บท 1026: Chapter 1028: A Little Situation
[Chapter 1028: A Little Situation]
Back at the mansion in Trausdale, Drew and Eric took a brief rest. By 7 PM, they set off for the nearby Coldwater Canyon. Eric had already visited Kate Hudson's family estate in Coldwater Canyon before, but on that occasion, Kate's other family members were not present. This time, however, everyone was gathered.
As Eric and the girl arrived, Kate Hudson's family welcomed them, along with several guests who had arrived early. Kate's mother was Goldie Hawn, and even though Kate had the Hudson surname, she had grown up with her mother and stepfather at their home. Kate's stepfather, Kurt Russell, was also a well-known Hollywood actor, prominent in the 70s and 80s. Since Hollywood only began its global expansion in the 90s, Kurt Russell's international fame wasn't very high, and due to his age, he primarily appeared in supporting roles in various films. Eric's only memory of him was from Quentin's film Death Proof, where he played the perverse driver who crashed a car into a group of girls, splattering them and Ego from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Besides Eric and Drew, the other guests included Gwyneth Paltrow's family and Kurt Russell's close friend, the famous Hollywood director Ron Howard's family. Goldie Hawn's generation primarily consisted of Hollywood stars, directors, and producers who rose to fame in the 70s and 80s, often supported by an older generation. They could be compared to the Coppola family as traditional Hollywood families.
Interestingly, if it weren't for Drew's parents not making a mark, they might have belonged to this circle too. Given it was summer, dinner was held outdoors on the breezy lawn, where a long table was surrounded by lively guests.
Eric felt a bit awkward among the group; while he was roughly the same age as Drew and her friends, his status in Hollywood prevented Goldie Hawn and others from viewing him as a junior. Fortunately, due to his psychological maturity, Eric naturally integrated into the adult circle, making for a pleasant dinner.
Since everyone had work the next day, the gathering didn't last too late. As the clock neared 10, everyone started preparing to leave. After bidding farewell to the group, Drew emerged from a crowd of kids and introduced a tall, somewhat shy redhead. "Eric, this is Bryce, our new friend. She's been studying in New York for the past few years and just returned to LA, planning to enroll at USC this year."
Eric recognized the girl right away, as they had been introduced earlier. Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of Ron Howard, attended the gathering with the idea of helping her daughter mingle with the girl's circle.
After exchanging smiles and greetings with Bryce Dallas Howard, Eric remarked, "Let's go, we should head back. We have work tomorrow."
Drew shared a whisper with Bryce, who then turned to leave. She then came over with a cheeky smile and said, "Eric, I'm staying over with the girls tonight, you can head back alone."
Eric raised an eyebrow, "You're planning to officially come out?"
"Not at all," the girl chuckled and hugged Eric, leaning in to whisper, "Natasha and the others are outside, take them home with you. Hmph, don't think I don't know -- you've had your eye on them for a while."
Eric adopted a serious expression, "I think I need to explain something."
The girl, well aware Eric was about to start his banter, pecked him on the cheek and dashed back to her friends. She waved goodbye to Eric with a teasing expression. In the crowd, Kate Hudson pulled Drew's waist, kissing her cheek in a show of affection, and the girls burst into laughter.
With the girl staying behind, Eric had no choice but to depart alone. At the parking lot, he bid farewell to Goldie Hawn and her husband before getting into the car that the twins had driven.
...
On the way back to Trausdale Manor, Eric noticed through the rearview mirror that the twins appeared flustered, their cheeks flushed, as if they had received some kind of instruction. He got a sense of a wife facilitating her husband's romantic encounters with their maid.
Sigh.
However, the anxiety radiating from the twins clearly unsettled Eric, who himself began to feel somewhat tense. Remembering the script for Pirates of the Caribbean he had read on the plane, Eric took out his laptop and sent an email to Katzenberg to ease the atmosphere after he got home.
Even though Katzenberg was off that day, he typically rose around four or five and began working. The two had breakfast together every Monday morning to discuss the week's happenings, so sending the email now would give them something to chat about over breakfast.
Having completed the email and lifted his gaze, Eric noticed only one girl remaining quietly seated on the sofa, watching TV, her face still showing signs of that telltale blush. Karl Lagerfeld once remarked that Russia is a mystical land, home to the world's most beautiful women, but also the ugliest men. Given Lagerfeld's orientation, it was hard to tell if he was being earnest or ironic; nonetheless, Eric completely agreed with his assessment of Russian women.
The girl before him wore a simple shirt and white casual pants, and from the side, her figure appeared both slender and curvaceous in all the right ways.
Noticing Eric watching her, the twin began to feel flustered, the blush creeping down her neck. Eric closed the laptop, glanced over, and smiled softly, asking, "Can we really only go one at a time?"
The girl didn't answer, instead lowering her head to stare at the TV remote as if she hoped that it could conceal her.
Eric chose not to press further; instead, he approached her and noticed the pendant around her neck. It belonged to the older sister. Gently taking her hand, he pulled her up. Seeing that Natasha still clutched the remote tightly, he softly said, "Let's go take a shower."
She remained silent but obediently followed Eric, hand in hand.
Half an hour later, Eric placed Natasha, who was merely draped in a large bathrobe, onto the bed. Leaning down, he kissed her lips, but just as he was about to continue, Natasha's previously squinted eyes popped open, and her flushed face muttered, "Light."
After having been buried in bubbles, Eric softly said, "I want to see your body, okay?"
Natasha didn't respond, her eyes fluttering closed once more, long eyelashes trembling.
