King of Hollywood-Chapter 239 - 237 Year-End Schedule Arrangement

Chapter 239: Chapter 237 Year-End Schedule Arrangement

Chapter 239 -237 Year-End Schedule Arrangement

Dennis, although he lost some fans because of this movie—some cult film aficionados considered his turn to romantic comedy a betrayal—he simultaneously gained even more fans.

“I never thought he could be so sexy and handsome, which is completely different from his cynical attitude in ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ and the decadent aura in ‘Memento’; very charming, it sparks the imagination,” a young female fan commented.

Essentially, a considerable portion of the new fans Dennis gained from this movie were young women like her, and if he kept it up, perhaps he could become a heartthrob like Tom Cruise. The emergence of this situation was not only due to his excellent performance and the character being very attractive but also because the vast contrast to his previous image was one of the reasons; the appeal sometimes created by such stark contrasts can be very powerful.

This is why Adrian insisted on having Dennis star in ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral.’ Actors, more or less, all have their own niche; it’s just that some have a larger scope, capable of playing many different types of roles, like Pacino or De Niro; some have a narrower scope, like Cruise.

Some things are innate, such as appearance and the aura that comes from it. No matter how hard a person tries, it isn’t easy to change. Can you imagine the handsome Tom Cruise in a vulgar, lowbrow comedy about the gross bodily functions? Can you imagine a tough guy like Bruce Willis playing a delicate and touching drama? Even seasoned actors like Pacino and De Niro have blind spots, to say nothing of others. The notion that someone could play any role is merely flattery.

But regardless, actors with a wide range of roles tend to have a longer career life than those with a narrower range. As mentioned before, the reason Adrian decided to promote Dennis, besides the interesting encounter they first had, was also due to the strong malleability he displayed. Simply put, Dennis is now like putty, ready to be shaped into any image desired. However, he’s not too pliable yet, and if he maintains a certain image for a long time, it will become fixed. That’s why, after several cult-type films, Adrian arranged this romantic comedy for him, and as for the results, there’s no need to say more.

In short, ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral,’ released at the end of the summer schedule, became the most popular movie in early September. Romantic comedies have been a very popular genre throughout the ’90s, and Julia and Dennis’s performances were widely praised, despite a few sharp critics. However, most reviewers gave it positive feedback.

Since the response was overwhelmingly good, the company naturally began to increase publicity to maintain the momentum, such as arranging talk show appearances for the cast. Initially, Laverne hoped Adrian would participate once or twice, but unfortunately, he declined.

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“How many producers have you seen on a talk show, Laverne? Yes, there are some, but how many? If I were the director, if I had directed this movie, I wouldn’t mind, but I’m just a producer, and only in name at that, so forget it,” Adrian said. Of course, there were other reasons, but some things lose their fun when spelled out.

You have to understand, the tabloids are very inventive. Although in a movie, the producer is the easiest to overlook, and in ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral,’ from the actors to the director to the screenwriter, everyone is brilliant, which naturally means even less mention of the producer behind the scenes. But don’t forget, Adrian also held the title ‘Miracle Director,’ and there were rumors that he had assuredly amended the script specifically for Julia. Plus, when Curtis gave an interview, he admitted the screenplay was written based on an outline provided by Adrian. So, it’s no wonder that the tabloids let their imaginations run wild.

“Adrian modifies the script to woo Julia?”

“Four Weddings and a Funeral—A grand production by the Miracle Director.”

Articles with headlines like these proliferated in the tabloids, attracting quite a bit of attention and enriching the post-dinner gossip of Americans. So Adrian did not want to give them more material to speculate on by appearing on shows. Although it didn’t matter whether the public knew or not, since it was all consensual, it was better to keep a lower profile for now.

Regardless of all that, Adrian was focusing his attention elsewhere. There was a part of the post-production for ‘The Professional’ that hadn’t been completed yet, and the production of several films he had invested in was nearing their end. He also needed to consider the scheduling for their release.

It was impossible to schedule all the releases during the Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year slot, as this period was already highly competitive. Not only were major studio releases expected, but many films targeting Oscar nods also launched at this time. Crowding these movies into the same release window would mean competing with oneself at the box office… If it were just one or two movies, it wouldn’t be a problem, but any more than that would be foolish.

In fact, it didn’t require much thought. “No Reservations” and “True Lies,” although post-production would be completed before the end of the year, definitely wouldn’t have sufficient time for promotion. A movie, unless it became a major controversy from the start, getting everyone talking, like last year’s “Howards End,” would inevitably be overlooked without ample promotion.

Isn’t that the case with everything, really? In these times of abundant information, the importance of promotion is self-evident. Some directors eager to make a name for themselves deliberately create movies with taboo themes that challenge the social acceptance threshold, right?

Okay, I digress. The bottom line is that there’s no need to consider releasing these two movies this year. The latter, with an investment of almost 100 million, definitely needs to make its money back. As for the former, it is specially designed as a breakthrough project for Monica, and naturally, it cannot be taken lightly. Even if it can’t create as big a buzz as “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” it still needs to achieve significant results. Therefore, it’s better to spend more time on promotion.

As for “Interview with the Vampire,” filming only started at the end of June, and this movie also needed careful and detailed crafting. It was possible to finish within the year, but releasing it was out of the question; Adrian wasn’t the kind of maniac to rush things. Besides, he had originally promised to get Kirsten an Oscar nomination. If the production was rushed and the young girl’s spirit wasn’t fully captured, how could he let her compete?

“The Professional,” although nearing completion, didn’t need to compete for Oscars, so it could perfectly follow in the footsteps of “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” debuting at the tail end of the New Year slot. After all, Natalie deserved a dazzling first appearance.

In fact, all of that was less important than one reason: the three movies scheduled for release were all aimed at the Oscars. “Schindler’s List” goes without saying, it was Bossworth Film Company’s most important movie of the year, with early promotions already quietly underway, naturally leaving no room for error. If the promotional plan proceeded smoothly, winning Best Picture and getting nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay wouldn’t be a problem.

Then there was “Philadelphia Story,” starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington and directed by Jonathan Demme, aiming for Best Actor. You see, it was with this film that Hanks won his first Oscar statuette, and he went on to win a second consecutive one with “Forrest Gump.” Adrian drew Demme in to direct “Philadelphia Story” and personally produce it, precisely to capitalize on the opportunity to solidify his own status and reputation through Hank’s consecutive wins. Work on adapting Winston Gluum’s political novel had begun, with Adrian set to personally write the script and act as both director and producer, inevitably leading to clashes with Gluum who insisted on being involved in the adaptation.

The third was naturally Jane Campion’s “The Piano Lesson” from New Zealand. In Adrian’s memory, this movie was the female director’s closest brush with an Oscar for Best Director before “The Piano,” unfortunately for her there was Spielberg and his “Schindler’s List.”

Adrian had no intention of changing that. Whether Campion won Best Director was of no concern to him, as long as Holly Hunter secured Best Actress.

Last year, he made history with two movies that saw Pacino and Thompson each win the Best Actor and Best Actress Oscars, gaining more influence than he had imagined. Think of his prized Julia, of the proactive Kirsten. This year, he planned to maintain that influence. Of course, he couldn’t rush production like he had last year; that was simply too exhausting. So, he ultimately chose to send them to the top as a producer.

Therefore, in the coming time of September, his main focus would be on these three movies, such as making a special trip to Australia to attend Campion’s celebration party.

In the original timeline, Campion’s bold movie should have finished production in the first half of ’93 and participated in this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It not only nabbed Campion the Palme d’Or but also earned Holly Hunter the Best Actress award. However, due to Adrian’s emergence, even though the movie fell into Bossworth’s hands, its completion was delayed by a few months, causing it to miss the Cannes Film Festival.

No matter, there were plenty of film festivals. In terms of prestige, the Venice Film Festival at the end of August and beginning of September is the world’s first film festival. Unexpectedly, “The Piano Lesson” defeated “Blue,” claiming the Golden Lion Award, and Holly Hunter beat Juliet Binoche for the Best Actress Award at the Venice Film Festival. Even more surprisingly, male lead Harvey Keitel also received Best Actor.

Clearly, compared to the Cannes Film Festival, known for its diverse styles, “The Piano Lesson” was a perfect fit at the Venice Film Festival, a paradise for low-budget independent films, which is why it’s no surprise that Campion, back in Australia, decided to throw a celebration party. (To be continued… If you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. There are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)