Chapter Summaries

After Phone Booth finished filming, Aaron discussed Warren Beatty’s efforts to smear the film and urged Jack Wells to pursue a better opportunity at CAA. Aaron then paid Jack to stir up trouble between Beatty and Sean Penn by publicizing Beatty’s affair with Madonna.

• Aaron told David Fincher and Quentin Tarantino to finish editing Phone Booth, then left the nightclub with Nicole Kidman.
• Jack Wells warned Aaron that Warren Beatty was attacking him and Phone Booth, and that Dustin Hoffman might also hinder his career.
• Aaron advised Jack to ask Paula Wagner to make him Kevin Costner’s assistant agent, citing Dances with Wolves and Aaron’s interest in working with Costner on Ghost.
• Aaron suggested provoking Sean Penn with stories about Warren Beatty and Madonna, then gave Jack five thousand dollars to spread the gossip to reporters.
• Aaron told Jack that he wanted Beatty to suffer and said explicit photos would be even better for ruining his reputation.

At a Hollywood Foreign Press Association Christmas party, Aaron Anderson discussed the Golden Globe nominees and awards campaigning with Nicole Kidman and Paula Wagner. The chapter left Aaron noticing Warren Beatty arrive with a woman.

• Aaron Anderson and Nicole Kidman attended the Christmas ball and discussed Golden Globe nominees Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, and Peter Weir's Dead Poets Society.
• Aaron and Nicole spoke with Peter Weir before Aaron left to talk with Paula Wagner.
• Aaron told Paula that Dawn Pictures' Phone Booth was being edited and that he wanted better distribution terms than Miramax offered.
• Aaron and Paula discussed Tom Cruise's Oscar chances and how Miramax was campaigning for Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot.
• Aaron saw Warren Beatty enter the hall with a woman.

Aaron Anderson caught Warren Beatty and Isabelle Adjani leaving the Golden Globes ball together and arranged to expose them at La Brea Tar Pits Park. The reporters photographed the pair as they fled their smoking car, and Aaron left after calling the police.

• Aaron Anderson spotted Warren Beatty with Isabelle Adjani and called Jack Wells to watch the museum exit.
• Aaron saw Isabelle Adjani leave with Warren Beatty in a black Cadillac and had Jack Wells follow them to La Brea Tar Pits Park.
• Aaron ordered Jack Wells to summon reporters, then set liquor-soaked newspapers on fire beneath the Cadillac to smoke the pair out.
• Isabelle Adjani and Warren Beatty rushed out of the car, and reporters photographed them in disarray.
• Aaron called the police and drove away with Jack Wells, expecting the scandal to reach the papers.

Aaron and Jack Wells used Warren Beatty’s scandal to damage his reputation and promote Pretty Woman, while Aaron prepared to support Kevin Costner and traveled to Milan with Jennifer Connelly. In Italy, Aaron met director Giuseppe Tornatore and discussed Cinema Paradiso’s awards prospects and future film projects.

• Nicole Kidman read Aaron newspaper coverage of Warren Beatty and Isabelle Adjani’s scandal, and Aaron dismissed her concerns about trouble from it.
• Jack Wells told Aaron that Warren Beatty’s reputation had collapsed, and Aaron instructed him to revive the Pretty Woman and Dick Tracy bet in the newspapers and switch to Kevin Costner’s team.
• Aaron discussed the Sundance Film Festival with Nicole Kidman and said he would first go to Italy to finish preparations for Phone Booth.
• Aaron arrived in Milan with Jennifer Connelly two days before the New Year, and Giuseppe Tornatore hosted them at dinner before Jennifer began filming.
• Aaron encouraged Giuseppe Tornatore to attend the Golden Globe Awards and promote Cinema Paradiso at the Oscars, and offered to develop future films with him.

Aaron accompanied Jennifer Connelly in Milan, then returned to Hollywood and discussed Phone Booth and Disney’s recent success with Quentin Tarantino and David Fincher. At the Golden Globes, he met director Edward Zwick and offered him the script for Ghost before Denzel Washington won Best Supporting Actor.

• Jennifer Connelly took Aaron sightseeing in Milan and warned him about thieves before they visited Milan Cathedral.
• Aaron returned to America with Jennifer Connelly and Giuseppe Tornatore, then discussed Phone Booth’s prospects with Quentin Tarantino and David Fincher at Aurora Film Company.
• At the Golden Globes, Aaron attended with Nicole Kidman, met Edward Zwick, and offered to send him the script for Ghost.
• The Little Mermaid won awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song, and Julia Roberts won Best Supporting Actress for Steel Magnolias.
• Denzel Washington won Best Supporting Actor for Glory, and Aaron and Nicole Kidman congratulated him.

