Chapter 86: Leaving North American Theaters
While Duke relaxed on vacation, Nancy Josephson frequently met with executives at Warner Brothers, Twentieth Century Fox, and various other companies, pushing hard to advance the new film project. The success of The Rock and her imminent cut of the backend profits gave her boundless motivation.
Even from as far away as New Zealand, Duke checked in with Nancy every few days. He also officially titled the sci-fi script centered on the Fourth of July: Independence Day!
"The project is tentatively titled Independence Day, so the Independence Day holiday will be the most fitting premiere date for the film."
Facing the Warner Brothers executives, Nancy Josephson was far more confident and aggressive than before. Resting both hands on the conference table, she spoke in a commanding tone: "Time is already tight. If Warner Brothers can't expedite the review process and greenlight the project, Director Rosenberg will choose another partner. You all know that Twentieth Century Fox..."
Nancy's voice filled the conference room. To hear her describe it, Independence Day was simply the most sought-after project in Hollywood right now.
The Warner Brothers executives weren't stupid, and their intelligence network was sound. They knew Twentieth Century Fox had indeed met with Nancy and Duke, though that studio was only in the preliminary review stage with no clear plans to greenlight the project. Walt Disney had also reached out to Nancy a while ago, though the details of that conversation remained unknown.
However, Jeff Robinov and the others were certain of one thing: for a project where the production budget could reach 100 million dollars, any company would proceed cautiously, whether considering a co-investment or public financing.
"Nancy, this is a 100-million-dollar investment."
Once the agent paused to take a breath, Jeff Robinov spoke up for Warner. "If we include marketing and distribution costs, the total investment will likely exceed 130 million dollars. Warner needs ample time to research and review a commitment like this!"