Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 511 The Importance of Surprise

"By the way, how's the preparation for David Fincher's 'Fight Club' going?"

Aaron has always been a fan of David Fincher's suspense works.

"Regarding *Fight Club*, director David Fincher seems somewhat dissatisfied with the script, although the cast has already been finalized."

"The two leads are Brad Pitt and Edward Norton!"

Christina Yerry responded quickly, after all, David Fincher is an important collaborating director for Universal.
He's similar to Michael Bay, but much more important than Quentin Tarantino.

“Edward Norton, a rising star in Hollywood these past two years,” Aaron knew him, of course.

However, Brad Pitt's film "Gas Chamber" performed only moderately last year, grossing only $1.2 million worldwide.
David Fincher still prefers to work with him, and Brad Pitt is indeed more interested in dramas and art films, while commercial films don't hold as much appeal for him.

He looked down at the sexy and beautiful Christina Yerry in his arms, "Since David Fincher has made his decision, let's respect it!"

Christina Yerry nodded and continued, "Director Anthony Minghella submitted a project to adapt Patricia Highsmith's 1955 crime novel, *The Talented Mr. Ripley*."

"It's a remake of the 1960s French film 'Purple Sea,' starring Alain Delon. Producer Tom Sternberg only acquired the rights after the death of Robert Hakim, the producer of 'Purple Sea'!"

The story of "The Talented Mr. Ripley" tells of a ruthless poor American boy who is commissioned by a wealthy man to find his son in the Mediterranean, but amidst a life of extravagance and debauchery, he decides to kill the rich kid and take his place.

"After watching The English Patient, Tom Sternberg greatly admired director Anthony Minghella and invited him to direct the film."

Listening to Christina Yerry's explanation makes it clear: when Anthony Minghella was directing "The English Patient," he signed a three-film directing contract with Dawn.

The success of "The English Patient" needs no further explanation. As an Oscar-winning director, Anthony Minghella was happy to direct "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and recommended it to me!

“Then let’s get started as soon as possible. It’s normal to remake foreign classics,” Aaron said, then lowered his head and kissed Christina Yerry in his arms.

Wasn't the early Dawn film "Scent of a Woman" also a remake of an Italian work?

With the arrival of the summer movie season in May, DreamWorks' collaboration with Paramount, "Deep Impact," and Universal's new version of "The Mummy" will be released at the same time!
Deep Impact grossed $4150 million in its opening weekend.

The Mummy opened with $4330 million in North America.

The remake of "The Mummy" has received much praise from the media:
The San Francisco Chronicle: "Digging for laughter and coldness from old material."

The New York Post: "A lighthearted, slightly cheesy entertainment that breathes new life into an old cinematic tradition using the latest special effects technology."

The Hollywood Reporter: "Even if this mummy is a replica by Spielberg, it's still better value than anything we've gotten in the past."

Newsweek: "This remake is like a live-action cartoon, full of boundless energy."

The Los Angeles Times: "The film surprised and entertained audiences with its brilliant and beautiful cinematography."

Of course, The Mummy also received some negative reviews:
The New York Daily News: "Aside from the special effects, this remake of The Mummy has nothing new in terms of content and plot."

Rolling Stone: "While movies may be a feast for the eyes, they are intellectually empty." Dawn Headquarters, Amazing Entertainment.

Aaron and Marvel Studios president Lauren Donald discussed the Spider-Man project, with Aaron asking, "Has the director been chosen yet?"

"A horror film director named Sam Raimi submitted a very detailed proposal; he's a huge comic book fan."

"We had a detailed conversation with him and we think he's not bad!"

"Sam Raimi, the director of the 'Evil Dead' series, right?"

Lauren Donner nodded. "That's right. He even volunteered to direct Warner Bros.' Batman!"

Aaron tapped the table. "Casting Spider-Man is very important. Do you have any suitable candidates?"

Lauren Donald thought for a moment, "We think Leonardo DiCaprio is a perfect fit, both in terms of age and fame."

Aaron raised an eyelid. "This guy just became a global sensation because of Titanic."

"You want him to play Spider-Man, something tough and tiring?"

Lauren Downer also expressed some helplessness, saying, "He really wasn't very interested; we had contacted him before."

Aaron didn't mind, "Then let's keep looking. Don't just look in America; there are suitable young actors in Britain and Australia too."

"Spider-Man is definitely going to be made into a series, and the actors' fame isn't that important to us!"

Lauren Donald thought for a moment, "Last year's Batman & Robin was a critical failure, which made many people resistant to superhero movies."

Aaron waved his hand, "Don't worry about these problems, Spider-Man is already very popular."

"We've invested a significant amount this time, and the audience is really looking forward to it. We also need to speed up preparations for 'X-Men'!"

Spider-Man was scheduled for release in the summer of 2000, while X-Men was scheduled for release in the summer of 2001.

"New Line Cinema's collaboration with Marvel, Blade, will be released in August. We're waiting to see how the movie performs!"

Since being acquired by Dawning Entertainment, Amazing Entertainment has undergone a series of operations including splitting up, restructuring, and delisting.
In addition to reclaiming the copyrights that Marvel had licensed, Lauren Donner has also been preparing Marvel Studios film projects.

With an investment of over $100 million, Spider-Man certainly needs to be carefully considered, after all, it's Marvel's only superhero character that can rival DC's Superman and Batman!
Amazing Entertainment has mainly produced animated series in recent years, while comic book sales have declined significantly.
Although Marvel has its own themed shops at Universal Studios, without the promotion of movies, Marvel's influence is still far from that of DC.

Aaron stood up. "Amazing technology is an essential component of a bright future; its importance is self-evident."

"Right now, the most important thing is to prepare well for Spider-Man and X-Men, and to increase Marvel's international recognition as quickly as possible!"

(End of this chapter)