Chapter Summaries

Irene offered Hill the chance to become a producer, leaving him to consider the move and seek his teacher's advice. She chose Abigail Breslin to play Olive in Little Miss Sunshine, rejected family pressure to cast Margaret Coppola, and directed Robert to protect the young actors on set.

• Irene offered Hill a producing partnership at Echo Pictures, and Hill called his teacher for advice after she left.
• Robert told Irene that Saw and Little Miss Sunshine were nearly ready to shoot and presented three candidates for Olive.
• Irene allowed Margaret Coppola a small part but ruled her out for Olive because she lacked acting experience.
• Robert reported that Dakota Fanning was talented but too expensive, while Abigail Breslin suited Olive and fit the budget.
• Irene chose Abigail Breslin despite Shelly Ovitz's concerns about her connection to Mel Gibson and instructed Robert to protect the child actors during filming.

Sherry Lansing investigated Irene Coppola’s plans after Pirates of the Caribbean became a major hit, then ordered Paramount to study Hasbro toy properties for possible adaptations. Irene met with Robert Iger to discuss a sequel and presented a script while insisting that her writing credit and profit share stay unchanged.

• Lamb Williams reported that Pirates of the Caribbean earned $80.02 million in its opening week and ranked second on the annual box office list.
• Tom Hansen told Sherry Lansing that Echo Pictures was developing Little Miss Sunshine and Saw, and that Vera had met with Hasbro’s licensing department and industry specialists.
• Sherry Lansing ordered Tom Hansen to lead a task force and deliver a report on Hasbro’s toy IPs and their film and television potential within three days.
• Robert Iger visited Irene Coppola to celebrate Pirates of the Caribbean’s success and press her to settle the sequel’s story.
• Irene gave Robert Iger her sequel script and demanded that her writing credit and profit share remain the same as in the first film.

Irene secured Robert’s agreement on reasonable terms and resolved to acquire her own distribution company. When Hasbro’s talks over Transformers stalled, she went to its headquarters to pitch a live-action adaptation to James Webb, who remained skeptical as she argued that Echo Pictures could turn the IP into a successful film franchise.

• Robert accepted Irene’s terms, agreed to have a contract drawn up, and said he would speak to Fox in person.
• Irene reviewed acquisition targets for independent film distributors and decided Echo Pictures needed its own distribution capabilities.
• Vera told Irene that Hasbro had become evasive in negotiations, and Irene decided to meet Hasbro’s head, James Webb, herself.
• Irene arrived at Hasbro’s headquarters in Pawtucket and waited forty minutes before James Webb received her.
• Irene presented Echo Pictures’ Transformers adaptation plan, and she argued that its story and visual approach could make the toy IP a successful live-action franchise.

Irene Coppola pitched James Webb on Echo Pictures adapting Transformers, promising a market-savvy film and merchandise plan, and Webb said he would decide within a week. After learning of the meeting, Sherry Lansing ordered Paramount to accelerate its own bid and offer Hasbro more favorable terms.

• Irene presented James Webb with her Transformers proposal and argued that Echo Pictures could turn the toy IP into a global film franchise.
• James Webb said he would take Irene's proposal to the board and give her an answer in a week.
• Tom Hansen informed Sherry Lansing that Irene had met Webb to discuss the live-action Transformers rights.
• Sherry ordered Paramount's teams to fast-track their proposal, emphasize the studio's distribution strengths, and offer Hasbro 15% of merchandise sales while covering toy development costs.
• Sherry told Tom to investigate Irene's creative team and proposal and to prepare publicity for Paramount's potential deal.

After failing to secure Hasbro’s Transformers deal because Echo Pictures lacked distribution capabilities, Irene returned to Los Angeles and arranged a limited release for Million Dollar Baby with Warner Bros. The film was set to screen in six theaters in December, leaving Irene ready to begin its Oscar campaign.

• Irene told Vera that they had done all they could in their negotiations with James Webb and put the Transformers proposal aside.
• After returning to Los Angeles, Irene went straight to Warner Bros. to arrange a limited release before the Oscar submission deadline.
• Hope Leslie presented a plan for Million Dollar Baby to screen in two art-house theaters each in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, with Warner covering 60 percent of distribution costs.
• Irene told Hope that she had already hired the awards campaign team that had worked on Traffic.
• Irene and Warner finalized their agreement, and Alan offered her access to Warner’s scripts as she left.

