Pretty Woman

That evening, after Nicole Kidman attended the preview screening of "Dead Calm," she went to a bar with Aaron to unwind.

"See? You look much more pleasing to me now," Aaron said as he looked her over. Without that instant-noodle hair, she was indeed much prettier.

Nicole Kidman smiled. "Yeah, I think I look pretty good now too. What did you think of my movie, 'Dead Calm'?"

Aaron thought for a moment. "It's a thriller with erotic elements. Its main selling point is basically your body."

"Don't expect much at the box office. At best, it'll get you noticed among independent films."

Nicole Kidman took a sip of her drink. "New actresses can only get roles in these explicit independent films. There's nothing we can do about it."

Aaron nodded. "Don't worry. The movie comes out early next month. Take it slowly. I'll try to get you that Disney script!"

"What about the script at your place?" Nicole Kidman had been thinking about "Ghost."

"We'll talk about it in the second half of the year. We'll see if we can find investors." When Aaron went to Cannes, he would make contact with European film companies.

Over the next few days, Aaron went straight to Disney to seek a meeting with Jeffrey Katzenberg, chairman of Disney Films.

After three consecutive days of trying, he finally secured fifteen minutes one afternoon.

Jeffrey Katzenberg, thirty-nine, was currently Disney's third-in-command, overseeing its film and television production operations, including animation, live-action films, television, and more.

Since leaving Paramount with Michael Eisner to join Disney, he had helped rescue the once-fading company and turn it into one of Hollywood's six major studios. Disney's explosive success in recent years was largely due to his contributions.

Workaholic Jeffrey Katzenberg held an equally high position within Disney, and seemed poised to threaten Michael Eisner's position at the top.

"Good afternoon, sir." Aaron Anderson stood before Jeffrey Katzenberg.

"Have a seat, Aaron Anderson. You're the one who sold 'Sex, Lies, and Videotape' to Miramax for 1.2 million US dollars," Jeffrey Katzenberg said with a smile. "Why did you want to see me?"

Aaron sat down without wasting any time. He took a proposal from his bag and handed it over. "I made some changes to the '3000' project. Please take a look."

Once Katzenberg accepted it, Aaron began explaining directly. "I changed the script's title to 'Pretty Woman,' and all the darker elements in the script will be removed."

"The main story is about a wealthy man and a streetwalker spending a romantic week in a hotel. Although a few unpleasant misunderstandings arise, the streetwalker's transformation ultimately wins back the wealthy man's heart."

"This should be a fairy-tale romantic comedy, which fits Disney's long-standing positioning..."

The meeting had originally been limited to fifteen minutes, but before they knew it, the two had talked for two hours. Jeffrey Katzenberg even invited Aaron to dine with him.

"Besides, this movie is very simple. We don't need huge stars, and its budget will be far lower than Disney's other film, 'Dick Tracy.'"

Aaron knew that Disney's upcoming gangster blockbuster "Dick Tracy" was being led by Michael Eisner.

Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz had also been close friends for many years, and they were neighbors.

Meanwhile, "Pretty Woman" was being led by Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Michael Eisner was not paying much attention to it.

As long as he convinced Jeffrey Katzenberg, the project could go directly into development.

Jeffrey Katzenberg looked at the young man before him. "To be honest, I don't like your agency's package deals at all."

Aaron smiled too. "Neither do I, really. They place too much importance on piling up stars."

CAA's package deals involved stuffing multiple big names into one movie, using that arrangement to secure high salaries for clients or even a share of the film's backend profits.

"Rain Man," "Dick Tracy," and others were all cases like that.

Jeffrey Katzenberg nodded. "Your ideas are very good. However, this film can have a budget of no more than 15 million US dollars."

"Go back and discuss it with your superiors. Then we'll discuss the project together."

Within days, Disney officially hired people to begin revising the script according to Aaron's suggestions, and the "Pretty Woman" project was formally launched.

At CAA headquarters, Aaron entered Michael Ovitz's office.

"You really know how to surprise people. Jeffrey had always been evasive before. I never expected you to persuade him to agree," Michael Ovitz said with a smile.

Aaron nodded. "Has a director been decided?"

"Romantic comedy director Garry Marshall. The male and female leads are still under consideration." Michael Ovitz looked at Aaron. "I know you have a newly signed Australian girl, but she's too unknown. Disney has to consider the commercial side. Her chances of being chosen are just too low."

Aaron shook his head. "Would big stars take on a story about a wealthy man falling in love with a prostitute?"

"There will definitely be auditions when the time comes. I'll have Nicole give it a try."

"Of course," Michael Ovitz said. In truth, he was not optimistic about the script either. It was too simple, too dreamy, too much like a fairy tale.

After Aaron left, Ronald Meyer entered Michael Ovitz's office. "This young man, Aaron Anderson, wants to become a producer, doesn't he?"

Michael Ovitz nodded. "He has the talent and ambition for it. I heard he even bought a script himself, but no one is supporting him."

Ronald Meyer laughed. "Perhaps very soon, CAA will have the youngest Film Producer client in Hollywood history!"

"Yeah." Michael Ovitz knew perfectly well that if "Pretty Woman" was successfully released and became a success, Aaron Anderson would have transformed into a Film Producer on the spot.

But could it succeed? It was easy to lose one's way in Hollywood.

As late March arrived, the annual Oscar ceremony was held at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles.

"Rain Man" won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay, making it the biggest winner.

However, the Oscar glamour had nothing to do with Aaron. At Jeffrey Katzenberg's order, Aaron had joined the preparatory work for "Pretty Woman."

Still, the casting for "Pretty Woman" was proceeding very poorly, especially for the female lead because she was a prostitute.

Many actresses with even a little fame kept their distance from the role, while the male lead lacked much room for performance and held very little appeal for major stars.