章節 75: **Chapter 75: Naomi’s Ambition!**
"Alright, let's get down to business!"
"What? The director's already been decided? Wait, let me grab my notebook, or else I might forget once I get busy."
"Okay, go ahead. Christopher Nolan will serve as both director and screenwriter, with Quentin Tarantino as the first assistant director."
"Christopher Nolan is signing on for five to seven films, with the potential for a higher salary, but we'll try to keep the box office percentage low. Quentin Tarantino is signing on for three films."
"The action director will be Woo Ping Yuen, who worked on *The Matrix*. He'll sign on for five to seven films, just like Nolan."
That's right, in addition to Nolan and Tarantino, Wayne specifically chose Yuen Woo-Ping as the action director for *Resident Evil*.
Unlike the realistic style of *The Bourne Identity*, the fight scenes in the *Resident Evil* series are meant to be as flashy as possible.
Yuen Woo-Ping, who gained fame in Hollywood for his action direction in *The Matrix*, and would later work on blockbuster hits like *Kill Bill*, *Kung Fu Hustle*, and *Fearless*, was undoubtedly the perfect choice for Wayne. Not only could he be offered a high salary, but his action choreography would align with Wayne's and the global audience's taste.
This decision further solidified *Resident Evil*'s chances for box office success.
So, Wayne planned to lock in Yuen Woo-Ping for five to seven films, ensuring that he wouldn't become too busy for future projects.
"Alright, I've noted everything. Anything else?"
"That's it? Okay! I'll go take care of these things now!"
After hanging up the phone, Susan put away her notebook, gave some quick instructions to the executive producer, greeted the director, and hurried off the set.
Although *Gifted* was her 'first' major project, the *Resident Evil* series, projected to have at least five installments, was clearly much more significant to her.
After all, artistic films are a director's and actor's playground, but only big commercial films can truly showcase a producer's ability and value.
"Hey, Susan, are you heading out?"
Naomi Watts, who had just finished getting into character, saw Susan rushing off and couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
As the film's leading lady with solid acting skills, plus her status as Wayne's lover, Naomi had a decent relationship with Susan. Aside from Susan Sarandon and Dakota Fanning, she was the only actress who could make Susan smile.
Other than those three, Susan maintained a strictly professional demeanor even with stars like Anne and Megan.
"Naomi, you're here?"
Since it wasn't something that needed to be kept secret, Susan smiled and explained, "The director for *Resident Evil* has been decided, and I'm heading out to handle the contract negotiations."
Naomi immediately understood. She was aware of the *Resident Evil* project and knew it was something Wayne had "tailor-made" for Charlize Theron. This had always made her a bit envious, and every time she had deep conversations with Wayne, she made sure to put in extra effort.
However, she knew her limits and didn't pry further about who Wayne had chosen as the director.
Susan, meanwhile, paused in her steps, looking Naomi up and down with a thoughtful expression.
Unlike Wayne, who had the original version as a reference, and with the official script not yet finalized, Susan only knew there was a secondary female character—a mercenary—in *Resident Evil 1* who had a decent amount of screen time.
Considering Naomi had just finished filming David Lynch's *Mulholland Drive* and was currently shooting *Gifted*, Susan felt Naomi's fame would likely rise significantly soon.
So...
"Should I sign her ahead of time?"
There was no denying that Susan was a professional and competent producer.
However, with plenty of time left before *Gifted* wrapped up filming, she didn't rush into it. After that thought, she continued on her way out of the set.
Naomi, meanwhile, was good at reading people, and a subtle anticipation began to grow within her. Her energy for the upcoming scenes even seemed to increase, as she breezed through her takes, impressing director Gus with how quickly she nailed her scenes.
"My goodness, Naomi, what's gotten into you? Your acting has improved so much since yesterday's audition," Anne couldn't help but ask curiously, taking the chance to approach Naomi during a set change.
"It's nothing, just in a good mood," Naomi laughed and quickly changed the subject.
"Looks like we'll finish up early today. How about we grab something to eat after we wrap?" Naomi asked.
"Well..." Anne hesitated.
She still held a bit of a grudge against Naomi for 'taking' her lead role.
Sensing this, Naomi lowered her voice and said softly, "You know, Wayne has a lot of women. When it comes to feelings, we can't compete with Jessica. When it comes to looks and figure, we can't beat Charlize Theron. If we want to stay in Wayne's good graces, we have to work together."
This time, Anne only hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing. It was clear Naomi had convinced her.
Losing one lead role wasn't the end of the world. As long as she stayed close to Wayne, she wasn't worried about getting future opportunities.
Now she finally understood the game.
"Alright, let's head to my place after we wrap. I think we should buy some VHS tapes to study. I refuse to believe the two of us combined can't outshine Jessica and Charlize!" Anne declared with determination.
Naomi simply smiled in response, saying nothing.
She was much more clear-headed than Anne. The truth was, just in terms of age alone, she knew she could never surpass Charlize or Jessica in Wayne's heart.
All she wanted was to maintain her current position and, while she still had her looks, secure as many roles and make as much money as possible.
If she got a chance to be in *Resident Evil*, even as the third female lead, she'd be thrilled. She wasn't like Anne, who would scoff at smaller roles.
The two continued discussing where to buy tapes, feeling excited since it was their first time doing something like this.
Meanwhile, in a luxury suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, several big shots that Wayne could only have dreamed of meeting in his previous life were smoking and stressing over the North American release of their film.
"Master Yuen, is there really nothing we can do?"
"Really, there's nothing. Sony's made their decision. I'm just an action director—I don't have any say."
"But only 16 theaters for the release? That's way too few! I heard that new horror film *Happy Death Day* has 500 theaters just for its limited release!"
"What can we do? If *Happy Death Day* is getting 500 theaters, it means the distribution company is banking on it. These things are decided by the distributors, not the production team. Besides, didn't you already sell the North American rights to Sony?"
"Yeah, but... I just want our box office numbers to look good!"
Master Yuen didn't respond this time, just continued smoking in silence.
(End of chapter)
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