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If he hadn't said anything, perhaps, he might have invited himself to leave with Jonathan just now.

In the car going away, Jonathan glanced at the girl who was still standing on the side of the road in the rearview mirror when turning a corner, and asked Simon with a smile, "Do you have a crush on Curt?"

"No," Simon shook his head and explained, "Just ordinary friends."

Jonathan smiled unabated, and said: "Actually, if you like Curt, I can let her be the heroine of your movie, so that you have a chance to chase her."

Simon thought for a while, and said, "Curt is really suitable to be the heroine, but we are really just ordinary friends."

Jonathan nodded, and then said, "Kurt is really not suitable for you."

"So," Simon didn't continue this topic, looked at the manager and asked, "Is there a result?"

"Well," Jonathan raised his chin and said, "There is a nice coffee shop in front."

The Mercedes-Benz car continued to move forward for a certain distance, and Jonathan Friedman stopped the car and took Simon into a coffee shop on the side of the road.

The two sat down by the window facing the street, and waited for the waiter to bring coffee before Jonathan briefly explained Fox's new offer to Simon's script, and finally asked, "So, Simon, do you think it's okay?"

The base salary is doubled, and the sharing clause is retained. Although an option contract for a script has been added, Simon also knows that this contract is already quite generous for a rookie.

However, after nodding, Simon still asked: "Joe, what about the specific packaging plan, I think it is even more impossible for WMA to give up this project now?"

Jonathan was not at all surprised that Simon could say the latter sentence, and he didn't hide it, saying: "Brian will also work as a producer while acting as a director. In addition, Matthew has also withdrawn from this project. The company asked me to be responsible for re-writing Pick the main characters."

Seeing the smile in Jonathan's eyes after he finished speaking, Simon also understood why the agent just said that Courteney could be the heroine.

Simon did not follow Jonathan's hint, and asked again: "When will the contract be signed?"

"The official packaging plan will be announced in the next few days, and the specific contract may not be until next week," Jonathan replied, "However, Simon, you can go back and resign now. If you are short of money, I can lend you some .”

Simon shook his head and said with a smile, "That's not necessary."

When accepting the offer, Simon made an agreement with Roger Griffin that if he wanted to resign, he would need to notify him a few days in advance so that the other party could recruit again.

Although the middle-aged fat man is very stingy, everyone got along pretty well during this time.What's more, Simon will also use Roger's shop for the next filming of "Run Lola Run", and it is not suitable for him to leave suddenly.

Jonathan didn't know what Simon was thinking, but he didn't try to persuade him any further. Instead, he said, "One more thing, Simon, about the WGA. Do you want to join the union?"

Simon looked puzzled, not understanding why Jonathan suddenly mentioned this.

Seeing Simon's puzzled expression, Jonathan took the initiative to explain: "Joining the WGA, your next contract can be based on the "Basic Agreement" of the trade union, which will better protect your personal rights and interests. So, if you want, I will as soon as possible Get it done for you, probably before signing with Fox next week."

Joining the Writers Guild of America (WGA) requires a threshold. Applicants need to accumulate enough points through various film and television works within three years before applying to be eligible to join.

Of course, Simon has no doubts that Jonathan has the ability to make an exception for the WGA.

If Simon just wants to be a screenwriter very simply, joining WGA is indeed a good choice.

However, Simon's ambition is to become the top class of the Hollywood pyramid.

Joining the WGA now, he will likely stand against himself in the future.

You know, the WGA is the most frequent strike union in Hollywood.Once the WGA decides to go on strike, all members must strictly abide by the strike regulations and are no longer allowed to work for film and television production companies.At that time, if Simon is both the owner of the film company and a member of WGA, it will be lively. It is impossible to strike his own job, right?

Shaking his head, Simon said to Jonathan, "Joe, there is no need. If I want to join any union, I will only choose PGA (Producers of America)."

Jonathan smiled when he heard this, and said, "Okay, that's it."

The two talked about some things again, and after Simon's side was settled, Jonathan Friedman hurried back to the WMA headquarters.

