After securing the novel's rights, Gilbert began considering how to proceed with adapting the project.
"This one needs a female director," Gilbert said.
"A female director?" Ivanka asked. "Why does it have to be a woman?"
"It's simple," Gilbert explained. "Female directors tend to be more delicate and nuanced. They have a unique touch when it comes to handling coming-of-age romance films like this."
Ivanka nodded lightly. "Now that you mention it, I think Sofia would be a great fit. But I doubt she'd want to direct something like this."
"True," Gilbert shrugged. "Sofia's always been an artist at heart, chasing cinematic dreams. She probably looks down on films like this.
"But there's no rush. Once we're back in Los Angeles, we can take our time with it."
Securing the film rights to Twilight wasn't complicated. By the time the contract was signed, it was already close to Christmas. Around the same time, The Last of Us officially wrapped filming and the crew returned to Los Angeles.
The shoot went exceptionally well—so smoothly, in fact, that production finished more than twenty days ahead of schedule. It was record-fast.
But wrapping production didn't mean the film was done. There was still a mountain of post-production work ahead.
Meanwhile, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was dominating the global market. It had already grossed 294 million dollars in North America and was expected to break 300 million soon.
Worldwide, it reached 884 million dollars—another massive box-office hit.
Its growth rate suggested it might even surpass the one-billion-dollar mark in total box office.
However, in December, the film that really took the spotlight wasn't Goblet of Fire, but another fantasy adventure—The Chronicles of Narnia.
This film featured Anne Hathaway and grossed 65.56 million dollars during its opening weekend in North America, slightly less than Goblet of Fire's debut.
But The Chronicles of Narnia showed remarkable staying power, with glowing word of mouth and steady box-office performance, suggesting it might even overtake Harry Potter later on.
Since playing Arwen in The Lord of the Rings series, Anne Hathaway finally had another major blockbuster under her belt.
Thanks to her popularity, the filmmakers had expanded her screen time in The Chronicles of Narnia. Although she was billed as the second female lead, her scenes were almost as many as the lead actress's.
Gilbert even promoted the film on his personal social media account. The Chronicles of Narnia's official account expressed gratitude toward him and sent several boxes of movie merchandise for Gilbert's kids.
As a side note, The Chronicles of Narnia was distributed by Buena Vista Pictures, a wholly owned subsidiary of Disney.
So technically, this was a Disney project. And since Gilbert was a member of Disney's board of directors, he was, in a sense, part of the team—even if that's only how the film's creators saw it.
Besides, the film's supporting actress, Anne Hathaway, had quite a close relationship with Gilbert.
Because the movie had been released relatively late, by December 24, The Chronicles of Narnia had earned 206 million dollars in North America, ranking just behind Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and placing ninth overall for the year.
The year's North American box-office champion was George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, which grossed 380 million dollars.
It seemed Lucas's final Star Wars movie still had incredible pulling power. Had the film's quality been a bit higher, it might have crossed the 400–500 million mark domestically.
But while George Lucas claimed it was his final Star Wars film, he never said it would be the last film in the Star Wars saga—there's a clear difference between the two.
After completing that project, George Lucas decided to retire and live a quiet life, believing he no longer belonged in Hollywood.
That left Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic—his two major companies—highly sought after by every major studio in Hollywood.
However, both Lucasfilm and ILM were enormous. Any company hoping to acquire even one of them would need to come up with an astronomical sum.
That meant only a few players could join the bidding war—essentially the seven major Hollywood studios, plus a handful of mid-tier studios backed by Wall Street investors.
David Ellison's Sky Dance Studios wanted in as well. Though Sky didn't have that kind of cash, Ellison could turn to Larry Ellison for support or seek backing from Silicon Valley investors.
But truth be told, Sky Dance Studios wasn't a strong contender. Ultimately, the decision would rest with George Lucas himself—on whom he preferred to sell to.
And among the serious competitors, the clear favorites were still the seven major Hollywood studios.
The reasoning was simple: the major studios had extensive global distribution networks and unmatched ancillary resources—advantages mid-tier studios simply couldn't compete with.
As a result, all sorts of rumors began circulating around Hollywood.
Some said that MGM's new owner, Prince Abdul from the Middle East, had raised 4 billion dollars to buy Lucasfilm—people couldn't help but marvel at the oil-rich tycoon's wealth.
Others claimed that Sony, the parent company of Columbia Pictures, was already in talks with Lucas about a deal.
There were even reports that 20th Century Fox was playing the "sentimental card," reminding Lucas of their long-standing collaboration over the years.
Universal, Paramount—news outlets were filled with all sorts of speculation about their "ambiguous" dealings with George Lucas.
It was against this backdrop that Gilbert returned to Los Angeles. Before diving into post-production work, he received an invitation from George Lucas himself, inviting him to dinner.
Naomi Watts happened to be home, and Gilbert said to her, "Naomi, come with me to a private gathering."
"Sure, whose party is it?" she asked.
"George's," Gilbert replied. Seeing Naomi Watts already picking out a dress, he added, "It's a private dinner, no need to be too formal—just something casual will do."
"Alright," Naomi said. She applied light makeup and went with Gilbert to George Lucas's house.
Gilbert and Naomi happily accepted the invitation, thinking it would be a dinner party. But once they arrived, they realized that the only guests were the two of them.
"Don't be surprised," George Lucas said with a smile as he looked at them. "I invited you here just for this meal. Good thing you didn't come in tuxedos—it would've felt too stiff."
"No problem, George," Gilbert said with a wave of his hand. "But I doubt you invited me just for dinner, right?"
"Of course not," George Lucas replied with a gesture toward the dining room. "Come in—Kathleen's already prepared everything. We can talk while we eat."
When they entered the dining room, George Lucas's partner, Kathleen, had the table ready.
Smiling, she said, "One of George's friends managed to get a bluefin tuna and sent it over, so that's our main course tonight. I also baked an apple pie. And since George knows you love Chinese food, he ordered a few dishes for you."
Gilbert and Naomi expressed their gratitude. "This is an incredible spread—thank you both for your warm hospitality."
"You're welcome. Please, sit down, make yourselves at home," George Lucas said, then turned to Kathleen. "Bring out that bottle I've been saving—I'll have a few drinks with Gilbert. Naomi, would you like a drink too?"
"No, thanks," Naomi Watts declined politely. "I'll just have a soft drink with Kathleen."
"Watermelon juice?"
"Sure."
"Alright, I'll get it."
Kathleen brought over a bottle of wine and two glasses, then returned with two freshly made glasses of watermelon juice—one for herself and one for Naomi.
Dinner was lavish, though none of them ate very much. Afterward, the servants cleared the table, and everyone moved to the living room to chat.
While Naomi Watts and Kathleen talked about daily life, George Lucas and Gilbert discussed the hot topic that had been dominating Hollywood gossip—the potential acquisition of Lucasfilm.
....
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