Inside the villa's guest room, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Fox president Joe Roth discussed Terminator.
"After Terminator 2 was a success, there was talk of making Terminator 3, Arnold. I'm sure you heard of it; a lot of us, including myself, were intrigued by the idea. But ultimately, Simon personally vetoed it. If you want the series to reboot…honestly, you'd be best talking directly with Daniele Entertainment."
Back when Terminator 2 was a joint project, Fox and Daniele each held half the rights.
Arnold didn't respond to Joe Roth's comment, instead suggesting, "Joe, why don't we discuss another option? For example, Fox could buy Daniele's share of the rights and develop the series independently. Daniele has plenty of hot projects right now, so they wouldn't miss Terminator. If the price is right, I'm sure they'd consider it. With full rights, Fox could have a major franchise—not just a sequel but potentially even a Terminator universe."
Joe noticed Arnold's suggestion but remained unimpressed. Scratching his prominent nose, he looked directly at Arnold and asked, "You've already spoken with Daniele Entertainment about this and were turned down, haven't you?"
Arnold's face showed a hint of embarrassment before he nodded. "Yes, Daniele has no interest in a sequel. But Joe, wouldn't it be better to develop such a valuable franchise alone?"
"Perhaps," Joe responded with little enthusiasm. After a brief hesitation, he added, "To be frank, ever since Barry left, Rupert has been less interested in the movie business, preferring television and newspapers. Last year, Fox only released nine movies. If the market weren't doing so well lately, we might have sold off the film division altogether. Plus, you know the relationship between News Corp and the Westeros Group. If Simon opposes Terminator 3, even if we held full rights, Rupert probably wouldn't approve it either—not because Simon doesn't like it, but because it's a costly project."
Arnold hadn't expected even his personal involvement would hit a dead end, and he couldn't help but vent: "Joe, is everyone content being just a subsidiary of Daniele Entertainment?"
Joe merely smiled at Arnold's pointed comment. "Arnold, given the choice, nobody wants to play second fiddle, but that's just the trend in the industry. Frankly..." He left his thought unfinished, simply shrugging. It was better to leave certain things unsaid in front of the big star, in case they worked together again in the future.
Joe had been about to mention Warner Bros., which, unwilling to play second to Daniele, insisted on investing in Eraser and last summer's disastrous Waterworld. If not for these costly failures eating up profits, Warner Bros. could have fared even better with the success of movies like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Blockbusters had become Hollywood's hallmark.
But these movies were risky, especially as Daniele Entertainment became more dominant, cornering resources and leaving other studios with increasingly risky ventures. Currently, partnering with Daniele Entertainment was the safest strategy, as Warner did with the DC universe and Fox did with The Mummy, or as MGM did with its growing partnership with Westeros.
As for the future, if there's no present, what future can one worry about?
Arnold understood the unspoken implications of Joe's words. Had he still been at the peak of his popularity, he might have walked out. This time, he restrained his displeasure and suggested a last option: "Alright, Joe. If I find another company willing to invest in the movie, would Fox consider selling the Terminator rights?"
Joe paused briefly, then agreed readily. "Arnold, that still depends on Daniele. If they agree, Fox has no problem."
With this, Arnold saw no reason to stay and took his leave.
After sending Arnold off, Joe didn't immediately return to the party but instead dialed a number. When the call connected, his expression softened into a genuine smile. "Good evening, Amy. I hope I'm not interrupting…ah, same here…It's just that Arnold was here…"
He briefly summarized the conversation with Arnold, hung up, and then rejoined the party.
Joe genuinely didn't care about Arnold's veiled criticism. After all, he was merely a corporate manager. Even after numerous mergers, Hollywood was still Hollywood—the Jewish Hollywood. And no matter how successful any newcomer might seem, the industry wouldn't function without the foundational players.
Hollywood saw a constant flow of capital and talent. Only the Jewish community remained a constant.
Perhaps there was a new king in town, but a king can't do everything alone; he still needs support, and they still hold influence.
Not far away, at a mansion in Palisades, Simon's residence was also hosting a party, overseen by Amy Pascal, who was entertaining a delegation from the Chinese film industry. The idea had come to Simon on his flight back from China.
Amy had personally arranged the event, and the Chinese delegation had enthusiastically accepted, arriving in Los Angeles that morning for a two-week study tour.
