Chapter 379: Intentional

Chapter 379: Chapter 379: Intentional

Mentioning Cate Blanchett made Jerry’s eyes light up immediately, his tone filled with admiration.

"You are absolutely right! Cate is definitely one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood today. Not only is she beautiful, but her acting skills are impeccable, and she can handle all kinds of different roles. In Veronica Guerin this time, she completely immersed herself in the character of Veronica. To film this movie well, she specifically went to Northern Ireland to experience life and even learned the local accent. This kind of professionalism is truly rare."

He said excitedly, "I had a very pleasant time working with Cate; she is a very professional and thoughtful actress. When there is an opportunity, I will definitely introduce you two. You are both leaders in your respective fields, and I believe you will have common ground."

"That would be great. I look forward to meeting her," Irene said with a smile.

She had always liked Cate Blanchett in her previous life, but they had not had any interaction in this life.

Although the other party had participated in the selection of the lead actress when filming The Italian Job, there had been no private communication with Irene.

Now, having the opportunity to get to know this talented actress was indeed a good thing.

"It is quite a pity, actually." Jerry’s tone suddenly became somewhat regretful.

"Cate previously participated in the casting for the lead actress in Ridley Scott’s new movie. Her performance was outstanding, and I originally thought she would definitely land the role, but in the end, she was not selected. To be honest, I really think Ridley Scott lacks vision. Missing out on such a good actress like Cate is his loss."

Irene was a bit surprised.

She had not expected Jerry to have such a good relationship with Cate Blanchett, or that he would stand up for her because she did not get the part.

She followed Jerry’s lead and said, "It is indeed a pity. Cate’s acting skills and temperament are outstanding; no matter what the role is, she can interpret it very well. But it does not matter. Gold will always shine. I believe she will encounter better opportunities in the future."

"That may be true, but I still feel it is not worth it for her." Jerry pursed his lips, then suddenly changed the subject. "By the way, Irene, I remember there were rumors before that you did not think highly of Ridley Scott’s new project. Is that true?"

Irene was taken aback; it was not good to offend people directly.

"I would not say I do not think highly of it. I just feel this project is not my style," she said tactfully.

"As a producer, I actually do not think highly of this project at all. To say nothing else, just the pre-production work is extremely sluggish. They have gone through I do not know how many rounds of casting for a lead actress, interviewing batch after batch of actresses. Those who know what is going on understand they are casting a lead actress, but those who do not might think they are choosing a concubine."

The more Irene listened, the more she felt something was wrong.

In her memory, Ridley Scott’s new project should be Kingdom of Heaven.

News of this movie’s pre-production had been out for a long time, and she had assumed it was already finished filming.

"Jerry, are you talking about Kingdom of Heaven?" She wore an expression of disbelief. "This movie has not started filming yet?"

"Exactly!" Jerry showed a look of disgust, his tone filled with helplessness. "Originally, this project was being prepared by 20th Century Fox. But for a while, news broke about a financial crisis at Fox, their stock price plummeted, and investors were frantically selling off shares. How could they have the heart to work on movie projects? In the end, they had no choice but to toss this hot potato, Kingdom of Heaven, to Universal Pictures."

He continued, "After Universal took over, it was even more sluggish. Casting took over half a year; they finally settled on the lead actor, Orlando Bloom, but the lead actress still could not be decided. Location scouting also took over half a year. One minute they said they were going to film in Morocco, the next they said Spain, tossing back and forth. I heard from internal sources that this movie will not officially start filming until March next year."

Irene was dumbfounded.

She had no idea that Fox had even had news of a financial crisis.

As one of the giants of Hollywood, Fox’s strength had always been robust.

How could a financial crisis suddenly appear?

Her heart was full of doubts, but this was clearly not the right time to ask for details, so she just smiled and said, "Is that timeline not too long? It is enough for me to film two movies."

"Who says it is not!" Jerry said with deep sympathy. "The filming time for both of our Pirates of the Caribbean sequels combined is less than a year. They spent this long just on pre-production; I really do not know what it will look like in the end. I think this project is in trouble."

This topic passed quickly, and Jerry took Irene to see the edited clips of Dead Man’s Chest.

Hill explained his editing ideas in detail.

For example, in the scene where Captain Jack and Davy Jones duel at sea, he used fast-cutting techniques, combined with tense background music, to create a strong visual impact and a tense atmosphere.

In the romantic scenes between Elizabeth and Will, he slowed down the editing rhythm, using delicate lens language to display the deep affection between the two.

Irene watched carefully and would occasionally offer some suggestions for revision, such as how the transition of a certain shot could be more natural, or how the rhythm of a certain plot point could be adjusted.

Hill and Jerry both recorded them seriously, indicating they would make changes according to her suggestions.

Overall, the editing effect of Dead Man’s Chest was very good, even better than she expected.

She believed it would definitely be loved by the audience after its release.

After watching the clips, Irene and Jerry chatted for a while longer about the film’s promotional plan, after which she stood up to leave.

After leaving the Disney editing studio, she immediately took out her phone and dialed Adelaide Griffin’s number.

"Adelaide, it is me, Irene." After the call connected, Irene said directly, her tone carrying a hint of reproach. "What have you been busy with lately? Fox broke news of a financial crisis. Such a big thing, how come you did not tell me?"

On the other end of the phone, Adelaide was stunned for a moment, then chuckled.

"Irene, your information is too outdated. Our company broke this news back in the first half of the year. But do not worry. The so-called financial crisis is actually fake news."

"Fake news?" Irene was a bit surprised. "What is this all about?"

"It was intentionally leaked by us," Adelaide explained.

"Did you not tell me you did not think highly of the Kingdom of Heaven project? Huge investment, long filming cycle, very high risk. After I discussed it with Fox’s senior management, everyone unanimously decided to let go, but it was not easy to give up directly, since we had already signed an intent contract.

Just at that time, Murdoch planned to acquire DirecTV and needed a large amount of capital; investors were already somewhat worried about Fox’s debt situation. We took the opportunity to release the fake news of a financial crisis, letting Universal Pictures take the initiative to take over the Kingdom of Heaven project, which was equivalent to tossing this hot potato to them."

Irene suddenly realized.

So that was what happened.

"You guys really know how to think of ways." She breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought Fox was really in trouble. You scared me."

"Rest assured, Fox’s strength is not that weak yet." Adelaide’s tone was very relaxed. "But still, thank you for caring about me. By the way, how have you been lately? I heard you became the largest individual shareholder of Marvel. You are really getting more and more impressive."

"It is all just good luck," Irene said with a humble smile. "By the way, how is your work progressing now? You were not affected by that fake news, were you?"

"No, my work is going quite smoothly," Adelaide said. "With the hit movie Pirates of the Caribbean that you directed, my performance has always been very good. Next year and the year after, there will be sequels released in succession. As long as there are no movie projects under my supervision that lose more than $50 million, my position is basically unshakable."

"That is good," Irene said with relief. "In the future, if there is any news, remember to tell me in time. Do not make me ask around everywhere like this time."

"No problem, definitely," Adelaide agreed.

The two chatted about daily life for a few more minutes before hanging up the phone.

She started the car and drove towards Malibu.

The sun was setting, and the golden afterglow spilled onto the road, dyeing everything in warm tones.