HOLLYWOOD WHAT IF

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 512

"You're so cute when you're angry."

"Hmph! I'm not gonna fall for your trick this time," Scarlett grumbled and started looking for Barbie toys. Kazir followed closely.

"Of course, I'm not blaming you. Most of the time, the reason why a movie fails is because of the wrong decisions the directors make. You're just an actress, all you can do is follow the script. You can't control how the movie will be created," Kazir tried to appease the woman.

"Besides, it's amazing that you got $2 million."

She gave him a playful glare. "I do know that I was blamed in that movie for being an emotionless actress who can't perform well."

"I'm sorry, I made a mistake."

Scarlett sighed and passed a box of Barbie dolls to Kazir. Her frustration was gone as she realized that she was actually being childish.

"I forgive you. I always will... Now make sure you make up for it," she added.

"Okay, cool. I'm gonna eat that thang later, okay, okay, I'm just joking." Kazir chuckled as he saw Scarlett glaring at him for making a dirty joke.

Kazir followed Scarlett while holding a few boxes of toys for little girls.

"Anyway, Paramount invited me to direct Transformers, but I'm kinda busy. However, they decided to adjust their schedule, hoping that I could direct Transformers," Kazir explained their meeting.

"If you didn't agree, Paramount Pictures would hire Michael Bay instead?" Scarlett giggled while looking at Kazir, who was doing his best carrying the toys.

"That's right. I have no problem with it. I already have a lot of projects to do."

"So what's your decision? Are you not interested in directing Transformers?" Scarlett asked. Based on Kazir's tone, it was obvious that he was interested in directing the movie.

Kazir paused after paying for the toys. He used cash again. He slightly smiled at Scarlett.

"At first, I was interested. I can see the potential in Transformers. It has the potential to make billions at the box office. Furthermore, Hasbro will pay top dollar just to hire a director like me... But I decided that it's not for me."

"But why?"

"Because I don't like Paramount Pictures. For now, I won't work with that studio."

Scarlett nodded and understood Kazir's reasoning.

When Kazir was in the hospital, getting treated for his injuries, Paramount Pictures was one of the studios that berated the director and tried to cause a scandal.

Paramount Pictures expressed that Kazir was an arrogant director who kicked out a poor extra, and he deserved what happened to him. Even Scarlett had been livid while listening to that news report.

Their team already filed lawsuits to those people but it would probably take a while for a result to happen. Everything comes down to who has more money.

Thankfully, Kazir had still been asleep when that news aired.

But based on Kazir's decision, it was obvious that he held a grudge against what Paramount Pictures did.

"I guess Paramount Pictures regrets what they did. Now they closed the negotiation before it even happened," Scarlett said, making fun of Paramount Pictures.

"I guess so."

They were not far from being right. As of now, Paramount Pictures felt like they had shot themselves in the foot after the revelation about the assassination attempt on Kazir. Even the public was making a mockery of Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney, Sony-Columbia, and Universal Pictures.

Kazir suddenly laughed.

"I just remembered something. It's so ironic that a few years ago, Sony-Columbia and 20th Century Fox protected me when the scandal involving Tobey Maguire and me spread. At that time, Warner Brothers was one of the studios that tried to destroy my career. But now it's the complete opposite, Warner Brothers is protecting me while Sony-Columbia is lashing out at me."

It was all about benefits. For now, Walt Disney could see the benefit of helping Kazir, so the studio did its best to protect him.

There were no eternal enemies or allies in this industry, everyone was doing it for their own benefit. The industry itself was a hypocritical system filled with lies, yet people couldn't help but adore Show Business. Many wouldn't hesitate to sell their souls just to become celebrities. Honestly, some famous people indeed had sold their souls, ahem, such as the people related to Diddy.

"If Paramount Pictures tries to invite me again after this incident, I'll give them a massive middle finger."

Kazir was not some weakling that the Big Six could bully, not anymore. He could determine his own future without bowing his head.

As for Transformers, unfortunately, Kazir decided to drop that project from his hands. If Paramount Pictures decided to hire Michael Bay, so be it.

But since the release of Transformers was delayed, Kazir was not sure if the movie would experience the same success as in the original timeline.

..........

.......

...

Scarlett and Kazir returned to the United States in the last week of July. Kazir had a premiere to attend around this time, so their vacation only lasted one month. Furthermore, Kazir had to start the post-production of The Dark Knight. Once Kazir stepped on American soil, his mind immediately shifted back to work-related matters. Despite the incident, it was fortunate that some things never changed.

While Kazir was gone, movies such as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Hairspray, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and The Simpsons Movie were released in theaters.

20th Century Fox was the distributor of Grey Pictures' movies, but Fox also couldn't disregard their own projects. Because of that, Grey Pictures' movies were usually released in late July, August, or September, depending on the schedule.

This time, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum would be released on July 31, Tuesday. A rare date to release a movie. The promotion was in full force: tabloids, billboards, and movie trailers were almost everywhere.

+++++

[Author's Note.]

[Since most readers prefer Ninja Assassin, I decided to say no to Transformers. Besides, Kazir and Paramount Pictures are not on good terms, so yeah, I decided to write it down.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 513

On July 31, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End grossed over $361 million at the North American box office after 70 days of screening. The movie also grossed $423 million internationally.

The franchise achieved massive success internationally following the outstanding performance of the second movie last year. Since then, the franchise has gained millions of fans all over the world.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl grossed $650 million when it was released in 2003. At that time, it was considered a miracle since pirate movies were typically regarded as box office failures.

Last year, in 2006, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest grossed over $1.06 billion. It was a worldwide success that launched an amazing franchise beloved by people everywhere.

And now, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End has grossed $784 million... No one would deny that the third installment of the franchise would gross over $1 billion. Because from the looks of it, the movie would indeed surpass the $1 billion mark.

So far, Kazir has made four movies that grossed $1 billion at the box office. They were Wanted, Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and Shadows Beneath... No one could replicate what he did. Perhaps only people like Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, and Michael Bay could follow in his footsteps, as these four directors had strong selling factors in their filmographies.

Anyway, despite this good news, Kazir had complicated thoughts regarding the success of Pirates of the Caribbean... He was unsure if he should sell the franchise or perhaps milk it until it was dry and dirty.

At first, Kazir wanted to keep the copyrights since it was a successful franchise. But the tragedy he experienced left him traumatized.

The police concluded that Aquino held a grudge against Kazir because he didn't include his performance in the final cut, which was sort of useless, by the way. After all, Aquino only had a 2-second scene where he was walking and carrying a box. That was it. Fucking not relevant at all.

Because of what he suffered, Kazir felt like Pirates of the Caribbean would always remind him of that terrible experience, and for the sake of his mental health, he considered selling it. By doing that, they would lose most rights regarding merchandise sales and other peripherals.

"I gotta talk to Stella and the management regarding this... But they will probably be against selling such a gold mine."

The best compromise they could reach was that Kazir wouldn't direct the sequels, and Pirates of the Caribbean would be shelved for a few years. They wouldn't film another installment until perhaps 2011.

"What are you thinking?" Scarlett sensed that Kazir was deep in thought and worried it was about the incident a month ago.

Kazir chuckled and shook his head.

"It's nothing. I'm thinking of Pirates of the Caribbean. I wonder what the next step should be."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're the best director in Hollywood, after all."

Hearing his girlfriend's praise, Kazir couldn't help but laugh. Indeed, everyone recognized him as the best director. Not even the newcomer Christopher Nolan, the once-a-decade James Cameron, nor the explosion addict Michael Bay could be compared to him. Kazir was at the top of the filmmaking industry.

Even if Kazir suffered a career-ending scandal and lost everything, studios would still hire him because of his profitability. His name alone was enough to attract audiences to buy tickets.

"Thanks."

Kazir held Scarlett's hand.

The two were in a limousine, on their way to the red carpet for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.

Tonight was a busy night for them as the premiere would be filled with avid fans ready to watch another action-packed movie.

