Chapter Summaries

Aaron and Joey Wong discussed Hong Kong films and the prospects of Jackie Chan and Jet Li in Hollywood. Aaron told Joey he had acquired a Bordeaux wine estate for her, while the chapter left him considering bringing Jet Li to Hollywood early.

• Aaron and Joey Wong discussed the success of Jackie Chan's Police Story 4: Simple Mission and his upcoming films, including Rush Hour and Mr. Nice Guy.
• Joey Wong told Aaron that Young and Dangerous had become a hit and that its sequel, Young and Dangerous 2, was due to premiere soon.
• Aaron told Joey he had acquired an eighty-hectare wine estate in Bordeaux for her, and she thanked him and suggested filming there.
• Joey Wong explained that Jet Li was starring in Black Mask, an action film with a dark, Batman-like look.
• Aaron considered bringing Jet Li to Hollywood before he gained recognition there, as Hong Kong filmmakers increasingly pursued Hollywood opportunities.

Aaron discussed Hong Kong cinema’s decline and Hollywood’s recruitment of its filmmakers with Raymond Chow, arguing that the mainland market could offer Hong Kong films new opportunities after the handover. The conversation ended with Aaron expressing interest in bringing Jet Li to Hollywood through Universal.

• Aaron told Raymond Chow that he expected Police Story 4: Simple Mission to outperform Rumble in the Bronx in Hong Kong and said he believed Rush Hour could succeed in the United States.
• Raymond Chow worried that Hong Kong cinema was declining as filmmakers such as John Woo, Tsui Hark, and Chow Yun-fat moved to Hollywood.
• Aaron suggested that Hong Kong filmmakers might gain access to the mainland market after the handover, though Raymond Chow remained uncertain about its prospects.
• Raymond Chow asked whether Aaron was interested in Jet Li, who was filming Black Mask for Win's Entertainment.
• Aaron said Universal welcomed talented filmmakers and actors from anywhere, and that Jet Li's kung-fu stardom could help him enter Hollywood.

Aaron considered Hong Kong as a possible site for a future Universal Studios after HSBC's Reese Chandler raised the idea, while Joey Wong discussed investing in Stephen Chow's The God of Cookery. The story left Joey planning to have Media Asia invest, with Golden Harvest handling distribution.

• Aaron met HSBC Asia-Pacific president Reese Chandler, who suggested Hong Kong as a location for a Universal Studios theme park and revealed Disney was also interested.
• Aaron said Hong Kong was suitable but that Universal Studios Japan remained Dawn's priority and he was in no rush to build another Asian park.
• Chong Ching gave Joey Wong the screenplay for Stephen Chow's The God of Cookery and asked whether Media Asia would invest in it.
• Joey Wong told Aaron about the proposal and warned him that Win's Entertainment was owned by a powerful triad family.
• Aaron told Joey Wong to invest, and she decided Media Asia would back the film while Golden Harvest helped distribute it.

After vacationing in Japan with Kristy Yang, Aaron returned to the United States and pushed Dawn Steel to develop The Truman Show, despite its high proposed budget and casting challenges. He left the project’s leads undecided and learned that Titanic was still casting.

• Aaron vacationed with Kristy Yang in Japan before returning to the United States ahead of the Oscars.
• Dawn Steel gave Aaron the script for The Truman Show, and he insisted that Dawn Pictures make the film.
• Dawn Steel said Scott Rudin and Peter Weir wanted an $80 million budget, while she favored a $60 million cap and reported that Andrew Niccol preferred Robin Williams and Peter Weir preferred Jim Carrey.
• Aaron agreed to show the script to Jim Carrey after he finished The Cable Guy and said the film could be scheduled for release the year after next.
• Dawn Steel told Aaron that casting for James Cameron’s Titanic was still underway.

Aaron watched the 68th Academy Awards broadcast with Monica Bellucci before heading to Vanity Fair’s Oscar after-party. The ceremony ended with major wins for Braveheart and several actors, while Aaron defended Dawn’s results to reporters at the party.

• Aaron brought Monica Bellucci to a ball at the Bel-Air Hotel, where she discussed Hollywood publicity and pressure to stay thin.
• Aaron and Monica watched the Academy Awards broadcast and saw Christopher Reeve receive a standing ovation at the ceremony.
• Monica asked when Universal would make Marvel’s Spider-Man movie, and Aaron said the project was waiting on a script and better technology.
• Braveheart won five awards, while Nicholas Cage, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Spacey, and Mira Sorvino won acting awards; Sense and Sensibility won Best Original Screenplay.
• Aaron left Monica at the hotel and went to Vanity Fair’s Oscar after-party at the Sunset Tower Hotel.
• When reporters asked about Dawn’s Academy Awards performance, Aaron pointed to its wins for Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay.

