After leaving the Death Star Tower where CAA is located, Murphy headed to the California Medical Institute in the afternoon. After a brief inquiry, he went to the third-floor ward where his friend had been admitted. The friend had undergone surgery three days prior and had only truly regained consciousness yesterday. The visiting hours provided by the doctors were extremely limited.
Upon entering the hospital room, Murphy spotted a tall woman with golden curly hair and a dark brown-haired female director in the suite's living room.
The former was of German descent, Uma Thurman, and the latter was of Italian descent, Sofia Coppola, the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola.
"Hello, Ms. Thurman. Hello, Ms. Coppola."
Murphy greeted them politely. Since they weren't very familiar, he didn't say much but followed them into the hospital room.
"Could it be the ex-girlfriend and the current one?"
Upon entering the room and seeing the notorious troublemaker lying on the bed, this thought inadvertently crossed Murphy's mind.
"Hi, Murphy."
The patient on the bed noticed his entrance and waved. Murphy walked over, pulled up a chair, and sat down next to the bed, looking at the quirky director.
"What happened?" Murphy frowned, looking at Quentin Tarantino, whose leg was in a cast. "How did you get so badly hurt?"
The man in the bed was the renowned Quentin Tarantino.
Although Murphy no longer worked with the Weinstein brothers, he had maintained contact with Quentin because they shared many common insights about film language, and their relationship was quite good.
"Don't even mention it…" Quentin shook his head. "I really screwed up this time. Almost cost me my life."
He briefly explained, and Murphy understood that Quentin, after being introduced to a flying club by Harrison Ford, had successfully obtained his pilot's license. However, during a takeoff in a small plane, an accident occurred, and the plane ran off the runway, resulting in Quentin suffering a comminuted fracture of his right thigh.
"Just my luck," Quentin cursed several times, starting each sentence with an 'F'. "The great Quentin, taken down by a small plane. I'm sure to be the laughing stock."
"It will heal soon," Murphy reassured him.
"A year!" Quentin held up a finger. "At least a year before I can get back to normal. If I want to work, it'll take even longer."
Such accidents are unwanted by anyone, but once they occur, all one can do is recuperate in silence.
Hearing that it would take such a long time to heal, Murphy was unsure how to comfort Quentin—after all, comforting others wasn't exactly his forte.
Of course, the rogue Quentin didn't need anyone's sympathy or consolation.
"I can't afford to waste so much time," Quentin looked thoughtful as he spoke to Murphy. "I've signed film contracts with Weinstein Company and 20th Century Fox. If I can't complete them on time, I'm probably in for some trouble…"
Murphy chuckled. Given Quentin's relationship with the Weinstein brothers, saying he was in trouble was an exaggeration; at most, it would just be a hassle.
Quentin mentioning this to Murphy, he guessed, was likely an attempt to leverage his good relations with 20th Century Fox to mitigate any pressure from them.
Now that Quentin was in such a dire situation, Murphy didn't mind helping him out.
But what Quentin brought up next was something entirely different.
"Heard you're not working on any projects right now, just resting?"
Seeing Murphy nod, Quentin continued, "The project I signed with Weinstein Company and 20th Century Fox has already had its outline completed..."
"Stop, Quentin!" Murphy realized what he was getting at and raised his hand to interrupt, "You're not thinking of having me fulfill this directorial contract for you, are you?"
"Not a replacement!" Quentin emphasized. "I'm recommending you as the director for this project. All director-related revenues would go to you. Beyond the script, the project doesn't involve me much."
Murphy frowned slightly, puzzled. "What kind of director contract did you sign?"
"I asked for the highest investment in my career so far." Quentin appeared somewhat helpless. "Accordingly, the contract imposes many restrictions on me. According to the agreement with 20th Century Fox, if I can't complete the project on time, I might have to pay a substantial penalty."
Murphy nodded slightly.
Hollywood, after all, is a business circle; the more you ask for, the more you have to give. Given Quentin felt burdened by it, the penalty sum was undoubtedly not small.
"20th Century Fox originally wanted me to persuade Robert Rodriguez to take over the project."
