After requesting leave, Simon changed his clothes and came out of the locker room with his bag.
Courteney, holding a shopping bag, was chatting with Jonathan. Seeing Simon walk over, she smiled and took a step forward, then stopped, shyly greeted Simon, and walked out of Griffin Supermarket with the two men.
Jonathan Friedman's black Mercedes sedan was parked on the street.
The two got into the car, nodded to the girl on the curb, and Jonathan started the car, driving Simon eastward.
Smiling, Courteney watched Jonathan's Mercedes turn a corner and disappear, then her expression became somewhat lost, and she felt a pang of regret about the words she had used to reject Simon that evening.
If they hadn't spoken so directly, perhaps he might have invited her to leave with Jonathan just now.
Inside the distant car, Jonathan glanced at the girl still standing on the roadside in the rearview mirror as he turned, and asked Simon with a smile, "Do you have feelings for Courteney?"
"No," Simon shook his head, explaining, "We're just ordinary friends".
Jonathan's smile didn't fade. He said, "Actually, if you like Courteney, I can have her be the female lead in your movie, and then you'll have a chance to pursue her".
Simon thought for a moment and said, "Courteney is indeed quite suitable to be the female lead, but we really are just ordinary friends".
Jonathan nodded, then added, "Courteney really isn't quite right for you".
"So" Simon didn't continue the topic, looking at his agent and asking, "Are there any results?"
"Hmm" Jonathan raised his chin and said, "There's a nice coffee shop up ahead".
The Mercedes sedan continued for a distance, then Jonathan Friedman stopped the car and walked into a roadside coffee shop with Simon.
The two sat by the window overlooking the street, and after the waiter brought their coffee, Jonathan briefly explained Fox's new offer for Simon's script, finally asking, "So, Simon, do you think it's acceptable?"
The basic remuneration was doubled, and the profit-sharing clause was retained.
Although an option contract for an additional script was added, Simon knew that this contract was already quite generous for a newcomer like him.
However, after nodding, Simon still asked, "Jon, what about the specific package deal? I imagine WMA is even less likely to give up on this project now, right?"
Jonathan wasn't surprised that Simon could say that last sentence, and without hiding anything, he said, "Brian will also serve as a producer while directing.
Additionally, Matthew has been withdrawn from this project, and the company has asked me to be responsible for re-selecting the main cast".
Seeing the smile in Jonathan's eyes after he finished speaking, Simon understood why his agent had just said he could let Courteney play the female lead.
However, Simon didn't follow Jonathan's hint and instead asked again "When can we sign the contract?"
"The official package deal will be announced in the next few days, and the specific contract might be ready by next week" Jonathan replied.
"However, Simon, you can go back and re-sign now. If you're short on cash, I can lend you some first".
Simon shook his head and smiled, "That won't be necessary".
When Simon accepted the job, he had agreed with Roger Griffin that he would need to give him a few days' notice if he wanted to resign, so that Roger could find a replacement.
Although the chubby middle-aged man was very stingy, they had gotten along quite well during this time.
Furthermore, Simon would still need Roger's shop for his upcoming filming of 'Run Lola Run', so it wasn't appropriate for him to just leave abruptly now.
Jonathan didn't know Simon's thoughts, but he didn't try to persuade him further, changing the subject instead: "There's one more thing, Simon, regarding the WGA. Do you want to join the union?"
Simon looked puzzled, not understanding why Jonathan would suddenly bring that up.
Seeing Simon's confused expression, Jonathan proactively explained, "If you join the WGA, your upcoming contract can be based on the union's 'Basic Agreement,' which will better protect your personal rights. So, if you're willing, I'll help you process it as soon as possible, and we should be able to get it done before signing with Fox next week".
Joining the Writers Guild of America (WGA) has a threshold; applicants need to accumulate enough points through various film and television works within three years prior to applying to be eligible.
Of course, Simon didn't doubt Jonathan's ability to negotiate an exception with the WGA.
If Simon simply wanted to be a screenwriter, joining the WGA would indeed be a good choice.
However, Simon's ambition was to be at the very top of the Hollywood hierarchy.
Joining the WGA now, he might very well find himself on the opposing side in the future.
One must know that the WGA is one of the most strike-prone unions in Hollywood.
Once the WGA decides to strike, all members must strictly abide by the strike regulations and are not allowed to do any work for film and television production companies.
At that time, if Simon were both a film company boss and a WGA member, it would be quite a spectacle; he couldn't possibly strike against himself, could he?
Shaking his head, Simon said to Jonathan, "Jon, no thanks. If I were to join any union, I would only choose the Producers Guild of America".
Jonathan heard this, smiled, and said, "Alright, then we'll leave it at that".
The two discussed some other matters, and after Simon's side was settled, Jonathan hurried back to WMA headquarters.
This incident made Jonathan Friedman realize many things.
Since Lou Weiss had entrusted him with the task of re-selecting the main cast for 'The Butterfly Effect', Jonathan had no intention of sharing this project with anyone else.
Jonathan directly gave all suitable roles to his own people.
Even if he couldn't find suitable candidates under his own name, he chose clients from agents with whom he had good relationships.
After a busy afternoon, Jonathan Friedman submitted the re-confirmed cast list to Lou Weiss in the evening.
Subsequently, after discussing a series of details with Fox again, WMA and Fox jointly held a press conference on Wednesday to announce the specific package project plan to the media.
Simon did not attend this press conference.
In fact, only a few senior executives from WMA and Fox attended 'The Butterfly Effect' project press conference; none of the film's main creators were present.
However, Simon quickly learned the new main creative information for 'The Butterfly Effect'.
Besides himself and Brian De Palma, the male and female leads chosen by Jonathan Friedman were both his own clients, Matt Dillon and Elisabeth Shue, respectively, and most of the other supporting roles were also his clients.
Simon was not familiar with Matt Dillon and Elisabeth Shue.
Or, for most people, the two actually belonged to the type who often appear in Hollywood movies but are difficult to remember.
However, in 1986, both of them, then only in their early twenties, were already promising Hollywood newcomers who had appeared in quite a few films.