Walking out of Studio 6, Eric returned to the set of blue is the warmest color.
By then, he had already obtained Charlize Theron's private phone number and had persuaded her to open a Facebook account as soon as possible.
He silently memorized the phone number, reciting it several times until it was firmly etched in his mind.
Then, Eric tore up the slip of paper and threw it away; not doing so would seem unprofessional.
Moreover, if the Olsen Sisters, Gadot, and Nicole found out, there would undoubtedly be another round of interrogation.
Theron's image appeared in his mind, not the monster image, but her sexy performances in rampage, Snow White, Head in the Clouds, and Dior commercials.
As a former dancer and model who later entered Hollywood, she had been in the industry for eight years, and her beauty had spread throughout the world.
However, don't assume that a goddess has always been a goddess; in fact, Charlize Theron did not have a good childhood.
During her school days, she was a bit chubby, wore thick glasses due to nearsightedness, and her teeth were ruined by antibiotics.
Theron was once introverted and insecure, out of place with others, constantly hitting roadblocks at school, and had few friends.
Even more unfortunately, her father had a drinking problem and was prone to domestic violence against Theron and her mother.
When Theron was 15, her father got drunk again, started shooting wildly with a machine gun, and threatened to kill his daughter.
To protect her daughter, Theron's mother shot her husband, and Theron witnessed the entire process.
Fortunately, the court ultimately ruled it self-defense, and both mother and daughter were safe.
These experiences cultivated Theron's independent and resilient personality.
It wasn't until later, as her body developed and Theron overcame her illnesses, that she finally began to train herself in the direction of a queen.
From The Italian Job onwards, her queenly aura began to emerge.
With a height of 177cm, a perfect Greek-style face, a long neck, a perfect back, and unbelievably long legs, when Theron grew up, even God marveled that a person could be created so perfectly.
Eric also had to admit that Charlize Theron was the most beautiful and coolest woman he had ever seen.
In terms of beauty, Nicole and she each had their unique charm.
But when it came to temperament, Theron was even better.
Moreover, Theron was born in 1975, making her 28 this year, a full eight years younger than Nicole, and what age means for a woman needs no further explanation.
However, it's a pity that Theron currently has a boyfriend, a minor star named Stuart Townsend.
This guy doesn't have many works, and his few works aren't particularly outstanding; his most prominent label is being the boyfriend of the sexy goddess Charlize Theron.
Compared to Theron's career, the female-strong, male-weak dynamic is very obvious, somewhat akin to a 'tiger of the serious crime unit' suspect.
And this kid has a bad temper, with tendencies towards domestic violence, though it hasn't manifested yet.
Eric remembered that in 2022, Stuart Townsend was arrested for domestic violence against his wife.
For Theron, her father's domestic violence had left an indelible shadow, and encountering such a boyfriend again was truly bad luck.
So, as a messenger of justice, Eric felt it was necessary for him to appear like Superman and rescue her from distress.
Regardless of whether this fire has started burning now, since it will burn in the future, wouldn't it be better if I extinguished it in advance?
That's right, it should be so!
I need to find a way to kick Stuart out, damn it, how dare you enjoy such an excellent woman as Theron!
However, this matter cannot be rushed; it requires careful planning to avoid being penny wise and pound foolish.
The best way is to let Stuart Townsend expose his bad character himself, and Eric can then seize the opportunity.
As long as the hoe is wielded well, there's no corner that can't be dug up.
Thinking this, Eric returned to Studio 4.
Seeing him return, Ashley handed him a peeled orange: "Eric, what were you doing?"
Eric didn't hide it: "I went to visit a set. They're filming monster in Studio 6 next door, so I went to check on the progress."
"monster? I know that movie, a crime film starring Charlize Theron, right?"
"Yes, the director is my associate director partner from when I filmed transformers; you could say I promoted her myself."
Eric completely ignored the Theron angle. He knew exactly what the little girl was thinking; such probing tactics were still a bit green.
As he spoke, he looked at Neill Blomkamp: "Neil, Patty is filming in Studio 6. Go check it out when you have time."
