Beside a tree-lined road, a black mercedes-benz sedan pulled up in front of a detached house with its own yard. It stopped at the gate; Helen Herman glanced at the house number to be sure she had the right place, stepped out, walked to the iron gate, and rang the bell. The door soon opened, revealing Matthew's face.
"That was fast." Matthew ushered Helen Herman in. "I thought you'd be a while."
Helen Herman followed him across the yard without replying, looking around instead. Only once they were inside the living room did she say, "Nice house. A thousand dollars a month is a bargain."
"Make yourself comfortable." Matthew seated her on the sofa, fetched two glasses of water, and handed her one. "There was a murder here, so the rent's cheap."
A chill ran down Helen Herman's spine; she quickly set the glass down and shot Matthew a glance—what on earth was going on in this guy's head?
Thinking she was scared, Matthew reassured her, "Relax—the murder scene was out in the yard."
"Let's talk business." Helen Herman didn't want to dwell on goose-bump topics. "I got word from Universal: Sean Daniel and Stephen Sommers are developing a new Mummy film."
Matthew wasn't surprised; the mummy returns had exploded in its first week, so a sequel was inevitable—Hollywood studios never left money on the table.
He vaguely recalled, though, that a third Mummy film wouldn't arrive for years, with Jet Li as the villain—some emperor, probably Qin Shi Huang.
"This project involves you." Since making Matthew her top client, Helen Herman had stopped being cryptic. "Sean Daniel and Stephen Sommers want to center a film on the scorpion king."
"Really?" Matthew felt as if a pie had fallen from the sky. "So I'd be the lead actor?"
The lead! The Hollywood leading role he'd dreamed of!
Helen Herman promptly cooled his enthusiasm. "Don't celebrate yet. Right now it's only on Sean Daniel and Stephen Sommers's desks; Universal hasn't green-lit it, and there's strong internal pushback."
"Why?"
If the objectors were here right now,
Matthew could strangle them. "Didn't Sean Daniel and Stephen Sommers just deliver two hit Mummy films in a row?"
"Exactly, so another faction inside Universal wants a straight Mummy sequel instead." Helen Herman took a sip of water. "They think the new concept is too risky."
"My Scorpion King is already dead," Matthew realized. "A sequel almost certainly cuts me out; whatever buzz the character has will fade fast, and who knows when I'll land another lead."
Helen Herman nodded. "Precisely." She added, "Once a new Mummy sequel is locked, Sean Daniel and Stephen Sommers won't have bandwidth for anything else, and Universal's cash flow isn't great right now…"
"So what can we do?" Matthew asked.
"I'll meet Sean Daniel and Stephen Sommers and keep nudging them on the scorpion king project." Helen Herman looked at him. "Meanwhile, you and your character need to shine. If the scorpion king proves hugely popular and you build name recognition, the spin-off can overtake a Mummy sequel."
Adjusting her black-framed glasses, she said earnestly, "You'll be doing a string of publicity events for the mummy returns. I want your absolute best performance."
"Got it." Matthew sat opposite her. "Anything else?"
Helen Herman thought, then continued, "We won't be the only ones who've heard. If the scorpion king project moves, it'll step on a lot of toes—especially actors in the same film. You…" Her gaze turned hawkish. "Watch them."
Matthew recalled something. "Rachel Weisz told me that if the mummy returns is a hit, Brendan Fraser plans to demand twenty million for the sequel."
"Keep an eye on both of them." Helen Herman's phone rang; she answered briefly and hung up. "Universal's market-research division has already hired several survey companies to poll audiences on this very issue."
Matthew asked, "What can we do?"
Helen Herman checked the time. "I have a meeting with Elena Boyar in a while; I'll tell you the details after I see her."
He and Helen Herman talked in the living room for a full hour and a half, and Helen didn't get up to leave until the sun had set.
"If this project is green-lit and I'm the lead actor and the box office flops?" Matthew suddenly thought of the problem. "What happens then?"
Helen Herman said coldly, "For at least five years you can forget about being a lead—or even an important supporting role."
Matthew walked her out, stood at the gate and watched the black Mercedes-Benz pull away, guessing Helen Herman had left something unsaid: if things really went that badly, Angel Talent Agency would probably stop treating him as a priority client.
Promoting a supporting character to the film's lead is risky; no wonder Universal Pictures is so cautious. Matthew also knew the huge risks that came with the opportunity, but in this world where can you find an opportunity that's all upside and no downside?
Even lining up at the supermarket for free samples can get your toes stepped on… lead actor… Matthew looked toward the ocean; the sun was about to vanish. From tomorrow—no, from this moment—he would do everything possible to fight for it! A chance to be the lead actor!
It might upset the originally friendly cast of the mummy returns, but he couldn't give up such an opportunity just to keep people happy.
Rachel Weisz was easy; she'd already said she didn't want to do this type of film again and was aiming for awards season. The other actors carried less weight, so it didn't matter.
The one to watch was Brendan Fraser. With the mummy returns likely to be a big hit, he'd probably be eager to join the 20-million club; if the mummy franchise stalled, his career would definitely take a hit.
"I wonder if Brendan Fraser has heard the news…" Matthew turned back inside and shut the door. "We still have a string of events to attend together."
Universal worked fast; the same afternoon the meeting ended, the market-research department contacted several survey firms, and that very evening professional pollsters showed up at theaters showing the mummy returns in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and other major cities.
New York, Regal cinema on Twelfth Avenue in Manhattan; a screening of the mummy returns had just ended.
Young Kristensen was already waiting at the exit; as soon as the crowd emerged he shouted, "Survey! Survey! Free gifts! Free gifts! Only two minutes!"
Several people stopped at his voice and gathered around.
Kristensen had cleared it with the theater beforehand; surveys like this were common, and plenty of moviegoers were happy to take part.
In no time more than a dozen fans clustered around him.
Kristensen handed each a questionnaire and a small gift. The survey was simple: "Which character in the mummy returns do you like best?" with five choices—OConnell, Evelyn, Imhotep, Alex and the scorpion king.
Two minutes later he collected the forms and hurried to the exit of another auditorium. That screening was still running, so he flipped through the twelve responses: three chose OConnell, three Evelyn, two Imhotep, one Alex and three the scorpion king.
He pocketed the questionnaires and went on with his work.
Los Angeles, Santa Monica Promenade, an AMC multiplex. Five young men and women walked along the corridor with the departing crowd, still discussing the film.
"OConnell felt old," the boy in front said. "The fights weren't great either; all the action scenes combined weren't as good as the scorpion king's opening fight."
The girl behind him, eyes sparkling, said, "the scorpion king is so hot—so cool!"
"Mm-hmm!" another boy chimed in. "The movie was a bit of a let-down, especially at the end when Anck-Su-Namun abandoned Imhotep—it made no sense. Good thing the scorpion king was there. His body is amazing; I wish I had a build like that."
As they exited the auditorium the first boy said, "Someone's doing a survey—let's join."
He got a questionnaire and a weirdly shaped pen; after filling it out he handed the form back and kept the pen as payment.
"What's on the survey?" the last boy asked.
The one holding the form answered, "Which character in the mummy returns do you like best?"
"No contest," the girl said. "Of course it's the scorpion king!"