King of Hollywood-Chapter 190 - Gathering Talents

Chapter 190: Chapter 190 Gathering Talents

“How was I supposed to know why you chose Black actors!” Adrian muttered to himself after Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer had left. But what he felt most at the moment was a thrill of having everything in the bag.

Whether it was Michael Bay, known for explosive scenes and often criticized by film critics for only having explosions in his movies, or Jerry Bruckheimer, who held the title of Gold Medal Producer, they were both still newbies in the film industry.

Oh, except for Bruckheimer, he had already produced several movies with Don Simpson, and although they were mostly credited to Simpson’s success, he had indeed accumulated some fame and learned quite a lot, laying a solid foundation for his future reputation. Michael Bay, however, was as new as they come. Although the music videos and commercials he shot had good reputations, he had not yet had the opportunity to direct a movie, even though his uncle was a high executive at Universal.

This gave Adrian the perfect opportunity to make his move. Just think, if someone well-known in the industry told a young man who was tired of shooting music videos and commercials and was eager to prove himself with a commercial movie, hoping that he would direct a film that wasn’t a huge investment but would allow him to showcase his talent, how grateful and ecstatically happy that person would be.

Similarly, if this prominent filmmaker told a middle-aged man who was hoping to produce a movie independently that he wanted to invite him to produce a small-scale investment film and would give considerable power, especially since it was a reliable friend who recommended him, then he would certainly not refuse and would have good feelings toward this person.

Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.

I really should thank Don Simpson for sending Bruckheimer my way so effortlessly. Adrian thought this as he reclined in his chair. Speaking of which, Bruckheimer’s best work of the ’90s, or rather the one that left an everlasting impression, was his collaboration with Simpson, which was also Michael Bay’s best work.

But no matter, Bruckheimer without Simpson did an excellent job, and as for Michael, as long as he didn’t try to add anything ‘deep’ to his films, he certainly wouldn’t lack an audience. Of course, if possible, Adrian wouldn’t mind making this collaboration last even longer, but how did Simpson and Bruckheimer split up again?

Shaking his head, Adrian picked up a piece of paper and began to write. In addition to Michael and Bruckheimer, the two Black actors had to be signed as soon as possible—Martin Lawrence was one thing, but Smith Will was a must!

Yes, the script that Adrian gave to Michael and Bruckheimer today was for “Bad Boys,” and it was his specialty to use what should have belonged to others to bestow favors on them. From his memory, this film had made about $150 million worldwide on a budget of less than $30 million, which not only made Michael Bay’s directorial debut a hit but also catapulted Martin Lawrence and Smith Will to fame, further securing Bruckheimer’s producer status. Missing out on a film that attracted so many talents would be foolish.

The next task for Adrian was to intensify his efforts to attract talent. With his reputation as a director and producer already well-established and the title of Miracle Director unremovable, all that was left was to consolidate his position. Now, what he had to do was lure as many undiscovered actors, directors, and producers as possible into his fold, like today’s Michael and Bruckheimer, as well as the yet-to-meet Martin Lawrence and Smith Will.

The method was clear—aside from investing in movies and inviting direction and acting roles, there was another important aspect: agents! Whether actors or directors, they needed someone to handle their professional affairs, and if an agent was biased toward a particular film company, it made it much easier for that company to invite a particular actor or director.

Agents were like a densely woven network at the very bottom of Hollywood. They might not decide on the important matters, but they were absolutely indispensable, which is why Adrian had bought and was developing his own talent agency.

In fact, that agency had already given him quite a few surprises when it was acquired, with several future stars among them. With the hustle of the past two years and financial support, they had also attracted a number of actors’ agents. Now, all that was missing was a more capable CEO—the one Adrian had targeted seemed to be just around the corner.

To bring these future stars under his command, to have their paths to stardom emerge from his own hands, and to have them loyally and wholeheartedly serve him, this delightful feeling was second only to having the woman he wanted in his arms.

Adrian stood up and stretched comfortably. Was there anything else that needed his attention? There wouldn’t be a problem with Britney and Christina. Their parents understood the importance of opportunity better than they did. If they didn’t have hopes for their children to become famous and earn money, why else would they send them to Los Angeles?

On the television front, a deal had already been made with NBC. The series was now in overdrive production, and the original cast was doing quite well. Only the broadcast schedule hadn’t been arranged yet, but NBC was considering launching “Friends” during the summer break.

