Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner

Burbank, Dawn Pictures.

Aaron Anderson, director Edward Zwick, and screenwriter Bruce Robin were discussing the Ghost project together.

Edward Zwick was very interested in directing this fantasy romance adapted from William Shakespeare's Macbeth.

"As for the female lead, Nicole Kidman from Dead Calm would work, but the male lead won't be easy to find," Edward Zwick said.

He also knew that major stars were not very willing to play a ghost. Without a big-name star, it would be difficult for Aaron to secure financing.

After all, his own Glory had only received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor and several technical award nominations, which was not very appealing to investors.

"I think highly of Kevin Costner. The script has already been sent to him, and I'll speak with him personally when the time comes."

"Don't worry about the production budget. It definitely won't be less than 15 million US dollars!"

Kevin Costner was, at most, still a second-tier Hollywood star, but Aaron knew that things would be different after Dances with Wolves premiered at the end of the year.

Aaron tapped the table. "If the script needs any revisions, you need to get them done as soon as possible."

Bruce Robin nodded. "That won't be a problem. I can revise the plot according to the director's requirements."

In mid-February, Revenge, an action crime film directed by Tony Scott and starring Kevin Costner, was released. It made only 6 million US dollars in its opening three-day weekend.

It fell to 2.8 million US dollars in its second week, and the reviews were poor as well. Revenge could be considered a failure.

At the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Jack Wells entered with Kevin Costner, and Aaron rose to greet them.

"Mr. Costner," Aaron said, giving Jack Wells a wink.

"You're Aaron Anderson, right? Your name is quite well known at CAA," Kevin Costner said with a smile. "Just call me Kevin."

"Have a seat. What would you like to drink?" Aaron asked.

"Coffee."

"Aaron, I'll leave you two to talk," Jack Wells said.

"I heard from Jack that the two of you are good friends?"

"Yeah, we both came up through the mailroom," Aaron said with a smile. "Jack's doing all right, isn't he?"

"Yes, he's a very good young man."

Before long, a waiter brought over two cups of coffee and some cake.

Kevin Costner took a sip. "I've read the Ghost script. I can accept the role, but I'm busy finishing the post-production on Dances with Wolves right now."

"So you'll need to wait at least three months. Is that all right?"

Aaron nodded. "No problem. Then we'll start filming in June. The shoot is expected to take ten weeks, with Chicago as the main filming location."

Aaron knew that Kevin Costner was not in a good position at the moment. Dances with Wolves, which he was directing and starring in himself, had gone over budget. Not only had he invested all 3 million US dollars of his own director and acting fees into it, but he also had to worry about the upcoming promotional and distribution costs.

That was because Orion Pictures, the investor and distributor, was in financial trouble and would not put much money into marketing. They would have to rely on word of mouth. Orion now released more films each year than MGM, but most of them lost money.

Dances with Wolves was a Western that outsiders did not think highly of, while the newly released Revenge had been a disastrous flop, sending Kevin Costner's career into a slump.

He had no way to turn down the Ghost project, and the 2.7 million US dollars salary was suitable as well.

"All right. Once your crew has finished preparing, you can notify me for rehearsals. Do you need me to cooperate with the auditions?"

Aaron lifted his coffee and took a sip. "The female lead is Nicole Kidman from Australia. She just appeared in David Lynch's Wild at Heart."

"Once the preliminary preparations are complete, we'll arrange screen tests and rehearsals for the cast..."

The conversation between Aaron and Kevin Costner went very smoothly. It could only be said that Revenge's disastrous failure had truly helped a lot.

With the director, male and female leads, and most importantly, the investment and distribution for Ghost all settled, the project was ready to move forward.

By March, Dawn Pictures had also recruited the necessary staff—finance, operations, office clerks, and so on.

"Jessica, is Orion's financial situation really that bad?"

Leaning back in his chair, Aaron asked the company accountant, Jessica Parker, who had previously worked at Orion Pictures.

"Yes. After Dances with Wolves went over budget, Orion also developed The Silence of the Lambs, with a production budget of 19 million US dollars."

"Orion also has several films about to be released. If they don't do well at the box office, things will get even worse."

Aaron shook his head. Could two films as powerful as Dances with Wolves and The Silence of the Lambs really fail to save Orion Pictures?

However, the overseas distribution rights for Dances with Wolves had already been sold to raise production funds.

"Sigh, they want to maintain their independence while aspiring to the horizontal business model of the major studios. They have too many money-losing films!"

Orion's distribution capabilities were fairly good. After all, it owned its own theaters. Although there were not many of them, it still had more than Miramax and New Line.

Miramax had originally developed after the Weinstein Brothers took over Century Theater in New York, while New Line had been founded by Robert Shaye based on his own small theater chain.

Jessica Parker looked at Aaron. "Actually, when Orion suffered major losses the year before last, they brought in Mr. John Kluge as a major shareholder."

"Now, Mr. John Kluge wants to sell the company while preserving Orion's independence, but no one is willing to take it over."

John Kluge was the founder of the Metromedia Group. A few years ago, Rupert Murdoch had acquired seven television stations from the Metromedia Group as the foundation for building FOX.

Aaron smiled. "With Orion's losses expanding further, it won't be easy for John Kluge to sell it."

"The quality of its films is too poor. It releases more than ten films a year, but only one or two make money. The rest have substantial investments and lose money, and it doesn't have the upstream and downstream industrial chains of the other major studios!"

Fine, this kind of independent operation was something only Aaron Anderson could pull off in all of Hollywood. After all, his foresight was the greatest advantage he had.

In the future, Dawn Pictures could become a leader on film profits alone. Besides, how could Aaron Anderson possibly lack ambition?

Beyond film and television production and distribution, there would also have to be broadcast television networks, home entertainment, interactive games, consumer merchandise, and more!

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