[Chapter 1034: Do You Think I Should Tell You?]
Eric was chatting with Jerry Bruckheimer when the crew announced a short break after about half an hour. The film's director, Tony Scott, approached Eric to say hello along with several key creative team members on set.
Tony Scott was a prominent Hollywood director and the brother of another iconic filmmaker, Ridley Scott. He had directed the film that rocketed Tom Cruise to fame in the '80s, Top Gun, which stood out as one of his signature works. However, unlike his brother, who seemed to grow stronger with age, Tony was already in his fifties and had passed his career peak. The film Enemy of the State was likely his last major work with global impact.
Eric enjoyed a lively conversation with Tony Scott, Will Smith, and several other supporting cast members for quite a while. The next scenes appeared to focus mainly on the supporting actors. Will nodded at Eric, then headed off to his luxury trailer for a break, and the other cast members dispersed to prepare for their next scenes.
Eric, Bruckheimer, and Tony Scott remained seated in the simple folding chairs of the break area. Eric spoke up, "Tony, how's Ridley doing? I haven't heard any news about his recent projects since G.I. Jane."
He recalled that G.I. Jane starred Demi Moore as the lead. In this case, however, the female protagonist was another tough Hollywood star, Geena Davis. Unfortunately, the film that portrayed the training details of American female soldiers also ended up underperforming at the box office.
While not as tightly knit as the Wachowski or Coen brothers, Tony and Ridley had a good relationship and often collaborated as producers on each other's films.
"He's been prepping a historical war film set in ancient Rome, similar to Braveheart from a few years ago," Tony said, looking at Eric and suddenly realizing this could be a great opportunity. "Speaking of which, Eric, this really is a fantastic story. I believe it won't be much less impressive than Braveheart. You might be interested in this project."
Eric instantly thought of Ridley's Gladiator, which ranked even higher than Braveheart among Hollywood's epic films in his mind. Although it lacked Braveheart's Oscar achievements, Gladiator's box office numbers had significantly outpaced those of Braveheart.
"Even though G.I. Jane didn't perform very well, that was expected given the subject matter," Eric mused internally, while outwardly maintaining a calm demeanor. "And shouldn't Ridley have no shortage of investors for his project?"
Tony misunderstood Eric's comments to imply reluctance. After the success of Braveheart, most recent epic films in Hollywood had flopped. Once the initial hype fizzled, generating renewed interest in this genre was challenging without a breakout success. Plus, everyone knew that investing in epic films came with high risks, leading to more careful funding decisions.
"Well, originally, Steven's Amblin Entertainment had promised to invest. However, they recently informed us that Amblin was facing cash flow issues and would have to cancel the project," Tony explained, then suddenly smiled, jokingly adding, "Eric, if you agree to invest, I can give Ridley the green light right now. We certainly won't be like some of those clueless kids who are hard to please."
Tony clearly alluded to the recent drama surrounding the Pirates of the Caribbean script.
Eric smiled in response. "Well, I at least need to see the script first."
Tony had assumed that Eric wasn't interested when he made his previous joke. But Eric was right; even if Amblin backtracked, it wouldn't be hard for the brothers to find financing in Hollywood if they waited a little longer. Hearing Eric mention the script now made Tony realize he had misunderstood; he readily nodded. "No problem. If you have time, I can call him right now and have someone bring over a copy of the script."
"There's no need to rush; I can't guarantee I'll invest," Eric waved his hand, chuckling. "I think you should focus on getting this movie done first. Let's have lunch together later."
"Then I'll get back to it," Tony said, glancing at his watch. "You and Jerry can chat for a bit. I'll send a copy of the script over to Firefly this afternoon."
With that, Tony stood up and headed towards the street where preparations were nearly complete for the next set of shots.
...
After Tony left, Bruckheimer leaned over and said, "Eric, I have actually seen the script Ridley's working on. It's a take on Hamlet, telling the story of a Roman general who disguises himself as a gladiator to get close enough to assassinate the Roman emperor to avenge his family."
Hamlet was indeed one of Shakespeare's four great tragedies.
"Speaking of Hamlet, it reminds me of The Lion King. The Lion King also used a Hamlet template. A classic story template is always timeless. With Ridley's directing skills, this could be a really fantastic project," Eric remarked.
As they talked, Eric noticed a Latina woman wearing a white tank top, black leather jacket, and shiny black fitted pants standing not far away, looking both eager and shy.
After recalling the awkwardness of her name, Eric smiled and waved her over.
Fernanda Tavares had been standing at the periphery of the crowd for a while. Since last year's birthday party for Alessandra, she had maintained a good relationship with Gisele and Alessandra. Leveraging their connections and her own remarkable talent, she had successfully earned a spot in the Victoria's Secret Angel lineup and was set to participate in this year's fifth Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
There was a scene in Enemy of the State where the lead character, Robert Dean, selected lingerie for his wife as a Christmas gift. The original script included a fictional brand called Ruby. However, since this project was produced by Firefly Group, that brand naturally transformed into Victoria's Secret.
