King of Hollywood-Chapter 548 - 269 Ready to Start

Although the investment in "The Lord of the Rings" wasn’t much—if we go by the original figures—it did not exceed 100 million per installment, relatively modest compared to the massive productions entering the 21st century that routinely cost a couple hundred million. Even now, with Adrian producing and directing, the total investment only increased by 50 million, averaging just over 100 million for each part, which still can’t compare with those larger productions that followed.

However, the acclaim and box office receipts of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy are certainly among the top in their category; the "Harry Potter" series may far exceed it in terms of box office and makes much more from merchandising, but in terms of critical reception, no other fantasy work has surpassed it. Therefore, it is a well-deserved epic, which is why Adrian chose Universal to handle this trilogy.

As early as ’94, he had already secured the film adaptation rights to "The Lord of the Rings." Negotiations are tough, and the rights to the trilogy were not held by Tolkien’s son or a trust, but rather in Hollywood producer Sol Saz’s hands, since the novel had been adapted into animations and radio plays back in the ’70s.

Sol Saz is quite a figure in Hollywood, and Adrian wielded far less influence back then than he does now. Despite having made a name for himself and AC acquiring TBS and expanding, it still dragged on until after ’95 when Adrian became the youngest Best Director Oscar winner, and finally secured the film rights to "The Lord of the Rings."

Even so, he did not obtain all the film rights to "The Lord of the Rings." Although Sol Saz had adapted "The Hobbit," the distribution rights were with United Artists, not with him. However, this was no big deal; Adrian, holding a reserved opinion about that prequel, allowed negotiations to proceed slowly. After all, United Artists and MGM had merged, and TBS had once raided MGM’s film library, so there was some relationship, meaning they could take their time in discussion.

Of course, all terms had to be detailed, with profit sharing being of utmost importance; they did not want lawsuits later on from parties feeling they were unfairly compensated. Although with his current power, people wouldn’t willy-nilly sue him—and he was not the least bit worried about going to court—it would still be unpleasant should such disputes occur.

After securing the film rights to "The Lord of the Rings," Adrian put them on ice until Universal Pictures was acquired by AC Media, and the television and film production was fairly stable. Only then did he reveal it as the cornerstone of their future endeavors.

"Although filming is expected to take about a year, in reality, it doesn’t require that much time. What I’m best at is compressing schedules," Adrian said humorously, eliciting a round of soft laughter.

"I believe that," Hugo Weaving interjected. Among the several actors present, aside from a few females, only he had worked with Adrian before.

"That’s great, does that mean I can go home now? I’m also quite good at compressing time," Ian McKellen joked, prompting laughter once again.

"I fully support you, Ian; I’d prefer to play Gandalf rather than Saruman," Christopher Lee said seriously sitting next to him, which caused even greater laughter and a more amiable atmosphere in the meeting room.

Adrian nodded in satisfaction. Ian McKellen was an amusing old fellow, always keeping things witty, humorous, and optimistic, very charismatic, and a great atmosphere-enhancer, no wonder he was knighted by Elizabeth II despite being openly gay. Essentially, he was using the original cast—McKellen as Gandalf, Lee as Saruman, Weaving as Elrond needs no mention, Elijah Wood, Vigo Mortensen, Karl Urban, Sean Austin, Sean Bean, and so on, were all in this room, Cate Blanchett and Liv weren’t escaping either.

Nevertheless, there were changes. Adrian had no interest in casting an all-British ensemble; after all, Liv was an American actor in the original, wasn’t she? Thus, the Elf prince Legolas was played by Silver Phoenix.

He had already made this decision over a year ago and deliberately instructed Silver to practice archery. Silver, who had faced some setbacks in music, did as advised and found an archery coach. Although his archery skills might not have been great, his form was now quite accurate. Additionally, his accent was spot on, at least in conversations with Mortensen and others, you couldn’t notice any difference. The kid had talent in acting; it was almost comical how he insisted on pursuing music.

As for Orlando Bloom, who cares if he drops dead.

Of course, that wasn’t the only change. Another significant character, Eowyn of Rohan, was recast with Gwyneth.

After starring in "Shakespeare in Love" and "Elizabeth" separately from Blanchett, the media began to pit her against Blanchett, and after both were nominated for the Best Actress Oscar, the rivalry narrative flared up. But the two actresses were always friendly and close in public, which didn’t give the media much to sensationalize.

But what ultimately made Adrian decide was that Gwyneth and Blanchett had made a movie together last year, "The Talented Mr. Ripley," directed by Anthony Minghella. Although Adrian knew that Minghella’s slow-paced storytelling was not particularly appealing—a nice watch for the first time, but tiring if repeated—he still had Miramax work on the film. If the box office wasn’t great, they would at least earn critical acclaim.