At the Golden Globes, Aaron Anderson spoke with filmmakers and actors before leaving with Nicole Kidman. He planned to pursue a distributor for Phone Booth and bring Edward Zwick on to direct Ghost, while Steven Soderbergh remained unsure of his next project.

• Giuseppe Tornatore told Aaron he was returning to Italy to resume filming Everybody's Fine and would come back before the Oscars.
• Aaron encountered Robert Downey Jr. in the restroom, declined his offer of a cigarette, and later watched Driving Miss Daisy and Born on the Fourth of July take major awards.
• Outside the Beverly Hilton, Steven Soderbergh told Aaron and Nicole Kidman he felt lost without a suitable project, and Aaron encouraged him to keep preparing films.
• Aaron explained to Nicole that Soderbergh's demands had prevented several projects from coming together and that his Palme d'Or did not give him much leverage in Hollywood.
• Nicole asked whether Aaron planned to invite Edward Zwick to direct Ghost, and Aaron said he was looking for a distributor for Phone Booth before pursuing the film.

Aaron Anderson negotiated a distribution deal for Phone Booth with 20th Century Fox, securing a spring release and tiered box-office fees. He signed the contract and left Fox Plaza ready to celebrate.

• Aaron Anderson met 20th Century Fox president Joe Roth at Fox Plaza to discuss distributing Phone Booth.
• Joe Roth offered to release the film in at least 300 theaters in March, with a $1 million initial marketing budget and a 20% distribution fee.
• Aaron Anderson negotiated tiered distribution fees, and Joe Roth also secured first refusal on the film’s videotape and television rights.
• Aaron Anderson and his lawyer Daniel Williams signed the contract, including detailed terms for theaters and advertising.
• Daniel Williams mentioned that his Columbia Law student assistant would return for an internship in March, and Aaron left to celebrate the deal.

Aaron Anderson assessed the test screening of "Phone Booth" with David Fincher, then discussed promoting the film and developing his next project, "Ghost." After talking with Jack Wells about work and the "Home Alone" casting, Aaron proposed starting a security company together.

• Aaron and David Fincher watched a test screening of "Phone Booth" and agreed that its tense pacing made it a strong suspense film.
• Aaron asked David Fincher how to create affordable effects for "Ghost" and said he was waiting to hear from director Edward Zwick before contacting Kevin Costner.
• Aaron told Jack Wells that "Phone Booth" needed better promotion, and Jack explained that 20th Century Fox had taken over "Home Alone" after Warner Bros. withdrew.
• Jack Wells said he would work as Kevin Costner's assistant and driver, and Aaron suggested that they start a security company recruiting former special forces soldiers.
• Aaron proposed funding the company and taking it international once he had money, while Jack agreed to go hunting with him.

Aaron attended the Independent Spirit Awards with Nicole Kidman, where Sex, Lies, and Videotape won four awards and strengthened Miramax’s reputation. Afterward, Aaron and Harvey Weinstein discussed cooperating, but Aaron argued Miramax should focus on commercial films, leaving their partnership uncertain.

• The Academy Award nominations were announced, with Driving Miss Daisy leading and Sex, Lies, and Videotape receiving a Best Original Screenplay nomination.
• Aaron accompanied Nicole Kidman to the Independent Spirit Awards, where Sex, Lies, and Videotape won Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress.
• Harvey Weinstein congratulated Aaron and proposed greater cooperation between Miramax and Aaron’s production company.
• Aaron told Harvey Weinstein that he wanted to develop commercial films and argued that Miramax should concentrate resources on a major hit rather than acquire many independent films.
• Nicole Kidman cautioned Aaron that his ambitions were aggressive, and Aaron said Miramax was expanding recklessly and had limited cash flow.

Aaron Anderson secured Kevin Costner for Ghost and advanced the project toward production while learning that Orion Pictures was struggling financially. He left the chapter considering Orion’s weakness and Dawn Pictures’ potential to expand across the entertainment industry.

• Aaron Anderson, Edward Zwick, and Bruce Robin discussed Ghost, with Aaron saying Kevin Costner had received the script and promising a budget of at least $15 million.
• After Revenge flopped, Aaron met Kevin Costner, who accepted the lead role in Ghost and agreed to begin filming in June after finishing Dances with Wolves.
• Aaron confirmed that Nicole Kidman would play the female lead and planned screen tests and rehearsals once preparations were complete.
• By March, Dawn Pictures had hired staff, and accountant Jessica Parker told Aaron that Orion Pictures faced worsening financial problems and John Kluge wanted to sell it.
• Aaron criticized Orion’s costly, mostly unprofitable film slate and envisioned Dawn Pictures expanding into television, home entertainment, games, and merchandise.

