HOLLYWOOD WHAT IF

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 572

Since Final Destination was successful and created a path for consistent profit through a bi-yearly sequel, 20th Century Fox was happy and didn't think twice about casting Tobey Maguire for another horror movie.

When Tobey received a call from his agent, he was hesitant at first. Being an actor, he wanted to expand his acting range. He thought of trying musicals if possible. He even thought of taking singing lessons.

The Academy Awards had a strong love for musicals and realistic movies, and Tobey wanted to try and see if he could compete for a Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor award. It depended.

Anyway, he immediately changed his mind when he realized that the script was written by none other than Kazir Grey! The director also wrote some key points about the movie, specifically the found footage genre.

When Tobey read the title, he was sold.

The Paranormal Activity.

Yes, Tobey Maguire was cast in the movie as the father of a newborn baby who was going to be kidnapped by a demon.

Unlike the original version of Paranormal Activity, this one had a slightly higher budget and a polished script, thanks to Kazir's involvement.

It still retained the core theme and horror feel of found footage, but with stronger thrilling scenes that might cause the audience to shriek in fear. Honestly, Paranormal Activity was not that scary, but it had shocking scenes that could wake people from their stupor.

Tobey saw the potential. It wasn't just a jump scare fest; it was psychological and had a chilling atmosphere. A different kind of horror movie than the usual slasher films.

Playing a father was a new role for Tobey Maguire, and he was interested in it. Tobey had a baby face, so he had to do some makeover to appear older, hence the thick beard and the weight gain.

In a way, he was following Leonardo DiCaprio's steps. Leonardo was also known as a young, handsome actor in the 90s; he always had this young baby face. But Leonardo transitioned, and his appearance now had a mature and older vibe to it. Unlike the 90s, when Leonardo could only take young teenage roles, he could easily snag older and better roles in the 2000s.

Tobey called his agent back and agreed after reading the script. Kazir's name was enough to convince him that this could be a game-changer.

Who didn't like a box office success? If this horror movie made money at the box office, then Tobey would also have strong negotiation power in his next projects.

His salary was $3 million and 7% of the North American box office share. With his fame and status, Tobey Maguire could easily get this kind of contract. 20th Century Fox also agreed since they needed a strong actor for this small-budget horror movie.

The success of Final Destination could be factored into Tobey's casting, so 20th Century Fox didn't have a problem with a $3 million salary plus 7% North American box office share.

In fact, the studio was satisfied that Tobey only asked for $3 million. For a superstar like him, he could easily ask for $10 million. Tobey and his agent decided to trust Kazir. The director was known for being a success magnet. Any project that Kazir participated in always generated profit.

The budget for Paranormal Activity was only $10 million, so 20th Century Fox happily signed the contract with Tobey. The studio didn't have any intention of increasing the budget since this was only a horror movie.

In the original timeline, the budget of Paranormal Activity was only $15,000. Very, very small.

But this time, it was different; with Tobey Maguire as one of the lead actors in the movie and the trust that 20th Century Fox put into the project, the budget increased to $10 million.

Including the money 20th Century Fox spent on buying the script from Kazir, the overall expenses for Paranormal Activity were $15 million.

.........

......

...

It was still February and basically the start of the year, yet some major events had already happened that could have changed the future.

Aside from box office movies, events such as the new President of America and the first Bitcoin transaction happened in January.

On January 12, 2009, the first Bitcoin transaction happened. The creator of Bitcoin sent 10 BTC to a developer and supporter of Bitcoin. This sort of started cryptocurrency trading. People wouldn't expect that this kind of currency would become massive in the next 10 years. In 2020, the average price of one Bitcoin was $11,116, while the peak was $28,886.

Knowing the future, Kazir started farming Bitcoin. Even owning one Bitcoin in 2020 was already fulfilling, so Kazir intended to earn at least a hundred Bitcoins. Bitcoin was still useless, so Kazir had no problem farming them. Perhaps in the next few years, his name would also become famous as one of the biggest crypto magnates.

Kazir easily earned billions without putting in huge investments. All he had to do was hoard Bitcoins while they were still useless.

He quietly built a mining setup in his basement. Even Scarlett was confused about what he was doing. Kazir just explained that he was trying a new hobby.

While others chased fame, scripts, and positions in Hollywood, Kazir diversified his portfolio. To the world, he was just a director, erm, a billionaire director. But in the crypto world, he was preparing to become one of the earliest whales in cryptocurrency history. Kazir grinned as he imagined the future.

Anyway, aside from Bitcoin, there was another huge event that affected the United States: the Presidential election and the winner.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 573

Barack Obama was officially the 44th President of the United States on January 20, 2009. It was a historic moment, not just for America but for the entire world. Obama was the first African-American president.

Kazir watched the inauguration with a knowing smile. Since he knew that Barack would win, he didn't regret showing his support. He wasn't political, but he understood the importance of having strong backing. He might not be a close supporter, but at least Barack knew that Kazir had voted for him.

Kazir was taking advantage of his future knowledge, and it was never wrong to use that to his advantage. The fact that he was now farming Bitcoin showed that he was capitalizing on what he knew.

Hollywood, too, was changing.

More movies about diversity and inclusion were being greenlit. Kazir made a mental note. Movies were about making money, after all.

As for the positive and negative effects of Barack Obama's leadership, only people who experienced it could say their opinions.

.........

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...

Kazir Grey leaned back on his leather couch. The glow of the flat-screen high-definition ultra-large television illuminated his living room.

A half-empty glass of wine was on the table beside him, untouched for the last ten minutes. On the screen, a live interview was playing. An interview that had caught his attention the moment he heard the word "multiverse."

The interviewer, a female anchor from a popular science talk show, turned toward the camera.

"Tonight, we will tackle the question that has puzzled both scientists and storytellers alike. Do parallel universes truly exist?"

The guest, Dr. Chris P. Bacon, a well-respected physicist with a calm voice, nodded thoughtfully.

"The multiverse theory, particularly the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, suggests that every choice made creates a new universe. It's not just science fiction, it's rooted in real theoretical physics, though we still lack direct evidence."

Kazir's eyes narrowed slightly. Since Kazir was now part of Marvel Studio, he had become interested in the Multiverse theory. Phase 4 of the MCU had aspects of the Multiverse.

Loki.

What If...?

Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

These four projects, two TV shows and two movies, tackled the aspects of the Multiverse.

Now, sitting as a powerful director and producer, hearing more about this theory could help him.

On top of that, there was another reason why he was interested in the Multiverse, Parallel Universe, and Many Worlds theories: because of the situation he was in.

Kazir knew that his regression had created another timeline. A new world where some events changed while others remained the same.

"Scientists are exploring anomalies in cosmic background radiation," Dr. Bacon continued.

Listening, Kazir had no idea what exactly the scientist was talking about, but he understood the gist.

"If parallel universes brush against ours, we might one day detect their presence."

Kazir chuckled under his breath.

If only they knew, he thought.

The truth was, Kazir didn't just believe in parallel worlds, he experienced one. He was not sure if he loved his first life because of the many messed-up things he experienced, but it was still a novel experience nonetheless.

But now, Kazir was starting to live his life again. He was probably at the top of his life.

Every time he made a change, every moment he used his knowledge of the future, he was reshaping this reality.

Maybe not literal dimension-hopping, but it felt the same. Kazir was shaping a new universe, and he was the only one who knew about it.

From the moment he regressed back to 1994, Kazir promised that he would not tell anyone about the fact that he was from the future. It was safer that way.

On the screen, the interviewer asked,

"And what would you say to those who believe that the Multiverse is real?"

"I'd say, maybe they've caught a glimpse of something, perhaps a Mandela Effect," Dr. Chris P. Bacon smiled gently.

Kazir smiled back as if the scientist were speaking directly to him.

The interviewer nodded.

"I see. Then, let me give an example. What if our universe is actually not the original? What if we're also part of a Multiverse? Let's say Kazir Grey didn't direct The Dark Knight, Pirates of the Caribbean, and many more. What if Pirates of the Caribbean was actually from Walt Disney? So what are we?"

"Perhaps we are what if?" Dr. Bacon asked back, enjoying the conversation.

"So what are we, some kind of Hollywood What If?"

