Hollywood starts with a broker

Chapter 50 Kevin Costner

Burbank, Dawnlight Pictures.

Aaron Anderson, director Edward Zwick, and screenwriter Bruce Robin are discussing the project of "Ghost."

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Edward Zwick is very interested in directing this fantasy love story adapted from Shakespeare's play "Macbeth"!

“For the heroine, Nicole Kidman in "Days of Thunder" is fine, but the hero is not easy to find,” Edward Zwick said.

He also knew that big-name male stars were reluctant to play a ghost. Without big-name stars, Aaron would find it difficult to raise funds?

After all, his own "Glory" only won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and nominations for several technical awards, which is not very attractive to investors.

“I am more optimistic about Kevin Costner. The script has been sent to him. When the time comes, I will personally talk to him;”

“Don’t worry about the production cost, it will definitely not be less than 15 million US dollars!”

Kevin Costner can only be regarded as a second-tier Hollywood male star at best, but Aaron knows that after "Dances with Wolves" is released at the end of the year, it will be different.

Aaron knocked on the table, "If there are any places that need to be revised in the script, you should improve it as soon as possible."

Bruce Robin nodded, "That's no problem. I can revise the script plot according to the director's requirements."

In mid-February, the action crime film "Revenge" directed by Tony Scott and starring Kevin Costner was released, and the opening result for the first weekend was only 6 million US dollars;

The following week it fell to 2.8 million US dollars, and the word-of-mouth was also very low. "Revenge" can be judged as a failure!

At the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, Jack Wells and Kevin Costner came in together, and Aaron got up to greet them.

“Mr. Costner,” Aaron said, winking at Jack Wells.

“Aaron Anderson, your name is well-known in CAA,” Kevin Costner smiled,

“Just call me Kevin!”

“Sit down, what would you like to drink?” Aaron asked.

“Coffee, please!”

“Aaron, I’ll go get it, you guys chat,” Jack Wells said.

“I heard from Jack that you two are good friends?”

“Yes, we both started from the mailroom,” Aaron smiled, “Is Jack doing okay?”

“Yes, a very good young man!”

Soon, the waiter brought two cups of coffee and cake.

Kevin Costner took a sip, "I've read the script for "Ghost". I can accept this role, but now I'm busy completing the post-production of "Dances with Wolves";"

“So, you have to wait at least three months, is that okay?”

Aaron nodded, "No problem, then filming will start in June, and the estimated shooting time is 10 weeks, and the main location is Chicago!"

Aaron knew that Kevin Costner's situation was not very good now. His self-directed and self-acted "Dances with Wolves" had overspent, not only investing his own salary of 3 million US dollars as a director and actor, but also worrying about the subsequent publicity and distribution costs;

Because Orion Pictures, the investor and distributor, has encountered a financial crisis and will not invest too much money in marketing. It needs to rely on the word-of-mouth of the film, because Orion now releases more works every year than MGM, but most of them are losing money.

"Dances with Wolves" is a Western film that is not favored by the outside world, and the newly released "Revenge" has also been a fiasco, putting Kevin Costner's career into a trough!

He couldn't refuse the "Ghost" project, and the salary of 2.7 million US dollars was also appropriate.

“Well, when your crew is ready, you can notify me for rehearsals. Do you need me to cooperate with the audition?”

Aaron picked up his coffee and took a sip, "The heroine is Nicole Kidman from Australia, who just starred in David Lynch's "Wild at Heart";"

“After the preliminary work is prepared, actor auditions and rehearsals will be arranged…”

Aaron and Kevin Costner's conversation went very smoothly. It can only be said that the fiasco of "Revenge" really helped a lot!

The director, male and female protagonists of "Ghost" have been settled, as well as the most important investment and distribution.

In March, Dawnlight Pictures also recruited the necessary staff, finance, operations, and office clerks, etc.!

“Jessica, is the finance at Orion really that bad?”

Aaron leaned back in his chair and asked the company's accountant, Jessica Parker, who had previously worked at Orion Pictures.

No mistake, one first, one first, one inside, one content, one look, one look!

“Yes, after "Dances with Wolves" overspent, Orion developed "The Silence of the Lambs", with a production cost of 19 million US dollars;”

“Now Orion has several more films to be released. If the box office is not high, it will be even worse!”

Aaron shook his head, could it be that "Dances with Wolves" and "The Silence of the Lambs", two such powerful films, can't save Orion?

However, the overseas distribution rights of "Dances with Wolves" have been sold to exchange for filming funds.

“Hey, in order to maintain an independent status and yearn for the horizontal operation mode of large studios, there are too many losing works!”

Orion's distribution ability is not bad. After all, it also has its own theaters. Although the number is not large, it is still more than Miramax and New Line;

Miramax was originally developed by the Weinstein brothers taking over the Century Theater in New York, and New Line was also founded by Robert Shaye based on his own small theater chain.

Jessica Parker looked at Aaron, "Actually, when Orion had a large loss the year before last, it introduced Mr. John Kluge as a major shareholder;"

“Now, Mr. John Kluge wants to sell the company while maintaining Orion’s independence, but no one is willing to take over.”

John Kluge is the founder of Metromedia Group. A few years ago, Rupert Murdoch acquired 7 TV stations from Metromedia Group as the basis for forming FOX!

Aaron smiled, "Now that Orion's loss scale is further expanding, it is not easy for John Kluge to sell;"

“The quality of the films is too poor. More than a dozen films are released a year, and only one or two make money. The rest have high investments and are losing money. It does not have the upstream and downstream industrial chain of other major manufacturers!”

Well, this kind of independent gameplay, only Aaron Anderson in the entire Hollywood can play it. After all, his vision is the biggest cheat;

In the future, relying solely on the profits of the film itself, Dawnlight Pictures can become a leader. What's more, how could Aaron Anderson be so unambitious?

In addition to film and television production and distribution, which are necessary, radio and television networks, home entertainment, interactive games, derivative consumer product markets, etc., are indispensable!

Come, come, come, ask for collection, ask for popularity……