**Internal Meeting of Fox Studios**
The room is filled with smoke.
Five people are seated around a round table, all with grim expressions.
They are Co-Chairman and CEO Bill Mechanic, Co-Chairman and President Tom Rothman, COO Jack Howard, Head of Production Jim Gianopulos, and Production Manager and "Titanic" Producer Grant Hill.
"James's demands are too much; they're affecting the normal operations of 20th Century Fox!"
Jack Howard, the COO, is the first to speak up.
The company's current situation isn't good. To support James Cameron's filming, there are no more extra funds available. Now, he's asking for an additional $20 million in the budget, which would require taking a bank loan!
If it were any other director making such unreasonable demands repeatedly, they would have been fired long ago.
But this project is something the company's top leader, Bill Mechanic, is personally overseeing with a strong hand, so certain things are hard to say outright.
Tom Rothman, as the company's second-in-command, has his own agenda. Taking a puff from his cigar, he asks calmly, "Grant, what exactly is that guy doing?"
Grant Hill looks distressed. "Jamie... he's a great director, but he's almost obsessive."
Jack Howard snaps, "Obsessive? I think it's your indulgence! What does James really want? To ruin 20th Century Fox?"
Grant Hill glances cautiously at Bill Mechanic, thinking that if it weren't for the boss backing Cameron, he would have seized control of the studio long ago.
"Alright, we can discuss the issues without arguing."
Bill Mechanic calmly maintains order in the meeting, making it clear that his authority as the boss is unshakable. "Jimmy, what do you think?"
Jim Gianopulos is a talent, highly regarded by the big boss Murdoch as the head of production. After a brief pause, he says, "In any case, the company can't continue to support James unconditionally as before."
"But he wants $20 million now!"
Bill Mechanic is blunt, not giving Jim Gianopulos a chance to smooth things over.
Jim Gianopulos, secretly annoyed, says, "There are three possible solutions, which we should all be aware of."
Tom Rothman's eyes light up, finally seeing an opportunity.
Meetings aren't just about discussing problems; they also involve power struggles.
As the company's president and second-in-command, Tom Rothman has long coveted the top position. Now, with Bill Mechanic's pet project, "Titanic," causing chaos in the company, others may be afraid to speak out, but for him, it's an "upward" opportunity.
"What are the three solutions?"
Tom Rothman smiles as he looks at Jim Gianopulos, with an undisguised glint in his eyes.
Reluctantly, Jim Gianopulos says, "The first option is to take a bank loan, the second is to seek financing from other companies, and the third..."
"What is the third?" Tom Rothman asks urgently.
Jim Gianopulos takes a deep breath and says through gritted teeth, "Replace the director!"
The moment the words "replace the director" are spoken, the meeting room falls into a deathly silence.
Tom Rothman's smile deepens as he leisurely looks at Bill Mechanic, who indeed has turned pale.
James Cameron is his insistence. This isn't just about a director's position; it represents his authority!
Bill Mechanic squints slightly and asks in a deep voice, "You want to replace the director?"
Jim Gianopulos nods. "Given the current situation, this seems like the best solution. The root of Fox's current predicament and the prolonged uncertainty of the 'Titanic' project is James Cameron! If this problem isn't resolved, no amount of money will help."
Tom Rothman is very satisfied with his tough stance and says with a smile, "Jimmy's words may be harsh, but there's some truth to them. The 'Titanic' project has dragged on too long. It was originally scheduled for release next summer, but given James's progress, it might not even make the Christmas slot."
Grant Hill nods, "That's right. At Jamie's current pace, there's no way it'll be ready for next summer."
Jack Howard frowns and says, "Then let's replace him. James has caused too many problems; we can't let this continue."
They all agree to replace James Cameron!
Bill Mechanic doesn't immediately respond. He slowly lights a cigar, deep in thought.
With his absolute power as CEO, he could continue to support Cameron with a tough stance. If the project succeeds, he'll be credited. But if it fails...
If they replace the director now, it's a minor setback that can be recovered. But if Cameron messes up the project, his only option will be to get fired.
Is it worth taking a risk?
Or should he avoid confrontation for now?
Bill Mechanic takes a few deep puffs on his cigar, his face calm, and asks lightly, "Do you all want to replace the director?"
The others nod in unison.
Tom Rothman is very pleased with the situation, smiling at Bill Mechanic.
Old friend, are you still going to insist?
If you had followed my advice earlier and replaced the director, would there have been so much trouble later?
