HOLLYWOOD WHAT IF

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 390


Kazir understood it very well. Showbiz is not that simple. It is an intense competition aimed at making more money.

He didn't blame Warner Brothers and Walt Disney because he understood their situation. These two companies just wanted to take advantage of the situation to defeat one of their rivals.

Sony-Colombia was getting stronger, and they didn't want that to happen. If Kazir were in their position, he would have done the same.

However, even though he didn't blame them, he was still filled with anger. He was human, after all. He had feelings. And he didn't like that the three giants were trying to destroy his project. He didn't like it at all.

Thankfully, Kazir was mature enough to control his emotions. He was not stupid. He had experienced so many things in life and knew that life was not over just because of one mistake. In his opinion, he had experienced far more painful things than this.

So what if Spider-Man 2 flopped?

Would it affect his position in the industry?

Yes, but Kazir understood that it would never stop him from making movies.

If Hollywood wanted to kick him out, he had other countries to migrate to.

Well, TV shows were also not a bad option.

Kazir was not afraid. As long as he could pursue his art, it didn't matter.

However, he also understood that the situation would badly affect everyone around him.

Tobey Maguire and the cast of Spider-Man 2 would be affected.

The crew members who worked hard to finish the project would be affected.

The workers from Sony-Colombia would be affected.

This was not just about him. Kazir was the director, and it was his responsibility to make sure that the project would be a success.

So he didn't hesitate to contact the current Chairman/CEO of Warner Brothers, Barry Mayer.

'If I have to work with Warner Brothers to protect Spider-Man 2, so be it. This is not about me anymore.'

Kazir stared at Barry, who seemed surprised by what he had just said.

"Kazir, can you repeat what you said? You want to direct Batman?"

"That's right. Or is there someone else you want to handle the project?"

"..."

There was actually a new director they were interested in working with. But compared to Kazir, the value that the new director could bring to the table was insignificant.

Kazir was the most profitable director for a reason. His creations were all aimed at making money.

His artistic passion was about making money. That was the reason why so many studios wanted to work with him because their mission was the same.

"I've been interested in Batman. He is my favorite superhero. Actually... If Warner Brothers had acquired the shares of Grey Pictures, I wanted to work with DC Comics and Warner Brothers to revive Batman."

"..."

Unfortunately, the acquisition failed, and Grey Pictures became part of 20th Century Fox. Even though it was wrong, Barry blamed Terry Semel for that mistake.

The value that Grey Pictures could have brought to Warner Brothers was immense.

The last live-action Batman film was Batman & Robin. The result was so awful that Warner Brothers hid the Batman movie adaptation rights in their film library for almost a decade. They wanted people to forget about Batman with nipples... The costume designer was immediately fired after that.

Who thought that putting nipples on Batman's armor was a good idea?

Barry took a deep breath. He suddenly wanted to call his secretary to bring cold water to calm him down. Instead, he made do with warm tea.

Barry took a sip of the tea.

Of course, they wanted to work with Kazir. In fact, they had wanted to contact Kazir in hopes that he would direct at least one of their DC movies.

"Kazir, you do understand that you're actually helping your enemy by doing this."

Marvel Comics and DC Comics were rivals, yet Kazir wanted to do something outrageous.

"I know it well... But do I even have a chance?"

He smiled, but his gaze didn't seem happy.

"I will only direct Batman... A trilogy at best. But I want Warner Brothers and Time Warner to stop sabotaging Spider-Man 2."

Trilogy? Barry almost jumped. A trilogy was a huge commitment. Still, he controlled himself.

"Kazir, you know that's hard to do. I'm just a CEO of a multi-billion company. I don't have influence."

"No deal then."

"... I will contact some people."

It would be stupid if Barry said no. Of course, he would agree with Kazir.

"Glad to hear it."

The only way to stop Warner Brothers from sabotaging Spider-Man 2 was by giving them an equal or better deal.

Kazir directing Batman was enough. Barry hated to admit it, but Kazir had enough power to negotiate with them.

This was just a verbal agreement, but it meant that the negotiation had started. It meant that Kazir had a high chance of directing Batman. Of course, Salvatore and the producer would discuss the contract in further detail.

The two shook hands.

"It's nice working with you, Barry."

"The pleasure's mine. Good luck with your movie this year."

"Hm."

Even though they had an agreement, it was obvious that the two were not on good terms.

........

.....

...

It was subtle, but Time Warner slowly stopped talking about Tobey Maguire. It seemed that Warner Brothers was serious about working with Kazir. Their reason was simple. If Kazir could make another $1 billion superhero movie, then the deal was absolutely worth it.

Besides, condemning Tobey Maguire wouldn't help them much. Spider-Man already had a solid fan base. The best that this incident could do was lower the box office earnings by a few million. Even then, the chances of Spider-Man 2 earning more than $700 million were still high. Why? Because Kazir Grey was the director of the movie.

His presence alone was enough to offset the scandal.

Thankfully, February 1 arrived, and another big news event buried the issues related to Tobey Maguire.

During the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake performed, but due to a "wardrobe malfunction," Janet's breast was exposed during the live broadcast.

This became a huge sensation, and the controversy surrounding Tobey Maguire died down.

++++++

[Author's Note: I posted three chapters today! Since it's April Fool's Day, some authors like to prank their readers with fake chapters or jokes about dropping their novels, but I'm doing the opposite.

After giving it some thought, I've decided that Hollywood What If will likely conclude somewhere between Chapter 600 and 750. If all goes as planned, it should be finished within this year unless procrastination strikes or something unexpected happens, such as me being dead.

I just want to take a moment to thank you all for your continued support. If you'd like to read ahead, feel free to check out my Patreon or Ko-fi!]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 391


During the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show on February 1, 2004, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake performed together, leading to a controversial incident often referred to as a "wardrobe malfunction." At the end of their performance, Timberlake reached across Jackson's chest and pulled at her costume, unexpectedly tearing away part of her top, exposing her right breast to the television audience for about half a second. This incident, broadcast live to millions of viewers, led to widespread media coverage, public backlash, and significant changes in broadcasting regulations and policies regarding indecency.

The incident had a lasting impact on both artists' careers, the broadcasting industry, and the cultural landscape. Janet Jackson faced significant professional consequences, including being blacklisted by some media outlets and the Grammys, while Timberlake's career continued to flourish.

It was unfortunate that Janet Jackson suffered the most, even though it was not her fault. Her career practically turned to dust after that "wardrobe malfunction." Justin Timberlake was the one who pulled the dress incorrectly, yet his career remained largely unaffected.

This incident was proof that showbiz was harsher on women.

However, for Grey Pictures and Sony-Columbia, it was a heaven-sent opportunity. The suffering of others became their blessing.

In just one day, the entire public shifted its attention to the Super Bowl incident. No one cared about Tobey Maguire anymore. The news about him had already been overanalyzed and recycled.

Sony-Columbia even worked to amplify the Super Bowl controversy so that people would quickly forget about Tobey Maguire. They had to do it, otherwise, they would suffer further repercussions.

In the span of one night, the issues surrounding Tobey Maguire disappeared. Although Universal Pictures and Walt Disney were still keeping the controversy alive, Warner Brothers had stepped away from the battle. After all, Kazir had already promised to work on Batman.

In fact, when Barry Meyer contacted James Lee, the President of DC Comics, James Lee immediately agreed to the idea.

Barry Meyer understood James Lee's excitement. Kazir Grey's name carried immense weight. Whenever his name was included in the credits of a movie, that movie was almost guaranteed to be a box-office success.