"Say that again."

Ah yes, this is truly our "Say that again" ahh moment.

Kazir wrote the last part of their conversation with a smirk. He understood the reference. Perhaps he could revive it again through Fantastic Four and Suicide Squad.

"This is truly our Hollywood What If."

"Maybe Hollywood What If are the friends we made along the way."

.........

......

...

March came in like a lion. This month, some movies that were released surpassed $100 million.

First in the line was Watchmen, a movie that was released in the first week of March. The movie was distributed by Warner Brothers. Watchmen was based on a comic published by DC Comics. The movie was directed by Zack Snyder, and it grossed $339 million.

After working on 300 and having a successful collaboration with 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers saw Zack Snyder's potential in adapting comic-based movies. Warner Brothers was interested in filming more comic-based movies, so they decided to hire Zack Snyder. As their first collaboration, they let the director film Watchmen, a standalone comic series. It was a safe bet.

They didn't expect that Watchmen would gross over $300 million. Zack Snyder did his best to adapt the comic into a movie as close as possible.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 574

Zack Snyder's success with 300 had already placed him on Hollywood's radar. At first, no one knew this director, despite him already having directed a horror movie about zombies titled Dawn of the Dead.

Kazir was the first to contact him, but they failed to establish a collaboration. However, after the small success of Dawn of the Dead, Zack Snyder was invited by 20th Century Fox to direct 300. The person who recommended him for the job was Kazir.

Zack was actually embarrassed when he heard that at first, because he knew he had chosen Universal Pictures over Grey Pictures a few years ago.

Anyway, he had to be shameless, so he worked on 300. That decision turned out to be the best thing he ever did.

The uniqueness of 300, which was mostly filmed on a green screen, became a success. The action-heavy film grossed over $450 million worldwide on a $65 million budget.

It earned Zack Snyder $10 million, including salary and bonuses. He was extremely satisfied with what he earned.

Then, Warner Brothers also contacted him. Rumors spread that Kazir was interested in Zack Snyder's talent as a director. Warner Brothers wanted to know if that was true. Besides, with Zack's past success, Warner Brothers had legitimate reasons to hire him.

With Watchmen, despite being from a less popular genre (noir) and featuring darker themes, Zack Snyder still negotiated a strong deal through his agent, of course.

Although Watchmen had a lower box office performance at $339 million compared to 300's $450 million, Zack earned approximately $6–8 million, salary and bonuses included.

While 300 proved more commercially successful, Watchmen cemented Snyder's reputation for turning comic books into movies, and his adaptation was highly regarded.

"Zack Snyder's filmography has ups and downs."

Since Kazir was the one who first contacted Zack, it also meant that he knew Zack's capabilities.

Overall, Zack's filmography was not perfect. He had some movies that performed terribly at the box office.

In fact, his next project, which was already in production, wouldn't perform well at the box office. It was an animated movie, also distributed by Warner Brothers. Yeah, Warner Brothers was trying to understand Zack's talent. They were investing in his future.

Anyway, the animated movie Zack was currently working on was Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. It was about owls fighting in the sky... The movie only grossed $140 million worldwide despite having an $80 million production budget. It wasn't a loss, but it also wasn't a win. It wasn't even average.

"Let's see… If Legend of the Guardians fails next year, there's a chance that Warner Brothers might lose interest in Zack. Once that happens, maybe we can sign a three-picture contract with Zack just to keep him away from the DCEU."

Kazir didn't forget the reason he wanted to hire Zack Snyder. He wanted Zack Snyder to never participate in the DCEU. Although the DCEU was incomparable to the MCU in terms of profits and movie performance, it was still a strong rival. Now that the CCU was in a great place and the MCU was starting to grow, Kazir didn't want to saturate the market.

In his opinion, the Cinematic Universe should only be dominated by the Continental Cinematic Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Anything beyond those two was considered competition.

"Zack is also a talented director, so signing a three-picture deal with him is not that bad. As long as we can keep him busy."

A three-picture deal and a trilogy deal were different. A trilogy meant that a director had to direct three movies of a franchise, usually the introduction movie, then two sequels. The best example was Kazir's Batman trilogy where he had to film Batman Begins, then The Dark Knight, and then The Dark Knight Rises.

As for a three-picture deal, it didn't have to be a trilogy. Sometimes, a director could film three movies that had no connection to each other.

Hiring Zack Snyder for a three-picture deal was worth it. That was Kazir's opinion.

If Warner Brothers were interested in starting the DCEU without Zack Snyder, then Kazir couldn't interfere with that. He just hoped it wouldn't perform well, for the sake of his own interests.

Was it bad that he hoped for the downfall of a rival even though he admitted that he was also a fan of the DCEU in his past life?

Well, it depends.

Showbiz was often cruel, ruthless, and heartless. Some business decisions outweighed personal preferences. Some actors hated their roles but didn't have a choice but to go along with them because of money.

Robert Pattinson hated his role in Twilight, but he made a great amount of money, so he had to swallow his disgust.

Halle Berry also hated her role in Catwoman for obvious reasons.

Megan Fox also hated her role in Transformers. Although to be fair, she probably hated Michael Bay more than her role because she felt objectified.

Still, they chose the money.

Kazir did the same. There was nothing wrong with that. He loved DC Comics, but his love wouldn't feed him and his family. His admiration wouldn't pay the bills.

The entertainment industry was thriving, and Cinematic Universe franchises were swimming in gold. Kazir wanted to maintain the exclusivity of the Cinematic Universe and its market control.

If the DCEU gained too much fame, it could downgrade the audience's excitement for superhero films, affecting the MCU and perhaps the CCU as well.

So, Kazir's plan was simple: keep Zack occupied, offer creative freedom, and ensure that Warner Brothers never had the chance to weaponize his talent against Grey Pictures and Marvel Studios.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 575

Kazir didn't think of it as sabotage, more like strategic containment.

In this timeline, he had the power to shape outcomes, and he intended to use that power wisely. Zack Snyder was a promising director, but his talent alone didn't guarantee success at the box office.

If Kazir could redirect Zack's attention toward standalone films, franchises, or TV shows under Grey Pictures or 20th Century Fox, everyone would benefit, especially Kazir. After all, only Kazir knew that Zack Snyder would become an important part of the creation of the DCEU.

"Marvel Studio should thank me for what I'm doing. In others' eyes, what I'm doing might be pointless, but I'm trying to make sure that the MCU and CCU are secured."

Well said. So "sabotaging" Zack Snyder and Warner Brothers was the best decision. If Warner Brothers wanted to start the DCEU without Zack, then so be it.

Besides, offering Zack the chance to direct original scripts or even adapt lesser-known comics might satisfy Zack's creativity without threatening Grey Pictures and Marvel Studio. Heck, Kazir might hire him to direct one franchise in the MCU.

Kazir couldn't help but chuckle at the idea. For him, it was funny and ironic. The spearhead of the DCEU might become a pillar of the MCU this time.

"Although we have to find the right franchise, something that has a darker tone since Zack is into that kind of genre."

Kazir knew some comic characters that could suit well with darker tones such as Moon Knight, Daredevil, The Punisher, Venom, Ghost Rider, and even Wolverine, particularly Wolverine's solo series.

In the end, it was all about balance. Control the talents, and you control their future. Kazir could now affect the future of talents in Hollywood.

After the first week of March and the release of Watchmen, other movies were also released.

In the third week, I Love You, Man and Knowing were released.

I Love You, Man was a comedy starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. The movie grossed over $124 million.

Knowing was a thriller suspense movie starring Nicholas Cage. The movie grossed over $214 million.

In the fourth week, two more movies also grossed over $100 million.

The Haunting in Connecticut was a horror movie that grossed over $103 million.

The last movie was produced by DreamWorks Animation and was also the box office winner of March, grossing the highest.

Monsters vs. Aliens grossed $493 million, just a few million short of reaching half a billion. However, a million dollars was not that simple to acquire, so Monsters vs. Aliens remained under $500 million.

The plot of Monsters vs. Aliens was about monsters fighting aliens… Yeah, the title already spoiled the plot. Still, this movie had a lot of memes. DreamWorks Animation was starting to threaten Disney, and that was good or bad depending on whose side you were on.