"Really? Has her movie started filming?" Neill Blomkamp rushed over to ask.
"Yes, it just started recently. I invested 8 million US dollars."
"OMG! That much, Director? When can I direct independently? Less money is fine too."
Eric chuckled coldly: "Did you forget what I said last time? You still need more experience."
"After blue is the warmest color is finished, I'll start filming a political thriller, and you'll still be an assistant."
"For the project after that, we'll see the situation. If it's suitable, I'll let you try being an associate director first, and then consider the possibility of independent directing."
Neill Blomkamp clenched his fist: "No problem, you film quickly anyway."
Eric glared at him: "This isn't about how fast or slow I film; it's about your learning efficiency. Put in more effort privately and strive to get a director's microphone next year.
"Of course, I will work hard!"
"Neil, if you were a director, what kind of movie would you want to make?" Mary asked curiously.
"Sci-fi films. I think sci-fi movies are the best for showcasing imagination. You can film aliens, robots, superpowers—it's all very cool!" Neil answered without hesitation.
Eric secretly smiled. His taste was indeed consistent. His two most famous future works, District 9, featured aliens, and Chappie featured robots.
"Sci-fi films, those are not easy to make, and the cost of sci-fi films is too high." Mary shook her head slightly.
Everyone knew that even if he was brought up by Eric, MGM would not give a newcomer a huge investment to make a sci-fi film.
Looking at the time, Eric finished eating the orange: "Alright, now is not the time to discuss sci-fi films, and not all sci-fi films necessarily require huge investments."
"We can start with small budgets; we just need to change our perspective on the problem. Nothing is impossible."
"There's a very unique sci-fi script currently shelved in MGM's script library. If your skill level reaches it, you can film it next year."
"Really?" Neill Blomkamp asked in surprise.
"Have I ever lied to anyone?"
"Director, what's the script? What's its name? Can I see it?"
"Yes, the movie is called chronicle. I'll have Judy find it for you another day."
"chronicle, the name sounds great!"
Time flew by quickly, and ten days had passed in a blink of an eye. Today was June 12th.
On the big screen, the smoke of battle continued. finding nemo continued its solo run, with clownfish Nemo taking in 65 million US dollars at the box office in its first week.
Although this figure was already very strong, it was still tens of millions short when compared to top blockbusters like the matrix reloaded, spider-man, and the lord of the rings.
But the terrifying thing about animated films is their appeal to all age groups; an entire family goes together.
Moreover, finding nemo also garnered widespread praise from critics, with IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes both overflowing with positive reviews.
It even boosted the sales of clownfish in the pet market.
So, as the second week was about to end, its decline was only 34%, far lower than the typical 45% for major blockbusters, which was truly formidable.
the purge took in 27 million US dollars at the North America box office in its second week, and 11 million US dollars so far in its third week, all within an acceptable range.
Global box office also increased by nearly ten million US dollars, with overseas total box office reaching 18 million US dollars, and global cumulative box office currently at 101 million US dollars, having just surpassed the 100 million mark.
Compared to the cost, AK Films had undoubtedly once again successfully played a small-to-big game, and created a cash cow that could continue to bear fruit.
Director Anthony Ferrante has now also become a hot commodity in the eyes of many companies.
A few days ago, Bema came to report on work and brought up the issue of Anthony Ferrante.
"Boss, Anthony is a red-hot director now, especially after the success of the purge. He has already received invitations from Lionsgate, Warner Bros., and Paramount. He's truly a big hit."
Eric chuckled: "And then? Did he agree?"
"He's thinking about it. He came to talk to me, wanting to improve his treatment. For sharknado 2 in the second half of the year, he hopes to get a share like Ryan Reynolds and raise his fixed salary to 1 million US dollars."
"Hahahahaha"
Hearing this request, Eric grinned: "It's normal to have ideas, after all, he directed the film, but he's not quite clear about his own contribution."
"The key to the success of these two films lies in the script and creativity, not the director. Even if it were anyone else holding the microphone, the result wouldn't be much different."
