Inside the office, Simon pondered for a moment before grabbing a notebook, quickly jotting down a few lines with a pencil. He ripped the page out and handed it to Linda Vargas, saying, "For the trilogy, this is my final offer. You have three days. If Arnold doesn't agree, you can start looking for other actors. This time, don't worry about their status; just make sure their appearance and acting skills meet the requirements."
Linda took the piece of paper, where Simon had written down three separate offers.
For the trilogy, the base salary was $15 million for each film. For the second movie, Arnold would get 10% of the gross box office profits, and for the third, it would increase to 20%.
Linda quickly did the math. For a special effects blockbuster like "Jumanji," the global box office could reach around $500 million, similar to Arnold's "Terminator 2." With a production budget of $100 million and a marketing budget of $50 million, the global box office would generate around $600 million. Ten percent of the gross box office would be approximately $6 million, and 20% would be around $12 million.
For a major star who already receives a full base salary, such a profit-sharing agreement was quite generous.
That is, if the trilogy achieved such box office numbers.
If the box office performed like last year's "True Lies," which earned just under $400 million globally, even with a 20% profit share, the actor wouldn't receive much.
This structure would help incentivize the lead actor.
Overall, Simon's offer required the actor to share some of the project's financial risks. It wouldn't allow the talent to profit while the project lost money, which was in line with Danerys Entertainment's usual compensation strategy.
Additionally, the terms were designed to prevent Arnold from demanding more for the sequels. Even if the first film grossed over $500 million worldwide, without a long-term contract, Arnold could later ask for both his full base salary and a percentage of all revenue streams.
The most typical example of this scenario was Warner's "Lethal Weapon" series. After the unexpected success of the first film, Warner ended up barely making any profits on the sequels, as stars like Mel Gibson and other key talent walked away with the lion's share of the earnings through hefty base salaries and cuts of the total revenue.
Simon, with his strong position, clearly wouldn't allow Danerys to fall into that trap.
Given past experiences, Linda estimated that there was a 50/50 chance Arnold would accept the offer. She collected her thoughts and said to Simon, "Boss, I've read the draft script for Jumanji, and I had an idea. Would you like to hear it?"
Simon nodded. "Go ahead."
Linda said, "I also think that the role of Dr. Spencer is practically tailor-made for Arnold. But if, and I mean if, Arnold refuses, we could tweak the character to fit another star, like Harrison Ford, for example—a university professor, an archaeologist. Or maybe Sylvester Stallone, as a Vietnam War veteran and weapons expert. The story is based on a video game, after all, so the character's traits are up to us. We don't need to be stuck with one interpretation."
Hearing this, Simon suddenly felt a sense of clarity.
Of course.
He had been entirely fixated on the original script and character.
There was no need to do that.
In fact, in the original film, the attributes of Dr. Spencer overlapped with those of Karen Gillan's character, Ruby Roundhouse. Both leaned toward physical combat, and because of Dwayne Johnson's dominating presence, Karen Gillan's character didn't get as much opportunity to shine, despite her popularity.
If they reworked Dr. Spencer's character to fit Stallone as a weapons expert, it would balance the team better—one character for ranged attacks, one for melee, and two for support roles. It would make more sense.
As Simon's thoughts came together, he smiled and looked at the woman across from him, who had naturally developed a calm and appealing demeanor after years of working in her high-ranking position. "Linda, have I given you a raise?"
Linda felt a bit warm under Simon's intense gaze. Over the years, she had received plenty of attention from various men hoping to land a job through her, but none of them compared to the young man in front of her. Suppressing her flustered feelings, Linda smiled and replied, "You just gave me one last year."
Simon nodded. "Oh, then forget it. Maybe in a few years. Feel free to share ideas like this with me anytime."
Linda paused for a moment before pretending to be dissatisfied. "Boss, according to how these things usually go, shouldn't I get some kind of bonus for a good idea? You're too stingy."
Simon, already jotting down new ideas in the Jumanji draft, laughed and said, "I'm a capitalist, remember? Giving employees raises goes against my capitalist DNA."