Then, the two reached their destination. They already saw people lining up and reporters snapping pictures at the limousine, waiting for the next celebrities to show up.

Kazir was the first to open his door and extended his hand to Scarlett, who followed after grabbing his hand.

Another deafening cheer echoed as the two walked the red carpet, quite literally.

The scene was spectacular. Fans lined the streets, screaming and waving posters and pictures of the cast, particularly Viggo Mortensen with his iconic long hair and beard.

Kazir and Scarlett, fresh from their vacation in Italy, stood at the center of this applause. They were calm and composed as they followed standard procedure. They had attended movie premieres so many times that they were accustomed to what to do. Still, they had to admit that every CCU red carpet was always hype and energetic.

After posing for pictures, the couple reached the next stage, interviews.

"Director, does the assassination attempt make you think of how to respect your employees better?"

A very bold question, but not surprising. Of course, interviewers loved asking scandalous questions that could trigger celebrities. At this point, this was the career path of most reporters and paparazzi. They loved making celebrities mad so they could make money off it.

Kazir smiled at the reporter who asked the question. He nodded.

"Yes."

One word, but it could imply many things.

"What do you mean, yes?"

Kazir didn't bother answering because Scarlett pulled him away from the scene. She glared at the reporter before walking off.

Kazir was still suffering mentally from the incident, and that low-class reporter decided to remind him of that terrible experience. Of course, anyone close to Kazir would be angry.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 514

Scarlett was fuming as she held Kazir's hand. The two went to the theater, and Scarlett was clearly in a bad mood.

Kazir smiled slightly. He realized that the woman cared about him.

"Those hyenas, they ask anything just to get a reaction."

Hyenas, vultures, parasites, names that could describe paparazzi and low-class reporters. Sometimes, they would ask about topics not even related to the celebrity, such as politics, gender studies, race, and religion. Why did they even have to ask an actor about gender studies and race? It had no connection to the movie at all.

Scarlett stomped her feet, and Kazir couldn't help but laugh. He was not offended by what the reporter asked. It wasn't that deep.

"It's fine. Let's just focus on watching John Wick. The fans are excited to see the movie."

This time, it was Kazir who took Scarlett's hand and led her to their seats.

.........

......

...

The plot of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum was almost the same as the original, although some CCU scenes were added.

If there was something that caught people off guard, it was Winston's "betrayal" in the last part of the movie. Winston shot John Wick, which caused John to fall from the building… Honestly, it was a miracle that John Carter survived. As expected of the Baba Yaga.

One thing was certain, the fans loved the movie. They kept chanting John Wick's name as they came out of the theaters.

When the first 24 hours ended, John Wick: Chapter 3 grossed $36 million. It wasn't a surprise. This was the average performance of CCU movies. If anything was surprising, it was the fact that the figure was lower than expected. The last three movies that Grey Pictures released each grossed over $1 billion. So it was a bit surprising that John Wick: Chapter 3 only grossed $36 million on its first day.

Perhaps it was because the excitement had ended with Kingsman: The Secret Service. The protagonists defeated a strong organization, and thus, the fans were less excited to watch the latest movie.

Also, Bryan Mills died in Kingsman: The Secret Service, so many fans were still mourning.

Anyway, $36 million was a huge amount of money no matter what angle you looked at it.

Five more days passed, and it was now August 5, Sunday. John Wick: Chapter 3 had grossed $133 million after five days of screening.

It was a success for everyone who worked on the project. The budget for the movie was only $75 million, plus a $25 million budget for advertising. Overall, Grey Pictures spent around $100 million on John Wick: Chapter 3. In just five days, the movie had already surpassed its production cost, and anything beyond $100 million would be profit.

Everyone knew this was just the beginning of John Wick: Chapter 3's performance. The movie would surely make more money.

Within the same week (August 1–5), Underdog was released. It was a superhero movie about a dog. The movie was produced by Walt Disney… The studio was desperate to make relevant live-action movies. Unfortunately, Underdog was easily beaten by John Wick: Chapter 3.

Underdog only grossed $11 million in the same week that John Wick: Chapter 3 was released. This $25 million movie lost to John Wick: Chapter 3. It couldn't compete against the CCU movie, which had a steady fanbase that watched it daily.

If there were movies that could threaten John Wick: Chapter 3's domination of August, they were probably Rush Hour 3 and Mr. Bean's Holiday. These two were the big movies scheduled for release in August.

However, analysts believed that John Wick: Chapter 3 had a higher chance of earning more than Rush Hour 3 and Mr. Bean's Holiday, since CCU movies averaged $500 million at the box office.

Just like that, days passed, and it was now August 12. Within the same week, Rush Hour 3 was released and it grossed $49 million… The movie had only been in theaters for three days. Compared to John Wick: Chapter 3, Rush Hour 3 had a better opening weekend.

As for John Wick: Chapter 3, the movie made another $79 million, bringing its total to $212 million at the North American box office. Despite having a weaker first-three-day performance compared to Rush Hour 3, John Wick: Chapter 3 was still making steady money.

Another week passed, and it was August 19.

Underdog grossed $31 million.

Rush Hour 3 grossed $87 million.

John Wick: Chapter 3 grossed $256 million. Also, the movie was released internationally in many major countries, earning another $92 million.

Another week passed, and it was now August 26.

Mr. Bean's Holiday was released and grossed $9 million… This comedy couldn't compete against John Wick: Chapter 3.

As of August 26, John Wick: Chapter 3 had grossed $281 million. Additionally, the international box office reached $172 million. That made John Wick: Chapter 3's total gross over $453 million after 27 days of screening… That was a great performance.

Based on statistics and common sense, John Wick: Chapter 3 dominated the month of August and was the movie that earned the most money.

Grey Pictures celebrated this success, and Kazir had to take some time out of the editing room, as he had spent almost a month in post-production for The Dark Knight… He had to talk to Heath Ledger for the nth time this month.

When the dubbing of lines started, Kazir decided to talk to Heath Ledger more often to keep the man lively… Unfortunately, Kazir was not the outgoing type, so he wasn't sure if his methods were effective. One thing was certain, Heath Ledger was still affected by the heavy role of the Joker.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 515

The success of John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum brought happiness to Grey Pictures, of course. They worked hard to produce a high-quality movie and hoped that it would bring them profit. Even though John Wick: Chapter 3 had a lower performance compared to the last three movies they produced, it was still undoubtedly a huge amount of money.

So far, the movie had already grossed $600 million worldwide at the box office after 50 days of screening. At the same time, the summer season had ended more than two weeks ago, and the major studios hadn't released any huge movies except Resident Evil: Extinction and The Game Plan.

While the September days rolled on, and some people were asking to be woken up once September ended, Kazir focused his time on the post-production of The Dark Knight.

Kazir attended the dubbing sessions of the cast and listened to how they delivered their lines. Sometimes, due to poor audio recording, the cast had to re-record their lines in a cleaner version.

Hence, Kazir spent time with the cast. He also had the chance to talk to Heath Ledger. They even had a drink together at a bar that Kazir loved to visit.

Knowing the future, Kazir was worried about the impending doom that could happen to Heath Ledger.

Kazir understood that he was not a superhero, and he wasn't exactly a good person either. He followed his own set of morals. If doing good things endangered him, he wouldn't do them. Examples: preventing 9/11 and saving Princess Diana.

Once in a while, Kazir wondered whether things might have changed for the better if he had saved Princess Diana or prevented 9/11... But he was just a human. And he was afraid of the consequences.

He didn't try to meet Princess Diana a few years ago nor save her... because he had an idea about the "people" who were behind her death. Everyone had an idea of what happened. So Kazir didn't want to be part of that complicated mess, because he could die if he tried.

As for preventing 9/11, Kazir could have contacted the CIA and told them that a group of people was planning to attack the country, but that could have cost him his career. These professional CIA agents could trace the message back to him. Also, he was afraid of being interrogated by the CIA.

There were also rumors that the CIA already had intel that a terrorist attack was coming, but they failed to prevent it. See, even the CIA knew about the impending doom but failed to stop it.

