I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1084: Clean Slate]

Although Eric had heard news that Hasbro's Star Wars merchandise sales had faltered and had thoughts of acquiring Hasbro, he had no intention of leaking this matter privately. It was clear that Katzenberg was merely mentioning it in passing.

There was simply no need for such actions.

As a publicly traded company, Hasbro was required to regularly disclose its operational data to investors. Given the recent heightened attention on the Star Wars brand, it wouldn't be long before the ever-watchful media uncovered the issue. By then, Firefly would only need to sit back and watch the spectacle, waiting for the right moment to take action.

However, considering the massive losses Hasbro might face this year, Eric turned to Katzenberg and said, "Firefly will undoubtedly produce more films with merchandising potential in the future. This situation is a valuable case study for us. Please have the consumer products department closely analyze why Hasbro faced failure in this merchandising operation and prepare a detailed report."

Katzenberg had only received this news the day before and hadn't had time to think much about it. Upon hearing Eric's request, he nodded and. with great seriousness, took out his notepad to jot down the details.

...

As the excitement around Star Wars gradually cooled, fans eagerly anticipated the release date of MGM's spy film universe spin-off, The Fast and the Furious.

December 29 fell on a Tuesday, and by 5 P.M., the area around the Chinese Theater in Hollywood was swarming with enthusiastic moviegoers.

The release date for The Fast and the Furious was January 1, and MGM officially held the premiere in Los Angeles three days early.

Due to work commitments, Eric didn't attend the red carpet event, and it wasn't until nearly 7 P.M. that he quietly entered the screening room. The elegantly dressed Drew working there noticed Eric's arrival but didn't ask anything. Instead, once he sat down, she leaned in and gave him a kiss, and they both turned their eyes to the film's creators, who were interacting with the media and audience on stage.

Aside from a change in the two female leads, Eric retained most of the original crew from the film. The two male leads were Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, with Rob Cohen returning as the director.

Rob Cohen, in his fifties, had established himself as a seasoned Hollywood director. He began his career in the 1970s and excelled in action films, having collaborated with legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, and even directed the biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.

However, aside from the creative staff, the entire film diverged greatly from the original version.

Initially, Eric aimed to build the project step by step, following the legacy of the original The Fast and the Furious. But since it was intended to be a spin-off of MGM's spy film universe, the script required significant revisions. After numerous adjustments, the original script was completely scrapped, resulting in a brand-new story. Throughout this process, the entire story structure of the franchise was refined further, with MGM even outlining stories for the second and third installments.

Concurrently with the script revision, the budget for the film also increased from Eric's initial estimate of $30 million to a whopping $60 million, now nearly at the level of a blockbuster production.

However, spurred by the success of the collaboration between the Charlie's Angels series and Buick, even though this was just the first film and there were doubts about casting inexperienced actors, major car manufacturers generously opened their wallets.

With product placement fees and sponsorship from luxury vehicles, $20 million of the budget was effectively covered.

In the promotional efforts over the past few months, those car companies' joint advertising budget amounted to $30 million, combined with MGM's own investment, ensuring that the promotion for The Fast and the Furious rivaled that of a blockbuster film with a budget exceeding $100 million.

...

On stage, after some interaction, the creators stepped down, the lights dimmed, and the film finally began to play on the big screen.

Following MGM's logo, the audience was immediately greeted by the roar of revving engines as four sleek cars sped down a dark highway.

With a few rapid cuts, the four cars surrounded a heavy-duty truck from all sides.

In the audience's puzzled gazes, a figure wearing a motorcycle helmet poked their head out of one of the cars and aimed a customized harpoon gun at the truck's passenger side. With a loud bang, the glass windshield shattered as the harpoon punctured through, and the car surged forward, ripping the entire windshield off.

With the task complete, the car skillfully maneuvered, and another car positioned itself at the front of the truck, where another figure in a motorcycle helmet emerged.

Naturally, the truck driver wouldn't just sit idle; he began to accelerate and change lanes, attempting to shake off the attacking cars.

As the heavy-duty truck swerved on the highway, the tension in the scene escalated dramatically.

The truck, whether speeding around corners or crashing into obstacles, was relentlessly pursued by the four cars. After some intense high-speed drifting and precision driving, the four cars continued to tightly surround the truck, like bloodthirsty sharks encircling a clumsy whale.

...

With a generous budget and the assistance of the Charlie's Angels series' action design team, this meticulously crafted heist scene was far more thrilling than the original.

Inside the screening room, less than two minutes into the film, most viewers were unexpectedly finding themselves embodying the roles of the four drivers. Many began to feel restless, eagerly awaiting the chance to race through the streets of Los Angeles once the film concluded.

...

When the four vehicles masterfully tossed the truck driver out and sped away with their "spoils" to an increasingly energetic score, a sense of value for their ticket price began to emerge in some audience members.

...

As for the critics attending the premiere, most had put down their pens and notepads, captivated by the impressive opening scene. They knew right away that this was destined to be a quintessential popcorn film, and a very successful one at that.

...

As the opening concluded, there was a muffled thud, and the camera pulled back to reveal Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner shutting the car door and walking towards a nearby fast-food joint.

Having experienced the thrilling introduction, the audience's immediate intrigue turned towards the identities of the carjackers. This suggestive moment piqued their curiosity about who Brian O'Conner really was.

After finishing his "job," he drove to the fast-food place for a bite, hoping to charm the pretty waitress inside.

What a familiar trope that was, right?

Then, he got punched.

After a scuffle, Brian left in a bit of a daze, only to be stopped on the way by a police car and taken to the precinct.

...

As many viewers expressed surprise at the unfolding events, the film didn't leave them in suspense for long. Brian's true identity was swiftly revealed.

