Difficult.
As difficult as ascending to the heavens, even Edgar himself knew this was a severe challenge—one could even call it a crazy one.
Timing. Geography. Human harmony. All three are indispensable.
Relying solely on Edgar himself or just on Anson alone, the chance of success was almost nil. A fortuitous opportunity was needed, with multiple forces working together to have even a 0.1% chance of success.
Man proposes, God disposes.
Now, Edgar was laying out his plan step by step, placing all the pressure on Anson. The next step was to see if Anson could bear the weight of hope.
A grand blueprint unfolded before him.
Anson lifted his chin slightly, a faint smile playing in his eyes.
"Well then, is it too late for me to get off this pirate ship now?"
A joke.
Edgar felt a bit emotional.
Anyone who heard Edgar's plan would sneer and dismiss him as a madman, including the executives at William Morris Agency, who had a completely different vision.
If it were an actor, they might not care at all, simply urging him to aim for the "Twenty Million Dollar Club"; or they might think he was insane, looking for a chance to part ways and find another agent.
After all, this is Hollywood, where agents are as common as actors.
However, Anson didn't.
Behind that teasing remark was actually a form of affirmation, no questioning or probing, just easily agreeing with his idea. Edgar knew Anson wasn't the type to "feign understanding to brush off a response." The joke indicated that Anson understood his plan and stood by him.
A loyal warrior dies for a confidant.
Edgar's emotions surged.
This was further proof that he hadn't misjudged back then.
"Sorry, it's too late," Edgar spread his hands, his face full of regret.
Anson pursed his lips, "Alright then."
Edgar couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, "If the negotiations go smoothly—and I believe they will—the movie should start filming around May or June. Sony Columbia is currently building the set."
"The script, yes, the script."
"The script is finally done. I figured you're busy on the 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' set, so you probably don't have time to read it, so I didn't bring it with me."
"If you need it, I can get it to you anytime."
Anson waved it off, "Let's wait until we're done filming. But if this script was so hard to complete, it's a bit unsettling. If I give notes on the script again, do you think Sony Columbia will have a meltdown on the spot?"
"Quite possibly," Edgar's eyes couldn't hide his amusement.
After Edgar's explanation, Anson understood the situation.
"Spider-Man" told an origin story, aiming to stay as true to the original comics as possible. While not a direct adaptation, the framework was quite similar to the comics. Two screenwriters collaborated on the script, and progress was smooth.
"Spider-Man 2" was where Peter Parker diverged from the comic book version, becoming the Peter Parker of Sam Raimi and Anson Wood. The character traits and development arc inevitably differed.
Although the story was still based on the original comics, the plot needed to be reimagined from scratch, with Sam Raimi joining the creative process.
Sam didn't write the script himself but sat down with the screenwriters for brainstorming sessions, defining the story for the sequel and establishing Peter Parker's character arc for this work.
Clearly, this was not easy.
Sony Columbia hired two teams of writers—one to draft the story, which included the general plot, and another to flesh out the script, focusing on scenes and dialogue.
However, Sam remained dissatisfied with the storyline, preventing the writers focusing on scenes and dialogue from starting their work.
So despite Edgar's numerous requests, he couldn't get a hold of the script.
Despite Sam and the screenwriting team working together for over three months, there wasn't a single page of the script to show for it.
Sony Columbia went through four teams of six screenwriters, piecing together different inspirations and ideas to finally settle on a framework.
After much back and forth, they finally had a substantive script in hand.
What they received was the second draft, with the writers responsible for scenes and dialogue completing their work in just three weeks. But prior to this, the team had revised the story at least fourteen times, with the framework consistently failing to satisfy.
Imagine, if Anson were to give feedback on the script now, the screenwriting team might be on the brink of collapse.
But Anson was serious.
From past experience, "Spider-Man 2" was the most critically acclaimed in the series, but the box office performance unfortunately didn't surpass the first film.
Of course, there were many reasons for this, and it couldn't be blamed on just one thing.
In Anson's opinion, one of the reasons was that the overall quality didn't meet expectations—not that it was bad, just that expectations had been raised to a new height. Meanwhile, the script's complexity and the characters' thinness lacked some power, directly causing Sam to struggle with the narrative pacing.
This is a troublesome part of large Hollywood film projects. Due to intertwined interests and tight production cycles, producers often make adjustments based on profit, resulting in scripts being passed around different writers.
First, they gradually lose the individual style of the writers, leaning more towards an assembly line approach.
Second, the patchwork of different details and plot points can create a sense of bloat.
This issue isn't unique to "Spider-Man 2." It's appeared in countless sequels, one of the reasons why sequel quality is hard to guarantee.
Of course, among these sequel disasters, "Spider-Man 2" is already outstanding. Later, it was even regarded by many passionate fans as a milestone in superhero movies, influencing countless subsequent superhero films.
Perhaps, over time, this film will shine. But at its release, it didn't meet expectations.
Some tweaks and changes might have made the film more nimble.
Now, Anson had the chance to change history, and he couldn't help but wonder—
Could he turn the situation around?
Or would he just add fuel to the fire, making an already cumbersome script even more chaotic, and ultimately turning a classic into a flop?
Certainly, Anson couldn't deny this possibility.
Even so, he was curious, which is why he always wanted to read the script in advance—to see if he could make a difference and if he should give feedback.
But he hadn't anticipated it dragging on until now—
"I'm serious. If I give feedback, would they be willing to make changes?"
Edgar didn't hide his surprise, glancing at Anson in slight amazement.
All along, Anson had remained clear-headed. Even with "the butterfly effect," he didn't interfere much with the two screenwriters' creative process, refraining from meddling and sticking to his role as an actor.
But thinking back, Anson had already asked for the "Spider-Man 2" script more than once and now was going further, voicing his genuine thoughts.
Edgar, "Are you serious?"