It was 3 p.m. at the Prosang International Airport.
Paris to here was just about a two-hour flight.
When Lyman exited the airport, the sun outside was shining brightly.
After more than a month away, he felt fulfilled yet somewhat weary.
And there was a touch of peculiarity.
He truly hadn't anticipated that, after traveling around in circles, he would find himself involved in "Saw". Fate had its way, after all.
Upon the release of this film, Paramount Pictures and EuropaCorp would undoubtedly be in for a pleasant surprise.
This was a project with series potential, a chance to make five, six, seven, eight parts, and the profit margins would be considerable. The offline operations could form a positive cycle more easily.
That was why film series had become such a hot trend in Hollywood.
For them, a mature and stable development trend was far more preferable than constantly gambling on the market's acceptance.
Lyman could only sigh and say, "Timing and fate."
"Sir, I'm the head of the EuropaCorp Cannes office. My name is Sweeney Warman."
The staff member whom Luc Besson had informed beforehand had come to pick him up, as usual.
When Lyman walked out of the airport passage, the staff member immediately approached.
"Thank you, you've worked hard."
After the polite words, he got into a black Lincoln, made a couple of turns, and headed toward his home.
Today was already June 24th. In a few days, July would arrive.
Thinking back a bit, he felt like he had been busy running around for these past two years, not achieving anything remarkable.
But when looking at reality, it seemed quite good.
He had directed several films, and the box office was decent. They were profitable, and he had bought a large house. After some renovation, he could move in soon.
Futile efforts had indeed borne fruit. It was quite satisfying.
After all, he never had a clear plan for his career. Shooting movies comfortably was enough, so why ask for more?
He went wherever his path took him. In the end, even if he was shortchanged in his previous life by fate, he was being compensated in this one.
Things were still pretty good. And more importantly...
"Lyman."
He had only taken a few steps away from the car, not far from the front door, when he heard someone calling his name.
He looked up and saw Eva Green standing at the fork in the road beside the house, waving enthusiastically.
He had her.
"Aren't you feeling hot?"
Lyman walked over with his suitcase, chiding her.
This silly girl was wearing a beige dress with a light jacket, and even though she was hiding in the shade, her forehead was covered in sweat.
"In this scorching weather, you're not careful at all."
"I just got off the plane coming back here. I forgot about the conditions over here," she stuck out her tongue and continued, "Why did you suddenly come back? Didn't you say a couple of days ago that things hadn't been sorted out yet?"
"It was a last-minute decision. I have to go back there in a few days."
"Ah? Back and forth, isn't that exhausting?" Eva's words carried a hint of loneliness.
Upon learning of his return, Eva had even stopped her promotional activities to spend more time together, but she hadn't anticipated being caught up in this sort of bustle.
"How about you come with me? It's just that I've been running around alone, and it's been exhausting. If you're here, you can share the load. I'm just worried that you might find it tiring too." Lyman half-jokingly, half-seriously suggested.
He would indeed be quite busy during this time.
The new project might be able to wait a bit, as the casting and shooting schedules hadn't been arranged yet, but "Saw" couldn't afford any delays.
It seemed that James had been given the chance to direct independently, and he was brimming with enthusiasm.
Upon learning that Lyman was going to EuropaCorp to discuss with Luc Besson, James had immediately prepared a new script. He added a suspenseful twist to the ending, slightly improved the dialogue between characters, and when Lyman mentioned needing a specific shooting plan, James promised on the phone without hesitation that he wouldn't make him wait too long.
At most, three days to wrap it up. That's what he had said.
As soon as he hung up, he was able to split himself, one person performing two roles.
After disposing of other miscellaneous tasks, he immediately immersed himself in this work.
When he said three days, he meant three days. He was serious.
Even considering the review and pre-production preparations, in less than two weeks, following this momentum, they would surely move into the shooting phase.
Moreover, "Saw" was a blood-curdling thriller. Therefore, for this film, the best time to release it this year was around Halloween.
Lyman actually thought the same. It would be better to get the "Saw" production team on the right track first, especially given the tight schedule.
Shooting, post-production, and allowing time for promotion, that's a rough four-month period, and they couldn't afford any delays.
Furthermore, Lyman wasn't just investing, he was also the producer of this project.
Originally, he had thought of finding someone else for this role, like George or other professionals from EuropaCorp.
But James was indeed adaptable and opportunistic. He had hinted at this aspect during their phone call.
Lyman could deduce the purpose behind his actions.
It was merely hoisting a flag, giving him more say during filming and post-production, and ensuring some added security.
Why was James so adaptable? Because he understood how crucial a producer was for a film crew. Lyman also surely didn't have the time to worry about that, so he was just a figurehead. In reality, someone else would be responsible for this aspect, but they wouldn't be called a producer; they'd be called a production manager.
The distinction between these two titles brought a significant difference in authority and confidence on set.
Since James had this idea, Lyman thought it over and agreed.
He indeed could provide support in this area, and he didn't find James' request to be excessive or unreasonable.
One's rights were obtained through personal effort. Why couldn't they be better?
Besides, he wasn't at a disadvantage. By helping set up the production crew, he could receive substantial returns. Moreover, he truly believed he could contribute more.
For instance, the studio had accumulated quite a bit of idle funds, yet there hadn't been any significant investments due to Lyman being the sole producer. This wasn't a way to rapidly expand.
So, he had nurtured the idea of developing James.
Once an individual had access to various resources in society, inevitably, they would start planning how to leverage them.
Some might attribute this type of planning to ambition, but Lyman preferred to call it confidence.
That sort of willingness to try, even if it resulted in failure, displayed immense confidence.
"Of course." Eva smiled and asked, "How many days can you stay here?"
"Two or three days. Once the project plan is ready, I'll hand it over to EuropaCorp for review, go through the process, and then head straight to Los Angeles. Filming will also be completed over there."