Chapter 006: Good News
Chapter 006: Good News
After finalizing the publication of Jurassic Park, Eric spent all his spare time writing and revising the screenplay for Back to 17. Back to 17 mainly explored family affection, love, friendship, and life choices, so moving it into this era was not inappropriate. However, the various geek elements and thumb culture that filled the film in his previous life needed to be changed. After all, mobile phones were not even common yet, and personal computers were still in the transistor era.
Eric changed Ned’s setting into a successful entrepreneur who was also a hardcore movie fan and liked collecting all kinds of movie props. Of course, this was limited to movies that already existed in this era. The lines related to The Lord of the Rings also had to be changed to other films. For Eric, who had a vast number of movies stored in his mind, this was simply something he could do effortlessly.
After finishing the screenplay, Eric gave it to Jeff as agreed. Ever since reading Eric’s Jurassic Park, Jeff no longer underestimated the orphan left behind by his old friend. He read the screenplay seriously several times and, sure enough, found some incorrect details. For example, when the protagonist returned to school, he wore a Kevin Federline hippie T-shirt. Jeff curiously asked who Kevin Federline was. Eric carefully searched his memories and only then discovered that Britney Spears’s second ex-husband was currently still a ten-year-old little boy.
After revising the loopholes Jeff discovered, Eric quickly handed the screenplay to Michael Klaus.
After completing one novel and one screenplay, Eric did not rush nonstop into creating a third work. Instead, he began practicing basketball, especially the trick basketball needed in the film. Eric had no foundation in it at all, so he had to start practicing from scratch.
There were many basketball scenes in the film. Although Zac Efron’s performance in the film from his previous life was not particularly outstanding, the basketball scenes were still commendable. In particular, the scene in the school cafeteria where he used trick basketball to tease the bad boy Stan left a deep impression.
A week later, after practicing for two hours on the community basketball court, Eric walked into the house while spinning the basketball in trick moves. From a distance, he heard the phone ringing urgently.
Over the past few days, Eric had been receiving calls from Michael one after another. They were generally about the publication of Jurassic Park and matters regarding the Back to 17 screenplay. The publication of Jurassic Park was going very smoothly, and Eric would soon be able to see the sample copy. But Back to 17 was not as lucky.
Although the film companies that received the screenplay were all very interested after reading it, once they heard that the screenwriter insisted on playing the male lead, more than half of them directly gave up on the script. This was actually quite normal. No one would casually risk an investment of tens of millions of dollars. Eric even suggested that Michael should not focus only on the Big Six studios and could also try those second-tier film production companies.
“Hello, this is the Williams residence.” Eric picked up the phone and adjusted his slightly hurried breathing after exercising.
“Hello, Eric. It’s Michael.”
Eric smiled calmly. “Michael, it’s almost ten o’clock at night. Calling me at this hour must mean you have good news, right?”
Michael could not help complaining on the other end of the line, “Don’t even mention that. Damn it, I’ve been calling since eight o’clock, and you never answered.”
“Oh, sorry, Michael. I went to the community sports ground to play basketball.”
“Basketball? Wow, Eric, looks like you’re determined to win this. I remember there are quite a few basketball game scenes in the screenplay.”
“Of course. I’ll still say the same thing: man proposes, Heaven disposes. I’m not only practicing basketball. I also practice acting in front of the mirror for an hour every morning.”
“Eric, I’m starting to admire you a little. Very few people are willing to make so many preparations when the matter has no clear outcome yet. How about taking a day off tomorrow? We’re going to an appointment.”
Eric’s hand trembled slightly. The basketball that had been spinning on the index finger of his right hand dropped to the floor with a thud and bounced a few times with muffled sounds.
“Does that count as... good news?”
“Of course, you lucky guy. Today, I received a call from Mr. James Brooks of 20th Century Fox. They think highly of this screenplay, and they didn’t directly reject your condition. But you must pass an audition.”
“This is really... Thank you so much, Michael.”
“No need to be polite,” Michael said with a laugh from the other end. “Of course, you also need to understand that agreeing to an audition is equivalent to indirectly acknowledging your condition. But if your performance during the audition is too terrible, then all I can say is that it would be a pity.”
“That absolutely won’t happen. I’ve made full preparations.”
