Hollywood: Star Kid

It was the last day of 1991. A black Audi sedan was heading toward Universal Studios. Sitting in the back seat, Ryan looked slightly weary, with a hint of fatigue between his brows. Nicole was gently massaging his temples, the pain on her face unusually evident.

The script for Jurassic Park had been handed over to Universal Pictures and Steven Spielberg right after Christmas. Over the past few days, the three parties had exchanged dozens of calls, constantly discussing and revising the script.

Naturally, the script would no longer be told from the perspective of a young boy. The male and female leads had reverted to Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler.

Since Ryan used the director's cut version from his past life, Spielberg only gave a few minor suggestions and was overall quite satisfied.

Despite numerous disagreements between the parties, Universal Pictures, in pursuit of the film's success, granted Spielberg full authority. Not only did they bring in his best partner, Kathleen Kennedy, as the production manager, they also followed his lead when casting actors.

Spielberg displayed remarkable efficiency. In just a few days, he confirmed the first main cast member. Much to Ryan's surprise, it was Nicole Kidman, who would play Dr. Ellie Sattler. Since it was one of Ryan's works, Nicole agreed without a second thought.

Frankly, Ryan didn't want Nicole to accept the role. Whether it was the male or female lead, both were sidelined in the movie. Jurassic Park had only one true star: the fierce Tyrannosaurus rex. Coming in second were the Velociraptors. Only after them did the human actors matter.

However, since Nicole had made her decision, he had no intention of interfering. Besides, this film could add a notable credit to her resume.

Perhaps he was used to it, or perhaps he missed the warmth of childhood. Unconsciously, Ryan nestled into Nicole's embrace. The Australian woman frowned slightly but said nothing, continuing to massage his temples.

"Ryan, you really ought to give me a raise," said Kimberly from the front passenger seat, visibly tired.

"All right, Pat, a hundred dollars more each month. I'm being very generous, aren't I?" Ryan made a mock expression of bleeding money.

Pat Kimberly flashed a bright smile. Her request for a raise was clearly a joke. As part of the ten-percent agent tier, even with only two clients under her name, everyone knew she was already one of the highest-paid agents in Hollywood.

"Thank you, Pat. After the new year, you can finally take a vacation."

Ryan knew very well that Kimberly hadn't had much rest in over half a year. Rumor had it that due to her heavy workload, she had even broken up with her boyfriend.

Her abilities were unquestionable. In September, she personally flew to Taiwan, leveraging Warner's connections there to successfully secure the film rights to Wang Dulu's novel. Afterward, she and the team campaigned all over North America to acquire the film adaptation rights to several novels from Ryan's list—especially the ones he specifically requested.

The Bourne Identity, Interview with the Vampire, and Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake went without saying. When she secured the rights to Forrest Gump, she also inserted a contractual clause that allowed Ryan to independently adapt the screenplay, effectively sidelining the original author Winston Groom.

This was exactly what Ryan wanted. In his previous life, Winston Groom was constantly whining during the screenplay process, insisting the film be made as a political satire. Ryan had no interest in dealing with him.

The Audi entered the office area of Universal Studios. Under Kimberly's guidance, Ryan and his group quickly arrived at a meeting room. They were slightly late, and when they entered, Spielberg, George Lucas, and Ron Meyer were already deep in discussion.

Production and filming of the movie would be handled entirely by Kathleen Kennedy and Spielberg. Visual effects were entrusted to Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic. So far, the only confirmed actor was Nicole Kidman.

"The dinosaurs are the stars of this movie. The entire plot revolves around them. That's why I've only retained less than [%] of the novel," Ryan explained, once again emphasizing the core of the script. Back when he expanded the novel into a film, he had added a lot of content. Now, the script had to wring out all that unnecessary filler.

"I agree with Ryan," said Spielberg as he closed the script and adjusted his glasses. "If the dinosaur effects aren't convincing, the film will fail no matter how brilliant the story is."

George Lucas was flipping through pages of concept art when he suddenly said, "Ryan, the Velociraptor's appearance seems a bit off compared to what paleontologists have reconstructed, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Ryan nodded, then stood up. "In reality, Velociraptors are much smaller than shown in the concept art. For visual impact, I based their design more on the Deinonychus."

He paused, then said, "What audiences want to see are lifelike dinosaurs. Whether or not they conform to scientific accuracy—no one really cares. We're making science fiction, not an educational documentary."

"All right, I have no objections," Lucas said after a moment's thought. "Stan Winston and Phil Tippett will be in charge of animatronic and background-action dinosaurs, respectively. Industrial Light & Magic will use the latest film effects technology for this movie."

