Over the weekend, Dunn left the Boston film crew as usual. This time, he was headed to New York.
"The latest reports are pretty entertaining," Nicole Kidman said as she buttoned up Dunn's shirt.
She was wearing a nearly see-through silk nightgown, her charming face glowing with a lazy satisfaction after their excitement. Her deep eyes sparkled with an unspoken contentment.
Dunn adjusted his belt and casually asked, "Another embarrassing story?"
Nicole smirked. "You bet. Word is, Bruce Willis can't keep his young girlfriend happy, and they're splitting up."
"Oh?" Dunn paused for a moment, then shook his head with a chuckle. "Looks like I'm about to take the fall again."
"You?" Nicole asked.
"Yeah," Dunn sighed. "Everyone in Hollywood knows I've got beef with him. Now that Big Guy's got a scandal on his hands, Disney's probably going to think I'm the one behind it."
"It wasn't you, right?" Nicole hesitated, blinking her captivating eyes as she asked cautiously.
"Someone's stirring the pot and fanning the flames," Dunn said with a dismissive smirk, his expression calm.
"Huh?"
Nicole studied his eyes, catching on. "You mean… someone's trying to stir up trouble on purpose?"
Dunn smiled and waved it off casually. "Not exactly 'stirring trouble.' Just a petty little trick, nothing out of the ordinary."
He didn't spell it out for her—some things didn't need to be said to a woman.
Dunn could see right through the Bruce Willis situation. The shadow behind it had to be Tom Rothman from Twentieth Century Fox!
Tom Rothman was the type who loved playing these small games. He didn't have big-picture vision, a trait tied to his roots at Fox Searchlight, an indie outfit where he chased every tiny profit. That kind of personality didn't win him high praise in social circles, but it sure pleased the board.
With X-Men and Unbreakable releasing on the same day, putting Bruce Willis in a bad spot was a boost for X-Men. Plus, doing it now shifted the blame onto Dunn—why wouldn't Rothman jump at the chance?
Dunn's reaction to being the scapegoat was pretty chill.
Or rather, he was above caring about these little games.
If Tom Rothman wanted to play, let him play.
Whether this added fuel to Dunn's feud with Disney didn't really matter.
If Rothman could actually tank Unbreakable's box office, Dunn wouldn't mind seeing it happen.
Of course, he wasn't about to let anyone take advantage of him for free.
On the flight to New York, Dunn called Tom Rothman. "Tom, this Bruce Willis thing… your handiwork, right?"
"No way!" Tom replied indignantly. "Dunn, we're filmmakers, not gossip rag paparazzi."
Dunn didn't buy that nonsense for a second. He laughed. "I'm under a lot of pressure here. Bruce Willis is the star of Unbreakable, and Disney's throwing a fit over this."
Tom chuckled. "No proof, no problem. Even Disney can't make a fuss without evidence, right?"
"I'm just worried Disney's going to come at me hard again," Dunn said with a dramatic sigh.
Tom secretly rolled his eyes. You, scared of Disney? Please. Still, he put on a warm tone. "Hey, we're filmmakers—making great movies is what matters most. I heard that horror flick you helped write… what's it called, Saw? It's doing awesome at the box office! It's crushing Blair Witch 2 in the same slot and holding its own against mainstream blockbusters."
Dunn sighed. "Yeah, based on the current numbers, Saw's theater count is definitely going up next week. But… we're short on promotion."
Tom's face twitched slightly. After a pause, he said slowly, "If you need a hand, I could help out a little."
"Really? That'd be amazing!" Dunn's voice carried a hint of excitement.
Tom, sharp as ever, asked casually, "So, about that Bruce Willis thing?"
Dunn burst out laughing. "A little pressure from Disney? I can handle it! No big deal—let the storm hit harder. I've got this!"
"Man, Dunn," Tom laughed heartily, "only you would dare to poke Disney like that in all of Hollywood!"
It was just a trade-off for mutual gain. Tom was looking forward to seeing X-Men steamroll Unbreakable.
The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was set for November 15, and Dunn arrived in New York to grease some wheels.
With his current status and connections—plus intros from two Brazilian supermodels—getting a ticket to the show was a breeze. He even scored a backstage pass.
His main goal, though, was to help out with an action sequence for Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
It was a car chase and shootout set in a New York City neighborhood, packed with tons of explosions.
Before filming started, the local police blocked off a two-kilometer stretch of road at the crew's request.
The team had over a hundred people, including more than 100 stunt performers. It was a seriously ambitious shot.
Standing next to Luc Besson, Dunn felt a mix of awe and nostalgia.
Scenes like this—huge, real action shoots—were becoming rare in Hollywood. They'd slowly get replaced by safe, easy-to-control green screen setups.
Filmmaking was turning into computer work.
Good or bad, it was hard to say, but the loss of texture in action scenes was undeniable.
"Why not just use green screen?" Dunn asked.
Luc shook his head. "I had it calculated. Green screen plus post-production effects costs about the same as shooting it live. If it's a wash, why not go for the real thing? We might not match Kenji Mizoguchi, but at least we're aiming for something."
Kenji Mizoguchi, a filmmaking legend alongside Akira Kurosawa, was obsessive about texture—using real antiques as props in period films for authenticity.
Dunn was surprised special effects were still so pricey. "All these explosions won't damage the streets, will they?"
Luc chuckled. "That's where your clout comes in. The city heard it's a Dunn Films project and greenlit everything."
Dunn gave a wry smile. "You're a clever one."
Still, he felt a bit of pride. Years of hard work, and his name finally carried real weight.
Ten minutes later, the explosions kicked off.
Boom! Boom!
Stunt drivers tore through New York streets in speeding cars.
Sure, the cash flowed like water, but man, the spectacle was incredible!
Over the three-day weekend, 867 theaters pulled in $6.38 million for Saw!
That pushed Saw's total box office past $10 million!
At this point, even if Harvey Weinstein turned into Satan himself, he couldn't stop Saw from going wide the next week.
On November 13, a Monday, North American theaters finally made the smart call, bumping Saw's screen count to 2,674!
If it weren't an R-rated film with age restrictions, it might've gone even bigger.
Dunn tossed in another $2 million for promotion, and Twentieth Century Fox's hype machine kicked into overdrive, blasting out round after round of buzz for this groundbreaking horror flick.
After nearly two weeks of test screenings and limited releases, plus Fox's backing, Saw was unstoppable—like a dam bursting after building up pressure.
The name Saw spread across North America!
Director Zack Snyder became a hot name, landing spots on multiple talk shows. With no big stars in Saw, his rags-to-riches story became the film's best promo hook.
Hard work, grit, chasing the American Dream!
Overnight, Zack Snyder turned into an inspirational icon.
In interviews, he always slipped in the same line: "I've got to thank Dunn—he's my friend and my biggest supporter!"
When Christopher Nolan heard that, he'd nod with the same sentiment. Wasn't it true for him too?
Back when he was struggling to get Following out, he'd hit wall after wall.
Then he met Dunn, and it was like… the doors of his life finally swung open.
These days in Hollywood, Dunn seemed to be everywhere.
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