Burbank.
Inside a screening room on the Warner lot.
Even after the end credits finished rolling, everyone in the room was still immersed in the shock of the two-plus-hour visual journey they'd just experienced.
This was the first internal screening of the finished film for the first installment of the Batman series, now officially titled Batman Begins. Executives from both Warner Bros. Pictures and Daenerys Entertainment were all in attendance. Even Steve Ross had flown in from the East Coast to make time for it.
After the surprise stinger at the very end, the lights came up, and Steve Ross, sitting shoulder to shoulder with Simon, was the first to start applauding.
Under the bright lights, the room snapped back to itself. Faces still held a mix of admiration, lingering awe, surprise, and sheer astonishment, and then the applause spread, everyone joining in. Not a single person was clapping just to flatter Simon. The deeper someone's understanding of film, the more clearly they grasped just how groundbreaking this superhero movie was. Many of its stunning details were things Hollywood simply hadn't done before.
If anything had last hit them with this kind of impact, it was probably George Lucas's Star Wars.
At that moment, the same thought rose in more than one mind: Simon Westeros's Batman would become the reference point, the template that Hollywood action films would imitate for years to come.
Beyond the jaw-dropping technical flourishes, the story also ran in one clean, unstoppable sweep.
Simon's final cut clocked in at 138 minutes.
Before the screening, some people had felt the runtime needed trimming. Now, not a single person thought that anymore.
From the opening prologue onward, the film's tight structure held the audience by the throat. When the credits rose, most people's first sensation was simply that it wasn't enough. And that final stinger hooked their desire for the sequel at exactly the right moment.
When the applause finally died down, Steve Ross turned to Simon and said, "I think we can start the sequel now."
Simon replied, "In fact, we started planning the sequel the moment the first film was greenlit."
Ross thought of that last stinger and laughed. "I can't wait to see the second one."
As they talked, staff displayed several pieces of key art, the film's main posters, and after a brief discussion, everyone filed out of the screening room.
It was nearly noon.
That afternoon would be a marketing and distribution meeting for both companies' teams on Batman. Simon had other matters to handle and didn't plan to attend in person. After giving Robert Rehme, who was in charge of the meeting, a few instructions, Simon walked with Steve Ross toward the studio parking lot.
Since it was a weekday, pedestrians along the road occasionally nodded in greeting to the two heavyweights.
They returned the greetings casually, exchanged a few lines of small talk, and then Steve Ross said, "By the way, Simon, congratulations again on becoming the richest man in the country."
On the Saturday Forbes hit stands last week, Steve Ross had called him the same day.
Simon only nodded. "Thanks."
Ross asked, "So what do you plan to do next?"
"Next," Simon said, "I want to take a year off. Step back from the company's day-to-day, be as much of an observer as I can. Sort some things out, learn some things."
Steve Ross paused. He'd been trying to steer the conversation toward something else, but hearing this, he quickly agreed. "That's good, Simon. You've achieved what most people can't manage in a lifetime. You should stop and think carefully for a while."
Simon gave a wry smile. "It sounds easy. Actually stopping isn't."
Even leaving everything else aside, the ten-film plan he'd launched recently required him to personally keep a hand on the tiller. And there were plenty of other things in the pipeline that had to be executed within the next year.
When Simon first mentioned a long break, Janet had said he probably wouldn't even be able to let go if he wanted to. She'd been right.
Steve Ross laughed, nodding with complete understanding. "You're still young. You'll get the chance to step back. And if you want to keep expanding your business empire, you have to learn how to let go. One person can't possibly cover everything."
Simon nodded seriously, then asked, "What about you? Over on your side?"
Steve Ross knew what he meant. "Paramount tried to prove that Time changed its acquisition terms for Warner Bros. to block Paramount's bid, but the judge rejected that too. Unless they can produce new evidence, the case should be finished by the end of the month."
The lawsuit between Paramount Communications, Time Inc., and Warner Bros. had started with Paramount claiming it was protecting shareholder interests, offering documents meant to prove that in the Time-Warner deal, Time was actually the party being acquired. If the Delaware court had accepted that accusation, Paramount would have been able to join the bidding for Time.
Unfortunately for them, the evidence wasn't strong enough, and the claim was dismissed.
Recently, Paramount introduced "new evidence," insisting that Time and Warner adjusted their terms specifically to resist Paramount's offer.
Anyone with eyes could see that was the reality, but proving it in court was another matter entirely. Time and Warner's leadership were presenting a united front. There was no way they would admit they'd changed strategy to block Paramount's bid.
If the parties involved refused to admit it, and there were no hard documents pointing directly to it, then as long as Time and Warner produced a few polished, plausible explanations, Paramount was bound to lose again.
The two of them reached the parking lot and headed to a restaurant near the Warner lot for lunch.
At one o'clock, after lunch ended, Simon and Steve Ross had just stepped out when flashes started popping not far away.
These days, the media chatter about Simon becoming the nation's richest man was boiling over, and there'd also been that absurd "psychic training class" scam case for extra seasoning. Simon's routine hadn't changed much, but more paparazzi had begun shadowing the newly crowned number one.
"Simon, think seriously about it. As long as Warner is involved in a field, there's always room for cooperation between us."
"I will, Steve."
They parted. After Simon got into the car, he couldn't help weighing the deeper partnership Steve Ross had proposed over lunch.
Truthfully, it wasn't just DC. Plenty of Warner's assets fascinated Simon, such as Warner's cable system, and HBO, which was still under Time.
Hollywood's future belonged to integrated media conglomerates. If Daenerys Entertainment didn't have its own television network, it would be hard to establish itself in the media world long-term. That was why Simon had been thinking lately about entering television.
But for now, Warner wasn't the best partner.
