Chasing Stars in Hollywood

The next day, another Sundance Film Festival concluded. The Grand Jury Prize went to a low-budget black-and-white drama, "In the Heat of the Night," which tells the story of a down-and-out screenwriter and a failed producer desperately trying to raise funds to shoot a movie.

Previously, media reviews had given "Reservoir Dogs" high praise despite its controversy, making it a strong contender for awards. However, the jury members did not favor the film's explicit portrayal of violence, resulting in "Reservoir Dogs" walking away empty-handed.

In recent years, Daenerys Entertainment had purchased films or scripts from Sundance almost annually, establishing a close relationship between the two parties. To maintain the fairness of the awards, Daenerys Entertainment refrained from interfering in the jury's decisions unless absolutely necessary.

After attending the festival's closing ceremony, Simon returned directly to Los Angeles. As for the future of "Reservoir Dogs," the $2.5 million project did not warrant his close attention. In the original timeline, "Reservoir Dogs" had failed in its North American release but had established a long-term collaboration between Miramax and Quentin Tarantino until the Weinstein scandal broke out.

Following their long conversation that night, Katherine went to New York. Previously, she had few choices and had to direct projects she wasn't particularly interested in. Now, with a few successful films under her belt and Simon's support, Katherine was no longer troubled by the constraints faced by directors early in their careers. Inspired by Simon's advice, she decided to spend the next year or two carefully exploring and developing some projects.

She even planned a trip to Europe. The dramatic changes in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, along with their subsequent trajectories, intrigued Katherine, and she considered filming a couple of documentaries first. From "Gucci Marks" to "True and Brave" to last year's "Frozen World," the continuous success of documentaries at the box office had made them a notable genre in Hollywood.

As for Simon, he encouraged Katherine to make whatever she wanted. Money was no object. Even if she decided to make a film like "The Widowmaker," it wouldn't matter. Daenerys Entertainment was almost in need of a major loss project. Of course, Simon's indulgence extended only to Katherine in all of Hollywood. He wouldn't even be so lenient with himself.

After Sundance concluded, January quickly came to an end. Back in Los Angeles, the first matter to address was Daenerys Entertainment's second round of layoffs. Over the past month, the company's human resources department had thoroughly reviewed and evaluated staff, drafting a list of 800 employees to be laid off. Though the number was smaller than Simon had expected, the announcement still sparked media controversy.

The overall U.S. economy was still at a low point, with federal unemployment rates hitting new highs in 1991. For most companies, layoffs in such a climate were understandable—survival of the business was paramount. However, Daenerys Entertainment's layoffs were less accepted. Given the impressive box office performance of several films from the company last year, it was clear that Daenerys Entertainment had a stellar financial year. For a company in such good shape to lay off employees seemed, to many, a lack of social responsibility and an act of unscrupulous capitalism.

In reality, the layoffs, saving around $200 million annually, were not primarily about cutting costs but maintaining Daenerys Entertainment's efficient operations. Many corporate giants succumb to bureaucratic inefficiency starting with bloated staffing. To sustain its rapid growth, Daenerys Entertainment needed its employees to always feel a sense of urgency—regardless of the company's success, anyone not working diligently could still lose their job.

Ignoring external criticisms, Daenerys Entertainment swiftly executed the layoff plan, dismissing all 800 employees within a week. Some disgruntled employees attempted to organize a collective lawsuit, but Daenerys Entertainment was unperturbed. The layoff procedures strictly adhered to U.S. labor laws, so there were no legal oversteps, only potential ethical concerns.

To prevent reputational damage from any lawsuits, word quickly spread in Hollywood that anyone dismissed from Daenerys Entertainment who continued to cause trouble would find all major studio doors closed to them. Simply put, troublemakers could forget about working in Hollywood again. With Daenerys Entertainment's current influence, few doubted the company's ability to enforce this. Even top stars like Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise had their careers impacted by the company's decisions—minor employees stood no chance.

Moreover, without plans to stay in Hollywood, everyone still needed to earn a living. No employer would want someone who persistently entangled with their former employer. With Daenerys Entertainment not breaching any laws, the outcome of a forced lawsuit was uncertain. Thus, the collective lawsuit notion quickly fizzled out.

Following the layoffs, Daenerys Entertainment announced a pay raise scheme. Most employees from MCA who had joined Daenerys Entertainment were still on lower salaries from their MCA days. The new pay raise scheme brought their wages up to par with existing Daenerys Entertainment staff.

