As Duke walked away from the black Bentley toward Tom Cruise's mansion, he noticed that the road leading to Cruise Manor was lined with various luxury cars. Bentleys, Audis, and Cadillacs were just entry-level vehicles, while the limited-edition supercars were enough to drive car enthusiasts mad.
"Big stars have their rivalries," Naomi Watts, who was linking her arm with his, suddenly sa...
The negotiations had completely reached a deadlock. 20th Century Fox was exceptionally clear in its stance, and Duke was unwilling to make concessions for the time being. While continuing to negotiate with Fox, Nancy was also contacting other film companies, but unfortunately, no good news was coming back for the time being.
Duke was also not idle. The agency had already completed the re...
Burbank is known as the media capital of the world, and the Warner Group's interconnected buildings are an important part of it. Warner Bros., one of Hollywood's traditional giants, is located there.
Like other companies in Hollywood, Warner Bros. produces numerous films each year and has a similarly strict review system. Every project that seeks production will be analyzed and evaluated...
"Our conditions are not complicated."
Sitting alone across from several Fox executives, Nancy Josephson didn't seem the least bit pressured. Even though among them were Fox heavyweight Thompson Rossman and renowned producer Jon Landau, she remained calm and composed as she continued, "Mr. Rosenberg's total fee for directing and writing is $4 million, and he will also serve as the film's ...
"This will do, Nancy."
After taking a look around the three-bedroom furnished apartment, Duke nodded in satisfaction and said to his agent, "You can handle the remaining paperwork; I have an appointment."
He checked his watch, waved briefly at Nancy Josephson, and left, taking the elevator down to the first floor. He started his car and drove out of this luxurious North Hollywood ...
The hardships and anxieties of the past year had kept Duke focused solely on his career, never considering anything else. But as Mrs. Leah had once said, back in school, he had plenty of casual girlfriends, so how could he not catch the meaning behind Naomi Watts's words?
As the apartment door slammed shut, Duke and Naomi Watts were already entangled.
"Weren't you asking for water...
"We're just temporary partners."
Uma Thurman shrugged indifferently. Duke had no intention of continuing the conversation. This type of temporary relationship, often referred to in the past as a 'casual fling', was far too common in Hollywood.
When two people were interested in each other, they'd come together. If it worked out, they might take it further. If not, they would part ...
"Hello, this is Karl Lagerfeld's office..."
One hand held the phone while the other scribbled quickly in a notebook. Sophia hadn't even put down the receiver when another phone on her desk started ringing. She had to apologize quickly to the caller and pick up the new line. "Hello, this is... Mr. Lagerfeld isn't here right now. Okay, Mr. Versace, I will make sure to relay your message."<...
For a movie of this era,a North American box office gross of $130.02 million can be considered an excellent result. However, this huge sum will not fall into the pocket of any individual or company. The cake will be shared across many parties, from theaters to distributors, and from producers to investors.
In the last few days of June, the accounting firm representing Duke and Mrs. Leah ...
In the following days, Duke communicated more with Zack Snyder, who, during his time off, shared some of the commercials and scenic clips he had shot, along with his work diary from various advertising teams. Duke began to recognize his capabilities to some extent.
After attending a gala hosted by the Lancome Group with his mother, Duke returned to Los Angeles. He first registered as a m...
"Have the latest weekend box office statistics come in?"
Naomi Watts felt a twinge of irritation at her agent Nancy's question. She was her client, not her personal assistant.
"This is the data I just received from the production team."
Despite her thoughts, Naomi understood her position. She obediently placed the statistics on the dining table in front of Nancy, who had...
After leaving New York, Lovett rushed back to Los Angeles on Friday. "Alien 3" was one of CAA's key packaged projects for the year, and as one of its participants with several of his actors starring in the film, he couldn't miss the premiere.
Lovett was particularly concerned about Rick Salomon, whom CAA had signed for public relations with Warner Brothers. With his simple-minded nature,...
The soothing sound of piano music echoed through the café, making the atmosphere even quieter. Duke sat by the window, slowly putting down his coffee cup, calmly looking at Lovett sitting across from him.
Duke hadn't expected his former agent to be so persistent. He had politely declined Lovett's proposal over the phone just yesterday, yet today, Lovett had tracked him all the way to Ne...
Entertainment gossip has always been a favorite topic among the public.
"Keanu Reeves is charming and handsome, and Uma Thurman is stunningly beautiful. The two play an on-screen couple in *Speed*, and off-screen they are an equally perfect match…"
"Keanu Reeves and Uma Thurman turned their on-screen romance in *Speed* into reality, making them Hollywood's latest golden coupleâ€...
If Friday's soaring box office only further solidified *Speed*'s position in the eyes of 20th Century Fox, then the skyrocketing numbers on Saturday provided the perfect justification for expanding the film's release.
In just one day, *Speed* earned $106,254 at 20 theaters, with each theater pulling in over $5,000! For a single day's performance, these numbers were what you would expect ...
