The My Hollywood System
Chapter 59

As Will walked inside Foxstar's office with the script of [Sherlock Holmes] in his hand, various thoughts popped into his mind.

The importance of the meeting and how he will continue his film.

In his mind, Will thought that his plan was a little crazy, and less likely to succeed.

But history has shown that a little madness is necessary for success, and Will will not back down at this time.

He needed [Sherlock Holmes] to be a great success, and for that to happen, he needed Foxstar's connections and distribution channels.

When she reached the reception, the female employee there looked at her in surprise, recognizing her. Because of [The Blair Witch Project], her face was something that most people working in Hollywood would recognize.

Will tells the female employee about his meeting with James Dankworth, and he tells her to go to the 12th floor.

After his promotion, James did not take over the post of former chief, Chandler Davies. Instead, he had turned one of the rooms on the 12th floor into his new office.

When Will gets there, he is shocked to see James standing in front of his office. When the bespectacled man noticed her, he spread out his hands and immediately embraced her.

"Haha, Will, I'm waiting for you." He said with a beaming smile as Will returned his embrace awkwardly.

'What happened to him? The last time I saw him, he looked like a man who had never smiled in his entire life.'

Will thought while looking at James. Unlike last time, he was wearing an expensive suit, and a golden watch was on his wrist. Moreover, her hair had been waxed completely, and she looked like she had gotten a complete change.

Soon, the initial awkwardness subsided, and he followed James into his office. The man sat down as Will sat in front of him and placed the script on the table.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable there. I'm just so happy to see you. My promotion of being the head of the Distribution department is because of you, so I can't stop my happiness from seeing you."

He said with a laugh, and Will asked back in puzzlement.

"What do you mean your promotion is because of me?"

"After our last meeting, I was constantly thinking about [The Blair Witch Project]. Your movie actually managed to scare me, and I even slept with the room lights on. My wife is really upset about it." He chuckled, then explained further. "By the way, since the film managed to scare me so much, I tried to convince my boss, Chandler Davies, to rethink his decision, but he scolded me and the matter spread in the company. He stated in front of some executives that the film would never work and he was looking for another assistant because, according to him, I had no vision. But things changed a lot after [The Blair Witch Project] was released in theaters."

James' last sentence was filled with disdain for his old boss. After all, no one likes to be insulted in public.

Unfortunately for Chandler Davies, his words came biting him in the back after the box office number [The Blair Witch Project] was revealed.

"After the film surpassed the 100 million dollar mark, our chairman, Spencer Miller, called him into his office in person and fired him. Since he had heard that I was in favor of distributing the [Blair Witch Project], he appointed me as the next head. It's all thanks to you and your movie!"

Will nodded his head as James' story ended. Of course, he did not fully believe that his film was the sole reason behind Chandler Davies' dismissal.

In the past year or two, more Foxstar movies have failed than they have succeeded. Moreover, their films barely won any awards at famous film festivals, and even at events like the Oscars and Golden Globes, there were hardly any nominations.

The reason behind this is Chandler Davies' conservative approach. [The Blair Witch Project] is just the last nail in the coffin.

"Once again, I want to apologize for my behavior last time. I acted too arrogantly for no reason."

In the end, James made a stiff expression and apologized. Unlike his initial impression, he wasn't just an arrogant fool.

Especially after becoming the head of Foxstar's Distribution department, he wanted to build a legacy, and Will was definitely in his plans.

Will also understood that and shook his head with a smile, "Master Dankworth, it's the past. I don't mind starting a new one with you and Foxstar."

"Thank you for that, and you can call me James."

After that was done, the two of them quickly continued with the reasoning behind their meeting. Will takes the script he brought and gives it to James.

James could only read the title and looked at Will with the script in his hands.

"I'm very curious to know what kind of movie you're going to direct, especially since you said you're not going to do horror anymore. But I never thought it would be a detective story, and on top of that, a Sherlock Holmes story."

