Made In Hollywood

"Michael, I believe we will have opportunities to collaborate in the future."

In the meeting room, Duke shook hands with Michael Ovitz. "Disney is a great partner."

Michael Ovitz forced a smile and turned to leave. As a former agent, reading people's expressions was a basic skill. He could see that Duke cared about Disney, not him as the CEO. There was no need to continue the conversation.

Seeing Duke sit down again, Tom Cruise's face stiffened a bit. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, he could hear from Duke's tone that he wasn't interested in the project, even though the conditions offered were generous.

Why does he always oppose me?

Thinking of this, Tom Cruise also stood up, ready to leave.

"Tom..." Duke glanced at Pat Kingsley and then at Nicole Kidman, finally fixing his gaze on Cruise. "Could we talk privately?"

Tom Cruise thought for a moment and slowly nodded.

Nancy Josephson handed Duke his briefcase and was the first to leave the room. Nicole Kidman whispered a few words into Cruise's ear and left with Pat Kingsley.

"Please, have a seat." Duke gestured to a seat nearby. After Tom Cruise sat down, Duke opened his briefcase, took out the script for *Chicago*, and handed it over. "Tom, I want to invite you to star in my new movie."

"A new movie?"

A little taken aback, Tom Cruise opened the script. "A musical?"

Even without reading the specifics, once he saw that it was adapted from a Broadway stage production, he immediately recognized the genre. After all, this musical had once enjoyed immense success.

"Are you inviting me to play Billy?" he asked tentatively.

"That's right, Tom."

Although Duke appeared sincere, he was lying through his teeth. "I've wanted to work with you for years, but due to fees or other reasons, it's been delayed until now. I believe this is the opportunity..."

Duke didn't notice that Tom Cruise's mouth was twitching slightly, and his eyes held a look of disbelief.

From the moment he saw the script, it felt like a thousand lightning bolts were crashing down on him. It seemed like the world had gone mad. The director known for his explosive films was making a musical? And inviting him to play the lead? How crazy was this?

Could he succeed?

Tom Cruise instinctively wanted to refuse, but when he opened his mouth, no words came out.

Sitting there, Duke didn't do much for the time being. If Tom Cruise outright rejected him, there was no point in continuing.

Quickly flipping through the script, Tom Cruise remained silent. Even though he was surprised, he had no intention of expressing it out loud.

As the script pages turned, his eyes scanned the lines. Gradually, his initial shock faded. After all, Duke wasn't the first Hollywood director to attempt a genre shift. Spielberg and others had successfully done so in the past. Moreover, Duke's consistent success gave the impression that he could keep succeeding.

From film companies to various departments in Hollywood, everyone chased after the trail of success.

Would Duke succeed?

This was what mattered most to Tom Cruise. Why do top stars like to work with major directors? Because their projects often guarantee success!

Flashes of past memories appeared in Cruise's mind. Starting from *The Rock*, there had been opportunities for him and Duke to work together. However, due to various reasons, they never materialized. As a result, *The Rock* succeeded, *Independence Day* succeeded, and *Saving Private Ryan* succeeded. Even someone like him, who didn't particularly like Duke, had to admit that none of these successes were by chance. Each was hard-fought amidst competition from CAA and other rivals in the summer box office battles.

If Nicolas Cage or Tom Hanks had been replaced by him, his current status and value would undoubtedly be higher!

To this day, not one of his films had surpassed $200 million in North American box office.

Closing the script, Tom Cruise turned to look at Duke sitting beside him. Just like in the past, Duke was calm and composed, as if he knew Cruise wouldn't reject him outright.

Duke simply didn't care. In his view, including himself, no one in Hollywood was indispensable.

"What's the budget for the film?" Tom Cruise broke the silence, handing back the script. "When do you plan to start shooting?"

"Shooting will begin next year."

Taking the script back, Duke thought for a moment before saying, "The production budget will be around $15 million."

Hearing that number, Tom Cruise immediately frowned. That amount didn't even cover his standard fee.

Duke understood that now was the time to say something. "Tom, this is a low-budget musical. To be precise, it will be an independent film funded by me personally..."