That afternoon, there would be auditions for the male lead of Sleeping with the Enemy. Simon drove toward Fox Studios in Century City, Beverly Hills. On the way, his portable phone rang.
Jennifer called from Santa Monica. She said Christopher Skase, chairman of Australia's Qintex Group, had reached out, hoping to invite Simon to dinner.
Simon had heard about the Australian company that was trying to launch a takeover of MGM. In his memory, he didn't know much else. He mentioned it to Janet on the phone, and the next day she told him to ignore it and sent over some information.
Qintex Group was a diversified equity investment company headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, somewhat like Westeros Corporation. Media, hotels, retail, tourism, it had its hands in all of it.
But the materials Janet sent showed that Qintex had expanded too aggressively in recent years. Its debt ratio had already reached a dangerously high level. If it ran into even a small shock, it could collapse. It simply couldn't produce a billion dollars to buy MGM.
Christopher Skase's plan was nothing more than recruiting some uninformed capital to join him, trying to pull off a buyout with empty hands. Janet also passed along her father's assessment of Skase over the phone: within a few years, the man would likely end up in prison for failing to repay loans and using too many illegal methods.
Simon told Jennifer to refuse the invitation.
He parked at Fox Studios and got out, about to head toward the administration building, when a woman's voice called from behind him. "Simon."
He turned, and the first thing that caught his eye was a set of four legs stretched so tightly inside white jeans it bordered on criminal.
Two women were approaching. One was Jerry Hall, who'd greeted him at Columbia's party last time. The other Simon also recognized: Elle Macpherson, one of North America's most famous supermodels in recent years, nicknamed "The Body," a title that spoke for itself.
They reached him quickly, both smiling, likely having noticed where his gaze had gone.
Simon didn't bother to hide it. He extended a hand to Jerry Hall and said, "You two really shouldn't wander around so freely. Walking down the street like this, you're going to make a lot of people crash into lampposts."
"You're so bossy, Simon. Just because you're afraid you'll hit a pole, you want to ban us from going out," Jerry laughed as she shook his hand, then added, "This is Elle Macpherson."
"Hello, Miss Macpherson."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Westeros. It's very nice to meet you."
Elle answered with a bit of restraint, her eyes curious as she studied the man in front of her.
Simon shook Elle's hand, then turned to Jerry. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm auditioning for a small role," Jerry said. "And I happened to run into Elle, she's here for an audition too."
"Already finished?"
"Yeah. We were just about to go shopping, see if any men run into poles."
"Maybe women will too."
"Heh." Jerry smiled. "What about you, Simon?"
"Same. Auditions."
"Then you're definitely auditioning other people."
"You're already this beautiful and this smart. I won't pile on more compliments."
"Oh, stop it. If Westeros praises me again, I'll probably faint."
After a few more jokes, Simon checked his watch. "All right then. We'll talk another time."
Jerry hesitated. "Simon, when will you be done?"
"I've got too much going on. Even if I didn't sleep, I wouldn't finish."
"Then since that's the case, how about you sneak out for coffee with us later?"
"That probably won't work. There are too many paparazzi on me lately. It wouldn't be good if they got photos."
"It's just coffee, not a date."
"Too bad the paparazzi won't see it that way."
Jerry didn't push. She simply nodded with regret.
Simon was about to leave when Elle, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly asked, "Mr. Westeros, could we come watch how you run auditions?"
Simon paused, giving Elle a once-over. "How about this. There's a party on Saturday night over at Coldwater Canyon. WMA's president, Jonathan Friedman, is hosting. You can come. By the way, have you signed with an agency?"
"Recently," Jerry said. "We're with WMA, actually."
Simon guessed Jonathan was copying ICM's strategy of expanding into the fashion world. He nodded. "Perfect, then. If you're free, I'll call Jonathan and have two invitations set aside for you."
"Then it's a deal," Elle said, and quickly pulled a business card from her shoulder bag and handed it over. "Mr. Westeros, this is my contact information."
Simon took the card and tucked it away. With a final nod of farewell, he headed toward the administration building.
The fall fashion weeks had already begun. This year's Milan Fashion Week would open on September 22. Gucci's Spring and Summer 1990 show was scheduled for September 23. Simon and Janet would likely fly to Europe around September 20, and Simon's "vacation" would begin at the same time.
Today was still Wednesday, September 13. There was one week left before departure.
The plan had been to rest once Batman was finished. Reality rarely obeyed plans.
Pretty Woman had wrapped and was entering postproduction. Ghost and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were both in the thick of filming, and Simon couldn't completely ignore them. Highgate's key project for next year, Short Cuts, also demanded a share of his attention.
On top of that, among the ten-film plan, four movies confirmed for release next year, Sleeping with the Enemy, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Misery, and A League of Their Own, all needed Simon personally at the helm. Add the upcoming bond-market operations in North America in October, and Simon's so-called "vacation" would be vacation in name only.
And that was assuming Simon fully let go of Daenerys Entertainment's television business.
As September arrived, four heavyweight reality shows produced by Daenerys Television, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Survivor, Big Brother, and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, were rolling out one after another, alongside six television drama projects. All of that work had fallen on Robert Iger's shoulders.
Fortunately, those four reality shows had built a strong foundation last year. As long as Robert Iger didn't do anything reckless, he wouldn't mess it up.
Simon trusted Robert Iger.
As for scripted television, Simon had no spare energy to oversee it for now. He hoped Iger might surprise him, but he wasn't expecting miracles.
Simon kept himself busy while floating inside the waves of public opinion that came with becoming the nation's richest man, looking forward to the Europe trip in late September. But the new week had barely begun when the dispute between Daenerys Entertainment and Arista Records, Whitney Houston's label, once again became a focal point for the media.