The Choice of Director

The next day.

Excited by a stroke of genius, Zucker arrived at the company early in the morning, intending to carry his copycat strategy through to the end.

However, he unexpectedly ran into Charlize Theron.

"Hey, Charlize, I haven't seen you in over half a month, and you're still as beautiful as ever." Zucker's compliments were always ready on his lips.

"Zucker, you're still as handsome as ever, too."

It had to be said that Charlize Theron, known as the Queen, was truly stunning. Today, she wore a sky-blue shirt that perfectly accentuated her bust, making her look incredibly alluring.

Of course, the moment Zucker thought of her dating criteria—"lacking fatherly love, wanting a boyfriend like a father"—he instantly lost interest.

"Uh... what brings you here today?" Zucker asked curiously.

"Oh~~"

At these words, Charlize made a very disappointed face: "Zucker, you've let me down. We said we were friends, but you actually forgot that I'm the brand ambassador for SpongeBob House. I'm here today to shoot the commercial."

"Oh, sorry, sorry. I'll treat you to a meal later to make up for it, alright?" Zucker waved his hand with a smile.

"Fine, I forgive you, since you're the big boss."

The Queen laughed happily.

Clearly, she had been doing quite well lately.

She never expected that Run Lola Run, in which she starred, would gross over ten million dollars. For someone just starting out, this was an incredibly important addition to her resume.

Moreover, she had been scouted by the American agency giant CAA and successfully signed with them. It was said that the company was currently looking for suitable film roles for her.

"Then I must congratulate you. Hmm, it looks like you'll be the one treating me to lunch then."

Zucker was quite the sly fox.

With a single congratulatory remark, he had managed to score a big meal.

Of course, Zucker was genuinely happy for her upon learning she had joined CAA, and he also felt proud of himself. The more famous Charlize became, the better it was for SpongeBob House; after all, she was their ambassador, and a lifetime one at that.

Afterward, the two chatted for a while longer.

The atmosphere was quite pleasant.

Not long after, the arrival of a photographer from Wald Pictures interrupted their conversation, as Charlize was there to shoot the commercial.

"Let's talk later." Zucker waved his hand with a smile.

Walking into the office of CEO Victor, he first inquired about the progress of the script adaptation.

"Boss, the script is still being adapted. I estimate it will be finished within a week. Of course, once the director is confirmed, I need to discuss it with them before finalizing the draft."

Victor said slowly.

Although Hollywood was a producer-centric system where, in principle, the producer could decide everything, including the final script, for a small company like Wald Pictures, they highly respected the director's work. After all, if things went well, this director might become a major talent in the future and bring greater profits to the company. Just look at Harvey Weinstein; didn't he make a fortune by discovering Quentin Tarantino?

"That's good. Hmm, has anyone been arranged to apply for the copyright at the union and the Copyright Office?" Zucker asked.

"I arranged for Martha to do it first thing this morning."

"Do we have any candidates for the director?"

"Not yet, but I have already started looking."

It had to be said that with Victor around, Zucker felt much more at ease.

"Haha, Victor. I actually have a few suitable candidates." Zucker laughed at this moment.

"Uh..."

For a moment, Victor couldn't help but feel curious. Having spent over half a year with Zucker, he knew that although the young man was young, he would never act without a purpose.

Zucker mysteriously took a few sheets of paper out of his briefcase, each containing information about different film directors.

Film: Wrong Turn, director tentatively slated as: M. Night Shyamalan;

Film: Hard Candy, director tentatively slated as: Zack Snyder;

Film: Juno, director tentatively slated as: Richard Linklater.

This time, Zucker was clearly planning to play a big game, shooting three films at once to break into the American market in one fell swoop.

The home of director M. Night Shyamalan.

"Wald Pictures? You want me to direct a movie?"

Shyamalan, with his Indian features, looked at Zucker and Martha Hopkins, who had come to visit, with complete confusion and doubt.

"Yes, we are certain that you are the director we are looking for." Martha said solemnly.

???

Without a doubt, M. Night Shyamalan was completely bewildered at this moment.

Yes, he wanted to become a director and was working hard toward that goal, but he never expected the opportunity to come so suddenly.

He had to remember, he was only 26 years old this year!

He was quite young, to say the least. Furthermore, he had never officially directed a theatrical film. Well, student projects didn't count.

Although he was incredibly excited at this moment, he still suppressed his joy and asked, "May I ask, why me?"

Hearing this, Zucker Wald and Martha exchanged a smile.

"Why couldn't it be you? Let me introduce you: Zucker Wald, the boss of our company, as well as a genius director, screenwriter, and producer. He is only 19 years old, and his debut film, Run Lola Run, is currently showing across the United States, with a cumulative box office of 14 million dollars. Choosing you to be the director of Wrong Turn was also our boss's strong recommendation," Martha said, enunciating every word.

A genius director?

And a screenwriter and producer?

Run Lola Run?

A 14 million dollar box office?

Martha's four-hit combo dealt a massive psychological blow to Shyamalan.

Immediately, Shyamalan's gaze shifted to the young Zucker.

Zucker sat on the sofa with a straight face and pretended to be annoyed with Martha, saying, "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm just an ordinary young director, not some genius."

The feeling of showing off was fantastic!

That's right, at this moment, Zucker was absolutely delighted inside.

In the end, M. Night Shyamalan accepted the invitation from Wald Pictures to become the director of Wrong Turn 1, with an initial negotiated salary of 150,000 dollars.

M. Night Shyamalan was indeed very young right now and had never directed a theatrical film, that was true, but he was the screenwriter and director of the 1999 North American box office runner-up, The Sixth Sense, a future prodigy.

In other words, by securing him now, the hundreds of millions of dollars in box office revenue from The Sixth Sense would also flow into Zucker's pockets.

On the set of a music video shoot.

As the great director who would go on to film 300, Man of Steel, and the DC Justice League, Zack Snyder was currently just an ordinary music video director.

At this moment, facing the offer delivered to his doorstep by Wald Pictures, he accepted without hesitation.

In his own words: "Every music video director wants to become a film director, and I am no exception. This is a rare opportunity!"

With that, Zack Snyder officially became the director of Hard Candy, and his salary was also 150,000 dollars. That's right, his directing fee was the same as M. Night Shyamalan's.

After all, both of them were worth Zucker's efforts to recruit. Anyone who could bring him profit was a good partner. Therefore, he couldn't favor one over the other.