At the start of 2001, Dunn Films was gearing up to launch two major productions. Prep work had been wrapped up last year for Tim Burton's Pirates League: Curse of the Black Pearl and Martin Scorsese's New York Storm. Beyond these flagship projects, Dunn's subsidiaries were also kicking into gear. Rose Pictures was producing Juno, while Focus Features and Rose Pictures teamed up for Resident Evil, both now in the final stages of casting.
Resident Evil, in particular, was locked and loaded—script, crew, budget, studio, effects company, everything was set. Barring any surprises, director Zack Snyder would start shooting his second film by the end of January. With a female lead and some feminist undertones, Rose Pictures stepped in as a co-producer, and Kathleen Kennedy joined as a producer. Still, after years of prep and familiarity with the project, Dunn handed the casting reins to Zack Snyder and his fiancée, Deborah Johnson. It was a sign of trust.
That day, Dunn played a supporting role at a big signing ceremony. 20th Century Fox, following Warner Bros., became the second studio to partner with Legendary Pictures on a co-financing deal. He skipped the afterparty, though, because Deborah Johnson had asked him to meet up and finalize the lead actress for Resident Evil. With a $35 million budget, it wasn't a small film, and Dunn had been working hard to build a rapport with the Snyder couple. Since they valued his input, he couldn't exactly play hard to get.
The meeting spot? The Jeremy Hotel in West Hollywood—not the office, which felt a little odd. Still, Dunn didn't overthink it. The place was a hotspot for industry folks, practically an extension of Hollywood's office scene.
In the hotel lobby, he spotted Deborah Johnson hurrying toward him. "Been waiting long?" he said with a grin. "Hey, where's Zack?"
"Oh, him? Still tinkering with storyboards—the fourth version!" Deborah shook her head, a mix of exasperation and pride in her tone. A hardworking guy's got charm, after all.
Dunn raised an eyebrow, caught off guard. "Storyboards? Where?"
"At home!"
"At home?" Dunn blurted out, staring at her. He took a deep breath, feeling something weird was afoot. Struggling for words, he said, "If we're picking the lead, how's the director not here?"
"He chose her, I agreed, and now it's just your take that matters. Him being here or not doesn't change much," Deborah said, dragging out her words with a sly, mysterious look. "Besides, some things are easier without him around, right?"
Dunn's heart skipped a beat, suddenly paranoid she was up to something shady. His face hardened. "Deborah, Zack's my good friend, and you're his fiancée!"
"Yeah, so?"
"I brought you from the ad world into movies—an exception, sure—but it's because I saw your talent and value my friendship with Zack. If you've got… other ideas, I don't think that's necessary. It'd mess up your relationship with him and mine with Zack too!"
His words hit heavy. Deborah blinked, confused at first, then caught on. Her face flushed red as she laughed, half-annoyed, half-amused. "Dunn, my big boss! I see you as a friend too—what are you thinking? I'm not one of those starlets trading favors for roles!"
"Huh?" Dunn frowned. "You're not…?"
"What? No! I asked you here… to audition the lead actress. Don't get the wrong idea!"
"But you picked a hotel…"
Realizing the mix-up, Dunn's sheepish look betrayed his embarrassment.
Deborah gave him a playful shove, brushing it off. "The hotel's… for other reasons. Just come upstairs with me!"
They took the elevator to the top floor. Dunn shot her a puzzled glance. He'd been to the Jeremy Hotel before—the top floor was all presidential suites. For a simple audition, this was over-the-top extravagant. Unless…
His expression shifted, and he cleared his throat. "So, uh… how many candidates are there for the lead?"
"Just one!"
Well, there it was.
Dunn's suspicions clicked into place. After rounds of auditions, they'd narrowed it to one pick—no competition. She was basically locked in. With the film about to start shooting, swapping her out wasn't an option. Deborah inviting him here today wasn't about "auditioning" anyone—it was more like meeting the lead.
By now, Deborah knew he'd seen through it. She looked a little guilty but owned it. "Zack and I talked it over. You're the boss and a friend who's done so much for us—we wanted to give something back. If this setup's not your style, though…"
"Alright, enough!" Dunn waved her off, chuckling despite himself. "Deborah, you're new to Hollywood—does the ad world pull this kind of thing too?"
She shook her head. "Not much in ads—most people there are already established. But I've done fashion shorts, worked with models. That world… yeah, I've seen this before."
"No wonder," Dunn said with a nod. "So, who's this lead you picked?"
"Milla Jovovich, a Ukrainian-American actress."
"Her, huh…" Dunn's eyes narrowed, muttering to himself.
Deborah glanced at him, curious. "You know her?"
He paused, then shook his head with a soft sigh. "Know her? She's Luc Besson's ex-wife."
Deborah's face fell, worried she'd crossed a line. "Dunn, is that… a problem?"
He waved it off with a laugh. "Why would it be? They're divorced!"
Relieved, she relaxed. "Right. Milla's perfect for Resident Evil—gorgeous, killer body, great with action, solid acting chops. Plus, post-divorce, her fame's dipped, so her rate's low."
Dunn nodded faintly. "Yeah, that's her personality flaw."
Deborah sighed, having heard the rumors. "Can't help it—Hollywood's brutal. Who doesn't want a strong backer? For actresses, sometimes their body's the best leverage."
It was true. Milla Jovovich had been a stunner since childhood—print modeling, TV gigs—but her career never took off. She even tried singing, dropped an album, and still couldn't break through. Then she met Luc Besson and starred in The Fifth Element. The film was a global hit, Besson became a world-class director, and Milla rode the wave. At 21, thinking she'd found her ticket, she married the guy—16 years her senior—and carved out a name in movies.
But then Besson's Joan of Arc tanked. Hard. Hollywood shunned him, French critics trashed him, and Milla, as the lead, got dragged down too. She lost cred in the commercial market and faced pushback in France's arthouse scene. It was Besson's lowest point—he even considered quitting. Milla, still young with years ahead, wasn't about to tie her future to a sinking ship. Divorce was her only move.
Post-split, Besson's career hit rock bottom. But last year, he met Dunn Walker at Cannes, landed a $100 million gig with Dunn Films—Mr. & Mrs. Smith with Mel Gibson—and turned it around. Milla, meanwhile, couldn't snag lead roles anymore. Stuck with her looks and figure, she took small, eye-candy parts. Her acting career was in the gutter.
She regretted it but couldn't turn back. She needed a new lifeline. In another life, Resident Evil's director was Paul Anderson, a Brit. Milla seized that chance, latched onto him, nabbed the lead, and later married him. The franchise gave her solid B-list status in Hollywood. This time, though, Paul Anderson wasn't an option—Dunn held the Resident Evil rights.
For a movie like this, banking on visual punch, Milla's action skills, face, and figure were pure gold. She'd aced the auditions, winning over Zack Snyder and Deborah Johnson. One last hurdle, and she'd be the lead again. That hurdle? Dunn Walker—a backer a hundred, maybe a thousand times stronger than Besson. For a young, driven actress, this was a rare shot!
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