Little Leo Joins

The news that The Departed had been fast-tracked sent shock waves through Hollywood. But after looking into it a little, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"A movie chasing awards?"

"Well, that's nothing to worry about!"

"Exactly. We were worried Wald Pictures was making another big-budget commercial blockbuster. If that were the case, we'd have reason to worry. But now? It's just an awards contender."

What Hollywood studios had always worried about were commercial blockbusters like Spider-Man and Harry Potter. Their box-office hauls could easily reach hundreds of millions of dollars, which would have a huge impact on the performance of their own films.

An awards contender?

Or an art-house film?

Heh. Unless they had a particular reason to, Hollywood studios basically didn't worry about those. The vast majority of art-house films and awards contenders were made at a loss, just to earn a little prestige. They didn't make money!

And yet!

"Who says The Departed is just an art-house awards contender? It's a crime film. It may not be a full-fledged commercial blockbuster, but it's still a sharp, highly entertaining action film that blends commercial and artistic appeal!"

"I want box-office revenue!"

"And I want awards!"

As Zucker read the reports in the media and newspapers, he was brimming with confidence.

At Zucker's command, all of Wald Pictures sprang into action like a massive, perfectly calibrated machine, moving at an astonishing speed.

"The Departed's two male leads have been personally chosen by the boss: Leonardo and Matt Damon. Matt Damon is interested in the role, and we're negotiating the contract with his agent. But the chances of Leonardo accepting are not high."

That day, Wald Pictures was holding a meeting.

Kevin Feige frowned. "Leonardo can be difficult, sure, but this project was personally approved by the boss. He shouldn't