Hollywood: titanic director

In recent years, Disney has made significant strides in live-action films. Beyond the golden duo of Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay, M. Night Shyamalan, the Indian-American director behind The Sixth Sense, has also been a key figure. 

Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay? No need to elaborate—Dunn Walker isn't about to let them off easy. 

As for M. Night Shyamalan, Dunn had a plan early on. He had Nina Jacobson discreetly reach out to sever Shyamalan's ties with Disney. 

Whether it pans out or not, this was the right move. 

Why does Disney boast a brand value exceeding $30 billion? It's not the Disney Channel, not Disneyland, not Disney toys... it's Disney movies! 

Movies are the crown jewel of entertainment. Even if the film industry accounts for only a fifth of Disney's total revenue, it remains the core of their empire. 

This is why media giants like Time Warner, News Corporation, Viacom, and Vivendi are all diving into the film industry, snapping up major studios. It's not just about profits—it's about the ripple effect of influence that movies create. 

TV channels? Dunn can't outmaneuver Disney there. Animation? He's still in the dark. Barbie dolls? Disney snatched those up too. It seems like all of Dunn's strategies are powerless against the Disney juggernaut. 

But Dunn is confident because he has one final ace up his sleeve—movies! 

Live-action films are the heart of Dunn Pictures and his biggest weapon to shake up Hollywood. 

And Dunn… he's got foresight. 

Sitting in his office, legs crossed, a sly smile crept across Dunn's face. 

Live-action films have always been Disney's Achilles' heel. 

Sure, in later years, Disney dominated Hollywood's film industry, but that was because they acquired Pixar, Marvel Studios, and Lucasfilm. 

Now? Marvel Studios is Dunn's company. Pixar belongs to Steve Jobs. As for Lucasfilm… Dunn's on good terms with George Lucas. More importantly, Dunn took Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace to unprecedented heights! 

When George Lucas stumbles with Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, American fans, steeped in Star Wars culture, will undoubtedly miss Dunn Walker. That's his trump card! 

Even if Lucasfilm is George Lucas's private company, he won't be able to withstand the pressure of public opinion across America. 

So, Dunn's mind is already spinning with strategies to target Disney's film division. 

Beyond Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, Disney's live-action films rely on one man: Jerry Bruckheimer. 

Jerry Bruckheimer, Hollywood's golden producer, single-handedly propped up Disney's live-action market before their Marvel acquisition. National Treasure, Glory Road, Pirates of the Caribbean, Déjà Vu, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, The Sorcerer's Apprentice... Bruckheimer was practically a one-man army for Disney's live-action films. 

It wasn't until after 2010, when Bruckheimer's box office pull weakened and The Lone Ranger flopped, that Disney ended their partnership with him. 

Dunn's next move is simple: snatch Disney's biggest deal and leave them and Bruckheimer in the dust! 

That's Dunn's foresight. No matter how powerful Disney is, they can't predict the future, can they? 

The biggest deal? Easy—Pirates of the Caribbean! 

For the sake of the Coppola family and Nicolas Cage, Dunn might as well grab the National Treasure series while he's at it. 

Dunn didn't rush to act. First, he had his assistant, George Paxton, do some digging. 

"Disneyland's Adventureland does have a pirate-themed area," George reported. "It's a ride built in 1967, kind of like a boat tour where you face pirate attacks and adventure on the water." 

The news soured Dunn's mood. "Does this area… have a name?" he asked. 

"Yeah, it's called Pirates of the Caribbean." 

Dunn's face darkened, and he nearly choked. 

In the U.S., intellectual property protection is ironclad. Even if Disney hasn't registered "Pirates of the Caribbean" with the Motion Picture Association, their decades-old pirate-themed ride carries enough clout that using the name for a movie would spark a copyright dispute. 

Even if Dunn won the lawsuit, Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride would only gain more attention and visitors—exactly what Dunn wanted to avoid. 