Batman was an essential character for both DC Comics and Warner Brothers. Just like Superman, Batman was the face of both companies.

They knew they had the power to revive the Batman franchise because of its profitability.

However, the last live-action Batman movie had been a critical and commercial failure. Audiences didn't like it, and since then, Warner Brothers had vowed that if they were to reboot Batman, they had to ensure it would be a massive success.

Kazir was the best guarantee they could find. His salary was not a problem. As long as Kazir could make Batman popular on the big screen, paying him would be more than worth it.

Since Warner Brothers owned DC Comics, they technically held the rights to all of DC's superhero characters.

Their merchandise sales had been stagnating, but if Kazir directed Batman and the film turned out to be a massive hit, Batman-related merchandise could experience a tenfold increase in sales.

The revenue Warner Brothers could earn just by hiring Kazir as a director was staggering.

So, the best decision was to stop attacking Tobey Maguire. It was no longer worth it.

Warner Brothers wanted to maintain a good relationship with Kazir, now that they were going to work together.

As for the Marvel vs. DC rivalry, that was a battle for another day.

If there was one thing Barry Meyer and James Lee were hoping for, it was that Kazir would help them build the DC Universe. However, Kazir didn't make any promises.

He was only interested in creating a Batman trilogy. The rest was up to DC.

After all, Grey Pictures still owned the rights to some Marvel characters, which they had returned to Marvel in exchange for better profit shares.

Kazir would obviously side with Marvel Comics.

As for the possibility of Kazir sabotaging Batman, Warner Brothers would make sure to include a clause in the contract to prevent that. Just to be safe.

But Kazir wasn't stupid enough to destroy his own reputation.

.........
......
...

With January over, the filming of Spider-Man 2 was also nearing completion.

The production of the film had already been underway long before Kazir even joined the project. While he was busy with Pirates of the Caribbean, the props, sets, and cast had already been prepared by the production team. They were simply waiting for Kazir to officially come on board and begin filming.

Kazir had a reputation for being an efficient director with a clear vision, which allowed the production to proceed smoothly without much hassle.

Initially, Sony-Columbia had considered halting filming to allow Tobey Maguire to stay out of the media spotlight for a while.

However, Tobey personally spoke to Jezebel, arguing that postponing production would result in financial losses. The cast would also waste time waiting.

Kazir agreed with Tobey.

In the end, filming continued. Tobey stayed at a nearby hotel while shooting was ongoing.

"Kazir, thank you so much."

"Hm?"

Kazir glanced at Tobey, who was holding a can of beer. Tobey was allowed to drink, but only inside his hotel room.

"If not for you, I might be drowning in depression right now."

"...?"

"Because of you, I realized that there are still people who believe in me. And I don't want to disappoint them. I'm going to work hard and prove to everyone that Tobey Maguire is a great actor. Thank you, Kazir, for helping me see that."

"I hope you continue to have that kind of perseverance."

The two chuckled. Now Kazir understood why Tobey had invited him to his room for a talk.

"I believe you can do it. You have the talent to back it up."

"Thanks."

Tobey took another sip of his beer, feeling renewed determination.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 392


"Okay, let's celebrate tomorrow. Company's credit card, of course. For now, let's clean the set so that we can leave and rest! The filming is officially done!"

Kazir said, using a megaphone since they were in a wide setting background.

They ended the filming quite early, so the crew members were a bit excited about cleaning the set quickly so that they could leave earlier.

As for the cast, they had already bid their farewells after thanking Kazir, Jezebel, and other important people in the production. It was common courtesy and also a way of forming connections.

Today was February 8, and the Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction was still trending. As for the Tobey Maguire scandal, TV networks had stopped talking about it. Which was a good thing because it sped up the production of Spider-Man 2.

Last month, when the scandal was at its peak, so many reporters tried to infiltrate the set just to cause trouble. They had hired more guards just to make sure that the filming wouldn't be affected. Even Anderson, Kazir's silent bodyguard, was on high alert.

Perhaps the most surprising thing during this whole ordeal was Tobey's mentality. Kazir was amazed by his hard work.

Tobey's acting became outstanding, and he rarely got an NG. He was so great that Kazir praised him and because Tobey deserved it. Kazir was impressed.

Despite facing a strong backlash, Tobey decided to focus on his job, and he did it flawlessly. Instead of being depressed, Tobey put his energy into finishing Spider-Man 2.

'Perhaps he feels like he will lose his career if he doesn't take things seriously. After all, Spider-Man is Tobey's biggest role. If he messes up, he might disappear from Hollywood.'

Kazir was having a monologue while looking at the crew members who were working.

'I'm really impressed. He coped so well. I guess what I said last time helped him a lot.'

Perhaps Tobey's career might change after the Spider-Man franchise. As for the result, even Kazir was not sure. However, he would try to help Tobey since he witnessed how the actor changed for the better.

'I just hope he doesn't return to his bad behavior.'

A week ago, Tobey apologized to the crew because of the hassle he had caused. It was already proven that he was the victim, but he still apologized to the crew... Well, some of the crew members couldn't help but blame Tobey. Their work had become harder once the reporters started harassing them.

'To apologize to everyone even though you're already a star takes a lot of courage. He practically lowered his pride.'

Because of this, Kazir decided to help Tobey.

Being a person from the future, Kazir knew that Tobey's career after Spider-Man was not that good. Even average was not the right word. Tobey had movie projects, but he never experienced the success he got from Spider-Man again.

Kazir wanted to give him some tips so that he could be ready for the future.

Half an hour later, Kazir left the set. Anderson took him to his house. Kazir didn't have anything to do today. He wanted to take a rest since he rarely got a full 8-hour sleep since Spider-Man 2 started filming.

He opened the door and found Angelina watching the last episode of Game of Thrones. There was a replay today.

"Kazir, you're back!"

Angelina jumped up and hugged Kazir. The two shared a passionate kiss.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too," Angelina giggled.

They looked into each other's eyes and then closed the door.

.........

......

...

After an hour of passionate hugging, Kazir and Angelina were cuddling in bed naked.

"Babe, I remember that you're working with Blue Sky Studio, right?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, I just realized that voice acting is actually so much fun."

Angelina had a role in Shark Tale, a 3D cartoon movie from DreamWorks. Her role in Shark Tale was Lola, a beautiful fish who was only interested in money. Basically, a gold digger.

"Hm? You want to voice one of the characters in Kung Fu Panda?"

"If possible."

She smiled.

"Well…" Kazir smirked.

He recalled that one of the characters in Kung Fu Panda was voiced by Angelina. It was Tigress, one of the Furious Five.

"I will talk to Carl. There is actually a character that is suitable for you," he said and playfully pinched Angelina's skin.

"Hmm, you brute… Thanks, baby. I'm quite interested in voice acting." She bit her lip. She then sat on him…

"Anything for you. I'm sure Carl will be happy to know that you're going to voice one of the characters."

Carl Ludwig was one of the founders of Blue Sky Studio, and he was also the Producer of Kung Fu Panda.

.........

......

...

The next day arrived, and Kazir went to the location where the party was set to happen.

Just like what he said, this party was prepared and funded by Sony-Columbia to celebrate the end of filming Spider-Man 2.

Spider-Man 2 had a huge budget, and Sony-Columbia was not that cheap to not give them a party. Of course, this was not a formal party, as Kazir saw some drunkards on the ground, hiccuping and shirtless.

