Hollywood Director 1992

[Chapter 193: New Revelations]

In addition to the insider information, the public was treated to more sensational stories in the newspapers.

For example, CAA president Michael Ovitz took the lead alongside major stars like Tom Cruise, Richard Gere, and Dustin Hoffman, who were rumored to have conspired against Link. Meanwhile, Link was busy filming in New York during the promotional period for Final Destination, yet he still managed to win the bet, earning the nickname "The Gambler."

The gossip also suggested that Link's conflicts with Richard Gere and Tom Cruise stemmed from him flirting with their wives.

These stories, some true and some false, generated buzz for weeks before finally dying down. As a result of the controversy, Final Destination's box office remained strong instead of declining, raking in $8.51 million in its 16th week and $5.66 million in its 17th week, bringing its North American total to $223 million.

Internationally, the film also saw slight increases, accumulating $135 million overseas in just over ten weeks.

...

Total Film magazine predicted that Final Destination would surpass $400 million worldwide, with Link earning over $300 million from the project. His ranking on the next Forbes list was expected to rise.

The magazine noted that as a consequence of the recent news, Link's public image was becoming relatively positive. This shift was largely because the reports revealed that many of the earlier criticisms of him and Final Destination had been fabricated by actors like Robert Downey Jr. and Richard Gere to sabotage the film's box office. The fact that the film still grossed over $200 million under such pressure demonstrated its high quality, making it worth watching in theaters.

Additionally, in this bet, Link stood alone against several A-list stars under CAA, including the powerful Michael Ovitz, and ultimately emerged victorious. Total Film magazine declared that Link was poised to become a new "King" of the Hollywood film industry.

---

One morning, while filming, Link received a call from Robert Downey Jr.'s lawyer. The lawyer conveyed that Downey wanted to strike a deal. He claimed to know who had caused a fatal delay for River Phoenix the night of his death, which had prevented timely medical assistance. Downey was willing to identify the culprit and name others in the know, but only if Link agreed to pay him $3 million.

Link expressed disinterest, stating that River was already gone. Whether it had been an overdose or foul play, it was no longer his concern. He didn't want to spend money on the matter, despite not being short on cash. If Downey wanted to profit from the secret, he might as well negotiate with the real culprit. After hanging up, Link returned to shooting.

After over three months of filming, Se7en was nearing 90% completion, and Link anticipated finishing all scenes in about three weeks.

...

"We're back," Detective Mills shouted to a few officers at the precinct counter.

"Good job," one officer cheered.

"Your wife called this morning. Do us a favor and get yourself an answering machine, how bout it?" a policewoman added, holding the phone.

"Detective!" As Mills and his partner entered the building, a murderer walked in behind them, calling out urgently.

Mills and his partner, old William, were too engrossed in discussing the case to hear.

"Detective!!!" the murderer, John Doe, shouted louder.

In an instant, dozens of officers turned to see John Doe in the center of the room, wearing a white t-shirt and khaki pants, splattered with blood, and his hands wrapped in white tape.

Mills and old William glanced back at him on the steps.

"I heard you were looking for me?" John Doe said with a blank expression, spreading his arms.

"It's him!"

"Get down. Get down on the floor!" Mills yelled as he drew his gun and quickly descended the steps.

"You heard him, fuckface. Get down!"

"Be careful!" William, recognizing John Doe from wanted posters, ordered. "I don't believe it."

"I know you," John Doe replied nervously, locking eyes with Mills.

"Down! Face on the floor!" Mills commanded, gun in hand.

The other officers swarmed in, guns drawn, insisting he obey Mills' orders. John Doe expressionlessly knelt down, placing his hands out in front of him.

"Spread your legs and get your hands out in front of you!"

"Don't move. Don't move an inch," Mills shouted, gun aimed at John Doe's forehead. The rush of finally capturing a murderer in front of his colleagues had invigorated him.

"My God! What the fuck is this... ?" an officer commented while placing handcuffs on John Doe, also getting blood on himself.

"I want to speak to my lawyer," John Doe said calmly from the ground.

"Don't say a word, you piece of shit," Mills shot back.

...

"Cut!" Link called, reviewing the footage and identifying a few issues. He gathered Morgan Freeman, Ben Affleck, and Kevin Spacey to discuss some feedback and requested slight adjustments from them.

As the director and the film's first audience member, he served as a quality control inspector, needing to set a standard for the actors to meet and exceed with their performances. How they surpassed that standard was up to their skills. If they didn't reach it, he wouldn't approve their performances, continuing to guide them during filming, pushing them to improve their acting and presence.

However, compared to the cast of Final Destination, the main actors in Se7en were quite strong. Morgan Freeman, a seasoned actor, had a performance rating above 90. Jennifer Connolly, who had played at around 70, had improved to above 80 thanks to Link's direction. Kevin Spacey, though still gaining recognition, was proving to be quite talented and matched the character of John Doe effectively.

The only slightly less impressive was Ben Affleck. Under Link's unrelenting critique and with the support of the other three leads, Affleck managed to showcase his skills above 70 in this production.

This particular sequence took three days to shoot, successfully capturing John Doe's confession and the requests he made to the police.

...

"Link, don't you think my acting has greatly improved recently?" Affleck asked during a coffee break.

"There's been some improvement," Link acknowledged while glancing at the newspaper.

Affleck grinned widely. "I was surprised too! Before taking on this role, I never realized how much potential I had in acting. I nailed so many scenes that it'll be hard to recreate that quality. If my previous acting was a 60, I'm at least a 90 now, maybe even 92. Isn't that right?"

Sofia shot him a skeptical glance. "92? Out of a thousand? You really dare to rate yourself that high."

"Are you saying I didn't do well?" Affleck challenged back.

"Your acting might be up for debate, but your attitude's solid. Keep it up," Sofia joked, nudging Link. "What's got your attention so focused?"

"Robert Downey Jr. claimed that River was murdered," Link replied, handing her the newspaper.

...

Meanwhile, the media was buzzing with another big story. According to Robert Downey Jr., he and Richard Gere had been at the Viper Room when River Phoenix had his incident. After witnessing River collapse, Gere had suggested they block the ambulance route with a truck. If River died, Joaquin would be unable to continue his tour, which could harm Final Destination's box office performance, giving them a chance to win their bet.

They proceeded to follow through.

When pressed by reporters about whether they had instructed the truck driver to intentionally crash and obstruct the ambulance, Downey simply replied, "Yes."

When asked who else was involved besides himself and Gere, Downey did not answer.

However, there were leaks stating that Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman, Kiefer Sutherland, and David Duchovny had also been present at the Viper Room that night. The "they" Downey mentioned most likely referred to this group.

The news created a massive uproar. Following these revelations, headlines across major outlets reported on the alleged conspiracy involving Gere and Downey in River's untimely death, with major star Tom Cruise mentioned as part of the scandal.

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.