Around 7:30 PM, outside a luxurious mansion on the hillside of Beverly Hills.
The wine-red Ford sedan stopped by the narrow mountain road. Simon climbed out of the car, went to the other side, opened the door, and looked at Janet Johnston, who naturally linked arms with him after getting out. He joked in a low voice, "This isn't the calm before the storm, is it?"
Due to the informal nature of the cocktail party, Simon had changed into a shirt and trousers, but Janet was still wearing the same pink long dress from earlier in the day. However, the woman's demeanour at this moment seemed to have completely transformed. She showed no trace of her usual eccentricity and casualness, instead appearing as an impeccable lady with every gesture.
Hearing the teasing remark, Janet gave Simon a light glare and subtly pinched his arm.
A sharp pain shot through his arm, and Simon immediately felt relieved.
Good.
Things were the same as ever.
Entering the mansion, Simon and Janet were led by a waiter to the swimming pool in the front yard, where Brian De Palma and David Giler came to greet them.
There were already quite a few guests at the party. Noticing Brian De Palma and David Giler walking towards a young couple, everyone looked over curiously, occasionally interspersed with whispers.
After exchanging greetings, both middle-aged men immediately showed obvious curiosity about the elegant Janette by Simon's side. They were quite familiar with Simon's personal situation, so they were very puzzled as to how Simon could suddenly bring such a female companion today.
After all, Janet clearly wasn't one of those unknown aspiring actresses trying to catch a ride into Hollywood; she looked more like a well-bred lady from a prominent family.
Sensing their curiosity, Simon took the initiative to introduce them: "Brian, David, this is Janette Johnston, she's a painter. Janette, this is Mr. Brian De Palma, and this is Mr. David Giler."
Listening to Simon's introduction, Janette shook hands gracefully with the two middle aged men and offered a few well-placed compliments.
After the pleasantries, Brian De Palma had to go greet other guests. David Giler quietly told Simon that Mike Medavoy, the president of Orion Pictures, would arrive a bit later. Then, he took Simon and Janet and navigated them through the guests, actively introducing Simon to people.
Hollywood seemed vast, but in reality, once you entered, the circle became very small.
Just attending this kind of industry gathering for the first time, Simon met Al Pacino, Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, and Melanie Griffith, all Hollywood stars who had once been completely out of reach.
Of course, at a first meeting, everyone just chatted briefly, and it was naturally impossible to immediately establish any deep friendship. But Simon also knew that this kind of opportunity for contact was something many people desperately trying to break into the industry could only dream of.
The reasoning was actually very simple.
Having met each other and become somewhat familiar, if there was a possibility of future collaboration, contacting them with a reaction of, "so and so, oh, I met him at Brian's party," versus "so and so, who's that?" would definitely lead to completely different outcomes.
After enthusiastically introducing Simon to various people, David Giler temporarily excused himself.
Simon and Janette stood together by the railing, which overlooked the entire city of Los Angeles, each holding a cocktail and taking a brief rest.
Janette elegantly sipped her drink, and seeing Simon gazing intently at the brilliantly lit city nightscape below the mountain, she teased, "Little boy, have you suddenly grown ambitious?"
"No," Simon shook his head and said, "I just remembered a movie. There was a guy, well, very unprofessional".
Janette noticed a fleeting, inexplicable emotion in Simon's expression and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Hmm?"
Simon tilted his head, downed his drink in one gulp, and, returning to normal, said with a smile, "Nothing, it's a movie that hasn't been made yet, so I can't tell you about it".
Janette scrutinized Simon, then suddenly nodded. Her bright eyes, illuminated by the lights, seemed to hold two eager little beasts. She echoed, "Little boy, are you going to start talking nonsense? I'll join you".
Simon looked at Janette's serious expression, bordering on eccentricity, and suddenly felt a strong urge to caress the woman's fair face. His arm lifted slightly, but he stopped himself instantly, saying, "Don't do that. I still hope you maintain this elegant demeanour until the end. It's a very honourable thing for a man".
"Heh heh, alright," Janette chuckled, and some of the gathered aura instantly dissipated. She said, "Actually, I feel that many of them know you".
Simon had naturally noticed the playful looks in many people's eyes when David Giler introduced him, and he said with a smile, "It's probably not a good reputation".
