REVIVE: AMERICA 1995

Let's rewind the clock three days.Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Blackburn family manor.Old John set down a thick stack of papers, removing his glasses in the process. He placed them both on the nearby table. The old man turned to Kim Aris, the Blackburn family's butler."Is this really Milo's writing?" John II asked.Kim bowed slightly. Despite his white hair, the old butler's voice remained steady. "Wendy, Marina, and even David have confirmed that it's Milo's writing. They said Milo locked himself in his study for a month. Except for sleeping and occasional recreation, he stayed in his study even for meals and drinks.""They said he wrote and wrote endlessly..."John II, whose full name was John Adams Joe Blackburn II, remained silent for a long time. The room fell into a quietude."This must be a gift from the Lord," John II suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. "He wanted Paladin to serve Him by His side. But He also knows of the Blackburn family's devotion to Him, so He must have given Milo divine inspiration so that the Blackburns can better serve Him.""Otherwise, Milo couldn't have written something like this. Although it's just a part, these papers are filled with His traces.""Kim.""Yes, my master.""Tell them that Milo is divinely inspired, that God favors him."Kim took a deep breath and bowed. "You're right. It must be the Lord's favor."...Milo had originally intended to just make a low-budget film for fun. Of course, he would select films that had proven successful in his previous life, such as low-budget, high-grossing works like "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels," "The Blair Witch Project," and "Get Out."Later, he changed his mind. There were many reasons for this. One was the novel he had just finished. It had been acquired by Harvard University Press for an absurdly high price. Even though he knew deep down that this novel would be a success, he still found the offer outrageous after learning about the current publishing market in America.Later, he learned that Harvard University Press had made this offer because his grandfather had put in a word. The elder Blackburn held positions on both the university's board of trustees and the board of overseers. The Blackburn family had always graduated from this school, including Milo.This made Milo realize even more clearly that compared to the literary works in his previous life, his family background was his greatest asset.Another reason was Netscape, whose stock he had purchased with a large sum of money and connections just two months after his rebirth. It had gone public as scheduled. This company, which had been in operation for 16 months without making a single profit and had nearly $5 million in losses, had a market capitalization of $7.1 billion on its first day of trading.The success of Netscape had led to a surge in the value of many small companies, often operating out of garages or warehouses in Silicon Valley. Within a week of Netscape's IPO, its market capitalization had exceeded $10 billion. Milo's $4 million investment had turned into $25 million. Including Netscape, his nearly $20 million investment in Silicon Valley had ballooned to over $100 million in just over a month.Why bother with low-budget films? Those pioneers only dared to invest small amounts because that's all they could afford. Look at the nouveau riche in China; they play in the entertainment industry. They start with big female leads and then move on to Hollywood blockbusters that other Chinese actresses could only dream of.If I were in their shoes, with a background as good or even better, I would be determined to be ambitious. Milo decisively mortgaged his Netscape stock. With a market value of $25 million at that time, he mortgaged $20 million. Combined with a $1.2 million advance on his book royalties and his original $9 million, he raised a total of $30 million. Disney, out of obligation, invested another $10 million. With a total budget of $40 million, but advertised as a $60 million investment, the film was officially greenlit.Of course, Milo was still somewhat self-aware. He released the news through internal channels. The media didn't know the specifics, and since it wasn't the internet age yet, and Milo didn't have much fame, and the little fame he had was negative, the news about his new film's casting didn't reach the public.Even so, nearly a thousand videotapes were mailed to the company. Many second- and third-tier actors' agents came to recommend their clients. Some aspiring A-list actresses even inquired through other channels, because although Milo wasn't very famous in the industry, he had brought in Disney. And a movie with a claimed budget of $60 million was enough to attract any non-A-list star in this era. Frankly, if it weren't for his and his film company's lack of reputation, the situation would have been even more spectacular.The one responsible for casting was Wally Pfister, a vice director and cinematographer that Milo had chosen for himself. At this point in time, Wally Pfister was just an unknown cinematographer in Hollywood. He had only started in 1991 and had worked as a cinematographer and director of photography on several low-budget films over the years. When Wendy acquired a film company with a complete behind-the-scenes crew at Milo's request, Wally Pfister, as the company's chief cinematographer, also became the chief cinematographer and director of photography for Aladdin Pictures.Wally Pfister strictly followed the standards Milo had set for the selection process. First, he eliminated half of the candidates based on their videotapes, then he eliminated some more through phone calls. Then he arranged initial interviews and recorded the actresses' clips, which he then gave to Milo, who was both the director and producer. The rest was up to him."How many more are there? Forty?" Milo asked, rubbing his nose tiredly after watching countless tapes.When he received an affirmative answer, he paused the TV and signaled everyone to take a break. After pouring himself a cup of coffee, Milo shook his head and sighed.Although he hadn't watched the last half of the initial 100 actors, only three of them met his basic requirements.Should he just go with Tom Hanks? Milo shook his head. He walked back to the table, frowned, and flipped through the actors' files again. In Hollywood, Hollywood is a competitive industry where established stars are often replaced by new talents. He just hadn't found the right person yet.Since he couldn't choose the male lead for now, he decided to choose the other roles first. After flipping through the files several times, he shrugged and was about to continue watching the tapes. But then he suddenly thought of something and picked up the last file. A strange expression crossed his face."Wally, do you remember this woman?" Milo asked Wally Pfister, waving the file in his hand."Um... yes, she's an Italian woman, a former model. She has a good temperament and a nice figure," Wally Pfister nodded after looking at the file."Find her tape," Milo said immediately, his eyes fixed on the name on the file.