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HWI 551
🕑 Added 2025-02-27 15:40:56 +0000 UTCHollywood What If Chapter 551
Aside from movies, September had some important events that happened. Some were related to the 2008 Financial Crisis.
First was Lehman Brothers. This major investment bank filed for bankruptcy as of September 15 and it triggered a global financial collapse. This was just one piece of the domino effect that caused the 2008 economic recession.
The global stock market was badly affected. Kazir didn't take advantage of this opportunity because he was not an expert in the stock market and how it would move. He just decided to keep his old stocks and kept investing in his favorite companies.
Because of the financial crisis, banks were reluctant to lend money because they feared that more banks would collapse. Let's just say that they didn't trust people in the economic crisis because many people were poor at that time. Hence, the recession continued.
Aside from the economic crisis, another major event happened in September, such as Barack Obama and John McCain's presidential campaigns were going strong. This time, the citizens of the United States would determine the future of their country in their own hands by voting. So yeah, this was an important event.
Despite the economic turmoil, Hollywood remained a temporary escape for many people. Box office numbers showed that audiences still went to theaters. People were seeking distraction from financial worries.
The Equalizer 2 continued its strong performance and Wanted 3 maintained its momentum, proving that action-packed movies were still in demand. While The Dark Knight was close to its most awaited $1 billion.
While aware of the financial crisis, Kazir focused on his company. Grey Pictures had a stable cash flow. They have careful budgeting, the company avoided unnecessary risks. The projects they released every year were profitable and they had nothing to worry about.
Industry insiders speculated whether the recession would slow down film production. Some studios tightened budgets, but major franchises remained unaffected, for now.
Even Wall-E, which was approved had a budget of $180 million. Most of the budget would be spent on the animation. Animating 3D cartoon movies was always expensive.
Hollywood would still make movies no matter what the status of the economy, simply because people liked watching movies. Showbiz is probably one of the industries that would keep doing well no matter how bad the economy is.
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Kazir Grey sat at the table in a restaurant in Beverly Hills. Across him was Christopher Nolan, the director of Wanted 3, the movie that grossed $1 billion 2 years ago.
The two directors had worked in the same industry for years, but this was their first time talking in a restaurant.
When Kazir hired Christopher, the one who actually did the job was Stella Willow. She convinced the director to direct Wanted 3. Well, the salary was huge so Christopher had no reason to say no.
After that, Kazir and Christopher had some conversations but they were not that really close. Out of all the directors in Hollywood, Kazir was only friends with a few directors, such as George Lucas and David Fincher.
Christopher Nolan was wearing a T-shirt, the same as Kazir. This meeting felt like nothing serious at all. By the way, the one who chose the meeting place was Christopher. Apparently, he liked the tacos in this restaurant.
"So, Kazir," Christopher said and put down his coffee.
"You mentioned something interesting on the phone. You want me to direct an animated film?" He tilted his head, quite confused.
“Not just any animated film. The title of the movie is Wall-E.” Kazir replied.
Animated films. Animated movies. 3D cartoons. Computer-generated movie/film. You can say it in many ways.
“A film about a lonely robot left on Earth after humanity has abandoned it. He spent his days cleaning up the planet. Until one day, he met another robot, Eve, and it changed everything." Kazir grinned and put the script on the table for Christopher to check it.
Christopher Nolan raised an eyebrow. Actually, when he received a call from Kazir, he was surprised. They were acquaintance at best, they were not close at all. However, being a director, Christopher respects Kazir's dedication to art.
He was surprised when Kazir wanted to talk to him about filming an animated film. He already heard about it from his agent but he didn't know the specifics.
It would be a lie if Christopher said that he was not interested. For Kazir to meet him, the owner of Grey Pictures and the best director in Hollywood, Christopher couldn't help but take it seriously.
He opened the script and read it.
"An animated sci-fi film with environmental themes? Interesting..." He nodded and then looked back at Kazir.
"But why me? Animation isn't exactly my area of expertise."
"Do you know the reason why we hired you to direct Wanted 3?" Kazir asked.
"Isn't it because you don't like filming a trilogy? You prefer hiring other directors to film the sequels of your movies."
"Yes, that's also one of the reasons." Kazir coughed.
"Anyway, I'll say the reason why we hired you. You have a unique way of blending grand spectacle with deep, emotional storytelling. Wall-E really needs that essence and you're the only one I know who can do it. It’s not just a kids’ movie. It’s a story about loneliness, purpose, and love, set in a dystopian future."
"..."
Christopher Nolan was speechless. He didn't expect that Kazir had a high respect regarding his filmography... He suddenly wanted to blush or something.
A top director like Kazir recognized his talent. He took that as an achievement. Of course, he was happy to hear these praises from Kazir.
Christopher cleared his throat, regaining his composure. He tapped the script with his fingers and smirked.
"I'm very flattered, Kazir."