After a pause, waiting for Sofia Coppola to bring some water and after Quentin had a drink, he continued, "But Robert is preparing 'Machete Kills,' and his schedule and timing aren't right. When I saw you
, I thought you'd be the most suitable person to take over."
Although their relationship was good, Murphy couldn't just immediately agree.
Quentin continued, "Given your relationship with 20th Century Fox, I'm sure they'll have no objections. Our styles are quite similar, and I would be at ease handing the project over to you."
"Hey…" Murphy joked, "You're talking as if you're giving a last will."
The man in the bed didn't laugh but said seriously, "If you don't help me, I really might have to give a last will."
It was rare to see Quentin so serious, Murphy thought for a moment, then said, "You have to let me know what the project is about, right?"
"A story about World War II and Hitler," Quentin said, noticing Murphy's softening stance. "I've already completed the outline. How the script is written is up to you, as long as it helps me fulfill the contract."
World War II and Hitler? Murphy looked at Quentin, still considering.
Quentin, having caught a suitable candidate, was not about to let go easily. "If you don't help me, I might really have to give my last words."
"Let me think about it."
Such matters involved many aspects, and Murphy obviously couldn't just agree on the spot.
However, Quentin did not give up and later had his agent contact Murphy and Bill Roscis, even sending over a draft outline of the script.
The main storyline was not much different from what Murphy remembered, but with only a few hundred words, turning it into a qualified script required further writing.
After a few days of consideration, Murphy agreed. Bill Roscis, along with Quentin's agent, began negotiations with 20th Century Fox and the Weinstein Company. Both companies had worked with Murphy before and had enough confidence in him, and given his and Quentin's relationships with the companies, the three parties smoothly reached an agreement.
In this project, Quentin would only be credited as a screenwriter and provide the story outline, not involving himself in other production aspects. The project would be entirely Murphy's responsibility. As for fees and other treatments, Bill Roscis would continue negotiations with the two companies.
However, there was a slight issue with fundraising for the project, and not just this one—Hollywood seemed to suddenly encounter a crisis.
Murphy was aware of this crisis.
Over the past month, Hollywood had been experiencing frequent turmoil. On one hand, the economic crisis was apparent and affected the film industry, with traditional powerhouses in the big studios continually retracting their fronts.
On the other hand, a series of events occurred in the financing sector of film production. These seemingly isolated cases indicated the emergence and accumulation of new capital and power within the industry, along with the transformation of Hollywood's industry structure.
Although the continued growth in box office revenue had largely stabilized the film industry to a great extent, on the other hand, the traditional business patterns and commercial models of the film industry were gradually being disrupted. Even before the economic crisis became apparent, DVDs, once a major source of revenue, were already considered a dying industry. Even the launch of Blu-ray products could not revive the audiovisual industry.
Additionally, the impact of new media was causing existing businesses like television broadcasting to face transformation.
The old order and structure were gradually changing.
Firstly, the major studios at the top of the food chain all chose to streamline and retract their fronts, including Disney, which was bullish against the market trend. Having undertaken several large transactions in recent years and incurred substantial expenses, Disney was also significantly cutting operational costs and investments in its subsidiaries.
Under these circumstances, the independent companies that once handled art and foreign language films for the major studios rapidly rose in status. For example, Disney placed its hopes on Pixar, while its once-pride Miramax became redundant.
In mid-September, Disney's long-time leaders, Cook Dick and Michael Eisner, stepped down; by October, Universal also experienced executive changes, with two main executives leaving; MGM, mired in difficulties, once again teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, its debts soaring from $2 billion to $3.7 billion.
These developments severely affected the stability within the industry. Along with various industry unions gearing up for a major strike, the fragile business balance in Hollywood was already shattered. While projects temporarily short of funds or encountering other issues could still be discussed, some films directly canceled made those who had worked hard on them want to cry without tears.
Murphy's project, taken over from Quentin, also felt the impact. Fortunately, 20th Century Fox had full confidence in him and promised that as soon as the financial situation improved even slightly, they would immediately proceed with the project.
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