"Have you heard? The McCourt scandal just broke."
Charles Roven, who was in charge of preparing The Last of Us, chatted casually with Gilbert during some downtime.
"How so?" Gilbert asked curiously.
Charles Roven explained, "He ran off with around $250 million. The FBI is already investigating the case."
Gilbert suddenly understood and asked, "Isn't David Ellison the one who suffered the biggest loss?"
"Yes. He invested about $150 million, and the chances of getting it back are slim," Charles Roven continued. "He's already filed a report and apparently, he also named you in it."
"He suspects that you and McCourt set him up together, deliberately tricking him."
"That makes no sense." Gilbert shook his head helplessly. "I never asked him to invest. He saw the project getting attention and tried to compete with me.
If I don't compete, does that make me guilty?"
"Of course not," said Roven, "but he can't take all the blame himself, can he?"
"You've got a point," Gilbert replied. "Anyway, I'm sure Larry Ellison must be furious after hearing about this. He definitely won't be pleased with how David handled it."
Indeed, after McCourt disappeared, Larry Ellison immediately called David Ellison and tore into him over the phone.
The gist of it was: 'You fell for such an obvious scam? Are you an idiot?'
David Ellison, feeling wronged, pushed all the blame onto Gilbert. "It was Gilbert who set me up. By the time I realized it, it was already too late."
Larry Ellison became even angrier. "You want to compete with Gilbert? Fine but you didn't even bother to figure out his methods first."
Fortunately, David Ellison's previous performance had been decent, so Larry Ellison hadn't yet decided his son was unfit for the film industry.
But if things kept going this way, Larry Ellison would eventually lose all trust in him. And without Larry Ellison's backing, David Ellison would be like a monk stripped of his robes—completely exposed.
Soon after, the FBI came to see Gilbert to learn more about the case.
Gilbert said, "When I found out McCourt was a fraud, I was shocked too. I'm just grateful I didn't invest heavily in the project—otherwise, I would've taken a loss myself."
The FBI agent asked, "Could you tell us a few details? It might help us solve the case and recover the funds."
"Of course," Gilbert said, turning to Ivanka. "My assistant handled most of the direct contact. You can ask her anything you need to know."
Ivanka rolled her eyes at him but still cooperated, saying, "Yes, I was the one in charge of that project. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
The FBI agents asked only a few basic questions and didn't seem suspicious of Gilbert at all.
And really, who could blame them? The idea that a billionaire worth over $30 billion would become a criminal for a few hundred million sounded absurd.
After getting a general understanding of the situation, the FBI agents prepared to leave.
Before leaving, one of them said, "We'll continue to monitor this case closely. Once there's any update, we'll notify you immediately."
"Thank you," Gilbert said sincerely, his face full of emotion. "Please make sure the lost funds are recovered and justice is served for those innocent victims."
"Of course. That's our job."
Once the agents had left, Ivanka teased him, "Anyone who didn't know better would think you were a model citizen."
"Am I not?" Gilbert shrugged. "I didn't steal or rob anyone. Besides, I didn't even know McCourt was actually a con artist at first."
"If you hadn't sworn up and down that McCourt was a fraud, I wouldn't have believed it," Ivanka shot back. "This time, David Ellison's loss is huge—his money isn't unlimited, you know."
"Yeah," Gilbert sighed. "Too bad we didn't manage to grab Transformers. That project alone could've helped Sky Studios recover."
Ivanka then remembered something and reported, "By the way, Martin Bob's been in talks with Richard Matheson's estate. He's planning to adapt one of his novels into a film."
"Which novel?" Gilbert asked.
Ivanka thought for a moment and replied, "It's a zombie story—same type as your The Last of Us."
"I Am Legend?"
"That's right," Ivanka said. "The rights originally belonged to Universal. They even considered producing it back in the 1990s.
At that time, Ridley Scott was set to direct, and Arnold Schwarzenegger was supposed to star.
But because the budget was too high, the project was eventually scrapped.
Now that the conditions were right and the rights had expired, Sky Studios planned to take over the project."
Gilbert tapped his fingers on the table out of habit, thought for a moment, and said, "Sounds like a promising project. Have someone reach out about it."
"Like John Carter?" Ivanka asked, thinking Gilbert was planning another fishing scheme.
"No," Gilbert replied. "We're actually going to acquire the rights. If we don't take anything at all, David Ellison will get suspicious."
True and false, real and fake—Gilbert intended to play a little strategy game with David Ellison.
Besides, Gilbert had seen the movie in his previous life, and among zombie-themed films, I Am Legend was a fairly high-quality commercial piece.
Since there was profit potential, Melon Studios naturally had to compete for it.
Zack Snyder had previously directed Dawn of the Dead, so doing I Am Legend wouldn't be a problem for him.
Ivanka, being sharp and well aware of Gilbert's nature, smiled and said, "Whoever messes with you is really unlucky. If David Ellison knew what was coming, he'd never dare provoke Melon Studio."
"Come on, do I seem like that petty of a person?"
"As far as I'm concerned," Ivanka teased, "you're exactly that petty of a person."
Melon Studios soon made contact about acquiring the rights to I Am Legend. When David Ellison heard Gilbert was getting involved, he practically developed PTSD.
He immediately began to suspect that I Am Legend might be another McCourt-style scam and considered dropping out altogether.
But Martin Bob persuaded him otherwise: "This project has been in Hollywood for years. The only reason it wasn't produced before was because of the high production cost.
But it's definitely not another Napoleon-type scam. After all, there's an actual source novel, so expectations can be based on something solid."
"So you're saying Gilbert's trying to scare us off so he can take I Am Legend for himself?" David Ellison asked.
"Exactly," Martin Bob nodded. "David, he's making his move. You can't back down now—don't let him see you flinch.
We have to fight for this project. Gilbert's instincts in the film industry are almost always spot on. Following his lead usually means success."
Unlike the vague and uncertain Napoleon project, I Am Legend was a tangible and well-known property. The only issue before had been the enormous budget.
But now, with the rapid advancements in visual effects, what once required massive spending could be achieved far more easily and look even better.
Given that, Sky Studios decided to ramp up negotiations with the rights holders, determined to go head-to-head with Gilbert for the project.
Gilbert, of course, wasn't about to back down. He had money and he wasn't afraid to burn it.
Of course, he also had to consider the project's profitability. If Sky Studios offered too high a bid, Gilbert would simply walk away.
A famous project that couldn't make money wasn't worth acquiring anyway.
.....
Hi For access to additional chapters of
Director in Hollywood (40 chpaters)
Made In Hollywood (60 Chapters)
Pokemon:Bounty Hunter(30 Chapters)
Hollywood:From Razzie to Legend(40 Chapters)
The Great Ruler (30 Chapters)
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu