System in Hollywood

Sitting in the comfort of a leather seat, Wayne closed his eyes and opened the system interface in his mind. After estimating for a moment and confirming that there wouldn't be any issues with cash flow, he shut the system down and started pondering the choice of director for *Mean Girls*.

It was a situation similar to *Taken*, only worse.

The original screenwriter of *Mean Girls*, Tina Fey, was already a well-known head writer for the famous comedy show *Saturday Night Live*, with a decent reputation. When Mike reached out to her about writing a script and offered a whopping $400,000, she immediately agreed. The chance to break into Hollywood while earning such a high salary was too good to pass up.

So far, the $200,000 spent on *Mean Girls* went directly toward her upfront payment.

However, finding a suitable director was proving more difficult. The original film's director, Mark S. Waters, was still a newcomer at the time, having only directed one ultra-low-budget indie film, *The House of Yes*. He didn't have a major project under his belt. Wayne couldn't take the risk on someone who wasn't a prodigy like James Wan or Christopher Nolan, so he had to look for someone more reliable.

The problem was, while there were tons of directors in Hollywood capable of shooting comedies—more than ten times the number of action directors—there were very few who could actually produce something of quality. Established comedy directors were even scarcer than their action film counterparts.

At this point in time, only a few notable directors were on the scene: Joe Roth, who had directed *Revenge of the Nerds* and was about to direct *America's Sweethearts*, the Weitz brothers of *American Pie*, and Jay Roach, the director of the *Austin Powers* series and *Meet the Parents*. But Jay Roach was holding out for a sizable cut of the box office profits, similar to what Joel Silver had done earlier. 

Others, like Joe Roth and the Weitz brothers, were already tied up with projects. None of them had availability, which left Wayne in a bind.

To be honest, even if they were available, Wayne wasn't sure he'd trust them. *Mean Girls* wasn't your typical high school comedy; it was centered on the perspectives of five girls. These directors were more accustomed to male-driven comedies, often featuring awkward or goofy male protagonists. If they took on *Mean Girls*, the end product might not meet Wayne's expectations.

With no other choice, Wayne expanded his search and handed over a shortlist of directors to Mike, instructing him to reach out to their agents to check availability. So far, no one had been confirmed.

On the other hand, the original director of *The Notebook*, Nick Cassavetes, was not only gaining recognition but also happened to have an open schedule. The issue, however, was with the author of the original novel, Nicholas Sparks, who had exorbitant demands.

Nicholas Sparks, hailed as the "King of Romance Novels" and a master of tear-jerkers, was asking for $5 million plus 5% of the box office profits for the film rights. If the studio didn't want to share profits, then the upfront price was $10 million.

This caused Wayne's blood pressure to spike.

*The Notebook* wasn't like *The Bourne Identity* or *Game of Thrones* where you could adapt it into a multi-part film or TV series; it was just a standalone movie. Sure, it had critical acclaim, but its box office total was only $118 million. Spending $10 million on film rights alone was absurd.

But then Wayne remembered that the production budget for *The Notebook* had supposedly been $29 million. Sparks likely didn't lower his price much in the end.

Otherwise, there's no way a small-budget romance with a cast of B- and C-list actors could cost that much to produce; it should've been done for around $7-8 million at most.

Thankfully, the movie ended up grossing $118 million, so even after deducting marketing expenses, the producers still made a small profit.

Plus, well-received romance films like this usually did well in the DVD market, so the producers could have made a decent amount there too. 

With that in mind, Wayne ultimately agreed to Sparks' terms. 

But right now, he didn't have the funds, so he instructed Sarah to stall Sparks by negotiating for a lower price.

Suddenly, the ringing of Wayne's phone broke his train of thought.

Wayne glanced at the screen, saw that it was Mike, and answered the call.

"Hey, Wayne, I've got some good news!" Before Wayne could even speak, Mike's raspy voice eagerly came through the line. Judging by his voice, he must've been on the phone constantly these past few days.

"I've heard back from the agents for Alexander Payne and Nancy Meyers. Both are available, so who do you want to go with?" Mike asked.

Alexander Payne and Nancy Meyers were two of the names Wayne had settled on after expanding the search for a director.

Although Payne had only been in the industry for four years, he had already made a name for himself, with solid skills as a director and an even better reputation as a screenwriter.

In Wayne's past life, Payne had won two Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, two Golden Globe Awards for Best Screenplay, and even earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Director.

At this point, you could consider him a second-tier director and a top-tier screenwriter.

However, Payne wasn't particularly known for comedies, and his films often leaned too much toward artistry, lacking in commercial appeal. That's why he wasn't considered in the initial round of selections.

It's worth mentioning that Payne's wife was Sandra Oh, a Korean actress who, despite her reputation in Hollywood, was considered unattractive by many in the Asian community. Payne had helped her secure a lot of acting opportunities.

Nancy Meyers, on the other hand, was less skilled in screenwriting compared to Payne but was far more accomplished as a director. 

Her film *What Women Want*, which grossed $374 million worldwide this year, placed fourth at the global box office. It was a film she produced and directed herself.

Her next film, *Something's Gotta Give* (set to release in 2003), which she also produced, directed, and wrote, grossed $265 million worldwide, becoming both a critical and commercial success.

Wayne had even considered remaking *Something's Gotta Give* at one point.

However, Meyers specialized in romantic comedies between men and women. Whether she could handle a story centered on relationships between girls was uncertain.

(End of chapter)