Despite the backlash, Sony-Columbia was still confident in the movie. After all, Kazir was the director of Spider-Man 2.

Looking through the party, Kazir saw many people getting wasted. He saw people smoking and snorting a certain substance… Well, he already expected it.

Only one-fourth of the crew members were from Grey Pictures, while others were hired by Jezebel. The usual common practice in the industry was drugs… They loved using drugs.

So Kazir was not surprised to see some people smoking and snorting substances. He shook his head. The filming was done anyway, and he wouldn't see these people again… Unless he also directed Spider-Man 3, which was not part of his contract.

'Even though the filming ended, my job as a director is still just getting started. I have to pull another all-nighter just to edit the footage.'

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 393


Kazir looked around and found Tobey Maguire drinking with Alfred Molina. Despite the age difference, it seemed that the two had found a common topic to talk about.

He approached the two but saw Jezebel on the way. The woman looked strict as always, her thick eyeglasses were obvious even from afar.

"Kazir, someone from Sony-Columbia wants to talk to you later."

"I understand. What time?"

"It should be three hours from now. One of our management wants to talk to you."

'Management? It's probably about the contract.'

Kazir signed a contract that he would only film two Spider-Man movies. However, both Sony-Columbia and he agreed that something as big as Spider-Man deserved a trilogy.

Sony-Columbia obviously wanted Kazir to film the last Spider-Man movie.

"We will prepare a quiet place for you to talk."

"Okay."

Jezebel left after that. Despite the place having a party, Jezebel didn't touch any alcohol. She was super strict even to herself.

Tobey and Alfred waved their hands and invited Kazir to have a drink with them.

"Kazir! Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

The three started talking… Kazir didn't expect that the two were actually talking about women. To be precise, the type of women in bed.

"I hate women who only lie on the bed and spread their legs while I do everything. Like, come on, what are you, a rag?"

"Haha, on God, I can relate. Missionary position is so boring if you do it most of the time. At least have some doggy or cowboy once in a while, right, Kazir?"

"That's right," Kazir nodded. "Although I prefer Full Nelson."

"Hahaha!"

The three laughed out loud as the party music further intensified. Their topic started changing until it reached the subject of their careers in the industry.

"Kazir, I'm so thankful for casting me as Dr. Octopus. It will help me boost my career… If I'm not overstepping my boundaries, if you have any roles that suit me, please contact me or my agent at any moment."

Alfred Molina casually pulled out a business card and gave it to Kazir. The director took a glance and put it in his pocket.

Alfred sighed when he saw what Kazir had done. At least he didn't throw it out or something.

"Tobey, do you know the pros and cons of accepting a powerful role like Spider-Man?" Kazir turned to Tobey Maguire.

The young actor thought of something and nodded.

"My agent actually warned me that taking the role of Spider-Man will either boost or destroy my career."

"That's right."

Taylor Lautner performed the role of Jacob in Twilight. His career took a nosedive after Twilight and he had to change his plan and play in comedy movies instead.

Taylor Kitsch. After starring in a box office flop called John Carter, Taylor's career was destroyed. His chance to be an A-list actor was long gone after the terrible result of John Carter.

Halle Berry's salary also went downhill after Catwoman, that movie did so terribly at the box office. Thankfully, she had her role in X-Men as Storm to keep her relevant. Warner Brothers hated her after Catwoman.

Don't get me started with Brandon Routh, who starred in Superman Returns. That movie was trash, and it affected Brandon Routh's career negatively.

Despite being the protagonist of the original Star Wars, Mark Hamill rarely got huge roles after being Luke Skywalker. In fact, out of the three lead roles in the original Star Wars, only Harrison Ford had a successful career.

An impactful role could affect an actor's career negatively or positively. As for the term impactful role, it could be either a bad or good role. But it should be a role that left a strong impression on the audience.

Some actors still had an amazing career despite having impactful roles, such as Harrison Ford, Robert Downey Jr., Johnny Depp, and many more.

As for Tobey Maguire, the result was obvious. The actor became a nobody after the Spider-Man trilogy. He disappeared from the big scene, and it was sad because Tobey was a great actor. Kazir witnessed how the actor slowly adapted to his role until he became "Peter Parker".

'In my opinion, out of the three Spider-Man actors, Tobey Maguire embodied Peter Parker the best. That speaks of his ability as an actor.'

But this was also the biggest reason why Tobey Maguire fell off because the audience would never see him as a different person. For them, Tobey Maguire would be forever Peter Parker/Spider-Man.

"Tobey, I have some options that could help you."

"Director, I'm seriously listening." Tobey put down his drink.

"First, change your image. As long as people don't compare you to your past roles such as Spider-Man, then you're doing it right."

Tobey nodded. He could grow his hair long or grow a beard. It would prevent people from seeing him as Peter Parker.

"Second, work on a comedy movie or other genre."

"Hm?"

That was an interesting idea.

"Nobody takes comedy seriously. Even if you maintain your appearance, as long as you are part of a comedy movie, people will not take you seriously. Because they know they are watching a comedy movie, not Spider-Man. That's a good thing because it's comedy, after all."

"Well, this is just my opinion and it has some flaws, but perhaps it can work for you. Just don't take a serious-themed movie such as Drama, Romance, or even Action."

"You should find the best way to transition your career. Because honestly, you already hit the ceiling, and you're an A-list celebrity. What you should do is find another role to prove that you're not only Peter Parker, you are Tobey Maguire, an actor who can perform many roles."

It was a long explanation, but Tobey was listening seriously.

"Thank you so much, Kazir. I will take your suggestions seriously… About performing in a comedy movie, can you perhaps help me? I mean, you're the best comedy writer in the industry."

"Give me your business card."

"Here."

Kazir was not surprised that Tobey had a copy of his business card in his pocket. Perhaps he was also waiting for the chance to talk to Kazir.

'Well, I will still see them in the recording studio because they will have to dub their lines.'

+++++

[Author's Note: If you want to read more about Batman and it's trilogy, you can subscribe to my Patreon. The story is quite far now.]

P@treon link: https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

Ko-fi link: https://ko-fi.com/pujimaki

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 394


"If I know of some roles that suit you guys, I'll recommend you to the producers and directors."

"Thanks, Kazir."

Both Tobey and Alfred were thankful to hear Kazir's response. Kazir was not a simple director. He also owned a production studio worth billions. Not only that, but he was also one of the shareholders of 20th Century Fox. He had connections to Paramount, Warner Brothers, and Sony-Colombia. His promise meant something.

After their drinking session, Kazir received the news that Frank Price had arrived.

Kazir was not surprised. He had already expected that Frank Price would want to talk to him.

Kazir excused himself and followed Jezebel, who was waiting for him. The woman led him to a soundproofed room.

Kazir found Frank Price, but the CEO of Sony-Colombia was not alone. Frank had someone with him, a Japanese man.

'It's not Ohga or Morita.'

Kazir had already met those big shots.

The meeting started, and Kazir was a bit surprised by the topic they discussed.

.........

......

...


Kazir left the party a bit tipsy. He controlled his drinking, but sometimes he had to drink more. Inside the room, while talking to Frank and the other person, Kazir had no choice but to raise his glass of wine.

He hiccuped as he returned to the studio where he intended to rest. Tomorrow, he would start editing the movie.

"I have an idea that Sony-Colombia is interested in starting the 21 Jump Street franchise, but I didn't expect that they would want me to direct it."

He muttered drunkenly. Of course, he didn't confirm anything. His time was important, and his schedule was tightly packed.

