Hollywood starts with a broker

As "Boyz n the Hood" progressed smoothly, Dawn Pictures' key project, "Ghost," after filming in Chicago for two weeks, returned to Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Los Angeles!

The crew was filming the scene where the male and female leads make pottery together, a warm and romantic scene that would later be enhanced with music.

Aaron had a deep impression of this classic mud-slinging scene!

Compared to the original male lead, Kevin Costner was much more handsome. While the original female lead, Demi Moore, wasn't bad, she was still a step behind Nicole Kidman...

In the afternoon, Aaron ran into Sidney Ganis, president of Columbia Pictures.

The sci-fi blockbuster "Total Recall," produced by Carolco and distributed by Sony, was released in early June. After a month and a half, its North American box office had surpassed $100 million.

Directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the production cost was $63 million.

Now, Carolco was filming "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," again starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, but directed by James Cameron, with a production cost soaring to an unprecedented $100 million.

The reason TriStar Pictures was able to secure the distribution rights for "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" was due to the current head of TriStar Pictures, Mike Medavoy.

Orion Pictures was the distributor of the first "Terminator" film, and Mike Medavoy brought the sequel's distribution from Orion to Sony TriStar!

"Pretty Woman" has now grossed over $160 million at the North American box office and is estimated to reach around $180 million by the end of its run. The international box office has already exceeded $250 million.

"This romantic comedy from Disney has truly exceeded everyone's expectations."

Sidney Ganis's words were filled with envy.

Aaron smiled and said, "Don't worry, 'Ghost' won't be bad either. Fantasy romance, a love story between a human and a ghost, heartwarming and touching, it's worth looking forward to!"

Sidney Ganis looked at Aaron, "But the key is that the highest-grossing film at the North American box office right now is 'Pretty Woman,' and second is New Line Cinema's 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,' with $135 million."

"Coincidentally, both of these movies have some connection to you."

Third place was Paramount's "The Hunt for Red October," with $122 million. All three movies were released in March during the spring season.

The best-performing summer release was "Total Recall." Other films like "Days of Thunder," "Back to the Future Part III," and "Another 48 Hrs." didn't break $100 million in North America!

"'Die Hard 2,' which just premiered, is also doing well. It's made $60 million in its first 10 days over two weeks."

Aaron didn't expect "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" to be so strong, currently second only to "Pretty Woman" with $130 million.

He didn't know if "Die Hard 2" could surpass it, but Aaron was still thinking about 20th Century Fox's Christmas release, "Home Alone," which would definitely surpass "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!"

"CAA sent over a project, a gangster film set in the 1930s and 40s called 'Bugsy,' which tells the life story of gangster Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel."

"The director is Barry Levinson, and they want to recommend Warren Beatty for the lead role!"

Hearing Sidney Ganis's words, Aaron felt a little baffled. What's the point of telling me this? What kind of opinion could I have?

Sidney Ganis also saw Aaron's confusion, "'Dick Tracy' has just passed $50 million at the box office, but according to the trend, it will be difficult to reach $60 million."

"Warren Beatty's influence has diminished greatly, and with too many scandals, I'm not optimistic about this script, but I'd like to hear your opinion!"

Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel was a famous West Coast mob boss at the time, with close ties to Hollywood and Las Vegas.

Aaron smiled, "Isn't the situation with 'Dick Tracy' clear enough?"

"Warren Beatty is already 55 years old. Benjamin Siegel died at the age of 41. He was a Hollywood gangster playboy from the Golden Age. Is Sony so extravagant that they'd cast Warren Beatty?"

Aaron was happy to see Warren Beatty's miserable situation, the worse the better!

Sidney Ganis nodded. Gangster biopics are easy to win awards, and glorifying gangsters is a trend in Hollywood now.

Even if Sidney Ganis wasn't interested, CAA could persuade Jon Peters, Peter Guber, or Mike Medavoy to support it.

In the evening, Aaron and Nicole Kidman left Sony Studios together. "'Ghost' will wrap up filming in another month."

"Yeah, how's your new movie, 'Boyz n the Hood,' coming along?"

"It's going smoothly. It'll start filming next month." Aaron was a bit worried about encountering some trouble during filming, since it was a high-crime area.

However, all the main creators of 'Boyz n the Hood' were Black, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

Nicole Kidman was busy filming "Ghost," and Jennifer Connelly was about to head to the "The Rocketeer" set!

Burbank, Dawn Pictures' office. Jennifer Connelly, who had returned from Stanford University, was preparing to report to the set.

"Are you saying that 'The Rocketeer' has had its production budget increased by $10 million?"

Aaron hugged the girl and sat in the chair, asking with some uncertainty.

"Yes, I heard it was Mr. Michael Eisner's idea to improve the character design, the protagonist's armor, jacket, and other props!"

Aaron nodded, "That makes sense. Disney wants to promote toys and merchandise, and the bulk of the spending isn't just the filming costs."

"Once the movie is released, the supporting marketing plans and product promotions will also require a lot of funding."

As he spoke, Aaron Anderson hugged Jennifer Connelly in his arms and kissed her. After participating in the rehearsals for "The Rocketeer," she returned to Stanford University for a while.

Aaron hadn't seen Jennifer Connelly for a few days!

After the kiss ended, Jennifer Connelly seemed to still want more.

Aaron smiled and stroked her 34D, "Have you arranged everything at school?"

Jennifer Connelly wrapped her arms around Aaron's neck and nuzzled him affectionately, "It's all arranged. The filming time for 'The Rocketeer' will be about 14 to 16 weeks."

"If nothing unexpected happens, I should be back at school around mid-November."

"That means you'll be back at school before Thanksgiving, no problem!"

"By the way, how's 'The Journey of Natty Gann,' which I filmed in Italy, doing overseas?"

Aaron shook his head, "Not much reaction. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes before, but it's still a heartwarming family film. Some film critics still like it!"

As for North America, Legacy Entertainment has scheduled it for release in October as an art film.