"Fine, let's change the name," Dunn sighed, waving his hand dismissively. 

George Paxton, Dunn's personal assistant who handles his personal affairs rather than company operations, added, "By the way, Dunn, that mansion at the top of the hill—you can move in by the end of the month." 

Dunn's face lit up. "That soon?" 

George grinned. "No major renovations, just some light touch-ups. Fifty days was plenty." 

… 

Bill Mechanic stormed into Dunn's office without knocking, his face grim. He slammed a script onto Dunn's desk. "Dunn, this won't do!" 

Dunn glanced at him, surprised, then looked down at the script—The Pirate Captain: Curse of the Black Pearl. It was the one he'd sent to Bill that morning. 

It had taken Dunn three full days, working with the writing team, to craft the story's framework. The finer details still needed polishing, especially since the original Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl had its share of flaws and gaps. 

"What's wrong with it?" Dunn asked. 

"No, it's not that," Bill said. "Spider-Man's massive success proved you've got an unmatched eye for movie content." 

Dunn smirked, a bit smug. "Exactly. Trust me, Bill, The Pirate Captain series will be a critical and commercial hit for Dunn Pictures!" 

Bill shook his head, frowning. "Dunn, I'm not questioning your creative vision. It's your business strategy that's got major issues." 

"Oh? How so?" Dunn looked at him, puzzled. "Is it a budget problem? I've told you, money's not an issue—I'll handle it." 

Three months ago, Dunn had injected $1 billion into Dunn Pictures through Dunn Capital. But the company's expenses were massive: $170 million to acquire Tarz TV, $70 million for The Chronicles of Narnia, $50 million for Band of Brothers, $100 million for Mr. & Mrs. Smith, $20 million for Six Feet Under, $30 million for Sillywood Animation Studio, $200 million for Never Sinking… 

With A Beautiful Mind and another mega-budget blockbuster on the horizon, Dunn Pictures was under serious financial strain. 

Bill shook his head. "It's not about money. Our investments are huge, but so are our revenues. The second payment for Wedding Crashers came in, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith has already pulled in $20 million in sponsorships. We're still negotiating with Dior, Chanel, and others for at least another $5 million. The company's got $4.7 billion in the bank—plenty." 

"Then what's the problem?" Dunn asked. 

Bill frowned. "Dunn, don't you think we're spreading ourselves too thin? Most Hollywood studios only bankroll two big films a year—one for summer, one for Christmas—plus smaller projects. It's not just about managing risk; it's about maximizing box office returns." 

Dunn got it. In 1999, North America's total box office was $7.4 billion; in 1998, $6.9 billion; in 1997, $6.3 billion. The market's size is finite—more movies don't mean a bigger pie. Based on recent trends, this year's box office wouldn't top $8 billion. 

Dunn smiled. "Bill, you're overthinking it. Our big commercial films right now are just Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Never Sinking. The Chronicles of Narnia is co-financed with Warner, set for next year's Christmas slot, so there's no overlap." 

Bill nodded, catching on. "So you're saying… The Pirate Captain: Curse of the Black Pearl won't hit theaters next year?" 

Dunn shrugged. "Even if I wanted it to, it's not possible. Never Sinking is May, Mr. & Mrs. Smith is July. The Pirate Captain is a summer blockbuster—we're not going to compete with ourselves, are we?" 

Bill exhaled, relieved. That made sense. Otherwise, Universal wouldn't be happy. 

Next summer, Universal has The Mummy Returns and Jurassic Park III lined up, which will already compete with Dunn Pictures. Another Dunn blockbuster would spark internal conflict. 

Dunn had already considered Bill's concerns. His original plan was to release The Pirate Captain: Curse of the Black Pearl in the summer of 2002. 

The original Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl was greenlit in July 2002, filmed starting in October, and released in the summer of 2003. 

Dunn couldn't wait to see the look on Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer's faces when they excitedly start planning a pirate movie, only to find a similar-themed, equally creative pirate film already in theaters.