The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 229

"All of our previous assumptions were wrong."

Helen was standing by the pool table in the lounge, cue in hand, when Matthew arrived. "Jerry Bruckheimer took the screenwriters to the National Archives to do some research," she told him. "And while the project is related to independence, it's not about American independence. It's an action-adventure film centered around the Declaration of Independence."

Matthew, who had been about to take a shot, froze by the table. In his head, he cursed, a sharp, four-letter word that started with 'F'.

He and Helen had been so sure Jerry's new film was about American independence, or maybe even Independence Day. They'd never once considered the Declaration of Independence.

Helen shook her head slightly. "When Jerry went to the National Archives, he was there for the Declaration of Independence."

She saw the confusion on Matthew's face and explained, "The Declaration of Independence is housed in the National Archives."

Matthew shook his head. Why didn't I immediately think of the Declaration of Independence? he wondered.

He asked Helen, "Anything more specific?"

Helen gently took the cue from his hands and set it on the table. "I have the basic premise," she replied. "It's something along these lines: there's a secret treasure map hidden on the Declaration of Independence. When this vital document is threatened, the hero has to steal it to protect it and uncover the treasure's secrets."

She added, "It's a textbook action-adventure film. Perfect for you."As soon as he heard Helen's description, only one name popped into Matthew's mind: Nicolas Cage!

He'd seen that movie—the one about the Declaration of Independence and a hidden treasure. He'd been so focused on Jerry's project being about American independence or Independence Day that he hadn't even considered it from this angle.

The film was nothing like what he'd imagined. It was that treasure hunt movie, the one starring Nicolas Cage.

Nicolas Cage was huge on the other side of the Pacific, and Matthew was no exception. He'd seen most of Cage's action films online.

If he hadn't been so stuck on the wrong idea, he would have realized it was National Treasure.

He remembered seeing the series years ago. The first film must have been a hit, otherwise they never would have made a sequel.

Matthew thought for a moment, then asked, "Has the crew been assembled yet?"

"No." Helen shook her head. "The project is still in the scripting phase. For the past month, Jerry's been bogged down with King Arthur due to funding issues, so all his energy is focused on getting that ready."

If the funding isn't sorted out, then there's still a chance.

Matthew thought for a moment and said, "Helen, I have an idea. If I..." he corrected himself, "if we can help Jerry raise the money, is there a chance he'd cast me as the lead in this new project?"

"You can bring in investors?" Helen asked, her voice laced with skepticism.

"I'm speaking hypothetically," Matthew stressed.

Helen studied Matthew for a moment before speaking slowly. "If you find an investor who can cover the tens-of-millions-of-dollars gap between Jerry Bruckheimer's budget and what Disney Pictures is offering... and if Pirates of the Caribbean is a box office hit when it opens next week... then the rest won't be a problem."

Helen continued, "Unlike other actors, you've worked with Jerry before. He has a baseline familiarity with you. Once Pirates of the Caribbean proves to be a success, you'll have box-office appeal. If you can also solve Jerry Bruckheimer's funding problem, your chances of him casting you as the lead will skyrocket."

She smiled. "Jerry likes to work with actors he's familiar with—you've seen that with Keira. And compared to other producers, he carries a lot more weight."

"Worth a shot," Matthew murmured.

"We have to try," Helen corrected him, her arms folded across her chest. "Assuming you can actually bring in the investment."

"I know a rich guy."

He decided not to hold anything back; after all, he needed a seasoned professional like Helen on his side. "He wanted me to star in a film he was funding once."

Helen's memory clicked into place. "You mean the guy who invested in Lakeshore Entertainment's Underworld?"

"Yeah." Matthew leaned over the pool table. "My trainer used to be his boxing coach. He told me the guy came to L.A. with a lot of cash to pour into the film industry. He wants to back major projects and make a huge return, but so far he's only invested in one movie: Underworld."

Helen understood immediately. "There's a high barrier to entry for investing in a Big Six studio production."

Matthew nodded. His time in Hollywood had sharpened his instincts. He knew that someone just showing up and waving a wad of cash around couldn't expect the major studios to simply take their money.

