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HWI 552
🕑 Added 2025-03-03 16:21:03 +0000 UTCHollywood What If Chapter 552
Christopher Nolan looked at the script, his fingers slightly rubbing the edge of the document. He glanced at Kazir. In this whole conversation, he was still surprised that the famous director wanted him to direct an animated film.
"Did Blue Sky Studio know about this? Maybe they won't agree."
Blue Sky Studio is one of the best 3D animation studios in Hollywood right now. They animated Ice Age and Kung Fu Panda.
"You don't have to worry. The executives and I talked about it. We all agreed that we need a director like you."
Kazir chuckled.
Christopher hesitated, glancing at the script again.
"I've never done animation before, but... the concept is fascinating. A robot protagonist. An emotional visual storytelling. It’s within my capabilities."
"Exactly. So, are you in?" Kazir smirked.
Christopher exhaled, then smiled.
"I’ll seriously consider it. But I have one last question: you're also a director, so why don't you direct it instead? You have a stronger box office appeal than me and I'm sure both 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studio would prefer you to direct the movie instead of me."
A valid question. Furthermore, Christopher Nolan didn't hear news that Kazir was taking on a project so he probably had free time to direct Wall-E.
"Well, I want to take a rest and relax my artistic sense. I've been filming movies every year for more than a decade now and I need a year to relax."
"... Wow." Christopher was shocked. So the most workaholic director in Hollywood also wanted a year-long vacation. That was probably the most shocking thing he heard today.
"Then," Christopher looked at the script. "I'll contact my agent."
"That's great to hear."
The two shook hands. The meeting was fruitful.
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A few days later, Christopher Nolan’s agent was deep in negotiations with Blue Sky Studio and 20th Century Fox. Christopher set up some clauses regarding working on Wall-E.
While Christopher was intrigued by the project, he wanted certain creative freedoms. Especially regarding the film’s tone and cinematography.
Here's the thing, directors might become friends and talk about film making but they don't want another director to influence their creations. They wanted the full authority and creativity to do a film.
When Kazir heard about it, he laughed and understood Christopher's intention. Kazir was the executive producer of Wall-E so perhaps this was Christopher's way of telling him to let him cook.
Animation was a new experience for Christopher Nolan, but he wanted to approach it with the same care he gave to live-action films.
Kazir reassured both the studio and Christopher that he would have the space to bring his vision to life. He even suggested that Christopher collaborate with the top animators at Blue Sky to ensure the film’s aesthetic and storytelling aligned with his signature style.
By the end of the week, the deal was finalized. Christopher Nolan was officially set to direct Wall-E, making headlines across Hollywood.
Many were surprised by his decision, some of them thought that his decision was quite fast and dangerous. Live-action and animated films were two different things.
Naturally, since Christopher Nolan was one of the few directors who directed a movie that grossed $1 billion, his salary was not simple. Blue Sky Studio agreed on the contract and Christopher had a base salary of $21 million plus 13% box office share. That was a huge amount of money considering that Christopher Nolan had no project for two years.
Nolan's team actually hoped that they would get a peripheral share since this was where most money came from, but Blue Sky Studio was adamant about protecting this cake.
Anyway, $21 million plus 13% box office share was already a satisfying contract.
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Grey Pictures had a meeting for the next project that the company wanted to produce. Grey Pictures was interested in trying a comedy show since the owner, Kazir Grey, was a talented comedy director.
Kazir agreed and knew that the company had to expand its projects for more money. He decided to write five scripts that had the potential to turn into a comedy show, most were sitcoms.
Modern Family.
Parks and Recreation.
Brooklyn 99.
The Big Bang Theory.
How I Met Your Mother.
However, since Kazir was not an expert on TV shows, he decided to let the executives read the first three episodes of each script to determine what was the best choice.
Stella Willow read them. She laughed at some of the jokes while she cringed at some. Anyway, she admitted that Kazir knew how to write comedy.
Stella had been in the TV industry for most of her career and she could see the potential of each script. Unfortunately, Grey Pictures had limited resources to produce all of them. They could only produce one show. She understood if Kazir wanted to sell some of the scripts to other studios in exchange for a profit share, that was a great business deal.
Anyway, after looking at it very thoroughly, Stella and the executives of Grey Pictures felt that Modern Family was the best option.
Kazir nodded when he heard the executives' decision. Modern Family had a unique comedy with its mockumentary style, and it had broad appeal across different demographics. If executed well, it could become a long-running hit.
“Alright, let’s go with Modern Family,” Kazir said.
"Once Hollywood learns that we have another TV Show, TV networks will probably go crazy and will beg us for broadcasting rights," Stella smirked, the idea alone made her happy.
"ABC, NBC, Fox, it doesn't matter... As long as the money is right."