As for the most important films, Spielberg, back in Los Angeles, had begun to work on the post-production of “Schindler’s List.” After returning from Poland, he had rested for a full two weeks, looking much better compared to his haggard appearance in Europe, although he was still somewhat unapproachable at work. Adrian didn’t talk much with him, only instructing the person in charge to give him whatever he needed. The shooting of “Philadelphia Story” was also nearing completion, with only some minor scenes left to be dealt with. Demi had put some effort into the details, but Adrian planned to rest for a while before starting the post-production. There was no rush; there was nearly a year left, and Adrian could also continue to foster his relationship with Tom Hanks for next year’s movies.

Finally, there was “True Lies,” a project Adrian had completely delegated to the truck driver. With his previous promise, Cameron would undoubtedly do his utmost to make a good movie. The girl playing Sarah, Charli, also performed well—a fact Cameron mentioned more than once in front of Adrian. Considering that her scenes were almost all shot, once she returned from Washington, she could be arranged to go to the drama school for further training. However, Sarah seemed delicate, yet she was tough and opinionated inside. She wanted to…

The phone on the desk rang at that moment, and Adrian snapped out of his thoughts, pressing the speakerphone button.

“Mr. Adrian, Mr. Culkin has called, they are ready,” Charlize’s voice came through the phone, flat and devoid of emotion.

“That’s good, I’ll be in New York in a few days,” Adrian said, “tell them to release the casting call and start collecting information on female actresses aged 12 to 16 in New York.” Then he turned off the speakerphone.

Finally, he was going to make this movie, he was truly looking forward to seeing it take shape. While watching the bright sunlight outside the window, Adrian said this to himself in his heart. Then he turned his gaze back to the phone, but before that, he needed to take care of the matters at hand. It should be doable now, just needed to stoke the fire a little more.

==================================

“I won’t be back tonight, Charli, you take care of the villa. Also, if you could, please pack my luggage for me?” Listening to the voice coming from the other end of the phone, Charlize answered with a touch of coldness, “Okay.” After hanging up, she pretended to kick the little table where the phone was.

“Great, now I’m a nanny, too,” she said, raising her hands in irritation, although it was hard to say what exactly she was irritated at, considering that at times, assistants do have to play the role of a nanny.

“Alright, you’re not coming back, I’ll watch the house for you,” Charlize glanced around the living room, then looked outside, where it was completely dark, a sneer crossing her lips.

She quickly turned on every light that could be switched on in the villa, then picked out a rock music record to put into the player, turned the volume up to max, poured herself a glass of liquor, and with the sharp liquid easing down, she sang at the top of her lungs and lost herself dancing to the rhythm in the living room.

“To hell with the drinking age limit!” she yelled, waving her glass.

Unfortunately, the excitement didn’t last long. After turning off the music, Charlize curled up on the couch. She didn’t feel like watching TV or reading books, her face flushed from drinking, she stared blankly at the wine glass on the coffee table.

“This is stupid, I must be extremely bored to go crazy all alone like this.” Charlize sighed and covered her forehead with a hand.

She didn’t want to head back to the motel, but staying alone in such a huge villa felt too empty, even though she used to dream of living in one like it. Usually, when Adrian was around, she could chat with him, listen to his witty remarks, or seize the opportunity to tease him a bit. After all, he wouldn’t get mad. She thought that bosses like him were indeed rare…

Hey! Charlize suddenly waved her hand in the air a few times. Why was she thinking about him again? Wasn’t she supposed to keep her distance from him? And besides… wasn’t he also keeping his distance from her?!

Charlize rolled her eyes, finally stood up from the couch, but even walking around the living room a few times didn’t alleviate her inexplicable restlessness.

Well then, why not make a call, find some people and throw a party? Charlize, subconsciously avoiding certain things, suddenly came up with this idea, considering she had met quite a few people recently. However, this thought was quickly dismissed. If it were just her making a ruckus, Adrian probably wouldn’t say a thing, but if she invited a crowd to party, he would definitely kill her.

“Oh, damn it! Can’t I just have a chance to get away from these troubles for a while?” Charlize shouted, waving her arms.

Just then, an idea struck her, and after pondering for a few seconds, she quickly returned to her room and took out a small bag from the drawer, it contained finely ground, deep-colored plant material.(To be continued, for what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com. There are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)