Chapter 85: Invisible Confrontation

Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Invisible Confrontation

As May arrived, the air in Los Angeles began to carry the restless energy of early summer. Along with it, another pink storm belonging to Mean Girls was quietly building in every corner of the city.

At the University of Southern California, a few girls gathered in front of a bulletin board, pointing excitedly at the newly posted Mean Girls poster.

On the poster, the female leads were dressed in stylish outfits, their eyes full of attitude and secrets, with a bright high school hallway behind them.

"Look! It’s Irene Coppola’s new movie!"

"I’ve loved her since Legally Blonde! Is this one about high school girls?"

"Did you see the trailer? Reese Witherspoon’s look is amazing. It feels even sharper than Legally Blonde!"

"I heard it’s about ’plastic friends’ and revenge? Oh my god, this was made for us! We have to see it opening weekend!"

On movie forums, which were getting more active by the day, discussion threads about Mean Girls were multiplying.

User QueenBee23 posted: Rational Discussion: Can Irene Coppola redefine the teen movie genre again?

The post read: "From the trailer, the editing is fast, and the dialogue sounds sharp and real. It doesn’t feel like a simple popcorn movie. Director Coppola might have wrapped serious social commentary in a sweet package again."

"Agreed! Legally Blonde made female friendship and workplace competition fun. Now that she’s back on campus, my expectations are through the roof!"

"My girlfriend already saved a folder of outfit screenshots from the trailer. It looks like this movie is going to set fashion trends too."

"I hope the story isn’t too shallow. That ’burn book’ shot in the trailer gave me chills. It feels like there’s some real depth here."

Clearly, Chen Shiyu’s team was also working quietly behind the scenes, and everyone hoped Mean Girls could break the record set by Legally Blonde.

At the same time, the marketing push for another June release was just as aggressive, dominating every corner of Hollywood. That film was the epic war movie The Patriot, starring Mel Gibson and directed by Roland Emmerich.

This movie had top-tier resources that even Fox envied:

Superstar lead: Mel Gibson, the Oscar-winning actor from Braveheart, was at the peak of his fame and box office power.

Acclaimed director: Roland Emmerich, who proved he could handle huge set pieces and global box office with disaster films like Independence Day.

Serious subject matter: Set during the American Revolutionary War, with themes of patriotism and tragedy, it carried an air of "Oscar contender" and "instant classic."

To The Patriot team, their film was a serious, grand, historically important experience for adults.

In comparison, Irene Coppola and her Mean Girls were just a "pink bubblegum movie" for teenagers, filled with high school gossip and petty drama. Sweet, cheap, and easily forgotten.

In the conference room at Columbia Pictures, afternoon light filtered through the blinds and cast patterns on the long table.

Everyone sat around, chatting casually about upcoming projects. The air smelled of coffee and confidence.

"Fox’s marketing budget for Mean Girls seems to be at the highest level," a marketing assistant said, flipping through a report. "Should we respond?"

Marketing Director Cran Gerard calmly set down his coffee cup. "No need to worry. Our audience is coming to see Mel Gibson fight for freedom, not to watch high school girls plot against each other. The audiences for these two films are completely different."

By the window, Mel Gibson joined the conversation, a little tipsy. "I heard Fox is betting on a war between high school girls? Adelaide seems to have forgotten what real cinema is."

His knuckles turned white as he gripped his glass. He remembered filming Braveheart, when Fox executives, especially Adelaide, had threatened to cancel his contract and forced him to stop drinking.

They never understood that alcohol was part of his creative process. The memory of his most personal work being controlled by studio executives still bothered him.

This time, he had specifically asked Columbia to release The Patriot in this slot, hoping to beat Fox badly and show them what he could do.

Director Roland Emmerich added at the right moment, tapping his fingers on the table. "We spent six months researching Revolutionary War uniforms, while some people are busy picking glitter eyeshadow for actresses."

His gaze moved across the room. "That’s the difference between classic cinema and fast-food entertainment."

At that moment, actress Julie Richardson spoke softly. "Please forgive me for being blunt, but teen movies like Mean Girls do have a huge audience.

In fact, many viewers will see both war movies and teen films. Some of my friends are excited for Mean Girls and also plan to come to our premiere."

The room went quiet for a moment. Cran Gerard responded gently. "Julie’s point is valid. Audience tastes are diverse. However, I believe our market positioning is correct."

Another actor, Heath Ledger, leaned back in his chair, his tone relaxed but pointed. "To be honest, if our epic blockbuster actually loses to a high school comedy, that would be an interesting outcome."

Mel Gibson snorted and finished the wine in his glass.

Julie lowered her head and took a sip of coffee, keeping her thoughts to herself. Everyone in the room understood that this wasn’t just about box office. It was a clash of different ideas about what movies should be.

Meanwhile, the other side of this invisible confrontation was meeting in the studio for The Italian Job.

Representatives from Fox Pictures and CAA looked serious as they reviewed the results of the recent auditions. The room was quiet.

To be fair, Matt Damon’s audition was nearly as strong as Mark Wahlberg’s, the earlier favorite. His understanding of the character even surprised Irene. She realized she had underestimated how versatile this young actor could be.

At this point, the three representatives in the room, besides Irene, clearly leaned toward Matt Damon. They believed he was the better choice to play Charlie.

After weighing everything, Irene could only feel a bit of regret for Mark Wahlberg in her heart, hoping she could work with him in the future.

She turned to casting director John Owen and said in a steady voice, "Contact Matt’s team and lock it in as soon as possible."

"Got it. I’ll handle it right away," John replied efficiently, making a note.

Irene sighed to herself. Thankfully, her project was moving forward quickly.

If she had waited until The Bourne Identity with Matt Damon was released and became a huge hit, the cost to hire him as the lead would probably be more than three times what it was today.