Wayne didn't believe for a second that tonight's party was just what it appeared to be.
All of Hollywood knew that Wayne rarely attended parties, unless there was some kind of surprise in store.
Even though this party was packed with celebrities, most of them were familiar faces.
Not that he had any interest in these actresses, but even if he did, he could easily reach out on his own. Any of them willing to engage with him did so not because of Sony Columbia's influence, but because of his own power and wealth.
Howard Stringer wouldn't be able to win his 'friendship' that easily.
So, Wayne was certain that Howard Stringer had something else up his sleeve for him.
Sure enough, just as Wayne was starting to grow impatient and considering leaving, Howard Stringer informed him that a special gift had already been placed in his car.
"Already in the car? This guy is confident, isn't he?" Wayne raised an eyebrow, feeling a growing curiosity.
"Howard, you're too kind. I'll take my leave now."
A few minutes later, Wayne arrived at his Rolls-Royce Silver Angel.
The bodyguard and driver waiting nearby immediately approached him, saying, "Boss, Howard Stringer just sent over a few people. He said they were gifts for you."
Wayne nodded, declined the bodyguard's help, and eagerly opened the back door to the car, peering inside.
When he saw who was in the car, his eyes lit up, and a strange expression crossed his face.
There sat Haruka Igawa, a model-turned-actress who had entered the entertainment industry in 1999, known for her rare tall stature of 167cm and her elegant, mature beauty. She had become the 'image girl' for one of Japan's four major TV networks, TV Asahi.
Beside her was Yuko Ogura, who debuted in 2000 on variety shows. She had the quintessential sweet and cute look of a Japanese idol, primarily working as a gravure model. At the peak of her career, she released over 30 photo albums and videos in a single year, constantly working on her next project.
Wayne was somewhat familiar with both of them, though he knew more about the other two women in the car.
Vivian Hsu, a singer, actress, and model from Taiwan, had left a lasting impression on him with her performance in the movie Little Heroes.
And then there was the famous Lin Chiling.
Lin Chiling, though born in Taiwan, had studied in Japan and had her debut as a model there. She had also attended acting school and was just starting her career in Japan at this time.
Vivian Hsu was an artist under Sony Music Taiwan and frequently performed in Japan, where she had released Japanese singles and albums.
It wasn't surprising to see these two here.
"Wow, Howard Stringer really knows how to pick them! No wonder he's so confident!" Wayne said, looking at the four nervous and expectant women in the car. A satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
Igawa and Ogura aside, both Vivian Hsu and Lin Chiling, though known to be playful and a bit wild, were undeniably beautiful.
Especially Vivian Hsu, whose beauty had yet to fade. She had perfected the art of the "innocent yet seductive" look that would become popular in the future.
With her striking looks and alluring style, she had managed to make a name for herself in Hong Kong, despite being an outsider in a city full of beauties.
Since Wayne was only looking for some fun and didn't have to worry about responsibility, he was quite pleased with the four women in the car.
"Take me to 8 Roxbury Street."
"Yes, boss."
As the car door gently closed, the Silver Angel sped off into the night, heading towards Roxbury Street.
Half an hour later, the car pulled up in front of the villa at 8 Roxbury Street. At the same time, another bodyguard, following Wayne's instructions, had arrived with the newly purchased 'photo shoot outfits' and was waiting at the villa door.
"Go put these on."
Once inside the villa, Wayne didn't bother pretending to be a gentleman. He instructed the four women to change into the new outfits.
Since all four had started their careers as gravure models and had done numerous photo shoots, they were quite practiced at this.
Soon enough, the four women, each exuding either seductive charm or shy innocence, were ready and standing in front of Wayne.
Their coy expressions immediately piqued Wayne's interest, and he couldn't wait to engage in some in-depth 'communication' with them.
The night was short, but the day was long. From then on, the king would not rise early.
It must be said that Vivian Hsu and Lin Chiling were at the peak of their charm during this period.
Their stamina was surprisingly good too.
Most importantly, both women were well aware of Wayne's identity, and they performed with extraordinary enthusiasm. No matter what Wayne asked of them, they did their best to comply.
The five of them battled it out until 2 a.m., only to get a brief five to six hours of rest before the fight resumed at Wayne's instigation, continuing intermittently for the entire day.
By evening, after the latest round of activity, Wayne glanced at the disheveled bed, then decisively picked up his phone and called Howard Stringer.
"Hey, Howard, thanks for the gift. I'm going to keep Yuko Ogura."
"Ha ha, as long as you like her, you can keep her as long as you want," Howard Stringer replied, clearly relieved, laughing heartily.
"As for the other three, they don't have any scheduled work at the moment, so could I trouble you to 'host' them for a while?"
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
After hanging up the phone, Wayne stretched lazily and cracked his neck.
He then took a shower, changed clothes, and brought the still-groggy Yuko Ogura back to Wayne Manor, where she could keep company with Masami Nagasawa and the others.
As for Vivian Hsu and the other two, they were temporarily left to reside in the villa.
"Meida, please arrange her accommodation, just like with Masami Nagasawa and the others."
"Yes, sir."
Meida then led the somewhat nervous Yuko Ogura, who was new to such a luxurious manor, to choose her room.
At this point, Hannah, who had been watching from the side, couldn't help but comment.
"Wow, you only brought one back this time?"
"…"
"Was this girl such a tough opponent? Did she really keep you busy all day?"
"There were three others, but I didn't bring them back."
Wayne glanced at Hannah's 'I knew it' expression and gave her an annoyed look before heading to his study to work on the Wanted script, taking advantage of the time before dinner.
Wayne had become quite skilled at writing scripts by now.
With the memories in his mind, it took him no more than three days to finish a script.
