David Ellison's smooth entry into Hollywood was inseparable from the financial crisis that had struck the film industry.
At the moment, nearly every studio in Hollywood was short on cash. Warner Bros. had several projects underway, all financed through Wall Street funds to reduce its own expenditure.
Disney was in relatively good financial shape — after all, its merchandise business was incredibly profitable, keeping a healthy cash flow.
Both Disney and Warner Bros. were involved in projects directed by Gilbert. From both the box office and the stock market perspectives, as long as Gilbert was attached, there was always a stable base of confidence.
But the other studios weren't so lucky. Sony Columbia Pictures at least had Spider-Man 2 as a box office hit that year, but even so, it still needed financial injections from its parent company, Sony, to stay afloat.
As for MGM–United Artists, without the investment from the Kingdom Investment Group, it would have already declared bankruptcy.
DreamWorks, needless to say, had spun off its only profitable animation division. Even with Steven Spielberg's frequent interventions, he still couldn't fix DreamWorks' financial crisis.
Moreover, Spielberg now had the air of a fading hero, far outshined by his student, Gilbert.
The rest of the studios weren't in much better condition — to varying degrees, all of them were suffering from money shortages. And that was exactly when Wall Street's film funds became the hottest trend in town.
David Ellison's Sky Flim Studios entered Hollywood under these very circumstances, participating in and investing in multiple projects.
Although David Ellison wasn't welcomed by the old Hollywood elite, no one would turn down his money and that was his biggest advantage.
Soon, Cameron Diaz spread the news that Gilbert was highly interested in the French baron's Napoleon biopic and was willing to invest two hundred million dollars.
The moment that news broke, it shocked all of Hollywood and quickly caught David Ellison's attention.
But the one most delighted by it all was none other than the so-called French baron himself.
Indeed — he was a con artist. The entire thing was actually a Ponzi scheme he had orchestrated to attract the attention of Hollywood's big players.
And right now, who was the wealthiest and most influential figure in Hollywood? Without a doubt, it was the world-famous director Gilbert.
Because of this, as soon as the baron arrived in Hollywood, he made sure to become close friends with Anne Hathaway. If not for Anne Hathaway's special relationship with Gilbert, the two might have already become a couple.
But it didn't matter. With enough money, what woman couldn't be won over?
His real target was Gilbert. Through Anne Hathaway's introduction, he managed to meet Gilbert and pitched his so-called project to him.
At first, Gilbert wasn't interested at all. But unexpectedly, things took a sudden turn — Gilbert's assistant reached out, saying they wanted to reopen talks about the project.
This thrilled the French baron. If he could fool Gilbert, most of his scheme would already be halfway to success.
But what he didn't know was that he wasn't the fisherman — he was the bait. The real fisherman was Gilbert, who was using him to lure in David Ellison.
Anne Hathaway was worried. The last time, Gilbert had warned her that this man was a fraud. She'd even felt guilty afterward, thinking she had nearly let Gilbert fall into a trap.
But now, for some reason, Gilbert was once again showing interest in the project.
After her previous encounter, Anne Hathaway had noticed something off about the French baron — there was something fake about everything he said and did.
So she rushed over to warn Gilbert — but what she found wasn't what she expected.
"So, you already know that man's a fraud?"
"Of course," Gilbert said, motioning for Anne Hathaway to sit down before placing a slice of apple in her mouth.
Only after she began chewing did he explain, "I just want to see whether David Ellison takes the bait. Don't worry about the project — I already told you before, I knew from the start."
Anne Hathaway finally relaxed. "I knew it — I was worried for nothing."
Gilbert wrapped an arm around her waist and asked, "So, what have you been up to lately?"
Anne Hathaway pouted and said, "I'm currently filming The Chronicles of Narnia, and I'm also preparing to work with Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal on Brokeback Mountain.
Besides that, there's The Devil Wears Prada with Meryl Streep — it's in the planning stages now."
Gilbert nodded. "Those are all great projects. Both box office and awards potential look strong."
"Yeah," Anne Hathaway sighed again. "But unfortunately, I'm only playing supporting roles. There was another offer for Havoc, but the scenes were too explicit, so I turned it down."
"Why'd you turn it down?"
Anne Hathaway gave him a playful glare. "Because I didn't want to make you jealous, that's why."
"Come on, do I seem that petty to you?"
"You totally are…"
They teased each other for a while before Anne rested her head on Gilbert's shoulder and began to vent softly, "The competition is so fierce. Every popular project has ten or even dozens of actresses fighting for it.
Even with the fame I gained from playing Princess Arwen, and your connections, there are still many roles I just can't land."
That was the harsh reality for all Hollywood actresses — too many wolves, not enough meat. Every year, there were only a handful of films with real breakout potential.
