When you think of secret agents, before Ethan Hunt and Jason Bourne came along, James Bond was undoubtedly the most famous.
It's worth mentioning that Gilbert actually thought about getting the rights to the original novel, The Bourne Identity.
But, bummer, Universal Pictures already had the rights to that novel and had even made a TV series from it.
The 007 series created an iconic British agent, and it's been popular for decades, becoming a classic in spy movies.
Because of that, at the planning meeting, when they talked about a British agent character, they naturally had to mention the actors who played 007.
So, producer Charles Roven just flat-out suggested, "Gilbert, I recommend Sean Connery, what do you think?"
Sean Connery was the first 007 and, like, the most classic James Bond ever.
Even though he stopped playin' 007 a long time ago, Sean Connery was still super popular with fans, so him playin' the role of Mason in the movie wouldn't be an issue at all.
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### The Search for Mason
But here's the thing: Sean Connery was an actor with CAA, and he was actually a client handled directly by Martin Bob.
When Gilbert heard that suggestion, he frowned and asked, "Do we have any other good options?"
Cain Waxman shook his head: "Gilbert, if we're lookin' for a British agent, nobody's a better fit than him. We don't have many choices."
CAA, as the biggest talent agency in Hollywood, was huge because they had so many rare resources.
Like Sean Connery, for example. He was one of Hollywood's rare commodities. Not pickin' him wouldn't just mess with the movie's vibe, but fans would also be picky.
Gilbert knew there was no way around it, so he just agreed with the two producers' choice: "Then send Sean Connery an invitation, and include the script. Hopefully, the script will get to him."
"Alright, I'll take care of it," Charles Roven agreed.
Gilbert then said, "Let's have a backup plan. I remember there was more than one 007 actor; we can reach out to other 007 actors."
When he heard that, Cain Waxman had a new idea: "Gilbert, we could invite Roger Moore to play the part."
"Roger Moore?" Gilbert furrowed his brow, thinkin' for a long time. The 007 actors he was more familiar with were Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.
One was the current 007, and the other probably hadn't even started acting yet.
Cain explained: "Roger Moore was the third Bond, comin' after Sean Connery and George Lazenby, and he actually starred in the most Bond movies.
It's just that he didn't have a good agency, so after the 007 movies, people kinda forgot about him."
Gilbert instantly decided: "Keep him as a backup. If Sean Connery doesn't say yes, then pick him."
In Hollywood, even rare resources aren't irreplaceable.
Everyone put their heads together, even considering Christopher Lee, who starred in The Man with the Golden Gun, as a backup.
Gilbert then told Cain: "For Nicolas, move fast on those contract negotiations. He doesn't have any blockbuster commercial movies, so keep the pay a bit lower."
Even though Nicolas Cage had been in a lot of movies, in terms of box office draw, he was only a B-list actor, so his pay naturally wasn't as high as the A-listers.
"Also," Gilbert added, "invite Ed Harris to play General Francis Hummel, and John Spencer to play Jim Womack.
After auditions for the other roles, give me a list.
Oh, and Naomi wants to cameo a role. I'm puttin' her in as Gussie's fiancée, and Scarlett will make a cameo too."
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### Castings and Collaborations
The petite woman found out there were a few small female roles in the movie, so she picked one with lines to play.
After Real Steel, Naomi Watts was definitely an actress who was gettin' some attention, so she probably wanted to thank Gilbert this way.
Of course, Gilbert thought the best way to thank him was in bed...
Scarlett Johansson had become Gilbert's go-to child actor in every movie; even though her parts were small, she was always in 'em.
Being around Gilbert's sets since she was a kid made Scarlett Johansson, who lacked a father figure, feel super close to Gilbert.
Even Sofia Coppola couldn't help but get a little jealous: "I'm the one who introduced you guys, and now it's like I'm the outsider."
That's when Scarlett Johansson would hug Gilbert's neck, snuggling into his arms, then look up at his chin and say, "When I grow up, I'm gonna marry Gilbert."
Everyone just laughed at that, not really takin' it seriously, just seein' it as kid talk.
After the press conference, Warner Bros. and Touchstone Pictures each shelled out $30 million.
And after gettin' a cut from Real Steel, Cantaloupe Studios put in another $10 million, bringing the total investment of $70 million into a third-party escrow account.
