[Shout out to D'Angelo S.!]
Hollywood What If Chapter 87
Kazir was an action movie fan, and he watched so many action movies that he knew almost all of them. Kazir knew that he didn't have a good memory. But it was different for things related to movies.
Kazir would remember things he loved so much. Even now, Kazir had to take a break every day just to watch a movie. That was his spare time, watching movies. It didn't matter what genre it was, he would watch it.
He even watched some scary ones like A Serbian Film, Human Centipede, and Ichi the Killer. In his opinion, these movies were even on the mild side. (Note: I have never seen any of these goddamn movies. I don't like gore and horror... Although I do like Seinen manga/anime).
Since Kazir had an idea of what movies he could add to the Continental Cinematic Universe, he already had a list of actors/actresses he wanted to cast. Naomi Watts was one of them.
Kazir is a man, and he is attracted to Naomi Watts. But he's had a lot of depressing experiences, so he doesn't trust people easily, especially women. To be honest, he was afraid of women. Because he knew how his life was destroyed by one.
"Naomi, I will definitely invite you when I have a role that fits you."
"You have to promise." She smiled seductively. Kazir felt his blood boiling with rage.
"I promise." He nodded, keeping his composure. He felt Reese squeeze his arm and shrugged.
"You like older women?"
After Naomi Watts left, Reese Witherspoon asked Kazir about his preference.
"Reese, Naomi Watts is 28 years old. I'm 28 years old."
His birthday, September 9, had passed and he had aged another year.
"So you like younger girls?"
She giggled. Reese Witherspoon was young. Sometimes she acted childish in front of Kazir and he spoiled her a lot.
"Kazir, good to see you here!"
"Tom! Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year!"
Tom Cruise appeared with Nicole Kidman beside him. The two were still married at the time. Their relationship lasted a decade. For celebrities to last that long was very impressive. Most celebrities simply divorced their partners after a few years.
Although there was a rumor that Nicole Kidman only stayed with Tom Cruise to ride on her husband's fame. Which may be true. Because in the late years of the 2010s, Nicole Kidman would start using her ex-husband's name to gain traction with people.
'Anyway, this thing is still uncertain. Especially when I'm slowly changing the trajectory of this timeline.'
Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover were not supposed to be released in this era. But Kazir decided to do it anyway, despite the consequences. He gambled on the success of the two films.
"I heard you're going to invest in your own movie. How about I invest in your movie?"
Tom Cruise said.
"Don't worry, I'll contact you when we run out of money."
"Haha!"
The two had conversations. The relationship between Tom Cruise and Kazir Grey got better after Kazir was invited to Tom Cruise's party. Since then, they met a few times and talked about their jobs.
Kazir was an intern on Rain Man. He met Tom Cruise in that project for the first time and their meeting was simple. Tom Cruise just talked to the intern.
But Tom Cruise didn't expect Kazir Grey to actually break into the industry.
"I know damn well you will never let me invest in your movie. That's why you didn't agree with any film companies." Tom Cruise laughed.
As a superstar, he heard a lot of news about Hollywood. He knew that even second-tier film companies were eager to contact Grey Pictures. Even though Kazir's current project was an action movie, they were willing to bite the bullet.
Kazir now had a very good chance of success. He was a well-known screenwriter with three blockbusters under his belt. Se7en, Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover were all profitable. The film companies believed that Kazir's action movie could also be profitable.
Unfortunately, none of them satisfied Kazir. The movie companies didn't want to let Kazir enjoy a 30% investment because they didn't want their overall profits to decrease.
Naturally, Kazir Grey decided to produce the movie on his own without any outside investment.
Tom Cruise knew that Kazir would never agree to his terms.
"You already know me, so why did you ask me?"
"Nah, I just hope you agree."
"Anyway, congratulations on Mission: Impossible and Jerry Maguire. Two of your movies are in the top 10."
"Thanks." Tom Cruise smiled.
'I heard he got a 10+10 deal with Paramount and Sony-Columbia. Honestly, he made more money than I did.'
Tom Cruise was a famous superstar with strong box office appeal. Few actors could match him, including Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Kim Carrey.
'His contract is not even a North American box office but worldwide box office. His contract is a $10 million salary plus 10% of the global box office... Maybe that's why he wanted to invest in my movie, because he has a lot of money this year.'
Mission: Impossible made $457 million, while Jerry Maguire made $273 million. 10% of those numbers would go into Tom Cruise's bank account.
For the film companies, they were willing to bleed and take that deal just to cast Tom Cruise. Because they knew that Tom Cruise's box office appeal was very strong. He has millions of die-hard fans all over the world who are willing to watch his movies. This is the truth behind his status.
As long as their videotapes, merchandise and television rights were not affected, the film companies were willing to give Tom Cruise a share of the box office.
+++++
[I'm experiencing existential dread, so I want to share my favorite manga that Shounen Jump axed or canceled].
[1. Psyren: I think this manga had a strong potential to be the best manga of Jump, it can surpass the new generation of the big three of Shounen Jump. Unfortunately, it was canceled.]
[2. MxO: Well, this manga is very interesting and made me laugh. It's a Harry Potter style manga. Maybe because the plot didn't have much suspense, Shounen Jump threw it in the trash].
[3. Act-Age: This manga was canceled because the creator (not the mangaka) sexually molested a minor and went to jail. All I can say is that the creator deserved it. It's unfortunate because I read the manga every week, but the creator destroyed this masterpiece and his whole life.]
[4. Hikaru No Go: This manga wasn't cancelled, the mangaka just wanted to make another manga. I have nothing to say except that I want more! However, the mangaka (Takeshi Obata) is really a master of his art. Death Note, Bakuman and Hikaru No Go are all masterpieces!]
[5. Beelzebub: This one is good, the last arc was rushed because Jump got tired of it].
[6. Katekyo Hitman Reborn: Another great manga, also canceled (I'm not sure)]
[7. Bleach: I don't care what others say, the last arc of Bleach is super rushed and the plot holes are everywhere. What is Yachiru, is she a person or a sword? What is Yoruichi's Zanpakuto? Yhwach lost just like that? My boy Chad didn't get any recognition! I never watched the anime because I prefer to read the manga].