Also, if the information Kazir provided prevented Al Qaeda's terrorist act, there was a possibility that he would be assassinated the next day.

A single person like Kazir couldn't prevent some things from happening. He was not a god, after all.

Perhaps it was the wrong decision, but putting yourself first before others was not a bad thing. In this case, Kazir just placed more importance on his own life than the strangers who had no obvious connection to him.

So I'm going to ask you the same question: if you traveled back in time and became successful in your career, became a millionaire, and had a great loving family, would you endanger your life, your family, and your career just to prevent a tragedy?

Rich people can't get assassinated? Sorry but a CEO of an insurance company was assassinated so that statement was false.

Kazir had made his decision... But Heath Ledger was a different story. Heath Ledger didn't die from assassination or a terrorist attack. If Kazir saved Heath Ledger, no one would be mad at him or try to kill him.

So this time, Kazir decided to save someone's life. Besides, he was working in the entertainment industry, and this place was already far from his original timeline, so no worries about changing things.

While looking at the dozens of monitors, with editors cutting scenes, Kazir was thinking about Heath Ledger and his role in The Dark Knight as The Joker.

'Was Heath Ledger's role as The Joker one of the factors in his untimely death?' Kazir asked himself.

He also had an answer to his question.

The answer was yes.

The Joker was a role that placed a heavy burden on Heath Ledger's mental state. The role was mentally taxing. A crazy clown mass murderer who lacked empathy. For Heath to embody this role, he sometimes had to assimilate his mind with how The Joker thinks... It was a frightening experience, hence, Heath suffered and began experiencing sleep deprivation. This was a factor in why Heath relied heavily on sleeping medication.

Heath Ledger died from an overdose of prescribed painkillers, anti-anxiety drugs, and sleeping pills.

'However, Heath's role as The Joker is not the major reason he died. It's because he was too reliant on medications that he succumbed to death.'

Kazir concluded. Although The Joker was a factor, based on his recent interactions with Heath, he knew that Heath's mental state was strong and that he could overcome the role.

In fact, Heath Ledger was actually working on another project currently, which was The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

"Kazir, should we add this scene?"

The editor asked about the scene where The Joker pushed his head out of the car window to feel the wind. It showed his carefree attitude despite the abominations he had committed.

Kazir looked at the scene… He was still amazed at how Heath portrayed The Joker. Heath Ledger deserved the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor that he won… Unfortunately, he wasn't there to receive it. This time, Kazir decided to change the future so that he would witness the moment when Heath stood on the podium to accept the award.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 516


Alexa Nguyen was humming while fixing the robotic suit of Iron Man. She inspected the golden paint on the suit, making sure it wouldn't fall off during shooting... This was the fourth version of the suit because the first three versions didn't last long due to work-related issues.

She looked at the suit. It looked like a real metal robotic suit, but it was actually made of rubber and other lightweight materials. She nodded as she confirmed that the suit looked real.

Alexa was a student who studied at the California Institute of the Arts and hoped to become an actress. She finished college and worked in the industry...

Unfortunately, she couldn't find jobs as an actress because of her appearance. The best she could get were nameless extra roles that placed her in the background.

In this industry, appearance was the biggest factor in determining whether an actress would become famous or not... Most of these actresses were gorgeous, fit, and young.

Only a few female actresses failed to meet the three criteria and still became successful, such as Whoopi Goldberg, Tilda Swinton, Barbra Streisand, and others... No offense, just a personal opinion. We could also add Ellen DeGeneres to that list, considering the talk show host has some questionable conduct.

As for why Hollywood prefers beautiful, fit, and young women, the answer lies in beauty standards. The media pushes some impossible beauty ideals that people believe to be real. They don't know that actresses and female models often have to starve themselves just to maintain their figure.

Anyway, Alexa didn't pass the criteria for becoming an actress. It wasn't because of her race, just the simple fact that she was not blessed in the beauty department.

After years of failure trying to become an actress, Alexa couldn't let go of her dream of working in Hollywood. She decided to work as a costume designer instead.

After years of hard work, she found herself hired by Marvel Studios as the costume designer for Iron Man's suit.

To be honest, Alexa had read a few comics, but she had never heard of Iron Man before. Because of her job, however, she read a few comic volumes just to understand the character's design.

One thing she realized while looking at Iron Man's appearance in older comics, his original version was wacky as hell. He looked like a walking medicine capsule, red on top and yellow at the bottom. She cringed while looking at Iron Man's old design.

Thankfully, Iron Man's appearance in the newer comics looked much better. This was also the design Alexa followed while improving the suit's visual aesthetics. Marvel Studios had already started releasing a newer version of Iron Man a few years ago as preparation for the upcoming MCU.

Filming for Iron Man was ongoing, and the management had hired an ex-convict to play the protagonist, something that surprised Alexa. This was her biggest job so far, so she wanted it to succeed. She was skeptical at first when she heard that Robert Downey Jr., an actor who went to prison, would play Tony Stark.

However, when Alexa met the actor, she realized that Robert was more approachable than his co-star, Terrence Howard. Alexa had a few conversations with Robert. Their topics were mostly about the suits, the costumes' comfort, and how to improve them.

To be fair, most celebrities were arrogant, so Robert was a refreshing experience for Alexa. She even had a delusional classmate who bragged that she was Kazir Grey's sister. At least arrogant celebrities had a valid reason to be arrogant unlike that bitch.

Anyway, based on what she heard, Robert Downey Jr. was actually recommended by Kazir Grey to star as Tony Stark. Some people in Marvel Studio's management were against it, but Kazir was one of the leaders of the MCU, alongside Avi Arad and Stan Lee. Also, Kazir was the best director in Hollywood, so the management decided to trust him.

They cast Robert Downey Jr. as the billionaire Tony Stark. Of course, Marvel Comics made sure that Robert wouldn't use any drugs while working on Iron Man, a clause that was written into the contract. If Robert failed to comply, he would have to pay damages to Marvel Comics and would be fired.

So far, Robert was doing well in his job. In fact, his acting as Tony Stark was superb.

People believed that the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a huge project that 20th Century Fox, Marvel Studios, and Grey Pictures were working on together, would prosper.

Aside from Iron Man, Marvel Studios was also working on another project: The Incredible Hulk. The studio had hired Mark Ruffalo to play Bruce Banner.

If Iron Man was somewhat of a nobody in comic popularity, then Hulk was a famous comic character that many people already knew.

These two superheroes would serve as the audience's introduction to the MCU... Marvel Studios spent millions on these two projects, hoping to turn the once-bankrupt company into a profitable one.

News Corporation and 20th Century Fox were expecting good news from them, and Marvel Studios' management couldn't help but feel nervous and pressured.

The DCEU that Warner Brothers was developing had already failed due to Superman and other factors, so the MCU didn't have a direct rival, except for the CCU, of course.

+++++

[I'm having trouble figuring out how to advance the plot, so I decided to use another character's POV. I also remembered that Iron Man is set to be released in 2008, so I decided to tackle it.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 517

While Alexa Nguyen was busy fixing the Iron Man suit, she heard that a small commotion was happening. She left the dressing room and saw some people murmuring.

"God, I hope I get his autograph this time! I heard that his autograph can be sold for $10,000. I even heard that the spoon he used at the cafeteria was sold for $50,000! Can you imagine that!?"

Alexa furrowed her brows as she listened. She wondered which celebrity would show up. She had read the cast list and already met most of them.

She had seen Terrence Howard. The actor was a celebrity through and through, and Alexa didn't dare talk to him, he was unapproachable.

As for Gwyneth Paltrow... Alexa was scared of her.

Aside from Tony Stark and Jeff Bridges (the antagonist of Iron Man), Alexa hadn't had any interaction with the cast. Her job was to design the armor suits for Iron Man and Iron Monger. She was a costume designer.

"Gosh, I want to meet him. I heard he's so super handsome even though he's in his late 30s. I'd ride that hot body despite the age gap--!"

Alexa heard one of the young female makeup artists squeal in excitement. She became curious about the person they were talking about.

