"Simon, Willem Dafoe is indeed good, but don't you think he's more suitable for playing the Joker than Black Mask?"
In the conference room at the Daenerys Entertainment headquarters, the morning auditions had concluded. Simon and several key creators of "Batman" were discussing the final choice for Black Mask, Roman Sionis.
The speaker at this moment was Joe Silver, another producer of "Batman".
Joe Silver, a top Hollywood producer specializing in action films, was in no way inferior to Jerry Bruckheimer in terms of status.
In the original timeline, 'The Matrix' series was Joe Silver's pinnacle as a producer.
At just 36 years old this year, Joe Silver had already risen to prominence in recent years with 'Die Hard' and 'Lethal Weapon'"
Simon was, of course, the primary producer of 'Batman'.
However, he also needed a deputy to handle the coordination of personnel, finances, and locations for the film. Joe Silver, who had just established a good working relationship with Warner Bros. through the 'Lethal Weapon' series, was recommended.
Although he couldn't gain absolute control over the project, Joe Silver also hoped to collaborate with Simon, who had created even greater miracles in the past two years.
Simon felt the same, and the two hit it off immediately. "Joe, Willem's acting is more than enough to carry Black Mask, but for the Joker, honestly, I have very high expectations for that role. I'd rather find an actor who can genuinely embody the evil of that character, not just someone with a naturally villainous face like Willem".
Willem Dafoe's most famous role later on should be the main villain, the Green Goblin Norman Osborn, in the Tobey Maguire version of the 'Spider-Man' series.
But at present, Dafoe was just 33 years old, not yet the wrinkled older man he would be many years later; he could even be considered somewhat handsome.
Throughout his career, Willem Dafoe had already worked with major directors like William Friedkin, Tony Scott, and Oliver Stone. His acting skills and experience were sufficient to take on the role of Black Mask.
Furthermore, if one doesn't count a minor, cut role in 'Heaven's Gate' years ago, Willem Dafoe's first feature film was called 'The Loveless', co-directed by Kathryn Bigelow, and "The Loveless" was also Kathryn's first feature film.
Simon's choice of Willem Dafoe to play Black Mask actually had this reason, though he certainly wasn't doing it for Kathryn's sake.
For a major production involving a $50 million investment, casting isn't just about suitability; it also requires ensuring that actors don't have bad habits, don't act like divas, and can get along well with other key creative personnel.
These details are why many directors habitually use actors they are familiar with.
Simon had specifically called Kathryn beforehand to privately inquire about Willem Dafoe's situation, and after receiving confirmation from her, he designated Dafoe as the top choice for Black Mask.
Everyone continued discussing for a while, and since Simon insisted, the role was definitively settled.
The final audition for Commissioner Gordon was scheduled for the afternoon, starting at two o'clock.
After the meeting, everyone went to lunch. Simon and Joe Silver quietly discussed some of the film's preparation details as they walked out of the conference room together.
Jennifer approached with another short, white man wearing black-rimmed glasses.
Simon stopped and said to Joe Silver, "Well, Joe, I'll see you this afternoon".
Joe Silver knew Simon had other matters to attend to, so he nodded with a smile and even greeted the man with glasses before walking away.
Once Joe Silver was out of earshot, the man with glasses stepped forward, extended his hand to Simon, and said, "Hello, Mr. Westeros, I'm Ira Deutchman".
"Just call me Simon", Simon shook his hand, and seeing that he was still carrying his briefcase, he smiled and said, "If there's nothing important, let Jenny hold onto it for you; we're going to lunch".
"Oh, of course", Ira Deutchman handed his briefcase to Jennifer and said, "Thank you, Miss Raybould".
Jennifer smiled as she took his briefcase, then leaned in and whispered to Simon, "Mr. Rehme is on the line".
Simon gestured for Ira Deutchman to go ahead and told his assistant, "Transfer it to the car phone; I'll talk to him on the way".
Jennifer nodded, and Simon led Ira Deutchman downstairs, where Neil Bennett had already prepared the car.