After negotiating with Warner Bros., Irene Coppola faced reporters and answered questions about her upcoming projects. She left focused on Million Dollar Baby’s Oscar submission, building a distribution network, and hiring two writing assistants.

• A crowd of reporters surrounded Irene Coppola outside Warner Bros., and she confirmed that Fox and Disney were evaluating her Pirates of the Caribbean sequel script.
• Irene said the original creative team, including Johnny Depp, would return, and promised a larger, more exciting adventure without revealing the plot.
• Asked about losing the Transformers rights to Paramount, Irene said she cared more about doing her best with each project than chasing IP.
• Irene named Million Dollar Baby as her main focus and encouraged audiences to see its limited December screening, while downplaying the importance of awards.
• Vera helped Irene escape the crowd, and Irene told her to post listings for two young word-processing assistants skilled in romance and fight scenes.

Irene met with Winnie Williams and Julie Costello Walzer to finalize a detailed Oscar campaign for Million Dollar Baby. After considering the competition, Irene accepted that a nomination or win was uncertain and turned her attention to her long-term commercial plans.

• Irene brought Warner Bros.' screening proposal to Winnie and Julie, confirming December 6 screenings in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
• Winnie outlined targeted publicity for Academy members, including custom CD gift boxes and interviews, while Julie offered family connections and charity screenings.
• Winnie advised Irene to avoid attacking competing films and rely on genuine emotion and unpretentious performances.
• After the meeting, Irene assessed Chicago and The Pianist as formidable Oscar contenders and reminded herself that she had many years to make award-winning films.
• Irene pulled out the synopses for Twilight, The Hunger Games, and Taken, adding them to her commercial plans alongside Saw.

Irene attended an Oscar-season gathering, praised Million Dollar Baby, and cultivated support for its awards campaign. She left aware that the Oscar race remained uncertain and told Winnie to monitor Chicago’s publicity strategy.

• Irene greeted Rob Marshall and discussed the filmmaking and dance design in Chicago and the character work in her films.
• Nicole Kidman praised Maggie in Million Dollar Baby, and Irene complimented Kidman’s performance in The Hours.
• Nicole Kidman said she had recommended Million Dollar Baby to Academy friends, while she and Irene exchanged praise for Hilary Swank and the competing Best Actress contenders.
• Irene received compliments and offers of support from attendees as she promoted Million Dollar Baby at the gathering.
• Irene messaged Winnie from her car, urging her to track Chicago’s publicity campaign, and Winnie said her team was already planning its response.

Irene balanced her film business plans with her work, then visited Britney to hear her new demos and discuss music video ideas. Britney’s reworked songs impressed Irene, who agreed to direct the “Sexy Back” video, and they ended the visit sharing lunch.

• Irene told Vera to schedule three writer interviews for the next afternoon and asked Robert to join them.
• Irene went to the studio to review the Million Dollar Baby preview materials despite her exhaustion.
• Britney played Irene her revised demos of “Buttons” and “Sexy Back,” and Irene praised both arrangements and performances.
• Irene suggested different concepts for the songs’ music videos and agreed to direct “Sexy Back.”
• Britney and Irene continued talking over lunch in the studio lounge.

Britney asked Irene for advice on choosing a song for her upcoming Victoria's Secret Night performance, and Irene encouraged her to pick a strong, catchy track she loved. At Echo Pictures, job candidates Elias and Celia looked down on Evan and Taylor, and Elias admitted he and Celia wanted to use Irene's recommendation to advance their careers.

• Britney told Irene that Victoria's Secret Night had invited her to perform a new song the following March and asked which track to choose.
• Irene advised Britney to pick a song with a strong beat but leave the final choice to her.
• Irene arrived at Echo Pictures to meet the interview candidates after Vera told her they were waiting and Robert had arrived.
• Celia insulted Evan and Taylor's educational backgrounds, and Evan challenged her and Elias over applying for a text processing assistant position.
• Elias revealed that he and Celia viewed the job as a stepping stone to getting Irene's recommendation, prompting Evan to criticize their opportunism.

Irene and Robert assessed six candidates by asking them to expand one of two story outlines into a scene. They chose Taylor and Marcus to continue onboarding, rejected the others, and left open the possibility of finding more candidates if the finalists did not meet their standards.