"Not only that, the Japanese guy is actually a representative of Sony. He fluently spoke English. He said that Sony-Colombia is interested in buying Grey Pictures... I immediately declined, there's no reason to look for further investors to dilute my shares."

It was a bummer if he agreed. Grey Pictures was an important part of him. He wasn't wasted enough to agree to the ridiculous business deal.

As for Spider-Man 3, obviously, Frank Price kept asking Kazir. The director was not sure. He just told Frank that Sony-Colombia should be prepared and start looking for a possible director to handle the last movie of the Spider-Man trilogy.

Kazir recalled that Spider-Man 3 would be released in 2007. In that year, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End would also be released.

However, since Kazir changed the timeline, Sony-Colombia and 20th Century Fox were probably open to changing the release schedule of both movies to accommodate Kazir's time.

Unfortunately, Kazir was still firm in his opinion. Especially now that the negotiation between Warner Brothers was seriously taking steps.

In fact, 20th Century Fox and Marvel Comics were against this business deal, but they also understood Kazir's reasoning. He did it to protect Spider-Man 2. Marvel Comics was thankful for that.

Besides, Kazir would just work on Batman, nothing else.

The MCU was still in the process of planning, and they were fully serious about how to make it a masterpiece. Kazir also promised that he would film the first movie of the MCU, which was Iron Man... If possible. If he can't direct it, then he would help as the executive producer.

Marvel Comics also had other projects to focus on, such as Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Blade: Trinity.

.........

.......

...

February 14, which was Valentine's Day, Angelina and Kazir were attending a not-so-small party. This was the party for the announcement of the Academy Awards nominated movies.

They couldn't help but remember what had happened a year ago, they also attended the party for the Oscar nominations. Last time, they were sitting at a table together with Tom Cruise... This was the exact scene right now. Although Penélope Cruz was missing because she and Tom broke up.

"I can't believe I'll see you tonight, Kazir. Haha, let me guess, your movie also received nominations."

"Yeah, although it's probably nominations in small categories."

"That's not bad."

"What about you, Tom? Why are you here? Are you that confident you'll also get a nomination for Best Actor this year? Bruh, you just won the Best Actor last year."

"Why not?"

The two shrugged.

The Last Samurai had a strong chance of getting nominated in major categories.

A few minutes later, the nominations were announced, and Tom Cruise left the party disappointed. He didn't get a nomination.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was the winner tonight because it earned 12 nominations.

Finding Nemo also got nominated, particularly in Best Animated Picture.

Lost in Translation, which Scarlett Johansson starred in, also received nominations.

'Briana will probably be disappointed once she hears that Monster got a nomination for Best Actress,' Kazir thought to himself.

As for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, it was nominated in 5 categories:

Best Actor Award

Best Makeup

Best Sound Editing

Best Sound Mixing

Best Visual Effects

Out of these five nominations, only the Best Actor Award was in a major category.

Kazir intentionally made Jack Sparrow the male lead because his character would become the face of the franchise. He adjusted the plot a little bit to achieve that. Naturally, Johnny Depp got the nomination because of it.

Kazir and Angelina left the table after Tom Cruise showed his disappointment and left the party early.

While walking out, Kazir realized that Johnny Depp was approaching him. Kazir already had an idea why the actor wanted to talk to him, probably to express his gratitude.

However, Kazir was super surprised when he saw the woman clinging to Johnny's arm.

'What the fuck?'

Indeed, Kazir was super surprised. He didn't expect this to happen, at least not this early.

Yet reality hit him in the face.

Next to Johnny Depp was none other than Amber Heard... The woman who stepped on a bee.

++++

[Author's Note: If you want to read more about Pirates Of The Caribbean Trilogy, you can check out my Patreon.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 395


Amber Heard.

She was an actress who starred in many movies such as The Rum Diary, Machete Kills, Magic Mike XXL, Justice League, and Aquaman.

Amber Heard first met Johnny Depp on the set of The Rum Diary.

The best way to describe her career was that it was mediocre, mediocre at best. She didn't have any memorable roles except for her role in the DCEU, but that was for negative reasons.

Her relevance as an actress was low... Nobody even knew her, not until the scandal popped up.

The only reason she became known was because of her husband, which was Johnny Depp.

Overall, Amber Heard was full of shit, quite literally... Even her brain was full of shit. Even her bed was full of shit.

The Rum Diary was a movie set in 2011, and that was also the year when Johnny and Amber were supposed to meet for the first time.

However, for some reason, Kazir was shocked to see the young actress clinging so much to Johnny Depp.

"Kazir, I want to introduce you to my girlfriend, Amber."

"It's nice to meet you, director. I'm a fan."

"Ah? Ah, yeah, nice to meet you too?" Kazir was so surprised that it took a few seconds for him to respond. Even Angelina was slightly uncomfortable because Kazir was acting weird.

"Kazir, I'm so thankful for the chance you gave me. Hehe, you know, it's not that easy to get nominations, especially the Best Actor Award. This is my first time getting one."

It was clear from Johnny's smile that he was happy.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You helped Tom Cruise win his golden statue last year after all." The actor praised Kazir, but the director was still confused.

Kazir didn't expect that he would fuck the timeline so much that he met Amber Heard in 2004.

Suddenly, he recalled something important.

"Johnny, if you don't mind, how old is your girlfriend?"

"I'm 19 years old, director. Why did you ask?" Amber answered herself.

"Nothing, I just thought that one of my projects needs a young actress." Kazir made an excuse.

"Then, perhaps I can audition—"

"Never mind, you don't fit the role."

Kazir immediately stopped the woman from talking.

Kazir had a strong prejudice against women who falsely accused people. After all, Kazir was also a victim of false allegations. He would never like Amber Heard, even if she was still innocent at the moment.

Suddenly, Kazir felt Angelina squeezing his shoulder. He glanced at her and realized that her mood had turned sour.

"I guess, we'll excuse ourselves." Kazir decided to leave.

Johnny Depp waved them goodbye while Amber controlled her facial expressions. She was actually a real fan of Kazir Grey and she was interested in having a conversation with him. Unfortunately, it seemed that Kazir was busy.

'What a waste. I wanted to ask him about his supposed sister. That bitch Mara is getting arrogant after landing a role in a movie!' She thought.

"Have a nice evening, director. By the way, haha, when are you two going to get married!?" Johnny waved goodbye to the couple.

Kazir and Angelina both paused when Johnny said that. But they continued walking out of the party.

The atmosphere turned cold, and Angelina let go of Kazir's shoulder once they reached the parking lot.

"Angelina, not now. Let's talk about it once we're at the house."

"... I don't want to."

Kazir sighed. He turned around and stared at Angelina, who was mad.

"The way you looked at that Amber Shit is concerning, do you know that?"

"You misunderstood it. I don't like her, okay? She's not even that beautiful."

Amber Heard was beautiful. We couldn't deny that fact. But we also couldn't deny that she was full of shit.

Well, Cassandra Hoecrap was also beautiful, but she was also full of shit.

Elizabeth Cohen, Kazir's mother, was also beautiful. But she was also full of shit.

Beauty didn't matter if you're full of shit.

"Heh? Then why are you looking at her like that, like you've been struck by something?" Angelina smirked.

"Babe, I'm just surprised because she looked young. I even asked her age."

"... Yeah, you got a point."

Kazir sighed. He thought he had escaped the trouble, but Angelina reloaded and asked him another question.

"Then what about marriage? Johnny asked when we'll get married. What's your answer?"