DreamWorks had been releasing banger after banger these past few years. It was understandable why some studios were taking them seriously, especially their animation department. Everyone knew that animated movies usually had a combo of products, which were merchandise, toys, and other stuff. That was where most of the money came from.

Naturally, Kazir also paid attention to DreamWorks Animation's momentum.

The rise of another animation powerhouse could affect Disney's dominance, which might impact other parts of the industry, including box office competition and merchandising.

"Now that Blue Sky Studio is also getting better, it means that Walt Disney's dominance in the animation industry will decrease."

Honestly, Kazir thought of starting his own animation studio. He was confident that his animation studio could stand equal against big-name studios such as Walt Disney and DreamWorks.

He wasn't joking. With the right team, talent, and voice actors, he could have the edge… Even one huge hit animated film could establish a foothold.

He already had the resources. Money was not the problem. And with his knowledge of future trends, he could use original IPs from the future and animate them in the current era.

However, despite this interesting idea, Kazir decided not to do it. Grey Pictures was already in the limelight, and the Big Six already held some dissatisfaction toward it. If Kazir also intended to start his own animation studio, the future wouldn't be easy. Especially Walt Disney, this company would probably do its best to sabotage him if he tried to build an animation studio.

Even 20th Century Fox wouldn't help in this regard since it also had Blue Sky Studio to protect.

Grey Pictures was already powerful. In fact, if it had a distribution channel, the Big Six might become the Big Seven. Or perhaps Sony-Columbia would lose its privilege and Grey Pictures would become the new part of the Big Six.

Anyway, these were just what-ifs. Kazir understood the danger of being greedy. He had no intention of making enemies. The fact that he didn't try to acquire a distribution channel spoke for itself.

Being too greedy and ambitious was never in Kazir's dictionary.

Having a few billion dollars was already satisfying. Heck, only 0.0000369% of the world's population was a billionaire. That was a small percentage compared to the 8 billion people in the world. In other aspects, only 1 in 2.7 million people were billionaires.

That achievement was already amazing; Kazir had no intention of fighting for more influence in Hollywood… Or else he might face the hidden society, which included the Illuminati, Rothschilds, and the BlackRock Corporation.

Staying low-key was not bad. With his influence, he didn't need to make more buzz.

Besides, it was entertaining to watch others wage war over market dominance in the animation industry. He was interested in seeing which of the current Big Three of the animation industry would win. Would it be Blue Sky Studio, DreamWorks Animation, or perhaps Walt Disney?

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 576

March 2, 2009.

Gibson Amphitheater.

Los Angeles, California.

The soft cranking of the limousine engine was the only sound inside the vehicle. Paul Walker sat back against the leather seat, his fingers happily drumming lightly on his knee as the limousine turned the corner toward the Gibson Amphitheatre.

Outside, fans were already packed behind barricades, camera flashes twinkling like stars in the night sky. It was a moment that only a few people could savor, people who could personally see their idols.

He glanced at the rearview mirror and caught his expression. His eyes showed nervousness, but they were also calm. He was excited but collected. After all, this was not the first time he had experienced attending a red carpet.

'I still can't believe it. Sometimes I feel like I'm in a dream. Decades ago, I was just an actor who wasn't even well-known. But now, these people are waiting outside to cheer me.'

Paul Walker had been in the industry since the 80s. Despite being in the industry for decades, he still couldn't find his big break.

Until he was cast in one of the franchises of the Continental Cinematic Universe, the Fast and Furious franchise. His career had leveled up.

The franchise was successful from the first movie, especially since the scriptwriter was Kazir Grey.

Although Paul couldn't deny that there were moments he thought the franchise might just fade away, just another cool street racing flick that lived and died in the early 2000s.

Even now, some people were still skeptical about the longevity of the Continental Cinematic Universe.

But here they were, at Fast & Furious 3, the third installment, bringing most of the original cast back.

And the hype? It was super insane.

He tugged at the collar of his white shirt. He had no tie. He liked keeping it comfortable, even on red carpets. The navy suit was clean and sharp and made him feel like he was a superstar.

Even though Paul Walker hadn't reached the superstar level, he still received annual projects, and his salary was also satisfactory. He owed it all to Fast and Furious.

He was actually happy that he had a project he could lean on whenever he needed exposure and money. At least he wouldn't fade away as long as Fast and Furious was relevant.

His salary alone was $5 million, plus the studio promised a bonus if the movie achieved a milestone.

He also had some conversations with Kazir, the head of the overall CCU project. Whenever Kazir and Paul had a conversation, it always lingered around driving.

Kazir adamantly said that having a personal driver was important. Especially when going to a party or charity event and drinking alcohol, having a designated or personal driver was crucial.

Paul didn't know why the conversation always veered into that topic, but he decided to listen to Kazir. After all, Kazir had experienced some traumatic stuff, and his opinion regarding personal drivers was valid. So, as much as possible, Paul had a personal driver, especially when he was drunk.

As the limo slowed to a stop, the muffled roar of the crowd outside grew louder. He took a deep breath and put on a charming smile.

"Let's roll," he said.

The driver opened the door, and Paul stepped out into a storm of flashing lights and cheering voices.

The cool breeze touched his face as he raised his hand in a waving motion. He offered a relaxed smile that had charmed the audience.

"Paul! Over here!"

"Paul, give us a smile!"

"Brian O'Conner lives!"

"Paul, you're so fucking cool—!"

He laughed at that last one, pausing to pose for the cameras before making his way down the carpet.

The Fast & Furious banner loomed behind him, massive and glowing with lights. His name, Paul Walker, was there, written on the poster, easy to see. He was one of the protagonists of Fast and Furious, after all.

He stopped for interviews, nodding and answering with thoughtful pauses.

"How does it feel to return to the franchise?" a reporter asked.

"It's amazing. There's something about the cast, the crew, every time we're together, it just clicks. It's not just about cars or action. It's about family," Paul smiled.

That word. Family. It was more than a tagline now. It was the motto of this whole franchise.

Nothing beats family. You can do everything when you're with your family. You can jump onto a running tank if you have a family. You can go parachuting in your car with your family. Also, you can go to outer space with your family.

Suddenly, a cheer erupted from the crowd as Vin Diesel emerged from his own limousine.

Speaking of the devil, the guy who promotes "family" had arrived.

Vin Diesel had projects such as Chronicles of Riddick and XXX. Out of all the cast of Fast and Furious, Vin Diesel was probably the most successful. The Rock was still steadying his fame in Hollywood in this era.

Vin walked over and immediately pulled Paul into a firm hug. Was this a form of promotion or a genuine act?

Was Vin Diesel really friends with Paul Walker? Perhaps they were just coworkers? Perhaps they hated each other? Only close friends could know the answer.

"Happy to see you tonight, Paul," Vin said.

Paul nodded. "Yeah. Let's give them a show."

They stood together for the cameras, Dominic Toretto and Brian O'Conner, side by side as they promoted Fast and Furious 3.

As they headed toward the theater, Paul glanced back at the sea of fans. He felt grateful, deeply and profoundly grateful. Not just for the fame or the franchise, but for the chance to be part of a huge project that people would remember for a very long time.

"Let's see where the road takes us this time," he thought, stepping inside with a smile.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 577

Fast and Furious 3 was successful. Most people probably expected it. After all, this was the part where the old cast of the franchise. Dom Toretto and the others, had returned, especially now when Vin Diesel had a good run at the box office and was popular.

Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is living in the Dominican Republic, lying low after the events of the first film. After hearing that his girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) has been murdered, Dom returns to Los Angeles to hunt down her killer. He reconnects with Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), who is now working for the FBI and also investigating the same drug cartel responsible for Letty's death.

The two reluctantly team up to take down Arturo Braga, a ruthless drug lord who smuggles heroin across the U.S.-Mexico border using high-speed drivers. As they go undercover and race against time (and each other), Dom seeks vengeance while Brian is torn between his duty and loyalty to Dom and Mia (Dom's sister).

Unlike other CCU movies, Fast and Furious 3 had a down-to-earth plot. It didn't tackle anything about the High Table or the terrible terrorist attack in the last arc. Yet despite this simple plot, the audience loved it.

