After staying with Wayne for another day, Eva Green reluctantly left Zurich.
It couldn't be helped; it wasn't that she didn't want to stay longer, but her body just couldn't take it anymore. In fact, if she hadn't been able to rest in the hotel while Wayne was filming during the day, she wouldn't have lasted even three days.
"No wonder that guy has two official girlfriends. If there was only one, she wouldn't be able to handle it!" Eva thought as she yawned on the train back to Paris, reminiscing about the wonderful experiences of the past three days. Then, her mind wandered to her twin sister.
However, when she thought about her sister's completely different personality and aspirations, she quickly dismissed any inappropriate thoughts.
On the other hand, Wayne had no idea that he had missed a serious opportunity to get closer to twin sisters.
After three days of indulgence, the first thing he did when he got back was to satisfy his official girlfriend.
Both Jessica and Mia were quite satisfied with his attitude and capabilities.
As for Hannah, the assistant? She didn't have the right to voice an opinion, did she?
It's worth mentioning that Hannah's psychological issues still showed no signs of improvement. In fact, they seemed to be getting worse.
Nowadays, even a slight touch from another man on her hand or skin would make her feel nauseous, to the point where she'd want to shoot the guy.
She couldn't help but complain that it was Wayne's fault for being too excellent. Compared to him, other men seemed like complete trash.
However, on second thought, maybe it wasn't so bad. Besides being a bit of a flirt, there was nothing wrong with Wayne. If she didn't hold on to such a great man and went after some random loser, she'd be the one who's crazy, right?
The three of them were quite amazed that Eva Green could handle Wayne's intensity for three full days.
"Is that French woman really that tough? Even tougher than Charlize?" Jessica asked, lying lazily in Wayne's arms, her curiosity piqued.
"Well, not bad. They're about the same," Wayne thought for a moment and gave a very objective assessment.
"Are you planning on 'keeping' her long-term?" Mia asked.
"Yeah, I'm thinking about it," Wayne replied straightforwardly. "I'm considering casting her as the second lead, the mercenary 'Rain,' in *Resident Evil 1*, or as 'Valentine,' the second lead in the sequel."
"The latter is actually one of the main characters in the *Resident Evil* series. Both the character and the role would be more exciting than the former, and it fits Eva's image and temperament. With a slight adjustment to the plot, she could even appear in several sequels."
"However, even if we film both movies back-to-back, it'll still take six to seven months for the second one to release. I wonder if she has the patience to wait."
"You're really thoughtful when it comes to her," Mia teased, then added, "But aren't you forgetting something? This is Hollywood. We're not making some low-budget film that costs tens or hundreds of thousands; this is a mid-to-large-scale production with a budget of over 30 million. Waiting one or two years for a movie to release is totally normal, right?"
Jessica nodded in agreement.
A typical $30 million commercial film, regardless of whether it has special effects or not, usually takes at least a month or two in post-production. After accounting for ratings, promotion, and scheduling, getting a film out in six months would already be considered fast.
Movies like *Accepted* and *Happy Death Day*, where post-production can be completed in just a week or two, usually only happen with low-budget films that cost $10-20 thousand and go straight to DVD, where the director has complete control over the editing process.
Wayne paused for a moment and realized he had been too hasty.
"Then it's not a problem. Oh, and as for the director, I think we should stick with Christopher Nolan."
Wayne took the opportunity to finalize the choice. Between Nolan and Tarantino, he ultimately chose Nolan, who, though not as famous yet, would far surpass Tarantino in both reputation and box office success in the future.
While he hadn't yet fully achieved financial freedom, he was getting close. It was time for him to be a bit more patient.
"Are you signing her for a series?" Mia asked.
"Yes, at least five films, preferably seven. We can offer her a salary about 30% above market rate at the time, but we should try to keep the box office share as low as possible," Wayne explained.
"What about Quentin Tarantino?" Mia inquired.
"Quentin?"
At the mention of Tarantino, Wayne couldn't help but frown slightly.
Although he was happy to have Quentin and Nolan complement each other, Quentin's personality wouldn't allow him to stay subordinate for long.
It was fine for now since Quentin wasn't that famous yet, but once *Kill Bill* was released and his fame skyrocketed, combined with his notorious temper, putting him and Nolan together would definitely lead to conflict.
As Wayne knew, *Kill Bill* was scheduled to start filming in June 2002, but Quentin already had the idea and was working on the script now.
So asking Quentin to give up *Kill Bill* was unrealistic.
"Let's sign him for three films, and make sure the penalty for breaking the contract is high," Wayne said after thinking for a moment.
Based on the timeline from his previous life, *Kill Bill* would start pre-production around the end of 2001, so even if they shot the first two *Resident Evil* films back-to-back, they could only complete three movies in a year.
"Got it, I'll contact Susan! Since she's the producer for the *Resident Evil* project, it's better for her to handle this," Mia said.
Fifteen minutes later, Susan, who was busy on the set of *Gifted*, received Mia's long-distance call.
"Hello? Mia! Long time no see!"
"What am I doing? I'm on the set of *Gifted*! You think I'm out of breath? Oh, I'm just a little busy, that's all. What are you thinking?!"
"Do you think I'm as lucky as you, having such an outstanding boyfriend like Wayne? I can only dream of being that happy!"
Susan adjusted her breathing while unreservedly teasing back.
Since this was her first official time as a producer, she was heavily involved in every aspect of the project, striving for perfection. Naturally, this left her exhausted.
It's worth noting that Susan had once been a rebellious delinquent, though that wasn't unusual in America. It was only after some life-changing events that she turned over a new leaf and focused on her career.
People like her often become incredibly dedicated to their work, just like the reformed Keanu Reeves or Robert Downey Jr.
Having seen Robert Downey Jr.'s potential, she encouraged and helped him rise again, perhaps because she saw a bit of her younger self in him.
(End of Chapter)