"Stephen Sommers?" Philip Clayston looked at Sean Daniel. "What are his plans?"
Sean Daniel went straight to the point, "Stephen Sommers wants to make a spin-off movie about the Scorpion King, similar to a prequel to 'The Mummy' series, but set in ancient Egypt." Seeing the silence in the conference room, he added, "Have you seen the media feedback in the past few days? The character of the Scorpion King has attracted a lot of attention."
"Upgrading a supporting character to a protagonist is too risky!" Jett Breton immediately objected, "Instead of that, it's better to continue making sequels to 'The Mummy' series."
"Sequels can be made," Sean Daniel insisted on his opinion, "but not now!"
Continuing 'The Mummy' series was too risky. If anything went wrong, the film's box office would falter, and the prestige he had painstakingly built up through two successful films would be greatly diminished.
Jett Breton, however, asked, "You don't mean to directly upgrade the actor currently playing the Scorpion King to the lead role, do you?"
"He's a very good actor," Sean Daniel didn't say it explicitly, but his meaning was clear, "especially for action films."
"A good actor?" Jett Breton shook his head. "Before 'The Mummy Returns' was released, I hadn't even heard his name."
He asked with a serious face, "Sean, is he more famous than Brendan Fraser? Or does he have stronger box office appeal?"
The answer to such a question was obvious.
Sean Daniel didn't answer Jett Breton, but instead said, "Gentlemen, I want to remind you that Hollywood is a place of rapid change! For the film market, Brendan Fraser is becoming a thing of the past. The negative reviews he has received this time undoubtedly prove this point; he is like a setting sun! But Matthew Horner, who plays the Scorpion King, is different. I believe he is a rising red sun…"
"The words of film critics and professional commentators in the media are not to be trusted…" Jett Breton added, "I'm sure you all know that they are far removed from the audience of entertainment films."
Sean Daniel was about to speak again, but was stopped by Philip Clayston. The director of the production department asked him, "How far along is Stephen Sommers' plan?"
"He started writing the script as soon as post-production on 'The Mummy Returns' was finished." Sean Daniel thought for a moment, then added, "His intention was to submit it to Universal Pictures along with the proposal after the script was completed. However, the Scorpion King's unexpected popularity has led us to decide to accelerate this process."
"I stick to my opinion!" Jett Breton's idea was simple, "Rather than take a risk on a new actor, it's better to let Brendan Fraser continue to star in 'The Mummy' series."
"The company's cash flow and resources are limited; it's impossible to operate two similar films simultaneously, and risk aversion doesn't allow us to do so." Philip Clayston considered for a while and said, "Let the market speak. I will contact the market research department and have them hire a specialized survey agency to conduct a survey among cinema audiences."
The market reaction to the film over the past two days gave Sean Daniel confidence, and he said, "Good."
Since Philip Clayston had made a decision, the others had no objections, and this decision was quickly implemented.
"It's not hard to see from 'The Mummy Returns' that Brendan Fraser only knows how to show off and can't act at all. This is obvious. Among the male actors in the film, he has the most fame and the most screen time, yet he is overshadowed by the newcomer actor Matthew Horner, whose screen time and fame are far inferior. The supporting character Scorpion King, played by Matthew Horner, has received a strong response from the audience…"
Seeing this, Brendan Fraser threw down the newspaper in his hand and slammed the table, his chest filled with anger, yet he didn't know how to vent it.
He picked up another newspaper, which also had a review of 'The Mummy Returns'.
"Brendan Fraser is old and fat. His fighting in the film is clumsy and slow, like an overweight penguin… The most exciting action scene in the film comes from a fight by the Scorpion King, played by Matthew Horner. The action is realistic, sharp, and full of violent beauty…"
"Bullshit!" Brendan Fraser grabbed the newspaper and tore it in half, "It's all bullshit!"
He just couldn't understand why all these rotten people in the media were badmouthing him and praising that unknown nobody, Matthew Horner. Was Matthew Horner really that good? Wasn't he just a bit younger, a bit more handsome, a bit thinner, a bit more muscular, a bit more agile, and a bit more diligent?
Besides these, what else did he have? Did he have his fame? Did he have his glorious track record? Was his acting as good as his? Was his box office appeal as high as his?
Brendan Fraser picked up the newspaper from the floor, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the trash can. He still couldn't believe that he would be upstaged by a minor supporting character, so he went to the computer to read comments from moviegoers online.
When the first 'The Mummy' was released, fans gave him countless praises, which was the foundation of a movie star.
Having no work today, Brendan Fraser simply turned on his computer and successfully logged into a movie forum, a gathering place for movie fans. He occasionally visited it, and it was on this website that he saw countless positive reviews for him when 'The Mummy' was released back then.
