Chapter 297
At the The Peninsula Beverly Hills, a grand press conference was underway.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen, and Steven Spielberg jointly announced the official formation of DreamWorks SKG.
All three were titans of Hollywood in their own right, and the creation of DreamWorks SKG immediately became the center of attention across the industry.
That evening, Aaron attended DreamWorks SKG's celebratory party at the Peninsula alongside Nicole Kidman.
"DreamWorks SKG…" Nicole sighed softly, her beauty impossible to ignore. "Hollywood is about to gain another powerhouse studio."
Aaron loosened his arm from around her waist and accepted a glass of champagne from a passing waiter.
"Hollywood's becoming more interesting by the day," he said with a smile.
DreamWorks SKG's ambitions were enormous, and the division of responsibilities among the founders was crystal clear:
Jeffrey Katzenberg would oversee the company's animation division and overall management.
Steven Spielberg would handle live-action film production.
David Geffen would manage the music division and financing operations.
"By the way," Aaron added, "Batman Forever has finished filming already, hasn't it?"
Directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Val Kilmer as Batman, alongside Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, and Nicole Kidman herself, the $100 million sequel was packed with star power.
"It wrapped recently," Nicole replied casually. "They're still working on post-production. There's a lot of visual effects involved."
Then she gave him a playful look.
"I'm surprised you still pay attention to me. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten all about me."
Aaron shook his head as they stepped onto the balcony.
"You know how busy things have been lately."
"Mmm."
Nicole suddenly wrapped her arms around him and kissed him passionately.
After a moment, Aaron leaned close to her ear.
"We'll head back to your place later."
"Mm-hmm," she replied, cheeks slightly flushed as she clung to his neck affectionately. "So Dawnlight really is trying to acquire MCA Universal?"
Aaron nodded.
"Of course. We're just waiting to submit our offer to Panasonic."
A little later, Aaron returned to the main reception hall and approached the three founders of DreamWorks SKG.
"Congratulations, David," he said, raising his glass. "The launch of DreamWorks is the kind of event that could reshape Hollywood itself."
Aaron clinked glasses with David Geffen.
Their collaboration that year, Interview with the Vampire, had performed exceptionally well, earning $100 million domestically in North America and reaching a worldwide total of $220 million.
With a production budget of $60 million and another $25 million spent on marketing and distribution, the film had clearly turned a healthy profit.
David Geffen smiled.
"DreamWorks is still just a framework for now. On the film side, we'll mainly be relying on Steven and Jeffrey."
Then he added meaningfully,
"Besides, the brightest studio in Hollywood right now is still Dawnlight."
Aaron shrugged lightly.
"So when does DreamWorks plan to launch its first project?"
"Not that soon," Geffen replied after taking a sip of his drink. "We still need additional investors, and the company itself hasn't been fully organized yet."
At this stage, DreamWorks SKG was little more than a name.
Jeffrey Katzenberg still needed time to develop animated features, while Steven Spielberg remained tied up with projects for other studios. It would take time before DreamWorks could truly begin producing its own films.
Aaron glanced toward Spielberg in the distance before shifting his gaze to Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Among the three founders, Katzenberg was undoubtedly the one most emotionally invested in DreamWorks. Being forced out of The Walt Disney Company had become a thorn buried deep in his heart.
Earlier that day, during the press conference, Katzenberg had openly declared that DreamWorks intended to challenge Disney head-on in the field of animated features.
He had said:
"During the nineteen years I worked with Michael Eisner, I gained the most valuable experience of my life."
"Without him, I wouldn't be sitting here today. I don't think either of us will die from the wounds caused by this situation—but the wounds are there."
It was obvious that leaving Disney in humiliation had dealt Katzenberg a tremendous blow. And in equal measure, his resentment toward Michael Eisner had only deepened.
Aaron nodded thoughtfully.
"Maybe someday Dawnlight and DreamWorks will collaborate as well."
Geffen laughed.
"If DreamWorks can work with Dawnlight, we'd be more than happy."
Aaron let out a quiet sigh.
"This really is the perfect era. Hollywood is standing at the center of opportunities unlike anything it's ever seen."
Hollywood was in the middle of a massive transformation, and two major industry trends were propelling countless newcomers and emerging studios straight into the spotlight.
The first was the widespread adoption of 3D and CG technology in filmmaking. Movies like Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Jurassic Park, and True Lies had proven the enormous potential of visual-effects blockbusters.
The second was Hollywood's globalization strategy throughout the 1990s. Government policies encouraging investment in entertainment and culture, combined with massive capital inflows from Wall Street and Europe, had created unprecedented financial support for large-scale productions.
After the reception ended, Aaron left the hotel with Nicole Kidman.
As the car cruised down Sunset Boulevard, Nicole leaned against him and teased softly,
"So? Does DreamWorks SKG make you feel pressured?"
Aaron laughed dismissively, his hand sliding across her thigh.
"Pressure? Those three together have at least six different agendas."
A moment later, his eyes drifted out the car window toward a theater displaying a newly hung poster:
The Shawshank Redemption.
"So it's finally been released?"
Aaron had been paying close attention to the film for some time.
Written and directed by Frank Darabont and adapted from Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King, the movie starred Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.
"Mhm," Nicole murmured, kissing Aaron several times on the cheek. "You know about this movie too?"
"I looked into it before," Aaron replied. "Frank Darabont's both the writer and director. Castle Rock Entertainment financed it."
"At first, they wanted Tom Cruise for the lead role, but he wasn't willing to work with a first-time director."
"Originally, Castle Rock's Rob Reiner even offered Darabont $3 million to buy the screenplay so he could direct it himself."
"He turned it down."
For a rookie filmmaker to reject $3 million so decisively was proof enough of how deeply Frank Darabont truly loved the story of Shawshank Redemption.