Angelina crossed her arms, lifting her cleavage in the process.

"..."

Kazir didn't know what to say.

This topic was sensitive. This was not the first time that this had happened. Of course, Kazir was interested in marrying Angelina.

However, the couple couldn't find equal grounds.

"Then what about kids? Are you interested in having kids?"

Kazir returned the question to Angelina, and the woman bit her lip.

"I knew you would ask me that."

Angelina and Kazir couldn't agree to some terms, and that was normal in a relationship. However, these two certain things were the reason why they couldn't level up their relationship.

The matter of marriage and having kids. Whenever these two things were talked about, the couple became uncomfortable discussing them.

+++++

[Yeah, this chapter is short. Sorry about that. But if you want to read more, you can check out my Patreon. If you can't subscribe to Patreon due to your country's policy, you can check out my Ko-fi.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 396


Kazir had a complicated opinion regarding marriage, but it didn't mean he didn't want to marry her. He experienced marriage once, and it was a painful experience. He lost his house, his wife, his hope, his child... In his past life, he thought killing himself was the best option to overcome the pain. Thankfully he had movies to lean on.

However, this time, he loved Angelina, and he was ready to overcome that fear.

Angelina had also married once. She thought she was in love and had found her fairytale, but the fairytale didn't end with "happily ever after." She got divorced, and she didn't want to experience it again. She was also afraid to marry. However, she knew that Kazir was the person she wanted to spend her life with. She wanted to marry him.

Kazir wanted a child. A biological child that he wanted to cherish. Was it selfish to have his own child? No, not when Kazir had experienced losing one. He regretted that he didn't have the chance to fight and protect his child. Because of this, he had a strong will to have his own child.

However, Angelina was against it for the time being. Her career was just getting better, and it would affect her career if she had a child. Also, she was afraid that her figure would change badly if she became pregnant. The stretch marks, the stress, the daily vomiting. Angelina couldn't imagine experiencing all of that.

Couples would always have disagreements, no matter how small or big they were. That was normal. They were just people, after all. Couples usually find a way to overcome these disagreements to strengthen their relationship. If they failed, then the relationship would crumble. Harmony is an important aspect of a healthy relationship.

Angelina said that instead of having their own children, they should adopt instead. There were many unfortunate kids who didn't have parents, and Angelina wanted to help them.

The idea was amazing and noble, but Kazir felt disappointed when he heard it. He felt that Angelina robbed him of the chance to become a father, just like what Cassandra did to him. He felt like Angelina didn't want to have a child with him, which hurt him a bit.

When they first talked about these topics, the two had an argument... They couldn't fix it, so they decided to just keep quiet and never talk about it again.

They couldn't find equal grounds, and naturally, their relationship couldn't reach the next level. As long as none of them compromised, they would stay as boyfriend and girlfriend at best.

And now, the topic of marriage and having children resurfaced again. Kazir suddenly wanted to return to the party to sucker punch Johnny and slam Amber Heard's face into the concrete wall.

He couldn't help but blame them for opening the topic. Their relationship was getting better, but now it was getting worse again.

"..."

Kazir stared at Angelina, who was biting her lip in frustration.

He sighed and opened the door of the car.

"Angelina, let's go to our home and talk about it peacefully," he gently said. He didn't want to worsen the situation.

Angelina glared at him and clicked her tongue. Her eyes were red and teary.

"No, you go to your house alone. I'll call my assistant instead."

"Angelina."

"Go. I don't want to talk to you tonight."

The woman walked away, clearly mad at him.

"..."

Kazir looked down at the ground and sighed. He stared at the woman's silhouette, which was gradually getting smaller.

"Fine! So be it!"

He yelled and saw Angelina flinching. Kazir also had emotions. He was getting tired of this atmosphere. Whenever their conversation turned bad, he was always the one who tried to fix it.

Tonight, he didn't have the patience to pursue and pamper her.

He went into the car and started the engine. He didn't glance at Angelina, because he didn't know what to do if he looked at her.

The car left the party.

.........

......

...

Raizo jumped off the first building and rolled onto the next one with ease. He started running to lose his pursuers.

Then, John Smith and Jane Smith, the husband and wife, also jumped onto the rooftop of the building to follow Raizo. The couple found that some of the missing military weapons were acquired by the High Table, and Raizo was one of the people who knew about its exact location. Also, they got a clue that another organization acquired some of the military weapons, the dangerous ones, but they couldn't get more information about it.

However, Raizo was fast and slippery, and even the two veterans could not get close to him.

Raizo entered the elevator that was going to the lower floor. The couple failed to reach the elevator.

Jane and John nodded at each other and used the stairs to follow the ninja.

They checked the lower floor and waited for the elevator to open. Their guns were ready.

When the elevator opened—

"Don't move!" Jane said and pointed her gun at the guy.

"Eh? W-What's going on here?"

The guy in the elevator was not Raizo. The ninja had successfully escaped.

"Here's my wallet and phone. Just don't touch my storyboard, it's full of my drawings!" The man was Kazir Grey. He was just resting in this hotel, and he didn't expect that a gun would be pointed at him.

"... He's gone."

John Smith lowered his gun in frustration.

"Wait. Let me check if this guy is not wearing a synthetic mask to change his face."

Jane gave the gun to her husband and pinned the poor director. She pulled his face, and Kazir groaned in pain.

"He's clear. Let's leave this place."

The couple hid their guns and walked away, leaving Kazir in shock. The director's face was red for being pinched.

"Cut!"

Doug Liman ended the shooting, and everyone clapped. Jennifer Connelly giggled while Brad Pitt was trying to hold his laugh. They returned to the elevator and apologized to Kazir.

"Honestly, my cameo this time is quite painful." Kazir sighed, pinching his red cheeks.

"Sorry, director." Jennifer apologized.

The filming for Mr. and Mrs. Smith Part 2 was happening, and Kazir showed up as a cameo, as always.

++++

[Author's Note: Angelina had her first biological child in 2006 which was still two years from now in the novel. The current year in the novel is around 2004 - 2005, I believe. Because of that, it's a reasonable development that she's hesitant to have a baby considering that she had to prioritize her career. Also, this is fanfiction so don't take it seriously. I respect everyone's opinion but please remember that everything written in this novel is fake.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 397


Having a cameo in the CCU was already a tradition. Kazir accepted his fate as a mascot. Besides, he was the one who started this tradition when he filmed Taken. He couldn't change it anymore. The audience would always wait for his appearance. He was basically a character in the CCU at this point.

Jennifer Connelly apologized even though she was just acting. She couldn't help it. The face she pinched was Kazir Grey, the owner of Grey Pictures and her boss. She didn't want to lose her job, so she might as well apologize, even though she was innocent.

"I'm sorry, Director."

"It's fine. It's for the film anyway. I'm not petty enough to hold a grudge. Although I have to talk to the writer who added this scene..."

Kazir hired a team of writers to polish the script for Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2. When he read the script the last time, there was nothing about his cameo, which meant that this scene was added without his knowing.

"...Please don't fire them," Jennifer felt bad.

"I will not fire them. They are amazing writers," Kazir shrugged. He just wanted to talk to them...

"By the way, I know I'm two years late, but it's better than not saying anything. Congratulations on winning the Best Supporting Actress Award."

This was the first time he met Jennifer Connelly in two years. He didn't have a chance to congratulate her.

"Director, you are too late."

"Yeah, I know."

"Me too. I want to congratulate you on winning the Best Director Award."

"You are one year late," he replied.

"This is the first time I've seen you in a year."

