From Hollywood to Media Empire

After spending half a month in Budapest with the production crew of Underworld, Charles Carpe hurriedly returned to Los Angeles.

Carpe Pictures' new office was still under renovation, so they were still using the old place for now. However, Carpe Pictures did gain a new female assistant.

"Who is she?" Charles asked his mother.

"Dona Williams, a graduate of Memphis University's Economics and Management Department. She was originally an assistant agent at ETA. I think she's quite capable, so I hired her to be your assistant," Evelyn explained.

Dona Williams, 22 years old, just graduated from college, around 165 cm tall, with long blonde hair, a pretty face, and a sexy figure.

"Alright," Charles didn't mind much; having a pretty secretary wasn't bad at all.

"Dona, you know about the renovation at the new company address, right? Keep an eye on the progress!" Charles directly instructed Dona on her tasks.

"Got it!"

"Okay, come with me to meet Sophia," Charles said as he left the office.

Parked outside was a black Mercedes-Benz SL, a new model hardtop convertible that Charles had just bought for about $100,000.

So extravagant! Dona Williams sat in the passenger seat, her eyes shining. Her annual salary wasn't much; it would take her three years of not spending a penny to afford this car.

"Boss, Mrs. Carpe said the preparations for Lost in Translation were almost done. They should be heading to Tokyo for shooting soon," Dona had done her homework.

"I'm going to discuss that with her now!"

Inside a cafe in Beverly Hills.

Sofia Coppola was already sitting there, sipping her coffee.

"Sofia, good afternoon!"

After sitting down, Sofia smiled with a surprised expression.

"My Big Fat Greek Wedding has already grossed a hundred million dollars in North America. Unbelievable!"

"Okay, enough with the congratulations. Let's talk about our new film. What's the trouble now?" Charles got straight to the point.

Sofia helplessly shook her head and said, "The male lead I want, Bill Murray, still hasn't officially replied to me. I don't know what he's thinking."

"Bill Murray? The classic American comedy actor? He hasn't accepted your invitation?" Charles frowned.

"He just verbally agreed, but who knows if he'll actually come?" Sofia shrugged.

"Any alternatives?"

Sofia Coppola shook her head seriously, "I really appreciate his acting. The male lead role is basically tailor-made for him. I need him!"

Artistic-minded women were always a bit difficult; they had their stubbornness.

"Let's give it some more time. I'll send his agent a script offer. Bill Murray isn't very busy right now. Let's wait until next month. If he doesn't come, we'll find someone else," Charles said, cutting off Sofia's attempt to speak.

"Listen, Sofia, this is your first directorial work. I'm sure you have backup choices. The sooner we finish shooting, the sooner we can find a distributor and get it into theaters. You don't want your film to miss the audience, do you?"

However, Charles believed that since Bill Murray had verbally agreed, he would probably show up.

"I want to shoot Lost in Translation on film. This way, the film will have a soul," Sofia didn't argue further.

"Sure, the budget is fixed, though. If you're using film, make sure to shoot carefully. The actors will have to raise their game," Charles quickly responded. Wanting more budget? Not happening!

With the office renovation, a new car, and other hiring expenses, the remaining $1.1 million wasn't much.

"You really are something," Sofia Coppola couldn't argue; after all, Charles had indeed put in $4 million to support her in making the film.

"What about distribution?"

"We've sent the script to several independent distribution companies. They all want to see the final product before making a decision!"

Charles said, glancing towards a nearby table where a loud voice exclaimed, "Oh God, this script is entirely based on the Bible, and they're targeting me like this!"

Charles squinted his eyes. Wasn't that Mel Gibson?

One of Hollywood's highest-paid actors and an Oscar-winning director.

"Don't look. He has a project about the last 12 hours of Jesus's life, based on the Bible," Sofia reminded.

With that, Charles understood. This was indeed a sensitive topic in Hollywood. According to the Bible, Jesus was betrayed by Jews to the Roman authorities.

Mel Gibson wanted to create this film, and while he might get support from the Catholic community, Hollywood's Jewish influence wouldn't like such a portrayal.

Moreover, films about religion hardly ever made money in recent years, even for directors like Martin Scorsese.

It reminded him of MGM's Cutthroat Island in '95, which was such a flop that it buried the pirate genre for years, until Disney's fantasy pirate Pirates of the Caribbean series.

Most likely, this was about The Passion of the Christ.

"It's not surprising that he can't find investment and distribution. Not only will Jewish financiers refuse, but investors wouldn't put money into a film that's likely to be a financial flop," Charles had ideas but was powerless.

"Mel Gibson made $25 million from The Patriot a couple of years ago, setting a new record. He isn't short on money."

Straightforward pay, not including any profit-sharing.

"He indeed doesn't lack money!" Sofia Coppola agreed.

However, hardly anyone in Hollywood used their own money to make movies, and people like Charles were rare.

Regardless, Charles took note. The Passion of the Christ was commercially very successful, and if there were an opportunity to be involved, it would be quite exciting.

As for the Jewish influence, it wasn't too worrying. The Catholic power in America was strong, and Judaism could not compete with Catholicism.

As an investor, Charles wouldn't draw much fire. It was just a money-making venture, after all.

Seeing so many good movies yet having no resources was indeed a bit frustrating.

Leaving the cafe, they passed a theater displaying a huge poster for Windtalkers.

An over $100 million investment war movie by John Woo and starring Nicolas Cage, after a month of release, had barely reached $50 million at the North American box office!

It had flopped. MGM's hope now rested on their upcoming release Die Another Day.

*****

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