King of Hollywood

Chapter 154: Chapter 154 Lucas and Industrial Light Magic

As was customary, the nominations for the 50th Golden Globe Awards were announced on December 19. Although most people anticipated that Bossworth Film Company would dominate the headlines, they were still shocked when the nominations were revealed. Essentially, three movies produced by Bossworth Film Company captured all the nominations except those for comedy musicals and special awards!

Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Actress… Even “Scent of a Woman” and “Howards End” were both nominated for Best Picture, making people believe that if he produced a comedy or foreign language film, he would also get nominated. This “he” naturally refers to the common director and producer of those three films, known as the Miracle Director, Adrian Cowell!

Such statements are certainly not exaggerations. Just this year’s releases alone were enough to dazzle the eyes. “Pulp Fiction,” which won the Palme d’Or and grossed $100 million in North America; “Scent of a Woman,” which featured a compelling performance by Al Pacino and changed his image of only making cult-style films; and “Howards End,” which left the British speechless.

Especially noteworthy is that this niche film had already grossed $30 million in North America and was advancing toward $40 million. The media even exclaimed that as long as a movie was made by him, it could earn a lot, even if it was obviously unprofitable! If these three films were made by three different directors in the same year or by the same director in different years, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But now, they were all produced by the same director in the same year… Frankly speaking, this had never happened in Hollywood before.

Therefore, it was quite normal for him to receive so many Golden Globe nominations, and receiving such accolades was expected as well. People just needed time to digest this reality. After all, it was the first time anyone had reached this level. A journalist from the Los Angeles Times wrote, “Perhaps, the Miracle Director could change his name to ‘Miracle Director’?”

Of course, this term was largely sarcastic and playful. Although the Golden Globes carried some weight, they still couldn’t compare to the Oscars. However, the Golden Globes were also regarded as one of the indicators for the Oscars, so many were eager to see what would happen when the Oscar nominations were announced in over a month.

As a result, many journalists were chasing after Adrian, eager to hear his thoughts on receiving so many Golden Globe nominations and his expectations for the Oscars. But Adrian always played coy with them, either giving non-answers or saying nothing at all because he was busy with many things, such as attending movie premieres.

“Hey, Sandy, how have you been lately? You look well.”

“Wow, beautiful Ms. Pullman, you’re becoming more and more stunning, which is really surprising.”

“It’s great to see you, Mr. Andrews. Oh, let’s not talk about that golf game—it was dreadful.”

Navigating through the bustling crowd, Adrian greeted acquaintances as he made his way to the central foyer of the theater. The grand display and multitude of guests were there because the upcoming film was none other than “Jurassic Park,” a project that had a budget over $60 million and took more than a year to produce!

Having seen the test screenings, Universal, which had invested one-third of the funds and was responsible for distribution, immediately decided to hold a massive premiere for promotion, hence the current scenario.

“It’s such a pity you weren’t there, Ed. When the long-necked dinosaur first appeared, they managed to keep their composure, but they were completely dumbfounded when the Tyrannosaurus came on.” A middle-aged man near the bar’s flower stand excitedly said. He had a light-colored goatee, messy yet not disheveled hair, thick and bushy eyebrows, and his eyes were always squinting. He could appear very imposing when calm, but quite adorable when he laughed.

“You really shouldn’t tell me these things, George, I’m already starting to regret it.” Adrian’s playfully annoyed expression made the middle-aged man burst into laughter.

This middle-aged man was none other than George Lucas, a famous director who had directed “Star Wars” and founded the renowned Industrial Light Magic! After Spielberg had finished shooting “Jurassic Park” and had the post-production roughly planned out, he handed the responsibility over to his good friend Lucas, then went off with Adrian to recce Poland for “Schindler’s List.”

Even now, as Christmas was just around the corner, Spielberg was still in Krakow filming, so Lucas, who was handling most of the post-production, replaced him for the movie premiere.

“No worries, the premiere is about to start, and you’ll see it soon,” Lucas said with a hearty laugh, patting his shoulder.

