Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 175 Three Calls Back
Ronald opened the note, and there were three people asking him to call back.

After asking about the hotel's long-distance call rate, Ronald quickly ran up the stairs, and started dialing after entering his room.

The first was his manager, Richard Lovett, who left a message saying the great news and would call back right away.Could it be that his script has already been sold?

"Ronald, you are about to become famous. Columbia bought your script. It is expected to start shooting next year and release in the summer of 82."

"I……"

Ronald thought back to arriving in Los Angeles with the script as if it had been yesterday.This is sold?Signed an agent, and the script was easily bought by a big studio? Is CAA so capable?
Although Ovitz took him to several major studios to promote the script last time, Ronald did not expect that it would be completed at the speed of light in just a few days.

"Hey, Ronald, are you still there?"

Ronald came back to his senses and quickly asked Richard:

"What's the total budget for the filming? Jane Fonda is the heroine, right? Is the platoon leader and the idiot who will play? What about the director?" Ronald held the phone receiver in one hand and went to open the small freezer, his hands trembling slightly with excitement .

He quickly clamped the microphone around his neck, opened the freezer with both hands, and took out a can of Coca-Cola.

"Take your time, Ronald. I can't answer so many questions at once." Richard on the other side of the phone must also be very excited, speaking with excitement.

"Colombia invested 1000 million, Jane Fonda's IPC invested 200 million, and the total budget is 1200 million. The actor has not yet been determined. I heard that the candidates include Jack Nicholson and Stallone.

The director's choice is Jane's old partner, James Bridges. "

"Who will play the fool?" Ronald asked impatiently.

"Relax, Ronald. The film is still in the pre-production stage. The fool may invite several young actors to star in it. It is still in the rumor stage.

I heard that Jane Fonda liked Timothy Hutton as a young man in 'Ordinary People' more.However, there are a lot of variables at this stage. Except for Jane Fonda, everyone else can change. "

"Okay, I'm so excited. Do they have any comments on the script, do I need to change it?"

"Yes, Columbia's president, Frank Price, directly made a lot of revisions to your script. After you return to Los Angeles, we will discuss the revision plan."

"That's really great!" Ronald was so excited that he broke the tab of the can, and the Coke was still in the can and couldn't be poured out.He didn't care too much, and immediately turned around to open the small freezer, took another bottle and drank.

"So don't you ask how much your script sold for?"

"How much did you sell?" Ronald stopped drinking Coke when he heard this.

"$35, Thirty Fuxcking $[-]."

"What? Is this not in line with the market price? Did you count the wrong number?" Ronald quickly calmed down when he heard the ridiculously high number. Walter Murch's scripts didn't even have such a high price. He thought Richard was saying the wrong number and added an extra zero.

"Today is your lucky day, Ronald. Columbia is being sued by Las Vegas tycoon Kerkorian for a hostile takeover and they need a high-profile comeback with a movie. Jane Fonda got $200 million guaranteed contract, even if Columbia doesn’t want her to act in this movie now, she still has to pay.”

"So the president, Mr. Price, doesn't care about money. He just wants to create momentum in the media and let everyone know who is in charge of Columbia Pictures now."

"In addition, Mr. Ovitz asked me to tell you that you should not tell anyone about this news at this stage, and wait for him and Columbia Pictures to release the news in the media first. He and Mr. Price are now focusing on the marketing of the project. After all these are over, I will talk to you about specific script improvements and casting."

"Understood, I won't tell anyone."

"Whenever you come to Los Angeles, you can get a check. Give me a call before you come, and I will pick you up at the airport. This is also my first business as an agent. Let's celebrate."

After hanging up the phone, Ronald danced disco happily in the room. Excited, he jumped onto the bed and jumped a few times, "Next, let's introduce the winner of the Oscar for Best Screenplay, Ronald... Lee!"

"Hey, hey, it's all due to me to get this award..." Ronald found that there were still two calls to return on the note in his hand, jumped off the bed, and continued to dial Aunt Karen. things to discuss.

"Auntie, it's past 9 o'clock in the evening, what's the matter?"

"Ronnie, you did a good job. Now Diane Lane is here."

"What's the matter? What came to the door, I didn't do anything?"

"Are you telling Diane that a 15-year-old single girl like her rents in Manhattan, preferably in Midtown?"

"Yes, she has a lot of savings for filming, but in those rent-regulated apartments in the uptown, the owner voted that it is impossible for a single minor to live in it."

"Then have you ever said that if you don't have enough cash, you can consider renting with other girls?"

"I did, but Diane... no, she wouldn't want to rent the apartment you and Donna lived in, would she?"

"exactly……"

"This..." Ronald thought for a while, "Auntie, I don't object to her being a frequent guest, but Diane is not an ordinary girl, she is a child star who was on the cover of Time Magazine. She may bring a lot of media attention of."