"I just think he's the most interesting character to make a movie with."

"That's true."

James nodded his head in delight, thinking of the various Broadway productions he had seen around Sherlock Holmes. The character depictions are always different, but each character is interesting.

Though it is surprising to learn that Will will star in a Sherlock Holmes movie, there are still issues that James thinks need to be addressed.

"Will, I don't think you know, but the rights to Sherlock Holmes are in studio Z. Even if this script is good, you won't be able to make a movie out of it."

"That won't be a problem" Will grinned at hearing that.

"I've bought the rights from them. You can try to verify it if you want."

James did not pick up his phone to try to verify the information. From his tone, he knew Will wasn't lying. After all, in Hollywood, it was just a matter of calling, and James would know if Will had bought the rights.

He knew that Will had bought a studio recently. He was not surprised by this as many directors would do this after going big, trying to compete with the big film studios.

But he certainly didn't know that Dream Vision was secretly buying the rights to the Sherlock Holmes movie.

"I have heard that Z studios chairman Josh Booth is still fretting over the Sherlock '90s movie disaster. But I didn't expect him to sell his rights so soon."

For the record, Josh Booth has been looking around studio Z since 1994, and in his career, [Director Sherlock Holmes] was the biggest failure. It almost bankrupted the company, and this is the reason why Josh Booth is still worried about it.

Because of this, it takes too much work and a long time to make Studio Z part of the top 6 movie studios in Hollywood.

"So, based on the fact, you bought the movie rights, it looks like you're serious about making [Sherlock Holmes] a reality?"

James asked, and Will replied as if it were obvious.

"I wouldn't waste my time writing a script if I wasn't serious."

"Haha, I like your attitude."

Said that James started reading the script. The script is 168 pages long, and it took James a long time to read it.

In this span of time, his expression turned into anticipation, excitement, confusion and in the end, satisfaction. Will continued to grin while looking at that expression.

That meant his script had completed its task, and James was fully invested in it.

Finally, after a long time, James raised his head and put down the script.

"It was pretty good, and it gave me the same vibe that Sherlock Holmes novels give me. And the climax is something that will surely satisfy viewers when Sherlock solves the entire case."

"So, what do you think? Is Foxstar interested in distributing the film? What I mean is foreign markets and North America."

Will asked, knowing very well with James' reaction that he would not refuse. But the bespectacled man suddenly made an offer.

"We would be interested, but rather than that, how about selling the rights to Sherlock Holmes to us and this manuscript as well. Of course, you'll be the director, but Foxstar will lead."

The offer greatly surprised Will, but after a bit of thought, he could understand where James was coming from.

This Hollywood world does not have a good film franchise. There have been several Western cowboy franchises in the past, and then there is a franchise of a fantasy film series based on a popular novel called [Internship Hunter].

But other than that, there's nothing.

Although Sherlock Holmes is considered a doomed franchise to investigate, James is seriously thinking about it after seeing the quality of Will's script.

"Sorry, James, but this is impossible. [Sherlock Holmes] will be Dream Vision's first film, and I can't sell it to you. Maybe in the future, we can work together like that." Will refused as he looked at James.

"What about the script and movie rights for 20 million dollars? That's a pretty high price."

"I'm sorry."

As he remained steadfast, James had no choice but to sigh helplessly. The young man in front of him was quite clear with his goals, and nothing seemed to be able to make him think otherwise.

Clearing his throat, James changed the subject.

"In that case, for now, I will be satisfied with the distribution rights. By the way, are you going to be the sole manufacturer? Or are you looking for an investment?"

James asked, a hint of greed in his voice. If he could get Foxstar to invest in the project, they would have more control.

"Yes, I'll be the only producer. You know I made a lot of money because of the Blair witch?"

Will chuckled, and James regretfully nodded his head. There are even half jokes in the industry recently that horror movies are the way to go if you want to become a multi-millionaire.

It was all thanks to Will.

"So, what's the budget exactly?"

"I think 90 million."