This incident made Jonathan Friedman realize a lot of things. Now that Lou Weiss has given him the task of re-selecting the main characters of "Butterfly Effect", Jonathan has no idea of ​​sharing this project with others.

Jonathan gave all the roles suitable for his clients directly to his own people. Even if he couldn't find a suitable candidate under his own name, he still chose clients under the name of a broker with whom he had a good relationship.

After such a busy afternoon, Jonathan Friedman submitted the re-identified role list to Lou Weiss in the evening.

Subsequently, a series of details were discussed with Fox again. On Wednesday, WMA and Fox jointly held a press conference and announced the specific packaging project plan to the media.

Simon was not at the launch event.

In fact, only a few high-level executives from WMA and Fox attended the "Butterfly Effect" project conference, and none of the main creators of the film attended.

However, Simon soon learned of the new main creative information of "Butterfly Effect".

In addition to him and Brian De Palma, Jonathan Friedman's male and female protagonists are all clients under his own name, namely Matt Dillon and Elizabeth Sue, and most of the other supporting actors in this way.

Simon was not familiar with Matt Dillon and Elizabeth Shue.

Or, for most people, both of them actually belong to the type that often appears in Hollywood movies, but it is difficult for people to remember.However, in 1986, both of them are still in their early twenties, but they are already potential Hollywood newcomers who have starred in many films.

Chapter 023

On Thursday, Simon still arrived at the 7 11 convenience store on time early in the morning.

After yesterday's press conference, the packaging project of "Butterfly Effect" basically will not have any changes, and the relevant contracts will be signed one after another next week.

According to the Hollywood script transaction process, within a week of signing the contract, Simon will be able to get the first script remuneration of US$14 and the option deposit for the next two scripts. Only after making corresponding revisions and polishes can the bills be settled one after another.

The first $14 in cash was enough for Simon to start the production of "Run Lola Run".Therefore, Simon has already said hello to Roger, and after finishing next week's work, he will leave the 7 11 convenience store.

After working for more than two hours, at around 09:30, Simon, who was standing behind the cashier, saw Roger Griffin hurrying out of the office with a newspaper in his hand.

Noticing that Roger Griffin was clearly coming towards him, Simon asked when the middle-aged fat man approached, "Roger, did something happen?"

Roger Griffin didn't speak immediately, he looked up and down Simon very strangely, then handed over the newspaper in his hand, pointed to one of the articles, and asked: "Simon, what is said in it is not correct. Could it be you?"

Simon took the newspaper, glanced at it, it was the Los Angeles Times, and then he noticed the title of the article that Roger had just pointed to.

"What does the 'butterfly effect' mean?" "

Simon's first thought, this question is really familiar.

Then look to the text.

The content of the article still first mentioned a series of recent incidents in WMA. Perhaps this incident has been discussed by too many people, so the reporter of the "Los Angeles Times" named Peter Butler chose another way and began to pay attention to " The script of The Butterfly Effect.

To Simon's surprise, Peter Butler actually found the source of 'The Butterfly Effect'.In this age without Internet search engines, it is not easy to do this.

After spending a paragraph explaining the meaning of the 'Butterfly Effect', Peter Butler began to speculate on the story content of the 'Butterfly Effect' script.Combined with information such as WMA's selection of Brian De Palma as the director, it is finally concluded that "The Butterfly Effect" is likely to be a crime thriller that triggers a series of serious events under certain circumstances.

If the content of the article was only these, Simon wouldn't care too much.

Peter Butler's speculation has little to do with the real story of The Butterfly Effect.

However, to Simon's surprise, Peter Butler also specifically mentioned his name in the article, and became curious about the surname 'Westero', claiming that he had searched a lot of information, but he could not find this surname. Related information, so think 'Westeros' is probably an original surname, an interesting original surname.

Roger Griffin saw Simon frowning slightly looking at the newspaper in front of him, and didn't speak for a while, so he couldn't help but snapped his fingers in his ear and said, "Simon?"

