The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 130

By July, rumors had begun to circulate in the media. Well-connected journalists had received information from Universal Pictures that the studio was considering a standalone film about the Scorpion King. The news didn't make much of an impact; so much gossip swirled around Hollywood every day that without official confirmation from Universal, it failed to attract significant attention.

But Matthew knew it was true. The project had been greenlit at Universal Pictures and was tentatively titled The Scorpion King. Since some details were still being ironed out within the studio, it hadn't been announced publicly.

Helen relayed the news that the fantasy action film would have a budget of around $40 million if financing went smoothly, though it could be cut by $10 million if they ran into trouble.

Universal Pictures wouldn't be investing too much of its own money directly into the project; the production costs would largely depend on outside financing. Matthew was no longer a novice and had learned a great deal over the past two years. Major commercial projects in Hollywood were rarely funded by a single company. Instead, they were typically a patchwork of investments from numerous film funds and investment agencies that frequently backed promising projects in pursuit of profit.

The investment model was similar to other commercial ventures, except the product was a film.

Movies, especially large-scale commercial productions, were often high-risk commercial products. Before a film’s release, no one could guarantee its success, and a big-budget flop could spell the end for a studio.

When possible, everyone preferred to just make money without taking any risks.

After the Independence Day holiday, Helen delivered some good news: neither Universal Pictures, nor Sean Daniels, nor Stephen Sommers had any objections to him reprising his role as the Scorpion King. The casting was officially set, and although it hadn't been made public, Sean had already begun negotiating Matthew's contract with her on behalf of the production team.

According to Helen, the film needed to be released as soon as possible to capitalize on the buzz generated by the Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns. Universal Pictures was aiming to release The Scorpion King as a summer blockbuster next year, or perhaps even earlier, which meant a very tight schedule.

There was another piece of news that took Matthew by surprise.Instead of directing, Stephen Sommers was set to serve as a writer and producer, aligning on the overall creative direction with Sean Daniels for The Scorpion King. They would then find another suitable director for the film.

As for why Stephen had stepped down from directing, it was partly because it was a smaller production relative to his current fame and stature, and partly because he and Universal Pictures had agreed to develop a major new production, building on their string of successful fantasy-adventure blockbusters.

"Stephen is ambitious," Helen told Matthew in the Angel Acting Agency office. "He wants to take all the famous monsters from the Universal library and cram them into one film. Rumor has it he's asking Universal for a $150 million budget, and the studio is very excited about the idea."

Matthew frowned thoughtfully. He seemed to recall seeing a monster-mash film featuring werewolves, vampires, Dracula, and a host of other convoluted creatures.

Helen continued, "You've made a good impression on Stephen, so keep it up. If The Scorpion King is a success, we'll have a chance to compete for the lead actor in that major production."

A budding actor's career could be over before it began if his first commercial success as a lead was followed by a failure.

"A hundred and fifty million dollars," Matthew said, slightly taken aback. "That's a massive production, isn't it?"

Helen nodded. "Exactly."

Matthew remained noncommittal. "It's better to focus on finishing The Scorpion King first."

At that moment, he began to remember the monster movie more clearly. The male lead had been Hugh Jackman, the same actor who played Wolverine, and the female lead was the actress from Pearl Harbor. The film, he recalled, had been a box office bomb.

He imagined a future where The Scorpion King was a success and he gained a bit of fame, only to star in this huge movie called Van Helsing and watch it fail at the box office. He would be in a very difficult position.

Hugh Jackman had the Wolverine franchise to fall back on and the capital to turn things around, but Matthew had nothing.

He thought of the lead actress. It seemed that after the failure of Van Helsing, she had never appeared in A-list Hollywood productions again, completely cut off from the first and even second tiers of the industry.

It was possible he was mistaken. After all, back then he had only been interested in pure entertainment and knew nothing about the state of the industry. The only films he remembered seeing her in were Pearl Harbor and the Underworld series.

The first thing he could imagine was that if he fought for the lead role in Van Helsing and the film bombed, his career would likely suffer more than the actress's.

Of course, this was all hypothetical. Securing the lead in a top-tier production was incredibly difficult, not to mention that Universal Pictures would naturally lean toward established stars with more box-office appeal.

Glancing at Matthew, Helen didn't pursue the topic. "My negotiations with Sean have just begun. I made him an offer of one million dollars for your salary."

Matthew nodded, understanding that this was just an opening bid.

Helen continued, "Sean has already started all the planning. He's budgeting only five million dollars for the entire cast, which also includes the director's fee and other behind-the-scenes roles. It's unrealistic for you to take a fifth of that."

She considered for a moment. "The contract fee will probably end up around half a million dollars."

That price was perfectly acceptable to Matthew.

He also knew that Helen was using him as leverage in her negotiations, leveraging his role as the Scorpion King to push the production team to hire more clients from the Angel Acting Agency.

For example, the female lead and several other important supporting characters.

The Angel Agency was working so hard to make him a leading man for more than just a ten-percent commission.

But Matthew didn't resent it. This was part of the business, and Helen and the agency had already provided him with numerous opportunities and resources.

Helen was angling for more than just the lead role in the project.

It was for this reason that she hadn't allowed Matthew to speak with Sean or Stephen alone. If Matthew said the wrong thing, it could create a host of problems for the negotiations down the line.

"Do you have any other special requests for benefits?" Helen asked.

Matthew shook his head. "That side of things is up to you."

As long as the pay was appropriate, he wasn't concerned with the other aspects.

Although constantly bringing up money down to the last penny might seem overly greedy, he knew that what stars really cared about was money. Unless there was the temptation of an Oscar, they were unlikely to lower their price. How much they were paid for a film was always the most decisive point in any star's contract, as it represented a trifecta of status, popularity, and vanity.

...

Later that day, after Matthew left the Angel Agency, Helen went to Universal Studios to meet with Sean Daniels, who was overseeing the production of The Scorpion King while Stephen Sommers began preparing his other project with Universal.

The Scorpion King project now officially existed, but it hadn't been announced to the public due to timing, and the crew was still just a shell. The only confirmed element was the production team, led by Sean.

"Helen, your requests for a personal assistant for Matthew, a car, a private dressing room, and travel expenses are not a problem."

Sean had no objections to these points. The terms Helen had proposed were not excessive and were in line with Matthew's status as an up-and-coming leading actor. "But in terms of salary, you're asking for far too much."

He stated seriously, "One million dollars... Matthew is a good actor, but he's not worth that."

"But he is the lead," Helen emphasized. "And he's the one who portrayed the incredibly popular Scorpion King."

Sean shook his head, looking as if he didn't want to waste words. "Half a million dollars, or I'd rather find someone else."

To his surprise, Helen responded affirmatively. "I can accept that, but on one condition."

Sean frowned slightly, but he didn't want to change the lead actor—that would increase the risk exponentially. "What's the condition?" he asked.

Helen adjusted her black-framed glasses. "I heard you need a female lead and several supporting actors. Can you give preference to the actors I represent?"

Initially, she had wanted to follow the CAA model of bundling clients, but her pragmatic side told her the Angel Agency didn't have the clout for that yet.

The condition wasn't excessive. Sean thought it over and nodded.

From that point on, the negotiations between the two parties proceeded smoothly, and many aspects were agreed upon over the following days.