**Chapter 150: Taverner's Favor**

"No problem, I'll pass it on to George Lucas. 15% isn't a small amount; I'm sure the folks at Industrial Light & Magic will love you for it," Sera said with a smile.

"Additionally, I'll coordinate with Susan regarding this $125 million. Apart from the $15 million earmarked for investing in *Star Wars: Episode II*, the remaining $110 million will all go into the production costs of *Resident Evil*. Treat it as part of the VFX budget, and you should also discuss it with her."

Sera was stunned upon hearing this. Buying a VFX company just to do effects? What kind of move was that? 

While production costs can be inflated as much as a production company wants, would the investors really have no concerns when they see such an exaggerated budget?

Sera voiced her concern.

Wayne just smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, the fund won't have any objections. After all, when spread across two movies, the budget for each only increases to $90 million, which isn't much."

"Alright, you're the boss, whatever you say goes." Seeing this, Sera didn't dwell on it further. After all, Wayne was the boss of Hemera Pictures. If Wayne said it was fine, she had no choice but to follow orders.

"By the way, Jill Taverner probably played a big role in George Lucas changing his mind so quickly."

Now it was Wayne's turn to be stunned.

"Jill Taverner? What's she got to do with this?"

Sera explained, "Lucasfilm's COO is also a member of the Beverly Hills Women's Club and has some connections with Jill Taverner. Somehow, Jill Taverner found out you were having trouble acquiring Industrial Light & Magic and used that connection to influence George Lucas. I only learned about this recently after joining the club."

Wayne showed a thoughtful expression after hearing this.

He had no idea how Jill Taverner knew he wanted to acquire Industrial Light & Magic; the sources of the information were too vast.

However, it wasn't hard to guess why Jill Taverner went out of her way to help him.

"Looks like I'll have to put in some overtime in the coming days."

Wayne glanced at the unfinished script in front of him and thought to himself.

Although he hadn't asked Jill Taverner to do this, he had to admit that her help had been significant, so he owed her one.

Besides, over the past few days, his relationship with Lily Collins had become much closer, and he didn't mind helping Lily out by giving her some opportunities.

"But Lily's only 12 years old. What kind of movie would be suitable for her as the lead?"

Unconsciously, Wayne thought of Camilla Belle, Emma Roberts, and Elizabeth Olsen. After a moment of contemplation, he wrote down three titles in his notebook: *Hotel for Dogs*, *Heidi*, and *Charlotte's Web*.

*Heidi* doesn't need much explanation. Although it only grossed $38.7 million because it wasn't released in North America and only in a few countries in Europe and Asia, its reputation was stellar.

Lily Collins would be just as fitting in the lead role as Anuk Steffen from the original, and Elizabeth Olsen could play the secondary character, Clara.

The only concern would be whether their acting could match the original.

*Hotel for Dogs* is about a 16-year-old orphan, Andy, and her brother Bruce, who finally find a family willing to adopt them.

However, this family doesn't allow pets.

So they have to find a new home for their beloved dog, Friday, which leads them to turn an abandoned hotel into a shelter for stray dogs.

The original movie was released in 2009, starring Emma Roberts. It achieved a global box office of $117 million with an advertised budget of $35 million, though it likely cost less than $8 million to make. The film was well-received.

If Wayne decides to film this movie, he only needs to make some minor script adjustments, casting Camilla Belle in Emma Roberts' role as Andy, and Lily Collins could play Andy's sister.

Moreover, Camilla, at this point, is a better fit for the 16-year-old Andy than the 18-year-old Emma Roberts was in the original.

Finally, *Charlotte's Web* was a 2006 fantasy comedy film starring Dakota Fanning.

The movie was successful in terms of box office, reception, and DVD sales, grossing $148 million worldwide—much higher than *Hotel for Dogs*.

However, the production company, looking to launder money, insisted on using CGI for scenes that could have been shot live, which ballooned the budget from under $30 million to $85 million. On paper, the movie ended up losing money.

It must be said that Hollywood production and distribution companies will go to any lengths to launder money, scam funds, and avoid taxes.

So, instead of letting those unscrupulous production companies ruin such a good movie, Wayne felt it was necessary to take on all three projects.

The three lead roles in films with a combined budget of over $40 million should be enough to make Jill Taverner very satisfied.

"But which one to film first?"

After a moment of thought, Wayne chose *Hotel for Dogs*.

First of all, the location scouting for *Hotel for Dogs* is relatively simple. If things go smoothly, the preliminary preparations could be completed in as little as half a month, unlike *Heidi*, which would require filming in Switzerland and possibly some vintage estates, castles, and streets in the UK or Germany.

Secondly, *Hotel for Dogs* doesn't demand high-level acting skills, giving Lily Collins enough time to adapt and grow in her first acting role.

After all, not everyone can be as naturally talented as Dakota Fanning and Mckenna Grace, with excellent acting skills from the start.

Additionally, aside from the lead and second lead roles, there are three supporting characters who join the dog rescue team and help build the dog hotel. These roles aren't insignificant and could easily accommodate Megan and Amanda.

In every respect, *Hotel for Dogs* is currently the best choice.

With that in mind, Wayne opened the system panel.

[Remaining Film Investment Funds: $14.625 million]

[Currently Active Film Projects:]

[*Resident Evil 1 & 2*: Production Budget $17.5 million, $3.89 million invested so far]

[*Mean Girls*: Production Budget $2 million, $1.5 million invested so far]

[*Taken*: Production Budget $3.5 million, $850,000 invested so far]

[*Ocean's Eleven* (18%): Estimated Investment $1.5 million, $700,000 invested so far]

[*Pirates of the Caribbean* (16%): Estimated Investment $2 million, $0 invested so far]

[*Spider-Man 1* (22%): Estimated Investment $3 million, $1 million invested so far]

[*The Notebook*: Estimated Investment $3.8 million, $945,000 invested so far]

[*Star Wars: Episode II* (4%): Estimated Investment $1.5 million, $0 invested so far]

[*Hotel for Dogs*: Estimated Investment $1.5 million, $0 invested so far]

[*Wedding Crashers*: Estimated Investment $4.5 million, $0 invested so far]

"It's a good thing *Mean Girls* is about to wrap up; otherwise, this $14 million in production funds wouldn't be enough to finish *Taken* and *Resident Evil*."

(End of chapter)