In a riverside villa owned by Charles in the Tribeca District of Lower Manhattan.
Kate Beckinsale, who had come to New York, was brought here by Charles. After taking a shower, Kate Beckinsale was pulled by Charles into the villa's private cinema to watch a movie together.
"Charles, what movie is it? Are you very interested?"
Kate Beckinsale was a bit confused but still sat down with Charles.
As the screen lit up, Charles, sitting on the sofa, explained with a smile, "I discovered this a few days ago. It's a low-budget independent film that was released in January, and its global box office was only around 6 million US dollars."
"You'd be interested in this kind of movie?" Kate Beckinsale, wearing a bathrobe, looked incredibly charming.
"It cost 1 million US dollars. Let's watch!" As Charles explained, the movie title appeared: hard candy.
Charles had indeed stumbled upon a DVD of hard candy by chance and specifically bought a copy because he still had an impression of the actress in it, Ellen Page.
hard candy is a story about a young girl seeking revenge on a perverted uncle. Although Ellen Page, who played the protagonist, was already 17 last year, her petite figure made her perfectly believable as a delicate 14-year-old girl.
Moreover, the current Ellen Page was still female and had not yet transitioned to male, exuding a full sense of a gentle, delicate Lady.
"This young actress has good acting skills. She reminds me of the young actress in Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story. Both are very talented actresses," Kate Beckinsale commented while watching.
Charles knew about Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story, an inspiring and touching film adapted from a true American story in 2003. Ellen Page also played the protagonist's older sister when she was a child.
However, in the United States, inspiring and touching films generally don't have much of a market. Except for sports-themed inspirational films which have some commercial value, most others have very low box office returns.
America is not a country that needs to be moved; this is very different from the delicate emotional expression in Asia, especially East Asia.
For example, future American remakes like hachi: a dog's tale will not have significant box office success, and the French emotional film the intouchables also did not perform well at the American box office.
Charles stared at the screen and suddenly realized that the actor playing the perverted uncle was Patrick Wilson, the male lead in James Wan's future insidious and The Conjuring series!
"This actress will have a future!" Charles's interest in Ellen Page, of course, reminded him of the low-budget feminism film juno, which made her famous—a movie about a pregnant teenager.
Kate Beckinsale was startled and laughed, "Do you have another idea?"
Charles smiled, pulling Kate Beckinsale to sit on his lap, "I have an idea. It's a story about a young girl and her boyfriend who secretly 'eat the forbidden fruit'... then she's at a loss, and eventually gives the child up for adoption!"
"This kind of underage..." Kate Beckinsale couldn't help but smile.
"Your idea is a bit daring!"
"It's daring, but it's also a form of feminism expression. It should have a market. I think it can be developed," Charles had already decided to check with the Writers Guild to see if the script for juno had already been written.
If it existed, he would buy it directly; if not, then it would certainly be his own idea, and he would then find someone to write the script.
Anyway, it's common for a script to be revised anywhere from a few times to twenty or thirty times from the first draft to filming!
"Your ideas are always very good, and I believe this time will be no exception. Did you suddenly get this idea after seeing this actress?" As a bright student from Oxford University, Kate Beckinsale's intelligence was not low, and she quickly guessed.
"Pretty much!" Charles nodded. Whether Kate Beckinsale believed it or not, Charles himself did.
"By the way, why did you suddenly come to New York this time?"
Kate Beckinsale had returned to London after filming underworld: evolution after the New Year.
"click will be filming in New York for a while," Kate Beckinsale said, directly straddling Charles.
"You're in New York too. I haven't seen you in a long time. If I didn't come, you probably wouldn't remember me anymore;"
"The beauties of Hollywood are lining up, waiting for your call!"
Charles smiled, his hands reaching into the Lady's bathrobe and caressing her, "Just a lot of things to do, otherwise I would have gone on vacation abroad long ago!"
"However, click is a comedy film and stars Adam Sandler, so the box office shouldn't be bad."
Adam Sandler is, after all, a generation's comedian in America. He's not as famous as Jim Carrey, and their comedy styles are different. Moreover, Adam Sandler can also handle some romance and inspirational films.
"He has a sports comedy film this year, The Longest Yard, which has a lot of attention. It's an inspirational film," Kate Beckinsale reminded.
"I know that movie. It's coming out in May this year, and it's another remake of an old film. Original screenplays in Hollywood are indeed becoming fewer and fewer," Charles said with a smile, after all, he only cared about the film's box office and revenue!
As for improving the artistry of American cinema? Charles simply couldn't be bothered. Adaptations of novels, games, comics, and toys, or remakes of old films, are all safer than original screenplays.
Kate Beckinsale didn't speak, instead leaning down to give Charles a kiss in response. Soon, Kate Beckinsale's soft gasps completely drowned out the sound of the movie hard candy in Charles's ears.
After an unknown amount of time, Kate Beckinsale got off Charles and knelt on the carpet.
Charles, leaning on the sofa, watched the movie screen where Ellen Page's character was about to chemically castrate Patrick Wilson's character, the strange uncle, who was tied to a table!
Charles, still leaning on the sofa, reached out and made a call to Phyllis Jones, repeating the idea he had just had.
"The name is juno, the Roman goddess of motherhood! It's quite fitting for a story outline about teenage pregnancy," Phyllis Jones, having spent a considerable amount of time at the film company, had learned a lot about movies.
"Exactly!" Charles's breathing was a bit unsteady.
"Then I'll first check with the Writers Guild to see if there are similar ideas or scripts. If not, I'll register this idea. Is this project urgent?"
"Not urgent. The most important things right now are the Marvel Company and Hasbro's transformers licensing," Charles's focus this year was definitely these two matters, especially the acquisition of Marvel Company, which was the top priority!
"Phew," After hanging up the phone, Charles finally relaxed completely.
After a while longer, Kate Beckinsale also stood up from the carpet, looking at the ending credits on the screen, "The movie is over too?"
Charles smiled, "Both ended together!"