Suddenly, the conversation stopped and a tall man walked into view. It was Director Kazir Grey.

Kazir, along with his four bodyguards, Erica included, showed up at the Iron Man studio.

Alexa was surprised. She was a big fan of Director Grey! Just like the others, she admitted that Director Grey exuded strong sex appeal to the opposite gender. It didn't help that he was tall, handsome, and fucking rich.

Kazir walked through the hallway and saw people greeting him. He had no idea who they were since this crew was mostly under Jon Favreau's team. Jon Favreau was the director of Iron Man. He was also part of the cast. He played Happy Hogan, Tony Stark's bodyguard.

Kazir stopped walking when he recognized an Asian woman.

"...Are you Alexa Nguyen?"

"Yes? Ah, yes! Yes, that's right!" Alexa was surprised that Kazir recognized her.

"If I remember correctly, we met at the dinner party after the premiere of John Wick: Chapter 2 a few years ago."

"That's right! I was one of the lucky fans who got the chance to meet you after the premiere."

Alexa was so excited that she smiled.

"So, you're also working in movie production."

"I'm the costume designer for Iron Man."

"Wow, that's amazing."

Alexa slightly blushed.

"Well, since I also work on the MCU, perhaps we'll meet again." Kazir excused himself and his entourage followed.

Once Kazir was gone, the people around Alexa started interrogating her about how she met the director.

"Autograph? Yes, I have an autograph from Director Grey from a few years ago. No, I'm not going to sell it." She answered their questions as best she could.

.........

......

...

Kazir was sipping tea... He had decided to stop drinking coffee and go with a healthier lifestyle. He was influenced by Scarlett and Stella Willow.

He was reading some documents related to Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. He glanced at Stan Lee, who was sitting across the table.

"At first, I was skeptical of your decision, but based on what I've seen, Robert Downey Jr. fits the role of Tony Stark perfectly. I'm glad we followed your recommendation."

"Stan, just like you, I want the MCU to succeed."

"Of course."

Robert Downey Jr. went to prison because of drug-related crimes. He was arrested several times during his career. After that depressing arc, Robert had a hard time finding work in Hollywood.

His role in Iron Man was his first big role in years, and he didn't want to mess it up. He signed a contract stating that he wouldn't touch drugs while working on Iron Man, which would last for a year. Also, if he was involved in any scandal that could negatively affect the movie, he would have to pay damages. It was a tough contract, but Robert signed it nonetheless.

"What about the other cast members?"

"Well, Gwyneth Paltrow is nice. She's playing her role right. As for Terrence Howard, he's also a great actor, no, he's a fantastic actor... But I have a feeling that he'll ask for a higher salary in the next movie," Stan Lee sighed.

Kazir remained silent.

He had been against casting Terrence Howard. He knew what happened in the original timeline. Terrence didn't appear in the second movie due to a dispute, and Don Cheadle was recast in his place.

However, due to management disagreements, connections, and social networking, Terrence Howard was cast. It didn't help that Kazir had been busy with The Dark Knight when the decision was made.

20th Century Fox and Marvel Studios held a grudge because they didn't like that Kazir was working with DC, so perhaps this was a silent protest or act of treason... Now the production would suffer because of that decision.

Kazir looked at the documents and saw that, despite being the protagonist of Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. only received a salary of $500,000.

Terrence Howard received $3.5 million.

Gwyneth Paltrow received $750,000.

Jeff Bridges received $2 million.

See the difference? Despite being the face of Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. had the lowest salary among the four.

Since Kazir knew that Iron Man would be successful, Robert Downey Jr.'s salary would likely quadruple, at the very least... As for Terrence Howard, the actor would definitely not settle for less.

Kazir had an idea of what was going to happen. He bitterly smiled.

'If there's any good news, it's that this problem can be fixed since Marvel Studios managed it in the original timeline.'

Still, it was painful to see Kazir fail to prevent this issue. He did his best, but at the end of the day, some decision-makers were simply against him. Not everyone liked Kazir.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 518


It was true that Marvel Studios was owned by News Corporation, but most of its business was strongly related to and dependent on 20th Century Fox.

In fact, after Kazir signed a contract to lead the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, News Corporation slowly sold shares of Marvel to 20th Century Fox.

20th Century Fox saw this as an opportunity, so they acquired shares of the company. They now owned around 15% of Marvel Entertainment. As for Grey Pictures, more precisely, Kazir, he also had shares in Marvel. It was 6%, and he bought them.

Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios were under the larger company called Marvel Entertainment. Kazir and 20th Century Fox now held shares in the company.

Actually, Kazir was begged by the management to buy shares in the company because they were afraid he would leave the project if he didn't receive enough benefits... So yeah, they had to convince the director to buy shares so that Kazir would stay motivated to make the company successful.

Kazir happily agreed. Most of the shares were privately owned, and now he had a chance to buy them. Now that he had that opportunity, he might as well take advantage of their goodwill... He knew Marvel Entertainment's worth would skyrocket a decade from now.

News Corporation slowly let go of Marvel since they were focusing more on media-related businesses. Of course, they still held substantial shares. Rupert Murdoch was the major shareholder of Marvel.

Anyway, because of these benefits and selfish reasons, some people wanted to include their friends and acquaintances in this upcoming Cinematic Universe. One of the outcomes of that was the casting of Terrence Howard.

Kazir fought for Don Cheadle, but some people didn't like that, so Terrence was cast... for a salary of more than $2 million. In Kazir's opinion, it wasn't worth it.

Iron Man was just the start of their massive Cinematic Universe, and they couldn't afford to spend a huge amount of money on the cast. That's why Kazir preferred Don Cheadle, he was less expensive but a worthy casting because Don was a great actor and excelled in his role.

If there was any good news, it was the fact that Mark Ruffalo was cast as Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk. This change would help them a lot in the future. Kazir knew how important this change was... He was the only one who knew about the original MCU.

'If the fans in the original timeline heard of what I did, they'd probably be happy since I correctly connected The Incredible Hulk to the MCU.'

He recalled that when he first watched The Avengers, he was confused as to whether Mark Ruffalo's Hulk was the same as The Incredible Hulk. The actor was different!! Even the kids were confused.

At that time, he hoped they would have kept the original actor, which was Edward Norton... But Kazir changed his mind. Mark Ruffalo was easier to work with than Edward Norton.

Kazir fixed a problem that only he knew existed... He didn't receive thanks from anyone, as they were oblivious to the fact.

.........

......

...

Viggo Mortensen waved his hand while people cheered his name. He was in Australia. His name was quite famous in this region because of The Lord of the Rings. Viggo Mortensen was part of the cast of LOTR, he was Aragorn. The Lord of the Rings was filmed in New Zealand, a neighboring country to Australia.

Because The Lord of the Rings was famous in Australia, Viggo Mortensen received strong support while promoting his new movie, John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum.

Viggo's career had risen again after starring in this franchise. Even now, he was thankful that Director Grey had cast him as John Wick. He admitted that he was grateful, especially when he heard that Harrison Ford also auditioned for the role. He knew damn well he couldn't defeat Harrison Ford... Even now, the veteran was still more famous than him.

After John Wick, Viggo starred in The Lord of the Rings as Aragorn, and it was a huge success.

After that, Viggo starred in other movies, but he had to admit that his peak performances were probably as John Wick and Aragorn. Lately, Viggo had been trying to do drama movies. He wanted to stay away from action films.

Despite getting tired of action movies, he admitted that the pay wasn't bad, especially for his role as John Wick.

His salary for John Wick: Chapter 3 was $17 million. Currently, that was the biggest salary he had ever received. So even though he was tired of doing action movies, he had no intention of dropping the mantle of John Wick, since it was his way to maintain popularity and the salary was huge.

Sometimes he was curious why Liam Neeson let go of his role. Based on Bryan Mills' popularity, Grey Pictures had no problem extending the contract and paying him top dollar. Unfortunately, Liam Neeson said he was done and planned to work on new projects away from the CCU.