Linda had heard Simon's "genetic theory" of capitalism before, so she just bantered with him a bit before dropping the topic of a raise. She was more than satisfied with her current salary.
After discussing some of the other casting projects, Linda excused herself and left.
It was Thursday, March 23rd.
Simon had given Arnold until next Monday to make a decision, which happened to coincide with the date of the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony.
The next day was Friday.
The Man from Earth, which had been released on February 24th, was now in its fourth week of release.
Following its astonishing opening weekend of $76.19 million and a second weekend of $56.37 million, the film saw a 49% drop in its third week, bringing in $28.73 million. However, from March 17 to March 23, the film's box office decline stabilized to just 31%, earning $19.83 million for the week.
After four weeks in theaters, the ultra-low-budget sci-fi film, made for just $1.5 million, had already grossed $181.12 million domestically.
The initial forecast of a $300 million domestic total was no longer likely after the third-week drop. However, even at $1.8 billion in domestic earnings, The Man from Earth was still the current box office champion of 1995. Its final domestic gross was expected to reach around $250 million, with only summer's Jurassic Park 2 and the year-end Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice likely to surpass it.
Thanks to the unexpected success of The Man from Earth, Hollywood studios were scrambling to find similar scripts, despite knowing that replicating such a box office miracle was nearly impossible. Still, even if a similar movie earned just a tenth of what The Man from Earth did, it would be profitable given its low production costs.
Meanwhile, the film's cast of mostly second- and third-tier actors had seen a significant boost in their profiles. Although it was unlikely they would leap into A-list stardom, the increased visibility meant that they wouldn't be short of work for the next few years. With careful management and a bit of luck, many of them could establish steady careers in Hollywood.
The industry is a pyramid with limited room at the top, so securing a stable position at the table is already considered a significant achievement for many actors.
Simon also noticed that Chrissy Gough, the baby-faced supermodel who had done well in The Man from Earth, seemed like an increasingly good fit for the role of Ruby Roundhouse in Jumanji. Like Karen Gillan in the original, Chrissy had a baby face, a tall frame, and a flawless figure.
However, much like George Clooney, whom Simon wanted to keep in ER for a few more years, Chrissy Gough was under contract with Victoria's Secret as one of their Angel spokesmodels. Her five-year contract was just a year in, and if she transitioned to Hollywood too quickly, she might not be able to fully meet her obligations as a brand ambassador.
Victoria's Secret models weren't just required to walk the runway during the annual show. They also had obligations to shoot various ads and attend store marketing events.
On top of that, Gough had become a sought-after model for other brands as well. During the recently concluded spring fashion week, she had walked over seventy shows across North America and Europe, leaving her utterly exhausted.
When Simon called Grace Spurlock to discuss Chrissy's potential role, Grace mentioned that she had assigned an assistant to stay with Chrissy in her New York apartment while she slept. The girl was planning to sleep for an entire week just to recover from the past month's grueling schedule.
Grace had helped launch three supermodels, and Chrissy Gough was by far the most successful. Naturally, Grace saw her as a moneymaker.
For Chrissy, a shift to Hollywood would be a huge opportunity. But for Grace, it meant losing a key client, as Chrissy's acting contract was with WMA, and her acting income would go to them.
Even so, when Simon mentioned the possibility of Chrissy playing Ruby Roundhouse, Grace didn't object. She was entirely compliant with whatever Simon wanted.
Since Grace had no objections, Simon made the decision without consulting Chrissy.
He believed that if Chrissy was smart, she'd know how to choose. Modeling was a short-lived career, and it wasn't long before the next generation came in to replace the old guard. Otherwise, Cindy Crawford wouldn't have insisted on starring in Warner's disastrous film Fair Game after Simon had warned her against it.
As for Victoria's Secret, Simon figured they could work something out to keep Chrissy busier. After all, now was the time for her to work hard. Waiting until she was thirty to
try and rise up wouldn't work.
With the decision made, everything was set before the Oscars weekend.
While Simon was generally satisfied with Chrissy Gough's performance in The Man from Earth, he insisted that she undergo more acting training before filming began for Jumanji, as it was a more demanding role.
