The series Gilbert planned to produce was, strictly speaking, an adaptation of an animated show—Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
That's right, Gilbert intended to turn the story of David and Rebecca into a live-action series, gradually expanding the Cyberpunk storyline.
Marvel had just built its MCU universe, and now Gilbert wanted to create a Cyberpunk Universe of his own.
As for whether it might fail, to be honest, Gilbert wasn't worried at all.
Because this was a TV series, even if it failed, it wouldn't affect Gilbert's standing in the film industry. But if it succeeded, Gilbert would think it made him look incredibly cool.
Besides, with his current status, even if a hundred-million-dollar movie flopped, the impact would still be minimal.
That was why Gilbert had confidently produced The Last of Us—he already had the position and influence to act on his whims.
Of course, that didn't mean he could be careless about filmmaking. When it came to producing movies, Gilbert remained extremely dedicated.
Being willful didn't mean he could be reckless with filmmaking; it meant he could be bold in choosing subjects—making the kinds of films other directors wanted to but couldn't.
That was almost a privilege exclusive to top directors. Even those who had become first-tier Hollywood filmmakers still found that, when it came to selecting projects, the studios and producers usually had the final say.
Now, let's look at Peter Jackson's King Kong, starring Naomi Watts.
The film was released near the end of the summer season, avoiding the fierce competition of the summer box office. It opened with 55.06 million dollars in its first weekend—a fairly impressive figure.
By the final weekend of October, King Kong had earned 167.55 million dollars in North America, with a global box office total of 395.93 million dollars.
The production cost was 120 million dollars, not the rumored 200 million.
Without The Lord of the Rings trilogy backing it, Peter Jackson's pay wasn't particularly high. Aside from Naomi Watts, who received 15 million dollars, none of the cast or crew members made over 8 million.
Naomi Watts' compensation mainly came from box office bonuses, so she made some concessions in her base pay.
The story itself was a classic beauty-and-the-beast tale—a typical Hollywood blockbuster. Its reputation was decent, not amazing but certainly not bad.
The scene of King Kong fighting airplanes atop the Empire State Building was more than enough to leave a deep impression.
The film's modest success also helped Naomi Watts, after giving birth, regain her position among Hollywood's top actresses.
King Kong was a rare blockbuster led by a female star. Though her role was still somewhat decorative, the audience was clearly more interested in watching the giant ape.
Sometimes, you have to admit, audiences can be quite strange. Over the years, the market has revealed a clear pattern: in monster or shark horror movies, there always has to be a sexy female lead.
In Gilbert's first movie, The Shallows, the lead was Gwyneth Paltrow, and it was almost a one-woman show.
Although Gwyneth Paltrow isn't exactly known for being sexy, the film's premise—a fragile girl hunted by a shark—still made it a huge success.
There's also another rule: in movies featuring beasts paired with humans, the human must be beautiful. King Kong is the perfect example.
Just imagine—if it were a male lead and a female King Kong, wouldn't that be horrifying? Picture a mother Kong fighting airplanes atop the Empire State Building for the male protagonist—the thought alone makes one's stomach tighten.
For Peter Jackson, King Kong was a modest success, and its global box office would certainly exceed 500 million dollars. This also helped him gain the trust of Disney and Warner Bros., leading to The Hobbit project eventually being handed to him.
With Gilbert overseeing quality control, there was every reason to believe the film wouldn't disappoint.
Another movie worth mentioning was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, which had earned 556 million dollars so far—a solid performance.
Johnny Depp was currently filming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which was almost finished shooting.
Based on feedback from the set, things were looking good.
Although Gilbert served as the producer of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, he wasn't particularly focused on the project.
There was already a reliable team of producers, and since the previous film had laid out all the necessary details for the sequel, there weren't many problems.
Stephen Sommers was competent, though he sometimes liked to improvise. But with producers watching over him, there wasn't much room for that.
Ahead of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the box office was a comedy, Wedding Crashers, released by New Line Cinema.
The movie itself wasn't particularly outstanding—it mainly drew attention because its star, Rachel McAdams, had been caught up in a scandal.
A gossip website released a photo allegedly showing Rachel McAdams nude on a beach. Of course, that wasn't the real issue.
After all, which Hollywood actress hasn't had similar photos leaked? It's practically normal.
What was unusual, however, was that several naked men were seen around Rachel McAdams, clearly suggesting some kind of group activity.
Although the public had long been aware of the debauchery in Hollywood, such photos being openly exposed still triggered strong disgust among audiences.
How should one put it? In truth, most members of the public are double standards themselves.
Deep down, they may secretly want to behave that way, but social morality holds them back from acting on it.
That's why scandals involving promiscuous men and women behind closed doors are common in Hollywood, yet publicly, everyone presents themselves as paragons of virtue and morality.
Even Leonardo DiCaprio, who changes girlfriends as often as he changes clothes, maintains the image of a charity ambassador and environmental advocate, loudly proclaiming his contributions to humanity.
But according to Gilbert's understanding, Leonardo doesn't actually care about charity or environmental issues at all. He talks about them merely to add a halo of virtue to his public persona.
By the way, Leonardo had also been involved with Rachel McAdams once—it happened at a masquerade party.
Afterwards, Leonardo excitedly told Gilbert that Rachel McAdams should absolutely play Catwoman because she was just too hot.
However, Gilbert rejected that idea, saying it was too early for Catwoman.
What made things even more interesting was that, shortly after the explosive photos surfaced, a rumor began spreading that a certain Hollywood producer known for group activities had contracted HIV.
Half of Hollywood was so frightened that they rushed to hospitals for testing, and for a while, all kinds of Hollywood parties and events quieted down considerably.
Entertainment reporters occasionally photographed anxious-looking stars, producers, and directors outside private clinics, as if the world were about to end the very next moment.
When they came out, some looked relieved, some expressionless, and others utterly devastated—the full range of human emotion on display.
The most incredible part was that despite the scandal, Wedding Crashers still performed well. Interviews revealed that most of the audience were male viewers who simply wanted to see how hot Rachel McAdams really was.
And Rachel McAdams didn't disappoint those fans—her subtle, teasing charm drove them absolutely wild.
It could be considered a unique form of marketing, though no one knew whether it had been orchestrated by the studio or was merely an accident.
...
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