...

A series of cargo truck robberies had recently plagued the Los Angeles area, and the FBI had pinpointed the suspects to a street racing gang led by Dominic Toretto, sending the precinct's best driver, Brian, to go undercover.

However, after a week of no leads, Brian found himself infatuated with Dominic's sister, Mia.

Under pressure from his superiors, Brian had to accelerate his efforts to be accepted into Dominic's crew. That night, he attended an underground street racing event hosted by Dominic. Though he lost the race, he unexpectedly saved Dominic from the police pursuit afterward, earning the latter's trust and an invitation back to the crew's hideout.

In the following days, Brian gradually got to know the racing gang better.

Dominic's sister, Mia Toretto; his girlfriend, Letty Ortiz; the hot-headed Vince; the talented car modifier Jesse, who struggled with ADHD; and a rival Vietnamese gang led by Johnny Tran, who had a complex relationship with Dominic's crew.

Not only did Brian begin dating Mia, but he found himself genuinely absorbing the camaraderie of this little gang, influenced by Dominic's magnetic personality.

However, the truck hijackings continued, forcing Brian's undercover identity to continue his investigation.

In the process of spending time together, Brian inadvertently gleaned an important clue from Jesse.

Jesse's father was about to be released from prison, and he wished for a sum of money to take his mother and start fresh outside of California. Jesse, when discussing this, always carried an air of excitement like he felt close to accumulating that amount.

Brian understood quite well that the main income source for Dominic's gang came from organizing street races, earning prize money. While that lifestyle provided enough for the group to live comfortably and pursue their racing passions, raising a substantial sum to aid Jesse's parents in leaving California was simply unattainable.

Convinced he understood the motivations behind Dominic's crew's truck robberies, Brian began to follow the trail but soon realized things were not what they seemed.

It turned out Jesse had indeed participated in a truck heist, but Dominic had no knowledge of his friend's actions. Instead, Jesse and Vince had been collaborating with Johnny Tran privately.

As the FBI intensified its investigation into the truck robberies, feeling the heat, Johnny Tran decided to pull off one last heist and frame Dominic's crew as scapegoats.

After piecing together the facts and learning about Johnny Tran's planned strike, Brian ultimately confessed everything to Dominic.

Although Dominic was furious, realizing that his fellow gang member had fallen into Johnny Tran's trap, he hurriedly joined forces with his girlfriend Letty to mount a rescue.

Unfortunately, they were too late.

In a fierce highway chase, Johnny's gang, Dominic's crew, and the fighting truck driver clashed in a chaotic battle, resulting in Jesse's accidental death, Vince's serious injuries, and Johnny Tran's escape. Meanwhile, Dominic's team accidentally found themselves framed by Johnny Tran as the FBI's prime suspects for the truck hijackings.

Hastily ensuring his friends' safety, Dominic immediately sought revenge on Johnny Tran, with Brian following close behind at Mia's request.

In the final car chase, amidst a violent explosion, Johnny Tran was obliterated. Although Dominic achieved his revenge, his car was wrecked, and he soon heard the approaching sirens, so he chose not to flee, wishing instead to carry the blame for his friends.

This time, however, Brian didn't hesitate. He handed over his car keys to Dominic, urging him to escape.

...

The original The Fast and the Furious was primarily a low-budget B-movie street racing film, thus it didn't need to concern itself over philosophical expectations. Dominic's crew was simply a group of thrill-seekers and thieves.

Yet, while American culture celebrated freedom, it didn't mean people would abandon principles or sense of justice.

Hollywood, adhering to political correctness, recognized this, and as the series progressed into higher production categories, Dominic's crew was increasingly scrubbed clean, evolving into more positive caricatures until they began saving the world.

At this moment, though it was just a beginning, due to the halo of the spy film universe spin-off, The Fast and the Furious garnered attention that vastly eclipsed what the original could ever achieve. In this context, if Eric had maintained the original's various settings, he would undoubtedly face widespread criticism.

Thus, Eric opted from the get-go to redevelop Dominic's crew with a clean slate while enhancing the portrayal of the bonds between this tight-knit group, underlining Dominic's elite street racer persona. In this version, to lay the groundwork for the family of racers to eventually save the world, Eric significantly amplified Dominic's combat prowess, shaping him into one of the top drivers concealed within the urban scene.

...

As the film ended and the credits rolled, Eric casually scanned around the screening room, noticing that the audience appeared quite satisfied with the film.

Moreover, everyone patiently waited.

As customary, the spy film universe films always included a post-credits scene.

Although MGM had declared that the Fast and Furious series would not become part of the mainline story within the spy film universe but would feature some interconnected plots, fans remained hopeful.

Inside the screening room, despite sensing that The Fast and the Furious was yet another film strikingly different in style from the other three major series in the spy film universe, everyone, having just enjoyed 120 minutes of exhilarating cinema, anticipated that this adrenaline-fueled film would intersect with the three major series.

Indeed, the film didn't disappoint the audience.

...

As the final credits froze, the screen lit up once more.

A black Porsche executed a stylish drift around a bend, perfectly parking alongside a bright orange Lamborghini.

Paul Walker's character, Brian O'Conner, looked quite smug as he stepped out and glanced over.

A petite girl, unfazed by the dramatic drift from the Porsche, sat casually on the Lamborghini's hood and shook her head in disappointment, saying, "Nope, I need a better driver."

Brian retorted, dissatisfied, "I'm the best driver in Los Angeles."

The girl raised a finger, shaking it, "No, you're not."

Exchanging knowing glances with the girl, Brian narrowed his eyes with a sly grin and nodded, "True, I'm not."

*****

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