“You know, George, I’ve heard many people say that you’re a very serious person who hardly smiles, but meeting you today, I realized all those rumors were unreliable.” Adrian said.

“In a sense, those statements aren’t incorrect; I am indeed very strict at work, but to be like that all the time would be too boring,” Lucas shrugged, then shifted the subject, “Let’s talk about you, Ed. How have you been feeling lately? You are the most talked-about director in Hollywood now. The media even said that…”

“Don’t mention that anymore, George,” Adrian chuckled bitterly, “I’m now thinking about what kind of theme to produce for the next movie to make up for the deficit I’m currently in.”

“Do you have such worries too?” Lucas laughed heartily, then his expression turned intrigued, “What, got any new ideas? About to start another crazy movie production?”

“No, no, no, although I have new ideas, I need at least a few months rest, I don’t plan on doing the same as this year.” Adrian shook his head vigorously, then deftly changed the subject, “By the way, George, do you really have no plans to make a sequel to Star Wars? If not a sequel, what about a prequel? You can’t keep disappointing us.”

The two of them kept switching topics as they talked, and under Adrian’s subtle flattery, Lucas seemed very pleased. After about ten more minutes of conversation, he was ready to say goodbye, but Lucas immediately patted his shoulder and said out of the blue, “Thank you, Ed, you did a great job.”

Adrian paused, but quickly reacted to Lucas’s sincere look and humbly chuckled, “It’s nothing, what Steven has done deserves the praise.”

“Don’t be so modest, Ed, Steven has told me all about what you’ve done, no one could do it better. He’s been running around for this movie, and as an old friend, I’m glad someone can help him achieve his desire,” Lucas said earnestly, “If it weren’t for the premiere, I’d buy you a drink to express my gratitude properly.”

“There will be a chance,” Adrian said then remembered something, “Although I’ve been busy with my own affairs, I’ve always kept an eye on Poland. I heard from the staff there that Steven’s mental state seems to be not very good.”

“Yes,” Lucas confirmed, “When I talked to him on the phone, his voice sounded weak. It’s not surprising, just think about reliving those tragedies through the lens once again—it’s chilling. For Steven, it’s a real torment.”

“I can imagine,” Adrian nodded sympathetically, “So, after Christmas and New Year, maybe we can go to Poland together to see him.”

Lucas stroked his chin pensively for a few seconds, then nodded, “That’s a good suggestion, I’ll consider it.”

“That’s settled then,” Adrian gestured that he was leaving, “We’ll keep in touch when we’re both free.”

“Alright, let me know if you need anything,” Lucas said with a smile, waving his hand.

George Lucas. As Adrian walked into the crowd, he murmured this name, a slight smile appearing on his lips. Was this the first benefit of investing in Schindler’s List? Of course, maintaining a good relationship with Industrial Light Magic for a long time, even into the 21st century, was crucial, since it was Hollywood’s biggest special effects base. Although Lucas’s directorial works were not numerous, just this connection had forged a vast network of contacts, not to mention that he was also Jewish.

Shaking his head lightly, Adrian shifted his focus to finding Kate’s figure around him. Since they didn’t want to be hounded by reporters with endless questions, they had entered the theater lobby through a side door. After finding Lucas and striking up a conversation, Kate, feeling out of place, had left ahead of time.

“So many people,” Adrian sighed with a bit of resignation as he gazed at the bustling crowd in the foyer. It wasn’t easy to find Kate in this situation, but he was still earnestly looking since Monica was also here for the premiere, and during his chat with Lucas, he had distinctly seen Kate and Monica walking together not far from them.

Adrian wasn’t worried about any potential conflict between them, Monica attended the Jurassic Park premiere because he had personally called to invite her, hinting in his words not to refuse. Therefore, Adrian was more curious to see what kind of conflict might arise between the informed Monica and the unaware Kate.

He wasn’t worried at all; eventually, Kate would find out. And, this was sort of a small experiment, too.