Simon recovered from his thoughts, smiled at the convenience store owner, and said, "Roger, maybe I have to ask for leave tomorrow."

"No problem, it doesn't matter if you don't come to work next week," Roger Griffin shook his head. Although Simon's attitude was obviously tacit, he still couldn't help asking: "So, is this really you?"

Simon handed the newspaper to Roger again, nodded, and said, "Yes."

Hearing Simon's confirmation, Roger Griffin flicked the newspaper he had just received, making a clattering sound, and said, "Then, that middle-aged man a few days ago is the one mentioned in the newspaper these days." Vice President of WMA, called, um... what is it called? Also, you now have $20?"

Simon looked at the stuttering Roger and said with a smile: "20 dollars is not too much for you, this shop... this..."

Speaking of this, Simon suddenly stopped, turned his head and glanced at the 7 11 convenience store where he was.

Roger's convenience store should be a franchise type with its own venue, and the scale is relatively large. In addition, it is located in the center of Santa Monica, and the business is also very good.

only.

Carefully recalling my daily cash register data, even on days with a lot of customer traffic, the daily turnover of this convenience store is only more than 1 US dollars.

Roger looked at Simon who suddenly fell into a daze, and reached out and snapped his fingers in his ear again: "Hey, what's the matter?"

"Roger," Simon shook his head helplessly, and said, "I suddenly discovered that your store is not suitable for my movie. I need a store with a daily turnover of more than 10 US dollars."

When Roger heard what Simon said, he was not disappointed at all. Instead, he said: "The daily turnover exceeds 10 US dollars, which is probably only at the level of Wal-Mart. They will definitely not agree to let you shoot any robbery scenes."

Simon remembered how lucky he was to be able to find the shooting location immediately a few days ago, with a wry smile on the corner of his mouth, and said, "That's true, but you have to try."

Just as he was talking, several customers came over one after another.

The two saw that there was already a queue at the cash register opposite Simon, so they temporarily stopped talking, and after Simon finished dealing with a wave of customers, Roger asked again: "Simon, why must it be a store with a daily turnover of more than 10 US dollars? "

Simon said: "My protagonist needs to grab $10 in one go."

"Grab 10 dollars at once?" Roger asked rhetorically, and continued: "Then the choice of robbing the supermarket is too bad. Most supermarkets can't store that much cash at the checkout counter. If it was me, I will definitely choose a jewelry store, even if I don’t have enough money, gold and gems can be used.”

Simon thought in his heart that today's events really happened one after another. Hearing what Roger said, he smiled and said, "You seem to be familiar with this kind of thing?"

"Who hasn't seen a few movies yet?" Roger also laughed and said, "And, coincidentally, my brother owns a jewelry store, and his store is on 26th Street next door. Of course, he must It is even more impossible to agree to you filming a robbery scene in his shop."

Simon had already planned a detailed shooting plan around Roger's convenience store, and was worrying about how to adjust it. Hearing what he said, he straightened out a lot of thoughts immediately.

Roger's convenience store was on 25th Street, and his brother's jewelry store was on 26th Street, so it would be very easy to adjust just one block.

However, it was obviously more difficult to get a jewelry store to agree to cooperate with filming the robbery scene.

Thinking about it like this, Simon didn't act too eagerly.After selling the script to Fox, he will have to work for the other party for at least a month in terms of script revision.If he wanted to start shooting his "Run Lola Run", he would have to wait until September at the earliest, and he had enough preparation time.

Now, we still have to solve the immediate problem.

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, after finishing his shift, Simon rode his bicycle to the WMA headquarters, and bought a copy of today's "Los Angeles Times" on the way.

Coming outside Jonathan Friedman's office, Simon still greeted Owen Wright first.

"Simon, why are you here?" Owen Wright saw Simon appearing, with a warm smile on his face, then pointed to the door of Jonathan's office, and said, "Wait a minute, Jonathan is talking to Sean Yang .”

Simon was uncertain: "Sean Yang, Rachel?"

