Chapter 274: Two New Songs

Chapter 274: Chapter 274: Two New Songs

Leaving the editing studio, Irene Coppola’s phone rang. It was a Disney producer calling: "Irene, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is opening worldwide in a week. I need to confirm the premiere schedule with you. Can you come over tomorrow morning?"

Irene glanced at the schedule on her phone. "Sure, see you tomorrow at nine in the morning."

If one were to discuss how much charm a single character in a movie can possess, before the year 2000, most people would think of James Bond or Ethan Hunt. This was not only because they were handsome, elegant, and capable of things beyond ordinary people, but also because their film series allowed them to show their faces regularly. Both points were essential.

Otherwise, why is it that Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack, despite being the male lead of the highest-grossing film globally right now, has a full name that few people remember?

After the year 2000, two other names would replace those two secret agents, even making the actors and characters fit perfectly, becoming inseparable.

These two characters are Captain Jack Sparrow and Iron Man, Tony Stark.

These two actors not only perfectly interpreted these characters but even led many young viewers to believe they lived in reality, even tagging them on Facebook, hoping they would come out to uphold justice.

It is absolutely lucky for an actor to encounter such a character. Not only does it make them globally famous quickly and gain a massive fan base, but it also keeps their salaries high, becoming the biggest headache for production companies.

At this moment, the only one who could see through all this was Irene Coppola.

In the premiere lounge at the Orlando Disney Resort, the air was filled with an unmistakable sense of anxiety.

Executives from Fox and Disney gathered in small groups, whispering with furrowed brows, the champagne glasses in their hands barely touched.

As a blockbuster with a 140 million dollar investment, even with two giants sharing the pressure, the risk was still not to be underestimated.

Pirate themes were not popular at the time. Several previous films of the same genre had failed miserably at the box office, leading the industry to generally look down on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Even more unsettling was Johnny Depp’s performance. His portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in the film—crazy, eccentric, and morally ambiguous—completely broke the stereotype of traditional pirates. Even within Disney, many questioned whether such a character would scare away family audiences.

"Irene, do you really think it’s okay?" Adelaide Griffin from Fox walked over to Irene, her tone filled with anxiety. "The feedback from the media screenings earlier was a bit polarized. Some said Captain Jack is too weird and they don’t understand him at all."

Irene gave Adelaide Griffin a confident smile, wanting to ease her pressure. "Any character that breaks convention will face skepticism at first. But it’s precisely this weirdness that is the charm of Jack Sparrow. Trust me."

Suddenly, the sound of fans outside erupting in cheers reached her ears.

"What’s going on?" Mark from Fox looked out the window toward the red carpet with curiosity.

Irene followed his gaze and saw Britney Spears at the end of the red carpet, wearing a sequined mermaid dress and walking in slowly, arm-in-arm with Edward Norton.

Britney Spears clearly saw Irene Coppola at the lounge entrance and waved at her from a distance, a bright smile on her face.

After finishing the red carpet, she let go of Edward’s arm, lifted her skirt, and ran quickly toward Irene Coppola.

"Irene!"

Before Irene Coppola could react, Britney Spears gave her a big hug.

"Oh my god, there are so many people outside! They’re all here for you! Are you happy?" Britney Spears’s voice was full of excitement. After releasing the hug, she still held Irene Coppola’s hand tightly.

There were no current top stars in the movie; it wasn’t wrong to say the fans were there for Irene Coppola.

"Of course I’m happy. It proves the tens of millions we spent on promotion were quite effective," Irene Coppola joked.

Britney Spears blinked, and her tone suddenly shifted, full of curiosity. "By the way, those two songs you sent me earlier—what’s the deal with them?"

At the mention of the songs, a hint of a smile flashed in Irene Coppola’s eyes.

She had previously sent two songs, "Buttons" and "SexyBack," to Britney Spears. Both were sexy dance tracks that fit the tone of Britney Spears’s new album.

"Those two songs, do you like them?" Irene Coppola said casually.

"Like them? I absolutely love them!" Britney Spears said excitedly. "But when did you quietly learn music arrangement? Back when we were filming Pirates of the Caribbean, you said you didn’t know the first thing about composing and couldn’t even read basic sheet music!"

Edward also looked over curiously, clearly interested in the topic.

Irene Coppola smiled and used a reason she had prepared long ago: "After finishing Pirates of the Caribbean, I found that I seemed to have a bit of talent for composing, so I found a teacher for some one-on-one lessons for a while. I just wrote them casually, but I didn’t expect the two songs I put together to be quite decent, so I sent them to you to test the waters."

"Test the waters?" Britney Spears’s eyes widened, her voice full of admiration. "This isn’t testing the waters; this is clearly a rhythm that’s going to sweep the charts! The quality of these two songs is much higher than the ones our company gets from those so-called professional producers. I’ve already talked to my producer, and he said these two songs will definitely be hits. He wants me to start recording immediately!"

She grabbed Irene Coppola’s hand tightly, her eyes full of worship: "Irene, you’re just too amazing! Not only are you a great director with a unique investment eye, but now you’re even so good at arrangement. Just how many surprises do you have that I don’t know about?"

Edward chuckled from the side: "The boss is indeed full of surprises. I only knew you were very talented in film; I didn’t expect you to have such accomplishments in the music field as well."

"It’s just a small hobby," Irene Coppola said modestly, but she knew very well that the success of these two songs was more due to the validation of future generations. Looking at Britney Spears’s excitement, she added, "If you think they’re suitable, feel free to use them."

At that moment, Edward lightly patted Britney Spears’s shoulder: "Alright, don’t just talk about songs. We still need to go say hello to the Disney executives." He turned to Irene Coppola, "The post-production for Million Dollar Baby has finished the first cut. Hill asked me to tell you that the results are very good. When you’re free, let’s go watch it together."

"Okay," Irene Coppola nodded. "Once I’m done with the promotion for Pirates of the Caribbean here, I’ll arrange a time immediately."