The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 404

The success of Mr. & Mrs. Smith had made Akiva Goldsman keenly aware of Matthew Horner’s market value. He’d reached out more than once, expressing his interest in a future collaboration.

He had another major project planned after I Am Legend, and if the film proved successful, he fully intended to work with Matthew again.

Most Hollywood stars who reached the pinnacle of their careers enjoyed a peak that lasted several years, as long as they didn't tarnish their reputation with low-quality films.

During that window, any decent film they starred in was almost guaranteed to be profitable.

Very few Hollywood superstars, like Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, or Harrison Ford, managed to stay at the top for so long.

As he’d told David Heyman, Matthew was still his first choice for the lead. If he dismissed Helen’s proposal out of hand now, what kind of offer would he face the next time he wanted to work with Matthew?

Ultimately, it was all about applying pressure.

Matt Damon was preparing for Martin Scorsese's new film, The Departed, so his schedule was out. Russell Crowe, however, was an old friend; they had worked together on A Beautiful Mind. It would be easy enough for Goldsman to reach out and invite him to audition.

As for Will Smith...

The project had been in development back in the early 1990s with Arnold Schwarzenegger set to star and Ridley Scott directing, but it was shelved after both of them dropped out.When Goldsman first acquired the adaptation rights, he’d considered making the protagonist black to better reflect the current social climate and the state of the industry. He’d thought Will Smith would be a good choice. But then he worked with Matthew Horner on Mr. & Mrs. Smith and changed his mind, rewriting the lead character as white.

After David left, Akiva sat in his office, lost in thought, his mind focused on the lead role.

If Matthew and Helen continued to hold firm on their asking price, Smith could certainly be considered as a backup. The race of the main character could easily be changed back.

Of course, the negotiations were still in their early stages, and his first choice remained Horner.

The production team for I Am Legend released the news, which quickly captured the attention of many in the industry. After all, a project with a $150 million production budget was a rare commodity in Hollywood.

It was clear, however, that there was a high barrier to entry; newcomer actors and B-list stars need not apply.

Naturally, the news reached Matthew and Helen.

At the Warner Bros. studio, Matthew finished his training session, tossed his spear to a crew member, and walked over to the rest area. He took a towel from Bella Anderson, wiped the sweat from his face, and sat down next to Helen, who had just arrived.

"Did you get the news?" Helen asked.

They had already spoken on the phone, so Matthew just nodded. "Bella told me yesterday."

He then asked, "What do you think?"

Helen replied coolly, "It's obvious Akiva Goldsman and his team are trying to pressure us into making significant concessions."

"That's what I figured," Matthew said, unfazed. "The production team even made a public announcement and sent out audition invitations to three other actors."

He looked at Helen. "What's your next move?"

Helen adjusted her glasses with a single finger. "We haven't hit our bottom line yet. I'll continue to hold firm on our offer, and then I'll concede just enough to raise their psychological expectations for your fee. There's no way the production can stick to a $15 million ceiling. Negotiation is a long process, and a deal can only be reached when both sides make the right compromises."

"Alright, you set the pace." Matthew trusted Helen's experience; she had never let him down before. "You know what I'm asking for."

Now that his career was on an upward trajectory, his fee needed to reflect that. If he lowered his asking price for a major commercial film, it would put him at a significant disadvantage in future negotiations.

Helen added, "Even though Akiva Goldsman is putting pressure on us, there are certain things we need to guard against."

"Like what?" Matthew’s focus lately had been entirely on filming 300.

"We're Akiva's first choice, not his only choice," Helen reminded him in a low voice. "If you recall, Goldsman mentioned in passing that he originally intended to cast a black actor as the lead in I Am Legend. And now, he's invited Will Smith to audition."

Matthew frowned slightly. He had seen the final film, with Will Smith in the lead. How had Smith gotten the part? Did something happen to the original actor, leading to Will Smith being brought in as a replacement?

"Helen, it's your call," Matthew said thoughtfully.

Securing the desired fee without losing the role to another actor would require considerable negotiation skill.

"I'll manage the pace," Helen said confidently. "You also need to be careful. Don't talk about I Am Legend publicly, especially to the press. And try not to have any private contact with Akiva or any other senior members of the production until the deal is closed. It could undermine my position."

Matthew understood perfectly. He knew his value to the role, but he left the business side of things to a professional like Helen.

"Don't worry," Matthew said earnestly. "I won't make a mistake."

Helen suddenly glanced over at Bella Anderson, then leaned a little closer to Matthew and lowered her voice. "Stay away from Will Smith. The black stars in Hollywood stick together. If you don't handle this right, you could be in for a world of trouble."

Matthew lowered his voice as well. "Of course."

He wasn't the director and had no direct responsibility for the production, so he had no intention of dealing with the other actors directly. He would simply avoid them.

Matthew was well aware that in the current climate, not even a superstar could fight the tide of social politics. As long as the other black actors didn't provoke him, he would definitely give them a wide berth.

But he couldn't stop others from being interested in I Am Legend.

Hollywood rarely released more than ten films a year with budgets over $100 million, and a significant number of those were sequels. That made a lead role in an original project like I Am Legend incredibly appealing to any star on a commercial track.

"Producer Akiva Goldsman, director Francis Lawrence..."

In his office, Will Smith turned to a middle-aged white man. "Kevin, what do you make of this audition invitation?"

The middle-aged man, Kevin, was one of Will Smith's agents, the one who primarily handled his film projects.

He got straight to the point. "As for the offer itself, Akiva Goldsman isn't being entirely sincere."

Smith had already glanced at the script pages attached to the invitation—just a brief synopsis and a description of the male lead. He couldn't help but look it over again; he’d read Richard Matheson’s original novel and knew what kind of film this could be.

Kevin added, "From what I gather, their first choice for the role is Matthew Horner, but the negotiations are not going well. I suspect Goldsman is preparing for the possibility that the deal will fall through, and they'll have to bring in another actor."

Although he couldn't get the specific details, the fact that Horner's agent was in talks with David Heyman was no secret in their circles. There had been several meetings, and word was that the two sides were miles apart on the salary.

"Will, I think this is a good opportunity."

"I've read the novel and seen the two previous film adaptations." Smith didn't hide his interest. "Goldsman had changed the lead character to a black man."

He frowned slightly. "But Horner isn't black."

Then he shook his head. "The character's race can be changed easily enough. It's almost as if the script was written for me in the first place."

Smith said simply, "Kevin, I want this role."