"Still no luck…"
Karl Morlin slumped down heavily, letting out a long sigh, his face filled with dejection.
Just moments ago, he received news that the hangover had finished filming smoothly.
He recalled how he had strongly urged the Children's Association to cause trouble on set and had painstakingly roped in other film companies to get involved, hoping to create problems for Kazir's production.
But who would have thought that as soon as Kazir let slip that he had a script for sale, those companies that had originally joined him in stirring up trouble immediately backed down, each pretending as if nothing had happened and quickly distancing themselves.
From then on, the filming of the hangover proceeded smoothly, without a single hitch.
"the hangover… thirty thousand dollars wasted."
Karl Morlin muttered, his heart aching.
To incite the Children's Association to obstruct the film crew, he had personally paid a considerable sum of money.
He had originally hoped that Kazir would be furious and cause a big scene, so he could seize an opportunity to stir up some trouble.
But unexpectedly, Kazir was as steady as a solid rock; even if he was angry, he showed no weakness on the surface, leaving Karl no opening to exploit.
"At least I made him uncomfortable, though."
Karl Morlin consoled himself.
This matter certainly sounded petty, but he didn't care at all, thinking he had other tricks waiting for Kazir!
In fact, WMA's executives knew very well that Karl Morlin was stirring up trouble behind the scenes, but they chose to turn a blind eye.
After all, after Kazir left them, his career flourished, becoming more and more popular, and people from CAA often mocked them about it.
The WMA president even called Vice President Lawler Dean and Karl Morlin into his office and chewed them out, simply because they had been the ones to decide to drive Kazir away.
Therefore, Karl Morlin harbored deep hatred for Kazir and was single-minded in not wanting him to live comfortably in Hollywood.
And WMA's indifference to his small actions, to put it plainly, was also hoping that Kazir would suffer a major setback, allowing them to vent their frustration.
Of course, they still had some expectations for the hangover itself.
After all, Ed Helms was one of their artists, and they hoped this film could produce another superstar.
But for Kazir himself, they only had one thought: the harder he fell, the better.
"Kazir, you brought this all upon yourself."
Karl Morlin suddenly sneered, his eyes becoming sinister, as if hiding endless malice.
"Karl Morlin, congratulations, I heard your client's new film has wrapped?"
At this moment, John Harris walked over, smiling as he spoke to Karl.
But he was actually a little jealous, after all, Karl had director resources under him; although the first director was ruined by himself, he still had this advantage.
This matter had always been Karl's laughingstock: he had worked with Kazir for three years, and as soon as he left, the man became a hit, which clearly showed his incompetence.
But John still wanted to maintain a good relationship with Karl, secretly calculating: what if his client's director had a new project, maybe his own artist could also land a role!
"Thanks, John. And congratulations to your Ed Helms!"
Karl's mouth twitched with effort, forcing a smile.
Since napoleon dynamite exploded, John's position was much more stable than his.
You know, Ed received 1.7 million in salary for the hangover, and John could take 10%, which was a considerable income, earning him a fortune.
"One of my directors just filmed a new movie." Karl Morlin smiled proudly, deeply convinced that the one he cultivated would be more popular than Kazir, a belief ingrained in him.
"That's great… Oh, by the way, if there are any roles suitable for my clients, please keep them in mind." John Harris said quickly, his eyes full of anticipation.
"No problem, I'll talk to him."
Karl Morlin chuckled inwardly, this feeling of being sought after was truly exhilarating.
Because he had director resources, more and more people came to him for roles, and he felt as if he held the power to speak, and his status in Hollywood was rising.
"Thanks!" John Harris said, then turned and left.
"Hmph, if there are roles, they'll go to my people first. Why give them to outsiders... unless there's a benefit. I heard John has a young actress under him, heh!" Karl Morlin licked his lips, his eyes full of calculation, as if he had already envisioned the beautiful scene of profiting from it.
As soon as filming in Las Vegas concluded, Kazir rushed back to Los Angeles without stopping.
"Heh, the air in Los Angeles… still has that same smell." Kazir shrugged, a hint of helplessness on his face, as he spoke and walked out of the airport.
"Kazir." At that moment, a familiar voice called out.
"Morning, Salvatore." As Kazir walked towards the exit, he immediately saw Salvatore waiting for him and quickly greeted him.
"The car is ready." Salvatore said with a smile.
"Thank you." Kazir guessed he had come specifically to pick him up, surely with important matters to discuss.
The two got into the car, and Salvatore spoke: "Fox Searchlight Pictures has settled the payment; it will be in your account tomorrow."
"Not bad! napoleon dynamite's North America run ended, and the box office actually reached 149 million."
Kazir exclaimed.
For such a small-budget film to achieve such results was simply a miracle!
As he spoke, a happy smile appeared on his face.
"The 5% share will be directly transferred to your card very soon."
Salvatore also smiled, as he naturally had his own commission from this.
According to this distribution ratio, Kazir would get 7.45 million, and Salvatore would receive 223,000.
The taste of success was truly different; Salvatore secretly congratulated himself, realizing that signing Kazir was indeed the most correct decision. Recently, many people had been trying to get close to him, all inquiring if Kazir had any new projects, hoping to get their artists to audition!
"Fox must have conditions, right?"
Kazir asked, knowing that there was no free lunch.
"They want to discuss a sequel with you. Tom Rothman wants to see you tomorrow." Salvatore said.
"Got it."
Kazir and Tom Rothman had a decent relationship; he had always been grateful that Tom had been willing to take on napoleon dynamite, so he respected Fox and Tom.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow. Today, I want to rest for a bit. Oh, by the way, are there any new films out recently?" Kazir stretched and asked.
"Warner Bros. invited you to the premiere of twister." Salvatore said.
"Then I definitely must go."
Kazir agreed immediately, knowing that this film would surely be a blockbuster of the year, and he couldn't miss such an opportunity.
"May 11th, three more days. Remember to dress nicely when you walk the red carpet." Salvatore reminded him.
"Alright, I'll go buy a suit."