Perhaps people were just looking for a not-so-complicated plot. Furthermore, despite having a simple story, the other aspects of the movie were delivered amazingly.

Most fans of Fast and Furious were car enthusiasts and also fans of street racing. Every installment of Fast and Furious had street racing, and that was what these people were waiting for. Thankfully, the street racing part of the movie was satisfying, Kazir made sure of that.

The chase scenes were cool, the engine roars were loud, and the fast-moving cars delivered that adrenaline rush fans had been craving. Kazir personally watched the editing of this scene to ensure the people would love it. In fact, the whole production crew, Justin Lin included, even attended underground street racing to gain inspiration.

The chemistry between Paul Walker and Vin Diesel reignited the core that carried the franchise in its early days.

Critics may not have praised the story for its depth, but even they admitted the film had delivered on its promise. The box office was the proof.

On April 3, 2009, Friday, the movie grossed $19 million.

On April 4, 2009, Saturday, it grossed another $23 million.

On April 5, 2009, Sunday, it grossed another $15 million.

In just three days, Fast and Furious 3 grossed $59 million. That in itself was a testament to its performance. It meant that people liked the movie.

The last movie of the Fast & Furious franchise was 2 Fast 2 Furious, and that movie grossed $751 million at the worldwide box office back in 2004.

Now, people were wondering how much the third installment would make. Usually, the third part of a trilogy had the weakest performance, since most people were not satisfied with the endings. But since Fast & Furious would probably have at least 10 movies, the fans would be deeply happy.

Besides, even if Fast and Furious 3 only grossed $600 to $700 million, it was still a victory no matter how you looked at it.

"As long as the movie makes money, it doesn't matter if the critics hate it. As long as Fast and Furious 3 surpasses $500 million, we already consider that a success. The series will continue to make money for us."

Kazir, sitting in his office, glanced at the data that showed the increase in numbers. These increasing numbers signified money. Even the Cinema Alliance called him and congratulated him. Normally, the Cinema Alliance had a closer relationship with the Big Six than with other production studios that didn't have a distribution chain. But since Grey Pictures was a top-notch studio that helped the Cinema Alliance make money, it wasn't wrong for them to befriend him.

By the way, the Cinema Alliance was a group of companies that held the majority of cinemas in North America, particularly in the U.S.A. and Canada. They controlled how many theaters a movie could be screened in. Their alliance was the reason why even the Big Six couldn't bully them.

Kazir and the others from Grey Pictures couldn't help but be happy.

The success of Fast and Furious 3 was not just another win, it was validation. Despite the ending of a major CCU arc, the fans were still desperate for more CCU movies.

He had taken a risk by pushing for a more grounded story in Fast and Furious 3, focusing on cars and brotherhood instead of over-the-top, out-of-this-world stunts about bullets bending their trajectories and ninjas merging with the shadows. And the audience responded positively.

Merchandise sales, soundtrack downloads, and social media buzz all pointed to one thing, the Continental Cinematic Universe was still shining bright, like a diamond.

Kazir smiled, knowing that things were still on the right path. With the right balance of bravery, speed, heart, and family, the road ahead for the Fast & Furious series looked unstoppable.

"When I see you again..." Kazir couldn't help but hum the most famous soundtrack of Fast and Furious aside from Tokyo Drift.

See You Again was the theme song for The Fate of the Furious (F8). Performed by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, See You Again was a hit song. The song was also a tribute to Paul Walker.

"At this time, Charlie Puth is still probably a small-time YouTuber."

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 578

Aside from Fast and Furious 3, other movies were released in April that grossed over $100 million.

In the second week of April:

Hannah Montana: The Movie, a film based on a popular Disney show, successfully grossed over $234 million.

In the third week of April:

17 Again was released. Starring Zac Efron and distributed by Warner Brothers, this comedy film grossed over $169 million.

State of Play was also released in the third week of April. Starring Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck, State of Play grossed $106 million. The movie was distributed by Universal Pictures.

Compared to summer, where every week had blockbuster movies released, April didn't have much to offer. But once May arrived and summer vacation started, Hollywood would go all-out to make as much money as possible.

As for Fast and Furious 3, it grossed over $243 million at the North American box office by April 30.

Its international box office also grossed $184 million. Movies these days could be released around the same time as in North America since technology had improved, and international distribution didn't need film reels anymore. Heck, you could even send copies of movies online.

At the same time, piracy also became popular around this period. People could easily find movies just by searching on the internet. They downloaded the movies without paying for them. This sick move hurt Hollywood, that was the truth.

Piracy was bad, but can you really blame the people? They found an easier way to acquire movies, and they also didn't have to pay for them. The answer was obvious: they preferred the free better.

Movie piracy became popular because of convenience and accessibility. With the rise of the internet and file-sharing platforms like BitTorrent, people could download full movies from the comfort of their homes.

A pirated DVD version and camera recordings of a movie (the ones where you could see people in the background standing) appeared online just days, or even hours, after a film's release.

For many people, especially in countries with limited cinema access or expensive movie ticket prices, piracy seemed like the only and best option.

Added to the fact was the lack of global streaming platforms at the time. It was no surprise that people turned to illegal downloads. Hollywood hated it, but the audience simply followed what was easy and free.

Fun fact: when slogans against movie piracy spread, more people started to pirate movies online.

Back then, only people who were clinically online knew about movie piracy. But when a short ad about shaming movie piracy was added to DVDs and cinemas, people started learning that it was actually possible to pirate movies without paying! So more people started pirating movies.

Perhaps you recall the slogan:

"You wouldn't steal a car."

"You wouldn't steal a handbag."

"You wouldn't steal a television."

"You wouldn't steal a movie."

"Downloading pirated films is stealing."

"Stealing is against the law."

"Piracy. It's a crime."

Yeah, this iconic ad was the reason why piracy became more popular.

People had no idea that you could actually download movies, but this ad told you that it was possible.

On top of that, you could even burn the movies onto CDs and sell them cheaper! This method was super famous in less wealthy countries. Particularly third-world countries, they loved buying pirated CDs.

Imagine, you could buy a CD that had 12 movies for just $1. That was cheap as fuck.

As for CDs, you could also make a Deez nuts joke with it...

Of course, not everyone took piracy seriously at the time. To many people, it felt like a harmless act, especially when big Hollywood studios were still making billions every year. Some even saw it as a way of rebelling against the system or something.

Over time, websites specializing in pirated content exploded in popularity. Sites like The Pirate Bay, Kickass Torrents, and LimeWire became household names for an entire generation of internet users.

It wasn't just movies either; TV shows, music, and games. Anything that could be turned into a digital file became fair game. Piracy had become a culture of its own.

People supported it for a reason. Around the 2010s, some people who felt bad about pirating movies started subscribing to Netflix, which was still affordable at that time.

Netflix was one of the best movies and TV shows streaming platforms, and people didn't have a problem paying a few bucks every month as long as they could watch tons of movies. It was far better than blockbusters and any movie rentals after all. They wouldn't feel guilty anymore since they paid money.

But just a decade later, around the 2020s, more streaming platforms appeared, and now the subscription prices were so expensive.

Imagine paying $15 for a monthly subscription but a few episodes of your favorite shows were missing.

Imagine you watched Game of Thrones. You're seriously watching it, but you didn't expect that Netflix didn't have the whole Season 2, so now you're spoiled that Robb and Catelyn Stark died in the Red Wedding, even though you haven't watched Season 2 and were clueless about the whole context.

Furthermore, you have to go to another streaming platform and pay a subscription just to watch Season 2. Yeah, it was a very terrible event that you wouldn't wish even on your worst enemy.

Since streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and many more were doing shady business, people grew tired of them, and some people started going back to the good old days which was pirating movies and TV shows.

If buying doesn't mean owning, then piracy doesn't mean stealing.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 579

A new assistant director was holding the clapperboard with clear energy. This was the guy's first project, and he wanted to learn and experience more about filmmaking. Hence, despite a week of working, the new assistant director was still excited.

Modern Family had just started filming a week ago, around the last few days of April. The production team was filled with new workers, while some were already veterans in the industry. This team was expected to work on Modern Family for years since this TV show was projected to run for at least ten seasons.

