Michael Ovitz believed WMA's poaching of Kirstie Alley was Daenerys Entertainment's retaliation for the Rain Man affair. In reality, it was not. When dealing with enemies, Simon preferred to keep moving forward, leaving them so far behind they could only look up in awe.
Just as he had done with Matthew Broderick.
When the incident first occurred, Hollywood's consensus was that a major star trying to crush a nobody screenwriter had simply miscalculated. Simon became little more than after-dinner gossip.
Now, with Daenerys Entertainment's meteoric rise and despite Simon never mentioning the matter publicly or privately studio executives quietly wondered whether working with Broderick might displease Simon Westeros, invite retaliation, or cost them future opportunities with Daenerys.
Hollywood had plenty of bankable young leading men, Michael J. Fox, Matt Dillon who could easily replace Broderick.
Simon Westeros, however, was one of a kind.
After Universal's Easter release Genius Soldier last year, as Simon soared, the majors grew cautious about casting Broderick. In the second half of 1988, his only role was in New Line's niche gay comedy Torch Song Trilogy: eight million budget, October dump slot, less than five million domestic gross.
It was easy to predict that even if studios continued working with him, they would no longer entrust him with prime projects out of deference to Simon. Without strong scripts or favorable release dates, box office success became impossible. Without box office success, a former A-list leading man would quickly slide to B- or C-tier, then vanish entirely.
This kind of effortless, overwhelming dominance was exactly what Simon sought.
As for Kirstie Alley, Daenerys had cast her in Leap of Innocence [?] because she was the original choice for the role. When CAA blocked Meg Ryan, switching to the original actress and letting WMA do the poaching—was simply convenient.
While Ovitz treated the matter as a declaration of war and spent an anxious weekend in Los Angeles, Daenerys remained unruffled.
January 9, Monday.
Due to the time difference, Simon in Melbourne had already wrapped the first day of shooting on Batman. Amy arrived at the office at eight a.m. Pacific time.
After a one-hour conference call with the New York television division, the key creatives on Leap of Innocence [?] director Amy Heckerling, lead Mel Gibson, and newly signed female lead Kirstie Alley arrived in Santa Monica for another hour-long production meeting.
As Daenerys Entertainment's CEO, Amy primarily oversaw studio operations and day-to-day administration. Though Robert Rehme, Robert Iger, Nancy Brill, and Ira Deutchman handled their respective domains, Amy's workload still routinely exceeded ten hours a day.
With the female lead locked, Leap of Innocence[?] would move into supporting cast selection and location scouting, aiming for a March start.
At ten o'clock, after seeing off Heckerling's team, Amy's assistant Vanessa reminded her that the Gensler team was waiting in the conference room.
Gensler was a prestigious San Francisco-based architectural firm with global renown.
Design bidding for the Malibu studio campus had begun, and a fifty-hectare integrated office park naturally attracted top-tier firms. Gensler was among them.
Before leaving Los Angeles, Simon had sketched a rough layout according to his preferences; competing firms needed only to refine it into a feasible plan.
Today, Gensler was presenting their design and cost estimate to Amy.
Entering the conference room, Amy was surprised to find Janet already seated, chatting amiably with the Gensler staff. When Amy arrived, everyone stood to greet her. Janet rose too, smiling warmly, and after introductions said, "I'm just observing. Carry on."
Since Simon's departure, Janet had appeared at the office nearly every day to oversee Daenerys Entertainment's annual financial audit.
True to her heiress habit of delegating, she had brought in three accountants from the Johnston Group to assist.
Company financials were sensitive, but everyone understood Janet's role was supervisory. Since Simon raised no objection, Amy and the others could hardly protest.
Fifty hectares was vast. Fox's Century City lot stretched only five hundred meters north to south. Daenerys's triangular parcel extended over 1.5 kilometers from entrance to apex; even excluding unusable slopes, the buildable area exceeded that of every major Los Angeles studio except Universal.
Even with plans to relocate subsidiaries like Daenerys Effects, Pixar Animation, and Marvel Entertainment, space remained abundant. The company had instructed designers to plan for 2,500 permanent employees.
Gensler's presentation alone took over an hour. By the time pricing discussions concluded, it was noon.
After wrapping morning meetings, Robert Rehme and Ira Deutchman arrived from Burbank to join Amy for lunch and weekly planning. With Janet present, Amy invited her along.
Seated at a nearby restaurant, Rehme smiled at Janet. "Janet, how's the audit going? I'm dying to know how much the company made this year."
"Plenty, for sure," Janet replied brightly, scanning the menu. Then, almost casually: "Though there are some issues."
