Wayne didn't waste any time. After sitting down, he immediately started reading the script.
Mia, ever so considerate, went to pour him a cup of coffee before picking up another copy of the script. As a production assistant, she also needed to be somewhat familiar with it.
Soon, the room quieted down again. Only the sounds of pages turning and pens scribbling could be heard.
As Wayne read the script, he mentally compared it to the original plot and visuals he had in his mind.
He had to admit, Bill's ability to maintain a steady partnership with a production company in the fiercely competitive world of Hollywood screenwriting was impressive. The script he wrote based on Wayne's outline was at least 80% faithful to the original.
The remaining 20% had changed due to time constraints and adjustments to character development, but from Wayne's professional perspective, the changes not only didn't detract from the original but even enhanced it.
"Director Pose, do you have any suggestions for changes?" Wayne asked Steve Pose, who shook his head, indicating he had no issues. Wayne then glanced at Mia and Sarah beside him.
After confirming that no one had objections, Wayne finalized the script.
But that was just the beginning of this new phase.
Once the script was set, Wayne, along with the director, screenwriter, and Mia, the production assistant, went with the location manager to scout several potential filming locations.
At the same time, Sarah distributed the finalized script to the agents of Natalie, Jessica, and others.
*Knock, knock, knock!*
"Come in!"
"I heard from the nanny that you slept until just now? Didn't he not stay over last night?"
The agent walked into the bedroom.
It was clear that Wayne was far better than any of her previous partners—whether in looks, body, or abilities.
"I'm so jealous! You get to be with such an amazing man!"
The agent showed a well-timed look of envy, making Natalie feel even more pleased with herself. Clearly, in this regard, women and men were no different.
"I'm planning to keep him for the long term."
"I'd suggest you do that," the agent replied sincerely.
"So, what brings you here?" Natalie asked.
"Hemera Studios just sent over the script. I skimmed through it, and the plot is fantastic! I also heard that the story's concept and design came from Wayne Anderson himself. That means this guy is not just about looks, body, and money—he's actually talented. As long as nothing goes wrong, he's bound to make a name for himself in Hollywood soon."
The agent handed the script to Natalie.
Natalie looked surprised and intrigued as expected, and despite her desire to sleep another five or six hours, she forced herself to open the script and began reading it seriously.
Though she was manipulative and loved to stir things up, she also took acting seriously because she knew that the top directors valued acting ability.
If she wanted to climb higher, excellent acting and outstanding performances were essential.
After all, she didn't have the same natural gifts and assets as Jessica and Megan, who could achieve global fame just by being a pretty face.
On the other hand, Jessica, who had also received the script, was more serious than ever. Over the past few days, Wayne had hinted several times that if she improved her acting, he'd continue working with her in the future, possibly even as one of the leads.
For the 19-year-old Jessica, who had acted in a few films but hadn't made a splash and was still a relatively unknown actress, this was an enormous opportunity.
Besides, continuing to collaborate meant more time with her dream guy, didn't it?
It was like telling Wayne in his past life that if he improved his acting, he'd get to star in a theatrical film *and* have a romantic scene with his favorite actress. Who in their right mind would say no to that?
"Is this the last location?"
"Yes, Mr. Anderson."
"Good! Let's go with this one."
At around 5 PM, Wayne confirmed all the exterior locations with the location manager. Next came the production budget and scheduling the filming dates.
These two aspects could proceed simultaneously.
"Honey, I'm probably going to have to work late at the office tonight."
"Thanks for your hard work."
Mia reluctantly said goodbye to Wayne and stayed at the office.
Over the past few days, with Sarah's guidance, Mia had thought long and hard. A boyfriend like Wayne, with his looks and talents, couldn't be held on to with just physical appearance. This was Hollywood, after all.
Even if Wayne had no such intentions, plenty of ambitious women would try to win him over.
To keep Wayne, she needed to focus on her career, making herself an indispensable part of his professional life. That way, she could ensure he stayed by her side for the long term.
Having come close to bankruptcy once before, Mia felt that Sarah's advice made a lot of sense, so she had been working diligently ever since.
Wayne, being experienced, had a good idea of what Mia was thinking.
He was more than happy about it.
After saying goodbye to Mia, Wayne drove straight to Jessica's place, where he used his acting skills, honed from his past life, to guide her in improving her performance based on the original movie.
But Jessica, being a bit of a troublemaker, often tested Wayne's patience, forcing him to sternly discipline her before she'd finally settle down and focus on her studies.
Around 1 AM, Wayne received a call from Mia, informing him that the budget had been finalized. She was getting ready to leave work, so Wayne offered to pick her up.
This touched Mia deeply, and when they got back to her place, she was especially affectionate.
Unfortunately, after a long day of work, she didn't have much stamina left, and after less than an hour, she was already begging for mercy.
Being kind-hearted, Wayne let her off, gently wrapping his arm around her smooth, soft shoulder while he picked up the budget sheet.
Sarah hadn't let him down.
The production budget came out to exactly $8 million. Combined with the $2 million marketing budget, the total investment was $10 million.
A third of that went to Wayne and Natalie Portman's salaries.
Natalie's pay remained as agreed at $2 million.
Wayne's salary was capped at $800,000, the maximum allowed by the system. He also received $200,000 for serving as co-producer and co-writer, bringing his total earnings to $1 million.
Unlike others, who received payments in installments, Wayne's $1 million was paid upfront. With the $300,000 he had left, the three-part loan from Hemera Studios was no longer a concern.
Three months was plenty of time for him to secure the second round of investment and receive his second paycheck.
For marketing, Sarah partnered with Warner, with whom she had collaborated several times before.
Though Warner wasn't optimistic about her after the failure of her last film, they didn't turn down a simple job for $2 million.
"Ads start a week before. No fewer than 500 theaters for the first weekend. Pretty standard."
Wayne nodded in approval, drawing on memories from both lifetimes.
Sarah had secured the best possible terms without exaggerating the marketing budget, which pleased Wayne.
After reviewing Steve Pose's initial filming schedule and finding no issues, Wayne comfortably drifted off to sleep with Mia in his arms.
For the next three days, Wayne continued splitting his time between Mia, Jessica, and Natalie.
Since Mia was so busy, most of his time was spent with Jessica. As for Natalie, he only had an intimate moment with her once.
After all, compared to Mia and Jessica, Natalie's only real advantage was her fame.
Her previously dominant acting skills had been quickly caught up to by Mia and Jessica under Wayne's guidance.
In addition to all this, Wayne also offered some acting advice to Megan Fox, at the request of her agent, Mike Jones.
This was Megan's first time acting in a film.
Given her previous experience as a model, and her body being even more striking than Mia's and Jessica's, Wayne gave her a speaking role in the film, a part originally written with fewer lines and screen time.
Over the past few days, Megan had been taking dance lessons for the role, and she had Mike bring Wayne in to evaluate her progress.
After all, as the film's investor, Wayne had the final say in the crew.
"Not bad!"
In the hotel room they had booked, Wayne watched the fiery young woman dance to the explosive music, a satisfied smile on his face.
In the original film, this character didn't have many provocative scenes or perform this type of dance.
But this was Megan Fox! And it was her screen debut!
It would be a waste not to make good use of that.
After confirming with Sarah and Director Pose that the scenes would still only warrant an R rating at most, Wayne decisively added more scenes for Megan.
Watching her performance now, Wayne felt even more convinced it was the right choice.
However, after some hesitation, Wayne politely turned down Megan's advances. After all, it wasn't 20 years later, and California hadn't yet enacted the law where a 10-year age difference was considered legally acceptable.
(End of chapter)