The two laughed while waiting for Doug Liman to check the footage.

A few minutes later, Director Doug Liman approached Kazir and told him.

"Kazir, I'm sorry, but do you mind retaking the scene one more time? Your expression is a bit forced. I want to see sincere fear in your eyes."

"..." Kazir was speechless.

That day, Kazir had three NGs before Doug Liman gave the thumbs-up. His face turned red after so many pinches from Jennifer. He had to take make-up to hide his reddish cheeks.

Now Kazir experienced how difficult it was to act, having three NGs was embarrassing. His excuse was, "I'm not an actor, so not my fault."

.........

......

...

February didn't have any big movies except one, a movie directed by Mel Gibson.

Mel Gibson was a famous actor, but he was also a director. In fact, Mel Gibson had won Academy Awards in his lifetime. One was the Best Actor Award for the movie Braveheart as William Wallace. He also won the Best Director Award as the director of Braveheart.

This year, Mel Gibson released a movie based on the Bible. It was The Passion of the Christ. This $30 million budget movie grossed more than $600 million, and the answer was obvious.

On the last day of February, the AMPAS hosted the 76th Academy Awards. It was an amazing show, especially when more than 43 million viewers were watching it.

Tom Cruise stood on the stage and announced the winner for Best Actress, which was Charlize Theron for her role as a prostitute serial killer in Monster.

Side note: Brianna Evans was watching the Oscar Awards, and her mood turned down when she witnessed Charlize Theron winning the Best Actress Award. She promised that La La Land would also compete at the Academy Awards next year.

Nicole Kidman also showed up as the presenter for the Best Actor Award. She gave the golden statue to Sean Penn, the lead actor in the neo-noir crime drama film Mystic River.

Johnny Depp, who also attended the Academy Awards because he got a nomination, was disappointed because he didn't win. Perhaps he would ask Kazir if he was interested in filming another artistic film to compete at the Academy Awards...

The award ceremony was grand, but there were two segments that the viewers were waiting for...

The Lord of the Rings was snubbed by the Academy Awards twice because of its strong bias against fantasy movies.

The Lord of the Rings was based on literature, but the Academy Awards didn't give a fuck, as usual. But because of their obvious prejudice, many people started hating on their show.

In fact, many LOTR fans promised that they would boycott the Academy Awards if The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was also snubbed this year.

Thankfully, the members of AMPAS were not stupid.

Kazir stepped on the stage and waved his hand. He looked presentable and handsome as always. He was carrying an envelope, with the name of the winner in it.

He introduced the category first and listed the nominated people.

"The nominations for the Best Director Award are:

Peter Jackson – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Fernando Meirelles – City of God

Sofia Coppola – Lost in Translation

Peter Weir – Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Clint Eastwood – Mystic River."

Kazir then opened the envelope and smirked. The audience who were watching the show was getting nervous.

"Congratulations, Peter Jackson – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King for winning the Best Director Award!"

Strong applause resounded, and even the viewers watching the show on television were happy once they realized that LOTR had won one of the biggest awards this time.

Peter Jackson stepped onto the stage and shook hands with Kazir. The golden statue was given to him, and the LOTR director raised the trophy with clear happiness.

Tonight was a win for The Lord of the Rings fans because the movie also won the Best Picture Award. It meant that this movie was regarded as the best movie that was released last year by the committee of AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences).

++++++

[Author's Note: If you want to read more about The Dark Knight trilogy and Pirates Of The Caribbean trilogy, you can subscribe to my P@treon or K0-fi. The story is quite far now.]

P@treon link: https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

Ko-fi link: https://ko-fi.com/pujimaki

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 398


The 76th Academy Awards was a success. Most people were satisfied with the results. The Lord of the Rings was now recognized as one of the best fantasy movies of all time, and it garnered so many fans worldwide.

These fans would surely roast the Academy members alive if they shut their eyes to the impact that The Lord of the Rings created in the history of cinema.

The Lord of the Rings deserved the Best Director and Best Picture Awards, especially when the Academy Awards had snubbed them since 2001.

The Lord of the Rings had 11 nominations, and it also won 11 categories. The movie was the biggest winner that night.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Stone had 5 nominations, but unfortunately, the movie won nothing.

As for the other movies that got nominated, the best they could win was one or two categories.

Kazir left the ceremony after that. He didn't bother attending the after-party.

In fact, Pirates of the Caribbean also had an after-party despite winning nothing. However, Kazir already predicted that the party wouldn't be lively. Perhaps only some people would attend.

Some reporters stalked Kazir to the parking lot, asking him why Angelina Jolie didn't attend the Academy Awards with him. Kazir didn't answer them and entered his car instead... He didn't answer them because he also didn't know the answer. The contact between the two ceased after that.

Both of them had pride, and they couldn't swallow their pride to call one another.

The reporters couldn't get an answer from him. The car left the place.

.........

......

...

Kazir knew that he had to adjust the plot of some movies to accommodate them into the Continental Cinematic Universe. It was a decision he had to make.

One of the movies was obviously The Fast and the Furious franchise. This franchise was worth more than a billion dollars in his past life. He knew the potential of this franchise. So he intentionally added it to the CCU, even buying the magazine article that was based on the first movie, just to make sure that he would be safe from a lawsuit.

Knowing the potential of Fast and the Furious, Kazir also knew the weakness of this franchise.

To be precise, the second and third movies of Fast and the Furious.

The second had a strong connection since Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) and Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) were part of the overall franchise. However, its plot didn't connect much to the CCU.

As for the third movie, which was titled Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, this movie basically had no connection at all. Except for Han Lue's (Sung Kang) and Dom Toretto's (Vin Diesel) short cameo at the end of the movie.

Kazir couldn't deny that Han Lue's death in Tokyo Drift created a massive plot for the franchise to take advantage of. He also liked how it connected Tokyo Drift to the overall plot.

But Kazir was not impressed. In his opinion, he had to erase Tokyo Drift in the CCU since this movie had no relevance at all... The movie showed the true definition of street racing though.

At first, Fast and the Furious was all about racing until it became sci-fi shit about cars going to outer space. Tokyo Drift showed the true essence of Fast and the Furious, which was street racing.

So instead, Kazir decided to make Fast and the Furious 2, also known as 2 Fast 2 Furious, revolve around Brian O'Connor and his new partner Roman Pearce unraveling the secret of a cartel that was working with the High Table... Yeah, Kazir was having a mental block. He couldn't deny it.

That was the reason why he hired a team of writers anyway. He understood his ability very well. Making stories out of scratch was not his forte.

As for Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, he had to skip this movie. Its relevance to the Fast and the Furious franchise was small. Its relevance to the CCU was smaller... Unless he could come up with a unique plot that would make Tokyo Drift relevant.

By the way, the theme song of Tokyo Drift was actually fire... A factor that Kazir was reluctant to erase.

Kazir already gave the director position to Justin Lin to take care of the Fast and the Furious franchise. The Taiwanese director was happy. Having steady projects in Hollywood was not that easy, especially for someone like him who didn't have any foothold in the industry.

2 Fast 2 Furious already started filming eight months ago, and the project is in the post-production stage. Even the promotion was ongoing, with the help of 20th Century Fox.

The movie was expected to be released in April. 20th Century Fox was the distributor of the movie, but it didn't mean that they had to prioritize 2 Fast 2 Furious.

After all, 20th Century Fox also had its own movies to release. Furthermore, the Fox management was disappointed that Kazir formed a cooperation with Warner Brothers. Perhaps this was their way of getting revenge. Putting 2 Fast 2 Furious on a non-popular schedule such as April.

