章 19: Chapter 19: Budapest
In a small park south of Burbank in Los Angeles, near the Los Angeles River.
A somewhat old three-story building was chosen by Charles as the new office location for Carpe Productions.
"Just a simple renovation will do. The place is pretty spacious, and it's conveniently located near highways 5 and 134. Walk to the left, and there's the headquarters of Disney, Warner Bros. Studios, and CBS," Charles thought it was decent enough.
"Mom, help me take care of this. I need to go to Budapest for about half a month!" he said.
Evelyn waved her hand, "Don't worry, I'll handle the recruitment for Carpe Productions. I'll take care of hiring the regular staff for you."
"Charles, you need an assistant!" Evelyn insisted.
Charles nodded, acknowledging that finding a good assistant was no easy task.
After signing the lease, Charles asked his mother to oversee the renovations. He then headed straight to the set of Underworld in Budapest.
Hungary, Budapest, in the office on the Underworld set.
"Henry, you have a lot of experience!" Charles remarked while chatting with one of the executive producers on set.
Henry Winters, hired by Screen Gems as a producer to manage the crew, had been doing a great job. Charles had been there for three days and was impressed with Henry's work.
"I've worked on quite a few film projects before. I've been involved in both art films and commercial films," Henry Winters said with a smile.
"Oh, by the way, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a surprise hit right now. Its box office numbers are still climbing with the increased number of theaters," he added.
Charles smiled, "Thanks. But that's really because Tom Hanks believed in it and handled the investment and distribution. Without him, who knows when this script would have been developed!"
Henry Winters nodded in agreement. Independent producers had a hard time securing investment and distribution.
Charles walked to the window, looking down at Kate Beckinsale in her striking black leather costume. Her short, sharp hairstyle and fair complexion made her stand out.
"Our movie benefits greatly from Kate's look," Charles praised.
"In March, Screen Gems released Resident Evil, a video game adaptation by Constantin Film. It made $40 million in North America and has earned over $40 million overseas, still counting. It's predicted to cross $100 million globally," Henry Winters continued.
"With an investment of around $33 million, it's also a major female-led movie. Milla Jovovich is also moving towards action roles," he added.
"This time, Screen Gems is leading again, with Constantin Film also investing. The two films are somewhat similar," Charles joked, noting that was likely why Screen Gems supported them so quickly.
"The vampire and werewolf themes are always there, but you can't ignore the video game audience from Resident Evil. The adaptation is significant, but it also feels fresh to many," Henry Winters analyzed.
Charles nodded in agreement, affirming that zombie movies always had an audience.
"Adapting video games to movies is tricky. Balancing between staying true to the original storyline and keeping it interesting is tough. A poor adaptation could upset the game fans," Charles laughed.
"This box office result for Resident Evil should appease the game fans for now," he added.
Henry Winters laughed as well. The challenge of game-to-movie adaptations was precisely that - box office results were the ultimate measure.
"Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a successful adaptation. Angelina Jolie's portrayal of Lara was spot on, and both game fans and regular audiences accepted it," Henry Winters remarked.
"Tomb Raider? Yes, I agree," Charles nodded. "The sequel must still be in production. Paramount really values this IP."
For Paramount, known for its struggles with handling IP series, the disappointing outcome of Tomb Raider 2 was not surprising.
After Viacom acquired Paramount in 1993 and put Sherry Lansing in charge, Paramount made a lot of successful movies.
But Paramount's decline was about to start. Mission: Impossible was their most notable IP, but the third movie, although planned, was delayed since Tom Cruise was busy with other projects.
"Charles, you had the writers refine this movie's world-building and timeline to prepare for sequels, right?" Henry asked.
"Yes, to make it more logical and enrich the plot a bit. It also better highlights the character Selene," Charles didn't hide his intentions. Improving the plot imperfections to pave the way for a sequel was always a good idea.
Avoiding redoing parts of the background for sequels made the continuation seem more natural.
"But none of this matters if the current movie doesn't satisfy the investors with its box office performance. If it does well, the writers will develop a sequel storyline. It all depends on Len Wiseman's directorial debut," a good box office result typically led to sequels in Hollywood, either through continuation or prequels.
After a day of filming, the crew members went back to the hotel to rest.
"Charles, wanna join?" Kate Beckinsale invited when she saw Charles coming out after changing clothes.
"I'm not heading back to the hotel. Tomorrow is the weekend, and I'm planning to explore the city. I've heard Budapest's scenery is pretty good," Charles replied, knowing it was called the Paris of Eastern Europe, the Pearl of the Danube.
Kate Beckinsale smiled, "Great, I'll treat you to dinner, as a thank you!"
For Kate, Charles emphasizing the female lead in the film was a significant benefit. Despite being young, he had already made good money with My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
A new producer participating in two movies a year was quite impressive.
Charles didn't refuse the offer. Having a familiar face along was better than exploring alone.
The two then drove to the city center. Budapest is bisected by the Danube River, essentially two cities combined: Buda on the left and Pest on the right, together forming Budapest.
In July, Budapest's temperature was only around the twenties, perfect for escaping the summer heat. Winters here, however, were cold.
On the set, while holding the script, director Len Wiseman had just walked out, looking for Kate Beckinsale to discuss the script.
"Kate? I think Charles mentioned wanting to explore the city. Kate drove him there, and they've been gone for a while," a crew member responded when Len Wiseman asked about her.
"Charles, huh?" Len Wiseman shook his head and went back to the hotel to rest.
*****
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