บท 22: 22.The Vacant Male lead
Sarah looked towards Jeffery Ketzenberg for a second then turned towards Mary and said "An hour ago, 2 robbers tried to rob a bank they were heavily loaded with weaponry and were even able to suppress the LAPD, but Rowan who was there to withdraw some cash took care of them before they could run away."
"What! Is Rowan okay?" Mary asked worried about her only Client.
"He is perfectly fine, he just called me to inform so that you don't worry and to tell you that he was going back to Mexico tonight so don't worry about him." Sarah explained but how could Mary not worry about it.
"Sorry, uncle Jeffery can we do this again some other day?" Mary Acker asked to which Jeffery smiled and nodded
"Go, I know you are worried about your client we can meet another day."
After getting the permission Mary hurriedly left the restaurant and asked "What did Rowan say when he called?"
"Well when I told him that you were meeting Mr. Ketzenberg today, he told me to inform you what happened in front of him so that he can clearly hear what happened." Sarah said
"So he wants to use the popularity he will gain from this incident to influence Jeffery that's smart of him." Mary said as she sat inside the car and they drive straight towards Rowan's house to talk with him.
_____________________________
Mexico, Temporary Meeting room of 'The Mask of Zorro'
"The male lead must be replaced!"
"Antonio Banderas has put a lot of effort into preparing for this role, and replacing him like this would seriously damage our credibility in Hollywood."
"Credibility? When did Hollywood start talking about this? Profits are eternal, my friend."
"If there is no credibility, then is Hollywood still stuck in the era of big studios burning each other's negatives like decades ago!"
"What you said may make sense, but the project funding has already started. Waiting for half a year will increase the production cost by at least 10 or 20 million! We can't wait for Antonio Banderas. If we pay him the full amount of liquidated damages, he will understand. Anyway, we have bought insurance, and the insurance company will bear this part of the loss."
"The budget won't increase as high as you calculated."
A group of people were arguing loudly, their faces red and veins bulging.
Steven Spielberg stood in front of the window with his back to the crowd, looking out at the bay in the distance.
He knew that there was a problem with "The Mask of Zorro", and the problem was so serious that he was forced to drop his work at DreamWorks and fly over.
Even the famous Steven Spielberg doesn't know how to decide on this issue.
In 1992, "The Mask of Zorro" was an ambitious work from the moment it was created.
But because Jurassic Park was a success beyond everyone's expectations, the project was repeatedly delayed.
After stumbling over and over again for several years, they finally put the team together.
Unexpectedly, the director and the leading actor both fell down one after another...
The cost of 60 million is less than a fraction of other big budget movies, but it is not small anyway.
As long as it is filmed well, The Mask of Zorro can become the beginning of a new Zorro series.
Waiting for Antonio Banderas has a greater chance of success, but production costs will soar and the risks will increase.
Without waiting for Antonio Banderas, replacing a new leading actor, the cost and production time can be shortened, and the risk and success... are difficult to judge.
To put it bluntly, making a movie is an unpredictable thing.
The super famous director just has a keener business sense, and he dare not make any predictions about the specific results before the film is released.
There are tens of millions of sunk costs out there, and everyone needs to consider it carefully.
In Mexico, you can buy a life for a few thousand US dollars, which is equivalent to having ten thousand lives in your hands.
This is why Steven Spielberg is so embarrassed.
Steven Spielberg pondered for a long time , and suddenly asked director Martin Campbell: "Martin, what do you think?"
The number one boss spoke, and the temporary office instantly became quiet.
Everyone knew that no matter how they argued, it would ultimately be No. 1 and No. 2 who would have to consider it.
So they sat and watched...
Martin Campbell thought for a moment and asked instead, "Is there no suitable actor available now?"
It seems that there is no choice to change or not, but in fact, you have already given your choice.
Antonio Banderas was the actor previously chosen by director Robert Rodriguez for The Mask of Zorro.
Later, due to budget and other reasons, Robert Rodriguez was replaced, but the Ieading male role remained unchanged.
If it wasn't Martin Campbell who chose him, then Antonio Banderas is not his to save.
Although the crew doesn't talk about this, the personal relationship between the two wasn't that good either.
At least not good enough to make Martin Campbell wait for half a year.
Steven Spielberg understood what he meant but deliberately said, "Martin, have you made a choice? Tell us so that we can reach a consensus."
'I have to take the blame...'
Martin Campbell muttered to himself, "A cunning Jew."
If the change is good, it is as it should be. If it is not good, it is the director's fault.
But there is no way around it, since the director is there to take the blame for the producer.
Martin Campbell had to open up and say: "I am inclined to change the leading actor, and to change him to a leading actor with commercial value."
"We have a pretty good cast for The Mask of Zorro, with good looks and acting skills, but we just lack someone with high commercial value."
"Whether it's the female lead Catherine Zeta-Jones or the best actor Anthony Hopkins. They have the ability, and Anthony Hopkins also has a certain box office appeal, but they still lack a little weight."
"Since it is a commercial film, it is made to make money, so this must be taken into consideration."
Since he has taken all the blame, Martin Campbell doesn't mind saying a few more words.
After all, he really wants The Mask of Zorro to be good.
After expressing his views, Martin Campbell sat down.
Steven Spielberg said "Since the director has decided, the male lead will be replaced by a new actor, and the liquidated damages will be paid according to regulations. You can communicate with Antonio Banderas at that time."
"The next topic is about the male lead, the new Zorro. Does anyone have any candidates?"
The two bosses reached a consensus, and the subordinates stopped arguing and started thinking about candidates naturally.
"Benicio Del Toro in The Usual Suspects is good."
"Andy Garcia from The Godfather Part III is also good, a similar type."
"They don't have good commercial value. I think Keanu Reeves is better, but it's a pity that he is busy filming The Devil's Advocate and has no time."
"How about Tom Cruise?"
"It's too expensive and he is busy transforming into a capital company. If he wants to come in, he will definitely want to have a share of this project."
"That's fine."
"We also need to consider their abilities. If we don't want to use a body double throughout the entire process, it would be best to choose an actor who has a basic knowledge of fencing and horse riding. Otherwise, we should be prepared to spend another month or two training."
An important role like the leading male role is very suitable for doing favors, but with tens of millions of dollars in cost, so many problems still occurred.
They must now ignore the relationship context and consider the most suitable one fairly and objectively.
Many candidates were mentioned, but Steven Spielberg was not satisfied with any of them.
Some of them either already have schedules, or have explicitly rejected the project, or their age is not suitable.
Some of them are suitable, but may not be able to carry the box office or may be too costly.
Why is there no candidate who has commercial value, is cheap, has good acting skills that fit the role, and has availability?
Steven Spielberg rubbed the bridge of his nose with a headache.
Just then, there was a knock on the door of the temporary meeting room.
Steven Spielberg put down his hand: "Come in."
The assistant came in: "Sir, there is something I think you should know."
"Just now a big incident happened in Los Angeles. The Bank of America's branch in North Los Angeles was robbed..."
The assistant recounted the robbery. Finally, he said, "Now the mam who subdued the two gangsters has been promoted by the media as the new American Hero."
"Very brave, he deserves all the fame. I'm glad no one was hurt. Remember to remind me to donate later."
Steven Spielberg asked "And what? What does he have to do with us?"
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