To be fair, April was not that bad. It was the last month of the school year, so cinemas were already lively at that time.

++++

[I have a good news. Steel Ball Run Anime had been announced! We gonna see Gyro spinning balls!! Let's gooo!!]

[I have another good news regarding Tokyo Drift, I changed my opinion at the lasted chapter in my Patreon and Ko-fi. As for what it is specifically, I won't spoil it.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 399


20th Century Fox had their reasons for putting 2 Fast 2 Furious in April instead of a more popular schedule.

The Day After Tomorrow, a disaster movie produced by 20th Century Fox, was scheduled for release in May. The promotion was intensifying. Sci-fi disaster movies were very popular. A lot of people loved watching them and making theories about events that could destroy the planet.

So 20th Century Fox was obviously putting more effort into that movie, scheduling it for the first month of summer. They couldn't afford to release 2 Fast 2 Furious in the same month of May, as it could affect The Day After Tomorrow's box office.

"Deep Impact, 2012, Armageddon. Even Independence Day, War of the Worlds, and Godzilla are recognized as disaster movies. These films all made a lot of money at the box office alone."

Kazir muttered while working on some documents.

Disaster movies were profitable, and 20th Century Fox wanted to cash in on The Day After Tomorrow. A story where a second Ice Age attacks the planet and covers the world in ice, snow, and blizzards.

In June, 20th Century Fox also had another movie lined up. It was Garfield: The Movie... Do I have to explain it?

Garfield could attract children and teenagers to watch the movie. Families would love it for their kids. Surely, another profitable movie.

In July, 20th Century Fox planned to release I, Robot, starring Will Smith. I, Robot was a story about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence toward humanity. With Will Smith, an actor who had strong box office appeal, as the male lead, the movie was expected to make a profit.

As for August, the last month of summer, 20th Century Fox would release Alien vs. Predator. The success of the CCU forced 20th Century Fox to come up with this project. A battle between two dangerous creatures from outer space. The idea was interesting, and surely, people would buy tickets to watch it.

Honestly, the movie lineup this year was promising. 20th Century Fox was cooking well this year.

Grey Pictures might be part of 20th Century Fox, but the company would prioritize its own projects. Naturally, they would give the best schedules to their own movies.

Since 2 Fast 2 Furious was scheduled for April, then Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2 would be released in either September or October.

These two schedules had already been planned last year based on the completion dates of the two CCU movies. That's just how business worked.

"Perhaps some people may believe that 20th Century Fox is sabotaging the CCU, but that's not true. CCU has enough influence to make money in unpopular months. We've already proven that many times."

In fact, Taken was released in September and grossed over $500 million.

As for the grudge that 20th Century Fox was holding, Kazir had an idea on how to fix the relationship.

Kazir was known as a talented director. All the movies he directed were box-office successes. Even his three old horror movies were now popular in the DVD and rental markets.

However, Kazir was also famous for being a great screenwriter. The scripts he wrote were all profitable.

"Tom Rothman might hate me because I decided to work with Warner Brothers, but surely his hatred will disappear once he reads these scripts."

The documents Kazir was reviewing were scripts he planned to sell to 20th Century Fox at a reasonable price, lower than the market rate.

Everything was an enemy in front of money. But everything was also a friend in front of money.

As long as money was on the table, Tom Rothman would easily forgive Kazir. The director was confident of that.

His value was high enough for that to happen.

"I can't believe I'm going to sell this kind of script. Well, they're not mine anyway... I just copied them." He sighed.

Final Destination.

Paranormal Activity.

300.

Two of the scripts were from the horror genre, while the remaining one was an epic based on comics/history.

Kazir felt like it was time to take a step forward. He didn't want to be a coward anymore. He was tired of hiding.

This was his first move in the horror genre after so many years, the genre he ran away from.

"One day, I'll film a horror movie and face my fear."

Final Destination never happened in this timeline because Kazir had been holding onto the script. Now, he wanted to sell it to 20th Century Fox.

These three movies didn't need large budgets. As long as 20th Century Fox understood how the filming worked, they wouldn't have to spend much.

"Hmm, now that I think about it, Tobey Maguire can be the protagonist of the first Final Destination. He fits the character."

Kazir liked Tobey and wanted to help the actor.

"What Tobey needs is to change his image. Horror movies can give him that. As long as Tobey won't be compared to Peter Parker, then it's a success."

Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man left a strong impression on everyone and it destroyed Tobey's career in exchange. He needed a transition. Final Destination could be the key to helping Tobey move his career forward.

"I'll recommend it to Fox later."

There was a knock on the door, and Kazir stopped talking to himself...

"The door's open."

"Sir, are you looking for me?"

Erica entered the office.

Kazir passed the documents to her.

"I want you to personally send this to Tom Rothman's office. These are scripts, and they're confidential."

"I understand."

Erica placed the documents in a manila envelope and nodded seriously.

"You can end your work for today once you've delivered the envelope to Tom Rothman."

"Thanks, sir." Erica's eyes lit up with excitement.

……….

……

...

An hour later, Kazir received a call from Tom Rothman.

"As expected, Tom can't ignore it. Not when I gave him a delicious treat."

The director smirked before answering the call. Grey Pictures wasn't so simple anymore. Even the CEO/Chairman of 20th Century Fox would personally call him.

++++++

[I will post another chapter later so that we can reach the 400th chapter today.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 400


Kazir's script was expensive. Yet despite being expensive, many production companies would happily buy his scripts with open hands.

For film companies, Kazir's scripts were equivalent to profit.

A few years ago, The Hangover and Napoleon Dynamite ended their trilogies respectively. It was estimated that both movies had a valuation of more than $1 billion, based on their box office earnings, videotape/DVD sales, and broadcasting rights.

Even now, TV networks all over the globe are paying Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox top dollar just to get the chance to broadcast The Hangover and Napoleon Dynamite. It was a constant source of income.

Just the idea of having a $1 billion-worth movie franchise was so fragrant. Surely, the Big Six and other studios wouldn't be cheap when it came to paying Kazir the money he was worth.

Last time, Lionsgate contacted Kazir to buy Now You See Me and The Expendables. The two sides struck a business deal.

Lionsgate successfully bought Now You See Me. As for The Expendables, this franchise could easily fit into the Continental Cinematic Universe, no explanation needed. Kazir didn't want to sell The Expendables. He was just waiting for the right time to hire Sylvester Stallone and the other action stars at a lower salary. In short, he was waiting for the old action stars to get washed up.

Back in the '80s and early '90s, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger could command a salary of more than $20 million per movie... Kazir was not insane enough to hire them at that amount.

In fact, an old actor contacted him a few months ago. Harrison Ford expressed his interest in being a part of the CCU. Harrison Ford was actually one of the actors who auditioned for the role of John Wick, but Kazir chose Viggo Mortensen instead.

Anyway, Kazir wanted to use his scripts to make a truce with 20th Century Fox.

"I'm glad we settled our differences that quickly." Kazir shook hands with Tom Rothman.

The two had just signed the contract.

"Come on, Kazir. I will never hate you. You are my friend, haha! By the way, Carl from Blue Sky Studio wants to meet you. He wants to talk about Kung Fu Panda."

"Of course."

The business transaction didn't last long. Both parties wanted to close the contract as soon as possible.

Tom Rothman understood that once the other studios heard Kazir was selling some scripts, they would start acting fast and compete to buy them.

