Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Paul Hogan now lives with his girlfriend Linda Kozlowski. They bought a house in Los Angeles. In addition to dealing with the divorce from his wife, their greater interest is to take root in Hollywood and then Filmed some blockbuster movies and became a representative figure of Australians in Hollywood.

Because of Ronald's reminder and with the support of lawyer Mickey Kantor, the two fought with Paramount. Finally, fearing the high legal fees and the unfavorable prospect of a trial, Paramount proposed reached a settlement, recalculated the dividends on the video tape, and paid a generous

The "bonus" is used as compensation for deceiving Australians before. Ronald went to hear the news, and Hogan agreed immediately.

Australia does not have the jurisdiction of the Writers Guild, and all kinds of manpower there are cheaper than in America.

In the first season, Hogan suggested filming in Queensland, which is the cheapest state. Except that the various insects are larger, it is very suitable for filming this kind of Cold War spy film.

The coastline here has a tropical rainforest landscape, the southwest is a cool plateau, and the northwest is a desert terrain. There is also the famous tourist resort of the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Brisbane.

The battles between Cold War spies in the Caribbean, the jungles of Southeast Asia, and small African countries can all be filmed within the borders.

After simple calculations by the Daydream production department, filming here

The cost of the rebooted version of "Die Hard" is only about 40% of that in China. ABC executives were very happy after receiving the shooting plan given by Ronald. A rough calculation showed that the cost was only 80% of that of setting up scenes in China. They could also hire local screenwriters and use actors from Australia, Ireland and other places. Resources, said on the spot that the shooting plan was very good and he would implement it accordingly.

Ronald immediately formed a joint filming entity with Gerald Slater and Paul Hogan to take over the filming and management of ABC's new drama.

ABC was really forced by the strike to have no choice but to go to the film library to search for the dramas that were not filmed that year. With a makeover, they could seize the time to shoot and catch up with the new drama release season in September.

Gerald was also very satisfied. His matchmaking seemed to be successful. However, he told Ronald to find some insiders in Australia to cooperate with him. In this way, filming in a new country would encounter many unexpected difficulties, including Ronald had better go there if necessary.

Ronald didn't want to go to that place where the bug was so big and toxic. He had a lot to do in New York and Hollywood.

Now that Paul Hogan is ready to make a permanent presence in Hollywood, he has other Australian friends who can serve as local partners.

"Hi,

Rachel, my colleague went to call ABC, and I’d like you to help contact them there. "Ronald contacted Rachel Ward, an Australian female star who had not gained a foothold in Hollywood back then.

"No problem. There are not many people in the entertainment industry in Australia. I know them all. Paul called me. His actors and screenwriters in Sydney, as well as the behind-the-scenes technical staff of the TV station, can come to Queensland to participate in the filming. After she got married, she She settled in Brisbane and had a British background, so she was well-connected among actors. Ronald asked her to set up a local company to help contact some staff and negotiate filming locations. In addition, she could add more information to the series. There are many Australian and Irish actors. In this way, both parties can cooperate and get what they need. There is Daydream, an advanced production company in Hollywood, ABC, one of the three major wireless television stations, and Hogan Films, which has extensive connections in Britain, Australia. Working with Ward Production Company, production can start smoothly soon. ABC will fly the director, photographer, and main cast team over, and work can start locally as quickly as in the New York studio.

"Barry is in Hollywood now. I will fly to Hollywood next month to support the premiere of his new film. We will talk in detail then." Rachel Ward's own star map is dim, but his Her husband, Barry Brown, is very popular in Hollywood for his role as an honest man who seems dull but is smart on the inside.

His new movie with Tom Cruise this year

"Cocktail," and Sigourney Weaver's new film

"Gorillas in the Mist" will be released, coinciding with Ronald's new film

"Die Hard" meets. We can discuss it in detail with the couple at that time. Australia is a vast and sparsely populated place, filming is cheap, and the entertainment industry is influenced by Britain, so the actor foundation is very good.

Ronald felt that he could consider moving movies here to shoot in the future. ...While in New York, Ronald found director Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron to meet with Meg Ryan.

It is said that this method of directly contacting actors without agents is theoretically against the rules.

But Ronald Meg Ryan is an old acquaintance.

We worked together on "Top Gun". Meeting as friends, introducing new friends and chatting are also in line with normal people's social life.

Many heavyweight star collaborations are negotiated informally in this way, and then agents are asked to go through the process, auditions and so on.

"Well, I'd like a salad, with the salad dressing separate..." Meg Ryan's first words in the Russian teahouse where they met made Nora Ephron very satisfied.

This actress, who has a lot of requirements for ordering food, fits the image she has created very well.

“Oh…” How come this idea of ​​ordering food is the same as Nora’s.

"What, I want a coffee and a sandwich." Upon seeing this, Ronald immediately ordered something that would have no chance of being spit on in the kitchen.

"I'll have one too." Rob Reiner immediately followed. The two looked at each other, and it seemed that both men understood that women were troublesome sometimes.

Now that they had seen it right, Meg Ryan and Nora Ephron immediately started chatting about many details in the script.

For example, the protagonist Sally initially followed the mainstream values ​​of society and wanted to marry a financial genius. Only later did I realize my own needs and find one that meets my needs.

Both of them have the experience of falling in love inexplicably because of the opinions of most people around them, which makes them very compatible.

Seeing Nora Ephron and Meg Ryan as his on-screen stand-in, Ronald knew that half the battle was won.

This script was signed by Nora Ephron. In fact, after the first draft, director Renner had already participated in the creation, and many things were discussed between him and Ephron.

In this way, many of Efron's characteristics and real life were added to the heroine Sally in the script.

What about the male protagonist Harry? That’s a lot of Reina’s real-life artistic recreations. Now that Efron has found his screen double, I wonder who Renner plans to use to play him on the screen?