If someone else snatched them first, you were left with nothing.
Male actors had it tough too, but for actresses, the competition was far bloodier.
Gilbert comforted her gently. "Alright, don't worry. Big projects will come your way eventually. And if not, I'll save a role for you myself, how about that?"
"What kind of role?"
"How about Catwoman?"
"You want me to play in Batman? When will that be?"
"Well, there's a role like that, but whether it'll be your turn to appear depends on how this film performs."
Anne Hathaway immediately brightened up. With such a reliable man beside her, she felt completely at ease. As for the possibility of failure—she never even considered it.
How could Gilbert ever fail? He never did.
While the two were sharing their tender moment, over at Sky Flim Studios, David Ellison was ordering a full-scale cleanup.
The purpose: to eliminate spiders.
At the same time, he received the news that Gilbert was very interested in a Napoleon project and was willing to invest two hundred million dollars.
He immediately discussed it with Michael Ovitz. "Michael, do you think this is real?" he asked.
Even the experienced Michael Ovitz was briefly puzzled. "So many people in Hollywood are interested in this project. It shouldn't be fake."
"Then how about we take the project from Gilbert?" David Ellison suggested.
"It's possible," Michael Ovitz said cautiously, "but remember—you've already stolen Transformers from him. After that, he's bound to keep an eye on you. It won't be easy."
"Where there's a will, there's a way!" David Ellison said confidently. "Not only this one—whatever Gilbert wants to invest in next, we'll go after those projects too.
It's just a pity there are some we'll never be able to take."
David Ellison sighed regretfully. If he could, he would have loved to snatch The Fast and the Furious series and The Adventures of Jackie Chan series.
Of course, what tempted him the most was the Harry Potter franchise.
Unfortunately, after Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban became a massive hit, J.K. Rowling had already signed contracts with Disney and Warner Bros. for the remaining book rights.
Rowling had been very clear about it—she said she only trusted Gilbert.
And facts proved she was right. Under Gilbert's direction, the Harry Potter series had unleashed an unbelievable power, becoming one of the highest-grossing franchises in the world.
Especially the merchandise revenue—it had reached an unprecedented level.
David Ellison couldn't help but envy that. If he had entered the industry ten years earlier, he would have tried to wrest that project away from Gilbert.
What he failed to consider was whether he even had the same vision or decisiveness as Gilbert.
Though he often appeared dismissive of Gilbert in public, deep down he acknowledged Gilbert's sharp instincts in filmmaking.
And so, the fish took the bait. David Ellison, along with Michael Ovitz, immediately made contact regarding the project and even spoke several times with the so-called French baron.
After multiple conversations, both of them believed the project had great potential and decided to raise their stakes.
The French baron, seeing profit ahead, began to play hard to get—waiting to see who would offer the highest price.
Since both Gilbert and David Ellison were involved, other hesitant investors and studios quickly jumped in as well, making the situation even murkier.
Gilbert, meanwhile, had Ivanka remind his close friends, investors, and business partners to stay cautious—he warned them that this project was a scam and told them not to participate carelessly.
As for others, there was nothing he could do. After all, he himself was also a "victim," though his loss was minimal and negligible.
To make sure David Ellison took the bait completely, Gilbert had to put in some real money.
But David Ellison, on the other hand, had poured in an enormous amount of genuine capital.
Aside from the brief incident during the Chicago robbery scene, the filming of Batman Begins went extremely smoothly and successfully wrapped up in Los Angeles on the first weekend after the New Year.
On the night of the wrap, the crew held a celebration party, which was attended by the top executives of Warner Bros. and DC.
At the party, a representative from Lamborghini approached Gilbert. "Director Gilbert, would you be interested in shooting a commercial for Lamborghini?"
"Me? A commercial?" Gilbert was surprised. "You must be looking for the wrong person."
"Not at all," said the Lamborghini representative. "We've seen your films—they're like feature-length commercials in themselves, incredibly captivating.
We hope you can create a commercial for us with the same cinematic scale. Of course, the price is negotiable."
"Well…" Gilbert didn't agree right away. "Let me think about it."
It wasn't as if he had never shot a commercial before—just not in this lifetime. The Lamborghini proposal instantly reminded him of several iconic commercials he'd seen in the past.
In fact, it was the perfect idea—to combine a Lamborghini ad with the film's trailer.
When Gilbert presented this concept, Lamborghini immediately approved. He decided to film the ad during post-production.
As for the stars of the commercial, they were already on hand. Lamborghini quickly signed endorsement deals with Christian Bale and Jennifer Connelly.
Technically, the contract was mainly for Bale, but considering Gilbert's connection, Lamborghini decided to include Jennifer Connelly as well.
Not a bad deal—an easy endorsement payday!
...
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