The last song Simon left for Madonna, "Bad Romance," helped the Queen of Pop create another album that sold over ten million copies in North America.
Whenever she had the chance, Madonna would try to get more songs from Simon.
As one of the top singers of the era, Madonna immediately recognized the value of "Paradise" after hearing it. Although it didn't fit her style, it was more than enough to be the lead single for a hit album if given to another artist.
After learning that Simon would personally compose several theme songs for this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, Madonna immediately pestered him to hear the other songs.
Unable to refuse her persistence, Simon eventually gave in to her request.
However, even though there were songs more suitable for Madonna's style, Simon insisted on keeping the best for himself.
As the rehearsals for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show continued, news about the songs began to leak.
When asked by the media, Daenerys Entertainment neither confirmed nor denied the rumors.
According to the plan, various leaks about the show would continue throughout the preparation period, including announcements about who joined the Victoria's Secret Angel team, who became the brand ambassadors, which models would wear the iconic angel wings, the runway music, potential guest appearances, and ticket information.
Through this continuous exposure, the brand's visibility would increase significantly even before the show officially began.
This was the primary goal of this marketing strategy.
July 31st, the last day of July, another Friday.
As the summer season entered its second half, two movies debuted in North American theaters this week: Paramount's live-action/animated hybrid "Virtual Space" and Fox's vampire horror film "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
Paramount's "Virtual Space" told the comedic story of a protagonist trying to prevent the merging of the real world and the cartoon world, clearly following in the footsteps of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."
Simon was more interested in Fox's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
This vampire movie, written by Joss Whedon, was the origin of the later TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Joss Whedon would also become a significant director in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, directing two "Avengers" films.
While noting Whedon, Simon considered him a potential talent reserve for Daenerys Entertainment.
As August began, the summer box office was nearly settled.
"Wonder Woman" was undoubtedly the box office champion of the summer.
As of July 30th, its ninth week in theaters, "Wonder Woman" grossed another $11.53 million, bringing its two-month total to $333.69 million.
Considering the recent weeks' declining trend and the still substantial weekly earnings, this superhero film was expected to gross at least another $30 million, with a final North American total between $360 million and $370 million.
Following "Wonder Woman" was Mel Gibson's "Lethal Weapon 3," which recently surpassed $140 million in North American box office and was nearing the end of its run.
Next, Disney's "Aladdin" gradually garnered industry attention.
This 2D animated film, although not spectacular at its opening, had strong legs at the box office.
From its June 19 release to July 30, in six weeks, "Aladdin" quietly amassed $128 million, second only to "Lethal Weapon 3" in the summer box office and poised to surpass it in the coming weeks.
Disney's other live-action comedy, "Sister Act," became the studio's second summer film to break the $100 million mark.
Aside from Daenerys Entertainment, Disney, with two films grossing over $100 million domestically, also enjoyed a bountiful summer.
Daenerys Entertainment's co-productions, "Indecent Proposal," "Killing Time," and "The Last of the Mohicans," were also box office successes. However, all three hovered around the $100 million mark, not meeting Simon's expectations. Their box office performances, in addition to their quality, owed much to their summer release slots.
For the partners, though, reaching the $100 million milestone was sufficiently lucrative.
While DC's films repeatedly broke records, in the early '90s, a film grossing $100 million domestically was still relatively rare.
This summer, aside from the still-showing and yet-to-reach-target co-productions, only "Wonder Woman," "Lethal Weapon 3," "Aladdin," and "Sister Act" had crossed the $100 million mark.
Other high-budget films like Columbia's "Far and Away," Fox's "Alien 3," Paramount's "Patriot Games," and Disney's "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid" all hovered around $50 million, far from the $100 million milestone.
In early August, Simon traveled to Australia again.
DC's next superhero movie, "Cyborg," began filming on August 3.
Although "Cyborg" was slated for a year-end release next year, Warner insisted on starting filming now to ensure ample time for post-production and marketing.
Simon understood Warner's reasoning.
With "Superman" still filming, "Cyborg's" schedule overlapped by two months. Simon, traveling to Australia, couldn't ignore "Cyborg" while overseeing "Superman."
Warner calculated Simon's commitment accurately.
During his week in Australia, Simon split his time equally between "Superman" and "Cyborg."
Janet, as usual, accompanied him, both to visit their little one and to keep an eye on her man.
Returning to Los Angeles on August 10, Simon learned that the last summer film he was interested in, "Unforgiven," had its opening weekend box office results.
Clint Eastwood's old-school western surprised Warner Bros. by grossing $15.01 million in its first weekend, surpassing its $14 million production cost.
Given the film's excellent reviews and the less competitive late summer season, "Unforgiven" was likely to have a strong box office run.
In memory, "Unforgiven" would also be the biggest winner at next year's Oscars, claiming Best Picture, Best Director, and several other awards.
Of course, having ceded the Oscars to Warner Bros. this year, Daenerys Entertainment did not plan to continue laying low next year.
Barbara Streisand's controversial win with "The Prince of Tides" also consumed some of Warner's award luck, likely causing Oscar voters to avoid Warner's works next year.
It's a balance of gains and losses.
Back in Los Angeles, David Fincher submitted the budget proposal for "Se7en" to Simon.
