By late October, the acquisition of Dick Clark Productions was pretty much wrapped up. Aside from some lingering paperwork with the exchange, everything else was in the bag.
Dunn Films shelled out $43 million to take the company private.
Dick Clark Productions isn't huge, but it was born at just the right time. Back then, aside from the Oscars and Grammys, all the other big award shows were just getting off the ground and desperate for help.
Dick Clark swooped in and snagged the production rights for nearly every major North American award ceremony—except the Oscars and Grammys, of course!
Dunn, though, wasn't a fan of the company's name. Dick Clark? What a load of crap!
In his mind, only one name belonged in his empire: Dunn Walker!
But when he floated the idea of a rebrand, Bill Mechanic shot it down hard—no room for negotiation.
What a joke! Running a company isn't child's play—you can't just mess around because of personal whims. You've got to respect the market!
Dick Clark Productions might be a subsidiary of Dunn Films now, but the man himself, Dick Clark, is still alive!
And this guy? He's a titan in the TV world!
This year, he even kicked off a new gig: a massive New Year's Eve bash in Times Square every year!
The Super Bowl might be America's unofficial "Spring Festival Gala," but this is the real deal!
And guess what? The production rights for that New Year's concert? They're locked up with Dick Clark Productions too.
Sure, the company's long since cut ties with Dick Clark himself, but it was his baby back in the day. A big chunk of the staff? They're his old crew.
If Dunn changed the name, it'd be like spitting in Dick Clark's face!
After hearing Bill Mechanic's breakdown, Dunn dropped the renaming idea.
With the acquisition done, Dunn was itching to whip up a big music reality show pronto. No way he could afford to piss off a legend like Dick Clark—he'd need his help.
It was late.
Dunn was still holed up in his study, tapping away on the custom encrypted Apple laptop Steve Jobs had gifted him, drafting up a proposal.
Nicole Kidman, wrapped in a robe, padded over. On nights when Natalie wasn't around, she'd been crashing in Dunn's presidential suite. Even when Natalie showed up, Nicole just bunked in the "lady's room"—no way she was moving out.
She slid in beside him, her voice soft. "It's late. Time to rest."
Around Dunn, she always felt this weird mix of emotions.
The guy was young, but he'd already pulled off earth-shaking stuff in his career—a Forbes-list billionaire.
Even so, his work ethic never let up. He was juggling Dunn Films, fielding endless funding pitches from Dunn Capital, and still sticking to his roots—directing a movie every year!
And that's not all. While shooting, he was swamped—tons to handle, even writing new scripts on the side.
A guy this driven, this exceptional… even with a few flaws, as a woman, how could you hold it against him?
Maybe…
That's why Natalie Portman put up with him?
Hearing her voice, Dunn glanced at the clock. "Oh, it's midnight already!"
Nicole smiled gently. "Yeah. Work's important, but you've got to rest too. Tomorrow's the weekend—didn't you say you're flying back to LA for some big stuff?"
A man deep in his work? That's when he's hottest.
Right now, Nicole Kidman was all sweet and wifely, like a total softie.
Dunn stretched lazily. "Yep. The Chronicles of Narnia wrapped up, and the crew's already back in LA."
"You're not listed as a producer on that one, though?" Nicole's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Dunn shrugged. "I'm not worried about Narnia—Warner's got it covered, no issues there! I'm mainly meeting David Heyman. He's a partner at Dunn Films and the producer on Narnia."
Nicole bit her lip. "Can I know what's up?"
Dunn laughed at her cute expression, cupping her gorgeous face and planting a kiss on her lips. "Of course you can—you're not some outsider. You know how Harry Potter's been blowing up? I'm greenlighting the movie project."
"Harry Potter?"
Nicole's eyes lit up. That was a massive deal!
More than that, the books were huge right now—dominating the New York Times bestseller list's top ten for three straight months.
Dunn shook his head. "Don't even think about it. When we bought the rights, the deal was locked in: only British actors. That author? Total nutcase."
Now that he'd squared things with Warner Bros., Dunn could finally go full steam ahead on Harry Potter.
His timeline? Start casting now, spend eight or nine months on prep, then kick off shooting next summer during the kids' break.
In his past life, Harry Potter started casting in 1999 and hit theaters worldwide for Christmas 2001.
Thanks to Warner, Dunn delayed the project by a whole year. The original kid actors? Their fates might've shifted.
Emma Watson, especially—would she still climb to A-list status in Hollywood?
Who knows.
She's crazy talented, though—one of the few Hollywood stars with sharp logic who could hold her own at academic conferences. Even without acting, she'd probably shine somewhere else.
"Oh." Nicole's face stayed calm. She glanced at Dunn's laptop. "So… you're writing the Harry Potter script?"
Dunn cracked up. "With a book this hot, I don't need to get involved. I'll slap my name on as producer and let them handle it."
"No script? Then what are you writing?" Nicole raised an eyebrow, smirking as rumors popped into her head. "Don't tell me you're writing that?"
"What? I don't have the energy for that!" Dunn rolled his eyes, yawning. "It's a pitch for a reality show."
"A reality show?"
Nicole's jaw dropped.
Dunn grinned. "Yep, a reality show! Hey, keep it under wraps, okay? This is gonna be the world's first talent competition reality show. I'm calling it—American Idol!"
The real OG talent show was the UK's Pop Idol in 2001, which took Europe and the US by storm.
The Americans saw it, ripped it off, and dropped American Idol the next year—slicker production, tighter schedule. It shot straight to the top as the world's biggest reality show, influencing the globe.
After that, talent show fever swept every country.
At its peak, American Idol was pulling what kind of numbers?
41 million household viewers—beating the Grammys, rivaling the Oscars!
With Dunn Films just sealing the Dick Clark Productions deal, all those wild ideas in Dunn's head finally had a playground.
And the timing? Perfect. Strike now, and they'd own the reality show market!
Nicole didn't get talent shows, but she knew Dunn thought big. Shaking her head, she gave a wry smile. "Dunn, you're unreal! At your age, I was stumbling into Hollywood, clueless, scraping for a break. And here you are, killing it in every field…"
Dunn flicked her nose, laughing. "Why compare yourself to me? I'm a guy, you're a woman—totally different!"
Nicole frowned. "How's it different?"
Dunn snapped his laptop shut, scooped her up by the waist, and strode toward the bedroom. "Heh, for women, the big career break? It's a man."
Nicole clung to his neck, sighing softly. "Yeah, feminism? Ugh, only someone who's lived it gets it—this world's still run by men."
Dunn perked up, surprised. "You've figured that out? Then why do you keep pushing back on me?"
"When have I ever pushed back?"
"So I can invite another lady friend to join us?"
"In your dreams!"
Nicole bit his chest in a huff. "That's the line!"