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The youngest Golden Globe winner for Best Director in history!
Dunn Walker's name once again dominated the front pages of major media outlets across the United States.
In an interview with the media, a spokesperson for the Golden Globe Awards also took the opportunity to target the Oscars: "The Golden Globe Awards strive for openness, fairness, and impartiality. There's no hierarchy here, no age discrimination—if you can deliver excellent work, you can win the grand prize!"
The Golden Globes have repeatedly stated that they are not a subordinate to the Oscars, and this bold statement—using Dunn Walker as an example—directly challenged the Oscars.
Numerous media outlets began speculating: Does the Academy have the guts to break tradition and award the Best Director prize to a twenty-year-old kid?
Before now, the youngest Best Director in Oscar history dated back to the very first Oscars ceremony, when 32-year-old Lewis Milestone won Best Comedy Director for *Two Arabian Knights*.
But that was in a completely different era.
The rules, the volume of films, and the mindset at the time now seem outdated. And yet, under these outdated conditions, the youngest Oscar-winning director was still 32.
Could a young man under 20 win the Oscar for Best Director?
"Oscar Dunn" became the hottest topic in the U.S. for the new year, even overshadowing the Asian financial crisis.
However, Dunn wasn't paying attention to these media reports. What caught his eye was a provocative article in *The Boston Globe*, titled: *Genius Director Rises Again, Legendary Maverick Fails Miserably*.
"Last year, Dunn Walker's *Titanic* and Steven Spielberg's *The Lost World: Jurassic Park* collided fiercely at the box office. The result is well-known—*Titanic* grossed over $1.8 billion worldwide, sweeping 1997! And *The Lost World: Jurassic Park*? It only grossed $590 million globally—not even as much as *Titanic*'s North American box office alone."
"For the first time in twenty years, Steven Spielberg, a director who had been invincible at the box office, faced a personal crisis—defeated by a 19-year-old kid! But this was just the beginning!"
"At yesterday's Golden Globe Awards, Spielberg brought his heartfelt creation, *Amistad*, hoping to avenge last year's box office defeat by taking on Dunn's *Titanic* head-on. But who would have thought that at such a prestigious awards ceremony, Dunn Walker and his *Titanic* would once again be the biggest winners!"
"*Titanic* not only claimed numerous major awards, including Best Motion Picture in the drama category, but also triumphed over Spielberg's efforts, earning Dunn the Best Director crown! Once again, Spielberg was defeated—first at the box office, now at the awards ceremony!"
"The newly rising genius director Dunn Walker is ascending rapidly, while the once-legendary director Steven Spielberg can only stand in the background, watching Dunn's continuous success. Spielberg's glory days are over; the future belongs to the younger generation!"
...
Reading such an article, Dunn angrily slammed his desk.
He had been working hard to mend his relationship with Spielberg, but now the media was fanning the flames. How could such a Hollywood heavyweight of two decades stand for this?
Steven Spielberg's love and passion for film were beyond doubt. Dunn would rather face off against capitalists wielding massive wealth than offend this highly respected filmmaker.
However, the current situation... didn't look good at all!
Just then, market analyst Andrew O'Hare walked into his office, looking excited. "Boss, we got the TV rights to *The Dark Tower*!"
"Oh?"
Dunn's eyes lit up.
Now, Dunn Films had successfully acquired the movie rights to *Girl, Interrupted*, *A Beautiful Mind*, and *My Week with Marilyn* at reasonable prices.
However, Stephen King's *The Green Mile* came with a $3 million asking price, scaring off Manohla Dargis.
But to his surprise, they managed to secure the rights to Stephen King's most popular and best-selling work, *The Dark Tower*.
Andrew O'Hare smiled. "The price... was a bit unexpected. 19 dollars."
"How much? $1.9 million?" Dunn thought he had misheard.
Andrew O'Hare shook his head, serious. "No, it's $19! If the TV series gets made, Stephen King will get an additional 3% profit share."
"That doesn't make sense. Isn't that too cheap?" Dunn found it hard to believe.
Andrew O'Hare explained, "Actually, the movie rights to *The Dark Tower* were bought years ago by Imagine Films Entertainment for the same price—$19, but with a 5% share of the profits. Stephen King believes that making *The Dark Tower* into a TV series would require at least $50 million per season, so he reduced his profit demands."
Dunn laughed. "Looks like this Stephen guy isn't all about the money. So, what about *A Song of Ice and Fire*?"
That was what he really cared about. The $10 million asking price with a 10% profit share for *The Chronicles of Narnia* was something he simply couldn't afford right now—he'd have to wait for an opportunity in the future.
"George Martin... is a stubborn old man," Andrew O'Hare chuckled wryly. "He was originally a screenwriter, but when he realized that film couldn't bring his grand vision to life, he switched to writing books. So as for the film rights... he simply refuses to sell them."
The idea of adapting *A Song of Ice and Fire* into a film was something Dunn couldn't even fathom. But with Andrew O'Hare's 97-point market insight, he shouldn't be making such a rookie mistake.
"Andrew, do you really think *A Song of Ice and Fire* is suited for a film adaptation?"
"Absolutely!" Andrew O'Hare replied as if it were obvious. "The first book, *A Game of Thrones*, is already out, and you can see the setup—'Ice' refers to the White Walkers of the northern ice lands, and 'Fire' refers to the dragons from the southern islands. A war between ice and fire, humans fighting against zombies, the battle between good and evil—these are the kinds of things that guarantee massive box office success!"
Dunn started to grasp Andrew's thinking. "Are you saying... not to adapt the main story, but maybe a side story?"
Andrew O'Hare found Dunn's phrasing amusing. "Exactly. The main story... it's too long, tedious, and boring. Making it into a film would only lose money. But a side story, or maybe a prequel, would work much better. Epic fantasy battles between good and evil, extraordinary visual spectacle—it would be a total blockbuster."
He then sighed, "But convincing George Martin... that's not going to be easy with his stubborn nature."
"Alright, then let's just go for the TV rights," Dunn conceded. He was determined. After all, the TV adaptation of this series would eventually revolutionize the global status and impact of television.
Andrew had a pained look on his face. "He won't sell the TV rights either. He says Dunn Films isn't strong enough and lacks a television network, so he's looking for a more powerful partner."
Dunn rolled his eyes in frustration. "That old man looks down on us! Whatever, just keep tracking this closely. Whether it's the movie rights or the TV rights—I want them!"
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That afternoon, Dunn Walker went back to AA and signed a new contract, becoming a director under their management once again.
Although there had been some unpleasantness in the past, Bryan Lourd had regained Dunn's favor, and they still had to work closely together on the acquisition of Marvel.
Especially with *Blade*, where rumors were circulating that the budget had already ballooned to $65 million...
Marvel's hopes were fading away, disappearing right before their eyes at an alarming rate.