While people were cheering for him as he entered the car, his assistant passed him a newspaper. Viggo waved at the fans one last time before leaving the cinema.

He looked at the newspaper and smiled when he saw that John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum had grossed $582 million worldwide. Of course, he was happy that his movie was successful. It meant more status for him.

If there was one thing he regretted, it was that he couldn't get a cut of the box office. In the next movie, Viggo and his team would try to negotiate for a box office share deal. It didn't matter if it was a 5% North American box office share or smaller, that amount would still be huge.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 519

Truth be told, despite being one of the protagonists of the Continental Cinematic Universe, Viggo Mortensen didn't have a strong box-office appeal. His best roles were John Wick and Aragorn. His role in The Lord of the Rings was well-loved, but the franchise ended in a trilogy, and Viggo couldn't take advantage of that opportunity. His salary was also average at best when he took the role of Aragorn.

John Wick and The Lord of the Rings were well-known franchises, but they didn't catapult Viggo into stardom.

He heard that Peter Jackson was interested in starting J.R.R. Tolkien's series called The Hobbit. It was the prequel to The Lord of the Rings. Viggo was not sure if he would have a role in that franchise.

Despite being recognized as an action star because of John Wick and Aragorn, Viggo only had an average salary of $4.5 million per movie... which was not bad, no matter how people looked at it. Still, it was smaller compared to his salary in John Wick: Chapter 3, which was $17 million. He was the star of this franchise, so obviously, he made a lot of money.

Honestly, Viggo had no problem with that amount. But if he could earn more, why not?

So, in the next installment of John Wick, Viggo wanted a box office share. Was it a bad decision or not? Did he deserve it?

The answers depended on the parties involved. Grey Pictures wouldn't like it, but Viggo and his agency would absolutely love it.

'For now, I should look for scripts that interest me. I heard that some directors want to compete for the Academy Awards. Maybe I can work with them.'

Being an actor, Viggo obviously wanted to win the Best Actor Award. Every actor in Hollywood dreamed of that at least once in their lives. For that, actors had to star in artistic films... He might have to go for the role of a mentally unstable person to win the Best Actor Award. After all, the members of the Academy Awards loved that kind of character.

While he was contemplating and reading the newspaper, the assistant next to him handed him a phone that was ringing.

"Sir, it's Martin."

Martin was Viggo's agent. After Viggo's success, many agents were interested in representing him, and Martin got the part. Martin was from the United Talent Agency (UTA).

-- Viggo, I have interesting news. Maybe you want to hear it.

"Is it a script?"

The actor curiously asked as he heard his agent chuckling on the phone.

-- Yeah. Have you heard of Thor?

"Of course, he's from Norse mythology, right?"

-- No, haha, I'm not talking about that Thor... Well, yeah, I'm also talking about Norse mythology Thor. Anyway, the Thor I'm talking about is Thor from Marvel Comics.

Martin was not surprised that Viggo knew the Norse mythology Thor instead of Marvel Comics' Thor. After all, Marvel Comics' Thor was not that famous.

"You want me to audition for a superhero role?" Viggo immediately understood the agent's intention.

Viggo slightly frowned. To be honest, his opinion regarding superhero movies was not that great. Besides, he heard that Marvel Studios was making a Cinematic Universe. This superhero Thor was probably part of that. Viggo was already part of a Cinematic Universe, and he felt like working with another one would be troublesome.

-- I got a spot for the audition for you. I also have a copy of the script, it's not finalized, though. I'll fax it to you. If you're interested, call me. If not, then it's fine. If you get the role, we can easily make a contract of $15 million from the studio. They know your capabilities.

"Thanks, Martin."

Viggo just nodded. He was not sure about it... But we are talking about 8-digits here. Viggo had no problem starring in a "shitty" movie as long as the salary was worth it. A lot of actors could relate to that.

.........

......

...

Actually, Tom Cruise was the first choice that Marvel Studios wanted for the role of Tony Stark. They tried to pitch the role to Tom, and the actor was interested. The actor knew that his friend, Kazir, was one of the leaders of this project, and he knew that Kazir wouldn't screw up his own creation.

Unfortunately, the deal immediately fell apart when conversations about salary started. Iron Man was an important character for the MCU, and he would appear in many movies. Also, the Iron Man franchise would have at least a trilogy.

Marvel Studios couldn't afford Tom Cruise's salary, which was usually around $20 million. It was undeniable that Tom Cruise had a strong box office appeal. Furthermore, Tom had won the Best Actor Award a few years ago, so he was not that simple anymore. So yeah, no Tom Cruise as Iron Man.

Because of that, Marvel Studios listened to Kazir's recommendation. They cast Robert Downey Jr... In a few years, they would thank God for listening to Kazir's advice. Furthermore, they hired Robert for just a mere salary of $500 thousand.

Of course, if Iron Man performed well at the box office, Robert would receive a bonus. The bonus depended on how much the movie grossed.

Based on Kazir's memory, in Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. earned around $2.5 million overall. The $2 million was the bonus he received.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 520


It was undeniable that Iron Man was the reason why Robert Downey Jr. became famous. Well, before going to jail, Robert had already made a name for himself, but his popularity was nothing compared to the peak he reached with Iron Man. That was his most famous role for a reason. It was the turning point of his life.

With the same logic, the other MCU actors also became famous because they starred in the MCU.

Chris Evans was known as the Human Torch in Fantastic Four before becoming Captain America/Steve Rogers. However, if you asked every kid in the 2020s, most of them would tell you that they only knew Chris Evans as Captain America, nothing else but that superhero.

Chris Hemsworth also had the same situation. Even Scarlett Johansson was in the same boat. They became Hollywood icons because of the MCU. No one could deny that fact.

They were already celebrities, but starring in the MCU movies changed their lives for the better. Because after the success of The Avengers, these actors had easy access to finding other projects for themselves, earning millions per year. The MCU was a blessing for these actors.

Kazir attended another meeting regarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe project. Avi Arad and Stan Lee were obviously present, as were other people from 20th Century Fox.

For their first phase, their two initial movies were Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. Both were already near the end of production, and the projects were doing well. No major mishaps. Robert Downey Jr. was easy to work with, and so was Mark Ruffalo.

Now, this meeting was for the preparation and approval of their next projects... No money was invested yet, since many parties were still testing the waters.

If Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk didn't reach their expected outcomes, which was making money at the box office, Marvel Studios would have to think twice before continuing this ambitious project called the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After all, they needed money to make these movies, and 20th Century Fox wouldn't just sit still and let them waste money... Perhaps they'd have to focus on animated movies.

If Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk failed at the box office, the MCU might not happen.

So, for the time being, no money would be spent on the next projects, which were Captain America and Thor.

This meeting was just to solidify their plans. They talked about the scripts, their expectations, and also their target audience. They also discussed the possible cast, especially the actors who would take the roles of Captain America and Thor.

"Hm? You're asking me who should be Captain America?" Kazir realized that people were looking at him, waiting for his response.

Some of them had already talked about the actors they wanted to hire to be Captain America. But of course, they also wanted to ask Kazir.

'... I remember a few years ago, someone recommended Tom Cruise to be Tony Stark, but the idea didn't last long.'

There were many factors as to why the negotiation didn't reach the final stage.

He listened to their conversation about the actors they believed could take the mantle of Captain America.

Some said that Sebastian Stan could fit the role.

'Erm, Sebastian Stan will be Bucky Barnes, so nope. Let's not make it complicated. We will hire Sebastian Stan, but not for the role of Steve Rogers.'

Some said that John Krasinski fit the role.

'Hmm, let's see... I can see the possibilities, but let's not make haste here. John Krasinski is still needed in The Office. I don't want to destroy that franchise by hiring him.'

Some also said that Jensen Ackles could fit the role of Captain America.

'Yeah, I can see Jensen pulling off Captain America. His role in The Boys as Soldier Boy has some resemblance with Captain America, after all.'

Unfortunately for Jensen, Kazir had no intention of changing the cast. He wanted to keep Chris Evans as Captain America.