However, Minghella had hoped Adrian would persuade Gwyneth and Blanchett to act in the film and even modified the script to his liking. Adrian agreed and then conceived the idea of having them star together in his own directed film. Since he had brought Gwyneth and Blanchett together, both in life and in their careers, it would be interesting to have them in a film together.

Besides, when "Shakespeare in Love" and "Elizabeth" were filmed, they had essentially worked together already, so casting Gwyneth as Eowyn was more than fitting.

"Everyone’s here mainly so we can meet, get acquainted, and exchange information so the crew can plan everyone’s schedule."

"Long before this, I had sent people to New Zealand to gather information, and the heads of some departments went there to build sets before we extended the invitation to you."

"As for why New Zealand was considered, it’s simple: the environment is suitable, and the labor is cheap."

Adrian answered the actors’ questions calmly and unhurriedly.

Though he had shelved the film rights temporarily after acquiring them, he had still sent many people to New Zealand over the years to places he remembered, like Queenstown or Tongariro National Park, to gather relevant information. He had started preparations early, so when he was ready to begin, the settings and character designs were already very refined.

With an original version to refer to, Adrian didn’t need to look elsewhere for suitable locations. It would be an unnecessary hassle, and labor costs in New Zealand were indeed low, which could save a lot of money.

"Thank you all for making time to come. We will start shooting by the middle of this month at the latest, so please be prepared," Adrian concluded the meeting with these words.

The Miracle Director’s fame was known to all, especially after receiving three Best Director nominations at the Oscars this year, so no one refused his invitation, although Gwyneth did pout a bit.

"I just feel it’s unfair. Why can Kate play the Elf Queen while I’m just a princess?" After the meeting, following behind was Gwyneth, expressing her dissatisfaction to Adrian.

"Because Ed thinks you’re perfect for it," Blanchett chimed in cheerily beside her. free𝑤ebnovel.com

Gwyneth rolled her eyes but said nothing, while at the back, Liv was somewhat upset watching them yet also somewhat contemplative.

Although "The Lord of the Rings" was on the agenda, there was still time before actual filming commenced. Adrian had to get other matters in order, such as the post-production editing of "Malena"—there was no rush since the film wasn’t due until the end of the year, giving him plenty of time to carefully edit—the scheduling of some movie releases, how to communicate certain information to him promptly, and the itineraries of other women.

Keep in mind, Adrian would have to spend several months in New Zealand, and there were considerable time differences and climate inversions to deal with. Although returning to Los Angeles was convenient, it couldn’t be too frequent. Efficient communication, arranging for the women to vacation in New Zealand, and other logistics were crucial, but fortunately, he had a capable female secretary.

Of course, besides these, there were other matters that required his personal and proactive arrangement.

"New Zealand? At least ten months?" Avril’s eyes widened upon hearing the news at Jules’ house.

"Yes, it’s a pretty large production, and I need to stay there for a long time to oversee the filming," Adrian nodded.

"Oh, that’s really too bad, I still have so much I wanted to ask you about!" Avril couldn’t hide her annoyance and disappointment.

"I heard that you shoot films very quickly, what takes others half a year to shoot, you can finish in a maximum of two months. Why does it take so long this time?" She immediately asked again.

Avril was a lively girl, who, only a few weeks after arriving in Los Angeles, had already become familiar with a group of kids who played rock music at school, and she was also very enthusiastic in the training provided by the company. Norton had praised her to Adrian more than once, saying she had great potential in pop rock.

Adrian often took time out to chat with Avril and discuss music topics. The girl was amazed to learn that several of Britney and Christina’s popular songs were written by him, and it was rare for Adrian not to fully admit it.

"I just have a lot of ideas, like sudden bursts of melody that I can hum out with no problem, but turning them into complete songs isn’t so easy, so the real credit goes to people like Eric," he said.

Indeed, he hadn’t fully admitted it, but he played it coy to the extreme, which inevitably made Avril look at him with curiosity, and even admiration. But more often than not, it was Avril doing the talking and Adrian listening, listening to her stories from when she was little, her complaints or self-congratulations, and then chipping in at just the right moment.

So, it was natural for Avril, who had gotten used to this kind of interaction, to feel a sense of loss upon learning that Adrian was going to spend a long time in New Zealand.

"This is a trilogy, which means shooting three movies all at once, and even if each movie took two months, that’s half a year. And on top of that, the scale of the movies is huge," Adrian explained briefly, then reached out to pat the girl’s head, "But don’t worry, if you want, you can come visit me."

