Hollywood What If Chapter 326
The list was:
[BEST ACTOR]
Adrien Brody - The Pianist as Władysław Szpilman
Nicolas Cage - The Adjustment as Charlie Kaufman / Donald Kaufman
Tom Cruise - The Revenant as Hugh Glass
Daniel Day-Lewis - Gangs of New York as Bill "The Butcher" Cutting
Jack Nicholson - About Schmidt as Warren R. Schmidt
[BEST DIRECTOR]
Roman Polanski - The Pianist
Rob Marshall - Chicago
Martin Scorsese - Gangs of New York
Kazir Grey - The Revenant
Pedro Almodóvar - Talk to Her
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Aside from these two, The Revenant was not nominated for any awards.
To make matters worse for Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, who was nowhere to be found, was actually nominated in the Best Actress category.
His ex-wife had already won Best Actress at the Golden Globes, and that didn't sit well with Tom Cruise. In that award show, The Revenant didn't win any awards at the Golden Globes either, despite 6 nominations.
This time the bad feeling was even stronger. They might not win anything at the Academy Awards either.
After that, the party ended quickly. Some people were happy, some were sad. As for Tom and Kazir, they both felt sad, so they decided to drink alcohol. They started cursing the old foggeys of the Academy. They spent a lot of time talking to them, but their movie only got two nominations...
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Two days later, Kazir was still bitter about the results. He did his best, the whole crew did their best to make an artistic film to satisfy the members of the Academy, but it was useless.
It was good that the crew members were busy at that time and none of them attended the party. Because they would also be angry if they found out that their movie only got two nominations.
In fact, some of them were angry at the Academy when they got the news. Renner Hector and Harold Witsend were unhappy, which slightly affected their work.
As for Kazir, he decided to focus on his current project. He continued to polish the storyboard to make sure he knew what to do when shooting began.
Suddenly there was a knock on his door. It was Erica Mendez.
"Sir, Tom Rothman is here to see you."
"... Let him in."
Kazir knew why Tom Rothman was here. And to be honest, he was just waiting for their answer. He knew that Grey Pictures' current net worth was inflated, and it was time to make a decision.
The real net worth of Grey Pictures should only be around 4 to 5 billion dollars. However, because of the competition from the Big Five, the value of Grey Pictures went up to $10 billion. For a recently established production studio, this amount was already huge.
Tom Rothman entered the office and found Kazir on his desk with some sketches. He was not surprised, Kazir was indeed a director.
"I think you know why I'm here." Tom found a seat.
"Indeed."
"Kazir, News Corporation has decided to extend my term if I get you to agree to our terms."
"I see..."
'What does that have to do with me?' Kazir thought to himself.
Tom Rothman had two choices for his career. He could join News Corporation and become a top executive, perhaps even a member of the Board of Directors. But that was still nothing compared to running a company.
Being the CEO of 20th Century Fox was still better than any position at News Corporation. Well, Tom Rothman could find another job at another company, just like Terry Semel did when he jumped to Yahoo. However, it was a tough thing to let go of your past creations.
"I know what you're thinking, my problem is not your problem. But I think it's better for you if the CEO has a good relationship with you and Grey Pictures. Kazir, you and I have known each other since 1994. We trust each other."
"I'm not going to deny that. 20th Century Fox is the reason I am where I am. They chose to trust me and Napoleon Dynamite."
Kazir nodded. Still, it was not enough to tempt him. If he was that simple, this situation would never have happened.
"I also know you're going to say that. So I'm going to make you a proposal that will interest you."
Kazir decided to listen. This was business.
"I'm going to make you the head of the Marvel Studio. You will now have a strong power to make a decision on how Marvel Studio will take its path."
"..."
That was unexpected. Most of the time companies would offer him money and stock instead. But Tom Rothman used a different tactic.
Kazir was not a businessman, he was an artist.
"Not only that, we will pay you $1.1 billion to get 10% of Grey Pictures and another $2.2 billion worth of 20th Century Fox stock in exchange for 20% of Grey Pictures."
That means 30% of Grey Pictures in exchange for $3.3 billion. Kazir suddenly became serious. This approach was different from what he had expected, but he was also interested.
He was a little disappointed that Marvel Comics had been acquired by News Corporation. He wanted to make the MCU happen. He thought his dream was going to disappear.
He thought that 20th Century Fox wanted to do a Cinematic Universe without him.
But it seemed like they used that trump card to get him instead.
"Tom, sometimes I feel like you really know me."
"Kazir, I'm one of the people who first trusted you."
"Indeed... Give me some time to think about it."
"Okay."
Tom Rothman excused himself.
Kazir leaned back in his chair and exhaled.
"I guess this is it."
+++++
[Just as everyone expected, 20th Century Fox won the poll hence this outcome.]
[I have decided to end the competition to acquire Grey Pictures. Maybe some of you are disappointed in me. Maybe you are tired of Kazir being an artist instead of a businessman. The synopsis of this novel was about Kazir becoming the greatest director in Hollywood, not a businessman or a tycoon. Nevertheless, I would like to hear your honest opinion. Criticism is always good, no matter how negative it is].