Compared to the last WMA packaging incident, where he was a newly emerging screenwriter, Simon felt that these people were more likely to have noticed him because he had broken the legs of those five guys a few days ago. Even David Giler would ask about it in private conversations, inquiring if Simon had studied kung fu like Bruce Lee.
To be honest, Simon himself barely remembered the events of that night; he had been completely on the verge of collapse at the time.
However, during this period, Simon gradually realized that his strength was indeed much greater than that of ordinary people. Moreover, although he didn't know any martial arts, he did have some professional combat techniques in his mind. But as for how strong these factors would translate into actual combat power, Simon had no concept. He wasn't a violent person, and he was too lazy to do such tests.
After they chatted for a while, David Giler soon reappeared, bringing with him a tall, but rather portly, middle-aged man.
"Mike, this is Simon," David Giler gestured towards Simon, then added, "Simon, this is Mike Medavoy, the president of Orion Pictures".
Simon politely shook hands with the other party, then briefly introduced Janette by his side. Only then did David Giler lead them to the second-floor terrace of the villa behind them. A set of tables and chairs was placed on the terrace, and the view was much better than from the railing they had just been at.
After instructing the waiter to bring drinks and snacks, David Giler chatted with them for a moment, then got up and left, leaving the space for Simon and Mike Medavoy to converse.
What they were about to discuss wasn't a secret, so Simon didn't signal Janette to leave. He simply focused on responding to Mike Medavoy's probing questions.
In the 1980s, due to the overall recovery of the film industry, a large number of excellent independent production companies emerged in Hollywood.
Compared to the more well-known New Line and Miramax, film companies like Orion, Cannon, Carolco, and Castle Rock were actually more powerful at this time.
Among these, Orion and Miramax shared many similarities. This film company successively produced and distributed many excellent films favoured by the Academy Awards, such as 'The Silence of the Lambs', 'Dances with Wolves', 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being', and 'Platoon'.
After Orion went bankrupt in the early 1990s, the Weinstein brothers of Miramax gradually began to make their mark at the Academy Awards.
Beyond Orion, other film companies such as Cannon, Carolco, and Castle Rock also successively declined before the new century, with most of them becoming dispensable shell companies under various media groups. In the end, only New Line and Miramax, which had allied themselves with Time Warner and Disney in advance, were relatively fortunate to survive.
On the terrace, Mike Medavoy wasn't a talkative person, but his words clearly indicated that he had thoroughly researched Simon himself and the script for 'Run Lola Run', and had even read the script for 'The Butterfly Effect'.
Noticing this, Simon also realized that Orion was genuinely interested in 'Run Lola Run', and the possibility of their cooperation was very high.
However, upon closer thought, if it weren't for that, David Giler wouldn't have arranged this meeting so formally.
After they chatted for a while, Mike Medavoy gradually brought up substantive cooperation topics: "Simon, 'Run Lola Run' is indeed a very novel story, and its low cost can offset the film's shortcomings in commercial potential. However, I find it very difficult to agree to your request for absolute creative autonomy".
Simon listened to Mike Medavoy and said, "Mike, although the story of 'Run Lola Run' seems simple, the details are very coherent and meticulous. Besides myself, I don't believe anyone else can fully realize this story. Moreover, I've already said that I can use my own money to start the film's production. If Orion is not satisfied with my initial shooting results, you can choose to withdraw immediately. But if Orion approves of my work, then I also hope to receive an undisturbed creative environment".
"Of course, I have no objections regarding the script," Mike Medavoy shook his head and said, "Simon, I'm referring to things like the film's cast. Frankly, Orion is not interested in independent film projects that are too small. We are not B-movie producers like Roger Corman. Therefore, Orion can provide a production budget of $1 million for this film, but if we choose to invest, Orion will not give up halfway".
Simon hesitated, then said, "Mike, what do you mean?"
Mike Medavoy said, "Simon, let's not mention your proposal to start production with your own money anymore. However, I respect your desire for an opportunity. Therefore, Orion can invest in this film with a $1 million budget, but the film's cast must be selected by Orion. At the same time, we will give you one week of shooting time. If your work is satisfactory, then you can continue, and Orion will interfere with your creative process as little as possible. Otherwise, we will take back the project and replace the director to continue shooting. Oh, and regarding the script, I can give you $50,000, plus future video and TV broadcast royalties. Additionally, Orion also hopes to get priority selection rights for another one of your scripts. I know you signed a contract with Fox, but that's not a conflict, you won't only create three scripts, right?"