This scene required a lingerie store saleswoman, and as per the norm, they naturally chose one from the Victoria's Secret Angels.
Eric had previously called Gisele to discuss this, but both girls seemed to have grown too confident for such a fleeting role, and Eric ultimately left it to LTD to handle.
It seemed that the role fell to Fernanda Tavares, thanks likely to Gisele's influence. Since last year, Eric had felt that Gisele was building her own little network, a move he supported wholeheartedly.
Having not seen Fernanda in over a year, she assumed Eric had forgotten her, which was why she was hesitant to approach. But when she saw Eric waving, she quickly hurried over.
...
Once close, Fernanda suddenly felt shy again, politely bowing her head slightly. "Good morning, Mr. Williams. Good morning, Mr. Bruckheimer."
At Alessandra's birthday party last year, everyone had worn casual clothes, and it had ended up being somewhat of a ridiculous sans-clothing party, surrounded by a group of youthful, attractive girls.
But now, in her fitted black jacket, shiny pants, and hard-soled boots, Fernanda appeared like a wild little lioness. Standing over six feet tall, her youthful aura had vanished, replaced by the fierce spirit found in Latin women. If she could exude any more confidence, her presence would have been even more remarkable.
Eric casually patted the chair beside him and laughed, "I almost didn't recognize you! So, does this mean you're the one playing the saleswoman?"
Fernanda sat down beside Eric. "Yes, I just finished my final scene with Mr. Smith."
Eric replied, "This character is indeed a bit small, but it will help raise your profile. Since you're done filming, are you planning to go back to New York?"
Fernanda regarded Eric with hopeful eyes. "I plan to stay in Los Angeles for a few more days. My agency told me to focus on this role, and there's nothing lined up right now, so I'm in no rush to return."
"Oh," Eric nodded, glancing at his watch.
He had arrived at the set just after nine and was scheduled to meet with the screenwriters for Pirates of the Caribbean, Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott, at eleven. It was now nearly ten fifty-five, and they should be arriving soon.
Fernanda didn't understand why Eric suddenly looked at his watch; she silently sat beside him.
As Eric lifted his head to say something, a production assistant approached from beyond the perimeter with three individuals in tow, prompting him to stand. Jerry Bruckheimer recognized it was the screenwriters for Pirates of the Caribbean, and he curiously stood up as well, with Fernanda eagerly following suit.
...
As they approached, Ted Elliott politely extended his hand to Eric. "Hello, Mr. Williams. I'm Ted Elliott."
Eric smiled as they shook hands. "Hello, Ted."
Terry Rossio and Matt Gilson introduced themselves as well, and everyone took a seat around a makeshift folding table. Eric turned to Fernanda. "Fern, can you go help get some coffee for everyone from logistics?"
His casual term of endearment put Fernanda at ease; she understood Eric was politely asking her to step away, and she wasn't upset. She stood up, saying, "Of course."
Having said that, Fernanda headed toward a nearby logistics trailer.
As they watched the fierce, tall Latina walk away, the atmosphere shifted slightly.
During their introductions, Terry and the others had noticed Eric's welcoming demeanor. However, the more cordial Eric was, the more awkward they felt.
After all, they had recently employed some questionable tactics to create the current situation, which could have bordered on malicious deception had Eric not genuinely been interested in the Pirates of the Caribbean script.
Eric displayed no hint of displeasure, nor did he offer any veiled warnings or threats, making the trio feel small and powerless in the presence of this Hollywood mogul. It was as if a lion on the plains disregarded the buzzing of a few pesky flies.
As they weren't familiar with one another, and due to recent events, Eric opted against excessive politeness and quickly stated the point: "I truly value the Pirates of the Caribbean script. When I tasked Jeffrey with handling this, I specifically asked him to bring both of you on board because it requires extensive alterations. I plan to turn it into a series, but I don't have the time to oversee it myself, so I must hand it over to the two of you. My intention hasn't changed: I hope you both will join Firefly and take charge of developing the Pirates of the Caribbean series. That said, if you insist on trying to sell this script for an unrealistic price, Firefly will participate in the bidding, but we likely won't collaborate again after that. By the way, my offer is $1 million; consider it."
Terry and the others were taken aback by Eric's directness, exchanging glances. Ted commented, "Mr. Williams, we genuinely hope to collaborate with Firefly. However, we also want you to direct this film personally."
"Oh, I'm afraid not," Eric immediately shook his head. "I've already got a solid vision for the creative team behind this script, and I won't be directing this movie. I just discussed this with Jerry; he can take on the role of producer for this project."
The three of them visibly deflated at this news.
Matt hesitated before asking, "Mr. Williams, can you share who you're planning to have as director and lead actor?"
Eric shook his head with a smile, replying, "Do you think I should tell you?"
*****
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