When it came to acting, Simon believed in talent, but even more in hard work.
To motivate her, he added a small incentive.
Before filming for Jumanji began at the end of the year, Simon promised to personally oversee Chrissy's final audition. Her starting salary for the trilogy would be based on her performance, rated on a scale of one to ten, with her salary ranging from $100,000 to $1 million. Of course, if she couldn't even score a six, Simon would replace her.
For a rookie actress, a starting salary of $200,000 to $300,000 was typical, sometimes even lower. Even with Chrissy's rising fame in the fashion world and her increasing popularity thanks to The Man from Earth, she was still new to Hollywood, and Simon's initial offer was already very generous.
Moreover, as Ruby Roundhouse, she'd need to undergo physical training.
Fortunately, as a Victoria's Secret Angel, Chrissy was already in the habit of working out, and the additional training would simply be more intense. Grace even promised to personally oversee her workouts.
With everything settled, Chrissy Gough's fate was completely altered.
In history, this baby-faced model had gained some fame in the 1990s, but her foray into acting didn't pan out, and she eventually faded from the spotlight, becoming a real estate agent in New York.
Now, under the influence of Simon, the butterfly effect had not only created a baby-faced supermodel but would also bring Hollywood a baby-faced action star.
The weekend passed.
On Monday morning, Linda Vargas informed Simon that Arnold had rejected the offer.
It seemed he wanted to negotiate further.
However, Simon's final offer had no room for negotiation. He wasn't interested in wasting unnecessary energy on these back-and-forths.
Moreover, Linda had already informed Arnold's team about the alternative actor option they were considering, and Arnold, still confident in his leverage, had declined anyway. That left nothing more to discuss.
What Simon didn't know was that Linda Vargas had briefly considered withholding the backup plan from Arnold. After all, it was her idea, and if Simon ended up going with the alternative, it would increase her standing with him. If Arnold had been unaware of the alternative, he might have been more likely to refuse, increasing the chance that Simon would have to resort to her suggestion.
Ultimately, Linda chose not to hide the backup plan, out of loyalty to her young boss. Plus, she knew Simon wasn't someone who could be easily deceived.
As expected, when discussing the matter on Monday, Simon casually asked if she had mentioned the backup plan to Arnold. Even though the question was offhand, it sent a chill down Linda's spine, and afterward, she reminded herself repeatedly never to step out of line again.
With Arnold out of the picture, Simon immediately told Linda to approach Stallone.
Compared to Arnold, Stallone was much more eager for this role.
Though Stallone had risen to fame with an inspiring backstory, his career had faltered in recent years. Several of his recent action films had lost money for the studios, significantly diminishing his star power.
Because of this, Stallone had been considering taking a step back. He was in talks to star in James Mangold's new film, Copland, which had made a splash at Sundance earlier that year. In the original timeline, Stallone had taken the role for a paltry $60,000, earning the Screen Actors Guild minimum as the film was aimed at Oscar contention and had a modest budget.
When Simon signed James Mangold, he had also reached out to Stallone.
Wanting to stay on good terms with the powerhouse that was Danerys Entertainment, Stallone had agreed to the project without making any additional demands.
Initially, Simon hadn't planned to use Stallone for Jumanji, but had considered offering him something later. Simon always appreciated professionals who worked hard, and Stallone was certainly one of them.
Now, this was his chance to repay Stallone. The Jumanji script was modified to keep the Vietnam War veteran backstory—an obvious nod to Stallone's "Rambo" persona—and also added two new traits: tactical expertise and weapons mastery. This made Stallone the perfect candidate to serve as the team's leader and long-range specialist.
By midday, the deal was done, and Stallone himself called Simon, eager to discuss the project further at one of the Oscar after-parties that evening.
As for Arnold, he was officially out of the picture.
Another day flew by.
At 6 p.m. on Monday, the 67th Academy Awards officially kicked off at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. This year's ceremony was set to be one of the most memorable in recent history, following a spectacular 1994 in cinema.
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