[Chapter 509: The Hollywood Power List]
Due to Eric's insightful analysis of the CAA's operational model in "The CAA Revelation," and the subsequent reforms that various agencies implemented out of concern for the perceived threat from CAA, Hollywood now found itself in a three-way competition among CAA, ICM, and WMA. To compete effectively with rivals that had woken up to the challenge, CAA could no longer maintain its previous dominant position while working with major film studios. As a result, Michael Ovitz found his ranking slipping outside the top five.
Last year, Firefly Films claimed the top spot in 1992 with a 27% share of the North American box office, far ahead of its competitors. Eric rightfully took the number one position in the Power List, while Michael Lynn, the CEO of Firefly Films, and Jeffrey Katzenberg, the CEO of Disney, occupied the sixth and ninth ranks respectively. Although those ranks weren't particularly high, Firefly Films boasted three positions in the top ten, prompting widespread discussion in the industry.
Eric's ascent to the top spot faced no controversy; the figures proved his worth, particularly as his directorial debut, Twister, raked in nearly $700 million globally, making it the box office champion of 1992. However, many media outlets were reluctant to accept that both Michael Lynn and Katzenberg had made it into the top ten alongside him.
In Hollywood, almost any ranking stirs controversy, which helps to generate discussions and increase the list's visibility. When faced with skepticism from the public, Premiere magazine steadfastly refused to admit any shortcomings in their ranking, instead gearing up for a media battle with renewed vigor.
Typically, major media discussions leading up to the Oscars focused on the films nominated that year. Each nominated film exhibited its own flair, launching PR campaigns along with media opinion initiatives. But this year was different; Schindler's List loomed at the forefront, buoyed by its absolute political correctness. Given the unique status of Jewish individuals in Hollywood, traditional campaigning tactics proved largely ineffective, and competitors hesitated to criticize Schindler's List. Within this context, the topic of Premiere magazine's Hollywood Power List gained substantial traction.
...
"...Warner Bros. co-chairman Robert Daly stated in an interview that the board's prolonged indecision over the CEO position resulted in Time Warner being outpaced by Firefly Films. When asked about his fellow co-chairman, Terry Semel, who shared the second spot with him, Robert Daly declined to comment. His words were clearly aimed at pressuring the Warner board."
"Rumor had it that Robert Daly shared a close friendship with Eric Williams, a condition that might serve as a crucial bargaining chip in his pursuit of the Time Warner CEO position. After all, the previous CEO, Steve Ross, had solidified his status primarily through strong personal ties with renowned filmmakers like Steven Spielberg."
"...Former New Line Cinema president Robert Shay publicly asserted that Michael Lynn was merely a puppet nurtured by Eric Williams, claiming that Lynn had no real decision-making power at Firefly Films. In a rare move, Firefly Films publicly refuted Shay's comments, asserting that Mr. Michael Lynn made significant contributions during his tenure as CEO."
"...Andrew Fleischer, a well-known film critic at Variety magazine, openly criticized the selection criteria for the Hollywood Power List, suggesting that it should be renamed the Hollywood Influence List instead."
"..."
...
At the Steinway Mansion, Drew had to wake up early for the audition of the lead role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While sipping her cereal at the breakfast table, she casually glanced at the bold headlines on a newspaper Eric held and muttered, "I really don't get what all the fuss is about. Liz and I got ranked at 15, and we didn't even say anything."
Eric flipped a page of the newspaper and replied with a chuckle, "Wasn't it just yesterday when someone on Hollywood Online scoffed at the Hollywood Power List?"
"Absolutely. If you keep being this busy and don't spend enough time with me, you'll be too old for chasing after anything!" She said playfully, her youthful face moving closer. "Eric, why don't we go to Century City together to help pick the lead for Buffy today?"
"Weren't we securing the lead role last time you mentioned it? Hasn't anyone been selected yet?"
"Nope! We've just been narrowing down the director and some supporting roles. The lead audition is set for today."
Eric considered his schedule for today and realized he had no pressing matters to attend to. And, as Drew had just noted, he didn't want to turn into a workaholic "robot". "Alright, I'll give the studio a call and let them know I won't be there today. When does the audition start?"
"At ten o'clock, so we're not in a rush. There are only sixteen finalists, and we'll definitely finish the interviews today," Drew replied.
...
While Eric and Drew continued discussing the Buffy lead over at Steinway Mansion, Michael Eisner had already arrived at Universal's headquarters in Burbank.
Recently, the Hollywood Power List had deemed Michael Eisner the tenth-ranked individual due to the upheaval at Universal Pictures last year, despite Eisner having just taken the helm a year prior.
Regardless of how the public, or even the press, viewed it, Eisner took the news lightly. As the critic from Variety had mentioned, the Hollywood Power List ultimately reflected the influence of individuals in Hollywood during the past year. Ranking tenth certainly did not diminish Eisner's substantial control over Universal, one of the big seven studios with a storied history.
Eisner's strategy of pursuing volume over quality during the last quarter had allowed Universal to surpass the profits of the previous three quarters combined, solidifying his status in the eyes of the parent company, Panasonic.