At the Oscars celebration, Aaron congratulated Nicolas Cage and spoke with Sumner Redstone about Braveheart and Forrest Gump before leaving with Sophie Marceau. At the same banquet, Michael Ovitz tried to defend Disney’s relationship with Woody Allen, but Joe Roth warned that Allen’s scandal clashed with Disney’s family image.

• Aaron congratulated Nicolas Cage on winning Best Actor for Leaving Las Vegas and praised his work with Dawn.
• Sumner Redstone told Aaron that Braveheart could not compare with Forrest Gump before leaving the celebration.
• Aaron praised Sophie Marceau’s beauty, and the two left the banquet because she was tired.
• Michael Ovitz approached Woody Allen, and Joe Roth warned him that Allen’s scandal could damage Disney’s family image.
• Michael Ovitz defended Miramax’s critical and Oscar success, but acknowledged Joe Roth’s concerns.

Aaron discussed Marvel’s film strategy with Dawn Steel, prioritizing Spider-Man and X-Men while approving a limited Blade collaboration with New Line. Later, he told Los Angeles legislator Allie Phillips he would fund her political rise, though he would not act to legalize same-sex marriage.

• Aaron told Dawn Steel that Universal should focus on Spider-Man and X-Men and develop stronger scripts for their films.
• Aaron approved New Line producing Blade under terms that gave Dawn international distribution rights and Marvel a share of profits and merchandise, plus production oversight.
• Aaron explained that New Line would keep North American distribution rights for Blade because otherwise it might not make the film.
• Allie Phillips asked Aaron to help oppose the Marriage Protection Act, and Aaron said he could not help with legalization despite having no personal objection to same-sex marriage.
• Aaron promised to fund Allie Phillips’s rise from Los Angeles county legislator to state legislator, leaving her later political prospects up to her.

Aaron met Kate Beckinsale at Santa Monica Beach, discussed her rising career and a possible female-vampire action role, and planned a trip to London with her. Meanwhile, Dead Man Walking earned acclaim and a strong box office as PolyGram began promoting it in Europe.

• Aaron met Kate Beckinsale at a beach bar, where she told him Scream 2 was in preparation and that she had received more scripts after Scream's success.
• Kate Beckinsale told Aaron she had made a cameo in Good Will Hunting alongside Robin Williams, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck.
• Aaron described a sleek female-vampire action role he had in mind for Kate Beckinsale, and she said she could handle action films.
• Kate Beckinsale said she planned to return to London, and Aaron discussed visiting to check on the Mr. Bean film adaptation and Richard Curtis's Notting Hill.
• After Dead Man Walking won Susan Sarandon the Best Actress Oscar and passed $30 million in North American box office, PolyGram held a celebration and began marketing the film in Europe.

At the Getty Center Museum opening, Aaron cultivated political and business connections while discussing the Getty family, the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, and Yahoo’s upcoming listing. After Jennifer Connelly talked about choosing more artistic roles, Aaron prepared to travel as Broken Arrow opened successfully and John Woo received Face/Off as his next project.

• Aaron attended the Getty Center Museum opening with Jennifer Connelly and explained that he planned to restore the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana through the Anderson Charity Foundation.
• At the evening banquet, Aaron spoke with Dianne Feinstein about her political future, the proposed national fiber-optic network, and Yahoo’s upcoming public listing.
• Aaron later called Lloyd Bentsen Jr. and asked him to visit Dianne Feinstein to maintain their cooperation.
• Jennifer Connelly told Aaron she planned to focus on artistic films, and Aaron promised to arrange a good script for her.
• Broken Arrow opened in April and earned $15.5 million over its first three-day weekend.
• John Woo received Dawn Universal’s new project, Face/Off, after Broken Arrow was released.

Aaron celebrated Yahoo’s successful IPO while discussing upcoming films with Christiana Yeri, then reconnected with Elizabeth Hurley at a New York ball. After a private encounter, Hurley asked whether she should join him on his brief trip to the United Kingdom, and he declined.

• Aaron noted that Broken Arrow earned $11 million in its second weekend and that Yahoo’s IPO increased the value of his stake.
• Aaron and Christiana Yeri discussed John Woo’s plans for Face/Off and Jim Carrey’s possible casting in The Truman Show.
• Christiana Yeri said she was uninterested in working with Jim Carrey, and she and Aaron continued their intimate conversation.
• Aaron attended a ball at the JW Marriott Hotel and encountered Disney president Michael Ovitz.
• Elizabeth Hurley thanked Aaron for his Dawn shares and discussed her rising profile and upcoming roles.
• Hurley took Aaron to a restroom, then asked to accompany him to the United Kingdom; Aaron said he would only be away for a few days.

