"Director Luketic, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Bruce stood up, gave the man a quick look—a middle-aged guy in a blue suit, round-faced, with the kind of shifty eyes that screamed worldly and calculating—then held out his hand.
"Uh, hello. Pleasure to meet you too."
Robert Luketic snapped out of his daze and quickly shook Bruce's hand.
Bruce nodded with a polite smile, then turned back.
"Mr. Morris, would you be willing to serve as CEO of Matrix Pictures?"
"Matrix Pictures?"
Buddy Morris froze for a moment, then immediately understood. Matrix Pictures was simply the new name for Morris Pictures. Thinking about how the company he had built with his own hands now belonged to someone else, he couldn't help showing a trace of bitterness. Still, seeing Bruce waiting for an answer, he gathered himself.
"You'd still want to keep me on?"
"Yes. Up until now, you've done a very solid job running Morris Pictures. Your luck was just bad."
At those words, Robert Luketic's expression turned awkward. After all, the company's current disaster was largely his doing. Back when he'd been trying to secure financing for the film, he had deliberately underreported the budget.
"And from what I've seen," Bruce went on, "the staff clearly respect you. A company runs more smoothly when the person in charge is trusted by the people under him. As for compensation… your monthly salary will be fifteen thousand dollars, plus two percent of the company's year-end profit."
Buddy Morris stared at him for a second, then nodded hard.
The offer was excellent, and more importantly, he had no desire to lose his job.
"From this point on, I'll be the chairman. I'll handle Matrix Pictures' long-term direction and major decisions. Now, as chairman, I have two announcements."
He paused and looked between the two men.
"First: Legally Blonde will continue shooting. I'll inject the missing funds into the company as quickly as possible. However, Director Luketic—everything that happened before, I'm willing to let go. But if we inject more money according to your stated production needs, and the project runs short again, you'll be removed as director, and we'll recover fifty percent of your directing fee."
Bruce's calm voice carried unmistakable weight.
Faced with that stern expression and sharp, oppressive gaze, Robert felt his scalp prickle. In the end, he could only nod.
He was still just a newcomer from Australia trying to make it in Hollywood. In front of someone like Bruce, a man with real capital, he had absolutely no room to bargain. And he could tell this man was nothing like Buddy Morris—young or not, he was not soft-hearted. Cross his line once, and the punishment would be immediate.
"What about MGM?"
"Turn them down."
Bruce's answer was quick and absolute.
"Understood."
Robert nodded at once.
"Second," Bruce continued, "Matrix Pictures will immediately begin preparing its second feature film. I've already secured both the script and the director. They'll be here tomorrow. What we need now is pre-production."
"A second one? Isn't that a little too fast?"
Buddy Morris hesitated, then finally voiced the question.
"Too fast?" Bruce smiled faintly. "In a few days, we may be starting our third feature."
Buddy was stunned.
Bruce patted him on the shoulder.
"By the way, I'll call you Buddy from now on. Feels friendlier."
Buddy nodded.
"Buddy, since you're now the CEO of Matrix Pictures, you'd better prepare yourself mentally. This year, we'll invest in four feature films. Counting Director Robert's Legally Blonde, that makes five. Total investment: over one hundred million dollars. Possibly more, depending on how things go."
After saying that, Bruce turned toward the door.
"Alright, let's go. It's time to officially meet the staff."
…
"This is definitely 675 Santa Monica. So why is the sign still Morris Pictures?"
James Wan looked from his phone to the sign outside, his thin face full of confusion.
"Maybe you remembered it wrong," Leigh Whannell offered.
"No way. Yesterday I clearly heard him say Matrix Pictures. And the text message address is this place."
"I remember Matrix Pictures too. So why's the name different? …Don't tell me this is some kind of scam?"
James shot him a look. "We're broke nobodies. What would anyone gain from scamming us?"
"That's true. Then why don't you call?"
James hesitated, then nodded. But before he could pick up his phone, it rang first.
He glanced at the number and answered immediately.
"Hello, is this James?"
"It is. Mr. Gu."
"You've arrived?"
"We're at the address you gave us, but the sign outside says Morris Pictures."
"That's right. I bought the company yesterday. The sign hasn't been changed yet. Since you're here, come on up. I've already told the front desk to bring you to the meeting room."
