"Michael, this is my sister's album, it's for you."
Little Elizabeth placed a deluxe boxed set into Michael's hands.
Michael smiled and patted her head: "About seven or eight years ago, your sisters also visited Neverland Ranch. That was a beautiful memory. Please give them my regards."
"Mhm, I will. And this set of dolls is also for you. It's from my heart, and it even has my signature on it."
Michael happily accepted them: "Thank you, Elizabeth. You will definitely become an excellent actress."
"Of course! Eric will help me. I'm sure I'll become a big star."
Gadot hugged Michael: "I didn't bring a gift, so I can only wish you happiness every day and hope this nightmare ends soon."
"I hope so. When the trial comes, you can come to the court. I hope to see all of you there; it will give me courage."
"Of course, I'll definitely come to cheer you on."
Eric started the car, and the two women opened the doors and got in.
"Michael, we're leaving then. See you another day!"
In Michael's waving shadow, the car drove out of Neverland Ranch.
This trip only lasted a day, coming and going in a hurry.
There was no other way; many things were waiting to be dealt with, and both beauties, one big and one small, had work to do.
Gadot's happy death day is currently in the post-production reshoot phase. The Russo Brothers handed in the initial cut of the film the day before yesterday, and the internal MGM test screening results were quite good.
This time-looping death design felt fresh and eye-catching.
Coupled with the Russo Brothers' skill in time montage techniques, everyone was generally satisfied with the overall quality of the film.
However, some logical issues were raised. Films involving time are most prone to logical bugs.
After discussing the feedback, the Russo Brothers could only gather the actors for reshoots to fix the logical flaws, at least to make them less obvious.
Then, it will go through the review process and is scheduled for release at the end of August.
a quiet place is not in a hurry for release, but this is Elizabeth's first big-screen role, and she cherishes it greatly.
Though the little girl is young, she hopes to do her best and certainly not let Eric down.
Especially now that it's rumored throughout the crew that she was personally cast by the big boss, this has only doubled Elizabeth's pressure.
get out has also completed its final cut and is currently going through the review process.
James Wan and Leigh Whannell are indeed a good team, as always, fast and able to maintain quality.
This film is scheduled for release on August 1st, 28 days apart from happy death day, at least to avoid self-competition.
Currently, James Wan plans to rest for a while before starting work again, while Leigh Whannell has gone to work on the preparations for saw 2.
This time, he will serve as one of the producers, and MGM has given him a 7% investment share, with the script dividend item being canceled in return.
As for the entire July slot, MGM simply gave up.
Because Disney's pirates of the caribbean is coming, with the black pearl scheduled for July 9th.
This is a special date because it doesn't follow the custom of a Friday (first weekend) release; July 9th is a Wednesday.
Those who dare to go against the mainstream either have no confidence at all, giving up because they can't beat anyone.
Or they have absolute confidence, firmly believing they can beat anyone.
Moreover, this film has a huge investment, a blockbuster created by Disney over two years, and is backed by the Disney theme park attractions.
No one dares to underestimate these pirates, especially with the likes of Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley, all highly popular handsome men and beautiful women, who are very popular with young people.
Eric naturally knew the horror of the pirates even better and had to avoid the black pearl.
Besides pirates of the caribbean, there's another blockbuster in July, seabiscuit, starring Tobey Maguire.
This is Tobey Maguire's first major commercial film since spider-man became a huge hit.
With an investment of up to 90 million US dollars, it tells the story of horse racing in the 1930s and is also highly anticipated.
Scheduling get out for August 1st perfectly avoids the first week of seabiscuit and also dodges the impact of the black pearl.
Then, happy death day will be released at the end of August, and Don't Breathe at the end of September.
Recently, MGM's release schedule has been filled with horror and thriller films, almost turning into an independent film company.
Additionally, preparations for house of cards need to be put on the agenda, especially securing the pivotal figure, Kevin Spacey.