Aaron approved the Mr. Bean's Big Disaster script and planned its release before Notting Hill began production. In London, he watched Trainspotting, discussed the state of British cinema and the upcoming James Bond sequel, and decided to visit The English Patient set the next day.

• Aaron approved the Mr. Bean's Big Disaster script and told Richard Curtis to schedule it for release the following summer, then begin preparations for Notting Hill.
• Catherine Zeta-Jones told Aaron that Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet had been cast as the leads in James Cameron's Titanic.
• Catherine Zeta-Jones drove Aaron to London and told him about Trainspotting, which Aaron watched after returning to his villa.
• Aaron praised Danny Boyle's filmmaking while discussing Trainspotting and the challenges facing British cinema with Catherine Zeta-Jones.
• Catherine Zeta-Jones told Aaron that MGM had announced Tomorrow Never Dies, set partly in Hong Kong, and that Martin Campbell had stepped down as director.
• Aaron decided to visit the set of The English Patient the next day.

While working on The English Patient, Aaron learned that Peter Jackson might seek the rights to adapt The Lord of the Rings and considered developing the trilogy. After John Woo proposed crashing a plane into the Sands Hotel for Face/Off, Aaron decided to travel to Las Vegas to negotiate with Sheldon Adelson.

• Saul Zaentz told Aaron that a New Zealand horror-film director had been asking about The Lord of the Rings adaptation rights, and Aaron suspected it was Peter Jackson.
• Aaron told Saul that Dawn would consider adapting The Lord of the Rings as a trilogy if the project proved feasible.
• At the Isabel Club, Catherine Zeta-Jones told Aaron that Charles and Diana's marriage had officially ended, and they later watched the Spice Girls perform before leaving together.
• Ethelind Beckett told Aaron that John Woo approved the Face/Off script and its proposed leads, Nicolas Cage and John Travolta.
• Ethelind told Aaron that John Woo wanted to film a plane crashing into the Sands Hotel before its demolition, and Aaron agreed to meet owner Sheldon Adelson in Las Vegas.

Aaron invested $200 million in Sands Entertainment Group for a 10% stake in the Venetian Resort, then returned to New York to discuss the Rockets’ playoff prospects and Hakeem Olajuwon’s contract. The chapter left the Rockets facing the Lakers in the first round, with Aaron postponing contract decisions until after the playoffs.

• Sheldon Adelson offered Aaron a 10% stake in the Venetian Resort for $200 million, and Aaron agreed to invest in Sands Entertainment Group.
• Aaron gambled with Catherine Zeta-Jones at Treasure Island, then asked about her plans for the Cannes Film Festival while they spent the night together.
• Aaron’s investment depleted the cash Dawn had received from its IPO, while the Dawn Center Building in Times Square neared its topping-out stage.
• Jack Wells told Aaron that the Rockets had finished fourth in the West and would face the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.
• Jack Wells warned Aaron that Hakeem Olajuwon’s contract would expire the following year, and Aaron said they would consider an extension after the playoffs.

Aaron met Naomi Watts at a celebration party and offered to recommend her for David Fincher’s film The Game. After an accidental car collision, he learned that the injured driver was Charlize, who wanted to leave the hospital quickly to pursue a leading role.

• Aaron discussed Jim Carrey’s projects and Face/Off’s filming plans with Dawn Steel at Universal’s celebration party.
• Aaron met Naomi Watts and offered to recommend her for David Fincher’s The Game, which excited her.
• Aaron and Naomi kissed in a parked car, and Aaron accidentally hit the car in front of them when his foot struck the accelerator.
• Aaron’s bodyguards took the injured driver to the hospital, and Aaron’s lawyer arranged to cover her expenses and lost income.
• Charlize told her mother she wanted to leave the hospital because she had a promising opportunity to play a female lead.

After Aaron learned that the woman he had accidentally injured was newcomer Charlize Theron, whose role in The Devil's Advocate was at risk, he visited her in the hospital. Charlize chose to take his business card and recover before seeking work, leaving open the possibility of a future connection.

• Naomi Watts left Aaron after he promised to recommend her for a role in The Game.
• Christiana Yeri told Aaron that the injured newcomer Charlize Theron might lose her female lead role in The Devil's Advocate because filming was about to begin.
• Aaron visited Charlize in the hospital and advised her to recover rather than rush back for a role with little acting opportunity.
• Aaron offered Charlize either an immediate female lead role or one of his business cards after she recovered, and Charlize chose the business card.
• Aaron learned Charlize had studied ballet and suggested she watch the Broadway musical Chicago.