Ira Deutchman, missing the shift in tone, said lightly, "We've only been around two years. Bound to be a few problems."
Amy and Rehme, however, caught the change and looked at her.
Janet set down the menu. Her striking eyes narrowed slightly; the usual harmless demeanor now resembled a cat about to pounce. She glanced coolly at the three of them. "I discovered someone spent sixteen thousand dollars on a private party at his home, then billed it as entertainment for a film project. He also used the company jet for 'business travel' that was actually flying his son to college."
Amy and Deutchman both turned to Robert Rehme the only one likely to have a college-age son.
Rehme shrugged calmly. "Janet, I didn't do that."
"No, or we wouldn't be having lunch together," Janet said, softening slightly before revealing: "It was Ron Macmillan."
The three were both surprised and not surprised.
Ron Macmillan had produced Run Lola Run with Simon. After its success, he became a signed producer at Daenerys Pictures, delivering hits with Final Destination and Scream. He was now one of Hollywood's hottest producers.
Given their history, targeting him felt unexpected yet his reputation over the past two years had soured, so minor embezzlement fit.
After a pause, Amy waved off an approaching waiter and asked quietly, "Janet, have you told Simon?"
"Yes. He said to handle it as I see fit." Janet nodded, then countered: "Amy, what do you think should be done?"
Amy hesitated. "Janet, Scream 2 is already in prep."
The previous week, Scream added another 5.61 million; in its tenth weekend, the teen horror crossed one hundred million, reaching 100.397 million total. Simon had outlined a trilogy, Courtney Cox was contracted for three films, and with this success, the sequel was greenlit for Halloween release again.
Removing Macmillan now would disrupt development.
Hearing Amy's uncertainty, Janet said, "I actually know Ron quite well we all worked on Run Lola Run together. But he's crossed the line too far. I don't care about his industry antics; if he works loyally for Simon, Daenerys will protect him. But he shouldn't bring those games here. Simon has paid him generously and elevated him from obscurity. He shouldn't take what isn't his, and he certainly shouldn't deceive Simon. So, Amy call him this afternoon. He's fired."
Amy blinked. "Janet, shouldn't we discuss this with Simon?"
"No need," Janet said firmly, locking eyes with Amy. "Simon is actually quite soft-hearted and dislikes fussing over small things. But I'm not. I'm just a little woman. The moment I decide someone is untrustworthy or might harm Simon. I will remove him from my boyfriend's side without hesitation."
Stared down by Janet, Amy was silent a moment, then nodded. "I'll call Ron this afternoon. But what about Scream?"
"That's no longer my concern," Janet said, satisfied, fully embracing her hands-off style. She glanced at Rehme and Deutschman, half-joking: "This year's books are mostly clean. But I'll be watching next year too. Simon pays you all very generously. If any of you feel your share isn't enough compared to what Daenerys earns, fine. But unless you're certain I won't catch you, do not take what isn't yours."
Without waiting for a response, Janet leisurely picked up the menu again. As if nothing had happened, she was soon laughing and chatting with them once more.
The meal was clearly enjoyable for Janet. For the other three, it felt like swallowing fish bones. Watching her smiling face, all three felt a chill down their spines.
After lunch, Janet did not return to the office.
Amy saw off Rehme and Deut chman, who were flying to London together for overseas distribution of several films and Gaumont matters.
They headed to Santa Monica Airport downtown. Nancy Brill had just landed on the company jet from the East Coast, having spent yesterday in New York negotiating loans for the Blockbuster investment.
Though Daenerys had ample cash, Simon had transferred surplus funds to Westeros Company without explanation even to James Rebould.
Thus, for Blockbuster, they needed another loan.
Including the two hundred million spent on European properties late last year, Simon's companies carried just over six hundred million in total debt about 20% of his personal assets. Another hundred million remained well within his comfort zone.
In fact, with suitable opportunities, Simon could tolerate raising total debt to one or 1.5 billion.
Nancy came straight to Amy's office to debrief on New York.
Amy had just hung up with Ron Macmillan. Rather than delivering Janet's blunt dismissal over the phone, she had invited him to dinner that evening.
Compared to Janet, Amy preferred an amicable parting better for Daenerys too.
As for the expenses Janet mentioned, since she had not pressed further, she apparently accepted letting them slide. Amy saw no need to raise it again. It wasn't generosity; a few tens of thousands were hardly worth pursuing legally, and tearing faces apart served no purpose.
If it escalated, Macmillan would deny everything. Litigation costs alone would exceed the amount, making it unprofitable. Suing a producer who had contributed greatly over "petty" expenses would also invite industry criticism.