The list was:
[BEST ACTOR]
Adrien Brody – The Pianist as Władysław Szpilman
Nicolas Cage – Adaptation 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
...
...
...
Except for these two, The Revenant didn't get nominated for any awards.
To make it worse for Tom, Nicole Kidman, who was nowhere to be found, actually got nominated in the Best Actress category.
His ex-wife already won Best Director at the Golden Globes and it didn't sit well with Tom Cruise. After all, The Revenant also didn't win any awards at the Golden Globes despite having 6 nominations.
This time, the bad feeling was getting stronger. They might also win nothing at the Academy Awards.
The party quickly ended after that. Some people were happy while some were sad. As for Tom and Kazir, the two felt low so they decided to drink alcohol. They started cursing the old foggeys of the Academy. They spent a lot of time talking to them yet they only got two nominations.
...
...
...
Two days after that, Kazir was still bitter about the results. He did his best, all of the 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. Cause they would also be mad once they found that their movie only got two nominations.
In fact, when they found the news, some of them were mad at the Academy. Renner Hector and Harold Witsend felt dissatisfied, slightly affecting their job.
As for Kazir, he decided to focus his mind on his current project. He kept polishing the storyboard to make sure that he knew what to do once the filming started.
Suddenly, someone knocked on his door. It was Erica Mendez.
"Sir, Tom Rothman is here to talk to you."
"... Let him in."
Kazir had an idea why Tom Rothman was here. And to be honest, he was just waiting for their response. He knew that the current net worth of Grey Pictures was bloated and it was time to make a decision.
Grey Pictures' real net worth should only be around $4 to 5 billion. However, because of the competition of the Big Five, the value of Grey Pictures went up to $10 billion. For a production studio that was recently founded, that amount was already huge.
"Yes, sir."
Tom Rothman entered the office and found Kazir on his table with some sketches. He was not surprised at all, Kazir was indeed a director.
"I think you know the reason why I'm here."
"Indeed."
"Kazir, News Corporation decided to extend my term if I made you agree to our terms."
"I see."
'What's the connection of that to me?' he thought to himself.
Tom Rothman had two choices regarding his career. He could jump into News Corporation and become the head of certain management, perhaps one of the board of directors. However, it was still nothing compared to being a boss of a company.
CEO of 20th Century Fox was still better than any position in the News Corporation. Well, Tom Rothman could also find another job in another company just like what Terry Semel did, jumping into Yahoo.
"I know what you're thinking, indeed, my problem is not your problem. However, 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 why I reached my current status. You decided to trust me and Napoleon Dynamite."
Kazir nodded. Still, that was enough to entice him. If he was that easy, then this situation would never happen in the first place.
"I also know that you're going to say that. So I'm going to give you a proposal that will interest you."
Kazir decided to listen. This was business.
"I will make you the head of the Marvel Studio. You will now have a strong power to make a decision regarding how Marvel Studio will take its path."
"..."
Now that was unexpected. Most of the time, companies would offer him money and shares instead. But Tom Rothman used a different tactics.
Kazir was not a business, 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's shares in exchange for 20% of Grey Pictures."
Meaning, 30% of Grey Pictures is in exchange for $3.3 billion. Kazir suddenly turned serious. This approach was different from what he expected, but he was also interested.
He was a bit disappointed that Marvel Comics was acquired by News Corporation. He wanted to make the MCU come true. He thought his dream would disappear.
He thought that 20th Century Fox wanted to make a Cinematic Universe without him.
Yet it seemed that they used this trump card to get him instead.
"Tom, sometimes I feel like you really know me."
"Kazir, I'm one of the people who trusted you first."
"Indeed... Give me some time to think about it."
"Okay."
Tom Rothman excused himself.
Kazir leaned against his chair and exhaled.
"... I guess this is it."
++++
[Okay, I decided to end the competition regarding the acquisition of Grey Pictures. Perhaps some of you are disappointed in me. Perhaps you guys are getting tired of Kazir being an artist instead of being a business. The synopsis of this novel was about Kazir becoming the greatest Director in Hollywood, not being a businessman or a tycoon. Still, I want to hear your honest opinion. Criticism is always good, no matter how negative they are.]
[By the way, I still owe you 6 chapters. 2 HWI, 2 TOFD, and 2 RDD]
[I also want to thank you guys for all of your support. My younger brother finished his college semester and the tuition was fully paid, and it's all thanks to you guys. I really appreciate all of your support.]