The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 528

In the lounge of the Angel Acting Agency, Matthew listened as Amanda and Helen discussed recent developments.

"This is the response from the UNHCR," Amanda said, handing Matthew an official document. "Most of our aid to Africa has been distributed. It'll be a long while before anyone can attack you with racism claims again."

Matthew opened the document and skimmed it; it was mostly filled with official platitudes like "thank you" and "significant contribution."

Then Amanda added, "Some of the supplies haven't arrived yet, and they might never arrive."

Matthew gave her a confused look, and she explained, "Wherever there's politics, there's corruption. The two go hand in hand."

Matthew understood the implication and nodded.

He asked, "What's next?"

Amanda handed Matthew a thick file. "Here's the fundraising and donation plan for both foundations for the next two years."

Matthew began flipping through the pages, examining them carefully.

"Our fundraising strategy is still twofold, targeting both the rich and famous and the general public. It would be best to host one major charity gala each year."Amanda continued seriously, "Additionally, you should make two public donations a year, one to each foundation. We can control the amount—it doesn't have to be as much as this year's contribution. When it comes to public opinion, we don't want to be too loud or too quiet. We'll just go with the flow to avoid drawing any fire."

After considering it for a few seconds, Matthew replied, "Alright."

Amanda added, "As for fundraising, it's best to come up with fresh ideas that also benefit your public image."

Matthew drew a blank for a moment. "You two are better at this than I am."

Amanda and Helen nodded.

Then Amanda said, "After the New Year, I'll prepare a detailed annual report."

Helen also spoke up. "The foundation helped us weather a serious crisis this time, but we can't count on it to work again."

She advised, "Matthew, given the social climate of the past couple of years, especially the shifting atmosphere in Hollywood... you can see that our only choice is to go with the flow."

Matthew agreed with Helen. "I know. The social climate in North America is changing fast. Any topic involving LGBTQ issues or race can become a minefield."

At that, Helen nodded and changed the subject. "Have you asked David Ellison about the status of *The Fast and the Furious* franchise?"

Matthew had already told her about his idea to continue the film series.

"David's still evaluating the market potential," Matthew replied. "But he might have some new ideas soon."

"Matthew, there's something you need to know," Helen said slowly. "I got a tip from CAA. Vin Diesel's contract is up after the New Year, and he's signing with them. That's no surprise. But what's interesting is that someone from Universal Pictures has reached out to CAA. They want to use the agency's influence to push for a new *Fast and Furious* sequel."

Matthew asked, "Didn't Universal already shelve the franchise?"

Helen explained, "That was the personal decision of a few executives at Universal. My guess is that David Ellison's initial outreach might have given someone the idea that the franchise is still worth the risk. There's also a chance Universal is creating a smokescreen, pretending they're going to revive the series themselves just to drive up the price."

Business was always a game of deception, and Matthew was a relative newcomer. He could make an offer, but when it came to the actual deal-making, even David had more experience, to say nothing of the seasoned veterans at Universal.

Matthew considered this. "If it's the second scenario, we can still get the rights by meeting Universal's price. But the first scenario would be a problem."

Helen agreed. "Exactly. If CAA gets interested and wants to push the project, the chances of Universal Pictures working with them are very high."

She paused for a moment. "This is all just preliminary, one-sided information. It doesn't tell us much. I'll talk to David to get the specifics."

***

By noon, Helen had gathered more intelligence. It was certain Vin Diesel was signing with CAA. However, the Universal executive's outreach was purely personal; he was in the earliest stages of discussion and didn't have the studio's official backing. CAA was reportedly having serious reservations about his rogue actions.

Still, Matthew called David Ellison, who came over to the Angel Agency. They discussed the matter until nightfall before he left.

David seemed more decisive about Matthew's proposal than before. After all, Matthew was the main reason he had invested in *300* in the first place. Even director Zack Snyder was reluctant to start a new collaboration with Warner Bros. without him, as Matthew's character had died, making a sequel with him impossible.

Of course, there was still some hesitation. David Ellison was a businessman, after all. Despite his good relationship with Matthew, he wasn't the type to give up on an idea after a few discouraging words.

Matthew also made a decision. If David couldn't commit in the next few months, he would have Helen approach Universal Pictures directly and see if he could develop the project with them himself.

And he was confident he could get the support of the original male lead, Paul Walker.

Paul Walker had been a lead in the first film and the undisputed star of the second. Even though he wasn't in the third movie, the public still considered him the face of the franchise.

Matthew also recalled what had happened on the set of the original film. Universal Pictures had been extremely unhappy with Vin Diesel. He'd even heard from Paul Walker later that the studio would have fired Diesel if he hadn't brought in crucial investment money. For the second film, Universal had flatly refused to bring him back.

In fact, his biggest concern was that Diesel would bring in his own funding and force his way back into the sequel.

Universal Pictures had no principles that couldn't be bent for the right price. No one liked losing money or making only a negligible profit.