Two hours later, they returned to Los Angeles and first dropped off little Elizabeth at home.
"Eric, Gadot, come play at my house for a bit."
"Next time, I'm busy, little one." Eric immediately refused.
Are you kidding? If Ashley and Mary met Gadot under the same roof, who knows if something like Mars colliding with Earth might happen.
"It's okay, Ashley and Mary aren't home, only my mom is." Elizabeth added.
Gadot felt a bit confused. Why did she specifically emphasize that the two of them weren't there? What did that mean?
"Really, I'm still busy, Elizabeth, next time."
With that, without waiting for Gadot to speak, Eric stepped on the gas and drove off.
He dropped Gadot off upstairs and left without going inside. Last night at Neverland Ranch, he had already been squeezed several times, full and not hungry.
At the MGM Building, Eric's office.
He had barely sat down for five minutes when Chen Xing knocked on the door, and then Judy walked in, carrying a stack of documents.
Without looking, he knew they were all scripts.
After finishing her work as a producer on blue is the warmest color, Judy returned to her original job, once again taking on the role of script selection.
"Judy, Judy, my good friend, you always bring me good luck. Let me see what good stuff you've found this time."
Placing the scripts on the table, Judy said: "These are all carefully selected by us. These dozen or so either have huge topicality or excellent stories, all with the potential to be blockbusters."
"Haha, then let me test your eye this time."
Saying that, Eric picked up the top folder, and upon opening it, the first script hit him hard. It was boldly titled the passion of the christ.
He put down the coffee in his hand and looked at Judy with a complex expression: "You're really speaking honestly. the passion of the christ, this is not just huge topicality, it's monumental topicality."
Seeing Judy carrying a stack of folders, Chen Xing assumed the two would be talking for a while and brought in another cup of coffee.
"Thank you."
Taking the coffee, Judy took a big gulp: "Religion, indeed, is very sensitive, but there are also many believers, over a billion people worldwide."
"Whether it's Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, or Judaism, with so many people, a portion will always go to the cinema. Once they go in, they contribute to our box office."
Eric glared at her: "Then have you considered that MGM might be attacked by fanatical believers, and you might encounter rocks or rotten eggs after work?"
"Moreover, this film is a solid satire of Jewish People. I can already foresee that Mel Gibson is probably going to be in trouble."
"In the not-too-distant future, this superstar might disappear for a while. In short, this film is a hot potato."
Judy chuckled: "If it weren't a hot potato, it wouldn't be our turn. Mel Gibson actually isn't looking for investment; the filming is almost complete."
"Mel Gibson's own company invested 30 million US dollars. What he's looking for now is distribution, but many companies avoid religious films and simply don't dare to take them on."
"If he can't find a distribution company, the film will just be stuck with him, and he'll lose a large sum."
Eric leaned back in his chair, beginning to seriously recall information about the passion of the christ.
The film's popularity was very high back then. Even though he wasn't old, he had seen it in magazines and newspapers, but he wasn't interested in religion, so he hadn't paid much attention.
He only vaguely remembered that the film definitely made a huge profit, and also that the actress in it was quite famous, especially in China.
That was Monica Bellucci, known as the 'global flower'. A few years ago, the film Malèna finally made Bellucci, who had been in the industry for many years, a big hit.
From then on, at 36, she became Italy's sex goddess, and the dream lover of countless men.
The scene where countless men lit her cigarette was also widely circulated as a GIF.
Eric naturally had fantasized about this woman, but now, surrounded by many beautiful women, he didn't have any particular feelings towards a woman who was already 39 years old.
Moreover, Monica Bellucci is currently married, unlike Theron who only has a boyfriend. Hers is a real marriage, protected by law, and poaching such a partner is somewhat immoral.
"Eric, what are you thinking about? If you don't think it's suitable, then forget about it." Judy said.
Sitting upright again, Eric patted the folder, having already made up his mind: it's foolish not to make money when there's an opportunity.
