Director in Hollywood

At the Beijing Film Academy, students from the Director's Department were holding a film analysis session, watching the first film by Gilbert, The Shallows.

"Liu Jianhe, what do you think about the techniques used by Gilbert in this film?"

A student named Liu Jianhe stood up and said, "From the overall composition and visuals, this Hollywood genius director has an unparalleled sensitivity to the camera. He knows how to make choices, never wasting a shot."

"Chang Bochang, what about you?"

Chang Bochang replied, "I think Gilbert's greatest strength lies in his mastery of rhythm and his control over the audience's psychology. Just like his mentor Spielberg, Gilbert is a director who excels at playing with the audience's mind.

But I do have one complaint…"

"What is it?"

"The female lead, Gwyneth Paltrow, is a bit unattractive. If it were Zhao Wei or Yan Danchen in the role, I'd love it even more."

Chang Bochang's words made the classroom burst into laughter, and both the teacher and students couldn't help but chuckle.

Zhao Wei and Yan Danchen had just entered the Beijing Film Academy in September of the previous year and were both known as the campus beauties in the acting department.

Being considered campus beauties in a school like the Beijing Film Academy, their beauty was widely acknowledged, and even the Director's Department knew of their names.

It was said that Zhao Wei had been spotted by the famous screenwriter Qiong Yao and would be starring in a TV series soon, making the acting department students green with envy.

However, the students from the Director's Department envied Gilbert even more, with many treating him as their idol.

No one knew when they might get the chance to communicate with Gilbert again. It was said that he had once visited the campus to give a lecture, and a photo with the school leadership still hung in the academy's hall.

After the film analysis session, Liu Jianhe and Chang Bochang walked out together, continuing their discussion.

"By the way, I heard that Gilbert's new movie The Sixth Sense is going to be released in China in July. I'm definitely going to watch it. Are you coming with me?" Liu Jianhe asked.

Chang Bochang nodded firmly. "Of course, I'm a loyal fan of Gilbert."

"Obviously, who isn't?"

As they spoke, a beautiful woman walked up to them and asked, "Excuse me, do you know where Professor Wang is?"

"What do you need him for?" Liu Jianhe asked.

"We need his guidance for our drama club," the woman answered.

"He's in his office. You can go directly there," Liu Jianhe replied.

"Thank you…" The woman walked away, swaying.

Chang Bochang asked, "She looks familiar. Who is she?"

"You don't know? She's rumored to have slept with Gilbert—Zuo Xiaoqing!" Liu Jianhe seemed well-versed in the campus gossip.

Chang Bochang was shocked. "No way, is that true?"

"Anyone who believes it is a fool. It's definitely fake!" Liu Jianhe seemed to have seen through everything.

"Then why hasn't she come out to clarify?" Chang Bochang was curious about that.

"Why bother clarifying? It wouldn't harm her. Thanks to the rumors about Gilbert, she became the president of the drama club and landed several acting roles. Her career is doing well!" Liu Jianhe explained.

Some people say that university is the last refuge of innocence and the first doorway to reality. It encapsulates both the purity of student life and the harshness of society.

Some people still live in the ivory tower of innocence, while others have shed their naïveté and started to consider the realities of life.

The most obvious difference is that those who have shed their naïveté begin using various methods to acquire the resources they need.

Even a distant figure like Gilbert can be seen as a resource for Zuo Xiaoqing to use.

Liu Jianhe believed that most people envied Zuo Xiaoqing because she had shared a meal with Gilbert, and some of the rumors, true or false, had given her a good start in her career.

It was even possible that those rumors were spread by Zuo Xiaoqing herself.

Far away in North America, all these stories about Gilbert went unnoticed by him.

Meanwhile, The Sixth Sense had been in theaters for three weeks in North America, once again taking the weekly box office crown with $39.87 million, bringing the North American total to $171 million.

Face Off also performed decently, taking in $36.98 million in its second weekend, just shy of beating The Sixth Sense.

However, even with this, the film's total gross was $60.37 million, and it seemed unlikely to break $100 million at the North American box office.

Thanks to its international markets and home video sales, Face Off would still manage to turn a profit.

The most disappointing film of the week, however, was Speed 2: Cruise Control, co-invested by Warner Bros. and Touchstone Pictures.

The film had an enormous budget of $110 million, but it faced a disastrous opening weekend.

"Come on, Doug, what's the data?" Jeff Robinov asked, his face grim.

Doug Walters spoke in a heavy tone. "The film earned only $7.546 million on its opening day, then dropped significantly in the next two days, finishing the weekend with a total of $16.158 million at the North American box office.

This box office result is nothing short of a failure…"

In the Warner conference room, the mood was bleak, as no one had expected such a huge flop for this highly anticipated action film sequel.

Could it be that it was because Gilbert wasn't directing it that the results were so different?

While Warner was in despair, over at Disney, Michael Eisner was under attack by the board members who opposed him.

"Why didn't we properly evaluate this project beforehand? Why didn't we carefully consider it before moving forward?"

"Chairman Eisner, you must give us a reasonable explanation, or I will propose a vote of no confidence."

Faced with the barrage from the board members, Michael Eisner seemed unfazed, though his clenched fists under the table betrayed his inner turmoil.