• Vera escorted the six candidates into Irene and Robert's assessment room, where Irene explained they had one hour to write a scene from one of two outlines.
• Elias volunteered to write scenes for both outlines, while the other candidates chose one and began their work.
• Irene observed the candidates writing and saw that Evan and Marcus were producing strong scenes as Elias struggled to complete either draft.
• After time ran out, Elias tried to excuse his unfinished work, but Irene cut him off and collected the submissions.
• Robert praised Evan's, Taylor's, and Marcus's writing, while Irene selected Taylor and Marcus for onboarding and rejected the other candidates.

Vera announced that Taylor El and Marcus Gray had been hired by Echo Pictures, while the other candidates were rejected. After Elias tried to use his uncle’s Universal Pictures connections to get another chance, Irene suspected he had been sent to spy on Echo Pictures, and she and Robert discussed protecting the company’s upcoming projects.

• Vera announced that Taylor El and Marcus Gray were the only candidates accepted, and the two congratulated each other as the rejected candidates left.
• Elias challenged the decision, then tried to persuade Vera to arrange another meeting with Irene by invoking his uncle’s Universal Pictures connections.
• Evan congratulated Taylor and left, while Vera returned to the conference room and told Irene about Elias’s offer.
• Irene suspected Elias was a Universal Pictures spy, and Robert noted that the generic writing prompts had kept Echo Pictures’ upcoming projects secret.
• Irene said Taylor’s writing suited Twilight and Marcus’s suited Taken, then discussed acquiring a distribution company with Robert.

Taylor El and Marcus Gray began work at Irene Coppola’s modest Echo Pictures office, where they received story outlines for Twilight and Taken and started writing. Irene watched them settle in and planned to acquire a distribution company, move to a better office, and eventually build an end-to-end film business.

• Taylor El and Marcus Gray arrived at Echo Pictures and saw its cramped, shabby office, where Vera welcomed them as new hires.
• Taylor and Marcus signed their contracts and nondisclosure agreements, then received Irene’s story outlines for Twilight and Taken and guidance to submit work every twenty thousand words.
• Taylor began writing Twilight while Marcus mapped out the rescue plot for Taken.
• Irene visited the office, saw the new writers working, and decided to move to a brighter, more spacious location after acquiring a distribution company.
• Irene planned to investigate candidates from Robert Smith’s shortlist after the Oscars and to publish books before moving into film production and distribution.

Irene, Robert, and Hill went to a theater to gauge audience reactions to Pirates of the Caribbean and Die Another Day. Pirates appeared more popular, while Die Another Day drew mixed reactions, though its action scenes still thrilled some viewers.

• Irene met Robert and Hill outside the theater, where Robert said Pirates of the Caribbean had fewer screenings than Die Another Day but could gain more if it performed well.
• Irene saw a couple choose Die Another Day after Pirates of the Caribbean had nearly sold out its upcoming screenings.
• Irene, Robert, and Hill found only a little over half the seats occupied at the Die Another Day screening.
• Irene observed one viewer lose interest during the film's slower sections while two young men criticized its villain, romance, and effects.
• The theater audience fell quiet and watched intently during Die Another Day's action scenes, which impressed several viewers.

Irene, Robert, and Hill watched 007: Die Another Day and discussed its weak audience response and the franchise’s need to change. They left the restaurant agreeing that future films should prioritize fresh, believable characters and stronger pacing.

• The audience criticized 007: Die Another Day as predictable and less enjoyable than Pirates of the Caribbean, while laughter from the neighboring theater disrupted its climax.
• Irene, Robert, and Hill ate at a restaurant and discussed the film’s audience fatigue, formulaic plot, and pacing problems.
• Robert predicted that 007: Die Another Day would earn forty to fifty million dollars in its opening weekend and might leave MGM unwilling to continue the franchise soon.
• Irene agreed that future projects needed fresh plots, flawed heroes, controlled pacing, and emotional resonance.
• Robert argued that Pirates of the Caribbean showed how memorable characters could keep audiences invested, and Irene felt confident leaving the company in his hands while she filmed the sequel.

After Die Another Day underperformed, Philip Green confronted MGM’s marketing leadership about the film’s poor box office and reviews. Isabella Rossi took charge of overseas marketing to reduce the studio’s losses and preserve the Bond franchise.