"George, let me make a suggestion," Ryan said, stroking his chin. "Although I've sketched part of the concept art, my understanding of dinosaurs is still limited. It would be best to bring in a paleontology expert to oversee the design process."

Everyone nodded in agreement. After all, they were creating prehistoric beasts, not alien monsters.

"We're currently negotiating with a few sponsors. There will be several instances of product placement in the film. If the deals are finalized, the script may need a few minor changes," Ron Meyer said, looking toward Ryan.

"No problem," Ryan nodded. These were minor details.

The others had no objections either. Product placement had long become a part of movie culture.

"Kate will push forward with crew recruitment. Location scouting will begin after the New Year. We estimate the pre-production phase will take about 20 to 30 weeks," said Spielberg. Clearly, he and Lucas had already discussed the timeline. The schedule they presented was very tight.

He seemed to have more to say. After frowning briefly, he finally said, "Ron, I still hope to shoot Schindler's List first. Part of my team is already in Krakow. A lot of early prep work has been done. Twenty weeks should be enough for me. Once it's finished, I can move on to Jurassic Park."

"Steven…" Ron Meyer showed a troubled expression. There were a lot of people present, and he wanted to give Spielberg some face. He simply shook his head slightly.

Ryan had no desire to get involved in this kind of matter at this stage. Seeing the topic shifting, he casually found an excuse and stepped out with Nicole and Kimberly.

"I'm going to the restroom," Ryan said, waving to the two women, then turned a corner and walked into the bathroom.

After finishing in the men's room and washing his hands at the sink, Ryan brushed a bit of lint from his clothes and turned to leave. Unexpectedly, he bumped into something soft. Immediately, a young girl's surprised "Ouch!" rang out.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't see you!" Ryan quickly apologized, knowing the collision was his fault. Based on the sensation alone, he also knew exactly what part of her he had bumped into.

"Huh, it's you!"

"You know him?" asked another girl.

"Ryan Jenkins! Gwynnie, don't tell me you don't recognize him."

The girl who spoke had a cute, slightly chubby doll-like face and was a bit taller than Ryan, around fifteen or sixteen years old. She had an exceptionally curvy figure. As for the other girl, Ryan hadn't met her in this life, but he'd seen her countless times in his past one.

Ryan never imagined that a random bump would lead him to encounter Spielberg's two goddaughters.

"Hello, Miss Barrymore. Miss Paltrow. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way." Ryan didn't want to get entangled with them. The other girl was fine, but Drew's reputation was downright awful.

"Hey! You bump into my chest and just want to leave? Not that easy! Gwynnie, help me block him!" Drew stepped in front of him.

Ryan frowned. It felt like he was cursed. He'd already been cornered by Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton before, and now Drew Barrymore? Was he fated to be chased around by all of Hollywood's wild girls?

"Hey, cutie, not bad looking. A little older and you'll have girls swooning." Drew teased as she playfully reached out with a finger to lift his chin.

"Miss Barrymore, please behave yourself!" Ryan warned in a low tone.

"Okay, okay, Drew, don't go too far!" Gwyneth Paltrow tried to calm things down.

"Gwynnie, stay out of this. I know what I'm doing."

As she spoke, Drew Barrymore leaned in with a look of mischief and flirtation. Ryan had no choice but to slowly back away until he was cornered at the sink with nowhere else to go.

Drew showed a wicked and teasing grin. "Hey, cutie, ever been kissed? Wanna try it?"

As she spoke, her bright red lips moved in for the kiss.

Ryan had no intention of giving his first kiss in this life to such a wanton girl. He reached out and pushed her doll-like face back. But Drew seemed to be enjoying the game, placing one hand on his chest and sliding it downward.

Seeing that her hand was about to reach his most sensitive area, Ryan cursed under his breath. As he tried to push her away again, she suddenly grabbed his belt and began fiddling with the buckle like a pro.

What the hell was this?! Ryan was furious. In both lives, he had never been molested like this before. In a panic, he grabbed Drew's arm with one hand and instinctively used a move George had taught him—a full judo hip throw.

Crash! Clang!

Drew Barrymore was thrown directly onto the floor beside the sink. Luckily, Ryan hadn't used full strength, but even so, the pain brought tears to her eyes.

"Ah~" Gwyneth Paltrow let out a scream.

That scream broke the peace of the whole floor. People in nearby offices, thinking something serious had happened, rushed out to see what was going on.