章 332: Chapter 333: You Must Be Crazy
[Chapter 333: You Must Be Crazy]
With a head full of questions, Eric finished tidying up the film set and returned to his hotel, only to find the crew's floor had grown eerily quiet. The lively atmosphere of the set, which typically followed the end of shooting, had vanished completely.
As soon as he opened the door to his room, a pink figure squealed and floated onto him, wrapping around Eric like a koala, playfully nuzzling him.
"Alright, alright, Drew, what are you doing in New York?" Eric said, pulling Drew off him to get a better look. She wore a knee-length pink dress, and her previously styled hair had turned into loose waves, suggesting she had extensions. The side-swept bangs complemented her doll-like face with a touch of newfound sass.
"I came to pay you a visit," Drew chirped, grinning as she pulled Eric over to sit beside her, then hopped into his lap.
Eric noticed the mischievous twinkle in her eyes, realizing quickly that her presence couldn't be a coincidence regarding today's events. He playfully swatted her on the backside. "Okay, spill it. What are you all plotting?"
"Hehe, I won't tell you," Drew pouted, pressing her hands on Eric's chest as she played innocent. In response, Eric began tickling her underarms, and after a fit of giggles and squirming, he let her go.
"Are you going to talk?" he feigned as if he was going to keep tickling her.
"Alright, alright, you'll find out soon," Drew said, rising dramatically. Taking a few deep breaths, she grabbed a pre-prepared eye mask from the coffee table. "Here, put this on. I'm taking you somewhere."
Eric took the mask, toyed with it in his hands, and looked up with a smile. "What if I don't want to?"
"Then I'll just... cry," she threatened, her eyes widening playfully.
"Now that's a rare sight. Go ahead, cry," Eric said with exaggerated enthusiasm.
Drew scrunched her doll-like face, tried to squeeze out a tear but failed miserably. Then with a burst of mock frustration, she pounced into Eric's arms, scratching him like a little wildcat. "Put it on, put it on!"
"Okay, okay, stop scratching me. I'll put it on," Eric said, feigning exasperation while genuinely curious about what mischief Drew had planned.
After he donned the eye mask, Drew took his hand and led him out.
...
Eric felt as though he entered an elevator, then was pulled into a car, recognizing the sound of the engine starting.
"Hey, just so we're clear, don't make this too crazy, or I might get annoyed."
"Am I that type of person?" Drew retorted, indignant.
"Are you not?"
"Humph."
The car moved at a leisurely pace, and Eric wasn't in a hurry. Seated back, the mask allowed him to rest his eyes. Eventually, he lost track of time, feeling drowsy as the vehicle continued to roll on without halting.
"How much longer?" he asked, unable to contain himself after a while.
"Don't rush," Drew glanced at the beeping pager in her hand. Unknown to Eric, the car had been winding through the streets of Manhattan to buy time.
He settled back into silence, once again leaning against the seat.
Finally, the pager beeped again, and Drew gestured to the driver. They sped up and reached their destination in just over ten minutes.
...
Drew guided Eric through the underground parking area and up to a direct elevator. A few moments later, she pushed open a door, leaned in close to Eric's ear, and whispered 'surprise' before swiftly yanking off his eye mask.
The sound of fireworks popped with vibrant confetti flying in the air, and the crowd in the hall had clearly rehearsed their greeting in unison.
"Happy Birthday!"
"Wow," Eric exclaimed, momentarily stunned. It hit him -- today was May 16th, the birthday of the original owner of his current body. In his past life, Eric had never been big on birthdays, and with the busyness of recent days, he had completely forgotten about it.
Familiar faces crowded around him. Alongside the crew he had been working with, many actors and directors he had collaborated with over the past year were present, including executives from Firefly Films and Pixar. He even spotted Stan Winston, who should have been in Los Angeles, and James Cameron, who was supposed to be prepping for Terminator 2.
Drew must have poured a great deal of effort into organizing this birthday party, considering how well she managed to keep it a secret.
After some playful mingling, the crowd finally began to disperse.
...
"Hey, Patrick, how has post-production on The Silence of the Lambs been going... pretty good. My movie? Of course, it's wrapping soon."
"Wow, didn't expect to see you here, Tom. What have you been working on... Of course, what I said still stands."
"Hello, Julia... Hey Liz, it's my birthday today, and you're treating me like an old hen."
"Robert, how's filming on Sleeping With the Enemy going... I'll come check it out when I finish Ghost... You should believe Julia; she has plenty of box-office appeal now."
"..."
"..."
...
After a whirlwind of greetings, Eric finally found a brief moment to rest as he sank into a sofa in a quiet corner. Drew, having never strayed far, brought him a cup of juice.
At that moment, James Cameron strolled over with Katherine Bigelow, his wife, whom Eric had spoken to earlier.
"Hey, Jim, Katherine," Eric straightened up as they sat down beside him.
Looking at the couple, memories from his past life flashed in his mind. While he didn't need to elaborate on Cameron, he distinctly remembered Bigelow as a legendary filmmaker in Hollywood. Her films tackled themes unlike those by traditional female directors, leaning towards more intense subjects.