• Philip Green reviewed Die Another Day’s weak box office and reception after Windtalkers had already worsened MGM’s finances.
• Ulysses Mayer blamed Pirates of the Caribbean and proposed spending more on marketing, but Philip rejected his suggestions.
• Isabella Rossi advised shifting remaining marketing resources overseas, emphasizing Bond’s classic elements and action, and pursuing more IMAX screenings and ticket deals.
• Philip put Isabella in charge of all overseas marketing and ordered Ulysses to stay out of her way.
• Isabella promised to prepare a detailed plan while Philip hoped her strategy would buy MGM time.

After Paramount secured the Transformers rights from Echo Pictures, it invited Irene Coppola to its headquarters to discuss a possible partnership. Irene and Robert Smith arrived at Paramount prepared to learn what the studio wanted, and Irene wondered what game it was playing.

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl passed $140 million at the North American box office, renewing Fox and Disney's interest in a sequel.
• Irene showed Robert Smith Paramount's invitation after learning it had reached an agreement with Hasbro to develop a live-action Transformers movie.
• Robert suggested Paramount might want Irene to direct the film because of her success and her existing adaptation plan for Transformers.
• Irene agreed to visit Paramount with Robert to hear its proposal and learn about the project.
• Irene and Robert arrived at Paramount, where Brad Grey welcomed them and escorted them toward Sherry Lansing's office.

Sherry Lansing invited Irene to direct Paramount and Hasbro’s live-action Transformers movie, explaining why Hasbro had chosen a larger studio and offering Irene creative freedom and support for Million Dollar Baby’s Oscar campaign. Irene was visibly tempted but had not yet answered.

• Irene arrived at Sherry Lansing’s office with Robert and was surprised when Sherry offered her the Transformers directing job.
• Sherry praised Irene’s work and recalled Paramount’s history with the Coppola Family, saying the studio had followed Irene’s career and wanted to work with her.
• Sherry explained that Hasbro had chosen Paramount because Echo Pictures lacked the resources and global distribution needed for a film of Transformers’ scale.
• Irene recognized that Sherry’s explanation was reasonable, though Paramount’s deal had disrupted her plan to pursue the rights later.
• Sherry offered Irene complete creative freedom on Transformers and Paramount’s support for Million Dollar Baby’s Oscar campaign, leaving Irene visibly moved.

Irene weighed Paramount’s offer to direct Transformers against Echo Pictures’ limited resources and her own plans, then decided to accept. She put Shelly Ovitz in charge of negotiating a top director’s salary and box-office share, while he raised the possibility of her investing in the film.

• Irene thanked Sherry Lansing for the offer and asked for three days to discuss it with her team.
• Back at Echo Pictures, Robert warned Irene that Echo could not finance Transformers and argued that Paramount’s resources could help her future plans.
• Irene called Shelly Ovitz and explained Sherry’s offer and Paramount’s award-season support.
• Shelly urged Irene to accept, citing the salary, career leverage, and potential boost to her Best Director chances.
• Irene accepted Paramount’s offer and told Shelly to negotiate a salary at least as high as Michael Bay’s or James Cameron’s and secure a share of the box office.
• Shelly proposed that Irene seek a twenty-percent investment stake in Transformers, while warning that Paramount would likely recoup its investment first.

Irene chose to reserve her money for Echo Pictures’ plan to acquire a distribution company rather than invest in Transformers. After five days of negotiations, she and Paramount signed a letter of intent with major financial and creative terms secured, and Irene began refining the script.

• Irene told Shelly that she would save her expected $30 million from My Big Fat Greek Wedding for Echo Pictures’ planned distributor acquisition instead of investing in Transformers.
• Shelly Ovitz began negotiations with Paramount and insisted on terms covering Irene’s salary, creative freedom, and awards-season support.
• Paramount agreed to pay Irene a $20 million base salary, 10% of worldwide box-office revenue, and 3% of merchandising revenue, while granting her absolute creative control.
• Paramount set requirements for Transformers’ characters, action, global appeal, schedule, promotion, and contract penalties, and promised awards support for Million Dollar Baby.
• After five days of talks, Shelly Ovitz and Paramount signed a letter of intent, and Irene began refining the Transformers script.