He knew Cruise's mentality. Besides enhancing his own status, Cruise also wanted to be recognized for his acting skills. Duke laid out an enticing scenario. "I plan to release the film before next year's awards season. The Academy has always been nostalgic. They yearn for Hollywood's golden era, and musicals are one of their favorite genres. If we do well..."

He didn't need to finish the sentence. He could already see a glimmer in Cruise's eyes.

"What you're saying makes sense."

For once, Tom Cruise agreed with Duke. "Nostalgia is indeed a good way to win awards."

Just like before, Duke wasn't particularly concerned about awards. He was only using this angle to lure Cruise. Seeing that Cruise was somewhat intrigued, Duke continued with more grand promises. "Tom, people call you an 'actor of commercial films,' and I'm labeled a 'director of commercial films.' We've both proven ourselves in the market. Now it's time to win some major Academy Awards! To prove that our success isn't just based on luck or looks but real talent!"

To attract this major star at a reduced fee, Duke had completely set aside his past grudges. After all, if this succeeded, Cruise could bring him enormous profits.

Unfortunately, Cruise didn't have an inherent love for independent films. Otherwise, Duke might have convinced him to join for no pay.

Tom Cruise was still considering it. Matters involving both money and prestige, even for someone as impulsive as Cruise, wouldn't be decided on a whim.

By now, Duke was fairly certain there was at least a 50% chance that Cruise would accept the offer.

If Cruise agreed, it could impact his commitment to the *Mission: Impossible* franchise. To shine in *Chicago*, he would need to appear in the musical numbers himself, which would require months of practice and rehearsal.

Duke wasn't too worried about Cruise's acting ability. Richard Gere's portrayal of Billy in the original *Chicago* was downright awful, with terrible acting and even worse singing and dancing. While Cruise might not be much better in those areas, he certainly outclassed Gere in terms of market appeal and charisma.

From his memory, Duke knew that Cruise had a deep desire for an Oscar. If he could be lured by the prospect of winning one, and dive into the world of independent and artistic films...

Only Duke knew how little the Academy actually liked Tom Cruise. Even Leonardo DiCaprio struggled to win against Cruise.

As Tom Cruise continued to ponder, countless thoughts also raced through Duke's mind. He even envisioned that once the film was released, he could covertly fund critics to praise Cruise's performance. Ideally, Cruise would receive an Oscar nomination, narrowly miss out on the win, and then feel like the next time, he would surely succeed.

Hollywood had seen its fair share of actors and directors led down a dark path by critics and the Oscars.

If Cruise transformed into an "Oscar-chaser" or an "art-house actor," his career could start to decline. *Chicago* might become his swan song at the box office.

Of course, all of this depended on whether Duke could successfully make *Chicago* and if things would unfold as he imagined.

After that, Duke and Tom Cruise discussed the film's production and future prospects for a while. Duke could clearly sense Cruise's hunger for Academy recognition and kept nudging him toward that artistic and Oscar-centric direction.

Tom Cruise wasn't a fool. Even by the time he left, he didn't give Duke a definitive answer, only saying he would need time to think it over.

Big-name stars joining any film often involved many considerations. Publicists' and agents' opinions were especially important. Duke had already heard from Nancy that Pat Kingsley had long advised Cruise to work with him, so this likely wouldn't be a major obstacle.

Besides, no matter how smart Pat Kingsley was, she wouldn't be as informed as Duke about the slim chances of Cruise ever winning an Oscar. Otherwise, she wouldn't have worked so hard to help him campaign for awards in the past. In fact, she might even push him further down this path, thinking an Oscar would elevate her standing in the agent world as well.

"How did the meeting go?"

As they left the club, Nancy got into Duke's car and asked, "Did Cruise show any interest?"

"It's hard to say right now." Duke shook his head, watching as Pat Kingsley's car pulled away. "Keep in touch with Cruise's agent."

There was still much work to be done to convince Tom Cruise to lower his fee.

After discussing the movie for a few more minutes, Nancy changed the topic. "I just got a call from New York. ICM has lined up a dance coach for you on Broadway."

"Just send me their contact info." Duke nodded. "I'll be heading to New York next week. We'll set up a meeting then."

.....

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