"Then it’s settled!" Avril exclaimed immediately as if afraid he would change his mind on the spot.

"Of course," Adrian nodded with a smile.

Clearly, the girl had a very good impression of him and he weighed heavily on her heart, which was a good start, but with another it was a bit different.

"New Zealand? At least ten months?" Jessica’s eyes widened, and she too was surprised and disappointed, but also felt envious and regretful, and after hearing Adrian’s explanation, she said nothing more than wishing him a smooth shooting.

It wasn’t until the party was ending, and Adrian was ready to leave, that Jessica took the opportunity to walk him out and asked, "So, are you staying there until the end, or will you come back frequently?"

"I will make time to come back, but not often. After all, dealing with jet lag too much and too frequently would affect efficiency," Adrian said.

Then Jessica sighed, "I really want to see what New Zealand is like."

Adrian raised an eyebrow and suggested, "If you want, I can invite you to take a vacation."

"Really?" The young girl’s face lit up with surprise, only to be followed by a hesitant expression, "But..."

"How about this," Adrian said, "I’ll invite the entire ’Dark Angel’ crew to New Zealand for a holiday. You can either follow the crew alone or bring your family along."

Jessica didn’t seem to expect him to read her thoughts and her mouth fell open in surprise. Then she joyfully jumped up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and planted a solid kiss on his cheek, "Thank you, Ed!"

Afterward, as if remembering something, she let out a startled cry, her cheeks flushed deeply, and she dashed back into her house like a panicked little rabbit.

Truly... an interesting, contradictory girl, Adrian thought, touching the cheek Jessica had kissed. His interactions with her weren’t as frequent as with Avril, and most of their time together was on the set of ’Dark Angel,’ but they were far from few and quite amiable; she had even invited him to several parties she had hosted.

Jessica loved to throw parties, inviting a host of friends to play, but most were held at her home. She was still living with her parents and younger brother, so in some ways, she was different from the usual party animals, which is why Adrian would describe her as contradictory. Like a butterfly... eager to break free yet occasionally shrinking back into its cocoon for various reasons, not quite fully grown.

Yes, that’s right. In a matter of months, Jessica had grown more beautiful than when she first started ’Dark Angel,’ gradually coming closer to the image Adrian remembered of her, but there was still a way to go. Like a butterfly that hasn’t yet burst through the cocoon, which mean that if there was something to do, it had to be soon; influencing a butterfly emerging from its cocoon isn’t as significant as it would be when it’s still an egg.

Alright, enough of that. With ’The Lord of the Rings’ getting closer to its official filming date, Adrian began to prepare for his journey, ready to put something he’d been planning for a while into action.

"Why did you ask me to meet here? Can’t we just go to a café, restaurant, or club?" Nicole asked as soon as she sat down.

Although her words held a slight impertinence, her expression bore no sign of impatience. On the contrary, she seemed rather relaxed, as though a heavy stone had been lifted from her heart.

Nicole had every reason to feel at ease. Now that Cruise had lifted the time constraints, their year-long divorce case had finally settled. According to the court’s decision, Cruise handed over a mansion in Sydney and one in Los Angeles’ Beverly Hills to her, along with fifty million US dollars (2). In two more days, once she had signed the divorce agreement, she would be completely free of that man.

Additionally, her performance in ’Mulholland Drive’ had won a lot of praise from critics, and she had also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress! Yes, indeed, in the recent Golden Globes, she had won Best Supporting Actress. Although she had already won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy three years before, everyone understood the consolatory nature of that award.

So, even though her acting wasn’t considered as good as Naomi’s, Nicole allowed herself a bit of satisfaction. After all, this was the first time critics had ignored her looks, and though Naomi had also been nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama, she hadn’t won.

However, Nicole carried a trace of worry and annoyance as well because she knew that all she had now was thanks to the man before her. If he had not arranged for the media he controlled to report favorably for her, and if he had not orchestrated a snipe on the private detective hired by Cruise, she would not have won the divorce case so easily, gaining a substantial sum and pushing most of the negative publicity onto Cruise—Nicole had been in Hollywood for nearly a decade and had heard about Anthony Pellicano’s capabilities.

Likewise, without this man directing ’Mulholland Drive’ and inviting her to star, she wouldn’t have won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress, nor would she have received the newfound praise. Furthermore, this man had been nominated by the Oscars for three Best Director awards in the same year and had both his women clinch Best Actress nominations, which hugely conflicted Nicole.

After her complete break with Cruise, she had shifted all her focus to her career, with the Oscar for Best Actress now her primary goal. A shortcut presented itself right before her, and she was well aware of what he wanted. Adrian never hid his intense possessiveness when he looked at her. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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