As the most influential newspaper on the West Coast of the United States, the Los Angeles Times typically featured over fifty pages in its news and information section for non-Sunday editions. Compared to the previous reviews of Run Lola Run tucked away in inconspicuous corners that readers might easily overlook, Peter Butler's article about Simon this time landed directly in the newspaper's front-page navigation.
Though it wasn't the front-page headline, as a prominently recommended navigation piece, this content was essentially required reading for most subscribers.
In this era, newspapers served as the primary channel for ordinary people to access information, and powerful print media like the Los Angeles Times played a role in shaping public opinion.
Moreover.
A young man bursting out of a mental hospital.
Madman?
A unique surname.
Earning $200,000 from a single script.
Producing a highly acclaimed independent film at eighteen.
Genius youth.
In his article, Peter Butler listed this series of personal labels for Simon, which, for Americans who revered miracles, adventure, and individual heroism, embodied the perfect realization of the American Dream.
Thus, with this Los Angeles Times piece, the attention Simon had been sporadically accumulating in various media outlets since signing the Butterfly Effect script deal with Fox last year exploded fully.
Suddenly, it seemed everyone was asking: Who is Simon Westeros?
Then.
Omnipresent media unearthed every bit of news about Simon from when he first emerged last year, turning each detail in Peter Butler's article into fodder for discussion.
Even a local Los Angeles tabloid splashed the story of Simon's late-night assault in Santa Monica across its front page.
Though it noted this was a confirmed real incident by the Santa Monica police, the tabloid adopted a sensational, storytelling tone, describing—as if an eyewitness—how Simon single-handedly took on five assailants, valiantly shattering the right legs of all five thugs and elbowing out seven teeth from one, like Bruce Lee reincarnated.
Hot on its heels, the similarly influential San Francisco Chronicle in San Francisco published a profile on Simon, filling in his pre-eighteen life completely.
Raised in a San Jose children's welfare home.
His original surname.
The only student in years from his community public high school to gain admission to Stanford.
Struck with schizophrenia less than two months into Stanford.
The San Francisco Chronicle narrated Simon's upbringing with a deeply sympathetic tone, questioning the San Jose welfare home based on his self-reliance starting at thirteen, and speculating that the root of his mental illness likely stemmed from the immense stress of years of hardship.
As for how such a boy from the bottom could suddenly produce a highly praised independent film, the Chronicle couldn't pinpoint the source. Yet the paper didn't express much astonishment, instead quoting Simon's middle school teacher from an interview: Simon was an incredibly hardworking kid; I wouldn't be surprised by any miracle he created.
This perspective almost mirrored the tone in Peter Butler's article, subtly providing a realistic foundation for the fact of Simon's sudden emergence as a film genius.
Of course, amid the uproar, skeptical voices were not absent.
After the Los Angeles Times article appeared, among the countless related calls flooding the editorial desk, many found Peter Butler's lavish praise of a young man unbelievable, even accusing the paper of sensationalism.
As for the tabloid's tale of Simon fighting off five attackers, a local TV station's late-night talk show host mercilessly mocked it with biting sarcasm.
As public opinion built and fermented, the ultimate focus shifted to one thing: Simon's film, Run Lola Run.
Since you're all raving about how talented this boy is, show us the movie?
Thus, as Simon's most direct Hollywood collaborator, many calls also poured into Fox Studios inquiring about Run Lola Run's release date. Newspapers still on the sidelines, whether sincerely or teasingly, urged Hollywood studios to hurry the film into theaters.
Los Angeles.
With the buzz successfully generated, upon returning from Park City, Simon simply had his agent Jonathan Friedman arrange a small screening for the various Hollywood studios in a Century City theater.
Over the following days, Simon frequently negotiated personally with executives from the major film companies.
But the results were far from ideal.
January 30, Friday.
Near quitting time, returning from Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, the Chevrolet SUV pulled up in front of the Montana villa.
Janet pushed open the door and got out, glancing at her boyfriend on the other side, once again returning empty-handed. She walked over, linked her arm with his, and leaned her head against his shoulder, rubbing it gently. "Sooner or later, the studios will be chasing you for collaborations, just like with Spielberg."
Simon led her to the door, pulling out his keys to unlock it, smiling. "Just like Spielberg? Why can't we be our own bosses, and have those executives work for us instead?"
"Mm-hmm," Janet nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice, declaring confidently, "Daenerys Films will definitely grow into a big company like Fox or Warner."
Simon pushed the door open, seeing Janet still clinging to him. He scooped up her light frame and gently tossed her onto the living room sofa before laughing, "Your imagination's still lacking. In the future, I want to be like Morgan and Rockefeller back in the day—become the master of all of Hollywood."
He recalled seeing a corporate affiliation tree chart for the major Hollywood studios in the early twentieth century: tracing up from the eight majors, half belonged to Morgan, half to Rockefeller.
That was the golden age of capital.
Janet, flung onto the sofa, heard his words. Her body went limp as she barely propped herself up, her face flushed as she gazed at the man hanging his satchel on the coat rack. "Simon, I'll help you."
"Sure," Simon agreed, noticing a message on the living room phone. He walked over and pressed play casually. "How about starting by making me dinner?"
"Mm-hmm."
Janet nodded but hugged a throw pillow, lazily sprawling on the sofa without moving.
On the other end, the phone message was from Orion Pictures president Mike Medavoy, asking if Simon had time that evening for dinner together.
Simon naturally understood Mike Medavoy's intent, and he couldn't help pondering it inwardly.
Over the past few days, he'd essentially contacted all seven major Hollywood studios. But the terms they offered were all hard for him to accept.
Simon wasn't being overly greedy.
The current fervent media discussions sparked by his age in directing Run Lola Run were akin to the massive success of The Blair Witch Project through viral online marketing in the original timeline—likely a tactic he could only use once in this lifetime.
If operated well, and with enough luck, Run Lola Run could create a minor box office miracle. Simon could also leverage this opportunity to accumulate a decent amount of startup capital.
But.
The majors' long-standing industry dominance made them exceedingly aggressive in negotiations, and coupled with Run Lola Run's lack of standard commercial film attributes, the offers from each were generally below Simon's expectations, leaving him little room to haggle.
Leaving Warner Studios that afternoon, Simon had already confirmed a reality in his mind.
At least for now.
The seven major studios were not ideal partners.
After sorting through his thoughts once more, Simon looked at Janet still lounging on the sofa and smiled. "Get up—no need for you to make dinner. We're going out to mooch a meal."
Having made his decision, Simon no longer pinned his hopes on the seven majors.
Orion Pictures president Mike Medavoy had been highly interested in the project ever since seeing the Run Lola Run script and storyboards. Compared to the majors, Orion could negotiate with Simon on relatively equal footing.
With both sides inclined toward collaboration, they hit it off over the subsequent dinner. After two days of intensive discussions over the weekend, Simon quickly reached a distribution agreement with Orion Pictures.
February 2, Monday.
An announcement in The Hollywood Reporter swiftly caught many eyes.
"Orion Pictures Reaches Agreement with Simon Westeros; Run Lola Run Set to Hit North American Theaters on February 13."
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