Anyway, the assistant director clapped the clapperboard in front of the main camera, and the "clack" sound echoed, making the crew members shut their mouths and go silent as the filming started.

They were at the house. Phil Dunphy was sitting on the couch and started talking in front of the camera.

"I am brave. Roller coasters? Love them. Scary movies? I've seen Ghostbusters like seven times. I regularly drive through neighborhoods that have only recently been gentrified. So yeah, I'm pretty much not afraid of anything... Except clowns."

Suddenly, Phil recalled the moment when Cam was in a clown suit, and Phil's expression was filled with deep, seethed fear. He slowly went to the corner while the birthday party was ongoing.

There was a short silence as Phil looked at the camera.

"I never have a chance to tell that to the fam. I do have an image to maintain. I'm not really sure where the fear comes from. My mother said that when I was a kid, I found a dead clown in the woods, but who knows..."

"Okay, cut--! Let's reshoot that scene just to have more comparison. Ten minutes break."

Director Everest said, and the crew members busied themselves again.

Ty Burrell, the actor who played the role of Phil Dunphy, approached Everest. Most of the cast of Modern Family were less popular actors who were trying to make a name for themselves, and Ty Burrell was also in that stage of his career.

"Director, is there something you want me to do? Should I stare more at the ground and act timid?" Ty asked.

"Hmm, let's see..." Everest looked at the footage. He had been Kazir's assistant and learned a lot from him. He realized that a director should always look confident in front of the actors and never show any fear or timidness. His position as a director needed respect to work.

"This time, I want you to smile at the camera more. But it should be an awkward smile, like you don't know why you're even smiling."

"Okay," Ty nodded. "I can do that."

Only a few actors were lucky enough to become famous while having no talent in acting. The list would go on once we listed them, so we might as well not.

Most professional actors study how to control their facial expressions, so some awkward smiles should be expected to be done.

Well, if an actor couldn't even meet the criteria that the director was looking for, the actor might as well pack his bag and leave.

Everest nodded as Ty Burrell left and went to his trailer to retouch his makeup.

"Kazir should arrive in a few minutes now," Everest recalled that Kazir would visit and inspect their filming site. After all, Kazir was the boss, and he had to see if the product they were making was up to standard.

Unlike Game of Thrones, where Kazir filmed the first five episodes, Modern Family had been fully taken over by Everest since day one. Perhaps Kazir trusted Everest, and for that, the new director was thankful.

"I recall that there's a scene where Kazir will have a cameo. But that should be around episode 8, at least a month from now."

Kazir decided to do some cameos in Modern Family. In fact, he also had plans of doing a cameo in Game of Thrones, perhaps as a soldier who would get burned alive by a dragon... Might be a unique experience.

Everest took a deep breath, mentally preparing for Kazir's arrival. He knew that the boss had high expectations; this project cost millions, and it had to be successful. Though Kazir trusted him, there was always that underlying pressure to deliver the best work possible. Everest checked the schedule again, ensuring everything was on track for the day's filming. In fact, they were actually four days ahead of schedule. That was something he could brag about to Kazir.

Kazir had been known as one of the most consistent and also fastest filming directors. As long as the scene met his criteria, he wouldn't ask for a reshoot. He also didn't need to experiment or film unnecessary scenes; he just stuck to his plan.

In filming, around 30–40% of the filmed content was usually cut. That was a huge waste of time. In a way, Kazir's 'detailed plan' prevented unnecessary scenes, so he could finish his movies faster than the average directors who were unsure which scenes would be included in the final cut.

Everything that Kazir filmed would be included in the final.

Everest recalled what he learned as he looked around.

The crew of Modern Family was working efficiently, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they were still slow. At least, after his experience with Kazir's team, where jobs were moving so fast that filming a lot of scenes in just a day was the norm, it felt that way.

As Everest was lost in thought, Ty Burrell returned from his trailer, a perfect awkward smile plastered on his face. Everest gave a nod of approval. The show was coming together, that was for sure. He was satisfied with the cast as of now.

While they were filming, a group of people showed up to inspect their filming site. They were none other than Kazir and his entourage.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 580

Most of the time, whenever Kazir left his house, he was surrounded by his bodyguards. There were four tall men around him, making sure that he was safe at all times.

Three years ago, this was not the norm. But after almost dying due to a failed assassination attempt, Kazir felt that having a few people following him around was better than dying.

So even though it was uncomfortable having people follow him, he decided to go along with it. Besides, he was now used to it.

Now, he had this untouchable aura around him, since there were literally four bodyguards surrounding him. No stranger could even get within two meters before being apprehended.

"Stand ready for my arrival, worms."

Kazir weakly muttered... Yeah, he might be larping. He had been eager to try saying that line for quite a while now, but he couldn't find the right moment or the right context.

Anyway, he might as well say it now, just like how Conquest said it in Invincible.

Thankfully, no one heard what he said. Even the bodyguards thought Kazir was just mumbling something random.

Kazir stepped into the house. The location they were in was a house, the filming set where the Dunphy family lived in the show. One of the reasons why their expenses were low was because the show was mostly filmed in a few places.

Such as now, the crew members were filming in a house. If everything went well, they could probably use this house for a decade to film Modern Family, a very cheap expense. Of course, they also had two other houses they had to film in, which were the homes of the Pritchett family and the Tucker family. Anyway, the three houses were close by, so the crew didn't have to travel far to film scenes.

Kazir adjusted his sunglasses as he surveyed the set. His eyes caught the details of the layout and found that everything was on the right track.

Everest quickly approached Kazir, giving a professional nod. The crew members, sensing the presence of the boss, worked even more diligently. Most of them were newly hired workers, so they weren't used to Kazir. However, some of the female crew members couldn't help but steal glances at him.

Kazir was a famous director, and he was also handsome. Now that they met the director in person, they confirmed that he was indeed attractive.

Kazir didn't speak much while Everest explained the situation. He simply observed. His gaze passed over the cameras, the lights, and the actors in position.

Today, the crew had a few scenes to film, and all of them were about the Dunphy family. Naturally, the members of the Dunphy family were present.

The five members of the Dunphy family were:

Phil Dunphy -- played by Ty Burrell

Claire Dunphy -- played by Julie Bowen

Haley Dunphy (the eldest daughter) -- played by Sarah Hyland

Alex Dunphy (the middle daughter) -- played by Ariel Winter

Luke Dunphy (the youngest son) -- played by Nolan Gould


The cast couldn't help but look at the boss. Kazir was more famous than them, so they were starstruck. Now they realized that Kazir had the vibe of a superstar.

After a short conversation with Everest, Kazir walked around the house. He was then greeted by the cast. The two young girls shyly greeted him while the young boy awkwardly followed. Then Ty Burrell also expressed his appreciation. As for Julie Bowen, who played Claire Dunphy in the show, she shook hands with the director while blushing.

9 out of 10, an actress would find Kazir attractive, and this checked out.

Fortunately, Kazir had no idea about that. He was just focused more on the project.

Kazir valued efficiency and professionalism, traits he demanded from anyone who worked under him.

After a few moments, Kazir gave Everest a small thumbs-up, a rare gesture of approval. Everest exhaled in relief, feeling the weight on his shoulders lighten just a little. God knows how many sleepless nights he had suffered lately.

Kazir then moved to the monitor station, where an assistant was replaying the last filmed scene. He was now acting like a supervisor. Well, this year, most of his jobs were about supervising movies and TV shows.

He leaned forward, watching Ty Burrell's awkward smile performance. A small approving smirk appeared on Kazir's lips. As expected, keeping most of the original cast was the best decision.

Because Modern Family was released early in this timeline, some of the original cast couldn't be found. Heck, one wasn't even born yet. Because of that, they had no choice but to look for other actors to fill the missing spots.

Kazir watched Phil Dunphy's scene.

The scene had the right tone, matching the mockumentary style he "envisioned."

"Aight," he simply said. His voice was calm but full of authority. The crew members exchanged quick glances, their nerves easing slightly. At least the boss seemed positive about the project.

Kazir's approval meant they were doing something right. After a final round through the set, Kazir patted Everest lightly on the shoulder.

"Keep up the pace. Don't get complacent," he said before heading out.

