In Hollywood, folks in the industry usually keep their beef under wraps, even if there's tension. You won't see them airing dirty laundry in the media unless things have gotten so bad there's no turning back—like with Peter Jackson and Harvey Weinstein, or Dunn and Jerry Bruckheimer.
Take last year, for instance. Dunn genuinely reached out to Jerry Bruckheimer, inviting him to produce The Chronicles of Narnia. But then the feds came knocking, Dunn Films hit a crisis, and instead of standing by Dunn, Bruckheimer kicked him while he was down. That's when the bad blood started. Since then, they've taken subtle jabs at each other in the press—not outright war, but enough to make their feud public.
This year, with Black Hawk Down, Bruckheimer's grudge against Dunn hit a boiling point. He'd already locked in Ridley Scott to direct, only for Dunn to swoop in, snatch Scott away, and put him on Spider-Man 2. And that's not all—Tom Hardy, a guy with solid war movie chops, was lined up for a key role in Black Hawk Down. But Hardy flat-out said no, then turned around and signed on for Dunn's Pirates League: Curse of the Black Pearl. Talk about a slap in the face!
Now, with Pearl Harbor and Never Sinking set to drop on the same day, it's a full-on showdown. No holding back—this is a fight to the finish. Bruckheimer's feeling good about one thing, though: he's got Disney in his corner. Dunn might be a big shot, but Dunn Films is just a small production outfit. Even with Universal Pictures handling distribution, they don't have the muscle to go toe-to-toe with Disney. So, in the marketing game, Pearl Harbor is steamrolling Never Sinking. Everything seems to be breaking Bruckheimer's way.
He's riding a wave of confidence he's never felt before. Dunn's a force, no doubt—Bruckheimer's not blind to that. But he's no slouch either. His Armageddon was the top-grossing movie of 1998! With Pearl Harbor, two years in the making, and Disney's backing, Bruckheimer's convinced he can take Dunn on. Especially since word is Never Sinking was slapped together in under 12 months. James Cameron's known for taking his sweet time on films—can a rushed commercial blockbuster like that really turn out decent? Bruckheimer's betting big this time. He's out to prove, on Disney's behalf, that Dunn's hot streak is all smoke and mirrors.
Lately, he's done two big interviews—one with The Los Angeles Times for the average moviegoer, and one with Variety for the hardcore fans and industry insiders. In the LA Times chat, Bruckheimer said, "Look, Dunn Walker's a talented director, no question. But let's be real—Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Spider-Man? Pure popcorn flicks. Flashy effects, cheap laughs, and not much else. As for Titanic—sure, it's a rare gem, but we all know James Cameron's the real genius behind it, not Dunn Walker."
He went on, "Pearl Harbor is a massive investment—$200 million. The director and I even waived our fees to make it look better. Yeah, it's a war movie, but it's about heart, reflection, learning from pain. We're not here to churn out over-the-top, shallow popcorn entertainment. That stuff's too loud, too simple, and has no artistic depth." He even made a bold call on the box office: "Pearl Harbor holds its own against Titanic. With today's tech being miles ahead of a few years ago, I can say with confidence it'll be more thrilling, more gripping. Titanic set a box office legend, but Pearl Harbor's got what it takes to challenge it."
For Variety, he got sharper, taking direct aim. "Dunn Walker's what, in his 20s? What kind of life experience does a kid that age have? His movies are all surface-level—shallow, obvious stuff. I'm not knocking him, but movies are a deep craft, and he's still an outsider. Talent's great, but it needs time to ripen. As for Never Sinking—I won't trash a peer's work. But that short production window? James is a genius, no doubt, but rushing him into a big commercial flick like that feels unfair."
He wrapped it up, "Bottom line, Dunn's too young, too restless. He doesn't see the art in movies—he just sees dollar signs. Sure, his last few films made bank, but that's not normal. These mindless entertainment flicks? They're dumbing down the next generation."
…
On Dunn's desk sit two reports—one's good news, the other's a mixed bag. The good? Dunn Films is rolling in cash! After sweeping the Oscars, The Network crushed it at the box office. So far, it's pulled in $110 million in North America and over $60 million overseas, netting Dunn Films a $62 million cut. Girl, Interrupted got a nice ticket sales bump too. But the real goldmine? VHS and DVD sales for Spider-Man and Saw.
Spider-Man moved 9.87 million discs in North America, raking in $270 million, plus 6.98 million overseas for over $100 million. That one movie alone brought Dunn Films $210 million from tapes and DVDs! Saw didn't hit Spider-Man numbers in North America—2.14 million units—but overseas, where it skipped theaters for direct-to-video, it sold over 10 million copies. That's another $40 million in the bank. By the end of April, Dunn Films' revenue hit $330million!
After funding new projects like Spider-Man 2, Juno, Daredevil, Signs, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, plus a fixed $100 million TV investment, they've still got nearly $300 million in cash reserves. That's a huge win. A single box office smash like Spider-Man can spark a profit bonanza—who'd have thought, a year ago, Dunn Films was teetering on bankruptcy from a debt crisis?
This summer's got Never Sinking and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, followed by A Beautiful Mind, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Juno. Next year, it's Spider-Man 2, Pirates League: Curse of the Black Pearl, Signs, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and New York Storm. The next few years look unstoppable for Dunn Films in the movie game. Dunn's groundwork in the film industry is paying off—expanding the Marvel Universe, kicking off the Harry Potter and Pirates League series, and even eyeing Transformers. The company's only getting stronger.
But the TV side? Not so rosy. Since Tarz TV jacked up its subscription fees, customers have revolted—subscriptions dropped 30%, down to 2.13 million. These are mostly early adopters too; once their memberships expire, half might not renew. Tarz's president, Tony Grammo, has been griping to Dunn that without a big boost, the network's toast.
Dunn saw this coming when he greenlit the price hike—he just didn't expect it to hit this hard. Still, he's not sweating it. On May 6th, the cavalry arrives: Spider-Man, with its $126 million global haul, will premiere exclusively on Tarz TV! Then, on May 26th, Saw hits the airwaves. June brings the premium drama Six Feet Under. And after that wraps? September's all about Band of Brothers. So Dunn's email back to Tony was short and sweet: "Hold steady!"
Still, Dunn's feeling a little stuck. As Dunn Films grows, he can't micromanage everything anymore—he's got to delegate, unless it's a passion project. Problem is, Tarz TV's leadership isn't cutting it. This isn't the first time he's been let down. He's bought out plenty of companies but never axed a founding team. Now, though, it's decision time. The TV business matters too much.
After mulling it over, Dunn picks up the phone and dials Brian Lord, a bigwig at CAA. "Brian, Tarz TV needs an exec. Can you help?"
Brian chuckles, "Dunn, I run a talent agency, not a headhunting firm!"
"Come on, Hollywood's a small world. Who needs headhunters? You've got the connections," Dunn says, brushing it off. The entertainment biz isn't your typical corporate scene—headhunters don't thrive here. It's a tight circle of elites, all about relationships and favors.
Brian laughs again, "I've got some contacts, sure, and I can lend a hand. But honestly, I think you'd be better off talking to another old buddy of yours."
"Oh? Who's that?"
"Michael Ovitz!"