Eric was excited for the entire night. Early the next morning, he drove to the place he had agreed to meet Michael Klaus.
“This is 20th Century Fox’s filming base?” Eric looked at the huge soundstages beyond the wall, each one like a warehouse, his eyes filled with longing.
Michael closed the car door and also walked over. Standing side by side with Eric, he looked up at the soundstages and said, “Yes. Impressive, right? But Warner’s soundstage lot is even more impressive. Mm, you’ve definitely seen it. You can go visit it in person when you have the chance.”
The familiar opening logo from Warner-produced films appeared in Eric’s mind, and he nodded. “I will.”
The two followed a staff member to the door of an office. Their guide knocked, said a few words, and then invited the two of them inside.
Seeing them enter, the middle-aged man and woman who had been discussing something in the office stood up to welcome them.
Michael Klaus stepped forward and shook hands with both of them, then introduced them. “James, Penny, this is Eric Williams. Eric, this is Mr. James Brooks, the producer, and this is Director Penny Marshall.”
After the introduction, Michael Klaus smiled and said to Penny Marshall, “You may not know this, Ms. Penny, but a week ago, Eric said that you might become the first female director in American film history to have a film gross over one hundred million at the box office.”
Eric first shook hands with James Brooks. James only lightly shook Eric’s hand and withdrew his left hand in less than a second.
Eric keenly noticed that this famous producer did not seem to like him very much. His thoughts shifted slightly, and he understood what was going on. For a producer who held all the power during the filmmaking process, a guy like him who had recommended himself for the male lead was definitely not likable.
Without showing anything inappropriate on his face, Eric turned to Penny Marshall. She was a white blonde woman in her forties, with a heavy build. Although she was both a director and an actress, the roles she played were usually tiny bit parts that were difficult to even find in the cast list.
“Hello, Ms. Penny. I really liked your Big.”
“Thank you for your praise, Eric.” Penny Marshall’s expression did not change much. As Big continued its theatrical run, everyone knew that the film breaking one hundred million at the box office was already a certainty. In the past week, the film’s weekly box office not only did not decline, but actually rose. This was already the fourth week of its release. Many films, by this point, might have already been forcibly pulled from theaters because of poor attendance.
After the introductions, Eric realized that James Brooks and Penny Marshall were both looking him over with appraising eyes. Clearly, if the cooperation succeeded, James Brooks and Penny Marshall would respectively be the producer and director of Back to 17. Eric was not nervous at all. He only wore a confident smile and sat down on the sofa with Michael Klaus.
A pretty female assistant brought in several cups of coffee and left the office.
James Brooks did not drink the coffee. Instead, he crossed his fingers on the table and began, “Mr. Eric... your screenplay is indeed excellent. But I have to say, the condition you proposed is rather harsh. From Michael, we learned that you’re only a high school student and have no acting experience. So at first, we intended to refuse. However, Mr. Barry Diller happened to see your screenplay. He liked the ideas expressed in it very much and specially approved your request. Of course, you must pass the most basic audition. If you qualify, you will also need to undergo short-term acting training.”
Eric nodded to indicate his agreement.
Inwardly, however, he was somewhat surprised. He had not expected that his screenplay was actually approved by Barry Diller. Of course he knew who Barry Diller was. In his previous life, Disney president Michael Eisner and DreamWorks head Jeffrey Katzenberg had once both been only two of Barry Diller’s assistants during his time at Paramount.
Barry Diller had dominated Hollywood for over thirty years. From Paramount’s rise to 20th Century Fox’s prosperity, from the film industry’s global dominance to the construction of television networks across the United States, and later the rise of online media, he left an indelible mark on all of it.
Eric let his thoughts wander for a few seconds. Only when Michael Klaus lightly nudged him did Eric realize that he was currently inside James Brooks’s office. James Brooks’s eyes carried a faint trace of dissatisfaction.
From the very beginning, James had resisted Eric. In Hollywood film production, producers usually held all the power. From casting decisions to post-production editing, everything was decided by the producer. Eric’s demand to play the male lead was undoubtedly taking away part of the power that should have belonged to him.
“Sorry, everyone. I got distracted,” Eric quickly apologized.
“It’s alright, young man.” James slightly emphasized the words “young man,” then continued, “Then, before we discuss anything else, let’s proceed with the audition first.”