Wait, this unique atmosphere, the vivid characters, and the warmth beneath their everyday bickering—wasn't this the classic sleeper hit, the phenomenon that made it big on a shoestring budget, My Big Fat Greek Wedding?
A surge of excitement seized her. Irene instinctively reached for her phone, wanting to call her agent, Shelly, right away.
A project this rare was worth a prominent place on her résumé, whether or not she could invest in it. Even just being listed as a producer would be enough—and that was before considering its terrifying box-office potential.
After a night of repeatedly clicking through documents, the motion had become muscle memory. She'd just closed the exhilarating file when, without any warning, she opened the last one.
The next second, several bold black words leaped into view: Almost Famous.
Irene's hand froze in midair, still reaching for her phone. She stared, stunned, then an unbelievable mix of absurdity and elation welled up inside her, drawing a quiet laugh from her.
"Should I say I'm lucky or unlucky?" she murmured to the empty room, her voice full of wry disbelief at fate's sense of humor.
This was insane. In a single night, two scripts capable of changing a director's career had appeared before her out of nowhere.
One was a famous box-office sleeper hit. Made for a mere five million dollars, it had raked in 370 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful investments in film history. It had once broken the box-office record for romantic comedies and worked a miracle for independent cinema.
The other was an Oscar favorite, a nostalgic, rock-and-roll-infused semi-autobiographical film. Delicate and moving, it had earned four Oscar nominations that year, including Best Original Screenplay, and ultimately taken home the coveted little golden statuette. It was an almost perfect blend