The initial budget for "Titanic" was only $85 million, but it has now ballooned to $160 million! And even then, Cameron isn't satisfied and wants another $20 million. Has he gone mad?
Now, just watch Bill Mechanic's embarrassment.
"Decide, Bill. Should we fire James?"
Tom Rothman's face is filled with schadenfreude.
---
---
Dunn Walker was dejected; he had been fired.
He didn't even have a chance to explain and was thrown out of the set in disgrace.
He stayed in a small motel, where many others also lived—people who had come to Hollywood chasing their dreams.
But this dirty, damp, and noisy place was hardly livable.
Dunn Walker's entire net worth was only 500 dollars.
The Hollywood dream was too elusive.
Dunn Walker sprawled out on the bed, muttering to himself, "Buddy, it's not that I didn't try hard; Hollywood is just too tough, too dark!"
He was sure he had been framed.
The person responsible was likely another low-level production assistant.
Even though they held the same position, Dunn Walker had more opportunities to be around big stars like Kate Winslet, which inevitably sparked envy.
"Not enough experience!"
Dunn Walker sighed, pulling out a pair of sunglasses from the bedside table.
He had bought them at a street stall in his previous life, and it was because of these sunglasses that he got hit with a brick and was reborn in 1996.
Dunn Walker put on the sunglasses, and the light immediately became softer and more pleasant.
"Huh? What's this?"
Dunn Walker discovered a sesame seed-sized button on the inside of the frame. Curious, he pressed it, and when he put the sunglasses back on, everything looked different.
It was a user interface.
It appeared in front of him like a 3D hologram, clearly visible only when he wore the sunglasses.
The interface was complex, but the framework was clear—Hollywood!
This was an interface containing all the information about Hollywood!
The interface was divided into three main sections: Production, Directors, and Actors, with dozens of metrics below, presumably displaying the abilities of Hollywood talents in numerical form.
In the upper right corner, an icon kept flashing. When Dunn Walker clicked on it, a dialog box popped up.
"Newbie Gift Pack. Would you like to claim it?"
Dunn Walker was taken aback for a moment, then reached out and clicked "Confirm" in the air.
Unexpectedly, it worked.
The interface changed immediately, and a new dialog box appeared: "Congratulations on claiming the Newbie Gift Pack, containing Mirror Possession x1, and Contract Snatch x2."
Dunn Walker didn't quite understand, so he clicked on "Contract Snatch," and a line of explanatory text popped up: "'Contract Snatch' allows you to seize any signed or preliminary artist contract in Hollywood. Each time you win an Oscar, you gain one more 'Contract Snatch' opportunity."
"Contract Snatch? Isn't that just stealing?"
Dunn Walker shook his head and laughed, but then immediately thought of Kate Winslet and James Cameron!
Especially Cameron—he didn't even give him a chance to explain and just fired him. That was infuriating!
"I wonder if this thing actually works…" Dunn Walker muttered, his face showing a trace of anger. "You dare to fire me, so I'll fire you!"
Dunn Walker clicked on "Contract Snatch" twice.
"Are you sure you want to use the 'Contract Snatch' skill?"
"Confirm."
The interface changed again, and a long list of contracts appeared in the center, with numbers below indicating a total of 18,536 pages.
"Is this listing all the contracts currently active in Hollywood? That's way too many!"
Fortunately, Dunn Walker found a search bar in the upper left and typed in "James Cameron." The interface refreshed, and it became much simpler.
James Cameron currently had only 12 active contracts.
Among them were contracts for agents, assistants, partners, and, of course, contracts with 20th Century Fox for the "Titanic" project as a producer, director, and screenwriter.
Dunn Walker smiled. These contracts were all confidential and commercial secrets, and yet he could view them so openly. Whether the "Contract Snatch" skill was real or not, this search function alone was impressive.
Dunn Walker first checked Cameron's producer contract, which was fairly simple: a production fee of $3 million.
The director's contract was more complicated, with a base director's fee of $5 million plus 10% of the global box office revenue.
The screenwriter's contract was smaller, only $350,000.
Naturally, anyone with common sense would choose the director's contract.
Never mind the $5 million fee, but what about 10% of the global box office?
The global box office for "Titanic" was over $1.8 billion, right?
Dunn Walker smiled slightly and unhesitatingly selected the director's contract, erased James Cameron's two signatures, and boldly signed his own name—Dunn Walker Walker.
---