"Of course I've thought about this, but Diane said she's out of date now, and no one would recognize her on the street without sunglasses. Besides, she's grown a lot taller and fatter now, It's not as thin as it was in the movie before."

"Auntie, don't mention the word fat in front of actresses." Ronald quickly ordered, "And if she lives in the apartment at home, we have a certain responsibility to take care of her. After all, I know Bert. responsible for her family."

"That's what Bert promised. Diane threatened him that if she wouldn't let her live here, she would live with that playboy Christopher Atkins."

"What?" Ronald remembered the actor's attitude towards Diane at the party in the movie "Blue Lagoon". "It's okay, she must be scaring her dad."

"Bert and Diane are still at home now, I'll ask him to tell you." Aunt Karen put the phone down, and there was a sound from the receiver, and someone would pick it up after a while.

"Ronald, this is Bert."

"Bert, what is Diane thinking? Is she angry with you? You have a good talk with her."

"Ronald, I beg you to let Diane live with you for a while. I will visit her every day. I promise, she will not cause trouble to you and your family."

"That's not a problem. My aunt and Donna liked her very much when she came to tutoring before, but why..."

"Listen, Ronald, just think I owe you this once." Burt lowered his voice, "This time Diane is very firm. If I don't agree, she will live in another apartment. I can't stop it, She has declared her independence and she is legally an adult."

"God" Ronald knew that the little girl was very smart and planned everything.With the help of lawyers, child stars like America, who have their own income, can declare independence in advance.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I will come to see her often, so let her stay at your house for a while, and I will slowly persuade her to go back. She will take the high school entrance exam immediately, and she wants to live an ordinary high school life."

"Okay, call Aunt Karen."

After discussing with Aunt Karen, Ronald agreed to Diane Lane to live in the new house temporarily.But first negotiate the terms with Diane, you can't leave at will, and you must keep in touch with Bert.

"Don't worry, Ronald, I just want to live a normal girl's life, no acting practice, no auditions, and no fights with my dad over casting. After I pass high school, I will return to normal. If not You, Bert can't let me live in someone else's house, I can only ask Karen for help."

"I know that you have a charm that makes everyone love you. I believe you will not let us down, Diane." Ronald finally said a few words to Diane Lane and hung up the phone.

"Yeah, your cousin agreed." Diane and Donna cheered and hugged each other.

"This bedroom is yours, but you can't party too late." Donna gave Diane a bedroom.

"Don't worry, let me make a few calls and find someone to celebrate first."

……

There was another call back to Michelle Pfeiffer.She said she missed herself and wanted to talk.Ronald was very happy. This was the first time that Michelle took the initiative to leave him a message saying that she missed him.

"Hi, Michelle. This is Ronald. I'm so happy today, and guess what happened? Mmm... Mmmmm..." Ronald made several kissing motions through the receiver.

Ronald dialed Pfeiffer's phone and couldn't wait to share his happiness with her.

"Listen, Ronald. It's me, Limato." Michelle Pfeiffer's agent was on the line.

"Uh..." Ronald stopped awkwardly, "Hello, Ed. I didn't know you were here."

"I asked Michelle to call you. Your script has been bought by Columbia. Can you use your influence to help Miss Pfeiffer win the supporting role of that stupid sister?"

"How do you know? I just received a call from my agent to tell me the news. He said that the project is still in the preparation stage, and the secrecy is very high."

"There are no secrets in the brokerage business, Ronald. She told him, and he told her, I have my network."

"Okay. I haven't gotten in touch with the producers yet, and I heard that Columbia paid a lot of money. But to be honest, I don't know how to use my so-called influence to get Michelle to get the role.

Let me know if you can do anything.You know, I've heard it said before that once the script is sold, the writer is out of Game of Thrones.

The real star of the project was Jane Fonda, and not many people knew me. "

"I understand that Ovitz seems to be preparing for a big move this time. You will have influence in the future, and Hollywood will know you by then."

Limato seemed to have heard some news, and he seemed very confident, "You can stay in San Francisco for a while, and try to meet Francis Coppola once the news comes out, so as to borrow his momentum."

"Damn it, Ovitz should have taught you these things, you should call him and ask him." Limato handed the receiver to Michelle Pfeiffer, and Pfeiffer signaled her to chat with Ronald more. , turned around and left the room.

"Michelle..." Ronald called out.

"Ronnie..." the agent taught her to court Ronald to get a role in a big production, "I miss you so much. I feel a little lonely when you're not in Los Angeles."

"I might stay for another week or two, honey. I have some editing questions to ask the masters here, and then I can go back to Los Angeles in a minute."

"Well, I'm going to be filming on Detective Charlie Chen's crew soon, and you can see me when you come back early. By the way, did you see me on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show? Although it's only 3 minutes, but Someone already recognized me on the street."

"Yes, I saw it, you were so beautiful on the show..."

(End of this chapter)