Wild at Heart

After introducing Quentin Tarantino to director Tony Scott, Aaron sold him the script for True Romance for 65,000 US dollars.

But there was no telling when Tony Scott would adapt it.

Because Tony Scott and Tom Cruise were now set to collaborate on a big-budget racing action film, Days of Thunder!

"The producers are Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, Tony Scott is directing, Tom Cruise is the male lead, and Paramount is also handling production and distribution."

Aaron Anderson looked over the information on Days of Thunder. Wasn't this just trying to replicate Top Gun from a few years ago?

Paula Wagner nodded. "It's the original Top Gun team, and Paramount has given it a production budget of 60 million US dollars!"

"60 million US dollars?" Aaron clicked his tongue.

After all, Carolco Pictures was currently filming the sci-fi action blockbuster Total Recall, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, with a budget of 65 million US dollars.

That surpassed the 63 million US dollar budget of Sylvester Stallone's Rambo III, making it the most expensive film so far.

Tom Cruise was certainly still behind Stallone and Schwarzenegger at this point. A 60 million US dollar budget was absolutely a top-tier production!

Paula Wagner smiled. "Carolco recently spent 5 million US dollars to buy the sequel filming rights for The Terminator from Hemdale Film Corporation."

"They're planning to have James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger work together on Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and its budget is even more astronomical."

James Cameron had originally sold the rights to The Terminator to independent producer Gale Anne Hurd's Pacific Western Productions for 1 US dollar in exchange for getting to direct it.

Gale Anne Hurd had then traded half the rights to Hemdale Film Corporation for production funding. After filming was finished, she also became James Cameron's wife!

For The Terminator 1, Hemdale had brought in Orion Pictures for joint distribution. Now, the budget for Terminator 2: Judgment Day was certainly more than a small film company like Hemdale could afford.

So Hemdale Film Corporation sold its half of the rights to Carolco Pictures, with Cameron's ex-wife Gale Anne Hurd joining Carolco in developing it.

"Carolco Pictures." Aaron smiled. "It's been making quite a name for itself lately. It spends big on movies, and a lot of its funding comes from Europe. Its two founders have deep connections there."

Just look at Total Recall. They had poached RoboCop director Paul Verhoeven from Orion Pictures to direct it.

"It's just that this company only invests in and produces films. It doesn't handle distribution. Interesting!"

Aaron did not quite understand it. After all, small distributors nowadays mainly focused on film distribution, though they mostly dealt with low-budget projects.

Paula Wagner glanced at Aaron. "Carolco makes commercial blockbusters. If it handled both investment and distribution, the expenses would be too high."

"That's true." Aaron nodded. Carolco was not on the scale of the Big Six, and it was not as though they only made one film a year.

"I heard Days of Thunder is planning to use a newcomer for the female lead?"

Aaron seemed to remember that, if not for him, Nicole Kidman would have met Tom Cruise through this film and then married him.

But Nicole Kidman was his woman now. He wondered whether she would still have a chance to become the female lead in a Tom Cruise movie.

Paula Wagner smiled. "For that, you'll have to keep an eye on the production team—the producers, director, and so on."

Aaron smiled faintly. With a movie like this, wasn't Tom Cruise the one who decided how it would be made and who would be cast?

"Still, that actress you have is a little too tall," Paula Wagner reminded him.

Of course Paula Wagner had met Nicole Kidman. After all, Aaron Anderson was the most outstanding young agent in her circle.

Aaron Anderson had brought Nicole Kidman to several banquets and events, and naturally introduced Nicole to Paula Wagner.

"Your clients are all newcomers. You should still find some low-budget projects for them to try first!"

Paula Wagner's meaning was obvious. A high-profile blockbuster like this faced far too much competition, and getting a role was not so easy.

"Don't worry, I understand..."

Meanwhile, the sequel blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, produced by Lucasfilm, directed by Steven Spielberg, and distributed by Paramount, began its theatrical run and earned 29.5 million US dollars at the box office over its opening three-day weekend!

When June arrived, Aaron first helped Adam Sandler return to the Saturday Night Live cast.

Then he helped Nicole Kidman land a script for an independent film.

"Wild at Heart, directed by David Lynch!"

In her West Hollywood apartment, Nicole Kidman lay sprawled on the bed, flipping through the script in her hands.

"Mm. David Lynch is one of the representative figures in independent cinema. He focuses on dark and surrealist styles. His films lack commercial appeal, but he has considerable prestige among critics."

Aaron propped up his head as he lay beside Nicole Kidman. "His earlier surrealist works, The Elephant Man and Blue Velvet, both had pretty good reputations."

"The male lead is newcomer Nicolas Cage. His background is anything but ordinary. His original name was Nicolas Coppola, but he changed his surname himself."

"Francis Ford Coppola is his uncle!"

"I trust your judgment." Nicole Kidman climbed into Aaron's arms and kissed him, then asked in confusion, "Don't you like keeping an eye on commercial films?"

Wild at Heart was a black-comedy crime drama. While it was a typical David Lynch work, its investment was not high, it had no major stars, and its commercial prospects were certainly not great!

Aaron smiled, held the sexy and stunning Nicole Kidman in his arms, and kissed her for a while. "Tony Scott and Tom Cruise are about to collaborate on the racing action blockbuster Days of Thunder."

"It has a budget of 60 million US dollars, and the female lead needs a beautiful vase. I had originally planned to let you give it a try, but unfortunately, the competition is too fierce."

"Tom Cruise?"

Nicole Kidman shook her head as well. "He's about the same height as Mr. Al Pacino. It would probably be hard for him to work with me!"

When she had auditioned for Pretty Woman, Nicole Kidman had already experienced that kind of trouble firsthand.

"Not necessarily. If you can charm Tom Cruise by then, won't he be able to appoint you as the female lead however he likes?"

The selling point of Days of Thunder was Tom Cruise. Who on the production team would dare not listen to him?

"There are so many beautiful women in Hollywood. How could Tom Cruise possibly take a liking to me?"

As Nicole Kidman spoke, she pointed to the script on the bed. "This one is pretty good."

"Mm." Aaron rolled over and pressed Nicole beneath him, then kissed her red lips!