HWI 104
Hollywood What If Chapter 104
Kazir received a message that he had to take a limousine to the red carpet. It seemed that 20th Century Fox wanted everything to be grand. Kazir had to agree.
"Napoleon Dynamite didn't have a red carpet last time, so they're probably trying to make up for it."
Well, nobody expected a $500,000 movie to make over $250 million.
When Kazir's moment came, he stepped out of the limousine and waved his hand.
Reporters began taking pictures of him. He paused for a few seconds and stood still. Then, before he could enter the theater, he was interviewed by a Fox TV reporter.
"Director Grey, you are the first director of Napoleon Dynamite and you wrote the script for the sequel. How confident are you that the movie will be successful?"
"It all depends on the fans."
He smiled and ended the interview... He didn't like interviews very much. He knew some reporters who would go out of their way just to make him uncomfortable. They would ask controversial questions just to stir up the actors.
They were quite brutal. They had no respect for privacy.
"Kazir, I miss you."
Reese Witherspoon walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Yeah, I've been away for a few months. How's work?"
"The director is quite a bully. Hugo Lameire is terrifying, I prefer working with you."
She smiled and wrapped her arms around his.
"We can talk about it later."
"Geez, you really are serious in public. That's what I like about you, I want to monopolize your private side."
Kazir shrugged and walked on. Then he found Tom Rothman and director Hugo Lameire. The two were talking.
'If I'm not mistaken, Hugo Lameire wanted to make his own movie. But he has to make sure that Napoleon Dynamite is a box office hit first.'
Napoleon Dynamite has never had a sequel in the past. It had a TV show, but it ended quickly without success.
But now Kazir got to the point where he was writing the sequel. Frankly, he had no idea how this sequel would go.
This was the reason why Kazir didn't want to direct the sequel, because he was afraid. It was normal to be afraid, people have these emotions for survival.
Instead, he made another comedy movie to increase his chips, which was The Hangover. It was a worldwide success.
'I'm not going to lie, I'm a coward. I'm not going to make a movie that I'm not confident in.'
He decided to give full authority to 20th Century Fox and let them decide. He was only responsible for the script... Even the script was made by the heads of five people. He hired writers just to make sure it would not fail.
50-50 chance. That was what he deduced.
Tom Rothman found him and nodded. The CEO of 20th Century Fox approached him and shook his hand.
"Let's hope this movie is successful."
"Tom, you should be confident in your movie," Kazir replied.
"That is true. However, I will be more confident if you are the one directing it."
"..."
Kazir didn't know how to answer because he could see that Hugo Lameire had an ugly face a few meters away.
It seemed that Hugo Lameire was trying to talk to Tom Rothman about something, but Tom Rothman wasn't having it.
He was clearly angry. As if he had been taken advantage of.
'... Not my problem.'
This thing had nothing to do with him. First of all, Fox Searchlight Pictures chose Hugo Lameire to be the director. Kazir had no authority over that. So that kind of thing was not his problem.
'Although I'm not sure if he's looking at me or Tom Rothman.'
Looking around, Kazir noticed that most of the cast was at the premiere.
Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal also greeted him. The two wanted to see if Kazir was interested in making The Hangover Part 2. Apparently, Warner Bros was still looking for someone to take over the movie.
Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal knew Kazir was a great director. At least their experience with him was much better than with Hugo Lameire, who kept yelling like a bitch.
"I'll think about it."
That was the only answer Kazir gave. To be honest, he was not sure either. If Taken was no good, then Kazir had no choice but to keep making comedies.
'The Hangover Part 2 will start shooting at the end of the year. I still have time to decide.'
In fact, he was grateful that he had another way to sustain himself if Taken was a box office flop. He could go back to filming The Hangover Part 2 once he hit rock bottom.
Still, he only has to do Plan B if he has no other choice. He's not going to let Taken be a flop. The movie was successful in his past life, he just had to make sure it would be successful this time.
After the lights went out, everyone became quiet and sat down. They knew that the movie was about to start.
The front of the audience was filled with people associated with the movie, such as the cast and production crew. Behind them, the fourth and fifth rows were filled with fans and critics who had received premiere tickets.
"I heard that director Lameire has signed a three-movie deal with 20th Century Fox."
Reese Witherspoon, sitting next to Kazir, whispered and informed him.
"Hm." Kazir just nodded. He had no idea why Reese was telling him this. Was it related to the reason why Hugo was seething?
"I heard that Warner Bros is inviting him to direct The Hangover Part 2."
Suddenly everything was clear. Napoleon Dynamite and The Hangover were both comedies, but The Hangover had a much better audience response. It also had a better box office.
If The Hangover sequel was taken on by Hugo Lameire, it had a better chance of being a success. The Hangover was one of the top 5 movies last year. Its impact was much better than Napoleon Dynamite.
But because of the contract, Hugo Lameire was tied to 20th Century Fox for a few years.
That might be the reason why Hugo Lameire was glaring earlier.
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