Considering that he could now command a screenwriting fee of up to $3 million, it meant he could earn $1 million a day by working only five or six hours.
It was more profitable than making movies!
"Tomorrow, I have to attend the Wedding Crashers audition, so it'll take about two more days to finish the Wanted script."
"But we can start reaching out to the main actors now."
"The male and female leads will be me and Monica Bellucci, and I plan to have Morgan Freeman play the main villain."
"As for the third male lead, the father of the protagonist, I'm thinking of casting Russell Crowe. I spoke with him at last night's party, and he said he could adjust his schedule to make time for shooting in the second half of the year. He's willing to do it for $14 million."
Upon hearing this, Mia paused for a moment, her eyes lighting up.
These past few years had been Russell Crowe's peak, and his popularity was no less than that of Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, or Will Smith. He was more popular than Keanu Reeves, Ben Stiller, or Nicolas Cage.
So, $14 million for a role with significant screen time like the 'Cross' was quite a deal.
If Tom Cruise or Leonardo DiCaprio were cast instead, and they weren't getting a share of the box office, their starting fee would be at least $18 million.
While anyone would choose Tom Cruise or Leonardo DiCaprio for $18 million, Russell Crowe offering himself for $14 million was definitely a friendly gesture.
"And what about your and Monica Bellucci's fees?"
"Monica Bellucci will get $3.5 million, and I'll get $25 million—"
Before he could finish speaking, there was a chorus of food being spit out and a bout of coughing around the long table.
Wayne glanced at Amanda, Lydia, and the others, who were patting their chests, then looked at the equally stunned and bewildered Mia. He couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"What's the big deal about $25 million? Look at how calm Sally and Hannah are!"
"Isn't it?" Mia was equally speechless.
But after thinking it over, considering Wayne's current fame, it seems reasonable for him to get $25 million as the lead actor, just like Tom Cruise or Leonardo DiCaprio.
"By the way, your producer's salary is $5 million."
"Cough, cough, cough—"
Mia couldn't help but spit out the juice she had just sipped.
A producer who doesn't need to secure investments still gets a $5 million salary? That's practically robbery! If Wayne publicly recruited with that salary, even a senior vice president from one of the big seven studios would eagerly take on the role of producer for this movie!
If it were Harvey, he might just start dancing with excitement!
"Alright, anything else?"
It took Mia over a minute to recover before she asked again.
"Also, I plan to invite Jet Li to play an important supporting role. He'll have about three to four minutes of screen time. If his fee doesn't exceed $4 million, then he's the one."
The important supporting role Wayne mentioned could either be the "repairman" or the "butcher."
As for which role Jet Li would ultimately play, Wayne hadn't decided yet.
"Anything else?" Mia asked again.
This time, she was much calmer. After all, Jet Li is currently a fairly prominent B-list actor in Hollywood.
$4 million for a major supporting role isn't that expensive.
"The second female lead should look like a mean, annoying middle-aged woman. You can send this to the agencies for an open casting call."
"As for the third female lead, who is the ex-girlfriend that cheated on the protagonist, I'll decide on that later based on the situation, so no need for an open casting call," Wayne said.
Although the third female lead doesn't have much screen time, she does have about a minute or two on camera.
Wayne initially thought of casting Vivian Hsu or Shu Qi for this role.
No other reason, just to attract more female stars from across the ocean.
However, earlier that afternoon, Anne Hurst called him and said the acquisition plan for SM Entertainment was going very smoothly and should be completed within ten days. Soon, a few of the female artists he mentioned earlier could be sent over.
Now Wayne hesitated.
Although he was very confident in this upgraded version of Wanted.
With a star-studded cast including himself, Russell Crowe, Morgan Freeman, and Jet Li, plus dazzling special effects and eye-popping settings, the box office would definitely be much higher than the original version.
But the third female lead's role as the "cheating scumbag" wasn't exactly appealing.
So should he cast Vivian Hsu, Shu Qi, or one of the Korean actresses?
As for Masami Nagasawa and the others, they were still too young.
"By the way, could this role attract Song Hye-kyo?" Wayne couldn't help but think of her.
But by this time, Song Hye-kyo had already become a sensation in Korea with Autumn in My Heart, and she had gained some popularity across Asia.
A one or two-minute role that doesn't fit her current pure image might not be that appealing.
However, Jun Ji-hyun, who gained fame from My Sassy Girl, wouldn't have her big break until July. If Wayne mentioned it now, she would probably be more than willing to accept.
With that in mind, Wayne immediately added Jun Ji-hyun and Song Hye-kyo to his shortlist, planning to have SM Entertainment contact them after completing the acquisition.
On the other side, Mia had no idea what he was thinking. She simply noted everything down and continued to ask, "So, who's directing?"
"Let's go with Quentin again. By that time, post-production on Taken should be finished."
Mia's face suddenly showed a peculiar expression when she heard that.
"If I remember correctly, Quentin plans to write and direct his own film next, right? Will he agree?"
"Offer him $4.5 million as a director's fee; he won't be able to resist."
"..."
Mia's expression became even stranger after hearing that.
A $4.5 million director's fee would be an irresistible offer for Quentin, who hasn't yet had a major success.
Quentin would definitely agree.
Besides, his muse, Uma Thurman, was still pregnant. Even after the baby is born, she'll need time to recover, right?
And so, during a casual dinner conversation, the casting decisions for a massive production with a budget that had already ballooned to over $160 million were finalized.
It wasn't just the four girls who had recently moved in and hadn't spent much time with them who were shocked.
Even Charlize Theron, after doing the math and realizing the astonishing numbers, couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
After all, it was her first time witnessing the casting process for a film produced by Hemera Pictures.
It was just so incredibly casual!
But Jessica and Hannah continued eating as usual, clearly already accustomed to this kind of approach.
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