As a director who had just completed his first film under significant constraints, Simon knew that this proposal, with a list of recommended lead actors, was likely orchestrated by Fincher's behind-the-scenes management company. However, Simon did not delve into it.
David Fincher's proposed budget for "Se7en" was $30 million.
Simon was certain this was Fincher's idea.
If it were up to Fincher's backers, ICM, they would likely aim to keep the budget for this crime thriller around $20 million.
A $30 million budget put it in the A-list production category.
Considering the usual box office for crime thrillers, Hollywood studios generally avoided such risks.
The two male leads, apart from Simon's choice of Morgan Freeman, included Fincher's recommendation: River Phoenix.
River Phoenix might be an unfamiliar name to many Hollywood fans years later, but in the early '90s, he was a rising star.
A few years ago, during "Indiana Jones 3," Harrison Ford, fearing the young actor would steal his thunder, imposed numerous restrictions on Phoenix, such as forbidding him from mimicking Ford's performance, discussing the film's details publicly, and limiting his promotional appearances.
Nonetheless, these measures couldn't dim the 19-year-old's Oscar-nominated brilliance.
Born in 1970, River Phoenix, though only 22, had already appeared in numerous critically acclaimed and commercially successful films. Simon also knew that if the timeline remained unchanged, this rising Hollywood star would tragically fall in 1993.
The cause was common in Hollywood: drug overdose.
David Fincher's recommendation stemmed not only from Phoenix's talent but also because Phoenix was an ICM artist.
Originally, Phoenix's death outside Johnny Depp's nightclub wasn't coincidental; Depp was also under ICM, placing them in the same circle.
Additionally, after co-starring in Gus Van Sant's "My Own Private Idaho" last year, Phoenix and Keanu Reeves had become good friends.
Hollywood is a small world.
Given that Brad Pitt wasn't being considered, River Phoenix was indeed a suitable choice.
At 22, he was the perfect age for a fresh-faced young cop.
Moreover, ICM's offered price was very reasonable.
$2.5 million.
Given Phoenix's current popularity, this was a low rate for starring in a mainstream commercial film.
ICM clearly hoped Phoenix could secure a leading role in a hit movie, rather than supporting roles like in "Indiana Jones 3," indie darlings like "My Own Private Idaho," or ensemble pieces like "Stand by Me."
Conveniently, projects personally overseen by Simon typically guaranteed box office success.
Crossing this threshold, and with age, Phoenix would soon have the potential to carry a blockbuster on his own.
Simon rarely paid attention to Hollywood stars' personal lives, but this time, agreeing to cast River Phoenix in "Se7en" meant ensuring the young actor stayed out of trouble.
At least during the filming.
Once the movie was wrapped, whatever happened next was irrelevant.
Everyone must take responsibility for their actions.
Thus, after roughly agreeing on the basic terms, Simon personally insisted that during filming, River Phoenix must abstain from all drugs, with Daenerys Entertainment conducting regular drug tests. Any violation would result in hefty penalties.
In Hollywood, many stars frequently shuttle between rehab centers
and movie sets during filming.
As long as you're a big enough star, studios often accommodate.
However, River Phoenix wasn't yet at that level.
Especially with Simon personally involved, ICM had to take it seriously.
Phoenix could certainly opt-out, but rejecting a promising project due to an inability to quit drugs would damage his reputation, making it hard to land good roles in the future. Daenerys Entertainment films would be entirely off-limits.
Thus, ICM President Jeffrey Berg personally assured Simon that a dedicated team would oversee Phoenix, ensuring he stayed clean during the "Se7en" shoot.
Daenerys Studios.
It was already Wednesday, August 19.
After the "Se7en" production meeting and hearing the casting updates for "Forrest Gump," it was past 6 PM.
Tom Hanks was still filming "Sleepless in Seattle," but "Forrest Gump" preparations had begun.
As a large-scale production with a diverse cast, casting was crucial.
Simon personally selected only one role, Jenny, again played by Robin Wright.
Robin Wright was already part of the DC Universe.
Although she played the Flash's girlfriend, her role in "Forrest Gump" wasn't extensive, so it wouldn't be too jarring.
Simon's choice was mainly for the film's authenticity.
It was already after 6 PM when Simon returned home from work.
Janet had just returned from the East Coast that afternoon. When Simon arrived at the Dume Point estate, she had just arranged dinner and was lounging on a sofa by the glass wall of the Shell Villa, casually flipping through a magazine in the evening light.
Handing his coat to the approaching Indian maid, Alia, Simon sat beside Janet, gave her a kiss, and asked, "What are you reading?"
"Forbes."
Janet showed Simon the magazine, leaning against him, and said, "Yesterday in New York, Steve Forbes called, hoping we could provide some information. Forbes is releasing the new annual list of the 400 wealthiest Americans next month."
Simon asked, "How did you respond?"
Janet smiled and shook her head, "I ignored him."
Since Simon's rise, he established a rule regarding wealth lists: the media could compile their data freely, but the Westeros system would neither comment on it nor provide any data.
Without 'official' validation, even Forbes' data would be questioned by the media.
This was precisely Simon's desired outcome.
However, hearing Janet mention it, Simon suddenly thought of something.
Another year had passed, and with the rapid expansion of the Westeros system, he wasn't entirely sure how much wealth he currently had, making him naturally curious.
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