Chapter 241: Mounting Pressure
Late at night in Los Angeles, outside the iconic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Aaron sat behind the wheel of his Lexus LS400, waiting.
A few minutes later, a strikingly glamorous Nicole Kidman opened the passenger door and slipped inside.
The moment she sat down, she leaned over and kissed him passionately.
"Easy," Aaron laughed softly, wrapping an arm around her slender waist and returning the kiss. "We've got all night."
Nicole had just finished attending the premiere of The Pelican Brief, and Aaron had come personally to pick her up.
As they drove along Hollywood Boulevard, Aaron smiled.
"Your film turned out well. Strong political-thriller atmosphere. It should perform solidly at the box office."
Nicole leaned back comfortably in her seat. "I've been offered too many romance scripts lately. I wanted to try something different."
Aaron reached over, gently running his hand along her long, elegant thigh. "That's smart. The more variety in roles, the stronger your range becomes."
---
Back at his Pacific Palisades villa in Santa Monica, Nicole shared industry news:
Warner Bros. was developing the third installment of the Batman franchise, titled Batman Forever.
Later, soaking together in the bathtub, Aaron asked, "Have they finalized the director?"
The previous sequel, Batman Returns, had grossed $280 million worldwide but cost $85 million to produce—less profitable than expected. As a result, director Tim Burton had stepped back into a producer role.
"It's set," Nicole replied. "Joel Schumacher is directing. And Michael Keaton isn't returning. The new Batman will be Val Kilmer."
She tilted her head and kissed him lightly. "Warner wants it brighter, more commercial. They felt Burton's tone was too dark."
Aaron chuckled, running his hand along her back. "And Warner wants you as the female lead?"
She nodded. "Bob Daly approached me personally."
Bob Daly, co-CEO of Warner Bros., clearly wanted star power to anchor the franchise's tonal shift.
Aaron leaned back thoughtfully. "Meanwhile, Peter Guber is likely leaving Sony next year. I wouldn't be surprised if he returns to produce for the Batman series."
Sony's acquisition of Columbia Pictures had been turbulent. Guber and Jon Peters had cost the studio heavily, and corporate patience was wearing thin.
Nicole looked curious. "Is Columbia's situation really that bad?"
"Worse than most people think," Aaron replied. "After Sony bought the studio, they greenlit projects left and right. The American executives had no incentive to control costs. Tokyo has been pouring money in to keep Columbia afloat."
He gave a faint smile.
"In Hollywood, creative ambition is expensive. And right now, the pressure is building everywhere."
Panasonic's newly appointed president, Yoichi Morishita, had shown little warmth toward MCA. The reason was obvious: Universal's mounting losses had made Panasonic deeply uncomfortable.
As the nomination luncheon for the 1993 Golden Globe Awards kicked off, the buzz across Los Angeles intensified.
Dawnlight Pictures' films — The Piano, Philadelphia, and Farewell My Concubine — all received the nominations they had hoped for.
Notably, the Best Foreign Language Film category featured two Chinese-language entries: Farewell My Concubine, directed by Chen Kaige, and The Wedding Banquet, directed by Ang Lee.
Any film released between January 1 and December 31, 1993, and screened within Greater Los Angeles — including Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, and Ventura County — qualified for consideration.
Aaron had specifically instructed Twilight Pictures to organize an aggressive awards campaign for Farewell My Concubine. No matter how good a film was, awards required strategic promotion.
---
At the Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, a suite filled with rose petals had been arranged into a romantic setting. Candles flickered softly around a heart-shaped design on the bed.
Jennifer Connelly stood there, eyes shining with delight.
It was a birthday surprise Aaron had carefully prepared.
"Do you like it?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek.
"Of course. It's so romantic."
Jennifer was radiant. She had recently completed filming My Best Friend's Wedding alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones, and her career was steadily rising.
She leaned in and kissed Aaron deeply, passion flaring between them.
"Let's eat first," Aaron said with a smile. A candlelit dinner was already prepared.
Under the glow of roses and city lights, Jennifer was in high spirits.
"The Golden Globe nominations look strong for The Piano," she said.
"Best Picture – Drama, Best Director, Best Actress – Drama, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay…"
This year, Dawnlight's The Piano had surpassed even last year's The Crying Game, both critically and commercially.
"I heard Miramax regrets passing on The Crying Game last year," she added.
"They should," Aaron replied, sipping his wine. "Though this year Miramax is putting heavy hopes on the French film Three Colors: Blue."
Three Colors: Blue had also secured a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film and would compete directly against Farewell My Concubine.
Jennifer, a Yale and Stanford alumna with sharp instincts, saw the bigger picture clearly.
"Harvey Weinstein brands himself as the champion of art-house cinema," she said. "But Dawnlight is expanding too quickly. Your reputation is already brushing against the old studio giants. Miramax can't compete with you commercially."
"They'll focus on prestige independent films instead."
She paused before continuing:
"And now Miramax has been acquired by Disney. TBS has bought New Line and Castle Rock. The major media conglomerates are moving into the independent film space."
She looked at him thoughtfully.
"Aaron, the pressure on you is only going to grow."