"If I go to him, and he agrees..." Matthew trailed off, knowing his own clout wasn't enough. "Would we even be able to get a foot in the door?"

Helen answered calmly, "As long as Pirates of the Caribbean is a success, it's possible."

For their part, Walt Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer were already planning a sequel; they were just waiting for a strong opening week at the box office for Pirates. In that scenario, they would be locked into a long-term collaboration with Matthew. Bringing an investor represented by the Angel Acting Agency to the table would be something they'd have to seriously consider.

Matthew knew his next step. "I'll reach out to him first and get the details."

"Perfect." Helen nodded. "If he's genuinely interested and has deep enough pockets, I'll handle the discussion with him. Then I'll talk to Jerry."

Matthew had no objections. Helen might be self-serving at times, but if a deal was struck, he would be the primary beneficiary. And with her acting as a buffer, his good relationship with Jerry wouldn't be jeopardized, regardless of the outcome.

"I'm heading home." Seeing that there was nothing more to discuss, Matthew prepared to leave. "I've got people from Red Penguin Services coming over to do some work on a room."

"Hmm?" Helen looked puzzled. "You're renovating your rental? Did you get the landlord's permission?"

Matthew shook his head. "No, I'm just converting a room. It's for Keira."

Helen just waved a hand at him, saying nothing more.

Matthew left the Angel Acting Agency and returned home just as the crew from Red Penguin Services arrived.

The company was a fixture in the Hollywood service industry, offering a wide range of standard services alongside its more... specialized ones.

The three-man crew got to work on what had been a storage room, converting it according to Matthew's instructions. Of course, he didn't actually have them remove the door; he'd taken Keira's comment as the joke it was.

Once the room was ready, he went to a nearby furniture store to buy a bed and a few other pieces. He wasn't about to make Keira sleep on the floor when she arrived.

Not that Matthew would have objected to her sharing his bed, if she were willing, but that was a matter of mutual consent. There was no sense in forcing the issue.

Three days after Keira's room was finished, Nibora called. He said Fox wanted to go to the gym for an afternoon boxing workout.

Matthew showed up at the gym after lunch as well. He knew Fox well enough that when he mentioned he wanted to talk, Fox followed him without question into a private room on the first floor.

"Fox, last time we spoke, you mentioned you wanted to invest in a film." Matthew cut right to the chase. "I know of a project with a production budget over a hundred million dollars and a very high profit potential."

He stressed, "It's a major, A-list project from one of the Big Six Hollywood studios."

"Sounds great," Fox said, his interest piqued immediately. But then his expression soured. "Before I invested in Underworld, I looked into backing a Big Six project. They'd rather let a film go underfunded than take my money."

He gave a helpless laugh. "There's a barrier to entry for investing with the Big Six."

Matthew said immediately, "My agent can get in with them. Or with one of them, to be exact."

This was just the initial feeler, of course. A whole series of steps would have to follow if they actually wanted to work together.

"Matthew," Fox asked after a moment's thought, "there's a minimum investment to even get in on a deal like this, right?"

Matthew nodded. That was a given. Fox wouldn't be in L.A. trying to break into film investment if he didn't have the capital.

"How much are we talking about?" Fox asked. "Give me a ballpark figure."

"Ten million, minimum," Matthew replied, keeping it simple.

Fox's eyes widened for a second, then a look of utter helplessness washed over his face. "I'm sorry," he said, "I just can't. Most of my available funds are tied up in Underworld. I can't pull together that kind of cash right now, and I won't be able to for the foreseeable future."

He let out a long sigh. After a bit more small talk, he stood up, shook his head, and left.

Matthew watched him go, scratching his head. He hadn't expected that at all.

Sitting there alone for a moment, Matthew quickly came to a realization: Fox didn't have as much liquid cash as he'd thought. Fox's family might be wealthy, but there was obviously a limit to the funds he could personally access.

So much for his well-laid plan. Faced with such an unexpected setback, Matthew could only manage a helpless smile.

Still, he knew that even the best-laid plans could hit a snag. It was impossible for everything to go exactly his way.

With that, Matthew pulled out his cell phone and called Helen. So much for waiting until after Pirates of the Caribbean was released.