"If you're going to ask me, I think Chris Evans has what it takes to be Captain America."

When Kazir expressed his thoughts, some people nodded, while others frowned.

"Kazir, you do remember that we have no intention of making a third movie for Fantastic Four after the mixed reviews we got from Rise of the Silver Surfer."

That was right. 20th Century Fox saw that Fantastic Four had lost its potential after the second movie, so they decided not to make another one.

Chris Evans was the Human Torch in that movie, and it might be confusing to the audience if Chris Evans showed up in the MCU as Captain America.

"I won't change my opinion though. In my opinion, Chris Evans is the perfect actor to take the role of Captain America. He has the charisma, the appearance, and the body to be Captain America. Besides, Chris is having a hard time finding roles these days, he won't settle for a huge salary."

Kazir was not sure about the latter part of his answer. He didn't remember any memorable roles that Chris Evans took in the late 2000s aside from the Human Torch.

"So are the other actors we recommended," one member of the 20th Century Fox management snickered. Some chuckled at hearing that.

"My opinion still stands though."

Kazir was one of the heads of Marvel Studios. He was also the best director of the era. No one could disregard his opinion. So even though some of the people in management didn't like him, they took note of what he said, especially when they sensed the conviction in Kazir's answer.

After working on The Dark Knight Trilogy, Kazir understood that some people in management believed that he had betrayed them.

Kazir only had one response: Fuck them. He earned more than $100 million in the first movie (Batman Begins) alone. Everyone with common sense could see that he had made the right decision.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 521


The meeting room was silent for a while. Some people glanced at each other, while others kept their heads low, not joining the conversation.

Avi Arad bitterly smiled as he sat up straight and fixed his posture. He decided to change the topic.

"Captain America is still in the approval process, so let's not make any final decisions for now."

Avi Arad sensed that some people had their own motives regarding the casting... Well, everyone had their own motives. But they shouldn't prioritize personal interests over the success of the movie.

He suddenly recalled one of the higher-ups who promoted Terrence Howard to be part of the movie. Sure, Terrence Howard had box office appeal, but his salary was tough to take. Especially when Marvel Studios intended to create a trilogy out of Iron Man.

Avi's left eye slightly twitched as he remembered the conversation. The higher-up had said that as long as Kazir was working on the MCU, the projects would always succeed no matter what.

Let's remember that Kazir was the one who pushed for casting Don Cheadle because he believed the franchise would be safer with Don as War Machine... But those arrogant old farts believed the movie would still be a success even if they changed the cast.

Here's the deal: casting an actor for a certain role could determine whether the movie would be successful or not.

Casting Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight was a perfect choice.

Casting Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker was also a great choice... (Note: We don't talk about Joker 2 because that movie doesn't exist. People erased the memories that they watched that musical.)

Casting Jared Leto as the Joker in Suicide Squad was a bad move. His portrayal didn't sit well with the audience.

See the difference? Casting was an important part of a successful movie. If the audience felt unimpressed with the actor and their performance, that could lead to failure.

In Terrence Howard's case, he performed his role greatly, but the salary was the biggest problem.

"Yeah, I just remembered, I'm interested in casting Viggo Mortensen as Thor. You're close with Viggo, right, Kazir? Why don't you talk to him and convince him?"

Kazir, who had kept silent for most of the time, frowned when he heard that.

He looked at Leo Roy, the Studio President.

In huge media conglomerates like 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney, and other production studios, there were multiple Studio Presidents who managed different divisions.

20th Century Fox currently had three Studio Presidents who handled departments, Live Action, Animation, and TV Networks.

The person Kazir was looking at was Leo Roy, the Studio President of 20th Century Fox's Live Action movies. For a movie to be approved, his signature must be acquired, as long as he was in the position.

Kazir's relationship with this guy was nonexistent. But lately, Leo had been showing disapproval toward his opinions. Kazir also heard that Leo was one of the people who hired Terrence Howard.

Kazir sighed. He could see the picture where Viggo was holding Mjolnir. It didn't look bad. Viggo could definitely act in the role.

However, the problem wasn't whether Viggo could act or not. It was all about money.

"Even if Viggo agreed, we would have to pay him at least $10 million. Furthermore, it's very hard to convince him to sign a trilogy contract. I'm sure none of us here want to give a box office share to the actors."

Box office shares meant less money. They didn't want that.

Leo kept his smile and nodded.

"Thor is still not approved, so let's talk about that later," Kazir added.

However, Kazir felt like he had to work harder on the MCU or else this Cinematic Universe might not happen. He would promote Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans to take the roles.

Thankfully, Kazir had worked with Chris Hemsworth in Shadows Beneath, so he could easily contact the actor. He had to make sure that both Chrises would get the roles. This was the safest method to ensure the Marvel Cinematic Universe would happen.

.........

......

...

Months passed, and now it was December again. This year was probably the most death-defying one that Kazir had ever experienced, quite literally.

What happened in May was something that Kazir and his relatives would never forget. Probably most Americans would also remember that incident. The news regarding the assassination attempt spread all over the world, making Kazir famous again... in a sad way.

Still, he admitted that he felt blessed to have survived another year.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End had already ended its screening in North America, and the worldwide box office was now over $1 billion... Funny how that franchise almost killed Kazir.

As for John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum, after four months of screening, the movie had already grossed $700 million worldwide. Unfortunately, this was probably the best that this action movie could reach. Well, $700 million was still huge, so definitely not bad for Grey Pictures and 20th Century Fox.

Kazir also finished the post-production of The Dark Knight. He met Heath Ledger many times and saw that the actor was getting better.

It seemed that the psychology of the Joker was vanishing from Heath's mind, which was a good thing. Kazir and Heath became close enough that Kazir recommended he stop using pills... Heath accepted his concern, but he still kept using them.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 522


Sometimes, Kazir felt like there was a reason why he time-traveled back to 1994. He felt like he had a purpose.

However, after living more than a decade after the regression, Kazir still couldn't find it. Was there a higher being that gave him a mission to fulfill? Or perhaps this was just a dream.

Kazir had witnessed and experienced many things. He had also reached the peak of his career. Almost everyone in Hollywood knew his name.

He also survived a failed assassination, which, in a way, was a good thing. He contemplated his life, but he still couldn't find the answer. All he wanted was to keep making movies, this job gave him happiness.

December 24, 2007.

Despite the holiday atmosphere in the office, Kazir and the management were talking about their next plans for 2008. For the upcoming year, Wanted 3 and The Equalizer 2 would be released. These two movies had already been in production for months... In fact, The Equalizer started filming around the time Kazir was in the hospital.

Wanted 3 would be the last part of the Wanted franchise since Ben Affleck's contract would end after that. Wesley Gibson (the protagonist of Wanted) already found a conclusion to his story in The Kingsman: The Secret Service. Wanted 3 would be the last time he appeared in the Continental Cinematic Universe...

Unless Grey Pictures hired him again, they would have to pay him a huge salary. For Wanted 3, Ben Affleck's salary was $21 million... Yeah, it was obvious why Grey Pictures couldn't afford the actor anymore.

Furthermore, the studio also had to give a bonus to the actor if the movie performed well at the box office. This was sort of a standard procedure done by many studios to encourage actors to work with them again.

Despite being bound by a contract, the salary still had to be raised to motivate the actors. The contract was just there as a binder. After all, the actor could still say no and not sign for a sequel, and Grey Pictures would have no way to remedy that, even with a contract. They could go to court, but that would be a lose-lose situation for both sides. So Grey Pictures had to allow some leeway for the actors to work with them again.

Honestly, if they followed the contract strictly, Ben Affleck and Viggo Mortensen would probably earn around $10–15 million in their third movies. It was an acceptable range, but the actors might not show up on set.

Remember, the face of the franchise was the leading actor. If the leading actor didn't cooperate, the movie was basically incomplete. The studio could use some CGI, but that could lead to a lawsuit if the actor didn't give approval.

It was tough to work with celebrities.

