry and was interested in pursuing this field. A six-figure salary would suffice, and even if his acting was subpar, it would be good enough for a film like *Independence Day*.
On other aspects, besides the temporary suggestion of Naomi Watts by the White House spokesperson, Duke hardly spoke again. As long as the actors' performances could meet the baseline, even if they weren't too far off, it wouldn't make much difference.
"One last thing."
As the meeting was about to adjourn, Duke realized he almost overlooked an important aspect. "I need the Pentagon's support! Please contact the Department of Defense and the White House!"
For this type of film, without the support of the White House and the Pentagon, there would definitely be a significant increase in expenses. Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox naturally had no reason to refuse.
"Duke, there will be a party after the signing ceremony tomorrow."
As Duke left the meeting room, Charles Roven caught up with him. "This is an important part of the film's early promotion. I believe you won't miss it."
He kept staring at Duke, seemingly waiting for a promise.
Although the director's contract had been officially signed two days ago, the producers were still preparing to hold a signing ceremony similar to a press conference to promote the film.
"Don't worry," Duke nodded lightly. "After the signing, I'll attend the party on time!"
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