Everest nodded and led him to his limousine. Everest was acting like he was working under Kazir, which was the truth.

Once Kazir was in his car, he asked Anderson about his schedule.

"Sir, tomorrow you will go to Blue Sky Studio to check out Wall-E. Then two days after that, you will visit Paranormal Activity. A week after that, you have to give a speech to the new graduates of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)," Anderson listed.

UCLA had a film school, which was the School of Theater, Film, and Television. This year, the university had invited him to give a speech.

"At least my schedule is not packed this month," Kazir weakly smiled.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 581

Kazir didn't have much work to do this year. Most of the time, he only spent four hours doing his job. After that, he was free to do anything.

At first, Kazir was not used to this kind of schedule. He was the type who couldn't sit idle with nothing to do. But as time passed, Kazir felt like having fewer jobs was not that bad. He could spend more time doing what he loved.

So when he heard that his schedule this month was not packed, Kazir felt relieved. Perhaps he had started hating the workaholic life that he once had.

He began using his free hours to read more books, watch old classics, and occasionally play video games to have fun and spend time with Scarlett. Last week, the couple went to the shopping mall to buy stuff for babies.

Sometimes, he would stroll through the studios of 20th Century Fox just to observe, offer some advice, or simply enjoy the creative atmosphere. He became a supervisor even though those projects were not related to him.

He also took time to write scripts for future projects, some were realistic, others pure fantasy. This would become his leverage; as long as he had chips to negotiate, he could maintain his status.

For once, he didn't feel pressured to chase deadlines. Kazir even started cooking at home again, trying out recipes from books he had bought years ago but never touched. He cooked for Scarlett, and the woman was impressed.

This slower pace, surprisingly, brought him a sense of peace. Maybe, he thought, balance wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"Sir, we have arrived," Anderson said to Kazir, and the director looked out the window.

Since Kazir had done his job for the day, he decided to return home early.

Kazir thanked Anderson and went inside. Even though Kazir was fine with four bodyguards following him around when he was outside, he preferred to spend most of his time in his house in comfort. So he didn't let them guard his house, that part should be the responsibility of the security guards. Once Kazir was done with his job for the day, his four bodyguards were free to go.

Kazir recently hired three security guards for his house instead. These security guards spent most of their time at the entrance and at the back of the house.

An incident happened last month where an aspiring director climbed the wall to personally deliver his job application to Kazir. Kazir still had no assistant director at the moment, so some people were going crazy to get the position.

Because of that, Kazir had to hire some security guards... He was actually not comfortable hiring security guards because he preferred a quiet place. Thankfully, the security guards were professional, and they were practically invisible... I almost wrote [Title Card].

Kazir entered his home, and the quiet ambiance immediately washed over him like a warm blanket. The soft hum of the air from the air conditioning, this white noise, further proved that he was home.

He looked around. No one was in the house except him. Today was not a cleaning day for the maids, and the chef had a day off. The house was quiet, and Kazir appreciated it.

Scarlett was not home yet. She was probably still at the prenatal yoga class she had recently joined. Kazir loosened his collar and exhaled. He threw his necktie on the couch like a lazy bum.

He headed to the kitchen and opened the fridge. He stayed away from alcohol most of the time unless there was a special occasion. Naturally, he preferred drinking water or tea. He decided to drink cold water this time.

After that, he pulled out ingredients for tonight's dinner. Something light but special, maybe salmon with a citrus glaze. Cooking had become a soothing ritual for him. He was confident in his skills.

As he began prepping, he glanced at the clock. For once, time felt like his ally, not his enemy. Cooking was a chore that he found relaxing...

Although cleaning utensils and dishes was not. Anyway, most people probably hated washing dishes, so it was understandable.

As the salmon sizzled in the pan, the aroma of citrus and butter slowly filled the kitchen. Kazir moved with ease, chopping herbs, timing the glaze, and plating with surprising finesse.

After cooking and letting the dish cool, he wiped his hands and grabbed a book from the counter.

There was a new novel he had been reading. He found a book about the entertainment industry where the main character was a talent agent who could discern people's talents. He was so engrossed in reading it. Unfortunately, Kazir realized that the novel was incomplete, and he was eager to read Book 2. Too bad, because the author suffered from procrastination and had a hard time writing it.

Kazir thought of contacting the author and urging him to write more. If he met him personally, he would probably slap the author's face to wake him up from his laziness.

Perhaps he could promise the author that he would adapt his novel into a movie.

The idea floated in his mind. Just then, he heard the soft click of the front door. Scarlett was home. Perfect timing.

Kazir smiled and embraced Scarlett.

"I've cooked some salmon. Let's eat."

"Right timing, I'm hungry," Scarlett replied.

"Then let's eat. I'm sure you're going to love it."

"You're too confident." She giggled.

"Of course. I'm confident in my culinary skills."

+++++

[Author's Note: Lately, I've been reading a CN MTL novel about fishing, and I became interested in writing a slice-of-life novel about fishing and getting rich... Unfortunately, I probably have to postpone that idea since even one chapter a day is already tough to write. I miss the days when I could write 3 to 4 chapters a day. That was my peak performance.]

[Edit: I already started writing this fishing novel last week. I'll probably post it in a few days.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 582

Kazir stepped onto the stage at the hall, and the soft murmur of students died down as he approached the podium.

The vast auditorium, with its arched ceilings and warm lighting, turned silent as Kazir introduced himself. Most of the students practically knew him.

Despite being a director, Kazir was famous. Furthermore, UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) had a film school, which further enhanced Kazir's status at the university. Most of the students who wanted to pursue filmmaking aspired to become like him, a director recognized by the whole world.

Kazir adjusted the microphone. He was a bit nervous since this was his first time giving a speech to new graduates... He also had no experience regarding college graduation since he never finished college.

He took a brief moment to scan the crowd. Some had eager faces, some had notebooks ready, although most students didn't seem to give a fuck. After all, Kazir was a human just like them. There was nothing to be excited about. They were not some crazy fanatics who would go batshit worshipping celebrities. They wouldn't step that low, right?

"Good afternoon, everyone," Kazir began, his voice steady. He had faced much tougher things than this, so he easily recovered from his nervousness.

"First of all, thank you for welcoming me here today. It's an honor to stand before such an active and curious group of students at UCLA."

A ripple of polite applause followed, then silence.

"I was asked to speak about success," he continued.

"About what it means, how to find it, and maybe, how to hold onto it. But if I'm being honest, I think we too often ask the wrong questions about success. We believe it's an endpoint. Graduate school. Get a job. Buy a house. Then bam, success. But the real question is... What are you willing to struggle for to acquire success?"

He paused, letting that sink in... He had actually hired a writer to help him write his speech because he had no idea what to say. This was different from writing a script... First of all, the scripts he wrote were not originally his. So he understood that he actually had no talent in writing. But of course, he participated in writing the speech since it was his speech in the first place.

Kazir leaned in slightly, reading the speech he had prepared, and then his gaze swept the room again. Some students were staring at him, waiting for his continuation, while some were just waiting for the time to pass.

Kazir might be a famous director. But it didn't mean that he was a great speaker. Students were also not sure if he could make some jokes to entertain them.

"Because the truth is, everything worthwhile demands something from you. Your time, your energy, your sanity sometimes," he said with a wry smile.

"Filmmaking, for me, isn't about chasing fame or fortune. It's about telling stories that matter, or not, but they are stories that kept me up at night. That gave me the perseverance to create films that I can show to the world. But it was not that easy. Sometimes I experienced tough obstacles that I barely passed through. Every struggle shaped me more than any success did. So I ask you today... What's worth the fight for you?"

The students listened... while others yawned. What Kazir said were some basic encouraging sentences that P.E. teachers tell their sports teams.

Thankfully, Kazir was so absorbed in his speech that he didn't feel that the crowd was getting bored. Today, it was proven that despite his talent in filmmaking, Kazir was not good at giving speeches or encouraging people...

If it were a one-on-one conversation, perhaps Kazir could make some sense, but a whole crowd of young people was tougher to convince.

"Boring..."

"Man, I wonder if Tyrone will be free tonight, he said he wants to play Smash."

"Skibidi toilet."

