King of Hollywood-Chapter 189 - : New Director
Chapter 189: Chapter 189: New Director
The boundary between work and life was never so clear; if someone’s female secretary spoke to him this way, it could only indicate that her heart was in disarray. Unfortunately, Charlize didn’t understand this, but Adrian did.
So, after hearing what Charlize had to say that day, Adrian said nothing more, merely patted her hand silently and waited for her to recover before they both left the amusement park. Moreover, in the following days, he didn’t speak to Charlize about anything other than work, even deliberately maintaining a certain distance.
To conquer, of course, one must first feign retreat, and Adrian played this tactic all too skillfully; he could also use this time to deal with some important matters.
Michael Bay shifted his position on the sofa outside the office, then touched his nose again, the third time he had done so. He wasn’t as leisurely as the middle-aged man sitting opposite him, reading a newspaper—although Michael knew that man, surely the man didn’t recognize him. At least the latter had respectable works to his name, even if they were mostly collaborations. As for himself? Other than a few MTVs and ads, and awards won thanks to these MTVs and ads, what else?
Reflecting on this, he became even more nervous, his eyes unconsciously darting back to the office door. What did the Miracle Director want from him? Before knowing Adrian Cowell, Michael Bay hadn’t truly admired anyone, even though through a high-ranking uncle at Universal, he had met numerous directors and producers and had even encountered Spielberg. Yet, he’d always harbored a certain pride, believing his filmmaking would not be much inferior to theirs.
Even after getting to know Adrian, he hadn’t taken him seriously—an independent director who only worked on low-budget films. However, as Adrian became more and more visible in the public eye, stirring controversies along the way, Michael Bay’s attention was gradually drawn.
His original intention hadn’t changed; he still disliked those pretentious art films and didn’t think his filmmaking would be inferior to any director. But Adrian’s long list of achievements was truly dazzling. In less than three years as a director, he had already garnered two Oscar nominations for Best Director while paving the way for Pacino and Thompson to receive awards for best actor and actress. What was more, all his films had turned a profit, including those he invested in and those based on his own scripts!
Michael Bay didn’t need to care about Adrian’s nominations but couldn’t ignore his ability to make money. There were many types of fame, such as being known for acclaimed artistic films, or for films that rake in huge profits. For Michael Bay, the latter was certainly more appealing. Adrian’s money-making was impressive, and most astonishingly, he had not touched anything related to film production before this—all detailed in reports about him, which he himself had admitted.
Since the inception of Hollywood, no other director had accomplished what Adrian had; perhaps “genius” was the only appropriate word, no wonder the media had begun calling him the Miracle Director. The well-informed Michael Bay knew more, like the fact that Adrian wasn’t only the boss of Bossworth Film Company but also the chairman of the recently established AC Media!
If achieving so much in less than three years didn’t qualify someone as successful, what would? As an old saying goes, if someone’s ability is slightly better than yours, you might feel jealous; but if their ability surpasses yours by far, you can only look up to them.
Therefore, Michael Bay sat here ambivalent, not understanding why Adrian, via his uncle’s invitation, wanted him here. To direct a film? But there were so many other choices, weren’t there? Besides, they had never even met face to face. What could it be? He had heard about the record company—could it be…
While he was lost in his thoughts, the secretary had already opened the office door and stepped out: “Mr. Michael Bay, Mr. Jerry Bruckheimer, Mr. Adrian invites you both to come in.”
She was really beautiful, what was her name? Charlize Theron, that seemed right. Observing the stunning woman, Michael Bay couldn’t help but whistle to himself, then he was stunned—going in together?
The middle-aged man sitting opposite him displayed the same expression, but recovered after a few seconds, giving Michael a friendly smile before standing up and heading to the office first.
Michael rose and followed, his thoughts now entirely focused on the forthcoming meeting, with no time left to worry about his earlier anxieties.
The office was simple, not too much furniture, but arranged very comfortably, everything placed quite neatly, as if defining the word “order”. At that moment, the young man sitting behind the desk was frowning slightly while holding a phone, saying something. He wore a white shirt without a tie, the collar undone by one button, his coat hanging on a coat rack, appearing serious yet simultaneously giving off a carefree vibe.