Aaron visited Charlize Theron and arranged for her to play an important supporting role in Scream 2, while Dawn declined to invest in Paul Verhoeven’s proposed Starship Troopers adaptation. At the Met Gala, Aaron discussed Winona Ryder’s role in Alien 4 and the increasingly fierce competition among studios.

• Charlize Theron considered Aaron Anderson’s offer and the $200,000 he had given her, while suspecting Universal might adapt Chicago.
• Aaron told Christiana Yeri that Charlize Theron would get an important supporting role in Scream 2.
• Christiana Yeri relayed Paul Verhoeven’s request for over $100 million to adapt Starship Troopers, and Aaron declined to invest.
• Aaron attended the Met Gala with Winona Ryder and learned she had joined Alien 4 as a female android opposite Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley.
• Winona Ryder told Aaron that 20th Century Fox was also preparing the Star Wars prequel trilogy with George Lucas.

Aaron discussed European luxury brands at the Met Gala as The Rock opened strongly, then Mission: Impossible outperformed it on its debut, demonstrating Tom Cruise’s star power. In New York, Charlize Theron received an audition for Scream 2 and decided to head to Los Angeles.

• Aaron spoke with Winona Ryder about the rising value of European luxury brands at the Met Gala.
• The Rock premiered at Alcatraz, earned $25 million in its first three days, and received varied reviews.
• Aaron and Tom Rothman praised Michael Bay’s action style and discussed the competition from Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible.
• Mission: Impossible earned $45 million in its opening weekend, while The Rock made $18 million in its second weekend.
• Charlize Theron learned her agent had secured her an audition for Scream 2 and decided to travel to Los Angeles.

Aaron spent Memorial Day weekend with Winona Ryder before discussing the Houston Rockets' future after their playoff loss. He urged a rebuild and considered pursuing Michael Jordan when his Bulls contract expired.

• Aaron and Winona Ryder discussed upcoming films, Cannes, and her improving insomnia during their East Hampton getaway.
• The Houston Rockets lost their Western Conference semifinal series to the Seattle SuperSonics, while the Utah Jazz advanced past the San Antonio Spurs.
• Aaron told Jack Wells that the Rockets needed to rebuild and find a successor for Hakeem Olajuwon because the roster was aging.
• Aaron suggested that Houston could pursue Michael Jordan when his Chicago Bulls contract expired, and Jack Wells agreed to monitor the offseason market.

Aaron attended a Clinton fundraising dinner and discussed Hollywood as MGM reclaimed its film library and studios competed for projects. At Universal, Aaron rejected a horror-and-romance approach to The Mummy and ordered it reimagined as a blockbuster action-adventure with horror elements.

• Aaron told Lloyd Bentsen Jr. that Clinton seemed poised to win reelection and criticized the political influence behind him.
• MGM bought back the rights to its post-1948 film library from Time Warner for $1.38 billion, while DreamWorks accelerated animation production and bid against Disney and Fox for Mouse Hunt.
• New Line Cinema and Dawn's Marvel Studios began preparing Blade.
• Dawn Steel explained how earlier attempts to develop The Mummy had stalled after disagreements with directors Clive Barker and George A. Romero.
• Aaron rejected Joe Dante's proposed reincarnation romance and called for The Mummy to become a large-scale action-adventure film with the mummy as the protagonist's adversary.

Michael Eisner lost confidence in Michael Ovitz amid the Jamie Tarses poaching scandal and Jeffrey Katzenberg’s lawsuit against Disney. He told Robert Iger that Ovitz would soon no longer be president, while MGM executives rejected the idea of hiring him.

• Disney’s recruitment of Jamie Tarses became a media scandal, and Michael Eisner ordered Michael Ovitz to apologize despite Ovitz denying responsibility.
• Jeffrey Katzenberg won DreamWorks SKG the rights to Mouse Hunt, announced it as the studio’s first live-action film, and sued Disney over his departure settlement.
• Michael Ovitz sent Michael Eisner a letter expressing his frustration, but Eisner discarded it.
• Robert Iger told Michael Eisner he did not want to report to Michael Ovitz, and Eisner promised that Ovitz would no longer be president.
• Edgar Bronfman Jr. asked Frank Mancuso about hiring Michael Ovitz, but Mancuso advised against it because of Ovitz’s damaged relationships and Ronald Meyer’s likely objections.