She had reached out to several people, hoping they could help her do something about the situation. Unfortunately, every method had been futile—some had even backfired. So when she heard Laila wanted to see her, Louise's mind was filled with one thought: How can I get her to let it go? Stop worrying about all this nonsense.
But the moment she saw Laila and heard what she had to say, Louise was stunned.
"What? A new film—to defeat Avatar?" Had she heard that right?
"Yes. Is there a problem?" Laila tilted her head and asked in return.
A problem? Of course, there was a problem! So many problems, Louise felt a cold sweat breaking out across her back.
"You do know how much it grossed, right? Three billion! Three billion dollars!" She couldn't deny that Laila had made numerous critically acclaimed, commercially successful films—but compared to Cameron's? That was a different league. Forget about Avatar's 3 billion, even Titanic's 1.8 billion had yet to be topped.
Laila raised an eyebrow. "So? You think I'm not as good as Director Cameron?"
Louise almost nodded under the weight of that question. It wasn't that she thought Laila would never match Cameron's achievements—just not right now.
She was still young, not even 30! She had a long road ahead and plenty of time to create masterpiece after masterpiece. Why force the issue now, especially at such a sensitive moment?
"Laila, listen to me. The moment you start working on a commercial blockbuster right now, the public is going to think you're going head-to-head with Cameron. Even if that's not your intent, the media will spin it that way. And if you don't break his record—even if it's just a little short—it might all collapse. Everything you've worked for over the last ten years could go down the drain.
Think about it. No one ever expected your previous films to beat box office records, so even when they came close, people just thought it was a pity. But once the media starts framing this as a showdown between you and him, even if you want to distance yourself, you won't be able to. You'll be locked into that narrative."
Louise wanted her to understand the hidden traps here. She'd been in this industry for twenty or thirty years—she'd seen things Laila hadn't yet, and she knew now wasn't the time to strike back. Especially not when your opponent was that powerful.
"I understand what you're saying. I know what you're worried about," Laila said softly, lowering her eyes with a light chuckle. "But I think you don't fully understand what movies mean to me. I can accept failure, but I can't accept surrendering before the fight has even begun. I admit that Director Cameron's films are brilliant. He knows how to grip the hearts—and wallets—of his audience. But I don't believe I'm that far behind him.
Right now, the third-highest film in box office history is The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. At the time, I wasn't aiming for the rankings at all. But if I'd used just a few clever tactics, I might have had a shot at challenging Titanic."
Thinking back on it now, Laila did feel a pang of regret. In her previous life, The Lord of the Rings hadn't made nearly as much money. She estimated the difference at maybe 700–800 million—but it had turned out to be just 300 million. As she'd said, if it was only a 300 million gap, she could have used some modern marketing strategies—or even bought a portion of the box office herself—to edge it out.
But at the time, she hadn't realized how close she was. And the idea of using such shady tactics, even small ones, to manipulate box office numbers was something she couldn't stomach. She didn't want to taint her work for the sake of a record.
Now, though, part of her wondered: if she had pulled those stunts back then, maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this. Even if she'd only held the top spot for a single day before being knocked off by Avatar, she wouldn't be feeling so suffocated right now.
But that was the past. No point regretting it now. What mattered was that it was time to start preparing the new film.
"Louise, I've thought it through. If I don't try—even once—I won't be able to forgive myself."
Looking into those bright, blazing eyes, Louise knew there was no changing her mind now. A few words from her wouldn't make a difference. At this point, the only thing she could do was believe in her, support her, and help her take care of everything else.
"Laila… go ahead. Do what you have to do." She had finally come around.
Looking back, the years she'd spent working with Laila had brought more success than ten Reynoldses could have. Honestly, even if this next film brought the company down, she could still say she was satisfied.
And it wasn't like Laila was speaking on a whim. With her personality, she would never make a decision that might destroy her and the company unless she was confident she had a real shot. What more was there to say?
What Laila needed now was support. Seeing Louise finally relent, Laila beamed. "Thank you, Louise. You have no idea how much your support means to me."
Louise gave her a wry smile. "I can only help with the small stuff. What matters is up to you. And the pressure that's about to hit—most of that, you'll have to carry on your own. I hope you're prepared for that."
"I am. I made this decision knowing full well what it means—and I won't regret it." Laila looked at her steadily, then handed over a document. "I need you to start gathering the cast. Whatever their schedules are, make room. Just tell them this is the film that's going to top the all-time box office. I think they'll know what choice to make."
For actors under her own company, she wasn't worried. The challenge would be those signed to other agencies. But fortunately, she held the agency contracts for most of the major cast members. Even if scheduling conflicts arose, they'd move things around to help their boss.
She was overthinking it. Never mind the actors signed with her company—even those from other agencies, if they heard Laila's production needed them, they'd jump on board without a second thought. The noise in the media meant nothing to them. In Hollywood, very few people let tabloid gossip dictate their choices.
Laila was that kind of powerhouse director. Her films were hits that rocked the globe. Dropping other projects to join hers? That was an easy decision for most actors.
Louise took the document and opened it, only to gasp.
Right there at the top of the page was the title of a long-anticipated project, one the company had been developing for ages but had never begun due to one key problem—the boss never had time.
That title was:
"The Avengers."