Arthur Smith's Hollywood Odyssey

[Chapter 603: Romantic Comedies Have a Market]

"Arthur, you seem to think highly of those Wachowski brothers, huh?" In the hotel suite, Charlize Theron lounged against Arthur's chest, still excited about his recommendation for her to star in Warner Bros.' sci-fi blockbuster, The Matrix.

Arthur smirked, rubbing his hands gently on the girl in his arms. "They're not bad. Those brothers were originally painters and carpenters. They wrote a script that they sold to Warner Bros. Last year, their thriller Bound made quite an impact in the indie circles."

Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowski would later become Lana Wachowski and Andy Wachowski, eventually transitioning to the Wachowski sisters Lana and Lilly Wachowski.

"Ah, Bound, I've seen that," Charlize kissed Arthur's chest. "It had a really strong feminist vibe."

"Yeah, it was good; otherwise, Warner Bros. wouldn't have let them direct The Matrix. They've had that script for a while, but Warner Bros. didn't develop it because the brothers wanted to direct it themselves," Arthur said as he got out of bed to pour himself a drink.

However, those brothers really did ride the coattails of The Matrix's creativity to fame; they hadn't shown much else after that.

Arthur then looked back at Charlize, who was still sitting on the bed, and smiled. "Just prepare well for The Matrix. Since Warner Bros. is working with MGM, you'll definitely be the lead."

Charlize nodded. "I'll take it seriously..."

...

At the Ritz-Carlton in Times Square, Cate Blanchett came to say goodbye to Arthur after finishing up filming The Truman Show.

"Are you heading back to Australia to shoot?" Arthur asked as he gave her a playful kiss, looking uncertain.

"Yes, I have a literary film, Oscar and Lucinda, and I'm partnering with Ralph Fiennes. Peter Weir recommended me; it's funded by Fox Searchlight."

Cate Blanchett wrapped her arms around Arthur's neck, beaming.

Peter Weir directed The Truman Show; Ralph Fiennes had just received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for The English Patient.

"Sounds pretty good," Arthur noted, connecting it to Australia, a 20th Century Fox production.

"Let's go get something to eat. How was the filming of The Truman Show?" Arthur asked again.

"It was great. Jim Carrey is a wonderful actor," Cate explained, "As long as we didn't discuss any of Jim Carrey's past films on set, we didn't have issues with laughs."

"Comedy stars like him, it's hard to predict," Arthur shook his head, showing a certain respect for Jim Carrey, mainly because his comedies genuinely made money; however, it was true that many comedic stars faced depression as they aged, like Robin Williams and Jim Carrey.

...

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Hollywood.

Galaxy's There's Something About Mary grossed over $120 million in North America and over $100 million overseas, becoming the summer's first blockbuster.

"America's Sweetheart" Jennifer Aniston's popularity soared even further; the film's box office performance outpaced last year's My Best Friend's Wedding, which starred Winona Ryder.

It's important to note that My Best Friend's Wedding had been a huge hit upon its release, earning $120 million in North America and $290 million globally.

In Glendale, in Amy Pascal's office at MGM, Drew Barrymore arrived to discuss the low-budget romantic comedy The Wedding Singer.

Over the past few years, Drew had been involved in several romantic films, but her biggest success remained My Best Friend's Wedding.

"The lead actor is Adam Sandler, right? That comedian from Billy Madison?" Drew Barrymore had a good track record with Galaxy, moving from supporting roles to leading ones. The Wedding Singer had a budget of only $18 million, but she was the sole female lead.

Amy Pascal chuckled, "Yep, that's him! He has quite the comedic talent, and the script for The Wedding Singer is perfect for you. It's your time to shine."

Before this, Drew had primarily taken on supporting roles; even when she was cast as a leading actress, she wasn't the only one. In Batman Forever, Drew had a minor supporting role.

"You did a fantastic job in My Best Friend's Wedding. That's already more than enough. The market for romantic comedies is still quite large," Amy Pascal was one of the most supportive executives at Galaxy when it came to films with female narratives.

Drew nodded, "These romantic themes are actually pretty good. They're relatively easy to film. In fact, I've been thinking of writing a romantic comedy script myself. If I complete the proposal, would Galaxy consider supporting me in production?"

Drew looked at Amy Pascal curiously.

"Hmm, you're thinking of becoming a producer now?" Amy Pascal laughed, "Don't worry, bring the script over when it's ready, and if it fits, Galaxy will definitely invest in it. Right now, there are quite a few independent film companies helping us produce films."

Galaxy aimed to release at least twenty films a year; without any significant investments, that number could even increase.

However, Galaxy itself only produced about ten films, with the rest either delegated to other production companies for co-productions or collaborating with independent film companies under the Galaxy brand for investment.

Of course, Galaxy also bought independent films at film festivals for distribution, something Orion and United Artists frequently did. But in the past two years, Galaxy started collaborating with other major distribution companies, funding their blockbusters in exchange for North American or international distribution rights.

After Drew left, Amy Pascal couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic; over the years, Galaxy provided Drew Barrymore with opportunities, helping her rise from a troubling reputation, and she had done exceedingly well in her roles, drawing significant attention while participating in several Galaxy projects.

Now, Drew had clearly found her direction in romantic comedies; My Best Friend's Wedding drastically increased her popularity.

The Wedding Singer had been a script specifically chosen by Amy Pascal for Drew. She wanted to see if Drew had the chops to carry a film.

At that moment, an assistant knocked and entered to remind Amy Pascal that the celebration party for There's Something About Mary would be held that evening at the Ritz-Carlton in Beverly Hills.

"Jennifer Aniston, could she be the next Meg Ryan?" Amy Pascal chuckled to herself.

"Let's go!"

*****

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