In 2009, a movie focusing on the Mayan civilization's apocalypse, "2012," sparked global debate, reigniting humanity's fear of the end of the world. Director Roland Emmerich seized this opportunity to break into the public eye and establish his reputation.
In fact, this wasn't Roland's first disaster film.
As early as 2004, Roland directed "The Day After Tomorrow."
At that time, discussions about the greenhouse effect, climate change, and the possibility of the Earth returning to the Ice Age were rampant. Thanks to this, the animated film "Ice Age" managed to stand out and achieve success without much promotion, reflecting the hot topic of the greenhouse effect.
"The Day After Tomorrow" was no different.
Despite its mediocre reviews, the movie grossed an impressive $550 million worldwide. If not for the lack of control over its production cost, which soared to $120 million, causing the film to be unprofitable, it would undoubtedly have been a significant work in the disaster film genre.
The somewhat awkward box office performance and poor reviews of "The Day After Tomorrow" didn't earn its two leads, Jake Gyllenhaal and Emmy Rossum, the recognition they hoped for. Both actors faced some backlash.
Jake took a risky turn by choosing "Brokeback Mountain," which many critics saw as a suicidal career move. Emmy later suffered from two consecutive box office failures, which completely ruined her big-screen opportunities until she managed to make a comeback in 2011 with the TV series "Shameless."
However, "The Day After Tomorrow" did secure Roland a place in Hollywood.
Although the disaster genre was on the decline, it still had a market, and directors skilled in making disaster films were becoming increasingly rare.
Before "The Day After Tomorrow," Roland's directorial resume consisted entirely of sci-fi films, with the 1998 version of "Godzilla" earning him considerable acclaim. But after "The Day After Tomorrow," Roland has focused on disaster movies for twenty years.
Now, the script hasn't reached Jake's hands but has landed in Anson's.
Obviously, history has undergone a dramatic change.
However, Anson has no interest.
Not because of personal preference, the movie's quality, or its box office success or failure, nor because of his friend Jake Gyllenhaal.
There is only one reason—
The protagonist is a high school student.
Edgar tried to explain.
Up until now, in Anson's works, high school students have always been an essential part of character development and a key driver of the story. But this time, it's different. The protagonist's high school student status is merely a backdrop and has no direct connection to the story. It could easily be changed to a college student without affecting the plot.
However, Anson doesn't think so.
In the script for "The Day After Tomorrow," there are two reasons why the male lead is set as a high school student.
First, he needs a father who is a climatologist and is the first to realize the impending crisis.
Second, they need a central location for the story, where all the main characters are trapped. The crew chose the iconic New York building, the Manhattan Public Library, where the male lead is stranded while attending an academic competition.
From a story perspective, the high school student identity has no relevance to the plot. But from a setting standpoint, it restricts the scope from the beginning.
And that's not the point.
"Captain."
"Captain, I thought we were trying to break away from the student image since 'Catch Me If You Can,' not just high school students but college students too."
Throwing out this statement, Anson didn't argue or debate further.
Edgar: ...
Edgar tried to argue, but the words stuck in his throat. His thoughts circled in his mind for a while, and he simply gave up.
"Sorry, I didn't consider it thoroughly."
Edgar admitted his mistake frankly.
Anson didn't push further because this wasn't about "winning" but about communication, exchanging ideas, seeking common ground while respecting differences. He believed Edgar had his considerations, as there are inevitably different perspectives between an agent and an actor.
Anson looked at the slightly dejected Edgar, "Captain, how much are they offering for the pay?"
"Fifteen million," Edgar said.
There's the answer.
Since the producers initially offered $15 million, it means there's room for negotiation. Edgar's initial reason for choosing this script was that he believed he could secure a $20 million paycheck for Anson.
If successful, that would mean joining the $20 million club.
Edgar couldn't resist the temptation.
So, Edgar took the risk of repeating the character type by choosing it.
But now, Edgar also agreed that Anson was right; they needed to look at the long term. They shouldn't disrupt their plan for a mere $20 million paycheck. They weren't Jim Carrey, who could afford to fail with a $20 million salary and not worry about his place in the industry.
Without any argument, Edgar readily admitted his mistake.
Anson caught the key point but didn't press further, shifting his attention to the next script.
"National Treasure."
This is an interesting choice.
Adventure treasure-hunting films, led by "Indiana Jones," have always had a broad market. Later on, "The Da Vinci Code" could be considered part of the same genre. "National Treasure" chose a unique angle to attract attention:
The Declaration of Independence.
The film hypothesizes that a clue to an astounding treasure is hidden on the back of the Declaration of Independence, and the protagonist is about to follow this clue to find the legendary treasure.
This is the foundation of America's founding principles, and using such a well-known artifact to unveil a mysterious history has a certain appeal from a promotional standpoint.
In fact, legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer thought so too. This industry veteran, who created classics like "Top Gun," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "The Rock," "Bad Boys," and "Black Hawk Down," was immediately attracted to the script, showing incredible enthusiasm and positivity.
He not only persuaded Disney to invest but also spent tremendous effort communicating with places like the Lincoln Memorial and the National Archives to secure on-site filming.
For the general public, it's the same. Many movie enthusiasts remember this work, and Disney even released a sequel three years later.
However, reality and ideal have a slight discrepancy.
This film, led by Nicolas Cage, encountered severe budget issues. Jerry Bruckheimer's insistence on filming at historic locations like the Lincoln Memorial led to significant challenges in the production schedule, ultimately resulting in a production cost of $100 million.
After its release, the film only grossed $340 million worldwide.
Disney barely made a profit of $20 million, not a failure but disappointing. However, the film performed well in the DVD rental and sales market, which eventually led Disney to greenlight the sequel.
This proves that making movies isn't that simple.
As for Anson, he thinks "National Treasure" is an interesting choice.
Actually, when the movie was released in the previous life, it was met with a wave of criticism from professional reviewers, scoring only 40 points on media reviews. Audience feedback was also mixed.
The movie managed to achieve impressive box office success mainly because of the loyal fans of the treasure-hunting adventure genre, who supported it from the theaters to DVD sales.
But Anson thinks, isn't it fun to experience an adventure through the character's perspective? To do things you can't or wouldn't dare to do in real life.