Just look at the titles she directed: Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker, K-19: The Widowmaker, and Triple Frontier.
Moreover, Katherine Bigelow was the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director. The competition for that award had once pit her against Cameron, whose talent had warranted a riveting cinematic retelling, maybe something akin to "My Ex's Revenge."
Eric recalled that during the shooting of Terminator 2, Cameron had sparked a romance with the film's star Linda Hamilton. Quickly after Terminator 2's release, he and Katherine split.
"Eric, I actually wanted to discuss something with you," Cameron initiated after exchanging greetings.
"Uh-huh?" Eric feigned confusion, thinking to himself that it couldn't be about additional investment already, considering they hadn't even begun filming.
Noticing Eric's expression, Cameron exchanged glances with Katherine, prompting her to speak up. "It's about a script I received recently..."
"Just call me Eric," Eric interrupted.
Katherine didn't mind his interruption. Nodding, she continued, "I recently got a really good script. It tells a story about surfers, but due to casting conflicts, Columbia Pictures dropped the project, so now I'm looking for investors."
The mention of 'surfers' vaguely triggered a memory of a film Eric couldn't quite recall; he had seen some snippets but never the whole thing.
"Can you tell me about the plot?" Eric inquired.
"The gist is this: a young FBI agent, Johnny, is looking into a bank robbery. As he digs deeper, many clues lead him to a group of surfers. He goes to a beach in Southern California, where he meets a young surfing instructor named Tyler..."
In about five minutes, Katherine quickly recapped the storyline and shared her thoughts on filming.
"So, you want to portray the story darker, right?" Eric queried.
Katherine nodded. "Yes, I think that approach could probe deeper into human nature and carry more societal relevance."
"By the way, you mentioned having casting conflicts with Columbia. Who was your choice for the lead?" Though he had an inkling, Eric inquired cautiously.
"Keanu Reeves," Katherine said. "Last year he played Ted in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Columbia thought his persona was too far off for an FBI agent, but I believe he has the potential to become an outstanding action star."
Just as he suspected, Eric thought, recalling the brief introduction he had about the film. With the mention of Keanu Reeves, he felt certain. While unsure how the final product would turn out, he distinctly remembered its box office success.
As long as that was affirmed, Eric was ready to make a decision.
"Ms. Bigelow, I need the detailed script and project budget," Eric asserted.
Both Cameron and Katherine's expressions lit up with surprise. Eric's statement implied he had agreed. Initially, the couple had low expectations, knowing they didn't believe this would turn out to be a commercial film; otherwise, Columbia wouldn't have dropped it.
"Er... Eric, I don't have those documents with me today, but I can get them to you within three days."
Eric nodded. "By the way, who is producing this film?"
Katherine glanced at her husband. "Jim had originally agreed, but given the circumstances, we will need to change the producer, as we couldn't determine when we could secure investment. I thought it would be fine after Jim wrapped Terminator 2."
"Then I'll just produce it myself," Eric thought for a moment and replied.
"You?" Katherine raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
"Hey, Kate, don't tell me you doubt Eric's capabilities?" Jim feigned disapproval, glancing at his wife.
Katherine realized her oversight; though Eric was only twenty, his accomplishments dwarfed those of most directors in Hollywood. Plus, given he was running the second-largest film company after the big seven, it was manageable for him to take on a film's production.
"Alright," Katherine conceded. "I was just wondering, Eric, don't you need to film your own projects?"
"Of course! But it doesn't conflict. I've never taken on specific producing roles, and I see it as an opportunity to improve," Eric promptly reassured, raising his hands when he noticed Katherine's doubtful expression. "Don't worry, Ms. Bigelow. I think as long as they know me well enough, no one in Hollywood will doubt that I have this ability, right?"
"Seems like it, yes," Katherine finally nodded in agreement.
Seeing things resolve in such a straightforward manner, Cameron's expression shifted as he contemplated another angle, perhaps discussing additional budget for Terminator 2.
However, Eric quickly recognized Cameron's ulterior motive and standing up, instinctively decided to thwart those intentions at this moment. "Let's wrap it up for now, Jim. We can discuss specifics later. It's my birthday today; I want to have some fun."
With that, he allowed Drew to take his arm, leading him to mingle elsewhere.
...
"Hey, Jim, that kid definitely caught wind of your intentions," Katherine teased playfully after Eric left.
Cameron shrugged blandly. "Well, it was bound to be revealed sooner or later."
While Katherine contemplated urging her husband to ease up, she thought better of it, recalling Jim's insistence on perfection during filming.
"Jim, seriously, how much are you planning to spend on Terminator 2?"
Cameron pondered briefly and looked around before sneaking a finger up to his wife.
Katherine's eyes widened. "One hundred million?"
Cameron nodded.
"You must be crazy. That kid would be furious," Katherine said helplessly. After all, no film in Hollywood had ever approached that budget in history; investments overshooting fifty million already stirred quite a buzz.
"He's got the money; isn't that what films are for?" Jim countered confidently, standing his ground.
*****
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