Of course, in the investment agreement, Gilbert also noted that there might be additional investments later on.
This time, there weren't any other small investors involved, mainly because Warner Bros. and Disney didn't want those small investors comin' in and then cuttin' into their own profits.
It looks like Gilbert's movies' strong earning potential made the two big studios feel like the returns outweighed the risks, so they didn't need other investors to share the risk.
Of course, the two giants weren't just focused on Gilbert's movie projects; their plates were pretty full. That $30 million investment would definitely be handled through internal financing.
But that wasn't Gilbert's problem; he just cared if the money was there.
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### Sean Connery's Demands
Charles Roven personally visited Sean Connery after the initial planning meeting, but things didn't go so well.
"Charles, Gilbert's new movie is on everyone's radar in Hollywood, and I'm no exception," Sean Connery said, even pickin' his nose without a care in the world.
Charles Roven frowned, irritated by Sean Connery's open sloppiness when a guest was visiting.
Even though CAA had crafted Sean Connery's image as the most elegant and gentlemanly old guy in Hollywood, anyone in the know in Hollywood knew what he was really like behind closed doors.
Drinking, domestic abuse, drugs, rude, foul-mouthed, impulsive, hot-tempered, and no hygiene.
Rumor has it, one time a guest came over to Sean Connery's house, and Sean Connery came out to greet them in pajamas he hadn't washed in days.
You could smell the stink from three feet away, and you could even see lice jumpin' out.
What really made the guest lose it was that Sean Connery's house was practically a junkyard; you could even see rats runnin' around.
Sean Connery wouldn't even let the maids clean up. If his wife tried to tidy up, he'd yell at her, callin' her names, and then hit and kick her after drinkin' and doin' drugs.
His first wife couldn't take it and divorced him, but Sean Connery kept doin' his own thing.
If CAA hadn't covered for him, and Sean Connery's private life got out, his carefully built image would probably be toast.
Seasoned Hollywood pros, of course, knew what kind of guy Sean Connery was.
But if there wasn't a conflict of interest, no one would intentionally stir up that kind of stuff. Not only could you make enemies, but you might not even be able to really trash Sean Connery's reputation.
Sean Connery seemed to ignore Charles Roven's expression and continued: "It's easy to get me to act. I want to be an investor, $20 million."
Charles Roven's frown deepened: "Sorry, Mr. Connery, we can't accept those terms."
"No worries," Sean Connery seemed to know who Gilbert was looking for: "You're lookin' for an old British agent, and nobody's a better fit than me.
I'll give you guys some time to think it over, but don't take too long."
The meeting didn't go too well this time, and Charles Roven left Sean Connery's house feeling frustrated.
Before he left, he could still hear the sound of bottles smashing and the cries of women and children; apparently, Sean Connery was bein' abusive again.
Back at Alcatraz Studios in Burbank, the new studio created just for The Rock, Charles Roven reported his contact with Sean Connery to Gilbert.
"Invest? He wants to invest $20 million?" Gilbert frowned, shaking his head, "That's completely unacceptable. Turn him down."
Charles Roven and Cain Waxman felt the same way. Warner Bros. and Disney would never agree to someone else investing in the movie and taking a cut of their profits.
But, if they didn't pick Sean Connery, who else could they choose?
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### Roger Moore Steps In
Gilbert vaguely remembered that the character of John Mason wasn't originally supposed to be Sean Connery.
Because the movie script was tweaked multiple times to better fit Sean Connery's requirements, it ended up looking that way.
And the character of Gussie wasn't originally Nicolas Cage, either.
The Governor's schedule was packed, and the initial script was super brief and didn't win him over, so he turned it down, which is how Nicolas Cage got the part.
Since Sean Connery had too many demands and wanted to get involved in the investment, it was better to just go with the original plan and replace him.
So Gilbert said, "In that case, having Roger Moore play John Mason is a great choice."
Charles Roven thought about it and felt it was doable, but he was a bit worried: "Roger Moore hasn't been in a movie for a long time.
After he finished the 007 series, the movies he was in didn't do well at the box office or with critics.
Would picking him be a risk?"
Roger Moore wasn't as lucky as Sean Connery, who had CAA helpin' him market his image.
Even though Sean Connery was past his prime, his status and image were still intact.
Roger Moore had been pretty much semi-retired for the past few years, mostly appearing on TV shows or voice-acting for animated movies, and dedicating his time to charity.
