Since last year, reality TV has suddenly sparked a new trend.
After American Idol and Fear Factor, Dick Clark Productions kicked off another project: The Bachelor.
One big hallmark of American reality shows? Drama.
Contestants tear into each other, hosts clash with contestants—regulation's loose, and the shows thrive on conflict to crank up that "real" vibe.
America's Next Top Model—just photoshoots and runway walks? Nope, it's got drama too!
Project Runway—a fashion design show, but still packed with drama!
Even Hell's Kitchen, a cooking competition, can't resist stirring up some chaos mid-recipe.
Since drama's a core theme of reality TV, Dunn figured, why not go all in? He rolled out The Bachelor—a show built for drama, taking it to the max!
The Bachelor is simple: pick a drop-dead gorgeous guy, throw in a dozen-plus beautiful women, and spend a season sending them to scenic spots to "bond." If a woman doesn't get a rose from the guy during the show, she's out.
The last woman standing wins—not only does she get the guy, but she scores a bunch of perks too.
To avoid elimination, the women pull out all the stops—little schemes, flirty tricks, even throwing themselves at him. Naturally, the drama between them gets explosive!
Here's the kicker: they can't let the guy catch on to the backstabbing, or they're toast. So it's all sneaky, behind-the-scenes chaos.
In this cutthroat game, the "good girls" often get the boot, while the "scheming queens" stick around—total eye candy for viewers.
But if the guy's sharp and spots their tricks, keeping the kind-hearted ones instead, that's even juicier!
Of course, the real draw? Sex.
If the guy hooks up with a contestant but doesn't give her a rose in the next round—total player move, sleep with her then ditch her—it'd blow the roof off.
And it could flip the other way too: a stunning woman picking from a pack of guys, showing off their desperate moves to win her over. That's the female version—The Bachelorette.
American Idol's only getting hotter. Over 30 countries have bought the rights from Dunn Films already.
Just from licensing fees, they're raking in $100 million a year!
And as long as the show stays popular, those fees will keep climbing.
Hollywood used to run on movies alone. But thanks to Dunn's push, premium TV dramas are getting attention too—word is HBO's gearing up for some big-budget originals.
With American Idol's success, Dunn's seen the cash potential in hit reality shows. They're just as lucrative as blockbuster films or top-tier TV series.
So why not lock down the reality TV game entirely?
Dunn's foresight only has a decade or so left—he's got to milk this natural advantage for all it's worth.
Every ratings juggernaut reality show? He's claiming them all!
When Michael Eisner caught wind of this, he called Dunn right away. "The Bachelor has to go to ABC!"
Dunn laughed. "Michael, I'm under a lot of pressure here!"
"Huh?"
"American Idol went to CBS, Fear Factor's on ABC. Now NBC and FOX are hitting me up for deals too. Even a bunch of cable networks want in on the action."
"Don't forget, Disney and Dunn Films are strategic partners! ABC gets first dibs on Dick Clark's reality shows."
Dunn smirked. "First dibs, sure—but only if ABC's offer isn't lower than the others."
Michael Eisner barely held back a curse.
This kid—barely grown and already all about the money!
They're partners—can't he cut Disney a break?
He didn't say that out loud, though—it'd be too naive. Sighing, he switched gears. "How's the co-production movie coming? What if… our first film's a Snow White remake?"
Eisner's desperate these days. Shareholders are breathing down Disney management's neck, and he needs Dunn's golden touch to win back investor trust.
"Snow White… it's too iconic, too big a name. Remaking it's tricky—let's hold off a few years," Dunn said, shaking his head. "I've already talked to the production team about specifics. I think our first film should be a Dumbo remake."
"Dumbo?" Eisner paused, caught off guard.
Dunn explained, "The biggest challenge with remakes isn't the story—it's the values. Decades-old values don't match today's world. A film like Snow White would need massive changes to the setup. But Dumbo? Not so much. The original's values hold up fine. We just take those amazing animated scenes and bring them to life with modern cinematography and effects, staying true to the classic. It's a nostalgia trip—pulling in old, middle-aged, young, and kid fans alike, pretty much every age group."
Eisner stayed quiet, mulling it over.
Dunn went on, "When the Dumbo cartoon came out, it was two months before Pearl Harbor. It sparked a viewing frenzy in North America. Tons of outlets said Dumbo ruled kids' imaginations in a war-torn era. Time magazine even named 'Dumbo' their Person of the Year—pretty out-there move."
Eisner got it instantly.
It's a war era again now!
The Dumbo cartoon was a bright spot in dark times, and a live-action version could lean into that for marketing.
"The original cartoon got rushed by the economic crisis and strikes—plot's choppy, structure's basic. It's a shame, really. So for the remake, we'd carry over all its strengths, flesh out the story, and fix the flaws," Dunn added.
Eisner cut in abruptly, "What about the budget?"
Dunn's lip curled with a hint of sarcasm. "Dumbo's got to be 3D CGI—top-notch quality, no skimping. And since it's our first collab, it's got to succeed—no room for failure! That means a big-name director and A-list stars to anchor it."
Eisner's forehead creased with worry lines. He's always been wary of big-budget flicks. "Is that really necessary?"
"Absolutely! This has to be a premium blockbuster!"
Dunn's tone left no room for debate.
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In May, Spider-Man 2 only hit a few markets in Latin America and Asia, pulling in $50 million overseas.
But June? That's when the international box office took off!
By June 15th, Spider-Man 2 had smashed past $500 million in North America, with $200 million more from overseas.
Meanwhile, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, despite its loud hype, was fading fast—$100 million overseas, $250 million in North America.
Basically, Episode II's haul was half of Spider-Man 2's.
Dunn even called George Lucas about it, half-heartedly saying he loved Episode II and blaming its underperformance on 20th Century Fox's marketing missteps.
If he ran the Star Wars franchise, he'd make way more money.
Lucas gave a bitter laugh.
It kinda sounded like Dunn was stirring the pot.
"Lucasfilm's locked into a three-film distribution deal with 20th Century Fox," Lucas said, cutting off Dunn's daydreams.
Dunn smiled slyly. "Contracts can be bought out."
Lucas's forehead wrinkled in frustration. "You think Star Wars is like Pixar's cartoons? Sure, Pixar's stuff is great, but it can flop. Star Wars? Even at its worst, it's a goldmine! That buyout penalty's astronomical!"
Dunn just chuckled innocently.
Next up, he's flying to Seattle to meet Bill Gates—talk about Penguin's crisis and kick off some Microsoft-Dunn Films projects.
MSN's the world's second-biggest portal site, trailing only Yahoo, with its chat app and news feeds.
Dunn's pitching a deal: Dunn Films supplies exclusive entertainment scoops to Microsoft, and Microsoft ramps up online coverage for Dunn's movies, shows, and reality programs.
Microsoft's already teamed up with NBC—they've got MSNBC, so they're no strangers to entertainment tie-ins.
After that, Dunn's jetting straight to the UK to check on Harry Potter 2's production and meet the young cast, give them a pep talk.
Those kids have it rough—no summer or winter breaks since Harry Potter 1 started. Every long holiday's eaten up by filming.
If Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone had already hit theaters, it'd be easier—they'd see themselves on screen and feel pumped.
But with Harry Potter 1 still unreleased and Harry Potter 2 already rolling, they're probably feeling lost and unmotivated.
Dunn's there to lift their spirits.
Once he's done with the Harry Potter crew, he's off to Paris.
That's the main event of this trip—meeting Vivendi's top brass!
For Dunn, this summer's just getting started!