The two got into the car, and without Simon needing to instruct him, Neil Bennett drove towards their destination. Simon gave Ira Deutchman a look that meant 'wait a moment' and picked up the car phone to discuss with Robert Rehme the results of his contact with MGM.
After a morning of negotiations, MGM finally agreed to relinquish the North American distribution rights for 'Rain Man' for $5 million.
Their condition was that the check had to be received before Friday.
Amy and Rehme's psychological expectation for buying back the 'Rain Man' distribution rights was around $5 million, but this offer was far below Simon's maximum acceptable limit, so he immediately agreed.
On the phone, Robert Rehme also asked if they should postpone the release of 'Rain Man'.
The industry was currently very pessimistic about 'Rain Man', and securing screen resources at short notice wouldn't be easy.
Daenerys Entertainment's distribution department was fully focused on 'Scream', 'Steel Magnolias', and 'Dead Poets Society'.
Adding 'Rain Man' at the last minute would certainly disrupt the team's established workflow.
Moreover, postponing 'Rain Man' would definitely avoid it competing with 'Dead Poets Society' the following week.
However, Simon did not agree with Robert Rehme's suggestion.
The media's public opinion regarding 'Rain Man' was already unfavourable.
If Daenerys Entertainment announced a delay for the film, its image as a "bad movie" in the minds of the media and audience might be completely solidified.
Daenerys Entertainment not only couldn't delay but also had to launch an all-out publicity campaign for the film.
When Simon hung up the phone, the Land Rover Range Rover had already stopped in front of a restaurant.
Simon led Ira Deutchman into the restaurant, and after they were seated, he began to discreetly observe the other person.
Ira Deutchman's name sounded somewhat feminine, but in reality, this Ira was 'Ira' and not 'Elle.'
Although 'Ira' is also a unisex name, in Hebrew, 'Ira' leans more towards a boy's name.
Deutchman, clearly, was another Jewish surname.
The middle-aged man with glasses in front of him was the person Simon had been looking for to head High Gate Pictures these past few days.
Ira Deutchman was 35 years old this year, roughly the same age as Joe Silver. Moreover, his involvement in the film industry was as deep as Joe Silver's.
More than a decade ago, while studying at Northwestern University, Ira Deutchman had already participated in the distribution of a film by the renowned independent Hollywood director John Cassavetes.
After graduating from Northwestern University, Ira Deutchman joined United Artists Classics, focusing on art-house films.
United Artists was merged with MGM after the box office failure of 'Heaven's Gate', and United Artists Classics was disbanded.
In 1983, Ira Deutchman co-founded a new film company with several partners, also specializing in art-house films.
'A Room with a View', released three years prior, starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Helena Bonham Carter, had a production cost of $3 million and grossed over $20 million at the North American box office, also achieving an impressive eight nominations and three wins at the Oscars.
The new film company was still operating, but Ira Deutchman had recently been marginalized by several partners and was forced to leave the company he founded.
In the original timeline, Simon remembered that Ira Deutchman subsequently managed Fine Line Features, a subsidiary that New Line Cinema tried to establish to enter the art-house film market and compete with Miramax.
However, New Line Cinema did not invest too many resources in this area, but Ira Deutchman remained active in Hollywood for many years thereafter.
After they ordered their food and the waiter left, Simon spoke again, asking Ira Deutchman, "You've already seen Michael Hoffman's 'Some Girls', haven't you? What do you think of it?"
Although Simon was many years younger than him, Ira Deutchman was still inevitably a little nervous.
This was an interview, and Ira Deutchman was well aware of that. He had recently been forced out of his company, which was more or less a stain of failure.
He had initially expected Simon to first ask him why he left the new film company, but he didn't expect this question. As per their prior arrangement, he had arrived at the Daenerys Entertainment headquarters at nine o'clock that morning, but he hadn't met Simon.
Instead, he had been arranged to watch a film in a screening room.
It was a work by Michael Hoffman, an art-house director who had emerged in Hollywood in recent years, titled 'Some Girls'.