Gilbert waved his hand, tellin' Charles Roven not to worry.
He said confidently, "Charles, I'm not gonna pick high-profile stars just because of their fame. On the contrary, those stars need my movies to stay hot.
Actors also need to be in my movies to get a foothold in Hollywood and become instant sensations."
Charles Roven couldn't help but nod. It was true; unknown actors who appeared in Gilbert's movies started to get noticed.
And actors who were already somewhat known became huge after starring in Gilbert's movies.
A successful commercial movie has a powerful ability to create stars. If there weren't some mystical elements involved, Gilbert's movie projects would be the most sought-after film projects for actors in all of Hollywood.
After their discussion, the crew immediately dropped Sean Connery and sent an audition invitation to Roger Moore, who was just hangin' out at home, chillin'.
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### A New Opportunity
"Roger, good news, good news!" The agent burst into the backyard, makin' Roger Moore, who was enjoyin' a sunbath, frown.
"What's up, Dawson? You're too old to be so fidgety," Roger Moore grumbled.
Dawson was Roger Moore's mentor when he got into the movie business and also his friend, serving as his agent, so their relationship was super tight.
At that moment, Dawson was gaspin' for air because he'd run too fast, and his hefty body couldn't handle the oxygen debt.
After finally catchin' his breath a bit, Dawson said in a coy tone, "Roger, you'd never guess who sent us an invitation?"
Roger Moore acted like he didn't care: "Which TV show invitation? Just accept it for me."
"No, no," Dawson said excitedly, "It's a movie! Gilbert Landrini's new film sent you an invitation!"
"Gilbert?" Roger Moore was stunned: "He invited me to be in a movie? Is this for real?"
"Of course, it's real! The audition invitation is in my hand, and part of the script," Dawson said, handing the invitation and script to Roger Moore.
Roger Moore opened the audition invitation and saw it was from producer Charles Roven, inviting him to star in Gilbert's new movie, and as a lead, no less.
Roger Moore's hand trembled, and the invitation slipped from his grasp, almost disbelieving.
"Dawson, is this real?" Roger Moore asked.
It was Gilbert! Even though he hadn't been in a movie for a long time, he knew about the recently emerging, famous genius director, Gilbert.
Back then, he just sighed, thinkin' how imaginative young people were, but he never once thought he'd get to work with this genius director.
But now, the invitation was truly in his hands, and it made Roger Moore feel like he was dreamin'.
Dawson said, "I've read the script for you. The character you're playin' is John Mason, a British agent, kinda similar to your 007 movie role.
Roger, this is an opportunity; you gotta seize it!
We're not getting any younger, and if you don't want to retire just yet, this is your only shot."
Roger Moore woke up from his dream, only to find it wasn't a dream at all, but reality.
The British actor, now sixty-seven years old, made the most important decision of his later acting career: "Dawson, tell them yes for me. The salary doesn't matter, as long as I can play the role."
"Don't you worry," Dawson nodded seriously, "I'll make sure to get you this chance."
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### Sealing the Deal
After Roger Moore agreed, Dawson quickly got in touch with the crew. Both sides were interested, and it was a perfect match.
After a simple audition, Roger Moore successfully landed the role of John Mason.
When the actor's contract was signed, Roger Moore almost cried with excitement. Only he knew how long he'd struggled in the acting world after 007.
Now, after starring in genius director Gilbert's new movie, his seemingly hopeless acting career had found a new glimmer of hope.
After the actor's contract was signed, Gilbert also chatted with the second 007: "Roger, we thought about a lot of things before choosing you for the role.
You're in good shape, right?"
"Of course, I am! I always work out, and I can totally do action scenes myself," Roger Moore said, implyin' he was still strong and capable in his old age.
At this point, if they asked him to do some dangerous stunts, Roger Moore wouldn't hesitate, 'cause he knew how rare this opportunity was.
"No need for that," Gilbert said with a laugh. "It's just that this movie is pretty tough to shoot; it requires a lot of stamina and it's physically demanding. Can you handle it?"
Even if he wasn't in top shape right now, Roger Moore couldn't back down: "Don't you worry, Gilbert, I can totally do it."
"Alright," Gilbert nodded, shaking Roger Moore's hand: "Then it's a pleasure working with you."
"A pleasure working with you..."
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