“Please have a seat,” Adrian, seeing them enter, quickly finished up his call, then stood and extended his hand: “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bay, Mr. Bruckheimer.”
“I am also pleased to meet you, Mr. Cowell,” the two men, just having settled in their seats, stood up again.
“Please sit down; no need for such formality, call me Adrian or Ed. This isn’t the FBI or CIA, nor the IRS, and I’m certainly not here to solicit your cooperation for an investigation,” Adrian joked.
Their tension eased with a few witty remarks, then Adrian pressed the intercom button on his phone: “Hi, Charli, could you please bring us three cups…”
He suddenly stopped, looking at the two men in front of him.
“Coffee,” Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer answered in unison, then unexpectedly made eye contact and again chimed in together, “Any flavor.”
Adrian couldn’t help but laugh, “Alright, Charli, three lattes, thank you.”
Then he cheerfully looked at the two, “It’s no wonder I chose you as my partners; even before we start, you already have such a great rapport.”
Faced with Michael and Jerry’s puzzled yet understanding gazes, he handed over two bound scripts from his desk, “Take a few minutes to read the script.”
Michael and Jerry exchanged a glance, then simply took the scripts and started reading.
While Jerry first skimmed through the script before seriously reading it, Michael read each page carefully and absorbedly, so much so that he didn’t even notice when Charli brought the coffee. First, he wanted to understand as much as possible what kind of story it was; second, he could use this opportunity to calm his excited emotions. He had heard Adrian quite clearly, he was being asked to direct a movie!
After about 20 minutes, Michael finally finished reading the script. He had intended to take more time to read it more carefully, but Jerry had already finished and was waiting with a coffee in hand, so the final third had to be hurriedly finished. Even so, he still felt exhilarated, it was a great story, fiery and humorous at the same time, and he could almost sketch some of the dynamic scenes in his mind.
“This is a great script, Adrian,” Michael decided to use the full name.
“Thank you, Jerry said the same, I knew you guys would make great partners,” Adrian grinned, “So, since you are both so unanimous in your opinion, are you willing to be the producers and director of this film?”
The two men exchanged looks again, then sized each other up, and finally Jerry spoke, “Can I know why you chose me… us, Ed?”
“This film is purely commercial, I need a producer with relevant experience in this area, so Don recommended you to me, saying you’re his best partner and that you’ve always worked well together,” replied Adrian with a smile, “I trust his word.”
He then looked at Michael, “As for Mike, although you don’t have experience in directing films, I’ve seen all your music videos and commercials, which are very dynamic and impactful, and that’s exactly what this film needs. It doesn’t require anything else, it just needs to be fun, visually impressive, and cool.”
At this point, Adrian suddenly laughed again, with a hint of apology, “Of course, there’s also the reason that the film’s budget is only about 20 million at most, and most of it will be spent on special effects, so there isn’t much funding to invite those famous directors.”
“No problem,” Michael shrugged, not taking any offense, it was the truth— after all, he was indeed a complete novice in film directing.
“But I believe Mike will do very well, just as I believe Jerry will do well,” Adrian looked at Michael and then at Jerry, “I don’t think it’s a bad thing working with a new director; they might bring more energy and imagination than some well-known directors, making the films more engaging—and, in fact, I’m still somewhat of a new director myself.”
Jerry, still pondering, suddenly laughed, “I agree with that, I’m in.”
“Excellent,” Adrian said as he looked at Michael.
“I have no problems either,” Michael quickly said, it was an opportunity he had no reason to pass up.
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“Very good, gentlemen, next steps are to discuss the contract and the preparations for the movie,” Adrian clapped his hands, “I’ve also prepared some actors for you, two black actors who have just transitioned from TV to film, both excellent, I believe you’ll work well together.”
“No problem, you’re the boss,” Jerry shrugged in agreement, but then Michael suddenly asked, “Is choosing black actors also because of the budget?”
“Um…” Adrian thought for a moment, then spread his hands, “You could say that.” (To be continued, for the continuation of this story, please visit www.qidian.com, with more chapters, support the author, support authentic reading!)