Since Simon brought it up, Ira Deutchman perked up and said, "It's a very good film. The director uses the male protagonist's holiday journey to express his understanding of life, love, and desire. The famous painting 'Primavera' by Sandro Botticelli at the beginning and end of the film is arranged very cleverly. The Three Graces in the painting are part of 'Primavera,' representing all beautiful things in the human world, hinting at human desires".
After listening to Deutchman's explanation, Simon suddenly said, "So, how much box office do you think this film can achieve?"
This was another unexpected question.
Ira Deutchman was stunned, having initially thought this talented young man in film would continue to discuss the film's deeper meaning with him, but he didn't expect Simon to be so direct.
After a moment of thought, Ira Deutchman said, "If I were to handle its distribution, it should be able to gross around $5 million".
Simon was noncommittal and pressed on, "Tell me about your marketing strategy".
"This is a niche art-house film, but it's not boring. The target audience should be young people between 16 and 22 years old", Ira Deutchman said, thinking as he spoke. "As the first step in distribution, I would choose to submit this film to the Sundance Film Festival.
It's unlikely 'Some Girls' will win awards, but the critical reception should be good. After gaining some recognition, we can have limited releases in central cities like New York and Los Angeles. If we have a promotional budget of around $500,000, I can arrange for about 20 opening screens and place advertisements in some art-oriented print media.
If the box office is good, we can further expand the release scale. One of the film's female leads, Jennifer Connelly, will be a significant selling point. Connelly's image as young Deborah in 'Once Upon a Time in America' left a very deep impression on many people, and she will certainly attract a portion of the audience to the cinema".
Simon listened to Ira Deutchman, then shook his head and said, "This is a very conventional and conservative art-house film distribution method. I can assure you that by doing this, you're entirely relying on luck, and it's highly probable you won't reach your predicted $5 million at the box office. Getting one or two million dollars would already be considered lucky".
A hint of awkwardness flashed across Ira Deutchman's face; he actually didn't believe the film could reach $5 million either.
Seeing that Ira Deutchman remained silent, Simon paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Ira, do you like movies?"
"Of course," Ira Deutchman nodded without hesitation this time, saying, "Simon, I've been involved in film distribution since I was 19. If I didn't like movies, I wouldn't have stayed in this industry for so many years".
Simon nodded, but then said, "You must already know the purpose of our meeting. But actually, I'd rather find someone who doesn't like movies that much".
Ira Deutchman was surprised again: "Simon, I don't quite understand".
"It's simple", Simon said, "If you like movies, you'll instinctively judge a film's quality in your heart, and you'll develop strong personal biases. For example, if you don't like a movie, you might become passive because of it. If deep down you feel that this movie won't sell for a very high box office, then you clearly won't have the motivation to distribute it".
"Simon, I wouldn't be like that".
Simon raised a hand to Ira Deutchman and said, "On the contrary, if you don't like movies that much, then movies can become a very pure commodity in your eyes. When you get a film, your first thought should be how to sell it, and how to sell it for a higher box office".
"Simon, I certainly like movies", Ira Deutchman couldn't help but retort, "But at the same time, I will also, as you just said, try every possible way to sell a movie for a good price".
"Then, completely setting aside your feelings about 'Some Girls", Simon looked at Ira Deutchman and said, "Give me another plan: how can we sell it for the best possible price?"
Ira Deutchman considered it seriously for a moment, then quickly looked up again and said to Simon, "Completely disregarding the film's art-house nature, we can market it as a youth sex comedy. A boy caught between three girls, and the three girls are even Some Girls, that gimmick alone is enough to attract many teenagers to the cinema".
Simon snapped his fingers and said, "See, you actually know this very well. You know exactly what to do to sell this movie. However, because of your inner moral compass, or out of respect for cinema, you didn't say these things just now. But what the audience wants to see is precisely these things.
We all know Michael wants to express many things through this film, but to sell it, to attract more people to the cinema, during the promotion, you must use what the audience wants to see to market it, not what the director wants to express.
Sometimes, this is even a bit cruel, but it's a reality filmmakers have to face. Most audiences aren't interested in discussing the meaning of love; they just want to see women's breasts. It's that simple".