After a brief browse on the forum page, he found the 'The Mummy Returns' section, clicked on it, and then saw a string of positive reviews about… the Scorpion King.
"The most impressive thing about the entire film was the Scorpion King."
Brendan Fraser's eyelids twitched; there was much more to come.
"The biggest surprise this movie gave me was Matthew Horner, who played the Scorpion King. Although not as strong as Schwarzenegger, he really looks formidable!"
"As for typical sequels, Rachel Weisz is as beautiful as ever, Brendan Fraser is much worse than in the first film, and the Scorpion King is probably the only surprise."
"I really don't like Brendan Fraser. Two years have passed, and not only has he not improved, he's gotten worse! Also, the actor playing the Scorpion King is a highlight; he has a face, a physique, and charisma!"
"The performance of that 'Scorpion King' is acceptable; everything else can be ignored!"
"The Scorpion King has a good physique, but he's not tough enough."
There were also some gushing comments:
"I really want to touch the Scorpion King's muscles."
"Seeing Matthew Horner's abs and rock-like face, I feel more…"
Brendan Fraser didn't want to read any further. He closed the webpage and fell into thought. Could Matthew Horner really be that prominent? Thinking about the events between him and Matthew during filming and at the premiere, it was simply ironic.
The boss was actually going to be taken down by the subordinate!
His phone suddenly rang. Brendan Fraser stood up, found his phone, and saw that it was his agent calling.
"What's up?" Brendan Fraser sat on the sofa and answered the call. Because he was in a bad mood, his tone was a bit aggressive. "Didn't I say I was off today and not to disturb me?"
The agent didn't seem to mind his tone at all; stars always have tempers. He said over the phone, "I just learned from Universal Pictures executives that Universal Pictures might cancel the next 'Mummy' filming plan!"
Brendan Fraser jumped to his feet. "What?!"
His face was full of disbelief. The first two-day box office for 'The Mummy Returns' had already exceeded fifty million dollars, and all agencies predicted that the North American box office would easily break two hundred million dollars. If such a film didn't have a sequel, had all the executives at Universal Pictures gone mad?
"Are you sure?" He subconsciously doubted the news.
"Absolutely sure!" The agent vowed, "Universal Pictures' production department just held a meeting this morning to discuss this issue."
Brendan Fraser frowned deeply. "What are they thinking?"
There was little doubt that 'The Mummy Returns' would be a huge hit. He had originally thought that the third film in the series, like the second, would be released quickly. That way, as the male lead, he would have the capital to demand a top salary from Universal Pictures, thus becoming a member of the twenty-million-dollar club!
"Sean Daniel believes you've dragged down the film's reputation and suggests postponing the production of the third film," the agent rattled off a lot of information, "He and Stephen Sommers are preparing to jointly develop a spin-off film of 'The Mummy' series, planning to feature the popular Scorpion King from 'The Mummy Returns' as the protagonist to create an ancient Egyptian epic war film."
"They want Matthew Horner to be the lead?" Brendan Fraser murmured, "How is that possible? He's just a small actor…"
The agent added, "Universal Pictures hasn't made a decision yet! Brendan, currently the bigwigs in Universal Pictures' production department are divided into two factions. Those led by Sean Daniel believe you're past your prime and don't want to continue releasing new 'The Mummy' films with you as the lead; they think they should instead develop a new project starring the Scorpion King! The other faction believes Matthew Horner lacks fame and appeal and that you should continue to be used for new sequels."
Brendan Fraser breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that no decision had been made yet; this way, he still had a chance to enter the twenty-million-dollar club.
As a "Mr. Ten Percent," the agent was quite proactive and continued on the phone, "Brendan, Universal Pictures hasn't made a decision yet, so we need to take action to push Universal Pictures to greenlight a new 'The Mummy' sequel as soon as possible. I'll go lobby Universal Pictures. Stephen Sommers still has a contract with Universal Pictures, so as long as Universal Pictures makes a decision, he must comply! At worst, they can replace the director! You also need to unite with Rachel Weisz and other main actors to put appropriate pressure on Universal Pictures."
Brendan Fraser gradually calmed down, sat back on the sofa, and said, "I know what to do!"
The agent then reminded him, "Since the stock market turmoil began last year, Hollywood has been struggling with financing. Universal Pictures won't have very strong cash flow in the short term. If they go with a film starring the Scorpion King, the 'Mummy' sequel will most likely be cut."
Almost at the same moment, Helen Herman turned off Interstate 5 onto a quiet road, slowing down to look for Matthew's residence.