Ben Affleck was done with the CCU, and the only way to make him come back was by offering top dollar. His character (Wesley Gibson) was not dead but would not appear in CCU movies anymore.

As for The Equalizer, Denzel Washington had a great work ethic and was nice to work with. The salary of $18.5 million was worth it.

Grey Pictures' revenue this year was $2.8 billion, and their profit was around 30% of that amount, which was around $840 million... The people in the meeting clapped their hands while staring at that number.

The employees would definitely get a bonus this year.

After this meeting, Kazir talked to the management for a while before ending it. He left the building as four tough-looking bodyguards followed him.

Anderson had just recently come back after his injury healed. Kazir was so happy to see him again. Of course, his four bodyguards would receive a huge bonus for keeping him safe these past few months.

He comfortably sat in the car as they drove through the streets... It was very traffic-heavy and the road was congested. Kazir wondered if he would reach Christmas Eve with his family.

Thankfully, they reached Beverly Hills at night. His house had Christmas lights flickering all around. He found his family waiting for him. Even his niece happily hugged him as he entered the house. Scarlett and the others were talking. The woman smiled and kissed him before they reached the dinner table, where a bunch of dishes were prepared.

This month had been smooth sailing, and Kazir felt like time was moving fast. He had a meeting with Warner Brothers last week about the marketing strategy they would use for The Dark Knight. Warner Brothers actually wanted to hire Stella Willow to hear her marketing plans, but the woman was busy with her own projects. The woman had an allergy to working with other studios after what happened to Kazir.

Stella felt betrayed after she helped Universal Pictures set a marketing strategy that made Shadows Beneath earn $1 billion at the box office. Then, the next month, she heard that one of the executives at Universal Pictures tried to kill her boss. She felt disgusted and didn't want to experience that again. It was much worse than the time she was betrayed by her coworkers.

The marketing strategy that Warner Brothers proposed was identical to what most studios do to promote their movies, by using the media.

Actually, Kazir had an idea, but he didn't share it... He remembered how Warner Brothers used Heath Ledger's death as a method to promote the movie. It was a genius tactic, but Kazir was not a fan of it, especially since he wanted to save the actor.

Funny, because a few years ago, Grey Pictures used Robert Ludlum's death to promote The Bourne Supremacy. Kazir didn't have a problem with the marketing strategy at that time.

Well, people change, and Kazir was also changing. Now, he was not a fan of it.

++++

[This chapter is kinda jumbled. I paused quite a lot while writing it because I was wrecking my mind on what to write. This is the sign that I have to end the novel, I'm running out of ideas.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 523


Christmas was nice for Kazir and his relatives. His niece was now 11 years old and loved talking about girly stuff, which meant that the men in the family couldn't entertain the kid. Thankfully, Scarlett and Aaron's wife were there to talk to the girl.

As for the men, the topic naturally shifted to Kazir. Both Aaron and Victor asked Kazir when he would have a kid, or if he even wanted one.

Kazir answered that he did want a kid, but they still weren't ready... Victor reminded Kazir that he was already 37 years old. Kazir just nodded. In his past life, he didn't have a child because of his trauma. Also, he was still affected by the sad truth that he could have been a father 13 years ago if Cassandra had decided not to abort the baby... Kazir was thinking about the what-ifs.

In his past life, that tragedy affected Kazir so deeply that his life was basically ruined and impossible to recover.

Sometimes, he thought that if he had time-traveled a year earlier, in 1993, perhaps Kazir could have saved his child. But alas, there were things that people couldn't control.

In his past life, Kazir had some romantic relationships, but none of them became serious.

.........

......

...

"Here, you can see in the list of celebrities that Director Grey worked with, he loves to work with nobodies."

"Hm?"

Kazir raised his brows as he listened to the television.

There was a holiday special on a cable channel that focused on movies and directors. Kazir was a bit interested, so he decided to watch it. He didn't expect that the topic of the program would be about him.

The host further explained:

"Almost all of the time, Director Grey casts new faces to star in his movies."

"His first box office hit, Napoleon Dynamite, Director Grey chose Reese Witherspoon, Ed Helms, and Pedro Pascal. After the success of Napoleon Dynamite, the careers of these three improved greatly."

Kazir sipped his tea and slightly agreed. Well, the reason why he cast those three was because he knew the future.

"The same with The Hangover, Director Grey cast nobodies like Jack Black, Bradley Cooper, and Enzo Park. Honestly, who the fuck were these people? They weren't famous, but Kazir made them famous. Especially Jack Black and Bradley Cooper, their careers took off after The Hangover trilogy."

'... Are they saying that I can discover talents?' Kazir thought to himself.

"Based on what you can see, Director Grey has a knack for discovering talented actors. Let's not even talk about Viggo Mortensen. Who? Emilia Clarke. Who? Rem from Re:Zero. Who? Never heard of that blue haired woman. Even his newest horror movie, Shadows Beneath, had four new faces. Yet the fact that Director Grey did the impossible and created the first horror movie to surpass $1 billion at the box office shows that his talent is out of this world."

"So we have to look at it from two sides. First, Director Grey knows how to film blockbuster movies. Second, he can discern whether an actor will be famous or not. So, for all the young aspiring actors out there, why don't you try auditioning for Kazir's movies? Maybe the director will cast you in his next film, and you'll become famous."

"I think you need to change the channel. I don't like this program." Scarlett frowned as she continued listening. The host was getting over the top with his explanation.

"Why? This program seems interesting. This is the first time I've seen a TV program that talks about movies and directors."

"But I don't like what he's saying. He's basically encouraging women to audition for your movies. And you know how desperate people are just to become famous. Besides, I feel like he's downplaying your talent in filmmaking. The biggest reason your movies are successful is because of you. The host clearly wants you to become a talent agent instead of a director."

Kazir chuckled and agreed to change the channel. Honestly, what Scarlett said was kind of true. In fact, it had happened to Kazir so many times.

God knows how many actresses tried to flirt with him in the audition room just to get recognition. These actresses were too shameless and didn't care about the other people in the room. Heck, one even took off her clothes just to make a statement.

That woman was quickly blacklisted by both 20th Century Fox and Grey Pictures... Although Kazir later heard that she became famous in the adult video industry after that incident.

.........

......

...

The list of the top 10 highest-grossing movies of 2007 was published, and the news spread quickly throughout Hollywood.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was the champion this year, grossing over $1.1 billion. The third installment of the franchise showed its dominance. This proved that Kazir was him.

In second place, Shadows Beneath earned its spot by grossing over $1.08 billion. This was the second movie Kazir had released this year. It was a horror film, the first of its kind to gross over $1 billion. This further proved that Kazir was the best director of his time.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the third highest-grossing movie, earning $941 million at the box office.

In fourth place, Spider-Man 3, after some new calculations, actually grossed around $895 million... This movie was supposed to be directed by Kazir, but it didn't work out, obviously... Sony-Columbia held a grudge. Anyway, the reviews regarding the movie were mixed. Some liked it, while others hated it. They said Kazir could have cooked up a better Spider-Man 3, but Sony-Columbia didn't hire him because they didn't like him.

The people who knew the inside story understood that this conspiracy was far from the truth. Kazir simply didn't want to direct the third Spider-Man movie, even though Sony-Columbia was ready to pay top dollar.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 524


The fifth spot was taken by Shrek the Third. This franchise was produced by DreamWorks. Shrek was DreamWorks' first big success in 3D animation and probably the franchise that started their steady business. The movie grossed $813 million after months of screening.

The sixth highest-grossing movie of 2007 was John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum, an action film set in the Continental Cinematic Universe, produced by Grey Pictures. The movie grossed $709 million.

Ratatouille took the seventh spot. The movie was about a rat who could cook... Yeah, people had no idea what substances the writers at Pixar inhaled while thinking up this movie. Ratatouille was a 3D cartoon movie, and kids loved to watch that kind of thing. Even adults watched it. Naturally, Ratatouille grossed $623 million.

As for the eighth spot, I Am Legend was about a man who lived in a zombie-apocalyptic world. Starring Will Smith, the movie grossed $585 million.