Aaron negotiated with Joe Roth over 20th Century Fox’s investment and distribution terms for Ghost, but decided to wait for more box-office results before accepting. As Phone Booth continued succeeding, Aaron and Jennifer Connelly went to the beach and prepared to attend the premiere of Pretty Woman.

• Phone Booth opened in 650 theaters and earned 7.1 million US Dollars over its first three days.
• Joe Roth offered 20th Century Fox’s 11 million US Dollars for half of Ghost’s equity, with repayment priority and distribution fees Aaron found too high for North America.
• Aaron said he would consider Fox’s offer and planned to wait for Phone Booth’s returns and other films’ box-office results before deciding.
• Aaron and Jennifer Connelly spent time at Santa Monica Beach, where Jennifer told him Phone Booth had reached 12 million US Dollars after ten days.
• Aaron invited Jennifer Connelly to the premiere of Pretty Woman, which he said mattered to his reputation.

Aaron Anderson rejected a suggestive romantic-comedy script for Jennifer Connelly and celebrated Phone Booth’s box-office success. He prepared to sell the film’s international distribution rights and focus on independently producing Ghost, while Nicole Kidman agreed to handle the Australian rights.

• Aaron Anderson rejected John Hughes’s Some Kind of Wonderful for Jennifer Connelly, who agreed with Aaron’s decision.
• Aaron and Jennifer watched the Academy Awards, where Driving Miss Daisy won Best Picture, and Pretty Woman earned $32 million in ten days.
• Aaron held a celebration banquet for Phone Booth after its box office passed $20 million, with David Fincher, Nicholas Cage, Adam Sandler, Nicole Kidman, Quentin Tarantino, and Jack Wells attending.
• Aaron told Nicole Kidman he planned to sell Phone Booth’s Australian distribution rights and prepare Ghost as an independent production so he could control the film.
• Nicole Kidman agreed to pursue the Australian rights and said she would have to return to Australia.

Aaron celebrated Phone Booth’s success, dealt with Adam Sandler’s former agent, and discussed the growing box-office prospects of his films. In New York, he met Sidney Ganis to discuss Asian distribution rights for Phone Booth, and Ganis expressed interest in Aaron’s Ghost project.

• Jack Wells told Aaron that Ari Emanuel had approached Adam Sandler, and Aaron suggested hiring men to rob and beat Ari up while Jack preferred to handle it himself.
• Aaron and Nicole Kidman discussed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ strong opening and her preparation for Ghost.
• Driving Miss Daisy, Born on the Fourth of July, Pretty Woman, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles posted major North American box-office totals, while Raymond Chow thanked Aaron for securing Golden Harvest a tiered revenue-sharing deal.
• Aaron traveled to New York to discuss Asian distribution rights for Phone Booth with Sony’s Columbia TriStar International Pictures.
• Sidney Ganis told Aaron that he also headed production at Columbia Pictures and that he thought highly of Ghost.

Aaron negotiated Sony Columbia’s distribution terms for Ghost and used the signed contract to seek financing for the film. Credit Suisse First Boston offered him a loan of up to 12 million US dollars, leaving Aaron to decide whether to accept the terms.

• Aaron and Sidney Ganis bargained over Phone Booth’s Asian distribution rights, settling on 3.5 million US dollars.
• Aaron negotiated tiered distribution fees for Ghost, and Sidney Ganis agreed to the terms.
• Daniel Williams reviewed the contract, and Aaron signed Ghost’s distribution deal with Sony on behalf of Dawn Pictures.
• Aaron approached a Credit Suisse First Boston film fund and sought a 15 million US dollar loan using the distribution contract as collateral.
• The fund manager offered Aaron a maximum 12 million US dollar loan for three years at 9% annual interest.

Aaron secured enough money for Dawn Pictures to develop Ghost, then celebrated Pretty Woman’s success at a Disney banquet and discussed Nicole Kidman’s upcoming filming and Cannes plans. The chapter left Aaron observing signs of a power struggle at Disney as Pretty Woman outperformed expectations and Dick Tracy’s prospects weakened.

• Aaron accepted Village Roadshow Entertainment’s $1.5 million offer for Phone Booth’s Australian distribution rights and pressed 20th Century Fox to pay more for its video and television rights.
• 20th Century Fox transferred $8.8 million to Dawn Pictures, bringing its account balance to $25.8 million and giving Aaron enough to fund Ghost.
• Pretty Woman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles each passed $100 million at the North American box office, while Pretty Woman’s international total reached $150 million.
• At Disney’s celebration banquet, Jeffrey Katzenberg gave Aaron a $500,000 check, which Aaron handed to Nicole Kidman.
• Aaron told Nicole that Ghost would film at Sony Studios and in Chicago, and Nicole said she would rehearse before attending Cannes for Wild at Heart.
• Aaron noticed Disney president Frank Wells at the banquet but not CEO Michael Eisner, and considered how Pretty Woman’s success could leave Dick Tracy and Warren Beatty struggling.

