Hollywood Immortal

[Chapter 380: Turmoil at CAA]

"I want you to take the lead role in the movie. I think you'd be perfect for the character of Jack, and with you starring, the box office is guaranteed to be stronger," the offer came.

"If I take the lead, your budget for my salary won't be enough. That $150 million you mentioned will likely be blown out immediately," Linton responded.

Actually, when he last talked with James Cameron, Linton had already considered playing Jack. After all, nailing this role could boost his popularity in a way no other movie could.

"True, your $15 million actor salary budget is not nearly enough for you alone. But since you're the movie company owner, you set your own pay, right? So increasing the budget accordingly shouldn't be a problem," Cameron said without missing a beat, ignoring Linton's teasing.

"Alright, you make a good point. Looking forward to working together," Linton said.

"Likewise," the director replied.

---

The next day, Linton put together a negotiation team with Robert, producer Nacho Misi, and Goodman. They sat down for detailed talks with James Cameron and his agent, Richie Paul, about Titanic.

After a week of intense back-and-forth, both sides finally reached an agreement. Linton's film company invested $170 million to produce Titanic, with the additional $20 million mainly covering Linton's salary.

Cameron took on the roles of screenwriter, director, and co-producer. The biggest sticking point had been his personal compensation.

The breakdown included $2 million for writing, $800,000 for co-producing, and $500,000 project bonus from Linton's company as the project's initiator.

The key negotiation was the director's salary. Initially, Cameron's agent Richie demanded a Spielberg-level deal: $20 million plus 20% of global box office revenues.

That was impossible. At this point, Cameron hadn't matched Spielberg's commercial success or directing status. His previous film, True Lies, had underperformed, not turning profits for the studio.

After much compromise, the final deal for the director's pay settled on a base salary plus a share of North American box office: a $10 million base plus 20% of North American box office revenue.

On June 3rd, both parties signed the cooperation agreement.

---

Soon after, Linton's film company officially launched Titanic, starting the two-year production schedule.

The news of the $170 million investment shocked the industry and media alike. However, given True Lies' performance, many insiders remained skeptical.

Interestingly, Universal Studios had a right of first refusal for at least 30% co-investment, per their agreement with Linton's company. But after the production supervisor Roman reviewed Titanic's details, Universal decided not to participate -- likely because the review board didn't approve.

Linton wasn't bothered. Universal sitting out was fine -- it meant more profits stayed with his company. Titanic was a sure moneymaker anyway.

---

Titanic's project didn't impact the Mission: Impossible shooting schedule.

Michelle Reis had wrapped all her scenes but stayed on set. She said she wanted to take advantage of this rare chance to spend more time with Linton. Usually, they didn't get so much time together.

Likewise, Catherine, Cristiana, Jennifer, and Akina Nakamori all shared the same thought -- no one wanted to fall behind.

With so many beauties around, Linton felt pressured to give his all.

Nightly parties in the luxurious suite 602 of Building 3 were always lively and full of excitement.

---

Filming for Mission: Impossible went smoothly. The plan was to wrap shooting by the end of June.

Independent Day had a released date of July 4th, so after June, Linton needed to fully dive into promoting the movie, which had a massive investment of $90 million behind it.

With his tight control over the crew and Mission: Impossible's relatively low complexity -- no difficult animals or child actors - -the schedule should be no problem.

Not just him. Nicole Kidman and Cristiana's scenes also had to wrap by late June. They had it easier, though, being the leads. Directors could adjust schedules if needed, grouping their scenes for efficient shooting.

---

Starting late May, Universal and Linton's company already began ramping up marketing for Independence Day. Media was flooded with promotional content about alien invasions, Area 51 secrets, the White House being destroyed, and other sensational teasers designed to thrill audiences.

MCA and UPN TV networks kept airing behind-the-scenes footage and star interviews.

But the commercial at the Super Bowl earlier that year had blown the roof off, leaving a deep impression nationwide and igniting high anticipation for the film.

---

Another piece of good news arrived amid the chaos: CAA -- the agency most at odds with Linton's company -- was entering a turbulent period.

It all went back to earlier this year. Last year, Disney's The Lion King smashed box office records with $935 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing animated film ever. This catapulted Disney's COO Jeffrey Katzenberg, the architect of Disney Animation's golden era in the '80s and '90s, into the spotlight.

Some shareholders proposed pushing Jeffrey further to become Disney's next CEO. He was confident and actively lobbied board members.

But Disney's autocratic chairman and CEO Michael Eisner was furious. He feared losing his position to Jeffrey.

A fierce power struggle erupted, resulting in Jeffrey's abrupt ousting despite his recent triumph.

Though Michael Eisner came out on top, the bitter infighting left lingering wounds. Many board members grew resentful, eventually forcing Eisner to concede the CEO role.

To maintain control, Eisner invited his childhood friend, CAA head Michael Ovitz, to become Disney's new CEO.

Compared to CAA, the Disney CEO post was far more attractive. Once Eisner's invitation came, Ovitz began selling his 28% stake in CAA in preparation to assume the new position.

Even before he officially stepped down, CAA plunged into deep chaos. Four senior partners contested Ovitz's shares and presidency, forming rival factions.

Ovitz was too focused on moving to Disney to mediate or suppress the turmoil.

Both Eisner and Ovitz probably envisioned a partnership to advance old friendships and new careers.

But reality was harsh. In the ruthless fight for power, former friendship shattered like thin paper. Shortly after Ovitz took office, a bitter feud erupted with Eisner, twisting into a dramatic saga of love, hate, and betrayal.

CAA had long been at odds with Linton's company. They had tried three times to destabilize Linton's hits -- Happy Death Day, The Rock, and The Man from Nowhere -- but failed miserably each time.

Especially during the battle between The Rock and Interview With the Vampire, stars like Sean Connery and Tom Cruise suffered a drop in status, sparking a wave of talent departures. This severely weakened CAA's power and influence, reducing it from the undisputed leader to sharing top ranks with WMA.

CAA's Hollywood clout had faded. Their once-powerful bundled movie package services with their stars became increasingly difficult to push.

Smaller studios still begrudgingly accepted these bundled deals to get their stars attached, but Hollywood powerhouses refused.

Major studios preferred not to use CAA's stars than accept their packages, having seen the limits of CAA's influence.

For example, Paramount's $70 million project Braveheart was initially set to be directed and led by CAA star Mel Gibson. Traditionally, this would have guaranteed a CAA package deal.

But this time Paramount pushed back. If CAA insisted on bundling, they'd replace Gibson with another director and lead actor.

Mel Gibson couldn't let the opportunity slip. He publicly threatened to sever ties with CAA if they interfered.

Following a string of star departures from CAA, the agency unwillingly agreed to let Gibson star and direct Braveheart purely as an individual.

The film's casting further embarrassed CAA. Paramount reached out to recent Oscar winner Sophie Marceau for the female lead -- widely known to be backed by their enemy, Linton.

CAA's turmoil was naturally a relief for Linton. At least with Independence Day coming in July and Final Destination set for August, he wouldn't have to worry about CAA scheming against him.

*****

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