"Tell Mel Gibson that MGM will handle the distribution."
"But on the surface, have him sign a contract with AK Films. No matter what, it's still a facade. Burying one's head in the sand is always somewhat useful, and it's enough for the average foolish audience."
As he spoke, he picked up the second script, and his eyes immediately lit up again.
Because this was also a very famous teen campus movie, Lindsay Lohan's representative work, mean girls.
This film directly propelled the lead actress, Lindsay Lohan, to stardom, becoming one of the reasons why, after countless violations later—including attracting fans, drug use, alcoholism, car crashes, theft, and jail time—fans were still willing to forgive her.
Audience appeal is a strange thing. Winona Ryder was abandoned by the market for just stealing a few things, remaining silent for many years. Although she participated in some excellent works, she never regained her popularity.
Lindsay Lohan did far worse, yet she was forgiven many times. Eventually, this crazy girl became too outrageous, and everyone finally gave up on her.
The script for mean girls must certainly be acquired, but there's no need for the lead actress to be the wild Lindsay Lohan.
Moreover, Eric thought she looked ordinary. He couldn't say ugly, but she definitely wasn't pretty, and he just didn't have a good impression of her.
In contrast, Rachel McAdams, who played the villain in the film, was clearly much more attractive. Having her as the lead actress wouldn't be out of the question.
Or simply have the Olsen Sisters, one playing the lead, and the other playing the female antagonist.
In campus youth films, there are no true villains; they are all relatively popular character settings.
"This script for mean girls is good. If we can buy it outright, do so. If not, you handle it in the best possible way."
"Okay, I understand."
Eric continued to flip through.
Timecop, haha, it looked like trash at first glance, and with a huge investment, it reminded him of Will Smith's terrible film Wild Wild West.
Torque, a dead-end genre at first glance, racing but on motorcycles. Even Death Race would be more reliable than this.
Although it doesn't require many special effects, it involves a lot of racing stunts, so the cost is not low.
He tossed it aside, then came The Stepford Wives, a film starring Nicole in his previous life. Eric had probably seen a bit of it, and it was truly uninspired.
After being crowned, Nicole did indeed continue the Oscar curse. The few works she starred in afterward failed both critically and at the box office. Only Dogville and cold mountain were still watchable.
However, Dogville was critically acclaimed but not a box office success, and she was not the lead in cold mountain, so her career development was not smooth. Eric was unsure of the exact box office for The Stepford Wives, but it was definitely a money-loser.
But now it's different. With Eric's protection, Nicole hasn't taken on any of these films. She is currently preparing for la vie en rose, and next year, she will naturally film inception.
He tossed aside more than a dozen scripts in a row, and the stack of scripts was almost at the bottom.
Judy asked somewhat helplessly, "None of them work? These are what we picked from hundreds of scripts. That Torque should find a market."
Eric shook his head: "No, motorcycles are too niche. If you're going to race, race cars. the fast and the furious is what we should be imitating."
"But we don't have the copyright for the fast and the furious. No one can compete with it in the car genre. James Bond could do amazing things with cars, but the James Bond series isn't a racing film."
"If there's nothing suitable, then don't film it. No, wait, or we could take a detour."
"What?"
Eric unconsciously grinned, an idea already flashing through his mind.
the fast and the furious series was just starting now; he could completely cut it off midway.
For example, directly bring the most highly-rated Fast Five to the big screen early, change the name, swap out a few main actors, and wouldn't a reskinned blockbuster be born?
Then, he would naturally launch MGM's Fast and Furious series. At that time, Li Gui would kill Li Kui, and he didn't believe he couldn't beat Universal's Fast and Furious.
"Eric, what are you laughing about? Why are you so strange today?"
"Nothing, just thought of something interesting."
Saying that, he tossed another script aside, then opened the last one, and his recently closed mouth grinned again.
"Judy, you truly are my lucky star, just like the name of this script, a million-dollar baby."