Aaron prepared for Ghost while rewarding David Fincher and Nicolas Cage for Phone Booth’s success, and Nicole Kidman went to Cannes with Wild at Heart. At The Viper Room, Aaron learned Ari Emanuel had left Los Angeles after being injured in a robbery, then encountered a high River Phoenix and Johnny Depp.

• Aaron and Nicole Kidman discussed her prospects as a future Hollywood star before Ghost’s crew and financial supervisors assembled for rehearsals.
• Aaron gave David Fincher and Nicolas Cage $400,000 each as profit-sharing bonuses after Phone Booth finished its box office run.
• Aaron watched Kathy Bates rehearse for Ghost as Edward Zwick praised her theater experience and audition.
• Nicole Kidman left for Cannes to promote Wild at Heart, while Aaron stayed in Los Angeles and considered how to use Dawn Pictures’ remaining funds.
• Jack Wells told Aaron that Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman were busy promoting Dick Tracy, that Ari Emanuel had returned to Chicago after a robbery, and that he was now Kevin Costner’s agent.
• Aaron encountered a high River Phoenix in The Viper Room hallway, and Johnny Depp called out to explain that River had drunk too much.

Aaron socialized with River Phoenix and Johnny Depp before discussing Jennifer Connelly’s new role in Disney’s The Rocketeer. Later, Michael Kuhn offered PolyGram’s support for Dawn Pictures’ smaller film projects, leaving Aaron considering a potential budget of up to $10 million.

• Aaron met River Phoenix and Johnny Depp, discussed their lifestyles, and asked when Edward Scissorhands would be released.
• Jack Wells offered Aaron drugs while driving him home, and Aaron rejected them, bringing up his father’s death.
• Jennifer Connelly showed Aaron The Rocketeer script, and he approved her taking the female lead in the planned trilogy.
• Jennifer told Aaron she would attend the Toronto Film Festival to promote Everybody’s Fine.
• Michael Kuhn told Aaron that PolyGram could support film projects with production budgets under $10 million.

Aaron Anderson visited Warner Bros. with Jennifer Connelly before accompanying her to ICM to sign an agency contract. There, Nancy Josephson proposed that ICM package Dawn Pictures’ projects, but Aaron declined and agreed only to continue cooperating on actors.

• Thomas Gray visited Aaron Anderson at Dawn Pictures to discuss Golden Harvest and New Line preparing the sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
• Aaron Anderson and Jennifer Connelly saw the crowds gathered for Warner Bros.’ celebration, and Aaron remarked that Hollywood’s old guard was nearing its end.
• Aaron accompanied Jennifer Connelly to ICM, where she was signing an agency contract, and Nancy Josephson invited him to her office.
• Aaron told Nancy Josephson that Jennifer Connelly should keep studying and warned that turning down The Rocketeer could leave her without roles for years.
• Nancy Josephson offered to have ICM package Dawn Pictures’ projects, but Aaron rejected the arrangement and said they could cooperate on actors.

After Jennifer Connelly signed with ICM, Jeff Berg and Nancy Josephson discussed Aaron Anderson’s ambition, track record, and resistance to agency packaging. At Disney, Jeffrey Katzenberg offered to buy most of Dawn Pictures and support Aaron’s projects, but Aaron declined an exclusive arrangement and said he was focused on Ghost.

• Jennifer Connelly signed with ICM, and Nancy Josephson told Jeff Berg that Aaron Anderson resisted agency packaging.
• Jeff Berg praised Aaron’s aggressive career moves and noted that Pretty Woman’s success had outshone Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy.
• Nancy Josephson observed that CAA had lost Aaron and Jennifer Connelly while Warren Beatty’s reputation suffered.
• Aaron visited Disney’s Burbank studio as Jennifer joined The Rocketeer, directed by Joe Johnston.
• Jeffrey Katzenberg offered Disney’s support and proposed buying most of Dawn Pictures, but Aaron declined exclusive cooperation and said he would focus on Ghost.

At a Santa Monica bar, Aaron Anderson met Brad Pitt, who had just won a supporting role in Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise. Aaron left with Jennifer Connelly and learned that her film The Rocketeer would be shooting nearby in California.

• Aaron Anderson and Jennifer Connelly danced at a beach bar near Santa Monica Pier.
• Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis bumped into Aaron and Jennifer, then joined them for a drink.
• Brad told Aaron he had won a small role in Thelma & Louise after several rounds of auditions.
• Aaron praised the project and encouraged Brad to make the most of the opportunity before leaving with Jennifer.
• Aaron and Jennifer kissed in his car, and Jennifer said The Rocketeer would film in California and invited him to visit the set.