America 1987

Chapter 40 is getting more and more shameless.

After searching for a long time without finding one he had heard of, just as David was about to give up, his eyes suddenly lit up and he pulled out a beautifully bound script.

After a quick glance and comparing it with his own memories, David made a decision.

"Okay, this is it," David handed the script to his uncle. "I can put my name on the production and provide some funding to endorse them."

Michael Ovitz took it and flipped through it briefly, feeling somewhat puzzled.

How can it be a horror movie? When did David become interested in horror movies?

It's important to understand that in this era, horror films were a popular genre in Hollywood, but major studios didn't pay much attention to them.

The 70s was a boom period for Hollywood horror films, with movies like The Exorcist, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and Alien establishing the commercial potential of the genre.

In the 1980s, the genres became more diverse, with John Carpenter's "The Thing" becoming mainstream, and a large number of gore horror films such as "Friday the 13th" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" emerging.

However, major studios generally believe that horror films are B-movies that are difficult to attract audiences, and rarely develop them with large budgets.

Horror films are more anticipated by small and medium-sized production companies because of their relatively high cost-effectiveness.

"It's alright," David waved his hand. "George Miller has a good relationship with Universal. The project hasn't been officially approved yet simply because they lack confidence. I've agreed to be credited as a producer, and Universal will naturally handle the distribution issues. There's no need to involve Paramount."

George Miller was the producer and developer of this film. His company established connections with Hollywood because of the unexpected success of Mad Max in 1979. Their relationship with Warner Bros. was basically that they were responsible for production and Warner Bros. was responsible for distribution.

This is an Australian film company, so this movie is an Australian-American co-production, and the movie is called "Sailing Beyond the Horizon".

Since Australian films rely heavily on government funding and overseas pre-sales, it is especially important whether a project can be favored by Hollywood.

"Sailing Beyond the Horizon" is a maritime thriller that requires a large number of real ships for filming, making budget control difficult.

However, the Australian domestic market is quite limited, so if they want to recoup their costs, they need Hollywood to help them with distribution.

The problem is that the three lead actors chosen by Australia are not yet international stars, and Warner Bros. has doubts about their box office appeal and is demanding that they be replaced with actors who have better box office appeal.

George Miller was unwilling to let others interfere with the casting process, so the early stages of the film's development came to a standstill.

The three main characters—two men and one woman—are indeed currently unknown.

However, Sam Neill, who plays the male lead, will play Dr. Grant in Jurassic Park in the future; Billy Zane, who plays the villain, will become well-known to the public ten years later for playing Rose's fiancé in Titanic.

However, those two were clearly not the reason David chose this movie.

The reason he was willing to lend his name as a producer to this film was simple—because the film's female lead was named Nicole Kidman.

Actually, when David met Tom Cruise and his wife at the premiere of "The Untouchables," he thought of their ex-wife, who was not stupid at all and was also very beautiful.

However, at that time I was busy with the post-production of "Ghost" and my date with Catherine, so I didn't have time to consider this person.

Now that I have the time, I naturally need to think about it.

Tom Cruise will definitely be wearing a hat, but he'll have to think about exactly how to wear it.

The most pressing matter now is something else entirely.

"You're not satisfied with the choice of the female lead." Michael Ovitz raised an eyebrow. "You're just a nominal producer, what right do you have to interfere with other people's casting decisions?" "Uncle, you're overestimating George Miller a bit," David Ovitz glanced at the budget for "Over the Horizon." "If you can't even afford this much budget, what gives you the confidence to insist on this?"

"It's just that Warner Bros. went a bit too far. They wanted to replace all three actors. George Miller had to put on a show to maintain his authority as a producer, otherwise probably no one would audition for him anymore."

That's absolutely true. If the three lead actors chosen by a film producer are all stripped of their roles by someone else, it will definitely have an unshakable impact on their prestige in the industry.

Putting down the script, David stroked his chin and said, "Just tell him that the actress is too young, her age doesn't fit the character in the movie, and she has to be replaced."

If they replace her, I'd be willing to put my name as a producer on their film.

Oh, by the way, as compensation to that actress, I'm planning to shoot an art film next month, and I can give her a significant female role.

Even a nominal producer is still a producer, and it's only natural for him to interfere with the casting of some roles. Besides, I've already given him a way out. If George Miller is a smart man, he'll definitely agree, David Ovitz thought to himself.

As for why he went to such lengths to prevent Nicole from starring in this movie, it certainly wasn't because he was bored.

The first and most important reason is that this film marks her first "sacrifice for art" on the big screen.

The second reason is a continuation of the first—this movie directly caught Tom Cruise's attention. After watching "Over the Horizon," he took the initiative to invite Nicole Kidman to collaborate on "Days of Thunder," and then naturally won her over.

David speculated on Tom Cruise's psychology and finally concluded that he was most likely attracted by the nude scene in the movie.

What most people don't know is that Nicole's appearance was actually quite ordinary when she was around twenty years old.

She sported a thick, red, frizzy hairstyle, her baby fat made her cheeks bulge, and she was unusually tall. Although her skin was fair, a closer look revealed some slight redness and blemishes.

As a result, she felt very inferior when she first debuted because she thought she was not good-looking.

The only thing that could be considered a highlight is her figure; she's very well-endowed.

Tom Cruise probably noticed this highlight through the nude scene in "Flying Over the Horizon," which led to his subsequent series of actions.

It's clear that David didn't want the other person to play this kind of role in the movie, at least not with other men, nor did he want her to attract Tom Cruise's attention like she did in the original timeline.

He still really likes Tom Cruise, after all, he's the overseas version of Jackie Chan. He's also seen most of Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible series, so he can barely be considered a half-fan.

Therefore, he is unwilling to have a direct confrontation with Tom Cruise unless absolutely necessary.

Trust me, Tom Cruise, Nicole isn't right for you, really, I'm doing this for your own good!

David Ovitz, holding Catherine in his arms, thought shamelessly to himself.