Madonna's pursuit of Hollywood could only be described as a case of trying and failing, then trying again.
Golden Raspberry awards? She did not care.
Box-office disasters? The studios bore the losses anyway.
The few positive notices she had received, such as her cameo in Pulp Fiction, were never the main focus.
All in all, the pop superstar whose singing career had already reached its peak remained obsessed with breaking into Hollywood.
Recently the singer had set her sights on a very explicit project called Body of Evidence. The script told the story of a woman who accidentally causes her lover's death during passionate sex, is charged with murder, and then step by step clears her name in court.
Essentially, Body of Evidence was a blend of Basic Instinct and Presumed Innocent.
Basic Instinct needed no explanation. Presumed Innocent was the 1990 crime drama starring Harrison Ford: a prosecutor is accused of murdering his mistress, endures countless hardships in court to prove his innocence, and finally discovers the real killer is his own wife.
Presumed Innocent had earned more than eighty-six million dollars domestically on a twenty-two-million-dollar budget and had also been a box-office dark horse.
Daenerys and MGM's collaboration last year, A Few Good Men, had roughly followed in Presumed Innocent's footsteps.
Body of Evidence borrowed the femme-fatale concept from Basic Instinct and the courtroom duel element from Presumed Innocent.
In the original timeline Body of Evidence had generated considerable buzz, which was why Simon remembered quite a bit about it.
The film's main selling point had basically been Madonna's steamy scenes.
Yet the facts proved that audiences were not actually that interested in the Queen of Pop's naked body. The thirty-million-dollar production ultimately returned only a little over thirteen million dollars at the box office.
"Madge, I have read the script, but I do not quite understand. Apart from your own very explicit involvement, what else is this movie planning to use to attract audiences?"
Madonna caught the clear lack of interest in Simon's tone and immediately said, "Simon, don't you think the script is very similar to Basic Instinct? Besides, the genre is still the courtroom crime drama that has been extremely popular these past two years."
"All right, let us analyze it," Simon said. Noticing Madonna instinctively moving closer and tilting her face as if about to press against him, he took a small step back. "Basic Instinct's success largely came from the controversy it stirred. The high-intelligence female lead toyed with the police in the palm of her hand. That strong dramatic conflict was also a major selling point. Presumed Innocent succeeded because of its tightly woven plot and the big twist at the end. So you see, both films may contain steamy scenes, but audiences did not buy tickets for the steamy scenes."
Madonna saw Simon retreat and moved closer again.
After her divorce from Sean Penn and the quick split with Warren Beatty, the Queen was currently single.
"But Simon, everything you just mentioned is in Body of Evidence."
"Unfortunately, Madge, some of those elements exist but are not obvious," Simon shook his head. "What I see is only that the female lead sleeps with every key character in the film and then gets them to help her clear her name. Compared with Catherine in Basic Instinct, that is very low-tier. Catherine uses her high intelligence. Desire is merely desire. She even uses desire to put herself in greater danger while calmly playing a heart-pounding game with the male lead."
"How about this, Simon? You help me revise the script, or you direct it yourself."
As Madonna spoke, one small hand reached out. Her index finger hooked Simon's suit pocket while her eyes carried an obvious invitation.
Simon stopped retreating. He studied Madonna's action with interest and smiled. "Madge, I have a date tonight."
Sarah Michelle Gellar, who had been carefully holding Simon's arm the whole time, lifted her chin slightly when the man mentioned her and met Madonna's gaze. The singer was not much taller than the girl. [TL/N: Girl wtf.]
Madonna merely glanced at the girl and dismissed her directly. "Little one, would you mind giving Simon and me a moment alone?"
The Queen's aura was too strong. The matter-of-fact tone instantly made Sarah Michelle Gellar feel a little timid. She subconsciously looked toward Simon.
Simon gave the girl a tiny shake of his head, turned to Madonna, and nodded toward Sydney Pollack not far away. "Madge, I still have things to discuss with Sydney. Daenerys is not interested in Body of Evidence. You can talk to other people."
"What a shame," Madonna said. Seeing Simon reject her outright, her tone cooled considerably. She did not press further, yet her eyes still carried a resentful look. "And men really are unreliable. I never expected your tastes to change so quickly."
Once Madonna walked away, Simon led Sarah toward the group chatting with Robert Redford, Sydney Pollack, and Barbra Streisand.
The three veteran Hollywood heavyweights had all risen in the sixties and seventies. Their joint classic from the seventies, The Way We Were, was one of the decade's landmark films. Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand also shared a romantic history.
All three were currently CAA clients as well.
After exchanging greetings, Simon brought up The Firm with Sydney Pollack.
Sydney Pollack had directed the original version of The Firm. Strictly speaking, Simon did not feel Pollack was the right fit for this kind of lawyer-themed suspense thriller. Pollack's most famous films, Out of Africa and Tootsie, leaned heavily toward romance, and The Way We Were was even more so.
Still, considering the veteran director's skill and the original timeline factor, Simon had extended the invitation anyway.
"Simon, I can direct The Firm, but I have one condition," Sydney Pollack said bluntly. "I must have final say on casting."
Redford and Streisand were both sharp veterans. The moment Pollack mentioned casting they found excuses and stepped away.
Simon answered just as straightforwardly. "Of course, Syd. However, the male lead has already been decided. Apart from him, you can choose anyone else as long as it stays within budget."
"I know Daenerys has already approached Keanu Reeves," Sydney Pollack said, "but Simon, I do not think Keanu is suitable."
Simon raised an eyebrow slightly. "Why?"
"Keanu is better suited for comedies. The Firm is a very serious drama."
"Perhaps you should watch Keanu's performance last year in Point Break, Syd. In that crime drama he plays a police officer and received widespread critical praise."