"Who would win between 100 men versus 1 Silverback Gorilla?"

But then, the students started having their own conversations, and murmurs were everywhere.

Kazir caught their not-so-enthusiastic expressions.

He exhaled softly and looked down at his notes. For a moment, he hesitated. Then, with a small bitter smile, he set the paper aside. The microphone caught the soft thud as Kazir set aside the paper.

"Alright," he said, his voice more relaxed now, "I'm going to be real with you all."

His tone and way of speaking changed. Perhaps it was better to say what he wanted to say instead of following the speech he wrote.

His change of demeanor caught the attention of some students.

"I have been up here reading a speech someone helped me write. Because, honestly, I had no idea how to inspire a room full of students like yourselves. But here's the thing, I'm not here to sugarcoat you guys. Being a director, being successful in this industry... it's brutal. It's torturous, you probably have to bleed some blood or something."

More students listened.

"You'll pour everything you have into a project, only for it to fall apart at the last minute. You'll get into scandals if you make enemies. You will face rejection so many times you will lose count. And the truth? Out of all of you sitting here today who dream of becoming directors, maybe only a handful will make it. Perhaps none of you will even become one."

Kazir remembered that he was a billionaire. He was also a successful director. He had no reason to impress these students; he had already proved himself. He might as well say what he wanted to say.

The room was quiet now, really listening.

Kazir gave a mocking smile.

"But let's talk about the pros. If you successfully make a huge hit movie, the rewards can be incredible. The money? You can make millions if you film a box office hit. I've made millions from a single movie. And yeah, it changes your life, like literally... But more than that, for me, it's about seeing your vision come alive on screen. Knowing millions of people around the world are watching something that started in my head. That feeling... It's priceless. Like I'm in everyone's mind."

He grinned.

"So, if you're in this for the fame, or the money alone, you might burn out fast. But if you truly love filmmaking, then you can survive this dangerous industry. Be ready to fail, and fail hard. But don't let that stop you. Because every now and then, someone lucky breaks through. And it might just be you."

The students stood up and started clapping their hands.

This further proved that Kazir was not a motivational speaker.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 583

Kazir stepped down from the stage. The sound of students clapping their hands echoed, although Kazir was not sure if they appreciated his speech or if the students were just happy that Kazir was done with it.

Anyway, Kazir didn't care much. He had already said what he wanted to say. Whether they felt it or not didn't matter. Kazir did his job.

He stepped down and found Erica crossing her arms and shaking her head, perhaps disappointed? She was amused but also felt bad for the students.

"What do you think of my speech? Pretty great, right?" Kazir couldn't help but chuckle. He knew he had been truthful about what he said in the latter part of his speech.

"Sir, I think you destroyed their dreams of becoming movie directors," she said honestly and sighed.

"They're already adults. They should understand that it's not easy to become successful in the entertainment industry. We can't babysit them."

"Well," Erica Mendez glanced at the students who were still clapping. Most of them had serious expressions, while the rest were happy that the graduation ceremony was about to end.

"It's indeed true that you woke them up to reality. They'll probably remember it. Having a successful career in Hollywood will be tough. They need connections, networking, talent, luck, opportunity, and work ethic. Talent and work ethic are simple, almost everyone in Hollywood has those two factors. But connections take time to build, while luck and opportunity are the hardest things to find."

Indeed, having a successful career in Hollywood was never easy. These students were too innocent if they believed that they could become successful just because they graduated from UCLA. No fucking way.

Once they stepped into the real world, society would crush their egos. They would realize that their grades and performance in school were nothing compared to reality. These students had to compete against hundreds of thousands of people with the same or better talent than them.

It was better to tell the truth now, better now than later. Otherwise, these students might lose hope.

So Kazir might as well give them a pep talk about what they would experience, especially those who were interested in working in the entertainment industry. This industry was treacherous.

To be fair, if his speech made them lose hope, then they might as well find another career. Because the entertainment industry was a dirty place, and weak-minded people wouldn't survive in that environment.

Even good-hearted people had witnessed things in Hollywood that they couldn't fathom were possible, despite the U.S.A. being seen as a representation of freedom and opportunity... Perhaps the country was just hiding its dirty laundry.

Well, there was a rumor that a certain president's family was part of a certain flight log. So yeah, rumors, rumors, allegedly, allegedly, the flight log couldn't be trusted, the owner killed himself in the prison cell, conspiracy, conspiracy, blah blah blah.

Kazir slipped his hands into his pockets. He touched his wallet, which had a few hundred dollars and some credit cards.

His gaze lingered on the students who had stopped clapping. They were now waiting for the last part of the graduation ceremony, where their names would be called, and they would walk up to the stage and accept their diplomas.

"You know, Erica," he said after a pause.

"Hollywood isn't just about talent or vision. It's about perseverance. I spent five years being a nameless director before I got my first success. It wasn't easy at all. I was so depressed, I was at the worst point in my life, but I overcame it. It depends on how much shit you can take before you break or if you break at all."

Actually, adding his past life into the equation, Kazir had been a nameless director for over four decades at least. Imagine how painful that was.

Erica gave him a sideways look. She knew about Kazir's story, especially about his ex-wife and the betrayal he had experienced. She was Kazir's assistant, and she didn't have a choice but to learn and understand his life. Honestly, she was impressed with Kazir's determination. She would have broken down if she had experienced what Kazir went through.

"That's... not comforting at all. You're just further showing that Hollywood is tough."

Kazir smirked.

"It's reality. I've seen brilliant people crushed, and average ones thrive just because they outlasted everyone else. If my words today make even one student think harder and prepare better, then it's worth it."

"Let's hope they were listening," Erica nodded thoughtfully.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nothing much really happened in May, except for the Sri Lankan Civil War and the Lisbon Treaty. This month, Kazir followed his schedule loyally since it was not that hard to manage.

His job was easier compared to the times when he had a movie to take care of. Thankfully, Ninja Assassin had already been completed, and Grey Pictures was just waiting for its release, which was scheduled for November 25. The company was just doing some weak early promotions to avoid wasting its marketing budget.

Aside from that, Kazir also attended business meetings. The company was finalizing the contract regarding the TV network that would broadcast Modern Family. Many TV networks were still showing their cards, hoping to collaborate with Grey Pictures.

Kazir also checked the progress of Wall-E. The production speed of Wall-E was faster than he had expected. If things continued like that, the animated movie might be released next year, around November or December.

Since we're talking about May, of course, we couldn't forget about the new movie releases this month.

In the first week of the month, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and X-Men Origins: Wolverine were released.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past was a romantic comedy distributed by Warner Bros. that grossed over $128 million.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine was a superhero movie based on the comics and was distributed by 20th Century Fox. It grossed over $487 million.

Both Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox hadn't expected the movie to perform well, considering that only Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) was in the movie as part of the past X-Men cast.

+++++

[Last night, I learned that Diddy was found not guilty to most of his cases. I think we can all agree that the Justice System is nothing but a joke.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 584

Unlike Iron Man and other characters from the MCU, the whole X-Men franchise was currently under the ownership of 20th Century Fox.

To make it clear, when Marvel Comics was in debt to the bank, the company sold the film rights of X-Men to 20th Century Fox. To make it even sadder, 20th Century Fox got the last laugh since the contract was more in their favor. Marvel Comics didn't have a choice, as they were forced by the bank to sign the contract just to make money.

Because of this, even though X-Men grossed over $480 million, 20th Century Fox would take basically all of the profit while giving Marvel Comics some crumbs to lick.

Marvel Comics only earned money through licensing fees and merchandise-related revenue, but this amount was still small compared to the overall net worth of X-Men.

The analysis was that the net worth of X-Men was around $10–15 billion. $6 billion came from the global box office that the franchise generated. Unfortunately, Marvel Comics could only see a glimpse of that money.

So yeah, 20th Century Fox won that business deal.

Marvel Comics had understandable dissatisfaction regarding that. Even now, despite the two companies collaborating, the contract regarding X-Men still has not changed.

Obviously, 20th Century Fox wouldn't change it since it was a huge deal involving money. The company had to ensure that the money would remain theirs.

This was business. From Marvel Comics' point of view, it was a loss. But from 20th Century Fox's perspective, it was a win.