After hanging up the phone, Duke paced back and forth in the living room twice before calming down. The mixed emotions on his face were replaced by a sense of calm.
Due to the limited preview, "Speed" had its first-day statistics already available from just twenty screens in twenty theaters.
The average number of attendees per screening was 18 people, and the average box office pe...
Outside the train car, the sky was blue with white clouds, the scenery was beautiful and pleasant. The car was speeding across the airport grounds, and a bomb could explode at any moment, with the shadow of death looming over the protagonists, Jack and Annie. They finally slid out from under the car, escaping the deadly speed trap.
"Wow…"
The applause was loud, but with so few a...
"Ah…"
The elevator plunged rapidly, and the female passenger let out a terrified scream, likely startled by the flashing images. In the theater, a young woman's scream echoed as well.
Sitting calmly with his mother in another theater in Los Angeles, Duke had cut out many transitional scenes from the film. For instance, after the opening murder, the film directly switched to a gr...
April inevitably arrived in Duke's life. It had been almost a year since he began working on "Speed," and yet the film had not been released. Even with his accumulated experience from two lifetimes, he couldn't escape the basic rules of the film industry.
The preview screening date set by 20th Century Fox was fast approaching, and Duke finally saw news and advertisements for *Speed* in t...
ICM, the International Creative Management agency, while not as prestigious as CAA, is still one of the top five talent agencies in North America. If Duke remembers correctly, both now and for a long time in the future, Julia Roberts will remain one of their signed clients.
No wonder Naomi Watts is doing so well. Unlike him, who was dropped by a big player, she managed to latch onto anot...
After the screening ended, the crowd in the theater quickly split into two groups. The Fox PR department took the critics and media reporters to a nearby hotel, while some from the distribution department stayed behind to collect feedback surveys from the audience.
Once the audience had fully dispersed, people from the distribution team, including observers like Harry Dunn, returned to t...
"Hi, Duke. Long time no see."
A petite blonde woman extended her hand towards him. Duke lightly shook it. "Naomi, you look really beautiful today."
This was at an independent cinema near Century City, where the screening of *Speed* was being held. Since Duke arrived relatively early, only Naomi Watts was in the lounge prepared for the cast.
The screening wasn't just for fan...
In the afternoon following the screening, relevant personnel from 20th Century Fox gathered in a small conference room to discuss the film they had just viewed in the morning. The movie exceeded everyone's highest expectations. For these industry professionals, it might be difficult to predict whether the film would be truly accepted by the market, but distinguishing between a poorly made film ...
2024-10-03 09:06:41 +0000 UTC View PostIn the conference room of Fox Tower at Century City, 20th Century Fox's monthly meeting was coming to an end. After discussing various film projects, the focus shifted to Lucasfilm.
"I've scheduled the screening of the 'Speed' sample for tomorrow morning," announced Townsend Rossman, the head of the distribution department and the person responsible for liaising with Lucasfilm. He was al...
The editing room, painted white, was unusually quiet. Duke leaned forward, his hands pressed firmly on the table, watching intently the two shots that had just been pieced together on the monitor.
"Mike..." he said to the editor beside him, "Replace shot 178 with shot 175 and try it."
"This..." The experienced but not particularly well-known editor hesitated, but followed Duke's i...
The bright sunlight was no longer scorching, and the air in the mornings and evenings carried a slight chill. As December arrived in the Greater Los Angeles area, it marked the start of the cooler season, and the film crew, after continuous high-intensity work, finally caught the attention of mainstream .
The latest issue of the *Los Angeles Times* featured news about *Speed*. Unfortunat...
"You seem quite stressed?" Naomi Watts gently clinked her glass against Duke's and asked tentatively.
Draining his glass, Duke shrugged without answering her question. Instead, he casually asked, "What about you? Why didn't you stay in Australia? Why come to the more competitive Hollywood?"
"Late last year, I came here for a friend's pre-wedding bachelorette party," she replied, t...
This explosion cost over three hundred thousand dollars, and it had another effect: Sofia Coppola was probably startled, as she called Duke the next day to say she was sick and needed a few days off.
To be honest, Duke was not very satisfied with the results of the shoot. Compared to the explosion maniac from his previous life, the explosion scenes they created and filmed were not impres...
"Adjust the fourth camera for aerial shots!"
The film set was busy yet orderly. Duke held a megaphone, constantly issuing commands. "Cruz, your second camera's aperture is off; readjust the white balance. Third camera, just focus on the female lead!"
After tossing the megaphone to Sofia Coppola beside him, Duke walked into the makeshift bus, nodding at a few actors who greeted him...
Movies, especially those with relatively high investments, are a large-scale battle that requires careful planning. Among all the pre-production work, the most troublesome positions are undoubtedly the producer, director, and screenwriter.
The script has long been finalized and will not change casually unless there are special circumstances. Over the past two months, Duke has been maki...