Media calculations revealed that this pay raise essentially offset the savings from the recent layoffs, significantly reducing the negative impact of the layoff announcement. Observers noted that the layoffs weren't about profit but likely about the company's development. Post-salary adjustment, Daenerys Entertainment remained the highest-paying company in Hollywood, making employees more appreciative of their jobs and boosting the company's overall vitality.

Entering February 1992, "The Flash" crossed the $200 million mark in North America, reaching $211.81 million by the end of January. The week from January 23 to January 30 saw another $10.77 million. With its long-term box office trend, "The Flash" was set to surpass $250 million domestically.

The success of "The Flash" facilitated the smooth execution of the DC movie universe plan. Post-production on "Wonder Woman," set for a summer release, was nearing completion, while pre-production for "Superman," "Cyborg," and "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" continued.

Upon Simon's return from Sundance, Warner began inquiring about a sequel to "The Flash." Though Warner owned the rights, and they could proceed without Simon, they were cautious not to disrupt the favorable conditions created by the first film's success. As a result, Simon held the actual control over the series.

Given Warner's success last year with "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" and "The Fugitive," their frustration with Simon's extended DC universe project timelines had diminished.

In Malibu, at the Daenerys Studios on February 5, Disney CEO Michael Eisner arrived for a scheduled 4 PM meeting with Simon. Simon, after spending two hours reviewing the post-production progress on "Wonder Woman," was now in the model effects department of Daenerys Special Effects. Despite the trend toward CGI, practical effects remained essential and wouldn't disappear entirely.

Daenerys Special Effects' model department handled more than just monster models. They also created props for major films, such as the Batmobile for the "Batman" series, large dinosaur props for the ongoing "Jurassic Park," and vehicle explosions for action scenes.

During the break before meeting Eisner, Simon reviewed Poison Ivy's design. In the final "Batman: The Dark Knight," the two major villains were the Joker and Poison Ivy. While the Joker was set to shine, Simon had high hopes for Poison Ivy's portrayal. Nicole Kidman had been cast in the role.

Interestingly, in the original timeline, Uma Thurman played Mia in "Pulp Fiction" and later portrayed Poison Ivy in "Batman & Robin" (1997). Now, Nicole Kidman had taken both roles in Simon's version. Simon wasn't deliberately creating parallels but found Nicole more suitable for the role in terms of acting, fame, and physical presence. In contrast, Uma Thurman's portrayal of Poison Ivy, with its cheap-looking green costume, left much to be desired.

Simon's initial design was inspired by the Poison Ivy from the "Batman: Arkham Knight" game. However, the seductive shirt design with only one button was impractical for filming. After multiple adjustments, the final design became a deep red leather jacket, short-sleeved, with a cropped length resembling a women's sports bra. 

They considered a plant-covered design to match Poison Ivy's comic depiction, but Simon couldn't accept the fake look of plastic plants. While future technology could use motion capture suits to add "real plants" via CGI, current techniques weren't as effective or cost-efficient. Hence, they opted for the sexy burgundy jacket.

The shorts design was also modified from the game's triangular shorts to more practical hot pants to avoid potential wardrobe malfunctions during filming. The crucial element, Poison Ivy's skin, would not be a cheap green suit but her actual skin painted green. The challenge was to achieve a natural chlorophyll texture, making it look like her skin was naturally green, complete with realistic skin texture and imperfections.

To meet Simon's high standards, Daenerys Special Effects assembled a team of makeup and effects artists who spent months perfecting the look, recently reaching a satisfying result.

When Michael Eisner entered the model effects office, he was immediately drawn to the stunning "Poison Ivy" models. He might have thought he was seeing another species if he didn't know better. These models represented the final design for Poison Ivy, as Nicole Kidman couldn't be there for the design process. 

Though slightly irked by Simon's divided attention, Eisner remained cordial. After some warm commentary and admiring the technical prowess of Daenerys Special Effects, they dismissed the models and got down to business.

The meeting concerned a film agreement Simon had signed with Disney for the release of "When Harry Met Sally." Given Simon's rising status in Hollywood, rumors circulated that he might never direct again. Disney didn't want to wait any longer. After several preliminary discussions, Disney proposed exchanging this film agreement for a co-production with Daenerys Entertainment.

Simon, not planning to direct in the

 near future, agreed to Disney's suggestion. As Daenerys Entertainment's initial ten-film plan neared completion, they needed to continue developing collaborative projects with other Hollywood studios to maintain strong industry ties. Thus, Simon arranged today's meeting with Eisner.

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