Two days later.
"Juno is an interesting film. It's right up my alley," Richard Linklater said, holding the script.
Hearing that, Zucker couldn't help feeling delighted. "Does that mean you're accepting our offer?"
"That's right. I'm in." Richard Linklater smiled.
He was no small-time filmmaker.
He wasn't a Hollywood newcomer.
As early as 1995, Richard Linklater had been crowned Best Director at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival. In the twenty-first century, he would be hailed as one of the most successful independent filmmakers in America.
He was a classic example of a self-taught talent. He had no film-school background and didn't come from an entertainment family, which made him all the more admirable.
Although his films tended to be niche—Strange Ways of Life, Dazed and Confused, Boyhood, and others—Zucker hadn't seen a single one.
Still, Zucker knew about his directing style.
He was particularly good at focusing on rebellious young people. With humor, vivid dialogue, poetic camerawork, and ethereal music, he explored how people understood and thought about love as they grew up, showing them a rare degree of sympathy and understanding.
A campus comedy about an underage girl getting pregnant before marriage like Juno was exactly the sort of film Richard Linklater excelled at.
Of course, his directing fee was also quite high. To keep him from taking a share of the box-office revenue, Zucker reluctantly paid him a directing fee of $1.2 million. Well, he was worth it.
With that, Wrong Turn 1, Hard Candy, and Juno all entered preproduction.
Zucker wouldn't direct any of them. Instead, he chose to produce all three films.
A few more days passed.
Zucker returned to Wald Pictures and shared his idea of making knockoff versions of hit films with CEO Victor.
But Victor objected. "Boss, it's a good idea, but have you considered one thing?"
"What's that?" Zucker asked curiously.
Making money was a good thing, wasn't it?
"Boss, if all you want is to make money through Wald Pictures, then there's nothing wrong with specializing in knockoff films. The results would be just as you expect: a sure profit. But it would also deal a huge blow to the company by destroying its ability to create original work!"
"On top of that, we'd lose a whole batch of ambitious young people hoping to make it in Hollywood. In the end, we'd be caught in a vicious cycle, and Wald Pictures would always be one of the bottom-tier studios in Hollywood."
"And there's more. Even if our knockoff films made money, we'd inevitably offend a lot of people—especially the major studios!"
As he spoke, Victor's expression grew dark, and he finally fell silent.
"Uh..."
For a moment, Zucker was speechless too.
Damn!
I almost did something unbelievably stupid!
Making knockoff films would piss off the major studios, but that didn't scare Zucker in the slightest. As long as he could make money, he didn't care about crossing a line.
So what if they went head-to-head?
In a few years, when I'm rich, we'll see who's tougher.
But Victor was right. A company wasn't made up of just one person. Ambitious young people in Hollywood wouldn't be content to hole up at a small studio that made nothing but knockoff films. They'd see no room to advance! Wald Pictures would lose the drive to move forward and remain a bottom-tier film studio forever.
Without talent, what was the point?
That was something Zucker simply couldn't accept.
"All right, Victor. I owe you an apology."
Zucker apologized sincerely to Victor. He thanked him on the spot for the warning and promised not to bring up knockoff films again.
Knockoff films may be out, but I'm a time traveler! I can take films they haven't made yet and snatch up the rights to future Hollywood hits before anyone else. That should be fair game.
Zucker really was crafty.
A few days later.
Zucker put aside his other work and devoted himself to preparing the three films.
Of the three productions, Wrong Turn needed its filming locations scouted, along with a large number of murder props. Juno had the highest production budget, and director Richard Linklater had high standards; even the script still hadn't been finalized.
So Zucker's main focus for the moment was Hard Candy.
That day, Hard Candy was holding auditions. Zucker, CEO Victor, and director Zack Snyder made up the casting team and were in charge of the auditions.
They were casting both the male and female leads.
"Tell us a little about yourself," Victor said to the girl in front of him.
"Of course, sir."
The first girl to audition for the lead role was only sixteen, but she seemed nervous, and her performance was disastrous. Zucker and the other two rejected her on the spot.
The first audition had failed;
then one young actress after another tried out for the female lead, and each was rejected.
"Sorry. I don't see any spark in you at all."
"You're a little too old. You seem too mature."
"Sorry, you're not what we're looking for."
"Oh, little one, you're too young. Come back in a few years, okay?"
After so many failed auditions, Zucker and the others were getting impatient.
"Hard Candy is about Little Red Riding Hood turning the tables on the perverted Big Bad Wolf. The actress has to be no older than sixteen, and she needs to have a spark. There just aren't many actresses like that," Zack Snyder said with a sigh.
In fact, there were plenty of actresses like that.
But they'd started appearing in commercials, TV shows, and films at a young age, so their asking prices were too high for Hard Candy's low-budget production.
It was Zack's first time directing a film, and he had high standards for the male and female leads. If the film failed, he'd have to slink back to directing music videos.
"Next!" Victor called.
Another young girl came in. She was blonde and very pretty.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Jessica Alba. I'm fifteen years old. I've appeared in several films, including Camp Nowhere and Venus Rising, and—"
Before she could finish, Victor cut her off. "We already have your résumé."
"Huh?"
Zucker had been feeling bored, but then he noticed a familiar face and took an interest.
Jessica Alba? Wasn't she the one who would play Invisible Woman Susan in Fantastic Four in the future? Zucker thought.
For a moment, he found himself looking forward to her performance.
But...
Her performance only disappointed him.
Hard Candy's lead, Hailey, was supposed to look like a harmless, sweet little girl. Yet as she castrated the Big Bad Wolf, she had to give off a chilling air beneath that innocent appearance.
Jessica Alba clearly wasn't right for the role. She was the very picture of a sweet, innocent girl. How could she play the highly intelligent Hailey?
Rejected!
There was no question about it!
If she couldn't make Zucker money, then even if she were Audrey Hepburn, she still wouldn't do!
The casting didn't go smoothly at first, but by the end of the day, they'd found the actors they wanted.
Hailey, the female lead: Scarlett Johansson;
Jeff, the male lead: Mark Ruffalo.
"Now that's interesting."
Looking at the final list, Zucker couldn't help laughing.
He was struck by how strange fate could be.
Thirteen-year-old Scarlett Johansson would go on to become Marvel's Black Widow. Meanwhile, Mark Ruffalo, who'd been cast as Jeff, would later play Hulk in The Avengers films.
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