The ninth spot was taken by The Simpsons Movie, which grossed $536 million.

The tenth spot was taken by National Treasure: Book of Secrets. The movie grossed $459 million. This franchise had potential, but Walt Disney decided to drop it for some reason.

300, Zack Snyder's second movie, actually took the eleventh spot by grossing $456 million. The director was happy, and so was 20th Century Fox. Even though the movie didn't reach the top 10, for a mid-budget film, 300 earned quite a lot of money.

With that, the top 10 highest-grossing movies of 2007 were listed. Based on the list, the biggest winner this time was still Grey Pictures. It wasn't surprising anymore.

Three of the movies on the list were produced by Grey Pictures. They were Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Shadows Beneath, and John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum. These three movies grossed over $2.89 billion. This amount of money was hard to comprehend for the average person... 99% of the population would never acquire this kind of money. But for Grey Pictures, this was their yearly average revenue.

Unfortunately, Shadows Beneath was technically owned by Universal Pictures, since the copyrights to the movie were sold to them by Kazir personally. Grey Pictures only earned around $150 million from the transaction.

Some people thought that this business deal was a stupid move for Grey Pictures. And honestly, they weren't wrong. If Kazir had decided to keep the copyrights and just let 20th Century Fox distribute the horror movie, Grey Pictures would probably have earned more money.

But for Kazir, who had so much money in his name, a few hundred million dollars were basically nothing... This statement was too offensive to hear, not going to lie. Kazir was at the point in his life where money meant nothing. He just wanted to feel the thrill of making transactions with big studios.

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Enzo Park wiped the sweat from his forehead after practicing the stunt choreography with a stuntman. He was breathing hard after the training.

The choreography for Ninja Assassin was intense. Despite the fatigue, Enzo nodded to himself, knowing that this training was worth it. Besides, he loved doing stuff like this, he loved being active and working out.

He had been training for four months and now remembered almost every stunt he needed to perform. For this movie, Ninja Assassin, Enzo Park said that he would personally participate in the stunts. He felt like he was slowly becoming a ninja. He even studied the way of ninjas. He was excited to see his stunts on the big screen.

Of course, due to the insurance policy, he was not allowed to take part in dangerous stunts.

The stunt director of the movie was his brother, Tae-Won Park.

By the way, Enzo Park was just a stage name. Enzo's real name was Hae-Won Park. Hollywood was not a fan of Asian names, so Asian actors had to adopt Western names to be part of the circle.

Tae-Won Park made sure that every action stunt would match Enzo's expertise in martial arts. They had to promote Enzo's mastery in martial arts, this was a form of marketing. A lot of men liked martial arts, and that was a way to garner fans. As his brother, Tae-Won was proud of what Enzo had achieved in Hollywood.

Now, Enzo Park would star in his own action movie after so many years in Hollywood. The movie was also going to be directed by Kazir Grey! Look at that! How many actors would salivate in jealousy at the idea of working with Director Grey?

Jackie Chan and Jet Li used to do difficult stunts to make a name for themselves in Hollywood, and Tae-Won Park set the same road for his brother. This strategy was approved by Kazir to follow the usual steps of Asian action stars in Hollywood.

Of course, he had no intention of adding dangerous stunts that could endanger lives... These kinds of stunts would be taken on by professional stuntmen.

Unlike most CCU movies that followed literal explosive scenes with tons of destruction and heart-palpitating stunts, Ninja Assassin focused mostly on close combat.

There would also be some cameos from The Rock and Paul Walker. Currently, The Rock was still not that expensive to cast, while Paul Walker was still finding his footing in Hollywood, so more jobs meant more exposure.

Enzo had already achieved a certain level of fame in Hollywood, but his name was still not at a household level where everyone recognized him. And even if people did recognize him, they mostly called him by his CCU name, which was Raizo.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 525


In 2008, Grey Pictures had three projects scheduled for release. These projects were Wanted 3, The Equalizer 2, and Game of Thrones Season 3. These three were huge franchises that brought millions in profits to the company.

As for Kazir, there were three movies outside of Grey Pictures that were connected to him and set to be released in 2008.

The first was the superhero movie he directed, The Dark Knight, a movie about Batman and how he confronted The Joker. Kazir poured effort into this film because he knew that The Dark Knight was the true beginning of an amazing trilogy.

Some people could even argue that The Dark Knight Trilogy was the best trilogy of all time, with only a few able to compete, such as The Godfather and The Lord of the Rings.

Aside from The Dark Knight, two other superhero movies would also be released this year, both of which were connected to Kazir.

Kazir was one of the head executives at Marvel Studios and also the executive producer of every MCU movie. Naturally, he was connected to Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk.

These two Marvel movies would compete against The Dark Knight this year for the title of best superhero movie of 2008... Well, almost everyone already knows which movie won.

All three superhero films were great, but The Dark Knight ultimately won the battle. In this timeline, Kazir was the one who directed it. His fanbase was practically a cult at this point, and they would consume anything he released. The performance of The Dark Knight would exceed everyone's expectations.

Funny enough, these three superhero movies released this year were all connected to him. One was personally directed by him, while the other two were built with his help.

Because these three movies were all in the superhero genre and related to Kazir, both studios decided to schedule their release dates in separate months.

Someone from 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers personally negotiated to make things clear. In the end, the two studios reached an agreement. They even signed contracts to ensure that both sides would keep their word.

As a result, Iron Man was scheduled for release in May, though no exact date had been announced at the moment.

The Incredible Hulk was slated for release in June. Just like Iron Man, it didn't yet have a set release date.

As for The Dark Knight, Warner Brothers had already confirmed the release date as July 18.

Just like that, the three movies were spaced one month apart. This was to ensure that they wouldn't compete at the box office since they all targeted the same audience.

Imagine if all three movies had been released in the same month, it would've been detrimental to all of them because they couldn't maximize their profits. People would have had to choose between the three superheroes, and that wasn't good for business.

It was a good decision by both sides to talk about the release schedule. Even though DC Comics and Marvel Comics were rivals, they understood that working together, for now, was the best move.

By the way, when The Dark Knight began its promotion, some people were actually confused. They thought it was another epic movie set in the medieval era or something.

But once they realized the film was about Batman, the confusion subsided. Still, fans were puzzled about why the production chose to name it The Dark Knight instead of simply Batman.

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As for Kazir, since he had already completed The Dark Knight, he decided to begin production on Ninja Assassin.

The Dark Knight was already finished. Warner Brothers had conducted a private screening, and the people who saw the movie fell in love with it. Some hardcore Batman fans even cried during the final scene. Some were devastated watching their hero seemingly lose to the villain, but they also understood that Batman had actually won. It was just a matter of perspective.

Still, it was a hard pill to swallow.

It was clear that Warner Brothers and DC Comics had mixed opinions about the direction Batman had taken. Some members of management blamed Kazir for it. But all they could do now was hope Kazir would revive the franchise. After all, Superman Returns had been a failure, and their only hope was The Dark Knight, and to trust in the best director, Kazir Grey.

There were some minor edits that Warner Brothers requested, and Kazir made those changes easily. Overall, The Dark Knight had a very promising future.

Anyway, now Kazir was on the set of Ninja Assassin, watching Enzo face off against stuntmen in ninja costumes.

He had promised to direct the movie, and he kept that promise. The budget for this film was $75 million. Kazir easily took $20 million of that as his salary. He didn't ask for a box office share, since Grey Pictures was his own company.

Enzo Park's salary was $11 million, while the remaining cast shared a total salary pool of $8 million.

That left $36 million to complete the film... Not bad.

Knowing Kazir, everyone at Grey Pictures was confident he wouldn't overspend. That $36 million was more than enough to finish the movie. After all, the biggest reason why movies became expensive was the cast salaries. If the budget wasn't enough, Kazir could reduce his own pay to make it work. He wasn't in need of money.

If he wanted to, his salary could go down to $1 and it wouldn't affect him. However, his agents would probably never approve of that kind of deal.

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