Puji_maki
patreon
HWI 564
🕑 Added 2025-03-31 17:03:17 +0000 UTCHollywood What If Chapter 564
In January 2009, some movies grossed over $100 million.
In the second week:
Bride Wars grossed $148 million. The movie was a romantic comedy starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson. The film was distributed by 20th Century Fox.
In the third week:
Hotel For Dogs grossed $156 million. The movie was also a comedy and it was distributed by Paramount Pictures.
My Bloody Valentine grossed $125 million. The movie was a slasher horror film starring Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, and Kerr Smith. The film was distributed by Lionsgate.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop grossed $244 million. The movie was a comedy film starring Kevin James, Jayma Mays, and Keir O'Donnell. The film was distributed by Sony-Colombia.
In the fourth week:
Underworld 3: Rise Of The Lycan grossed $138 million. Despite not casting the absolute gorgeous glorious goddess Kate Beckinsale, this action/horror movie about vampires and werewolves performed well. The movie was distributed by Sony-Colombia.
.........
......
...
Kazir Grey and Scarlett Johansson enjoyed the luxury of a relaxing life in January and February. Since Scarlett was pregnant, the couple decided to take things slow and relax more. Although once in a while they went to places to have some fun.
Heck, they almost visited every expensive place in Los Angeles in their leisure. Kazir was so rich that he didn't mind spending once in a while.
With no major projects demanding their immediate attention, the two spent their days in comfort. They even took a short vacation in New York to visit Kazir's family. They also attended private gatherings and celebration parties. Overall, they simply enjoy each other's company.
Despite his break from full-time work, Kazir still made time to visit Blue Sky Studios. He was checking in on the progress of Wall-E.
20th Century Fox was positive about this project since it had a complete combo of Kazir Grey and Christopher Nolan. Furthermore, they were preparing for a strong PR because they knew that Wall-E had a strong chance of competing in the Academy Awards.
Now that Wall-E was under the direction of Christopher Nolan in this timeline, its creation was affected by his style.
Christopher Nolan was shaping it up to be a unique blend of heartfelt storytelling and his signature cinematic depth.
Kazir and Nolan had several discussions about the film’s tone, pacing, and visual storytelling. Two of the best directors were in tandem with this animated film.
While Kazir wasn’t directly involved in the production, he was happy and interested in providing insights. He occasionally brainstormed with Christopher Nolan on how to balance the film’s emotional weight with its sci-fi elements.
Aside from these brief consultations once or twice a week, Kazir was content to step back and let the industry move on its own, at least for now.
He knew that his roots in Hollywood were now deeper and even his influence was strong. His name alone could determine if the audience would buy movie tickets or not.
He wanted to take a year's rest, but it didn't mean that he would retire, obviously. This industry still needed him and he also needed Hollywood. After all, his love for filmmaking was so strong that he didn't find it stressful.
Furthermore, now that there were two babies incoming, Kazir had to work hard to make sure that the kids wouldn't grow up poor. At least he wanted to provide everything for them... Perhaps he felt like being a billionaire was not enough to satisfy his kids?
As the weeks passed, Kazir found himself settling into a comfortable routine. His mornings often started with a quiet breakfast alongside Scarlett, who was now doing well in her pregnancy.
Sometimes, Kazir spent his time reviewing scripts and taking occasional meetings in Grey Pictures. The pre-production of Modern Family was doing well, and he read the improved scripts for each episode...
Stella Willow actually talked to him about filming at least two episodes of Modern Family as a method of promotion. Besides, Kazir was also famous for being a Comedy Director so it was not a bad idea if he directed a few episodes.
Kazir didn't give any assurance. Modern Family was still in pre-production, and even the cast was not completed.
Although he remained firm in his decision to avoid directing any project for a while. He had to keep his promise.
He was enjoying this rare period of peace. Something he rarely experienced since his rise in Hollywood.
Still, the industry never stopped pestering him. Paramount Pictures may be done irritating him about filming Transformers but it didn't mean that other studios were not asking him. Particularly Walt Disney, this studio had been eagerly trying to hire him as a director. Walt Disney even said that Kazir could choose whatever project he wanted to do and Walt Disney would support him.
After all, Kazir already proved himself by filming Comedy, Action, and Horror blockbusters. Walt Disney was confident that his chosen project would make money.
So yeah, studios continued talking to him, eager for his next move/movie.
.........
......
...
On February 22, 2009.
The 81st Academy Awards happened.
Many huge films were given the chance to compete at the Academy Awards. Directors, Actors, Actresses, Screenwriters, and many professionals were given the chance to acquire the golden statues. The symbol that signified their status in Hollywood and showed that they were recognized as one of the best in their respective careers.
Movies such as Slum Dog Millionaire, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Milk, The Reader, and The Dark Knight received many nominations.
The Dark Knight, particularly, received 8 nominations. Some were major categories while some were minor categories. Still, the influence of The Dark Knight in 2008 was hard to beat. Especially when The Dark Knight itself was the highest-grossing movie last year, earning $1.01 billion at the box office.
