[Shout out to pvtdonut351, ghost 21, Sero4k, Malik K, Sandro k, and alejandro h!]
Hollywood What If Chapter 129
"Sometimes I wonder if you're even human. How can you stay in your office for a week without leaving?"
Renner Hector and Harold Witsend were both in Kazir's office. The office looked clean. But the sketches covered most of the table said everything that could be said. Kazir didn't have time to arrange his things.
"I'm fine. I don't need a vacation."
"The reason we want a vacation is because we need rest. But vacation can also help you. Still, I can't believe you decided to lock yourself in this room and spend your month working! Kazir, have pity on yourself!"
Harold rubbed his throbbing forehead. He knew Kazir Grey was a workaholic bastard. In fact, that was one of the reasons he and Cassandra had divorced.
"You can't start a family if you stay like this."
"I just got divorced. I don't intend to get married. We'll see when I get there."
"But still, you need rest for peace."
"Harold, I understand that you are concerned about me. But I'm fine. Doing what I love brings me peace."
Some of the crew members were married and needed time for their families. Going to a foreign country to make a movie was a tough thing to do.
Fortunately, the three men in the office were single. Although Harold was interested in a woman and they were going out for dinner that weekend.
"Kazir, I know you're not the type to spend money recklessly just to get the perfect shot. I hope you will shoot John Wick here in the country."
"I understand, I have already thought about it. That's why I need the crew to find the locations here in California. Especially the building that will be the Continental Hotel."
Unlike Taken, which was set in France, John Wick was set in the United States.
For real reasons, the production crew flew to France to shoot Taken.
And for the same reason, they would be shooting John Wick in the United States.
Paramount had already given them a studio to rent to shoot some indoor scenes. They also found some houses. The only thing they had trouble with was the Continental Hotel.
That hotel was iconic in the John Wick universe. It was a place where assassins could drop their guns and talk like human beings.
There's no killing at the Continental Hotel. John Wick suffers for this reason throughout Chapter 2 and the next sequels.
"It's my job, so I'll take care of it."
Usually the person in charge of this kind of job was the director and the cinematographer. These two positions were usually obsessed with the beauty of a picture/scene. So they would never choose a mediocre location unless they didn't have the budget.
If there were important locations that they had to focus on, it would be John Wick's house, the Continental Hotel, and the road they would use for the car chase scene.
The crew had already contacted the city of Los Angeles. Los Angeles was the place of Hollywood and this city had many film projects every year.
"Let's not talk about my vacation. Instead, let's solve our problem regarding the investment".
"Our investment is still between 30 and 40 million dollars. It all depends on the cast we are going to hire."
The main reason for the increase in production costs in these years was the salary of the actors. Agents realized the importance of first-rate actors and used them to make money. Now, agencies were the companies that protected and prioritized the concerns of actors/actresses.
Back then, in the early years of Hollywood, studio companies used actors as if they were disposable.
Acting in the rain. Giving actors pneumonia.
Forcing underage actors to kiss. No work limits for underage actors.
Using dangerous chemicals as props.
The laws regarding actors were incomplete at the time. Studio companies never respected them.
Even if agencies were like leeches, it was true that they would protect their clients... the opposite could also happen.
For franchises and trilogies, it was important to hire the same actors. Because of this, the said actors would ask for more salary.
Grey Pictures decided that they had to sign the actors to a trilogy or more contracts so that they wouldn't have problems later.
For that reason, Grey Pictures was not sure that they could cast a famous actor. It was a miracle that Liam Neeson agreed to their terms.
"We are talking about this topic because of the information we have received. Apparently, Harrison Ford is interested in the project. Obviously, he is asking for a whopping $10 million and 10% of the worldwide box office. Another obvious thing, he is not going to sign a trilogy deal."
The three men both shake their heads. They have the same answer, no.
Harrison Ford is a great actor, but it's impossible to hire him. He makes more than the director. Kazir only has a $5 million salary for this movie.
If they signed Harrison Ford for a single movie, their plan to create the Continental Cinematic Universe would disappear.
Kazir didn't want a situation like Edward Norton and The Incredible Hulk.
"I can agree to his terms if he signs a trilogy and cameos. But Harrison Ford definitely did not like that kind of thing."
Even though they invited the actor for the audition, Kazir never had any intention of casting the man. He made his decision from a business standpoint.
"So let's decide after we've hired all the cast. For now, our minimum investment is $30 million."
[Author's note: So yeah, real life stuff keeps bugging me and there are times when I can't update... It's definitely not because I'm lazy].