However, with the trend of high-budget productions generating the lion's share of profits in Hollywood, he knew that relying solely on mid-range productions would be inadequate. No film studio could push the limits of distribution indefinitely. Therefore, since late last year, Eisner had been on the lookout for fitting big-budget projects for Universal.
So far, Universal had started production on an action movie titled The Fugitive, starring Harrison Ford, with a total investment of $50 million. This was an adaptation of a television series, and Universal had snatched this project away from Warner Bros. Believing in The Fugitive's potential, Universal had agreed to pay the rights-holder an extra $3 million and had increased both the director's and Ford's salaries.
If Eric were present, he surely would have been surprised by Michael Eisner's vision. Back when Drew was busy acquiring rights for Flower Films, Eric even had his eye on that film. Unfortunately, Eric didn't recall many details about it and had to give up the idea eventually.
In fact, during his final years at Disney, Michael Eisner had relinquished the film production side, focusing instead on marketing and promotion. However, during his time at Paramount, he had overseen the production department under Barry Diller. When people thought of Indiana Jones, many might initially consider Spielberg, but few realized that Eisner's substantial support had been critical in bringing that project to fruition.
After holding a brief meeting with several Universal executives, Michael Eisner returned to his office to begin his day's work.
His assistant placed a pre-prepared stack of documents on Eisner's desk and handed him the topmost one. "Mr. Eisner, we just received the file from the legal department. They mentioned that the idea for a remake of The Mummy was initially proposed by James Jacks from Alpha-ville. They received remake authorization back in 1991, and the agreement was to develop it in conjunction with Universal. However, at that time, Sid Sheinberg was only willing to produce it as a low-budget horror film with a maximum investment of $10 million, which is why they tabled the project. If they refuse to abandon their original authorization, we would need at least $2 million to reclaim it, or we could wait for the authorization to expire."
"How long was the original authorization for?" Eisner asked without looking up.
The assistant hesitated and replied, "Ten years."
"Then directly contact James Jacks. We either pay a penalty, and he relinquishes the rights, or we see him in court -- he'll end up with nothing."
The assistant opened his mouth, ready to respond, but quickly nodded. "Alright, Mr. Eisner. Also, the first draft of The Mummy script is completed. It's in the second-to-last folder. Following your suggestion, there are notes left for a sequel development. The production department inquired if you wanted to begin scouting for a director and leads?"
Michael Eisner retrieved The Mummy script and skimmed over the story outline. He looked up and said, "Send a copy of the script to Mr. Spielberg and ask if he's interested. Also, reach out to Nicole Kidman for the lead role."
"Mr. Eisner, I don't think Nicole Kidman is suitable. After Mr. & Mrs. Smith, her salary has reached $10 million, making her one of the highest-paid actresses, and the character in The Mummy is a frail librarian -- a stark contrast to her killer persona from Mr. & Mrs. Smith."
Eisner lifted his gaze toward the assistant. "I think you may have overlooked Nicole's performances in Sleepless in Seattle and Sarah & Shannon (The Heat). She's an incredibly versatile actress, and her salary is justifiable. Additionally, I have other considerations in mind, so just follow my instructions."
The assistant nodded and, seeing that Eisner had no further requests, exited the office.
Eisner's attention turned back to The Mummy script. A month prior, while reviewing project files left by Sid Sheinberg, he had stumbled upon the remake plan for the film, quickly inspiring the idea of creating an adventure series in the style of Indiana Jones based on it.
Audiences had always held a strong interest in adventure and treasure-hunting themes. Coupled with the success of the Indiana Jones series, Eisner was confident that with a solid script and impressive special effects, this series could be highly successful.
He had already envisioned Spielberg as the director and Kidman as the lead. Although he was aware that the chance of Spielberg agreeing was slim, Eisner was confident that getting Spielberg on board as a producer wouldn't be an issue.
As for the female lead selection, aside from acknowledging Nicole's box office appeal, Eisner was also curious to gauge Eric's thoughts. If the script landed in Nicole's hands, Eric would surely notice. Due to Universal's proactive approach with Joanna Pacula last fall, Eric owed Eisner a favor, and he was certain Eric would take this opportunity to fulfill that debt.
Eisner knew that if The Mummy series succeeded, his position as CEO of Universal would become unassailable, thus he went to great lengths to arrange all of this.
...
At the 20th Century Fox headquarters in Century City, Elisabeth had leased an entire floor of the Fox building for her new company.
When Eric and Drew arrived at 10 AM, they found a large crowd of girls and their agents gathered in the corridor of that floor.
As they walked past, Eric could see the bright sparkles in the girls' eyes, akin to eager little wolves spotting prey, and he was certain it wasn't an illusion. A girl in a beige trench coat stepped forward first, dropping her pretense and approaching Eric for a greeting and autograph, which prompted other girls to join in.
After signing a few autographs for the seemingly seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girls, Eric was somewhat flustered but eventually escorted into the business's headquarters by a security guard.
Throughout this, Drew had her beaming smile glued to her face, watching everything unfold.
The two entered Drew's office; she suddenly sprang towards Eric.
Instinctively, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and laughed, "Hey, what are you doing? Are you jealous seeing how popular I am?"
She shot him a look but quickly slipped her little hand into the pockets of Eric's coat, emerging with a few slips of paper filled with contact information from each pocket.
*****
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