Arthur Smith's Hollywood Odyssey

[Chapter 610: Lethal Weapon 4]

With Shakespeare in Love developed by United Artists, Harvey Weinstein was incredibly frustrated, especially after being optimistic about the script.

"Edward, why? Wasn't it supposed to be financed by Miramax?"

Harvey Weinstein burst into Edward Zwick's office, looking utterly confused.

"Calm down, Harvey," Edward Zwick said, sitting back in his chair and putting his hands up to soothe the situation. "Let me explain."

Harvey was visibly upset, having confirmed the deal the night before, yet now he discovered they signed with United Artists the following day.

Edward exhaled slowly. "United Artists is willing to invest $30 million into Shakespeare in Love, and the funding is already lined up."

"Miramax can't match that; they can't even come up with $25 million, and you still need to rely on the stars to pull in investments," he continued. "Harvey, that's the difference."

In addition, Edward Zwick was busy filming the American crime movie The Siege, starring Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, and Bruce Willis, leaving him little time for pre-production on Shakespeare in Love. Handing it over to United Artists meant he wouldn't have to worry; once he wrapped up The Siege, he could jump straight into Shakespeare in Love.

Originally, Edward planned to recommend British director John Madden to helm Shakespeare in Love, but United Artists mentioned that the actress everyone was banking on, Winona Ryder, was busy filming Les Miserables. The timing worked out as they could start filming Shakespeare in Love at the end of the year, coinciding perfectly with Edward's availability.

"But, Edward, Galaxy MGM's main focus has been on commercial films; they won't give much weight to an art film," Harvey protested, his disappointment evident.

Edward shook his head. "United Artists just won the Oscar for Best Picture with The English Patient last March. Over the past few years, Galaxy's produced four Oscar-winning Best Pictures. Can you really say they don't care about art films?"

Meanwhile, Disney had become a laughing stock; it continuously found itself excluded from mainstream cinema, let alone art films. After acquiring Miramax, they aimed for success in the art films sector, only to end up with a mountain of debt and nothing else.

Moreover, Edward Zwick had also previously collaborated with Arthur Smith on Legends of the Fall, which had been a hit. How could he refuse a partnership with Arthur, particularly since the lead was Winona Ryder?

Everyone in Hollywood knew of Winona Ryder's relationship with Arthur Smith.

...

In Glendale, at Galaxy MGM, Arthur was on the phone with Winona Ryder. "So, that script, Shakespeare in Love, sounds interesting, right?"

Winona replied, still on location with the Les Miserables crew in Canada, "The script is certainly engaging, but what if it ends up being somewhat similar to Les Miserables?"

"No way! They're completely different. One's a famous literary adaptation, while the other is an original story." Arthur chuckled. "Plus, Shakespeare in Love doesn't start filming until the end of the year, so you'll have plenty of time to prepare."

"That's good then. I'll talk to you later after I return to the States...."

...

By mid-July, Dumb and Dumber 2 hit theaters, bringing in $36 million on its opening weekend.

"Kate, how come the reviews for Dumb and Dumber 2 aren't very good?" Arthur said as he leaned back in his chair, having just put down the newspaper. It seemed Jim Carrey really didn't like doing sequels.

"Uh, the production cost for Dumb and Dumber 2 was $48 million, and based on the current box office trends, even if it doesn't hit $100 million in North America, we'll still turn a profit."

Kate Beckinsale explained.

"Fine," Arthur decided not to dwell on it. After all, Jim Carrey's The Truman Show was set to release next year. "By the way, Warner Bros. has started production on Lethal Weapon 4, right?"

Kate nodded, surprised. "The budget for Lethal Weapon 4 has soared to $140 million, and Mel Gibson's being paid a whopping $25 million for this movie."

Was this a move to match Arnold Schwarzenegger's pay for Batman & Robin?

"Did they cast an Asian actor as the villain in Lethal Weapon 4?"

Kate shook her head. "Not sure about the details. They only got the Chinese-American action star Jet Li for a supporting role. And we at Orion Pictures also have a Jet Li action film, The Black Knight. We're planning to release it in the U.S. after Lethal Weapon 4 hits theaters."

The distribution strategy mirrored the past releases of Jackie Chan's films, Armour of God II: Operation Condor and Super Cop. Jackie Chan gained notoriety after the release of Rumble in the Bronx, leading Orion to distribute Armour of God II: Operation Condor and Super Cop right after.

*****

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