Simon didn't attend this reception.
Though he valued this initiative, sometimes a little aloofness could achieve better results.
After finishing her call with Joe Roth, Amy gave her assistant some instructions, picked up a glass of red wine, and approached three people conversing nearby. "Mr. Liu, Jackie, Jet—I apologize for the interruption."
The three were Mr. Liu, a deputy minister from China's Broadcasting and Television Ministry, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li.
With Black Mask set for release next week, Jet Li had been in the US for promotional activities.
Jackie Chan was invited over by Daniele Entertainment to support Black Mask. After all, the impact of Rush Hour was still fresh, and using one well-known kung fu star to promote another was sure to have a positive effect.
As for what Jackie thought about this arrangement, it wasn't something Daniele had to consider. He showed up as invited.
"Not at all, Ms. Pascal," Deputy Minister Liu replied.
Amy, lacking Simon's language skills, smiled with the help of her translator and asked, "What were you all just discussing?"
"We were discussing Jet's Black Mask. I looked into some details before, but I didn't expect Daniele Entertainment to schedule this Chinese-language film for the summer blockbuster season," Mr. Liu replied.
"Black Mask is an excellent film, and more importantly, Simon personally selected it. He has a great eye for these things."
"Indeed, we've noticed that Daniele Entertainment has released quite a few Chinese films in recent years."
"Mainly because Simon has a deep appreciation for Chinese culture. If he were here, we wouldn't need a translator. In fact, he's currently working on a martial arts film and hopes to collaborate with China on this project."
Mr. Liu seemed pleasantly surprised. "Did I hear you correctly, Ms. Pascal? A martial arts film?"
Both Jackie Chan and Jet Li looked at each other, intrigued, though they didn't interject.
Amy nodded. "Yes, a martial arts film. My pronunciation might not be perfect, but you understood correctly. It's based on a Chinese martial arts novel called Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. If your schedule allows, we could arrange a meeting to discuss it."
Deputy Minister Liu couldn't recall who had written Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but he quickly recognized the project's significance. Although the primary objective of the delegation was to study China's film industry reforms, an international collaboration would be a notable achievement. His voice held a hint of excitement. "Absolutely, we'd love to discuss it further."
Simon had previously instructed Amy to bring up Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to gauge interest. The delegation would see it as a valuable opportunity to showcase Chinese culture internationally.
The project, however, would remain low-profile to honor Simon's promise to Ang Lee. Daniele Entertainment would ensure that China respected this confidentiality.
After all, Chinese films had limited recognition in the West. If they promoted it too loudly and the project failed, it would risk becoming an embarrassment.
---
The following day was Saturday.
At his estate on Dume Cape, Simon awoke early.
After exercising, showering, and dressing in casual attire, he sat by the shell villa's glass wall to read the day's newspapers before breakfast while listening to a brief report from one of his assistants. With five little ones in the house, breakfast had become a lively time, leaving little chance to read the paper over the meal.
On the national stage, the 1996 U.S. presidential election was in full swing.
Bill Clinton was still bogged down by the Paula Jones case, with the Whitewater scandal resurfacing to complicate things further. Based on Clinton's current poll numbers, unless he steps down or an unforeseeable event occurs, his re-election seemed nearly certain. The Republicans' efforts appeared aimed at diminishing the Democratic Party's strength overall.
Simon felt these tactics would only deepen public disillusionment with both major parties in Washington.
Indeed, public apathy toward the political system became evident in the early 2000s as older politicians retained control, fueled by a general sense of disinterest in Washington's bickering.
This situation was beneficial to large financial groups like the Westeros Group.
Similarly, in Japan, a low-desire society had emerged, where people led quiet, complacent lives.
Hollywood's focus was still on the summer box office.
Yesterday's box office results for the second week's Friday were out, and as expected, Eraser had been surpassed by Romeo and Juliet.
However, The Mummy
comfortably held first place.
Disney's hopeful Austin Powers failed to replicate the success of Ace Ventura, an outcome many saw as inevitable, especially given that Daniele Entertainment hadn't renewed its involvement, signaling Simon's lack of confidence in the franchise.
In detail:
Opening on 2,986 screens, The Mummy, including midnight screenings, grossed $13.81 million on its opening day, easily taking the top spot.
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