"Sky Dance Studio just announced they're moving Transformers' release date to May 19," Ivanka said as she walked over.
Gilbert, who was focused on post-production, froze for a moment and set down what he was doing. "David Ellison backed out?"
"Yes," Ivanka nodded. "After we couldn't wait any longer to announce our own release date, David Ellison couldn't hold back either."
Gilbert wasn't disappointed; in fact, he looked a little relieved. "Honestly, this is a wise decision for both of us. I can finally breathe easier. I was really worried David Ellison would try to compete head-on with Transformers."
Ivanka rolled her eyes and teased, "Then why'd you challenge him in the first place? Good thing he decided to avoid the fight, or I'd love to see what you would've done then…"
"That was just for the sake of pride!" Gilbert said with a wry smile.
She asked again, "So, what about all the dirt we gathered? Are we still going to release it?"
"Forget it," Gilbert shook his head. "There's no rivalry anymore, so there's no need for that. Which movie is opening in the same time frame as Transformers now?"
"The Da Vinci Code, produced by Sony Columbia Pictures, directed by Ron Howard, and starring your old pal Tom Hanks," Ivanka replied.
Gilbert looked curious. "Doesn't Sky Dance Studio have a close partnership with Sony Columbia? Why would they let two of their films clash in the same season?"
Ivanka explained, "You've been too busy with production lately, looks like you haven't been paying attention to what's going on in Hollywood. Sky Dance Studio signed a five-film distribution deal with MGM–United Artists. Transformers is the first one."
"No wonder," Gilbert said in realization.
After being acquired by Prince Abdul, MGM–United Artists instantly became a target of disdain among Hollywood's traditional powers. The reason was simple: Prince Abdul was an Arab, and his royal family had long supported the West Bank.
So even though Prince Abdul never explicitly stated his political stance, he was naturally shunned by Hollywood's Jewish circles — which was only to be expected.
Truth be told, if MGM–United Artists hadn't gone bankrupt and created a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Prince Abdul would never have dreamed of taking over the studio.
By the time Hollywood realized what had happened, his acquisition was already a done deal.
The man behind making that deal happen, Michael Ovitz, also drew quite a bit of resentment and as a result, his choices became rather limited.
That's why he decided to help David Ellison integrate more deeply into Hollywood, strengthening Sky Dance Studio's ties with Columbia Pictures and MGM–United Artists.
Because the two studios — one backed by Japanese capital (Sony), the other by Arab capital were the ones most eager to overturn Hollywood's existing order.
However, Sony Columbia's parent company is a Japanese corporation, and in many ways, Japanese corporations are essentially part of the American business ecosystem.
So for political reasons, Sony Columbia often sided with the other five Hollywood giants to suppress MGM–United Artists.
Still, thanks to the Arabs' immense wealth, MGM–United Artists not only survived but launched a slew of new projects that year.
But if all those projects failed, no matter how deep the Arabs' pockets were, MGM–United Artists would eventually collapse.
Both David Ellison and the Arabs were viewed as outsiders by Hollywood's old guard — though for different reasons. David Ellison, after all, was Jewish.
By logic, he should've been standing opposite MGM–United Artists, as his identity naturally aligned him with the traditional power bloc.
Yet somehow, Sky Dance Studio and MGM–United Artists ended up working together seamlessly.
Michael Ovitz clearly played a crucial role in that — despite being Jewish himself, he had been the key architect of the MGM acquisition.
David Ellison might be wild, but he wasn't stupid. He knew full well that this partnership would provoke Hollywood's old establishment.
But he still chose to go through with it — clearly, he had deeper ambitions. He wanted to change Hollywood's existing structure.
Once, during a conversation with Ovitz, David Ellison had analyzed the industry's situation in detail.
Though MGM–United Artists still technically counted as a "major," it was largely ostracized by the rest of Hollywood.
If Ellison joined the rest in rejecting MGM, it would only be adding another drop in the ocean. People would think, so what if you're in? Nothing changes.
But if he joined forces with MGM to shake Hollywood's foundations and force a reshuffle, that would be an entirely different story.
Westerners often act based on a gambler's mindset — betting that they can win. David Ellison believed that if he and MGM could stir things up and become leaders of a new order, then later, after consolidating Hollywood, he could kick MGM back out and instantly clean his own slate.
Perhaps driven by that logic, Sky Dance Studio signed its five-film deal with MGM–United Artists. The others were too difficult to mess with, so he decided to start by taking down Sony Columbia — the "lapdog."
And to be fair, David Ellison's chain of moves and schemes did make him seem like the protagonist of some Hollywood epic.
But in the real world, there may be countless people who think they're the main character — only one actually gets the spotlight.
Gilbert instructed Ivanka to hand over their little stash of dirt to Columbia Pictures through an intermediary. After Transformers' release date was announced, Columbia was surely already plotting how to strike back.
It was perfect for them to use. If it worked, great; if not, there was nothing to lose.
After Transformers' release date became public, many people in Hollywood who knew about the earlier "duel" didn't mock David Ellison. Instead, they praised him for becoming more mature and not acting on impulse anymore.
Not far from Melon Studio, in Sky Dance Studio, David Ellison had just returned from supervising Transformers' post-production.
Michael Ovitz came back with a mysterious look on his face and a faint, inexplicable smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Michael, what's going on?" David Ellison asked curiously.
Michael Ovitz said, "Everyone's praising you right now."
"Praising me?" David Ellison rubbed the short beard he had just started growing. "What, because I look more handsome with a beard?"
Michael Ovitz pressed his forehead helplessly. "Not quite. They're saying you've gotten smarter."
"Oh? How so?"
"Because Transformers' release date was announced, and it's not the same as The Last of Us. Everyone thinks you made a wise decision," Michael Ovitz explained.
David Ellison suddenly understood. "I see. So if we announced a new release date that does compete with The Last of Us, would they be dumbfounded?"
"Uh…" Michael Ovitz hesitated for a moment before replying, "Then everyone would just think you're an idiot."
"Then forget it," David Ellison shook his head. "No need to change the date. Ron Howard's a lot easier to deal with than Gilbert anyway."
Who knows what Ron Howard — the Oscar-winning director of A Beautiful Mind would think if he heard that.
Still, in a way, David Ellison wasn't wrong. Compared to Gilbert, Ron Howard really was an easier opponent.
But soft targets shouldn't be underestimated — sometimes, they can still make you miserable.
....
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