Kazir sold the script for Now You See Me to Lionsgate for $11 million.

But for 20th Century Fox, Kazir sold the three scripts for $5 million each. Meaning, 20th Century Fox paid him $15 million.

20th Century Fox didn't think twice. They immediately bought them, knowing the market value of these scripts. They understood that this was Kazir's goodwill. They gladly accepted his goodwill.

With no further ado, the contract was formed.

"Kazir, what do you think we should film first? I think Paranormal Activity seems kind of interesting... Hmm, 300 is also not bad, but I'm not sure about your idea of making it in a complete 3D background," Tom gave his opinion.

20th Century Fox couldn't start filming three projects at once. They had to study the profitability first before giving the go-ahead.

"I think Final Destination is a good start."

"I'll take note of that. You said Tobey Maguire fits the male lead. We'll invite him once the project starts. As for the director…"

"Tom, don't give me that look. You know I'm busy."

"Haha, of course, of course. We'll look for a director instead."

Tom laughed out loud, but his expression turned serious again.

"Kazir, you signed a contract with Warner Brothers to direct a trilogy. When will you do one for us?"

"…"

Kazir knew that this conversation would come. 20th Century Fox was only the distributor of Grey Pictures' movies. They never acquired any copyrights. Even the upcoming MCU was not owned by 20th Century Fox.

So this time, they wanted Kazir to also direct a trilogy for them, and it should be fully owned by 20th Century Fox. Of course, salary was not a problem. Kazir was worth hiring, after all.

"Once I'm free, I'll work for you."

"Oh God, when will that happen? Your schedule is packed for five freaking years."

………

……

...

March had just passed by and Kazir was getting close to completing the post-production of Spider-Man 2.

At the same time, the advertisement for 2 Fast 2 Furious intensified. The movie trailer aired on TV channels, billboards, and movie posters were all over the place.

The cast of the movie also attended many TV shows and interviews. It was hectic, and the premiere day arrived.

At the TCL Chinese Theater, a red carpet was laid out. Celebrities showed up one by one, and the fans were so enthusiastic. Most of the fans were wearing tuxedos. This had become the standard uniform of the CCU fans, derived from the uniform of Grey Fans.

+++++

[Author's Note: Congratulations to me, I guess. I started writing this novel in March 2023. I didn't expect that I would reach 400 chapters. At first, I just wrote HWI as an experiment. I never thought of pursuing this novel that much.]

[I also didn't expect that HWI would be the novel that would help me the most. This novel helped me pay my younger brother's college tuition, helped me build a new roof for our house (this means a lot because our country experiences a lot of typhoons), pay bills, and helped me put food on the table. I'm thankful for all of you guys. I'll do my best to give you a great story, even though sometimes I'm absent and depressed. I appreciate all your support.]

[By the way, I'm having the urge to write another story, and it's about a Talent Agent this time. Although it's an original universe, it's heavily inspired by Hollywood. It's still all in my head, but the plot is already clear. I just have to put it into words.]

[Update: I've already written 19 chapters but it's in haitus since I'm lazy as fuck.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 401


April 1, 2004. It was late at night, yet some theaters were still busy because of the people who wanted to watch a movie.

April was not a popular month for movie releases, but that didn't mean there would be no audience at all.

Besides, the movie that was set to be released tonight was a CCU movie. One of the most anticipated films of the year.

CCU catered more to the male population, so most of the people in the cinemas were men. Although, some women also stayed up all night to buy tickets.

.........

......

...

Some paparazzi on the red carpet kept yelling and asking him about Angelina Jolie.

After all, this was the first time Kazir attended a premiere without Angelina, so some people were naturally curious about it.

Unfortunately, Kazir didn't know how to answer the question. The two had ceased communication after the Academy Awards announced its nominations.

Deep inside, Kazir understood that both of them had differences, and it seemed like it was difficult to compromise. They couldn't find the perfect answer because both of them wanted something the other didn't like.

He decided to act deaf. He didn't look at the reporters who kept asking him for gossip.

There were rumors that Kazir and Angelina broke up, and this story spread to every corner of Hollywood. The two stopped appearing in public together, giving the media the idea that Kazir and Angelina were done.

Kazir didn't know how to define their current relationship. Perhaps they were indeed done.

Thankfully, the reporter from News Corporation understood the atmosphere and didn't ask him about Angelina.

Kazir entered the theater in a not-so-good mood. He did his best to control his expression.

He was greeted by the cast and important people from 20th Century Fox.

Surprisingly, Kazir also found Carl Ludwig in the theater. Carl was the producer of Kung Fu Panda. He also held a high position at Blue Sky Studio.

Carl was eager to talk to Kazir about the project. Perhaps that was the reason he attended the premiere… Erm, he was actually a fan of the CCU. Maybe he also wanted to watch the movie.

Kazir nodded at Carl, who was approaching him.

"Carl, let's talk tomorrow. I'll set up a schedule for us to have a conversation."

"Thanks, Kazir. I'm having a problem with the character designs of some characters, such as Tigress…"

Carl paused. He had also heard the rumors. Kazir was the one who recommended Angelina to voice Tigress in the movie. It seemed like that recommendation could backfire.

Kazir just smirked, while Carl became uncomfortable.

"Then… let's talk tomorrow," Carl excused himself.

Kazir found his seat, sat down, and sighed. Tonight's red carpet had been uncomfortable for him.

'Hopefully, the box office result can give me good news. We spent $130 million on this project overall, with half of it invested in promoting the movie.'

Their budget for each movie was increasing, and it was understandable. The salaries of the cast and director had doubled, while the overall expenses were also huge. They had to rent more than 100 cars for this movie alone. It also didn't help that inflation was getting worse.

After thinking about some stuff, the screening started as the lights went off. The ads for the upcoming movies were shown first. Movies such as Garfield and Alien vs. Predator caught the attention of the audience.

It was a standard procedure that before the movie began, movie trailers of upcoming films should be shown first.

Then, the logo of 20th Century Fox, along with its iconic music, echoed. After that came the logo of Grey Pictures.

.........

......

...

Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, a live-action movie based on the popular cartoon, had been released a week before April 1 and could be considered a rival of 2 Fast 2 Furious.

However, the first weekend of April was dominated by 2 Fast 2 Furious because there were no major movies released in the same week.

Scooby-Doo 2 and 2 Fast 2 Furious might have had some competition, but because of their different genres, the audience had the chance to appreciate both. Families with children under 13 would probably choose Scooby-Doo 2, while men and teenagers would choose 2 Fast 2 Furious.

April 2, Friday. The first 24 hours of 2 Fast 2 Furious grossed $21.25 million. Grey Pictures had grown numb to these results, to be honest. They felt like this kind of result was the norm whenever a CCU movie was released.

When Kazir heard the box office result, he decided to relax his mind and focus on talking to Carl about the problems Kung Fu Panda was facing, such as character designs and stunt choreography. Yes, even movies like Kung Fu Panda had stunt choreography.

April 3, Saturday. The movie made another $19.27 million.

On Sunday, April 4, the movie made another $22.13 million.

The first weekend of 2 Fast 2 Furious was a success, a term that had always been part of the CCU. After years of constant releases, it became a tradition for many people to watch at least one CCU movie per year.

Combining the sales from each day, the first weekend of 2 Fast 2 Furious grossed $62.65 million. That week, Kazir received another batch of congratulations.

++++

[Author's Note: This novel has reached chapter 576 in my Patreon. You
can check it out if you're interested.]

P@treon link: https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki