Arthur Smith's Hollywood Odyssey

In mid-September, Arthur Smith and Nora Ephron finished adapting the script for Sleepless in Seattle together!

"So, did Castle Rock agree to invest in this movie?" Arthur asked.

Nora Ephron shook her head. "I'm not too sure about that. But my agent said they seem to be doing a risk assessment and budget report. Just be patient, Alan Horn will push this project forward!"

"Okay," Arthur nodded. When Harry Met Sally had grossed over $90 million in North America, making Castle Rock Entertainment quite a profit. With investments from Columbia TriStar and Nelson for Sleepless in Seattle, it shouldn't be too difficult.

"How about this? Disney is preparing to shoot a low-budget romance film, Pretty Woman. I can introduce you to the crew as a screenwriter. Are you interested?" Nora Ephron knew the director of Pretty Woman, Garry Marshall. Seeing Arthur's talent, she thought it wouldn't be a problem for him to join the writing team.

"Pretty Woman hasn't started filming yet? There's been a lot of buzz about it," Arthur smiled.

"There are many issues with the script and casting. Disney wanted Meg Ryan for the lead, but she turned it down because she didn't want to play a prostitute. Now, Garry Marshall seems to have found a new actress for the role," Nora said. "You know how Disney loves fairy tale-like stories, even in romance. It suits your current abilities well."

"Okay, thank you!" Arthur appreciated the opportunity. Even though he could earn a paycheck from revising Sleepless in Seattle, another paycheck from working on Pretty Woman was hard to refuse.

"I'll call Marshall. You can go to the set directly," Nora said.

Three days later, Arthur received his $35,000 check for revising Sleepless in Seattle from ITA. Tracy Jacobs also arranged for Arthur to join the Pretty Woman adaptation team with a weekly salary of $3,000.

The Pretty Woman crew was based in Los Angeles. Garry Marshall, an experienced director known for sitcoms and romantic comedies, was leading the project. Last year, his sister, Penny Marshall, became the first female director to have a film gross over $100 million in North America with Big.

The original script for Pretty Woman by Lawton was dark and R-rated, but Disney wanted a fairy tale-like romantic comedy. Arthur was brought on to help adjust some details. The script's original title, 3000, referred to the $3,000 the male lead offered the female lead for a week.

After meeting Garry Marshall, Arthur understood his vision — essentially a Cinderella story. He had two weeks to finish his part for a $6,000 paycheck, but he knew it would only take him two days.

"Arthur, Nora has been raving about your Sleepless in Seattle script. She hopes you can add some romantic comedy elements to Pretty Woman," Garry Marshall said.

"No problem. The script is almost complete. I just need to make a few adjustments," Arthur assured, though he felt increasingly frustrated. A $14 million investment would bring in a global box office of hundreds of millions next year. Such a good project, and it wasn't his. The thought pained him.

Leaving the set, Arthur noticed Richard Gere and Julia Roberts discussing something. An established star and a newcomer were about to become globally famous. 

Seeing such a low-budget film getting the Disney treatment made Arthur feel envious. Back home, Arthur received a call from Winona Ryder. "Did a producer take an interest in my American Pie?"

"Yes, a producer named Craig Perry. I gave him your script. He's a CAA-signed producer and seems very interested," Winona said excitedly. "He's going to pitch it to several studios for investment."

"Thank you, Winona," Arthur said gratefully. CAA was Hollywood's top agency, and ITA couldn't compare. CAA had hundreds of agents and many big-name stars and musicians.

"It's my pleasure. I'll be back in Los Angeles in a few days. Next month, I'll be shooting a movie near San Francisco. Will you be in LA this month?"

"Yes, I'll be focusing on some script adaptations," Arthur said with a smile. "I'll pick you up at the airport when you return."

"Alright..."

After the call, Arthur thought about the American Pie script. The movie, released in 1999, had a $10 million budget and grossed over $100 million in North America and more worldwide. In the early '90s, it should still gross over $100 million globally. The production cost wouldn't reach $10 million, probably around five or six million. Hollywood wasn't short of young actors for a teen sex comedy.

He just hoped that producer Craig Perry could secure studio investment.

*****

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