Robert Iger stood up to defend him. "In fact, it was Warner that pressured us to launch this project.

Mr. Eisner wanted to wait for Gilbert to be available to discuss it, but Warner couldn't wait."

Iger promptly shifted the blame to Warner, though Speed 2: Cruise Control was a project under Touchstone Pictures' oversight. It was clear that Iger didn't want to accept blame himself and instead handed it to Warner.

Though this was also true—Warner had been the one pushing for the project.

Seeing that the board members were silent, Iger added, "We don't need to worry too much about the losses. Most of the investment was financed through loans, so we only have to cover a small portion.

Moreover, our overall performance this year is good. The Sixth Sense has the potential to earn $300 million in North America, and we still have multiple films slated for release."

While this sounded reassuring, aside from The Sixth Sense, the rest of the investment projects were mostly medium or low-budget films. None of them could compare to the scale of Speed 2: Cruise Control.

The failure of such a big-budget action film would undoubtedly have a significant impact on the summer season.

Fortunately for Disney, they still had Gilbert's project to rely on, and it seemed like The Sixth Sense would break all of Gilbert's previous box office records.

On the other hand, Warner was also relieved that they still had Gilbert, but they were disappointed that Disney had him too.

If only Gilbert were entirely under Warner's control.

After the failure of Speed 2: Cruise Control, Disney was undoubtedly more aware of Gilbert's value, and they wouldn't easily let him go.

Warner still had some choices this summer, with films like Batman & Robin, Contact, and L.A. Confidential waiting for release.

If Gilbert knew Warner's thoughts, he would tell them not to expect much from Batman & Robin. While not as disastrous as Speed 2: Cruise Control, this film was also headed for a flop.

At least Speed 2 had Disney sharing the risk, but Batman & Robin was entirely Warner's project, with a production cost of $125 million.

With stars like George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Uma Thurman in the cast, the project's failure would be a massive blow to Warner.

The film's release date wasn't far off—June 20th.

Contact, however, was something to look forward to. Naomi Watts had earned a reputation as a box office queen after her film Twister made $520 million globally last year.

Compared to Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts had a far better track record at the box office, making Nicole envious.

But there was nothing to be done—after all, Naomi Watts had married Tom Cruise, not Gilbert.

Gilbert, on his promotional tour in London, received the news about Speed 2: Cruise Control's box office failure. He had anticipated this outcome and had subtly warned Robert Iger about it, but evidently, they hadn't taken it seriously.

But this turned out to be a good thing. The failure of Speed 2 would only highlight Gilbert's value and make both Disney and Warner take him more seriously.

Another piece of good news was that Good Will Hunting, directed by Gilbert's friend Sofia, had earned $120 million at the North American box office since its April 11th release.

This success wiped away Sofia's previous Golden Raspberry Award embarrassment and made her one of the most talked-about new directors in Hollywood.

The film's international box office performance was also strong, and with the North American earnings, it had crossed $200 million.

The film was still in theaters, entering a phase where it would rely on long-term showings to accumulate more box office earnings.

For Sofia, this was a crucial film. It proved that she could survive independently in Hollywood.

Of course, Sofia was grateful to Gilbert.

After Good Will Hunting, Sofia signed an independent director contract with Melon Studios becoming the second director after Gilbert with the ability to direct independently.

Gilbert's trusted assistant, Annie Burton, had no desire to direct independently, even though she had the capability.

Annie once told Gilbert, "Seeing you handle so much pressure, I can't take it. I'd rather be a second unit director, just following behind you."

Everyone has their own aspirations, and Gilbert didn't force her.

On the other hand, the second assistant director, James Gunn, had talked with Gilbert about his own aspirations. When the time was right, he wanted to seek independent directing opportunities.

Gilbert was keeping an eye on him during their work together, and if James Gunn performed well, Gilbert would consider handing over some of the films he wasn't interested in or sequels to him.

With Gilbert's current status, it would be beneath him to direct a film like Saw. But having James Gunn direct it would be just fine.

In the future, there could even be a Conjuring series or a Matrix sequel.

When they arrived in London, the first stop for The Sixth Sense was met with a warm reception.

The British film fans had high praise for the film, with The Times calling it the best suspense film of the past decade, comparing it to the works of Alfred Hitchcock.

This praise was high indeed, as Hitchcock was widely regarded as one of the greatest directors of suspense films.

Although many suspense film masters existed, when it came to the greatest, Hitchcock was the one who stood out. He was born in London and had influenced generations of filmmakers, including Gilbert.

Gilbert was flattered to be compared to such a legendary figure, even though the British critics didn't claim that he was better than Hitchcock.

The key point was that the British audience agreed with this assessment, particularly the younger generation.

After all, Hitchcock had passed away back in 1980, and every generation had its own cinematic icons.

For this generation, Gilbert was the best director, and that was perfectly fine—times move forward, and you can't always dwell on the past.

Following this, Gilbert and his crew appeared on a popular British talk show to promote the film.

During the show, a beautiful woman from the West End Theatre in London had been waiting eagerly for him.

Catherine Zeta-Jones had not met Gilbert before the recording of the show, as she was the special guest.

However, hearing Gilbert's voice in the makeup room, Catherine felt excited.

This time, she was determined to seize the opportunity, making sure not to fall behind Rachel Weisz, that rival.

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