Bema Hardy nodded: "That's right, even I, who don't understand filmmaking, can see the truth, but Anthony seems to be lost in flattery and box office numbers."
"Regarding his request, my view is that we can partially accept it. The fixed salary can be raised to 500,000 US dollars, after all, some fans still recognize his brand."
"However, a share is impossible, especially his demand for a 5% gross profit share; he must be drunk and joking."
"Ryan Reynolds' contract for sharknado 2 was only a 2% share of the net profit, and Reynolds and his agent were already very satisfied with that figure."
Eric grunted. He knew in his heart that transformers hadn't been released yet, and the hangover was about to start filming.
Ryan Reynolds' fate for the next few years was in his hands. At this point, let alone the company being very generous in giving him a share.
Even if he wasn't given a share, and even if his salary was symbolically one dollar, Ryan Reynolds would still obediently comply.
Otherwise, if your scenes were cut with a single stroke, see if you'd cry!
After a moment of consideration, Eric said: "Do as you say. If Anthony Ferrante is a smart person, he will accept the terms."
"If he's an idiot, then let him go. There will be plenty of frustrated directors eager to replace him."
"Okay, I understand."
Facebook's development momentum was also very good. The first version was just updated a few days ago, adding public figure real-name authentication and Bluetooth image transfer features.
The first feature was fine, targeting only celebrities, with little impact on general users.
The second feature, however, received rave reviews from all users. Many had already reported that image uploading was inconvenient, and now it could be resolved.
As for the lack of Bluetooth functionality, you can't expect me to even replace your computers and phones, can you?
In less than two weeks, Facebook's user base was surging, averaging 800,000 new users per day, and had now reached the tens of millions.
This emerging social network frequently appeared in major newspapers and online news, and even privately attracted many reporters requesting interviews.
This included influential North America media outlets such as NBC, ABC, and the New York Times.
Fitz Heisenburg gave several interviews, but facing this new user base that suddenly emerged and dominated the market with overwhelming force.
Most media outlets did not offer praise; instead, they expressed concern.
In particular, Facebook's content moderation and user information privacy were key points of criticism.
CBS television even produced a special interview program, inviting three professors of journalism and sociology from Harvard University and Yale University.
They were asked to publicly discuss their views on Facebook on the program, but anyone in the industry knows how this works.
Although it was called a free interview, the questions were actually pre-arranged, and the TV station would even provide a pre-drafted answer for them to memorize and read on camera.
And scandals always attract the most attention, so this interview program basically didn't say anything good about Facebook, focusing entirely on future concerns and anxieties about the online environment.
Conversely, Silicon Valley was very optimistic about Facebook, speaking almost entirely positively.
This included Elon Musk, the future richest man in the world and Silicon Valley's iron man, Steve Jobs, who was re-invited to lead the company, Bill Gates, the current richest man in the world, and Larry Page, one of Google's founders, among others.
They all stated that Facebook was a highly creative new form of social network that would completely revolutionize human relationships, a fact evident from its rapidly growing user base.
These Silicon Valley elites were also very interested in Facebook's current user scale and hoped it could be disclosed.
However, the company strictly adhered to Eric's request, absolutely not releasing user data publicly for a short period, at least not until this balloon had swelled enough.
Many people were now very interested in Facebook's hidden boss. Almost everyone knew that Fitz Heisenburg was just a puppet pushed to the forefront.
His resume was too simple; a quick check would reveal that he absolutely could not have mobilized so many Hollywood stars to endorse the platform. Some had already speculated that the financial backer might have deep connections with the entertainment industry.
Eric hadn't been to Silicon Valley recently, as there were quite a few reporters staked out there, so it was better to keep a low profile.
He stayed at the film set and company, occasionally taking a stroll to the monster set, and he and Patty Jenkins had agreed to make guest appearances in each other's films.
Of course, it wasn't acting cameos, but rather taking turns behind the camera for scenes in each other's movies—director cameos are quite common in the entertainment industry.