Chapter 526: Hollywood, Your King Is Here

“Calm down, Howard West,” said director Del Toro. “Let’s talk this through.”

“That’s right, Mr. West,” Netflix’s Vice President of Content, Sarah Kelly, also said. “You didn’t attend the audition today. You don’t know what Mr. Li Wei’s—”

“I’ve heard enough,” Howard West said, picking up the bourbon in front of him, taking a sip, and setting the glass back down on the table. “Acting is a serious discipline. Are you trying to tell me that some football kid who’s never had any formal acting training is a better actor than Johnny Depp, who has over thirty years of experience? And that he has more commercial appeal?”

Sarah Kelly’s expression didn’t change, but the two people from the PR department behind her exchanged a look.

“Howard—” Del Toro began.

“I’m not finished,” Howard said, raising a hand to stop him. “I am the second-largest investor in this film. I don’t wish to be interrupted until I’ve had my say.”

Guillermo Del Toro shifted in his chair, a flash of impatience in his eyes, but he remained silent.

This was actually within his expectations. If he wanted Li Wei, he had to get Howard West, the second-largest investor in The Last Flying Dragon, on board.

“Business is business, Mr. West,” Sarah Kelly said, tapping the table and hardening her tone. “We’re talking about a movie with a total investment of 150 million USD.”

“Not your personal relationship with the owner of the Los Angeles Rams, Stan Kroenke,” she said. “I hope you can look at this from a business perspective.”

As the Vice President of Content for a streaming giant like Netflix, Sarah Kelly had always been at odds with Howard West, the founder of West Entertainment.

The man lived in California, yet he was a quintessential, anti-diversity, white supremacist right-winger.

Sarah Kelly would bet her career that Howard West’s opposition to Li Wei wasn’t just about his doubts regarding Li Wei’s box-office draw and acting skills.

A part of it was surely because Li Wei’s Giants had crushed the team of his good friend, Stan Kroenke. On top of that, he had reached the pinnacle of the entire NFL as a man of Asian descent.

“What about the core moviegoing audience in North America? The people who actually spend money to go to the theaters on weekends? Are they more likely to trust a film starring a guy who’s never acted before, or a film starring Johnny Depp?”

“But the script for this movie is already written,” Del Toro said quietly. “The main character is supposed to be a young village militiaman. Johnny Depp is sixty years old this year.”

“Who cares? Maybe he’s been a militiaman for over forty years?” Howard West said with a shrug, spreading his hands. “Besides, when I invested in this project, I was backing a traditional, classic fantasy adventure. A hero slays a dragon. It’s that simple.”

Sarah Kelly was about to speak again but was cut off by Howard West. “Don’t give me that crap about Li Wei generating his own buzz and being a clickbait-filled gimmick.”

“LeBron James also made a movie in 2021,” he said. “Space Jam: A New Legacy, right? It also had a 150 million USD budget, but its box office was only 163 million. The producers only saw 50 million of that, a loss of 100 million USD. Are you telling me LeBron James doesn’t have buzz and gimmicks?”

With the failed example of LeBron James laid out before them, even Del Toro and Sarah Kelly fell silent.

“If you insist on using Li Wei,” Howard West said, “then I’ll have no choice but to pull my funding. I can’t take my 50 million USD and use it to play games with a kid who isn’t even twenty-one.”

“Netflix can gamble with its 100 million USD,” he said. “Maybe you can find another investor.”

“Li Wei’s acting is better than a whole squad of Jameses,” Del Toro repeated. “If you don’t believe me, you can watch the audition tape yourself.”

However, Howard West just glanced at Del Toro and Sarah Kelly, threw down his napkin, and stood up.

“Two days,” he said, picking up a Panama hat from the table and putting it on. “If it’s not Depp, you can start looking for a new second investor now.”

After saying his piece, he turned and pushed open the door of the private room. His assistant followed close behind.

Inside the private room, only Del Toro’s party and the people from Netflix remained, staring at each other in dismay.

“Fack,” Del Toro cursed. “He’s doing this on purpose.”

“Of course he is. He’s a Depp fan, he’s a white supremacist right-winger, and he’s good friends with Stan Kroenke,” Sarah Kelly said, shooting Del Toro a resentful look. “You shouldn’t have invited Li Wei to audition.”

“But you saw him too,” Del Toro said, taking a sip of red wine from the table. “Li Wei is the best fit.”

“Yeah, he’s handsome, has a great physique, can act, is young, and brings his own buzz and traffic. He’d blow everyone away,” Sarah Kelly sighed. “So what are you going to do now?”

“We really can’t shoot it for 100 million USD,” Del Toro said after a moment’s hesitation. “Even the 150 million budget is stretched thin.”

“I’ll see what I can do, see if I can add a little more,” Sarah Kelly said. “But don’t get your hopes up. The most I could probably add is around 20 million.”

“That still leaves a 30-million-dollar hole…” Guillermo Del Toro said.