"Got it. We're coming right now."
"I'll be waiting."
James ended the call and grabbed Leigh's arm.
"Come on. This is the place."
Leigh jolted and hurried after him.
…
"Are the contracts ready?" Bruce asked after putting down his phone.
"They're ready. As you instructed, the directing fee is thirty thousand dollars."
Buddy Morris quickly handed over the contracts in his hand. Even now, he still felt faintly unreal. The film plan Bruce had laid out yesterday was simply too large.
One hundred million dollars, five feature films, right out of the gate.
Setting aside whether it would succeed or fail, that kind of nerve entering the film business was already beyond anything Buddy had ever imagined. His own dream had always been modest by comparison—to maybe one day stand alongside Lionsgate, Miramax, or Fox Searchlight. Bruce, meanwhile, was aiming straight at the major studios.
The scale of their ambitions wasn't even in the same league.
And yet, while Bruce's boldness shocked him, it also rekindled something in him that had nearly died out: ambition.
Because if Matrix Pictures really one day became what Bruce envisioned, then as CEO, he himself would be standing inside Hollywood's top circle.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
The front-desk girl, Heidi, stepped inside.
"Boss, they're here."
Behind her came James Wan and Leigh Whannell, both in suits this time, clearly having made an effort. They walked in stiffly, nervous all over.
Bruce stood and made the introductions.
"This is Buddy Morris, CEO of Matrix Pictures. Morris, these are the two men I told you about before—James Wan and Leigh Whannell."
"Mr. Morris, nice to meet you."
"Likewise."
The three men shook hands.
"Would you like something to drink?" Bruce asked.
"No, thank you."
Leigh shook his head immediately.
"Heidi, bring up two glasses of water," Bruce said.
She nodded and left.
"Sit."
Once the two were seated, Bruce placed two contracts in front of them.
"One directing contract and one screenwriting contract. Read them through. If there's no problem, you can sign."
Both men nodded and immediately started reading.
James was the first to speak again.
"I wanted to ask about this additional clause…"
"It's simple," Bruce said. "Paranormal Activity is intended to be a series. So for the sake of the franchise, if the first film turns a profit, the one-plus-four clause activates. You'll be required to direct a total of five Paranormal Activity films. Of course, your directing fee will rise based on performance."
Bruce knew exactly how talented James Wan was. He intended to keep him tied down with a directing contract first and have him create as much value as possible. Later, if the timing was right, he could consider bringing him deeper into the fold.
James, of course, had no idea what kind of future lay ahead for him. All he saw was that if the first film succeeded, there would still be four more directing opportunities waiting for him, along with higher pay. There was no reason to refuse.
With no more questions, the two men quickly signed their names.
"Good. Now that the contracts are done…" Bruce turned. "Buddy?"
"Yes, boss."
"Did you read Paranormal Activity?"
"I finished it last night."
Buddy nodded immediately. To do that, he had stayed up until two in the morning.
"Good. Then finding a location and assembling the crew is your responsibility. In three days, I want the production team up and running."
"Yes, boss."
Under Bruce's steady gaze, Buddy answered seriously.
"James, your task now is to find the actors you want, study the novel carefully, and think through how you want to shoot it—what to include, how to structure it. Remember, you only have one month to shoot and edit."
"I understand."
"Leigh?"
Leigh froze for a moment when Bruce called his name, then hurriedly straightened up.
"You're James's friend, and you're also the writer. Help him with the script as much as you can."
"Absolutely. Don't worry."
Bruce nodded, then swept his calm, cutting gaze across all three of them.
"I know this is only a small production, and delivering a finished film in one month won't be easy. But I promise you this—if the final result satisfies me, I'll give the three of you five percent of the film's profit."
"Thank you, boss!"
All three thanked him at once.
Still, Bruce noticed there wasn't much real excitement in their eyes. After a moment's thought, he understood why. In their minds, a low-budget film like this probably wouldn't make more than a few million dollars at best, and five percent of the profits wouldn't amount to much.
Bruce just smiled and didn't explain.
Facts spoke louder than promises. Right now, words would only waste breath.
"Alright, get to work. Buddy, arrange office space for James and Leigh."
"Yes, boss."
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