Ever since he started his company, Dunn's been bulldozing his way through Hollywood—taking down anyone in his path like a rocket shooting straight to the top.
The one time he backed off? When he faced Shizuka Redstone.
To avoid clashing with her, Dunn handed Six Feet Under over to H, a rival of TA.
Word from the inside says Htie TV raked in nearly a million new household subscribers thanks to the Six Feet Under rerun!
And now, after Band of Brothers finished its first run, they want a piece of that too?
Talk about taking shameless to a whole new level!
Giving Six Feet Under to H was already Dunn swallowing his pride and giving Shizuka plenty of respect.
But now H's acting like they can just waltz in and grab the rerun rights to Band of Brothers too? That's pushing it way too far!
Dunn slammed his fist on the table, his face turning red with fury. "This is too much!" he roared.
Bill McNick's expression darkened too. "They're treating us like pushovers!"
"Huh?"
Dunn shot him a curious glance. It wasn't often he saw this old guy get so fired up.
"Band of Brothers has too much pull! Even as a rerun, it'll draw a massive audience. The six stations airing it—aside from us at Tar—are all basic cable channels. They can only show the edited version. That'll just drive more viewers to Tar for the full cut. But if Htie gets the rerun rights too, that's splitting the audience—stealing our business!"
Bill's breakdown made total sense.
TA and H are rivals. Dunn Films shelled out a fortune for those TV rights—why would they turn around and prop up the competition? That'd be nuts!
Shizuka's move here was pure big-shot bullying—breaking market rules and throwing her weight around!
Dunn swung a fist through the air. "No way in hell Band of Brothers airs on Htie! Screw that—none of our original shows are ever going their way again!"
Bill's voice dropped low. "Shizuka's cunning, ruthless, and a master of dirty tricks. We can't let our guard down."
"I know that old hag's a beast, but she doesn't get to do whatever she wants!" Dunn was livid. Shizuka acting like this was some big-fish-eats-little-fish game, treating him like a shrimp?
"You remember last year's Viacom-Disney showdown, right?"
"Of course! Viacom's B network and Disney's AB went head-to-head for market share. B threw Survivor and CSI at Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and beat it to a pulp, crushing AB's momentum completely."
Bill nodded. "You're right. But… you know I came up through Disney. Still got a few buddies over there. Heard a different story the other day."
"What?"
"Shizuka didn't win clean."
"Huh?"
Dunn's jaw dropped. Was Bill hinting at some underhanded move?
"Outside of California and Florida, Disney's got parks in Tokyo and Paris too," Bill explained. "Tokyo's the top performer."
Dunn nodded. "Yeah, I know. That's why this September, Disney teamed up with Japan to invest in that new seaside park."
Bill continued, "The talks actually started last year. It's a U.S.-Japan joint venture—over $3 billion in funding! That kind of cash flow, with all the approvals and red tape, needs oversight and legal green lights from both governments."
Dunn's eyes widened, disbelief written all over his face. "Wait—what? Are you saying Shizuka sabotaged it?"
"Shizuka did her time in the military way back—cracked codes and all that. After decades in the game, her connections in Congress blow Disney's out of the water. To push the new park through, Disney had to cave."
"Damn it, that Shizuka's gone too far!"
Even though Dunn and Disney were sworn enemies, hearing about Shizuka's sleazy tactics made him feel a rare spark of solidarity.
The market's the market—fair competition or cutthroat, fine. Everyone plays by the rules of the game.
But Shizuka pulling political strings to mess with a business rivalry? That's not just power—it's cheating!
It's like playing football, and she's charging down the field with a machine gun. Even if she wins, who's gonna respect that?
No wonder Shizuka's rep in the industry stinks. It's not just her messy family life—divorced, kids estranged—it's these slimy behind-the-scenes stunts that make people sick!
Dunn gritted his teeth. "This push for Band of Brothers rerun rights—did Shizuka personally call it in?"
"No, it came from B's head honcho."
"Then it's simple—tell 'em no!"
Dunn waved a hand, his tone sharp and unyielding.
Bill hesitated. "I think… you should probably clear this with Shizuka yourself. No need to burn bridges. Her influence is huge, and we're trying to buy Universal. That needs the Feds' okay."
Dunn let out a cold laugh. "Explain? Explain jack! I've given Shizuka respect as an elder, and she's treating me like a kid to toy with! She doesn't want face? Fine—tell her to get lost and stay out of my way! I'm done playing with her!"
Bill flinched. "Dunn, don't let your temper take over!"
Dunn sighed, shaking his head. "Relax, I'm not dumb enough to go full scorched-earth with her. Our American Idol's airing on B in February, right? No biggie. Even if Band of Brothers stirs up some drama, Idol's gonna keep her grinning ear to ear."
Of course, if it really came to a showdown, Dunn wouldn't back down either!
Things were different now compared to six months ago.
Dunn Films had two new heavyweights on board: strategic advisor Jack Welch and CEO Brandi Norris!
Jack Welch ran General Electric for over 20 years, building a $450 billion empire. His Capitol Hill ties? They rival Shizuka's—maybe even beat 'em!
Brandi Norris came from Goldman Sachs. Everyone knows Goldman's got deep roots in the Treasury and the Fed.
If Shizuka dared to meddle with Dunn's Universal acquisition, he had his own direct lines to the political bigwigs.
If it came to that, it'd be an all-out war—no holds barred!
Dunn's mind was made up, and he wasn't budging. Bill knew that look—pure confidence—and was used to Dunn calling the shots.
So he switched gears. "Oh, there's something else you'll wanna hear."
"What?"
"Word is… Michael Bay's got a new gig."
"Huh?"
Dunn blinked, surprised. After Pearl Harbor bombed, Michael Bay's flaws were laid bare—great at explosions, terrible at emotions. That's a glaring weakness for directing big commercial flicks.
Romance is often a must-have in blockbusters, after all.
Who'd be bold enough to hire him now?
Bill explained, "Sony Pictures. Back in the day, Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay teamed up for Bad Boys. $19 million budget, $140 million at the box office—huge hit."
Dunn snapped his fingers. "So they're rebooting the sequel?"
"Yup. Columbia Pictures has been struggling lately. They've been hounding Bruckheimer to get Bad Boys II off the ground. Thing is, the past few years, Jerry's been riding high, and Bay's been climbing too. No real need for a sequel."
Dunn nodded. "But now, with Pearl Harbor tanking, a lot of Hollywood studios are steering clear of Bay's bad luck. So Bad Boys II got greenlit. Sony needs a win, and Bruckheimer and Bay need a movie to prove themselves again."
Bill agreed. "Looks like they're all on the same page."
Dunn went quiet, mulling it over.
Bad Boys II—$130 million budget, $138 million in North America, $134 million overseas. Box office-wise, it's another flop—worse than Pearl Harbor.
But it's peak Michael Bay: fast-paced, massive explosions, thrilling action. A classic '90s action flick that did solid in the ancillary markets.
Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay have been at it for years—they oughta take a break!
Dunn wasn't about to give them another shot!
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