"Of course it's Billy." When Ronald asked about the choice of the leading actor, Nora Ephron immediately proposed the choice.

Renner and Krystal are good friends. In the script, Harry and his best friend are in bed and have to call each other. This is a true portrayal of Renner and Krystal. They are so good that they can give each other private relationship advice. friend.

"No, no, I don't want to invite him." Rob Reiner immediately shook his head. This movie tells the story of a man and a woman who have a spiritual connection, but after they have a relationship, it feels wrong and they are destined to be together.

Billy Crystal is a comedian. If he acts in a movie like this, it might not do well at the box office, and it will affect the stardom of his friend who is currently on the rise.

"Then who do you think is suitable? Is he not handsome enough?" Ronald didn't know why, and thought that Renner wanted to play Harry because of Billy Crystal's appearance, someone who could attract someone like Meg Ryan. Sally's man is not convincing enough.

"No, no, in fact, some of the plots are artistically based on Billy's life. It's just that his performance is more of a comedy. We want an actor who can act in comedy as well as a drama." Of course, Rob Reiner can't say I express my true thoughts because I don’t want to hurt my friends, so I won’t have any psychological burden by finding other actors.

"An actor who plays comedy like a drama?" Ronald knew that this was referring to the acting temperament, and it was best to have a comedy with a bit of tragic temperament.

Thinking back to several actors, Ronald remembered that he had acted with Diane

"Grown-up" Tom Hanks.

"How about Tom Hanks?"

"He? He's very good. I think he's the kind of man a girl will fall in love with once she gets to know him." Nora Ephron immediately agreed.

"Then I'll go talk to his agent." Ronald had the goal of being a leading actor.

"But you have to talk to Billy." Ronald pointed at Reina and said. Incorporating a friend's personal life into the script is very controversial and must be approved by the person involved.

Ronald suffered from it when he first entered the industry.

"No problem," Reina said, going to get permission.

"Also, the ending needs to be changed... we have to have a happy reunion and live happily ever after..." Ronald mentioned the ending again. Why did Harry and Sally separate in the end?

Why are the audience looking at this?

"How can this be a happy ending in the end? Men and women understand each other, but there is no sexual tension. Harry and Sally didn't like each other in the beginning. They were together because of reason, so they would be incompatible as soon as they went to bed. They were only suitable for each other. Being friends is not suitable for being together. Rob and I's personal experiences illustrate this point." Nora Ephron objected fiercely.

Her own ex-husband was Bernstein, the Wall Street Post reporter who exposed the Watergate scandal. The two got together because Nora admired his heroic deeds.

And Rob Reiner’s ex-wife is

"Grown up" female director Penny Marshall, the two got together because they admired each other's talents.

Both marriages ended due to cheating. Nora and Rob agreed that marriage must have a strong original impulse at the first sight. Emotions purely based on rational appreciation cannot withstand all kinds of life for a long time. test.

"This... what kind of fallacy is this? Could it be that friends have not turned into a happy couple?" Ronald was speechless to them.

"Of course not. We have all been married and divorced..." Nora Ephron clearly looked down on Ronald, who was never married.

"Well..." Ronald didn't want to argue about love with two men and women who had been separated for a long time.

"Even if your opinion is right, shouldn't we give a good ending? Have you ever seen the early "Sullivan's Travels" in Hollywood? The more difficult things are to happen in life, the more it must be given to the audience. Hope, this may be their only hope.

"Stop talking nonsense. This was during the Great Depression. Today's urban men and women like to find meaning in ordinary lives."

Nora Ephron never compromises when it comes to art, and she always thinks she's right. Maybe her husband just couldn't stand her... But Ronald didn't dare to say this. Ephron's husband cheated on her during her pregnancy, and he was also a very unattractive man.

"Let's not draw conclusions from this. Let's write a reunion ending and see how everyone reacts?" Ronald used the communication skills he had learned as a director. Anyway, if you write one, will you use it when the time comes? Which one can you use? It's not up to you, the screenwriter, to decide.

"Right? Meg, we have to see her first reaction to the positive ending." Ronald pulled Meg Ryan to support him.

"I really want to see what a happy ending feels like." Meg Ryan is waiting for her boyfriend Dennis Quaid to propose, and of course she likes a happy ending.

According to Ephron, a happy man and woman must fall in love at first sight...at least at first sight. She and Quaid had a strong attraction to each other as soon as they met each other when they had a significant other. So, they will grow old happily, right?

The difference is that Meg Ryan clearly broke up with her then-boyfriend Anthony Edwards (The Goose in Top Gun), while Dennis Quaid was still stepping on both sides of Leigh Thompson.

Quaid is a handsome guy and knows how to please women. This kind of guy has great advantages in the Hollywood love scene.

Therefore, it is also very advantageous in career.

"Okay, let me change the ending. I still think Harry and Sally should separate after going to bed and never see each other again. This is in line with the behavior of urban men and women." Ronald looked at Nora's reluctant look. , is also a bit difficult to handle.

If a screenwriter does not believe in her own story, she cannot write a story that moves the audience.

It's a pity that the writers are still on strike, and Ronald can't find the right person to rewrite the ending of the story.

Nora Ephron got a byline and found a script doctor who wrote romance dramas to write a commercially viable ending, which is also a common practice in Hollywood.

If this is the case, the relationship with Nora Ephron may not be so good in the future. Ronald can only hope that Ephron will write the same touching reunion ending.

There’s preparation for the premiere of “Die Hard.” To promote the action movie starring TV star Bruce Willis, Ronald enlisted the help of Tom Cruise.

Joel Silver has approached Stallone and will also contact Schwarzenegger. If he agrees, an action movie approved by the three major action stars will be a good publicity stunt.