"All right, Simon, let us be frank. I hope Tom Cruise can star in The Firm."
Simon narrowed his eyes slightly. The figure of Michael Ovitz suddenly flashed through his mind.
Sydney Pollack had been one of the earliest major filmmakers to join CAA during its rise. The two films that had pushed Pollack's directing career to its peak in the eighties, Tootsie and Out of Africa, had both been CAA packages.
Because of that history, Sydney Pollack was one of Michael Ovitz's staunchest supporters.
During the "Infantry Soldier" incident two years earlier when Michael Ovitz clashed with famous screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, Sydney Pollack had been one of the few Hollywood directors who publicly defended Ovitz in the media.
This time, Sydney Pollack clearly hoped to use The Firm as an opportunity to help CAA client Tom Cruise escape the awkward position of being blacklisted by Daenerys Entertainment.
Although CAA had terminated representation contracts with several filmmakers back then, Michael Ovitz had, probably out of a sense of compensation, maintained very close contact with them. Simon had simply chosen to ignore it.
After Rain Man, Tom Cruise's two commercial films in recent years, Born on the Fourth of July and Days of Thunder, had both succeeded at the box office. However, because Daenerys Entertainment's influence in Hollywood had grown even stronger, every major studio had inevitably become more cautious when working with Barry Levinson, Dustin Hoffman, and Tom Cruise.
Barry Levinson's Bugsy, which should have been a strong 1992 Oscar contender, had simply vanished. After Daenerys reached its cooperation agreement with Paramount last year, the studio that had once been tightly linked with Cruise had also dropped him. As a result Cruise had not had a single film release in 1991.
In reality Simon had never said anything forbidding other studios from working with the three men. Dustin Hoffman had still appeared in Hook last year, and after leaving Paramount, Tom Cruise's Columbia project Far and Away would open this summer.
On the surface the careers of these filmmakers still looked normal.
When Dustin Hoffman had joined Hook last year, Peter Guber had even persuaded Terry Semel to step forward and plead on his behalf.
Simon had loosened his stance a little at the time but had not changed his fundamental attitude: Daenerys Entertainment would still not work with the three filmmakers.
Meg Ryan's "lifting of the ban" had also begun with her signing a new contract with Daenerys Entertainment. That was probably the real reason Sydney Pollack had made his request today.
Michael Ovitz likely hoped Tom Cruise could secure one collaboration with Daenerys to signal to the outside world that Cruise and Daenerys had fully reconciled, preventing the popular young star's career from declining due to the studios' growing caution.
Simon showed no displeasure at Sydney Pollack's direct demand. He simply shook his head. "Syd, if you insist on that, then I can only say I am sorry. I hope we have another chance to work together in the future."
Seeing Simon's firm stance, Sydney Pollack suddenly grew angry. "Simon, that incident happened a long time ago. I do not understand why you are still holding on to it. You are already a big man. You should not be so petty about small things."
"Syd, I have always believed that the idea some people should be 'bigger man' and therefore generous and willing to forgive is fundamentally a form of extortion, a public opinion blackmail by the weak against the strong. As for people I do not want to forgive, I am sorry, but I will not forgive a single one. Moreover, I think I have already shown enough generosity. I have not targeted them directly, and until now they have all been doing very well, have they not? So do not ask me for anything more."
After speaking, Simon did not wait for Sydney Pollack's reply. He raised his glass slightly toward the man and walked away.
Sarah Michelle Gellar had stayed beside Simon the entire time. From Madonna at the beginning, to Sydney Pollack, Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, and then many other big names she had only ever admired from afar, the more than two hours of the party felt to the girl like she had stepped into another world.
It still seemed a little unreal.
Sarah's mother was a minor actress who had never broken through. She had pinned all her hopes on her daughter. Starting at age four, the girl had attended endless auditions. Early exposure to this world of fame and fortune had also made Sarah far more mature than other girls her age.
The role of Susan's daughter Julie in Desperate Housewives was the first relatively substantial recurring television role Sarah had landed in more than ten years. Moreover, since the project was reportedly personally created by Westerlo, both mother and daughter felt it could be Sarah's breakthrough.
Then this afternoon the agency had suddenly delivered news that mother and daughter had first thought was a joke: Westeros wanted to meet Sarah.
After confirming it was no joke, Sarah had clearly sensed her mother's near-tearful excitement.
After a heartfelt talk between Rosellen Gellar and her daughter, plus further arrangements from WMA, Sarah had been delivered to Simon's side this evening.
Simon left Barbra Streisand's party with Sarah Michelle Gellar a little before ten o'clock.
He had already felt that The Firm did not perfectly match Sydney Pollack's style. In the original timeline the reason Pollack had directed the project had obviously been another CAA package.
Michael Ovitz often used "diversity" as an excuse to assign directors accustomed to one genre to entirely new territory they had never touched.
Many directors had distinct styles, so in Simon's view such moves were often reckless.
Moreover, the packages Michael Ovitz forced together were frequently high-budget blockbusters, which inevitably led to some expensive failures.
Because it saved studios a great deal of effort, the packaging system remained popular in Hollywood, yet Daenerys Entertainment was a very strong exception.
Unless Simon personally considered it truly suitable, neither CAA, WMA, nor ICM could force an entire packaged team onto Daenerys Entertainment.
Since Sydney Pollack had not worked out, Simon decisively decided to look for another director.
Only after returning to the Dume Point estate did Simon, who had been thinking about various matters on the drive, finally remember the girl beside him.
Although she was young, Sarah Michelle Gellar clearly knew what was about to happen. The girl not only showed no sign of nervousness but even made clumsy attempts to seduce the man beside her.