Owen Wright got up and pulled a chair next to him, motioned for Simon to sit down at his desk, and confirmed, "Yes, it's Rachel."

Simon nodded, a little surprised that Sean Yang would be Jonathan's client.

However, apart from the amazing replicant Rachel in "Blade Runner", Sean Yang has no other outstanding masterpieces.

Moreover, it is said that this woman is too fond of playing big names, and many Hollywood filmmakers don't like to work with her.In the end, after "Blade Runner", the actress was only prosperous for a few years and then quickly fell silent.

Simon happened to remember that Sean Young, who missed the role of Catwoman because of a horse fall injury during the filming of Michael Keaton's version of "Batman", did something that caused a sensation in Hollywood due to his increasingly unsatisfactory career.

After the success of "Batman", Warner launched the sequel "Batman Returns".Sean Young suddenly stood outside Warner Bros. set wearing a homemade shoddy Catwoman costume during film production, hoping that Warner would give him the role of Catwoman again, only to end up with a 'Hollywood madwoman' The title of Rachel has completely ruined the image of Goddess Rachel in many people's hearts.

Recalling these things, Simon said to Owen Wright: "Speaking of which, I don't know who Jonathan's clients are. Owen, can you show me the list?"

"Of course," Owen Wright nodded, took out a folder from the desk drawer and handed it to Simon, saying, "You can take a look."

Simon took the folder and opened it.

The first page of the information is an old actor named Robert Duvall.

Simon has some impressions of this male star, but he still belongs to the barely familiar type.

However, in the introduction, Robert Duvall is not only the winner of the Oscar for Best Actor in 1984, but also has three other Oscar nominations.In this way, the other party can probably be regarded as the biggest star under Jonathan's name.

Continue to scroll back, and there are still a few veteran male stars who are generally in their 50s and [-]s.

Simon was not too surprised by this situation.

Affected by the TV industry, the Hollywood film industry has experienced more than 20 years of silence.

With the downturn in the film business, opportunities are naturally reduced, and everyone competes for the few roles based on seniority, which not only leads to a slow replacement of Hollywood artists, but also the age of the stars who stand at the top of the Hollywood pyramid is generally too old.

Thinking of this, Simon dug through nearly half of the information, only to find an actor he was very familiar with, Billy Crystal.

Afterwards, his profile happened to be caught between male and female stars.

What followed was still a series of old-fashioned actresses. Simon hurriedly flipped through and found the name of Courteney Cox in a relatively rear position.

So until the last page, Simon originally planned to return the folder to Owen casually, but was attracted by the girl's name on the last page.

In the ID photo, this is also a girl with short hair.

Scanning the girl's profile, she has no film and television works under her name, and only has some stage performance experience. It seems that she should be a newcomer that Jonathan has just signed.

After thinking about it, Simon patiently waited for Owen Wright to finish making a phone call, spread the information in front of him, and asked, "Owen, what's the situation with this girl?"

Owen Wright put down the microphone and glanced at the girl's name on the information.

Sandra Bullock.

"Sandra, Jonathan just signed him last week. He was recommended by the New York playwright Sanford Messner. He is a very good newcomer," Owen Wright explained a few words, then looked at Simon, speaking With a joke: "You like this type of girl, I happen to have a photo album here, do you want to take a look?"

Simon shook his head with a smile, and said, "I just think she is quite suitable for the heroine of my movie."

"That's it," after getting along for a while, Owen Wright also knew Simon's plan to make an experimental film, and his tone became more serious. He found Sandra Bullock's contact information from the address book and handed it to Simon. He also added: "Now that the autumn file is already late, Jonathan's arrangement is to hope that she will first pick up some TV dramas in next spring to hone, and then switch to trying movies. Therefore, she happens to be free these few months. However, Simon, if If you want a heroine, I can help you choose a few with more experience in acting, and if you communicate well, the asking price will not be too high."

"No," Simon shook his head and said, "I'll try to contact this girl first."

Owen Wright didn't persuade much, nodded and said: "If you need help, you can call me at any time."