Natalie Portman is still a high school sophomore, and she's back in New York now, getting ready for her final exams.
Dunn made a call, hoping to ask her out and get to know her better, but it was her mom, Shirley Hershlag, who picked up. Awkward moment!
This Jewish mom is super strict with her daughter.
Dunn can't even get Natalie's private contact info. Tough luck!
Ever since that heated clash of ideas with George Lucas, Dunn Walker, the director, hasn't shown up at the Star Wars set. Lucas has been running the prep work single-handedly.
Dunn's already made up his mind—if George Lucas sticks to his guns, he'll just do his job, finish the movie, grab the paycheck, and bounce. No hard feelings, just… different paths, ya know?
It's late April now, and *My Big Fat Greek Wedding* has started rolling out overseas. Box office? Not great.
In the five countries where it's premiered, Austria pulled in $1.02 million, Brazil a measly $10,000, Chile $170,000, and Finland $430,000. Lucky for them, Nicole Kidman's homeland, Australia, did alright with $12.8 million. 🇦🇺
Come May, the movie will hit more screens worldwide.
But overall, the box office trend isn't looking too hot.
It's a comedy, after all—cultural differences make it tricky to go global like a big blockbuster.
Thankfully, English-speaking regions and Europe are showing some decent numbers.
By May 15, Australia's total hit $21 million, the UK (just 9 days in) raked in $15 million, France $5 million, Germany $8 million, Italy $7.5 million… not too shabby!
With two weeks until Star Wars starts shooting, *My Big Fat Greek Wedding* has stacked up $65 million overseas.
Dunn's getting more worried. The UK and Australia have passed their peak—can non-English regions pull in another $55 million this month?
Then, after disappearing from the Star Wars crew for two weeks, Dunn finally gets a call from George Lucas.
"Hey, kid, you didn't forget you're my director, right?"
"Forget? Nah! I'll be there before we start shooting."
Lucas chuckles and teases, "You little punk, still mad at me? Whatever, come by when you can—I've got something to tell you."
Dunn's heart skips a beat. From Lucas's tone, it sounds like… he's backing off?
When Dunn drives out to Lucasfilm in the California suburbs, he gets the good news he was hoping for.
George Lucas approves Dunn's script changes and even greenlights more intense action scenes!
Plus, Lucas throws in a bonus—
"That movie you gave me, *Following*? I watched it. Pretty solid. I hooked you up with two small theater chains, less than a hundred screens, just to test it out. No promo, though. If it does well, maybe we can add a dozen more."
Dunn raises an eyebrow, smirking to himself, "Is this his way of saying sorry?"
But he's not betting on *Following* to rake in cash. A movie under 70 minutes? And in black-and-white? It's not exactly screaming "crowd-pleaser."
"Thanks for that," Dunn says casually.
For something this small, with Lucas's clout, it's no big deal to arrange.
By May 27, *My Big Fat Greek Wedding* finally crosses $100 million worldwide!
As of May 31, it's at $112.7 million globally!
Still six or seven million shy of Dunn's goal, though.
With *Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace* set to start June 1 and filming kicking off June 3, Dunn hasn't unlocked his "mirror attachment" ability yet. He can't join the crew, so he fakes an excuse—says he's sick with a fever and needs a couple days.
June 1: $5.4 million short of the goal.
June 2: $1.2 million to go.
"Dunn, how you holding up?"
Tomorrow's the big day—filming starts—and George Lucas calls to check in.
The crew won't wait for Dunn to show up. With Lucas in charge and a handful of assistant directors, they can rearrange things, shoot some random scenery shots first.
Dunn's stressing hard but grits his teeth. "Much better. Two days max—I'll be there!"
Good thing most of the movie's being shot in Lucasfilm's studios—just a 40-minute drive.
"Alright, good to hear. I'll have them film some odds and ends for now," Lucas says, pausing. "Oh, forgot to mention—your movie *Following*? It's mostly out of theaters now."
"*Following*?" Dunn's pulse spikes, excitement bubbling up. "George, how'd it do at the box office? Uh… I've been under the weather, haven't kept up with the small stuff."
Since it's a Dunn Films production, he naturally slapped his name on the producer credits.
Lucas thinks for a sec. "I didn't pay close attention—under $2 million, I think? Check it yourself."
Two million bucks?!
Dunn nearly leaps out of his seat, thrilled.
He did it!
The $1.2 billion goal—nailed!
Hanging up, Dunn throws on sunglasses, pulls up the system, and sure enough, there's a shiny new icon in the top-right corner: *Mirror Attachment.*
"Haha! Man, that was a grind!"
The weight that's been crushing him finally lifts. Dunn's over the moon, totally relieved.
"Now… whose directing skills should I borrow?"
After some serious thought, he narrows it down to three: James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott.
The first two are no-brainers. Ridley Scott's a legend too—sci-fi with *Blade Runner*, action with *Black Rain* and *White Squall*.
Dunn doesn't lock in a choice right away. Instead, he calls Lucas to confirm he'll be there tomorrow morning.
Lucas is stoked—Dunn's the director, and skipping the kickoff ceremony would've been weird.
"By the way, George, if you had to pick a director for this movie—James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, or Ridley Scott—who'd you go with?"
Lucas doesn't even hesitate. "Steven, hands down!"
"Oh? Why's that?"
Lucas laughs. "Didn't you say my script was too kiddy? For depth, it's gotta be Steven! But you're not bad yourself—I've got high hopes for you."
"Haha, thanks for the vote of confidence, George! I won't let you down!"
Dunn's mood is sky-high. He hangs up, cool as ever, and selects *Steven Spielberg* in the system.
"Confirm attaching Steven Spielberg's professional skills to Dunn Walker via 'Mirror Attachment'?"
"Confirm!"
belamy20