20th Century Fox and its executives would be crazy if they agreed to a contract that would lessen their profits. So they maintained the status quo and continued to milk X-Men till the very end.

By the way, in the original timeline, one of the reasons why Marvel Comics started its own film studio (Marvel Studios) was because it realized that licensing its characters to other film studios brought limited profit compared to producing films themselves. Of course, Marvel Comics had to shoulder the consequences, but this decision led them to create the best cinematic universe of the era. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was the start of their success. Not even the Spider-Man trilogy gave them that status.

But Marvel Studios' path was not that simple. Even though they owned the movies themselves, they still had to work with a distributor to release their movies. And well, the distributor had to take at least a 40% box office cut.

Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures had around 40–50% box office cuts when they distributed the first batch of MCU movies.

Paramount Pictures distributed Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger.

Universal Pictures distributed The Incredible Hulk. Perhaps this deal was because Universal Pictures originally held the rights to Hulk, but due to the failure of Ang Lee's Hulk (2003), Marvel Comics got the rights back. So maybe, to make it a fair deal, Universal Pictures was the one that distributed The Incredible Hulk.

Honestly, Paramount Pictures had a chance to acquire Marvel since they probably saw the potential of their characters. Perhaps another What-If timeline would happen if Paramount Pictures had acquired Marvel instead of Walt Disney.

To be fair, Marvel Comics only had a few choices. Marvel Studios was a profitable move, but it still needed backing, so being owned by one of the Big Six was probably part of the plan.

Anyway, Sony-Columbia could have been chosen since it had experience distributing Spider-Man and handling merchandise related to the superhero. If Marvel Comics were to choose a mother company, it should have been one that could help their business grow.

Almost every character in Marvel Comics was profitable if licensed to be made into sellable toys. Naturally, Marvel Comics was looking for a studio that could help them sell more merchandise and toys related to their superhero characters.

Sony-Columbia had selling capabilities since they worked with Spider-Man.

Universal Pictures also worked on selling Jurassic Park toys.

Paramount Pictures also worked on selling Transformers and G.I. Joe.

Warner Brothers had DC Comics… God knows how many Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman toys they sold.

20th Century Fox also had X-Men and Fantastic Four to work with.

As for Walt Disney, this was probably the best in this kind of stuff, since Walt Disney had so many kid-related products that they sold to the masses.

The Big Six had distribution channels. Of course, they could distribute toys and other merchandise.

The best choices for Marvel Comics were Warner Brothers and Walt Disney, since these two could help them better than the others.

Unfortunately, Warner Brothers already had DC Comics, so Marvel was not against it when Walt Disney started their acquisition. In their opinion, Walt Disney was the best studio they could lean on. That endeavor was fruitful at first… but capitalism destroyed the reputation of the MCU franchise.

The early partnership between Marvel Studios and Walt Disney was indeed a game-changer, but as the years passed, cracks began to show. With Walt Disney's aggressive push for rapid releases of movies and TV shows, and boring storytelling, critics and longtime fans started to voice concerns about the franchise's lack of creativity. The MCU was becoming stagnant, especially after Avengers: Endgame.

Box office numbers fluctuated, and whispers of "superhero movie fatigue" grew louder. Yes, people were growing tired of watching superhero movies.

When the major characters in the MCU disappeared, the franchise lost its luster.

Still, from a business perspective, Marvel's alignment with Walt Disney was probably the right decision. No other studio could have helped Marvel elevate its status the way Walt Disney did.

+++++

[Yeah, this chapter is just based on my opinion. Don't take it seriously.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 585

In the second week of May, only Star Trek performed amazingly. Star Trek had been a famous TV show before it was even a movie. It was comparable to Star Wars. Or perhaps it followed the fame of Star Wars and became successful... Well, history had to say no.

Because Star Trek was a powerful opponent, the Big Six didn't release their blockbusters in the same week as Star Trek. That would be a disaster for both sides, and they didn't want that.

Imagine if Star Trek and Fast & Furious 3 were released in the same week. The box office sales for both movies would be affected. The two movies would have to divide the market, which was bad. Naturally, to avoid that situation, the Big Six would have some talks and announce the release dates of their top movies. If the other studios were not confident in facing it, then they would let it be and allow the dominant film to take over that week.

As for Star Trek, the movie grossed $579 million.

For reference, Star Trek was released before Star Wars.

The Star Trek franchise began as a television series that premiered in 1966 on NBC, while Star Wars was released in 1977. It was easier to say that Star Trek paved the path for space-type science fiction to become popular.

The original Star Trek only had three seasons. It was canceled because it was not profitable. But in 1979, after the huge success of Star Wars, the series was revived. Perhaps NBC saw the potential, so they revived the series. In the '80s, '90s, and early '00s, Star Trek had a stable run and it had a cult following. It was famous for almost three decades. The franchise had movies and spin-offs.

In fact, the estimated value of Star Trek was $10–15 billion. Anyone would agree that it was a huge amount of money.

Unfortunately, Star Trek: Enterprise, the last TV show of the franchise, ended in 2005 because of lower ratings.

Then, four years after that, the franchise was revived as a film trilogy by Paramount Pictures. Star Trek (2009) was the first movie of the trilogy. Based on its performance, Paramount Pictures was confident that they could film the two remaining sequels with profit on the line.

In the third week, Angels & Demons was released. This thriller/suspense film grossed over $541 million. Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code were actually connected. Both were starred by Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon. The Da Vinci Code was a controversial movie, and so was Angels & Demons. Perhaps this was the reason why it performed well.

Also, these movies were actually part of a trilogy called the Robert Langdon trilogy. They were adapted from the novels that Dan Brown wrote. The trilogy starred Tom Hanks and was directed by Ron Howard.

The movies were:

The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Angels & Demons (2009)
Inferno (2016)

Around the same week as Angels & Demons, Terminator Salvation was released.

Unlike the other Terminator movies, Terminator Salvation was based on the future, where Skynet was the ruling entity and humans were being killed. Sadly, Terminator Salvation didn't have its iconic robot, the T-800, which meant that Arnold Schwarzenegger was also missing. But hey, we had Christian Bale to fill in the missing spot as John Connor. Despite lacking Arnold Schwarzenegger, the movie still grossed $420 million. The movie was distributed by Warner Brothers (international) and Sony-Columbia (domestic).

In the last week of May, Night at the Museum and Up were released.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian grossed $468 million. Distributed by 20th Century Fox, this sequel of a successful franchise did well at the box office. Also, Night at the Museum was a trilogy, but the third movie would be released in 2014.

As for Up... The first ten minutes of this animated movie were heartbreaking. Walt Disney captured the essence of life by giving us Up. It was not surprising that this movie grossed $1 billion. The movie was just magnificent, majestic, amazing, any kind of adjective you could describe. Overall, Up was a great movie, almost as if you were watching a story about a house flying in the sky using thousands of balloons... Ahem.

May was just the start of the summer schedule, yet Hollywood had already shown their cards. The fact that most of these blockbusters grossed at least $400 million showed the power of the summer. You really earned a lot of money around this season.

.........

......

...

Speaking of Walt Disney, the company was happy that Up was performing well at the box office. However, they were also sad about a certain fact.

"Why is this always happening to us!?" Robert Iger slammed his fists against the table as he glared at the executives of ABC.

They had been doing their best just to collaborate with Grey Pictures. They contacted the studio, they communicated peacefully, they promised them a good timeslot, they promised intense promotion, and they even sent gifts. In fact, they tried to bribe some people just to get the contract regarding Modern Family.

Everyone in ABC did their best, but they still failed. Today, Grey Pictures and 20th Century Fox signed a contract. Modern Family would be broadcast by Fox TV.

"Tell me, are there fourth-dimension entities that stopped us from getting a collaboration with Grey Pictures? Are they voting and determining whether we have a chance to work with Grey Pictures? Tell me-! Speak, or else I might say something that could break the fourth wall."

The executives from NBC shut their mouths as they looked down. They also didn't know. For some reason, even though they did their best, the outcome was still against them. Perhaps Robert Iger was right, there might be entities that voted in a poll to stop them from collaborating with Grey Pictures.

+++++

[Three more days and this series will be done.]