Assuming she was in agreement, Eric reached to untie her bathrobe but found Natasha gripping it tightly. After several gentle attempts, Eric realized his strength might not match Natasha's, and he resignedly compromised, getting up to turn off the bedroom lights.
As the room darkened, Eric sensed that the girl on the bed grew more submissive. While she forbade him from seeing her, she didn't reject his touches, remaining silent the whole while, appearing exceptionally calm.
When the moment of truth arrived, the girl instinctively wrapped her long legs around Eric's waist.
Thinking this would be a wonderful night, he was shocked when Natasha suddenly squeezed tightly, a sharp pain shooting through his side that nearly brought him to tears.
That hurt like hell.
It turned out that some screenwriters from the 007 series were not tossing around wild ideas after all; perhaps they had experienced something very painful themselves.
After a while, reassured that Natasha had no intentions of harming him, probably it was just a reflex from the first time, he took a deep breath and hesitantly asked, "Nat...Natasha, has Eve seen GoldenEye?"
...
In the morning, Katzenberg showed up at the Firefly Ranch before 7, and Eric soon followed. In the large ship's restaurant, upon seeing Eric enter, Katzenberg set down a stack of paperwork. Although he noted Eric walking a bit oddly, arms seemingly raised slightly, he still warmly reached out for a hug.
Eric, noticing his gesture, quickly raised his hand to shake Katzenberg's. He pointed to his waist, saying, "No, Jeffrey, something happened. I can't hug anyone for a while."
Katzenberg, puzzled, sat down and examined Eric's condition across the table, suddenly asking in a tentative whisper, "Did you get... clutched?"
Noticing the surprise and embarrassment flash across Eric's face, Katzenberg realized he had guessed correctly.
It wasn't proper to laugh at one's boss, and it was even less appropriate to laugh at him to his face. However, Katzenberg couldn't help but sport a grin typical of a cat that got the cream, struggling to take a sip of water to suppress his laughter.
Eric casually ordered breakfast from a passing waiter. Once Katzenberg had also placed his order, and the waiter departed, Eric expressed a hint of resignation, "Was it that easy to guess?"
Katzenberg shook his head with a smile, "I just mentioned what I thought was most unlikely to break the ice."
Well, then. Eric decisively dropped the subject, recalling how last night's events had left him feeling somewhat awkward. Sigh. Hopefully, he wouldn't be left with any psychological scars.
Katzenberg didn't continue teasing Eric. "I met with William yesterday; the shoot for Gravity may be extended by a month."
William Stewart, producer of Titanic, was who Katzenberg was speaking of. Eric had originally agreed to let him produce his project after Jeffrey Hansen retired, and some production responsibilities for Gravity fell to him.
Eric nodded, "I feel some shots could be improved using virtual cameras; I plan to reshoot some scenes. Don't worry, though; post-production will go on alongside filming, so this won't affect the release schedule."
Strictly speaking, a virtual camera is software designed specifically for creating CG shots and does not have a physical form. However, it can replicate all functions of a physical camera within a virtual environment.
Most scenes in Gravity combined live-action and CGI, and Eric intended to convert some shots entirely to virtual camera formats, which meant previous footage would be discarded, necessitating new shoots for composition.
With a $100 million budget, Gravity was actually quite economical given Eric's current standing. Thus, during the reshoots, no one would be overly concerned about potential budget overruns. The vital point was the release schedule. As the flagship film for promoting 3D and IMAX formats, any delay would be disastrous.
Upon hearing Eric's explanation, Katzenberg felt reassured. He transitioned to discussing the progress of the '4200' plan: "We've established locations for 110 IMAX theaters, 71 in the country and 39 abroad. Regal Cinemas has shown substantial interest in our 3D movie plan. However, they require exclusive rights to 2,000 of our domestic 3D screens and expect us to provide hefty guarantees and a two-year slate of 3D movies after theaters have been upgraded. I declined, but negotiations are still ongoing. I've sent a detailed report to your assistant's office; you can review it when you have the chance."
Regal Group, the largest cinema chain in the U.S., consisted of a series of sub-brands, boasting nearly 7,000 screens. Although it was the largest chain in North America, it could not cover every region -- many states lacked their operations. Both Eric and Katzenberg hoped the 3D screens could spread nationwide to enhance the promotion of this format. Unless absolutely necessary, they definitely wouldn't agree to Regal monopolizing those 2,000 screens.
After discussing the '4200' plan, they wrapped up breakfast, and Eric asked, "Did you get a chance to look at the email I sent you last night?"
Katzenberg nodded, tapping on a folder beside him. "I just reviewed that script, and frankly, compared to Cutthroat Island, this one feels like it only adds a touch of fantasy elements, plus the storytelling comes off as quite cliched -- really nothing remarkable. I called earlier to inquire further; this story has already been circulating for two or three years. It has remained stagnant in the hands of agents ever since the failure of Cutthroat Island."
Eric agreed, saying, "I see it the same way. However, I don't intend to shoot it as is. I just want to acquire the idea and then modify the story, promoting that character named Jack Sparrow to a leading role. So, it would be best if you could bring both writers back from Paramount. I don't have enough time to revise the script myself."
"I'll arrange it soon," Katzenberg nodded. He merely shared his opinions earlier, but he now had no doubts about Eric's vision for films. "However, Eric, remember, we sold the entire Disney hand-drawn animation studio, not sure if Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott would want to return?"
Eric wasn't too worried. "They wouldn't pass up an opportunity like this. After all, they're just regular screenwriters, not household names. Of course, if they're unwilling to come back, it's fine; we just need to get our hands on that script idea."
*****
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